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- OpenAI Eyes $1T IPO • Bending Spoons Buys AOL • Figma Adds AI • Google Hits $100B • Apollo x 8VC Team Up • The Prompting Company Raises Seed Funding
OpenAI Eyes $1T IPO • Bending Spoons Buys AOL • Figma Adds AI • Google Hits $100B • Apollo x 8VC Team Up • The Prompting Company Raises Seed Funding
The AI race is heating up. OpenAI’s trillion-dollar IPO rumors, Figma’s AI expansion, Bending Spoons bringing AOL back, and Google’s record-breaking $100B quarter all signal a new phase in the tech cycle.

Your dose of daily dealflow, essential VC & tech trends to know. The biggest moves in venture, all in one place. Celebrating startups, founders, and funders.

🧑🍳 Let’s get right into it…
💰 OpenAI is reportedly preparing a $1T IPO, potentially the largest in market history.
💻 Bending Spoons acquired AOL, planning to modernize one of the internet’s oldest brands.
🎨 Figma acquired Weavy, adding AI-powered media generation to its design platform.
🧠 Google’s parent Alphabet hit $100B in quarterly revenue, fueled by AI-driven ad performance.
🤝 Apollo partnered with 8VC to co-invest in late-stage AI and infrastructure startups.
🔍 The Prompting Company raised $6.5M to help brands appear inside ChatGPT and other AI apps.
🧑🚀 Top Deals You Can’t Miss
1️⃣ OpenAI – reportedly preparing a $1T IPO, which would be the largest public listing in history and a defining moment for AI investing.
2️⃣ Bending Spoons – officially acquired AOL, aiming to reinvent the internet icon as a modern content and productivity platform.
3️⃣ Legora – raised $150M Series C to scale its enterprise AI infrastructure business across Europe.
4️⃣ Fruitist – raised $150M backed by Ray Dalio and JPMorgan private clients to scale its superfruit brand globally. The LA-based company is building the “Nike of nutrition” through premium produce and data-driven growth.
5️⃣ Figma – acquired Israeli AI startup Weavy for ~$200 M, bringing generative image & video tools in-house to supercharge its design platform.
6️⃣ The Prompting Company – raised $6.5M seed led by Accel and Concept Ventures to help brands get featured inside ChatGPT and other AI applications.

🧠 Dopamine Dealflow
🌳 Series B+ & Growth
- Legora, a London-based enterprise AI infrastructure provider, raised $150M in Series C funding. 
- Fruitist, a Los Angeles-based superfruit brand backed by Ray Dalio and JPMorgan, raised $150M in equity financing. 
- IntrCity SmartBus, an India-based mobility platform, raised $30M at a $140M valuation. 
- Recess, a NYC-based relaxation beverage brand, closed a $30M Series B. 
- VentureMed Group, a Minneapolis-based medical device company, raised $28M in Series C funding. 
- Reflectiz, a Boston-based web exposure management platform, raised $22M in Series B funding. 
🚀 Series A
- Arya Health, based in NYC, raised $18.2M in Series A funding for its AI-powered home health platform. 
- Uluu, a Perth-based seaweed biomaterials startup, raised AUS$16M (~$10.4M USD) in Series A funding. 
- Homecourt, a Los Angeles-based home and fragrance brand co-founded by Courteney Cox, raised $8M in Series A funding. 
🌱 Seed & Early Rounds
- The Mobile-First Company, founded by Jérémy Goillot, raised $12M in seed funding co-led by Base10 Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners. 
- The Prompting Company, a London-based AI marketing startup, raised $6.5M in seed funding led by Accel and Concept Ventures. 
- Dion, an invite-only social app founded by Revekka Palaiologou and Miltos Kambourides, raised $2M in a SAFE round at a $20M valuation. 
- Valthos, a San Francisco-based AI biodefense startup, raised $30M in seed financing. 
- KapKap, an AI-native Web3 platform, raised $10M in seed funding. 
- TestSprite, a Seattle-based agentic testing tool, raised $6.7M in seed funding. 
- CustoMED, a Ramat Gan-based orthopedic AI startup, raised $6M in seed funding. 
- Socratix AI, a San Francisco-based AI coworker platform, raised $4.1M in seed funding. 
- Surgical Automations, a Dallas-based surgical robotics company, raised $3.4M in seed funding. 
- FrontlineIQ, a Montreal-based AI sales coaching startup, raised $3.3M in seed funding. 
- Polyembo, a Longmont-based medical device company, closed a new funding round. 
- iOrganBio, a Chapel Hill-based cell production company, raised $2M in funding. 
- Hoop.dev, a Boston-based app delivery platform, raised an undisclosed seed round. 
🤝 Strategic, M&A & Undisclosed
- Bending Spoons, the Milan-based app giant behind Splice and Evernote, confirmed its acquisition of AOL. 
- Voxel, a San Francisco-based computer vision AI firm, received a strategic investment from Ericsson Ventures. 
- Sensor Tower received a strategic investment from Shinhan Securities. 
- BTS Software Solutions secured funding from Blue Delta Capital Partners. 
- Dream Exchange, a Clearwater-based stock exchange, received an investment from Elwood Blackwell. 
💸 VC Funds Raised & Raising
- Antidote, a London-based accelerator, launched with £2.5M ($3.2M USD) in initial funding. 
- Fuel Venture Capital appointed Selene Casabal as General Partner and Chief Venture Officer. 
- Flyover Capital announced the full lineup for its 2025 MidxMidwest (MXMW) event. 
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📚 Read of the Day
🤖 The $20K Robot That Does Your Chores
1X Technologies, the Norwegian robotics firm backed by OpenAI, launched Neo, a $20,000 humanoid robot designed for home tasks like cleaning and organization.
Why It Matters: Household robotics is finally crossing into the mainstream, with OpenAI’s backing giving 1X a first-mover advantage.
💻 Bending Spoons Revives AOL
Italian app powerhouse Bending Spoons officially acquired AOL for $1.5B, planning to relaunch the brand as a modern productivity and content platform.
Why It Matters: A 90s internet icon is being rebuilt by one of Europe’s fastest-growing app companies. Nostalgia now has a business model.

📰 News You Don’t Want To Miss
🤖 Figma acquires AI startup Weavy — Adds generative media tools to supercharge creative collaboration.
🧹 1X launches “Neo,” a $20K household robot — Brings OpenAI-backed robotics to the home.
💰 OpenAI eyes $1T IPO as soon as 2026 — Could become the largest IPO in history.
🧠 Zuckerberg defends Meta’s AI spend — Says AI investments are already paying off in engagement and ads.
💻 Bending Spoons revives AOL — Confirms the acquisition and rebrand of the internet pioneer.
🚀 Orbital Assembly plans data centers in space — Targets modular orbital data hubs within three years.

OVER AND OUT, BACK TO THE GRIND ⚙️
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