The funding comes as global technology companies such as Meta and Snap continue to introduce next-generation smart glasses equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence assistants. However, Even Realities has adopted a different strategy by focusing on display-first smart glasses that prioritize privacy while delivering information directly into the user’s field of vision.

Will Wang, Founder & CEO, Even Realities, said the company believes display technology offers a better long-term user experience than camera-focused wearable devices.

Founded in 2023 by former Apple engineers, Even Realities has rapidly emerged as a key player in the smart eyewear industry. Wang previously worked on the Apple Watch and iPhone, while the founding team also includes technology professionals and executives from luxury eyewear brands, including Lindberg.

Furthermore, the startup attracted early backing from several prominent Chinese investors, including Sequoia China, before securing its latest funding round.

The company launched its first product, Even G1, in 2024, which Wang described as the lightest waveguide smart glasses available at the time. Moreover, the product significantly outperformed internal expectations by becoming the first company in its category to sell more than 10,000 pairs, exceeding its original sales target of 10,000 units.

Consequently, Even Realities accelerated both its fundraising efforts and workforce expansion. The company increased its employee count from 30–40 people in 2024 to 300–400 employees today as it scaled product development and global operations.

Meanwhile, Even Realities introduced its flagship Even G2 smart glasses in November last year. Unlike many competing products, the device does not include a camera. Instead, it features a heads-up display integrated into the frame that delivers real-time information directly within the user’s line of sight. Users control the device through the Even R1 companion ring, which supports tap and swipe gestures for navigation.

According to Wang, removing the camera forms a core part of the company’s privacy-first philosophy. He explained that smart glasses represent one of the most personal computing devices consumers will wear because they remain on users’ faces throughout the day. Therefore, the company designed both its hardware and software to protect user privacy while ensuring the device remains socially acceptable.

Additionally, Even Realities developed its voice translation capabilities to convert speech directly into text instead of storing voice recordings. The company also encrypts user data and has built its infrastructure to comply with Europe’s stringent privacy standards, reinforcing its commitment to secure AI-powered wearable technology.

Moreover, the company’s most active users frequently rely on Conversate, its AI copilot, which analyzes conversations in real time, explains unfamiliar terminology, suggests contextual follow-up responses, and generates conversation summaries that automatically synchronize with users’ smartphones.

Despite the growing focus on artificial intelligence, Even Realities continues to prioritize optical engineering as its primary competitive advantage. Wang emphasized that smart glasses require an entirely different technology stack than smartphones or smartwatches because engineers must simultaneously develop the display microchip, optics, and waveguide system to achieve a seamless viewing experience.

As the AI wearables, augmented reality (AR), and smart glasses markets continue to expand, Even Realities aims to differentiate itself by combining advanced optical technology with privacy-focused design. The latest funding will likely support continued product innovation, international expansion, and research into next-generation wearable computing solutions.

The report stated that Crusoe currently supplies AI computing power to leading technology companies, including Meta and Oracle. Consequently, the startup has positioned itself among the fastest-growing providers of specialized AI infrastructure. As generative AI (GenAI) adoption expands worldwide, major technology companies continue to invest billions of dollars in advanced data centers to support increasingly complex computing workloads.

Meanwhile, Crusoe continues to negotiate with prospective investors, and the company has not finalized its valuation. However, investors reportedly expect the startup’s enterprise value, including the proposed investment, to reach approximately $30 billion.

Previously, Crusoe secured $1.38 billion during its Series E funding round in 2025, achieving a valuation exceeding $10 billion. Valor Equity Partners and Mubadala Capital co-led that investment round, reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s long-term AI infrastructure strategy.

Crusoe originally launched in 2018 as a cryptocurrency-focused business. However, the company later shifted its business model and now develops AI infrastructure solutions that power next-generation artificial intelligence applications. As a result, Crusoe has become one of the emerging neocloud providers that specialize in AI cloud services, GPU computing, and hyperscale data center operations.

Furthermore, Crusoe announced in June that it had secured contracts covering 4.9 gigawatts of computing capacity. In addition, the company revealed that its overall project pipeline had expanded to more than 40 gigawatts, demonstrating strong customer demand and a rapidly growing portfolio of AI infrastructure projects.

