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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - North America, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌎️
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📰 Important News
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- A big week for OpenAI: GPT-5.2 launched for paid users and developers, Disney signed a three-year deal, and Denise Dresser joined as CRO.
- SpaceX is preparing a potential 2026 IPO,aiming to raise over $30 billion at a valuation near $1.5 trillion.
- Cohere partnered with Thales Canada to deploy secure enterprise AI supporting Royal Canadian Navy fleet operations and maintenance.
- Runway launched its first world model GWM 1 with frame-based simulation and native audio.
- 1X partneredwith EQT to deploy up to 10,000 Neo humanoid robots across manufacturing and logistics from 2026 to 2030.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Saviynt raised $700 million in a KKR-led growth round with Sixth Street and TenEleven to scale its AI-driven identity security platform.
- Former Databricks AI head Naveen Rao secured a $475 million seed round for Unconventional AI at a $4.5 billion valuation led by a16z and Lightspeed.
- Fervo Energy closed a $462 million Series E led by B Capital to scale next-gen geothermal, advancing its 500MW Cape Station project.
- Boom Supersonic raised $300 million led by Darsana to fund its Symphony engine while launching the Superpower gas turbine for AI data centers.
- K2 Space landed a $250 million Series C at a $3 billion valuation led by Redpoint to scale high-power Mega Class satellites.
💰️ Notable Exits
- Pinterest acquired tvScientific to link performance CTV ads with Pinterest intent data, enabling advertisers to buy and measure TV like digital channels.
- Checkmarx acquired Tromzo to embed autonomous AI security agents into its AppSec platform, accelerating enterprise remediation workflows.
- Baseten acquired Parsed to add reinforcement learning post-training and continual learning across inference and the AI lifecycle.
- Arteris acquired Cycuity to expand its system IP portfolio with hardware level cybersecurity assurance for chips and AI data centers.
- Sysdyne acquired Slabstack to unify CRM pricing sales operations and billing into a single AI-powered cloud platform.
🏦 About Investors
- Tiger Global is raising a $2.2 billion Private Investment Partners 17 fund, reflecting the firm’s shift toward a more disciplined and investing approach.
- Omri Casspi raised a $100 million Swish Ventures Opportunity Fund to back Israeli cybersecurity infrastructure and AI startups.
- ALM Ventures launched a $100 million early stage fund to back humanoid robots embodied AI and spatial intelligence at seed and pre-seed.
- Brainworks Ventures launched a $50 million AI native fund led by DARPA alumnus Phillip Alvelda to back AI-first startups globally.
- NATO Innovation Fund was ordered to pay $61,136 to founding partner Thorsten Claus over a disputed bonus ruling.
🚀Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Saviynt
Saviynt, founded in 2010 in Los Angeles by Sachin Nayyar, Amit Saha, and Atul Vij, has emerged as a core infrastructure player in identity security for the AI era. The company builds a cloud-native platform securing human, machine, and AI agent identities across enterprise environments. In 2025, Saviynt raised $700 million in a KKR-led growth round, alongside Sixth Street and TenEleven, at a valuation of roughly $3 billion, accelerating global expansion and product development. CEO Sachin Nayyar, who returned to the role in 2023, has positioned Saviynt as a foundational layer for enterprises deploying AI at scale, with a clear mission to deliver secure, governed identity as AI reshapes modern organizations.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Tiger Global
Founded in 2001 and based in New York, Tiger Global Management is a technology-focused investment firm operating across public and private markets. Led by founder Chase Coleman, the firm rose to prominence as one of the most aggressive venture investors of the last decade, backing category-defining companies across software, fintech, and internet sectors. Tiger is now signaling a strategic reset with the launch of its $2.2 billion Private Investment Partners 17 fund, shifting toward slower deployment and higher-conviction investing after the 2021 boom. Building on gains from AI-linked bets such as OpenAI and Databricks, Tiger is doubling down on proven winners while pruning weaker positions, reinforcing its role as a disciplined, long-term capital partner in a recalibrated venture ecosystem.
🤑Opportunity Radar
Call for Applications: Y Combinator Spring 2026 Batch
Applications are now open for the Y Combinator Spring 2026 Batch, a globally recognized accelerator program for early-stage startups. The application deadline is 9 February 2026 at 8:00 PM PT, and the program will run from April to June 2026, taking place in person in San Francisco. Selected founders gain access to early-stage funding, hands-on mentorship from experienced startup partners, a powerful global alumni network, and investor introductions. Early-stage founders and startup teams can begin their application now to be considered for the Spring 2026 cohort.
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