Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
Google VP Warns Two Types of AI Startups May Not Survive
Google's Darren Mowry warns that LLM wrappers and AI aggregators face shrinking margins and limited differentiation as models evolve. He is bullish on vibe coding, developer platforms like Replit and Cursor, direct-to-consumer tech, biotech, and climate tech.
These sectors saw record investment in 2025.
Taalas Raises $169M to Build AI Chips Challenging Nvidia
Toronto-based Taalas raised $169M (total $219M) from Quiet Capital, Fidelity, and others for chips running AI faster and cheaper. The announcement follows Nvidia's $20B IP deal with Groq.
Taalas aims to compete directly with Nvidia in AI hardware.
Mecademic Secures $21M for Tiny Industrial Robots
Montreal's Mecademic raised $21M from Investissement Québec, EDC, and BDC to expand palm-sized robots globally. The funding supports scaling compact industrial automation tech.
This bolsters Canada's robotics ecosystem.
Portugal's New Startup Wave Targets Global Markets with AI and Energy Tech
Post-2023 Portuguese startups like ADECI Group (AI forecasting for retail), BM2Solar (solar battery integration, €3M raised), DOJO AI, and others focus on efficiency and international scale. Lisbon and Porto lead in energy, marketing, real estate, and immigration tech.
The ecosystem shows maturity with better funding and cross-border ambition.
Wealthtech Jump Lands $80M Series B for AI Advisory
Jump closed an $80M Series B led by Insight Partners, totaling $105M raised. The platform serves 27,000 financial advisors with AI tools.
Funding fuels expansion in AI-driven wealth management.
Phoebe Gates' Phia AI Shopping Startup Valued at $185M
Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates, raised $35M led by Notable Capital, reaching $185M valuation without parental funding. The browser plugin compares prices across retail and resale sites in real-time.
Launched in 2025, it has hundreds of thousands of downloads amid AI agent hype.
Robinhood Launches $1B IPO for Private Company Access Fund
Robinhood seeks $1B via IPO of Robinhood Ventures Fund I, offering 40M shares at $25 for retail access to private firms. Trading starts Feb 26 after requests from Feb 17.
This taps meme stock frenzy into private markets.
AMD Backstops $300M Loan for Crusoe's AI Data Centers
AMD guarantees a $300M loan for startup Crusoe to buy AI chips and build an Ohio data center, mimicking Nvidia's strategy. This boosts AMD's cloud provider growth.
It highlights chipmakers financing ecosystem expansion.
Canadian AgTech Upside Robotics Secures Seed Funding
Upside Robotics raised seed funding for autonomous farming tech amid rising AgTech and robotics investments. Applied AI in agriculture, supply chain, and climate tech gains momentum.
Canada's AI ecosystem treats it as baseline for software startups.
Crypto Startups Raise $95M Led by Prediction Markets and AI Agents
Crypto projects raised $95M amid market downturn, with prediction markets and AI agents leading. Investors secure better terms like lower valuations.
Infrastructure, RWA tokenization, and DeFi also attract capital.
Waterloo Alum's AgTech Startup Raises $7.5M for Crop Automation
Sam Dugan's agtech firm raised $7.5M to automate crop management using mechatronics tech. The BASc '22 alum co-founded the company.
This supports Canada's applied AI in agriculture.