☕ OpenAI to launch audio-first personal device & SoftBank completes $41 billion investment in OpenAI.
Neuralink plans high volume brain implant production by 2026 & Nvidia to license AI chip challenger Groq’s tech and hire its CEO.
👋 Welcome to the first edition of 2026.
Happy New Year to all our readers, wishing you a healthy, focused, and successful year ahead 🎊
What to expect: In the upcoming weeks, you’ll see a slightly refreshed format with more curated, high-signal resources for founders and investors.
Let’s get started.
📬 What’s in store:
VCs predict enterprises will spend more on AI in 2026 through fewer vendors.
OpenAI to launch audio-first personal device this year.
Meta just bought Manus for $2 billion.
Nvidia to license AI chip challenger Groq’s tech and hire its CEO.
Neuralink plans high volume brain implant production by 2026.
SoftBank completes $41 billion investment in OpenAI.
Google is letting some people change their gmail address.
OpenAI is looking for a new Head of Preparedness.
European banks plan to cut 200,000 jobs as AI takes hold.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
CURATED RESOURCES
🎅 Fundraising curated resources for you -
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Investor lists that work.
Financial models that make sense.
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Templates that save hours.
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Investor Databases (Email + LinkedIn)
Fundraising Tools
Strategic Templates
The Founder’s Guide to Building in Public (With 20+ Real Examples)
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Legal & Operational
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STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
Architect Financial Technologies, a Chicago, Illinois-based provider of institutional trading technology and global derivatives exchange services, raised $35M in Series A funding. The round was led by Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MIAX) and Tioga Capital, with participation from Galaxy Ventures, ARK Invest, VanEck, Trumid, Geneva Trading, Coinbase Ventures, Strobe Ventures, CMT Digital, and Third Kind Venture Capital.
Kargo, a San Francisco, California based-provider of industrial artificial intelligence technology for supply chain and logistics, raised $42M in Series B funding. The round was led by Avenir Growth, with participation from Linse Capital, Hearst Ventures, Lightbank, Matter Venture Partners, and Sozo Ventures.
Lemon Slice, a San Francisco, CA-based builder of foundational technology that transforms a single photo into interactive, conversational video, raised $10.5m in seed funding. Backers included Matrix Partners, Y Combinator, Arash Ferdowsi (CTO Dropbox), Emmett Shear (CEO Twitch), and EDM-pop duo, The Chainsmokers.
Traini, a Palo Alto, CA–based pet emotional intelligence startup, closed a $7.5m funding round. The round was led by Banyan Tree, Silver Capital, ZhaoTai Group, and NYX Ventures, with participation from Starting Gate Fund, Jade Capital, and tech investors including Julian Qian (Member of technical staff at Anthropic).
Vibranium Labs, a NYC-based provider of AI-powered incident management solutions that help on-call engineering and SRE teams proactively detect, triage, and resolve infrastructure issues in real time, raised $4.6m in seed funding. The round was led by Calibrate Ventures and Mirae Asset with participation from Franklin Templeton, Plug and Play, Gaingels, Wildcard Capital, FalconX, and DCG.
Truemed, an Austin, Texas based-provider of a health savings account (HSA) and flexible spending account (FSA) payment marketplace, raised $34M in Series A funding. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, BoxGroup, and Trust Ventures.
ZeroPhase, a Munich, Germany-based defense tech startup, raised $6.8m in seed funding. The round was led by BlueYard Capital.
Speed1, Inc., a Dubai, UAE-based builder of Bitcoin and stablecoin payment infrastructure, raised $8m in funding. The round was co-led by Tether and Ego Death Capital.
Peripheral Labs, a Toronto, Canada-based developer of an AI-driven neural rendering platform for immersive sports replays, raised $3.6m in seed funding. The round was led by Khosla Ventures with participation from Daybreak Capital, Entrepreneurs First, Transpose Platform, and various angel investors.
Ciphero, a NYC-based based developer of an AI verification and security platform for enterprise environments, raised $2.5m in pre-seed funding. The round was co-led by Sovereign’s Capital and Chingona Ventures, with participation from Lotus Venture Partners, BlueWing Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Everywhere Ventures, Hustle Fund, Propeller, Viaka, and Fc Centripetal.
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
VCs predict enterprises will spend more on AI in 2026 through fewer vendors
Enterprise AI budgets are expected to rise in 2026, but spending will concentrate on fewer vendors as companies move away from broad experimentation and start picking clear winners, according to a survey of enterprise-focused VCs.
Investors from firms like Databricks, Snowflake, and Asymmetric Capital Partners say enterprises will cut overlapping tools, consolidate contracts, and double down on AI products that show measurable ROI.
