Startups

The Information team’s approach to covering up-and-coming companies focuses on previously unreported news of funding, plus the impact on the surrounding tech and finance ecosystems. Our newsroom produces The Information 50, an annual list of promising startups.

Recent Articles about Startups
James Detweiler, Deedy Das and Lulu Meservey.
The Next GPs

Where Last Year’s ‘Next General Partner’ Finalists Are Now

By Julia Hornstein · Mar 26, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments
Investments in AI startups such as Mercor and Skild AI helped advance three of 16 finalists in last year’s list of Next General Partners to higher positions, including to the role of general partner in their firms. These promotions reflect how AI continues to dominate venture capital investing. Last year’s finalists can’t credit just AI,... Investments in AI startups such as Mercor and Skild AI helped advance three of 16 finalists in...
On March 12, Joby flew its eVTOL over San Francisco. Photo: Courtesy Joby Aviation.
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: Two Electric Aviation Startups Attempt to Jump Ahead of Rivals

By Steve LeVine · Mar 26, 2026 4:30am PDT
The Iran war seems likely to scotch the plans of U.S. electric aviation startups to launch their first commercial flights in the Middle East this year. But in the next few weeks and months, two leaders in the nascent industry will be flying in the U.S. The Iran war seems likely to scotch the plans of U.S. electric aviation startups to launch their...
The plaintiff's family and attorney react to the news that the jury has found Meta and YouTube liable in the social media addiction trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images.
The Briefing

Meta’s Future Value and the Social Media Verdict

By Martin Peers · Mar 25, 2026 5:00pm PDT
Talk about bad timing. Meta Platforms made a big splash on Tuesday night by disclosing new stock grants for senior executives that fully pay out only if the company’s market capitalization rises above $9.4 trillion by 2031, from $1.5 trillion now. Hours later, on Wednesday, we scooped the news that Meta was laying off hundreds of people. And... Talk about bad timing. Meta Platforms made a big splash on Tuesday night by disclosing new stock...
Image via Shutterstock
Apple Can ‘Distill’ Google’s Big Gemini Model
By Jessica E. Lessin, Amir Efrati and Erin Woo · Mar 25, 2026 7:00am PDT
Image via Shutterstock
AI Agenda

Apple Can ‘Distill’ Google’s Big Gemini Model

By Jessica E. Lessin, Amir Efrati and Erin Woo · Mar 25, 2026 7:00am PDT
Before we get to today’s column, we wanted to flag OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s major reorg, the company’s new "Spud” model and its decision to shut down the Sora video app and application programming interface, which we scooped on Tuesday. (For what the company’s organizational structure looks like now after the changes, check out our updated OpenAI... Before we get to today’s column, we wanted to flag OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s major reorg, the...
Vultr CEO J.J. Kardwell. Screenshot via YouTube/Vultr.
Exclusive

AMD-Backed Vultr Seeks $1 Billion for AI Cloud Push

By Miles Kruppa, Anissa Gardizy and Valida Pau · Mar 25, 2026 6:00am PDT
Vultr, one of the oldest independent cloud providers, is seeking to raise at least $1 billion in new capital so it can compete with a growing list of startups scrambling for cash to meet the surging demand for AI computing power. The company, which is backed by chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices, was founded in 2014 and didn’t raise any outside... Vultr, one of the oldest independent cloud providers, is seeking to raise at least $1 billion in...
Art by Mike Sullivan
Dealmaker

The Math Behind Anthropic’s Mad Revenue Growth

By Sri Muppidi · Mar 24, 2026 5:49pm PDT · 1 comment
OpenAI and Anthropic’s remarkable revenue growth has invited scrutiny of how the AI startups are tallying the headline-making figures they have privately or publicly disclosed.Last month, OpenAI’s annualized revenue jumped to $25 billion, nearly four times higher than a year earlier. Anthropic has grown even faster: At the end of last month,... OpenAI and Anthropic’s remarkable revenue growth has invited scrutiny of how the AI startups are...
Photos via Getty Images
The Briefing

