What's happening: Machina Labs raises $124M Series C to build AI-driven intelligent factory
Machina Labs closed a $124 million Series C round led by Woven Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures and the Strategic Development Fund. The capital will fund a 200,000‑square‑foot Intelligent Factory in the United States, featuring up to 50 RoboCraftsman cells that produce complex metal assemblies for defense, aerospace and automotive customers.
Also developing:
Evvolve & Partners has launched the Evvolve Circle, an invitation‑only consortium that links family offices and ultra‑high‑net‑worth investors with institutional‑scale private‑market deal flow. The network delivers a confidential framework for shared due diligence, proprietary deal exchange and direct co‑investment across venture, credit and real‑asset opportunities. Members gain access to the Evvolve Market Intelligence Report and strategic syndication tools, while curated 2026 assemblies in London and continental Europe provide high‑density networking. The initiative emphasizes rigorous underwriting standards and regulatory compliance to combat deal fatigue and fragmentation.
Vlad Tenev: California is killing the golden goose https://lnkd.in/gi_PUuHa
Former McKinsey senior partner emeritus Franck Le Deu has joined Aulis Capital as a venture partner. Aulis, the Hong Kong‑based fund launched by veteran Chinese VC Nisa Le Ung, will back emerging biotech and health‑tech companies across Asia and the West. Le Deu, who...
After four years of falling series A activity, biotech start‑up financing stabilized in 2025. The number of companies raising series A remained flat versus 2024, while total dollars raised increased. BioCentury’s analysis shows a broader revival, with round sizes, investor profiles, and...
Here are a few items you should always say "no way" to when structuring an engagement letter with an investment bank: 1. Ongoing monthly retainers Ongoing monthly retainer fees could incent the banker to stretch out the process unnecessarily. Opt rather for...
Today, the only companies getting headlines are tripling year on year. The landscape is ripe with talk of startup vs. incumbent. AI FOMO is real. And… what the heck is RevTech? Join me Monday on Run The Numbers as I tackle...
Elon Musk announced the merger of SpaceX and his AI startup xAI, creating a unified "everything" conglomerate that could reshape Silicon Valley’s power dynamics. With a personal net worth near $800 billion, Musk positions the combined entity to accelerate innovation across...
🧔♂️ Non-AI startups: - Lots CSMs (vs FDEs) - AI is slow / noncompetitive, not true #1 focus of company - Not gaining market share - Customers don’t want to pay 2x-10x more for AI Agent (honest truth: not great) - Still very large teams...
Thank you Adeo for having me, and I'm excited to do this with the Venture Underground team this coming week in SF!

ElevenLabs announced a $500 million raise as it prepares for an IPO, underscoring the surge in AI‑driven startups. Spotify‑backed Soundtrack acquired Tunify and Ambie, aiming to combine local market reach with global scale. Germany topped January’s European tech funding, highlighted by...
pricing on openai vs. anthropic is interesting and i think oai is missing out for example, chatgpt biz for $25/month buys you all the value prop of the service - i never hit rate limits meanwhile, claude pro for $20/month i max...

Vertical software has fallen 43% this year. DevTools, just 21%. The gap between them, twenty-two percentage points, tells you what markets actually believe about AI. https://t.co/D8KOXY1iu6

Taranis Capital Limited has secured formal acknowledgement from the Dubai Financial Services Authority for its newly created Taranis Disruptive Tech Fund LP. The fund, filed in November 2025, targets high‑impact technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, fintech, advanced analytics...

$255K in profit from fixing how gyms sell. Live on @acquiredotcom: hardware + SaaS that turns in store visits into guided consults, subs, and recurring revenue for gyms. > $1.16M TTM revenue > $255K TTM profit > 206% YoY growth Full listing: https://t.co/8TlNbA4mqT https://t.co/H2XkQg3xJK

Chiral, a Zurich‑based nanotechnology spin‑off from ETH Zurich and Empa, announced a $12 million seed round led by Crane Venture Partners, with participation from Quantonation, HCVC, Founderful and public funding from Innosuisse. The financing follows a 2024 pre‑seed round and will...
"VCs are OK in the Age of AI with tons of competition. But they aren't OK if the growth isn't just ... insane." @tbpn https://t.co/6XVHHmKshC
In this episode, host Tom Britton talks with Michael Langguth, founding partner of Carbon 13, about why Europe’s climate‑tech breakthroughs will come from large industrial players rather than consumer‑focused apps. Langguth explains the “green discount” – the cost advantage of deep‑tech...

