Fortune
Publication
- Last published Aug 12
Authors & Editors
Stories
PitchBook: AI Megadeals Took 87.5% of U.S. VC Dollars in H1 2026, Series D+ AI Valuations Jump 6.6x
PitchBook's Q2 2026 U.S. VC valuations show that AI megadeals captured 87.5% of venture dollars in H1, driving much larger valuation step-ups (median 2.2x for AI vs 1.6x non-AI and 6.6x at Series D+). Liquidity is limited—IPOs are sparse and acquisitions are mixed—while top AI firms like Anthropic are inflating return expectations and skewing the market.
Former Google DeepMind Researchers Raise $5M to Democratize Algorithm-Designing AI with New Startup Hiverge
Former Google DeepMind researchers launched Hiverge with $5 million seed funding to use AI for creating novel algorithms that improve business processes for medium and small companies. Their platform, Hive, automates algorithm generation and optimization, potentially discovering superior solutions beyond human capability.
Costa Rican immigrant and mother raises VC fund to boost funding for women founders as under 3% of VC goes to women
A Costa Rican immigrant and mother of two raised a VC fund to increase investment in women founders because under 3% of venture capital currently goes to women, and she wants her daughters to see more women-led companies at future job fairs. She emphasizes systemic barriers—lack of traditional VC background, limited high-net-worth networks, and industry gender gaps—that make fundraising especially difficult for women.
Crowd Cow launches cow-sharing platform allowing consumers to buy labeled beef shares directly from ranchers
Crowd Cow is a Seattle startup that lets consumers buy individual cows collaboratively by purchasing labeled "shares" of specific cuts, which are only charged if the whole animal sells; the company handles marketing, packaging, and shipping and emphasizes high-quality, traceable beef from independent ranchers. Prices range from $12 to $219 per cut plus $12.99 shipping, the meat is vacuum-sealed and barcoded, and Crowd Cow currently works with about a dozen ranchers while expanding beyond 15 states west of the Mississippi.