This shift could favor startups with proprietary data, strong moats, or vertical-specific solutions, while many general-purpose AI startups may see pilots stall and revenue growth flatten as budgets narrow.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
OpenAI bets big on audio as Silicon Valley declares war on screens
OpenAI is reorganizing teams and upgrading its audio models ahead of an audio-first personal device expected in 2026, aiming for more natural, interruptible, real-time conversations without relying on screens.
The shift mirrors a broader industry move: Meta is enhancing AI glasses for clearer conversations, Google is testing audio summaries for search, and Tesla is integrating conversational AI into cars.
With Jony Ive involved in OpenAI’s hardware efforts, the company sees audio-first interfaces as a way to reduce screen dependence and turn everyday spaces into conversational control surfaces.
Meta just bought Manus for $2 billion:
Meta is acquiring Manus for around $2B, targeting a fast growing AI agent platform already generating over $100M in annual recurring revenue.
Manus gained attention for AI agents that handle real tasks like hiring, travel planning, and portfolio analysis, and was previously valued at $500M after a Benchmark led round in early 2025.
Mark Zuckerberg plans to keep Manus independent while integrating its agents into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with Meta stating the startup will cut all China ties post acquisition.
Nvidia to license AI chip challenger Groq’s tech and hire its CEO
Nvidia has signed a non exclusive licensing deal with Groq and will bring Groq founder Jonathan Ross, president Sunny Madra, and other staff in house as part of the agreement.
CNBC reports Nvidia is buying certain Groq assets for up to $20B, which Nvidia clarified is not an outright acquisition, though it would still be the company’s largest deal to date if confirmed.
Groq is best known for its LPU chips, which it claims can run large language models far faster and more efficiently than GPUs, making the deal a strategic move for Nvidia as AI compute demand continues to surge.
Neuralink plans high volume brain implant production by 2026
Neuralink plans to begin high volume production of its brain computer interface devices in 2026 and shift to fully automated surgical procedures, according to Elon Musk.
The implant is designed to help people with spinal cord injuries and paralysis, with early patients already using it to play games, browse the internet, and control devices using thought.
Neuralink started human trials in 2024 after FDA clearance, has implanted devices in 12 patients so far, and raised $650 million in funding in June to scale its technology.
SoftBank completes $41 billion investment in OpenAI
SoftBank Group has completed a $41 billion investment in OpenAI, giving it roughly an 11% stake in the ChatGPT maker in one of the largest private funding rounds ever.
The deal values OpenAI at about $300 billion post money, with a later secondary sale in October pushing its valuation closer to $500 billion, according to PitchBook data.
The investment deepens SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s all in bet on AI, including backing OpenAI’s massive Stargate data center project alongside partners like Oracle.
Google is letting some people change their @gmail address
Google is testing a feature that lets users replace their existing @gmail.com address with a new one while keeping the old address as an alias.
Emails sent to the old address will still arrive, all data stays intact, and users can switch back to the original address anytime.
The change is limited to once per year, with a maximum of three new addresses, and the rollout is gradual with limited availability so far.
OpenAI is looking for a new Head of Preparedness
OpenAI is hiring a senior executive to lead its Preparedness function, focused on identifying and managing emerging AI risks across areas like cybersecurity, mental health, and biosecurity.
CEO Sam Altman said current models are creating real challenges, including finding serious software vulnerabilities and influencing user mental health, making proactive risk governance increasingly critical.
The role will own OpenAI’s Preparedness Framework and pays around $555,000 plus equity, following recent leadership changes and heightened scrutiny around AI safety and societal impact.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other news
European banks plan to cut 200,000 jobs as AI takes hold
More than 200,000 jobs — around 10% of the workforce across 35 major European banks — could be eliminated by 2030 as lenders adopt AI and close physical branches, according to a Morgan Stanley analysis cited by the Financial Times.
The deepest cuts are expected in back-office functions like risk management, compliance, and operations, where banks believe AI can drive efficiency gains of up to 30% by automating data-heavy and repetitive work.
The trend isn’t limited to Europe: Goldman Sachs has already warned U.S. staff of job cuts and a hiring freeze tied to its AI-driven “OneGS 3.0” initiative, while banks like ABN Amro and Société Générale are publicly committing to major workforce reductions — even as some leaders caution that hollowing out junior roles could weaken banks over the long term.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities
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)
Portfolio Management Lead - Yzi Labs | Remote - Apply Here
Associate or Senior Associate - Headline | USA - Apply Here
Office Manager - Seedcamp | USA - Apply Here
VC Scout Intern - Forward Fund | Remote - Apply Here
Intern, Investor Relations Operations - B Capital Group | Singapore - Apply Here
(Senior) Investment Manager - Finch Capital | USA - Apply Here
Principal - Redesign Health | USA - Apply Here
Partner - a16z | USA - Apply Here
Investment Associate - Energy Impact Partner | London - Apply Here
Venture Capitalist - Sasal | USA - Apply Here
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