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A newsletter for communities, investors, angels, and founders

Power in Numbers
February 06, 2026

Welcome to PIN’d - our weekly newsletter where we pin (lol, bear with us) the most important tech/startup news of the week for aspiring angels, vc’s, startup investors, founders, etc. Expect a new weekly roundup from us every Friday morning!

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📰 This week’s best news

A fast-rising social network built for AI agents exposed private data from thousands of real users, according to researchers at Wiz. The flaw leaked emails, messages, and credentials, highlighting basic security gaps tied to so-called vibe coding. While the issue has been fixed, the incident shows how quickly AI experiments can scale before safeguards are in place.

Waymo raises massive $16 billion round at $126 billion valuation, plans expansion to 20+ cities

Waymo has closed a record-breaking $16 billion funding round, valuing the robotaxi leader at $126 billion. The capital will fuel expansion to more than 20 cities, including its first launches outside the US in Tokyo and London. Investors are betting on scale after Waymo logged over 127 million autonomous miles and sharp safety gains.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX officially acquires Elon Musk’s xAI, with plan to build data centers in space

SpaceX has acquired xAI, creating the world’s most valuable private company at an estimated $1.25 trillion. Elon Musk says the merger is aimed at building space-based data centers to meet AI’s soaring power and cooling demands. The deal links two capital-hungry businesses, with xAI burning billions and SpaceX relying heavily on Starlink launches. It also pushes Musk’s long-term vision of space as critical AI infrastructure closer to reality.

Anthropic plans employee tender offer at $350 billion valuation

Anthropic is preparing a tender offer that would let employees sell shares at a valuation of at least $350 billion. The move comes alongside a funding round that could raise more than $20 billion. Secondary sales are becoming a key tool to retain talent as companies stay private longer.

OpenAI CEO Altman dismisses Moltbook as likely fad, backs the tech behind it

Sam Altman says the viral AI social network Moltbook is likely a short-lived phenomenon. What matters more, he argues, is the technology that lets AI agents act autonomously on computers. Speaking at a tech summit, Altman framed this shift as a lasting change in how software will be built and used.

Fintech CEO and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum has been charged for alleged fraud

Another Forbes 30 Under 30 founder is facing federal charges. Prosecutors allege the CEO of fintech startup Kalder raised millions using inflated revenue claims, misleading customer lists, and forged documents. The case adds to growing scrutiny over how early-stage traction is presented to investors.

💰 Funding announcement highlights

Waymo, a San Francisco based autonomous robotaxi company, raised a $16 billion round at a $126 billion post money valuation, co led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, with participation from Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, BDT & MSD Partners, CapitalG, Fidelity, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Perry Creek Capital, and Temasek.

Day AI, a Boston based startup building an AI powered CRM that surfaces deal risk and customer churn from engagement signals, raised a $20 million Series A led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Sound Ventures, Permanent Capital, Conviction, and Greenoaks.

Plug, a Santa Monica based startup building a wholesale and retail marketplace for electric vehicles, raised a $20 million Series A led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with Galvanize, Autotech Ventures, Leap Forward Ventures, and Renn Global also participating.

Ares Interactive, an Austin based publisher of free to play mobile games, raised a $70 million Series A led by General Catalyst.

ElevenLabs, an AI voice and speech technology company, raised a $500 million Series D at an $11 billion valuation led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and ICONIQ, bringing total funding to $781 million.

📚 Interesting reads of the week

Requests for startups: Spring 2026

Y Combinator’s latest ideas show how fast the startup playbook is changing in an AI-native world. From AI-first product management and hedge funds to government tech, industrial systems, and physical work, the opportunities span software, services, and infrastructure. The common thread is ambition paired with leverage, using AI to rethink entire workflows, not just optimize parts of them.

Leaders, gainers and unexpected winners in the enterprise AI arms race

Enterprise AI is consolidating faster than many expected. a16z data shows OpenAI still leading, but Anthropic and Google are gaining share as CIOs diversify vendors and chase performance. Microsoft remains the quiet giant in enterprise applications, despite the noise around startups. This is definitely a no winner-take-all market, but an arms race shaped by use cases, trust, and scale.

Follow your passion (but not like that)

“Follow your passion” sounds inspiring, but it often leads founders in the wrong direction. Arvid Kahl argues that passion itself is rarely what customers pay for, especially when the joy is personal and hard to monetize. The real opportunity sits next to the passion, in the problems other people in that community struggle to solve. Build for your tribe, but charge for the value you create, not the hobby you love.

Elon Musk’s relentless AI pursuit has him on the hunt for capital

AI’s soaring costs are reshaping Elon Musk’s empire. SpaceX is weighing an IPO and possible mergers with Tesla or xAI as Musk looks to pool cash, infrastructure, and capabilities to fund his AI ambitions. With xAI burning billions and data center spending surging, once-separate companies are drifting toward convergence. For investors, the push raises new questions about transparency, risk, and how much capital the AI race will ultimately demand.

The fundability trap

Venture capital likes to talk about contrarian thinking, but often rewards the opposite. According to this essay, startups are increasingly judged on how well they fit consensus trends, not on their real potential to deliver returns. As capital concentrates in mega-funds, fundability becomes a shortcut for safety, pushing prices up and outcomes down. The result is an industry buying comfort today at the cost of performance tomorrow.

The new rules for fundraising in the AI era

In the AI era, traditional fundraising benchmarks no longer tell the full story. Startups can grow fast and stall just as quickly, making ARR and user spikes unreliable signals on their own. Investors are now focused on momentum, durability, and whether growth will actually compound. Clean metrics, a clear wedge, and customers who truly depend on the product are what close rounds today.