Menlo Ventures vs Upfront Ventures

Menlo’s Investment in Factory: The System That Builds Software

Coding is AI’s first killer use case, with the world generating more code this year than in all previous years combined. Menlo Ventures has invested in Factory, a company building the system that builds software, as part of the AI coding startup’s latest funding round, announced last month at a $5 billion valuation. The investment follows a public dispute between Factory's CEO, Matan Grinberg, and investor Chris Degnan, who left to join competitor Cognition. Vinod Khosla, an investor in both companies, criticized Factory as a 'struggling second tier competitor.' Menlo's investment is seen as a strong endorsement, with partner Matt Murphy praising the company. The exact amount was not disclosed but described as significant.

• Menlo Ventures invested in AI coding startup Factory as part of its latest funding round.
• Factory's latest funding round was announced last month at a $5 billion valuation.
• Menlo's investment followed a public dispute between Factory's CEO and investor Chris Degnan.

Menlo Ventures Welcomes Alex Kurland as Newest Partner; Stripe to Acquire OpenRouter

Menlo Ventures announces the addition of Alex Kurland as its newest partner, and portfolio company OpenRouter has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Stripe.

Lovable Raises $400M at $13.3B Valuation, Doubling from Previous Round

Swedish vibe-coding startup Lovable has raised $400 million in a Series C round at a $13.3 billion valuation, more than double its December 2025 valuation of $6.6 billion. The round was co-led by Menlo Ventures and the Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT, with participation from Balderton Capital, Tencent, Kaszek Ventures, and others. Returning investors include Accel, DST Global, and Salesforce Ventures. Lovable, launched in 2024, enables non-coders to build software through AI-assisted 'vibe-coding.' The company reports that apps built on its platform see over 900 million visits per month. Customers include Nvidia, Adidas, and Zendesk. Lovable plans to expand its business customer base, grow headcount by 50% to 450 employees across Sweden and the US, and develop more proactive capabilities beyond prompt-based interactions, while continuing to use multiple AI models and post-train open-source models.

• Lovable raised $400 million in Series C funding.
• The round values Lovable at $13.3 billion, double its December 2025 valuation of $6.6 billion.
• The round was co-led by Menlo Ventures and the Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 Judges Announced

TechCrunch has revealed the next wave of venture capital judges for the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, scheduled for October 13-15 at Moscone West, San Francisco. The five judges include Aditi Maliwal (Upfront Ventures), Michael Palank (MaC Ventures), Nell Daly (Revenge Capital), Grace Ge (Amplify Partners), and Crystal Huang (Google Ventures). These investors will evaluate startups across various industries, focusing on business viability and execution. The announcement includes details on their investment focuses, such as fintech, enterprise SaaS, AI applications, and seed-stage ventures. Ticket discounts are available before September 25. This event is part of TechCrunch's flagship startup competition, which has historically launched notable companies.

• TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place October 13-15 at Moscone West, San Francisco.
• Five VC judges were announced: Aditi Maliwal (Upfront), Michael Palank (MaC Ventures), Nell Daly (Revenge Capital), Grace Ge (Amplify Partners), and Crystal Huang (GV).
• Judges will evaluate startups in the Startup Battlefield 200 pitch competition.