2026.01.13 Three Notable Overseas Startup Funding Rounds
Around January 13, 2026 (US time), three companies with distinct characteristics announced major funding rounds in succession. These include AI chip maker Etched (approx. $500 million), blended-wing aircraft developer JetZero (approx. $175 million Series B), and voice AI infrastructure provider Deepgram ($130 million Series C). While they may seem unrelated at first glance, they share a common thread: capital is beginning to flow into the "next infrastructure" represented by "computing resources," "physical hardware development," and "AI agents."
1. Etched: Approx. $500M—Breaking into the GPU-dominated market with "application-specific ASICs"
1-1. What happened: A major round with a $5B valuation
According to Bloomberg reports, Etched raised approximately $500 million, led by investment firm Stripes with participation from Peter Thiel and others, valuing the company at approximately $5 billion (*reported as an unconfirmed agreement).
1-2. Why now: AI is shifting from "general-purpose GPUs" to "winning specialized machines"
The context for Etched is simple. While NVIDIA GPUs are versatile and powerful, if AI workloads converge on a "certain pattern," there is room for specialized ASICs that run only that pattern at high speed and low power to win.
What is important here is not "all-in-one" functionality, but "design by omission." Investors are betting on the premise that the mainstream of AI will not deviate significantly from that pattern for the foreseeable future (or in the long term).
1-3. Investor perspective: "Market stagnation" is a bigger risk than technology
The biggest risk for Etched is not competition, but a shift in the AI architecture landscape. Conversely, as long as the landscape does not change, specialized machines can possess "strong reflexes" in terms of cost, power, and supply. The "$5B valuation" cited by Bloomberg can be read as a figure that heavily weighs that option value.
2. JetZero: Approx. $175M (Series B)—A capital bet on changing the "shape of aircraft"
2-1. What happened: Led by B Capital, with strong strategic investor support
JetZero announced a Series B round of approximately $175 million. The round was led by B Capital, with participation from United Airlines Ventures, Northrop Grumman, 3M Ventures, and RTX Ventures.
2-2. What will the funds be used for: Advancing the full-scale demonstrator
The use of funds is clear: accelerating the development of their full-scale prototype, the "Demonstrator." In the announcement, they stated that the demonstrator is designed to improve aerodynamics by at least 30% compared to conventional shapes, and explicitly mentioned that "The Demonstrator is on track for its first flight in 2027."
2-3. Why now: "Fuel costs and supply shortages" are pushing harder than decarbonization
Reuters indicated that JetZero aims to leverage industry needs for aircraft shortages and cheaper, more efficient flight through its blended-wing (near-all-wing) design, which reduces fuel consumption.
This is the key point: beyond idealism (net-zero by 2050), fuel costs and supply constraints that directly impact current P/L are becoming the "real drivers" that make it easier to attract capital.
3. Deepgram: $130M—Voice AI moves from "peripheral function" to "infrastructure"
3-1. What happened: $1.3B valuation, Series C led by AVP
Deepgram raised $130 million in a Series C round at a $1.3 billion valuation. The round was led by AVP, with participation from both existing and new strategic investors.
3-2. The Core of the "Voice AI Economy": Infrastructure as an API
The company's announcement strongly emphasizes its position as a "real-time voice AI API infrastructure," and AVP also stated, "we believe Deepgram is poised to deliver the API platform underpinning the emerging trillion-dollar B2B Voice AI economy."
Additionally, Reuters reported that as AI agents are increasingly adopted in call centers and other areas, Deepgram is aiming for international expansion, new models, and acquisitions.
3-3. Specific Example: Capturing "Industry-Specific Exits" through Acquisition (OfOne)
On the same day, Deepgram also announced the acquisition of OfOne, a voice AI platform for the restaurant and drive-thru industry. This is a move to capture not just research and development, but also the "use cases" specific to each industry.