China’s robot dog breaks world record & Blue Origin successfully launches its SpaceX rival.

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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS

💰 Startup funding updates

Eve, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an AI platform for plaintiff law firms, raised $47M in Series A funding. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Menlo Ventures.

Truewind, a San Francisco, CA-based company that provides digital accounting services for personnel, raised $13M in Series A funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $17M, was led by Rho Capital and Thomson Reuters Ventures with participation from Pathlight Ventures, Logan Allin at Fin Capital, Brad Flora at Y Combinator, Alex Ren at Fellows Fund, Dave Anderson at Beat Ventures, Aneel Ranadive at Soma Capital, Tak Miyata at Scrum Ventures, Mikihiro Yasuda at Hike Ventures and Jun Li at SV Tech Ventures.

Hyperline, a Paris, France-based provider of a SaaS monetization platform, raised further $10M in Seed funding. The round was led by Index Ventures, followed by Adelie Capital.

BeZero Carbon, a London, UK-based carbon ratings agency, raised US$32M in Series C funding. The round was led by Temasek-founded GenZero, with participation from the Japan Airlines, Translink Innovation Fund, EDF Pulse Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, Illuminate Financial, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Molten Ventures, Qima, and Quantum Innovation Fund.

Teammates.ai, a Dubai, UAE-based company developing artificial intelligence (AI) agents, raised an undisclosed amount in funding. Backers included Hustle Fund, Access Bridge Ventures, Oraseya Capital, Beyond Capital, as well as angel investors.

Netradyne, a San Diego, CA-based SaaS provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing solutions, raised $90M Series D funding. The round was led by Point72 Private Investments with participation from Qualcomm Ventures and Pavilion Capital.

Origen, a London, UK-based limestone-based carbon removal provider, raised $13M in Series A funding. The round was led by Barclays Climate Ventures, with participation from Shell Ventures, Exascale Fund, Elemental Impact, and Hatch.

1Money, a NYC-based company developing a purpose-built Layer 1 designed for stablecoins payments, raised over $20M in funding. The round saw participation from F-Prime Capital, Galaxy Ventures, Hack VC, Tribe Capital, Portage, Ethereal Ventures, CMT Digital, Kraken Ventures, KuCoin Ventures, BitGo Ventures, Bing Ventures, MoonPay Ventures, CoinFlip, Bankless Ventures, Perry Creek Capital, A100x Ventures, VARIV, Anagram, Generative Ventures, Lvna Capital, Ambush Capital, Borderless Capital, Pharsalus Capital, Protagonist, gumi Cryptos Capital, Hexa Capital, Karman Ventures, and R3D3 Ventures.

Micron Biomedical, an Atlanta, GA-based life science company developing a needle-free technology for drugs and vaccines that is based on dissolvable microarrays, raised $16m extending its Series A funding to over $33M. The latest round was led by J2 Ventures and the Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC).

Komainu, a St Helier, Jersey-based regulated digital asset services provider and custodian, backed by Laser Digital, a Nomura company, received a $75M investment from Blockstream Capital Partners.

Prophecy, a San Diego, CA-based data copilot company, raised $47M in Series B extension funding. The round was led by Smith Point Capital with participation from with HSBC joining as a new investor and existing investors including Berkeley SkyDeck, DallasVC, Insight Partners, JPMorgan Chase and SignalFire.

Upward Health, a NYC-based in-home, multidisciplinary medical group providing 24/7 whole-person care, raised $12.5M in debt funding from Trinity Capital.

NRG Gyms, a London, UK-based brand with seven gym sites, raised £4M in funding. Puma Growth Partners made the investment.

Archive Intel, an Atlanta, GA-based provider of AI-powered compliance archiving solutions, raised $1.5M in additional funding. The round was led by Garuda Ventures, with participation from existing investor Social Leverage.

Alium, a NYC-based buyer intelligence company, raised $7M in Seed funding. Backers included Greycroft and Primary.

Botika, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based AI generated fashion models company, raised $8M in Seed funding. The round was led by Stardom and Secret Chord Ventures, with participation from Seedcamp.

Guidesly, a NYC-based provider of a software platform for outdoor recreation guides, raised $9.5M in Series a funding. The round was led by Aspen Capital Group, with participation from YETI Capital, HalfCourt Ventures, and Derive Ventures, along with existing investors, including Elysian Park Ventures and Marquee Ventures.

