WHAT’S INSIDE
Top Signals: Apple locks $30B Broadcom deal, SK Hynix hits $1T valuation, & Musk-Altman clash on X as Apple sues OpenAI
Big Movers: Meta surges 18% on Muse Spark 1.1 launch, Paradigm pivots to AI/robotics with $1.2B, & SambaNova hits $11B valuation
Open Deals: Startups raising capital Mercor $20B valuation talks, Crusoe $3B infrastructure raise, and Lovable vibe-coding Series B.
Mega Rounds: SambaNova $1B Series F, Keyfactor $1B+ digital identity security, and Proxima Fusion $469.8M
Exit Watching: Mergers & Acquisitions and IPOs like Figma acquiring YC-backed vibe-coding startup, SK Hynix Nasdaq debut, and Kraken CFO exit ahead of IPO.
The Funding Buzz: VC & PE Activity To Watch like Thrive Holdings $2B AI services fund, Fundamentum $200M India growth fund, and Ashley Smith $25M Fund II.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AIRCAR
Joby. Archer. Lilium. The eVTOL names that made headlines raised billions from SoftBank, United Airlines, and defense contractors. By the time retail investors heard about them, the upside was already priced in. That’s how it usually works: early money wins. Everyone else gets the IPO hangover.
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Big Movers
Big tech moves, movers and trends to watch this week
Apple — Secured a $30B deal with Broadcom boosting US chip manufacturing enhancing domestic semiconductor production. Also: filed a lawsuit vs OpenAI over IP theft related to OpenAI’s upcoming consumer AI device with ex-Apple Jony Ive.
Meta — Shares soared 18% following launch of Muse Spark 1.1 – a multimodal AI platform underscoring strong market confidence in Meta’s new cloud/AI strategy.
SambaNova — Achieved a $11B valuation solidifying position as leading AI company challenging Nvidia in the chip sector underscoring rapid growth/strong market positioning.
Paradigm — US firm secured $1.2B funding pivoting from cryptocurrency to AI/robotics positioning for growth in emerging tech sectors diversifying beyond original focus.
Mercor — SF AI-driven analytics startup is on track for a $20B valuation having doubled value in just 9 months highlighting significant market impact/expanding presence.
SK Hynix — South Korean semiconductor giant market value reached $1T boosting Nasdaq shares 13% underscoring leadership in high-bandwidth memory/robust investor confidence.
AI Agent Raises — An AI startup secured $100M autonomously, using a unique fundraising strategy by its own AI Agent, marking a wild industry first showcasing potential for significant growth/innovative market impact.
OPEN DEALS
Open Funding Rounds or VC Fund Raises to watch this week
Mercor — SF startup linking companies with domain experts training AI models, agents negotiating funding at a $20B valuation after a $350M Series C at $10B.
Crusoe — US AI infrastructure/cloud firm negotiating $3B raise at $30B with existing 4.9 GW contracts/40 GW pipeline including 1.2 GW Texas data center JV.
Lovable — Swedish vibe-coding startup in talks securing $300M at $13.2B valuation doubling $6.6B Series B with $500M ARR attracting strong investor interest.
Blue Origin — Jeff Bezos rocket company seeking $10B first external financing at $130B pre-money valuation led Coatue with Bezos contributing additional $2B.
Wonder — The NY startup owning Grubhub/Blue Apron pursuing new funding targeting $9B valuation with CEO Marc Lore potentially investing $200M specializing food-hall takeout.
IN THE MONEY
Companies that raised money in the past week and why they matter
Massive Deals
SambaNova — San Jose AI chip/inference startup raised $1B Series F at $11B valuation led General Atlantic with T. Rowe/BlackRock/QIA/Vista/Intel.
Keyfactor — Independence OH machine identities/digital certificates company raised $1B+ led Summit Partners with Insight/Sixth Street enhancing AI/post-quantum security capabilities.
Proxima Fusion — Munich stellarator fusion startup raised $469.8M at $2.7B valuation with XTX/East X/RWE/Google total funding $743M+ incl. $108M grants.
Oratomic — Pasadena quantum computing startup founded 2026 raised $300M Series A led Khosla Ventures with Bezos Expeditions/Index/General Catalyst advancing Shor’s algorithm large-scale compute.
Kraken Technology — UK defense tech startup developing uncrewed surface vessels secured $175M Series B at $1B+ valuation led DTCP with British Business Bank/NATO/Rheinmetall.
Even Realities — Shenzhen smart glasses startup raised $150M pre-Series B led Meituan/Tencent valuing $1B using proprietary Holistic Adaptive Optics technology targeting professionals aged 30-50.
Quaise Energy — Houston millimeter-wave drilling/superhot geothermal startup raised $144M Series B led Prelude Ventures with JERA/Idemitsu/Safar.
