Pirates.BZ Tech Startup News

Steward, an AI-first compliance platform helping asset managers handle 100B USD in investor onboarding, raises 5M USD in funding led by Motive Partners. The platform automates AML and KYC workflows for complex investor structures. https://tech.eu/2026/03/17/steward-an-ai-driven-compliance-platform-managing-100b-raises-5m/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #Steward

PhonePe, the Walmart-backed Indian fintech giant valued at 12B USD, has shelved its planned IPO citing global market tensions. The digital payments leader was set to go public in what would have been India's largest listing in years. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/16/walmart-backed-phonepe-shelves-ipo-as-global-tensions-rattle-markets/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #PhonePe

Senator Elizabeth Warren is pressing the Pentagon over its decision to grant xAI access to classified networks, raising concerns about national security and AI safety. The controversy comes as xAI seeks to expand its AI capabilities into defense applications. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/15/warren-presses-pentagon-over-decision-to-grant-xai-access-to-classified-networks/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Defense #xAI

Nyne, founded by a father-son duo, raises 5.3M USD seed funding to build the intelligence layer that helps AI agents understand humans across their entire digital footprint. The startup aims to solve the context gap in AI agent decision-making. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/13/nyne-founded-by-a-father-son-duo-gives-ai-agents-the-human-context-theyre-missing/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Nyne

Fuse raises 25M USD to disrupt aging loan origination systems used by US credit unions. The startup also announced a 5M USD rescue fund to help credit unions ditch legacy software for its AI-native platform. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/16/fuse-raises-25m-to-disrupt-aging-loan-origination-systems-used-by-u-s-credit-unions/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #Fuse

Shawn Shen believes AI needs visual memory to succeed in the physical world. His company Memories.ai, spun out of Meta, is using Nvidia's AI tools to build infrastructure for wearables and robotics to remember and recall visual memories. The startup announced a collaboration with Nvidia at its GTC conference. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/16/memories-ai-is-building-the-visual-memory-layer-for-wearables-and-robotics/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #MemoriesAI

Frore Systems, an eight-year-old semiconductor startup, has raised 143M USD in Series D funding at a 1.64B USD valuation. The company makes liquid-cooling systems for AI chips, a technology inspired by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Founded by former Qualcomm engineers, Frore has raised 340M USD total. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/16/another-deep-tech-chip-startup-becomes-a-unicorn-frore-hits-1-64b/ #Tech #Startup #News #DeepTech #Frore

LinkerBot, a Beijing-based robotics startup, is equipping humanoid robots with dexterous hands capable of performing delicate operations like playing piano. The company's L6 dexterous hands enable precise keystrokes comparable to top human pianists. China's humanoid market reached 2.5B USD in 2025, with the country producing 12,000 units - a 420% jump year-over-year. https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3344242/doraemon-dexterous-hands-chinas-linkerbot-equips-robots-human-skills #Tech #Startup #News #Robotics #LinkerBot

Anthropic has accused Chinese AI firms DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and MiniMax AI of using around 24,000 fraudulent accounts to generate over 16 million exchanges with its Claude models in what it calls unauthorized 'distillation' - a technique that transfers capabilities from larger to smaller models. https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3344499/anthropics-distilling-charges-against-chinese-firms-expose-ai-training-grey-area #Tech #Startup #News #AISecurity #Anthropic

WhiteBridge AI, a Lithuanian startup, has raised 3M USD in seed funding to build an AI-powered people search and research engine. The platform turns scattered public signals into decision-ready insights, helping businesses verify information and manage digital footprints. #AI #Cybersecurity #Tech #Startup #News https://tech.eu/2026/03/16/whitebridge-ai-raises-3m-to-redefine-standards-in-people-search-and-research/

Lawyer Jay Edelson, leading cases against OpenAI and Google over AI chatbots allegedly contributing to violence and suicide, warns more mass casualty events linked to AI are coming. His firm receives one serious inquiry daily from cases involving AI-induced psychosis. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/15/lawyer-behind-ai-psychosis-cases-warns-of-mass-casualty-risks/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #AISecurity

UK startup Isembard has raised 50M USD in Series A funding to open 25 AI-powered factories for aerospace and defense. The company plans to expand from 6 to 25 factories across the US, UK, Germany, France and Ukraine by end of 2026. https://tech.eu/2026/03/09/uk-manufacturing-startup-isembard-secures-50m/ #Tech #Startup #News #Defense #Isembard

Google and Accel's Atoms accelerator rejected 70% of 4,000 AI startup applications as wrappers - basic chatbots on existing models. The five selected startups will receive up to 2M USD in funding and 350,000 USD in cloud credits. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/15/google-and-accel-cut-through-wrappers-in-4000-ai-startup-pitches-to-pick-five-tied-to-india/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Google #Accel

China's top court says it treats AI-related cases with care while allowing room for the industry to innovate and make mistakes, according to its annual report. Supreme People's Court president Zhang Jun said courts had promoted the orderly development of artificial intelligence. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345999/chinas-top-court-says-it-treats-ai-cases-care-without-stifling-growth-or-innovation #Tech #Startup #News #AI #China

