Artificial Intelligence

Inferact Launches With $150 Million Funding At $800M Valuation To Commercialize vLLM As Inference Demand Surges

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Inferact, a new AI infrastructure startup founded by creators and core maintainers of the open-source vLLM inference engine, has launched with $150 million in seed funding at an $800 million valuation, positioning the company to push performance gains in large language model serving while keeping vLLM’s development in the open. The seed round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures and ZhenFund. Inferact also listed additional backers including The House Fund, Striker Venture Partners, Laude Ventures, Databricks Ventures, GC&H, and the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Fund.

LiveKit: $100 Million Series C At $1 Billion Valuation Raised To Advance Voice AI Infrastructure Push

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

LiveKit announced it has raised a $100 million Series C round led by Index Ventures, valuing the company at $1 billion, as it doubles down on building infrastructure for real-time, voice-native applications. Alongside Index Ventures, the round included participation from Salesforce Ventures, Hanabi Capital, and existing backers Altimeter and Redpoint Ventures.

Cancilico: €2.5 Million Seed Funding Closed To Scale AI-Powered Bone Marrow Diagnostics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Cancilico, a Dresden-based AI diagnostics startup focused on blood cancers, has raised a €2.5 million Seed round to expand commercialization and pursue regulatory pathways for its bone marrow analysis software, MyeloAID. The financing was led by a syndicate that included High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), TGFS – Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, GEDAD GmbH (the Ehninger family’s investment vehicle), and ROI Verwaltungsgesellschaft (Roland Oetker).

Merchant Names Clayton Chandler Chief Data Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Merchant has appointed Clayton Chandler as chief data officer, tasking him with leading the firm’s enterprise data and artificial intelligence strategy as it expands its network of partner firms. Based in New York, Merchant said Chandler will focus on strengthening how the firm uses data as a strategic asset across its ecosystem, with an emphasis on practical applications that streamline operations, improve efficiency and generate actionable insights.

Yelp To Buy AI Lead-Management Platform Hatch For $270 Million To Expand Services SaaS Push

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Yelp announced it has agreed to acquire Hatch, an AI-powered lead management and customer communication platform, in a deal aimed at accelerating Yelp’s AI transformation and broadening its SaaS tools for services businesses.

Base AI Acquires EverAfter AI to Build AI Engagement OS For Customer-Led Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Base AI announced it has acquired EverAfter AI, combining Base’s customer lifecycle marketing capabilities with EverAfter’s customer-facing post-sale experiences to create what the companies call the first “Engagement OS” for B2B customer-led growth.

Jump And Focus Financial Partners Team Up On AI Workflows To Boost Advisor Productivity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Jump, an AI software provider for financial advisors, has struck a strategic partnership with Focus Financial Partners to help Focus-affiliated advisory and business management firms streamline meeting-related work and turn client conversations into structured, actionable data.

Fisent Technologies Posts 206% Revenue Growth in 2025 As BizAI Adoption Accelerates

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Fisent Technologies said it delivered triple-digit growth in 2025 as enterprises expanded deployments of its BizAI platform to automate unstructured content processing across regulated and complex workflows.

Qure.ai Wins Gates Foundation Grant To Develop AI Point-Of-Care Ultrasound For TB And Pneumonia

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Qure.ai has received a multimillion-dollar grant from the Gates Foundation to expand its global health work, including the development of AI-enabled point-of-care ultrasound algorithms to enable earlier detection of tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia in under-resourced settings.

Neurophos: $110 Million Series A Raised To Bring Exaflop-Scale Photonic AI Chips To Data Centers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Neurophos has raised $110 million in an oversubscribed Series A round to accelerate the commercialization of its photonic AI chip technology, positioning the Austin-based company to push beyond the power and scalability limits facing today’s AI infrastructure. The financing brings Neurophos’ total funding to $118 million and was led by Gates Frontier, with participation from M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and additional investors.

