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Augmodo Secures $21M to Push Spatial AI Beyond Retail Into Warehouses and Factories

Seattle-based Augmodo has raised $21 million in an unplanned funding round, now valued at $350 million. The startup, known for AI-powered Smartbadges that track retail inventory, is expanding into warehouses, factories, and hospitals. With 10x revenue growth and mapping 186 million square feet monthly, Augmodo is positioning itself as a physical AI company serving the 80% of workers in physical jobs.

Startups2 sources

Augmodo Secures $21M to Push Spatial AI Beyond Retail Into Warehouses and Factories

Startups2 sources

Helsing raises $1.8 billion at $18 billion valuation, becoming Europe's largest defence startup

Munich-based Helsing secured $1.8 billion in Series E funding at an $18 billion valuation, making it Europe's largest defence startup. The heavily oversubscribed round drew investment from JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Canadian pension funds. The company develops AI-driven defense technologies for European militaries, though questions remain about its claim to European sovereignty.

Startups2 sources

Helsing raises $1.8 billion at $18 billion valuation, becoming Europe's largest defence startup

Startups2 sources

Anthropic lobbies Australia for AI copyright reform as $50bn datacentre deal sparks creator backlash

Anthropic is pushing Australia for copyright reform to train AI models on local creative works, dangling at least $50bn in datacentre investments. The proposal has split the Labor government and triggered fierce opposition from creators who call it the 'ultimate dirty deal.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses the controversy this week.

Policy2 sources

Anthropic lobbies Australia for AI copyright reform as $50bn datacentre deal sparks creator backlash

Policy2 sources

Tencent moves to acquire Manus as Beijing forces Meta to unwind $2 billion AI startup deal

Tencent is leading a consortium to buy back Manus, the Chinese AI agent startup, after Beijing ordered Meta to reverse its $2 billion acquisition. The move signals China's determination to keep homegrown AI talent and technology under domestic control as U.S.-China competition intensifies in artificial intelligence.

Business9 sources

Tencent moves to acquire Manus as Beijing forces Meta to unwind $2 billion AI startup deal

Business9 sources

MiniMax raises $2 billion as CEO forgoes salary until AGI amid 80% stock slump

Chinese AI company MiniMax closed a $2 billion fundraising round through discounted share placement and convertible bonds, even as its stock has lost 80% since March. CEO Yan Junjie pledged to forgo salary until the company achieves artificial general intelligence and give away 5% of his shares to employees and open-source projects.

Business5 sources

MiniMax raises $2 billion as CEO forgoes salary until AGI amid 80% stock slump

Business5 sources

Nobel Prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi leaves Berkeley to lead China's AI materials institute

Omar Yaghi, who shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has left the University of California, Berkeley, to head a new AI institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The move comes as the Trump administration disrupts US science funding while China invests heavily to attract international talent for AI-driven materials research.

Science2 sources

Nobel Prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi leaves Berkeley to lead China's AI materials institute

Science2 sources

Gradium secures $100M seed round with Nvidia backing to advance ultra-low latency voice AI

Paris-based Gradium has raised $100 million in seed funding, with Nvidia joining as a new investor. The AI voice startup, spun out of French AI lab Kyutai, is using the capital to expand to the Bay Area and compete with voice AI giants like ElevenLabs and Google Gemini. Since launching in December, Gradium has secured enterprise customers including Renault.

Startups2 sources

Gradium secures $100M seed round with Nvidia backing to advance ultra-low latency voice AI

Startups2 sources

Mercor pursues $20 billion valuation as it acquires Deeptune to control AI training stack

AI training startup Mercor is in talks to raise funding at a $20 billion valuation, doubling its worth in just nine months. The company announced it's acquiring Deeptune to build training environments for AI agents, though questions emerge around conflict-of-interest as CEO Brendan Foody was an angel investor in the target. Despite a major data breach in March, Mercor reports its annualized revenue crossed $2 billion.

