VC macro: KPMG/PitchBook records + seed drought + Lockheed $1B + Meta/BMW acqs + Frame $50M cyber + Genesis/Rilian/XBOW + Northleaf CA + Heaviside/Robinhood/Kalos + Casimir/Breaker/STL + new Sprouts/Hacktron/GridCARE + Meridian/Nectar/Sygaldry/PathAI + Playground/Dolfin/Iridius/Calibre + Hellbender/Stilta/Kin/Viewz/StitcherAI/2048 + Neurosoft/Rely/Benji/Arito/Voker/Tamber
Key Questions
What do the latest PitchBook and KPMG data show for US VC activity?
PitchBook Q1 recorded $9.4T in US VC with $5.8T in AI, and a $62M median Series A. KPMG data showed over 200% growth in US deal activity despite the seed drought.
Which major acquisitions were highlighted in the macro update?
Lockheed Martin invested $1B, Meta acquired Assured, BMW spent $300M, and Roche acquired PathAI for $1.05B. STL also acquired Vertiv.
What new funds were announced or noted in this highlight?
Playground Global closed a $475M Fund IV focused on deep tech. Meridian Ventures raised $35M to back MBA-founded startups, and N49P launched a $70M Canada seed fund.
Which AI infrastructure or power-related deals stood out?
GridCARE raised $64M Series A for power infrastructure supporting AI. HrdWyr and other chip-focused companies also received funding amid compute scarcity.
What seed or pre-seed rounds were reported for defense or security startups?
Breaker raised $6M for defense, Hacktron secured $2.9M pre-seed for AI-driven devsec, and Hellbender closed a $12.5M physical AI seed round.
Which quantum or advanced computing companies raised capital?
Casimir raised $12M for quantum, Sygaldry closed a $139M quantum Series A, and Neurosoft secured $7.5M for BCI seed funding.
What activity was noted for Detroit startups and micro-funds?
Detroit startups received $6.4M from the Gilbert Family Foundation. 2048 Ventures continued pre-seed activity alongside several other micro-fund efforts.
Which AI marketing or compliance startups received recent funding?
Nectar Social raised $30M Series A for AI marketing, Iridius closed $8.6M seed for AI compliance, and Sprouts.ai raised $9M Pre-A for AI GTM.
PitchBook Q1 $9.4T US VC/$5.8T AI, Series A $62M median; KPMG records +200% US/seed drought; Lockheed $1B; Meta Assured acq; BMW $300M; Frame $50M Index; Heaviside $28M; Genesis $105M Khosla; Rilian/XBOW/Scout; Northleaf-Inovia CA; Kalos $78.8M debut NYC; Robinhood RVII filing; Casimir $12M quantum; Breaker $6M defense; STL acq Vertiv; new Sprouts.ai $9M Pre-A Palo Alto AI GTM; Hacktron $2.9M pre-seed devsec; GridCARE $64M A power infra; OpenAI acq Weights.gg voice; Meridian $35M MBA fund; Nectar Social $30M Series A AI marketing; Sygaldry $139M quantum Series A; Roche $1.05B PathAI acq; Playground Global $475M Fund IV; Dolfin $2.5M seed; Iridius $8.6M seed AI compliance; Calibre $3.3M pre-seed; Hellbender $12.5M physical AI seed; Stilta $10.5M a16z AI patent seed; Kin Health $9M seed; Viewz $7M fintech seed; StitcherAI $3M pre-seed; 2048 Ventures pre-seed activity; Detroit $6.4M micro-funds; Neurosoft $7.5M BCI seed; Rely $4.5M AI proptech; Benji $6.25M loyalty seed; Arito $6M AI fintech; Voker $2.2M pre-seed fund; Tamber $5M creative AI; N49P $70M Canada seed fund.