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- Perplexity’s $200M Raise, Replit’s $250M Push, and Nebius’ $3.75B Capital Haul
Perplexity’s $200M Raise, Replit’s $250M Push, and Nebius’ $3.75B Capital Haul
AI dominates the week: massive fundraises, platform expansion, and cloud infrastructure bets shaping the future.

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…
🔍 Perplexity raised $200M at a ~$20B valuation, intensifying the AI search wars.
💻 Replit secured $250M at a $3B valuation to expand its agentic AI software platform.
☁️ Nebius raised $3.75B in financing and offerings, alongside a $17.4B Microsoft cloud infra deal.
💊 Kriya Therapeutics landed a $320M Series D to accelerate gene therapy development.
🍏 Apple is preparing consumers for $2,000 iPhones, testing the ceiling for premium hardware.
🏗️ Anglo American + Teck Resources announced a $53B merger, forming a copper + critical minerals giant.
🧑🚀 Top 3 Deals You Can’t Miss
1️⃣ Nebius – $3.75B capital raise + $17.4B Microsoft contract to scale AI infrastructure.
2️⃣ Perplexity – $200M funding at ~$20B valuation, cementing its position in the AI search race.
3️⃣ Replit – $250M raise at $3B valuation, fueling its agentic AI creation platform.

🧠 Dopamine Dealflow
🌳 Series B+ & Growth
Kriya Therapeutics (Research Triangle Park, NC) – $320M Series D; gene therapies for chronic diseases.
Replit (San Francisco, CA) – $250M funding at $3B valuation; agentic AI software creation platform.
Perplexity (San Francisco, CA) – $200M funding at ~$20B valuation; AI search engine.
Odyssey Therapeutics (Boston, MA) – $213M Series D; clinical-stage biopharma.
CuspAI (Cambridge, UK) – $100M Series A; AI for materials discovery.
Nitricity (Fremont, CA) – $50M Series B; electrifying nitrogen fertilizer production.
PixVerse (Singapore) – $60M Series B; AI video platform.
Koi (Washington, DC) – $48M across seed + Series A; endpoint security.
Noxilizer (Hanover, MD) – $30M funding; nitrogen dioxide-based sterilization for biopharma/med devices.
Brain.co (NYC, NY) – $30M Series A; AI deployments for governments & corporates.
Pest Share (Nampa, ID) – $28M Series A; on-demand pest control for property managers.
Optain Health (NYC, NY) – $26M Series A; AI-driven retinal imaging + teleophthalmology.
Clyx (NYC, NY) – $14M Series A; Gen Z real-life social experiences platform.
Accordance (San Francisco, CA) – $13M funding; AI-native accounting/tax platform.
Standard Fleet (San Francisco, CA) – $13M Series A; fleet management for connected vehicles.
Lōvu Health (Cupertino, CA) – $8M Series A; digital maternal health platform.
SafeHeal (Paris, France) – $10M extension of €35M Series C; medical device for gastrointestinal recovery.
CUTISS (Zurich, Switzerland) – CHF 56M Series C; tissue therapeutics + regenerative medicine.
🚀 Series A
Red Access (Tel Aviv, Israel) – $17M Series A; agentless browser + SaaS security.
🌱 Seed & Early Rounds
AegisAI (NYC, NY) – $13M Seed; AI-powered email security.
TrueMeter (San Francisco, CA) – $4M Seed; AI-driven energy savings automation.
OpenHealth Technologies (Berlin, Germany) – $3M Seed; lab data infrastructure.
LocusX (Montreal, Canada) – CAD $3M Seed; AI-powered issue resolution for video games.
Rendezvous Robotics (Golden, CO) – $3M Pre-Seed; autonomous in-orbit assembly.
TwinMind (US-based) – $5.7M Seed; “second brain” AI app, ambient speech + personal context graph.
Podonos (Los Gatos, CA) – $2.4M Pre-Seed; infrastructure for evaluating voice AI.
Procense (San Francisco, CA) – $1.5M Seed; AI + remote sensing for industrial automation.
AnthroTek (Cambridge, UK) – £950K Seed; synthetic anatomy tech.
Tipple (Dublin, Ireland) – €4M Seed; digital infra for alcohol industry.
Hush Security (Tel Aviv, Israel) – $11M Seed; machine identity security platform.
🤝 Strategic, M&A & Undisclosed
Anglo American + Teck Resources – $53B merger to form “Anglo Teck”; copper & critical minerals giant.
Nebius (Amsterdam / Global) – $17.4B, 5-year strategic infra contract with Microsoft for AI cloud infra.
Raken (San Diego, CA) – Investment from Sverica Capital; field management software for construction.
e-PlanSoft (Irvine, CA) – Growth investment from ParkerGale; electronic plan review software.
📈 IPOs / Direct Listings / Issuances / Block Trades
Nio – $1B raised in share sale; Chinese EV maker.
Pattern – Filed for $321.4M IPO; e-commerce reseller.
Kansai Electric – Elliott took 5% activist stake; Japanese utility.
💸 VC Funds Raised & Raising
Veritas Capital (NYC, NY) – Closed Fund IX at $14.4B; tech + gov-focused PE.
One Equity Partners (NYC, NY) – Closed Fund IX at $3.25B; middle-market PE.
TVM Capital Healthcare – First close of $150M Southeast Asia healthcare growth fund.
Vireo Ventures (Berlin, Germany) – Closed Electrification Fund I at €50M; energy transition focus.
Cloud Capital (NYC & San Francisco, CA) – Closed Fund II; global data center infra.
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📚 Read of the Day
🍏 Apple Edges Toward the $2,000 iPhone
Cupertino is quietly testing just how high the market will go.
The Strategy
Apple isn’t just raising prices — it’s reframing the iPhone as a super-premium device that could sit closer to luxury watches and cars than everyday smartphones. By introducing incremental “price normalizations,” Apple tests loyalty and gauges how much of its 1.5B-device ecosystem will pay up for status + power.
The Backstory
iPhone ASPs (average selling prices) have been steadily increasing from under $700 five years ago to over $1,000 today. With inflation, AI hype, and the Vision Pro setting a precedent for ultra-high pricing, Apple sees room to push its flagship well above historical norms.
Why It Matters
For founders and investors, Apple’s strategy signals a consumer willingness to absorb premium hardware pricing if the value proposition (status, AI, mixed reality) is strong enough. This creates tailwinds for startups building luxury-tech experiences — whether in devices, AI interfaces, or consumer health — where margin expansion can offset slower unit growth.

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