AI funding and deals news
Funding rounds, valuations, acquisitions and IPOs of AI startups, plus Big Tech AI spending and earnings, each with links to the original reports.
- Funding
DeepSec completes ~RMB 100B funding
Chinese AI company DeepSeek announced the completion of a funding round of nearly RMB 100 billion. CATL and Tencent participated in the investment.
- Funding
OpenAI raises up to $30 billion with lowered valuation target
OpenAI is closing a funding round of up to $30 billion. To facilitate the deal, the company lowered its valuation target, reflecting shifts in the AI investment landscape.
- Funding
DeepSec Secures RMB 10B Funding for Embodied AI
DeepSec completed a funding round of approximately RMB 10 billion, partnering with Perfect World and other industrial investors. The doubled raise signals its heavy investment in embodied intelligence.
- Funding
Yizhu Technology raises over 1 billion yuan to accelerate memory-compute integration
China-based AI chip company Yizhu Technology secured over 1 billion yuan in funding to focus on its General-purpose Processing-in-Memory (GP-IMC) architecture. The capital will support R&D for 3D DRAM memory-compute integration, aiming to provide low-power, cost-effective AI computing solutions.
- Funding
Chinese AI tennis robots secure multi-million dollar funding on Kickstarter
At least four AI ball robots developed by Chinese teams raised million-dollar funding on Kickstarter over the past year. Pongbot raised $2.65 million with a high overfunding rate, while SwitchBot's Acemate secured $1.8 million in 30 days. This highlights the commercialization potential of AI hardware in vertical markets, prompting discussions on product definition and technical challenges.
- Funding
Anthropic IPO valuation reportedly drops to $1.5T
Anthropic is set to file for its IPO this week, with valuation reportedly dropping from $2 trillion to $1.5 trillion. Analysts note heavy revenue concentration in its top two clients and ongoing concerns over model testing and safety policies.
- Funding
Ex-OpenAI Product Head Raises for Warp Sciences
Kevin Weil, former product head at OpenAI, founded Warp Sciences, a medtech startup combining AI and robotics. The company completed a $215 million Series A round led by Lightspeed at a $865 million post-money valuation. Warp Sciences aims to accelerate drug discovery using AI technology.
- Funding
DeepSeek reportedly completes 100 billion RMB funding round
Reports indicate DeepSeek raised approximately 100 billion RMB in a new funding round led by Tencent and CATL. The capital will support model training and compute infrastructure, aiding its global competitiveness and potential IPO.
- Funding
OpenAI prepares $30B raise at $1.25T valuation
OpenAI is preparing a $30 billion funding round at a valuation of approximately $1.25 trillion. If successful, OpenAI would become the most highly valued private company in history.
- Funding
SpaceX to Borrow $40B for Nvidia Chips
SpaceX plans to borrow $40 billion to purchase Nvidia chips. The company and Tesla have formed special committees to discuss a merger, highlighting the financial impact of AI compute demand.
- Funding
Nirva raises $33M for AI pendant device
Nirva has raised $33 million to develop its $249 ambient AI pendant, which is designed to listen only. The company expects to ship the device by the end of the year.
- Funding
DeepSeek reportedly raises $15B amid US restrictions
DeepSeek has reportedly raised $15 billion, marking one of the largest funding rounds in China. The news emerged days after the US ordered federal agencies to remove its technology over national security concerns.
- Funding
Tesla profit halved as Musk claims FSD dominance
Tesla's profit halved, causing its market value to drop below that of General Motors. Elon Musk stated that FSD will lead in the Chinese market, noting the feature gained 700,000 new paid users in a year.
- Funding
Meta issues Class C shares to fund AI investments
Meta announced the creation of non-voting Class C common shares in January 2027 to fund AI infrastructure, acquisitions, and employee compensation. The move maintains CEO Mark Zuckerberg's control and will result in a stock split for existing shareholders.
- Funding
Meta Q3 revenue up 26%; AI capex up to $145B
Meta reported Q3 2026 revenue of $64.6B, up 26% year-over-year. It forecasts annual capex of $135B–$145B to expand AI infrastructure, signaling continued heavy AI investment.
- Funding
Blackstone exec says AI buildout debt fears are overblown
Jas Khaira, head of AI at Blackstone, stated that market fears over debt related to AI infrastructure buildout are overblown. He explained why the private equity giant is not panicked by market jitters. The comments reflect the firm's assessment of long-term financing risks in AI.
- Funding
Meta Plans New Stock Class to Fund AI Buildout
Meta is planning to create a new class of stock to help fund its broad investments in AI models and services. This move aims to provide a sustained source of capital for its large-scale AI infrastructure buildout.
- Funding
Meta issues new shares to fund AI push
Meta announced the issuance of non-voting shares to fund AI infrastructure expansion and potential acquisitions, with trading starting in 2027. The company cites the massive investment scale required to sustain growth and compete effectively.
- Funding
Blacksmith reaches unicorn valuation after $66M Series C
AI coding platform Blacksmith closed a $66 million Series C round led by Sequoia, valuing the company at $1 billion. The company helps enterprises build and test AI code more effectively, and the funding will support its growth.
- Funding
Anthropic cloud partnerships tense ahead of IPO
Reports indicate Anthropic is struggling to secure enough compute from cloud providers that view it as a competitor ahead of a planned November IPO. Its infrastructure spending is ballooning, highlighting the complexity of its cloud partnerships.
- Funding
SpaceX hits profitability in Q3, driven by AI business
SpaceX reported a net income of $4.4 billion in the third quarter, achieving profitability with its AI business cited as the primary engine. This highlights the commercial impact of combining space operations with AI compute resources.
- Funding
OpenAI acquires Orchestra Bio to expand AI biotech efforts
OpenAI acquired biotech startup Orchestra Bio to integrate its team and technology into Rosalind, its life sciences AI model, and the Rosalind Workbench tool. This move marks OpenAI's continued expansion into biomedical applications.
- Funding
Eric Schmidt holds significant Anthropic stake
Reports indicate Eric Schmidt holds about half the stake in Anthropic compared to CEO Dario Amodei. This highlights his significant equity position in the AI company.
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