Anthropic has filed a lawsuit against the US government over what it calls intimidation tactics demanding unconditional military use of its AI technology. The dispute escalates tensions between the AI startup and Pentagon. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346019/anthropic-sues-us-government-row-over-ai-use-military-deepens #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Anthropic

Yann LeCun, the Turing Award winner who left Meta in 2025 convinced that large language models are a dead end, has raised 1.03 billion USD in seed funding for his new venture Advanced Machine Intelligence Labs. The Paris-based company, backed by investors including Nvidia, Samsung, Toyota Ventures, Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, is believed to have raised the largest seed round ever for a European startup. https://thenextweb.com/news/yann-lecun-ami-labs-world-models-billion #Tech #Startup #News #AI #AMI

US Treasury is ending all use of Anthropic products, including Claude platform, following Trump's government-wide ban after the AI startup rejected the Pentagon's demands for unconditional military use. Anthropic has vowed to sue over what it calls intimidation. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345184/us-treasury-says-it-stopping-use-anthropics-tech-including-its-claude-platform #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Anthropic

MIT spinout Osmoses has developed polymer membrane technology that filters gases with unprecedented selectivity, reducing the need for heat in industrial chemical separations. The startup is already working with partners to upgrade biogas, recover hydrogen from chemical facilities, and extract helium from underground wells in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. https://news.mit.edu/2026/osmoses-takes-heat-out-industrial-chemical-separations-0130 #Tech #Startup #News #DeepTech #Osmoses

Hertha Metals, founded by MIT alumna Laureen Meroueh, is developing a single-step steel production process using electric arc furnaces powered by natural gas, electricity, or clean hydrogen. The startup says its method uses 30 percent less energy than conventional steel mills and could make US steelmaking more cost-competitive while reducing emissions. https://news.mit.edu/2026/new-way-make-steel-could-reduce-americas-reliance-imports-0213 #Tech #Startup #News #ClimateTech #HerthaMetals

UK satellite startup Open Cosmos plans European rival to Starlink: The Oxford-headquartered spacetech startup is gearing up to manufacture up to 200 satellites a year, offering European governments and businesses an alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink. https://tech.eu/2026/03/03/uk-headquartered-satellite-startup-open-cosmos-plans-european-rival-to-starlink/ #Tech #Startup #News #SpaceTech

This week's startup funding highlights by https://Pirates.BZ: #AxeleraAI raised EUR 250M to become Europe's first EIC Scaling Club unicorn, #ScienceCorp raised $230M for brain implants, #Nominal raised $155M at $1B for defense tech, #Oxa raised $103M for autonomous driving. #Tech #Startup #News

Trump told the US government to immediately stop using Anthropic's technology after the AI startup rejected the Pentagon's demand for unconditional military use of its Claude models. Anthropic has now vowed to sue the US government over this decision. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344946/trump-tells-us-government-immediately-stop-using-anthropic-ai-tech #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Anthropic

Einride raises US$113M ahead of public debut: The Swedish self-driving truck startup secured US$113M PIPE at US$1.35B pre-money valuation. The autonomous truck company plans NYSE listing via SPAC in H1 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/self-driving-truck-startup-einride-raises-113m-pipe-ahead-of-public-debut/ #Tech #Startup #News #Robotics

Shine Technologies raises US$240M for fusion tech with applications in medicine and energy: The Wisconsin-based startup is developing fusion technologies that could transform both healthcare and power generation. https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/biggest-funding-rounds-ai-openai-semiconductors-matx/ #Tech #Startup #News #DeepTech

SatVu closes €35M to scale its high-resolution thermal imaging constellation from the NATO Innovation Fund: The UK company is moving from single-satellite demo to multi-satellite persistence, delivering Activity Intelligence that reveals operational patterns invisible to optical satellites - day or night, through cloud cover. https://www.startupreporter.eu/natos-innovation-fund-just-backed-satvu-a-satellite-startup/ #Tech #Startup #News #Defense #Europe

Temple, a brain-monitoring wearable startup from Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal, raises US4M in a friends-and-family round at ~US90M valuation: The Indian entrepreneur stepped down as Zomato CEO in January to pursue higher-risk exploration. https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/27/after-zomato-deepinder-goyal-returns-with-a-54m-brain-monitoring-bet/ #Tech #Startup #News #DeepTech

Trace raises US$3M to solve the AI agent adoption problem in enterprise: The London-based startup maps complex corporate environments and processes so AI agents have the context they need to scale. "We're building the manager that knows where to put them," says CEO Tim Cherkasov. https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/trace-raises-3-million-to-solve-the-agent-adoption-problem/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI

Fintech infrastructure company Plaid completes tender offer at US$8B valuation: The valuation is up 31% from $6.1B in April 2025, reflecting the company's momentum and increasing relevance in the age of AI. Founded in 2013, Plaid started by connecting consumer bank accounts to financial apps and has since expanded into lending, identity verification, credit reporting, anti-fraud and payments. https://news.crunchbase.com/fintech/plaid-completes-tender-offer-8b-valuation/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #Plaid

