Startup Watch
Wabi 2.0 turns its app builder into an AI messenger
Wabi, backed by $20 million in a16z-led funding, relaunched its AI app builder on September 29, 2026, as an invite-only agent messenger.
Startup Watch
New companies building developer and AI infrastructure, their launches, funding rounds and exits. Each story says what the product does, who it competes with and what its pricing means for a small team, so you can judge whether to trial it before the hype cycle does.
Startup Watch
Mistral raises €3B at €21B, led by Samsung
Mistral raised €3 billion at a €21 billion valuation, nearly double its last round. It plans 1 GW of European compute by 2030 and will host rivals' open weights.
Startup Watch
Crusoe reportedly raises $3B at a $30B valuation
Crusoe has reportedly raised $3 billion at a $30 billion valuation, three times its October 2025 mark, after signing a $13 billion cloud deal with Jane Street.
Startup Watch
AfterQuery hits $3.2B, reportedly YC's fastest unicorn yet
AfterQuery is reportedly valued at $3.2 billion, up from $300 million in April. It sells the professional reasoning data that labs use to train AI agents.
Startup Watch
a16z lifts its fifth Growth fund to $8.5B and adds an AI hardware fund
Andreessen Horowitz said on August 31, 2026 that it added $1.75 billion to its fifth Growth fund, taking it to $8.5 billion. A separate $1.1B fund targets AI hardware.
Startup Watch
DeepSeek nears a $7.4B raise at a $74B valuation before a 2027 IPO
Reports dated August 28 and 29, 2026 say DeepSeek is close to raising about $7.4 billion, or 50 billion yuan, at a $74 billion valuation. The money buys compute.
Startup Watch
Clipto raises $15M at a $250M valuation for on-device AI search
Clipto said on August 31, 2026 that it raised $15 million at a $250 million valuation. Its search index runs on the user's own machine instead of the cloud.
Startup Watch
Instinct raises $250M at $2.5B for an agent that acts for you
Index Ventures and Benchmark led a $250 million Series B at a $2.5 billion valuation. Security researchers are raising alarms about the assistant's permissions.
Startup Watch
CivilGrid raises $26M to map what is buried under US streets
Spark Capital led a $26 million Series A for CivilGrid, which merges utility, environmental and geotechnical records into one map. US crews hit 200,000 lines a year.
Startup Watch
Rillet hits a $1B valuation two years after leaving stealth
AI-native ERP startup Rillet raised a $100M Series C led by ICONIQ at a $1B valuation - its third round in 14 months, closed in under 48 hours, with 600+ customers.
The daily brief
Three to five stories a day, and what each one means for the people who build software. Free, no spam.