Anthropic VS Pentagon⚔️, State of Pre-Seed📊, Perplexity's new AI Command Center🖥️

Mar 01, 2026

Another week, another pulse check on venture.

From top insights and reports to new funds, VC jobs, resources, and the hottest deals, here’s everything you need to stay ahead.

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In-Depth Insights 🔍

Anthropic Challenges Pentagon Demands in Public ⚔️
Anthropic refused certain military terms, turning safety principles into a high stakes standoff. Markets now watch closely as the decision could affect government contracts and long term positioning. [Polymarket]

Perplexity Builds an AI Command Center 🖥️
Perplexity AI Computer coordinates dozens of models with memory and workflow routing. Real value depends less on raw power and more on user skill in structuring work.
Claude Becomes a Presentation Power Tool ⚡
Anthropic Claude can generate structured slide content across multiple formats and workflows. It excels at narrative and insight, while visual polish still benefits from dedicated design tools.

The $3 Trillion IPO Wave That Could Reshape Markets 💥
If SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic go public in the same era, markets face unprecedented capital absorption pressure. Index inclusion could force massive reallocations as passive funds sell current mega caps to make room. [Tomasz Tunguz]
Why the Forward Deployed Engineer Is a Hidden Superpower 🤝
First popularized at Palantir, this role embeds builders directly inside customer problems to ship solutions fast. Hiring the wrong profile can burn enterprise budgets quickly, making precision far more important than hype. [FirstRoundReview]
Replit Turns Anyone Into a Video Creator 🎬
Replit Animation lets users generate polished videos by describing what they want to see. With millions watching the launch, no code video creation has moved from promise to reality.
Sweden’s Unicorn Engine Runs on Founder Recycling 🦄
Alumni from Spotify, Klarna, and Skype reinvested exits into new startups. Tax incentives and cultural flywheels mattered more than public venture funds. [Luis Garicano & Per Stromberg]

Silicon Valley VCs Are Back With Massive Checks 📈
Tiger Global and SoftBank pulled back, leaving General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, and Lightspeed Venture Partners in control. Single rounds now exceed $40B, fueling debate over whether valuations match real innovation or historic optimism. [CrunchBase News]

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Interesting Reports 📊

VC Emerging Opportunities 2026 💡
PitchBook data highlights the hottest venture verticals, from AI and SaaS to agtech, gaming, and healthtech. Use top-down and bottom-up analysis to track exits, spot early-stage opportunities, and stay ahead in private markets. [PitchBook]
Top 10 Learnings from European Micro Funds 🌍
Study of 80+ micro funds under €50M shows lean teams, collaborative deals, and early breakout signals. Focused checks, founder alignment, and operator expertise are reshaping Europe’s pre-seed and seed ecosystem. [Alexandre Dewez, 20VC]
State of Pre-Seed 2025 📊
Carta data shows US startups raised $10.4B across 50,000+ SAFEs and convertible notes in 2025. Funding concentrated in fewer rounds, median caps $10M–$15M, with hardware and biotech gaining behind SaaS. [carta]

The AI Corner

The Claude Cowork Setup That Actually Works

I’ve been using Claude Cowork since launch day. It’s now the first thing I open every morning…

2 days ago · 74 likes · Ruben Dominguez

Recently Launched Funds 💸

Pegasus Tech Ventures & Aisin extended their corporate venture capital fund to $100M, scaling a strategic CVC vehicle focused on mobility, deep tech, and startup collaboration.
Quantonation closed its second fund at €220M, launching a newly raised vehicle dedicated to quantum technologies and deep physics startups.
DBA raised $62M for its second venture fund, deploying fresh capital into early-stage, data-driven companies.
FutureFirst launched its inaugural $50M fund, marking its official entry into the VC ecosystem with a first institutional vehicle.
Seraphim closed a new spacetech-focused venture fund at over $100M to back startups across the growing space economy.
Peak XV Partners raised $1.3B across three newly announced funds, expanding its multi-vehicle investment strategy across Asia-Pacific.

VC Jobs 💼

Azolla Ventures (Cambridge, MA, US): VC Associate (apply here)
Moore Foundation (San Francisco, CA, US): VC Associate (apply here)
Amex Ventures (New York City, NY, US): VC Manager (apply here)
Beyond Ventures (Remote): Senior VC Associate (apply here)
Lilly Ventures (Boston, MA, US): Senior VC Director (apply here)
Plug and Play (Limassol, Cyprus): VC Associate (apply here)
Breega (London, England, UK): VC Internship (apply here)
AENU (Berlin, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
Signature Ventures (Aying, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
Allocator One (Remote): Head of Operations (apply here)

Hottest Deals 💥

Gilead Sciences, acquired Arcellx for $7.8B to strengthen its oncology pipeline and expand its cell therapy capabilities. (read more)
Axelera AI, raised more than $250M in funding to accelerate development of its AI hardware and edge inference solutions. (read more)
SHINE, secured $240M in funding to scale its nuclear fusion and medical isotope technologies. (read more)
Yendo, raised an additional $200M from i80 Group to expand its vehicle-backed credit platform. (read more)
Allica Bank, closed a $155M Series D round to support growth in SME banking and digital lending services. (read more)
Revel, raised $150M in Series B funding to expand its electric vehicle infrastructure and charging network. (read more)
Honest Health, secured $140M in funding to advance value-based care solutions for healthcare providers. (read more)
Slate Medicines, raised $130M in Series A funding to advance its precision oncology drug development programs. (read more)
Code Metal, closed $125M in Series B funding at a $1.25B valuation to expand its AI-powered software engineering platform. (read more)
Stay22, received a $122M growth investment from Summit Partners to scale its travel-focused affiliate technology platform. (read more)
Ubicquia, raised $106M in Series D funding to accelerate deployment of smart city and utility grid technologies. (read more)
Viture, secured $100M in funding to expand its XR and immersive entertainment hardware offerings. (read more)
Aalyria, raised $100M in Series B funding to scale its advanced networking and space communications technology. (read more)
Profound, closed $96M in Series C funding to grow its AI-driven brand and social commerce analytics platform. (read more)
Dwelly, raised $93M in equity and debt financing to expand its residential rental platform and property portfolio. (read more)