News/Fundraising
Lambda garners $480M to grow AI cloud infrastructure
In just two years, Lambda has emerged as a significant player in AI cloud infrastructure, providing developers with tools for training and deploying AI models. The company's rapid growth and latest funding round signal increasing demand for specialized AI computing resources and development platforms. Investment Details and Strategic Impact: Lambda has secured $480 million in Series D funding, bringing its total equity capital to $863 million. The funding round was co-led by Andra Capital and SGW, with participation from notable investors including Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, and Nvidia Strategic investments came from hardware manufacturers Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, and Wiwynn JPMorgan...
read Feb 20, 2025AI startup Together raises $102M at $3.3B valuation
The artificial intelligence infrastructure market has seen rapid growth in cloud platforms that enable AI model development and deployment. Together AI, founded in 2022, has emerged as a key player by providing developers access to powerful GPU resources and supporting hundreds of open-source AI models. Latest funding milestone: Together AI has secured $305 million in a new funding round led by General Catalyst, valuing the company at $3.3 billion. The funding round included participation from Salesforce Ventures, Nvidia, Coatue, and Prosperity7 (Aramco Ventures' venture capital fund) This valuation represents more than a doubling from the company's previous $1.25 billion valuation...
read Feb 20, 2025CEO swap at Clearview AI as firm shifts focus to Trump-era prospects
In 2020, Clearview AI sparked controversy by scraping billions of social media images without consent to build a facial recognition database. The company's technology allows law enforcement and government agencies to identify individuals from surveillance images within seconds. Leadership shake-up and strategic pivot: Clearview AI is undergoing significant changes in leadership as it positions itself to capitalize on potential opportunities under a possible Trump administration. Co-founder Hoan Ton-That resigned as CEO following a Forbes inquiry, transitioning to a board member role after stepping back to president in December Early investor and former Trump fundraiser Hal Lambert has taken over as...
read Feb 19, 2025Black gold fuels AI growth as Aramco venture arm invests $200M
The Saudi Arabian energy sector is rapidly expanding into artificial intelligence infrastructure and technology development. Aramco's venture capital arm, Wa'ed Ventures, has made a strategic investment in UK-based AI infrastructure company Ori, marking a significant move in Saudi Arabia's tech development strategy. Investment Details and Strategic Vision: Wa'ed Ventures, Aramco's $500 million venture capital fund, has invested in Ori to accelerate AI infrastructure development in the Middle East. The investment will facilitate Ori's expansion into the Middle East, beginning with a new subsidiary in Riyadh The partnership aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative to strengthen local AI capabilities Financial...
read Feb 18, 2025AI video startup Fal secures $49M to expand infrastructure
The rapid growth of AI-powered media creation has created a need for specialized infrastructure to handle real-time video generation and processing at scale. Fal, an AI infrastructure platform, has emerged as a leading provider in this space, processing over 100 million daily AI inference requests. Funding milestone and leadership: Fal has secured USD 49 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to USD 72 million, with notable investors joining its board of directors. The funding round was led by Notable Capital and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Kindred Ventures, and First Round Capital Jennifer...
read Feb 18, 2025Israeli AI cybersecurity startup Dream secures $100M funding to attack cyberattacks
The rapid evolution of cyber threats against national infrastructure has created an urgent need for advanced defense systems. Dream, an AI-driven cybersecurity company founded in 2023, has emerged as a significant player in protecting governments and critical infrastructure from sophisticated attacks. Funding milestone and company overview: Dream has secured a Series B funding round of USD 100 million, achieving a valuation of USD 1.1 billion. The funding round was led by Bain Capital Ventures, with participation from Group 11, Tru Arrow, Tau Capital, and Aleph The Israel-based company reported USD 130 million in annual sales in 2024, primarily serving governments...
read Feb 14, 2025Bot by bot, AI humanoids move forward with $350M investment for Apptronik
Humanoid robots have been a focus of technological development for years, with companies working to create AI-powered assistants that can work alongside humans. Apptronik, a robotics lab founded in 2016, has made significant progress with its human-sized robot Apollo, securing major funding to accelerate its deployment. Major funding milestone: Apptronik has secured a $350 million Series A funding round co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with participation from Google's AI lab DeepMind. The funding will support Apollo's deployment, company expansion, and continued innovation The investment reflects growing confidence in humanoid robotics as a solution for various societal challenges B...
read Feb 11, 2025AI chip startup Positron secures $23.5M to challenge Nvidia
The artificial intelligence chip industry is experiencing rapid growth as major tech companies invest heavily in AI infrastructure. Positron, a Reno-based startup, has emerged as a potential competitor to Nvidia's dominance in the AI chip market. Key funding details: Positron has secured $23.5 million in seed funding from notable investors including Valor Equity Partners, Atreides Management, Flume Ventures, and Resilience Reserve. Valor Equity Partners, known for its investments in Elon Musk's ventures, leads the investment round The funding will be used to scale production of Positron's U.S.-manufactured AI chips in Arizona Technical advantages: Positron's chips offer significant power efficiency improvements...
