Andreessen Horowitz Plans $20B AI Fund, Brinc & Motorola Enhance Drones, Hawk Secures $56M - AI Funding Brief #9

April 15, 2025 - AI Funding Brief

Hi there,

Welcome to the latest edition of the AI Funding Brief, where we bring you the most recent developments in the world of AI investments and funding. This week, we highlight significant funding rounds and strategic partnerships that are shaping the future of AI technology. Hawk, a German regtech firm, has secured $56 million to expand its AI-driven fraud prevention solutions into the US market. Meanwhile, Seattle-based Brinc has raised $75 million and teamed up with Motorola Solutions to enhance emergency response drones for public safety agencies.

In Europe, NexGen Cloud has raised $45 million to bolster its AI infrastructure, while IFS has reached a valuation of EUR 15 billion, driven by the demand for industrial AI solutions. Additionally, Andreessen Horowitz is planning a massive $20 billion fund to invest in AI companies, reflecting the growing global interest in AI technology. Stay tuned as we delve into these stories and more, providing insights into the dynamic landscape of AI funding.

Brinc and Motorola Partner to Boost Public Safety Drones
Seattle-based drone manufacturer Brinc has raised $75 million and partnered with Motorola Solutions to enhance the production and deployment of emergency response drones for U.S. public safety agencies. Read more
NexGen Cloud Secures $45 Million for AI Expansion in Europe
UK-based GPU cloud provider NexGen Cloud has raised $45 million in Series A funding to enhance AI infrastructure across Europe. The funds will support new partnerships and AI services. Read more
IFS Valued at EUR 15 Billion Due to Industrial AI Demand
IFS has announced a valuation surpassing EUR 15 billion, attributed to growing demand for its industrial AI solutions. The company has reported over EUR 1 billion in annual recurring revenue and secured investments from Hg, EQT, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Read more
Andreessen Horowitz Plans $20 Billion AI Fund
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is planning to raise a $20 billion fund to invest in growth-stage AI companies, marking its largest fund to date. The effort is attracting international investors interested in US tech. Read more
AutonomyAI Launches to Automate Software Development
Arik Faingold, founder of Pantera, has launched AutonomyAI, a startup focused on automating software development. The company has raised $4 million and claims its technology can significantly enhance team productivity. Read more
SignalFire Raises $1 Billion for AI Investments
SignalFire, a venture firm based in the Bay Area, has raised $1 billion for its fifth fund to invest in applied AI companies, increasing its total assets to $3 billion. Read more
Nuro Secures $106 Million to Expand AI Delivery Robots
Autonomous delivery startup Nuro has raised $106 million in a Series E funding round, boosting its valuation to $6 billion. The company plans to use the funds to enhance its AI-driven delivery systems. Read more
Noematrix Secures Up to $70 Million in Pre-A++ Funding
Chinese startup Noematrix has raised between $30 million and $70 million in a pre-A++ funding round, with participation from several investors including Shengyu Investment and Sequoia China. Read more
Microsoft Invests in French Startup Mistral AI
Microsoft has invested in the French startup Mistral AI to enhance multilingual AI technologies. The partnership will introduce Mistral Large to Microsoft Azure, expanding market reach. Read more
incident.io Secures $62 Million for AI Development
incident.io has raised $62 million in Series B funding to enhance its AI agents for real-time incident resolution, with backing from Insight Partners, Index Ventures, and Point Nine Capital. Read more
Ominimo Receives Investment from Zurich Insurance Group
Polish AI insurtech startup Ominimo has secured its first external funding of €10 million from Zurich Insurance Group, valuing the company at $220 million. The company plans to expand its car insurance services into more markets. Read more
nEye Systems Raises $72.5 Million for Optical Switch Technology
nEye Systems, a startup specializing in optical switch technology, has secured $72.5 million in funding to enhance AI infrastructure by addressing data center communication bottlenecks. Read more
DIG Ventures Closes $100M Fund for European AI Startups
DIG Ventures has closed a $100 million fund to support early-stage B2B SaaS, AI, and cloud infrastructure startups in Europe, with backing from investors like The Hillman Company and Sofina. Read more
Aurascape Raises $50 Million for AI Security Platform
Aurascape has launched its AI-native security platform and secured $50 million in funding from investors. The platform aims to address AI-related security threats by providing visibility and control over AI interactions. Read more
nEye Systems Secures $58 Million for AI Networking Chip
nEye Systems, based in Emeryville, California, has raised $58 million in a funding round led by Alphabet's CapitalG to develop an optical circuit switch chip for AI data centers. Read more
Job&Talent Secures €92M for AI Workforce Platform
Madrid-based startup Job&Talent has raised €92 million in a Series F funding round to enhance its AI-powered workforce management platform, aiming for global expansion and AI innovation. Read more
Safe Superintelligence Valued at $32 Billion After Funding
Safe Superintelligence, co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, has raised $2 billion, increasing its valuation to $32 billion. The funding round was led by Greenoaks with participation from major firms like Alphabet and Nvidia. Read more
Andreessen Horowitz Leads $2 Billion Funding for Thinking Machines Lab
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is in talks to lead a $2 billion funding round for Thinking Machines Lab, a startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. The company aims to develop safer AI systems and could be valued at $10 billion. Read more
Tailscale Secures $160 Million in Series C Funding
Secure networking startup Tailscale has raised $160 million in a Series C funding round led by Accel, with participation from several investors. The company plans to use the funds to expand its engineering and product teams. Read more
Thinking Machines Lab Seeks $2 Billion in Seed Funding
Thinking Machines Lab, led by Mira Murati, is reportedly aiming to raise $2 billion in seed funding, potentially valuing the company at over $10 billion. The startup, which has recently emerged from stealth mode, has yet to release a product or generate revenue. Read more

