Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  May 11, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation: Five-year old European military drone startup Helsing is close to raising another monster round. Read More Digg tries again, this time as an AI news aggregator: Digg returns (again) as another place to read AI news. Read More Bravo is creating unscripted microdramas for the Peacock app: As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that it is launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream in the Peacock app. Read More Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum. Register Now! A message from Alumni Ventures Invest in High-Potential Startups Like Quince, Bluesky, and Daydream Alumni Ventures (AV) is offering readers early access to high-growth startup opportunities, including some of today’s most exciting Next Gen Consumer startups like Quince, Bluesky, and Daydream. AV co-invests alongside top VC firms including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner, & Khosla. No cost to see deals. No obligation to invest. Don’t miss your chance before access closes. Join Alumni Ventures Next Gen Consumer Syndicate Today! Register Free Here Afternoon Must-Reads Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry: The company has been trying to embed itself inside the AV industry — as a data provider, an investor, and a distribution platform — but the consumer-facing bet may be just as important. Read More TechCrunch Mobility: Lime's IPO gamble: Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part.   Read More There aren't enough rockets for space data centers — Cowboy Space raised $275M to build them: The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There's a key problem: There aren't enough rockets to put data centers in orbit around Earth, and they're too expensive. Read More Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future: How will work setups change if we spend more and more time talking to our computers? Read More Anthropic says ‘evil’ portrayals of AI were responsible for Claude’s blackmail attempts: Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic. Read More Last but Not Least Venmo's biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time: The timing is notable. PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a stand-alone business unit — a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale. Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright. 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

Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry

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

View this email online in your browser  May 11, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry: The company has been trying to embed itself inside the AV industry — as a data provider, an investor, and a distribution platform — but the consumer-facing bet may be just as important. Read More There aren't enough rockets for space data centers. Cowboy Space raised $275 million to build them.: Cowboy Space Corporation wants to put data centers in orbit. First, it has to build the rockets to get them there. Read More TechCrunch Mobility: Lime's IPO gamble: Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part.   Read More Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum. Register Now! A message from Deck AI agents that operate software as-is Deck operates your existing software like an employee would — logging in, clicking through, getting the job done. If a human can use it, Deck can too. Try It Free Morning Must-Reads Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future: How will work setups change if we spend more and more time talking to our computers? Read More Korea's biggest manufacturers back Config, the TSMC of robot data: Samsung, Hyundai and LG just bet on the startup that wants to be robotics' data backbone. Read More Anthropic says ‘evil’ portrayals of AI were responsible for Claude’s blackmail attempts: Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic. Read More Venmo's biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time: The timing is notable. PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a standalone business unit — a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale. Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright. Read More NYT's Wordle to become a TV game show: The popular mobile puzzle game will become a TV game show next year. Read More A message from Fidelity Your Pitch Isn’t the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating.   Investors don’t just listen to what you say - they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn’t come from slides. It comes from preparation.  Learn More Last but Not Least So you've heard these AI terms and nodded along; let's fix that: The rise of AI has brought an avalanche of new terms and slang. Here is a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases you might encounter. 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