Varda Raises $251 Million to Make Medicines in Orbit
Varda Space Industries has raised $251 million in a funding round led by Lux Capital and Natural Capital as the company works to develop a new approach to pharmaceutical manufacturing in space.
The company aims to use the unique conditions of microgravity to manufacture medicines and pharmaceutical materials that could be difficult to produce on Earth. In orbit, the absence of normal gravity can change how materials mix, crystallise and form, potentially enabling new approaches to drug development and manufacturing.
Varda is building spacecraft designed to carry manufacturing equipment into orbit, conduct production processes and return the resulting materials safely to Earth. The company has already conducted missions to demonstrate its technology and is now focused on expanding its capabilities and moving toward regular commercial operations.
The latest funding will support the development of Varda’s spacecraft, manufacturing systems and future missions. The investment comes as the commercial space industry expands beyond satellites and launch services into biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and advanced materials.
Manufacturing medicines in space still faces challenges, including launch costs, regulatory requirements, quality control and proving that space-based production can compete economically with conventional manufacturing.
With the new capital, Varda is seeking to turn its orbital experiments into a scalable business, potentially making space an important new environment for pharmaceutical production.
EliseAI Raises $350 Million at $4 Billion Valuation to Automate Housing and Healthcare
EliseAI has raised $350 million in a new funding round at a valuation of $4 billion, as the artificial intelligence company expands its technology across the housing and healthcare sectors.
The company develops AI-powered agents designed to automate repetitive communication and administrative tasks. Its technology can respond to inquiries, schedule appointments, follow up with customers and assist businesses with routine workflows.
EliseAI initially focused on the housing industry, helping property managers handle conversations with prospective and existing residents. Its AI tools can answer questions, coordinate property tours and support leasing operations, allowing employees to spend more time on tasks that require human involvement.
The company is now expanding into healthcare, where providers manage large volumes of administrative communication. AI agents can potentially assist with appointment scheduling, reminders, patient inquiries and follow-up processes.
The latest $350 million investment was led by major venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners. The funding will help EliseAI expand its products, workforce and presence across its target industries.
The company’s growth reflects increasing interest in AI agents that can perform tasks rather than simply generate responses. However, deploying AI in housing and healthcare also requires attention to accuracy, privacy, security and human oversight.
With its new funding and $4 billion valuation, EliseAI is positioning itself to expand AI-powered automation across two major service industries.
Zenithon AI Raises $10 Million to Build World Models for Fusion Reactors and Rockets
Zenithon AI has raised $10 million in new funding to develop artificial intelligence systems capable of modelling complex physical environments, with a focus on fusion reactors and rockets.
The company is developing “world models,” AI systems designed to understand how physical environments behave and predict how they may respond to different conditions. Zenithon AI plans to apply these models to engineering challenges where conventional simulations can be expensive and time-consuming.
Fusion energy is one of the company’s primary areas of interest. Building fusion reactors requires scientists and engineers to model extremely complex plasma behaviour, temperatures and magnetic fields. AI-powered simulations could help researchers evaluate different scenarios and designs more efficiently.
The company is also targeting aerospace applications, particularly rocket development. Rocket engineering involves interactions between propulsion, aerodynamics, materials and environmental conditions. Advanced AI models could help engineers test designs and predict performance before conducting physical experiments.
The $10 million funding will support the development of Zenithon AI’s models, computing infrastructure and engineering capabilities. The company aims to expand its technology for applications across advanced energy and aerospace.
The investment reflects growing interest in AI systems designed to understand physical processes rather than simply generate text or images. Zenithon AI is seeking to develop tools that could help engineers design and optimise some of the most complex technologies on Earth and beyond.
Optical AI Chip Startup CScale Emerges From Stealth With $145 Million Funding
CScale, a startup developing optical chips for artificial intelligence workloads, has emerged from stealth with $145 million in funding as demand for more efficient AI computing continues to increase.
The company is developing technology that uses light to perform certain computing and data-transfer tasks traditionally handled by electronic systems. Optical computing has attracted growing interest because it could potentially deliver faster processing while reducing the energy required for some AI workloads.
The rapid growth of generative AI has created enormous demand for computing infrastructure. Training and operating increasingly sophisticated AI models require powerful processors and large amounts of electricity, encouraging companies to explore alternatives to conventional chip architectures.
CScale aims to address these challenges with optical AI chips designed to accelerate demanding computational workloads. The company believes its technology could help improve the efficiency of AI systems as models become larger and more complex.
The $145 million funding will support further development of CScale’s chip technology, engineering operations and plans for commercial deployment. Emerging from stealth also gives the company an opportunity to introduce its technology to the wider AI hardware market.
CScale enters an increasingly competitive industry that includes established semiconductor companies and emerging startups developing specialised AI accelerators.
The company’s next challenge will be demonstrating that its optical technology can deliver reliable performance at scale and compete with existing AI computing solutions as demand for specialised hardware continues to grow.
