A 13-person startup raised $152 million to run a global Phase 3 in HHT, a rare vascular disorder with no approved therapy. The data that could make engasertib the first approved treatment, and the risks that remain.
SpaceX flew 165 Falcon 9 missions in 2025 and roughly three-quarters were its own Starlink flights. That ratio, and the cost curve behind it, is the only scoreboard that matters for judging who owns access to orbit in 2026.
Atlas Motion emerged from stealth with $11.5M to design drone and robot motors in minutes with AI software. The real bet is breaking China's grip on the components behind every autonomous platform.
Pulsar Fusion demonstrated the world's first plasma from a fusion rocket exhaust rig. Its Dual Direct Fusion Drive targets 10,000–15,000s of specific impulse, cutting Mars transit to ~150 days. What was proven, what wasn't, and the 2027 in-orbit demo.
Lumilens emerged from stealth with a $700M Series C at a $5.51B valuation, passing $900M in total funding. Its LumiCore platform sells scale-out transceivers and scale-up interconnects. The open question is whether Nvidia and Broadcom squeeze it into a supplier role.
The US federal government has obligated $41.3M to Verily for wastewater testing as the National Wastewater Surveillance System turns from pandemic scramble into permanent infrastructure. Biobot, which built the network, lost the federal contract and then Massachusetts.
The FAA granted DoorDash a Part 135 air carrier certificate on July 29, letting it run its own drone fleet. What the certificate unlocks, and what it does not.
Form Energy raised a $750M Series G led by T. Rowe Price to scale 100-hour iron-air batteries. The company now holds an 80 GWh backlog, anchored by Google's 30 GWh Minnesota project and an AI data center deal with Crusoe.