Sunday, June 1, 2025

Space Forge raises $30M

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Image Credits: TechCrunch/Bryce Durbin

A U.K. startup called Space Forge aims to make chip materials in space, because crystals grown in space should have fewer defects.

That might sound like science fiction, but Space Forge has raised a $30 million Series A led by NATO Innovation Fund, and Northrop Grumman has already signed up to be one of its partners. CEO Joshua Western said the company's approach stands "on the shoulders of about 50 years of research."

Keep reading to see what else TechCrunch is covering this weekend.

Weekend news and opinion

Image Credits: Meta

How to use Meta's Edits app: Facebook's parent company recently released an app designed to challenge ByteDance's video editor CapCut. This guide walks you through everything you need to know to use it.

AI really is speeding things up: At least, that's true according to VC Mary Meeker. She just released the first edition of her trends report in more than half a decade, in which she argued that AI is powering a tech revolution unlike any before it.

DOGE damage includes rats and roaches: The chief executive of the United States Institute of Peace said in a sworn statement that Elon Musks' Department of Government Efficiency left the institute's headquarters full of water damage, rats, and cockroaches.

What else we're reading 📗

Bloomberg's Dave Lee examines the recently announced Meta-Anduril deal, arguing that it reflects broader shifts in Silicon Valley, with Facebook's parent company crossing what once seemed like a red line around military work. Plus, it means there's finally a use case for the metaverse.

Also, The New Yorker's Joshua Rothman argues that there are two paths forward with artificial intelligence: remaining passive or asserting control.