US asks judge to break up Google & Meta releases its CapCut rival Edits globally.

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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS

💰 Startup funding updates

Tally, a New York based provider of a software platform for onchain organizations, raised $8m in Series A funding. The round was led by AppWorks, Blockchain Capital, 1kx and joined by CyberFund, Placeholder, BitGo and Bloccelerate.

Lace AI, customer service startup for home services, raises $14M seed round Founded by ex-Meta engineer Boris Valkov, Lace AI analyzes 100% of incoming calls to home service businesses to detect lost revenue opportunities. After 1,000% ARR growth in 2024, the Mountain View-based company has now raised $19M total, including a $14M seed led by Bek Ventures. Customers include A1 Garage Door, Sage Home, and Eco Plumbers.

Altruist, a Los Angeles, CA-based modern custodian for RIAs, raised $152m in Series F funding. The round, which valued the company at approximately $1.9 billion, was led by GIC with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Geodesic Capital, Baillie Gifford, Carson Family Office, ICONIQ Growth, and a select group of additional partners.

Trust & Will, a San Diego, CA-based digital estate planning company, received a $4.5M investment from Curql.

Ascertain, a NYC-based healthcare technology company empowering care teams with AI, raised $10m in Series A funding. The round was led by Deerfield Management with strategic participation from Northwell Health.

AuthMind, a Bethesda, MD-based identity protection company, raised $19.3M in Seed funding. The round was led by Cheyenne Ventures with participation from investors at Black Opal Ventures, K2 Access Fund, the Jefferies Family Office, Silver Buckshot Ventures, and Blu Venture Investors, as well as existing investors Ballistic Ventures and IBM.

Adaptive, a San Francisco, CA-based startup that enables non‑coders to create software that personalizes computing with AI, raised $7M in Seed funding. The round was led by Pebblebed, with participation from Conviction Partners, Jake Paul’s Anti Fund, Radical Ventures, and David Baszucki, founder and CEO of Roblox.

Sentra, a NYC-based cloud-native data security company, raised $50M in Series B funding. The round was led by Key1 Capital with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Zeev Ventures, Standard Investments, and Munich Re Ventures.

Tella, an Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based provider of a screen recording and video storytelling platform, raised $2.1M in Seed funding. The round was led by Gradient, with participation from AltaIR Capital, Mento VC, Lobster Capital, The Singularity Fund, and angel investors.

Recce, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of data-native code review tools for data transformation projects and AI systems, raised $4M in funding. The round was led by Heavybit, with participation from Vertex Ventures US, Hive Ventures, and angels Visionary, SVT Angels, Brighter Capital, Ventek Ventures, Scott Breitenother and Tim Chen of Essence VC.

Capably, a London, UK-based provider of an intelligent automation platform that helps businesses adopt AI for smarter work delegation, raised $4M in funding. The round was led by Boost Capital Partners, with participation from other EU and US investors, including Concept Ventures, Sure Valley Ventures, Araya Ventures, Haatch, Koro Ventures, Wayra, and Ascension.

Arch Labs, a Tampa, FL-based core contributor to Arch Network, raised $13M in Series A funding, at $200M valuation. The round was led by Pantera Capital with participation from other strategic investors.

Reco, a Miami, FL-based dynamic SaaS security company, raised $25M in additional funding. The round was led by Insight Partners, Zeev Ventures, boldstart ventures, Angular Ventures, and funding from new investor Redseed.

Hopper, a NY- and Tel Aviv, Israel-based cybersecurity startup, emerged from stealth with $7.6M in seed funding. The round was co-led by Meron Capital and New Era, with participation from the Sequoia Scout Fund, M-Fund, and leaders behind exits to Intel, Oracle, Google, HPE, Symantec, ZoomInfo, AWS, and more.

Manychat, a Palo Alto, CA-based provider of a conversational AI and automation across social and messaging platforms, raised $140M in funding. The round was led by Summit Partners.

