CoreWeave's $35B IPO, Taktile's $54M Round, and Zhipu's $137M Amid Blacklist - AI Funding Brief #3

March 04, 2025 - AI Funding Brief
Hi there, Welcome to this edition of the AI Funding Brief, where we delve into the latest funding and investment news in the world of AI businesses. This week, Taktile has successfully raised $54 million in a Series B funding round to bolster AI adoption in risk management for financial services. Meanwhile, Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, is ambitiously seeking a $9 billion valuation as it aims to raise $1 billion, with a team of former OpenAI researchers working on innovative AI systems. In other news, Vermillio has secured $16 million in Series A funding, with significant backing from Sony Music and DNS Capital, to enhance its AI licensing platform. Additionally, Amsterdam-based startup Lemni has launched with €3.3M in pre-seed funding from Sequoia Capital, focusing on product development and team growth. Perplexity AI is also making waves by launching a $50 million venture fund to support early-stage AI startups in the U.S., while Zhipu AI has raised $137 million despite being on a U.S. trade blacklist, and Meta Platforms Inc. is exploring a $35 billion financing package for data center development.
Taktile Secures $54 Million for AI in Risk Management
Taktile, a decision automation platform, has raised $54 million in Series B funding to enhance AI adoption for risk management in financial services. The funding round was led by Balderton Capital. Read more
Thinking Machines Lab Seeks $9 Billion Valuation
Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, is reportedly aiming to raise $1 billion at a $9 billion valuation. The startup has recruited around 20 former OpenAI researchers to develop more flexible AI systems. Read more
Anthropic Secures $3.5 Billion in Series E Funding
Anthropic has raised $3.5 billion in a Series E funding round, reaching a valuation of $61.5 billion. The funds will be used to enhance AI systems and expand international growth. Read more
Sony Music Invests in Vermillio's AI Platform
Vermillio, an AI licensing platform, has raised $16 million in Series A funding with Sony Music as a co-leader. The funding will enhance tools for protecting artists and managing generative AI use. Read more
Amsterdam AI Startup Lemni Secures €3.3M Pre-Seed Funding
The Amsterdam-based startup Lemni has launched with €3.3M in pre-seed funding led by Sequoia Capital. The funds will be used to boost product development and team expansion. Read more
Perplexity AI Launches $50 Million Fund for AI Startups
Perplexity AI is launching a $50 million venture fund to support early-stage AI startups in the U.S. The fund will be managed by general partners from F7 Ventures. Read more
Zhipu AI Secures $137 Million Despite U.S. Blacklist
Zhipu AI, a Beijing-based AI startup, has raised over 1 billion yuan ($137 million) in funding despite being on a U.S. trade blacklist. The funds will be used to enhance its large language model and expand its AI ecosystem. Read more
Meta Seeks $35 Billion for Data Center Financing
Meta Platforms Inc. is in early discussions to secure a $35 billion financing package, led by Apollo Global Management, to fund data center development in the US. KKR & Co. is also involved in the investor group. Read more

Mergers & Acquisitions

ServiceNow has acquired Quality 360 from Advania to enhance AI-powered manufacturing solutions. TransPerfect has acquired Technicolor Games to boost its video game production capabilities. HashiCorp has joined IBM to enhance multi-cloud solutions. Siyata Mobile has merged with Core Gaming, and Fastbreak AI has acquired Barcelogic to expand in European sports leagues.

IPO's & Market Moves

CoreWeave, an AI cloud provider, is preparing for an IPO that could value the company at over $35 billion, aiming to raise more than $4 billion. The company is investing $1.2 billion in data center space and plans further expansion.

Startup Funding

Open Meta City has secured $20 million from GEM Digital to enhance its virtual real estate platform, while Hema.to raised €3.6 million to advance AI diagnostics for blood cancer. EvidenceHunt received €1.2 million to improve its AI medical evidence platform, and VerAI Discoveries secured $24 million for AI-driven mineral exploration. Auditoria.AI raised $38 million to expand its AI solutions for finance teams, and Ligero obtained $4 million to launch its data privacy-focused virtual machine, Ligetron.

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