SPARKNETT

Agritech and lending platform Arya.ag announced that it has secured a $30 million (Rs 259 crores) debt facility from HSBC India. https://lnkd.in/etwA7Zka #agritech #investing #technology

Berlin-based PROJECT EADEN, a German climate tech startup developing plant-based meats with fiber-spinning technology, raised €15M in an oversubscribed Series A funding round. https://lnkd.in/gqMWS3Fs #climatetech #investing #technology

Saudi Arabia-based agritech Arable has closed a $2.55 million Seed funding round, led by undisclosed investors. https://lnkd.in/e7r_EvCb #agritech #investing #technology

Proptech startup Landeed raised $5 million (approx. 43 crore) in a Series X funding round. https://lnkd.in/eMrwysSU #proptech #investing #technology

DeepSeek is a CCP Threat to American AI Leadership It’s time for a reality check: DeepSeek is not an innocent technological advancement—it’s a calculated move by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to undercut American AI innovation and disrupt the global playing field. This is economic warfare, and it demands immediate action : 1. Suspicious Training Costs: DeepSeek claims to have trained advanced AI models for $6 million, a cost that is impossibly low given the scale and resources required. This underreported cost is part of a deliberate strategy to justify pricing that makes it impossible for U.S. AI companies to compete profitably. 2. Access to Resources: The CCP has over 100,000 GPUs, a critical resource for training and deploying AI models. These GPUs have been acquired through questionable means, raising concerns about how China is bypassing sanctions and restrictions. 3. Weaponized Open Source: Unlike most open-source contributions aimed at fostering innovation, CCP-backed labs release open models to weaken private AI ecosystems. By flooding the market with low-cost, open alternatives, they are eroding the competitiveness of U.S.-developed private AI systems. 4. Economic Dependency: The CCP’s ultimate goal is to create a global reliance on Chinese AI models and infrastructure, leaving American companies and governments vulnerable to technological and economic manipulation. Why This is America’s Sputnik Moment: Just as the launch of Sputnik in 1957 signaled a technological gap in the Space Race, DeepSeek highlights the growing gap in the AI race. The difference? This time, the stakes aren’t just technological—they’re economic and strategic. If the U.S. fails to respond, we risk losing control over one of the most critical industries of the future. The Early Trump Administration’s Efforts: Under President Trump’s leadership, steps are being taken to address this threat: • David Sacks, an AI Czar heading the White House AI to craft strategies that safeguard U.S. innovation. • The Stargate Initiative, a $500 billion AI investment plan, has been launched to strengthen domestic AI infrastructure What Needs to Happen Now: 1. Verify Claims: Independent evaluations must validate DeepSeek’s training costs and performance. Until proven otherwise, these claims should be treated as strategic propaganda. 2. Protect Supply Chains: The U.S. must crack down on illegal GPU acquisitions and strengthen its supply chain for critical AI resources. 3. Invest in Domestic AI: Corporations must prioritize collaboration with U.S.-based AI firms and reject dependencies on foreign-backed technology. DeepSeek appears to be a strategic tool in the CCP’s long-term plan to dominate AI. If we fail to recognize and address this threat, the consequences will extend far beyond the tech industry, impacting national security and economic stability.

Harbinger, a leading medium-duty electric vehicle (EV) company, announced it has raised $100 million in Series B funds. https://lnkd.in/e6m5udxz #climatetech #technology #investing

Omnichannel farm-to-fork startup KisanKonnect Safe Foods has bagged $4.5 Mn (around INR 39 Cr) in a Series A funding round. https://lnkd.in/gp9iYsW9 #proptech #technology #investing

GreenStitch.io, a Bengaluru-based climate tech startup focusing on the fashion and textile industry, has raised $1.2 million in a seed funding round led by Equirus InnovateX Fund. https://lnkd.in/dpG3wg4V #climatetech #technology #investing

Spain-based hydrogen solutions provider H2SITE has secured €36 million in its Series B funding round from a consortium of investors to advance the deployment of its proprietary hydrogen technology. https://lnkd.in/dwYndSik #climatetech #technology #investing

Saudi Arabia-based proptech Rize | رايز has closed a Series A investment round worth $35 million in a mix of equity and debt. https://lnkd.in/esT-vMYD #proptech #technology #investing