Bird.com, the company formerly known as MessageBird, has secured $450 million in debt financing. That's a $400 million term loan plus a $50 million revolving credit facility, structured as a dividend recapitalization. J.P. Morgan led as joint lead arranger, bookrunner and administrative agent, alongside Capital One and Citi. Silicon Valley Bank, MUFG, Flagstar and Huntington … [Read more...] about Bird.com Secures $450M in Debt Financing and Opens Its Messaging Network to AI Agents
Meta AI Glasses Become the First Consumer Device to Record Dolby Atmos Audio
Dolby and Meta used Meta Connect to widen their partnership. The biggest news is on the capture side. Meta's AI glasses are now the first consumer device on the global market that can record audio in Dolby Atmos. What they record can be shared straight to Instagram in the same format. That's new territory for Atmos. Dolby's spatial audio format started in cinemas and moved … [Read more...] about Meta AI Glasses Become the First Consumer Device to Record Dolby Atmos Audio
Insurify Blocks Meta’s Muse AI Agent, Saying Scraped Insurance Quotes Mislead Consumers
Insurify, the online insurance comparison marketplace, has blocked Meta's Muse AI agent from its site. It's one of the first public cases of a major marketplace shutting out a big tech company's personal agent, and Insurify is explaining exactly why. Muse is Meta's personal AI agent. It visits websites on a user's behalf and brings back information, in this case car and home … [Read more...] about Insurify Blocks Meta’s Muse AI Agent, Saying Scraped Insurance Quotes Mislead Consumers
Basecamp Research Raises $140M Series C, With NVIDIA and Anthropic Backing AI-Designed Gene Therapies
Basecamp Research, a London company that designs medicines with AI, has raised an oversubscribed $140 million Series C. S32, the firm led by former Verily CEO Andy Conrad, led the round. Conrad joins the board. The investor list is unusually broad. It includes NVIDIA, Anthropic's Anthology Fund, the NATO Innovation Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, King Philanthropies, Catalio … [Read more...] about Basecamp Research Raises $140M Series C, With NVIDIA and Anthropic Backing AI-Designed Gene Therapies
USD.AI Closes Its Largest GPU Loan Yet, $128.9M Backed by 32 NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 Racks
USD.AI has closed a $128.9 million GPU financing facility, its largest deal so far. The borrower is a publicly listed GPU cloud provider in British Columbia, Canada, which USD.AI didn't name. The loan finances 32 NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 systems. They'll run under a multi-year contract with an investment-grade customer. The deal beats the $98.1 million facility USD.AI announced in … [Read more...] about USD.AI Closes Its Largest GPU Loan Yet, $128.9M Backed by 32 NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 Racks
NG.CASH Raises $15M From Blockchain Capital to Expand Credit for Young Brazilians
NG.CASH, a Brazilian fintech for young people, has raised a $15 million strategic investment led by Blockchain Capital. The company was founded in 2021 and has now raised more than $65 million. NG.CASH has more than 10 million accounts, mostly young Brazilians from middle- and lower-income families. For many of them, NG.CASH is the first bank account anyone in their family has … [Read more...] about NG.CASH Raises $15M From Blockchain Capital to Expand Credit for Young Brazilians
Realset AI and Flatkey Raise $10M Series A for Real-World AI Training Data and a One-Key Model Gateway
Realset AI and Flatkey, two companies founded by Hunter Guo, have jointly raised a $10 million Series A. Both are based in San Jose, California. They work on two different bottlenecks in AI: getting data that can't be scraped, and getting access to a crowded field of models without juggling dozens of accounts. "The easy data is gone," Guo says. "What is left is the physical … [Read more...] about Realset AI and Flatkey Raise $10M Series A for Real-World AI Training Data and a One-Key Model Gateway
Topdog Raises $2.5M Seed From Boston Seed Capital to Scale Real-Money Multiplayer Skill Games
Topdog, a New York startup building real-money multiplayer skill games, has raised a $2.5 million seed round led by Boston Seed Capital. The Raine Group, Bullpen Capital, Versus Ventures, Spoondrift Capital and Permit Ventures also invested. Together with a $1.6 million pre-seed from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Topdog has raised $4.1 million. Head-to-head, in real time Most … [Read more...] about Topdog Raises $2.5M Seed From Boston Seed Capital to Scale Real-Money Multiplayer Skill Games
Aqua Medical Raises Series B Led by Relevance Ventures for an Endoscopic Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Aqua Medical has raised a multimillion-dollar Series B led by Relevance Ventures, a Native American-led venture firm with more than $100 million under management. The company didn't disclose the amount. Relevance chairman and general partner Dean Newton joins Aqua Medical's board. Treating diabetes through the gut Aqua Medical's approach doesn't involve a drug. It's a … [Read more...] about Aqua Medical Raises Series B Led by Relevance Ventures for an Endoscopic Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Invest Qatar, Aurion Capital and LG NOVA Sign MoU to Build a Tech Venture Hub in Doha
Invest Qatar, investment group Aurion Capital and LG NOVA, LG Electronics' Silicon Valley innovation center, have signed a memorandum of understanding to build up technology investment and venture building in Qatar. They announced it at the Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg, held in New York during the UN General Assembly. What they plan to do The MoU covers … [Read more...] about Invest Qatar, Aurion Capital and LG NOVA Sign MoU to Build a Tech Venture Hub in Doha