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Startups & VC
Funding rounds, acquisitions, and growth bets.
Rebuilt from the Tech desk's file at every publish · newest filing Nov 3, 2026
The desk’s Startups & VC file
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Self-Flying Cargo Plane Startup Reliable Robotics Tops $1 Billion Valuation
The Mountain View company raised $115 million, but expects FAA approval of its first autopilot system in 18 to 24 months.
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Culver City Company MyVillage Reports a Fourth Private Raise: More Than $7.59 Million
A filing with the SEC says the company has sold more than $7.59 million, its full planned offering, to 7 investors.
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A Redondo Beach Startup Raised $308 Million. It Moves Satellites.
Impulse Space, founded by a former SpaceX propulsion executive, says the extension brings its Series D total to $808 million.
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Two L.A. Startups Raised $2.37 Billion for AI. Neither Sells AI.
Torrance's Hadrian took $1.37 billion; El Segundo's Valar Atomics closed $1 billion led by Sequoia Capital, plus a $200 million credit line.
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A Gym Software Giant Bought L.A.'s Replify. No Price Was Disclosed.
Replify, the L.A. startup whose AI agents answer gym phone calls, sold to ABC Fitness three years after launching as HeyLibby.
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Travis Kalanick Raised $1.7 Billion for Robots. Uber Chipped In.
The Los Angeles company, formerly City Storage Systems and parent of CloudKitchens, now runs three arms: food, mining and transport.
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Torrance's Castelion Raised $1 Billion for Missiles. New Mexico Gets the Plant.
The company's Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile was designed in California and is expected to enter service in 2027.
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Vanguard Agreed to Buy Altruist, the Culver City Firm Holding Advisers' Accounts
The two firms didn’t disclose terms; Altruist keeps its brand, leadership and operating model as a standalone business.
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An L.A. AI Startup Raised $76 Million. Three Major Music Companies Are Backing It.
The Los Angeles company will put the money into professional services, applied research and creative production tools for music, gaming and entertainment, dot.LA reported on August 28, 2026.
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Torrance and El Segundo Startups Raised $2.37 Billion. The New Factories Aren't Built Yet.
Hadrian, in Torrance, closed a $1.37 billion Series D at a $7.87 billion valuation. Valar Atomics, in El Segundo, closed $1 billion led by Sequoia Capital, dot.LA reported on August 7, 2026.
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A $250 Million Round for Instinct, the Year-Old AI Assistant Whose Terms Keep User Data.
Instinct, an AI assistant from Spear Street Technology and 23-year-old founder Noah Shinn, disclosed a $250 million Series B on August 26, 2026, co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark.
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Castelion, Torrance's Hypersonic Missile Maker, Raised $1 Billion at a $13 Billion Valuation.
dot.LA reported the round at a $13 billion valuation on August 21, 2026. The missile, Blackbeard, is designed in California and built in New Mexico.
Around the tech world
From the Globe’s tech wire — headlines from Hacker News and the tech press on this beat, each linking out to the outlet that reported it. Fetched Nov 2, 2026.
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Northwood Space raises $375M Series C at a $2B valuation from a16z and DFJ growth
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2 days till TechCrunch Founder Summit: Boston founders don’t need a Silicon Valley address to build something big
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BioWare co-founder: game execs "have never made a game" and don't get it
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4 days left: How TechCrunch Founder Summit helps you make more useful connections to scale