read Feb 11, 2025Conversation self-starter: AI-powered virtual recruiters boost enterprise efficiency by 30%
Ready for a round of job interviews conducted by Alexa? Well, not her, but close! In a significant development for AI-powered recruitment technology, ConverzAI has secured $16 million in Series A funding to expand its virtual recruiting platform. The Redmond-based startup, founded in 2019, has developed AI recruiters that automate key hiring processes while claiming to boost efficiency by 30% for enterprise customers. Core technology and value proposition: ConverzAI's platform leverages artificial intelligence to manage the entire recruitment process, from candidate sourcing to final placement decisions. The system engages candidates through multiple channels including voice, text, and email while analyzing...
read Feb 11, 2025Confident continent: EU chief claims Europe remains competitive in AI development
The European Union is making ambitious moves in artificial intelligence development, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcing plans for massive AI investment during the AI Action Summit in Paris. The EU's strategy centers on creating AI gigafactories and mobilizing €200 billion in investment, positioning itself as a serious contender against the United States and China. Key announcement and context: The European Commission has unveiled InvestAI, an initiative aimed at mobilizing €200 billion for AI investment across the European Union. The initiative includes a €20 billion AI gigafactories fund to develop four specialized facilities for training complex AI models...
read Feb 10, 2025France’s AI summit secures 110 billion euros in investment pledges
France's AI investment landscape is undergoing a significant transformation with a series of major funding commitments from international and domestic players. President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that 109 billion euro ($112 billion) have been pledged in the name of strengthening France's position in the global artificial intelligence sector. Investment Overview: The French government has secured substantial commitments from global technology companies and investment firms to develop AI infrastructure and capabilities across the country. Canadian investment firm Brookfield has committed 20 billion euros to AI projects in France The United Arab Emirates plans investments that could reach 50 billion euros...
read Feb 8, 2025AI fintech company Jump secures $20m in Series A funding
Breaking News: AI-powered fintech company Jump has secured $20 million in Series A funding, with Battery Ventures leading the investment round. Investment Details: This funding announcement represents a significant milestone for Jump in the competitive fintech landscape. Battery Ventures, a well-established venture capital firm known for backing technology companies, spearheaded the Series A round The $20 million investment positions Jump to expand its AI-driven financial technology solutions Funding Context: The Series A raise comes amid ongoing interest in AI-powered fintech solutions from venture capital firms. The funding demonstrates continued investor confidence in companies combining artificial intelligence with financial services Battery...
read Feb 8, 2025Louisiana’s new AI division to spearhead state strategy, support business innovation
Louisiana's economic development agency has created a new division called Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO) to spearhead the state's artificial intelligence strategy and support business innovation. Key Initiative Details: The Louisiana Economic Development (LED) agency launched LA.IO to position the state as a global innovation leader by capitalizing on its unique strengths. LA.IO will develop the Louisiana Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a nonprofit organization that will serve as the state's primary AI strategy coordinator The Institute's first project aims to equip 5,000 small businesses across Louisiana with AI tools The division will oversee the creation of the Louisiana Growth Fund, starting with...
read Feb 8, 2025Ilya Sutskever’s startup Safe Superintelligence may raise funding at $20B valuation
Here's a concise summary of the Reuters exclusive: Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a startup focused on developing advanced AI systems that surpass human intelligence while remaining aligned with human interests, is in discussions to raise funding at a $20 billion valuation, marking a significant increase from its $5 billion valuation just five months ago. Key details: SSI was founded in June by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, along with Daniel Gross and Daniel Levy, operating from offices in Palo Alto and Tel Aviv. The company previously raised $1 billion from prominent investors including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and DST Global...
read Feb 7, 2025General Catalyst and MGX in talks to join Anthropic’s massive funding round
Anthropic, a prominent AI company, is garnering unprecedented investor interest, with its latest funding round expected to surpass $2 billion - higher than initially anticipated. Key investment details: The financing round has attracted several major venture capital firms and international investors, showing strong confidence in Anthropic's AI development trajectory. Lightspeed Venture Partners is poised to make a significant commitment of approximately $1 billion Menlo Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Abu Dhabi's MGX are in discussions to participate General Catalyst has also entered talks to join the funding round Market significance: The oversubscribed funding round signals robust institutional confidence in Anthropic's...
read Feb 7, 2025UAE to invest billions in French AI technology
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced plans to invest up to $50 billion in France's artificial intelligence sector, marking a significant international collaboration in AI development. The investment details: The UAE's commitment includes building Europe's largest AI hub in France, featuring a massive data center with 1 gigawatt of capacity and a dedicated AI campus. The agreement was formalized during a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Paris The facility is positioned to become a cornerstone of European AI infrastructure The investment represents one of the largest foreign direct investments in...
