Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Venture Capital
- Fal, an SF-based AI video, image, and audio models startup, raised $1.3b at a $16b valuation led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Nvidia, Sound Ventures, and T. Rowe Price joined. Go deeper
- Nooks, an SF-based revenue agent platform, raised $500m from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund. Go deeper
- Applied Compute, a developer of custom open-source AI models for enterprises, raised $350m at a $3.25b valuation. Elad Gil led, joined by Kleiner Perkins, Lux Capital, Hanabi Capital, Nvidia, Blackstone, Shopify Ventures, HubSpot Ventures, Diffusion, Definition, Timeless, Layer Global, Neo, Abstract, Nova, Quantum Light, First Harmonic, and Swish. Go deeper
- Sentra, an Israeli AI security startup, raised $150m led by Capital One Ventures. Go deeper
- Traversal, an NYC-based observability and site reliability startup, raised $120m at a $1b valuation from Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. Go deeper
- Ocient, a Chicago-based data warehouse and unified AI analytics platform, raised $100m in Series C funding, per Axios Pro. Boka Capital and OCA Ventures led, joined by insiders Greycroft, In-Q-Tel, Blue Bear Capital, Buoyant Ventures, PSP Growth, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, and Eron Wolf. Go deeper
- 42AI, an Israeli behavioral world AI model developer, raised a $62.5m seed round from its founders and the Infinity Group. Go deeper
- Trajectory, a tool to post-train models, raised $45m in Series A funding at a $300m post-money valuation. Sequoia Capital led, joined by Nvidia, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Bain Capital Ventures. Go deeper
- Lazarus AI, a Boston-based enterprise AI startup, raised $43m from QBE, Mucker Capital, Motivate Ventures, State Farm Ventures, Wave Function Ventures, Indelible Solutions, Joyance Partners, AllegisNL Capital, One Way Ventures, AngelList, Techstars, and Plug and Play. Go deeper
- Larridin, a South SF-based AI value measurement platform, raised $30m in Series A funding. Pelion Ventures led, joined by a16z, Gradient Ventures, GFT, W23, Thayer, DG Daiwa Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and Cougar Capital. Go deeper
- Brava Security, a threat detection startup, raised $15m led by Pitango and F2, per Axios Pro. Go deeper
- Guava, an LA-based developer platform for voice agents, raised $12.5m in seed funding, per Axios Pro. Acrew Capital led, joined by Fourish Ventures, WillowTree Ventures, Clocktower Ventures, and insider Commerce Ventures. Go deeper
- Journify, an SF-based ad signal infrastructure startup, raised $12m in Series A funding. Al Mada Ventures led, joined by Silicon Badia, Shorooq, Bunat Ventures, Du Ventures, and Oraseya Capital. Go deeper
- Clark, an NYC-based developer of audit agents, raised $11m in seed funding. Touring Capital led, joined by insiders Marathon Management Partners, Rerail, and Sofeon Ventures. Go deeper
- Kabilio, a Spanish AI accounting platform, raised €10m. Picus Capital and Visionaries led, joined by CDTI. Go deeper
Private equity
- Brite, a Sole Source Capital portfolio company, acquired Xobee Networks, a Fresno, Calif.-based provider of managed IT and cybersecurity services. Go deeper
- Main Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in 21south, a Dutch provider of ERP software for waste management and environmental services firms. Go deeper
Liquidity
- Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG) is in late-stage talks to acquire Howie AI, an AI scheduling assistant for businesses, per Axios Pro. Howie previously raised a $6m seed round led by True Ventures. Go deeper
- Cognition, valued by VCs at $46b, acquired Corridor, an AI code-security startup that had raised $31m from backers like Conviction, Felicis, Datadog, SV Angel, Sunflower Capital, Timeless, Artisanal Ventures, and Lux Capital. Go deeper
- Copado, a VC-backed business applications operator, acquired Valo.ai, an intelligence and governance platform for Salesforce environments that was seeded by Spintop Ventures and Inventure. Go deeper
- CrowdStrike (Nasdaq: CRWD) agreed to acquire Dreadnode, a provider of automated AI security testing that had raised $14m from Decibel Partners, Sands Capital, Next Frontier Capital, Indie.vc, and In-Q-Tel. Go deeper
- CrowdStrike (Nasdaq: CRWD) agreed to acquire Palo Alto, Calif.-based Fiddler AI, an observability software developer for monitoring AI agents, for $400m. Fiddler had raised nearly $100m from backers including Capgemini Ventures, LDV Partners, LG Technology Ventures, Cisco Investments, Samsung NEXT Ventures, Mozilla Ventures, In-Q-Tel, Insight Partners, Lux Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Go deeper
- Dropbox plans to acquire Sunnyvale, California-based localized data storage startup Tigris Data for $350m. Tigris had raised $39m from backers including Spark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst and Materialized View Capital. Go deeper
- IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) completed its $1.15b buyout of Elisity, a San Jose, Calif. provider of identity-based network microsegmentation that had raised $78m from Insight Partners, Chevron Technology Ventures, TCV, Atlantic Bridge Capital, Rain Capital, Two Bear Capital, AllegisCyber, Hyperlink Ventures, and SaaS Ventures. Go deeper
- Omen AI, an SF-based liquid-cooling sensor developer, acquired Cambridge, Mass.-based fluid monitoring startup Aquatic Labs in a $16m cash-and-stock deal. Aquatic Labs has raised $4.75m from Future Planet Capital, Burnt Island Ventures, Counteract Ventures, Ponderosa Ventures, and Propeller. Go deeper
- Salesforce (Nasdaq: CRM) agreed to acquire Cresta, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AI call-center company, for a reported $2.7b. Cresta had raised more than $280m from firms like a16z, Sequoia Capital, Greylock, JPMorgan, WiL, QIA, and Tiger Global. Go deeper
M&A
- Meta (Nasdaq: META) acquired Conductor, an AI coding startup that had raised over $24m from Batch Ventures, Spark Capital, Matrix, and (now Meta AI exec) Alexandr Wang. Go deeper
