Happy weekend.:)

According to a report in The Information, Microsoft is testing alternatives to OpenAI's LLMs, including possibly using its own family of models (called MAI). TechCrunch has more here. 

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order establishing "a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile." "This Executive Order underscores President Trump’s commitment to making the U.S. the 'crypto capital of the world,'" David Sacks, a VC and the White House's crypto and A.I. policy czar, opined. The New York Times has more here. 

Speaking of U.S. crypto policy, traders were disappointed that the new entities will not buy cryptocurrencies but instead manage assets that have been forfeited. The Financial Times has more here. 

It turns out that Intuitive Machines' moon lander didn't just turn over; it's dead. TechCrunch has more here.

When AI startups reach billion-dollar valuations in months and market conditions can shift overnight, traditional due diligence approaches are pushed to their limits. VCs are challenged to validate complex technologies, assess business model sustainability, and pick out the highest quality deals amid the hype.

Join this webinar to see how Vanessa Larco, former Partner at New Enterprise Associates has evolved her due diligence process and the investments she’s considering to support the next generation of innovative companies.

By Sarah Perez

With the rise of AI companions who serve as online friends or romantic interests, experts are questioning how the technology affects our real-world social connections and relationships.

According to Kasley Killam, author of the social health-focused book “The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health Is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier,” there may be some benefits to using AI as a tool to practice social interactions, but the technology should only be used to augment, not replace, our personal relationships and real-world connections.

More here.

Anysphere, a three-year-old San Francisco startup whose AI-powered coding assistant provides code suggestions and helps with debugging and understanding complex code, is reportedly in the market to raise hundreds of millions of dollars at a valuation of approximately $10 billion, according to a report in  Bloomberg. Investing.com has more here. 

ReflectionAI, a one-year-old Brooklyn startup founded by former Google DeepMind researchers that is focused on creating super-intelligent autonomous systems, starting with developing AI agents capable of autonomous coding, raised a total of $130 million in seed and Series A rounds. Sequoia Capital and CRV led the $25 million seed, while CRV and Lightspeed Venture Partners co-led the $105 million Series A at a $555 million post-money valuation. Additional investors reportedly include Nvidia, Reid Hoffman, and Alexandr Wang. SiliconANGLE has more here.

Daupler, an eight-year-old Kansas City startup that provides software that helps utilities and public works departments automate tasks like dispatching repair crews and notifying customers about issues such as water main breaks or power outages, raised a $15 million Series B round led by Aqualateral, with Burnt Island Ventures and KCRise Fund also participating. More here.

Peer Global, a four-year-old startup based in Newport Beach, CA, that allows users to build interactive digital spaces that reflect their interests and experiences, raised a $10.5 million round. Tommy Mai's family office was the sole investor. The company has raised a total of $65.5 million, all from angels. More here.

ReSource Chemical, a six-year-old Oakland startup that develops technology to create high-volume plastics from sustainable materials like carbon dioxide and non-edible plant matter, raised a $15 million. Khosla Ventures was the lead investor, with Chevron Technology Ventures and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical also taking part. More here.

Spiritus, a four-year-old startup based in Los Alamos, NM, that builds machines that use a chemical process to pull carbon dioxide from the air and store it, raised a $30 million Series A round led by Aramco Ventures, with additional participation from Khosla Ventures, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, and TDK Ventures. Carbon Herald has more here.

AIceberg, a five-year-old New York startup whose platform helps businesses and government agencies use AI by monitoring and controlling AI interactions to prevent risks like data leaks or unauthorized access, raised a $10 million seed round co-led by SYN Ventures and Sprout & Oak. More here.

Alta, a two-year-old Tel Aviv startup that offers AI tools that automate various sales and revenue tasks for SMBs, raised a $7 million seed round co-led by Entrée Capital and Target Global. CTech has more here.

