Marissa Mayer Launches Dazzle, Raises $8M to Build Next-Gen AI Personal Assistants
Marissa Mayer raises $8M for Dazzle, a new AI personal assistant startup, aiming to learn from past failures and target consumer AI growth.
Startups
Matthew McConaughey brings his voice to ElevenLabs AI as creator and investor
Matthew McConaughey revealed at ElevenLabs’ first Summit that he has been an investor for years and is now using the company’s AI to expand his Lyrics of Livin’ newsletter into Spanish audio, voiced by him.
Rotoris watch startup scores $3 Mn seed funding from Nikhil Kamath and Vivek Oberoi
The seed round was led by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath and actor-entrepreneur Vivek Anand Oberoi, with participation from comedian Tanmay Bhat, Venture Catalysts, 100 Unicorns, and over 30 startup founders.
Algeria’s Traveltech Startup VOLZ Raises $5 Million in Landmark Funding Round
The funding round was backed by a consortium of private investors led by Tell Group, with participation from Groupe GIBA - Babahoum Industrial Group, marking the first exit for the Algerian Startup Fund.
Spinny Plans $160 Million Raise to Acquire GoMechanic, Expand Used-Car Services
Spinny is raising $160–165M to acquire GoMechanic, integrating full-service vehicle maintenance to strengthen its footprint in India’s used-car market.
Boston-based Pryzm raises $12.2 Mn for to help small businesses win federal contracts
The seed funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz. Pryzm offer and AI-backed platform to help startups and small businesses track federal opportunities, funding priorities, and stakeholders, leveling the playing field in government procurement.
A Founder’s Guide to Stress Biology: Cortisol, Dopamine & Decision-Making
Understanding how cortisol and dopamine shape stress, focus, and decision-making is critical for founders. This guide explains the biology behind pressure and offers practical ways to stay clear-headed and resilient.
Fal raises $140 Mn from Sequoia and Nvidia, hits $4.5 Bn Valuation
Fal has secured $140 million in a Sequoia-led round that includes Nvidia’s Nventures, tripling its valuation to $4.5 billion. CEO Burkay Gur says enterprises are rapidly adopting its image, video, and audio AI tools.
New York’s Oboe Raises $16 Mn to Transform Personal Learning with AI
Oboe has raised $16 million in Series A funding led by a16z to expand its AI-driven course generation platform, adding new product features, pricing tiers and plans for mobile and multilingual expansion.
London’s Runware lands $50 Mn to push its unified API for all generative AI models
Runware aims to expand its unified API for generative image, video and audio applications. The company’s Sonic Inference Engine supports more than 400,000 models, giving developers faster and more reliable access to AI media generation.
AI startup Harness scores $240 Mn Series E funding, hits $5.5 Bn valuation
The fresh Series E round includes a $200 million primary investment led by Goldman Sachs and a planned $40 million tender offer with participation from IVP, Menlo Ventures, and Unusual Ventures.
Unacademy’s valuation sinks below $500 million, explores possible acquisition
Unacademy’s valuation has dropped sharply from its pandemic-era peak, with the edtech player now exploring acquisition options as demand shifts back to offline learning and competition intensifies.