How Did New Year AI Deals Top **$3B** Overnight? 🚀💸🤖

TL;DR

• Moonshot AI bags $500M Series C, delays IPO
• MiniMax and Biren drive Hong Kong AI listings boom
• ByteDance preps $14B Nvidia chip splurge for 2026
• California and Texas AI laws start today, reshaping risk

HEADLINES

Moonshot AI raises $500M and skips quick IPO 🧠🔗

MiniMax Group kicks off up to $540M Hong Kong IPO 📈🔗

Shanghai Biren Technology raises $716.9M in oversubscribed IPO 💾🔗

Zhipu AI files Hong Kong IPO to raise $558M 🧬🔗

xAI launches Grok Business and Enterprise tiers 🤝🔗

Hecto Media debuts AI-powered multilingual K-culture platform K-snapp 🎬🔗

FROM THE BIG PLAYERS

IDG Capital invested $150M into Moonshot AI 🏦🔗

Alibaba Group joined Moonshot AI Series C extension 🐜🔗

Tencent Holdings doubled down in Moonshot AI round 🎮🔗

RAISES

Moonshot AI raised $500M in Series C led by IDG Capital 📊🔗

Shanghai Biren Technology raised $716.9M in Hong Kong IPO from public investors 💹🔗

Insilico Medicine raised IPO proceeds in Hong Kong biotech AI debut from public investors 🧪🔗

RAISING

MiniMax Group is looking to raise up to $540M in Hong Kong IPO for foundation models 🧠🔗

Zhipu AI is looking to raise $558M in Hong Kong IPO for large language model expansion 📚🔗

Hong Kong AI issuers are looking to raise $2.15B across six AI listings 🏮🔗

NEW LAUNCHES

xAI launched Grok Business and Grok Enterprise tiers 🤖🔗

Hecto Media launched AI-powered K-content platform K-snapp 📱🔗

CMS WISeR Model launched AI-enabled Medicare prior-authorization pilot 🏥🔗

TRY THESE TOOLS

Grok Business team-focused assistant with higher rate limits 💼🔗

Grok Enterprise adds SSO, admin controls, priority access 🏢🔗

K-snapp streams K-culture with real-time multilingual AI 🌏🔗

METRICS

Moonshot AI valuation hits $4.3B after Series C 📊🔗

Biren Technology IPO retail tranche oversubscribed 2,348x 📈🔗

Hong Kong 2025 IPOs raised $36.5B across 114 listings 💹🔗

China AI “tigers” listings target $2.15B combined proceeds 🐯🔗

Korea VC market surpassed KRW 9.8T in first three quarters 🇰🇷🔗

BENCHMARKS

Korea Venture Business Association reports KRW 4T VC in 2025 Q3 📘🔗

Rebellions and FuriosaAI together secured KRW 500B late-stage AI rounds 💾🔗

Korea “Venture Top 4 Nation Strategy” targets 10,000 AI and deeptech startups 📊🔗

Hong Kong IPO market tripled proceeds versus 2024 to $36.5B 🌏🔗

INFRA & COSTS

ByteDance plans $14.29B Nvidia AI chip spend 💽🔗

Biren BR100 positions as domestic alternative to Nvidia H100 🧮🔗

Texas TRAIGA law will force high-risk AI documentation and bias testing ⚙️🔗

California TFAIA CalCompute seeds public cloud cluster for safe AI research ☁️🔗

VALUATIONS

Moonshot AI post-money valuation climbs to $4.3B 🏷️🔗

Zhipu AI targets $6.5B valuation in Hong Kong listing 💡🔗

Hong Kong AI listings anchor $2.15B deal wave into 2026 📈🔗

Korea Fund of Funds extended with higher stock-option limits for founders 📌🔗

POLICY

California AB 316 AI defences law enters into force today ⚖️🔗

California SB 942 requires free AI-detection tools and content labels 🕵️🔗

Texas TRAIGA mandates disclosures and bias checks for covered AI 📜🔗

Illinois AI employment law bans discriminatory AI tools in hiring from today 🏛️🔗

California companion chatbot SB 243 tightens safety obligations for AI companions 💬🔗

SOVEREIGN

Korea government commits to Venture Top 4 Nation Strategy for AI 🏛️🔗

Korea Mother Fund extended to channel capital toward AI startups 💰🔗

Poland regulator announces first national AI sandbox aligned with EU AI Act 🇵🇱🔗

China leadership highlights AI breakthroughs as strategic national priority 🌐🔗

SECTORS

Healthcare deployed AI-supported Medicare prior authorization reviews 🩺🔗

Media and Entertainment deployed AI multilingual K-entertainment streaming 📺🔗

Real Estate deployed AI house price forecasting models 🏠🔗

Financial Services preparing AI risk programs for 2026 state rules 🏦🔗

COMMUNITY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Justin Brochetti published detailed playbook on surviving 2026 AI reimbursement policy shifts 📄🔗