Crusoe’s proposed $3 billion funding round underscores the accelerating investment in AI data centers, cloud infrastructure, and high-performance computing. If the company completes the fundraising at the expected valuation, Crusoe will further strengthen its position as a leading AI infrastructure provider while capitalizing on the rapidly expanding global demand for generative AI computing capacity.

Existing and new investors are leading the structured share sale at the valuation established in February, when Wayve secured $1.2 billion in Series D funding. The funding round was led by Eclipse, Balderton, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, while Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Baillie Gifford, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber also participated.

Notably, this marks Wayve’s second employee liquidity event. Previously, the company conducted a similar tender offer alongside its $1.05 billion Series C funding round in May 2024, reinforcing its long-term commitment to employee ownership and retention.

Furthermore, employee tender offers have become increasingly common across the AI startup ecosystem. Instead of waiting several years for an acquisition or initial public offering (IPO), fast-growing startups now provide liquidity opportunities to encourage employees to remain with the business rather than move to competitors or launch new ventures after their stock options vest.

Several AI startups have adopted similar strategies in recent months. These include Decagon, which develops enterprise AI customer service agents; ElevenLabs, known for AI-powered voice generation and speech technologies; Linear, a project management platform for software development teams; and Clay, a sales and marketing automation company that has completed two employee tender offers within the past nine months.

Moreover, investor demand continues to drive these liquidity events. Investors remain willing to purchase additional equity in rapidly growing AI startups, even at premium valuations, as they anticipate significant long-term growth and future value creation.

Meanwhile, Wayve continues to differentiate itself in the autonomous vehicle industry through its self-learning artificial intelligence technology. Unlike many autonomous driving companies that rely on pre-built high-definition maps, Wayve has developed an end-to-end neural network that learns driving behavior directly from real-world data, closely mirroring how human drivers improve through experience.

The company aims to build a general-purpose AI driver capable of operating across different countries, vehicle platforms, and road conditions without depending on highly customized mapping infrastructure.

As a result of its rapid expansion, Wayve has more than doubled its workforce to approximately 1,200 employees over the past year to accelerate research, product development, and commercial deployment.

Looking ahead, Wayve plans to launch robotaxi pilot programs with Uber later this year. Additionally, the company intends to integrate its autonomous driving AI into Nissan’s next-generation driver assistance systems beginning in 2027, further expanding its commercial footprint in the global mobility sector.

Wayve’s latest $85 million employee tender offer highlights how leading AI startups are using employee liquidity as a strategic tool to attract and retain top talent. Backed by a $8.5 billion valuation, expanding partnerships with Uber and Nissan, and continued investment in next-generation autonomous driving technology, Wayve continues to strengthen its position in the rapidly evolving self-driving vehicle industry.

Base44 enables users to build software applications using natural language prompts, making app development accessible to both technical and non-technical users. With the introduction of Base1, the company aims to deliver faster, more cost-efficient, and highly optimized AI experiences tailored specifically for app creation.

The rollout comes as the AI industry continues to debate whether general-purpose frontier models remain the best solution for every use case. At the same time, investors and technology leaders increasingly question whether startups built entirely on external AI models can maintain long-term competitive advantages.

Rather than relying solely on third-party AI providers, Base44 has chosen to invest in its own infrastructure by developing a proprietary model trained specifically for its platform.

Explaining the strategy, Maor Shlomo, Founder of Base44, said, “Training and owning the model as part of [our] entire stack allows us a lot more optimizations on latency, cost, and efficiency.”

Initially, Base44 will continue refining Base1 while gradually expanding its deployment across the platform. Over time, the company expects its custom model to outperform general-purpose frontier models for application development tasks by leveraging platform-specific data and workflows.

The launch also positions Base44 more directly against competitors such as Swedish AI startup Lovable, which achieved unicorn status following its Series A funding round and currently relies on external large language models to power its platform.

However, Shlomo believes that other successful AI application companies will eventually follow a similar path.

According to him, “At least the players that have gotten enough scale and velocity to have enough data.”

Industry experts also view proprietary data as a critical competitive advantage in artificial intelligence.

