Digantara, a Bengaluru-based space surveillance startup, has raised $50 million in an all-equity Series B round, bringing its total funding to $64.5 million. The round attracted new investors including 360 ONE Asset, SBI Investment of Japan, and serial entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, alongside existing backers Peak XV Partners and Kalaari Capital. Founded in 2020, Digantara initially focused on space situational awareness, tracking orbital debris and objects that could endanger satellites.

Marley Alles began her career in accounting, aiming to work at a large corporation. “And then once I got there, I was like ‘oh, that’s it?’” Alles told TechCrunch. While she gained professional experience, her curiosity soon drew her toward the world of startups. She devoured podcasts, books, and articles, taking careful notes on topics that sparked her interest. Her entrepreneurial idea emerged from a personal experience.

Caroline Merin, a veteran of on-demand services and the first Latin American general manager for Uber Eats, identified a critical gap in healthcare technology. After serving as COO of Rappi, she noticed that patients expected rapid responses from their doctors—similar to how delivery apps operate—yet most medical professionals in Latin America relied on WhatsApp for all patient communication. “As a patient, I thought it was incredible that I could text my doctor on WhatsApp and get a response,” Merin told TechCrunch.

Slate Auto, the electric truck startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has amassed over 150,000 refundable reservations for its upcoming low-cost EV, slated for delivery at the end of 2026. The company shared the milestone in a Q&A video with CEO Chris Barman, addressing questions from reservation holders about vehicle features such as self-driving capabilities (none planned) and the ability to attach car seats to optional rear seats (supported).

Elon Musk’s X has updated its Terms of Service to explicitly state that it continues to hold ownership of the Twitter trademark, following a trademark dispute with a Virginia-based startup. The startup, Operation Bluebird, filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 2 to trademark “Twitter,” claiming X had abandoned the brand after rebranding its social networking service as X.

MoEngage, the Bengaluru- and San Francisco-based customer engagement platform, has raised $180 million in a Series F follow-on round, just over a month after closing $100 million. A majority of the funding, roughly $123 million, was structured as secondary transactions, providing liquidity to early investors and employees, including a $15 million employee tender for 259 team members.

The Nordic startup ecosystem continues to attract global attention. Copenhagen-based investor Neil Murray, founder and general partner at The Nordic Web Ventures, announced the close of $6 million Fund III to back early-stage founders in the region. Fund III will focus on writing the first institutional checks for AI-native companies, robotics ventures, and deep tech startups. Murray, a solo general partner, has previously backed over 50 companies, including unicorn…

Ford Motor Company is set to record approximately $19.5 billion in special items linked to a restructuring of its business priorities and a pullback on all-electric vehicle (EV) investments. Most of these charges are expected in Q4 2025, with an additional $5.5 billion in cash charges through 2027, according to the automaker. The charges, which include $8.5 billion in write-downs of EV assets…

Climate-related disasters have become increasingly frequent and destructive in the U.S., driving a record $107 billion in global insured losses in 2025, according to the Swiss Re Institute. Notably, 83% of these losses were attributed to U.S. events, highlighting the country’s vulnerability to severe weather. The Los Angeles wildfires in January alone caused insured damages of $40 billion, marking them as the costliest wildfires globally.

Hermès Birkin bags have once again made headlines with record-breaking auctions, yet the overall market for these iconic handbags shows signs of cooling. Earlier this month, a Birkin bag owned by Jane Birkin sold at Sotheby’s for $2.9 million, far surpassing its high-end estimate of $440,000. This followed the July sale of her original Birkin bag, which fetched an eye-popping $10 million.

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to sign an executive order this week that could significantly expand access to cannabis in the United States. The move would reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, placing it alongside medications like Tylenol with codeine instead of substances such as heroin and LSD. The executive order could also establish a pilot program allowing…

Kraft Heinz on Tuesday announced that Steve Cahillane, former CEO of Kellanova, will take the helm of the company ahead of its planned split in 2026. Cahillane will officially join Kraft Heinz as chief executive on January 1. Following the separation, he will lead the new entity temporarily named Global Taste Elevation, which will include high-growth brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia, and Kraft Mac & Cheese.

Pfizer on Tuesday provided a cautious 2026 outlook as the pharmaceutical giant navigates declining Covid-19 product sales and the impact of older drugs losing market exclusivity. The company is focusing on long-term pipeline investments, including recent acquisitions, to fuel future growth. Shares of Pfizer fell nearly 5% on Tuesday, reflecting investor concerns about the company’s slower near-term revenue trajectory. For the year, Pfizer’s stock is down approximately 5%.

