Perplexity launches $50M seed and pre-seed VC fund & Meta in talks for $200 billion AI data center project.

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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS

💰 Startup funding updates

Lizzy Care, a NYC-based health tech company offering a platform for at-home dementia and memory care, raised $2.6M in Seed funding. The round was led by Boomerang Ventures.

Toonsutra, a Mumbai, India-based youth market based on a mobile fandom platform, raised $3.2M in Seed funding. The round was led by Holtzbrinck Publishing Group with participation from GMJP, T-Accelerate, Google, and Graphic India.

Cheersy, a NYC-based digital marketplace connecting engaged couples with quality day-of wedding coordinators, raised over $500K in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Kerry Washington.

Opal, a Vancouver, BC, Canada-based provider of a SaaS platform designed to automate back-office operations for agencies, raised $1.5M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Founders Co-op with support from Exit North Ventures.

Visalaw.ai, a Memphis, TN-based provider of a platform improving immigration law through generative AI, raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding. The round was led by Valor Ventures.

VetVerifi, a Nashville, TN-based provider of a platform for streamlining compliance across the pet care economy, raised $2.8M in Seed funding. The round was led by Las Olas Venture Capital (LOVC), with participation from Roo Capital and Market Square Ventures.

Tereform, a Denver, CO-based textile recycling startup specializing in circularity for hard-to-recycle materials, raised $1.25M in funding. The round was led by AccelR8 with participation from Toyota Ventures.

Auditoria.AI, a San Jose, CA-based company which specializes in agentic AI for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), raised $38M in Series B funding. The round was led by Innovius Capital with participation from Dell Technologies Capital, Sentinel Global, and existing investors including Venrock, NeoTribe Ventures, Engineering Capital, and KPMG Ventures.

Lockchain.ai, an Athens, GA-based provider of an AI-powered blockchain risk management platform, raised $5M in Series A funding. The round was led by White Star Capital, with participation from Lerer Hippeau, Arrington Capital, and Sonic Boom Ventures, among others.

Goose, a Chicago, IL-based technology company developing new operating system for pet care providers, raised $13.4M in Seed funding. Backers included B Capital, First Round Capital, The 81 Collection, Imaginary Ventures, and BoxGroup.

Adaptive Insurance, an Austin, TX-based climate resiliency company, raised $5M in funding. The round was led by Congruent Ventures, with additional investments from Montauk Climate, Generation Space (US arm of Seraphim Space), and private funders.

Bitwise Asset Management, a San Francisco, CA-based crypto-specialist asset manager with over $12 Billion in client assets, completed a $70M equity raise. The round was led by Electric Capital, with participation from MassMutual, Highland Capital, MIT Investment Management Company, Haun Ventures, ParaFi Capital, Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst, Blockchain Coinvestors, and Nikesh Arora, among others.

Actual Veggies, a NYC-based CPG company known for its chef-crafted veggie burgers and vegetable-forward products, raised $7M in Series A funding. The round was led by Relentless Consumer Partners with participation from New Fare Partners and industry leaders Todd Lachman, Sovos Brands founder and Sauer Brands Chairman, and Ben Rawitz.

Metronome, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a usage-based billing platform, raised $50M in Series C funding. The round was led by NEA with participation from a16z, Greyhound Capital, General Catalyst, Workday Ventures, Truebridge Capital Partners, Activant Capital, SineWave Ventures, and Megalith Ventures.

Edera, a Seattle, WA-based company providing workload isolation technology, raised $15M in Series A funding. The round was led by M12 with participation from Mantis VC and In-Q-Tel (IQT) and Existing investors Eniac Ventures, 645 Ventures, FPV Ventures, Precursor Ventures, and Rosecliff Ventures.

Nothreat, a London, UK-based cybersecurity company specializing in AI-driven security and IoT protection, raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding, confirming its valuation at £40M. The round was led by Algara Group.

Fuse Vectors, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based gene therapy company, raised $5.2M in Pre-Seed Funding. The round was led by HCVC.

Floodbase, a NYC-based provider of a parametric platform for insuring uncovered flood risk, raised $5M in funding. The round was led by Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF) with participation from Pulse Fund.

