Exclusive: Positron raises $230M Series B to take on Nvidia's AI chips

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  February 04, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Exclusive: Positron raises $230M Series B to take on Nvidia's AI chips: The investment comes from backers including the Qatar Investment Authority as demand for chips beyond Nvidia soars and as Qatar aims to build out its AI infrastructure. Read More After backlash, Adobe cancels Adobe Animate shutdown and puts app on 'maintenance mode': Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026, as Adobe shifts its focus to AI. Read More ElevenLabs raises $500M from Sequioia at a $11 billion valuation: ElevenLabs' valuation has raised more than three times in the last twelve months. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from TechCrunch Events The founder playbook for 2026: TechCrunch Founder Summit Founders and VCs, this conference is built for you. Join 1,100+ founders and investors of all stages for a highly curated, all-day summit in June, designed to connect capital and companies. From tactical workshops to candid Q&A and curated meetings, it's where scale, growth, and deal flow happen. Save up to $300 on your pass. Or save up to 30% with a group. Register Now Morning Must-Reads India's Varaha bags $20M to scale carbon removal from the Global South: Varaha's fresh funding is part of a $45 million Series B round led by WestBridge Capital. Read More Intel will start making GPUs, a market dominated by Nvidia : Intel has been bulking up a team to focus on this effort and will develop its GPU strategy around customer needs. Read More Uber appoints new CFO as its AV plans accelerate: Uber is promoting Balaji Krishnamurthy, its VP of strategic finance and investor relations, to be its CFO, replacing its current finance chief Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah. Read More Alexa+, Amazon's AI assistant, is now available to everyone in the U.S.: Amazon opens Alexa+ to everyone in the U.S. The AI feature is free for Prime members across devices, and free for everyone on mobile and web. Read More The Minneapolis tech community holds strong during 'tense and difficult time': Founders and investors in the Minneapolis tech industry told TechCrunch they've put much of their work on hold to help out their community. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Momentum and deals start at Disrupt — Save up to $680 now At Disrupt, founders find momentum, VCs discover their next investment, and operators take their next leap. October 13–15 in San Francisco, 10,000 tech leaders converge at San Francisco's Moscone West to connect and hear from 250+ industry-defining voices across 200+ sessions. Save up to $680 on your pass. Or save up to 30% when you bring your community. Register Now You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least Epstein-linked longevity guru Peter Attia leaves David Protein, and his own startup 'won't comment': Attia co-founded longevity medical testing startup Biograph, which came out of stealth a year ago. 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

Homeland Security is trying to force tech companies to hand over data about Trump critics

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  February 03, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Homeland Security is trying to force tech companies to hand over data about Trump critics: The use of administrative subpoenas, which are not subject to judicial oversight, are used to demand a wealth of information from tech companies, including the owners of anonymous online accounts documenting ICE operations. Read More The Minneapolis tech community holds strong during 'tense and difficult time': Founders and investors in the Minneapolis tech industry told TechCrunch they've put much of their work on hold to help out their community. Read More Skyryse lands another $300M to make flying, even helicopters, simple and safe: Skyrsye, now valued at $1.15 billion, is pushing to get FAA certification for its universal operating system for flight. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from Fidelity Top Venture Capital Trends Startups Should Watch Report Startup executives, the VC world is always changing, and it's important to stay updated. As your company grows, you face new challenges & opportunities. The competitive landscape is shifting & you need to stay informed and prepared. Download our guide now to master the VC landscape & set your company up for long-term success. Download Now Afternoon Must-Reads Intel will start making GPUs, a market dominated by Nvidia : Intel has been bulking up a team to focus on this effort and will develop its GPU strategy around customer needs. Read More French police search X office in Paris, summon Elon Musk for questioning: The Paris prosecutor's office announced that it is expanding a criminal investigation into X for alleged crimes, including the possession and distribution of child sexual exploitation material. Read More Agentic coding comes to Apple's Xcode with agents from Anthropic and OpenAI: Xcode 26.3 offers agentic coding capabilities with Anthropic's Claude Agent and OpenAI's Codex. Read More PayPal hires HP's Enrique Lores as its new CEO: PayPal is appointing CFO and COO Jamie Miller as interim CEO until March 1. Read More Lotus Health nabs $35M for AI doctor that sees patients for free: This AI doctor is licensed in all 50 states, the startup says. The deal was led by CRV and Kleiner Perkins. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events The founder playbook for 2026: TechCrunch Founder Summit Founders and VCs, this conference is built for you. Join 1,100+ founders and investors of all stages for a highly curated, all-day summit in June, designed to connect capital and companies. From tactical workshops to candid Q&A and curated meetings, it's where scale, growth, and deal flow happen. Save up to $300 on your pass. Or save up to 30% with a group. Register Now You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least Fitbit founders launch AI platform to help families monitor their health: Luffu uses AI in the background to gather and organize family information, learn day-to-day patterns, and flag notable changes so families can stay aligned and address potential well-being issues. 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