Deel, which provides global payroll and HR services for distributed teams, raised a $300 million round co-led by Ribbit Capital and Andreessen Horowitz at a $17.3 billion post-money valuation thanks to three years of profitability and $1 billion in ARR. TechCrunch has more here.

OpenAI announced Thursday it paused the ability for users to generate videos resembling the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. using its AI video model, Sora. The company says it’s adding this safeguard at the request of Dr. King’s estate after some Sora users generated “disrespectful depictions” of his image. TechCrunch has the story here.

No two founders report metrics the same way - different names, different definitions, and reporting periods. 

PortfolioIQ standardizes metrics across your PortCos so you can compare and analyze without caveats. 

Make your portfolio data usable with PortfolioIQ. 

By Marina Temkin

Ron Conway, the founder of venture firm SV Angel, known for its early investments into Google, Airbnb, and Meta, has resigned from the Salesforce Foundation, the New York Times reported. The resignation follows Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff saying last week that he “fully supported” President Trump and proposing that National Guard troops should patrol San Francisco streets to combat crime and homelessness.

In an interview with the New York Times last week, Benioff argued that San Francisco needs “a show of force” and called for deploying the National Guard to address what he described as the city’s deteriorating conditions. He also praised Elon Musk’s government efficiency efforts and said that he wasn’t keeping up with reports on immigration raids or Trump’s attacks on the press, despite owning the news magazine Time, which he purchased in 2018.

Conway has been on the board of the Salesforce Foundation, whose mission is to support education and workforce development for disadvantaged youth, for a decade. The philanthropic organization donated $36 million in 2023 and ended that year with $400 million in assets, according to tax filings, the New York Times reported.

Benioff and Conway have been friends for 25 years and shared left-leaning political views for the majority of that time. But the Salesforce CEO’s current ideological viewpoints upset Conway.

“It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired,” Conway wrote on Thursday in an email to Benioff obtained by the New York Times.

Adcytherix, a three-year-old Marseille startup that develops antibody-drug conjugates for cancer treatment, raised a $122.7 million Series A round co-led by Andera Partners, Angelini Ventures, Bpifrance, and Kurma Partners, with Surveyor Capital, aMoon, Pontifax, DawnBiopharma, Pureos Bioventures, and RA Capital also digging in. EU-Startups has more here.

Better Payment Network, a startup that enables stablecoin payments across emerging markets, raised a $50 million seed round. The round was led by YZi Labs. The Block has more here.

Campfire, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that uses AI to automate finance and accounting operations, raised a $65 million Series B round co-led by Accel and Ribbit and including Foundation Capital, and Y Combinator. The startup has raised a total of $100+ million. Crunchbase News has more here.

General Intuition, a New York startup founded this year that trains AI agents to understand movement using video game footage, raised a $133.7 million seed round co-led by Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst, with Raine also participating. TechCrunch has more here.

HistoSonics, a 16-year-old company based in Plymouth, MN, that treats tumors using sound waves, raised a $250 million round at a $3+ billion valuation. The deal was co-led by previous investors K5 Global, Wellington Management, and Bezos Expeditions, with Thiel Capital also participating. Bloomberg has more here.

Jito, a four-year-old Solana infrastructure project that develops MEV and liquid staking tools, received a $50 million strategic token investment from Andreessen Horowit. The Block has more here.

Kardigan, a three-year-old South San Francisco startup that develops cardiovascular medicines, raised a $254 million Series B round. Investors included Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, ARCH Venture Partners, and Sequoia Heritage. The company has raised a total of $500+ million. More here.

Kuku, a seven-year-old Bengaluru startup that offers audio and video storytelling content in multiple Indian languages, raised an $85 million Series C round at a $500 million valuation. The round was led by Granite Asia, with Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, and Bitkraft also stepping up. TechCrunch has more here.

Reducto, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that develops AI tools to extract and structure information from complex documents, raised a $75 million Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Benchmark, First Round Capital, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator also anteing up. The company has raised a total of $108 million. More here.

Starship Technologies, an 11-year-old San Francisco company that builds and operates autonomous delivery robots, raised a $50 million Series C round led by Plural, with Karma.vc, Latitude, Coefficient Capital, SmartCap, and Skaala also opting in. The company has raised a total of $280+ million. More here.

