Upside Robotics is reducing fertilizer use and waste in corn crops

Upside Robotics builds autonomous solar-powered robots that can help farmers reduce their fertilizer use by 70%.

Build a pipeline and close deals with an exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Get an unmatched ROI by exhibiting your startup in front of 10,000 tech leaders and investors at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, October 13-15 in San Francisco. Book your table now before it’s gone.

Trump EPA reportedly seeks to revoke landmark air pollution rule

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin is reportedly expected to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding” that underpins U.S. climate regulatory efforts.

Tem raises $75M to remake electricity markets using AI

Tem has built a transaction engine that relies on AI to cut costs. Lightspeed led the round to help the startup expand to the U.S. and Australia.

Google and Microsoft-backed Terradot acquires carbon removal competitor

The acquisition could mark the beginning of consolidation in the carbon removal market since removal costs remain higher than buyers would like to pay.

Pacific Fusion finds a cheaper way to make its fusion reactor work

The fusion power startup recently completed some experiments at Sandia National Laboratory’s Z Machine and shared the results exclusively with TechCrunch.

Trump’s critical mineral reserve is an admission that the future is electric

The administration’s $12 billion stockpile of critical minerals is aimed at blunting China’s influence. But it also revels the direction of the global economy.

Lunar Energy raises $232M to deploy home batteries that prop up the grid

The startup has raised more than $500 million, to date, from investors to build a massive, distributed power plant supported by residential batteries.

Apeiron Labs gets $29M to flood the oceans with autonomous underwater robots

Most of what we know about the ocean just skims the surface, literally. We’ve gathered a large quantity of data on the oceans from satellites, but most of that is based on the top layer of water. Below that, the picture gets murkier. Buoys, ships, and …

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.