Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Ramp projects $1.4 billion ARR as it gears up for IPO
Fintech startup Ramp says it will reach a $1.4 billion annual recurring revenue run rate this quarter, up from the $1 billion reported in September. The company cites a 70% year‑over‑year increase in its customer base and expects about $125 million in free cash flow for the year.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Beeline Medicines raises $300M Series A
AI Seed Startups Command $40‑$45M Valuations, Doubling Deal Sizes in 2024‑25
AI‑focused seed companies are routinely raising $10 million at $40‑$45 million post‑money valuations, a steep rise from a year ago. The trend, driven by big‑firm capital and early‑stage revenue, is forcing smaller VCs to compete harder and prompting founders to chase larger checks.
Airwallex Turned Down $1.2B, Built $8B Empire
In 2018, Stripe offered $1.2B for Airwallex. They refused and built an $8B company instead. Here's how they did it👇
RoboForce Raises $52M to Scale Physical AI Robo-Labor
RoboForce announced a $52 million oversubscribed funding round, bringing its total capital to $67 million. The investment, led by YZi Labs and backed by former Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and Nobel laureate Myron Scholes, will fund the development of its physical‑AI foundation...
Cara Inks $8M in Seed Financing
Cara, an AI platform serving insurance brokerages, announced an $8 million seed financing round led by Kearny Jackson, with participation from notable investors including Claire Hughes Johnson and Kevin Mahaffey. The funding will support the expansion of Cara’s AI infrastructure that...
Via Separations Snares $36M
Via Separations, a leading provider of industrial separation process solutions, announced a $36 million financing round on April 1, 2026. The round attracted new capital from Climate Investment, Aramco Ventures, and Marathon Petroleum Corporation, while existing investors such as Embark Ventures and...
Depthfirst Announces $80 Million in Series B
Depthfirst, an applied AI lab focused on securing software, announced an $80 million Series B financing round led by Meritech Capital. The round also included Forerunner Ventures, The House Fund, and existing backers such as Accel and Box Group. This infusion arrives...
BambooBox Raise over $6M to Build Managed ABM Operating System
BambooBox announced a $6.6 million funding round led by Peak XV’s Surge to accelerate its Managed ABM Operating System. The startup positions itself as an execution layer that integrates with existing CRM, marketing automation, and advertising tools, turning intent data into measurable...
Halter’s $2 Billion Question, with Founder Craig Piggott
In less than a year, New Zealand‑based Halter secured $165 million in a Series D round and a further $220 million in Series E, pushing its valuation to roughly $2 billion even as global ag‑tech funding has slumped more than 70 percent. The company’s virtual‑fencing system, which...
Sub-Q Bionics Closes $1.5M Pre-Seed
Sub‑Q Bionics announced the close of a $1.5 million pre‑seed round to fund its next‑generation lymphedema medical devices. The financing includes capital from the Mayo Clinic, Yeda – the Weizmann Institute’s tech transfer arm – and several private investors, with the...
Rowan Scores $3.3M in Seed Funding
Rowan, an AI‑driven platform that streamlines small‑business succession, announced a $3.3 million seed round. The round was led by global trading firm DRW, with participation from Motivate Ventures, Mercury Fund and angel Eddie Lou. Proceeds will accelerate development of proprietary AI tools,...
Whirl AI Inks $8.9M in Seed Funding
Whirl AI announced its emergence from stealth and closed a $8.9 million seed round. The round was led by venture firm ICONIQ and backed by a group of high‑profile angel investors. The startup was founded by Sunny Bedi, a former...
Kailera Plots IPO to Fuel Obesity Pipeline
Kailera Therapeutics, after raising $1 billion across a $400 million Series A and $600 million Series B, is preparing an IPO to fund its obesity drug pipeline. Its lead candidate, ribupatide, has delivered up to 23.6% weight loss in Phase 3 injectable trials and 12.1% loss...
