Microsoft M12

Headlines · 3

1. 5d
   Silicon Valley VCs debate why OpenAI and Anthropic haven't killed startups

   At a panel at Assembling 2026, moderator Tian Yu of Micron Technology's venture arm asked Jenny Xiao (Leonis Capital), Alan Du (Microsoft's M12) and Brian Zhan (Striker Venture Partners) why OpenAI and Anthropic have not wiped out startups. Alan Du argued many startups are exploiting a temporary arbitrage window he calls 'enterprise latency'; Jenny Xiao said China's open-source models are 'the biggest gift' to the US startup ecosystem and that neither technical moats nor claimed data moats hold up. Brian Zhan said OpenAI is raising at a $1.4 trillion valuation with SoftBank leading via a loan at close to 14% interest, predicted Anthropic will IPO at a $3 trillion valuation, and said AMD has acquired World Labs for about $8.2 billion — all claims made on stage and not independently verified. Xiao also cited a survey of 119 'neo labs' founded between 2024 and 2026 that raised a combined $94 billion.

   品玩 实时要闻 · 🔥 0
2. Oct 7
   Mecka AI raises $60M Series B led by Sequoia, with Nvidia and Microsoft's M12

   Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid and other robots, has raised $60 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft's venture fund M12 and Qualcomm, among others. CEO and cofounder Josh Gao said scaling physical AI will require major investment in sensors, infrastructure and real-world data collection, including capturing force and pressure from physical interactions. TechCrunch previously reported the round valued the company at close to $500 million.

   Bloomberg Technology · 🔥 0
3. Oct 7
   Nous Research raises $90M at $1.5B valuation, launches Hermes for Businesses

   Nous Research, maker of the open-source Hermes agent, raised a $90 million Series B led by Robot Ventures, with participation from Nvidia, Samsung, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Y Combinator and 1789 Capital (The Next Web also lists Microsoft's M12). TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal put the valuation at $1.5 billion, while Techmeme's headline says $1.2 billion; the company did not disclose a valuation itself. The money will fund "Hermes for Businesses," aimed at letting companies pick models by price and goal, keep AI usage private and own their company knowledge. Nous says Hermes has been cloned more than 24 million times since its February MIT-licensed release and drives roughly 2.5% of global AI token usage — its own estimate — while the Journal reported about $36 million in annualized revenue by mid-September and an expectation of passing $100 million by year-end.

   Techmeme · 🔥 0

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