OpenAI-backed Thrive Holdings raises $2B to bring AI to the enterprise

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 OpenAI-backed Thrive Holdings raises $2B to bring AI to the enterprise: Thrive Holdings has raised $2 billion in new funding at a $12 billion valuation from investors like SoftBank, D1 Capital Partners, and Altimeter Capital.  Read More AI coding startup Cognition reportedly already in talks to raise at $40B valuation: Cognition may be looking to raise another mega round just a few months after raising $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation. Read More As AI safety concerns mount, three pioneers make the case for staying open: At Ai4, three of the world's most respected AI experts — Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, and Andrew Ng — debated regulation, open source access, and how America can compete as China advances in Asia. Read More A message from Alumni Ventures Invest in High-Potential Startups Like These Alumni Ventures is giving readers early access to high-potential startup opportunities across today’s most active sectors, co-invested alongside name-brand VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Bessemer, & Y Combinator. You Get: Curated deal flow of high-potential startups, Investing alongside name-brand vc firms, No cost to see deals, No obligation to invest. See Current Deals Afternoon Must-Reads After Microsoft threatened legal action, a security researcher publishes a new Windows zero-day bug: This is the latest zero-day released by security researcher Nightmare Eclipse, despite Microsoft publicly threatening to take legal action against them. Read More Everything announced at Made by Google '26: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, and tons of Gemini features: From the Pixel 11 series and a brand new competitor to Apple’s AirTag, here are all the announcements from the Made by Google 2026 event. Read More Reservoir raises $8M to make water heaters that people — and the grid — will actually want: Reservoir has built an ultra-efficient water heater that can predict hot water demand, store energy, and detect plumbing leaks throughout a home. Read More Mesh, Automattic's CRM for everyone, comes to Android: Mesh, an AI-powered contacts app and relationship manager from Automattic, is now an Android app. Read More Google takes on AirTag with the new $29 Pixel Tag: Google’s new Pixel Tag taps into its Find Hub network to help users track lost keys, bags, and other items. Read More Last but Not Least Lovable confirms new $13.3B valuation, raises another $400M: This new funding comes after Lovable hit $500 million in annualized run rate revenue in June, the startup told TechCrunch. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

Everything announced at Made by Google '26: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, and tons of Gemini features

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Everything announced at Made by Google '26: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, and tons of Gemini features: From the Pixel 11 series and a brand new competitor to Apple’s AirTag, here are all the announcements from the Made by Google 2026 event. Read More Reservoir raises $8M to make water heaters that people — and the grid — will actually want: Reservoir has built an ultra-efficient water heater that can predict hot water demand, store energy, and detect plumbing leaks throughout a home. Read More Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni reportedly knew Phia was 'cookie stuffing' for months: Phia, the shopping startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is once again under fire for its alleged business practices. Read More Afternoon Must-Reads Google's new Pixel 11 Pro Fold offers a stronger build and brighter screens: The Pixel 11 Pro Fold will cost $1,899 Read More AI code-testing startup Blacksmith's valuation jumps almost 10x in less than a year: Blacksmith says revenue has grown more than tenfold over the past year. Read More Uber surprised robotics company Serve by selling its entire stake: The divestiture comes as the two once-tight companies have started to diverge on the business side. Read More OpenAI launches ChatGPT desktop app for Linux: OpenAI is finally bringing a dedicated ChatGPT desktop app to Linux operating systems. Read More Google's Pixel 11 lineup offer fewer hardware changes, but much more Gemini: Google Pixel 11 Series starts $100 costlier than the last year, but offers 256GB base storage Read More Last but Not Least Google takes on AirTag with the new $29 Pixel Tag: Google’s new Pixel Tag taps into its Find Hub network to help users track lost keys, bags, and other items. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107