SignalPulse:

WHAT’S INSIDE

• Tech Company Watch: Macrohard, Scale A, Polymarket, Lovable, Labubu

• Big Movers: The Big tech movers, shakers and partnerships this week

• Making Waves: Companies making a buzz in the Tech world

• Open Deals: Startups raising capital this week

• In The Money: Significant raises last week and why they matter

• Exit Watching: Mergers & Acquisitions and IPOs

• The Funding Buzz: VC & PE Activity To Watch

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BIG MOVERS

Big tech moves, movers and trends to watch this week

Nvidia's Mixed Bag — Nvidia beats on Q2 revenue of $46.74B. Stock dipped on a data center revenue miss. Projects $54B for Q3, & $3-4T AI infra spend by 2030. Huang eyes $50B opportunity in China's AI chip market, projects 50% growth p/a.

Google — Major AI reveals: (1) agentic features in Search AI Mode for personalized assistance; (2) Launching 'Gemini for Government' with enterprise search and customizable AI agents supporting the OneGov Strategy andAI Action Plan; and (3) Building a small modular nuclear reactor with TVA.

Apple — Weighing acquisitions of Mistral and Perplexity amid debates on AI strategy driven by risks to the lucrative Google search deal as rivals advance in AI. Goldman predicts 5% revenue growth for iPhones in 2025 with the iPhone 17 event coming on Sept 9 to unveil a super-thin iPhone, new Watches, and AirPods.

Meta — Reorganized its AI ops into four teams to speed up superintelligence development and improve product integration. Partners with Midjourney to integrate its aesthetic tech and plans a $50B investment in the Hyperion Data Center in Louisiana, envisioned as the world's largest AI facility.

Anthropic — Aiming for a $170B valuation with a $5B funding round led by Iconiq Capital, backed by GIC and Middle Eastern funds. Despite revenue climbing from $4B to $5B and targeting $9B, the company faces a $3B annual cash burn.

[OPEN DEALS] RAISING DOLLARS:

Startups, firms or funds raising capital this week

Pure Cipher - A deep-tech AI Security startup developing technologies to prevent AI data poisoning and compromise, targeting a $1.6T market of Enterprise and already secured DoD clients. Founded by AI & cybersecurity experts.

FieldAI — The advanced robotic intelligence development startup is raising over $400M. The firm is expanding its reach with projects like the Spirit Runner, a mobile food bus in Central Valley, CA, supported by Save the Children.

Lambda Inc. — This cloud infrastructure company supported by Nvidia is in talks to secure funding, potentially valuing it between $4B and $5B. It plans an IPO by year-end, with bankers already engaged in discussions.

Cerebras — The AI computing systems and wafer-scale chips startup is seeking a $1B funding round led by Fidelity. Based in California, Cerebras plans to go public this year, marking a significant growth phase.

Rivos — The AI chip startup based on RISC-V architecture is seeking $400-$500M in funding at a valuation over $2B. Founded in 2021, Rivos aims to challenge Nvidia with customizable, energy-efficient designs, despite Apple lawsuit.

MAKING WAVES

Startups, trends and signals to watch in the USA this week

Macrohard — Elon Musk has launched a new AI software company connected to xAI to develop specialized coding agents using the Colossus 2 supercomputer and millions of Nvidia GPUs to simulate competitor products like Microsoft.

Scale AI — Awarded a $99M contract from the DoD to boost AI research and development for the Army, focusing on operationalizing AI for defense, enhancing national security and military readiness with data ops and engineering expertise.

Polymarket — Donald Trump Jr.'s VC firm, 1789 Capital, invested millions in this predictions market valued at over $1B. Trump Jr. joins the advisory board as Polymarket plans U.S. expansion after securing a CFTC license, despite NFL concerns.

Lovable — This Swedish vibe-coding startup has rapidly surpassed $100M ARR, with 10M+ projects on its platform. Valued at over $4B after a $200M funding round,it is gaining significant investor interest despite not actively seeking funding.

Cambricon Technologies — The Chinese chip maker reported 4,000% revenue growth, yet remains small compared to giants like Nvidia. China plans to triple its AI chip production in 2025, to reduce dependency on Nvidia.

Labubu — Pop Mart's plush monster toy is on track to exceed $1 billion in revenue this year, marking a 688% YOY increase. Its popularity, boosted by celebrity endorsements and unique blind box sales, has turned it into a fashionable accessory.

IN THE MONEY

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

Massive Deals

Commonwealth Fusion Systems — The US fusion power technology startup has secured $863M from major investors including Nvidia and Google to support its prototype reactor, Sparc, and plans for a commercial plant, Arc, by 2027-2028.

Vercel — The web and AI applications company, based in San Francisco, raised “hundreds of millions” of dollars, tripling its valuation to ~$9B. The round was led by Accel, bringing total funding to over $500M.

Wugen — The St. Louis-based biotech firm raised $115M to advance its CAR-T therapy, WU-CART-007, targeting T-cell cancers. Led by Fidelity Management & Research, the funding supports pivotal trials, with approval targeted for 2027.

Framer — The Dutch no-code website builder hit a $2B valuation after a $100M Series D. Framer focuses on dynamic websites and aims to expand its B2B segment, with annual recurring revenue hitting $50M, targeting $100M next year.

Rain — Rain, a startup providing Visa debit and credit card infrastructure for stablecoin payments, raised $58M in a Series B round led by Sapphire Ventures, totaling $88.5M in funding. It targets fintechs, banks, and marketplaces.

