Meta has delayed the release of its new foundation AI model – code-named Avocado – to at least May after internal tests showed it lagging the latest systems from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic despite the company’s multibillion-dollar push into artificial intelligence. The New York Times has more here.

Sponsored by Affinity  — The State of AI in Investing 

AI is no longer theoretical, it's actively reshaping private capital. Some firms are adopting it to streamline workflows and uncover new insights, while others are still assessing where it fits. Join Affinity for a conversation featuring experts from BlackRock and OpenAI. They'll share what they're seeing in the market, how AI is influencing decision-making, and what tools are emerging for deal teams. Tune in for insights tailored to private capital investors. Watch on demand →

By Marina Temkin

When Max Brodeur-Urbas co-founded Gumloop in mid-2023, his vision was to help non-technical employees automate repetitive tasks using AI. At that time, the concept of AI agents was still largely experimental and prone to errors.

As AI technology has matured, so has Gumloop’s offering.

The company claims that it now allows teams at organizations like Shopify, Ramp, Gusto, Samsara, Instacart, and Opendoor to deploy reliable AI agents that autonomously handle complex, multistep tasks, all without ever needing an engineer.

Employees can share the agents they build with colleagues, creating a compounding effect that accelerates internal automation. “They get addicted, they start building more agents, and then all of a sudden, the whole company is AI native,” Brodeur-Urbas told TechCrunch.

As companies race to adopt AI, Benchmark general partner Everett Randle believes the key to success lies in empowering every worker with AI superpowers, and Gumloop’s intuitive agent builder is an example of the kind of tool that will unlock that potential.

That’s why Randle, who joined Benchmark last October from Kleiner Perkins, chose to lead a $50 million Series B investment into Gumloop. The deal, which is Randle’s first at his new firm, included participation from Nexus VP, First Round Capital, Y Combinator, BoxGroup, The Cannon Project, and Shopify.

Axiom Math, a one-year-old Palo Alto startup that builds AI systems that verify computer code using mathematical proof techniques, raised a $200 million round at a $1.6 billion post-money valuation. Menlo Ventures, Greycroft, and Madrona invested in the deal. The New York Times has more here.

Oro Labs, a five-year-old Palo Alto startup that uses AI to automate corporate procurement processes, raised a $100 million Series C round co-led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity and Brighton Park Capital, with previous investors Norwest Venture Partners, B Capital, XYZ Capital, and Felicis also joining in. The company has raised a total of $160 million. Fortune has more here.

PixVerse, a three-year-old Singapore startup backed by Alibaba that uses AI to enable users to generate videos from text, images, and video clips, raised a $300 million Series C round at a $1+ billion valuation. The deal was led by CDH Investments and included Antler, iGlobe Partners, and UOB Venture Management. Bloomberg has more here.

Qdrant, a four-year-old Berlin startup that has built an open-source vector search engine that helps AI systems retrieve and manage context from large datasets in production applications, raised a $50 million Series B round led by AVP, with Bosch Ventures, Unusual Ventures, Spark Capital, and 42CAP also investing. The company has raised a total of $87.8 million. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Sunday, a two-year-old startup based in Mountain View, CA, that makes household humanoid robots, raised a $165 million Series B round at a $1.15 billion post-money valuation. The deal was led by Coatue Management, with additional participation from Tiger Global, Benchmark, and Bain Capital Ventures also participating. TechCrunch has more here.

Wonderful, a one-year-old Israeli startup that provides AI agents for enterprise customer service, raised a $150 million Series B round at a $2 billion post-money valuation. The deal was led by Insight Partners, with previous investors Index Ventures, IVP, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Vine Ventures also participating. The company has raised a total of $286 million. TechCrunch has more here.

BackOps, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that automates logistics workflows, shipment exceptions, customer communications, and claims processing for global supply chains using AI, raised a $26 million Series A round led by Theory Ventures, with Construct Capital, Gradient, and 10VC also participating. FreightWaves has more here.

Bold Security, a two-year-old Tel Aviv startup that provides AI-powered endpoint security software that runs real-time risk analysis on individual computers, raised a $28 million Series A round with Bessemer Venture Partners, Picture Capital, and Red Dot Capital Partners also taking stakes. The company has raised a total of $40 million. CTech has more here.

Cleafy, a 12-year-old Milan company that uses AI to detect and stop banking fraud by analyzing activity across web, mobile, backend, and network channels, raised a $13.8 million Series B round. United Ventures and eCapital were the co-leads. Tech Funding News has more here.

Cryptio, an eight-year-old New York startup that provides ERP and data reconciliation tools for institutions that trade, hold, or manage digital assets, raised a $45 million Series B round co-led by BlackFin Capital Partners and Sentinel Global, with previous investors 1kx, Alven, BlueYard Capital, and Ledger Cathay Capital also anteing up. CoinDesk has more here.

