Joyce Shen’s picks: musings and readings in AI/ML, September 8, 2025

📌 Musings and Readings

Cisco and NVIDIA Launch Secure AI Factory with VAST Data to Power Enterprise Agentic AI (Link)

OpenAI to launch its first AI chip in 2026 with Broadcom, FT reports (Link)

OpenAI announces AI-powered hiring platform to take on LinkedIn (Link)

Google’s NotebookLM now lets you customize the tone of its AI podcasts (Link)

Google Cloud Study Reveals 52% of Executives Say Their Organizations Have Deployed AI Agents, Unlocking a New Wave of Business Value (Link)

AI is not just ending entry-level jobs. It’s the end of the career ladder as we know it (Link)

FTC Prepares to Question AI Companies Over Impact on Children (Link)

👏 Deals

Professional.me, a DE-based company providing a hiring platform that uses personalized LLMs to replace traditional resumes, has raised $3.1m in seed financing.

Hubert.ai, a Sweden-based company developing an AI recruitment platform that automates structured screening interviews for high-volume hiring, has raised €2.5m in seed financing.

LightTable.ai, a CO-based proptech startup leveraging AI to automate peer reviews of pre-construction documents, has raised $6m in seed financing. 

Leo AI, a MA-based company offering an AI-powered engineering design copilot that speeds up product development by automating calculations, part discovery, and CAD-integrated ideation, has raised $9.7m in seed financing. 

Tidal Cyber, a VA-based cybersecurity company developing a threat-led defense platform that helps organizations proactively defend against real-world adversary behaviors to their security controls, has raised $10m in Series A financing.

Predoc, a NYC–based company providing a platform that automates the retrieval, structuring, and clinical analysis of medical records, has raised $30m in Series A financing.

MagicDoor, a NV-based company offering a free, AI-powered property management platform that automates tasks for landlords and managers, has raised $4.5m in seed financing. 

Orchard Robotics, a CA-based AI farming company building vision systems for farm equipment to capture and analyze crop data, has raised $22m in Series A financing.

Joint Ai, a PA-based provider offering an AI-powered clinical decision support tool that rapidly evaluates hip and knee arthritis to streamline triage, optimize surgical planning, and enhance the efficiency of orthopedic care, has raised $315k in financing.

Billy Bets, a NYC–based startup developing a Solana-based AI sports betting platform that autonomously analyzes real-time data to place transparent on-chain bets, combining predictive analytics, has raised $1m in pre-seed financing. 

Flax Health, a UT–based company providing a workflow automation platform for skilled nursing facilities. has raised $3.5m in pre-seed financing. 

Geniez AI, an Israeli based startup providing a framework that enables real-time access to legacy mainframe data for AI applications and large language models, has raised $6m in seed financing. 

Elysian, a TN-based AI-native third-party administrator, combining advanced AI with deep claims expertise to streamline complex commercial insurance claims processing, enhance transparency, and improve decision-making, has raised $6m in seed financing.