☕ OpenAI raises $122B at $852B valuation ahead of IPO & Another Starlink satellite has inexplicably exploded.
Oracle begins layoffs affecting thousands amid AI push & Elon Musk faces class action over delayed Twitter stake disclosure.
Breaking News
OpenAI has raised a massive $122 billion round at an $852 billion valuation, pushing it closer to becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world ahead of a potential IPO. With ~900M weekly users and ~$2B in monthly revenue, the company is scaling aggressively toward becoming an “AI superapp.”
Anthropic accidentally exposed 500,000+ lines of internal code related to Claude, revealing system architecture details in a major operational slip. The incident raises concerns about security and competitive risks, especially as the AI race intensifies and rivals look for any edge.
FROM OUR PARTNER - SEMRUSH
📈 See what drives your competitors’ growth — before they do
Every winning strategy starts with the right data. With Semrush’s Traffic & Market Toolkit, you can uncover exactly where your competitors’ traffic comes from — search, social, or even AI referrals.
Track their top pages, monitor emerging trends, and find the untapped channels fueling their growth. Whether you’re a marketer, agency, or enterprise, you’ll get daily and weekly insights to outpace rivals and lead your market with confidence. Trusted by 10M+ marketers worldwide.
Try the Traffic & Market Toolkit free →
PARTNERSHIP WITH US
🤝 Get your startup in front of 116,000+ audience.
Our newsletter is read by 116,000+ of tech professionals, founders, investors (VCs / Angel Investors) and managers around the world. Get in touch today.
STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup Funding Updates
PRE-SEED
Earlyasset, a Park City, Utah-based venture secondary market infrastructure company, raised $2M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by New Stack Ventures, with participation from Cervin Ventures, Andrew Ryan (ABVCS), and angel investors.
SEED
Cara, a NYC-based AI platform for insurance brokerages, raised $8M in Seed funding. The round was led by Kearny Jackson, with participation from Claire Hughes Johnson, Kevin Mahaffey, Sam Hodges, and Colin Evans.
Sycamore, a Palo Alto, CA-based autonomous enterprise AI company, raised $65M in Seed funding. The round was led by Coatue and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Abstract Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, 8VC, Fellows Fund, and E14 Fund.
OpenBox AI, a San Francisco, CA-based enterprise AI solutions company, raised $5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Tykhe Ventures.
Valinor Digital, a NYC-based credit solutions company, raised $25M in Seed funding. The round was led by Castle Island Ventures, with participation from Paul Prager and Nazar Khan.
GROWTH
Nomadic, a San Francisco, CA-based spatial intelligence platform, raised $8.4M in funding. The round was led by TQ Ventures, with participation from Pear VC, Jeff Dean, and others.
memQ, a Chicago, IL-based quantum networking company, raised $10M in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Quantonation and Ocean Azul Partners.
depthfirst, a San Francisco, CA-based AI security lab, raised $80M in Series B funding. The round was led by Meritech Capital, with participation from Forerunner Ventures, The House Fund, Accel, Box Group, Liquid 2 Ventures, and others.
Uniblock, a Toronto, Canada-based blockchain infrastructure provider, raised $5.2M in funding. Backers included SBI, AllianceDAO, CoinSwitch, Blockchain Founders Fund, Hustle Fund, NGC Ventures, Alchemy, MoonPay, and others.
Whoop, a Boston, MA-based human performance company, raised $575M in Series G funding at a $10.1B valuation. The round was led by Collaborative Fund, with participation from Qatar Investment Authority, Mubadala, Abbott, Mayo Clinic, Macquarie Capital, IVP, and others.
Scala Biodesign, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based biotech company, raised $16M in Series A funding. The round was led by Grove Ventures, with participation from TLV Partners, Deep Insight, and others.
OpenFX, a NYC-based FX infrastructure company, raised $94M in Series A funding. Backers included Accel, Atomico, Lightspeed Faction, M13, Northzone, and Pantera.
Censys, an Ann Arbor, MI-based cybersecurity company, raised $70M in strategic funding. The round was led by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, with participation from Decibel Partners, Greylock, GV, Intel Capital, and others.
Ambrosia Biosciences, a Boulder, CO-based drug discovery company, raised $100M in Series B funding. The round was led by Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities, Redmile, and Deep Track Capital, with participation from BVF Partners, Boulder Ventures, and others.
Kestra, a NYC-based orchestration platform provider, raised $25M in Series A funding. The round was led by RTP Global, with participation from Alven, ISAI, and Axeleo.
9fin, a London, UK-based debt markets platform, raised $170M in Series C funding at a $1.3B valuation. The round was led by HarbourVest, with participation from CPP Investments, Redalpine, Highland Europe, Spark Capital, and Seedcamp.
Saronic Technologies, an Austin, TX-based defense tech company, raised $1.75B in Series D funding at a $9.25B valuation. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins, with participation from Advent International, Bessemer, DFJ Growth, 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, Franklin Templeton, and others.
