☕ OpenAI Cofounder, Andrej joins Anthropic & Apple lets Vision Pro users control a wheelchair with their eyes.
Google launches Pics to challenge Canva in AI design & More.
Breaking News
Andrej Karpathy, one of the most respected figures in AI and a former leader at OpenAI and Tesla, has joined Anthropic to work on pre-training and AI-assisted research. His move is a major talent win for Anthropic and signals that the competition to build frontier AI increasingly depends on attracting the handful of engineers capable of shaping the most advanced models in the world.
Google has launched Gemini 3.5 Flash, a faster model built specifically for autonomous AI agents that can code, research, and execute complex tasks with minimal supervision. The release underscores Google’s broader shift from chatbots to agents, reflecting a growing industry belief that AI’s next breakthrough will come from systems that can work independently for hours rather than simply answer questions.
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DAILY PICKS
🗞️ What else is brewing
Why are LPs fighting for access to the most valuable AI deals? (Link)
What investors ask and how to answer : A practical Q&A prep kit for founders. (Link)
Did OpenAI win attention while Anthropic built a better company? (Link)
What every founder needs to understand about AI economics? (Link)
Where AI seed investors are most likely to find outliers. (Link)
What’s driving the surprising decline in founder dilution? (Link)
40 real startup pitch decks that raised $350M+ (Including leading startups decks) (Link)
STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup Funding Updates
PRE-SEED
Aquanta Vision, a Tulsa, OK-based methane detection company, raised an undisclosed Pre-Seed round. Backers included EIC Rose Rock, Marathon Petroleum, Chevron Technology Ventures, Ecosphere Ventures, and Odyssey Energy Advisors.
Craci, a Helsinki-based software supply chain security startup, raised €1.4M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Lifeline Ventures, with participation from First Fellow Partners and Wave Ventures.
AEON, a Hong Kong-based infrastructure platform for the agentic economy, raised $8M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by YZi Labs, with participation from IDG Capital, HashKey Capital, and Stanford Blockchain Builders Fund.
SEED
B-SIDES, a NYC-based snack brand, raised $500K in Seed funding. The round was anchored by Cap Ventures 8182.
Rely, a Portland, Maine-based multifamily diligence platform, raised $4.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by 2048 Ventures, with participation from Range Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures.
Hellbender, a Pittsburgh-based edge AI infrastructure company, raised $12.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Magarac Venture Partners and Veredas Partners.
Benji, a Chicago and NYC-based loyalty partnership API platform, raised $6.25M in Seed funding. The round was led by Preface Ventures and Atinc.
Leadbay, a San Francisco-based AI prospecting platform, raised $4.3M in Seed funding. Backers included Y Combinator, Deel Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and others.
Kin Health, a Los Angeles-based patient adherence platform, raised $9M in Seed funding. The round was led by Maveron, with participation from Town Hall Ventures, Pear VC, and Eniac Ventures.
Violet Therapeutics, a Somerville-based biotech company, raised $4.75M in Seed extension funding. Backers included Dementia Discovery Fund, UTEC, Ono Venture Investment, and Mass General Brigham Ventures.
GROWTH
bunch, a Berlin-based AI-native fund operations platform, raised $35M in Series B funding. The round was led by Portage, with participation from Illuminate Financial, Motive Partners, Cherry Ventures, and Fintech Collective.
Rasa Legal, a Salt Lake City-based legal technology company, received a $1M investment from NextLadder Ventures.
Viktor, a Warsaw and Munich-based AI coworker platform, raised $75M in Series A funding. The round was led by Accel, with participation from Bek Ventures, Kaya VC, and Inovo VC.
Nourish, a NYC-based metabolic health clinic, raised $100M in Series C funding. The round was led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from Thrive Capital, Index Ventures, and Atomico.
Radar, a NYC-based AI-powered retail intelligence platform, raised $170M in Series B funding at a $1B valuation. The round was led by Gideon Strategic Partners and Nimble Partners.
Eisen, a NYC-based compliance infrastructure platform for financial services, raised $10M in Series A funding. The round was led by MissionOG.
Brami, a Carlsbad-based protein pasta brand, raised $33M in Series B funding. The round was led by VMG Partners.
Relay Financial Technologies, a NYC-based small business banking platform, raised $50M in funding. The round was led by General Catalyst.
Vital Signals, a San Francisco-based hypertension management company, raised $15M in funding. The round was led by XYZ Ventures.
Armada, a San Francisco-based edge computing and AI infrastructure company, raised $230M in Series B funding. The round was co-led by Overmatch, BlackRock, and 8090 Industries.
Lexroom, a Milan-based legal AI platform, raised $50M in Series B funding. The round was led by Left Lane Capital.
Scope, a London-based AI inspection workflow platform, raised $20M in funding. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from Susa Ventures and Entrepreneurs First.