Business4 sources

Mercor pursues $20 billion valuation as it acquires Deeptune to control AI training stack

Business4 sources

Lyzr AI Agent Runs Its Own $100 Million Fundraise, Drawing $400M in Investor Interest

Lyzr, an enterprise AI agents startup, used its own AI agent to run its $100 million Series B fundraising round at a $500 million valuation. The agent fielded questions from over 130 investors and drafted investment memos, drawing $400 million in interest from Silicon Valley, the Middle East, and financial institutions—without founders making traditional roadshow trips.

Startups4 sources

Lyzr AI Agent Runs Its Own $100 Million Fundraise, Drawing $400M in Investor Interest

Startups4 sources

AI companies pour over $200 million into midterms to shape federal AI regulation

AI executives are betting big on the 2026 midterms, with PACs spending at least $44 million so far on 40 candidates. Leading the Future and Public First Action have raised over $200 million combined, pushing for a single national AI regulatory framework to preempt state-by-state laws. The strategy mirrors crypto's successful 2024 playbook but raises concerns about corporate influence.

Policy2 sources

AI companies pour over $200 million into midterms to shape federal AI regulation

Policy2 sources

TeraWulf plans $3.5 billion debt raise to build Kentucky AI data center for Anthropic

TeraWulf is raising $3.5 billion in debt to construct a data center campus in Kentucky for Anthropic PBC, marking its first entry into the leveraged loan market. The former bitcoin miner has signed a 20-year lease agreement expected to generate $19 billion in revenue. This move signals a major shift from cryptocurrency mining to AI infrastructure development.

Business2 sources

TeraWulf plans $3.5 billion debt raise to build Kentucky AI data center for Anthropic

Business2 sources

Ollama raises $65M as open-source AI developer tool reaches 8.9M users across Fortune 500

Ollama, the popular open-source AI developer tool that simplifies running AI models locally, has secured $65 million in Series B funding led by Theory Ventures. The platform now serves 8.9 million developers monthly and is used by 85% of Fortune 500 companies. Founded by former Docker Desktop creators, Ollama has grown to $88 million in total funding with just 14 employees, betting that open AI models will dominate the industry.

Technology3 sources

Ollama raises $65M as open-source AI developer tool reaches 8.9M users across Fortune 500

Technology3 sources

Temasek rules out crypto, plans to triple AI investment to 15% of portfolio by 2031

Singapore's Temasek Holdings maintains its crypto ban four years after a $275 million FTX loss, citing regulatory uncertainty. The sovereign wealth fund plans to increase AI exposure from 6% to 15% by 2031, betting on automation, robotics, and AI adoption over frontier models.

Business2 sources

Temasek rules out crypto, plans to triple AI investment to 15% of portfolio by 2031

Business2 sources

Paradigm Raises $1.2 Billion Fund to Expand Beyond Crypto Into AI and Robotics

Venture capital firm Paradigm has secured $1.2 billion for its fourth fund, marking a strategic shift from crypto to AI investment. The crypto venture firm will now back startups across AI, robotics, and autonomous systems, while maintaining its crypto portfolio. The move comes as AI funding captured 70% of global startup investments in Q2 2026.

Startups3 sources

Paradigm Raises $1.2 Billion Fund to Expand Beyond Crypto Into AI and Robotics

Startups3 sources

Zhipu AI raises $4 billion in Hong Kong share sale as stock surges 14.7% amid AI spending race

Chinese AI model developer Zhipu AI completed a $4 billion share sale in Hong Kong, with shares surging 14.7% to HK$2,094. The company priced 19.78 million shares at a 13% discount to fund R&D and compete with OpenAI. Major investors reaffirmed long-term commitment despite lock-up expiry, while Zhipu explores custom ASIC chip development for its GLM models.

Business3 sources

Zhipu AI raises $4 billion in Hong Kong share sale as stock surges 14.7% amid AI spending race

Business3 sources

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