Cross River Receives $50M Funding
Cross River Bank’s parent, CRB Group, announced a $50 million common equity raise from existing shareholders and investors advised by T. Rowe Price. The capital will be deployed to accelerate product development, expand the embedded‑finance platform, and meet heightened regulatory requirements....
Q1 2026 Generated Most Venture Capital Funding Ever for the Three Month Period: Report
Q1 2026 recorded an all‑time high of nearly $300 billion in venture capital funding, driven largely by AI startups. The five largest deals—OpenAI $120 billion, Anthropic $50 billion, xAI $20 billion, Waymo $16 billion—accounted for 64 % of the quarter’s total. U.S. firms captured 83 % of...
Exclusive: Dhan Parent to Acquire Elevation Capital-Backed Infinyte Club
Raise Fintech Ventures, the parent of stock‑broking platform Dhan, is set to acquire wealth‑tech startup Infinyte Club in a 100% cash‑and‑stock deal valuing the company at roughly $13‑15 million. Infinyte, founded in 2023, raised over $3.6 million from Elevation Capital...
Neuron Factory Lands Strategic Investment Round to Scale AI-Native Construction Platform
Neuron Factory announced a strategic investment round backed by Zacua Ventures, Trimble Inc., Suffolk Technologies, Imad Ventures and existing backer Colle Capital. The funding will accelerate the rollout of its AI-native knowledge‑graph platform that aims to digitize the $14 trillion pre‑construction...
Korsana Biosciences Announces Merger With Cyclerion Therapeutics, Concurrent $380 Million Private Financing
Korsana Biosciences announced a merger with Cyclerion Therapeutics, accompanied by a $380 million private placement. The financing round was led by Fairmount and Venrock Healthcare Capital, with participation from a slate of prominent venture and institutional investors. Cooley LLP represented the...
AI Seed Rounds Hit $40‑45M Valuations as VCs Flood Early Deals
AI‑focused seed companies are now routinely raising $10 million at $40‑45 million post‑money valuations, a shift fueled by large venture firms and rapid early revenue. The trend is compressing deal counts while inflating prices, prompting founders and limited partners to reassess expectations.
Alien Raises $7.1M to Build Identity Infrastructure for Humans and AI Agents
Alien, a startup focused on trust infrastructure for the emerging agentic economy, announced a $7.1 million pre‑seed round led by Initialized Capital and other investors. The company’s app verifies users through temporary facial recognition and continuous social‑graph analysis, issuing an Alien ID...
Cognichip Wants AI to Design the Chips that Power AI, and Just Raised $60M to Try
Cognichip, a startup founded in 2024, announced a $60 million Series B round, bringing its total financing to $93 million. The company is developing a domain‑specific AI model to assist engineers in designing semiconductor chips, claiming it can slash development costs by more...
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Krafton, Flyquest, Arbitrum Invest $3.5M in Psychedelic Games' MOBA Golden Tides
Psychedelic Games secured a $3.5 million funding round from PUBG publisher Krafton, esports org FlyQuest, and Arbitrum Gaming Ventures to develop its new MOBA, Golden Tides. The studio deliberately avoided traditional venture capital, opting for strategic partners that can contribute operational...
Palmonas Raises $40 Mn From Xponentia Capital, Vertex Growth Fund
Indian jewellery startup Palmonas announced a $40 million (≈₹373 crore) Series B round led by Xponentia Capital and Vertex Growth Fund, with participation from existing backer Vertex Ventures SE Asia & India. The capital will fund an aggressive rollout of new physical stores,...
Censys Gets $70M to Scale Internet Intelligence Platform
Censys announced a $70 million financing package, comprising a $40 million Series D equity round led by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and $30 million of debt. The funding lifts the company’s total venture capital to over $149 million. Censys provides a continuously refreshed global map...
A 27-Year-Old Just Raised $450 Million to Bet that AI’s Future Runs on Nuclear Power
Valar Atomics, a California startup founded by 27‑year‑old Isaiah Taylor, announced a $450 million financing round that values the company at $2 billion. The capital mix includes $340 million in equity and $110 million in debt, following a $130 million Series A five months earlier. Valar’s...
