Anthropic raises $1B from Google & Meta is building Oakley smart glasses for athletes.

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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS

💰 Startup funding updates

Addis Energy, a Cambridge, MA-based introduced its technology platform, which harnesses the Earth’s chemical and thermal potential for clean ammonia production, raised $4.25M in Pre-Seed funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $8.75M, saw participation from Engine Ventures, Pillar VC and Voyager Ventures.

Kaya AI, a NYC-based provider of a construction supply chain intelligence platform, raised $5.3M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by 53 Stations, Suffolk Technologies and Soma Capital, with additional backing from Barclays Black Formation Investments (BBFI) managed by Zeal Capital Partners, RXR, Mantis VC, Virta Ventures and other investors.

Kraaft, a Paris, France-based company building a management app for construction, raised €13m in Series A funding. The round was led by Dawn Capital, with participation from Brick & Mortar Ventures, Chalfen Ventures, Stride VC and OSS Ventures. 

Teal, a Miami, FL-based provider of an AI-powered career platform, raised $7.5M in Series A funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $19M, was led by CityLight Capital and Flybridge, with participation from Rethink Capital Partners and Lerer Hippeau.

Beanstack, a Washington, DC-based provider of a solution for motivating people to read, raised $1.5M in funding. The round was led by Riverside Acceleration Capital and Evoce Capital with additional investment from Mark Cuban, Kapor Capital, Militello Capital and others.

Sonocharge Energy, a Mountain View, CA-based company developing a platform for battery performance, raised US$23.5M in funding. The round was led by Cycle Capital, with participation of Honda, current investors Khosla Ventures, Temasek, and non-dilutive funding partners.

DryRun Security, an Austin, TX-based AI-native company delivering application security (AppSec) for development and security teams, raised $8.7M in Seed funding. Backers included LiveOak Ventures and Work-Bench with participation from Cannage Capital.

Eleos, a Boston, MA-based company which specializes in AI for behavioral health, raised $60M in Series C Funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $120M, was led by Greenfield Partners, with participation from existing investors such as F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads, Menlo Ventures and ION, and new ones, including the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Union Tech Ventures and Centerstone.

Music AI, a Salt Lake City, UT-based AI-powered music and audio technology company, raised $40M in Series A funding. The round was led by Connect Ventures and monashees, with participation from Kickstart, Samsung Next, Toba Capital, Valutia, and Pelion along with music industry professionals including Freddy Wexler, 3LAU, and Alexander23.

Lindus Health, a NYC-based company that enables customers to run clinical trials, raised $55M in Series B funding. The round was led by new investor Balderton Capital, with support from Visionaries Club and existing investors Creandum, Firstminute, and Seedcamp.

Music AI, a Salt Lake City, UT-based AI-powered music and audio technology company, raised $40M in Series A funding. The round was led by Connect Ventures and monashees, with participation from Kickstart, Samsung Next, Toba Capital, Valutia, and Pelion along with music industry professionals including Freddy Wexler, 3LAU, and Alexander23.

Doti AI, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based Work AI platform enabling enterprises to access to internal knowledge in real time, raised $7m in seed funding. The round was led by F2 Venture Capital, with participation from angel investors including Jared Kasner, General Partner at Ineffable Ventures, and Guy Flechter, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Sola Security.

Keyless, a London, UK-based privacy-preserving biometric authentication company, raised $2M in additional funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $10M, was led by existing investors Rialto Ventures and Experian Ventures.

Vertice, a London, UK-based provider of a spend optimization platform, raised $50M in Series C funding. The round was led by Lakestar with participation from Perpetual Growth, CF Private Equity, Bessemer Venture Partners and 83North.

Highnote, a San Francisco, CA-based card issuance and program management company, raised $90M in Series B funding. The round was led by Adams Street Partners with participation from existing investors including Oak HC/FT, Costanoa, WestCap, and Pinegrove Venture Partners.

Glue, a Seattle, WA-based test planning and automation company, raised $2M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Fortive Corp. (NYSE:FTV), with participation from Pioneer Square Ventures and the AIStudio Fund, a collaboration by PSL and Mayfield.