Imua (fka Exocore), a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a purpose-built L1 blockchain for shared security, raised a $5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Draper Dragon, No Limit Holdings, and Paramita Capital with participation from Reforge Capital, Caladan Capital, Tané Labs, Syntax Capital, MH Ventures, 57 Blocks, Lecca Ventures and others.

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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET

🏦 Venture Capital updates

Perplexity launches $50M seed and pre-seed VC fund, managed by F7 Ventures co-founders Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko. The AI search startup, valued at $9B, is anchoring the fund with some of its own capital. Unlike OpenAI’s Startup Fund, Perplexity is contributing directly to its investments.

Thoma Bravo closes $1.9B European fund to invest in midsized software firms. The private equity giant, which established a London office in 2023, has invested €14B across 16 European deals since 2011, including its $5.3B acquisition of Darktrace.

KEY STORIES IN TECH

📜 Latest in tech

Perplexity AI unveils a new browser:

• Perplexity, known for its natural-language search engine, is launching a new web browser called Comet, entering a market long dominated by Google's offerings.

• Details about Comet's features and market positioning are currently unavailable, as the announcement was made via a simple social media post featuring only a flashy animation.

• Interested users can sign up for beta access through a minimalistic website, with the opportunity to gain quicker access by sharing Comet on social networks and tagging Perplexity's account.

Meta in talks for $200 billion AI data center project:

• Meta is in talks to build a massive AI data center campus, with potential costs exceeding $200B, considering sites in Louisiana, Wyoming, and Texas, per The Information.

• A Meta spokesperson denied the report, stating that its data center plans and expenditures have already been disclosed, calling additional claims "pure speculation."

• The AI infrastructure race is heating up, with Meta planning $65B in AI spending for 2025, while Microsoft and Amazon are set to invest ~$80B and $75B, respectively.

DeepSeek reopens access to its API after three-week pause:

• DeepSeek has resumed API access after a nearly three-week halt due to capacity constraints, though server resources remain strained during peak hours.

• The company’s R1 reasoning model has challenged OpenAI, prompting discussions about open-sourcing more of OpenAI’s technology and accelerating product releases.

• Competition in China is heating up, with Alibaba launching a preview of its latest reasoning AI model, QwQ-Max, on the same day DeepSeek resumed API top-ups.

Microsoft cancels some of its AI data center leases:

• Microsoft has scrapped leases totaling “a couple hundred megawatts” of capacity, roughly two data centers, according to a TD Cowen memo cited by Bloomberg.

• The reason behind the cancellations is unclear, raising speculation about whether Microsoft is reassessing future AI demand.

• The move contrasts with industry trends, as Trump’s $20B data center initiative and OpenAI’s $500B Stargate project signal major AI infrastructure expansion.

Apple shareholders reject Anti-DEI proposal amid industry cutbacks:

• Apple shareholders voted down a proposal from a conservative group seeking to end the company’s DEI initiatives, aligning with Apple's board recommendation.

• The vote comes as Meta, Amazon, and Google scale back DEI programs amid growing legal and political scrutiny, particularly under the Trump administration.

• CEO Tim Cook cautioned that Apple may adjust its DEI policies in the future to comply with evolving legal challenges.

LAST COFFEE SIP

☕Other news

Chegg sues Google over AI search summaries:

• Chegg has filed a federal lawsuit against Google, alleging that Google's "AI Overviews" harm Chegg's website traffic and revenue by using its content without permission.

• The lawsuit accuses Google of abusing its dominant position in the search market to force companies to provide materials for its AI-generated summaries, citing antitrust law violations.

• This legal action adds Chegg to the growing list of companies challenging Google over content misuse, employing the Sherman Act as a unique legal strategy.

HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES

💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities

• Investment Operations Analyst - ACE Venture | USA - Apply Here

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• MBA Venture Capital Associate Intern - DRW | USA - Apply Here

• Venture Capital Fund Controller - Spring Tide Venture | USA - Apply Here

• Director of Investor Relations - Navitas Capital | USA - Apply Here

• Program Manager - Generator | USA - Apply Here

• Venture Partner - Texas Venture Partners | USA - Apply Here

• Investor - Griffin Gaming Partner | USA - Apply Here

• Venture Investor - Decasonic | USA - Apply Here

• Associate, Techstars Web3 - Techstars | USA - Apply Here

• VC Associate - Octant Venture | USA - Apply Here

CURATED RESOURCES

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

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