OpenAI Wrongfoots Disney

By Martin Peers and Ann Gehan · Mar 24, 2026 5:00pm PDT
Walt Disney Co. must be so glad it committed to investing $1 billion in OpenAI and becoming a customer of the ChatGPT creator. The theme park and entertainment firm agreed to both steps as part of a deal struck last December in which it licensed its characters for use on OpenAI’s Sora video-generation tool. On Tuesday, OpenAI decided to shut... Walt Disney Co. must be so glad it committed to investing $1 billion in OpenAI and becoming a...
An Oura smart ring. Photo by Angel Garcia/ Getty Images
Health Ring Oura Interviews Banks for IPO as Soon as This Year
By Katie Roof and Julia Hornstein · Mar 24, 2026 1:46pm PDT
An Oura smart ring. Photo by Angel Garcia/ Getty Images
Exclusive

Health Ring Oura Interviews Banks for IPO as Soon as This Year

By Katie Roof and Julia Hornstein · Mar 24, 2026 1:46pm PDT
Health ring maker Oura has been interviewing bankers to advise on an initial public offering that could take place as soon as this year, according to a person with direct knowledge of discussions. A public offering would follow fast growth at the company, which sells connected devices and a monthly subscription to an app that tracks the user’s... Health ring maker Oura has been interviewing bankers to advise on an initial public offering that...
Slack, Workday and LinkedIn Are Resisting Customers’ AI Agents
Applied AI

Slack, Workday and LinkedIn Are Resisting Customers’ AI Agents

By Laura Bratton · Mar 24, 2026 1:24pm PDT · 2 comments
Every day seems to bring new excitement—or in the case of Amazon employees, trepidation—around AI agents that aim to perform any white-collar task involving a computer. Monday night, for instance, Anthropic announced its latest march in this direction with a version of its Claude chatbot that can take over your computer and operate any... Every day seems to bring new excitement—or in the case of Amazon employees, trepidation—around AI...
Getty Images
AI Agenda

Why AI Coding Agents Need Multiple Personalities to Do Their Best Work

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 24, 2026 7:00am PDT · 2 comments
Something curious is happening with AI coding agents. Developers have started telling me they’re asking these coding agents to take on different personas so they behave like more of a team than an individual programmer.For instance, a developer creating a software product feature will first tell their AI coding product—whether it be Gemini or ... Something curious is happening with AI coding agents. Developers have started telling me they’re...
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Zhang Weiguo/VCG/Getty Images.
The Briefing

Google’s Gemini Steals a March on OpenAI

By Martin Peers · Mar 23, 2026 5:00pm PDT
When invading a hostile territory or testing a new AI service, it’s best to move quietly and steal a march on your opponents. Google appears to have learned that lesson. It’s now possible, if you’ve got its latest Pixel or Samsung phones, to ask the Gemini app to order an Uber or a meal on DoorDash. I tried it today and it worked flawlessly, if... When invading a hostile territory or testing a new AI service, it’s best to move quietly and...
Art via Getty Images
Claude Code and Codex Are Outpacing Cursor Among Notion's Engineers
By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 23, 2026 7:00am PDT · 2 comments
Art via Getty Images
AI Agenda

Claude Code and Codex Are Outpacing Cursor Among Notion's Engineers

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 23, 2026 7:00am PDT · 2 comments
Software engineers embracing the AI coding revolution don’t have much loyalty to any particular coding tool, especially when a new, better one comes out. In the latest example of that, the growth of Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex is outpacing that of Cursor among hundreds of engineers at Notion, a maker of popular... Software engineers embracing the AI coding revolution don’t have much loyalty to any particular...
Joan Cros/Getty Images.
The Briefing

Stock Comp and Software’s Illusory Profits

By Martin Peers · Mar 22, 2026 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment
Memo to software executives: Now is the time to radically reduce the amount of stock you give employees. That would win you some favor with investors, who’ve generally gone off your sector thanks to worries about the threat posed by AI. Even if those concerns are overblown, cutting costs in the face of a major disruption is a smart idea.It’s no... Memo to software executives: Now is the time to radically reduce the amount of stock you give...