Upgrade, an eight-year-old San Francisco startup that provides online personal loans, credit cards, and mobile banking, raised a $165 million Series G round at a $7.3+ billion post-money valuation. The deal was led by Neuberger Berman, with LuminArx Capital Management as well as previous investors DST Global and Ribbit Capital also taking part. The company has raised a total of $750 million. CNBC has more here.

Vantaca, a ten-year-old company based in Wilmington, NC, that provides community association management software, raised a $300+ million round at a $1.25+ billion valuation. The deal lead was Cove Hill Partners, with JMI Equity also participating. More here.

Wild Bioscience, a four-year-old startup based in Oxford, UK, that uses AI and genetics to develop climate-resilient crop varieties, raised a $60 million Series A round led by the Ellison Institute of Technology, with previous investors Oxford Science Enterprises, Braavos Capital, and the University of Oxford also joining in. Tech Funding News has more here.

Zepto, a four-year-old Indian startup that aims to deliver groceries and essentials in minutes, raised a $450 million round at a $7+ billion valuation. The deal was led by CalPERS, with additional participation from previous investors Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The Stepstone Group, and Nexus Venture Partners. TechCrunch has more here.

Aboon, a two-year-old New York startup that builds AI tools to help financial advisors launch and manage 401(k) plans, raised a $17.5 million seed round led by Bain Capital Ventures, with Altai Ventures, Runyon, Edward Jones Ventures, Outpost Ventures, and EJF Ventures also engaging. CityBiz has more here.

Armstrong, a San Francisco startup that builds AI-powered robots for restaurant kitchens, raised a $12 million seed round led by Lerer Hippeau, with Bloomberg Beta, Next Play Ventures, Transmedia Capital, and WestWave Capital also digging in. More here.

Brook.ai, a 10-year-old Seattle company that uses AI to help clinical teams deliver remote care, raised a $28 million Series B round co-led by UMass Memorial Health and Morningside. GeekWire has more here.

Encube, a four-year-old Stockholm startup that develops AI-driven collaboration software for hardware engineering, raised a $23 million seed round from Kinnevik, Promus Ventures, and Inventure. SiliconANGLE has more here.

HyImpulse Technologies, a seven-year-old German startup that develops hybrid-propulsion orbital rockets, raised a $17.5 million Series A round. The round was led by Campus Founders Ventures. Tech Funding News has more here.

Jack & Jill, a London company that uses conversational AI to match job seekers with roles and help employers screen candidates, raised a $20 million seed round led by Creandum. TechCrunch has more here.

MatrixSpace, a seven-year-old startup based in Burlington, MA, that develops portable radar systems using AI for counter-drone sensing, raised a $20 million Series B round co-led by The Raptor Group and OTB Ventures, with L3Harris also investing. The company has raised a total of $58 million. CityBiz has more here.

Prisma Photonics, a nine-year-old Tel Aviv startup that uses artificial intelligence to monitor critical infrastructure through optical fiber networks, raised a $30 million round led by Protego Ventures, with Adara Ventures, Insight Partners, Chione Switzerland, SE Ventures, and a Latin American transmission operator also taking part. The company has raised a total of $80 million. CTech has more here.

Stand, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that provides homeowners insurance for catastrophe-exposed properties, raised a $35 million Series B round led by Eclipse, with previous investors Inspired Capital, Lowercarbon Capital, and Equal Ventures also participating. More here.

UPCITI, a nine-year-old Paris startup that develops uses proprietary sensors and edge AI to help cities analyze traffic, public safety, and infrastructure data without exporting images or personal information, raised a $20 million Series A round led by Notion Capital, with additional support from Point Nine Capital and Chalfen Ventures. Tech Funding News has more here.

Weave Bio, a three-year-old San Francisco startup that develops AI-driven software to automate regulatory workflows for drug developers, raised a $20 million Series A round led by USVP, with Innovation Endeavors, Magnetic Ventures, Character, TMV, and Serrado Capital also chiming in. The startup has raised a total of $36 million. More here.

Aragorn AI, a four-year-old San Francisco startup that develops AI software to help HR teams unify data and deploy agentic assistants, raised a $4.3 million seed round led by LiveOak Ventures and including Dallas Venture Capital. The startup has raised a total of $5.5 million. More here.

ego AI, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that develops AI characters for games and digital environments, raised a $6.7 million seed round. Investors included Patron, Y Combinator, Accel, Boost VC, and Balaji Srinivasan. More here.

