Today's Entrepreneurship Pulse
Cognition secures over $1 billion in funding, hits $25 billion pre‑money valuation
AI coding startup Cognition announced a financing round that raised more than $1 billion, valuing the company at $25 billion before money. The round was led by Lux Capital and General Catalyst and included Founders Fund, 8VC, Ribbit Capital, Atreides and Layer Global.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Birchal raises $800K in down round valuing company at $5M
Important Lessons From Running a Successful Video Game Crowdfunding Campaign
At GDC Festival of Gaming 2026, Playable Worlds’ vice‑president Niina Fujioka detailed how their Kickstarter campaign for the MMORPG *Stars Reach* exceeded its goal by over four times. The success stemmed from a story‑focused trailer, a modest funding target, and rapid early backing that boosted platform algorithms. Post‑campaign, the studio maintained momentum through community playtests and a 60,000‑member mailing list. Fujioka warned that crowdfunding’s triumph is only the start; sustained engagement and realistic timelines are essential to deliver the final product.
Network Effects Are the Blueprint for Defensible Startups
James Currier joined my Modern Brand and Community Playbook class at USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for the 4th year running. 💥 Network effects are a foundational factor in my playbook. You cannot build a defensible business without...
Bootstrapped Success: Define Enough, Share Wealth, Out‑Care Competition
I’m bringing my friend @wilreynolds into the Make More Money program for a fireside chat. If you don’t know Wil. he founded @SeerInteractive in his living room in 2002. Built it to 200+ people, fully bootstrapped. Turned down $50M in acquisition...
SBI, Sony Back Startale’s $63 Million Push to Expand Japan’s Tokenized Finance Stack
Startale Group closed a $63 million Series A round, secured by SBI Group ($50 million) and Sony Innovation Fund ($13 million). The Singapore‑based firm builds blockchain infrastructure, including the Strium tokenized‑securities ledger, JPYSC and USDSC stablecoins, and a consumer‑facing app. The capital will be...
M1X Global Raises $3m to Scale On-Chain Sovereign Finance
M1X Global, a public‑private partnership with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, announced the public launch of its on‑chain sovereign finance platform and closed an oversubscribed $3 million angel round. The funding, sourced from prominent crypto‑finance figures and the Stellar Development...
Tech‑Heavy Startups Dominate Harmonic Q2 List with Minimal Overlap
Harmonic just dropped its Q2 '26 Hot 25 list, featuring the early stage companies seeing the most investor interest on @Harmonic_AI's platform. My biggest takeaways: Almost zero competition between these products. Every quarter, this list has multiple clusters of startups all sort...
Human‑first WhatsApp Support: Gen Z Chat as Competitive Edge
I want to hire a 25 year old Gen Zer to sit on WhatsApp all day chatting with our customers In a world of ai, I’m focused on things we can do that are more human, and don’t scale The idea of...
Swiss Orbital Tug Startup Pave Space Raises $40 Million
Swiss startup Pave Space announced a $40 million private funding round to develop a reusable orbital tug and conduct a demonstration flight. The round was led by Visionaries Club and Creandum, with participation from several European investors. Originating as a student‑led...
From One Child to Three: Parenting Redefines Me
One day I’m going to tell you all of the story about how I believed that since I built a business with ONE child without losing my mind, I could build a business with THREE children & not lose my...
Friendly Bubble Robot Tackles Senior Loneliness in U.S.
EXCLUSIVE: in a sea of Terminator-looking bots, Aussie founder Grace Brown took a different direction for her robot, Abi: color, bubbles, and fun. Now her startup Andromeda, which has raised $16.6M, is launching for senior homes across the U.S. - with...
Y Combinator-Backed Mandel AI Raises $3.9M to Automate Global Supply Chains
Mandel AI, a Y Combinator‑backed startup, secured $3.9 million in seed funding to launch an AI‑driven supply‑chain coordinator. The platform sits atop existing email and ERP systems, using specialized agents to read supplier messages, reconcile purchase orders and invoices, and act...
