Venture Funding

Render has secured $100 million in funding, reaching a $1.5 billion valuation. This investment highlights the company’s strong position in the booming cloud infrastructure market, fueled by the rise of generative AI. Render is experiencing over 100% revenue growth, with millions of developers actively using its platform. The company plans to expand its team and accelerate feature development, while also exploring dedicated servers for greater control and cost efficiency.

Autonomous trucking startup Waabi has raised $750 million in Series C funding, with an additional $250 million commitment from Uber. This significant capital will fuel Waabi’s expansion into the robotaxi market and accelerate the development of its “physical AI” driverless systems. The funding, co-led by Khosla Ventures and G2 Venture Partners, and supported by investors like Nvidia and Volvo, highlights confidence in Waabi’s safety-focused, capital-efficient approach to autonomous technology.

OpenAI launched “OpenAI Grove,” a program to support early-stage AI entrepreneurs. The five-week intensive program, running from October 20th to November 21st, 2025, offers mentorship from OpenAI’s technical leaders, early access to tools and models, and in-person workshops. It targets individuals with nascent AI ideas, differing from OpenAI’s Pioneer Program which supports more established ventures. The program aims to foster a vibrant AI ecosystem, reflecting the surge in AI investment, which accounted for 71% of U.S. venture funding in 2025. Applications are open until September 24th.