Top Startup and Tech Funding News – January 14, 2025 - Tech
AI-native robotics and security automation dominate $1.4B+ in daily funding.
January 14, 2025 saw a record-breaking funding day led by Skild AI’s $1.4 billion Series C. The Pittsburgh-based startup is building an “omni-bodied” foundation model that controls humanoids, drones, and industrial machines from a single AI brain. Backed by SoftBank, the round triples Skild’s valuation to over $14 billion. The company already scaled to ~$30M in revenue from enterprise customers in logistics and manufacturing. The capital will fund global deployment and eventual consumer applications.
Beyond robotics, cybersecurity and deep tech also attracted major bets. Aikido Security became a unicorn with a $60M round to automate developer-time security, while Novee emerged with $51.5M for AI-driven penetration testing. Crypto security startup Project Eleven raised $20M to protect digital assets from quantum threats. In biotech, Caldera Therapeutics launched with $112.5M for dual-target inflammatory bowel disease drugs, and Vista AI secured $29.5M to automate MRI scanning. Energy saw Type One Energy raise $87M to advance fusion power, and SkyFi landed $12.7M to democratize satellite intelligence. Alpaca’s $150M Series D for brokerage APIs and depthfirst’s $40M for developer-native ML rounding out a day of bold infrastructure bets.
- Skild AI raised $1.4B Series C (valuation >$14B) for a universal robotics brain controlling humanoids, drones, and factory arms.
- Aikido Security hit unicorn status with $60M to automate app security at the developer level; Novee raised $51.5M for AI-driven pen testing.
- Caldera Therapeutics launched with $112.5M for dual-target IBD drugs; Type One Energy secured $87M bridge funding for fusion power.
Why It Matters
Massive funding signals investor confidence in AI as foundational infrastructure across physical and digital worlds.