Trayd Raises $10M, Slashes Payroll Time 28x
Congrats to Trayd on their $10M Series A! Specialty trade contractors deal with union rules, multistate labor laws, and a ton of manual back-office work. Trayd automates payroll, HR, and compliance for them, cutting a 14-hour weekly process down to under...
Talk to Users, Not Just Add Features
Your side project doesn't need more features. It needs more conversations with the people using it.
Meet the Canadian E-Bike Maker Who Is Redefining the Factory Floor
Toronto‑based Beachman Motor Co. assembles all‑electric, retro‑styled motorcycles using mostly Chinese‑made components, employing about a dozen staff in a scaled‑down plant. The flagship Beachman ’64 retails for roughly $4,400 USD and targets urban commuters seeking a simple, design‑forward ride. After a...
Pivot Gracefully: Align Research, Preserve Relationships
When UX researchers present findings that contradict the feature you just spent three months building based on the PM's gut feeling. THE GOLDEN PLAYBOOK FOR PIVOTING WITHOUT BURNING BRIDGES:
Happy Pay Secures $5M Seed to Expand BNPL Across Africa
𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗕𝘂𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿” 🇿🇦 South African fintech Happy Pay has raised $5 million in seed funding, in a round led by global venture capital firm Partech, 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀...
Adonis Raises $40M Series C to Strengthen Healthcare Revenue Cycle
Adonis announced a $40 million Series C round to accelerate its revenue‑cycle platform for healthcare providers. The funding, led by a mix of existing and new investors, will support product expansion and deeper market penetration. CEO Akash Magoon highlighted persistent challenges such as...
Invest in Founders, Not Categories: Glimpse’s Success
Heard this from VCs? "You're great, but your category isn't." I invest in top-notch founders, not categories. Case study: Akash Raju , Anuj Mehta , and Kushal Negi at Glimpse . Started out in a completely different business. But got...
Eunice Raises $8m to Transform Alternative Asset Due Diligence
London‑based Eunice, which builds AI‑driven due‑diligence infrastructure for regulated markets, announced an $8 million seed round led by Moonfire Ventures and Speedinvest, with participation from Openspace Ventures and a roster of high‑profile angel investors. The funding will accelerate the rollout of...
Active Angel Investing: Relationships Drive Monumental Returns
I had one of the legends of angel and seed investing on Uncapped, @RonConway. He's the founder of SV Angel been an early backer of companies like Google, Facebook, Airbnb, and many more. We talked about the evolution of tech, being...
Inside GoodGood Golf's Secrets to Explosive Growth
Played 3 holes with @goodgood_golf and picked their brains on how they became the fastest-growing golf channel in the world ⛳️ Full video out now https://t.co/DJXv7h8kGj https://t.co/7TQAdLndnV
Sift Raises $42 Million in Series B Round
Sift, a Southern California startup founded by former SpaceX engineers, announced a $42 million Series B round led by StepStone Group with participation from Google Ventures and other investors. The capital will be used to grow its engineering team and enhance its...
VCs Fund Performance, Not Just Thesis Alignment
The thing that will make a VC want to fund you is not how well you match their (claimed) investment thesis. It's the same thing that will make every other VC want to fund you: how well you're doing.
Show Up Directly, Customers Forgive Rough Products
No dashboard. No portal. Manual operations. Sarah Ahmad got on Zoom with every single early customer. She says people forgive a rough product when you show up and solve their problem directly. https://t.co/yYvLbzjEa1
Thesis Care (Formerly Trovo Health) Secures $45M to Scale AI-Powered Clinical Care Teams
Thesis Care, formerly Trovo Health, closed a $45 million Series A round led by Oak HC/FT, bringing total funding to $60 million. Founded in 2024 by ex‑Cedar executives, the startup uses AI agents backed by clinicians‑in‑the‑loop to automate end‑to‑end clinical workflows. By delivering...