Moment Energy, a Vancouver, BC, Canada-based EV battery repurposing company, raised US$15M in Series A funding. The round was led by Amazon Climate Pledge Fund and Voyager Ventures with participation from In-Q-Tel (IQT), Version One Ventures, Overture Ventures, WovenEarth Ventures, Fika Ventures, MCJ, One Small Planet, and Climate Capital.

Teal Health, a women’s health startup based in California, raised a $10M seed extension led by Emerson Collective and Forerunner, with participation from Serena Ventures and Chelsea Clinton. This brings total funding to $23M, supporting the launch of the Teal Wand, an at-home cervical cancer screening device pending FDA approval.

Dub.co, a Malaysia-based open-source URL shortener and link-tracking startup, raised $2M in seed funding. The round was led by OSS Capital, with participation from investors including Balaji Srinivasan, Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch, and Framer founders Jorn van Dijk and Koen Bok.

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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET

🏦 Venture Capital updates

Insight Partners, a New York-based VC firm, raised $12.5B across its Fund XIII, a second Opportunity fund, and a dedicated buyout co-invest fund. The new capital brings total assets under management to $90B and will support buyout software investments, reinvestments in existing portfolio companies, and high-value deals. Notable exits in 2024 included Recorded Future’s $2.65B acquisition by Mastercard and Own’s $1.9B sale to Salesforce.

KEY STORIES IN TECH

📜 Latest in tech

Mark Cuban is ready to fund a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol

• Mark Cuban is seeking a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, calling on developers to create a working MVP.

• Bluesky’s 27.6 million users show rising demand for open platforms where accounts and data are freely portable.

• Cuban’s push challenges X, aiming to expand decentralized social networks and foster competition in social media.

Nvidia launches three AI agent tools for safer enterprise adoption:

• Nvidia introduced three NIM microservices under NeMo Guardrails to enhance AI agent safety—targeting content safety, conversation focus, and jailbreak prevention. These specialized tools address gaps in general AI policies.

• While AI agents are promising, adoption is slower than anticipated. Deloitte forecasts only 25% of enterprises will use agents by 2025, with growth reaching 50% by 2027, highlighting enterprises' cautious approach.

• Nvidia's guardrails aim to position AI agents as secure and enterprise-ready solutions. This initiative could bridge the trust gap, making AI adoption feel less risky and experimental.

China’s robot dog breaks world record by running 100 meters under 10 seconds:

• The Black Panther 2.0 robot, weighing 83 pounds and standing 2.07 feet tall, set a new world record by running 100 meters in under 10 seconds.

• It features carbon-fiber enhancements for improved stiffness and cheetah-inspired shoes for increased grip, allowing it to mimic the movements of both panthers and jerboas.

• Utilizing AI and machine learning, the robot adjusts its gait to different terrains, while custom motors offer strength and precision for potential industrial use.

Blue Origin successfully launches its SpaceX rival:

• Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral, marking a significant milestone in the competition between Jeff Bezos' company and SpaceX.

• The New Glenn rocket's first stage booster was lost during its landing attempt, but the primary mission to reach orbit was accomplished, achieving a major goal for Blue Origin.

• The launch highlights New Glenn's potential to rival SpaceX's Falcon Heavy in terms of payload capacity and aims to eventually support Blue Origin's satellite internet service, Project Kuiper.

LAST COFFEE SIP

☕Other news

TikTok ban poised to be delayed as Trump explores ways to extend deadline:

• The U.S. TikTok ban is likely to be delayed as the January 19 deadline approaches during the MLK Day weekend, with Trump’s incoming administration exploring ways to extend it.

• Biden officials consider the matter for Trump’s administration, and TikTok users shouldn’t expect the app to shut down immediately, according to Bloomberg.

• Trump is contemplating an executive order to buy more time for negotiations, reflecting his evolving stance to save the app during his recent campaign.

Hindenburg Research, a short seller that targeted tech and EV companies, is closing up shop:

• Hindenburg Research, founded by Nathan Anderson in 2017, announced its closure on January 15, 2025, after eight years of exposing corporate fraud through activist short-selling.

• The firm was renowned for high-profile investigations into companies like Nikola Corporation and India's Adani Group, leading to significant market impacts and legal actions.

• Anderson cited a desire to focus on personal life and plans to share Hindenburg's investigative methods publicly over the next six months.

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