AI Startups: Google-Backed IT Startup NinjaOne Raises $500 Million

NinjaOne, a provider of automated endpoint management that enables companies to oversee and protect all their computers and devices, has raised $500 million for a $5 billion valuation.

The Series C extensions came in separate tranches, led by Iconiq Growth and CapitalG, which is Google-parent Alphabet’s investment fund. There were additional private investors.

The Austin, Texas-based startup will use the funds for its pending $252 million acquisition of Dropsuite, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) backup and data protection provider. It plans to also use the funds for research and development, focusing on endpoint management, autonomous patching and vulnerability remediation, as well as efforts to improve employee experiences with devices.

NinjaOne has more than 24,000 customers, including Nvidia, Lyft, Vimeo, Porsche and others.

“We are investing in innovation across our platform with a vision to make endpoint and patch management as easy and autonomous as possible, while continuing to expand into other AI, IT, and security use cases,” said Sal Sferlazza, CEO and co-founder of NinjaOne, in a statement.

Read more: Anthropic Raises $3.5 Billion to Develop Next-Generation AI Systems

Quantum Machines Raises $170 Million

Israeli startup Quantum Machines said it has raised $170 million in a Series C funding round that it said was “highly oversubscribed.”

PSG Equity led the round, with participation from Intel Capital, Red Dot Capital Partners and other investors.

The startup said 2024 was a “watershed” moment in quantum computing, with breakthrough achievements such as Google’s Willow chip demonstrating strong performance enhancement at the hardware level, multiple companies joining IBM in surpassing 1,000 qubits, and researchers making great strides in quantum error correction implementation. This year, Microsoft and Amazon added to those advancements, unveiling their own quantum chips: Majorana 1 and Ocelot, respectively.

“The quantum computing ecosystem has opened up and there are now hundreds of teams worldwide advancing the bleeding edge in parallel, with breakthroughs emerging at an unprecedented pace,” said Itamar Sivan, co-founder and CEO of Quantum Machines, in a statement. “Significant adoption of quantum computers is around the corner.”

The startup’s advanced technology helps scientists and engineers control quantum computers more effectively. Their approach, called Hybrid Control, smoothly combines traditional computing with quantum computing. This removes obstacles, making quantum computers work better and faster.

Read more: Quantum Leap: 3 Key Developments Chart Path to Real-World Applications

Chinese AI Startup Zhipu Raises $137 Million

Alibaba-backed Zhipu AI has raised more than one billion yuan ($137 million) in its latest funding round, according to Tech in Asia.

Leading the round was Hangzhou Municipal Construction Investment Group Co. and Shangcheng Capital, both with ties to the Hangzhou local government.

Also investing are existing backers Alibaba Group, Tencent and others.

The startup plans to use the funds to develop its foundation model, GLM. It also plans to release several open-source models in 2025, according to Caixin Global.

Chinese AI startups came into focus after DeepSeek took Silicon Valley by surprise with foundation models that performed at par with the best AI models but at a fraction of the price.

See also: Tencent Says Its New AI Model Can Outrun DeepSeek

Sony Invests in AI Licensing Startup

Sony Music Entertainment and DNS Capital led a Series A round that raised $16 million for Vermillio, an AI licensing and protection platform.

Vermillio’s TraceID tool tracks content used in generative AI at its most basic level and traces it back to its original creators.

The startup’s platform also lets fans use generative AI responsibly, such as creating AI-generated Spider-Verse characters.

The Chicago-based startup will use the funds to scale operations and build out solutions to enable artists, studios, record labels and others protect and monetize their content.