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The aftermath of DeepSeek’s launch was arguably the most important tech story of the week, particularly for anybody holding an in depth eye on public markets. However non-public corporations, too, made headlines.
Most fascinating startup tales from the week
In startup land, even a small revenue is newsworthy and will result in tomorrow’s IPOs. Within the meantime, we take a look at an M&A and a few mission-driven startups combating hearth.
Scooting alongside: Swedish shared micromobility startup Voi reported its first worthwhile yr. Whereas modestly cash-positive, these 2024 outcomes put the scooter and e-bike firm in a greater place to discover an IPO in upcoming years.
Merging humanoids: OpenAI-backed Norwegian robotics startup 1X acquired Variety Humanoid, whose three-person workforce had began working with high-profile designer Yves Béhar in 2024.
On observe: French medical insurance startup Alan revealed that it generated roughly $525 million in income in 2024 and confirmed its aim to achieve profitability by 2026.
Firefighters: Within the aftermath of Southern California’s latest devastating fires, TechCrunch’s Tim De Chant rounded up startups that assist measure and mitigate wildfire threat.
Most fascinating VC and funding information this week
Some vital rounds have been introduced this week, however maybe much more apparently, we noticed some sizable valuation will increase.
Sizzling like fusion: Nuclear startup Helion raised a $425 million Sequence F spherical of funding to assist construct a fusion reactor for Microsoft. This new spherical is smaller than the earlier one, however valuation elevated to $5.245 billion.
Perking up: Barcelona-based company journey administration platform TravelPerk closed a $200 million Sequence E spherical of funding at a $2.7 billion valuation — nearly twice its earlier $1.4 billion valuation.
Quantum race: With $104 million in Sequence B funding, French startup Alice & Bob secured one of many bigger rounds for a quantum computing startup in Europe.
AI in opposition to most cancers: Quibim, a Spanish startup that’s creating AI fashions for medical imaging, raised a $50 million Sequence A spherical of funding to double down on its U.S. growth plans. Its flagship product, QP-Prostate, focuses on prostate most cancers detection.
Difficult Autodesk: Motif, a startup creating structure, engineering, and development (AEC) software program, secured $46 million in seed and Sequence A funding to problem its founders’ former employer, Autodesk, with a next-generation design platform for buildings.
Larger goal: Regulatory submitting revealed that 8VC, the Austin-based VC agency led by Palantir founder Joe Lonsdale, is hoping to boost round $1 billion for its sixth fund. Its earlier flagship car closed at $880 million in 2023.
Taking it to 11: ElevenLabs, which works within the AI audio discipline, introduced that it raised $180 million in a Sequence C spherical, valuing the corporate at $3.3 billion post-money. Andreessen Horowitz and ICONIQ Progress are co-leading funding.
Final however not least
Apologies for ending on a adverse word, however knowledge means that 2025 shall be one other brutal yr of startup wind-downs. Nonetheless, AngelList CEO Avlok Kohli supplied a extra constructive outlook, noting that these figures “are nonetheless very low relative to the variety of corporations that have been funded throughout each years.”