Ernesta, a three-year-old New York startup that offers custom-sized rugs through an omnichannel platform that combines digital tools with retail showrooms for interior designers and homeowners, raised a $20 million Series B round led by Addition, with previous investors True Ventures and Platform Capital Management also taking part. Retail Insight Network has more here.

Onyx Security, a two-year-old Tel Aviv startup whose platform is designed to secure and manage AI agents in enterprises, raised a $35 million Series A round led by Conviction. The company has raised a total of $40 million. CTech has more here.

Qurrent, a three-year-old San Francisco startup whose AI-based platform executes complex back-office operations across finance, supply chain, procurement, and other enterprise functions, raised a $15 million Series A round led by Cervin Ventures, with Streamlined Ventures also engaging. Pulse 2.0 has more here.

Vima Therapeutics, a three-year-old startup based in Cambridge, MA, that is developing an oral drug designed to help people with dystonia and Parkinson’s disease regain control of movement, raised a $40 million Series A extension round. Investors included Frazier Life Sciences, Atlas Venture, Access Industries, and Canaan Partners. More here.

Waiv, a Paris startup spun out this year from the biotech unicorn Owkin that uses AI to enable more precise cancer testing and detection, raised a $33 million round co-led by OTB Ventures and Alpha Intelligence Capital, with Serene Data Ventures, Karista, and SistaFund also participating. Sifted has more here.

Xscape Photonics, a four-year-old New York startup that develops laser-based optical interconnects that link GPUs and processors in AI data centers using silicon photonics to transmit data over light instead of electrical signals, raised a $37 million Series A round led by Addition, with previous investors IAG Capital Partners and NVIDIA also joining in. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Zymtrace, a two-year-old startup based in Wilmington, DE, that is creating a platform to analyze and optimize the performance of AI workloads running on GPU-based infrastructure, raised an $8.5 million seed round led by Venture Guides, with 6 Degrees Capital as well as previous investors Mango Capital and Fly Ventures also opting in. The company has raised a total of $12.2 million. SiliconANGLE has more here.

AIRMO, a four-year-old German startup that designs, builds, and operates methane monitoring tools that detect greenhouse gas emissions using drones, aircraft, and satellites, raised a $5.8 million seed round. Ananda Impact Ventures was the deal lead, with Unconventional Ventures, kopa ventures, Desai Ventures, and Hypernova / New Venture Securities as well as previous investors Antler, Findus Ventures, E2MC, and Pilabs also piling on. EU-Startups has more here.

AmpliSi, a UK startup founded last year that aims to replace graphite in lithium-ion batteries with porous silicon anode materials to increase energy density and battery lifespan, raised a $2.7 million pre-seed round co-led by Northern Gritstone and Clean Growth Fund. Tech Funding News has more here.

Another Earth, a two-year-old Vienna startup that provides synthetic satellite imagery generated with AI simulations and 3D modeling for Earth observation and climate monitoring, raised a $4 million round. Investors included Wake-Up Capital as well as previous investors Rockstart, Inovexus, and Stamco AG. Tech Funding News has more here.

Ark Labs, a two-year-old San Francisco startup that enables programmable financial applications such as payments, lending, and stablecoin settlement on Bitcoin, raised a $5.2 million round. Investors included Tether, Ego Death Capital, Epoch VC, Lion26, Sats Ventures, Contribution Capital, and Anchorage Digital. The Block has more here.

Imperium Technologies, a five-year-old Austin startup that provides hardware and real-time monitoring systems that detect failures and improve efficiency in industrial steam systems, raised a $2 million round. E8 Angels provided the funding. Pulse 2.0 has more here.

Kayna, a four-year-old startup based in Cork, Ireland, that develops infrastructure and AI tools that enable vertical SaaS platforms used by small businesses to embed and distribute insurance products, raised a $1.7 million seed round. Delta Partners was the deal lead, with Leo Capital, Enterprise Ireland, and Digital Irish as well as previous investors MiddleGame Ventures, and Aperture also pitching in. Silicon Republic has more here.

Mantis Space, a one-year-old Albuquerque startup that aims to send power from satellites using lasers to provide energy to spacecraft in orbit, raised a $10 million seed round led by Rule 1 Ventures, with additional participation from Montauk Capital, which incubated the company. Payload has more here.

Option Circle, a six-year-old startup based in San Jose, CA, whose AI-driven autonomous trading platform detects changing market regimes and automatically adapts trading strategies and execution, raised a $3 million round. Investors included Savoie Capital and Wagon Wheel Capital. Pulse 2.0 has more here.

