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Waymo Founder Sebastian Thrun Announces Founding of New Robotics Startup Dulo
According to Business Insider, Waymo founder Sebastian Thrun announced the founding of new robotics startup Dulo at the San Francisco robotics conference Actuate; the company is currently still in stealth mode. According to a webpage hosted by Stanford University, Dulo is dedicated to building a "foundation model for hardware design," with the goal of achieving "hyper-fast manufacturing." The team includes core talent from Waymo, Google Brain, and the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL). Thrun did not disclose funding details, product details, or launch timeline. Notably, in the first quarter of 2026, financing in the physical AI sector reached a record $16.3 billion.
SpaceX Previously Sought to Acquire AI Programming Startup Cognition, Both Parties Still Negotiating Cooperation
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, SpaceX approached AI programming startup Cognition to discuss a potential acquisition, but Cognition CEO Scott Wu explicitly stated that the company "will not sell and is not engaged in related negotiations." Sources familiar with the matter revealed that both parties are still discussing collaboration, including the possibility of Cognition using SpaceX's compute resources. Cognition achieved a valuation of $26 billion in a funding round this May and is currently seeking a new round of funding at a valuation of at least $40 billion.
AI Security Startup Mindgard Completes €26 Million Series A Funding Round, Led by Album VC
According to EU-Startups, AI security startup Mindgard announced the completion of a €26 million (approximately $30 million) Series A funding round, led by Album VC, with participation from Karma Ventures, .406 Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, IQ Capital, and Lakestar. Mindgard was founded by Dr. Peter Garraghan in 2022, incubated by Lancaster University in the UK, and is headquartered in Boston and London. The company's platform provides Shadow AI discovery, AI red teaming, and runtime AI protection capabilities, and has helped disclose over 150 high-impact AI security vulnerabilities, covering issues such as the Cursor IDE zero-day code execution vulnerability, Google Antigravity trusted workspace defects, and ChatGPT image generation protection failures.
AI Code Verification Startup Blacksmith Closes $45 Million Series B Round, Led by Peak XV Partners
According to TechCrunch, AI code verification startup Blacksmith announced the completion of a $45 million Series B funding round, led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from GV and Y Combinator, valuing the company at $550 million.
Naver D2SF Completes Third-Round Follow-On Investment in Physical AI Data Startup NdotLight
According to Yonhap News, Naver D2SF announced the completion of a follow-on investment in physical AI data startup NdotLight (엔닷라이트). This round of financing was led by the Korea Development Bank, with a total size of 15 billion Korean won. This is also Naver D2SF's third investment in the company following the Pre-A round in 2021 and the Series A round in 2022. NdotLight independently developed the 3D data generation solution TRINIX, which can automatically generate high-precision 3D data containing physical properties (mass, friction), joint structures, and collision range information, and is deeply integrated with NVIDIA's simulation platform Omniverse, achieving mass supply of large-scale high-quality 3D simulation datasets.
AI Supply Chain Management Startup Freehand Announces Completion of $75 Million Funding
According to TNW, AI supply chain management startup Freehand announced the completion of a $75 million funding round, co-led by Battery Ventures and NewRoad Capital Partners, with participation from Nexus Venture Partners and PSP Growth, a fund under former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. Freehand's AI agents can autonomously handle contract interpretation, supplier rate negotiation, overcharge bill identification, payment processing, and ERP system reconciliation, with clients covering top enterprises such as Meta, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Dunkin', and Cardinal Health.
On-chain lending platform Votre closes $3.75M seed round led by a16z CSX
On-chain lending platform Votre has raised $3.75 million in seed funding, led by a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator, with participation from MaC Venture Capital, Druid Ventures, and angel investors from Goldman Sachs, Harvard University, and OrangeDAO. Founded in 2025, Votre operates a non-custodial crypto lending platform on Coinbase’s Base Layer 2 network, enabling users to borrow USD—settled the same day—using Bitcoin as collateral, with loan sizes ranging from approximately $25,000 to $5 million. The funds will be used to scale technical infrastructure, increase platform capacity, enhance liquidity management tools, and strengthen risk and compliance systems.
Polymarket to Investigate “Insider Copy-Trading” Startup Amid Concerns Over Potential Market Manipulation
According to The Information, prediction market Polymarket has announced audits of several early-stage startups integrated into its ecosystem. These startups had previously been accused of identifying and distributing suspected “insider trading accounts” to steer users into copy-trading those accounts. Among the implicated projects are Kreo—which touts itself as a service for “detecting insider accounts ahead of time”—and Polycool—which offers an “insider trading guide.” By pushing suspicious account trading data to users, these platforms have amplified market concerns about insider trading and market manipulation. Polymarket’s move signals its strengthened compliance oversight of its ecosystem, following sustained external scrutiny over potential insider trading risks in prediction markets.