Ex‑SpaceX Engineer Unveils an $80 Plastic‑free Coffeemaker as Microplastic Health Risks Rise
Former SpaceX engineer John C. Foster launched Puresteel, a plastic‑free coffee maker priced around $80. The device uses medical‑grade stainless steel and glass, eliminating polymer components that can shed microplastics into brewed water. Foster cites recent studies linking microplastic exposure...
Qualified Health Raises $125M to Scale Generative AI in Health Systems
Qualified Health, a public‑benefit AI firm, closed a $125 million Series B led by NEA, adding investors such as Transformation Capital and Anthropic. The round will fund expansion of its generative‑AI platform that offers governance, risk‑alert, privacy safeguards and workflow automation for...
Innovation Proves the Product Works
Dymeka Harrison, a commercialization veteran, argues that breakthrough products alone don’t guarantee lasting companies; adoption hinges on disciplined commercial execution. She cites the 70‑90% startup failure rate as largely driven by underdeveloped commercial foundations. Harrison outlines a holistic commercial system—segmentation,...
Blume Ventures-Backed Zivy Pivots To Fintech Compliance Amid Rise Of AI Agents
AI startup Zivy, backed by Blume Ventures, announced it will cease operations on March 31, 2026 after struggling to convert users into paying customers. The Bengaluru‑based firm, which raised $1.2 million in a September 2024 pre‑seed round, saw demand evaporate as...
Asclepius MedTech Limited Named Winner of Big Ideas Challenge
Leeds‑based Asclepius MedTech Limited won the Mayor’s Big Ideas Challenge, receiving £100,000 (≈ $127,000) to scale its Surgfit remote monitoring system. Surgfit uses a disposable wearable sensor to replace hospital visits for pre‑ and post‑operative assessments, aiming to reduce missed risk...
From 67 No’s to Nationwide: How Magic Mind Built Its Functional Shot Business
Magic Mind transformed a niche 2‑ounce functional shot into a nationwide retail brand after surviving 67 investor rejections and years of product refinement. The caffeine‑and‑botanical blend, offered in three potency levels, leverages nano‑encapsulation technology to promise five‑times better absorption than...
How Fear of Failure Strangles Your Fundraising — and Your Career
Many organizations prioritize avoiding failure, which hampers fundraising innovation. The article argues that embracing failure is essential because most new ideas start as bad and only through experimentation can successful concepts emerge. It notes that effective fundraising tactics decay over...
Feels Launches Its Video Music-Messaging App with Major Deals
US‑based startup Feels has launched a video music‑messaging app that lets users send 15‑second lyrical clips as a keyboard extension on iOS and Android. The company has secured licensing agreements with all three major record labels and their publishing arms,...
‘Wealth Doesn’t Erase Your Problems—It Magnifies Them’: One Serial Entrepreneur’s Brutally Honest Take on Making It
Emily Lyons, a Toronto‑based serial entrepreneur, turned an $80 startup into a multimillion‑dollar event‑staffing firm and luxury dating service. Despite hitting profitability and being named Entrepreneur of the Year, she admits wealth triggered deep‑seated anxiety from a childhood of financial...
Krvvy and Ugees Partner to Expand Product Ecosystems and Drive D2C Growth
Krvvy, a women’s innerwear and shapewear brand, and Ugees, an intimate‑wear wash brand, announced a strategic partnership to broaden their product ecosystems and drive direct‑to‑consumer growth. The collaboration will enable cross‑selling and post‑purchase care, aiming to improve retention and lower...
A New Business Podcast Explores How Leaders Build with Purpose in Complex Times
Catch The Upswing, a new weekly business and leadership podcast, launches on March 25, 2026, hosted by global finance executive Jessica Espinoza. The show features candid conversations with leaders ranging from former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres to media researcher...
Food Delivery Is Expensive, And Rapido Wants It Fixed
Rapido officially launched Ownly, a standalone food‑delivery app in Bengaluru on March 3, 2026, backed by roughly $15 million (₹125 cr) from Nexus Venture Partners. The platform targets the 70,000 FSSAI‑licensed restaurants absent from Swiggy and Zomato, offering a zero‑commission model that...
