DeepSeek is considering increasing its latest funding round to as much as $14.9 billion, nearly double the amount previously contemplated. The final size remains under negotiation and could change.
8:59 AMCNBC11 stories from 5 sources
AI startups pursue enormous pre-IPO funding rounds
Day’s Recap
Supporting Articles
DeepSeek is close to raising at least 80 billion yuan, or roughly $12 billion, in a new funding round. The deal would exceed its own target ahead of a planned initial public offering in early 2027.
1:00 AMBloomberg Markets
Cloud computing company Lambda is seeking up to $4 billion in a final funding round before a planned IPO, at a valuation of $14.5 billion before the new capital.
7:12 PMPYMNTS
Melius has raised $20 million after abandoning its initial product, which helped marketers manage and optimize ad spending. The company is now building tools that generate creative assets and campaigns.
6:34 PMTechCrunch8:59 AMCNBC
DeepSeek considers doubling latest funding round to up to $15 billion, sources say
Summary
DeepSeek is considering increasing its latest funding round to as much as $14.9 billion, nearly double the amount previously contemplated. The final size remains under negotiation and could change.
DeepSeek's potential funding increase signals that investors are assigning an unusually high capital requirement to
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
A funding round approaching $15 billion would make DeepSeek one of the most heavily financed AI startups and intensify competition for scarce compute.
2 stories · 2 sources
1:00 AMBloomberg Markets
DeepSeek to Raise Over $12 Billion in Tencent-Backed Funding
Summary
DeepSeek is close to raising at least 80 billion yuan, or roughly $12 billion, in a new funding round. The deal would exceed its own target ahead of a planned initial public offering in early 2027.
DeepSeek's oversubscribed round signals that investors are willing to commit massive sums to a Chinese
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The round could reset funding expectations for AI startups and intensify competition for capital, computing capacity, and talent.
7:12 PMPYMNTS
Lambda Targets $14.5 Billion Valuation in Final Pre-IPO Round
Summary
Cloud computing company Lambda is seeking up to $4 billion in a final funding round before a planned IPO, at a valuation of $14.5 billion before the new capital.
Lambda is attempting to lock in a multibillion-dollar valuation and substantial cash cushion before entering
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The deal would test whether investor appetite for high-growth cloud infrastructure can sustain private valuations at public-market scale.
2 stories · 2 sources
6:34 PMTechCrunch
Ex-Ramp engineers raise $20M for platform Melius after scrapping their first product
Summary
Melius has raised $20 million after abandoning its initial product, which helped marketers manage and optimize ad spending. The company is now building tools that generate creative assets and campaigns.
Melius is shifting from optimizing marketing budgets to producing the campaigns themselves, moving closer to
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The pivot shows how quickly AI startups are repositioning around content creation as optimization software becomes easier to replicate.
Other Developments
A curated list of other prominent stories from this day.
Finnish M&A intelligence platform Comparables.ai has raised $6 million in seed funding.
8:01 PMFinextraThe American Bankers Association is investing in BankTech Ventures Fund II, a venture fund backed by community banks. The fund targets technology companies that improve bank efficiency, customer service and competitiveness.
4:57 PMFinextra
CrowdStrike opened applications for its fourth annual cybersecurity startup accelerator, in partnership with Nvidia and Amazon Web Services. The program will focus on companies developing security products for the agentic AI era.
2:55 PMPYMNTS
Mirror Particle is developing a world model designed to predict human behavior for market research and brand strategy. The company argues that role-playing with large language models cannot reliably reproduce how people make decisions.
12:35 PMTechCrunchEdge Markets is building infrastructure for institutional trading on prediction markets that operate around the clock. Its platform aims to reduce the risk that margin calls force traders to liquidate positions during volatile periods.
11:26 AMCNBC8:01 PMFinextra
M&A intelligence platform Comparables.ai raises $6m
Summary
Finnish M&A intelligence platform Comparables.ai has raised $6 million in seed funding.
The funding gives Comparables.ai capital to develop its data and intelligence platform at an early
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The round signals continued investor demand for software that can make private-market deal research faster and more systematic.
4:57 PMFinextra
American Bankers Association invests in BankTech Ventures fund
Summary
The American Bankers Association is investing in BankTech Ventures Fund II, a venture fund backed by community banks. The fund targets technology companies that improve bank efficiency, customer service and competitiveness.
The investment gives BankTech Ventures stronger industry validation and a broader channel into community banks.
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
Bank-backed capital can shorten the path from fintech product development to adoption by smaller financial institutions.
2:55 PMPYMNTS
CrowdStrike Launches Startup Accelerator to Combat AI-Related Threats
Summary
CrowdStrike opened applications for its fourth annual cybersecurity startup accelerator, in partnership with Nvidia and Amazon Web Services. The program will focus on companies developing security products for the agentic AI era.
The accelerator reflects a race to build security controls around AI agents before their adoption
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
Security vendors are treating agentic AI as a new product category, not merely an extension of existing defenses.
12:35 PMTechCrunch
Mirror Particle is building a ‘world model’ of human behavior
Summary
Mirror Particle is developing a world model designed to predict human behavior for market research and brand strategy. The company argues that role-playing with large language models cannot reliably reproduce how people make decisions.
The company is betting that behavioral prediction requires a purpose-built model rather than a general-purpose
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
If it works, behavioral world models could shift commercial research from surveying what people say to forecasting what they will do.
11:26 AMCNBC
This startup wants to reduce liquidation risk from margin calls on prediction markets
Summary
Edge Markets is building infrastructure for institutional trading on prediction markets that operate around the clock. Its platform aims to reduce the risk that margin calls force traders to liquidate positions during volatile periods.
Institutional participation will depend on better risk controls than many retail-focused prediction markets currently offer.
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
Reducing forced liquidations could remove a key barrier to institutional capital entering prediction markets.
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