☕ Musk’s xAI seeks $4.3 billion in equity funding, Meta failed to lure OpenAI talent with $100M offers & OpenAI-Microsoft tensions escalate over control and contracts
Meta AI warns your chats can be public & Trump to extend TikTok sale deadline again.
Humans are more sensitive to the smell of rain than sharks are to blood.
That earthy post-rain scent is called petrichor, and your nose is basically a bloodhound for it.
Take that, apex predators.
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📬 What’s in store:
Today’s Picks: Waitlist hacks, Founder tool stack, Financial model template, GenAI metrics, Legal docs pack, Growth tips, Valuation guide, GEO search shift, AI in research, Redefining “working”, 2700+ VC contacts.
Endeavor Catalyst, a New York-based firm raised $300 million Fund.
Sam Altman says Meta failed to lure OpenAI talent with $100M offers.
Social media is now the top news source in the US.
Meta AI warns your chats can be public.
Elon Musk’s xAI seeks $4.3 billion in new equity funding.
Meta is reportedly building AI smart glasses with Prada, too.
OpenAI’s $200M DoD contract could squeeze frenemy Microsoft.
US judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple’s iCloud practices to proceed.
Trump to extend TikTok sale deadline again despite legal challenges.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
⏱️ Read Time: 3 minutes
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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
Coralogix, a Boston, MA-based provider an observability platform to monitor and manage data in real time, raised $115M in Series E funding, at $1+ Billion valuation. The round was led by NewView Capital, with participation from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), NextEquity, Advent International, Brighton Park Capital, Revaia, Greenfield Partners, Red Dot Capital Partners, O.G. Tech, Joule Capital Partners, and Maor Investments.
Ramp, a NYC-based provider of a financial operations platform, raised $200M in Series E funding, at $16 Billion valuation. The round was led by Founders Fund, with participation from Thrive Capital, D1 Capital Partners, General Catalyst, GIC, ICONIQ Growth, Khosla Ventures, Sands Capital, 8VC, Lux Capital, Stripes, 137 Ventures, Avenir Growth, and Definition Capital.
ABM Respiratory Care, an Eagan, MN-based medical technology company developing airway clearance and ventilation solutions, raised $14.8M in Series B funding. The round was led by Peter Soderberg, with participation from Blue Wave Capital, alongside other new and existing investors.
Zoot, a NYC-based provider of a sweepstakes gaming platform bringing video game sensibilities to iGaming entertainment, raised $6M in Seed funding. The round was led by CoinFund, with participation from Griffin Gaming Partners.
Sword Health, a NYC-based AI care company, raised $40M in Series A funding, at $4 Billion valuation. The round was led by General Catalyst with participation from Khosla Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Lince Capital, Oxy Capital, Armilar, Indico Capital, and Shilling.
Quilt Health, a Boston, MA-based digital health company dedicated to bridging gaps in treatment access for complex diseases, raised $6M in Seed funding. The round was led by MaC Venture Capital and Underscore Ventures, with participation from Meridian Street Capital, BoxGroup, Watershed VC and Coalition Operators.
Hoppr, a Chicago, IL-based AI imaging applications company, raised $31M in series A funding. The round was led by Kivu and Greycroft, with participation from PSG Equity, Morningside Capital, Fortitude Ventures, and existing investor Health 2047.
Uncountable, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a platform for digital transformation in industrial research and development, raised $27M in Series A funding. The round was led by Sageview Capital, with participation from SE Ventures, Teamworthy, 8VC, and MK Capital.
Fiber Global, a Brownsburg, IN-based sustainable building materials company raised $20M in Series A funding. The round was led by DBL Partners, with Founder and Managing Partner Ira Ehrenpreis joining the Board of Directors.
Acorn, a Vancouver, Canada-based provider of an AI-powered performance and learning management platform, raised $12.3M in Series A funding. The round was led by Level Equity.
Extend, a NYC-based provider of an AI-native document processing platform, raised $17M in Series A funding. The round was led by Innovation Endeavors, with participation from Y Combinator, Homebrew, Character, and angel investors including Scott Belsky (former CSO of Adobe) and Guillermo Rauch (CEO of Vercel).
Nabla, a NYC-based a provider of an AI assistant services in clinical care, raised $70M in Series C funding. The round was led by HV Capital, with participation from Highland Europe, DST Global, and existing investors Cathay Innovation and Tony Fadell’s Build Collective.
SaturnX, a Dubai, UAE-based infrastructure provider for stablecoin-based cross-border payments, raised $3M in Seed funding. The round was led by White Star Capital, with participation from other investors.
Ubyx, a NYC-based provider of a stablecoin clearing system, raised $10M in Seed funding. The round was led by Galaxy Ventures with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Founders Fund, VanEck, Mirana Ventures, LayerZero, Paxos, Boku, Payoneer, and Monerium.
