Cluely’s Roy Lee hints that viral hype is not enough

While Roy Lee, the founder of Cluely, argues that startups should be thinking harder about social media virality, he also admits that brand awareness alone won’t lead to sustained growth. “I can’t say if it’s a mistake, but maybe we launched too early,” Lee said on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 last week. “The whole … Read more

NVIDIA, Qualcomm join U.S., Indian VCs to help build India’s next deep tech startups

NVIDIA and Qualcomm Ventures have joined a growing coalition of U.S. and Indian investors backing India’s deep tech startups. The group launched in September with more than $1 billion in commitments, timing that aligns with India’s new ₹1 trillion (around $12 billion) research and development initiative. NVIDIA has joined the coalition as a strategic technical … Read more

Rivian creates another spinoff company called Mind Robotics

Rivian has created its second spinoff company this year: an industrial AI and robotics venture called Mind Robotics. The new effort will be focused around using “industrial AI to reshape how physical world businesses operate and leverage Rivian operations data as the foundation for a robotics data flywheel,” according to a the company’s third-quarter shareholder … Read more

WhatsApp launches long-awaited Apple Watch app

WhatsApp announced on Tuesday that it’s launching an Apple Watch companion app. For the first time, WhatsApp users will be able to use their Apple Watch to get call notifications, read full messages, and record and send voice messages. “This new experience will help you stay on top of your chats without needing to pull … Read more

Wait, people actually use Facebook Dating?

When we gather ’round the proverbial fire and exchange our online dating war stories, we’re usually talking about the usual suspects: Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, and sometimes more niche apps like Lex. But ever since Facebook Dating launched in 2019, I’m not sure I have ever heard a tale that began there — I know … Read more

a16z pauses its famed TxO Fund for underserved founders, lays off staff

Andreessen Horowitz is pausing its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund and program, according to four sources familiar with the matter, including more than one founder in the program.  The firm announced TxO in 2020 to support founders who do not have access to traditional venture networks. Many of TxO’s participants were women and minorities who, overall, receive very slim amounts of venture … Read more