As the 2025 holiday season kicks off, U.S. consumers are showing resilience in spending despite ongoing economic worries. Many Americans continue to shop actively, even as consumer sentiment hit its lowest point in over three years in early November, according to the University of Michigan’s monthly survey. A modest uptick in December hints at cautious optimism, but overall confidence remains subdued.

A surge in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is creating a memory chip shortage, which is expected to impact smartphone prices and shipments in 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. The report predicts a 2.1% decline in global smartphone shipments next year, down from the previously anticipated flat-to-positive growth. Shipments, which track devices sent to sales channels, serve as a key indicator of market demand.

The United States has put the “Technology Prosperity Deal” with the United Kingdom on hold, citing frustration with the pace of negotiations, according to the Financial Times. The agreement, announced in September during President Donald Trump’s U.K. visit, was designed to boost collaboration between the two nations in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion, and quantum computing. Trump described it as a step to ensure both countries “lead the next great technological revolution side by side,” while U.K.

Slope, an AI-driven lending startup, has partnered with Amazon to provide a reusable line of credit directly to U.S. Amazon sellers, supported by a JPMorgan Chase credit facility. The program, which launched Tuesday, allows eligible vendors to apply for capital through their Amazon Seller accounts and receive real-time approvals. Founded by CEO Lawrence Lin Murata and co-founder Alice Deng, Slope leverages artificial intelligence to underwrite businesses and assess risk efficiently, providing a streamlined financing experience.

Once a futuristic concept, robotaxis have become a common mode of transportation in major cities across the U.S. and parts of Asia in 2025. Alphabet-owned Waymo dominates the U.S. market, while Tesla and Amazon-owned Zoox have launched initial services. In China, Baidu’s Apollo Go continues to lead, with Pony.ai and WeRide expanding both domestically and internationally. Families and individual riders are increasingly turning to robotaxis for privacy and convenience.

Databricks announced Tuesday that it is raising $4 billion in a new funding round, valuing the data analytics and AI software company at $134 billion. The figure represents a 34% increase from its $100 billion valuation in August, placing Databricks among an elite group of private companies that have crossed the $100 billion threshold, alongside SpaceX, ByteDance, and OpenAI. The round underscores continued investor confidence in Databricks’ role at the center of enterprise data and artificial intelligence infrastructure, even as broader markets scrutinize AI-related spending.

Instagram is taking a significant step beyond smartphones by bringing its short-form video content to television screens. Meta announced that it has begun testing an “Instagram for TV” app in the United States via Amazon Fire TV devices. The move highlights Instagram’s ambition to evolve into a full-scale video platform capable of competing more directly with TikTok and YouTube. The new app centers on Instagram Reels, the platform’s TikTok-style short videos that are algorithmically recommended and largely created by individual users.

The U.S. House of Representatives has taken a significant step toward reshaping how artificial intelligence infrastructure is built nationwide. On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 215–209 to advance the SPEED Act, legislation backed by major technology companies including OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft. The bill aims to reform the federal permitting process, which supporters argue has become a major bottleneck for building data centers and related AI infrastructure.

AI startup Lovable has reached a $6.6 billion valuation in its latest funding round, underscoring the extraordinary pace of growth in the so-called “vibe coding” sector. Sources familiar with the deal told CNBC that U.S. venture capital firm Accel participated in the round, alongside Khosla Ventures. The figure represents more than a threefold increase from Lovable’s $1.8 billion valuation following its July funding round.

Workplace AI adoption has reached an all-time high, according to data from Anthropic. Yet widespread use does not automatically translate into meaningful gains. Many organizations deploy AI enthusiastically without clarity on where it truly improves productivity or where human judgment remains essential. “Nobody knows those answers, even though a lot of people are saying they do,” said Jen Stave, chief operator at the Digital Data Design Institute (D³) at Harvard Business School.

What began as a punishing year for Tesla investors has transformed into a remarkable turnaround. After plunging 36% in the first quarter—its worst quarterly performance since 2022—Tesla shares have staged a powerful recovery. On Tuesday, the stock hit an all-time closing high of $489.88, rising 3.1% in a single session. With that move, Tesla is now up 21% for the year, marking a dramatic reversal in investor sentiment.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer raised fresh concerns about the sustainability of massive artificial intelligence infrastructure spending, arguing that Oracle could become the first major player to slow the pace. According to Cramer, financial discipline—not technological ambition—may ultimately dictate the next phase of the AI arms race. He suggested that pressure from the bond market could force Oracle to reconsider the scale and speed of its data center investments, with ripple effects across the broader hyperscaler ecosystem.