Startup

• KelAI, an AI research platform designed to identify and test trading strategies for institutional investors and hedge funds, has raised $4.98 million. • According to a recent SEC filing, the funding round was supported by a group of fourteen investors. • This investment highlights the growing demand for AI-driven quantitative research tools within the high-stakes financial sector.

• Jeff Bezos and firms Kleiner Perkins and NEA have invested in CuspAI, a British startup focused on using AI to solve physical-world challenges. • The company raised $450 million in a funding round that values the startup at $2.6 billion. • CuspAI has partnered with Nvidia and other industry leaders to accelerate the discovery of materials for semiconductors, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.

• A total of 28 notable startup funding rounds were reported for the week ending July 18, 2026, totaling $4 billion in new capital. • Key companies securing investment during this period include Flex, Regatta, and Rime, alongside other ventures such as Redwood City-based Fireworks AI. • This surge in funding highlights continued investor appetite for AI infrastructure and scaling platforms, particularly those utilizing open-source models.

• Bengaluru-based healthtech startup Plazza has successfully raised $15 million in a Series A funding round. • The investment was co-led by Accel, Elevation Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners, with additional support from All In Capital and Better Capital. • This capital injection allows Plazza to scale its healthtech operations and expand its reach within the competitive Indian startup ecosystem.

• AI startups are shifting their focus from "flashy" viral demos to sustainable, revenue-generating technology to ensure survival in a high-stakes market. • A San Francisco-based startup, founded by ex-Meta researchers Anand Kannappan and Rebecca Qian, is pivoting from factual accuracy and copyright tools to developing "digital world models." • Having raised $20 million from backers like Lightspeed Venture Partners, the company is now building replicas of internal systems to test AI agents' ability to perform real-world tasks, such as booking flights.

Company aims to develop AI software that cuts research times and use of rare metals in chipmakers’ supply chainsBusiness live – latest updatesAmazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, and the UK government have invested in a £2bn British artificial intelligence startup that is aiming to become the “search engine for rare materials” that accelerates the next wave of technological breakthroughs.The Cambridge-based CuspAI has raised $450m (£330m) in funding from investors including Bezos and the government’s sovereign AI fund, valuing the two-year-old business at $2.6bn. Continue reading...

• Naturis Cosmetics, a contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in beauty and personal care, has successfully raised Rs 100 crore. • The funding was secured in a maiden round led by Sharrp Ventures to scale the company's manufacturing capabilities. • This investment highlights the growing demand for specialized contract manufacturing within the Indian beauty and personal care sector.