AI and Healthtech Surge: $500M for Ayar Labs and $150M for Grow Therapy Lead March Funding

On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, Ayar Labs and Grow Therapy secure significant funding rounds, highlighting a surge in investment for AI and healthtech startups. Ayar Labs, an MIT spinout, raises $500 million in a Series E round led by NVIDIA and AMD, while digital mental health platform Grow Therapy secures $150 million in a Series D round led by TCV and Goldman Sachs.

Ayar Labs Raises $500 Million to Accelerate Optical Interconnects

Ayar Labs, a pioneer in silicon-photonic chips, announces a $500 million Series E funding round. The deal, co-led by NVIDIA and AMD, values the company at approximately $3.8 billion. Additional investors include Neuberger Berman, MediaTek, and the Qatar Investment Authority.

The funding comes as data movement between AI processors becomes a critical bottleneck. Ayar's optical interconnects promise up to 20 times higher throughput per watt compared to traditional copper links. The new capital will support scaling manufacturing, expanding global operations, and accelerating the deployment of its co-packaged optics in AI systems.

Grow Therapy Secures $150 Million to Expand Mental Health Platform

Digital mental health platform Grow Therapy secures $150 million in a Series D round, bringing its total funding to $328 million. The round is led by TCV and Goldman Sachs' growth equity arm, with new investors BCI and Menlo Ventures joining existing backers.

Grow Therapy offers an AI-augmented therapy network that connects millions of insured patients with licensed therapists and psychiatrists. The platform's AI tools reduce provider note-taking time by 70% and provide between-session support, such as AI-powered journaling. The fresh capital will fund the expansion of its tech platform and network, which currently partners with over 125 health insurers covering 220 million people.

Industry Context and Implications

These high-impact raises signal increasing confidence in applied AI across healthcare, national systems, and enterprise security. Investors are prioritizing platforms that combine deep technical defensibility with systemic market leverage. Capital is flowing into startups solving complex coordination problems, whether in regulatory environments, real-time logistics, or multi-agent enterprise workflows.

Today’s funding activity spans photonic computing, mental health, cybersecurity, and home services, underscoring a global thesis: resilient tech infrastructure is now central to both economic and civic systems. Sector-aligned venture firms and strategic operators across AI infrastructure, healthtech, cybersecurity, and public systems are providing concentrated support.

References

• Top Startup and Tech Funding News – March 3, 2025 - Tech Startups