Meta creates 'war rooms' for DeepSeek & DeepSeek accused of using OpenAI models for training.

DAILY PICKS

🗞️ What else is brewing

• 35+ Investor databases for easier VC outreach (Free Access).

• Reddit marketing for B2B SaaS founders: A step-by-step guide.

• Venture Capital fund metrics cheat sheet.

• Sam Altman’s fundraising guide for first-time founders: what actually works.

• For founders & investors: Get first in class early stage startups to your inbox every week.

• Product discovery framework By YC backed startup founder.

• Build your financial model with the help of template: add your numbers and get the ready to go financial model that every investors want to see.

• Hierarchy of engagement By Sarah Tavel.

• For Marketers: MarketingAlec is the best resource to learn the AI tools and prompts that drove 40% better performance for your brand. It’s read by 9000+ marketers.

TOOL WORTH EXPLORING

🤝 Sales on Autopilot? Ava Makes It Happen

10x Your Outbound With Our AI BDR

Imagine your calendar filling with qualified sales meetings, on autopilot. That's Ava's job. She's an AI BDR who automates your entire outbound demand generation.

Ava operates within the Artisan platform, which consolidates every tool you need for outbound:

• 300M+ High-Quality B2B Prospects, including E-Commerce and Local Business Leads

• Automated Lead Enrichment With 10+ Data Sources

• Full Email Deliverability Management

• Multi-Channel Outreach Across Email & LinkedIn

• Human-Level Personalization

Book a demo and supercharge your sales team.

_{*Partnership with}

PARTNERSHIP WITH US

💪 Get your product in front of over 85,000+ Tech Enthusiasts

Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, founders, investors and managers around the world. Get in touch today.

STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS

💰 Startup funding updates

SoftBank is in talks to invest $500M in Skild AI, a robotics-focused AI model startup, at a $4B valuation. The two-year-old company previously raised $300M last July from Jeff Bezos, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Coatue Management. Skild AI develops a foundational model for robotics, tapping into growing investor interest in AI-powered automation.

Applied Labs, a NYC-based company helping businesses deploy AI agents, raised $4.2M in Seed funding. The round was led by Abstract, with participation from Point72 Ventures, Outlander, Tetra, Guillermo Rauch, Akshat Bubna, and Ali Rowghani. This latest round brings the total raised by Applied Labs to $5.2M.

Atomicwork, a San Francisco, CA-based company providing agentic service management solutions for Enterprise IT, raised $25M in Series A funding. The round was led by Khosla Ventures and Z47, with participation from Battery Ventures, Blume Ventures, and Peak XV Partners.

Naboo, a Paris-based marketplace for corporate retreats and MICE events, raised €20M (~$21M) in Series A funding led by Notion Capital. The platform streamlines venue booking, catering, and event management for clients like Google and Société Générale.

Frenos, a Charlotte, NC-based provider of an autonomous operational technology (OT) security assessment platform, raised $3.88M in Seed funding. The round was led by DataTribe.

Helion Energy, an Everett, WA-based fusion startup backed by Sam Altman, raised $425M in Series F funding at a $5.245B valuation. The round included Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and existing investors like Mithril Capital and Nucor.

Bonsai Robotics Inc., a San Jose, CA-based developer of physical AI solutions for agriculture applications, raised $15m in Series A funding. The round was led by Bison Ventures with participation from new investor Cibus Capital, and existing investors Acre Venture Partners, Congruent Ventures, Fall Line Capital, E14 Fund, SNR and Serra Ventures.

VideaHealth, a Boston, MA-based dental AI company, raised $40M in Series B funding. The round was led by Emily Melton, with participation from Avenir Ventures, BAM Ventures, and existing investors Spark Capital, Zetta Venture Partners, and Pillar VC.

The Helper Bees, an Austin, TX-based provider of a technology aging platform, raised $35M in Series C funding. The round was led by Centana Growth Partners, with participation from existing investors, including Silverton Partners, Impact Engine, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Alumni Ventures.

