☕ AI memory shortage will last past 2030 & Satya Nadella warns enterprises about hidden AI costs.
Altman questions the future of space data centers & Apple alleges ex-employee exploited bug to steal trade secrets.
Breaking News
SK Hynix says AI-driven demand for memory chips will outpace manufacturing capacity through the end of the decade, despite massive global investments. The warning suggests memory shortages—and higher hardware costs—could remain a defining challenge of the AI boom for years.
Apple claims a former engineer exploited an undisclosed security flaw after joining OpenAI, allowing him to access Apple's internal network for weeks and allegedly steal confidential files related to unreleased products. The lawsuit raises the stakes in the growing legal battle between Apple and OpenAI.
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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup Funding Updates
PRE-SEED
Avelin AI, a Dubai, UAE-based sovereign AI platform provider, raised $3.7M in Pre-Seed funding.
Factor X, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based RNA-based skin longevity technology company, raised an undisclosed Pre-Seed funding round.
Neothera, a Mumbai, India-based dermatology startup, raised $1.1M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Blume Ventures, with participation from Barbershop Fund, Consumer Collective by Atrium, Veltis Capital, and a syndicate of angel investors.
Edysor.ai, an Udaipur, India-based voice AI sales software company, raised $144K in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Jasmine Sarupria.
Auxilius, a Munich, Germany-based AI-native governance, risk and compliance solutions company, raised €1.3M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by HTGF, with participation from Techstars and business angels.
HyperDev, a Cape Town, South Africa-based generative AI software development platform, raised $1M in Pre-Seed funding. Backers included Loom Ventures and other European venture capital investors.
SEED
Ravee Optics, a Dayton, OH-based laser communication systems company, raised $6M in Seed funding. The round was led by BIG Capital, with participation from JobsOhio Ventures and CincyTech.
Guthrie AI, a Philadelphia, PA-based construction technology company, raised $4M in Seed funding. The round was led by Chicago Ventures.
Gradium, a Paris, France-based AI voice generation infrastructure company, raised $30M in Seed extension funding.
Finto, a Munich, Germany-based AI accounting automation startup, raised $3.4M in Seed funding. Backers included Y Combinator, Gradient, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Aardaia, a Wageningen, The Netherlands-based agricultural technology company, raised €5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Point Nine, with participation from FoodLabs, Astanor, Grey Silo, and strategic agritech angel investors.
Milo Drive, a Mumbai, India-based EV fleet software platform, raised $2.4M in Seed funding. The round was co-led by Caret Capital and Antler, with participation from Alteria Capital, IAN Capital, Climate Angels, and Aureolis Capital.
Skapion, a Washington, D.C.-based autonomous counter-drone defense company, raised $36M in Seed funding. The round was co-led by UP.Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC, and q Fund.
Piq Energy, a San Francisco, CA-based agentic grid planning platform, raised $5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Active Impact Investments, with participation from Cisco Foundation, Mobilize AI x Energy Ventures, New Climate Ventures, Ascent Energy Ventures, Umami Capital, CLAI Ventures, and 9Zero.
GROWTH
Keyper, a Dubai, UAE-based proptech company, raised $11M in Series A funding. The round was led by Speedinvest, with participation from NeoVentures, Middle East Venture Partners, Dubai Future District Fund, Property Finder, Arab National Bank, Ellington Properties, Dar Ventures, and Abbey Road Investment Group.
Augmodo, a Seattle, WA-based wearable spatial computing company, raised $21M in funding. The round was led by TQ Ventures, with participation from Lerer Hippeau, Jefferson River Capital, Arena Holdings, Chemist Warehouse, New Fare, Interlace, and Webb Investment Network.
Gauntlet Networks, a New York City-based DeFi risk infrastructure company, raised $125M in Series C funding. The round was led by SBI Holdings USA.
Doctorsa, a Milan, Italy-based travel healthcare platform, raised €1M in funding. The round was led by PranaVentures, with participation from Vento and 40Jemz Ventures.
Raxio, an Amsterdam, The Netherlands-based data centre platform provider, raised $30M in extension funding. Backers included Roha and Meridiam.
Reformed, a London, UK-based wellness beverages company, raised $22M in Series A funding. The round was led by Iris Ventures.
Lissi GmbH, a Frankfurt, Germany-based EUDI wallet and verifiable credentials company, raised €3.5M in funding. The round was led by Ventech, with participation from BM H Beteiligungs-Managementgesellschaft Hessen, main incubator, and Ninepointfive Ventures.
Bohr Energie, a Toulouse, France-based renewable energy aggregation platform, raised €10M in Series A funding. The round was led by Suma Capital.
