Issue #70 • January 13, 2026
Hi Seedradar Squad! This week, the mobile landscape shifted permanently as Apple and Google confirmed the integration of Gemini into Siri, finally merging on-device privacy with cloud-scale reasoning.
Simultaneously, the financial rails of the future received a massive boost as Rain secured huge backing to make tokenized payments "invisible" for global enterprises. Additionally, we take a deep dive into Contrario, the world's first autonomous AI recruiting agency, which utilizes its AI agent to source and vet top engineering talent in days.
📈 Important News of the Week!
• Rain secured $250 million led by ICONIQ to scale its enterprise payments platform. The round values the company at $1.95 billion, supporting its mission to make tokenized payments "invisible" for global businesses. - Read More
• Google & Apple officially confirmed a multi-year deal for Gemini to power the next-gen Siri. The integration will handle complex reasoning tasks while Apple's on-device models handle personal context. - Read More
• Orca Bio announced $250 million in aggregate funding to support its commercial launch. The capital prepares the company for the potential FDA approval of Orca-T, a high-precision treatment for blood cancers. - Read More
• Anthropic released "Cowork", a new interface allowing non-technical teams to build custom AI apps. The tool translates natural language descriptions into fully functional internal tools powered by Claude. - Read More
• OpenAI has agreed to acquire Torch, an AI-powered healthcare app, for approximately $100 million in equity. The startup, which unifies medical records and lab results, will be integrated into the newly launched ChatGPT Health to enhance personalized patient data management. - Read More
🌱 The Next Big Thing: Our Startup Pick!
🎯 This Week's Emerging Star: Contrario 1
Contrario, a Y-Combinator (W25) backed startup, is the world's first autonomous AI recruiting agency. The platform uses proprietary AI and a network of specialized recruiters to source, vet, and match top-tier engineering talent with high-growth startups, completely automating the technical screening process with its AI agent, Nova.
By replacing manual resume sifting and initial interviews with AI-driven assessments, Contrario cuts hiring time from months to days. This "done-for-you" approach ensures companies only meet pre-qualified, high-intent candidates, making it a critical tool for teams scaling their engineering workforce rapidly.
🔥 Igniting the Future: Seedradar Ventures Syndicate!
At Seedradar Ventures, we back relentless founders at the earliest stage, investing in teams solving big problems with solutions that deliver a 10–20x greater impact.
Our syndicate offers investors access to a curated pipeline of early-stage startups, sourced through our network.
🚀 Startup Radar: Movers, Shakers & Future Makers
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🛠️ Trending AI Tools to Supercharge Your Workflow!
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💼 Join the Revolution: Hot Startup Jobs!
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💼 Resource of the Week!
🎨 Pitch 2026 AI Deck Collection
A gallery of successful Series A and Seed pitch deck templates, specifically updated with the design trends winning over VCs in 2026.
🔎 Powered by Seedradar Ventures
Disclosure: Seedradar Ventures and/or its general partner may hold investments in some of the companies mentioned in this newsletter. This content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.
1 The general partner of Seedradar Ventures is an investor in Contrario.