Jonathan Userovici, General Partner at VC firm Headline, whose investment portfolio includes companies such as Mistral AI, explained that successful AI startups build defensibility through three key pillars: distribution, proprietary data, and technology infrastructure.

Reflecting that strategy, Base44 revealed that it trained the first version of Base1 using a proprietary dataset generated from tens of millions of real user interactions on its platform. As user activity grows, the company expects this dataset to become increasingly valuable in improving model performance and personalization.

Nevertheless, competition within the AI coding market continues to intensify. Beyond emerging vibe coding startups, frontier AI companies such as Anthropic, xAI, and Cursor have expanded aggressively into AI-powered software development. These companies also benefit from extensive user feedback and training data that continuously improve their foundation models.

Despite that competitive landscape, Shlomo believes specialized AI models will continue to outperform general-purpose systems for specific enterprise workflows.

“Models are progressing, but they’ll stay very general in what they can do,” he predicted.

Meanwhile, Userovici cautioned against dismissing frontier AI providers too quickly. He pointed to legal technology company Harvey, which ultimately abandoned its plans to develop its own foundation model in favor of existing frontier AI systems.

Instead, Userovici suggested that AI companies increasingly focus on optimizing model selection rather than replacing frontier models altogether.

He explained, “They don’t necessarily see a [return on investment] when using the latest models for all use cases, so an entire infrastructure is being set up to do orchestration and optimization to select the right models for them so that costs don’t skyrocket while maintaining the same or similar performance across the majority of use cases.”

Cost optimization has become especially important as enterprise customers account for a growing share of revenue across AI application platforms. Businesses increasingly seek AI solutions that balance performance with affordability instead of relying exclusively on the most expensive frontier models.

Accordingly, Base44 expects Base1 to improve both customer experience and long-term operating economics.

Highlighting those objectives, Maor Shlomo said, “We want to get a model that is going to be more aligned to what we think is the right thing, is going to be more optimized to what we see users like in terms of the results we’re getting, and is going to be faster and cheaper for customers eventually than using the frontier models like Opus.”

The company also stated that owning its own AI model gives it direct control over compute infrastructure and inference spending, which should strengthen profit margins over time despite the significant engineering investment required to develop Base1.

The launch comes as parent company Wix recently announced plans to reduce approximately 20% of its workforce. In contrast, Base44 has continued expanding its team following the acquisition while maintaining strong business momentum.

Earlier this year, Base44 announced that it had surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Although that figure remains below competitor Lovable, which recently disclosed $500 million in ARR, Base44 believes its vertically integrated approach will provide sustainable long-term advantages.

According to Shlomo, the extensive engineering effort behind Base1 supports the company’s ambition to become the only vertically integrated vibe coding platform, controlling its distribution, proprietary data, and AI infrastructure under one ecosystem.

As competition within the AI coding industry accelerates, Base44’s investment in Base1 reflects a broader shift toward vertical integration and proprietary AI development. By owning its model, training data, and platform infrastructure, the company aims to improve performance, reduce costs, strengthen margins, and differentiate itself in one of the fastest-growing segments of artificial intelligence.

The investment marks a significant milestone for Alan as it continues to expand its footprint across international markets while accelerating the development of AI-powered healthcare solutions. The company currently operates in France, Canada, Belgium, and Spain, offering a range of services that include health insurance, telehealth, and digital healthcare management.

Alan reported annual recurring revenue (ARR) of €800 million (approximately $909 million) during the first quarter of 2026, highlighting strong business growth and increasing demand for digital health services across its operating markets.

The funding package includes a combination of primary and secondary equity investments. Through this capital infusion, Alan plans to strengthen its international expansion strategy, enhance its healthcare technology offerings, and accelerate the development of AI-driven products designed to improve customer experiences and healthcare accessibility.

In addition, Prosus will provide Alan with access to its Large Commerce Model, enabling the company to leverage advanced artificial intelligence capabilities and data-driven insights as it expands its product ecosystem.

The partnership reflects growing investor confidence in the digital healthcare and health insurance sectors, which continue to benefit from rising adoption of telehealth services, AI-powered healthcare platforms, and technology-enabled patient care solutions.

