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- 😎 🏛️ Silicon Valley: Bridging Public & Private Sectors 🔥 Fireside Chats💰 BA Startups Secured $5.31B in March
😎 🏛️ Silicon Valley: Bridging Public & Private Sectors 🔥 Fireside Chats💰 BA Startups Secured $5.31B in March
😎 🏛️ AI in Silicon Valley: Bridging Public & Private Sectors
In the heart of technological innovation, a conversation is taking shape about how artificial intelligence can transform not just corporations but entire communities. An upcoming panel event, "Firesides @ GTC: State of AI in the Valley," aims to explore the intersection of AI innovation and public service in Silicon Valley, with a particular focus on San Jose's potential role.
The Convergence of Technology and Community
AI's rapid evolution is creating ripples far beyond corporate boardrooms. As technologies mature, cities like San Jose face a unique opportunity to harness these advancements for public benefit. The panel will examine whether the "innovation pendulum" is swinging back to San Jose and how the city can embrace this momentum for lasting impact.
The discussion will feature notable speakers including Mary Fuller (Regional Director, USPTO), Stephen Caines (CIO, City of San Jose), and Vladimirs Sazonovs (GIF Corporate Finance, Cisco), bringing together perspectives from government and technology sectors.
Public-Private Partnerships: A Foundation for Progress
A central theme of the upcoming conversation is the critical importance of collaboration between government entities and technology companies. The panel will explore how cities can actively engage in technology partnerships and the role local government plays in fostering an AI-driven economy.
This cooperation presents both challenges and opportunities. Integrating AI solutions into public infrastructure and services requires careful planning, but the potential benefits for urban efficiency and resident services are substantial.
Workforce Development in an AI-Transformed Economy
As AI reshapes job markets, preparing the local workforce becomes increasingly urgent. The panel will address strategies for bridging the gap between technological innovation and workforce readiness.
Key questions include how tech companies can collaborate with local institutions to build talent pipelines and what specific initiatives might help prepare workers for AI-driven roles. The conversation will also touch on whether "Smart Cities" are becoming more achievable with current technologies.
San Jose as an Innovation Hub
The discussion will explore how San Jose can position itself as a catalyst for AI startups and innovation. This includes examining policies that could help shift the center of AI innovation toward the city and how San Jose might serve as a testing ground for solutions that improve urban life—from infrastructure management to public safety.
Looking Forward
This upcoming event represents an opportunity to identify actionable steps for strengthening AI-driven partnerships in Silicon Valley. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the panel seeks to chart a course for San Jose's technological future—one where innovation serves the broader community while preparing the region's workforce and infrastructure for the next wave of transformation.
The "Firesides @ GTC: State of AI in the Valley" event promises to be a valuable forum for tech leaders, policymakers, and innovators interested in shaping AI's role in Silicon Valley's future. RSVP at https://lu.ma/firesides_mar20 .
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💵Bay Area Startups Secured $5.31B In March MTD
March fundings already exceed $5B as we approach the halfway mark in the month. AI infrastructure once again collected more than two-thirds of the total, led by Anthropic's $3.5B Series E at a $61.5B valuation.
Infrastructure & investment: In the midst of rumors about a fraying of the Microsoft - OpenAI relationship - OpenAI needs more compute capacity, Microsoft is testing on other AI models - OpenAI just cut a $11.9B deal for AI infrastructure with Coreweave - the first AI company filing for an IPO this year – and will become one of their investors. For $11.9B, Coreweave will deliver additional compute to OpenAI - and will issue them $350M in Coreweave shares. More...
On exits, IPOs: Hinge Health (HNGE) filed for an IPO this week and could potentially raise $500M. Two more companies Kodiak Robotics and Bluejay Therapeutics are reported to be considering going public. Kodiak, focused on software for autonomous trucks and other vehicles, is looking at a SPAC merger with blank check company Area Acquisition. Kodiak has raised more than $289M, including their most recent round, a Series C for an undisclosed amount. BlueJay, a biotech focused on chronic hepatitis D, is looking at an IPO that could go out as early as April, per Bloomberg. Bluejay has raised $243M, with their most recent round a $182M Series C in May, 2024.
On exits, M&A: This was a remarkable week for acquisitions, with TWO multi-billion dollar acquisitions announced - Moveworld's $2.85B by ServiceNow and Niantic's $3.85B by Scopely. The total of those two acquisitions exceeds the combined total of SV acquisitions since the beginning of the year.
Follow us on LinkedIn to stay on top of what's happening in 2025 in startup fundings, M&A and IPOs, VC fundraising plus executive & investor activity.
Early Stage:
Cartesia closed a $64M Series A, their state space models (SSMs) and platform enable, developers to build real-time, multimodal AI systems with the generative voice API Sonic.
Montara Therapeutics closed a $20M Seed round, their platform enables brain-specific pharmacology targeting neurological disease by leveraging existing and novel chemical warheads, restricting deleterious on-target / off-tissue peripheral activity.
Synctera closed a $15M Series A, provides companies with everything they need to build and scale innovative banking products and equips sponsor banks with the tools they need to manage compliant partnerships.
Anyware Robotics closed a $12M Seed round, develops multi-purpose mobile robots, equipped with embodied intelligence, to enhance operations in labor-intensive industries.
Causal Labs closed a $6M Seed, builds AI-powered physics models to transform complex data into insights that inform decisions.
Growth Stage:
Celestial AI closed a $250M Series C, the creator of the Photonic Fabric, an optical interconnect technology platform that provides the foundational technology for data center computing, networking and memory systems.
Dexterity closed a $95M Series C, creates intelligent robotic solutions for logistics, warehouses, and supply chain customers.
Ditto closed a $82M Series B, the only mobile database with built-in edge device connectivity and resiliency, enabling apps to synchronize without relying on a central server or constant cloud connectivity.
Nirvana Insurance closed a $80M Series C, in AI-driven platform fundamentally changes the way an insurance company operates with personalized risk scoring, faster underwriting, modernized claims, and proactive, data-driven insights to help customers prevent accidents.
Omni Analytics closed a $69M Series B, the only BI platform that combines the consistency of a shared data model with the freedom of SQL.
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Around The Valley
Founders & Funders // MAR11
What’s Next / 🛠️INFRA SEASON BEGINS🛠️
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