Apple's Hardware Event Stuns, But AI Is a Question Mark

Top News

Apple unveiled its iPhone 17 lineup, introduced the ultra-thin iPhone Air at $999, and launched AirPods Pro 3 with live translation, but it still has not announced how it will bring AI to Siri. TechCrunch has all of the news from Apple’s hardware event here.

Mercor, a buzzy startup that connects companies like OpenAI and Meta with domain experts needed to train and refine their foundational AI models, is in discussions with investors for a Series C round at a $10+ billion valuation, according to two sources familiar with the deal talks and a marketing document viewed by TechCrunch. Felicis, a returning investor, is reportedly considering doubling down on the company as part of the process. TechCrunch’s scoop is here.

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Robinhood Embraces Copy Trading After Warning Competitors About Regulatory Risk

By Connie Loizos

What a difference a changing regulatory environment makes.

Roughly nine months after suggesting that a young copy trading platform could only operate because it flew “under the radar” of regulators, Robinhood has announced its own entry into the space with “Robinhood Social,” a new feature that will allow users to follow and manually replicate the trades of prominent investors.

The move represents a striking about-face for the online brokerage, which has historically been cautious about features that could attract regulatory scrutiny. The company famously ditched its celebratory digital confetti feature ahead of its 2021 IPO after regulators raised concerns about gamifying trading, making its embrace of copy trading, another potentially gamified feature, all the more notable.

This wariness was on full display in December, when in a conversation with this editor about upstart copy trading platform Dub, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev suggested that such platforms could operate primarily because of their smaller size, proposing that “copy trading could become of greater interest to regulators” and that Dub may not yet be under the “magnifying glass” because of its “comparatively smaller size.”

Now, Robinhood is betting that the regulatory landscape has changed enough to safely enter the copy trading market.

The timing is particularly notable given the pointed criticism Robinhood faced earlier this year from Dub’s 23-year-old founder Steven Wang, who has positioned his platform as a more educationally-focused alternative to traditional trading apps.

“I have a lot of respect for what [CEO] Vlad [Tenev] has done in making trading free,” Wang told me back in February. “But at the end of the day, making it super easy to trade without expert guidance, without education, is really just gambling for the broader population.”

Massive Fundings

DataCrunch, a seven-year-old Helsinki startup that runs AI-focused cloud infrastructure designed to give European enterprises data sovereignty while also powering its data centers with renewable energy, raised a $63.2 million Series A in equity and debt. The deal was co-led by byFounders, Skaala, Varma, and Tesi, with J12 Ventures also taking part. Data Center Dynamics has more here.

Epigenic Therapeutics, a four-year-old Shanghai startup that is developing epigenetic medicines to treat diseases such as hepatitis B and high cholesterol, raised a $60 million Series B round led by Lapam Capital, with previous investors Qiming Venture Partners and OrbiMed also contributing. Pharmaceutical Technology has more here.

Reflection AI, a one-year-old San Francisco startup that is developing artificial intelligence tools for coding, is close to raising about $1 billion at a valuation of up to $5.5 billion in a round led by Nvidia’s venture arm to the tune of $250 million, with Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Conviction Partners, and DST Global also ponying up. The company was last valued at $545 million just six months ago. The Financial Times has more here.

Scintil Photonics, a nine-year-old startup based in Grenoble, France, that develops integrated photonic chips for high-bandwidth AI infrastructure, raised a $58 million Series B round co-led by Yotta Capital Partners and NGP Capital, with additional investors including NVIDIA, BNP Paribas Développement, Supernova Invest, Bpifrance Digital Venture, Innovacom, Bosch Ventures, and Applied Ventures ITIC Innovation Fund. Data Center Dynamics has more here.

Big-But-Not-Crazy-Big Fundings

AMSilk, a 17-year-old German company that makes biodegradable silk-based biomaterials that can be turned into fibers, powders, hydrogels, and coatings for use in textiles, consumer products, and other industries, raised a $34.5 million round led by Athos, with additional participation from previous investors MIG Capital and Novo Holdings. It also raised $25.3 million in debt. More here.

Fyxer AI, a three-year-old London startup that builds an AI assistant for email and scheduling, raised a $30 million Series B round led by Madrona, with Lakestar Capital, 20VC, 20Growth, and Marc Benioff also stepping up. UKTN has more here.

