☕ TikTok launches a new image-to-video tool & Apple explores brain control for devices.
Microsoft to lay off around 6,000 employees & Amazon to invest $5B+ in Saudi AI Zone with Humain.
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Today’s Picks: Valuation, term sheet tips, 6000+ Euro VCs, AI second brain, financial model, $500M VC decks, post-mobile, legal docs, AI idea test, founder prep, VC interview, data room guide.
TikTok launches TikTok AI Alive, a new image-to-video tool.
Amazon to invest $5B+ in Saudi AI Zone with Humain, backed by Crown Prince.
Trump administration officially rescinds Biden’s AI chip export rules.
Apple explores brain control for devices.
Saudi Arabia taps Nvidia and Groq for chips in AI expansion.
Samsung unveils its ultra slim Galaxy S25 Edge.
Microsoft to lay off around 6,000 employees amid AI investment push.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
ThriveAI, a San Francisco, CA-based AI-powered junior product manager, raised $1.2m in pre-seed funding. The round was led by 500 Global, with participation from Iterative and Hustle Fund.
Remedy Plan Therapeutics, a Gaithersburg, MD-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing new, hyperbolic NAMPT inhibitors, raised $18M in funding. Backers included Schooner Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, and other existing investors.
Flock, a Denver, CO-based retirement solutions company for landlords, raised $20M in Series B funding. The round was led by Renegade Partners, with participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Primary Venture Partners, Susa Ventures, 1Sharpe Ventures, and others.
Flam, a San Francisco, CA- and Bengaluru, India-based GenAI-powered products provider, raised $14M in Series A funding. The round was led by RTP Global, with participation from Dovetail and other existing investors, bringing its total funding to $22M.
Stackpack, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an intelligent vendor stack management platform helping companies regain control over their growing network of third-party vendors, raised $6.3M. The round was led by Freestyle Capital with participation from Elefund, Upside Partnership, Nomad Ventures, Layout Ventures, MSIV Fund and angels from Intuit, Workday, Affirm, Snapdocs and xAI.
FlexPoint, a NYC-based provider of a payments platform for managed service providers (MSPs) and the businesses they serve, raised $12M in Series A funding. The round was led by Foundry Group, with participation from existing investors Haymaker Ventures, Garuda Ventures, Techstars, Far Out Ventures, and Cascade Seed Fund.
Complement 1, a NYC-based health tech startup improving cancer care through personalized lifestyle medicine, raised $16M in Seed funding. The round was led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures.
Bestow Inc., a Dallas, TX-based insurance technology company, raised $120M in Series D funding. The round was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Smith Point Capital. In addition to the equity financing, Bestow also secured a $50M credit facility from TriplePoint Capital.
PhaseV, a Boston, MA-based company which specializes in AI/ML-driven clinical development, raised $50M in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Accel and Insight Partners with participation of existing investors Viola Ventures, EXOR and LionBird.
Hyperbots, a Dover, DE-based provider of an agentic AI platform for finance and accounting, raised $6.5M in Series A funding. The round was led by Arkam Ventures and Athera Venture Partners with participation from new investor JSW Ventures and existing investors, Kalaari Capital, Sunicon Ventures, and Darashaw & Company Sunicon Ventures, and Darashaw & Company.
Realta Fusion, a Madison, WI-based fusion energy startup, raised $36M in Series A funding. The round was led by Future Ventures with participation from Mayfield, GSBackers, SiteGround, Avila VC, Khosla Ventures, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and TitletownTech.
Adopt AI, a San Jose, CA-based Agentic AI company, raised $6M in Seed funding. The round was led by Elevation Capital, with participation from Foster Ventures, Powerhouse Ventures, Darkmode Ventures, and angel investors.
Somite AI, a Boston, MA-based TechBio company leveraging foundation models and proprietary AI to accelerate human cell therapy development, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A funding. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from SciFi VC, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Fusion Fund, Ajinomoto Group Ventures, Pitango HealthTech, TechAviv, Harpoon Ventures.
ClearVector, a Reston, VA-based identity-driven security company, raised $13m in Series A financing. The round, which brought total funding to $16m, was led by Scale Venture Partners, with participation from Okta Ventures, Inner Loop Capital, and existing investor Menlo Ventures.
Optimal Dynamics, a NYC-based provider of an artificial decision intelligence for trucking companies, raised $40M in Series C funding. The round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies.
iAltA Holdings, a NYC-based private markets infrastructure company, raised $20M in initial funding. The round was led by WestCap.
Shakers, a Madrid, Spain-based provider of a workforce orchestration platform connecting companies with tech freelancers, raised €14M in Series A funding. The round was led by Partech, with further investment from KFund, Brighteye Ventures, Athos Capital and Wayra.
