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Inside This Special Edition: Cause Coins

WYDE (Wyoming Decentralized Exchange) — $EAT “End Hunger” Token How Impact Tokens and Cause Coins are shaping the emerging new stack for charitable giving through Wyoming’s DUNA DAO legal framework.
How US Agrifoodtech funding is pivoting to AI-heavy tools: The USDA’s 2025–26 AI strategy explicitly leans on machine learning for yield prediction, pest surveillance, and disaster response. Smart Money is taking notice.
Other Top Deals of the week, Large Rounds, Exits, IPOs & VC News

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[OPEN DEAL]: WYDE Launches Causecoins With $EAT to End Hunger

Wyoming Decentralized Exchange is launching $EAT an ending hunger impact token in time for the holidays. This legal and financial innovation leverages blockchain to pioneer a new charity system enabled by Wyoming’s DUNA law for decentralized organizations, a DAO 2.0 legal framework.

Join the Waitlist before this $10T Impact Investing Infrastructure play launches on 10 December.

About WYDE — The Wyoming-based decentralized exchange is integrating charitable giving into crypto trading. A standard trading fee supports nonprofits, and token holders shape fund distribution and transparency.

What Are Causecoins? — Crypto tokens that automatically donate 1% to 5% of trading fees to verified nonprofits, eliminating the need for users to actively donate. Each token focuses on specific causes, 25% of fees route to charity via smart contracts.

You’re Early: There are only Three Other DUNA’s So Far

DUNI (Uniswap) — The world’s largest DeFi protocol tapped the DUNA framework to enhance its de-fi operations with legally compliant structures.
Syndicate Network Collective — The first operational DUNA for creators is pioneering new ways for creator communities to manage and monetize works.
Compound Foundation — Another proposed DeFi protocol-focused DUNA.

Legal DAOs — Are DUNAs DAO 2.0? They address issues like personal liability and tax compliance and offer legal recognition for decentralized governance. Challenges include untested court interpretations.

DUNA SNAP Funding — DUNAs may offer a solution to the $6B SNAP funding gap, enabling community-governed, transparent aid with support from a legal framework.

How To Take Part In the WYDE Launch?

WYDE Tokens will trade on Coinbase’s Base Blockchain using Clanker, an AI-driven token deployment platform on Base. Clanker was acquired by the Farcaster token launch app in October and has generated over $50M in fees, ranking 4th in revenue.

It will also leverage Pool.fans, which allows creators to convert token trading fees into tradeable ERC-20 Fee Tokens, offering access to illiquid revenue streams. The protocol charges a 1% fee benefiting $FANS stakers, creating diverse token exposure.

Agrifood-tech Funding

FEATURE ARTICLE

AI & Agrifood-tech Funding Projections For 2026

The Tech Buzz

Investors are shifting their focus to AI‑heavy tools that promise real efficiency, resilience, and margin improvement across the food value chain.

After a rough few years for agrifood-tech venture capital, 2024 marked a subtle rebound — and 2025 seems to be accelerating a clear shift in what kinds of companies are capturing investor dollars. According to the 2025 AgFunder Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report, U.S. agrifood-tech funding grew by 14% in 2024 — bucking the general downturn and signalling renewed investor interest.

Critically, much of that renewed interest is going into tools and businesses that leverage artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, or data-driven agronomy, rather than “classic” AgTech — such as hardware tractors or traditional inputs. In other words: there’s a clear tilt toward “digital + smart” agriculture.

What’s Driving the Tilt Toward AI-Heavy AgTech

Macro pressures and economic constraints have made investors more selective. Startups now need strong unit economics, scalability, and defensible differentiation — and AI offers that through data, software, and automation.

The global market for AI in agriculture is rapidly expanding. Forecasts suggest a significant CAGR over the next decade for AI-powered farming tools (sensors, predictive analytics, precision farming).

Real-world demand — for farmer labor relief, yield optimization, sustainable resource use — aligns neatly with what AI can deliver: smarter decision support, more efficient inputs, better risk management.

In short: AI-based AgTech addresses exactly those structural challenges (climate variability, labor shortages, input cost volatility) where “old-school” AgTech often struggles.

What This Shift Means — and the Tradeoffs

This AI-first re-orientation offers major advantages — but also comes with its own set of risks:

+ Pros: Better scalability; software-driven margins; high defensibility via data & algorithms; ability to deliver value per acre even at scale.
+ Cons: High upfront development cost; farms must adopt new workflows; requires data infrastructure; success depends on adoption across variable farm types (size, crop, geographies).

Selection bias risk: As investors focus on “digital + resilient” startups, pure biological or hardware-only agtech may struggle for capital — even if they offer ecological or sustainable benefits.

In other words: the winners may be those who combine AI/automation + biological or traditional agronomy — digital delivery + real-world agronomic impact.

Trends to Watch in 2026

More “hybrid” startups — combining AI, data analytics and biology/nutrition for soil and crop management (not just robots or marketplaces).

Regulatory & sustainability push — as climate pressures rise, regulators and buyers may favour systems that deliver environmental benefits via precision, which puts AI-based systems in prime position.

Farmer adoption/resilience — we’ll watch which of these AI-first innovations gain real-world traction at scale, and how much they actually move the needle on yield, input cost, and environmental footprint.

Continued investor concentration — fewer, bigger bets on startups that show realistic paths to scale and unit-economics — early-stage non-AI biologicals may have to work harder for funding.

IN THE MONEY

Companies that raised money in the past week and why they matter

Massive Deals

Kalshi — The prediction markets fintech raised $1B at an $11B valuation, led by Paradigm with Sequoia and a16z. Doubling its valuation in two months, it plans to expand into corporate risk management and partner with CNN for media coverage.

