U.S. startup xLight, based in Palo Alto, has secured $40 million in Series B funding led by Playground Global, with participation from Boardman Bay Capital Management and Morpheus Ventures. The company is developing advanced laser technology aimed at semiconductor manufacturing, specifically a new class of laser for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines in partnership with ASML. Separately, Lumotive, a semiconductor startup specializing in optical chip technology as an alternative to lidar, extended its Series B funding from $45 million to $59 million, including investment from Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund. In the biotech sector, MapLight Therapeutics announced a $372.5 million Series D financing round to advance its schizophrenia treatment candidate through phase 2 trials, positioning itself as a challenger to Bristol-Myers Squibb's drug Cobenfy. Additionally, Qualigen Therapeutics completed a $4.5 million private placement of Series A-3 convertible preferred stock, and Celyad Oncology announced a €1 million private placement.