Tech gifts for enemies, Apple's bad news, and a look at the very hot market for FTX's bankruptcy claims

Apple just lost its bid to delay an import and sales ban on the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. In a filing today, the International Trade Commission denied Apple’s motion to stay the ban while awaiting an appeal. The ban is only in effect in the U.S. and retailers like Best Buy will still be able to sell the watches as long as they still have them in stock.

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Anthropic, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup, is reportedly in talks to raise $750 million in funding at a valuation of as much as $18.4 billion led by Menlo Ventures. That's three times where it was valued this spring, observes The Information, which has the story here.

GreyOrange, a 12-year-old company startup based in Roswell, Georgia, that develops advanced robotics and automation solutions for warehouse and fulfillment operations, raised a $135 million Series D led by Anthelion Capital, with additional funds provided by previous investors Mithril, 3State Ventures, and Blume Ventures.

Lightmatter, a six-year-old Boston startup that changes how computer chips perform calculations and communication by using light instead of electrical signals to transmit data, raised a $155 million Series C2 round. GV and Viking Global Investors co-led the deal. The company has raised a total of $422 million. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Vestwell, a seven-year-old, New York-based savings and investment platform backed earlier by Goldman Sachs, has raised $125 million in new funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. According to Bloomberg, the round values the company at $1 billion.

Agtonomy, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that retrofits tractors with software and control systems to allow them to be operated remotely, raised a $22.5 million Series A round. Momenta was the deal lead, with Doosan Bobcat North America and Toyota Ventures also chipping in. More here.

Atavistik Bio, a two-year-old precision medicine startup based in Cambridge, Ma., that is focused on developing small molecule therapeutics targeting allosteric sites, or specific areas on enzymes or other proteins where molecules can bind, raised a $40 million round. Investors included The Column Group, Lux Capital, and Nextech Invest. The company has raised a total of $100+ million. More here.

Knownwell, a one-year-old Boston startup whose obesity practice aims to address the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of weight management in a supportive and non-stigmatizing environment, raised a $20 million Series A round. Andreessen Horowitz was the deal lead, with existing investor Flare Capital Partners also anteing up. The company has raised a total of $24.5 million. More here.

ScaleOps, a one-year-old Tel Aviv startup that says it has developed a fully-automated platform that optimizes and manages cloud-native resources during runtime, raised a $15 million Series A round. Lightspeed Venture Partners, NFX, and Gilot Capital Partners were the co-leads. THe company has raised a total of $21.5 million. CTech has more here.

Soum, a two-year-old Riyadh startup that operates a marketplace for second-hand goods, raised an $18 million Series A round led by Jahez Group, with additional participation from Isometry Capital as well as previous investors Khwarizmi Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, and Outliers Venture Capital. The company has raised a total of $22 million. TechCrunch has more here.

TRES, a one-year-old Tel Aviv startup that has built a cryptocurrency accounting and taxation reporting platform, raised an $11 million round. Investors included Faction, boldstart, New Form, Cyber Fund, and Ambush Capital. The company has raised a total of $18.6 million. CoinDesk has more here.

Biorithm, an eight-year-old startup based in Singapore, and Cambridge, Ma., whose platform enables healthcare professionals to monitor expectant mothers via a clinical-grade fetal monitor and a mobile application, raised a $3.5 million Series A round. Adaptive Capital Partners and Seeds Capital co-led the deal.More here.

Claim, a two-year-old Boston startup whose social network lets users earn and trade rewards with friends, raised a $4 million seed round. Sequoia Capital was the deal lead. The company has raised a total of $6 million. TechCrunch has more here.

Crescenta, a one-year-old Madrid startup that offers professional and retail investors access to private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, private debt, and impact investment funds, raised a $2.2 million seed round. KFund and FJ Labs were the co-leads, with All Iron Ventures also taking part. Tech.eu has more here.

Farcana, a one-year-old Dubai startup that is developing a third-person multiplayer shooter game for the blockchain,raised a $10 million seed round Animoca Brands, Polygon Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, and Merit Circle, with Rarestone Capital, MMPro Trust, Unpopular Ventures, Kapo Capital, Emchain, Hasu Capital, and Dravus Investment also piling on. Decrypt has more here.

Hakbah, a five-year-old Riyadh startup, raised a $5.1 million Series A round. VentureSouq, M-Capital, and Bunat Ventures as well as previous investors Global Ventures and Aditum Investment Management participated in the investment. Wamda has more here.

