Artificial Intelligence

QCraft: $100 Million Series D Raised For Physical AI And Autonomous Driving Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:57 AM

QCraft, a global leader in autonomous driving AI, announced the completion of a $100 million Series D funding round as it accelerates development of physical-world AI and expands its global mobility footprint.

OpenAI: Desktop ‘Superapp’ Planned To Combine ChatGPT, Codex, And Browser, Says Report

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:49 AM

OpenAI is planning to consolidate its core products into a single desktop “superapp,” aiming to simplify the user experience and streamline internal operations, according to a company statement confirming earlier reporting.

Microsoft: MAI-Image-2 Launches As New In-House AI Image Generation Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:25 AM

Microsoft announced the launch of MAI-Image-2, a new text-to-image model developed by its AI Superintelligence team, marking a significant step in the company’s push to build its own in-house AI capabilities. The model positions Microsoft among the top three AI image-generation labs globally, according to the Arena.ai leaderboard.

Apollo.io Acquires Pocus To Advance AI-Native GTM Operating System Vision

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:41 AM

Apollo.io announced it has acquired Pocus, an enterprise-grade revenue intelligence platform designed to help teams convert buying signals into prioritized action, as the company continues its push to build an AI-native go-to-market operating system.

Oshkosh Introduces AI-Based Material Contamination Detection Technology For Waste Collection

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:57 AM

Oshkosh announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence-enabled technology designed to detect material contamination in real time during refuse and recycling collection, marking a significant step toward more data-driven and sustainable waste management operations across North America.

KEWAZO: $35 Million Raised To Scale Heavy-Industry Robotics And AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:41 AM

KEWAZO, a Munich and Houston-based robotics and AI company focused on automating heavy industry, announced it has secured new funding that brings its total capital raised to $35 million. The round was led by Schooner Capital and included participation from Chevron Technology Ventures, Asahi Kasei, Benson Capital, Mana Ventures, Gaingels, Atlas Ventures, and existing investors True Ventures and Cybernetix Ventures.

Amazon: RIVR Acquisition Advances Physical AI Delivery Vision

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 21, 2026

Amazon has acquired robotics company RIVR, marking a strategic move to accelerate the development of physical AI systems designed for real-world deployment, particularly in last-mile delivery.

Oracle: Java 26 Release Introduces AI Capabilities And Java Verified Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Oracle announced the release of Java 26, the latest version of its widely used programming language and development platform, introducing enhancements aimed at improving developer productivity, strengthening AI and cryptography capabilities, and modernizing the broader Java ecosystem.

Google DeepMind: Strategic Leadership Expanded As Jasjeet Sekhon Joins From Bridgewater

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Google DeepMind has appointed Jasjeet Sekhon as Chief Strategy Officer, marking a significant leadership addition as the company intensifies its efforts to advance artificial general intelligence and scale its impact across research, commercialization, and policy.

Hosted.ai: $19 Million Raised To Transform GPU Infrastructure Economics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Hosted.ai announced it has raised $19 million in seed funding to advance its mission of making AI infrastructure more efficient, accessible, and cost-effective for service providers, developers, and enterprises. The round was led by Creandum, with participation from Repeat VC and existing investors including People Ventures, Z21 Ventures, Golden Sparrow, Hersir Ventures, and Tekton.

Datavault AI: Acquisition Of NYIAX To Expand AI-Driven Data And Digital Asset Exchanges

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Datavault AI announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NYIAX, a blockchain-based trading platform operator, in a move aimed at combining AI-driven data monetization capabilities with institutional-grade market infrastructure.

Perplexity: Comet For iOS Launch And Perplexity Health Debut Expand AI Into Browsing And Healthcare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Perplexity has announced two major product developments, launching its Comet AI browser for iOS while also introducing Perplexity Health, signaling a broader push to embed AI across both everyday internet use and specialized domains like healthcare.

Findem: AI Talent Platform Acquires Glider AI To Deliver Hire-Ready Candidates

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Findem announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Glider AI, a skills validation platform, in a move aimed at creating an end-to-end AI-powered hiring solution that delivers verified, hire-ready candidates.

Paraform: $65 Million Raised For Agentic Hiring Platform Expanding AI-Driven Recruiting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Paraform announced that it has raised a Series B round, bringing its total funding to $65 million as it looks to scale its AI-powered recruiting platform and expand its network of recruiters and customers. The round was led by Scale Venture Partners, with participation from Felicis, A* Capital, and Liquid 2 Ventures, as well as a group of prominent technology leaders, including executives and founders from Palantir, Canva, YouTube, Stripe, Shopify, and Uber.

Health Universe: $6 Million Raised For AI Agent Platform In Healthcare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Health Universe, an enterprise AI platform focused on automating complex healthcare workflows, announced it has raised $6 million in seed funding, bringing its total funding to $9.5 million. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins and follows a 2023 pre-seed backed by Susa Ventures, Twelve Below, and Oncology Ventures. The company plans to use the new capital to accelerate adoption across academic medical centers, health systems, and life sciences organizations.