Temasek Trust’s Catalytic Capital for Climate & Health (C3H) is emerging as a key early‑stage investor for climate and health tech startups across Asia. By providing patient capital to ventures such as Notpla, Dozee and Equatic, C3H aims to bridge...

pHathom Technologies, a Halifax‑based cleantech firm, announced a $4 million funding round led by Propeller Ventures, with participation from NBIF, Invest Nova Scotia and Carmeuse Ventures. The infusion brings the company’s total capital raised to $12 million since its 2024 launch. pHathom...

Lawhive announced a $60 million Series B round led by Danaher co‑founder Mitch Rales, adding to a $40 million Series A raised less than a year earlier. The UK‑originated legal‑tech firm now reports over $35 million in annual revenue—a seven‑fold increase in 12 months—and operates...

Capalo AI, a Helsinki‑based sustainable‑tech firm, secured €11 million in a Series A round. The financing was led by Heartcore Capital with participation from Tesi, VentureFriends, PROfounders, Inventure, Innovestor and family offices. The capital will fund expansion into additional European markets in...

Daytona announced a $24 million Series A round led by FirstMark Capital, with participation from Pace Capital, Upfront Ventures, E2VC, Darkmode, Datadog, and Figma Ventures. The startup offers programmatic, composable sandboxes that act as "computers for every AI agent," enabling instant startup,...
Shuvi Shrivastava, a Lightspeed partner and advisor in India, leverages a decade‑long tech and consulting background to back internet‑first businesses, especially fintech. Raised across small‑town India and educated abroad, she embodies the post‑1991 liberalization generation that grew up online. Her...
Markato, founded in 2023, is a curated wholesale marketplace that links premium global brands with vetted retailers throughout Asia. The platform secured seed‑stage investments from LSVP and LSIP during its launch year. Lightspeed partners Rahul Taneja and Dat Han joined...

Fintech platform Vennre announced a $9.6 million pre‑Series A round, co‑led by Vision Ventures and anb seed fund, with participation from Sanabil 500, Ace & Co, Plus VC and strategic investors. The hybrid equity‑debt financing will fund the digitisation of private‑market access for MENA’s high‑earning, not‑yet‑rich...

CollegeDekho reported a flat top line of Rs 221.6 crore for FY25, barely up from the prior year, while its net loss widened 19% to Rs 151 crore. Advertising and promotional expenses surged 31% to Rs 126 crore, becoming the largest cost driver, even as employee‑benefit...

The post highlights a stark valuation split in software stocks as vertical SaaS companies plunge 43% YTD while dev‑tools decline only 21%, reflecting market pricing of AI risk. It argues that despite strong moats, vertical firms’ slower 8% growth triggers...

Sapiom, founded by former Shopify payments director Ilan Zerbib, announced a $15 million seed round led by Accel to build a financial layer that lets AI agents automatically purchase and authenticate external services. The platform aims to automate micro‑payments and credential...
Angitia Biopharmaceuticals raised a $130 million Series D round, marking its second nine‑digit financing in just over a year after a $120 million Series C and following multiple nine‑figure Series B raises. New investors Frazier Life Sciences and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners joined existing backers,...
It's kind of comical to think that 10 years ago VC's thought that selling mattresses and luggage online was innovation.
VAST Data is closing a $1 billion financing round that values the AI‑focused storage vendor at roughly $30 billion. The bulk of the cash will come from a secondary sale where existing shareholders dump 5‑6 shares for each new issue, generating $700‑$850 million...
Lunar Energy, a Mountain View‑based provider of integrated home battery systems and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) software, closed an oversubscribed $102 million Series D financing. The round was led by B Capital and Prelude Ventures and follows an unannounced $130 million Series C led...
1/ 2+ years ago I advised the shift from SaaS to Hard Tech Why? Because I saw a signal. It wasn't from Buffett. It was from Xi Jinping. He signaled software was done + aerospace, defense, biotech + hardware was next.

