Funding Bill

• Anduril Industries announced a $5 billion Series H funding round, doubling its valuation to $61 billion just one year after its previous multibillion-dollar raise. • The late-stage funding was jointly led by Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, demonstrating strong investor confidence in the defense and autonomous systems company. • The massive valuation increase reflects growing demand for advanced defense technology and autonomous systems in the current geopolitical environment.

• Tencent is reported to be joining a $4 billion funding round for Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which would value the company at about $50 billion and mark its first external financing. • The report says the round would add fresh capital to one of China’s most watched AI model developers, with Tencent and other large investors among the backers. • The deal matters because DeepSeek has become a key rival in China’s fast-moving AI race, and a multibillion-dollar valuation would underline continued investor appetite for frontier-model startups.

• Shield AI, headquartered in San Diego and founded in 2015, secured $1.5 billion in its Series G funding round in March 2026, bringing total funding to $2.5 billion. • The investment supports advancements in AI-driven autonomous systems for defense applications, enhancing national security capabilities. • This massive round underscores surging investor confidence in US defense tech startups amid rising geopolitical tensions.

• Moonshot AI, a leading Chinese chatbot maker focused on commercial AI applications, secured $20 billion in its Series E funding round led by Meituan. • The massive investment, one of the largest in AI history, will accelerate development of advanced AI models and expand commercial deployments across Asia. • This funding underscores China's aggressive push in AI amid global competition, positioning Moonshot to challenge U.S. giants like OpenAI.

• China's AI startup DeepSeek is closing in on a massive funding round that could value the company at approximately $45 billion, more than four times its valuation from discussions just two weeks prior. • China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund (Big Fund) is leading the financing round, with Tencent and Alibaba participating to provide strong domestic backing. • The funding round represents a dramatic increase in DeepSeek's valuation and underscores China's aggressive push to develop competitive AI capabilities independent of Western technology.

• Twelve Indian tech firms announced funding exceeding $1.1 billion, fueling AI innovation and startup growth in the country's booming sector. • This influx highlights exploding investment in India's tech industry, with focus on AI-driven startups and product development. • The deals position India as a global hub for tech funding, supporting economic expansion amid high AI adoption rates.

• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill on Thursday, clearing the way to end a two‑month agency shutdown that had idled parts of federal immigration, border, and cybersecurity operations. • President Donald Trump signed the measure shortly after, restoring full funding for the Department of Homeland Security and averting potential disruptions to airport security, deportation operations, and border enforcement through the fiscal year. • The shutdown clash pitted Trump allies against centrist Republicans and Democrats over border enforcement levels, but the final bill preserved core Trump‑era border initiatives while softening some hard‑line spending demands.