Interaction, a one-year-old Palo Alto startup that is building an AI assistant called Poke that is integrated into messaging apps like iMessage, raised a $15 million round at a $100+ million valuation. The deal was led by General Catalyst, with Village Global and Earlybird also taking stakes. More here.

Inversion Labs, a New York startup founded this year that plans to acquire low-margin companies and retrofit them with blockchain systems, raised a $26.5 million seed round at a $100 million valuation. Dragonfly Capital was the deal lead, with VanEck, ParaFi Capital, Faction Ventures, and Wintermute Ventures also investing. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

LightSpun, a three-year-old Boston startup that uses AI to automate dental insurance administration, raised a $13 million Series A round. Brewer Lane led the financing, with Virtue, Cambrian, and Industry Ventures also participating. The company has raised a total of $18 million. More here.

Nuclearn, a four-year-old Phoenix startup that builds AI tools to modernize nuclear plant operations, raised a $10.5 million Series A round led by Blue Bear Capital, with investors including SJF Ventures, AZ-VC, and Nucleation Capital. TechCrunch has more here.

Puro.earth, a seven-year-old Helsinki company that runs a carbon-crediting platform certifying carbon removal suppliers and issuing tradable CO₂ Removal Certificates, raised $12.8 million Series B led by Nasdaq, with Fortum Innovation & Venturing also investing. ESG Today has more here.

Speedchain, a four-year-old Atlanta company that offers company credit cards and software that help construction firms and other project-based businesses track and control their spending, raised $111 million in equity and debt financing. Equity investors included GTM Fund, Village Global, TTV Capital, K5 Global, Tandem, and Emigrant Bank. More here.

Ume, a six-year-old São Paulo startup that helps businesses offer and manage credit, raised a $21.8 million Series B round co-led by Valor Capital Group and Bewater, with PayPal Ventures, NFX, Globo Ventures, Canary, and BigBets also engaging. More here.

Smaller Fundings

️Act-ion Battery Technologies, a one-year-old Dallas startup that makes cleaner cathode materials for electric vehicle and energy storage batteries, raised a $4 million round. Kyobo Life Insurance Group and KB Investment co-led the deal. The company has raised a total of $11.5 million. More here.

Agate Sensors, a two-year-old Helsinki startup that develops chip-scale spectral sensors for use in consumer electronics and medical devices, raised a $6.6 million seed round co-led by Voima Ventures and LIFTT, with support from Business Finland. Tech Funding News has more here.

Architect AI, a one-year-old London startup that builds websites able to adapt content and interactions in real-time based on visitor behavior, raised a $4.75 million seed round led by Project A, with Concept Ventures and Insiders Ventures also participating. UKTN has more here.

Geordie, a London startup founded this year that builds security tools for enterprises adopting AI agents, raised a $6.5 million seed round co-led by Ten Eleven Ventures and General Catalyst. More here.

Kora, a one-year-old Sacramento startup that makes a grid-tied home energy system combining batteries, inverters, a smart panel, and an energy trading platform, raised a $2.6 million round co-led by Moneta Ventures and Growth Factory Ventures. More here.

LightTable, a one-year-old Denver startup that uses AI to review real estate development documents for potential issues, raised a $6 million seed round led by Primary Venture Partners, with Innovation Endeavors and Banter Capital also anteing up. More here.

Maeving, a five-year-old startup based in Coventry, UK, that makes electric motorcycles with removable batteries that charge from standard outlets, raised a $14.9 million Series A round. Investors include Venrex, Future Planet Capital, and Elbow Beach. More here.

Otovo USA, a Houston startup founded this year that aims to provide an AI-driven home energy service combining solar, batteries, generators, EV chargers, and trading into one platform, raised a $4+ million round from EIC Rose Rock. More here.

Rock Flour Company, a two-year-old Greenland-based startup that uses glacial rock flour (an ultra-fine powder created when glaciers grind against bedrock) to improve soil fertility and capture carbon, raised a $7.2 million seed round. The Export and Investment Fund of Denmark and Novo Holdings invested in the deal. Metal Tech News has more here.

Space DOTS, a three-year-old London startup that provides software and hardware to detect and analyze orbital threats for space operators, raised a $1.5 million seed round. Female Founders Fund was the deal lead, with Feel Ventures and General Electric Company also taking stakes. The company has raised a total of $3.2 million. TechCrunch has