Stake, an eight-year-old New York startup that operates a platform that helps renters find apartments and earn cashback on rent while helping property managers attract qualified tenants, raised an $8 million debt and equity round led by LAGO, with RET Ventures, Bluefield Capital, Hamilton Ventures, Gaingels, Hub Angels, and Second Century Ventures also digging in. More here.

VeryAI, a one-year-old Los Angeles startup that turns smartphone cameras into palm biometric scanners that verify human identity and secure online accounts against deepfakes, raised a $10 million seed round led by Polychain Capital, with Berggruen Institute and Anagram also chiming in. The AI Journal has more here.

Rox AI, a one-year-old San Francisco startup that provides autonomous AI agents designed to automate sales workflows and CRM tasks, has reportedly raised an undisclosed amount at a $1.2 billion post-money valuation. General Catalyst is the purported deal lead. TechCrunch has more here.

Fidelity — Your Pitch Isn’t the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating  

Investors don’t just listen to what you say—they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn’t come from slides. It comes from preparation. 

StageOne Ventures, a 25-year-old Tel Aviv VC firm that backs early-stage Israeli enterprise technology startups, raised a $165 million fifth fund to invest in companies building AI infrastructure and related enterprise software. Globes has more here.

Metaplanet Ventures, a newly launched venture arm of Tokyo-listed bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet that invests in startups building bitcoin financial infrastructure, is deploying about $25 million to back early-stage and growth-stage companies. Bitcoin Magazine has more here.

PayPay, an eight-year-old Tokyo company that operates a mobile payments app in Japan, rose 19% in its trading debut after raising $880 million in a US IPO that valued the SoftBank-backed firm at about $12.1 billion. Bloomberg has more here.

Steven Sinofsky, a former Microsoft Windows chief who is now a board partner at Andreessen Horowitz, paid Jeffrey Epstein $1 million to help negotiate his 2012 Microsoft exit package, according to Department of Justice records reviewed by Fortune. Fortune has more here.

Pentagon CTO Emil Michael claimed today on CNBC’s Squawk Box that Anthropic’s Claude models could “pollute” the defense supply chain because their built-in policy framework could influence military systems. CNBC has more here.

Greenoaks Capital founder Neil Mehta is helping promote California Renewal, a proposed endowment-style political fund seeking $100 million this year and as much as $500 million to finance long-term political spending aimed in part at countering a proposed 5% wealth tax on California billionaires. Bloomberg has more here.

An entity tied to Palantir CEO Alex Karp bought a $46 million Miami mansion months before the company moved its headquarters there, adding him to a growing list of California tech billionaires putting down roots in Florida. Business Insider has more here.

Atlassian, which makes software used by companies to track projects and coordinate work across teams, said it will cut 10% of its workforce or about 1,600 jobs as it restructures to fund investments in AI and enterprise sales after a sharp stock decline. CNBC has more here.

Amazon corporate employees say the company’s push to embed AI tools across daily work is slowing productivity, creating more code fixes, expanding internal surveillance of tool usage, and fueling anxiety about layoffs as the company cuts tens of thousands of jobs. The Guardian has more here.

Speaking of Amazon, the company is adding an “adults-only” personality option to Alexa+ that can curse and deliver sarcastic responses but is designed to avoid explicit or NSFW content, as the company experiments with customizable AI personas for its upgraded voice assistant. (We tried it; it’s very tedious.) TechCrunch has more here.

Google has closed its $32 billion acquisition of cloud security startup Wiz, delivering around $4 billion to Index Ventures, roughly $3 billion to Sequoia Capital, about $1.3 billion to Cyberstarts, and approximately $2 billion each to Wiz’s four co-founders, making the deal the biggest venture-backed cybersecurity exit ever. Forbes has more here.

Channel Surfer, a web app from London developer Steven Irby, lets users watch YouTube like cable TV by jumping between 40 curated topic channels that play videos on a schedule, recreating the experience of old-school channel surfing.

Why interior design magazines are booming.

Cinema’s newest, grimmest trend.

Luxury travel company Black Tomato has partnered with dining pub Eater to launch curated culinary travel itineraries in cities including Marrakech, Porto, Mexico City, Rome, Paris, Melbourne, and New York that offer behind-the-scenes food experiences such as truffle hunting, sommelier-led tastings, and after-hours cooking classes.

UK Quantum – Accelerating healthcare prevention 

The UK’s National Health Service is already placing quantum at the centre of its preventative healthcare strategy. By 2030, the UK aspires to use quantum sensing to improve early diagnosis and treatment, from cancer screening to enhanced MRI scanning. Quantum sensors can detect extremely faint biological signals such as trace biomarkers or subtle neural activity that conventional devices overlook, enabling earlier and more reliable diagnoses. As the tech becomes smaller, more robust and affordable, point-of-care testing outside specialist facilities becomes realistic. 

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