☕ Meta plans over $10 billion investment in Scale AI & TikTok US ban deadline extended again.
Musk–Trump feud may complicate xAI’s $5B debt raise & US suspends licenses to ship nuclear plant parts to China.
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About 1cm taller, to be exact, because gravity hasn’t spent the whole day squishing your spine yet.
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📬 What’s in store:
Today’s Picks: Fundraising CRM, financial model, 17,784 hrs in startups, LP update tips, AI drug R&D map, Bond AI trends, legal docs, valuation guide, data room kit, 350+ Indian investors.
Musk–Trump feud may complicate xAI’s $5B debt raise.
Meta reportedly in talks to invest billions of dollars in Scale AI.
Trump administration takes aim at Biden and Obama cybersecurity rules.
US suspends licenses to ship nuclear plant parts to China.
TikTok US ban deadline extended again.
US lifts 50-year supersonic flight ban.
Over 4 billion user records leaked in "largest breach ever".
Anthropic appoints a national security expert to its governing trust.
Rippling accuses Deel of corporate espionage, calls it a ‘criminal syndicate’.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
⏱️ Read Time: 3 minutes
DAILY PICKS
🗞️ What else is brewing
A simple CRM to manage your fundraising process (template included).
Excel Template: Early Stage Startup Financial Model For Fundraising.
17,784 hours later: What does startup life look like?
Why LP updates matter (and how great fund managers write them).
Trends in Artificial Intelligence by bondcap.
Startup legal document pack – essential legal docs for founders.
The only startup valuation guide you need as a founder.
The only data room guide you’ll ever need as a founder: what to share and when..
350+ Indian Angel Investors & Venture Capital Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link).
Investor data room guide & templates for founders.
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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
Latent Technology, a London, UK-based platform for game developers to create lifelike character animations in real time, raised an $8m seed funding. The round was co-led by AlbionVC and Spark Capital, with participation from Root Ventures and Alumni Ventures.
Impart Security, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an AI security platform, raised $12M in Series A funding. The round was led by Madrona Ventures, with participation from CRV and 8-Bit Capital. As a result of the financing, Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru joined the board.
Kosmc AI, a New Delhi, India-based social commerce infrastructure startup, has raised $200K in pre-seed funding. Bakers included a group of undisclosed angel investors across India and the Middle East.
Lendurai, a Tallinn, Estonia-based company which specializes in tactical autonomous UAVs for GPS-denied operations, raised €5.57M in seed funding. The round was led by Expeditions Fund, HCVC and Vsquared Ventures.
Baobab Insurance, a Berlin, Germany-based cybersecurity insurance startup, raised €12m in Series A funding. The round was led by Viola FinTech and eCapital with participation from existing investors.
Solidroad, a Dublin, Ireland-based platform that allows CX teams to constantly improve their customer experience, raised $6.5m in seed funding. The round was led by First Round Capital with participation from Y Combinator.
Rosebud, a Santa Monica, CA-based provider of an AI journaling app, raised $6m in seed funding. This round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from 776, Initialized Capital, Fuel Capital, Avenir, Tim Ferriss, and additional strategic investors.
Rails, a Miami, FL-based hybrid crypto exchange, raised $14m in funding. Backers included Slow Ventures, CMCC, Kraken, Round13, and Quantstamp.
bolttech, a Singapore-based global insurtech company, added Sumitomo Corporation, and Iberis Capital as strategic investors. Sumitomo Corporation and Iberis Capital, which joined Dragon Fund, Baillie Gifford, Generali’s Lion River, and others. Their participation marked the close of bolttech’s Series C funding round, with shares acquired by Series C investors in the amount of US$147m, reflecting a valuation of US$2.1 billion.
FOUNDER’S DAILY TOOL
🧰 Don’t build a startup on handshake deals.
Our Startup Legal Document Pack gives you the essential templates every founder needs, from formation to fundraising to hiring.
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Founder agreement template
IP assignment + advisor agreements
Offer letter, NDA, and employment terms
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
Amplify Partners, a Menlo Park, and San Francisco, CA-based venture capital firm, announced that it has raised $900m for three funds. They are: Fund 6: its $400M core, first check for technical founders fund. Fund 6 Select: a $300M fund to support existing Amplify companies as they grow. Amplify Bio: its first $200M digital bio fund dedicated to “founders who are in code as much as they’re in the lab“.
Denver Ventures, a Denver, CO-based newly formed venture capital firm, launched with the close of its first dedicated seed fund, Denver Ventures Seed Fund I, at over $20m. Denver Ventures Seed Fund will invest $250k to $800k in pre-seed and seed-stage companies with breakthrough innovations and high-impact potential. The growth vehicles will continue to invest $1M-$3M in later-stage companies.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
Musk–Trump feud may complicate xAI’s $5B debt raise:
Elon Musk’s public clash with President Trump could create turbulence for xAI’s $5 billion debt raise, as investors grow wary of political risks tied to Musk.
