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Brynn Putnam's Board raised $20M; plus, ZeroDrift raises $10M to protect AI models from themselves Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Board, the startup building what it calls "together tech" designed to bring people into the same room, has closed a Series A led by Union Square Ventures.

Also, a new AI compliance service sits between AI models and end users to flag and replace any messages that might present a compliance problem.

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Pacific Fusion’s latest prototype packs 440 gigawatts into an 80-nanosecond burst; plus, Rocket engine startup Impulse raises $500 million to hire people, not AI Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

Pacific Fusion's sub-scale prototype delivered enormous amounts of power in a flash, setting the company up for its demonstration power plant.

Also, engineering physical systems still depends on human talent, according to Impulse Space president Eric Romo.

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Snap alums unveil Ghost Angels fund; Defense tech darling Mach Industries hits $1.8B valuation Jun 02, 2026

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A group of 20 Snap alumni has come together to launch a fund called Ghost Angels to back the next generation of social media.

Also, in a wild ride for 22-year-old founder and CEO Ethan Thornton, Mach Industries has raised another $300 million. It already has five autonomous vehicles in development and completed a major acquisition.

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This chip startup just raised $135M on a bet that AI’s biggest bottleneck isn’t compute — it’s memory; plus, Glean’s top line crosses $300M as AI budget-cutting becomes its major selling point Jun 01, 2026

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South Korean chip startup Xcena is betting that AI's real bottleneck is not compute, but memory.

Also, the enterprise AI search startup tripled its annual revenue even as tech giants entered the category.

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Corgi doubled in value in 3 weeks; plus, Anthropic raises $65 Billion, nears $1T valuation ahead of IPO May 29, 2026

Show notes

Insurance tech Corgi announced today an $106 million Series B1 raise, valuing the company at $2.6 billion, just three weeks after announcing a $160 million Series B.

Also, Anthropic has closed a $65 billion Series H round at a $965 billion post-money valuation, marking what could be the AI startup's final private fundraise before a highly anticipated IPO.

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SOND, a sleep tech startup, exits stealth with $7M; plus, Airbnb-backed WeRoad raises $58M May 28, 2026

Show notes

SOND, a startup led by Bose’s former head of sleep products, emerged from stealth with $7M in funding for its AI-powered sleep earbuds.

Also, WeRoad, the Milan-based group travel startup, has raised a $58 million Series C round led by Airbnb as it prepares for its first major expansion outside Europe

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Amazon fulfillment competitor Stord raises $250M at $3B valuation; OpenRouter more than doubles valuation to $1.3B in a year May 27, 2026

Show notes

Stord offers a network of physical warehouses and inventory management software for e-commerce. It bills itself as a sort of anti-Amazon, giving brands "the speed to compete" while still owning their customer relationships.

Also, OpenRouter has raised a $113 million Series B led by CapitalG. Its 5x growth in usage over six months indicates the multi-AI-model future is here.

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Maka Kids is redefining kids’ screen time with a streaming app; also, Peec, one of Berlin’s rising startups, more than doubled ARR May 26, 2026

Show notes

Maka Kids is building a streaming app for children ages zero to six featuring content designed for healthy development. The startup has now raised $3 million in seed funding to scale its platform.

Also, Peec, which helps brands track their presence in AI searches, offers proof of a key trend among European startups.

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This young startup is taking on a fragrance industry that hasn’t changed in almost half a century May 25, 2026

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This young startup is taking on a fragrance industry that hasn’t changed in a almost half century

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Imperagen raises £5 million to use quantum physics, AI on enzyme engineering; plus, Beauty booking startup Fresha hits $1 billion valuation May 22, 2026

Show notes

Biotech company Imperagen announced on Thursday a £5 million ($6.7 million) seed round led by PXN Ventures, with participation from IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone.

Also, beauty and wellness booking marketplace Fresha says it has raised $80 million investment from KKR’s Next Generation Technology Growth fund, KKR's growth equity arm.

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