11 stories from 5 sources
Supporting Articles
DeepSeek is exploring a second funding round only weeks after raising $7 billion in its first-ever financing at a reported $52 billion valuation. The discussions are described as preliminary and sourced to people familiar with the matter.
1:17 PMPYMNTSFlex, an AI-native private banking platform focused on high-net-worth business owners, raised $70 million. The company plans to use the funding to expand internationally.
1:50 PMFinextraFlex, an AI-powered banking platform for mid-sized businesses, reached a $1.2 billion valuation in a new funding round that more than doubled its valuation from six months ago.
10:40 AMPYMNTSVelocity raised $38 million in Series A funding to expand a stablecoin payments and treasury platform for global enterprises. The pitch is faster settlement and lower friction while keeping existing treasury workflows intact.
5:58 PMPYMNTSVelocity raised a $38 million Series A led by Dragonfly and FirstMark to build a stablecoin treasury and settlement platform for enterprises moving payments and liquidity onchain.
11:31 AMFinextraSummary
DeepSeek is exploring a second funding round only weeks after raising $7 billion in its first-ever financing at a reported $52 billion valuation. The discussions are described as preliminary and sourced to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters
Another rapid mega-round would reinforce that frontier AI is still capital-driven and valuation-setting, not yet constrained by near-term earnings.
Summary
Flex, an AI-native private banking platform focused on high-net-worth business owners, raised $70 million. The company plans to use the funding to expand internationally.
Why it matters
A well-funded entrant can compress margins in private banking by pairing automation with a narrow, lucrative customer segment.
Summary
Flex, an AI-powered banking platform for mid-sized businesses, reached a $1.2 billion valuation in a new funding round that more than doubled its valuation from six months ago.
Why it matters
A fast step-up to unicorn valuation tightens competitive pressure across SMB fintech and tests whether AI-driven banking can scale profitably.
Summary
Velocity raised $38 million in Series A funding to expand a stablecoin payments and treasury platform for global enterprises. The pitch is faster settlement and lower friction while keeping existing treasury workflows intact.
Why it matters
If stablecoins plug into standard treasury operations, they can pressure traditional cross-border payment economics and bank cash-management moats.
Summary
Velocity raised a $38 million Series A led by Dragonfly and FirstMark to build a stablecoin treasury and settlement platform for enterprises moving payments and liquidity onchain.
Why it matters
This round signals growing institutional confidence that stablecoins will become a core layer in corporate treasury and payments.
A curated list of other prominent stories from this day.
OpenAI researcher Miles Wang is in talks to start an AI drug discovery company at a reported $2B valuation. The discussions reflect investor appetite for AI-first life sciences ventures.
8:27 PMTechCrunchAmsterdam startup Nopan raised €7.2 million to build a performance layer for account-to-account and wallet payments. The company was founded by two former members of Netflix's payments team.
8:01 PMFinextraU.S. business applications reached 5.6 million in 2025 and are up 24% since ChatGPT launched, according to a Citadel Securities note citing Census data. Seed-stage startups also appear leaner, with median headcount dropping from five to four employees in early 2023.
5:10 PMPYMNTSHinge founder Justin McLeod raised $18 million for Overtone, a new dating product that emphasizes voice and audio and uses AI to curate introductions. The pitch is that higher-signal audio plus AI-driven matching can improve the quality of connections versus swipe-first apps.
3:39 PMTechCrunchA team associated with Akero and backed by Fairmount launched a new immunology-focused biotech. The move adds another well-capitalized entrant chasing immunology programs amid a broader biotech news cycle.
10:42 AMStat NewsReflect Orbital received FCC authorization to build and operate a single prototype satellite that would use a mirror to redirect sunlight to Earth at night. The approval clears the startup to launch the demonstrator into low Earth orbit later this year despite concerns about potential impacts on astronomy and the night sky.
7:10 AMThe VergeSummary
OpenAI researcher Miles Wang is in talks to start an AI drug discovery company at a reported $2B valuation. The discussions reflect investor appetite for AI-first life sciences ventures.
Why it matters
A $2B starting valuation would further inflate the AI-biotech bar and could accelerate a bubble-or-breakthrough cycle tied to clinical results.
Summary
Amsterdam startup Nopan raised €7.2 million to build a performance layer for account-to-account and wallet payments. The company was founded by two former members of Netflix's payments team.
Why it matters
Infrastructure that makes A2A perform like cards can shift volume away from card rails and compress payment costs.
Summary
U.S. business applications reached 5.6 million in 2025 and are up 24% since ChatGPT launched, according to a Citadel Securities note citing Census data. Seed-stage startups also appear leaner, with median headcount dropping from five to four employees in early 2023.
Why it matters
Cheaper startup formation increases supply, which makes go-to-market and differentiation the limiting constraints for returns.
Summary
Hinge founder Justin McLeod raised $18 million for Overtone, a new dating product that emphasizes voice and audio and uses AI to curate introductions. The pitch is that higher-signal audio plus AI-driven matching can improve the quality of connections versus swipe-first apps.
Why it matters
If Overtone shows that AI-curated, voice-first dating can retain users and reduce low-quality interactions, it will redirect capital and product roadmaps across the dating category.
Summary
A team associated with Akero and backed by Fairmount launched a new immunology-focused biotech. The move adds another well-capitalized entrant chasing immunology programs amid a broader biotech news cycle.
Why it matters
Founder-led immunology spinouts can reset early-stage pricing and partnership dynamics across biotech.
Summary
Reflect Orbital received FCC authorization to build and operate a single prototype satellite that would use a mirror to redirect sunlight to Earth at night. The approval clears the startup to launch the demonstrator into low Earth orbit later this year despite concerns about potential impacts on astronomy and the night sky.
Why it matters
A regulatory green light for a space mirror prototype sets a precedent for commercial manipulation of the night sky and could shape how fast novel satellite uses reach orbit.
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