☕ Apple delays Siri revamp again, ByteDance is developing its own AI inference chip & Jony Ive designs Ferrari’s upcoming electric car.
SpaceX Super Heavy booster completes four-day cryoproof testing & More.
Breaking News
Apple is reportedly delaying its long-promised AI-powered Siri revamp again, with features initially expected in March now possibly slipping to May — and some elements pushed to iOS 27 in September. The redesigned Siri aims to function more like LLM chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, reportedly powered by Google’s Gemini. Another delay raises questions about Apple’s ability to execute in the fast-moving AI assistant race, especially as rivals ship aggressively.
ByteDance is developing its own AI inference chip, SeedChip, and is in talks with Samsung Electronics for manufacturing, aiming to produce at least 100,000 units this year. The company plans to spend over $22B on AI procurement in 2026, splitting capital between Nvidia H200 chips and its in-house silicon. The move mirrors vertical integration strategies from Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft — but carries extra urgency for Chinese firms navigating U.S. export controls.
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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup Funding Updates
PRE-SEED
Smart Bricks, a San Francisco, CA-based AI startup building agentic AI infrastructure for real-estate investing, raised $5M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
Birch Hill Holdings, a NYC-based developer of institutional digital asset infrastructure for onchain lending and tokenized markets, raised $2.5m in Pre-Seed funding. The round was co-led by ParaFi Capital and Castle Island Ventures, with participation from FalconX Ventures, Flowdesk, Nascent, Coin Operated Group, The Operating Group, and JST Digital.
Deep Space Energy, a Latvia-based company developing radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTAG), raised €930K in Pre-Seed funding. The amount consisted of €350K led by Outlast Fund and Linas Sargautis, and €580K in public contracts and grants by the European Space Agency (ESA), NATO DIANA, and the Latvian government.
SEED
The Biological Computing Company (TBC), a San Francisco-based biological computing startup harnessing the brain’s intelligence to evolve how we compute, raised a $25 million seed round led by Primary and was joined by Builders VC, Refactor Capital, Wonder Ventures, E1 Ventures, Tusk Ventures and Proximity.
Levl, a Zug, Switzerland-based provider of a platform empowering fiat and stablecoin global payments, raised $7M in Seed funding. The round was led by Galaxy Ventures with participation from Protagonist, Deus X, Blockchain Builders Fund, OpenFX, FalconX, CMCC, Variant Fund, and a strategic angel network.
Tenna Systems (formerly Tip & Cue Inc.), a NYC-based developer of software-driven spectrum intelligence for electronic warfare, raised $13.5m in Seed funding. The round was led by Costanoa, with participation from Viola Ventures, Fresh Fund, 202 Ventures, and existing investors.
Seamflow, a London, UK-based AI-first software platform provider, raised $4.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Northzone and Initialized Capital, with participation from Entrepreneur First, Nebular, and angel investors.
Simple AI, a San Francisco, CA-based voice AI agent platform provider, raised $14M in Seed funding. The round was led by First Harmonic, with participation from Y Combinator, Massive Tech Ventures, and True Ventures.
GenFlux, a Denver, CO-based company that provides a platform helping brands track and optimize how they appear in AI-generated answers, raised $4.2M in Seed funding. The round was led by Symbolic Capital, with participation from Borderless Capital, Frachtis, Glasswing Ventures, Dispersion Capital, Delphi Ventures, and Radical Ventures.
KnowledgeNet.ai, a Frederick, MD-based provider of a platform turning insight into revenue through AI-powered tools, raised $500K in funding. The round was led by TEDCO.
GROWTH
Atlas Oncology Partners, a Nashville, TN-based provider of a value-based oncology enablement platform, raised $28M in Series A funding. The round was led by Flare Capital Partners with participation from Rubicon Founders.
WINN.AI, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based provider of a real-time revenue execution platform, raised $18M in Series A funding. The round was led by Insight Partners, Mangusta Capital and S Capital, with participation from Moneta, Highsage, Alumni Ventures, Sarona Ventures, and OurCrowd.
Complyance, a NYC-based developer of an AI-native Enterprise GRC platform, raised $20m in Series A funding. The round was led by GV (Google Ventures), with participation from existing investors Creandum, HV Capital, Speedinvest, and Everywhere Ventures.
Take2, a NYC-based provider of an AI agents platform purpose-built for healthcare recruiting, raised $14M in Series A funding. The round was led by Human Capital, with participation from Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments, Reach Capital, SemperVirens VC, and Honeystone Ventures.
Brandlight, a NYC-based company developing a platform helping brands influence how AI models present their narratives, raised $30M in Series A funding. The round was led by Pelion Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors.
Hubbl Technologies, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an AI-driven platform designed to optimize business systems, raised $6M in Series A funding. The round was led by Salesforce Ventures.
Trener Robotics (fka T-Robotics), a San Francisco, CA- and Trondheim, Norway-based developer of an AI robot skills platform for manufacturing, raised $32M in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Engine Ventures and IAG Capital Partners, with participation from strategic investors.
Lema AI, a NYC-based provider of an agentic AI security platform, raised $24M in Series A funding. The round was led by Team8, with participation from F2 Venture Capital and Salesforce Ventures.
Equal Parts, an Austin, TX-based provider of an insurance platform for independent agencies, raised $23M in Series A funding. The round was led by Inspired Capital with participation from Equal Ventures, Max Ventures, Genius Ventures, and others.
Somethings, a NYC-based provider of a digital mental health platform, raised $19.2M in Series A funding. The round was led by Catalio Capital, with participation from existing investors General Catalyst and Tusk Ventures.
