8VC vs M13

XDOF in talks for $1.2B Series B led by 8VC

XDOF, a startup providing real-world data collection for training general-purpose robots, is in late-stage talks for a Series B at a valuation of around $1.2 billion, led by 8VC. The company emerged from stealth less than three months ago and has seen rapid growth, with annualized revenue approaching $50 million. Previously, XDOF raised a $70 million Series A in June 2026 with participation from Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux, and Spark Capital. The startup builds data pipelines, collection tools, and annotation systems for robot training, acting as an outsourced data-supply chain for the robotics industry. It partners with UC Berkeley's AI Research lab to release a large dataset of robot training data. Terms are not final and could change.

• XDOF is in late-stage talks to raise a Series B at a valuation of approximately $1.2 billion, led by 8VC.
• XDOF's annualized revenue is approaching $50 million.
• The company raised a $70 million Series A in June 2026, with participation from Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux, and Spark Capital.

Robotics startup Generalist now valued at $3B

Generalist, a robotics startup founded in 2024, has reached a $3 billion valuation after raising nearly $200 million in additional capital in an extension led by VC firm 8VC, bringing its Series B total to $600 million. The extension follows a $400 million Series B led by Radical Ventures announced in June at a $2 billion valuation. Generalist — founded by Pete Florence, Andy Zeng and Andrew Barry and backed early by investors including 8VC, Radical Ventures, Nvidia, Union Square Ventures and Bezos Expeditions — is building a robotics foundation model and recently released a Gen 1.5 model that the company says enables robots to learn new tasks from short (3–12 second) video demonstrations. The startup is piloting the model with a small number of customers. Competitors named include Physical Intelligence, Skild AI and Genesis AI.

• Generalist reached a $3 billion valuation after raising additional capital led by 8VC, according to sources.
• A regulatory filing shows the fresh capital extension totals nearly $200 million, bringing the Series B round to $600 million.
• The extension follows a $400 million Series B led by Radical Ventures announced in June at a $2 billion valuation.

What Is Agentic Identity? Meet Baselayer, the Identity Infrastructure for AI Agents

M13 announces fundraising for Baselayer, an identity infrastructure for AI agents, with a dedicated article published on September 22, 2026.

Investors Are Betting on AI Agents That Shop for You

Venture capitalists are increasingly funding startups building AI agents that can shop on behalf of consumers and handle payments. The article maps the emerging market for "agentic commerce," covering personal assistants like Instinct and Town, shopping search tools like Daydream, payment infrastructure startups like Catena Labs and Basis Theory, and marketing tech such as Profound. Major platforms are also moving: OpenAI and Stripe launched the Agentic Commerce Protocol, Google operates the Agent Payments Protocol, and Visa and Mastercard introduced Trusted Agent Protocol and Agent Pay. However, the space faces trust and fraud challenges, illustrated by Phia's cookie-stuffing scandal and an Instinct agent error that cost a user around $300. Investor interest remains strong, with millions raised across the sector, even as enterprise adoption lags due to compliance and security concerns.

• Adobe Analytics reported that 41% of respondents used AI for online shopping in June 2026.
• OpenAI and Stripe launched the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), while Google operates the Agent Payments Protocol.
• Profound raised $96 million in Series C funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.