Seattle startup funding dropped about 40% in the first half of 2026 while AI money flowed elsewhere, alongside a court loss for Kalshi, Impinj's 10-year Nasdaq milestone, and a local flip-phone detox trial. The developments highlight shifting venture dynamics, legal hurdles for prediction markets, corporate endurance, and growing interest in reducing smartphone reliance.
AI investment is flooding other markets while the regional total declined sharply.
https://x.com/geekwire/status/2081018490857853001
The company has survived in a market described as still just getting going.
Tap a lens to see what this story means for you.
Reader-supported · The Brief
Liked this? The Brief brings you the whole day in tech, verified, every morning. Two minutes, free forever.
See what’s happening right now
The Feed runs all day — short, verified briefs the moment they break.
Open the FeedFollow @thecircuitry_
Every story we publish, as it happens. No noise between.
Reader-supported
The Circuitry is a passion project I've always wanted to build, and I love the work behind it.
Running it costs real money. APIs, hosting, time. To keep improving the site and growing this into something useful for everyone, those costs have to be covered.
Any contribution is appreciated. If not, no pressure. Thanks for reading.
Kalshi is in advanced talks with Sequoia Capital and Wellington Management to raise at least $750 million at a $40 billion valuation. The round would nearly double its May valuation while the company reports $4 billion in annualized revenue and eyes a 2027 IPO.
Goldman Sachs agreed to acquire NEOS Investments for up to $2.25 billion, adding three crypto-income ETFs that use derivatives rather than direct holdings. The deal expands Goldman's active ETF business to roughly $80 billion and is expected to close in Q1 2027 pending regulatory approval.
Riot Platforms shares rose more than 20% in pre-market trading after the bitcoin miner entered a $9.1 billion, 20-year agreement to supply Anthropic with 191 megawatts of AI computing capacity at its Texas site. The transaction underscores the sector’s transition toward stable revenue streams from AI infrastructure.