Arnatar Therapeutics — The biotech startup focusing on RNA-based therapies, secured a $52M Series A to advance its platform. The FDA granted Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations, offering market exclusivity and expedited review.

Blue Water Autonomy — The Washington D.C.-based company focusing on unmanned ships secured $50M in Series A funding, totaling $64M. Backed by the Pentagon, it aims to launch its first autonomous ship next year.

Large Deals

Attio — The UK-based AI-native CRM startup raised $52M in Series B funding led by GV, totaling $116M in funding. With 5,000 paying customers, it aims to enhance B2B strategies and boost annual recurring revenue this year.

Assort Health — The AI-driven healthcare startup raised a $50M Series B at a $750M valuation. Specializing in automating patient communication, it is expanding from orthopedics to include OB-GYN, dermatology, and dentistry, ARR of $3M.

OpenLight — OpenLight, a silicon photonics company from a University of California spin-out, secured $34M in a Series A co-led by Xora Innovation and Capricorn Investment Group to scale ops, R&D, and expand its photonics library.

Pylon — A B2B support platform for post-sales teams based in San Francisco, raised $31M in Series B funding, totaling $51M. Led by Bain Capital Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, the funds will drive product expansion, serving 750+ clients.

Leal Therapeutics — The neuro-metabolic therapy startup raised a $30M Series A to fund clinical trials for schizophrenia and ALS. Focuses on neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders by addressing metabolic imbalances in the brain.

Aurasell — The AI-native CRM platform launched to modernize the CRM landscape, integrating tools for go-to-market teams. It secured a $30M seed to enhance productivity and streamline sales and ops with AI-driven workflows.

Smaller Deals

Maisa AI — The AI startup raised $25M to enhance productivity through accountable AI agents. Their Maisa Studio platform deploys digital workers trained via natural language, focusing on sectors like banking and manufacturing.

InstaLILY — The AI platform, founded by former McKinsey execs, raised a $25M Series A to enhance workflows in distribution-heavy sectors. InstaWorkers™ aims to augment human capacity.

Holo — The Dubai-based digital mortgage and refinancing startup raised $22M in a Series A round led by Impact46, with backing from Mubadala, Rua Growth Fund, and anb seed. The funds will expand fintech operations in the UAE and KSA.

FriendliAI — The AI inference platform company raised a $20M seed extension to optimize GPU usage for efficient AI model deployment, boasting partnerships with LG. Uses a usage-based revenue model and "continuous batching" for efficiency.

Debut — The AI-based ingredient discovery startup raised $20M to enhance its platform for skin longevity. Supported by L'Oréal's venture fund, the funding will aid in entering the Asian market, improving innovation with 99% data consistency.

Apriori — A crypto startup founded in 2023, raised $20M led by Pantera Capital and Primitive Ventures, totaling $30M. Apriori focuses on high-performance trading with an MEV-powered liquid staking platform on the Monad blockchain.

Reframe Systems — The microfactory startup from former Amazon Robotics leaders raised a $20M Series A to create affordable homes using AI and robotics. With projects in MA and CA, they aim to construct one million homes by 2045.

AiGent, Inc. — The U.S-based AI-driven technology company raised a $6M seed to integrate 185 GW of distributed generation assets into power markets. The round was led by Zero Infinity Partners and CIV, with industry veterans joining the board.

Payment Labs — The fintech startup raised a $3.25M seed round led by Aperture VC. The funds will scale its SaaS platform for simplifying payment processes in over 180 countries, with clients like Microsoft and SEGA.

EXIT WATCHING

Mergers & Acquisitions and IPOs

Keurig Dr Pepper — Keurig Dr Pepper will acquire JDE Peet's for $18.4B to form a leading global coffee company. The new Global Coffee Co. aims for steady revenue and profit growth, with the deal expected to close H1 2026.

Showpad — Vector Capital is acquiring Showpad, a leader in AI revenue enablement technology, with plans to merge it with Bigtincan. This merger, expected to close in 2025, aims to create a global leader in the revenue enablement market, enhancing AI-powered buyer-seller engagement for over 1,000 companies.

IPO WATCH

Klarna — The Swedish fintech company plans a U.S. IPO next month, targeting a valuation between $13B and $14B, aiming to raise $1B. Shares expected to be priced between $34 and $36. Reported a 20% revenue increase, reaching $823 million.

IPO Season — September is shaping up to be one of the busiest IPO months in years, with Klarna, Gemini, Figure, Legence, Black Rock Coffee Bar, Via, and StubHub all prepping to hit the market after Labor Day.

THE FUNDING BUZZ

VC & PE Activity To Watch

Curate Capital — A Houston-based VC firm is raising $50M for its second fund focusing on female-founded CPG brands. Having already secured nearly $1M, the firm, founded in 2020, aims to expand its success from a $15M first fund.

Envoy Fund — Chirag Chotalia, a former partner at Threshold Ventures known for his investments in software startups, is launching Envoy Fund, a new VC fund. Follows the trend of VCs leaving established firms to start new ventures.

71/70 Angels — The Midwest-based angel investment group has closed its first fund with nearly 50 angel investors to back early-stage enterprise software and advanced tech startups. Aims to energize angel investor community and growth.

BDC — The Canadian firm has launched a $200M Industrial Innovation Venture Fund II to support Canadian startups in ag-tech, food-tech, and critical minerals. Fund II will focus on robotics, automation, applied AI, and industrial software solutions, enhancing global competitiveness.

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