AI Security Startup Mindgard Completes €26 Million Series A Funding Round, Led by Album VC
According to EU-Startups, AI security startup Mindgard announced the completion of a €26 million (approximately $30 million) Series A funding round, led by Album VC, with participation from Karma Ventures, .406 Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, IQ Capital, and Lakestar. Mindgard was founded by Dr. Peter Garraghan in 2022, incubated by Lancaster University in the UK, and is headquartered in Boston and London. The company's platform provides Shadow AI discovery, AI red teaming, and runtime AI protection capabilities, and has helped disclose over 150 high-impact AI security vulnerabilities, covering issues such as the Cursor IDE zero-day code execution vulnerability, Google Antigravity trusted workspace defects, and ChatGPT image generation protection failures.
Citadel Securities Sues Former Employee for Over $7.9 Million Over Crypto Startup
Citadel Securities has filed a lawsuit in London, seeking over £6 million (approximately $7.9 million) from Leonard Lancia, its former European Head of Derivatives Systematic Market Making and co-founder of high-frequency crypto trading firm Portofino Technologies.Citadel Securities alleges that Leonard Lancia and his colleagues began planning their startup while still employed, and has won damages and legal cost support in related labor arbitration. Additionally, Citadel Securities filed a lawsuit against Portofino Technologies in the US in 2023, accusing it of stealing trade secrets. Leonard Lancia and Portofino Technologies have denied all allegations. The High Court in London rejected Leonard Lancia's request to lift the asset freezing order last Friday. (Bloomberg)
Waymo Founder Sebastian Thrun Announces Founding of New Robotics Startup Dulo
According to Business Insider, Waymo founder Sebastian Thrun announced the founding of new robotics startup Dulo at the San Francisco robotics conference Actuate; the company is currently still in stealth mode. According to a webpage hosted by Stanford University, Dulo is dedicated to building a "foundation model for hardware design," with the goal of achieving "hyper-fast manufacturing." The team includes core talent from Waymo, Google Brain, and the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL). Thrun did not disclose funding details, product details, or launch timeline. Notably, in the first quarter of 2026, financing in the physical AI sector reached a record $16.3 billion.
Former Alibaba AI Architect Lin Junyang Founds AI Agent Startup, Secures Backing from Tencent and Multiple VCs
According to Bloomberg, former Alibaba flagship model chief architect Lin Junyang recently announced on the X platform the founding of a new company, focusing on developing AI agents for the digital and physical worlds. This comes less than half a year after his unexpected departure from Alibaba. The company has received investment support from Tencent Holdings and several top Chinese venture capital firms.
Naver D2SF Completes Third-Round Follow-On Investment in Physical AI Data Startup NdotLight
According to Yonhap News, Naver D2SF announced the completion of a follow-on investment in physical AI data startup NdotLight (엔닷라이트). This round of financing was led by the Korea Development Bank, with a total size of 15 billion Korean won. This is also Naver D2SF's third investment in the company following the Pre-A round in 2021 and the Series A round in 2022. NdotLight independently developed the 3D data generation solution TRINIX, which can automatically generate high-precision 3D data containing physical properties (mass, friction), joint structures, and collision range information, and is deeply integrated with NVIDIA's simulation platform Omniverse, achieving mass supply of large-scale high-quality 3D simulation datasets.
OpenAI Acquires Presentation Startup NextSlide, Team Joins ChatGPT Project
Odaily News: Presentation startup NextSlide announced its integration into OpenAI, with team members now involved in ChatGPT-related work. NextSlide founder Ahmed Beshry stated that the company's previously developed product can generate editable presentations from prompts, notes, documents, or research materials. Beshry noted that upon joining OpenAI, the team will continue developing AI products that help users create, communicate, and express their ideas.The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Beshry indicated that the acquisition actually took place earlier this year, with this announcement coming several months after the deal was completed. (TechCrunch)
Situational Awareness Heavy Investment Target Revealed: $400 Million Invested in Semiconductor Manufacturing Startup Source Foundry
According to Bloomberg, former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner's AI fund Situational Awareness invested $400 million this week to back a private company, semiconductor manufacturing startup Source Foundry. It is reported that VC giant Sequoia Capital also supports the startup. As of now, representatives of Situational Awareness and Source Foundry have not responded to requests for comment, while Sequoia Capital declined to confirm the hedge fund's investment details. According to reports, Source Foundry is dedicated to developing a semiconductor manufacturing process that is simpler, lower-cost, and faster than existing methods, aiming to bridge the widening gap between artificial intelligence computing demand and chip manufacturing capacity expansion capabilities. Analysts believe that Leopold Aschenbrenner's large-scale investment reflects the market's continued strong demand for new chip manufacturing technologies, as artificial intelligence developers' demand for computing power continues to grow. However, this investment also reveals that Situational Awareness had already established highly concentrated risk exposure before its public technology holdings encountered severe volatility and the fund came under significant financial pressure.