However, the transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals, including clearance from French financial authorities, before the deal can be formally completed.

With fresh capital, expanding international operations, and increased investment in artificial intelligence, Alan aims to strengthen its leadership position in the European healthtech market while driving innovation in digital health insurance, telemedicine, and personalized healthcare services.

The Salem, Oregon-based robotics company revealed that it intends to merge with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) managed by Churchill Capital Group by the end of the year. The move marks a significant milestone for the rapidly growing humanoid robotics industry, which continues to attract substantial interest from investors and major technology companies.

Agility Robotics currently manufactures Digit, a humanoid robot designed to lift, carry, and transport heavy bins and totes within warehouses and industrial facilities. Michael Klein, Co-founder and Chairman of Churchill Capital Group, described Digit as the first humanoid robot to achieve commercial deployment and active employment in warehouse and industrial environments.

During an investor call, Klein highlighted the company’s strong backing from major global organizations, including Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank, and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn. He also noted that Agility’s customer base includes automotive leader Toyota, industrial supplier Schaeffler, and Latin American e-commerce company Mercado Libre.

Although Agility classifies Digit as a humanoid robot, Co-founder and Chief Robot Officer Jonathan Hurst emphasized that the company never intended to create a machine that closely resembles a human being.

“We’ve never set out to build a machine that looks like a person,” Hurst told investors.

Instead, Agility designed Digit with a functional approach that prioritizes workplace performance. The robot features bird-like legs rather than human-style limbs, allowing it to move efficiently while performing industrial tasks. Additionally, its hands resemble grippers or claws rather than human hands, enabling it to handle materials more effectively in warehouse environments.

Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson explained that Digit focuses on physically demanding tasks that often involve repetitive movements, dirty conditions, and increased injury risks for human workers.

“The demand here is large and increasing,” she said during the investor call. “We have companies reshoring production, older workers retiring, and younger generations just not opting for these types of menial jobs.”

The company also aims to expand Digit’s capabilities in future generations. Unlike traditional industrial robots, which typically operate behind safety barriers because of their size and speed, upcoming versions of Digit will work more closely alongside human employees in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

As labor shortages continue to affect industries worldwide and businesses increasingly seek automation solutions, Agility Robotics is positioning itself at the forefront of the humanoid robotics market. The planned public listing could further strengthen its ability to scale production, accelerate innovation, and meet growing demand for intelligent automation across industrial sectors.

Unlike many robots currently under development by leading manufacturers, Eno does not follow a humanoid design. Instead, the robot features a wheeled base, a foldable tower structure and hands designed to match the form and functionality of human hands. The company has focused on enhancing human capabilities rather than replicating human appearance.

The launch comes as advances in artificial intelligence continue to accelerate growth in the global robotics market. While businesses increasingly explore automation opportunities across industries, experts continue to debate the impact of robotics on employment. At the same time, developers still face technical challenges related to processing power, battery life and operational efficiency.

Founded in early 2025, Genesis AI has already secured $105 million (€90.6 million) in funding, making it one of the largest seed rounds in France. The funding matches the record seed round raised by Mistral AI, Europe’s leading artificial intelligence company. However, the startup has not disclosed its valuation.

Eno operates on Genesis AI’s proprietary artificial intelligence model. Rather than imitating human form, the company has designed the robot to extend human capabilities and improve productivity across a wide range of applications.

Genesis AI plans to begin production and targeted customer deployments by the end of 2026. Initially, the company will focus on logistics and manufacturing customers before expanding into hospitality, healthcare, and consumer markets.

In a statement, Schmidt said the robot’s breakthrough will not replace human expertise, but rather “amplify it” to unlock what he called “one of the largest economic opportunities of the AI era.”

The company has already built dozens of Eno units and plans to significantly scale production during the second half of 2026. Vivian Sun, Vice President of Commercial and Strategy at Genesis AI, said that the company selected a wheeled base because most industrial customers operate in environments with flat floors.

Sun explained that legged robots make sense only for specific use cases such as navigating stairs. She added, “We are mimicking humans in capabilities, not in form. Humans can go up and down, and so does the robot, but through this foldable design.”