August, a three-year-old New York startup that operates a crypto prime brokerage firm that provides institutional investors with services such as spot trading, derivatives, decentralized finance trading, automated loan management, and real-time position analytics, raised a $10 million Series A round led by Dragonfly Ventures, with SCB Limited, 6th Man Ventures, and Foresight Ventures also contributing. Fortune has more here.

dScribe AI, a one-year-old Kansas City startup that uses AI to analyze a wide range of videos such as social media content, corporate training videos, and news broadcasts to help businesses track trends, monitor brand mentions, and improve internal knowledge management, raised a $1.2 million pre-seed round. Investors included KCRise Fund, Abstraction Capital, Flyover Capital, Redbud VC, and EquipmentShare. Startland News has more here.

Faireez, a two-year-old New York startup that offers personalized housekeeping services to residents of multifamily buildings via a subscription model, raised a $7.5 million round led by Aristagora VC, with Longevity Venture Partners, Hetz Ventures, Secret Chord Ventures, and RE Angels also joining in. TechCrunch has more here.

Glimpse, a two-year-old startup based in Somerville, MA, that specializes in using X-ray imaging technology in order to detect internal defects, raised a $10 million Series A round led by TDK Ventures, with support from previous investors Ibex Mobility and Flybridge Capital Partners. More here.

GovEagle, a two-year-old Washington, DC, startup that aids government contractors by automating tasks such as analyzing RFP requirements, generating compliance matrices, and drafting proposal content, raised a $2.5 million round. Investors included Strategic Cyber Ventures and Y Combinator. More here.

InsureVision, a two-year-old UK startup that uses AI to analyze video from vehicle-mounted cameras, aiming to predict and prevent car accidents, raised a $2.7 million seed round. Rethink Ventures, Twin Path Ventures, and State Farm Ventures invested in the deal. Tech Funding News has more here.

Seismic, a Los Angeles startup founded this year that is integrating encryption at the foundational level of its blockchain, raised a $7 million round. Andreessen Horowitz was the deal lead, with participation from Polychain Capital, Alliance, DAO5, NGC Ventures, and 1kx. NFTgators has more here.

Watter, a Dallas startup founded this year that aims to use the waste heat generated by powerful computing devices to heat water in homes and businesses, raised a $5 million seed round. Hunt Innovative Technologies and 17Shoals were the co-leads. More here.

welevel, a four-year-old Munich startup that is creating survival and city-building games using AI in order to create dynamic, personalized gameplay, raised a $5.7 million seed round led by BITKRAFT Ventures, with BMWK (DLR) and goodwater also investing. VentureBeat has more here.

Seurat is revolutionizing metal additive manufacturing with our groundbreaking Area Printing® technology. Instead of selling printers, we’re transforming the industry by being the only contract manufacturer with our state-of-the-art print factories. Our goal? To enable customers to reimagine what is possible at scale, unlocking future potential for their products and businesses. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/SeuratBlog

Figma, the 13-year-old San Francisco company that allows users to create, collaborate on, and share user interface and user experience designs in real-time, is reportedly talking to bankers about a public offering. The New York Times has more here. 

Kraken, a 14-year-old cryptocurrency exchange, is once again making noises about going public, this time in 2026, according to Bloomberg, which has more here. 

Miles Brundage, a former OpenAI policy researcher, is criticizing OpenAI for “rewriting the history” of its approach to AI safety and alignment and potentially setting a "very dangerous" mentality where only overwhelming evidence of imminent dangers prompts action. TechCrunch has more here. 

The always provocative Meredith Whittaker, president of the encrypted chat app Signal, said at SXSW that there’s a "profound issue with security and privacy that is haunting this hype around agents." TechCrunch has more here. 

Sources are telling Bloomberg that Apple may have to rebuild Siri from scratch in order provide the more personalized, AI-powered version of the service that it promised. More here. 

The U.S. is considering banning DeepSeek on government devices and possibly limiting its availability in app stores. The Wall Street Journal has the scoop here. 

A new study has found that AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Meta’s Meta AI repeat Russian disinformation narratives about subjects like Ukraine a whopping 33% of the time. TechCrunch has more here. 

Recreating the Severance transition effect.

A Flamin’ Hot Cheeto shaped like a Pokémon Charizard sold for $90,000 at auction. 

How to have a White Lotus vacation in Thailand.

Sushi at Saint Laurent's Rive Droite boutique in Paris. Mais bien sûr!

A $15 million South Carolina compound complete with its own 450-acre private island.

The world's largest sailing yacht is open for business.