Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Qorelo secures $3.5M seed round to accelerate AI‑driven SAP migrations
AI‑focused startup Qorelo announced a $3.5 million seed round led by HPI Ventures and Caesar Ventures. The funding will be used to develop its AI‑powered layer that automates functional workstreams in SAP S/4HANA migrations, which the company says can cut project timelines by up to 45 percent ahead of the 2027 SAP migration deadline.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Sygaldry Technologies raises $139M in seed and Series A round
A Top India Fund Shows One Path for a Different Kind of VC
Chiratae Ventures, a Bengaluru‑based venture capital firm, is bucking traditional VC norms by prioritizing regular cash returns to its limited partners over chasing massive exits. Founder Sudhir Sethi frames the firm’s duty as a "customer first" approach to LPs, prompting a strategy of frequent, smaller distributions. Financial filings obtained by Newcomer show Chiratae’s distribution‑to‑paid‑in (DPI) ratio outperforms most Indian peers, even though its overall net gains lag behind. The model challenges the industry’s go‑big‑or‑go‑home mindset and offers a reproducible alternative for capital‑efficient investing.
Seeds | BIBO Completes B+ Round Financing, Total Series B Funding Exceeds 1 Billion Yuan
BIBO Automotive Electronics announced a B+ financing round of over 700 million yuan (≈$98 million), pushing its total Series B funding past 1 billion yuan (≈$140 million). The capital will accelerate mass production of its smart chassis XYZ three‑axis products, boost R&D in three‑axis and...
Spaceflux Extends Funding Round, Bringing Total to £9 Million
UK‑based Spaceflux has closed a £3.5 million extension to its seed round, bringing total capital to £9 million (about $11.3 million). The fresh funds, led by existing backer Blackfinch Ventures and new investor SPARX Asset Management, will finance the rollout of additional optical...
Marloo Raises $10m Seed to Transform Financial Advice
Marloo, a London‑based AI partner for financial advisers, announced a $10 million seed round, bringing its total capital to $12.7 million. The round was led by Blackbird Ventures, the early backer of Canva, which sees Marloo as a potential industry disruptor. The...
Rogo Raises $160m Series D to Scale Finance AI Platform
Rogo, a generative AI platform built for financial services, closed a $160 million Series D round, pushing total capital raised above $300 million. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from Sequoia, Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, J.P. Morgan Growth Equity and...
Inside Servier’s New €200M Venture Fund
Servier has unveiled a new corporate venture fund, committing roughly $216 million to back early‑stage biotech focused on oncology and neurology. The fund, Servier Ventures, will target late pre‑clinical and Series A assets where it can add capital and industrial expertise, especially...
Not My First Rodeo: Alfie Pearce-Higgins with Jenny Fielding
In episode 116 of Venture Everywhere, Jenny Fielding interviews Alfie Pearce‑Higgins, CEO of Rodeo, an AI‑powered platform that rebuilds the broken job‑search market. Pearce‑Higgins explains how synthetic applicants and zero‑click applications have created an Akerlof‑style market failure, prompting Rodeo to...
Finland’s Realm Raises $4.5 Million Seed to Automate Enterprise Sales Workflows
Finland‑based Realm secured a $4.5 million seed round led by Frontline Ventures, with participation from HubSpot Ventures, Lifeline Ventures, Slack co‑founder Cal Henderson and Axonius founder Alex Bouaziz. The startup builds a unified, AI‑ready representation of a company’s go‑to‑market data, enabling...
Avoid Funding Mistakes That Hurt Your Next Round: A Quiet Cleanup Checklist
The Pitch by VCCircle, India’s leading multi‑city fundraising event, returns in Noida on May 8, 2026, offering startups access to top VCs and $200K+ in tech credits. The accompanying blog post outlines a "quiet cleanup" checklist for founders to eliminate narrative‑reality gaps,...
Zócalo Health Finds Growth in Medicaid Managed Care Partnerships
Zócalo Health closed a $15 million Series A round, bringing total capital to $22.75 million, to scale its virtual primary‑care platform for underserved Latino patients. The company has moved beyond its California launch, now serving Medicaid members in California, Texas, Washington and expanding...
Veteran VC Fred Wilson Shares Timeless Investment Wisdom
Fred Wilson is one of the greatest VCs of all time. He is also my new partner at @USV and I'm lucky to say that. We've known each other for years, but becoming partners felt like a reason to get...
Masayoshi Son’s Alliance With OpenAI
Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank has cemented a deep partnership with OpenAI, committing a cumulative $65 billion for a 13% equity stake. The deal builds on SoftBank’s historic venture‑capital muscle, highlighted by the Vision Fund’s $100 billion raise and a $38 billion investment spree in 2019....
Precision Agriculture Funding in 2025 Reached $668M — But the Distribution Tells a More Complicated Story
Precision agriculture attracted $668 M in equity funding across 37 rounds in 2025, but the capital was heavily skewed toward a handful of late‑stage deals. Four Series C and D rounds alone accounted for 47% of total dollars, while early‑stage seed activity...
Autonomous Defense Startup Scout AI Raises $100M Series A to Build Foundation Model for Unmanned Warfare
Scout AI announced a $100 million Series A round, led by Align Ventures and Draper Associates, to accelerate its Fury foundation model for autonomous military operations. Fury is designed to serve as a decision‑making layer that coordinates unmanned systems across air, land,...
Proparco Commits $5m to Novastar Fund
Proparco has pledged $5 million to Novastar Ventures’ Africa People and Planet Fund III, which closed at $147 million. The fund targets tech‑enabled companies that expand access to essential goods and services while delivering measurable environmental benefits such as lower greenhouse‑gas emissions and...
UK Robotic Construction Company All3 Raises $25M in Seed Round Funding
All3, a UK‑based construction robotics startup, closed a $25 million seed round led by RTP Global to accelerate its AI‑driven building platform. The company combines site‑specific AI design, off‑site robotic factories, and autonomous on‑site robots—chiefly the four‑legged Mantis—to fabricate and assemble...
Seed Funding Is Bigger Than Ever — And Harder To Get
Seed funding in the United States is expanding in dollar terms, but the landscape is polarizing. In 2025, more than half of all seed capital was allocated to deals of $10 million or larger, while the total number of seed rounds...
Nox Mobility Raises €2 Million for Night Train Network
Berlin‑based Nox Mobility announced a €2 million (≈$2.2 million) pre‑seed round led by IBB Ventures to fund its launch of private‑room night trains across Europe. The startup plans to debut routes in 2027 and eventually link more than 100 cities by 2035....
Leipzig’s Primogene Raises €4.1 Million to Scale Enzymatic Biomanufacturing of Complex Bioactive Molecules
Leipzig‑based biotech Primogene announced a €4.1 million (≈$4.5 million) seed round led by High‑Tech Gründerfonds to expand its enzymatic biomanufacturing platform. The funding will be used to scale production, grow the team, and broaden its IP portfolio and strategic partnerships. Primogene’s enzyme‑driven...
Musk Testifies Against Altman, Threatening OpenAI’s For‑Profit Shift and $2 B Microsoft Deal
Elon Musk took the stand Tuesday in Oakland, alleging that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman betrayed the nonprofit’s original charter by converting it into a for‑profit venture. Musk’s lawsuit seeks to unwind the $2 billion Microsoft investment and force Altman off the...
Avoca Closes $125M+ at $1B Valuation to Power America’s Services Economy With AI
Avoca, an AI platform for home‑service contractors, closed a Series B round that brings total funding above $125 million and lifts its valuation to $1 billion. The company’s voice‑and‑workflow automation handles inbound calls, schedules jobs, revives stale estimates and runs marketing campaigns around...
TaskRabbit Founder Leah Solivan Runs Precedent.vc, Offers Founder‑Centric VC Support
Leah Solivan, the 46‑year‑old founder of TaskRabbit, now runs the venture firm Precedent.vc. She leverages her operational background to give founders hands‑on support, reviewing roughly 100 deals a month but investing in only one. Her routine‑driven, “controlling chaos” mindset shapes...
Snabbit Secures $56M Series D, Valuation Jumps to $350M
Snabbit, the Bengaluru‑based on‑demand home‑services platform, closed a $56 million Series D round co‑led by Susquehanna Venture Capital and Mirae Asset. The financing lifts the startup’s valuation to roughly $350 million, underscoring growing investor interest in India’s service‑market startups.
Cleo Labs Secures €1.5M to Scale AI-Driven Product Compliance Globally
Cleo Labs, a Paris‑based regtech startup, closed a €1.5 million (≈$1.6 million) funding round led by Larry Berger with participation from Kima Ventures, Financière Saint‑James and an Accel scout ticket. The capital will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates product regulatory compliance...
Quantum Tech Investor QDNL Rebrands to Ground State Ventures, Nears Final Close for New Fund
Venture capital firm QDNL Participations has rebranded to Ground State Ventures as it moves toward the final close of its inaugural quantum-focused fund. The firm has secured $88 million in commitments, positioning the fund to invest in early‑stage quantum technologies. The...
How Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre Is Driving Growth: ‘There's a Lot of Investors Tapping Into the Ecosystem’
The Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre is accelerating the city’s deep‑tech surge, with local startups raising £429 m (≈$550 m) across 34 deals in 2025, up from £417 m the year before. The centre’s Seed Fund and Catalyst Grant provide up to £100 k and...
China’s VOLANT Raises USD300 Million to Progress Its VE25-100 eVTOL Programme
Shanghai‑based VOLANT announced the close of a Series C round that raised over $300 million, the largest single financing event in China’s commercial passenger eVTOL sector. The round was led by UAE‑based Stone with participation from HSG, Fortera Capital, Future Capital...
Dex Lands $5.3M to Grow Its AI-Driven Talent Matching Platform
London‑based Dex, an AI‑driven recruitment platform for software engineers, closed a $5.3 million seed round led by Notion Capital with participation from Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun programme and other investors. The funding brings Dex’s total capital to $8.4 million and will be used...
Third Space Learning Raises £4.4m to Scale AI Tutoring
Third Space Learning, the Swindon‑based online education platform, has raised £4.4 million (about $5.6 million) to accelerate its AI‑driven maths tutoring service, Skye. The round was led by the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund with participation from Maven Capital Partners,...
SPREAD AI Raises $30M Series B for Industrial AI
Spread AI announced a $30 million Series B round to accelerate its global expansion and enhance its AI‑driven product data platform. New investors include DTCP Growth, IQT, OTB Ventures, Salesforce and Thesiger Capital, alongside existing backers HV Capital and Nauta Capital. The...
Sereact Raises $110 Million Series B to Commercialise AI ‘Robotic Brain’
Sereact, the Stuttgart‑based AI robotics software firm, closed a $110 million Series B round led by Headline. The funding will accelerate development of its Cortex 2.0 “robotic brain” and fund a new U.S. office, aiming to make robots adaptable across manufacturing...
True Anomaly Secures $650 Million Series D to Scale Jackal Space‑Superiority Platform
True Anomaly announced a $650 million Series D financing round, co‑led by Eclipse and Riot Ventures, to accelerate production of its Jackal autonomous satellite. The funding lifts the company’s valuation to $2.2 billion and brings total capital raised to $1 billion since its...
Explore USVC: Private Market Structure, Fees, Liquidity
It’s wild that we may have almost 2,000 people on a webinar for USVC tomorrow We’ll cover: - Private markets in America today - How USVC is structured and what makes it different from other funds - The trade offs: Fees, liquidity and who...
Valuation without Purpose: Fundraising Posts Lack Company Description
Call me old fashioned, but I will never get used to seeing fundraise posts with a valuation but no mention of what the company does (exceptions begrudgingly made for household names).
ARK CEO Cathie Wood Adds $71.5 M Amazon Stake, Trims AMD and Others
ARK Invest chief Cathie Wood bought roughly $71.5 million of Amazon stock on April 24, acquiring 280,450 shares while offloading $65.8 million of AMD and other positions. The move underscores her belief that AI growth is consolidating around a few hyperscalers and the...
Top Indian Fund Paves Way for Alternative VC
A Top India Fund Shows One Path for a Different Kind of VC @followthemani https://t.co/Z3EnvJp0iP
Quantum Computing Chases a ChatGPT Moment as $7.2 B Funding Fuels Race
IBM and rivals such as Rigetti Computing are accelerating toward a breakthrough comparable to ChatGPT, backed by $7.2 billion raised via SPACs and deals over five years. The sector faces steep cash burn, fragile qubits and an unclear path to commercial...
AI Startups Claim 7 of Top 10 Seed Rounds, Avg Over $10 M
AI‑focused startups captured seven of the ten largest seed rounds recorded in the past few months, with average seed investments topping $10 million. The surge reflects capital‑intensive model training needs and a rush by venture firms to lock in early positions...
Manifest Raises $2 Million to Help Ad Agencies Eliminate Timesheets
Australian startup Manifest has closed a $2 million AUD pre‑seed round—about $1.3 million USD—led by Brand Fund and backed by Antler, Techstars and several ad‑industry veterans. The company’s AI‑powered platform automatically records agency workflows across tools, replacing traditional timesheets with real‑time visibility...
YC Just Told You What to Build. Here Are the Ideas Worth Stealing.
Y Combinator’s Summer 2026 batch released a 15‑item request‑for‑startup list that moves beyond vague trends to concrete gaps solvable with AI, robotics and biology. The ideas span low‑pesticide agriculture, AI‑native service firms, personalized medicine, enterprise "company brain" knowledge layers, counter‑swarm...
Cultivating Unicorns: Strategic Elements Incubates Australian Tech Breakthrough
Strategic Elements (ASX:SOR) leverages Australia’s pooled development fund (PDF) – a tax‑exempt vehicle – to plug a $38 billion AUD (≈$25 billion USD) funding gap for growth‑stage SMEs. The fund incubates deep‑tech ventures such as Stealth Technologies’ EdgeiQ, which landed a $225,000 AUD...
SpaceX Targets $1.8 Trillion Valuation in Summer IPO, Sparking Investor Frenzy
SpaceX is slated to go public this summer with a projected valuation between $1.75 trillion and $2 trillion, the biggest IPO on record. The filing has ignited a valuation clash between Ark Invest’s conservative models and market optimism, while investors scramble for...
Mighty Capital Closes $91 Million Fund III, Tripling Prior Fund Size
Mighty Capital secured $91 million for its third venture fund, a three‑fold increase over its second fund. The raise reflects heightened limited‑partner confidence in the emerging manager and adds significant dry‑powder to the early‑stage market.
Liquid Scoops Up $18M Seed Round
Liquid announced the closing of an $18 million Series Seed round, co‑led by Neo and Left Lane Capital. The round also included Haun Ventures, K5 Global, SV Angel, AntiFund, Sunflower Capital, and returning investors Paradigm and General Catalyst. Liquid’s platform enables...
MagicCube Adds E& to $10M Financing Round
MagicCube announced that e& Capital has joined its $10 million financing round, marking the second closing of the round. The round also includes strategic investor Verifone, along with Bold Capital Partners, Mosaik Partners and other backers. MagicCube’s software‑only security platform protects...
Private‑Equity ETFs Still Carry Excessive Fees
Seems like every day, a new ETF/CEF/interval fund focused on private equity or VC is being launched. Why doesn't someone do it for a <1% fee? Why do they all have to be 2%, 3%, 4%, or 5% in annual fees? Honestly,...
Raise More VC Funding to Solve the Dilemma
Good point. One solution when faced with this dilemma: raise more VC dollars into these companies :-)
True Anomaly Raised $1 Billion to Build Weapons for a Programme the Pentagon Has Not Committed to Building
True Anomaly, a Colorado startup focused on autonomous spacecraft for orbital combat, closed a $650 million Series D round, bringing total capital raised to $1 billion and valuing the company at $2.2 billion. The funding arrived days after the U.S. Space Force named the...
VCs Claim Sidelines Support, Then Dive in After Investing
VCs when they don’t invest: “we’ll be cheering from the sidelines” VCs when they invest and get in the game: https://t.co/XIs9vSgUQw
Why We Invested in Dex
Notion Capital is leading a $6 million seed round in Dex, an AI‑powered recruitment platform that flips the traditional model by working on behalf of candidates. The $856 billion recruitment industry has seen time‑to‑hire climb to 44 days, highlighting deep inefficiencies. Dex’s voice‑agent...