AnalytixInsight

After a promising start last week, Dow Jones ended the week down ~1%, S&P 500 fell 1.5%, and Nasdaq composite lost 2.6%. CoreWeave raised US$1.5 billion in its IPO Thursday, a smaller amount than it had expected. OpenAI expects its revenue will triple to US$12.7 billion this year. X and xAI will be merged, in a combination that values xAI at US$80 billion and X at US$33 billion. EToro Group filed for an IPO, showing revenue tripled last year. The IPO of Cerebras Systems, which designs semiconductors for AI, has stalled. BYD’s sales surged 29% last year, topping US$100 billion. Tesla is aiming to produce first “legion” of Optimus robots this 2025. AppLovin shares tumbled as much as 13% Thursday after Muddy Waters issued a short report. Google says tech is ‘5 years out from a real breakout’. Some European companies and government agencies are thinking about dumping cloud services from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google in favor of European providers. Apple will reportedly spend US$1 billion on NVIDIA servers for AI. Robinhood will roll out checking and savings accounts later this year to its paying “Gold” subscribers. In Canadian news pertaining to Sophic Capital clients, Intermap reported strong 2024 results, with revenue rising significantly to US$17.6 million from US$6.2 million in 2023, the Company guided for continued robust growth in 2025, forecasting revenues between US$30–35 million and ~28% adjusted EBITDA margins. Plurilock entered into a strategic partnership with cybersecurity giant Forcepoint. American Aires expanded its market awareness through a featured segment on the reality TV show “Military Makeover with Montel®,”. Boardwalktech partnered with Trillium Digital Services to strengthen its supply chain solutions. In other Canadian news, Descartes Systems made a US$164.4 million acquisition. EMERGE is acquiring golf apparel company Tee 2 Green in a US$2.2 million deal expected to push EMERGE to positive cash flow.

Last week, Dow Jones rose 1.2%, S&P 500 gained 0.5%, Nasdaq moved up 0.2% — a welcome sign after successive weeks of declines. CoreWeave is seeking an IPO valuation of US$27– US$32 billion, even as some investors question the company’s heavy debt load and capital intensive business model. Ticket reseller StubHub filed for an IPO. StubHub rival Vivid Seats has seen its stock price fall by more than 45% over the past year, and reportedly is seeking a buyer. Perplexity is in talks to raise US$500 million to US$1 billion at a US$18 billion post money valuation. Google will acquire the cybersecurity startup Wiz for US$32 billion. SoftBank is acquiring Ampere Computing, a chip design startup, for US$6.5 billion in cash. Accenture stock fell 7.3% after the firm said efforts to tighten U.S. federal spending are starting to weigh on its revenues. Nvidia unveiled a slew of new software for robotics, including a simulator it made with Disney and Google’s help. Boston Dynamics demonstrated another major leap in humanoid mobility. Robinhood is getting into prediction-betting markets just in time for March Madness. BYD unveiled its new super-charging EV tech, to build a charging network in China. In Canada, Shopify will transfer its US stock listing to Nasdaq, from NYSE. SolarBank announced an equity financing of up to US$19 million. Tribe Property Technologies announce a Non-Brokered Private Placement of ~$800K led by its senior leadership team. In news pertaining to Sophic clients, Boardwalktech announced the closing of an initial tranche of its Non-Brokered Private Placement for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $1.1 million. Intermap’s global insurance business is off to a strong start in 2025 with awards surpassing $1.1 million. Legend Power’s voltage adherence risk measurement led to an accelerated purchase order. Cybeats provided a market update for critical infrastructure & energy sectors. Streamlined Communications, an Xcyte Digital company, joined London Stock Exchange’s marketplace. Plurilock received multiple industry awards recognizing its leadership in cybersecurity innovation and service excellence.