Full-Life Technologies, a Suzhou-based radiotherapeutics company, raised $150M in financing, including Series D equity and debt. The round was led by Vivo Capital.
Accro Bioscience, a Suzhou-based biotech company, raised $50M in Series C funding. The round was led by OrbiMed.
Nord Quantique, a Quebec-based quantum computing company, raised $30M in growth equity funding, achieving a $1.4B valuation. Backers included Fidelity Investments Canada, Quantonation, and Real Ventures.
Vortex Imaging, an Israel-based computational ultrasound company, raised $12M in funding. Investors included 10D Ventures, Entrée Capital, and Connecticut Innovations.
NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital Updates.
Mouro Capital, a Madrid, Spain- London, UK- and San Francisco, CA-based venture capital firm, has secured $400m from Banco Santander for the first close of its third fund. Led by General Partners Manuel Silva Martínez and Christopher Gottschalk, Mouro Capital is an independently managed venture capital firm with a longstanding focus exploring the intersection of financial services and technology.
Haun Ventures, a Menlo Park, CA-based venture capital firm, closed Fund II, at over $1 billion. Institutional investors include sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, pensions, financial institutions, and other global organizations.
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KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest In Tech
Google launches Pics to challenge Canva in AI design
Google introduced Pics, a new AI-powered design app inside Google Workspace that lets anyone create social media graphics, invitations, and marketing assets using simple text prompts.
The app is powered by Gemini and Nano Banana 2, allowing users to click on any part of a design and edit specific elements without regenerating the entire image.
Pics is currently being tested and will roll out to Google AI Ultra subscribers this summer, signaling Google’s ambition to make AI-powered design a core productivity feature.
Alibaba unveils Zhenwu M890 to reduce China’s dependence on Nvidia
Alibaba introduced the Zhenwu M890 AI chip, which delivers three times the performance of its previous generation and is optimized for autonomous AI agents.
The company also revealed a long-term roadmap with the V900 and J900 chips planned for 2027 and 2028, signaling Alibaba’s ambition to build a sustained domestic AI chip platform.
Alongside the chip, Alibaba launched Qwen 3.7-Max and a 128-chip server system, reinforcing its $53 billion commitment to cloud and AI infrastructure across China.
Google AI Studio now lets anyone build Android apps in minutes
Google added native Android app creation to AI Studio, allowing users to build apps with simple prompts instead of writing code manually.
Apps are built using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, with support for sensors like GPS, Bluetooth, and NFC, making rapid prototyping accessible to non-technical creators.
Google is also integrating Gemini into the Play Store and search, helping developers surface their apps through natural language conversations and AI-driven discovery.
Apple lets Vision Pro users control a wheelchair with their eyes
Apple is rolling out a new Vision Pro feature that lets people steer motorized wheelchairs using the headset’s eye-tracking system, arriving later this year alongside other accessibility updates previewed before Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 21.
The power wheelchair control function works with TOLT and LUCI alternative drive systems through Bluetooth or wired connections, skips frequent recalibration, and holds up across different lighting conditions, according to Apple.
Pat Dolan, who has lived with ALS for 10 years and founded GeoALS, said the option to drive his power wheelchair on his own is “gold” to him and called the feature life-enhancing.
Google and Blackstone to create new AI cloud company
Google and Blackstone are teaming up to launch a new U.S.-based AI infrastructure company, with the asset management firm putting $5 billion in equity capital into the venture, which Blackstone announced on Monday.
Google will supply its tensor processing units to the company, bringing the first 500 megawatts of compute capacity online by 2027, with plans to scale up further over time, according to Blackstone’s statement.
The unnamed company will be led by Benjamin Treynor Sloss, Google’s former chief programs officer, and the Wall Street Journal reports that Blackstone will hold a majority stake and has already picked likely data center sites.
OpenAI chooses Singapore for its first international applied AI lab
OpenAI will open its first applied AI lab outside the United States in Singapore and plans to invest more than S$300 million over the coming years.
The company expects to grow its Singapore team to around 200 employees, making the city-state a major hub for OpenAI’s research, engineering, and enterprise partnerships in Asia.
OpenAI and Singapore will work together to advance applied AI innovation, develop local talent, and expand AI adoption across government, businesses, and public services.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other News
Apple expands Apple Intelligence-powered accessibility features
Apple announced new accessibility updates powered by Apple Intelligence, including smarter VoiceOver, Live Recognition, and AI-generated subtitles. These features will roll out later this year with iOS 27.
VoiceOver can now better describe images, bills, and documents, while users can control apps with natural language commands. Reader will also summarize complex files like scientific papers while preserving formatting.
Apple Vision Pro users will be able to control compatible wheelchairs using eye movements. Apple is also expanding name recognition to 50 languages and improving hearing aid support across devices.
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