👎 FuriosaAI Rejects $800M Acquisition Offer from Meta

South Korean AI chip startup FuriosaAI has reportedly turned down an $800M acquisition offer from Meta, citing disagreements over business strategy and structure rather than price.

🔥 Founded in 2017, FuriosaAI develops AI chips like Warboy and Renegade (RNGD) to compete with Nvidia and AMD.

🔥 The company is now raising $48M to continue chip development and plans to launch RNGD later this year with backing from LG AI Research and Aramco.

🔥 Meta has been seeking alternatives to Nvidia as it scales its AI infrastructure, with up to $65B planned AI investment in 2025.

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🤖 Ex-Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt’s Robotics Startup Raises $150M

The Bot Company, founded by former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, has raised another $150M, this time in a round led by Greenoaks, according to Reuters.

Co-founded with Paril Jain (ex-Tesla AI lead) and Luke Holoubek (ex-Cruise), the startup is building a household robotics platform. This brings total funding to $300M, less than a year after Vogt stepped down from Cruise following a high-profile incident involving an autonomous vehicle.

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💜 Aardvark: The AI Model Aiming to Revolutionize Global Weather Forecasting

The Turing Institute has unveiled Aardvark, a new AI weather prediction system that replaces the entire traditional forecasting pipeline. Unlike current models, Aardvark can be trained and run on a desktop computer, making it thousands of times faster and significantly more accessible.

Key highlights:

⚪️Replaces all three steps of traditional weather forecasting with a single AI model
⚪️ Processes data from satellites, weather stations, and balloons to generate 10-day global forecasts
⚪️ Already matches the accuracy of the US Global Forecast System (GFS) while using only 10% of the data
⚪️ Offers major benefits for developing countries, where supercomputers and infrastructure are limited
⚪️ Challenges include handling extreme weather events and climate shifts, but early signs are promising

Aardvark could be a major leap forward in democratizing weather forecasting, cutting costs, reducing emissions, and improving global climate resilience.

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💵 NATO Innovation Fund Co-Leads €25M Round in Graphene Photonics Startup Camgraphic

UK-based Camgraphic, a startup developing graphene-based photonic chips, has raised €25M in Series A co-led by the NATO Innovation Fund, Sony Innovation Fund, CDP Venture Capital, and Join Capital.

🔜 Camgraphic’s chips use light and electrical signals for faster, cheaper, and more energy-efficient data transmission than silicon, with applications in AI, HPC, 5G/6G, and radar.

🔜 Funds will support R&D in Pisa and launch a pilot manufacturing line in Milan.

🔜 The startup, currently 17 people, plans to double in size over the next year and begin scaling for commercialization in the coming years.

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💼 French VC Daphni Raises $215M to Back Science-Driven Startups

Paris-based Daphni has secured €200M for its third fund, Daphni Blue, with a target of €250M by year-end. The firm plans to invest in 40 European startups, with a strong focus on deep science and fundamental research.

🧪 Daphni aims to back innovation rooted in physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics, beyond mainstream AI hype.

🛸 The investment team now includes PhD talent, reflecting a shift toward supporting scientist-founders.

🗣️ “Raising is not an end in itself… exits are,” says founding partner Pierre-Eric Leibovici, underlining Daphni’s performance-driven strategy.

Can Europe's deep science startups finally compete with U.S. tech dominance?

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🧠 Infinitum Reinvents Cooling Motors

Infinitum, ranked among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025, has redesigned industrial fan motors for AI data centers, making them lighter, quieter, and up to 20% more energy efficient.

🔥 Its Aircore EC motor uses a copper-saving printed circuit board stator, eliminating heavy iron and reducing material waste.

🔥 A modular design allows for easy repairs, while right-sizing optimizes power use for specific needs.

🔥 Backed by a $34M U.S. Energy Department grant, Infinitum will open a Texas factory this year, aiming to produce 200,000 motors annually.

As AI workloads soar, innovations like Infinitum’s motors show how rethinking core infrastructure can unlock major energy and sustainability gains.

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🌎 Earth AI Finds Critical Minerals in Overlooked Australian Sites

Earth AI, an AI-driven mining startup, has discovered promising deposits of copper, cobalt, gold, silver, tin, and molybdenum in underexplored regions of Australia, using algorithms trained on decades of public geological data.

🛸 Founded by Roman Teslyuk, the company combines AI prediction models with in-house drilling tech to validate overlooked sites.