Loyal, a San Francisco, CA-based clinical-stage animal health company, raised $100M in Series C funding. The round was led by age1 with participation from Baillie Gifford alongside existing investors.
Nucleus Security, a Sarasota, FL-based unified vulnerability and exposure management company, raised $20M in Series C funding. The round was led by Delta-v Capital.
ManageMy, a Charlotte, NC-based provider of an intelligent orchestration platform for insurers, raised $45M in funding. The amount included $20M in its recent Series B round, co-led by Ventura Capital and OCVC.
ILiAD Biotechnologies, a Weston, FL-based clinical stage biotech company, raised $115M in Series B funding. The round was led by RA Capital Management with participation from new investors and existing investors.
Solace Health, a Redwood City, CA-based provider of patient-centric healthcare advocacy services, raised $130M in Series C funding. The round was led by IVP, with participation from existing investors.
Andercore, a Berlin, Germany-based provider of an AI-driven trade platform for industrial supply, raised $40M in Series B funding. Backers included Atomico, Project A, Inven Capital, Commerzbank and KfW.
Vega, a NYC-based AI-Native Security Analytics Mesh platform provider, raised $120m in Series B funding. The round was led by existing investor Accel, with participation from Cyberstarts, Redpoint, and CRV.
GitGuardian, a NYC-based provider of a secrets and non-human identity security platform, raised $50M in Series C funding. The round was led by Insight Partners, alongside Quadrille Capital and existing investors.
Circit, a NYC-based provider of an audit confirmation and financial data verification platform, raised $22M in funding. The round was led by Ten Coves Capital, with participation from existing investors.
Inertia Enterprises, a Livermore, California-based developer of commercial fusion energy systems, raised $450m in Series A funding. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from GV, Threshold Ventures, Neo, and others.
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital Updates
Primary Ventures, a New York-based early-stage VC firm, has raised $625M for Fund V to double down on seed and pre-seed investing across the U.S.. The fund plans to back 40–50 startups with $5M–$10M checks and expand beyond NYC into markets like Chicago and Seattle. With $1.65B AUM, Primary has backed companies like Etched, Alloy, Chief, and Dandelion Health, and sees seed investing evolving into its own institutional asset class.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest In Tech
xAI outlines interplanetary AI vision in public all-hands
xAI published a full 45-minute all-hands video on X, where Elon Musk confirmed recent departures were tied to a reorganization splitting the company into four teams focused on Grok, coding, Imagine video, and the new Macrohard project.
Macrohard aims to simulate full computer use and even entire corporations, with leadership claiming future AI systems could design rocket engines autonomously.
Executives revealed X has crossed $1 billion in annual recurring subscription revenue, while xAI’s Imagine tool is generating 50 million videos daily and over 6 billion images in 30 days, as Musk doubled down on plans for space-based data centers and even lunar AI satellite factories.
OpenAI disbands mission alignment team
OpenAI confirmed it has dissolved its mission alignment team, reassigning its six to seven members across the company, while former head Josh Achiam transitions into a new role as chief futurist.
The team, formed in September 2024, focused on communicating OpenAI’s mission of ensuring AGI benefits humanity; the company says that work will now continue across different functions.
Achiam said his new role will study how AI and AGI reshape the world, as OpenAI continues internal restructuring following the earlier shutdown of its superalignment team in 2024.
Meta begins construction of $10 billion Indiana data center to boost AI capabilities
Meta has broken ground on a $10 billion data center in Lebanon, Indiana, designed to deliver 1 gigawatt of capacity — roughly enough to power 800,000 homes — as it scales infrastructure for AI.
The facility is expected to come online by late 2027 or early 2028, with Meta saying it has secured local power agreements and will fund the full $10 billion investment upfront.
The project adds to Meta’s broader AI infrastructure push, including a $27 billion financing deal for a 2-gigawatt Louisiana data center and a $1.5 billion Texas facility, as Big Tech accelerates its data center buildout race.
Former Apple designer Jony Ive designs Ferrari’s upcoming electric car
Ferrari unveiled the interior of its first EV, the Luce, designed by Jony Ive and his studio LoveFrom, blending racing heritage with minimalist, Apple-inspired design.
The cabin features a recycled aluminium three-spoke steering wheel with physical controls, a 12.5-inch OLED instrument cluster built with bespoke Samsung panels, and a movable 10-inch touchscreen with toggle switches and customisable displays.
A floating leather-and-glass centre console houses a glass drive selector, a key slot that changes colour on ignition, and helicopter-style launch control, with Ferrari set to reveal the exterior in May 2026.
Microsoft explores superconductors to power data centers
Microsoft is researching high-temperature superconductors as a way to transmit electricity to its data centers without the voltage drops or heat loss that come with traditional copper and aluminum wires.
HTS cables are lighter, take up less space, and only need a 2-meter-wide trench instead of the 70 meters of clearance that overhead lines typically require to prevent electrical interference between cables.
The company faces a real challenge: HTS materials still need cryogenic cooling around -200 degrees C, and Microsoft is pursuing this partly because CEO Satya Nadella said it has idle AI GPUs due to insufficient electricity.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other News
SpaceX Super Heavy booster completes four-day cryoproof testing
SpaceX’s upgraded Super Heavy V3 booster has finished a multi-day cryogenic proof test at Massey’s Test Site in Texas, passing a stage that destroyed the previous booster back in November.
Ground crews loaded super-cold liquid nitrogen into the 237-foot stainless-steel rocket four times over six days, testing its redesigned propellant systems and structural strength under repeated thermal and pressurization cycles.
Technicians will now mount 33 Raptor 3 engines, which are lighter and produce more thrust, with plumbing and sensors built into the main structure, removing the need for heat shields between engines.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
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