Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
Waabi Raises Up to $1 Billion for Self-Driving Tech
Autonomous trucking startup Waabi, founded by U Toronto's Raquel Urtasun, secured $750M plus $250M milestone funding from Uber to commercialize self-driving and enter robotaxis. Backers include Khosla Ventures, G2, NVIDIA, Volvo, Porsche. CEO Urtasun highlights Physical AI platform's edge in highways and streets.
Missouri Technology Corporation Awards $5.8M to 10 Startups
MTC approved $5.8M via IDEA Fund for Missouri tech startups like Ponchi (AI chips), Taylored Analytics (AI for banks), WaterfowlAI (club management). Since 2023, over $36M awarded to 112 firms; requires matching private capital.
Next deadlines: Feb 3 for April cycle.
Synthesia Closes $200M Series E at $4B Valuation
London AI video startup Synthesia raised $200M led by Google Ventures and Nvidia, nearly doubling valuation in a year. Funds pivot to interactive AI agents for enterprise learning and communications; serves 90% Fortune 100.
Includes employee liquidity via Nasdaq.
Preply Hits Unicorn Status with $150M Series D
EdTech language platform Preply raised $150M led by WestCap, valuing it at $1.2B. Capital boosts AI/data, expands teams for global growth; EBITDA positive with human-AI hybrid model.
Targets personalized language learning market.
Activate Fellows Secure Major Funding and Wins
Activate cohort companies raised big: Zanskar $115M Series C for AI geothermal; Lucidean $18M Seed for optical links. Others: AeroShield $1M award, Noon Energy battery demo, Icarus Quantum NSF grant.
Highlights scaling deep tech innovation.
Brickanta Secures $8M Seed for AI Construction Planning
Stockholm startup Brickanta raised $8M seed led by Northzone, backed by YC, OpenAI/Google/Meta founders, real estate leaders. Automates construction planning with AI.
Investors include footballers Mario Götze, Cody Gakpo.
Decagon Raises $250M Series D for Conversational AI
San Francisco's Decagon, leader in AI agents for customer experiences, closed $250M Series D. Advances concierge AI tech.
Part of wave of AI funding announcements.
RobCo Bags $100M for Physical AI Robotics
RobCo raised $100M to advance Physical AI roadmap, expand US enterprise deployments. Focuses on robotics innovation.
Strengthens market presence.
Cellares Secures $257M Series D for Cell Therapy
South SF's Cellares, an IDMO for cell manufacturing, raised $257M Series D. Scales integrated development and production.
Targets biotech advancements.
Genspark Launches AI Workspace 2.0 with $300M Series B
Palo Alto's Genspark closed $300M Series B alongside AI Workspace 2.0 launch. Evolves all-in-one AI tools.
Fuels AI productivity push.
Sparkli Raises $5M Pre-Seed for Kids' AI Learning
Zurich EdTech Sparkli, by ex-Google vets, got $5M pre-seed for multimodal AI platform. Offers interactive 'expeditions' for ages 5-12, emphasizing exploration.
Shifts from passive to active education.
Northslope Raises $22M for Palantir AI Integration
Denver's Northslope, AI for Palantir OS, raised $22M. First applied AI firm purpose-built for the platform.
Enhances enterprise AI ops.