Gradient January Roundup

Hey there! This newsletter is being sent from the slopes at Jackson Hole, Wyoming with our founders. ⛷️ 

2025 has gotten off to a hot start in the AI world; let’s dig in.

Recent Funding

• Fazeshift raises $4 million to bring AI agents to accounts receivable (Axios)

• Kerna emerges from stealth to enhance mRNA therapy precision (Endpoints)

• Arva secures $3 million for its AI-enabled platform for automating AML and KYB verification (Axios)

• Backline emerges from stealth with $9 million for its AI security agents that automatically remediate security vulnerabilities (TechCrunch)

Portfolio Spotlights

Writer’s May Habib discusses AI agents with Axios

FlutterFlow, Rad AI, and Stairwell featured in Business Insider’s next unicorns

What do an app-building platform that's revolutionizing mobile development, an AI reshaping how doctors handle medical documentation, and a cybersecurity innovator have in common? They're all Gradient-backed companies that just made Business Insider's list of future unicorns. 🦄 

Read the entire article in Business Insider

Spline launches Spell, a model to generate 3D worlds in a matter of minutes

Read more on X

Paladin Drones has transformed emergency response capabilities in the Southwest area through their innovative partnership with the DeSoto Police Department. Together, thye’ve implemented an advanced first-responder drone program that significantly reduces response times to emergencies. Paladin’s sophisticated DJI 30T system operates autonomously from its docking station and can navigate beyond visual line of sight, allowing for rapid deployment in critical situations. Through Paladin's comprehensive training and technical support, the DeSoto department leverages the system's thermal imaging capabilities to locate missing persons and provide crucial aerial assistance during structure fires, positioning DeSoto PD at the forefront of public safety technology.

Read more on Metro News

Featured Blogs

DeepSeek R1 on CentML

CentML has demonstrated the value of deep parallel computing optimization by rapidly deploying DeepSeek's R1 model with industry-leading performance metrics. While DeepSeek's breakthrough came partly from hardware-level optimizations—including custom PTX compiler code and mixed precision training—such expertise is typically limited to a small number of specialized teams. CentML's platform makes these advanced optimization capabilities accessible to all developers, enabling optimal performance across major models and chips without requiring expertise in low-level hardware optimization.

Read more on Gradient

What we are reading

DeepSeek-V3 Technical Report (arxiv)

Portfolio opportunities

• Rootly wants a Senior Product Manager who can help make global enterprises more reliable through world-class incident management. Apply here.

• Infisical is looking for an Enterprise Account Executive to help grow its customer base. Apply here.

• Cake is on the hunt for a Principal Solutions Engineer who can help bring cutting-edge AI accessible to every business. Apply here.

• CentML is hiring a Machine Learning Systems Engineer to further its mission to massively reduce the cost of developing and deploying ML models. Apply here.

See you next month!

Gradient