Prime Intellect — AI venture achieved unicorn status with $130M Series A round at $1B+ valuation signaling rapid growth/innovation as a leading player in the field.
Norm AI — NY legal AI startup raised $120M Series C at $1.2B valuation led Khosla with Blackstone/Bain/Craft/Coatue/Vanguard totaling $260M+.
Lyzr — NY enterprise AI agents startup raising $100M at $500M valuation using its own AI agent for investor outreach/drafting investment memos.
Gradium — French low-latency voice AI startup secured $100M seed extension backed Nvidia emphasizing rapid growth positioning as a significant AI player.
Large Deals
Databento — Salt Lake City market-data infrastructure startup raised $97M Series B led NEA with DRW/Redpoint/Tribe totaling $127M rivaling Bloomberg/LSEG.
Venus Aerospace — Houston startup secured $90M Series B led Mercury Fund with Lockheed Martin advancing rotating-detonation rocket engines for hypersonic weapons/high-speed space vehicles.
EDX Markets — Hoboken crypto marketplace startup raised $76M Series C led SBI Holdings separating trading from custody/settlement via central clearinghouse.
Ollama — Open-source AI tool raised $65M Series B led Theory Ventures totaling $88M supporting 8.9M developers monthly including 85% Fortune 500 firms.
Super — SF discounts/cashback/credit-building startup raised $65M Series D at $1.2B valuation led TPG.
Kaon AI — Berkeley AI-driven entertainment startup for personalized interactive story worlds raised $60M backed B Capital/Redpoint Ace/Goodwater/DCM.
Pearl Health — NY AI Medicare patient identification startup raised $50M Series C led a16z with Viking Global/AlleyCorp plus $60M debt totaling $110M.
Vendelux — NY B2B event strategy optimization startup raised $50M Series B led Tribeca Venture Partners with HubSpot/FirstMark/Cervin totaling $71M.
CarbonSix — NY Physical AI firm raised $40M Series A enhancing data-flywheel model for manufacturing supporting talent, product dev, infrastructure.
Monogram — Coursera co-founder Eren Bali startup raised $40M seed led DST Global/Lux Capital offering visual-first AI interface launched stealth July 7.
Skapion — DC counter-drone startup raised $36M seed led UP.Partners/Khosla with Stratos, develops mobile counter-drone systems for military/critical infra.
Arkenstone Defense — Menlo Park startup assisting tech companies with US government compliance/payroll/security secured $35M seed led J2 Ventures.
Smaller Deals
Alta — Tel Aviv AI-driven enterprise sales automation startup raised $25M Series A led IN Venture with Mindset/Skywell/Leumi77.
Klinic — Frisco healthtech platform for specialty healthcare provider patient acquisition/care coordination raised $24M seed/Series A led Proofpoint/I2BF.
Hephae Energy Technology — Spring TX geothermal startup secured $17.8M Series A led Susquehanna/Underground Ventures with Nabors commercializing high-temperature super-hot drilling systems totaling $24.7M.
QIZ Security — NY cryptographic security startup raised $17M seed led Bessemer/Merlin Ventures with Evolution Equity/Singtel Innov8 founded just one year ago.
Agave — SF AI accounting/financial reporting startup for construction contractors raised $15M Series A led Accel with Y Combinator totaling $20M+.
Bidbus — LA digital marketplace startup pitting dealerships against each other to bid on used vehicles raised $15M Series A led Ibex Investors.
EdVisorly — LA AI software automating college admissions raised $13.3M Series A led Breachway Capital backed US News/Lumina Foundation/Motley Fool.
Hakimo — Menlo Park AI security startup raised $12M led Zigg Capital with Neotribe/Vertex/Defy totaling $32M enhancing AI monitoring for security cameras.
M1X Global — NY blockchain infrastructure for governments issuing sovereign financial instruments raised $5.5M seed led Paradigm totaling $8.5M.
EXIT WATCHING
Mergers & Acquisitions and IPOs
Figma — Design platform acquired YC-backed Vibe-Coding startup specializing AI-driven coding tools integrating AI capabilities enhancing design solutions/expanding tech portfolio.
SK Hynix — South Korean semiconductor manufacturer launched its Nasdaq debut after 700% rally fueled by AI boom capitalizing on increased demand for AI technology.
IPO Watch
Open or upcoming IPOs to watch:
Anduril — Valued at $61B, the Defense tech firm’s CEO advises against IPO during current market hype recommending strategic timing approach for any public offering.
SpaceX — Shares are performing well above IPO price as market anticipates upcoming IPOs from Anthropic/OpenAI/SK Hynix though it is challenging for private-equity-backed firms to participate.