OpenAI Acquires Patents from AI Chip Startup Rain AI After Previous Acquisition Negotiations Failed
According to The Information, OpenAI has acquired some patent assets from AI chip startup Rain AI, following negotiations between the two parties regarding the acquisition that ultimately failed to close. Rain AI is a startup focused on AI chip research and development, founded approximately 8 years ago, with investors including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The report states that due to the failure of the acquisition plan, Rain AI has nearly ceased operations recently, and most employees have left the company. This patent acquisition indicates that although some companies personally invested in by Altman may have business collaborations with OpenAI, this does not mean that all invested companies will receive direct support from OpenAI. Rain AI was previously dedicated to developing specialized chips for artificial intelligence computing, hoping to reduce AI model operating costs through customized hardware and enhance edge computing capabilities. As competition in AI infrastructure intensifies, chips, computing power, and energy have become core strategic resources for large AI companies. Industry insiders believe that OpenAI's acquisition of Rain AI's relevant patents may be aimed at absorbing its technical assets to strengthen its own positioning in the fields of AI hardware and computing infrastructure.
Related news
Waymo Founder Sebastian Thrun Announces Founding of New Robotics Startup Dulo
According to Business Insider, Waymo founder Sebastian Thrun announced the founding of new robotics startup Dulo at the San Francisco robotics conference Actuate; the company is currently still in stealth mode. According to a webpage hosted by Stanford University, Dulo is dedicated to building a "foundation model for hardware design," with the goal of achieving "hyper-fast manufacturing." The team includes core talent from Waymo, Google Brain, and the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL). Thrun did not disclose funding details, product details, or launch timeline. Notably, in the first quarter of 2026, financing in the physical AI sector reached a record $16.3 billion.
SpaceX Previously Sought to Acquire AI Programming Startup Cognition, Both Parties Still Negotiating Cooperation
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, SpaceX approached AI programming startup Cognition to discuss a potential acquisition, but Cognition CEO Scott Wu explicitly stated that the company "will not sell and is not engaged in related negotiations." Sources familiar with the matter revealed that both parties are still discussing collaboration, including the possibility of Cognition using SpaceX's compute resources. Cognition achieved a valuation of $26 billion in a funding round this May and is currently seeking a new round of funding at a valuation of at least $40 billion.
AI Security Startup Mindgard Completes €26 Million Series A Funding Round, Led by Album VC
According to EU-Startups, AI security startup Mindgard announced the completion of a €26 million (approximately $30 million) Series A funding round, led by Album VC, with participation from Karma Ventures, .406 Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, IQ Capital, and Lakestar. Mindgard was founded by Dr. Peter Garraghan in 2022, incubated by Lancaster University in the UK, and is headquartered in Boston and London. The company's platform provides Shadow AI discovery, AI red teaming, and runtime AI protection capabilities, and has helped disclose over 150 high-impact AI security vulnerabilities, covering issues such as the Cursor IDE zero-day code execution vulnerability, Google Antigravity trusted workspace defects, and ChatGPT image generation protection failures.
AI Code Verification Startup Blacksmith Closes $45 Million Series B Round, Led by Peak XV Partners
According to TechCrunch, AI code verification startup Blacksmith announced the completion of a $45 million Series B funding round, led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from GV and Y Combinator, valuing the company at $550 million.
Former Alibaba AI Architect Lin Junyang Founds AI Agent Startup, Secures Backing from Tencent and Multiple VCs
According to Bloomberg, former Alibaba flagship model chief architect Lin Junyang recently announced on the X platform the founding of a new company, focusing on developing AI agents for the digital and physical worlds. This comes less than half a year after his unexpected departure from Alibaba. The company has received investment support from Tencent Holdings and several top Chinese venture capital firms.
Naver D2SF Completes Third-Round Follow-On Investment in Physical AI Data Startup NdotLight
According to Yonhap News, Naver D2SF announced the completion of a follow-on investment in physical AI data startup NdotLight (엔닷라이트). This round of financing was led by the Korea Development Bank, with a total size of 15 billion Korean won. This is also Naver D2SF's third investment in the company following the Pre-A round in 2021 and the Series A round in 2022. NdotLight independently developed the 3D data generation solution TRINIX, which can automatically generate high-precision 3D data containing physical properties (mass, friction), joint structures, and collision range information, and is deeply integrated with NVIDIA's simulation platform Omniverse, achieving mass supply of large-scale high-quality 3D simulation datasets.