Startups

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Cohere and Aleph Alpha in advanced AI merger talks with backing from German government

Alibaba bets $290 million on ShengShu's world model AI to move beyond text-based chatbots

SiFive raises $400 million to bring open RISC-V chip designs to AI data centers

Natter raises $23M to replace enterprise surveys with AI video interviews at scale

Cohere and Aleph Alpha in advanced AI merger talks with backing from German government

Canadian artificial intelligence company Cohere and German AI firm Aleph Alpha are negotiating a potential merger that could reshape the global AI landscape. The advanced merger talks, which began early this year, have Berlin's support, with Germany pledging to become a key customer of the combined entity as part of its push to compete with dominant AI players.

3 Sources

Alibaba bets $290 million on ShengShu's world model AI to move beyond text-based chatbots

Alibaba Cloud led a $290 million investment in ShengShu Technology, the Chinese AI startup behind video generator Vidu. The funding signals a strategic shift from large language models to world models that process visual, audio, and tactile data. ShengShu plans to build a general world model bridging digital and physical environments for applications in robotics and autonomous driving.

6 Sources

SiFive raises $400 million to bring open RISC-V chip designs to AI data centers

Natter raises $23M to replace enterprise surveys with AI video interviews at scale

Eclipse Closes $1.3B Fund to Back Physical AI Startups Across Manufacturing, Defense, and Robotics

OpenAI closes $122 billion funding round amid fierce AI competition and profitability questions

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10 Apr 2026

Cohere and Aleph Alpha in advanced AI merger talks with backing from German government

Canadian artificial intelligence company Cohere and German AI firm Aleph Alpha are negotiating a potential merger that could reshape the global AI landscape. The advanced merger talks, which began early this year, have Berlin's support, with Germany pledging to become a key customer of the combined entity as part of its push to compete with dominant AI players.

3 Sources

Alibaba bets $290 million on ShengShu's world model AI to move beyond text-based chatbots

Alibaba Cloud led a $290 million investment in ShengShu Technology, the Chinese AI startup behind video generator Vidu. The funding signals a strategic shift from large language models to world models that process visual, audio, and tactile data. ShengShu plans to build a general world model bridging digital and physical environments for applications in robotics and autonomous driving.

6 Sources

SiFive raises $400 million to bring open RISC-V chip designs to AI data centers

SiFive has secured $400 million in funding at a $3.65 billion valuation to expand its open-source RISC-V chip designs into AI data centers. Led by Atreides Management with participation from Nvidia, the oversubscribed round signals growing demand for alternative microprocessor designs. The company aims to challenge Arm's dominance in hyperscale data centers with customizable CPU solutions.

3 Sources

07 Apr 2026

Eclipse Closes $1.3B Fund to Back Physical AI Startups Across Manufacturing, Defense, and Robotics

Palo Alto-based venture capital firm Eclipse has raised $1.3 billion to invest in physical AI startups working on real-world challenges. The fund splits into $720 million for early-stage companies and $591 million for growth investments, targeting sectors like AI infrastructure, manufacturing and defense, robotics, and energy as the firm builds an ecosystem of interconnected portfolio companies.

2 Sources

Natter raises $23M to replace enterprise surveys with AI video interviews at scale

London-based conversation intelligence startup Natter has secured $23 million in Series A funding to transform how organizations gather employee insights. The platform uses AI-orchestrated video conversations to interview thousands of employees simultaneously, producing over 1,000 words of data per seven-minute session compared to just ten words from typical survey responses.

2 Sources

06 Apr 2026

Spain's Xoople raises $130 million Series B to map the Earth for AI, reaching unicorn status

Madrid-based geospatial data company Xoople has raised $130 million in Series B funding led by Nazca Capital, bringing total funding to $225 million and pushing its valuation into unicorn territory. The company is building a satellite constellation with L3Harris Technologies to deliver Earth surface data designed specifically for AI models, targeting enterprise platforms like Microsoft Azure and Esri.

2 Sources

Nvidia-backed Firmus hits $5.5B valuation with $505M raise, eyes $2B ASX IPO in June

Australian AI data center company Firmus has raised $505 million led by Coatue at a $5.5 billion valuation, bringing total capital raised to $1.35 billion in six months. The Nvidia-backed startup is now targeting a $2 billion IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange in June or July, supported by a $10 billion Blackstone debt facility to build AI infrastructure across Australia.

6 Sources

02 Apr 2026

Cognichip raises $60M to use AI for designing the chips that power AI itself

Cognichip raised $60 million led by Seligman Ventures to build AI models that design advanced computer chips. The startup claims its physics-informed platform can reduce chip design costs by over 75% and cut development timelines by more than half. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan joined the funding round and will join the board as the company works with over 30 semiconductor firms.

2 Sources

01 Apr 2026

OpenAI closes $122 billion funding round amid fierce AI competition and profitability questions

OpenAI secured $122 billion in the largest Silicon Valley funding round ever, reaching an $852 billion valuation. But the ChatGPT maker faces mounting pressure from rivals like Anthropic and Google while racing toward profitability. The company is pivoting to enterprise revenue and coding tools while planning a unified AI superapp and potential IPO by year-end.

19 Sources

31 Mar 2026

Runway launches $10M venture fund and Builders program to back early-stage AI startups

AI video generation startup Runway has launched a $10 million venture fund to invest in early-stage companies building across AI, media, and world simulation. The company is also rolling out a Builders program offering seed to Series C startups free API credits, signaling its push to create an ecosystem around video intelligence and expand beyond its core creative tooling.

2 Sources

Tenex Secures $250 Million to Scale AI Security Services Amid Cyber Threat Surge

Tenex, an AI-powered cybersecurity startup, raised $250 million at a valuation exceeding $1 billion, led by Crosspoint Capital. The Sarasota-based company offers AI-enabled managed detection and response services, partnering with Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to deliver real-time threat protection as enterprises face increasingly automated cyber attacks.

2 Sources

AI startups command record venture capital as seed valuations double in unprecedented funding surge

Venture capital spending shattered records in Q1 2026, with investors pouring $297 billion into startups—nearly 70% of all 2025 funding combined. AI startups captured 81% of total investment, with seed-stage valuations doubling as companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI raised $186 billion collectively. The funding surge marks a fundamental shift in early-stage investing, where AI companies now command $40-45 million valuations on $10 million seed rounds.

6 Sources

Treeline raises $25 million Series A funding to rebuild corporate IT with AI agents

San Francisco-based Treeline has secured $25 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz to build a modern IT operating system that flips the traditional managed service provider model. The AI-powered MSP claims its agents resolve 98% of customer requests and reduce employee onboarding time from 20 minutes to just 2 minutes, targeting a market of 40,000 MSPs in the U.S. alone.

3 Sources

Google India opens 2026 Startup Accelerator for AI-first startups building scalable solutions

Google India has launched applications for its 2026 startup accelerator programme, targeting AI startups from seed to Series A stages. The three-month, equity-free initiative focuses on agentic AI, multimodal AI, physical AI, and sovereign AI. Selected companies will receive mentorship from Google experts, access to advanced models like Gemini and Gemma, and free cloud infrastructure to scale their solutions.

2 Sources

Gnani.ai raises $10 million from Aavishkaar Capital to scale voice AI models globally

Bengaluru-based Gnani.ai has secured $10 million from impact investor Aavishkaar Capital to fuel international expansion and enhance its R&D capabilities. The voice AI startup processes over 30 million daily voice interactions in more than 12 languages, serving 200+ enterprises including Fortune 500 companies with its in-house built AI stack.

2 Sources

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