As artificial intelligence and robotics continue to converge, Genesis AI aims to position Eno as a practical, scalable solution for industrial and commercial environments. By prioritising functionality, mobility, and AI-powered performance over humanoid aesthetics, the company seeks to address real-world business needs while accelerating the adoption of next-generation robotics technology.

Following the report, Qualcomm’s shares slipped approximately 1% in extended trading, reflecting investor reaction to the potential transaction.

According to the report, negotiations remain ongoing, and both the valuation and deal structure could still change. Additionally, the discussions could ultimately fail to result in an agreement. The report noted that it remains unclear whether the proposed purchase price would include performance-based milestone payments, a mechanism that acquirers have frequently used in previous semiconductor startup acquisitions.

The potential acquisition aligns with Qualcomm’s broader strategy to diversify beyond its traditional smartphone chip business. As one of the world’s largest suppliers of mobile processors, the company has increasingly focused on expanding its presence in high-growth technology segments, including artificial intelligence, data center processors, and autonomous vehicle chips.

Founded in 2016, Tenstorrent has emerged as a notable player in the AI semiconductor industry. The company develops specialized accelerators designed for training artificial intelligence models and running AI applications, positioning itself within one of the fastest-growing areas of the global technology market.

Tenstorrent operates under the leadership of Jim Keller, a former Apple chip designer who also oversaw Tesla’s efforts to develop chips for autonomous driving systems. Under his leadership, the startup has attracted industry attention for its AI-focused hardware innovations and ambitions to compete in the rapidly evolving AI infrastructure space.

If completed, the acquisition would represent one of the largest deals in the AI chip sector and could significantly strengthen Qualcomm’s position in the race to capitalize on the growing demand for artificial intelligence computing power. Furthermore, the move would accelerate Qualcomm’s efforts to build a stronger foothold in data center and AI infrastructure markets as companies worldwide invest heavily in next-generation AI technologies.

As competition intensifies among semiconductor companies seeking leadership in AI hardware, a potential Tenstorrent acquisition could provide Qualcomm with advanced AI accelerator technology and experienced engineering talent, further enhancing its long-term growth strategy beyond smartphones.

The Grassi family, through its family holding company G&G, a shareholder of E80 Group S.p.A., led the funding round. Notably, Bestie Bite raised the additional capital less than four months after securing €700,000 in its first funding round led by Techstars. Consequently, the startup has now raised a total of €2.2 million since its inception.

Commenting on the milestone, Carlotta Robbe Di Lorenzo and Caterina Vertefeuille, co-founders of Bestie Bite, said, “We want to change this market. Authenticity is the most valuable and scarce asset on the web: we are building a new standard and a technological layer that brings the full power of artificial intelligence to restaurants, always starting from real content. With this round, we are accelerating from Italy to the United States to make this the global standard.”

Founded in 2024 by Carlotta Robbe Di Lorenzo and Caterina Vertefeuille, Bestie Bite helps consumers discover restaurants, bars, and hotels through short-form videos created by real users. At the same time, the startup supports hospitality businesses through an AI-driven video marketing platform specifically designed for the industry.

According to the company, both consumers and restaurant owners face significant challenges in today’s digital landscape. On one hand, consumers—particularly younger generations—often struggle to identify trustworthy dining and hospitality options due to unreliable written reviews, fragmented information, and content heavily influenced by sponsored promotions and influencers. On the other hand, many restaurants and local hospitality businesses lack the marketing expertise and budgets required to stand out online, making it difficult for potential customers to discover them.

To address these challenges, Bestie Bite has integrated artificial intelligence throughout its platform. For consumers, the application analyzes preferences and search intent to recommend suitable restaurants, bars, and hotels through authentic video content. As a result, users can make more informed decisions faster and with greater confidence.

Furthermore, the company differentiates itself by implementing strict verification standards and authenticity measures. These include authentication systems, fraud detection tools, and AI-powered video detection technology that help ensure the reliability of user-generated content.

The platform also encourages user participation through a gamified rewards system. Users who upload authentic video content receive cashback incentives, while partner restaurant campaigns known as Missions offer higher rewards directly linked to the platform’s business model. This approach helps generate high-quality content while strengthening trust within the community.