OpenAI And Gates Foundation Launch Horizon 1000 To Advance AI For Primary Healthcare Across 1,000 African Clinics By 2028

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

OpenAI and the Gates Foundation have launched Horizon 1000, a pilot initiative designed to accelerate the real-world deployment of AI tools in primary healthcare systems across Africa, starting in Rwanda. The partners said they are committing a combined $50 million in funding, technology, and technical support, with the goal of reaching 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and surrounding communities by 2028.

Aptean Acquires OpsVeda To Add Agentic Execution To Logility Supply Chain Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Aptean announced it has acquired OpsVeda, an AI-powered operations command center, as it pushes to build what it describes as an autonomous, end-to-end supply chain planning and execution platform anchored by Logility. The transaction continues Aptean’s post-Logility integration strategy, following its acquisition of Logility in April 2025 for $14.30 per share in cash.

University Of Baltimore Launches AI-Enabled Business Accelerator For Baltimore Founders

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

The University of Baltimore has launched an AI-Enabled Business Accelerator, a nine-week program designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs build scalable ventures that use artificial intelligence in practical, market-ready ways.

BigBear.ai Acquires CargoSeer Technology To Expand AI Tools For Customs Cargo Inspection

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

BigBear.ai announced it has acquired certain technologies from CargoSeer Ltd., an AI software company focused on cargo-scanning enhancement and trade risk management for customs enforcement missions worldwide, in a deal with undisclosed financial terms.

AiStrike: $7 Million Seed Funding Raised To Scale AI-Native And Preemptive Cyber Defense Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

AiStrike has raised $7 million in seed funding to expand an AI-native platform designed to help security teams move from reactive alert handling to what the company calls “preemptive” cyber defense. The round was led by Blumberg Capital, with participation from Runtime Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, and strategic angel investors.

Copeland Bolsters AI-Driven HVAC And Cold Chain Offerings With Bueno Analytics Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Copeland announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Bueno Analytics, an Australia-based software company that uses embedded AI and machine learning to deliver building analytics, energy management, and operational efficiency tools for commercial buildings and cold chain environments.

LatticeFlow AI Acquires AI Sonar To Add On-Prem Discovery To Evidence-Based AI Governance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

LatticeFlow AI announced it has acquired Dublin-based AI Sonar Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of CloudSphere Ltd., in a deal the company unveiled during the World Economic Forum in Davos. The acquisition adds AI Sonar’s “AI discovery” capabilities—aimed at detecting “shadow AI” across enterprise environments—to LatticeFlow AI’s governance platform, which focuses on technical evaluations and evidence generation.

Appian Adds ScienceLogic CEO David Link To Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Appian, a provider of AI-powered process automation software, has appointed David Link to its board of directors, effective January 25, 2026, adding an enterprise software executive with deep experience in IT operations, automation, and platform scaling.

Nexxa.ai: $9 Million Seed Funding Closed To Scale AI Agents For Heavy Industry Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Nexxa.ai has raised a $9 million seed round to scale specialized AI agents designed for heavy-industry workflows, as the company looks to expand deployments across rail, construction, manufacturing, and other critical infrastructure sectors.

Claim Health: $4.4 Million Seed Funding Raised To Automate Post-Acute Revenue Operations With AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Claim Health, a Y Combinator-backed startup building AI-native revenue operations infrastructure for post-acute care, has raised a $4.4 million seed round led by Maverick Ventures, with participation from Peak XV, Y Combinator, and DHVP. The financing also included checks from C-suite executives at large post-acute care providers, which the company said reflect growing demand for modernized revenue workflows in home health, hospice, and personal care settings.

Helium Ventures Acquires InsurGrid, An Insurance Data Platform Used by 2,500 P&C Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Helium Ventures, an AI-native holding company that buys and operates software businesses, has acquired InsurGrid, a platform used by more than 2,500 property and casualty insurance agents to collect and verify insurance policy data.