One Health, a NYC-based online clinic that provides preventative and proactive longevity care, raised $33M in Series A funding. Backers included Tribe Capital, PIF, Republic Capital, Vibe VC, Humbition, Hanwha, Gaingels, Looking Glass Capital, FJ Labs, Agent Capital, and angels including Codie Sanchez, Paul and Michael Rabil, Mark Wan and Matt Wan, Anthony Pompliano, Austin Reif, Shaan Puri, Sam Parr, Nikita Bier, and Fasha Majoor.'

Nue, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a revenue lifecycle platform, raised $20M in Series A funding. The round was led by Inovia Capital with participation from Information Venture Partners, Bluefish Capital, NextWorld Capital, NJP Ventures, and Operator Stack Fund.

Qsic, a Dallas, TX-based provider of an intelligent in-store audio platform, raised $25M in Series B funding. The round was led by Hedosophia.

Quibim, a Valencia, Spain-based healthtech company for precision medicine, raised $50M in funding. The round was led by Asabys (through its fund Sabadell Asabys II) and Buenavista Equity Partners (through the BHG I fund, created in partnership with Columbus Venture Partners), and joined by UI Investissements, and GoHub Ventures as new investors.

WiseLayer, a NYC-based AI fintech company that makes AI-powered digital workers for finance and accounting teams, raised $7.2M in funding. The round was led by Canaan Partners, with participation from K5 Global, The Fintech Fund, Unpopular Ventures, and industry angels.

Lutris Pharma, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, raised $30M in funding. The round was led by Columbus Venture Partners and Pontifax Venture Capital, with participation from an existing investor, with Peregrine Ventures and aMoon Fund.

Earth AI, San Mateo, CA-based predictive explorer for clean energy metals, raised $20M in Series B funding. The round was led by Tamarack Global and Cantos Ventures. Other investors included Overmatch, Alpaca, Sparkwave Capital, and support from existing investors including Y Combinator and Scrum Ventures.

Atelerix, a Newcastle, UK-based hypothermic preservation technology company, raised £750K in funding. Backers included ACF Investors and biotech specialist investors o2h Ventures.

Whizzo, a Bengaluru, India-based materials science manufacturing company, raised $4.2M in Seed funding. The round was led by Lightspeed, with participation from Beenext.

Atalanta Therapeutics, a Boston, MA-based company developing RNA interference (RNAi) to treat neurological diseases, raised $75M in Series B funding. The round was led by EQT Life Sciences, co-led by Sanofi Ventures, with participation from other new investors RiverVest Venture Partners, abrdn, Inc., Mirae Asset Financial Group and existing investor F-Prime Capital.

FROM OUR PARNTER

🤝 RNO1 Has a Message for You: Design That Delivers Results

You’ve poured your heart into creating a product you’re proud of, but let’s be honest—does your design truly showcase its value?

At RNO1, we understand the frustration of being held back by an underwhelming digital experience. That’s why we focus on crafting designs that aren’t just beautiful, functional, intuitive, and results-driven.

Standing out in a crowded market can feel overwhelming, but that’s where we shine.

Our UX/UI designs are built for seamless navigation, bold visuals, and intuitive layouts that make it easy for your audience to connect with your brand. From the first click, your app or website will captivate and convert.

Let’s take your product to the next level with designs that make a difference. We’re ready when you are—let’s make it happen!

Reach out today →

NEW VCs IN THE MARKET

🏦 Venture Capital updates

Shift4Good, a Paris, France and Singapore-based global impact investment fund dedicated to decarbonizing the transportation sector, closed its first fund, at €220m. The fund’s diverse investor base includes Tier-1 corporates, institutional investors, and family offices from Europe and Asia. Notable LPs include Renault Group, BNP Paribas Group, Bpifrance, European Investment Fund (EIF), Edenred, PSA Ventures (part of the Port of Singapore Authority), ComfortDelGro, Capricorn, and Candriam.

KEY STORIES IN TECH

📜 Latest in tech

OpenAI launches ChatGPT plan for US government agencies:

• OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Gov, a government-focused version of its AI platform, allowing U.S. agencies to deploy models on Microsoft Azure’s secure cloud for improved security, privacy, and compliance.

