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Funding
Week Summary
Technology
  • Earth has captured a temporary 'second moon,' a small asteroid named 2024 PT5, which will orbit until November 2024.
  • Research indicates that larger AI chatbots are increasingly prone to generating incorrect answers, raising concerns about their reliability.
  • Meta's Chief Technical Officer discussed advancements in AR and VR technologies, particularly focusing on the Orion AR glasses.
  • The author reflects on their experience with Rust, proposing several changes to improve the language's usability and safety features.
  • The Tor Project and Tails OS have merged to enhance their efforts in promoting online anonymity and privacy.
  • OpenAI is undergoing leadership changes, with key executives departing amid discussions about restructuring and the company's future direction.
  • Git-absorb
  • The concept of critical mass explains how significant changes occur when a threshold of acceptance is reached, impacting technology and society.
  • WordPress.org has banned WP Engine from accessing its resources due to ongoing legal disputes, raising concerns about security for WP Engine customers.
  • PostgreSQL 17
  • Hotwire Native is a web-first framework that simplifies mobile app development, allowing developers to reuse HTML and CSS across platforms.
  • Radian Aerospace is progressing on a reusable space plane, completing ground tests and aiming for full-scale flights by 2028.
  • A groundbreaking diabetes treatment using reprogrammed stem cells has enabled a patient to produce insulin independently for over a year.
  • Apple is developing a new home accessory that combines features of the iPad, Apple TV, and HomePod, expected to launch in 2025.
  • SpaceX's Starlink service is set to surpass 4 million subscribers, reflecting rapid growth and significant revenue projections.
  • TinyJS is a lightweight JavaScript library that simplifies dynamic HTML element creation and DOM manipulation for developers.
  • Elon Musk's AI startup xAI aims to raise $3B, valuing the company at $18B.

    Elon Musk's xAI is in talks with investors to raise $3B in a funding round that would value the artificial intelligence startup at $18B.

    Hi Impact
    xAIElon MuskFunding
    Monday, April 8, 2024
  • Mistral seeks funding at a $5B valuation to train more models.

    There have been reports of the open source pioneer Mistral seeking several hundred million dollars of funding to train more models.

    Hi Impact
    MistralFunding
  • Altera secures $9M in seed funding to develop AI digital humans, backed by Eric Schmidt and Riot Games alums.

    Altera is building digital human beings, starting with agents who can play any game with you, just like a friend. The company raised $9 million in an oversubscribed seed round, co-led by First Spark Ventures (Eric Schmidt's deep-tech fund) and Patron (the seed-stage fund co-founded by Riot Games alums).

    Hi Impact
    AlteraDigital HumansEric SchmidtFunding
  • Scale AI secures a massive $1 billion in Series F funding led by Accel to fuel its AI data services.

    The monstrous series F comes from Accel and previous investors. Demand for the services provided is enormous and Scale is uniquely positioned to continue powering the modern AI data wave.

    Hi Impact
    Scale AIFunding
  • French AI startup H raises $220M in a seed round led by DeepMind scientists.

    H, which aims to build action models and was started by DeepMind scientists, raised a monster seed round. Another win for French AI talent.

    Hi Impact
    HDeepMind scientistsFranceFunding
  • xAI secures $6B in Series B funding to enhance AI systems and Grok-1 models.

    xAI has announced a $6 billion Series B funding round led by top investors to advance its AI systems, including the Grok-1 models with enhanced capabilities. The funding will fuel product go-to-market strategies, infrastructure, and R&D.

    Hi Impact
    xAIGrok-1 modelsFunding
  • Mistral secures €600m in Series B funding on its first anniversary.

    Mistral, a Paris-based AI startup, turns 1 year old today. It announced a monster series B funding raise.

    Hi Impact
    MistralFranceFunding
  • Lens Protocol receives significant funding to develop on ZKsync.

    Decentralized social platform Lens Protocol was offered 0.5% of the total ZK supply ($22.4 million) to build in the ZKsync ecosystem.

    Hi Impact
    Lens ProtocolDecentralized Social PlatformFunding
  • Cohere's valuation reaches $5.5B after a $500M Series D funding round, aiming to enhance its AI tech.

    Cohere, a Canadian AI startup focused on large language models, has reached a $5.5B valuation following a $500M Series D funding round. The new funds aim to enhance its enterprise-grade AI tech for global business efficiency. Key investors include PSP Investments, Cisco, Fujitsu, AMD Ventures, and EDC.