Supabase raises $200M Series D at $2B valuation to become AI’s favorite open source backend Open source Firebase alternative Supabase has raised a $200M Series D led by Accel, with Coatue, Y Combinator, Craft, and Felicis participating.

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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET

🏦 Venture Capital updates

VC podcaster and On Deck co-founder Erik Torenberg joins a16z as GP, bringing his Turpentine show with him. A prolific early investor in Scale AI, Figma, and Perplexity, Torenberg adds to a16z’s growing roster of hires, which recently included ex-Congressman Patrick McHenry and Marine vet Daniel Penny.

KEY STORIES IN TECH

📜 Latest in tech

US asks judge to break up Google:

• The US government requested a judge mandate Google sell its Chrome browser, fearing artificial intelligence advancements will further entrench the company's online search dominance significantly.

• Google contends this divestiture demand exceeds the original legal case scope concerning search distribution deals, labeling the Justice Department's suggestion as an overly radical intervention harmful to users.

• Adding to Google's legal woes, another federal court recently concluded the tech giant illegally monopolized key aspects of the digital advertising technology market used by website publishers.

OpenAI says it would buy Chrome if Google is forced to sell:

• ChatGPT chief Nick Turley testified during Google’s antitrust trial that OpenAI would consider acquiring Chrome if it were divested.

• Turley said owning Chrome could help OpenAI deliver an “AI-first” browser experience.

• OpenAI has already hired ex-Chrome developers and is reportedly exploring building its own web browser.

Grok chatbot gains real-time vision, multilingual audio, and voice search:

• xAI’s Grok now supports real-time vision on iOS, letting users ask questions about what their phone camera sees.

• Android users can access new multilingual audio and voice mode search — available only via the $30/month SuperGrok plan.

• Grok has recently added memory and canvas-like tools as xAI pushes to match features from ChatGPT and Gemini.

Meta releases its CapCut rival Edits globally:

• Meta’s new free video-editing app Edits is now available globally on iOS and Android, offering creators AI tools, effects, watermark-free exports, and content organization features.

• Designed for cross-platform use, Edits includes green screen, auto captions, image animation, cutouts, and direct sharing to Instagram and Facebook.

• Meta plans future features like AI-powered video styling, keyframe editing, and creator collaboration tools — potentially adding paid options later.

FTC files suit accusing Uber of deceptive practices:

• The FTC initiated legal action against Uber, asserting the company engaged in misleading tactics regarding its premium Uber One subscription plan for rides and deliveries.

• Government regulators accuse the rideshare firm of utilizing confusing "dark patterns" making it simple to enroll but exceedingly complex for subscribers wishing to terminate their memberships.

• Consumers reported unauthorized charges and significant hurdles when attempting to end their service, though Uber contends its current processes are straightforward and comply with regulations.

Huawei prepares new AI chip as China looks beyond Nvidia:

• Reports indicate Huawei will begin delivering its new 910C artificial intelligence graphics processing unit to customers within China as early as the upcoming month.

• This advanced semiconductor addresses a significant market requirement for China's expanding AI industry following US restrictions preventing Nvidia from freely selling its powerful processors there.

• Domestic technology firms heavily involved in artificial intelligence welcome this development, as they urgently require local alternatives for these vital hardware components previously dominated by Nvidia.

LAST COFFEE SIP

☕Other news

Tesla’s falling profit may pressure Elon Musk to return to day job:

• Tesla anticipates revealing reduced quarterly earnings, possibly intensifying calls for CEO Elon Musk to dedicate more attention to the company instead of his government advisory role.

• Intensifying rivalry from Chinese manufacturers, a shortage of fresh vehicle designs, and consumer alienation linked to Musk’s views have contributed to the carmaker's diminishing sales figures.

• Although Musk emphasizes autonomous driving for future growth, the company grapples with declining market position, Cybertruck difficulties, and robust competition in the self-driving technology arena.

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