• The new platform offers features similar to ChatGPT Enterprise, streamlining internal approvals for handling non-public sensitive data within federal, state, and local government agencies.

• OpenAI says over 90,000 users across 3,500+ agencies have sent 18M+ messages via ChatGPT since 2024, highlighting the increasing adoption of AI in government operations.

David Sacks, Microsoft alleges DeepSeek used OpenAI models for training:

• Trump’s AI and crypto advisor, David Sacks, claimed on Fox that there’s “substantial evidence” DeepSeek trained its AI by distilling knowledge from OpenAI models, though he provided no direct proof.

• DeepSeek’s viral success with its open-source models and free chat apps has drawn scrutiny, with the National Security Council now reviewing its potential risks.

• The U.S. Navy has reportedly banned DeepSeek’s AI, citing security and ethical concerns, as officials assess the implications of its growing influence.

Hugging face launches Open-R1 to replicate DeepSeek’s AI model:

• Hugging Face engineers launched Open-R1, aiming to fully open-source DeepSeek’s R1 model, including training data and processes, to improve transparency and accessibility.

• R1 gained attention for outperforming OpenAI’s o1 on benchmarks, but its lack of open training details led researchers to push for a fully replicable, community-driven alternative.

• With 768 Nvidia H100 GPUs and growing GitHub traction, Open-R1 seeks to advance open AI research, fostering wider innovation beyond closed AI labs.

Meta creates 'war rooms' for DeepSeek:

• DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, quickly became the top free app on the App Store, surpassing ChatGPT, and causing a significant $400 billion market cap loss for NVIDIA.

• Meta has formed four "war rooms" with specialized teams to study DeepSeek's cost-effective AI model development and its competitive edge over established rivals like ChatGPT.

• Two Meta teams will analyze DeepSeek's cost-cutting strategies, another will investigate its training data, and the last will explore redesigning Llama's architecture to rival Chinese AI technology.

LAST COFFEE SIP

☕Other news

France opens criminal probe into Binance for money laundering fraud:

• French authorities launched a judicial investigation into Binance over money laundering, tax fraud, and illegal trading, extending to all EU countries from 2019 to 2024.

• The probe follows user complaints about financial losses and misleading information, while Binance denies the allegations, citing improvements in anti-money laundering (AML) and compliance measures.

• Binance, already facing global legal battles, recently settled a $4.3B U.S. case, while the Supreme Court allowed another lawsuit to proceed, adding pressure on the crypto giant.

HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES

💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities

• Ventures Analyst - Plug & Play Tech Center | USA - Apply Here

• Investment Manager - Outlier Venture | UK - Apply Here

• Chief of Staff - Seed Startup | USA - Apply Here

• Chief of Staff - Voyager Venture | USA - Apply Here

• Analyst - MongoDB Venture | USA - Apply Here

• Venture Partner - Dardania Capital | USA - Apply Here

• AI Engineer - Wizeline | Remote - Apply Here

• Framer Designer - Contra | Remote - Apply Here

• Operations and Finance - Topology Venture | USA - Apply Here

CURATED RESOURCES

🎁 Don’t miss - Curated Resources for Founders.

• Write Your Monthly Investor Update (Email Template Download).

• Excel Template: Early Stage Startup Financial Model For Fundraising

• 2700+ US Angel Investors & VC Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link).

• 1000+ Euro Tech Angel Investors & VC Firms Database.

• 350+ Indian Angel Investors & Venture Capital Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link).

• 400+ French Angel Investors & Venture Capital Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link).

• 250+ Latin America VC Firms & Angel Investors Database

• 150+ African Angel Investors Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link).

WHEN YOU’RE READY, HERE’S HOW I CAN HELP:

💁 You might need our help!

• Reach 86,600+ Founders & Investors: Partner with our newsletter to reach a highly engaged audience.

• Build Your Pitch Deck: We write, design and model your pitch deck into a storyteller book within 4-5 days.