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🗞️ Must read writeups
What founders should never automate: AI can save founders hours, but automating the wrong tasks can quietly kill product-market fit. This piece explains how to separate low-signal busywork from high-signal customer interactions, so founders automate internal repetition first and protect the conversations that reveal what customers actually need. (Read Here)
Get hired in VC before the interview: Most VC applicants send resumes. This piece shows how to stand out by doing the actual work first: finding startups, speaking with founders, writing deal snapshots, and sending useful opportunities to investors. It gives aspiring VCs a 30-day system to build proof of judgment, sourcing ability, and founder access before asking for a job. (Read Here)
NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital Updates.
Isogon Ventures, a New York City and Madrid, Spain-based early-stage venture capital firm, is raising its first fund. According to a regulatory form filed with the SEC, Isogon Ventures I, L.P., is targeting up to $150m in commitments but has not raised any sum, yet.
Paradigm, a U.S.-based venture capital firm founded by Matt Huang and Fred Ehrsam, raised $1.2 billion for its latest fund. The firm will invest in startups across crypto, AI, robotics, and other technical frontier technologies, expanding beyond its traditional cryptocurrency focus.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest In Tech
Satya Nadella warns enterprises about hidden AI costs
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned that companies using proprietary AI models may be giving away valuable business knowledge through prompts, corrections, and workflows, effectively “paying twice” for AI.
He argued enterprises should retain ownership of their AI data, avoid vendor lock-in with orchestration layers, and increasingly consider running open-source models in controlled environments.
Nadella’s comments reinforce the growing enterprise shift toward open-source AI, as companies prioritize lower costs, greater control, and stronger data privacy.
Sam Altman questions the future of space data centers
Sam Altman criticized Elon Musk’s plans for orbital AI data centers, arguing the business is unrealistic in the near term because launch costs and satellite manufacturing remain too expensive.
Industry experts largely agree that space-based AI infrastructure is unlikely to become commercially viable until reusable rockets and mass-produced satellites significantly reduce costs, likely in the 2030s.
SpaceX believes Starship will eventually make the economics work, but analysts note the company still faces major technical and operational hurdles before space data centers can scale.
200 economists warn they can't tell if AI is killing jobs
More than 200 economists, including 16 Nobel laureates and the chief economists at OpenAI and Anthropic, signed a statement this week admitting the profession cannot tell whether AI is actually eliminating jobs.
The statement, called “We Must Act Now” and released Monday, offers no answers but three warnings: AI may grow far more powerful, reshape the economy faster than the Industrial Revolution, and cause large-scale job displacement.
Torsten Slok of Apollo argues that “AI exposure” is contested by five competing measurement frameworks that disagree most for at-risk jobs like telemarketers, tax preparers, and writers, making the label far less meaningful than it seems.
China's BrainCo bets on wearable brain tech over implants
China’s BrainCo has chosen to build brain-computer interfaces worn outside the skull, using headbands and caps that read electrical signals through the scalp, rather than joining the surgical implant race led by companies like Neuralink.
The Hangzhou firm makes FDA-approved bionic hands that turn an amputee’s neural and muscular signals into finger movements, plus consumer wearables like a sleep aid using low-intensity electrical pulses aimed at stress-related neurochemicals.
BrainCo raised about 2 billion yuan, roughly $280m, co-led by IDG Capital, but faced fierce backlash in 2019 when its Focus headbands scored primary school children’s attention, prompting the local education bureau to halt the trial.
Apple deepens AI partnership with Google
Apple is expanding its use of Google’s Gemini models after suing OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft, signaling a shift in its AI strategy.
Despite integrating ChatGPT into Apple devices in 2024, Apple has reportedly relied increasingly on Gemini since early 2026, with Google’s technology playing a larger role in recent Siri improvements.
The legal dispute with OpenAI and the growing partnership with Google highlight Apple’s effort to diversify its AI stack while reducing dependence on a single AI provider.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other News
Apple fast-tracks AI-focused M7 chip after brief M6 era
Apple is speeding up work on its AI-focused M7 chip family, deciding not to finish the M6 lineup after judging planned neural-processing upgrades important enough to move the newer generation forward.
The top-tier M7 Ultra could support 1.5TB of RAM and launch in 2028, aiming to bring AI performance closer to dedicated accelerators like NVIDIA’s Blackwell, according to a Bloomberg report.
Apple reportedly started taping out the M7 just six months after the M6, pointing to the base M7 in early 2027, Pro and Max versions late that year, and the Ultra in 2028.
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