AI startups continued their impressive funding momentum this week, with AI infrastructure and enterprise automation companies leading significant investment rounds. The week showcased a diverse mix of deals from hardware acceleration to financial compliance AI, demonstrating investors’ continued confidence in practical AI applications.
Groq Raises $750 Million at $6.9 Billion Valuation
Fund Raised: $750 million
Investors: Disruptive (lead), BlackRock, Neuberger Berman, Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, Samsung, Cisco, D1 Ventures, Altimeter
Mountain View-based Groq secured $750 million in funding that more than doubled its valuation to $6.9 billion, underscoring the global race to supply AI infrastructure. Founded by former Google TPU architects, Groq has developed specialized Language Processing Units (LPUs) that deliver up to 10x faster inference speeds than traditional GPUs for large language models.
The company’s tensor streaming architecture serves major AI labs including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, processing over 50 billion tokens daily with 99.9% uptime. Groq’s customer base has grown 400% year-over-year, with enterprise clients reporting 60-80% cost reductions compared to GPU-based inference. This funding will accelerate global data center expansion and chip production scaling to meet surging demand for real-time AI applications.
Figure Closes $1 Billion+ Series C at $39 Billion Valuation
Fund Raised: $1+ billion
Investors: Microsoft, NVIDIA, Andreessen Horowitz, Bezos Expeditions, Intel Capital
California-based Figure stole the spotlight with a colossal $1 billion-plus Series C at a $39 billion valuation, making it one of the most valuable robotics companies globally. Founded in 2022 by Brett Adcock (previously founder of Archer Aviation), Figure develops general-purpose humanoid robots powered by end-to-end neural networks.
Figure’s robots can perform complex manufacturing tasks including assembly, welding, and quality inspection with human-level dexterity. The company has secured partnerships with BMW, Toyota, and SpaceX for pilot deployments across automotive and aerospace facilities. Figure employs 400+ robotics engineers and AI researchers, with this funding enabling mass production capabilities and expanding commercial deployments across multiple industries.
Lila Sciences Secures $235 Million Series A for AI Research Labs
Fund Raised: $235 million
Investors: Braidwell (co-lead), Collective Global (co-lead), Altitude Life Science Ventures, Alumni Ventures, ARK Venture Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Cambridge-based Lila Sciences closed a $235 million Series A to build AI-driven “science factories.” Founded by veteran biotech entrepreneur Alexis Borisy (co-founder of Foundation Medicine), the company operates fully autonomous robotic laboratories that conduct drug discovery experiments 24/7 without human intervention.
This financing follows a $200M seed raised in March 2025, bringing Lila’s total funding to roughly $435M. The platform has already identified 12 promising drug candidates across oncology and rare diseases, with lead compounds expected to enter clinical trials in 2026. Lila’s AI-driven approach reduces drug discovery timelines from 10+ years to 3-4 years while cutting costs by 70%.
Divergent Technologies Raises $290 Million Series E
Fund Raised: $290 million
Investors: Temasek, NEA, Insight Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, BMW i Ventures
Los Angeles-based Divergent Technologies raised $290 million in Series E funding to scale its AI-powered 3D manufacturing platform. Founded by Kevin Czinger, the company revolutionizes automotive manufacturing through AI-optimized designs and automated 3D printing of complex metal structures.
Divergent’s platform reduces vehicle weight by 40% while improving crash safety performance through generative design algorithms. The technology has been adopted by McLaren, Aston Martin, and other luxury automakers for producing lightweight chassis components. This funding will expand manufacturing capacity and accelerate development of next-generation electric vehicle architectures.
CuspAI Lands $100 Million Series A for Materials Discovery
Fund Raised: $100 million
Investors: Hoxton Ventures, Basis Set Ventures, Evangelos Simoudis, Amadeus Capital Partners
London-based CuspAI landed $100 million Series A for materials discovery with AI. Founded by former DeepMind researchers, the company uses advanced machine learning to design novel materials for carbon capture, battery technology, and semiconductor applications.
CuspAI’s platform has identified over 400,000 potential new materials, with 15 currently in development partnerships with major chemical companies including BASF and Dow Chemical. The company’s AI models predict material properties with 95% accuracy, reducing experimental testing time by 90%. This funding will expand research capabilities and accelerate commercialization of breakthrough materials.
WorkFusion Raises $45 Million for Financial AI Agents
Fund Raised: $45 million
Investors: Georgian Partners (lead), Serengeti Asset Management, NGP Capital, Teralys Capital, Hawk Equity
New York-based WorkFusion raised $45 million in funding on September 16, 2025, for AI “agents” for financial compliance tasks. Founded by Max Yankelevich, the company provides pre-trained AI agents that automate sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and fraud review for banks.
WorkFusion’s pre-trained AI agents automate tasks like sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and fraud review for banks, serving 25+ banking clients worldwide. The platform processes over 100 million transactions monthly with 99.8% accuracy in fraud detection and reduces compliance costs by 45%. This funding brings total equity to $251 million and will expand the agent marketplace for financial institutions.
Other Notable Rounds
MarqVision secured $48 million Series B funding led by Peak XV Partners for its AI-powered brand protection platform that automatically detects and removes counterfeits across e-commerce channels, serving major brands like Nike and Adidas.
Centari raised $14 million in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Sentinel Global for its AI-driven deal intelligence platform that parses complex M&A documents, serving top-tier law firms and investment banks.
Conceivable Life Sciences closed $50 million Series A funding led by Advance Venture Partners to bring its AI-powered robotic IVF lab system to fertility clinics nationwide, automating embryo handling with 40% higher success rates.
International Spotlight
Tamara (Saudi Arabia) secured a record-breaking $2.4 billion Shariah-compliant facility backed by Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Apollo, making it one of the largest fintech financings in the Gulf region. The buy-now-pay-later unicorn serves 20+ million customers across the Middle East.
MyNaksh (India) raised approximately $0.9 million in pre-seed funding for its AI-powered astrology platform, targeting India’s large spiritual wellness market with personalized predictions and consultations.
Important Takeaway
This week’s $2.5+ billion in funding across 12 major deals highlights the maturation of AI infrastructure and specialized enterprise applications. The combination of Groq’s hardware acceleration breakthrough and Figure’s robotics milestone demonstrates how AI is moving from software-only solutions to physical world applications. As enterprise adoption accelerates beyond pilots to production deployments, investors are backing companies with proven technical advantages and clear paths to profitability.
FAQs
Figure’s $1+ billion Series C at a $39 billion valuation was the largest round, making it one of the most valuable robotics companies globally. The funding will enable mass production of humanoid robots for manufacturing applications.
Companies like Groq are solving critical bottlenecks in AI deployment. With demand for real-time AI applications exploding, specialized hardware that delivers 10x faster inference speeds commands premium valuations. Groq’s $750M round reflects investors’ recognition that AI infrastructure is mission-critical.
AI infrastructure led with Groq’s $750M round, followed by robotics (Figure’s $1B+), biotechnology (Lila Sciences’ $235M), and manufacturing automation (Divergent’s $290M). Enterprise AI applications across financial services and materials discovery also attracted significant investment.
Yes, Tamara’s $2.4 billion facility in Saudi Arabia demonstrates strong investor appetite for AI-powered fintech in emerging markets. However, the majority of mega-rounds continue to flow to U.S.-based startups with proven technical teams and enterprise customer bases.
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