Morgan Stanley had gathered investors to pitch the debt deal while the feud was unfolding online, with the debt reportedly trading below par on Thursday.
To secure funding, Morgan Stanley may need to offer sweeter terms, including higher interest rates or additional incentives, according to investor sources.
Meta reportedly in talks to invest billions of dollars in Scale AI:
Meta is negotiating a multi-billion dollar investment in Scale AI, potentially exceeding $10 billion, which would mark its largest external AI bet to date.
Scale AI, known for its data labeling services for OpenAI and Microsoft, generated $870 million in revenue last year and projects $2 billion this year.
The company, already backed by Meta in its previous $1 billion Series F round, also built a defense-focused AI model using Meta’s Llama 3.
Trump administration takes aim at Biden and Obama cybersecurity rules:
President Trump signed an executive order rolling back cybersecurity policies from the Obama and Biden administrations, including digital ID acceptance and AI use in federal infrastructure defense.
The order removes mandates for quantum-resistant encryption, AI research funding, and cybersecurity compliance attestations from federal contractors.
It also narrows sanctions to only target foreign actors, reversing Obama-era rules that addressed domestic election-related cyber threats.
US suspends licenses to ship nuclear plant parts to China:
The U.S. Department of Commerce has suspended licenses for companies like Westinghouse and Emerson to export nuclear equipment to China amid an escalating trade war.
The move is part of a broader wave of restrictions in the past two weeks affecting various exports, including jet engines and hydraulic fluids.
Despite a May 12 tariff truce, tensions reignited over rare earths and Huawei-related sanctions, with high-stakes talks between U.S. and Chinese officials set for June 9.
TikTok US ban deadline extended again:
President Trump's administration reportedly plans to push back the TikTok ban date for a third time, extending the divestment deadline for its U.S. operations.
This third extension by President Trump provides more advance notice than prior delays, coming just under two weeks before the existing June 18 deadline.
These repeated ban delays occur as TikTok's owner, ByteDance, reports no current sale agreement, a deal that would also need Chinese government approval.
US lifts 50-year supersonic flight ban:
The White House ordered a repeal of the 1973 ban on overland supersonic flight, seeking to remove barriers and make the U.S. a leader in high-speed aviation.
Recent "low-boom" supersonic jet technology, like NASA's X-59, addresses the noise nuisance concerns that originally caused the decades-long flight prohibition in America.
The Federal Aviation Administration will develop a noise certification standard for supersonic aircraft, considering community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility for operations.
Over 4 billion user records leaked in "largest breach ever":
Cybersecurity researchers found an unsecured online instance leaking 631GB of data, roughly 4 billion records, mainly of Chinese customers and users.
This exposed dataset included PII such as full names and phone numbers, plus financial data like card numbers and detailed spending habits.
Researchers believe the meticulously gathered database was for surveillance and profiling, and the instance was quickly taken down after its discovery.
Anthropic appoints a national security expert to its governing trust:
Anthropic has added Richard Fontaine, a seasoned national security advisor, to its long-term benefit trust, which influences key company decisions.
Fontaine brings experience from his time advising Sen. John McCain and leading the Center for a New American Security.
This move follows Anthropic’s deeper push into defense, joining other AI firms like OpenAI, Meta, and Google in targeting national security partnerships.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕Other news
Rippling accuses Deel of corporate espionage, calls it a ‘criminal syndicate’:
Rippling’s updated lawsuit accuses Deel of infiltrating not only Rippling but at least four competitors, using tactics that allegedly include spying and stealing trade secrets.
The suit names Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz as the alleged mastermind, and invokes the federal RICO statute—typically used for criminal enterprises—raising the stakes significantly.
Deel denies the claims, calling them sensational and false, while countersuing Rippling for allegedly impersonating a customer to gather confidential product info.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities
Program Manager - Generator | USA - Apply Here
Investment Trainee - Hashkey Capital | USA - Apply Here
Investment Associate - Schreiber Ventures | USA - Apply Here
Senior Associate - M12 | USA - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - Peak Sustainability Venture | India - Apply Here
Startup Scouting Partner - 8state venture | UAE - Aplpy Here
Investor - Griffin Gaming Partner | USA - Apply Here
Staff Accountant - Energy Impact Partner | USA - Apply Here
Writer - First Round Capital | USA - Apply Here
Associate / Sr. Associate - Moneta Venture | USA - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - EXEO Fund | USA - Apply Here
All-In-One VC Interview Preparation Guide: With a leading investors group, we have created an all-in-one VC interview preparation guide for aspiring VCs. Don’t miss this. (Access Here)
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