Silicon Valley VCs Double Down on AI, Fintech Amid Turmoil

Silicon Valley venture capital firms are charging ahead amid economic headwinds, doubling down on AI and fintech while eyeing new banking models to fill voids left by past crises. Cross River reports that Erebor, a de novo bank backed by Peter Thiel and Palmer Luckey, launched last Sunday with 635 million dollars in capital, targeting AI, defense, manufacturing startups, crypto firms, and high-net-worth clients. Luckey calls it a farmers bank for tech, addressing gaps from Silicon Valley Banks 2023 collapse.

Funding momentum builds in AI compliance and payments. Bretton AI, formerly Greenlite AI, just raised 75 million dollars in Series B led by Sapphire Ventures, with Greylock and Y Combinator joining. CEO Will Lawrence says financial crime is AIs breakout use case in finance. Levl, a stablecoin platform from Galaxy Digital, scored 7 million dollars in seed from Galaxy Ventures and others, hitting 1 billion dollars annualized payment volume in four months. Founder Jaisel Sandhu aims to democratize cross-border payments.

Payments titan Stripe eyes a 140 billion dollar valuation via tender offer, up 30 billion dollars from last mark, per Bloomberg, signaling liquidity without IPO. Seligman Ventures debuted with a 500 million dollar fund focused on early-stage AI, as AOL Finance notes.

Firms respond to challenges by shifting to resilient sectors. OpenAI hired OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger to push autonomous agents, with CEO Sam Altman pledging open-source support amid multi-agent AI hype, SiliconANGLE details. Cross-border flows evolve too, with Qiming Venture Partners enduring Chinas VC downturn via industrial tech, per The Wire China.

Epstein files reveal shadowy EV ties, TechCrunch reports businessman David Stern pitched Epstein on Faraday Future, Lucid Motors, and Canoo a decade ago, highlighting opaque funding in mobility now echoing in physical AI.

Trends point to AI dominance, fintech innovation, and specialized banking. VCs prioritize agentic AI, compliance tools, and stablecoins for efficiency amid delinquencies nearing 10-year highs. Regulatory nods like Erebors fast approval show adaptation, while diversity in backers like Swiss startups roadshowing in April via Venturelab hints at global nets.

These shifts could solidify Silicon Valleys lead in AI-driven finance and defense tech, buffering economic turbulence and fostering multi-agent ecosystems for scalable growth.

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