    Hi Impact
    CohereCanadaFunding
  • Legal startup Harvey becomes a unicorn with a $100m Series C funding from Google ventures and others.

    The legal startup, now a unicorn, has raised from Google ventures and others to continue its push into big law firms.

    Hi Impact
    HarveyFunding
  • Groq secures $640M in Series D funding to boost AI chip production.

    Groq, the lightning-fast AI chip startup, is raising a substantial round to meet demand for large language model inference.

    Hi Impact
    GroqFunding
  • Cursor secures $60M in Series A funding for its AI-powered coding IDE.

    Cursor raised a Series A to continue building its AI-powered coding IDE.

    Hi Impact
    CursorFunding
  • Viggle AI secures $19M in Series A funding to enhance AI capabilities and expand market presence.

    Known for its AI-driven video generation service, Viggle AI secured $19 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. The Toronto-based startup will use the investment to enhance its AI capabilities and expand its market presence. Viggle AI's unique JST-1 model offers realistic character movements, setting it apart from competitors.

    Hi Impact
    Viggle AICanadaFunding
  • OpenAI is in talks for a new funding round at over $100 billion valuation, marking its largest capital infusion since Microsoft's investment.

    OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise funds at a valuation of more than $100 billion, substantially higher than the company's previous $86 billion valuation. Investors include Thrive Capital and Microsoft. The financing will be OpenAI's biggest outside infusion of capital since Microsoft invested nearly $10 billion in January last year. While OpenAI's revenue eclipsed $3.4 billion early this year, the company is on track to lose nearly $5 billion by year end. It has already burned through $8.5 billion on AI training and staffing.

    Hi Impact
    OpenAIFunding
  • OpenAI's valuation may exceed $100B in a new funding round led by Thrive Capital.

    OpenAI is in discussions to raise several billion dollars in a new funding round led by Thrive Capital that would value the company above $100 billion, with Microsoft also expected to participate.

    Hi Impact
    OpenAIFunding
  • You.com secures $50M in Series B funding to expand its search engine and knowledge base platform.

    You.com, a search engine, agent platform, and knowledge base company, has raised additional funds as it continues to grow.

    Hi Impact
    You.comFunding
  • Sakana raises $100M in Series A funding to boost its AI research and compute capabilities in Japan.

    The raise will allow Sakana to continue growing its compute capabilities, hire more researchers, and generally become a leading AI lab in Japan.

    Hi Impact
    SakanaJapanFunding
  • OpenAI's $6.5 billion funding round nears completion, set to value the company at $150 billion.

    OpenAI's latest fundraising round is nearing completion. Prospective investors will find out on Friday whether they'll be part of the deal. The $6.5 billion funding round is oversubscribed, with an excess of demand in the billions of dollars. It is set to value OpenAI at $150 billion. Thrive Capital is rumored to be leading the round with a check for $1.25 billion.

    Hi Impact
    OpenAIFunding
Month Summary
Technology
  • OpenAI is considering a new subscription model for its upcoming AI product, Strawberry, while also restructuring for better financial backing.
  • Telegram founder
  • The startup landscape is shifting towards more tech-intensive ventures, with a focus on specialized research and higher capital requirements.
  • Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft successfully completed its second flight, testing new systems for future supersonic travel.
  • announced the uncrewed return of Boeing's Starliner, with future crewed missions planned for 2025.
  • OpenAI's SearchGPT aims to compete with Google Search by providing AI-driven information retrieval, though it currently faces accuracy issues.
  • Tesla is preparing to unveil its autonomous robotaxi technology at an event in Los Angeles, indicating ongoing challenges in achieving full autonomy.
  • The US Department of Justice is investigating Nvidia for potential antitrust violations related to its AI chip market dominance.
  • Apple plans to use OLED screens in all iPhone 16 models, moving away from Japanese suppliers and introducing new AI features.
  • Amazon S3 has introduced conditional writes to prevent overwriting existing objects, simplifying data updates for developers.
  • Chinese scientists have developed a hydrogel that shows promise in treating osteoarthritis by restoring cartilage lubrication.
  • Nvidia's CEO is working to position the Nvidia as a comprehensive provider for data center needs, amidst growing competition from AMD and Intel.
  • OpenAI
  • Nvidia Blackwell
  • Amazon is set to release a revamped Alexa voice assistant in October, powered by AI models from Anthropic's Claude, and will be offered as a paid subscription service.