
The U.S. VC firm still has more than 55% of its previous $650 million India fund available for deployment.
Accel, a venture capital firm, closed a new $550 million fund dedicated to investing in India-based startups, raising the money in just weeks and receiving more investor interest than available capital. The firm still has over 55 percent of its previous $650 million India fund remaining, indicating strong investor appetite for India-focused investments despite existing dry powder. Accel plans to deploy this new capital starting in 2027 and expects India's next wave of startup growth to emerge across AI, consumer internet, fintech, and advanced manufacturing sectors, with particular focus on AI applications and enterprise software rather than competing with large language model companies. This fundraising reflects broader renewed interest from global venture firms in India despite a slowdown in venture capital more generally, with Accel viewing the country as offering significant opportunities in combining AI with existing engineering talent and services expertise.

Apple has reportedly trained a custom AI model for the China market alongside domestic tech giant Alibaba, a rare cross-border partnership that cuts across growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. The China-focused large language model was developed in partnership with Alibaba and trained with the company's support, Reuters reports, citing three unnamed people familiar with the matter. Developing a custom model of its own marks a departure from Apple's previous strateg

Another OpenAI executive is departing. Denise Dresser, who joined OpenAI as its chief revenue officer in December after serving as CEO of Slack, will be leaving in the "coming weeks" to "pursue other opportunities," she said in a team note posted to LinkedIn. Dali Rajic, president and COO of Wiz, will be taking over the CRO role, OpenAI says. Dresser's departure is just the latest in a string of major exits. Earlier this week, special projects lead and former COO Brad Lightcap

IBM plans to train and certify tens of thousands of consultants on OpenAI's technologies as part of this deal.
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