🎯Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Updated 2h agoWhat's happening: AI fuels a 17% surge in 2025 venture fundraising despite fewer deals
Venture fundraising jumped to $119.5 billion in 2025, up 16.9% from the prior year, while the total number of rounds fell 41% to 4,859, marking a six‑year low. Capital concentrated in larger, AI‑focused rounds, with AI startups capturing 58% of Series D cash, and median valuations rose across all stages.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OpenAI raises $110B in corporate funding
News•Feb 25, 2026
Elly Debuts AI-Native Hiring Platform and Raises $8M
Elly launched an AI-native hiring platform and closed an $8 million funding round led by Sorenson Capital, with Atomic and Next Wave Capital participating. The platform consolidates sourcing, interviewing, and applicant tracking into a single AI-driven system, automatically capturing interview insights and reducing manual data entry. Early customers report up to 1 hour 45 minutes saved per candidate and several hours of weekly productivity gains. The new capital will fund product development, sales expansion, and further AI enhancements.
By HRTechFeed
News•Feb 25, 2026
PorterShed Launches Virtual Accelerator Programme with MyBertie.AI, Supported by the Western Development Commission
PorterShed has launched a six‑week virtual accelerator, “Get PSSF Ready with PorterShed x Bertie,” to help West Irish tech founders craft competitive applications for Enterprise Ireland’s Pre‑Seed Start Fund. The pilot, beginning 23 March, pairs PorterShed’s mentorship and launch track with...
By Irish Tech News
News•Feb 25, 2026
Y Combinator Grad and AI Insurance Brokerage Harper Raises $47M
Harper, an AI‑native insurance brokerage founded by Y Combinator alumnus Dakotah Rice, announced a $46.8 million Series A and seed round led by Emergence Capital. Launched in 2024, the platform automates underwriting, routing, and document collection, enabling it to process over 1,000 policies...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 25, 2026
Kinfolk Closes $7M Seed Round for AI-Driven HR Platform
London‑based Kinfolk announced a $7.2 million seed round led by AlbionVC, bringing its total capital to $8.5 million. The startup offers an AI‑native HR workforce‑operations platform that combines agentic AI, Slack/Teams integration, request management, lifecycle automation, and analytics. Kinfolk positions the solution...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 25, 2026
SolveAI Raises $50M to Help Employees Build Their Own Enterprise Software
London‑based SolveAI announced a $50 million funding round – $45 million Series A led by GV and a $5 million pre‑seed from Accel – to scale its AI‑driven no‑code platform. The solution lets employees across functions generate fully compliant enterprise applications using natural‑language prompts,...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 25, 2026
Wootzwork Nets $6.6 Mn To Scale Global OEM Manufacturing
Wootzwork, an enterprise services startup that offers end‑to‑end custom fabrication, closed a $6.6 million Series A round led by Z47, bringing its total funding close to $10 million. The capital will fund expansion of its global engineering and programme teams and scale manufacturing...
By Inc42
News•Feb 25, 2026
Tattvam AI Secures $1.7 Mn in Pre-Seed Round Led by Seedcamp
Tattvam AI, a deep‑tech startup focused on AI‑driven semiconductor design, closed a $1.7 million pre‑seed round led by Seedcamp. The funding will expand its engineering team, accelerate research, and bring its first product to market within months. The company’s AI reasoning...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 25, 2026
UK Self-Driving Startup Wayve Closes US$1.5bn Funding Round
Wayve announced a $1.5 billion Series D funding round that lifts its valuation to $8.6 billion, bringing total capital raised to $2.5 billion. The round is led by Eclipse Ventures, Balderton Capital and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and includes first‑time OEM investors Mercedes‑Benz, Stellantis and...
By Automotive World – Autonomous Driving
News•Feb 25, 2026
Rebound in Deals over $100m Lifted European RegTech Funding by 51% YoY in 2025
European RegTech funding jumped 51% year‑over‑year in 2025, reaching $1.1 billion. The market closed with 122 deals, a 10% increase over 2024 but still 55% below the 2021 peak. Large‑ticket rounds resurfaced, with deals over $100 million contributing $117.2 million after none in...
By RegTech Analyst
News•Feb 25, 2026
University of Oxford Spinout Brainomix Takes Total Funding to £18.8 Million in Support of US Expansion
Oxford‑spun AI medical‑imaging firm Brainomix announced a £18.8 million total Series C raise, including a £4.8 million tranche aimed at accelerating its US rollout. The capital will fund enhancements to its Brainomix 360 Stroke platform and the e‑Lung CT‑biomarker system for pulmonary fibrosis. CEO...
