Startups News 22 January 2026

ElevenLabs snags $500 million at $11 billion valuation in Sequoia-led Series D

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2026, 10:15 a.m. (EST) Voice-cloning AI startup ElevenLabs has reached an $11 billion valuation after closing a $500 million funding round, according to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. The Series D round was led by Sequoia Capital,

February 4, 2026

Funding·News·Startups·Technology

Humans& grabs a $480 million seed at a $4.48B valuation — Nvidia and Bezos join the round

BENGALURU, January 22, 2026, 05:21 IST AI startup Humans& has secured $480 million in a seed round, pushing its valuation to $4.48 billion—a staggering amount for an early-stage AI lab. The funding round was spearheaded by Ron Conway’s SV Angel and co-founder

January 22, 2026

AI·News·Startups·Technology

Intel talks stall as AI chip startup SambaNova hunts up to $500 million in fresh funding

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 21, 2026, 15:57 PST SambaNova Systems is considering a funding round that could reach $500 million after its talks to sell the AI chip startup to Intel hit a dead end, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with

January 22, 2026

News·Space·Startups·Technology

Bezos’ Blue Origin takes on Starlink with 5,408-satellite TeraWave network plan

WASHINGTON, January 21, 2026, 18:52 (EST) Blue Origin revealed on Wednesday plans for a massive 5,408-satellite communications network named TeraWave. Targeting data centers, governments, and major corporations, the project takes on Elon Musk’s SpaceX in a competitive market. Jeff Bezos’s company aims

January 22, 2026

Apple Watch Series 11 discounted to $299 on Amazon, lowest price yet
February 4, 2026, 11:24 AM EST. The Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS 42mm) is on sale for $299 on Amazon, a 25% cut from its $399 list price and the lowest price there. It delivers battery life toward two days, a brighter display up to 2,000 nits, a tougher screen, IP6X dustproofing and water resistance with a depth sensor up to six meters. It runs watchOS 26, adding Sleep Score and hypertension alerts, plus blood oxygen and ECG sensors, temperature, altimeter, gyroscope, compass and ambient light. GPS enables real-time outdoor tracking; the listing notes 5G connectivity. At about $50 more, the Apple Watch SE 3 is offered, but the Series 11 has a thinner design and larger display with more sensors.