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August 17, 2026 - Deals
Trajectory Raises $40 Million In Series A Funding Led By Sequoia Capital At $300 Million Valuation
Trajectory, a San Francisco-based AI infrastructure and agent optimization platform, raised $40 million in Series A funding at a $300 million post-money valuation in a round led by Sequoia Capital with participation from NVIDIA and Bessemer Venture Partners. Founded in 2026 by Ronak Malde, Michael Elabd, and Arjun Karanam, the company develops software that automates AI model customization and optimizes agent workflows, using self-distillation policy optimization to improve decision-making from human feedback. Trajectory plans to use the funding to scale its model-tuning infrastructure, grow its research and engineering teams, and expand enterprise tooling for optimizing open-source and closed-source AI agents.
FOUNDERS: Ronak Malde, Michael Elabd & Arjun Karanam
INVESTORS: Sequoia Capital, NVIDIA & Bessemer Venture Partners
ROUND: Series A
AMOUNT: $40,000,000
VALUATION: $300,000,000
HQ: San Francisco, California
#VentureCapital #Trajectory #RonakMalde #TradedVC
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Aptera Motors Partners With Launch Design For $44 Million Production ProgramAptera Motors, the solar electric vehicle startup, has partnered with Shanghai-based Launch Design on a production program valued at up to $44 million to support the company’s first customer-bound vehicles. The agreement covers assembly tooling, vehicle testing, pilot production and future manufacturing, with the first 40 production vehicles targeted for delivery in late 2026. Launch will cover roughly one-third of program costs through warrants for up to about $15 million in Aptera stock, while Aptera Co-CEO Chris Anthony said the partnership will bring manufacturing expertise and supply-chain capabilities without adding significant capital burdens. Co-CEO Steve Fambro added that Launch’s global footprint could help support future expansion beyond the U.S.
FOUNDERS: Steve Fambro & Chris Anthony
VALUATION: $44,000,000
HQ: Carlsbad, California
#VentureCapital #ApteraMotors #LaunchDesign #TradedVC
Vessev Secures $19 Million Series A Funding Led By Blackbird Ventures For Electric Hydrofoil ExpansionNew Zealand-based electric hydrofoil maker Vessev has raised $19 million in a Series A and follow-on financing round to accelerate production of its VS-9 vessel line, expand its global team, and support plans to manufacture in the United States. The round was led by Blackbird Ventures, with participation from new investors GD1 and Rypples alongside existing backers K1W1, Icehouse Ventures, Shasta Ventures, and NZVC. The company, led by co-founder and CEO Eric Laakmann, is entering the U.S. market with FlyTahoe as its first American customer and plans demonstrations in New York City, Washington D.C., and Lake Tahoe as it expands sustainable electric water transit.
FOUNDERS: Max Olson & Eric Laakmann
INVESTORS: Blackbird Ventures, GD1, Rypples, K1W1, Icehouse Ventures, Shasta Ventures & NZVC
ROUND: Series A
AMOUNT: $19,000,000
HQ: Auckland, New Zealand
#VentureCapital #Vessev #MaxOlson #EricLaakmann #TradedVC