Ten U.S. startups secured a combined $1.6 billion in funding during the week of Aug. 22-28, with artificial intelligence ventures dominating the largest rounds. The tally reflects a shift toward smaller megadeals compared with prior weeks.
Instinct, a San Francisco-based developer of AI assistants, raised $250 million in a Series B that values the company at $2.5 billion. The round was led by Index Ventures and Benchmark, according to a report citing founder Noah Shinn. Owner, a provider of AI tools for local businesses, secured $240 million in new funding led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, giving it a $2.3 billion valuation.
Two companies each raised $200 million. Generalist AI, a San Francisco startup building a foundation model for robotics, completed an extension of its $400 million Series B from June. Gatik, an operator of autonomous trucks based in Santa Clara, California, closed its Series D with Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies as lead backers.
Socure, a provider of identity and compliance tools, raised $156 million in growth capital and acquired Fravity, an agentic platform for fraud operations. Summit Partners led the round, valuing the Incline Village, Nevada-based company at $5.2 billion. Emerald AI, a Washington, D.C. software platform balancing AI workloads with energy resources, secured $150 million in Series A funding led by Energize Capital and DCVC.
Regent Craft, a Rhode Island developer of high-speed sea vessels, closed a $120 million Series B led by Mare Liberum and AE Industrial Partners, alongside $120 million in debt financing from Erebor Bank. AusperBio, a San Francisco biopharma startup developing hepatitis B therapeutics, raised $120 million in Series C funding to advance clinical trials.
Rounding out the list, Stability AI, a Los Angeles-based creator of AI tools for creatives, secured $76 million in Series B funding. Blank Street, a Brooklyn-based coffee and matcha chain, raised $75 million for expansion, plus $30 million in secondary transactions.
The data reflects the largest announced rounds in the Crunchbase database for U.S.-based companies during the period.
