Index Ventures
Facts
- HQ
- London / San Francisco
- Sectors
- Venture capital
Aetherflux, Founded by Robinhood's Baiju Bhatt, Expands to Seattle for Solar-Powered Orbital Data Center Satellite Development
Aetherflux, a space startup founded in 2024 by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, is expanding to Seattle to develop solar-powered orbital data center satellites aimed at supporting AI energy needs, with a commercial launch planned for 2027. The company joins a growing aerospace community in Seattle, focusing on leveraging space-based infrastructure to overcome limitations of ground-based AI computing resources.
Temporal Raises $300M at $5B Valuation to Support Reliable AI Agent Workflows in Production
Temporal raised $300 million in a Series D round led by Andreessen Horowitz, doubling its valuation to $5 billion by supporting reliable execution for AI systems. The Bellevue-based company's software powers long-running workflows for clients like OpenAI, with revenue and usage surging significantly as AI agent deployments grow.
Seattle AI Startup Phaidra Raises $50M to Enhance Data Center Energy Efficiency with Advanced AI
Seattle startup Phaidra raised $50 million to advance its AI technology that improves energy efficiency in data centers by optimizing electricity, cooling, and workloads. The funding, led by Collaborative Fund, will support further development, strengthen ties with Nvidia, and expand its global reach.
Seattle Startup Rec Room Lays Off Half of Staff Amid $3.5 Billion Valuation, Refocuses on VR and PC
Seattle-based VR and gaming startup Rec Room is laying off about half its staff due to financial challenges after overexpanding its platform across multiple devices. The company will now focus on its strongest areas, including supporting top PC and VR creators and improving its flagship games.
Brinc Secures $75M Funding Led by Index Ventures, Partners with Motorola to Expand Emergency Response Drones
Seattle-based drone maker Brinc raised $75 million led by Index Ventures and Motorola, forming a strategic alliance to expand emergency response drone production and distribution in U.S. public safety sectors. Motorola will become a distributor and integrate their technology with Brinc's for enhanced drone dispatch capabilities.
Tiger Global Leads $146M Funding Round for Temporal, Raising Valuation to $1.72B
Temporal, a Seattle startup that offers an open-source microservices orchestration platform, raised $146 million in a funding round led by Tiger Global, boosting its valuation to $1.72 billion. The company serves major clients like Snap and Netflix, with a reported 4.4X revenue growth in 18 months.
Daydream Raises $50M Seed to Launch AI-Driven Online Clothing Shopping Platform Led by Julie Bornstein
Daydream, a startup led by e-commerce veteran Julie Bornstein, raised a $50 million seed round to develop an AI-powered platform aimed at transforming online clothing shopping. The platform, launching in beta later this year, partners with nearly 2,000 brands to offer a more intuitive and personalized shopping search experience.
Copper Halts Banking Services After Synapse Bankruptcy Forces Deposit Account Lockouts
Fintech startup Copper has discontinued its banking services and debit card offerings due to its banking-as-a-service provider Synapse filing for bankruptcy and shutting down its platform. Affected customers are temporarily unable to access deposit accounts, but Copper plans to pivot to its 'Earn' product focused on surveys and games.
Brinc Unveils LiveOps Software to Manage Public Safety Drones, Communications, and Evidence Storage
Brinc launched LiveOps, a browser-based software platform that integrates drone fleet management, live streaming, real-time maps, communications, and evidence storage for public safety agencies. The Seattle-based company aims to expand its reach beyond drone pilots to emergency response teams, offering LiveOps alongside its hardware and service packages.
Blake Resnick, 23, Leads Seattle Drone Startup Brinc to Enhance Public Safety with Advanced UAVs
Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of Seattle-based drone company Brinc, uses technology to improve public safety with drones designed for first responders. At 23, he secured significant early investment and aims to expand drone use for police and medical emergencies.
Brinc CEO Blake Resnick, 23, Raises $80M Led by OpenAI's Sam Altman for Lemur 2 Drone Shipping in 2023
Brinc, a drone startup founded by 23-year-old Blake Resnick, is preparing to ship its Lemur 2 drone for public safety agencies later this year, having raised over $80 million from investors including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Resnick, who left Northwestern University to start Brinc after a tragic event in his hometown, leads a team of nearly 100 employees with more than 400 customers.
Brinc Unveils Lemur 2 Drone with Advanced Features, Raises $80M, and Hires Ex-Amazon Engineers Amid US DJI Blacklist
Seattle-based drone startup Brinc unveiled its Lemur 2 drone featuring 3D mapping and obstacle avoidance, aiming to support public safety agencies amid U.S. efforts to blacklist Chinese drone maker DJI. Founded by Blake Resnick, Brinc has hired former Amazon Prime Air engineers and raised $80 million to compete with well-funded rivals like Skydio.
Temporal raises $103M Series B at $1.5B valuation as 55-person startup reaches unicorn status
Temporal, a 55-person Seattle startup that provides an open-source microservices orchestration platform, raised $103 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, becoming a unicorn three years after launch with total funding over $120 million. The company—founded by former Uber engineers Maxim Fateev (CEO) and Samar Abbas (CTO)—says adoption is growing 25–50% month-over-month and counts customers like Snap, Netflix, Instacart, and Qualtrics.
Rec Room raises $145M led by Coatue, valuing the Seattle VR startup at $3.5B
Seattle-based Rec Room raised $145 million in a funding round led by Coatue Management, bringing its valuation to $3.5 billion after a prior $100 million raise in March 2021; the cross-platform social VR app saw rapid user growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Common Room exits stealth with $52M in funding to monetize community engagement for enterprises
Seattle startup Common Room exited stealth after one year, announcing $52 million in total funding and enterprise customers testing its community-management software. The company integrates signals from platforms like Slack, Twitter and Discord to help companies grow user engagement and advocacy.
Rec Room raises $100M, becomes $1.25B Seattle unicorn after pandemic-fueled 566% revenue surge
Seattle-based social gaming startup Rec Room raised $100 million at a $1.25 billion valuation after explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by 15 million lifetime users and a 566% year-over-year revenue increase. The five-year-old company offers cross-platform tools for creating virtual rooms and games, has over 2 million creators, isn’t yet profitable, and plans an Android launch later this year.
Rec Room raises $20M Series C led by Madrona as pandemic drives surge to 3M+ user-created rooms
Seattle-based Rec Room raised $20 million in a Series C led by Madrona Venture Group, bringing total funding to nearly $50 million. The four-year-old virtual hangout and game-creation platform saw explosive growth during the pandemic, tripling its community and surpassing 3 million user-created rooms by September.
