Laude Institute Pledges $100 Million For AI Research And Launches AI Systems Lab At UC Berkeley

Laude Institute, founded by Andy Konwinski — co-founder of Databricks and Perplexity — has launched with a $100 million personal pledge to support independent AI research. Structured as both a nonprofit and a public benefit corporation, the institute offers grant-like investments through its “Slingshots” (early-stage research) and “Moonshots” (long-horizon, high-impact labs). Its first major commitment is a $15 million, five-year grant to establish the AI Systems Lab at UC Berkeley, led by Ion Stoica. Alongside its nonprofit arm, Laude also operates a for-profit venture fund, co-founded with ex-NEA VC Pete Sonsini, which has backed startups like Arcade and includes over 50 leading researchers as limited partners. AMOUNT: $100,000,000 HQ: #SanFrancisco #California #VentureCapital #Databricks #Perplexity #AndyKonwinski #LaudeInstitute #TradedVC

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Polymarket In Talks To Raise $1 Billion At $20 Billion Valuation With Investors D.E. Shaw And OthersPolymarket, the prediction markets platform, is reportedly in talks to raise $1 billion at a valuation of more than $20 billion, according to Bloomberg. If completed, the round would more than double the company's $9 billion valuation from October 2025 and come just months after its $1 billion financing at a $15 billion valuation. The company has seen annualized revenue surpass $1.2 billion as prediction markets continue to gain mainstream traction. FOUNDER: Shayne Coplan INVESTORS: D.E. Shaw, G Squared, Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE), SV Angel, Dragonfly & Valor Equity Partners AMOUNT: $1,000,000,000 VALUATION: $20,000,000,000+ HQ: New York, New York #VentureCapital #Polymarket #Crypto #ShayneCoplan #TradedVC

224 Ventures Launches AI-Focused Venture Firm With $100 Million Fund In San Francisco224 Ventures has launched a new AI-focused venture firm with more than $100 million in assets under management, backed by a team of AI leaders including Yann LeCun, Oriol Vinyals, and Shaun Johnson. The firm invests in early-stage AI startups across applications, robotics, infrastructure, and core intelligence, writing $1 million to $5 million checks while leveraging its network of AI operators, researchers, and technology executives to support founders. Johnson will lead day-to-day operations, while LeCun, the former chief AI scientist at Meta and Turing Award winner, and Vinyals, former Gemini co-technical lead at Google DeepMind, will help source, evaluate, and vote on investments. FOUNDERS: Shaun Johnson, Yann LeCun & Oriol Vinyals AMOUNT: $100,000,000 HQ: San Francisco, California #VentureCapital #224Ventures #ShaunJohnson #TradedVC

Moove Secures $250 Million In Series C Funding Led By Mubadala At $2.1 Billion ValuationMoove, a mobility startup founded in 2020 in Nigeria and now headquartered in Dubai, raised $250 million in a Series C round at a $2.1 billion valuation to scale its autonomous vehicle fleet management business. The round was led by Mubadala Investment Company with Woven Capital and Ion Pacific as co-leads, and included backing from investors such as BlackRock, Uber, and Franklin Templeton. Co-founder and co-CEO Ladi Delano said Moove’s experience financing and operating a 42,000-vehicle ride-hailing fleet across 14 countries positioned the company to expand into autonomous vehicles, where it currently operates Waymo fleets in Phoenix, Miami, Las Vegas, and plans for London, while developing automated “nests” for vehicle servicing and maintenance. FOUNDERS: Ladi Delano & Jide Odunsi INVESTORS: Mubadala Investment Company, Woven Capital, Ion Pacific, BlueCrest Capital Management, Sona Asset Management, Raptor Group, BlackRock, MUFG, Franklin Templeton, Uber, Left Lane, Silverbacks Holdings, Square Associates, The Latest Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst & Ontario Power Generation Pension Plan ROUND: Series C AMOUNT: $250,000,000 VALUATION: $2,100,000,000 HQ: Dubai, United Arab Emirates #VentureCapital #Moove #LadiDelano #JideOdunsi #TradedVC