News
Company news and developments, with original sources and dates.
Updated from source
Funding RSS ↗Turbo AI exceeds USD 13 million cumulative revenue, reaches tens of millions of US dollars ARR with team of just 10
Turbo AI exceeded 10 million global users and USD 13 million cumulative revenue. ARR reached eight figures, in the tens of millions of US dollars, with a team of just 10 and no paid advertising. All growth came from founder-created content and word of mouth.
Valon raises USD 150 million in Series D funding to scale mortgage servicing with AI agents
On 2026/10/8, AIPressRoom reported that New York mortgage servicing company Valon raised USD 150 million in Series D funding, led by Ribbit Capital. It automates mortgage servicing workflows with AI agents and will use the funds to scale operations.
Vesta completes USD 30 million in Series B funding as revenue grows 12 times year over year
On 2026/10/8, genztech reported that Vesta, an AI agent company for mortgage lenders, completed USD 30 million in Series B funding led by Conversion Capital. Revenue grew 12 times year over year during the same period, as AI-powered loan origination software rapidly gained adoption in the US housing finance market.
Waymo completes its first debt financing with a USD 5 billion loan to accelerate global robotaxi expansion
On 2026/10/8, Venture Atlas and IT Home reported that Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company Waymo completed a USD 5 billion term loan, its first debt financing, with financing parties including Blackstone, PIMCO, Sixth Street, and others. Total funding in 2026 reached USD 21 billion, following USD 16 billion in equity funding in month 2 at a valuation of approximately USD 126 billion. The funds will support global robotaxi expansion, including Singapore, Europe, and Japan.
Weilan Shenhai completes 5 funding rounds in 9 months, advancing to an angel++++ round
On 2026/10/8, 36Kr reported that marine embodied AI company Weilan Shenhai completed 5 funding rounds in 9 months, advancing to an angel++++ round. Core shareholders included Shenzhen Capital Group, Oriza Seed, and other institutions. The funds primarily support underwater embodied AI model training, an underwater training center, and further robotics applications in offshore oil and gas.
Xinghuo Chuanming raises Series A, develops commercial infrared remote sensing and onboard AI
On 2026/10/8, 36Kr reported that commercial infrared remote sensing company Xinghuo Chuanming had raised Series A funding of undisclosed size. Under company plans, funds would mainly support production line construction and mass production for high-resolution infrared payloads and satellite-ground laser communications ground stations, in-orbit networking, and iterations of onboard AI computing and algorithms.
Zuoyebang's Question.AI has approximately USD 7.77 million in annualized revenue, with 97.2% from the US
Zuoyebang's Question.AI exceeded one million daily active users within 6 months of launch. According to the AI product ranking's methodology, ARR was approximately USD 7.77 million, with 97.2% of revenue from the US market. It ranked number 2 on the US App Store's free education chart in 2026/1, dropping to number 6 in month 7.
AirMDR grows ARR 373% within 18 months through AI agent investigation automation
On 2026/10/7, Minyanville reported that US cybersecurity company AirMDR’s annualized revenue had grown 373% within 18 months, driven by AI agents automating investigations.
Automation Anywhere agrees to acquire enterprise conversational AI company Boost.ai; amount undisclosed
On 2026/10/7, PR Newswire reported that Automation Anywhere had announced an agreement to acquire enterprise conversational AI company Boost.ai from Nordic Capital, with the transaction amount undisclosed and closing expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. This was its second AI acquisition after acquiring Aisera at the end of 2025.
Bloom Raises $3.6M Seed to Become the Alibaba of American Manufacturing
On October 7, 2026, per TechCrunch, US manufacturing hardware supply-chain AI marketplace Bloom raised $3.6 million in an oversubscribed seed round led by SNAK Venture Partners, with Flyover Capital, Mana Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners and others.
ChipAgents Extends Series A to $134M with Micron and MediaTek
On October 7, 2026, per Tech Funding News, ChipAgents extended its Series A to $134 million with Micron and MediaTek backing, following 6x ARR growth.
Duolingo reports USD 298 million second-quarter revenue and 58.7 million DAU
Duolingo’s second-quarter 2026 revenue was USD 298 million, with 58.7 million DAU. AI roleplay drove paid conversion, while growth in month 2 mainly came from emerging markets including China.
ELSA Speak has approximately USD 47 million in annualized revenue and over 90 million total downloads
Pronunciation scoring app ELSA Speak has more than 90 million downloads worldwide across 195 countries. Its public annual subscription price in 2026 was USD 159.99, with a course library exceeding 7,900 lessons. The model was explicitly trained for Asian accents, with Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand as core markets.
Flai Hits 20x Revenue Growth and 50,000 Monthly Appointments
On October 7, 2026, per TechCrunch, US AI dealership software firm Flai grew revenue 20x, booking 50,000 appointments per month.
Former Ramp engineers raise USD 20 million for Melius after abandoning their first product
According to TechCrunch, Melius, founded by former Ramp engineers, raised USD 20 million in Series A funding on 10/7, led by CRV. It had scrapped its first product and pivoted to AI tools for generating advertising creative and marketing campaigns, reaching USD 1 million in annualized revenue.
Gizmo raises USD 22 million in Series A funding, bringing total funding to about USD 26 million
AI learning platform Gizmo raised USD 22 million in Series A funding in 2026, led by Shine Capital with participation from Ada Ventures, NFX, and GSV, bringing total funding to approximately USD 26 million. Its user base grew from about 300,000 in 2023 to more than 13 million across over 120 countries, bringing the addictive design of consumer apps to revision and study.
Gong hit $550M+ ARR growing 50% YoY
On 2026/10/7, ARR Club reported that U.S. AI sales intelligence company Gong had annualized revenue exceeding USD 550 million, up 50% year over year.
Healthleap Raises $38M in Seed and Series A
On October 7, 2026, per TechCrunch, US healthcare AI firm Healthleap raised $38 million — an $8 million seed co-led by Sequoia Capital and First Round Capital plus a $30 million Series A led by Hummingbird Ventures — for AI-powered hospital patient risk flags.
Judge ARR hit $18M with 2.5x growth over two years
On 2026/10/7, LinkedIn reported that Judge, a US developer tools company, reached USD 18 million in annualized revenue, with growth of 2.5 times over two years.
Omi ARR hit $8M with 170k+ users
On 2026/10/7, X reported that Omi, a US AI productivity device company, reached USD 8 million in annualized revenue and more than 170,000 users.
Outbox Labs hit $50M ARR with its cold-outreach SaaS portfolio
On 2026/10/7, Instagram reported that Outbox Labs, a US venture studio, achieved USD 50 million in annualized revenue through its portfolio of cold outreach SaaS products.
RB2B hit $10M ARR with 1 full-time employee
On 2026/10/7, X reported that RB2B, a US AI sales and marketing company, reached USD 10 million in annualized revenue with only 1 full-time employee.
Rivercell raises USD 25 million to build AI virtual cells and accelerate drug discovery
According to European Biotechnology, Rivercell raised USD 25 million on 10/7, led by HV Capital. It is building AI virtual cell models to digitalize key validation stages of drug discovery, aiming to shorten new drug development cycles and reduce early trial-and-error costs.
Rivian announces availability of Volkswagen Group’s USD 1 billion ten-year loan financing
On 2026/10/7, Rivian Automotive announced that Volkswagen Group’s committed USD 1 billion, 10-year term loan facility under their existing joint venture agreement was available. The loan is non-recourse to Rivian. The joint venture was established in 2024/11, with the agreement’s total value up to USD 5.8 billion.