Aspect Aerospace Raises $2.4M To Develop Single-Board Satellites for Space-Based Environmental Monitoring
Aspect Aerospace announced two financing milestones: a $1.9 million Direct‑to‑Phase II SBIR award from the U.S. Space Force and a $500 000 pre‑seed investment from its incubator SOSV, totaling $2.4 million. The company’s Single‑Board Satellite (SBS) platform packs up to 100 miniature satellites onto...
Sona Raises $45M to Help Businesses Manage Frontline Operations with AI
Sona Technologies announced a $45 million Series B funding round led by N47, bringing its total capital to over $100 million. The AI platform modernizes frontline labor management by forecasting schedules, weather, traffic and worker availability. New capital will accelerate U.S. market expansion...
UK Pension Providers Back £200m Fund Aimed at Supercharging Homegrown Startups
The British Growth Partnership has raised a £200 million (~$250 million) fund, backed by pension providers Aegon UK, Cushon and M&G, to channel more domestic capital into UK venture‑capital funds. The British Business Bank serves as the partnership’s GP and also invested,...
Navigating Venture Capital Alaska Startups 2026: Trends and Strategic Investment Insights
Alaska’s venture‑capital market entered a “proof‑of‑concept” phase in 2026, shifting from resource extraction to climate‑resilience, maritime robotics and cold‑chain logistics. Total ecosystem funding is projected at $55‑$65 million, a 15% rise from 2025’s $45 million, with Anchorage remaining the primary hub. Blue...
Shark Tank's $700K Rejection Became $1B Sale
In 2013, Shark Tank rejected this “useless” doorbell. The company asked for $700K investment. The Sharks laughed. But 5 years later, Amazon bought the company for $1B... And Shaq invested $1M of his OWN money into the business. Here's the story...
Q1 2026 VC Hits $300B Record, AI Dominates
🚨 Venture just hit a historic high. 🚨 $300B was invested in Q1 2026 — the biggest quarter ever, accounting for nearly 70% of all 2025 funding. AI captured 81% of it, with 4 companies raising $188B alone. 🤯 @crunchbasenews has the...
Spotwise.ai Closes $450,000 Pre-Seed to Expand AI Sales Intelligence Platform for Broadcast Media
Spotwise.ai announced a $450,000 pre‑seed round led by Outlast Fund, with participation from BADideas.fund and 500 Global. The funding will accelerate development of its agentic AI platform that combines broadcast monitoring, analytics, and sales automation for media companies. The solution processes...
Seeking Reliable Metric for OpenAI Secondary Share Pricing
is there a reliable metric on the price of secondary shares for a big startup like OpenAI?
OpenAI's Funding Mostly Contingent, Raising Flameout Fears
It’s worse than that, @polymarket: a lot (most?) of OpenAI’s new funding is *contingent* money, not guaranteed. No wonder people are getting skittish about OpenAI’s secondary market shares. OpenAI may well become the biggest flameout since Enron.
PE-VC Exits Down 40 per Cent in FY26
Private equity and venture capital exits in India slumped 40% year‑over‑year, falling to $18.8 billion across 223 deals in FY26. Total PE‑VC funding also dipped 10% to $33.9 billion, with mega deals above $100 million shrinking in both count and value. AI attracted...
First Quadruple-Layered SPV Closed in 12 Hours
Humbled to announce we have closed the world’s first ever quadruple layered SPV to participate in this round. We thank our LP’s for their quick turnaround on the 12-hour process, and we are excited to lend our expertise to the OpenAI...
Early Bets on Founders Still Paying Off
this is why i invested in as many gundo founders i could a few years back. and most are still just getting started
PolicyStreet Raises $21M To Expand Embedded Insurance Across Asia
PolicyStreet, a Malaysian InsurTech firm, closed a $21 million Series C round led by the Cool Japan Fund, bringing its total funding above $100 million and adding a second sovereign wealth fund investor. The capital will accelerate the company’s embedded insurance platform, targeting...