Campfire Interactive Acquires Cover 4 PM To Broaden AI-Driven Profit Optimization For Manufacturers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Campfire Interactive announced it has acquired Cover 4 PM, adding program and project management capabilities to its AI-enabled profit optimization platform for automotive suppliers and manufacturers.

One To One Health Partners With Frist Cressey On $12 Million Investment To Scale AI-Enabled Primary Care

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

One to One Health announced it has raised a $12 million minority growth investment from Frist Cressey Ventures to expand its employer-sponsored primary care model and accelerate development of its AI-enabled clinical platform, Intelligent Care Manager.

PraxisPro: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Transform Life Sciences With AI for Commercial Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

PraxisPro, a data intelligence company focused on improving how life sciences organizations generate and govern commercial insights, has raised a $6 million oversubscribed seed round led by AlleyCorp. Flybridge, South Loop Ventures, Zeal Capital Partners, True Ventures, Techstars, Alumni Ventures, and Daring Ventures also participated in the financing.

OpenEvidence: $250 Million Series D At $12 Billion Valuation Raised To Expand AI ‘Medical Superintelligence’ Platform for Doctors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

OpenEvidence, an AI-powered medical search platform used by clinicians, said it has raised $250 million in a Series D financing that values the company at $12 billion, positioning it as the highest-valued healthcare AI company. Thrive Capital and DST Global co-led the financing. This round brings the total funding raised over the past 12 months to roughly $700 million. And it listed a broad roster of prior investors, including Sequoia, Google Ventures, Nvidia, Kleiner Perkins, Blackstone, Henry Kravis, Coatue, Thrive Capital, Conviction, ICONIQ, Greycroft, Breyer Capital, BOND, Craft Ventures, Goanna, Meritech, Alkeon, and Mayo Clinic, among others.

Smart Workforce AI: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Mohamed Yousuf About The Staff Scheduling Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Smart Workforce AI provides an AI-powered, cloud-based platform that optimizes staff scheduling, predicts labor demand, and streamlines workforce management to reduce costs and improve employee satisfaction. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Smart Workforce AI co-founder and CEO Mohamed Yousuf to learn more.

BrightInsight: $13 Million Closed To Expand AI-Enabled Medication Adherence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

BrightInsight has raised $13 million in funding to accelerate the development of its AI-enabled medication persistence and adherence solutions and scale patient support programs globally. The San Jose-based digital health company said the round included both existing and new backers: Eclipse, General Catalyst, Insight Partners, Mayo Clinic, and New Leaf Venture Partners.

Upscale AI: $200 Million Series A Raised To Build Open AI Networking Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Upscale AI announced it has raised $200 million in an oversubscribed Series A round as it works to establish what it calls the first pure-play AI networking infrastructure company, positioning networking as a primary constraint on scaling modern AI systems. The financing was led by Tiger Global, Premji Invest, and Xora Innovation, with participation from Maverick Silicon, StepStone Group, Mayfield, Prosperity7 Ventures, Intel Capital, and Qualcomm Ventures. The company said the new round brings its total funding to more than $300 million and follows a rapid fundraising trajectory, characterized by moving from a $100 million seed round to “unicorn” status within months.

Brickeye: $10 Million Series B Closed To Expand IoT Construction Risk Mitigation Platform Across North America

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Brickeye has raised $10 million in a Series B financing to scale its construction IoT monitoring and risk mitigation services across North America and accelerate expansion into additional international markets. The Toronto-based construction technology company said the round was led by GreenSky Ventures, Brightspark Ventures, Graphite Ventures, Export Development Canada (EDC), Beauchamp Construction, and one of the largest building materials suppliers in North America.

Datarails: $70 Million Series C Raised To Bring AI Into The Heart Of The CFO’s Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Datarails has raised $70 million in Series C funding in a round led by growth equity firm One Peak, as the company bets that finance teams want AI capabilities embedded directly into the tools they already use (especially Excel) rather than forcing a tradeoff between spreadsheets and standalone AI products.