Lambda Magazine: Edition 9

Perplexity AI Raises $100M at $18B Valuation

Perplexity AI, the AI-powered search engine challenging Google’s dominance, has secured $100 million in a fresh funding round, placing its valuation at $18 billion. This raise solidifies Perplexity’s position as one of the highest-valued AI-native platforms globally. The funds will accelerate infrastructure expansion, support multilingual deployments, and enhance enterprise-level offerings. Perplexity’s momentum highlights growing investor belief in AI-first alternatives to traditional search and a broader shift toward conversational discovery.

Source: Champaign Magazine

Trump Proposes $70B AI and Energy Investment Package

Former President Donald Trump has announced plans for a sweeping $70 billion investment initiative targeting the AI and energy sectors. The proposal includes funding for AI infrastructure, education, and clean energy innovation, and is expected to shape national policy if re-elected. Tech leaders and VCs are watching closely as this plan could significantly influence both public and private capital allocation across high-impact innovation areas.

Source: Reuters

AI Breakthroughs Dominate This Week’s Headlines

This week saw a flurry of groundbreaking developments in AI. Meta revealed a $340 billion plan to build the world’s most powerful AI compute network. Tesla expanded its in-car AI with the “Grok” assistant. And new research suggests an AI diagnostic model is outperforming human doctors in specific medical fields. These advances are pushing AI to the edge of science fiction—and regulators are scrambling to keep up.

Source: TS2.tech

China’s AI Sector Attracts $98B in Foreign Investment

Foreign investment into China’s AI startups has skyrocketed to $98 billion this quarter, signaling international confidence in China’s tech ecosystem. With strong state support and progress in language modeling and robotics, Chinese firms are rapidly advancing. This influx may intensify the global AI race, especially in foundational model development, semiconductors, and manufacturing AI.

Source: CGTN

AI Startup Funding in U.S. Soars 75% in H1 2025

Artificial intelligence startups in the United States raised a staggering $162.8 billion in the first half of 2025—a 75.6% increase over the same period last year. Despite a cooling in broader venture markets, AI remains the hotbed of capital activity. Enterprise software, infrastructure models, and domain-specific GenAI platforms led the funding surge.

Source: Reuters

U.S. Startup Ecosystem Raises $162.8B in H1 2025

Despite macroeconomic headwinds, U.S. startups attracted $162.8 billion in funding during H1 2025—up more than 75% YoY. AI dominated the landscape, with massive rounds across GenAI, SaaS, and infrastructure. Seed and early-stage deals also remained resilient, suggesting long-term investor confidence in innovation despite valuation corrections.

Source: Reuters

Verified Capital Launches $175M AI-Focused Fund

Verified Capital has raised $175 million for a new venture fund dedicated to early-stage AI startups. The fund will focus on applied AI in healthtech, automation, and productivity, with a preference for companies building vertical-specific solutions. The move underscores growing investor appetite for targeted innovation over general-purpose models.

Source: Tech Funding News

Substack Achieves Unicorn Status with $100M Raise

Substack, the platform fueling the newsletter economy, has reached a $1.1 billion valuation following a $100 million funding round. The investment will expand its discovery engine, creator monetization tools, and editorial analytics. In an age where individual voices carry global reach, Substack continues to shape the future of digital publishing.

Source: Tech Funding News

Lovable Becomes Sweden’s Newest Unicorn with $200M Series A

Swedish AI-powered branding startup Lovable has closed a $200 million Series A, reaching a $1.8 billion valuation. The platform blends AI with human-centered design to help businesses build visual identities in minutes. Lovable’s success reflects the growing investor focus on creative AI and design automation.

Source: Tech Funding News

Antler ONE Launches €30M Fund to Build Europe’s Next Unicorns

Antler ONE has unveiled a new €30 million fund to support early-stage startups across Europe. The fund will prioritize SaaS, fintech, and AI-driven ventures at pre-seed and seed stages. As Europe looks to bolster its startup ecosystem, Antler ONE’s initiative could play a critical role in nurturing the continent’s next unicorns.

Source: Tech Funding News

BrightAI Secures $51M to Bridge AI and the Physical World

BrightAI has raised $51 million in Series A funding to scale its platform for AI deployment in physical environments—factories, logistics hubs, and smart warehouses. The startup enables organizations to connect AI models with real-world sensor data and machine controls, bridging the gap between digital inference and physical execution.

Source: VC News Daily

Tesla’s Grok AI Chatbot Rolls Out in 2025.26 Update

Tesla’s latest software update (v2025.26) introduces Grok—a conversational AI assistant now available in select vehicles. While Grok doesn’t control driving systems, it can answer questions, provide entertainment, and manage route planning. This marks Tesla’s most advanced integration of in-cabin AI, aligning vehicles with future smart assistant platforms.

Source: TechRadar

Windows 11 Insider Build Adds AI-Powered Enhancements

Microsoft has rolled out a new Windows 11 Insider build featuring AI-generated image descriptions, machine recovery tools, adaptive energy settings, and passkey-based login options. These updates reflect Microsoft’s push to embed intelligent features throughout the OS, enhancing user productivity and system resilience.

Source: Windows Central

WikiCon 2025 Spotlights Open Knowledge & Tech Tools

At WikiCon Brasil 2025, developers and contributors unveiled new open-source technologies for collaborative knowledge sharing. Innovations included AI-supported content classification, decentralized editorial control, and multilingual access tools. As interest in open infrastructure grows, Wikimedia’s ecosystem is evolving beyond encyclopedic knowledge into collaborative tech.

Source: Wikimedia Diff

Global Tech Events Bring Founders and Builders Together

From Lisbon to Bangalore, over a dozen high-profile tech events are taking place this month. Topics range from VC strategy and SaaS scaling to AI-powered DevOps. These hybrid conferences mark a global return to cross-border collaboration and emphasize practical growth tools for founders and engineering leaders alike.

Source: Technical.ly