Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
Upscale AI Raises $200M Series A for AI Networking Hardware
Santa Clara-based Upscale AI secured $200M in an oversubscribed Series A led by Tiger Global, Premji Invest, and Xora Innovation, bringing total funding over $300M. The startup develops SkyHammer, specialized data-center networking to scale AI workloads. Investors include Intel Capital and Qualcomm Ventures.
Zipline Secures $600M Growth Funding for Drone Delivery
South San Francisco's Zipline raised $600M in late-stage growth funding led by Fidelity Management & Research, with Baillie Gifford and Tiger Global. The autonomous logistics and drone delivery network continues expanding operations.
AheadComputing Raises $30M Seed for RISC-V CPU Cores
Portland-based AheadComputing closed a $30M follow-on seed round led by Eclipse Ventures and co-led by Toyota Ventures and Cambium Ventures, totaling $53M. The startup focuses on next-gen RISC-V CPU architecture for AI and data centers.
Lydian Raises $43.7M for CO2-Based Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Lydian secured $43.7M to develop sustainable aviation fuel from CO2, highlighted in Greentown Labs' January roundup. The funding supports scaling production of eco-friendly jet fuel.
Type One Energy Raises $87M for Stellarator Fusion System
Greentown alum Type One Energy raised $87M in a convertible note for its optimized stellarator fusion energy system. The funding advances development of high-efficiency fusion technology.
Nvidia Backs Baseten in $300M AI Inference Funding Round
Nvidia joined a $300M funding round for Baseten, an AI startup optimizing models for production inference. The investment signals the growing battleground of AI inference infrastructure.
Preply Hits Unicorn Status with $150M Raise
Language learning platform Preply raised $150M, achieving a $1.2B valuation as AI reshapes personalized education. The funding supports global scaling of tutor marketplaces.
Mila Launches $100M Fund for Canadian AI Spinouts
Quebec's Mila AI research institute partnered with Inovia Capital on a $100M Venture Scientist Fund targeting over 55 AI startups from top Canadian universities. It aims to boost commercialization and retain talent.
DIA Launches ASCENT Platform and LIFT for Biotech Startups
Drug Information Association unveiled DIA ASCENT and LIFT Series to connect early-stage biotech innovators with investors, regulators, and pharma via masterclasses, pitches, and global events in 2026.
ARK Invest Releases Big Ideas 2026 Report on Exponential Tech
ARK Invest published its 10th annual Big Ideas 2026, exploring 13 innovations in AI, robotics, energy, and more, emphasizing acceleration and convergence of exponential technologies.
Applied Compute in Talks for $1.3B Valuation on Custom AI
Ex-OpenAI researchers' Applied Compute is negotiating funding at a $1.3B valuation, focusing on domain-tuned AI systems using proprietary enterprise data for tailored deployments.
Seasats Receives $24M DoD Award for Autonomous Vessels
Greentown alum Seasats won a $24M Department of War APFIT award for long-endurance autonomous surface vessels, accelerating procurement of innovative maritime tech.