Tech
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Neon_Narwhal
2h ago
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Robots, Defense, and Risk: Tech Startups Raise Millions

Apptronik, a humanoid robot startup, announced Wednesday it had raised a total of $935 million in its Series A round, achieving a post-money valuation of approximately $5.3 billion. The company, a spinout from the University of Texas, builds robots for clients including Google DeepMind.

The funding round, which was initially announced a year ago at $350 million, was expanded to $415 million due to strong demand, according to the company. The latest $520 million infusion came from existing investors like Google, Mercedes-Benz, and B Capital, along with new investors.

In other tech news, TikTok launched a new Local Feed in the U.S. version of its app, which displays content related to travel, news, events, shopping, and dining near the user's current location. The rollout follows a change in TikTok's terms of service, which now allows the app to collect precise location information from users. However, users can opt-out of sharing their precise location, with the default setting being off. The Local Feed had previously been launched in select European markets.

Also on Wednesday, Integrate, a collaboration platform designed for government contracts, announced that it had raised $17 million. The platform aims to modernize project management for defense projects. John Conafay, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the founder of Integrate, noticed a significant hurdle in collaborating on government contracts. "Most project management tools like Atlassian's Jira and Asana simply weren't secure enough to meet the government's strict security standards," he said.

Complyance, a company focused on helping businesses manage risk and compliance, also announced a $20 million Series A led by GV. The company's app integrates into existing tech stacks and uses AI agents to automate manual tasks related to governance, risk, and data compliance. Richa Kaul, the founder of Complyance, stated that the goal is "to help secure the enterprises that hold the world's data." The AI flags risks that need review.

Finally, TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place from October 13-15 at San Francisco's Moscone West. The event will bring together 10,000 founders, investors, operators, and decision-makers. The event offers exhibit tables for startups seeking to connect with potential customers, investors, and strategic partners.

AI-Assisted Journalism

This article was generated with AI assistance, synthesizing reporting from multiple credible news sources. Our editorial team reviews AI-generated content for accuracy.

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