Enclave, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based application security company, raised $6M in funding. The round was led by 8VC, with participation from Patrick Collison, Aaron Levie, Diane Greene, Matt Huang, Jeremy Stoppelman, Marc Benioff, and others.
Tenkara, a San Francisco, CA-based manufacturing ops platform, raised $7M in funding. The round was led by True Ventures, with participation from HF0, WndrCo, Articulate Capital, and others.
Create Wellness, a NYC-based consumer health brand, raised $20M in Series B funding. The round was led by Alliance Consumer Growth, with participation from Impact Capital and Unilever Ventures.
NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital Updates.
Sonder Capital, a San Carlos, CA-based healthcare venture capital firm investing in companies enhancing the standard of care, closed its second fund, Futures II. The fund, backed by Mayo Clinic and Sutter Health, is anchored by an investment thesis focused on AI-enabled medical robotics and minimally invasive therapies, fueling companies creating entirely new care pathways and business models.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest In Tech
Meta launches prescription AI glasses at $499
Meta and EssilorLuxottica launched two new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses styles, the Blayzer Optics and Scriber Optics, starting at $499 and designed to work with prescription lenses including progressive and transition options.
Both frames feature slimmer designs, swappable nosepads, and adjustable temple tips for a better fit, and they are available for pre-order now with sales starting April 14 at retailers like LensCrafters.
Meta is also rolling out new software features for all Ray-Ban Meta glasses, including Japanese, Mandarin, and Arabic translation support, food and nutrition tracking, and AI-powered message thread summaries.
Another Starlink satellite has inexplicably exploded
SpaceX has lost contact with another Starlink satellite after an unexplained “anomaly,” and tracking company Leo Labs detected tens of debris objects near Starlink 34343 shortly after the event.
SpaceX says the event poses no risk to the Space Station, its crew, or NASA’s Artemis II launch, and the satellite fragments are expected to burn up in the atmosphere within weeks.
The explosion happened at about 560km above Earth in low Earth orbit, where over 24,000 objects — including around 10,000 Starlink satellites — are currently being tracked in an increasingly crowded zone.
Google now lets US users change their Gmail address
Google is now rolling out a feature that lets users in the U.S. change their Gmail address without creating a new account or losing access to their existing data.
Users can only change their username once every 12 months, and their old email address will be preserved as an alternate address that still works for signing in.
The feature is rolling out gradually, so not everyone will see the “Change Google Account email” button in their Personal info settings right away, according to Google’s support page.
Elon Musk faces class action over delayed Twitter stake disclosure
A U.S. judge ruled that investors can pursue a class action lawsuit against Elon Musk over his delayed disclosure of a significant Twitter stake in 2022.
Investors claim Musk saved over $200M by waiting 11 days to disclose his position, causing them losses as they sold shares at lower prices.
The ruling increases potential damages for Musk, adding to ongoing legal challenges, including a separate case where he was already found liable related to the Twitter deal.
Oracle begins layoffs affecting thousands amid AI push
Oracle is laying off thousands of employees, including 491 roles in Washington state, as part of a broader restructuring plan.
The company expects up to $2.1B in restructuring costs while continuing to invest heavily in AI infrastructure to compete with cloud giants.
The move reflects a wider trend across tech, where companies are cutting jobs and reallocating resources toward AI-focused growth.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other News
Meta tests paid subscriptions on Instagram
Meta is testing a paid subscription called Instagram Plus in a few countries, giving everyday users access to exclusive features for a small monthly fee.
Subscribers can view Stories without the poster knowing, see how many people rewatched their Stories, create unlimited audience lists, and extend or spotlight their Stories.
Pricing varies by country — roughly $1 to $2 per month in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines — and the subscription is separate from Meta Verified, which targets creators and businesses.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
💼 Today’s VC & Startup Job Opportunities
Most aspiring VCs struggle with interviews, unclear expectations, no structured prep, and generic advice that doesn’t actually help. So we partnered with a leading investor group to build an all-in-one VC Interview Preparation Guide that gives you real clarity and frameworks. (Access Here)
Ventures Analyst/Associate - Plug and Play Tech Center | USA - Apply Here
Research Innovation Program Director - Generator | USA - Apply Here
Investment Analyst Intern - NAV Capital | Dubai - Apply Here
PE & VC Partner Manager - Dealhub | UK - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - Lunicorn Venture | UK - Apply Here
Program Manager - a16z | USA - Apply Here
Venture Fellow - age1 | USA - Apply Here
Venture Capital Associate - Sky9 Capital | USA - Apply Here
Investment Summer Associate - AI Tooling - M13 | USA - Apply Here
Event Marketing Manager - AI Fund | USA - Apply Here
WHEN YOU’RE READY, HERE’S HOW I CAN HELP:
💁 You might need our help!
Reach 115,000+ Founders & Investors: Partner with our newsletter to reach a highly engaged audience.
Build Your Pitch Deck: We write, design and model your pitch deck into a storyteller book within 4-5 days.
Do you have any news to share about your Startup or VC fund? Please email us.
We’ll be back in your inbox on Tomorrow.