Borderless AI, a Toronto, Canada-based provider of an AI-powered HR platform, raised a $5M extension to the $27M seed round announced last year. Backers included Cohere co-founders Aidan Gomez and Ivan Zhang.

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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET

🏦 Venture Capital updates

Divvy Homes sells for $1B, leaving founders and shareholders with nothing:

• Divvy Homes once valued at $2.3B, was sold to Brookfield Properties for $1B, highlighting the proptech sector's volatility.

• Rising interest rates and market challenges forced Divvy to cut costs and sell its portfolio, with debt repayment leaving no returns for common shareholders or founders.

• Despite the sale, Divvy’s struggles reflect the broader difficulties in real estate startups trying to survive in today’s high-rate environment.

Caffeinated Capital, a San Francisco-based VC firm founded by Raymond Tonsing, is raising a $400M fifth fund, per a regulatory filing. The firm, an early backer of Airtable and Affirm, has already secured $160M toward its largest fund yet. Caffeinated's notable exits include Optimizely's $600M sale in 2020.

Chris Young, Microsoft’s head of business development and M12 venture fund, has resigned, per an SEC filing. Young, who joined Microsoft in 2020 after serving as McAfee's CEO, will stay on until March to assist with the transition. During his tenure, he led initiatives in AI, data infrastructure, and sustainability, while fostering diversity and innovation within the organization.

KEY STORIES IN TECH

📜 Latest in tech

Anthropic raises $1B from Google, plans game-changing AI updates:

• Anthropic has secured a $1 billion investment from Google, increasing Google’s total stake in the AI company to $3 billion.

• The company aims to launch new AI models, enhance chatbot Claude with “two-way” voice chat and web access, and debut a “Virtual Collaborator” for automating workflows and app integration.

• With $14.7 billion raised so far, Anthropic is reportedly pursuing $2 billion more at a $60 billion valuation to fuel its ambitious roadmap.

Someone bought the domain ‘OGOpenAI’ and redirected it to a Chinese AI lab:

• Software engineer Ananay Arora purchased the domain "OGOpenAI.com" for a low price and redirected it to DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab gaining attention for its open-source AI models.

• DeepSeek’s open release of its R1 model, outperforming OpenAI’s o1 on some benchmarks, mirrors OpenAI's earlier open-source ethos, contrasting with its current closed model releases.

• The move highlights increasing competition from Chinese AI labs like DeepSeek and Alibaba’s Qwen, even as U.S. export restrictions aim to limit China’s AI advancements.

Scale AI is facing a third worker lawsuit in about a month:

• Scale AI, valued at $13.8B, faces its third lawsuit in a month, with workers claiming psychological trauma from reviewing violent content on its Outlier platform without proper safeguards.

• Plaintiffs allege misleading job descriptions, lack of mental health support, and retaliation for seeking help, leading to issues like PTSD and demands for safety reforms and damages.

• Scale AI denies wrongdoing, citing compliance and safeguards, while the same law firm pursuing the case accuses the company of exploiting workers for AI model training profits.

LAST COFFEE SIP

☕Other news

Trump open to Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying TikTok:

• President Trump expressed willingness for Elon Musk or Larry Ellison to acquire TikTok, proposing a joint venture with the U.S. government.

• Following an executive order delaying the ban by 75 days, Trump hinted at a deal where TikTok could operate in exchange for giving the U.S. a 50% ownership stake.

• While TikTok is back online, it remains missing from app stores, as Trump explores solutions to save the app and address national security concerns.

Meta is building Oakley smart glasses for athletes:

• Meta is reportedly developing Oakley-branded smart glasses, named "Supernova 2," targeting athletes and featuring a centrally placed camera to appeal to cyclists and outdoor sports enthusiasts.

• The Oakley smart eyewear could share features with Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with improvements like lighter weight and polarized lenses to suit the needs of endurance athletes better.

• In addition to Oakley glasses, Meta is also planning a premium version of its Ray-Ban glasses, which will include a display for notifications, basic apps, and photo previews.

HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES

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