13 Mar 2026AMI Labs $1B Seed, NScale $2B C, Anthropic Sue, Lovable & Sequoia Join
2:13:3016 min
Nominal Raises $80M at $1B: Software for Hardware Testing
Nominal's Cameron and Sophie announce an $80M round at a $1B valuation — a preemptive 'acceleration round' led by Founders Fund following last year's $75M Sequoia round, catalyzed in part by Trae Stephens hearing demand from Anduril. They position Nominal as the software platform for hardware testing and operations, noting customers now stream 12 million data points per second and that the 'test never ends' once hardware is operational. They also discuss hiring bored-but-obsessed engineers over pedigree hires, the waterproof retro product catalog as a brand play, and a future where agents take on routine analysis while engineers keep the judgment.