Meanwhile, Bestie Bite has introduced what it describes as an “AI Marketing Employee” for the hospitality sector. This artificial intelligence system can effectively replace traditional social media managers and marketing agencies by creating and executing marketing strategies for restaurants and hospitality venues.

Using a single authentic video from the Bestie Bite community, the AI automatically generates a comprehensive editorial calendar for the following month and publishes content across the venue’s digital channels without requiring involvement from the business owner. Additionally, the platform provides sentiment analysis and performance metrics, enabling businesses to monitor customer satisfaction and service quality in real time.

The startup has already demonstrated significant organic growth. Bestie Bite reports more than 100,000 users, over 120,000 uploaded videos, and a presence in more than 80 countries worldwide. One of its notable early enterprise use cases includes Pescaria, which uses the platform to acquire reusable video content while continuously analyzing customer experiences and feedback.

Looking ahead, the company plans to strengthen its presence in Italy while prioritizing expansion into the United States. To support this strategy, Bestie Bite has established a base in San Francisco, a market the founders explored earlier this year.

During its time in the city, the startup secured partnerships with prominent local establishments, including Tony’s Pizza and North Beach Restaurant. Moreover, the platform has already attracted thousands of users and accumulated reviews covering more than 500 restaurants in the San Francisco market.

Bestie Bite currently operates its headquarters in Rome at the House of Emerging Technologies and maintains a second innovation hub at OGR Tech in Turin. With fresh funding and growing international traction, the startup aims to establish a new global standard for restaurant discovery and hospitality marketing powered by authentic content and artificial intelligence.

The idea for Orbio emerged from Bastardas’ decade-long experience at Amazon and floriculture startup Colvin, where he observed persistent inefficiencies in managing frontline workers. Recognizing the lack of effective “human infrastructure” behind workforce operations, he and his co-founders developed a platform designed to automate and optimize employee management processes.

Orbio currently serves a growing list of enterprise customers, including Poke and YUM! Brands—the parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. Bastardas said that many customers have moved beyond pilot programs and now use the platform across core business operations. He cited behavioral healthcare provider The Stepping Stones Group as an example, noting that Orbio now manages the company’s entire U.S. operation and has increased successful candidate hires by 20%.

At the heart of Orbio’s platform are AI agents named Maria, Daniel, and Claire. These virtual workforce assistants conduct candidate interviews, evaluate job fit, monitor employee performance, and perform daily check-ins throughout the employee lifecycle. By automating these critical workforce functions, Orbio enables organizations to operate more efficiently while maintaining stronger engagement with frontline employees.

The platform’s AI ecosystem continuously learns and improves through interconnected data flows. Each AI agent generates insights that inform the others, creating a feedback loop that enhances workforce management. Recruitment data influences hiring quality, exit interviews reveal employee turnover patterns that refine recruitment criteria, and engagement metrics help identify retention risks before they become significant challenges.

As businesses increasingly adopt AI-driven solutions, Orbio competes with workforce technology companies such as Paradox, which specializes in recruiting automation, and WorkJam, which focuses on frontline employee management. However, Bastardas believes the company’s primary competition comes from traditional workforce management methods that continue to rely on fragmented systems, spreadsheets, phone calls, and manual processes, particularly across healthcare, retail, and logistics sectors.

The rise of artificial intelligence is rapidly changing this landscape. By introducing autonomous workforce operations, Orbio seeks to replace outdated practices with scalable, data-driven systems capable of managing large employee populations more effectively.

To date, Orbio has secured a total of $26 million in funding from investors, including Visionaries and 2100 Ventures. The company plans to use the latest capital injection to expand its team and develop additional AI agents capable of handling more workforce management tasks.

Discussing the broader impact of AI on frontline workers, Bastardas emphasized the opportunity to bring advanced technology to a historically underserved workforce segment. “This will be [a] transformation for businesses, but also the workforce,” Bastardas said. “The 2.7 billion people who keep healthcare, retail, logistics, and hospitality running, most of whom don’t have a corporate email address, have previously got nothing. This is their AI moment.”

As organizations seek more efficient ways to manage large-scale workforces, Orbio’s AI-first approach positions the company at the forefront of a rapidly evolving HR technology and workforce automation market.