Dream Sports to Launch Stockbroking Platform Dream Street
Dream Sports, the parent of fantasy‑sports platform Dream11, announced it will launch a stockbroking service called Dream Street. The brokerage, aimed at retail investors, builds on the company’s recent wealth‑management app Dream Money and will tap the large Dream11 user...
Ramraj Cotton Sprucing up Systems and Tech with 2030 IPO in Mind: Founder
Ramraj Cotton, the Indian ethnic‑wear label famed for modernising the dhoti, is gearing its operations for a public listing by 2030. Founder K R Nagarajan aims for a ₹10,000 crore (≈$1.2 billion) turnover before the IPO, while rolling out professional systems, senior hires and...
Kerem Proulx and Kyle Bhiro
Pensar, a startup that delivers continuous penetration testing through AI agents, closed a seed round led by Basis Set Ventures to accelerate its platform. Co‑founders Kerem Proulx and Kyle Bhiro combine deep cybersecurity expertise with entrepreneurial experience to embed security...
OpenAI Pulls the Plug on Sora, Ends $1 Billion Disney Deal
OpenAI has abruptly shut down Sora, its generative‑video service, ending a $1 billion partnership with Disney. The move signals a strategic pivot toward enterprise AI and developer tooling as competition intensifies.
Peter Thiel‑Backed Halter Raises $220 Million, Valued at $2 Billion
Halter, the New Zealand‑founded AI cattle‑collar company backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, closed a $220 million Series round, lifting its valuation to $2 billion. The funding will fuel expansion into Australia and the United States and underscores venture capital’s appetite for deep‑tech...
Microneedle Vaccine Patch Company Raises $50M for Pivot to GLP-1 Delivery
Terrestrial Bio, the microneedle vaccine patch pioneer originally founded as Vaxess Technologies, announced a $50 million Series B financing round to shift its focus from vaccines to GLP‑1 peptide delivery. The capital, led by a consortium of biotech investors, will fund clinical...
Exclusive: YC Doubles Down On Trayd, A Construction Tech Startup That Just Raised $10M In 3 Weeks
Trayd, a New York‑based construction‑tech startup, closed a $10 million Series A led by White Star Capital, bringing its total financing to $17 million. The SaaS platform automates payroll, HR, compliance and labor‑cost tracking for specialty trade contractors, shrinking a 14‑hour manual process...
Sherweb Raises $125M to Expand Cloud Marketplace and MSP Services
Sherweb secured a $125 million minority investment from Investissement Québec to fund its next growth phase. The capital will expand its cloud marketplace and MSP enablement platform, building on the recent MicroWarehouse acquisition that gave it over 7,500 partners in North America...
After Pivoting, Y Combinator Grad Glimpse Raises $35M Led by A16z
Fintech startup Glimpse announced a $35 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from 8VC and Y Combinator. The company, a Y Combinator graduate, pivoted from an Airbnb product‑placement venture to an AI‑driven platform that automates retailer...
Renasens Closes €10m Seed to Scale Textile Recycling
Swedish deep‑tech startup Renasens closed a €10 million seed round (about $11 million) to build a pilot plant in Borås, Sweden, for its waterless, chemical‑free textile recycling platform. The technology uses supercritical carbon dioxide to dissolve polymer chains, enabling the separation of...
Arvo Platform Builds Bridge Between Farmers and Online Shoppers
In this episode of Real Agriculture, Whitney Shaw of Arvo and Sam Jenkins of Punch Card Systems discuss Arvo, an online farmer's market platform that connects local producers directly with consumers. Arvo was conceived to replace informal listings on sites...
Newcode to Hire 30 in Dublin as It Establishes Irish Presence
Norwegian legal‑tech startup Newcode secured a seed round of over €5.7 million (≈$6.2 million) backed by Alliance VC, The LegalTech Fund and other investors. With this capital, the company will establish an Irish hub in Dublin, hiring 30 employees in its first...