Issue #32 • September 5, 2025
Hi Seedradar Squad! This week, AI is taking over. OpenAI is transforming itself into a full-stack powerhouse by acquiring Statsig, aiming to make AI reliable for businesses. At the same time, Amazon is bringing AI to the streets with Lens Live, turning your phone's camera into a live shopping assistant.
Capital is also pouring in! Treeline Biosciences secured massive funding rounds for AI-driven projects, and even Apple is reportedly working on its own AI-powered search tool. The race is on, and AI is becoming the essential layer for every industry!
🤖 OpenAI Acquires Statsig for $1.1B to Master AI Product Development
OpenAI announced its acquisition of the experimentation platform Statsig for $1.1 billion, signaling a major strategic shift for the AI leader. The deal aims to accelerate the iteration and deployment of safe and effective AI products by integrating Statsig's sophisticated A/B testing and product analytics tools.
This move positions OpenAI to evolve from a provider of foundational models into a full-stack AI development platform.
🛍️ Amazon Launches 'Lens Live' for Real-World AI Shopping
Amazon introduced "Lens Live," a new visual AI capability in its mobile app that turns a user's phone camera into a real-world shopping assistant. Users can point their camera at any product in a store or on the street to instantly see matching items and prices on Amazon.
The feature adds a live augmented reality (AR) component to Amazon's existing AI shopping tools.
💰 Snapshots: What Else Is Happening?
• Treeline Biosciences closed a $200 million extension to its Series A round, bringing its total funding to an extraordinary $1.1 billion. The company leverages machine learning and computational models to develop precision medicines. - Read More
• Apple announced plans to develop its own AI-powered web search tool to enhance its virtual assistant, Siri. The move is seen as a direct effort to compete with the new generation of AI-native search engines like Perplexity. - Read More
• Kong 1 announced its acquisition of OpenMeter, a prominent open-source platform for usage-based metering and billing. The move is set to integrate real-time monetization capabilities directly into Kong Konnect, enabling companies to transform their digital assets into new revenue streams. - Read More
• Forbes published its influential annual "Cloud 100 Rising Stars" list, which was dominated by startups using AI to create solutions for specific vertical markets. The list serves as a powerful validation mechanism, signaling where industry observers believe significant growth opportunities lie. Recognized U.S. startups included Assort Health, and Brisk Teaching. - Read More
💰 Sharks of the Week!
️🔥 ICONIQ Capital - Led a monumental $13 billion Series F funding round for AI research company Anthropic, valuing the company at $183 billion post-money to expand enterprise capacity and deepen AI safety research. - Read More
️🔥 Ten Eleven Ventures - Led a $320 million Series B funding round for Finnish firm IQM Quantum Computers, marking the cybersecurity-focused VC's first investment in the quantum computing leader to support its US expansion. - Read More
️🔥 Premji Invest - Led a $150 million Series D financing round for Enveda Biosciences, a drug discovery startup using AI to develop new medicines for immune and obesity conditions. - Read More
️🔥 Vanedge Capital - Led a $75 million Series B Prime funding round for Mojo Vision, to accelerate the commercialization of its high-performance micro-LED platform for AI applications. - Read More
🚀 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: The Ultimate Report!
📈 a16z's "Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps" Report (5th Edition)
The fifth edition of a16z's influential report, updated for August 2025, analyzes two and a half years of data on the generative AI consumer app ecosystem. It highlights key trends like the rise of Google's Gemini, the stabilization of the market, and the emergence of "vibe coding".
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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 Groq.
