Welcome to Startups Weekly your weekly wrap-up of whatever you cant miss from the world of startups.
Want it in your inbox every Friday? Register here.This week confirmed that offers can still take place in a struggling world, but rate factors to consider and modifications are now part of the picture.Most intriguing startup stories from the weekImage Credits: Ather EnergyUncertain times are rarely good for M&A s, which raises worries that tariff turmoil might have compromised the start-up exit outlook for 2025.
Dont anticipate an overall deal dry spell as confirmed by this weeks news.Price mindful: Anysphere, the business behind Cursor, is growing so quick that an acquisition by OpenAI is apparently off the table.
Whether OpenAI will acquire Windsurf rather remains to be confirmed, however the competition between the 2 AI coding assistant rivals is heating up.Plane view: Datadog acquired AI-powered information observability start-up Metaplane, a YC alum that has actually raised some $22.2 million to date.
Offer terms were not disclosed.Hired: Erik Torenberg became a16zs most recent partner after the VC firm acqui-hired him and his podcast network, Turpentine, whose programs are set to continue.Downsized: Ather Energy, an Indian EV startup looking for to go public, trimmed its IPO size and target appraisal, pointing out market conditions.Most intriguing VC and financing news this weekImage Credits: SupabaseThis week validated that ambiance coding is as hot as can be, however startups in several other sectors also raised financing.
Plus, theres still cash to be deployed into emerging markets.Vibe coding: Supabase, an open source database startup that gains from the hype around vibe coding tools, raised a $200 million Series D just seven months after its C round at a reported $900 million appraisal, which now officially increased to $2 billion.Adaptive Computer, a vibe coding start-up that differentiates itself by concentrating on non-programmers from day 1, also raised funding: a $7 million seed round led by Pebblebed.Too lots of chats: Manychat, which provides an AI-enabled tool for businesses to handle and automate conversations across numerous messaging channels, raised a $140 million Series B led by Summit Partners.Spotting flaws: Endor Labs, a startup that builds tools to scan AI-generated code for vulnerabilities, locked a $93 million Series B round led by DFJ Growth.Sovereign AI: Formerly referred to as Xayn, Berlin-based legal AI start-up Noxtua raised a $92.2 million Series B that follows its pivot into developing sovereign AI for law-related usage cases such as preparing legal documents.Shear money: Fintech API brokerage start-up Alpaca got a $52 million Series C to further broaden internationally.Virtual CISO: Cynomi, a London- and Tel Aviv-based start-up that provides SMBs with an AI-powered virtual CISO, raised a $37 million Series B co-led by Insight Partners and Entre Capital.Superpowers: After gathering a 150,000-person waitlist, health tech start-up Superpower introduced openly and announced it raised a $30 million Series A backed by a number of celebrities.Debt funding: Froda, a Swedish fintech start-up that established a financial obligation financing platform for SMBs, protected a $22.7 million Series B led by Swedish fund Incore Invest.Cheat code: Chungin Roy Lee, a 21-year-old Columbia trainee who was suspended after developing a job interview unfaithful tool, raised $5.3 million in seed funding for his startup, Cluely, which offers an AI tool to cheat on everything.Copy-paste: Backed by more than 75 unicorn creators and VCs, Fluent Ventures is distributing $40 million to international founders, reproducing tested service designs in emerging markets.Last however not leastTechstars accelerator new fund raising $150 million Image Credits: Techstars (opens in a brand-new window)In case you missed it, Techstars recently upgraded its standard deal: It will now invest $220,000 into startups entering its three-month program.
Thats $100,000 more than formerly, with new deal terms that mirror Y Combinators.