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This week brought more than just Nvidia’s earnings reports; startups and VCs also had some news — quieter perhaps, but still worth paying attention to, especially where AI is involved.
Most interesting startup stories from the week
AI once again drove a large share of overall startup activity, including one acquisition, but this week also brought us a reminder that full M&A execution takes time — and that VC funding is not the only route.Good optics: AMD acquired Enosemi, a startup designing custom materials to support silicon photonics product development, under undisclosed terms. The goal of the acquisition is to “accelerate [AMD’s] co-packaged optics innovation for AI systems.”
Onboarded: AI startup Anthropic added Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings to its board of directors. Hastings was appointed by Anthropic’s independent Long-Term Benefit Trust and already has experience sitting on the boards of Netflix, Bloomberg, Meta, and Microsoft.
It takes time: Family safety app Life360 finally incorporates the AirTag-like lost item tracking functionalities of Tile, three and a half years after Life360 acquired Tile for $205 million.
One month and 25 days: High-profile entrepreneur and angel investor Sahil Lavingia revealed details of his stint on Elon Musk’s DOGE workforce, saying he was booted after only 55 days. But it’s not just him: Musk’s stint is also coming to an end.
Good optics: AMD acquired Enosemi, a startup designing custom materials to support silicon photonics product development, under undisclosed terms. The goal of the acquisition is to “accelerate [AMD’s] co-packaged optics innovation for AI systems.”
Onboarded: AI startup Anthropic added Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings to its board of directors. Hastings was appointed by Anthropic’s independent Long-Term Benefit Trust and already has experience sitting on the boards of Netflix, Bloomberg, Meta, and Microsoft.
It takes time: Family safety app Life360 finally incorporates the AirTag-like lost item tracking functionalities of Tile, three and a half years after Life360 acquired Tile for $205 million.
One month and 25 days: High-profile entrepreneur and angel investor Sahil Lavingia revealed details of his stint on Elon Musk’s DOGE workforce, saying he was booted after only 55 days. But it’s not just him: Musk’s stint is also coming to an end.
Last but not least
Nuclear fusion startups have been attracting investors, but their endeavors are still experimental. Fission, on the other hand, already has the potential to power data centers, which explains why Big Tech companies have been investing in nuclear fission startups.
Source: www.techcrunch.com