🔘 Earth AI’s approach bypasses industry conservatism by proving its own finds - unlike most software-only exploration startups.

💰 Backed by Y Combinator and a recent $20M Series B, the company’s discoveries point to a technological shift in mineral exploration, accelerating timelines in a historically slow-moving sector.

Could AI-driven exploration unlock the next major wave of critical minerals - and who will control access to it?

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💰 Nuclear Startup Terrestrial Energy Goes Public via SPAC, Raises $280M

Terrestrial Energy, a North Carolina-based nuclear startup, has gone public through a SPAC merger, securing $280M to develop its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology.

👾 IMSRs use molten salt as both coolant and fuel carrier, offering a compact, efficient approach to nuclear energy.

✨ The core is replaced every 7 years, addressing legacy issues like corrosion in older designs.

✅ Terrestrial joins peers like Oklo amid growing interest in nuclear-powered data centers and industrial heat solutions.

With surging energy demands from AI and electrification, modular nuclear tech like IMSR is gaining traction - SPACs may remain a popular route for funding next-gen energy startups.

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💥 Krisp Launches AI Accent Conversion, Plans Mobile Apps as Growth Continues

Krisp, the Armenia-based audio startup known for its AI noise cancellation, has launched a new feature to convert Indian English accents to American during live calls - aimed at improving clarity in global communication.

🗣️ The AI model adjusts phonemes without changing the speaker’s voice, and showed early results like a 26% sales conversion boost in enterprise tests.

💰 Initially built for voice isolation, Krisp has since raised $14M, grown to 1,200+ enterprise clients, and is now expanding into accent AI, call analytics, and mobile apps.

⚙️ To support growth, it’s also built its own AI training data center using Nvidia A100s — citing cloud costs as too high.

Will AI-driven accent conversion improve inclusivity - or raise new ethical concerns around identity and voice?

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💵 GetReal Raises $18M to Fight Deepfakes with Scalable AI Forensics

GetReal, a cyber-forensics startup co-founded by deepfake pioneer Hany Farid, has raised $17.5M Series A to expand its AI-powered platform that detects fake audio, video, and images. Backers include Forgepoint, Ballistic Ventures, and In-Q-Tel, with clients like Visa and John Deere already onboard.

🛡 The platform includes tools to screen, analyze, and respond to synthetic media threats - especially those targeting executives and national security.

🛸 Built as a “Hany-as-a-service,” GetReal transforms decades of academic expertise into scalable detection software.

💼 The startup is already seeing strong demand from heavily regulated industries and government agencies concerned with high-risk impersonation attacks.

GetReal is one of the first to operationalize deepfake detection at scale, meeting a critical security need as AI-generated media becomes a top global risk.

As AI-generated threats spread, should deepfake detection tools become a mandatory layer in enterprise and government security stacks?

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💦 Marvel Fusion Raises €50M Series B Extension as Fusion Tech Heats Up

Marvel Fusion, a nuclear energy startup based in Germany, has raised a €50M Series B extension, bringing its total funding to €385M and making it Europe’s best-funded fusion company.

🧪 The company is developing inertial confinement fusion, using lasers to trigger hydrogen implosions - an alternative to magnetic confinement used by competitors.

🙏 The new capital will support the shift from R&D to industrial deployment, with a prototype planned by 2032 and a commercial fusion plant by 2036.

As Europe races to catch up with U.S. fusion funding, Marvel’s novel approach and major backers position it as a leading contender in clean energy innovation.

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💵 Manna Raises $30M to Scale Drone Delivery to 1.5M Orders a Year

Irish drone startup Manna has secured $30 million to expand its autonomous delivery service across Europe, aiming for 1.5 million deliveries annually — a scale unmatched in the industry.

🚁 The company operates in Dublin suburbs and Finland, using drones that lower orders directly into backyards in under 3 minutes.

🔋 With hot-swappable battery modules and autonomous flight, Manna claims 8 deliveries/hour per drone - vs. 1.4/hour for rivals like Amazon, Alphabet’s Wing, and Zipline.

👍 Its ultra-lean operating model drives costs down to $4 per delivery, with a goal of hitting $1 at scale.

🫱 New partnerships with Wolt, Just Eat, and more top food delivery apps position Manna for rapid adoption through existing platforms.

While others chase scale with capital, Manna is quietly building a profitable, high-frequency delivery system that could dominate Europe's drone logistics race.

