Startup Flash Report

STARTUP FLASH - February 25, 2026

Waymo Secures Massive $16B Series D, Signaling Peak Investor Confidence in Autonomous Tech Scaling

TOP 3 STORIES:
1. Basis AI Accounting Startup Raises $100M Series B at $1.15B Valuation: Led by Accel, GV (Google Ventures), and Lloyd Blankfein, with participation from Khosla Ventures and CEOs like Adam D’Angelo, the round funds agent-based workflows for automated finance tasks.5 Founders can leverage this to integrate AI agents for real-time bookkeeping, slashing manual errors and operational costs by up to 50% in early scaling phases. Entrepreneurs in fintech should prioritize agentic AI demos to attract similar top-tier VCs eyeing workflow automation.
2. AI Chip Startups Haul in $1.1B: MatX ($500M Series B), Axelera ($250M), SambaNova ($350M): MatX targets datacenter dominance against Nvidia, Axelera focuses on edge AI for robotics, and SambaNova partners with Intel for next-gen accelerators like SN50.4 Hardware founders gain validation for specialized AI infra plays, with edge/datacenter focus enabling faster paths to enterprise pilots. VCs and robotics entrepreneurs should scout RISC-V and dataflow tech to co-invest in supply chain-resilient alternatives amid chip shortages.
3. OneDome Lands $25M Series B Amid Wave of AI and Robotics Funding: Part of February's hot streak including Naboo ($70M Series B), R3 Robotics ($23.6M Series A), and Varo Money ($123.9M Series G).1 This underscores capital flowing to proptech and late-stage fintech, helping founders extend runways for market dominance. Entrepreneurs can use these benchmarks to pitch scalable tech in underserved verticals like real estate digitization or banking infra.

Flash Insight: February 2026 funding surges with AI infrastructure dominating—chips alone at $1.1B this week—while autonomous (Waymo's $16B) and agentic apps like Basis thrive amid $30B+ January VC totals.3 Dry powder at $300B signals readiness for AI shakeouts, but emerging managers face LP liquidity woes, favoring proven teams in robotics and fintech.3 Founders should target non-dilutive accelerators (e.g., MassChallenge Switzerland up to CHF 1M prizes, deadline soon) and equity-free grants like Colombia's $40K for climate tech to bridge early gaps before mega-rounds.2