A quick read on the week, 66 deals and $9.3B raised. The highlights, not the whole list.
Chinese AI developer Moonshot AI, maker of the Kimi chatbot, reportedly plans a final pre-IPO round and a possible Hong Kong listing within six months, targeting a pre-money valuation of up to 50 billion dollars. It is preparing to unwind its overseas red-chip structure.
Atoms, the robotics company founded by Travis Kalanick, raised 1.7 billion dollars led by a16z, with Uber also investing. The company is pursuing industrial AI applications.
Meshy AI closed 400 million dollars in Series B funding at a 1.5 billion dollar valuation. Backers included Monolith Capital, IDG Capital and Matrix Partners China.
Battery maker Sila raised 300 million dollars in a new round led by Atreides Management and Sutter Hill Ventures. The company plans to expand its silicon anode plant in Moses Lake, Washington.
AI inference chip company Etched raised 300 million dollars in a Series C round led by Sequoia Capital. The financing set a 10 billion dollar pre-money valuation.
Repligen agreed to acquire BioLife Solutions, a US maker of biopreservation media for cell and gene therapy, in a deal valued at about 1.5 billion dollars. BioLife shareholders will receive 31 dollars per share in cash and Repligen stock.
Vancouver healthtech unicorn Jane App acquired clinic administration startup Ginger Desk, adding virtual assistant services to its platform. The deal, disclosed by Ginger Desk's founder, had closed about three months earlier and brought 53 employees over to Jane.
Bootstrapped Shopify app developer StarApps acquired enterprise mobile app platform AppMaker in an all-cash deal for an undisclosed amount. AppMaker will keep supporting its existing customers while leveraging StarApps distribution on Shopify.
San Francisco online grocery company GrubMarket acquired Vancouver-based online grocery service SPUD from private equity backer Third Eye Capital for an undisclosed amount. The deal expands GrubMarket's direct-to-consumer reach in Western Canada.