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📈 HoneyBook Hits $140M ARR, Adds AI as Valuation Pressure Eases

HoneyBook, the business management platform for freelancers and solopreneurs, revealed it has reached $140M in ARR, offering rare transparency from a ZIRP-era unicorn still holding a $2.4B valuation.

💼 Serving independent professionals with tools like CRM, billing, payments, and now AI-powered pricing guidance, HoneyBook says its proprietary data makes it uniquely positioned to support small business growth.

🛸 The newly launched AI features aim to boost user revenue by recommending pricing and strategy - thereby increasing transaction volume and platform take-rate.

Will AI-powered platforms like HoneyBook redefine productivity for solopreneurs - or is this too niche to scale further?

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⭕️ Willow Acquires Elvie's Assets as UK Women's Health Pioneer Moves into Administration

Willow, the San Francisco startup known for its wearable breast pumps, has acquired Elvie, a UK-based women's health company, as Elvie enters administration. The deal highlights a significant consolidation in the femtech sector amid ongoing market challenges.

💼 Willow has secured Elvie’s assets after months of negotiations, as Elvie faced financial struggles.

💰 Elvie, which raised over $186 million with a valuation of $241 million, will transfer its products and some of its team to Willow.

✨ Willow aims to expand its platform and strengthen its position in the women's health tech space, where profitability and scaling remain challenging.

⏫ The women's health market, valued at $60 billion, continues to face headwinds, including increased competition from cheaper products and limited exit opportunities for femtech companies.

Willow’s acquisition of Elvie marks a strategic move to consolidate and strengthen its presence in the femtech industry amid financial challenges and limited growth opportunities.

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🚗 Lucid to Ramp Up Gravity SUV Deliveries by End of April

Lucid Motors announced plans to resume customer deliveries for its all-electric Gravity SUV by the end of April, marking a crucial milestone for the EV maker as it aims to capture the American SUV market.

⚡️ Gravity is Lucid’s second vehicle and its first SUV, following the Lucid Air sedan series.

🧠 Production is ramping up at Lucid’s Casa Grande, Arizona factory, which will be key to maintaining momentum amid new 25% auto tariffs.

💰 The $94,900 Gravity boasts an impressive 450-mile EPA range and combines the performance of a sports car with the practicality of a seven-seater SUV.

🗣️ The announcement was made at a brand activation event in NYC, featuring a surprise performance by Cautious Clay.

Lucid’s efforts to ramp up Gravity deliveries mark a strategic push to solidify its position in the competitive electric SUV market.

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✅ Taxo Raises $5M to Transform Healthcare Admin with AI Reasoning Engine

San Francisco-based startup Taxo, founded by British doctor Ahmed Kerwan, has raised $5 million in a seed round led by Y Combinator, General Catalyst, and Character Capital. The company aims to reduce healthcare admin burdens with its innovative AI reasoning engine.

🧪 Taxo’s app helps medical professionals with tasks like prior authorizations, patient intake, and medical billing, achieving 98% prior authorization approval rates compared to the industry average of 80%.

🛸 What sets Taxo apart is its AI reasoning engine, which transparently explains its decision-making, building trust among users. The technology is built on existing models from OpenAI and Anthropic, with a healthcare-specific layer to increase accuracy and reliability.

⏫ The startup, founded in 2024, has already surpassed $1 million ARR and serves around 15 customers, including clinics and government providers.

💼 Taxo’s approach addresses doctors’ reluctance to use AI by ensuring transparency and traceability in recommendations, a critical factor in healthcare applications.

Will AI-powered platforms like Taxo redefine healthcare administration, or is the industry not ready for such transparency?

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👁 Scale AI Seeks $25 Billion Valuation in Potential Tender Offer

Data-labeling startup Scale AI is reportedly seeking a valuation of up to $25 billion in a potential tender offer, as demand for AI-driven data sorting surges. The move reflects investors' growing appetite for AI-focused companies.

⚡️ The company was last valued at $13.8 billion during a $1 billion Series F round led by Accel in 2024.

💼 A tender offer would allow existing shareholders to sell shares, offering liquidity amid prolonged public listing timelines.

🌱 Founded in 2016 by Alexandr Wang, the company serves major clients like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta, and recently secured a Defense Department contract to implement AI in operational decision-making.

🏅 Scale AI's rise has made Wang the world's youngest self-made billionaire, backed by prominent investors like Y Combinator, NVIDIA, Amazon, and Thrive Capital.