Verily: $300 Million Raised By Precision Health AI Company To Advance Platform Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Verily announced a $300 million investment round to accelerate its precision health AI strategy, marking a significant step in the company’s evolution as it scales its platform for research and care applications. The funding round was led by Series X Capital, with participation from Alphabet, UCHealth, the University of Colorado Anschutz, and other investors. As part of the transaction, Alphabet will remain a significant minority investor but will no longer hold a controlling stake in the company.

Adobe: New AI Capabilities And Custom Models Expand Firefly’s Video And Image Creation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Adobe has announced a major expansion of its Firefly platform, introducing new AI capabilities, custom model training, and enhanced video and image creation tools aimed at streamlining creative workflows and enabling more personalized content generation.

OpenAI: Astral Acquisition To Expand Python Developer Tools And Codex Ecosystem

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

OpenAI announced that it has agreed to acquire Astral, a company known for building widely used open-source Python developer tools, as part of its strategy to expand its Codex platform into a full software development lifecycle solution.

Chartis Acquires Leap AI To Expand AI Transformation Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Chartis, a healthcare advisory firm, announced it has acquired Leap AI, a company specializing in AI-driven healthcare solutions, in a move aimed at accelerating innovation and technology transformation across the healthcare sector.

AppViewX Acquires Eos To Expand Machine And AI Agent Protection Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

AppViewX announced that it has acquired Eos, an AI-native identity control platform focused on securing AI agents and autonomous workloads, as part of its strategy to expand leadership in machine and AI identity security. The deal strengthens AppViewX’s capabilities by combining its certificate lifecycle management and public key infrastructure solutions with Eos’s governance and privileged access controls for AI-driven environments.

Genstore: Interview With Co-Founder & President Junwei Huang About The Conversational E-Commerce Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Genstore is an AI-native, conversational e-commerce platform that allows users to instantly create, manage, and scale online stores through specialized AI agents, reducing the need for technical skills, manual setup, and multiple third-party tools. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Genstore co-founder and President Junwei Huang to learn more.

Parallel: $20 Million Raised For AI Agents Automating Hospital Administration

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Parallel, a Paris-based startup building AI agents for hospitals, has raised $20 million in Series A funding to accelerate the deployment of its technology across healthcare systems. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from Frst, YC, Hexa, and angel investors including Arthur Mensch of Mistral, Felix Blossier, and Quentin de Metz of Pennylane. The funding comes less than a year after the company’s $3.5 million seed round, highlighting rapid investor confidence in its approach to automating hospital workflows.

Deeptune: $43 Million Raised For AI Simulation Platform In Series A Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Deeptune, a New York City–based developer of high-fidelity simulation environments for AI agents, has raised $43 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from 776, Abstract Ventures, Inspired Capital, and a group of prominent angel investors.

Google Labs: Stitch AI Design Platform Introduces Vibe Design For High Fidelity UI Creation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Google Labs has unveiled a major evolution of Stitch, positioning it as an AI native software design canvas that enables users to create, iterate, and collaborate on high-fidelity user interfaces using natural language. The update introduces what the company calls “vibe design,” a new approach that emphasizes starting with intent, emotions, and outcomes rather than traditional wireframes.

Spectral AI: $31.7 Million BARDA Funding To Advance AI Burn Wound Imaging System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Spectral AI announced it has secured $31.7 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to accelerate development of its DeepView System, an artificial intelligence-driven burn wound imaging platform designed to support faster and more accurate clinical decision-making.

Anori: $26 Million Raised As Alphabet Moonshot Spins Out As Independent Building Technology Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Anori, a platform focused on modernizing the building and development process, has officially spun out of Alphabet’s X moonshot factory as an independent company, backed by a $26 million funding round. The round was led by Prologis, Builders VC, and Series X Capital, with participation from Sorenson Impact Group and Telescopic Ventures. The company has also established partnerships with Gensler and SERA Architects as it begins operating independently.

Waymo: 170 Million Miles Driven As Autonomous Vehicles Show Major Crash Reductions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Waymo has released new data indicating its autonomous driving system has surpassed 170 million rider-only miles while significantly reducing crash rates compared to human drivers. The update, published through the company’s Safety Impact hub, highlights the growing scale of its robotaxi operations and its ongoing effort to demonstrate safety performance through real-world data.

Uber: $1.25 Billion Partnership With Rivian To Deploy Autonomous Robotaxis

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

Uber Technologies announced a partnership with Rivian Automotive, Inc. to accelerate the deployment of fully autonomous robotaxis, backed by a commitment to invest up to $1.25 billion through 2031. The collaboration is designed to scale a fleet of Rivian R2 autonomous vehicles operating exclusively on the Uber platform, marking a significant step forward in both companies’ autonomous vehicle strategies.

Oasis Security: $120 Million Raised For Agentic Access Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 19, 2026

Oasis Security announced that it has raised $120 million in a Series B funding round led by Craft Ventures, with participation from Cyberstarts, Sequoia Capital, and Accel, bringing the company’s total funding to $195 million. The raise reflects increasing demand for new approaches to access management as AI agents become more deeply embedded across enterprise infrastructure.

Autoscience: $14 Million Raised To Build Automated AI Research Lab

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 19, 2026

Autoscience, a San Mateo-based applied research lab, announced it has raised $14 million in seed funding to develop what it describes as the world’s first automated AI research lab. The round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Toyota Ventures, Perplexity Fund, MaC Ventures, and S32.