MarvelX, an Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based insurtech startup, raised $6M in funding. The round was led by EQT Ventures with participation from Jobi George (elastic, Microsoft), Keith Grose (Coinbase, Plaid), Yana Abramova (Pretiosum), Humphrey Valenbreder (Partior, bunq), Mehdi Ghissassi (Google Deepmind), Plug and play, among others.
NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
NYC-based VC firm Work-Bench has closed a $160M Fund IV to invest in seed-stage enterprise software companies. The firm will write $2M–$4M checks in AI, cybersecurity, dev tools, and enterprise apps, aiming to back 23–25 startups.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
TikTok launches TikTok AI Alive, a new image-to-video tool:
TikTok has launched “AI Alive,” a new feature that turns static photos into short videos using AI-generated motion, effects, and sound, available exclusively via the Story Camera.
The feature builds on TikTok’s earlier AI tools and goes beyond what competitors like Instagram and Snapchat currently offer by enabling direct photo-to-video generation.
All AI Alive videos are labeled as AI-generated and include C2PA metadata, with TikTok enforcing moderation and safety checks to prevent misuse before publishing.
Amazon to invest $5B+ in Saudi AI Zone with Humain, backed by Crown Prince:
Amazon will partner with Saudi Arabia’s Humain to develop a new “AI Zone” using AWS infrastructure, committing over $5 billion in AI tools, servers, and startup support across the kingdom.
This adds to Amazon’s earlier $5.3 billion pledge for AWS data centers in Saudi Arabia, though the AI Zone is described as a separate, additional investment.
The partnership follows Saudi mandates for local data storage and mirrors moves by Google and Oracle, amid broader U.S.-Saudi tech collaboration supported by the Trump administration.
Trump administration officially rescinds Biden’s AI chip export rules:
The U.S. Department of Commerce has canceled Biden’s AI Diffusion Rule, which was set to restrict AI chip exports by tiered country classifications starting May 15.
Instead of sweeping restrictions, the Trump administration plans to negotiate terms directly with individual nations, favoring a more flexible, alliance-driven approach.
New guidance still warns against use of U.S. chips with Chinese firms like Huawei and urges caution to prevent tech diversion, underscoring a continued hardline stance on China.
Apple explores brain control for devices:
Apple intends to enable native control of its devices using brain signals later this year, collaborating with neurotechnology startup Synchron on their implantable interface.
Synchron's Stentrode implant, inserted through a vein, enables users with severe physical impairments to manage Apple gadgets by detecting thought patterns from the motor cortex.
Apple is working to create a specific industry benchmark for neural interfaces, planning to incorporate this advanced input system into its Switch Control accessibility features.
Saudi Arabia taps Nvidia and Groq for chips in AI expansion:
US chip giant Nvidia and Saudi Arabia's AI startup Humain have announced a partnership to develop the kingdom's artificial intelligence capabilities and enhance its cloud computing infrastructure.
This strategic alliance aims to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy beyond oil, positioning the nation as a significant international hub for AI development and activity.
Humain, operating under the Public Investment Fund, will leverage Nvidia's platforms to deliver AI services, data centers, and advanced models, striving for global AI leadership.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕Other news
Samsung unveils its ultra slim Galaxy S25 Edge:
Samsung has introduced the Galaxy S25 Edge, a really thin smartphone measuring just 5.8mm thick, with a 6.7-inch QHD+ screen and weighing 163 grams.
This new model is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor for robust performance and includes a 200MP main camera for detailed photography.
The device boasts a resilient titanium frame, an IP68 water resistance rating, and a 3,900mAh battery that supports fast charging for user convenience.
Microsoft to lay off around 6,000 employees amid AI investment push:
Microsoft is cutting nearly 3% of its workforce — about 6,000 employees — in a move to manage costs while ramping up its multibillion-dollar investment in AI infrastructure.
The layoffs span all levels and geographies and come despite strong Azure and cloud earnings, reflecting margin pressure from AI-driven capital spending.
With $80 billion earmarked for capital expenditures this fiscal year, mostly for data centers, analysts say Microsoft must continue trimming headcount to offset rising depreciation costs.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities
Portfolio Growth - Point 72 Venture | USA - Apply Here
Investor - Founders Factory | UK - Apply Here
Internship - Octopus Venture | UK - Apply Here
Investment Fellow(s) - Pi Venture | India - Apply Here
Fundraising Manager - Entrepreneur First | USA - Apply Here
Investment team - Next Bharat Venture | India - Apply Here
Capital Formation Associate - B Capital Group | USA - Apply Here
Chief of Staff - First Round Capital | USA - Apply Here
Venture Capital Analyst - Cervin Family Office | India - Apply Here
Investment Manager - 3M Venture | USA - Apply Here
All-In-One VC Interview Preparation Guide: With a leading investors group, we have created an all-in-one VC interview preparation guide for aspiring VCs. Don’t miss this. (Access Here)
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