Mergers & Acquisitions

CUJO AI has acquired Domos to enhance ISP services by integrating application and device intelligence. Urbint acquired StormImpact to bolster utility resilience against extreme weather. SBI Growth Advisory acquired Daydream's AI platform to improve data insights. OpenAI is in talks to acquire io Products, an AI hardware startup. Honeycomb acquired Grit and expanded its leadership team. Hypertec Cloud formed 5C Group after acquiring 5C Data Centers. Allurity acquired Onevinn to enhance European cybersecurity services. MissionOne Media acquired Growth Skills to boost AI-driven SEO capabilities. Intapp plans to acquire TermSheet for an advanced AI operating system. Vobile completed the acquisition of Pex to enhance music copyright services. Inveniam acquired Hedgehog Invest to improve data infrastructure. TransPerfect acquired MPC and The Mill from Technicolor. Hugging Face acquired Pollen Robotics to advance open-source AI robotics. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is investigating the SES and Intelsat merger. CleverTap acquired rehook.ai for AI-driven promotions.

IPO's & Market Moves

Trilegal is advising on the ₹6,000 million IPO of ESDS Software Solution. Aether Holdings, Inc. raised $7.74 million in its IPO for product development. Kodiak Robotics, Inc. will go public through a merger with Ares Acquisition Corporation II, valuing it at $2.5 billion.

Other Funding News

Sage Future has used AI models to raise $257 for Helen Keller International, exploring AI's role in philanthropy. Mercy received funding to expand its AI platform for cancer patient monitoring during chemotherapy. Scale AI introduced a $30 million fund to support AI adoption in Canadian companies, covering up to 40% of project costs.

Startup Funding

CalypsoAI has raised $5 million and reached the RSAC Innovation Sandbox finals, while Gallatin AI secured $15 million to enhance military logistics. University of Southampton students raised £250,000 for their AI startup, and Octane secured $6.75 million for blockchain security. Nunu.ai raised $6 million for AI game testing, and Scoutflo secured Rs 1.4 crore for its DevOps platform. Nettle raised £1.45M to address the risk engineer shortage, and DaveAI secured funding for global expansion.

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