Self-driving truck startup Einride raises US$113M PIPE ahead of public debut: The proceeds will support technology roadmap, global expansion, and autonomous deployments in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The Sweden-based company is preparing to go public. https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/self-driving-truck-startup-einride-raises-113m-pipe-ahead-of-public-debut/ #Tech #Startup #News #Autonomous #Europe

Seattle fintech startup Confido Legal raises US$9M across two rounds: The company builds financial software for law firms and legal tech companies, spinning out of Gravity Payments. Investors include Aquiline Capital Partners, Context Ventures, and Breakwater Ventures. https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-fintech-startup-confido-legal-raises-fresh-cash/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #USA

Read AI launches Digital Twin in Seattle: The AI bot named Ada can respond to work emails, schedule meetings, and answer questions using context from meetings, email, files and CRM systems. Users cc ada@read.ai on threads to get help when busy or out of office. https://www.geekwire.com/2026/read-ai-rolls-out-digital-twin-that-can-respond-to-work-emails-and-schedule-meetings/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #ReadAI

Swedish self-driving truck startup Einride has raised US$113 million in a private investment in public equity ahead of its planned public debut in the first half of 2026, securing a pre-money valuation of US$1.35 billion from new and existing investors including West Coast asset management firms and EQT Ventures https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/26/self-driving-truck-startup-einride-raises-113m-pipe-ahead-of-public-debut/ #Tech #Startup #News #DeepTech

GV partner Elena Sakach explains her strategy for finding the next generation of compounding fintech and AI startups, highlighting how successful companies build sustainable advantages through trust-based customer relationships and expansion economics. The investor, whose portfolio includes Ramp, Stripe, and Tennr, sees AI reducing technology as a durable moat and shifting defensibility toward proprietary data and distribution. https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/gv-fintech-ai-startup-investor-sakach-stripe-ramp/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #AI #USA #Global

London-based fintech startup Alpa has secured US$3.5M in pre-seed funding to build a financial platform designed specifically for the hospitality industry, combining POS data, banking information and supplier connections to give restaurant operators real-time profitability insights without traditional accounting workflows: https://tech.eu/2026/02/26/alpa-lands-35m-to-build-financial-platform-for-hospitality/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech #Europe

A Slovenian founder whose mother never recovered full hand function after a stroke has built Neuro Muss, a startup creating NewPulse - a home rehabilitation device for stroke survivors priced under EUR 1,000. The device uses neuroplasticity principles to help patients regain motor function, targeting a EUR 42 billion market of 150 million stroke survivors worldwide. https://www.startupreporter.eu/this-slovenian-founder-is-tackling-a-42b-market-healthcare/ #Tech #Startup #News #DeepTech #Europe

Temporal, the Seattle-based infrastructure startup behind the popular open-source workflow engine, has secured US$300 million in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz to reach a US$5 billion valuation: the company capitalises on surging demand for reliable AI production systems as businesses deploy more agentic AI applications in their operations https://www.geekwire.com/2026/temporal-raises-300m-hits-5b-valuation-as-seattle-infrastructure-startup-rides-ai-wave/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #USA

More startups are reaching US$10 million in annual recurring revenue in just three months than ever before. The number hitting this revenue milestone has hit a new record, with AI and software companies leading the acceleration: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/24/more-startups-are-hitting-10m-arr-in-3-months-than-ever-before/ #Tech #Startup #News #AI #Fintech #Global

Payments giant Stripe has reached a US$159 billion valuation following a tender offer that provides liquidity to employees, representing a 49% increase from its US$106.7 billion valuation in September 2025. The deal saw participation from investors including Thrive Capital, Coatue, and Andreessen Horowitz, with Stripe also using its own capital to repurchase shares. https://news.crunchbase.com/fintech/unicorn-stripe-secondary-sale-valuation/ #Tech #Startup #News #Fintech

Payments giant Stripe has secured a secondary stock sale at a US$159 billion valuation, providing liquidity to current and former employees. The deal marks one of the largest private market transactions for a fintech company and underscores continued investor appetite for payments infrastructure despite broader market volatility. https://news.crunchbase.com/fintech/unicorn-stripe-secondary-sale-valuation/

Seattle startup Union.ai secures US$ 19M funding: The company is building an AI workflow platform to help organisations automate and orchestrate complex data pipelines. https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-area-startup-union-ai-raises-19m-to-fuel-ai-workflow-platform/ #Tech #Startup #Funding #AI

Harper, an AI-native insurance brokerage and Y Combinator graduate, secures US\$ 47M in combined Series A and seed funding: The startup uses artificial intelligence to modernize the insurance brokerage industry. https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/25/ai-insurance-brokerage-harper-raises-45m-series-a-and-seed/ #Tech #Startup #Funding #AI #Fintech

#Profound, a startup specialising in answer-engine optimisation #AEO, raised $96 million in a Series C funding round, valuing the company at $1 billion. The company helps #brands measure and influence how #AImodels like ChatGPT and Gemini describe and recommend them, as #AIassistants increasingly replace traditional search engines. https://fortune.com/2026/02/24/exclusive-as-ai-threatens-search-profound-raises-96-million-to-help-brands-stay-visible/?Pirates.BZ #Pirates #Tech #Startup #News