Gimlet Labs, founded by former Pixie co‑founders including Stanford adjunct professor Zain Asgar, announced an $80 million Series A led by Menlo Ventures. The startup’s “multi‑silicon inference cloud” software lets AI workloads run simultaneously across CPUs, GPUs, and high‑memory systems, promising 3‑to‑10× faster inference at the same cost and power. Partnerships with major chip makers such as NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, ARM, Cerebras and d‑Matrix support the platform, which targets large model labs and data‑center operators. The round brings total funding to $92 million and backs a team of 30 employees. Read more →

Helion, a fusion energy company backed by Sam Altman, is in early talks to supply electricity to OpenAI. The potential agreement could allocate a share of Helion's future output—estimated at several gigawatts by the early 2030s—to the AI firm. Helion’s approach uses magnetic conversion of fusion energy directly into electricity, a departure from traditional heat‑based methods. The company plans to scale rapidly, targeting hundreds of reactors that together could generate tens of gigawatts. Altman has stepped down from Helion’s board to facilitate the partnership, and Microsoft has already signed a similar power purchase agreement with Helion. Read more →

Paris‑Milan venture firm 360 Capital has raised €85 million for a new deep‑tech vehicle supported by at least one major European defence prime. The fund, which adds to the firm’s €500 million‑plus asset base, targets dual‑use technologies at the intersection of software, hardware and national security. Backed by defence contractors seeking faster access to innovative startups, the vehicle aims to bridge Europe’s slow, fragmented procurement processes and provide portfolio companies with strategic procurement pathways. The move reflects a broader shift toward defence‑linked deep‑tech investing across the continent. Read more →

AI‑focused companies captured a record share of venture capital, raising over $128 billion and accounting for 41 % of total funding. A handful of firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI secured multi‑billion‑dollar rounds, driving a K‑shaped market where capital is concentrated among a few high‑valuation startups. Newer venture funds that invested early in these AI ventures reported the strongest internal rate of return (IRR) in years, highlighting the rapid financial impact of the AI boom while underscoring the risk of a potentially over‑heated market. Read more →

Multiverse Computing, a Spanish startup focused on compressing large language models, has launched the CompactifAI app and a self‑serve API portal. The app lets users run a tiny, locally stored model called Gilda on compatible devices, routing to cloud‑based models when hardware limits are reached. The new API gives developers direct access to the compressed models without using third‑party marketplaces. Multiverse cites privacy, resilience and lower compute costs as key benefits, and already counts the Bank of Canada, Bosch and Iberdrola among its more than 100 global customers. The company, fresh from a $215 million Series B, is reportedly preparing another large funding round. Read more →

WhiteBridge AI, a Vilnius‑based platform that aggregates and verifies public information about individuals, announced a $3 million seed round led by FIRSTPICK VC. The round also included participation from First Degree, NGL.VC, Scalewolf.VC, BADideas.fund, Nectolabs, Plug and Play, and a group of angel investors. The new capital will fund expanded data source integrations, enhancements to verification and transparency infrastructure, and continued development of the people‑search and research engine. Founded in 2024, WhiteBridge AI aims to help businesses and individuals understand and manage online identity signals. Read more →