Mobileye is making a massive $900 million bet on humanoid robots by acquiring startup Mentee Robotics. The deal, announced at CES, aims to merge self-driving car tech with general-purpose robotics. But commercial deployment isn’t targeted until 2028.
The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has thrown the country’s crucial oil industry into disarray. With the Trump administration pushing for American investment, the stakes for U.S. businesses and taxpayers are suddenly very high.
The channel-first strategy is gaining serious traction with new cybersecurity vendors. According to CRN, startups like Orchid Security are building their entire go-to-market around partners from day one to gain velocity and credibility.
The entry-level job market for 2026 graduates looks bleak, with hiring projected to grow just 1.6%. A perfect storm of AI fears, fake job postings, and a pivot to blue-collar work is reshaping the landscape for Gen Z.
In a significant move for Africa’s tech ecosystem, payments giant Flutterwave has acquired open banking startup Mono. The all-stock deal, valued between $25 million and $40 million, represents a rare successful exit and points to deeper industry consolidation.
Meta has acquired Manus AI, a startup focused on building simulated environments for AI agents. The deal underscores a growing belief that true AI intelligence requires a rich context to operate within, not just advanced models.
Meta has made one of its biggest AI acquisitions yet, buying the startup Manus for over $2 billion. The company, which grew out of China’s AI ecosystem, saw rapid revenue growth by building AI agents for tasks like market research and website creation.
German digital bank N26 is undergoing a major leadership shift. Co-founder Maximilian Tayenthal is stepping down from his operational role as co-CEO on December 31. The bank is preparing for a full handover to incoming CEO Mike Dargan, a UBS executive, in April 2026.
TechCrunch just unveiled its Startup Battlefield 200, a massive list of enterprise tech contenders. Beyond the 20 on stage, 180 others are pitching in categories like AI, sales, and data. It’s a snapshot of where founder energy is going right now.
For the third year running, VCs are telling TechCrunch that next year is when enterprise AI will finally deliver. Their 2026 predictions focus on consolidation, physical-world AI, and a brutal shakeout for startups that can’t prove real ROI.
