Proximal Ventures raises debut fund to back startups bringing AI to drug development

techcrunch.com Nov 11, 2026

Proximal Ventures raises debut fund to back startups bringing AI to drug development

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Nov 11, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Proximal Ventures, led by former SignalFire investor Sahir Raoof, secured $27.5 million for its inaugural fund, targeting startups that apply artificial intelligence to drug‑development services. Raoof argues AI can automate tasks traditionally outsourced by pharma—such as compound synthesis, manufacturing scale‑up, and clinical data analysis—reducing cost and time. The fund will place pre‑seed and seed checks of $500,000 to $1.5 million, and has already invested in seven companies, including ChronicleBio. Backers include SignalFire, Kleiner Perkins, and industry experts like Amy Abernethy.

💡 Why It Matters

· By funding AI‑driven service startups, Proximal Ventures could reshape the pharmaceutical supply chain, accelerating drug development and unlocking new revenue streams for life‑science companies.

AI Capsules Funding Startups

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Apple’s ‘Harbor’ app will make running local AI across multiple Macs trivial

Apple’s new app, Harbor, transforms multiple Macs into a private AI inference server, enabling local execution of open-weight large language models on Apple silicon. The app automatically detects Thunderbolt 5‑connected Macs, pools their unified memory, and manages model downloads and deployment without command‑line configuration. Harbor, formerly Fabric, is currently in private preview under the Claris brand and aims to simplify AI setup for researchers and developers who prefer on‑premises solutions.

💡 Harbor lowers the barrier to local AI deployment, giving users control over data privacy and reducing reliance on cloud services. Its plug‑and‑play clustering could accelerate experimentation and democratize access to powerful language models.

thehackernews.com · Nov 11

SGLang RCE Exploit Breaches NEAR AI, Steals Data From 18 Agents and…

An attacker exploited a remote‑code‑execution flaw in the open‑source SGLang inference engine, gaining access to a NEAR AI inference server. The breach exposed confidential requests processed in a trusted execution environment, allowing the attacker to download account details for roughly 100 users and data from 18 AI agents. Two customers’ NEAR AI Cloud API keys were logged and revoked. NEAR AI shut down affected services, deployed a patch, rotated credentials, and conducted a forensic review. The company has notified impacted users and is monitoring for further exposure.

💡 The incident underscores how vulnerabilities in open‑source components can penetrate even hardened environments, exposing sensitive user data and API keys. It highlights the need for rigorous patch management and continuous monitoring of third‑party code in AI infrastructure.

androidcentral.com · Nov 11

Google’s November Pixel Drop is massive, and older Pixel phones are getting…

Google’s November Pixel Drop delivers a substantial update to its smartphone line, extending Pixel‑11‑exclusive AI features to the Pixel 10 series. The rollout introduces Gemini Intelligence, enabling multi‑step tasks and personalized suggestions, and a new “Create My Widget” tool that generates home‑screen widgets from natural‑language prompts. Custom icon styles powered by Nano Banana AI are added, and Pixel Search expands to Pixel 6 and newer models. Pixel 11 users receive upgraded Gemini Call Screen and enhanced HiLight notifications. The update began rolling out on November 10, with support for additional devices in the coming weeks.

💡 By bringing advanced AI capabilities to older Pixel models, Google narrows the feature gap between generations, keeping its legacy devices competitive and extending the value of its ecosystem.

nextplatform.com · Nov 11

AMD Tunes Up CPUs For Agentic AI With “Venice” Epyc Processors

AMD announced its sixth‑generation “Venice” Epyc CPUs, built on the Zen‑6 microarchitecture, to meet the rising demands of agentic AI. The new chips enhance CPU orchestration of complex AI workflows, shifting the GPU‑to‑CPU ratio toward parity in data centers. AMD’s 46% market share and continued investment in Zen technology position it to compete with Intel and support the projected 43% annual growth of agentic AI. The release underscores a strategic pivot toward AI‑centric server workloads.

💡 The move signals a broader industry shift where CPUs, not GPUs, will drive the next wave of AI infrastructure, reshaping data‑center economics and competitive dynamics.

techcrunch.com · Nov 11

OpenAI, Anthropic face new oversight as New York’s AI safety law takes…

New York has launched a registration portal for large frontier AI developers, including Anthropic and OpenAI, under the RAISE Act, which takes effect January 1, 2027. The law requires companies with over $500 million in annual revenue to publish safety frameworks, report critical incidents within 72 hours, and release public model transparency reports. The Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT) will enforce the act, with penalties up to $3 million for repeated violations. Governor Kathy Hochul also unveiled the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research at Binghamton University, backed by $55 million in donations, to independently assess AI safety and collaborate with DIGIT.

💡 By imposing strict reporting and transparency mandates, New York sets a high regulatory benchmark that could pressure other states and the global AI industry to adopt similar safeguards, reshaping how advanced AI systems are monitored and held accountable.

news.microsoft.com · Nov 11

The Ohio State University and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership to accelerate…

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Microsoft Corp. have launched a five‑year strategic partnership to fuse the university’s clinical, research and educational expertise with Microsoft’s AI and cloud platforms. The collaboration will co‑develop a “smart hospital” model that integrates facility, operational and clinical‑support systems, initially deployed at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and James Outpatient Care facility, and later expanded to the new University Hospital. Both parties will migrate roughly 70‑80 % of the medical center’s storage and compute workloads—including digital pathology, imaging and electronic health‑record backups—to Microsoft Azure, creating a more secure, resilient infrastructure. A unified data foundation built on Microsoft Fabric and OneLake will link clinical, operational and research data, while AI tools will assist clinicians and accelerate scientific discovery. The alliance also aims to broaden AI skill training and certification for students and Ohio communities.

💡 By embedding Azure‑based AI and data services directly into hospital operations, the partnership creates a replicable blueprint for next‑generation, technology‑driven patient care that can be scaled across health systems.