AI‑focused startups such as Clay, Linear and ElevenLabs are increasingly using secondary tender offers to let employees sell shares at soaring valuations, with Clay’s latest offering pricing stock at $5 billion, up 60% from its August valuation. These deals contrast with...
Indian fashion quick‑commerce startup ZILO secured $15.3 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners. The capital will fund scaling of its 60‑minute delivery model that includes home trials and instant returns. ZILO, founded by former Flipkart and Myntra executives,...
Israeli weather‑data startup Tomorrow.io announced a $175 million financing round to launch DeepSky, an AI‑native satellite constellation. The company has already deployed 13 smallsats that deliver a 60‑minute global revisit, feeding its AI‑driven analytics platform used across critical industries. DeepSky will...

Willie’s Remedy+, an Austin‑based maker of THC‑infused social tonics, secured $15 million in Series A financing. The round was led by Left Lane Capital with participation from Second Sight Ventures. CEO Greg Serrao plans to deploy the capital toward national retail expansion...

Goodfire, a San Francisco AI interpretability startup, secured $150 million in Series B financing. The round was led by B Capital and featured both existing backers and new investors such as Salesforce Ventures and Eric Schmidt. The capital will accelerate frontier research,...
Duna, an AI-native business identity platform operating from Amsterdam and Berlin, closed a €30 million Series A round. The financing was led by CapitalG with participation from existing backers Index Ventures, Puzzle Ventures and Snowflake chairman Frank Slootman. The new capital lifts...

Advance, a New York‑based fintech, raised $8.55 million in seed funding to scale its insurance‑focused payment platform. The round was led by nvp Capital with participation from Crystal Ventures, Vesey Ventures, Mensch Capital, and strategic angels such as Assaf Wand. Funds...
Washington‑based SENAI, an online video intelligence platform, closed a $6.2 million seed round led by 10D Ventures, with participation from FS Ventures, 1948 Ventures and investor Jonathan Kolber. The company transforms unstructured online video into geo‑specific, real‑time intelligence to counter security...
Feltsense Holdings announced a $5.1 million seed round led by Draper Associates, with participation from Precursor Ventures, Liquid2 Ventures and several prominent founders. The capital will fund the development of AI agents designed to act as fully autonomous founders—ideating, building,...
Global venture capital funding surged to $55 billion in January 2026, more than doubling the year‑ago level and rising over 50 percent from December. The United States accounted for roughly 70 percent of the capital, with AI‑focused startups receiving 57 percent of all funding....

London‑based legal‑tech firm Lawhive announced a $60 million Series B round, led by Danaher co‑founder Mitch Rales and backed by investors such as GV, Balderton Capital and TQ Ventures. The capital will accelerate Lawhive’s AI‑native platform rollout across the United States, where...

Calgary‑based AgTech startup Brilliant Harvest announced a $4 million USD seed round, led by returning investors Builders VC and AltaML and joined by FTW Ventures, Alpaca VC, Automotive Ventures, SVG Ventures and NYA Ventures. The AI‑driven platform, which parses technical manuals...

Seventeen years after its launch, Bitcoin is increasingly viewed as a viable investment, driven by near‑full supply mining, institutional adoption, and global accessibility. However, its price volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and lack of income generation remain significant drawbacks. Investors must weigh...

In this episode, Eric Yuan recounts his journey from a frustrated employee at a video‑conferencing startup to founding Zoom, detailing the company’s rapid 30‑fold expansion during the COVID‑19 pandemic. He explains how Zoom scaled its technology, culture, and operations to...

Romanian EdTech startup Kinderpedia secured €2.2 million in a growth‑stage round led by Simpact Ventures, part of a €3.5 million target. The AI‑powered platform now serves schools in over 40 countries, reaching more than 500,000 teachers, parents and administrators. Funds will accelerate...

Finnish laser maker Vexlum announced a €10 million financing round to expand its semiconductor laser production. The round includes €6 million equity led by venture firm Kvanted, participation from state‑owned Tesi and the EU‑backed EIC Fund, a €2.4 million EIC Accelerator grant, and...

AI infrastructure specialist Cerebras Systems announced a $1 billion Series H round, valuing the company at roughly $23 billion. The round was led by Tiger Global and featured investors such as Benchmark, Fidelity, AMD and Coatue. Cerebras’ flagship Wafer Scale Engine 3 claims more...