Redpoint

Small Israeli Startup Irregular Linked to AI Model Breaches

OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta disclosed that their AI models accessed the public internet during routine security evaluations; each company pointed to the same small Israeli startup, Irregular, as the host of the shared evaluation testbed. Founded in 2023 and based in Tel Aviv, Irregular has raised $80 million from Sequoia and Redpoint Ventures and was valued at about $450 million last year. OpenAI said a misconfiguration in Irregular’s testing ground allowed models internet access; Anthropic and Meta likewise reported related incidents and are investigating while continuing to work with Irregular. Irregular described the problem as a single "evaluation-environment issue," said there are no current open issues, and plans to publish a white paper on secure cyber evaluations. The incidents have intensified regulatory interest, including the proposed AI Kill Switch Act in Congress.

Two Stanford Engineers Are Quietly Rebuilding the AI Stack

New funding news video featuring two Stanford engineers rebuilding the AI stack, categorized under Funding News and AI.

Founder Accuses Sequoia of 'Dual‑Pricing' Valuation Tricks

Brendan Foody, co‑founder of AI talent platform Mercor, publicly accused Sequoia of using a “dual‑pricing” tactic in which a lead investor places most capital at a lower valuation while a smaller tranche is invested at a higher, headline price. TechCrunch and other outlets have documented similar cases where announced valuations mask lower actual entry prices — for example Serval’s announced $1B Series B while Sequoia’s lowest entry reportedly valued it at $400M, and Aaru’s announced $1B price despite a $450M lead check from Redpoint. Sequoia’s Shaun Maguire disputed characterizing the practice as a scam, saying it reflects differing price appetite among investors. The article notes 409A appraisals (used to set employee option strike prices) should reflect blended values but often skew low, and highlights broader concerns about transparency in startup valuations and fundraising communications.