Welcome to Startups Weekly – your weekly rundown of all the latest happenings in the startup world. This week, we’re diving into the realm of startups and exploring how big tech companies are expanding their reach through acquisitions and investments.

This week’s top startup stories include:

**Tech IPOs are rare in the U.S., so this week was dominated by M&As. Blaize, an AI chip startup founded by Intel engineers, went public through a SPAC. Amazon is set to acquire Indian BNPL startup Axio for over $150 million to boost its financial services in India. eBay is buying Caramel to enhance the car sales process. Moody’s is acquiring Cape Analytics for geospatial AI capabilities.

**High-profile AI researcher François Chollet and Zapier co-founder Mike Knoop launched Ndea, an AI research lab focusing on artificial general intelligence (AGI).

In the funding world, some highlights are:

**Colossal Biosciences raised a massive $200 million in Series C funding to bring back extinct species. Loft Orbital secured $170 million in Series C funding. Synthesia closed a $180 million Series D round. Bioptimus raised $41 million for AI biology models. Nelly got $51 million for fintech in healthcare. SEEQC landed $30 million for quantum computing. Intel is spinning off Intel Capital into a stand-alone fund.

And don’t miss the latest from Rebecca Szkutak, who shared five standout recommendations from her time interviewing founders for the Found podcast. Some advice may surprise you, like “It pays off not to be first.”

That’s all for this week’s Startups Weekly. Stay tuned for more exciting updates next week!