Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
Anthropic Nears $20B Funding Round at $350B Valuation
Anthropic is finalizing a $20 billion raise, doubling initial targets due to high demand, at a $350 billion valuation, backed by Nvidia, Microsoft, Sequoia, and others. This follows a $13B round five months ago, amid AI compute costs and rivalry with OpenAI.
Recent Claude model releases boosted coding productivity and rattled data firms.
Naboo Secures $70M Series B for AI Event Procurement
Paris-based Naboo raised $70M led by Lightspeed Venture Partners to expand its AI platform for corporate events globally. The platform handles sourcing, bookings, and payments for over $500M in events, serving Meta, Google, and others.
Funds will develop AI booking agents and enter new procurement categories.
tem Raises $75M Series B to Become 'Stripe of Energy'
London startup tem secured $75M led by Lightspeed for AI-native energy transactions, cutting bills 30% for 2600+ customers. The funding scales its platform for efficient energy payments and management.
tem aims to streamline energy sector transactions like Stripe did for payments.
Forerunner Raises $39M for Climate Resilience Tech
San Francisco's Forerunner secured $39M in Series A+B led by Wellington Management to modernize local government climate resilience. Investors include Union Square Ventures and Citi Impact Fund.
Total raised stands at $39M as of Feb 5, 2026.
Galux Bags $29M Series B for AI Protein Drug Discovery
Galux raised $29M Series B from InterVest, DAYLI Partners, KDB, and others for AI-based protein drug discovery. This brings total funding to ~$47M.
The round closed on Feb 9, 2026.
Turnstile Secures $29M Series A for SaaS Billing Automation
Turnstile raised $29M Series A led by First Round Capital for automating SaaS quote-to-cash billing. Backers include OMERS Ventures and Illuminate Financial.
First funding round totals $29M as of Feb 5, 2026.
Fundamental Raises $225M for AI Research Challenges
San Francisco's Fundamental, founded in 2024, raised $225M to tackle machine learning challenges, totaling $255M. Backed by Battery Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and others.
Focuses on core AI research advancements.
Goodfire Secures $150M for AI Interpretability Lab
Goodfire raised $150M for its AI research lab emphasizing interpretability, totaling $207M. Investors include Lightspeed, Menlo Ventures, and Eric Schmidt.
Aims to make AI understandable and debuggable like software.
TRM Labs Raises $70M for Blockchain Analytics
TRM Labs secured $70M for blockchain transaction monitoring, totaling $219.9M. Backed by Bessemer, Goldman Sachs, and Y Combinator.
Serves financial institutions and governments.
Aerska Raises €32M for Biotech Longevity Solutions
Irish biotech startup Aerska raised €32M to enable longer lives through innovative therapies. Funding supports development of longevity-focused biotech solutions.
Announced on February 10, 2026.
OpenAI and Anthropic Gear Up for Potential IPOs
OpenAI eyes Q4 2026 IPO at up to $1T valuation, racing Anthropic prepping for later 2026 listing at ~$350-373B. OpenAI at $500B post-tender; both strengthen enterprise AI positions.
Investors include Sequoia and a16z for OpenAI.
Deel Launches $15M Global Startup Tournament
Deel announced a $15M tournament engaging 20,000+ startups across seven regions for founders worldwide. Offers funding and exposure opportunities.
Aims to support global entrepreneurship.