OpenAI valuation could hit $1.4T in new funding round: Report
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Paradigm led a seed funding round for M1X Global to advance sovereign debt tokenization infrastructure.
According to Mars Finance, on July 8th, crypto venture capital firm Paradigm led a seed round of funding for sovereign debt tokenization platform M1X Global, supporting its expansion of on-chain sovereign debt issuance and management capabilities. M1X Global's core product, USDM1, launched in partnership with the Marshall Islands government, is a USD-denominated sovereign debt instrument issued directly on the public blockchain, backed by 1:1 US short-term Treasury bonds and utilizing New York State legal frameworks to provide investor protection. This round of funding will primarily be used to promote the institutional application of USDM1, including its use as compliant collateral in repurchase, margin, and collateralized financing scenarios, and to deepen integration with banks, custodians, and trading platforms. Previously, M1X Global completed a $3 million oversubscribed angel round of funding in March 2026, with investors including Balaji Srinivasan.
Google and RWE back Proxima Fusion in a €411 million funding round
Munich-based magnetic confinement fusion startup Proxima Fusion announced on Tuesday that it has raised €411 million ($469.69 million) in a funding round from investors including Alphabet's Google and German utility RWE. The company stated that the round was led by XTX Ventures and East X Ventures, with RWE and Google participating as strategic investors. The company added that this funding round values Proxima Fusion at €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion). (Sina Finance)
EDX Markets completes $76 million Series C funding round
According to Foresight News , Citadel-backed cryptocurrency exchange EDX Markets has completed a $76 million Series C funding round, led by SBI Holdings. This funding will support EDX's continued growth, enabling it to expand its trading, clearing, and settlement capabilities, accelerate product development, and scale its global operations.
Tencent announced that Tian Yonglong, a former researcher at OpenAI, has joined the company to participate in the development of VLM.
According to sources at Tencent, Yonglong Tian, a former researcher at OpenAI, has recently joined Tencent's Large Language Model Department and will participate in the research and development of VLM (Visual Language Model). This marks another instance of Tencent poaching talent from OpenAI. On December 17th last year, Tencent announced an upgrade to its large model R&D architecture, establishing the AI Infra Department, AI Data Department, and Data Computing Platform Department. Former OpenAI senior researcher Yao Shunyu was appointed as the Chief AI Scientist in the "CEO/President's Office" (reporting to Martin Lau), and concurrently served as the head of the AI Infra Department and the Large Language Model Department (reporting to Lu Shan). This announcement garnered widespread attention on social media. (The Paper)
AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic are offering startups large amounts of free computing power in an effort to seize market share.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on July 7th, as reported by Mars Finance, AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are offering substantial free computing power and discounts to startups to compete for enterprise customers. The report states that Silicon Valley startup founders are receiving computing credits, token usage limits, and auction-style discounts from AI model companies. Some early-stage companies have received over $3 million in cloud computing and token credits, approaching the median of seed funding in the US according to PitchBook. AI companies hope to acquire customers in the early stages of startups, making their tools an integral part of their business as these companies grow. Cursor offered a 75% discount until July 5th; Google Cloud offered up to $500,000 in cloud computing credits to some startups, along with early access to the Gemini model and, in some cases, support from DeepMind engineers. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services also offer special privileges to startups. OpenAI and Anthropic have recently been particularly focused on Y Combinator startups. In May, Sam Altman announced that OpenAI would offer $2 million in tokens to each startup participating in its accelerator program in exchange for equity. Around the same time, Anthropic increased its free token allocation to Y Combinator startups from $30,000 to $500,000, without requiring equity. OpenAI subsequently adjusted its offer, providing startups with $500,000 in free tokens, without requiring equity, and offering the option to exchange equity for an additional $1.5 million in tokens. These offers reflect the fierce competition among model providers for future large clients. Y Combinator runs four cohorts annually, with recent cohorts featuring approximately 200 companies each, meaning that OpenAI and Anthropic could potentially offer a combined $800 million in AI tokens over the next year. Christopher Acker, co-founder of SuperPenguin, stated, "The AI world is being driven by OpenAI and Anthropic because they are giving startups money to pay for usage costs."
Shenzhen-based smart glasses company Ewen Technology has completed a $150 million funding round, valuing the company at over $1 billion post-investment.
Mars Finance reported on July 7th that Shenzhen-based smart glasses company Even Realities announced the completion of a $150 million Pre-B round of financing, valuing the company at over $1 billion post-money and officially joining the ranks of unicorns. This round was led by Meituan Dragon Ball and Meituan Strategic Investment, with existing shareholders Yuan Yi Capital and Tencent oversubscribing. Earlier this year, Even Realities also completed an A++ round of financing, co-led by Guanghe Venture Capital and Yuan Yi Capital, with existing shareholders including Dachen Capital oversubscribing. (Venture Capitalist CLUB)