Issue #117 • June 23, 2026
Hi Seedradar Squad! Upscale AI secured a giant capital extension backed by Nvidia to aggressively tear down proprietary vendor lock-in for massive compute clusters. Meanwhile, the baseline infrastructure war escalates as SpaceX locks down a massive computing agreement to secure immediate access to next-generation chip architecture, while Anthropic successfully pulls a legendary Nobel laureate away from Google DeepMind to violently scale its own computational biology capabilities.
Down at the physical fabrication layer, the focus is rapidly shifting from dealing with fragmented supply chains to deploying pure, software-driven manufacturing precision. We're highlighting Podium Automation as our startup pick this week because they are completely erasing the lead-time nightmare for hardware teams by using automated digital modeling to build precise industrial control panels directly on the shop floor.
📈 Important News of the Week!
• Upscale AI locked down a $190 million Series A-1 extension to scale its high-performance networking switch silicon. Backed by NVIDIA and Salesforce Ventures, the team is taking an open-standards approach to challenge vendor lock-in for large-scale AI clusters. - Read More
• SpaceX signed a massive computing agreement with open-source AI startup Reflection AI, granting them immediate access to Nvidia GB300 chips. - Read More
• Bionyra Pharma raised $165 million in a Series A round led by Jeito Capital and Sofinnova Partners. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company will use the funds to expand operations and develop new biologics for severe immunological and inflammatory diseases. - Read More
• John Jumper, the 2024 Nobel Prize winner and co-creator of AlphaFold, is leaving Google DeepMind after nearly nine years to join Anthropic. His departure is a significant talent acquisition for Anthropic as they expand their life sciences division and computational biology capabilities. - Read More
• Memento Medicines secured $93 million in a Series A round led by Forbion, RA Capital Management, and Avego BioScience Capital. The company is developing novel bispecific antibody therapies for patients living with retinal diseases like macular degeneration. - Read More
• Uber officially plans to roll out a premium robotaxi service in Houston by mid-2027. The deployment marks their second major U.S. market under a strategic partnership with EV maker Lucid and autonomous vehicle startup Nuro. - Read More
🌱 The Next Big Thing: Our Startup Pick!
Podium Automation, a Brooklyn-based startup backed by a recent $18 million Series A, is providing hardware teams with quick-turn industrial control panels. The company uses its proprietary software to connect customer requirements with shop floor instructions, automatically building precise digital models.
By solving common manufacturing pains like long lead times and human error, Podium's software-enabled process takes the heavy fabrication burden off a company's plate. This allows hardware teams to focus solely on scaling production rather than managing complex supply chains, making Podium Automation a startup worth watching very closely.
🔥 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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💼 Resource of the Week!
A protocol evaluating access control, credential rotation, and permission scopes for autonomous workflows. It targets non-human identities preventing catastrophic data leaks instead of relying on legacy user-level security parameters.
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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.
