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Robotics Lab Machenta Secures $40 Million in Seed Funding, Co-led by Creandum and USV
According to Sifted, robotics lab Machenta has secured $40 million in seed funding, co-led by Creandum and USV. The report noted that the company currently has no products; Creandum’s team visited its London Archway office in May with their own props to conduct stress tests on an AI model it claims can teach robots to perform tasks after just a single demonstration.
Archway
Alliance Partner Discusses a16z's Shift Toward Frontier Tech Investment: AI Infrastructure Development Mirrors Crypto's Past, This Shift May Spur Crypto Talent to Build Frontier Tech
Alliance General Partner Imran recently posted on X, sharing his views on a16z crypto's shift toward frontier technology sectors. He noted that a16z provided early endorsement for the crypto industry when Chris Dixon led Coinbase's investment in 2013; Marc Andreessen's 2014 New York Times op-ed "Why Bitcoin Matters" was a key factor that prompted him to transition into the Bitcoin industry. At the time, very few institutions and funds were willing to publicly support crypto, and a16z and USV were the two that took on brand risk.Imran believes that the current development of AI infrastructure has benefited considerably from Bitcoin mining infrastructure and talent flowing from crypto to AI. Shifting toward frontier tech such as robotics, biology, AI, energy, and compute means that the talent and capabilities accumulated in the crypto industry over the past decade can be used to build the entire frontier tech sector. Citing data centers as an example, he noted that public and government resistance to data centers is growing, much like earlier resistance to crypto—yet today nearly all traditional financial institutions have embraced crypto to some extent.
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Venture capital firm USV announces the closing of a $900 million new fund, betting on application-layer opportunities in the AI era.
USV announced that veteran venture capital firm Union Square Ventures (USV) has successfully raised a new $900 million fund to support startups positioned at the cusp of major market shifts. USV stated that AI infrastructure buildout is already fully underway. Just as the firm backed the internet revolution in 2004, it will apply the exact same logic to invest in the “age of intelligence.” The fund’s substantial increase from the previous $275 million is designed to address the realities of the AI era, which is characterized by larger funding rounds and higher valuations. Regarding investment focus, USV outlined three core themes: AI will reshape markets rather than merely automate them; unlocking previously inaccessible “edge data” (spanning robotics, manufacturing, sensor networks, etc.); and meeting the growing demand from consumers and enterprises for more robust intelligence and stronger trust alignment (categorized under the “Rebel Alliance” theme). Energy investments have also been integrated into the core fund.
Union
Prediction market platform Pascal completes $9 million Series A funding round led by USV
: Prediction market platform Pascal has announced the completion of a $9 million Series A funding round. The platform aims to create a next-generation prediction market platform for professional traders and institutional users, challenging the current market landscape dominated by Kalshi and Polymarket.This funding round was led by Union Square Ventures (USV), with the specific valuation not disclosed. This financing expands on a $6 million seed round from August last year, with early investors including Wintermute Ventures and DBA.Headquartered in New York, Pascal positions itself as a prediction market platform similar to Kalshi, but aims to offer users lower fees, higher liquidity, and more specialized trading tools through a trading model closer to perpetual futures.Pascal co-founder Ivo Crnkovic-Rubsamen stated that the hope is to establish highly liquid prediction markets for real business risks in the future, allowing companies to utilize these markets for risk management and hedging. (Fortune)
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Nous Research in Talks for New Funding Round, Valuation Reaches $1.5 Billion
Nous Research, the developer of the open-source agent Hermes, is finalizing a new funding round, expected to be led by Robot Ventures with participation from institutions such as USV, valuing the company at approximately $1.5 billion. According to knowledgeable sources, the size of this funding round is at least $75 million.
Nous Research
Crypto trading app Fomo closes $75 million Series B funding round, achieving a $550 million valuation
According to Fortune, cryptocurrency trading startup Fomo has announced the completion of a $75 million Series B funding round, led by Index Ventures, with participation from Union Square Ventures, Mark Pincus—co-founder of Zynga—Humam Sakhnini, CEO of Discord, and Kevin Hartz, co-founder of Eventbrite. The company’s valuation stands at $550 million. Fomo was founded in 2025 by Paul Erlanger, Se Yong Park, and Prashan Dharmasena—former members of the dYdX team.
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Nvidia-backed robotics AI startup Generalist AI completes $400 million funding round at $2 billion valuation
: Robotics AI startup Generalist AI has completed a new $400 million funding round, led by Radical Ventures, with participation from 8VC, Union Square Ventures, Hanabi Capital, and existing investors Nvidia and Bezos Expeditions. The company is valued at $2 billion post-investment. Founded by Pete Florence, Andy Zeng, and Andy Barry, the company focuses on leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to iterate robot models and develop intelligent robot products capable of handling complex tasks. The proceeds from this round will be used for advanced AI model research and development, as well as expanding robot application scenarios. (Bloomberg)
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