read Feb 6, 2025AI safety research gets $40M offering from Open Philanthropy
Open Philanthropy has announced a $40 million grant initiative for technical AI safety research, with potential for additional funding based on application quality. Program scope and structure: The initiative spans 21 research areas across five main categories, focusing on critical aspects of AI safety and alignment. The research areas include adversarial machine learning, model transparency, theoretical studies, and alternative approaches to mitigating AI risks Applications are being accepted through April 15, 2025, beginning with a 300-word expression of interest The program is structured to accommodate various funding needs, from basic research expenses to establishing new research organizations Key research priorities:...
read Feb 5, 2025Ivo raises $16M Series A to automate contract review for lawyers
Legaltech startup Ivo has secured $16 million in Series A funding to advance its AI-powered contract review technology for corporate legal teams. Core technology and value proposition: Ivo's AI platform scans and analyzes legal contracts to identify problematic clauses and suggest revisions, streamlining the contract review process for in-house legal teams. The technology leverages generative AI to automatically identify clauses that deviate from standard terms or present unacceptable risks The system provides suggested revisions that human lawyers can review before returning to counterparties Ivo aims to balance protecting organizational interests while avoiding unnecessary changes that could delay negotiations Market traction...
read Feb 1, 2025DataBank secures $250M to expand AI data center operations
DataBank, a data centre infrastructure company, has secured a USD 250 million equity investment from TJC, along with a USD 600 million secondary share offering, expanding its total recent fundraising to nearly USD 5 billion. Investment details: The latest funding round builds upon DataBank's USD 2 billion primary equity round from October 2024, driven by strong investor interest in artificial intelligence-focused data centre infrastructure. The secondary share purchase allowed existing investors to sell their shares, reflecting growing demand for data centre sector investments The combined funding will support new data centre campus development and facilitate equity purchases from existing investors...
read Jan 31, 2025ElevenLabs raises funding at $3.3B valuation for voice AI tech
Artificial intelligence voice cloning startup ElevenLabs has secured $180 million in Series C funding, reaching a $3.3 billion valuation. Funding details: The latest investment round was jointly led by Andreessen Horowitz and Iconiq Growth, with participation from several new and existing investors. NEA, World Innovation Lab, Valor, Endeavor Catalyst Fund, and Lunate joined as new investors Existing investors, including Sequoia Capital, Salesforce Ventures, and Smash Capital, increased their investments The company has now raised a total of $281 million since its founding in 2022 Company background: ElevenLabs, headquartered in London, specializes in developing advanced voice AI technology that can generate...
read Jan 31, 2025SoftBank eyes $25B investment in AI leader OpenAI
SoftBank is in negotiations with OpenAI for a potential $25 billion investment, marking another significant funding round for the AI company behind ChatGPT. Deal overview: The proposed investment by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank would be separate from its existing commitment to the $100 billion Stargate data center project announced at the White House. The investment talks are still ongoing, with terms not yet finalized This funding could partially support OpenAI's commitment to the Stargate project The Stargate initiative, a joint venture between SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle, could ultimately lead to $500 billion in computing infrastructure investments Company background and recent developments:...
read Jan 31, 2025Stanford funds 9 groundbreaking AI research projects
Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Institute (HAI) has announced $2.37 million in Seed Research Grants to fund 32 interdisciplinary teams exploring innovative AI applications across multiple fields. Program Overview: The seventh cohort of HAI's Seed Research Grant program spans all seven Stanford schools and 31 academic departments, focusing on AI applications in organizational culture, science, cybersecurity, neuroscience, and robotics. The program, initially supported by Steve and Roberta Denning and later by Dalio Philanthropies, targets speculative ideas at the frontier of AI research New for 2024/25, select projects with public policy components received an additional $10,000 for policy-related activities For the first...
read Jan 30, 2025AI vehicle inspection startup UVeye raises $191M
The AI-powered vehicle inspection company UVeye has secured $191 million in combined debt and equity funding to expand its automated vehicle inspection technology across North America and Europe. Funding breakdown: The latest capital injection combines a $41 million equity round led by Toyota's Woven Capital and a $150 million debt facility from Trinity Capital. The funding brings UVeye's total capital raised to $380.5 million The equity portion was spearheaded by Woven Capital, Toyota's investment arm Trinity Capital structured the $150 million debt facility Technology overview: UVeye's system functions like an MRI for vehicles, utilizing external scanners and AI to perform...
read Jan 28, 2025VideaHealth raises $40M to expand AI-powered dental diagnostics
VideaHealth, a company developing artificial intelligence solutions for dental care, has secured $40 million in Series B funding. Key funding details: The investment round was led by Emily Melton, co-founder and managing partner of Threshold Ventures, bringing significant capital to support VideaHealth's dental AI initiatives. The funding round attracted participation from multiple venture capital firms, including Avenir Ventures, BAM Ventures, Spark Capital, Zetta Venture Partners, and Pillar VC This Series B round demonstrates continued investor confidence in the intersection of artificial intelligence and dental healthcare technology Market significance: The substantial funding round signals growing interest in AI-powered dental technology solutions....
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