BlackPeak Capital Backs Biometric Security Firm Alcatraz in a Series B Funding Round
Bulgarian‑based BlackPeak Capital led a $35 million Series B round for Alcatraz, a facial‑biometric access control firm, with an additional $15 million in commitments, pushing total funding past $100 million. The capital, co‑led by Cogito and Taiwania Capital and backed by existing investors such...
Hire an Advisor to Cold‑email VCs for Funding
The best way to raise a round is to hire an advisor to cold email VCs
Emerald AI Secures $25 Million to Sync Data Center Power Use with Grid Capacity
Emerald AI announced a $25 million strategic expansion round led by Energy Impact Partners, aimed at scaling its Conductor platform that lets AI‑heavy data centers align power draw with grid capacity. The round brings together a roster of energy‑tech and AI...
Lithuanian WhiteBridge AI Raises €2.6 Million Seed to Expand AI-Driven People Research Platform
Lithuanian startup WhiteBridge AI secured a €2.6 million seed round (≈$2.8 million) led by FIRSTPICK VC. The company’s AI‑powered platform aggregates and verifies public data to produce digital‑identity reports for sales, hiring and partner due diligence. Funding will expand data sources and...
EnerVenue Closes US$300 Million Series B for 30,000-Cycle Nickel-Hydrogen Battery Manufacturing
EnerVenue closed a $300 million Series B extension led by Full Vision Capital, adding a new investor to the round. The funding will finance rapid expansion of its high‑volume nickel‑hydrogen battery plant in Changzhou, China, and accelerate supply‑chain development. The company also...
Ambrosia Eyes Next-Generation Small Molecule GLP-1s With $100M Series B
Ambrosia Biosciences announced the completion of a $100 million Series B financing round to fund the development of next‑generation small‑molecule GLP‑1 oral therapies for obesity. The capital will support a Phase 1 trial of its lead GLP‑1 candidate, which leverages AI‑driven molecular design...
Estonian Validfor Raises $1.2 Mililion Pre-Seed to Cut Pharma Validation Timelines From Months to Weeks
Estonian compliance startup Validfor secured a $1.2 million pre‑seed round led by DOMiNO Ventures, with participation from Curiosity VC and angels. The company is building an AI‑native, agentic digital validation platform that promises to shrink pharma, biotech and medtech validation cycles...
Serbian Startup Funding 2025: Investors Are Selective, but They’re Finally Committing Big
Serbian venture capital rebounded in 2024, reaching €22.4 million (about $26 million) – an 89% year‑over‑year increase – and is projected to grow another 36% in 2025. Funding is becoming more concentrated, with larger rounds and a surge in pre‑seed activity where...
Antaris Raises $28M Series A
Antaris announced a $28 million Series A round led by WestWave Capital, with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures and other investors. The capital will accelerate development of its AI‑powered Antaris Intelligence platform, especially the TrueTwin digital‑twin tool that simulates satellite operations before...
ARK Adds Private OpenAI to ETFs, 3% Stake
ARK is going to add private co OpenAI into some of its ETFs. I believe it’s 4th ETF to do this, and def not the last. 3% weighting. Nice scoop from @shiringhaffary @isabelletanlee https://t.co/OITULFSOS1
Irish Drone Delivery Firm Manna Confirms $50m Raise, Plans 400 New Jobs
Irish drone logistics firm Manna announced a $50 million Series B round, lifting total capital raised to $110 million. The financing, led by ARK Invest, Schooner Capital and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, will fund the creation of 400 high‑skill jobs—300 in Ireland...
Founder Keeps 49% of $1B Exit via Smart Build, Funding
Julian Hearn just sold Huel to Danone for €1bn. he walked away with £420m personally. that is 49% of the exit. most DTC founders who raise that much end up with 15%. two things made the difference: how he built the business, and...
Q1 VC “Record” Includes OpenAI Money Not yet Closed
Seeing some "record" reports on Q1 VC fundraising that includes all $120 billion for OpenAI. Most of the $$ didn't close in Q1.