Kanu AI exits stealth with $11.7M to deliver cloud-hosted, company-owned workflow software; Trilogy Equity leads round
Kanu AI, a Seattle startup, exited stealth with $11.7 million to build software that runs inside customers' clouds, aiming to let companies own tools shaped by their own workflows rather than buying external products.
Stoke Space announces $1B Series E initial close, total funding $2.3B while still pre-flight
Stoke Space raised a $1 billion Series E — bringing its total funding to $2.3 billion — despite not having flown an orbital mission yet; Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital co-led the round. The company says it has completed an initial closing of the round and plans to build a fully reusable Nova launch vehicle with first flight targeted for 2027.
Alice (formerly ActiveFence) raises $140M led by Apax Digital to stress-test Anthropic, Google and Cohere models
Alice (formerly ActiveFence), which spent eight years building an archive of harmful internet material to red-team AI models, raised $140 million in a round led by Apax Digital that brings total funding to $280 million.
Starcloud raises $250M at $2.3B to run AI inference in orbit, but can’t yet book rockets amid Falcon 9 retirement
Starcloud raised $250 million in a Series A extension at a $2.3 billion post-money valuation to deploy AI inference compute in orbit, but faces difficulty booking launches because required rockets may be unavailable once Falcon 9 retires in 2028.
PitchBook: Megadeals ($100M+) Captured 87.5% of US VC Funding in H1 2026; 2021-Vintage Firms Trade at 59.1% Discount
PitchBook's Q2 US VC Valuations report (published 10 August 2026) finds that megadeals ($100m+ rounds) accounted for 87.5% of US venture dollars in H1 2026, and companies last funded in 2021 trade at a 59.1% secondary discount.
Ent Security, founded by RiskIQ veterans behind Microsoft Security Copilot, raises $100M seed to enable AI-driven endpoint prevention
Ent Security, founded by the RiskIQ team behind Microsoft Security Copilot, raised a $100 million seed round to develop AI-powered endpoint prevention aimed at stopping attacks before they occur.
Parloa announces partnerships with SAP, Microsoft, OpenAI, Five9 and Epic after $350M Series D at $3B valuation
Berlin-founded Parloa, valued at $3 billion after a $350 million Series D in January 2026, announced partnerships with SAP, Microsoft, OpenAI, Five9, and Epic while reporting over $50 million ARR and 150% net revenue retention as it expands its enterprise AI agent platform.
Moment raises $78M led by Index Ventures to build AI operating system for Edward Jones, LPL and Hightower
Moment, founded by former Citadel quants, raised $78 million led by Index Ventures (with a16z and Avra participating) to build an AI operating system that lets wealth managers like Edward Jones, LPL Financial, and Hightower deploy regulated AI agents for trading.
Amazon-backed X-energy files for IPO targeting up to $814M with $16–$19 share range
X-energy, a nuclear reactor startup backed by Amazon's $500 million investment and a 5GW power purchase commitment, has filed for an IPO seeking up to $814 million by pricing shares at $16–$19. The company has begun its investor roadshow and values the offering at about $814M at the top end of the range.
Bluesky discloses $100M Series B led by Bain Capital Crypto that closed in April as new CEO takes charge
Bluesky disclosed a previously unannounced $100 million Series B led by Bain Capital Crypto that closed last April, and announced a new CEO ten days after founder Jay Graber stepped down.
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