Lightspeed
6 storiesLightspeed is a venture capital firm; its India team is raising Lightspeed India Partners V, targeting $250 million for early-stage AI deals, about half the size of its $500 million 2022 predecessor. Recent coverage includes Lightspeed's participation in Zenzap's $44 million round, and CEO Dax Dasilva commenting that AI shopping tools steer buyers to big-box retailers 94% of the time, and that better prompts and new tools could help local shops.
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Nirva, founded in 2025 by former Meta Reality Labs employees, raised a $25M pre-Series A, bringing its total to $33M including $8M raised earlier. Its first device, an ~8-gram pendant that doubles as a bracelet, costs $249, lasts up to three days per charge and ships by year-end. It builds a model from onboarding voice samples and passively listens only to the wearer, addressing ambient-recording privacy concerns.
Zenzap raised $44M from investors including Bessemer, Lightspeed, and The Garage. Used by Starbucks and Taco Bell, the private AI messenger aims to replace consumer apps like WhatsApp in workplaces while meeting IT and security rules.
AI shopping tools steer buyers to big-box retailers 94% of the time, pushing small businesses out of AI results, per Bloomberg. Lightspeed CEO Dax Dasilva says better prompts and new AI tools could help local shops fight back in the next wave of commerce.
Lightspeed is targeting $250 million for a new early-stage India fund, about half the size of its $500 million predecessor raised in 2022, with a focus on AI. Named Lightspeed India Partners V, it is set to begin investing within two months over a roughly 2.5-year period, aligning India fundraising with its global cycle for the first time.
Snorkel AI raised a $350M Series E at a $3.5B valuation, nearly triple its valuation from 17 months ago. The company shifted from data labeling to data-as-a-service and now has a $375M annualized revenue run-rate, an 18-fold increase over 12 months.
Crunchbase's weekly top 10 U.S. funding rounds were led by AI infrastructure company Temporal Technologies with a $550M Series E at a $12.55B valuation, followed by space tech firm Impulse Space's $308M Series D extension. Data center developer Crusoe confirmed its previously reported $3B-plus raise.
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The A.I. Daily
Nirva raises $33M for $249 AI pendant that listens only to wearer
