Bioweapons of Choice

Author

Lon Harris
November 13, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Top News

  • OpenAI backs anti-bioweapon project: The ChatGPT giant is leading a $15 million seed round for Red Queen Bio, a startup that’s trying to keep “bad actors” from using AI to design biological weapons. (Finally, a project we can ALL get behind!) It’s part of a larger effort by OpenAI to back startups that are working to prevent the most feared negative consequences surrounding AI technology. Just last month, they put some cash into Valthos, a New York biosecurity software startup working toward a similar goal.

  • Exowatt extends Series A: Speaking of OpenAI (and let’s face it… we never stop…), co-founder Sam Altman was an early investor in Exowatt, a startup aiming to produce consistent solar energy at low cost, to power the AI data centers of the future. (Co-founder/CEO Hannan Happi tells TechCrunch that their specific goal is one cent per kilowatt-hour.) The company just extended its $70 million Series A round with $50 million in fresh capital. According to Happi, there was just so much momentum behind the project, and such a high levels of interest from investors, he was encouraged to expand the round. I mean, who doesn’t want cheap power; if Exowatt can deliver on its promises, it could finally be the answer to the chief critique against solar investments.

  • Salesforce acquiring Doti AI: Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Israeli tech site Calcalist reports that it’s in the neighborhood of $100 million. The startup developed a secure AI workspace for enterprises, making them a natural fit for this particular acquisition. Both parties apparently expect the deal to close in Q4 of 2026. Salesforce not only gets a new agent-based search and organizational tool for its enterprise customers, but it opens up a new research hub in Israel. Doti, meanwhile, gets a mega-exit, especially considering the company only raised around $7 million.

TWiST 500

What a quarter Polymarket is having! The iconic prediction market has officially started beta testing its fully legit US exchange. No specific word about when Polymarket USA will launch (sometime in November is the word on the street) but Bloomberg reports that the platform is fully functional, with real players already placing bets on real contracts.

PLUS PM announced a multi-year partnership with sports entertainment giant TKO Group, which will include real-time visual integrations during UFC and Zuffa Boxing matches. During live events, Polymarket will track “momentum” and fan sentiment, alongside other, more conventional sports betting offerings.

Once this thing actually launches, it’s clearly going to be a splashy debut.

We’ve also got some big stories from the TWiST 500’s most prominent AI companies.

xAI: The X owner from former OpenAI lead Elon Musk (perhaps you’ve heard of him) reportedly raised $15 billion in fresh capital from investors, but Musk himself took to X to deny the veracity of CNBC’s reporting. IF IT HAPPENED, CNBC suggests xAI plans to use the theoretical cash on a GPU re-up.

Cursor: The AI coding tool raised an additional $2.3 billion at a $29.3 billion valuation, co-led by (prior investor) Accel and (newbies) Coatue. Other newcomers to Cursor’s investor list are Google and Nvidia, with whom Cursor sought to “deepen [their] partnership.” (Google, of course, provides Cursor with cloud services, while Nvidia’s engineers use the product.) Along with the fundraise, WSJ reports that a lot of players have sought to fully acquire Cursor and make it their own, but the startup has rebuffed these offers so far. – Lon

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This Week in Startups

E2208: On TWiST, Alex chats with Ben Schleuniger of Orbital Operations stops by to tell us about using reusable rockets to tow objects into higher orbits than other space startups can reach. The secret? Extremely cold cryo-propellents! Plus we’re looking back on two classic TWiST episodes from the late ‘10s featuring Greg Brockman of OpenAI and Vlad Tenev of Robinhood.

E2207: We’ve got a pair of fresh TWiST 500 interviews for you today. First up, Alex chats with Harvey AI president Gabe Pereyra about why legal work is so perfectly suited to LLMs, and how to charge for legal services when you can get things done in billable minutes, not hours. Then we’ve got OpenRouter CEO Alex Atallah helping us compare and contrast the major LLMs, and noting why evals and benchmarks have become so central to the entire AI industry. Finally, Jason stops by to answer some more Founder Questions from around the Web.

E2206: Jason’s in Japan this week launching Founder University, Tokyo, but thankfully he stayed up into the wee hours to record this special edition of TWiST. THREE TWiST 500 companies are circling IPOs: Ledger, 1Password, and Mercury. So you know Alex and JCal had thoughts. Plus, why is Marc Andreessen feuding with The Pope on X? Should we trust these viral allegations against AI startup Giga? Friends of the pod Gamma are growing FAST! Plus lots more news and updates.

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Investor Networking Lunch in SF

Jason and LAUNCH are hosting an investor networking lunch, followed by pitches from our latest Accelerator batch. We'd love for you to join us for Dim Sum in San Francisco on Friday, December 5th. (Or forward this to your investor friends.)

  • Date/Time: Friday, December 5th, 2025 at 12-3PM PT

  • Format: Dim sum lunch, followed by founder pitches & investor networking

  • Location: TBA (Chinatown area)

Spots are limited, please RSVP here. The LAUNCH team will email you confirmation once your registration is accepted. You must be an accredited investor or work for a VC Fund to join.

We’re Hiring a Program Manager

LAUNCH is seeking a program manager to help organize and manage Founder University and Angel University in Japan. Candidates must be fluent in both English and Japanese, and should plan on splitting their time between Tokyo and our home base in Austin, Texas. If you’re interested in this exciting opportunity, reach out to [email protected]!

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Need a flexible living and working environment in San Francisco? This thoughtfully designed loft-style residence at 787 Bryant St., the heart of the vibrant SOMA district and the city’s creative hub, is now available for rent or purchase. Check the listing for more details.

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