Forerunner vs Menlo Ventures

Town Raises $108M Series B, Achieves Unicorn Status

San Francisco-based AI assistant startup Town announced a $108 million Series B funding round co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Menlo Ventures, securing a unicorn valuation just four months after its public launch. The company, founded by former Plaid CTO Jean-Denis Greze, provides AI assistants called Townies that connect to email, calendars, and work systems, enabling them to collaborate internally and externally. Town has raised at least $160 million to date, including a $55 million Series A in June. The new funding will support the rollout of a shared workflow that automatically updates employees' Townies with business information. Existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Serena Ventures, and First Round Capital also participated. The company reports reaching millions in annual recurring revenue within weeks of launch.

• Town raised $108 million in a Series B round co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Menlo Ventures.
• The round values Town at unicorn status (over $1 billion), four months after public launch.
• Town has raised at least $160 million to date, including a $55 million Series A in June.

Oura Launches IPO, Targets $14.1B Valuation

Oura, the Finnish-American smart ring maker, has postponed its Nasdaq IPO despite strong demand, citing market uncertainty and a desire for optimal timing. The company had planned to offer 50 million shares at $40–$44 each to raise up to $2.2 billion, with a valuation around $14 billion. CEO Tom Hale noted they have the luxury to choose the timing for an exceptional outcome. Financially, Oura remains robust: $1.21 billion revenue in the first nine months (up 74% year-over-year), driven by hardware sales and growing subscriptions, with 5.7 million paying members and a slim profit of $61 million. Competition includes Samsung's Galaxy Ring, Ultrahuman, and Whoop; Oura differentiates via software and AI features. Risks include patent disputes, reliance on contract manufacturers, and customer concentration. The postponement adds to market jitters from Fed rate hikes, geopolitical tensions, and AI stock volatility, with Anthropic's expected mega-IPO looming.

• Oura postponed its Nasdaq IPO due to market uncertainty despite strong demand.
• The IPO aimed to sell 50 million shares at $40–$44 each, raising up to $2.2 billion, valuing Oura at ~$14 billion.
• Revenue for the first nine months was $1.21 billion (up 74% YoY), with 5.7 million paying members and a slim profit of $61 million.

Speakers Join Machine Earning AI Summit in San Francisco

Newcomer announced that investors Kirsten Green (Forerunner Ventures), Katie Haun (Haun Ventures) and Ilan Zerbib (Sapiom) have been added to the speaker lineup for the inaugural Machine Earning AI Summit, a one-day, invite-only event on Sept. 29 in San Francisco. The article lists additional speakers, ticket prices, and sponsors (Airwallex, Lead Bank, Exa, Nebius, OnePay), and provides links to apply and the summit website.

• The Machine Earning AI Summit will take place on Sept. 29 in San Francisco.
• New speakers announced: Kirsten Green (founder & managing partner, Forerunner Ventures), Katie Haun (founder & CEO, Haun Ventures), and Ilan Zerbib (founder & CEO, Sapiom).
• Other listed speakers include Omer Ismail (founder & CEO, OnePay), Jackie Reses (founder & CEO, Lead Bank), Jack Zhang (founder & CEO, Airwallex), and Max Rhodes (founder & CEO, Faire).

Menlo’s Investment in Factory: The System That Builds Software

Coding is AI’s first killer use case, with the world generating more code this year than in all previous years combined. Menlo Ventures has invested in Factory, a company building the system that builds software, as part of the AI coding startup’s latest funding round, announced last month at a $5 billion valuation. The investment follows a public dispute between Factory's CEO, Matan Grinberg, and investor Chris Degnan, who left to join competitor Cognition. Vinod Khosla, an investor in both companies, criticized Factory as a 'struggling second tier competitor.' Menlo's investment is seen as a strong endorsement, with partner Matt Murphy praising the company. The exact amount was not disclosed but described as significant.

• Menlo Ventures invested in AI coding startup Factory as part of its latest funding round.
• Factory's latest funding round was announced last month at a $5 billion valuation.
• Menlo's investment followed a public dispute between Factory's CEO and investor Chris Degnan.

Menlo Ventures Welcomes Alex Kurland as Newest Partner; Stripe to Acquire OpenRouter

Menlo Ventures announces the addition of Alex Kurland as its newest partner, and portfolio company OpenRouter has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Stripe.

Lovable Raises $400M at $13.3B Valuation, Doubling from Previous Round

Swedish vibe-coding startup Lovable has raised $400 million in a Series C round at a $13.3 billion valuation, more than double its December 2025 valuation of $6.6 billion. The round was co-led by Menlo Ventures and the Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT, with participation from Balderton Capital, Tencent, Kaszek Ventures, and others. Returning investors include Accel, DST Global, and Salesforce Ventures. Lovable, launched in 2024, enables non-coders to build software through AI-assisted 'vibe-coding.' The company reports that apps built on its platform see over 900 million visits per month. Customers include Nvidia, Adidas, and Zendesk. Lovable plans to expand its business customer base, grow headcount by 50% to 450 employees across Sweden and the US, and develop more proactive capabilities beyond prompt-based interactions, while continuing to use multiple AI models and post-train open-source models.

• Lovable raised $400 million in Series C funding.
• The round values Lovable at $13.3 billion, double its December 2025 valuation of $6.6 billion.
• The round was co-led by Menlo Ventures and the Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT.