Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Clip secures $500M to accelerate consumer wallet rollout
Mexican fintech Clip raised $500 million, pushing its valuation above $2.5 billion. The new capital will fund the rollout of a consumer‑focused wallet and broaden its financial‑services platform. Investors were not disclosed and the round remains under review.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Francisco Partners raises $18B for new tech funds
ORO Labs Secures $100 Million to Accelerate AI‑Driven Procurement Platform
ORO Labs announced a $100 million financing round led by Brighton Park Capital and Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The capital will fund global expansion of its AI‑orchestrated procurement platform, already used by Coca‑Cola, Siemens Energy and other Fortune 500 firms. New board members from the investors will guide the next phase of growth.
Davis Secures $5.5 Million Seed Funding to Launch AI‑Driven Real‑Estate Design Platform
Davis, a London‑based PropTech startup, closed a $5.5 million seed round led by Heartcore Capital and Balderton. The funding will accelerate the rollout of Gaudi‑1, its proprietary AI model that generates regulatory‑compliant architectural designs in days instead of months. Investors cite...
QuantWare Secures $178 Million Series B to Build 10,000‑Qubit Processors
Netherlands‑based QuantWare closed a $178 million Series B round, led by Intel Capital with participation from In‑Q‑Tel, to mass‑produce its VIO‑40K 10,000‑qubit processor and construct the KiloFab quantum chip fab. The funding marks the largest private investment in a quantum‑processor company and...
Family Offices Surge in April, Allocating One‑Third of Deals to Health‑Tech
Family offices stepped up deal‑making in April, completing 55 direct investments—up from 39 in March—and earmarked almost a third of those for healthcare and life‑science firms. The rebound follows a slowdown triggered by the Iran conflict and reflects a growing...
The 'AI Coachella' Prof's Plan for the Data Center Backlash
Anjney Midha, former Andreessen Horowitz partner, is publicly outlining AMP, an AI‑compute startup that acts as an independent system operator for the AI grid. AMP aggregates idle GPU capacity from multiple cloud providers and meters it to frontier research teams...
The Multifamily Industry Just Got Its Dreadnought Warning. Most Owners Will Ignore It.
Anthropic announced a $1.5 billion joint venture with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman and Goldman Sachs to create an AI‑native enterprise services firm that will embed Claude models and engineers directly into portfolio companies. The venture, also backed by Apollo, General Atlantic, Leonard Green, GIC and...
Conductor Raises $22M, Launches Cloud Agents for Nonstop Coding
Conductor (@conductor_build) is a Mac app that lets you run multiple coding agents at the same time. Create an isolated copy of your codebase in one click, tell Claude or Codex to go work, and review and merge the results. The...
5 IT Funding Deals to Watch
This week’s funding roundup highlights a rebuild of the enterprise compute stack from silicon to control plane. Quantum Motion secured $160 million to mass‑produce silicon‑based qubits using standard CMOS fabs, while Deepinfra raised $107 million for a dedicated inference cloud optimized for...
SMB Sales Are 10x Harder than Enterprise, Deterring VCs
SMB plays are 1000% harder than enterprise plays. This is why VCs don’t invest in them that often. Doesn’t mean they cannot be successful, but selling to small shops is just really really really hard.
Early-Stage Fundraising Rarely Requires NDAs
What no one tells you about fundraising: NDAs are not standard for early stage raises.
AI Money Keeps Flowing as Deepseek Plans Record Raise and Core Automation Quadruples Valuation in Weeks
Deepseek, a Chinese AI lab, is planning a funding round of up to 50 billion yuan ($7.35 billion), which could lift its valuation beyond $51.5 billion. Founder Liang Wenfeng intends to contribute up to 40% of the capital himself, underscoring strong founder confidence....
Mother Ventures Is Looking at Moms as the ‘Economic Engine’
Mother Ventures, led by serial entrepreneur Allison Stern, closed a $10 million debut fund dedicated to startups that serve mothers, a demographic that accounts for 85% of U.S. household purchases and wields roughly $2.4 trillion in spending power. Since its inception two...
Cloudberry VC Launches Europe's First Semiconductor Venture Fund
Cloudberry VC, a Helsinki‑London venture firm, has launched Europe’s first dedicated semiconductor fund, closing an initial €30 million (~$32.5 million) round. About 85% of the capital came from international investors, and strategic limited partners such as GlobalFoundries and Radiant Opto‑Electronics are on...
Funding Friday: Robots Want Fast-Charging Batteries
Cambridge‑based Nyobolt announced a $60 million Series C round that lifts its valuation to $1 billion, driven by ultra‑fast‑charging batteries that can reach 80 percent charge in under five minutes. The company is targeting data‑center and robotics customers, leveraging its niobium‑tungsten‑oxide anode for higher...
OnlyFans Valued at $3.15 B in Minority Stake Sale
OnlyFans Valued at $3.15 Billion in Deal to Sell Minority Stake to Architect Capital https://t.co/jAaogMQao2 via @variety
Private Valuations Inflate; Public Markets Demand Realism
One of the logical mistakes I see people making often is comparing public valuations to private valuations. It is easy to only raise at higher and higher valuations in the private markets. Public markets are much less forgiving.
SoftBank Reportedly Slashes OpenAI-Backed Loan From $10 Billion to $6 Billion as Lenders Balk at Private AI Valuations
SoftBank has trimmed its planned margin loan backed by its OpenAI stake from $10 billion to up to $6 billion. The reduction reflects lender discomfort with pricing a private AI company whose valuation remains opaque. The loan, secured by SoftBank’s OpenAI shares,...
Crunchbase Predicted $200M Blitzy Raise Six Months Early
Crunchbase predicted Blitzy would raise with 91% confidence — six months before they announced a $200M raise at a $1.4B valuation. 👏 That's predictive intelligence in action. See what's coming next. 🔮 https://t.co/xE2a8NYE3c https://t.co/kqd0cpERuE
Autonomous Freight Startups Kodiak AI Raises $100M, Humble Launches Electric Hauler
Kodiak AI closed a $100 million financing round at a steep discount, while Humble debuted its fully autonomous, cabless electric Class 8 hauler. Both moves intensify the race to modernize long‑haul trucking and reshape supply‑chain logistics.
AI & Capital Weekly
The week of May 1‑8 2026 highlighted three dominant trends in U.S. private markets: agentic AI startups are fetching growth‑stage valuations once reserved for public SaaS firms, defense‑tech is attracting record institutional capital, and secondary‑focused funds are consolidating around elite managers. Sierra’s...
Finding the North Star: The Balance Between Strategy and Returns
On the latest "Swimming with Allocators" episode, Deloitte Ventures Managing Director Jon Wolkin outlined the firm’s $150 million corporate venture strategy, which splits capital between direct investments and fund allocations in AI, future‑of‑work and health‑tech verticals. He emphasized the need for...
Astranis Secures $450 Million to Accelerate High‑Orbit Satellite Production
Astranis raised $450 million in new capital, including a $300 million Series E round and a $155 million credit facility, to scale production of geostationary and other high‑orbit satellites. The funding positions the company to serve a surge in commercial demand and multiple U.S....
Infleqtion Releases "The Business of Quantum" Report on Deep‑Tech Startup Strategies
Infleqtion has published a new whitepaper, "The Business of Quantum: Lessons from the Front Lines of Deep Tech," outlining commercial tactics, financing patterns, and operational hurdles faced by quantum‑focused startups. The report aims to guide entrepreneurs and investors navigating the...
North America Q1 Venture Funding Hits Record $252.6 Billion, AI Drives 87% of Capital
North American venture capital poured a record $252.6 billion into startups in the first quarter of 2026, more than three times the prior quarter and eclipsing the previous all‑time high of $95.7 billion. Artificial intelligence accounted for 87% of the funding, highlighted...
The AlleyWatch April 2026 New York Venture Capital Funding Report
New York City’s venture capital market raised $1.79 billion in April 2026 across 65 deals, a 27.7% year‑over‑year increase. The growth was driven by larger round sizes, especially late‑stage financings that supplied 50.6% of total capital. AI‑focused startups captured two‑thirds of the...
FinTech Funding Remains Strong in Healthy Week for FinTech Deals
FinTech funding remained robust this week, with $814 million raised across 17 deals, mirroring the previous week’s activity. InsurTech led the sector, accounting for four transactions, highlighted by Kin Insurance’s $335 million catastrophe bond and Corgi’s $160 million Series B that pushed it to...
ParcelBio Unveils Programmable mRNA Platform Backed by $13M Financing
ParcelBio announced a $13 million seed round led by Breyer Capital, with participation from General Catalyst, Y Combinator and other investors. The funding will accelerate its proprietary Amplified and Prolonged Expression mRNA (APEXm™) platform, which claims to deliver markedly higher and longer‑lasting...
TCI Slashes Microsoft Holding to 1% over AI Worries
JUST IN: TCI cut its Microsoft stake to 1% of its portfolio over AI concerns.
European VC Fundraising Shows Signs of Rebound: Proskauer
European venture capital fundraising appears to be rebounding, according to a new Proskauer survey of more than 200 VC firms across the continent. Total capital raised in 2023 reached roughly $12.5 billion, an 18% year‑over‑year increase and the strongest level since...
Kodiak AI Raises $100M at $6.50 Share Price, Stock Slides 37%
Kodiak AI announced a $100 million financing at $6.50 per share, far below its $9.10 closing price, triggering a 37% plunge in after‑hours trading. The raise, led by Ares Management and unnamed institutions, underscores the valuation strain facing autonomous‑vehicle startups despite...
Apis Partners Closes $1.23 B Fund III, Doubling Size of Prior Vehicle
Apis Partners announced the final close of its Global Growth Fund III and Growth Markets Fund III at $1.23 billion, more than double the $563 million raised for Fund II. The round closed 23% above target, driven by over 70% of existing...
UK Tech Funding Roundup: This Week’s Deals From Quantum Motion to Lunar
UK tech investment this week totaled £234 million (≈$293 million), an 86% drop from the prior week but still driven by a handful of large deals. Quantum Motion led the pack with a £117.5 million Series C to advance silicon‑based quantum computers, while Cytospire...
ROBOTERA Raises USD 200 Million To Scale Global Robotics Expansion
ROBOTERA announced a $200 million funding round led by SF Group, exceeding its original target and following a prior RMB 1 billion (~$140 million) strategic raise. The capital will fund production scaling, engineering for next‑gen models, and global market expansion. The company now has...
Infra.Market To Raise Pre-IPO Round Of ₹500 Cr At $2.6 Bn Valuation
Infra.Market, the Indian B2B construction‑materials marketplace, is raising a pre‑IPO round of ₹500 Cr (about $53 million) at a post‑money valuation of roughly ₹25,000 Cr ($2.6 billion). Existing backers Tiger Global, Accel and Nexus Venture Partners, along with co‑founders, will participate. The company posted...
3 Things AI in Health Care Investing Cannot Evaluate
Physician‑scientist Harsha Moole built an AI system that rapidly compiles data and scores healthcare startups, dramatically speeding the information‑gathering phase of venture diligence. He stresses that despite its efficiency, the AI cannot replace human judgment when evaluating clinical workflow integration, stakeholder...
CarCollect Secures Backing From Main Capital to Scale Automotive Remarketing Platform
CarCollect, a Dutch B2B SaaS platform that digitises the used‑vehicle remarketing workflow, has secured investment from Main Capital Partners. The platform, now used by over 14,000 automotive firms, supports 15 languages and 10 currencies across ten European countries. The new...
NextLadder Ventures Unveils $1 B NavTech AI Fund to Power Economic‑Mobility Tools
NextLadder Ventures announced a $1 billion NavTech AI fund aimed at building AI‑driven tools that guide Americans through financial, career and benefits decisions. The fund, backed by former Google and Collaborative Fund executives, named Anthropic as its first frontier AI lab...
Balcony Secures $12.7M for Avalanche Asset Growth
Balcony, a property‑intelligence startup, announced a $12.7 million seed round led by Blockchange Ventures, bringing its total funding to $14 million. The capital will fund the development of real‑world asset (RWA) infrastructure on the Avalanche blockchain. Balcony’s Keystone platform aggregates county land‑record...
Ramp in Talks for $750M Raise, Targeting $40B+ Valuation
Fintech startup Ramp is in advanced discussions to raise $750 million at a pre‑money valuation exceeding $40 billion, a steep jump from its $32 billion post‑money valuation just six months earlier. The fundraising follows a year of rapid revenue growth and an AI‑centric...
Kalshi Secures $1 B Series F, Valuation Jumps to $22 B
Kalshi announced a $1 billion Series F financing round led by Coatue, doubling its valuation to $22 billion. The funding reflects an 800% rise in institutional trading volume and positions the platform as the dominant U.S. prediction‑market venue.
Aplantex Closes $5 Million Bridge Round to Accelerate Shift to Production-Scale Green Biotechnology
Aplantex announced the close of a $5 million bridge financing round in 2025, exceeding its original target. The round was led by board member François Ravenelle with Investissement Québec’s Impulsion Fund as a principal backer. The capital will fund the company’s transition from...
Inovia Partners with Northleaf to Boost Canada’s Emerging VCs
Inovia Capital and Northleaf Capital Partners have announced a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Canada’s venture‑capital ecosystem. The collaboration will provide emerging Canadian VC managers with capital, mentorship, and access to Northleaf’s institutional LP network. By jointly preparing these managers...
Delft-Based FrostByte Secures a Cool €1.3 Million to Scale Cryogenic Electronics for Quantum Computing
Delft‑based FrostByte, a spin‑off from TU Delft and QuTech, announced a €1.3 million (≈$1.4 million) funding round led by InnovationQuarter Capital, Graduate Ventures, Paeonia Group, UNIIQ and an angel investor. The capital will fund team expansion, scale production of cryogenic switches, and...
Julien Fredonie, Honda Xcelerator Ventures: Europe Isn’t Fragmented. It’s a Deep Tech Circuit Board.
Julian Fredonie of Honda Xcelerator Ventures explains why Europe’s deep‑tech ecosystem is a tightly‑connected “circuit board” rather than a fragmented landscape. He outlines seven reasons the region now attracts hardware‑focused startups, from strong public funding and a surge of deep‑tech...
ANELLO Photonics Secures $25M to Scale GPS-Denied Navigation & Autonomy Solutions
Anello Photonics raised $25 million in a Series B-2 round led by MESH, with participation from Washington Harbour Partners and existing investors including Lockheed Martin Ventures. The funding will accelerate production of its silicon‑photonic inertial navigation systems that deliver fiber‑gyro...
Arāya Sie Fund Raises £7.5m First Close for Women-Led Startups Amid Tech ‘Bro Renaissance’
Arāya Ventures and the female‑founder accelerator Sie Ventures announced a £7.5 million first close (approximately $9.5 million) for their new Arāya Sie Fund. The vehicle is dedicated to backing women‑led startups operating in the United Kingdom and across Europe. By pooling capital...
The AI Lab That Quietly Hit $1 Trillion
A stealth AI lab quietly reached a $1 trillion valuation by focusing on core infrastructure rather than consumer‑facing products. It built a “nervous system” of compute clusters, fine‑tuning pipelines, and safety frameworks that power enterprise and government AI deployments. The firm’s...
Z47 Managing Director Sudipto Sannigrahi Steps Down
Sudipto Sannigrahi, managing director of Z47, has stepped down to launch his own venture and spend more time in San Francisco. His departure comes as Z47, formerly Matrix Partners India, seeks to raise a $300‑$400 million independent fund following its 2024 split...
Investors Ignore the Threat of Google Entering Markets
Whoop investors forgot to ask the most important question “What happens if Google decides to enter your market?l 😄
Khwarizmi Ventures Launches Fund II with $70M+ First Close to Back GCC Startups
Khwarizmi Ventures, a Saudi‑based early‑stage VC, announced the first close of its second fund with commitments exceeding $70 million (SAR 270 million). The $70 million+ Fund II will target seed and Series A technology startups across the GCC, writing initial checks of $1‑5 million and reserving capital...