Black Forest Labs — The AI image generation startup raised $300M in Series B at a $3.25B valuation, co-led by Salesforce Ventures and AMP with backing from NVIDIA and a16z, aiming to enhance R&D and compete with OpenAI and Google.

Harvey — The Silicon Valley-based AI startup for law firms achieved an $8B valuation following a $160M Series F led by Andreessen Horowitz. Surpassed $100M in ARR and serves 50 top law firms

7AI — The cybersecurity startup secured $130M in a historic Series A to advance AI security agents. The funding will expand teams and enhance security operations, reducing investigation times and false positives for enterprises.

Curative — Secured over $150M in Series B funding at a $1.275B valuation. The company offers a $0-out-of-pocket health plan, boosting primary care and reducing hospitalizations, backed by Chris Anderson and Justin Mateen.

Antithesis — The blockchain stress-testing startup raised $105M in Series A led by Jane Street, with participation from Amplify Venture Partners and Spark Capital. With Ethereum as a notable user, revenue increased over 12x in two years.

Verkada — The San Mateo, CA-based physical security company reached a $5.8B valuation after a $100M funding round led by CapitalG. With over 30,000 customers, it's enhancing security monitoring with AI features to transform security.

Large Deals

Antares — The Torrance, CA-based nuclear energy startup raised $96M Series B led by Shine Capital to develop compact nuclear microreactors for remote areas by 2026.

Digital Asset — The blockchain compliance and privacy firm raised $50M from BNY, iCapital, Nasdaq, and S&P Global to scale the Canton Network, & a $135M round.

Xposure Music — Raised $42.5M through debt from Andalusian Credit Partners and equity from private investors to expand artist financing and catalog investments.

Nevis — The AI wealth management startup raised $35M Series A led by Sequoia, ICONIQ, and Ribbit. Founded by former Revolut execs, targeting firms with $50B+.

Yoodli — The Seattle-based AI-powered conversation practice startup raised $40M Series B led by WestBridge Capital, reporting 900% revenue growth last year and serving clients like SAP and Google.

Vinci4D Inc. — The simulation software company raised $46M from Xora Innovation, Eclipse, and Khosla to expand its AI-powered platform providing faster, accurate chip design simulations beyond thermal applications.

Nevis — Mark Swan’s new AI startup raised $40M from Sequoia to automate tasks like meeting summaries for wealth advisers, addressing a 100K0 adviser shortage in U.S. wealth management.

Smaller Deals

Pine — The AI startup automating digital chores raised $25M in Series A funding. With a 93% negotiation success rate saving users over $3M, the funds will scale operations and enhance AI learning.

Ostium — The decentralized exchange for real-world assets raised $24M, including a $20M Series A led by General Catalyst and Jump Crypto, with support from Coinbase Ventures, to expand asset coverage and infrastructure.

Simular — The AI automation startup founded by former Google DeepMind scientists raised $21.5M Series A to advance AI agents for desktop control. Partnering with Microsoft on Windows 365, it secured investment from NVIDIA's venture arm.

IMTC — The NYC-based fintech provider raised $12M Series A led by Nyca Partners to enhance their cloud-native portfolio and order management platform for asset and wealth management firms.

Unlimited Industries — The AI-native construction startup raised $12M in seed funding to integrate design and building processes, streamlining infrastructure projects by reducing pre-construction time and costs.

Built AI — Work-Bench leads a $6M Seed investment in the real estate AI platform that automates underwriting and financial modeling, with clients including Howard Hughes and CBRE.

Clipbook — The AI-powered media monitoring platform raised $3M in seed funding led by Mark Cuban. Founded by Adam Joseph, it serves 200 clients including Weber Shandwick and Boston Consulting Group.

EXIT WATCHING

Mergers & Acquisitions and IPOs

Netflix — Netflix has agreed to acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion to enhance user choice and optimize operations. The deal, backed by $59 billion in bank financing, includes a $5.8B breakup fee and faces potential regulatory scrutiny.

OpenAI — OpenAI is set to acquire Neptune, a startup focused on AI model training tools. This move aims to integrate Neptune's monitoring and debugging capabilities into OpenAI's training processes. The acquisition terms are undisclosed.

Meta — Meta is acquiring Limitless, an AI wearable startup known for its AI-powered pendant that records conversations and generates summaries. It supports Meta's goal to advance personal superintelligence via innovative wearable technology.

Bending Spoons — Bending Spoons acquired ticketing platform Eventbrite for $500M, well below its $1.76B IPO valuation. This purchase aligns with Bending Spoons' strategy of turning around struggling tech brands through cost-efficiency.

Anthropic — AI company Anthropic has acquired Bun, a fast JavaScript runtime, to enhance Claude Code, which recently reached $1B in run-rate revenue. This aims to boost performance and capabilities for AI-led software engineering.

Metronome — Stripe has acquired Metronome, a leading monetization solutions provider. This strategic acquisition will leverage Stripe's infrastructure to enhance Metronome's product offerings and customer service.

IPO Watch

Open or upcoming IPOs to watch:

Anthropic — Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, is preparing for a potential 2026 IPO, hiring Wilson Sonsini for legal assistance. The company plans a funding round to exceed a $300B valuation, following a recent $13B raise.

Wealthfront — Wealthfront, a digital wealth management firm based in the U.S., plans a $2.05B IPO, aiming to raise $485M by selling 34.6M shares at $12-$14 each. Targeting Millennials and Gen Z, it focuses on AI and fintech investment solutions.

Moore Threads — Chinese GPU manufacturer Moore Threads saw its shares surge over 400% in Shanghai, closing at 600.500 yuan after debuting at 114.28 yuan. The $1.1 billion IPO will fund R&D in domestically produced AI chips.