 
The Lead
Cognition has reportedly raised nearly $500 million at a $9.8 billion valuation, following its agreement to acquire Windsurf. Cognition is an AI coding business, and its main product, Devin, autonomously manages projects end-to-end.
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Gain Insights from VC Insiders
Are you ready to get the strategic perspective that anticipates market shifts? Learn to identify emerging trends, assess disruptive technologies, and position investments ahead of the curve during our five-day Venture Capital Executive Program.
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Capital Call
AI startup Cohere has raised $500 million in a funding round that included participation from Nvidia and AMD Ventures. The round values Cohere at $6.8 billion. The company has also hired Joelle Pineau, formerly of Meta, as chief AI officer and Francois Chadwick, formerly of Uber, as chief financial officer.
Topline Pro, an AI-driven platform for home service businesses, has secured $27 million in Series B funding. The company, which has helped businesses generate $655 million in booked work, plans to use the funds to expand operations and development.
AI agentic startup Create has raised $8.5 million in funding, including a $5.5 million round. Create's AI agent, Anything, enables users to build mobile and web applications from text descriptions.
Cryptocurrency companies are working to go public, driven by favorable policies that have pushed the global market value to a record $4.2 trillion. Bullish recently raised over $1.1 billion in its IPO, following Circle's successful debut in June. Companies such as BitGo, Grayscale and Gemini have filed for listings, while Kraken is seen as a potential candidate. The broader IPO market has also rebounded, with 216 offerings this year raising $39.83 billion.
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From Pitchbook
The enterprise software-as-a-service market saw mixed signals in the second quarter. Despite a headline funding figure of $22 billion, down from $60.3 billion in Q1, core investment grew 8.4% quarter over quarter, excluding a significant AI deal from Q1.
European healthtech is attracting significant venture capital, with $4.6 billion invested across 453 rounds in the first half of 2025, according to PitchBook. This year is on track to achieve the third-highest annual deal value of the decade, driven by major funding rounds such as Verdiva Bio's $410 million Series A.
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Sector Spotlight: Tech
Protege brought in $25 million in Series A funding to expand operations and development of its platform for secure exchange of proprietary data for artificial intelligence training. Protege partners with data owners to help AI developers access information in a safe and governed way.
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Thought Leadership
Reinvention is essential for founders facing changing markets, dwindling capital or evolving visions, writes Abdul Rafay, the co-founder of ZIGChain, who details how adapting and rebuilding are inevitable parts of the entrepreneurial journey. Successful founders continually question their methods, adapt to new realities and see reinvention not as failure but as vital evolution, Rafay writes.
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NVCA News
Apply Now: Emerging Manager Office Hours 14 (Nov. 13) |
Calling emerging VC fund managers from underrepresented backgrounds! Apply now to learn from LPs and experienced GPs at the 14th Emerging Manager Office Hours ( EMOH), an educational and networking program hosted by Venture Forward. EMOH 14 will be a full-day program, held on Nov. 13 in San Francisco. 20 - 25 emerging managers will be selected to attend and meet with industry leaders, to discuss fundraising, GP-LP relationship management, and more. Learn more and apply by Wednesday, Aug. 27!
Registration is open for Cohort 20 of VC University, which starts on Sep. 2, 2025. Produced by Venture Forward, NVCA, and Berkeley Law Executive Education, VC University is our online certificate course on the fundamentals of venture finance. To date, the program has proudly served 4,900+ participants across 19 sold-out cohorts.
Instructors include faculty from UC Berkeley and Stanford, executives from NVCA and Venture Forward, and industry leaders from firms such as Accel, Bessemer, Harlem Capital, Omega Funds, Sofinnova Investments, and more.
Space is limited, and seats are filled on a rolling basis. Learn more and register today.
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