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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - North America and Israel, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌎️

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📰 Important News

• OpenAI launched GPT-4.5, its largest model yet, available to ChatGPT Pro users in a research preview.

• The FBI has attributed the $1.4 billion Ethereum theft from crypto exchange Bybit to North Korean hacker group TraderTraitor.

• Y Combinator deleted a viral demo of Optifye.ai’s AI-powered worker surveillance tool after backlash over its portrayal of employee monitoring.

• Skybox Security shut down, laying off 300 employees without final paychecks, while cybersecurity firm Tufin acquired its business and technology.

• Intel-backed Ignite Deep Tech launched new accelerator programs for Israeli deep tech startups at pre-Seed and post-Seed stages.

💸 Top Funding Rounds

• NinjaOne secured $500 million in Series C extensions at a $5 billion valuation to drive platform innovation and global expansion.

• Eikon Therapeutics raised $351 million in Series D funding to advance its drug pipeline, including late-stage cancer therapies.

• Quantum Machines closed a $170 million Series C round led by PSG Equity, increasing its valuation to $670 million as it advances quantum computing.

• Bitwise Asset Management raised $70 million in funding led by Electric Capital to meet growing institutional demand.

• Raise secured $63 million in funding led by Haun Ventures to enhance its blockchain-powered gift card program and expand its Retail Alliance Foundation.

💰️ Notable Exits

• Alkami Technology is acquiring fintech Mantl for $400 million to enhance digital account opening for community banks and credit unions.

• Stripe finalized a tender offer at a $91.5 billion valuation, allowing employees to sell shares as its payment volume grew to $1.4 trillion in 2024.

• Triumph Financial is acquiring Greenscreens.ai for $160 million in cash and stock to enhance its freight industry intelligence segment.

• MongoDB acquired Voyage AI to integrate AI-powered search and retrieval directly into its database, enhancing accuracy and reducing complexity.

• GI Partners and TA Associates acquired a stake in Egnyte to accelerate global expansion and AI-driven innovation.

🏦 About Investors

• Firstime launched Firstime Credit, a non-dilutive project financing model for deep-tech and sustainability startups, closing its first $60 million deal.

• ResilienceVC has launched a $56 million fund to back startups focused on financial inclusion, aiming to bridge gaps in access to financial stability.

• Perplexity is launching a $50 million fund for early-stage startups, managed by F7 Ventures co-founders Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko.

• TandemLaunch closed its $25.64 million Fund IV, backed by VCCI and other investors, to launch 15 new deep tech startups in Montréal.

• General Catalyst is exploring an IPO as it expands beyond venture capital into wealth management and healthcare.

🚀 Startup of the Week

Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆

NinjaOne

NinjaOne, a leading automated endpoint management platform founded by Sal Sferlazza and Christopher Matarese, has secured $500 million in a Series C extension at a $5 billion valuation, with backing from ICONIQ Growth and CapitalG. The investment will fuel research and development in AI-powered automation, autonomous patching, and vulnerability remediation, while also supporting the $262 million acquisition of SaaS backup provider Dropsuite to enhance data protection capabilities. Remaining founder-led and debt-free, NinjaOne continues its expansion, serving over 24,000 customers, including Nvidia, Lyft, and Porsche, while reinforcing its market leadership in endpoint management.

💼 Investor of the Week

Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆

Firstime

Firstime Ventures, an Israeli VC firm founded in 2014 by Ilan Shiloah, Jonathan Ben-Artzi, and Nir Tarlovsky, has launched Firstime Credit, a non-dilutive project financing model for deep-tech and sustainability startups requiring significant infrastructure investment. Unlike traditional venture lending, this model provides long-term revenue-backed financing, with its first $60 million deal supporting STAX, a California-based emission capture technology company co-founded by actor Edward Norton.

🤑 Opportunity Radar

Call for Applications: Future Positive Challenge

Apply for the Future Positive Challenge by March 24th, 2025, to showcase your sustainability-driven innovations in the consumer electronics industry. This initiative, powered by Logitech, invites visionary companies, startups, and engineers to present groundbreaking solutions in areas such as battery technology, printed circuits, materials, sustainable manufacturing, and waste management. Benefit from a unique opportunity to pitch your ideas to Logitech executives, collaborate with business units, and engage in proof-of-concept discussions. Submit your application early by March 3rd and join a community dedicated to shaping a sustainable future for the electronics industry.