Welcome to your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. This week saw rapid advancements in valuations and confirmation of booming interest in defense tech and AI-driven innovation.
Most Interesting Startup Stories From the Week
The startup ecosystem buzzed with high-speed developments this week, many tied to accelerators like Y Combinator and Israel’s thriving tech scene.
- Lightning-Fast Exits: No-code website-building platform Wix acquired 6-month-old vibe-coding startup Base44 for $80 million in cash, marking another swift exit for Israeli founders.
- Valuation Surges: Spend management platform Ramp saw its valuation jump to $16 billion in just three months following a Series E round.
- Big Deals, Bigger Drama: Meta’s $14.3B deal to acquire 49% of Scale AI sparked attention, as did OpenAI’s move to drop Scale AI as a data provider post-deal. Meanwhile, OpenAI secured a $200M defense contract, complicating ties with Microsoft.
Most Interesting Funding Updates
Defense tech and AI dominated funding headlines, but outliers in fintech and health tech also made waves.
- Defense Tech Dominance: Autonomous vehicle software firm Applied Intuition raised $600M at a $15B valuation, while European defense standout Helsing secured €600M at a €12B valuation.
- New Unicorns: Observability startup Coralogix hit a $1B valuation with its $115M Series E, allocating funds to expand its India team. Defense tech newcomer Mach Industries confirmed a $100M raise at a $470M valuation.
- Fintech Innovation: Remittance-focused Aspora closed a $50M Series B, and stock-investing app Grifin landed $11M to simplify fractional shares.
- AI-Powered Expansions: Accounting roll-up platform Multiplier Holdings raised $27.5M, while Swedish payments startup Polar secured $10M for AI-driven infrastructure.
Looking Ahead
The momentum in defense tech, AI integrations, and cross-border fintech underscores a shift toward solving complex, global challenges. As investor Alexa von Tobel noted, the next wave of innovation will demand foundational reinvention—not just superficial tweaks—to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving economy.
