Startups News

• CATL-backed Noetix Robotics reportedly files confidentially for a Hong Kong IPO that could raise several hundred million dollars
• DeepSeek raises about 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in its latest funding round
• Swedish legal AI firm Legora raises $550 million at an $8.8 billion valuation led by Atreides
• October Capital launches as a new firm from Siris focused on AI infrastructure, physical security and financial infrastructure
• Blacksmith raises $66 million Series C led by Sequoia at a $1 billion valuation
• Pigment raises $250 million at a $2.3 billion valuation, backed by Nvidia, to challenge Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Foursquare co-founder says equity holders saw no returns from the company's final acquisition
• Whop raises Sequoia-led funding that pushes its valuation to $5.1 billion
• Nscale CEO says the value of its computing power contracts has more than doubled since its March funding round
• Refrigerants startup Pascal proposes a sponge-like material for heat pumps and cooling that promises 20% better efficiency
• Mach9 raises $34 million after pivoting from surveying hardware to AI CAD software
• OpenAI invests in a startup that uses brain implants to detect cancer
• VVDN Technologies is considering an India initial public offering that could raise up to $300 million
• Pigment raises $250 million at a $2.3 billion valuation to challenge Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Stanley Anderson ’79 is building a pickleball startup after a childhood marked by gang pressure and violence
• ASI founder Phillip Buckendorf explains how the company won FAA and military deals over Palantir
• ASI hits a $3 billion valuation in a $325 million round led by Spark
• Reliable Robotics raises $115 million in Series D, topping a $1 billion valuation for its aviation startup
• Inspired Capital closes a $450 million fourth fund as New York pushes back on Silicon Valley
• Eka Robotics is valued at $1.45 billion on a physical AI model that picks up a wide range of objects
• Blackwall raises $100 million in Series C at a $2.2 billion valuation to build bot and AI traffic filtering tools for websites
• Otter.ai raises $320 million from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund for its meeting note-taking tool
• Polymarket investors push CEO Shayne Coplan for change as Kalshi gains ground
• Olo launches a food delivery app that uses in-store menu prices and charges a flat 5% fee
• Startups are developing blended foods that mix plant ingredients with meat to reduce red meat consumption
• MNT-Halan shares rise as much as 18% in Egypt trading debut after the country's biggest dollar IPO since 2021
• Alibaba backs Neolix, a Chinese driverless delivery vehicle maker, in a $400 million fundraising
• Tenstorrent raises $1.5 billion at a $6.2 billion valuation to scale open-weight AI chips
• Nscale faces investor pushback on its $30 billion IPO valuation target, with some suggesting $16 to $19 billion
• Tolan raises $30 million for its AI companion app after reaching 250,000 active users