Karta, a two-year-old Miami startup that provides a premium credit card for global non-residents using AI-driven concierge services, raised a $5.4 million seed round led by Canary, with Clocktower Ventures and FJ Labs also pitching in. More here.

OutcomesAI, a two-year-old Boston startup that builds AI tools that pair voice agents with licensed nurses to scale clinical triage and patient support, raised a $10 million seed round. Santé Ventures was the deal lead. More here.

Planera, a company that provides visual scheduling software for construction projects, raised an $8 million round led by Sorenson Capital, with Sierra Ventures, Prudence, Brick & Mortar Ventures, and Zachry Construction Corporation also contributing. The company has raised a total of $26.5 million. More here.

Ploy, a two-year-old London startup that manages and automates employee access to software tools, raised a $3.4 million seed round led by Osney Capital, with Superseed, Tiny.vc, and Rule30 Ventures also investing. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Provision, a three-year-old Toronto startup that develops AI tools to help construction estimators analyze project documents and identify risks, raised a $7 million seed round led by Cercano Management, with Y Combinator and One Way Ventures also taking part. BetaKit has more here.

SLNG.ai, a Barcelona startup whose mission is to enable developers to build voice applications across many languages, raised a $3.9 million pre-seed round led by Earlybird VC. EU-Startups has more here.

Sonic Fire Tech, a startup that uses infrasound to suppress wildfires and protect structures, raised a $3.5 million seed round co-led by Khosla Ventures and Third Sphere. TechCrunch has more here.

Woz, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that develops AI tools to help users build mobile applications with human review, raised a $6 million seed round led by Cervin Ventures, with Burst Capital, Y Combinator, Untapped Ventures, MGV, and the Lacob Family also joining in. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Share your perspective on venture capital in 2026. Affinity is gathering insights from venture capital leaders to understand how firms are preparing for 2026. 
 
The survey only takes 5 mins and your input will help shape Affinity’s 2026 Predictions Report, highlighting how VCs are approaching sourcing, portfolio support, and fundraising strategies in the year ahead. 
 
As a bonus, you’ll be entered into a draw to win a $500 Airbnb gift card. 

Companies rushing to go public face a shrinking four-week window as the government shutdown forces 20-day IPO pricing gambles, pushing firms like Navan, Beta Technologies, MapLight, and Exzeo to weigh early bids against waiting for calmer 2026 markets. Bloomberg has more here.

Sam Altman isn’t just inflating AI valuations; he’s fueling an even riskier frenzy in energy with his backing of Oklo, a $26 billion zero-revenue nuclear bet that’s helping inflate a $45 billion bubble in speculative power plays, suggests the Wall Street Journal. More here.

Apple’s AI turmoils deepens as Ke Yang, newly appointed to lead Siri’s web search overhaul, becomes the latest senior departure to join Meta, raising doubts about Apple’s March AI rollout amid a broader talent exodus. TechCrunch has more here.

The Financial Times makes the case that ten money-losing AI startups gaining close to $1 trillion in valuation points to a bubble that must burst at some point. More here.

An estimated 100 million people worldwide live with facial differences, or conditions that affect facial structure or symmetry, yet AI-driven facial recognition is increasingly blocking them from essential services like credit checks and DMV systems. WIRED has more here.

Researchers are using AI tools like facial microexpression scanning to quantify pain in patients who cannot self-report, raising hopes for more accurate care while exposing new risks of bias in clinical decisions. MIT Technology Review has more here.

San Francisco rents have jumped 6% in the past year, fueled by AI startups leasing entire blocks of $3,000-plus apartments and offering $1,000 rent stipends, igniting cash bidding wars and squeezing non-tech tenants. The New York Times has more here.

Young creators are ditching saturated social feeds for handmade street fliers, turning lampposts into analog billboards that blend meme culture with nostalgia in a bid for authenticity and real-world attention.

It turns out that “mushroom tourism” is a thing.

A Swiss Army knife for baristas.

Centralized AI-powered portfolio monitoring 

Stop duct-taping emails, spreadsheets, and PDFs. Visible brings all your portfolio data into one centralized, AI-native system. From founder update and board deck extraction to trend detection and MCP server integration, our platform equips 800+ VCs with insights, reporting, and clarity, without chasing metrics. Discover the power of a smarter stack 

Please send all of your hot gossip to [email protected] or [email protected].

To book ads directly, contact us at [email protected].