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Nvidia-backed Reflection AI secures $2 billion funding, valued at $8 billion

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Reflection AI, a fast-rising artificial intelligence startup backed by Nvidia, announced on Thursday it has raised $2 billion in fresh funding, pushing its valuation to $8 billion. The massive round underscores investor enthusiasm for startups automating software development through AI.

The funding attracted major names, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Citi, Donald Trump Jr.-backed 1789 Capital, and existing investors Lightspeed and Sequoia. Reflection AI, founded in 2024 by former DeepMind researchers Misha Laskin and Ioannis Antonoglou, builds AI systems that can autonomously write, test, and optimize software — a rapidly expanding niche within the AI industry.

The new valuation marks a huge leap from the company’s last funding round, when it raised $130 million at a $545 million valuation, according to PitchBook.

Investor appetite for AI ventures remains robust. Global venture capital funding jumped 38% year-over-year in Q3 2025 to $97 billion, with nearly half of that going to AI companies. Reflection AI’s momentum reflects how automation-focused startups are drawing capital on par with heavyweights like OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek.

The company said the funds will accelerate product expansion and recruitment as it scales operations globally amid intensifying competition in AI-driven coding tools.

Nvidia-Backed Reflection AI Targets $5.5B Valuation in $1B Fundraise

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Reflection AI, a fast-rising AI startup backed by Nvidia, is raising about $1 billion in new financing that could value the company between $4.5 billion and $5.5 billion, according to the Financial Times.

Key Details

  • Valuation surge: Nearly 10x jump from its prior valuation of $545 million just six months ago (PitchBook data).

  • Lead investors: Nvidia’s venture arm ($250M+), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia, and Yuri Milner’s DST Global.

  • Founders: Former DeepMind researchers Misha Laskin and Ioannis Antonoglou.

  • Core product: AI tools to automate coding, one of the most in-demand applications of generative AI.

Market Context

  • AI funding boom: Investors are aggressively backing AI startups amid record demand for infrastructure, talent, and applications.

  • Talent wars: Meta and other tech giants are offering salaries and signing bonuses comparable to those of elite athletes to secure AI researchers.

  • Big Tech AI push: Infrastructure spending across Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Nvidia has sparked a multi-billion-dollar race to dominate AI compute and software.

Strategic Significance

  • Nvidia’s involvement strengthens Reflection’s credibility and access to cutting-edge GPU infrastructure.

  • Coding automation is seen as a transformational AI use case, potentially disrupting software development cycles and reducing costs for enterprises.

  • Reflection’s valuation trajectory highlights the feverish investor appetite for early-stage AI firms with strong teams and practical applications.

ElevenLabs Staff to Sell Shares at $6.6 Billion Valuation

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ElevenLabs, the fast-growing voice cloning AI startup, is allowing employees to sell shares at a $6.6 billion valuation, double its January 2024 value of $3.3 billion, according to Bloomberg News. The move highlights the ongoing competition among AI firms to retain top talent by offering stock liquidity.

The tender offer will enable staff who have worked at the company for at least a year to sell up to $100 million worth of shares, giving them an opportunity to cash out while allowing investors to boost stakes. Sequoia Capital and Iconiq are leading the deal, joined by Andreessen Horowitz and other backers.

Founded by Piotr Dabkowski (ex-Google) and Mati Staniszewski (ex-Palantir), ElevenLabs has seen explosive growth. Its headcount jumped from 77 employees to 331 in a year, while annualized recurring revenue surged from $100 million in October 2024 to $200 million in mid-2025. The company aims to hit $300 million by year-end.

The valuation leap puts ElevenLabs among the most valuable AI startups in the world. It comes as OpenAI also explores an employee stock sale that could value it at $500 billion, underscoring how AI’s growth is reshaping private markets.