As AI demand intensifies, Scale AI is strategically positioning itself to capitalize on investor interest, potentially making a landmark move with its $25 billion valuation target.

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🛡 Hakimo Raises $10.5M to Revolutionize Autonomous Security with AI

Menlo Park-based AI security startup Hakimo has secured $10.5 million in Series A funding led by Vertex Ventures and Zigg Capital, with participation from RXR Arden Digital Ventures, Defy.vc, and Gokul Rajaram. The investment aims to expand Hakimo’s autonomous security monitoring platform.

🚨 Hakimo’s AI Operator autonomously monitors existing security systems, detecting threats in real time and responding without human intervention. This innovative approach tackles challenges like staff shortages, rising costs, and false alarm fatigue.

🛸 The AI reasoning engine distinguishes Hakimo by combining computer vision with generative AI, capable of detecting any describable threat and issuing real-time warnings.

🧠 Unlike traditional setups, Hakimo integrates with existing hardware, enabling quick deployment without the need for new infrastructure.

⏫ The company has tripled its customer base in the past year, now serving over 100 clients, including Fortune 500 enterprises, car dealerships, and multifamily apartments.

Will AI-driven autonomous security like Hakimo’s eventually replace human guards entirely, or will hybrid models prevail in the industry?

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🧪Ignota Labs Raises $6.9M to Give Failed Drugs a Second Chance with AI

Cambridge-based startup Ignota Labs has secured $6.9 million in a seed round co-led by Montage Ventures and AIX Ventures, aiming to revive failed drug candidates using AI-driven safety analysis. The funding will support the development of drugs that were nearly successful but were abandoned due to safety issues.

⭕️ Ignota Labs acquires failed drug candidates and uses its proprietary AI platform to identify toxicity issues, providing recommendations for chemical adjustments to make the drugs viable again.

💡 Instead of traditional drug discovery, which can cost over $10 million and take up to 8 years, Ignota’s approach cuts costs to under $1 million and speeds up the process to less than 2 years.

💰 The company plans to use the new funding to acquire more distressed drug assets and advance its first candidate, a PDE9A inhibitor for Alzheimer’s, into early trials.

🚨 CEO Sam Windsor highlights that while most AI drug discovery companies focus on new compounds, Ignota Labs targets near-successful drugs that were abandoned due to safety concerns, an area often overlooked by the industry.

Ignota Labs' innovative use of AI to revive failed drugs could disrupt traditional pharmaceutical R&D, offering a faster and more cost-effective path to clinical trials.

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👩‍⚕️ Gather Health Raises $17M to Revolutionize Primary Care for Older Adults

Gather Health, a Cambridge-based primary care startup, has secured $17 million in funding from Khosla Ventures, Maverick Ventures, and HC9 Ventures. The company focuses on keeping older adults out of the ER by combining medical offices with home care and social programs.

🚨 Gather Health targets patients aged 65+ on Medicare and Medicaid, aiming to reduce ER visits and hospitalizations through proactive care.

💡 The startup combines in-home monitoring technology, social activities, and remote care, reducing hospitalizations by 53% after 12 months.

🏠 By opening centers in underserved areas, like Dorchester, Boston, Gather Health addresses healthcare access challenges after the closure of local hospitals.

⏫With four centers already running, Gather aims to double its patient base to 5,000 by the end of the year while maintaining a value-based care model.

Gather Health's focus on community-driven, tech-enabled primary care offers a new approach to managing chronic conditions and reducing ER visits, especially for low-income older adults.

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💼 All Gravy Raises €2.6M to Bring AI to Frontline Workers

Copenhagen-based startup All Gravy has raised €2.6 million in a Seed round to scale its Gen Z-first, AI-powered platform for frontline workers. The funding supports UK expansion after signing major brands like Dishoom, Pizza Pilgrims, Honest Burgers, and Ottolenghi.

✨ All Gravy aims to streamline operations, communications, and training for retail and restaurant staff using a single all-in-one app.

⏫ The startup has tripled its revenue in the past 12 months and is used by over 1,000 shops and restaurants worldwide.

🤖 The platform uses AI to enhance productivity and support decision-making, adapting to the specific needs of each business.

💡 Investors include Scale Capital, Moonfire Ventures, Nordic Makers, and notable founders from Zendesk, Pleo, and Voi.

Will All Gravy's AI-powered platform become the new standard for frontline workforce management, or will traditional methods persist in the industry?

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