Celltrio, a Fremont, CA-based life sciences company delivering advanced automation solutions for cell culturing and cell and gene therapy, raised $15M in Funding. The round was led by Premier Partners.
Other Half, a Los Angeles, CA-based science-first pet wellness brand, raised $3M in Seed funding. The round was led by Willow Growth, with participation from Habitat Ventures and Off Leash Capital.
Corvia Medical, Inc, a Tewksbury, MA-based company dedicated to improve the treatment of heart failure, raised $55M in funding. Backers included Third Rock Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, AccelMed, Lumira Ventures, and two investors.
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
Endeavor Catalyst, a New York-based co-investment fund focused on emerging markets, is raising a $300 million Fund V, its largest yet. The fund will back high-growth startups across Africa, Latin America, MENA, and Southeast Asia. Its previous fund closed at $292M in 2022. The new raise would bring total AUM to over $800M, making it one of the most active VCs in emerging markets. Endeavor Catalyst has backed 360+ startups, including Flutterwave, Rappi, Tabby, and Insider, and counts Bill Ackman, Reid Hoffman, and Michael Dell among its LPs.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
Sam Altman says Meta failed to lure OpenAI talent with $100M offers:
Sam Altman confirmed Meta offered OpenAI employees $100M+ compensation packages to join its superintelligence team, but none of his top talent accepted.
Altman criticized Meta’s emphasis on money over mission, saying OpenAI’s focus on innovation and AGI gives it a stronger culture.
Despite Meta’s high-profile hires and investment in Scale AI, Altman believes OpenAI remains ahead and is even exploring AI-powered social media to rival Meta’s platforms.
Social media is now the top news source in the US:
Social media and video networks are now the primary news source in the U.S., with 54 percent of individuals getting news from platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
Globally, TikTok is the fastest-growing network for news, with 17 percent of people now using it, cementing social media's role as a key news source.
The platform X has also seen significant news user growth in the U.S. and U.K., particularly tripling its right-leaning audience stateside since Elon Musk's takeover.
Meta AI warns your chats can be public:
Meta AI now displays a specific pop-up message to warn users that prompts they choose to post will become public and visible to everyone.
Previously, some users shared sensitive personal information to the public Discovery feed, likely unaware their Meta AI chats could be seen by anyone.
Publishing chats requires users to tap "Share" then "Post to feed"; this action now triggers the clearer warning about making content public.
Elon Musk’s xAI seeks $4.3 billion in new equity funding:
Elon Musk’s xAI is reportedly raising $4.3 billion in equity funding, on top of a separate $5 billion debt raise tied to X and xAI.
The raise follows a $6 billion funding round in December, which the company is said to have already largely spent.
xAI builds resource-heavy AI products like the Grok chatbot and Aurora image generator, contributing to high burn rates.
Meta is reportedly building AI smart glasses with Prada, too:
Meta is reportedly developing AI-powered smart glasses in partnership with luxury fashion house Prada, aiming to broaden its reach beyond existing eyewear collaborations.
Prada has worked with eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica for years, though it’s not owned by the company, which also makes Ray-Ban and Oakley — both of which Meta has collaborated with.
This follows Meta’s tease of new Oakley smart glasses, expected to cost around $360 and possibly announced later this week.
OpenAI’s $200M DoD contract could squeeze frenemy Microsoft:
OpenAI secured a $200M contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to prototype AI systems for tasks like cyber defense and healthcare, under its new “OpenAI for Government” program.
The deal could create tension with Microsoft, which has long provided secure cloud services to the DoD and recently got its Azure OpenAI Service approved for classified use.
OpenAI’s direct work with the government signals growing independence, even as friction builds between the AI company and its biggest backer, Microsoft.
US judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple’s iCloud practices to proceed:
A California court denied Apple’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it unfairly restricts third-party cloud storage on iPhones.
Plaintiffs argue Apple holds a monopoly over iCloud by blocking access to core device backups for competitors.
Apple cited privacy and security concerns for limiting access, but the judge found the revised complaint sufficient to move forward.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕Other news
Trump to extend TikTok sale deadline again despite legal challenges:
President Trump will issue a third 90-day extension for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets, pushing the deadline to mid-September.
The extension aims to keep TikTok operational while ensuring user data security and completing a U.S.-based sale.
Critics, including Democratic senators, argue Trump lacks legal authority to extend the deadline and that the proposed deal may not meet legal standards.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities
Associate (Software Infrastructure) - Omerse Venture | USA - Apply Here
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Impact Investment Intern - Bharat Climate Startup | India - Apply Here
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Venture Investments Analyst - GSR | USA - Apply Here
Program Manager - Generator | USA - Apply Here
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