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Thursday News: Opportunities to Surf the Startup Wave! πŸ’₯

Issue #2 β€’ May 21, 2025

Shocked Breaking News GIF by Ottobock

This week, the AI future isn't just knocking, it's kicking down! Google I/O just rewrote the rules of digital interaction. At the same time, Computex gave us a look under the hood of AI's silicon backbone. And for those building or betting on AI's next wave, Sierra Ventures dished out its 'layered cake' strategy.

πŸ’» Google I/O 2025: Gemini AI Upgrades and Search Transformation Take Center Stage

Google's annual I/O conference, held May 20-21, 2025, was heavily focused on artificial intelligence, with major updates to its Gemini AI models.

A key announcement was the broader rollout of "AI Mode" for Google Search in the US, designed to make search more conversational and integrated with AI-generated overviews.

These changes signal a significant evolution in how users will interact with Google's core search product, driven by advanced AI.

β†’Watch Google I/O '25 in under 10 minutes here!

Read More

πŸ› οΈ Computex 2025 Kicks Off with Strong AI Focus in New Hardware

The Computex 2025 technology show in Taipei began this week, with artificial intelligence being a dominant theme from the outset. As reported on May 21, 2025, leading computing and component manufacturers are showcasing innovations that integrate AI deeply into hardware.

One notable example is Phison's E28 SSD Controller, presented as the first of its kind with built-in AI processing, aiming to significantly cut costs and boost efficiency for enterprise AI model fine-tuning and deployment.

πŸ’° Snapshots: What Else Is Happening?


β€’ Sierra Ventures is deploying capital from its $265 million Fund XIII into applied AI infrastructure, as well as horizontal and vertical AI applications.  - Read More

β€’ MIT Technology Review launched a significant reporting package, "Power Hungry: AI and our energy future," on May 20, 2025, investigating the extensive energy and resource consumption of AI technologies and its future implications.  - Read More

β€’ OpenAI is acquiring io, the device startup from famed Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in a deal valuing io at approximately $6.5 billion, signaling a major push by OpenAI into AI-native consumer hardware.  - Read More

β€’ Microsoft revealed its Natural Language Web (NLWeb) open project, which aims to transform websites into fully functional, AI-driven platforms that can be queried using natural language, similar to Microsoft Copilot.  - Read More

β€’ New Gen a technology company redefining commerce for the AI internet by transforming product catalogs into AI-readable data and creating AI-native conversational storefronts, launched publicly on May 20.  - Read More

πŸ’° Hot Funding Rounds You Missed!

paid pay day GIF

β†’ Pathos -A New York-based startup using AI for precision medicine development, raised a significant $365 million in Series D financing.  - Read More


β†’ Addepar -Investment platform Addepar secured $230 million in a Series G funding round to further expand its financial services technology.  - Read More


β†’ Stord -Atlanta-based, a provider of e-commerce software, fulfillment, and logistics services, raised $200 million in a combination of Series E equity and debt financing.  - Read More

πŸ› οΈ Trending AI Tools to Supercharge Your Workflow!

Tools List Newsletter
πŸ“ŠFluig AI
AI-powered diagram generator that transforms ideas into visuals.
🎨BnbIcons
Creates and animate custom Airbnb-like isometric icons from text prompts.
🎬Overlap AI
Video marketing AI agent that automates video editing.
πŸ€–eSelf
Creates realistic AI video avatars, tutors, agents, and chatbots.
πŸ’»Entelligence
Provides code reviews with full codebase context.
πŸ›οΈNew Gen
Transforms traditional product catalogs into AI-readable data.

πŸš€ Startup Radar: Movers, Shakers & Future Makers

Seed Radar - Startups
πŸ’ΌMura
AI platform automating commercial field service operations and processes.
$6M Seed  
Read More
πŸ’ΈPay-i
Platform for Generative AI enabling businesses to connect AI model usage.
$4.9M Seed  
Read More
🌍Rhizome
Climate resilience planning platform using AI to protect the power grid.
$6.5M Seed  
Read More
🚚Moddule
Supply chain software platform with AI-powered integrations.
$1.5M Pre-Seed  
Read More
🏭CarbonSix
Robotics AI startup developing AI-powered dexterous manipulation.
$4M Seed  
Read More
πŸ›οΈNew Gen
Company building AI conversational digital storefronts for "AI internet."
$4.5M Seed  
Read More

🧠 Thursday Quote!

"Investors have entered 2025 with stronger conviction, clearer filters, and deeper engagement with future-facing sectors like Gen AI. At the same time, they are prioritising team quality and early revenue traction more than ever before."

– Tarana Lalwani, Partner at InnoVen Capital India -Get More Wisdom from InnoVen Capital

πŸ’Ό Join the Revolution: Hot Startup Jobs!

Job Board
AI EngineerSan Jose, CA (US)
NIO – Publicly Traded
$163.5K-$212.4K  - Apply here
 
 
 
Junior QA Engineer Santa Clara, CA (US)
AI Startup (via Saragossa) – $250M Series B
$175K-$275K  - Apply here
 
 
 
Artificial Intelligence EngineerCovington, LA (US)
Blockmedia LLC
$175  - Apply here
 
 
 
AI/ML Research Engineer - LLM Post-TrainingSan Francisco, CA (US) (Hybrid)
P-1 AI – $23M Seed
$180K – $250K  - Apply here

πŸ’Ό Resource of the Week: Rock Your Startup Journey!

πŸ’‘ Guide to Launching & Funding an AI Startup

A guide covering the AI startup journey from ideation, MVP development, team building, and legal navigation to securing funding (Seed to Series A) in 2025.

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