Metrion, an eight-year-old startup based in Cambridge, UK, that is engaged in the discovery and development of new drugs, with a focus on testing how these drugs interact with the body's ion channels to ensure their safety and effectiveness, raised a $4.4 million round led by Maven Capital Partners, with previous investor Gresham House Ventures also contributing. European Biotechnology has more here.

NETRIS Pharma, a 15-year-old company based in Lyon, France, that specializes in developing anti-cancer therapeutic molecules, particularly monoclonal antibodies targeting resistance to oncology treatments, raised an $8.2 million Series A round led by EIC Fund. The company has raised a total of $26.7 million. More here.

PaintJet, a four-year-old Nashville startup that is developing robotic systems for industrial painting jobs, raised a $10 million Series A led by Outsiders Fund and including Pathbreaker Ventures, MetaProp, Builders VC, 53 Stations, and VSC Ventures. The company has raised a total of $14.75 million. TechCrunch has more here.

Salt Labs, a one-year-old New York startup that has developed a loyalty program for hourly workers, raised an $8 million round. Third Prime was the lead investor. The company has raised a total of $18 million. FinTech Global has more here.

Sudo Biosciences, a three-year-old startup based in Menlo Park, Ca., that is working on treating multiple sclerosis and psoriasis with TYK2 inhibitors, a new class of therapeutic drugs, raised a $116 million Series B round. Enavate Sciences and TPG co-led the transaction, with Sanofi Ventures, Surveyor Capital, Monograph Capital, and Eventide Asset Management as well as previous investors Frazier Life Sciences and Velosity Capital also pitching in. The company has raised a total of $157 million. FierceBiotech has more here.

TuMeke, a two-year-old San Francisco startup whose mobile app AI, computer vision, and ergonomics to help prevent workplace injuries, raised a $10 million Series A round. Intel Capital was the lead investor. Tech Funding News has more here.

The Techcrunch podcast network has an episode coming out every day to keep you up to date on the latest startup news and founder interviews. Chain Reaction, for example, is your weekly connection to the world of web3. Each week, TechCrunch+ reporter Jacquelyn Melinek interviews a leader in crypto to break down the latest web3 news block-by-block for the crypto-curious. Jacquelyn recently interviewed Johann Kerbrat, the general manager of crypto at Robinhood. They discussed Robinhood’s expansion outside of the U.S., how the platform restricted holding and trading of certain crypto assets in June, and where it stands today. Listen here.

SoftBank is selling its $200 million Open Opportunity Fund to its chairman and managing partner, Paul Judge, and to former SoftBank exec Marcelo Claure, who left the Japanese conglomerate in early 2022 over a pay dispute and is now becoming the fund’s vice chairman and general partner. TechCrunch has more here.

OurCrowd, one of Israel's largest venture capital investors, has set up a new $50 million fund to invest in startups directly impacted by Israel's war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. OurCrowd said today that it has already received $13 million in capital commitments and approved eight investments from the so-called Israel Resilience Fund. Reuters has more here.

Lendbuzz, an Israeli startup that uses AI to offer auto loans to people who lack credit history, has hired investment bankers to take it public at a $2+ billion valuation, according to CTech.

Arielle Charnas, a fashion influencer with more than one million Instagram followers, launched her clothing brand Something Navy in 2020 with about $10 million from investors. Now the company is being sold in a fire sale that underscores the pitfalls of brands centered around online stars, reports the WSJ.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is leaving his post on December 29th following Microsoft's acquisition of the company. Under Kotick's leadership, Activision Blizzard faced significant controversy and legal challenges over allegations of a toxic workplace culture, including sexual harassment and discrimination. The company ultimately settled with the California Civil Rights Department and the SEC.

Anges, a Japanese pharma, is laying off 110 employees from EmendoBio, a gene editing startup it acquired for $250 million in 2020.   

Tesla drivers have the highest accident rates, and BMW drivers the highest DUI rates, according to a new study by Lending Tree. What's up with that? “It’s hard to nail down why certain brands may have higher accident rates than others," says the study. "However, there are indications that certain types of vehicles attract riskier drivers than others.” CNBC takes a look here.

Trading the remains of FTX is turning into a big business. 

The many warring factions in the anti-aging game. 

Musk’s AI chatbot "Grok" is "weirdly good after all," concludes Bloomberg's Max Chafkin.

VCs tell TechCrunch that valuations for crypto companies will rise in 2024.

Just how rich were Kevin's parents were in Home Alone?

Mercedes is experimenting with new exterior lights that will indicate when its cars are self-driving.

Bah humbug.

Tech gifts you should only buy for your worst enemy.

A Canadian whiskey distilled with Japanese mushrooms that is pure petrichor.

Eau de New Balance.