E181: OpenAI in talks for $40B raise at $300B valuation; Skild AI nears $4B valuation with $500M SoftBank investment; ElevenLabs raises $180M, triples valuation to $3.3B; X’s cash reserves drop 71% as bankers offload $3B in debt; Quince raises $120M as re

The pre-IPO market is experiencing significant valuation surges driven by aggressive investments in artificial intelligence and robotics. OpenAI is currently negotiating a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, aiming for a $300 billion valuation—a 91% increase since late 2024—supported by projected revenues of $12 billion for 2025. This momentum extends to the robotics sector, where Skild AI is seeking a $4 billion valuation and Figure AI has seen its secondary market value jump 87% following a major commercial deal to ship 100,000 humanoid robots. Meanwhile, social media platform X faces a complex recovery with cash reserves plunging 71% to $400 million despite stabilizing its adjusted EBITDA. In the crypto and aerospace sectors, Kraken is leveraging a shifting regulatory environment to relaunch U.S. staking services, while SpaceX is expanding its total addressable market by integrating Starlink satellite messaging directly into iPhones via a partnership with T-Mobile and Apple.