By HTN – Health Tech Newspaper (UK)
News•Feb 25, 2026
Healthcare Platform Gut Clinic Raises $1 Mn in Seed Round
Gut Clinic, a gastro‑metabolic health platform founded in 2024, secured $1 million (≈₹9 crore) in a seed round backed by more than 15 investors. The capital will fund new outpatient centres, upgraded clinical systems, and expanded diagnostic services across India’s $197 billion preventive...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 25, 2026
Secfix Raises $12M Series A to Build End-to-End Security Compliance Platform
Munich‑based Secfix closed an oversubscribed $12 million Series A round led by Alstin Capital, with Bayern Kapital and existing backer neosfer participating. The funding will accelerate Secfix’s European expansion and the development of its AI‑native automation and CISO‑as‑a‑Service capabilities. Secfix’s platform automates...
By Tech.eu
Blog•Feb 25, 2026
Bajaj Finserv’s $1 Billion Push Into Alternatives:
Bajaj Finserv is launching a $1 billion alternative‑investment platform under Bajaj Alternate Investment Management, targeting four verticals—private equity/venture capital, liquid alternatives, listed equity, and real estate. The firm plans to raise roughly ₹1,500‑₹2,000 crore per strategy within the next 18‑24 months, with...
By HedgeCo.net – Blogs
News•Feb 25, 2026
VCs Hit Jackpot as FMCG Giants Go on D2C Acquisition Spree
Venture capital firms such as Fireside Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures and Peak XV have secured multi‑bagger exits by selling stakes in Indian D2C brands to FMCG conglomerates. USV Pharma’s Rs 1,583 crore purchase of Wellbeing Nutrition, Hindustan Unilever’s Rs 824 crore acquisition of Oziva and its...
By ETRetail (India)
News•Feb 24, 2026
Comp Raises $17.5M Series A Round
Brazilian HR‑tech startup Comp announced a $17.5 million Series A round led by Khosla Ventures, marking the Silicon Valley firm’s first investment in Brazil. The round also included Kaszek, Canary, Abstract Ventures and Endeavor Catalyst. Comp’s AI‑driven platform aggregates real‑time salary data...
By LatamList
News•Feb 24, 2026
Battery Ventures Leads $40M Round for Letter AI
Letter AI announced a $40 million Series B round led by Battery Ventures, closing just four months after its last raise. The Chicago‑based startup introduced Letter Compass, a real‑time deal‑enablement tool that pulls content, learning, CRM data, and interaction history...
By Just AI News
News•Feb 24, 2026
NEXUS Panelists: Lack of Exits, Compressed PE Returns Complicating LP-GP Dynamics
At the NEXUS 2026 conference, private‑equity executives highlighted that a slowdown in exits and tighter returns are straining the traditional LP‑GP relationship. Mike Lazorik of Texas TRS warned that alignment “has never been more complicated” as limited partners push for...
By Buyouts Insider
News•Feb 24, 2026
Basis Secures $100M Series B for AI Accounting Agents
Basis secured $100 million in a Series B round, valuing the AI accounting platform at $1.15 billion. The funding, led by Accel with participation from GV, Khosla Ventures and a roster of tech luminaries, will accelerate development of more sophisticated autonomous...
By Just AI News
News•Feb 24, 2026
Finnish Zenniz Raises $6 Million to Scale Smart Tennis Courts Globally, Establishes U.S. HQ in Atlanta
Finnish sport‑tech firm Zenniz secured a $6 million financing round to accelerate its global rollout of all‑in‑one smart tennis courts. The round, led by Butterfly Ventures with participation from Superhero Capital, Seventure Partners, Bromélia Capital and angel investor Miki Kuusi, will fund...
By ArcticStartup
News•Feb 24, 2026
Quantcore Secures £2.5M ($3.4M USD) to Establish Sovereign Niobium-Based Quantum Hardware Manufacturing
Quantcore, a University of Glasgow spin‑out, closed a £2.5 million seed round led by PXN Ventures, Blackfinch Ventures and Scottish Enterprise. The funding will be used to build a sovereign niobium‑based quantum hardware manufacturing line at the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre,...
By Quantum Computing Report
News•Feb 24, 2026
Wishlink Raises $17.5 Million To Expand Creator Commerce Platform
Wishlink secured $17.5 million in a Series B round led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, bringing its total funding to $27.5 million. The platform now supports over 40,000 active creators who produce more than 300,000 pieces of content each month, driving...
By Ventureburn
News•Feb 24, 2026
AI Chip Startup MatX Raises $500 Million to Compete With Nvidia
AI chip startup MatX, founded by two former Google semiconductor engineers, announced a funding round exceeding $500 million to accelerate development of GPUs that challenge Nvidia’s market dominance. The round was led by Jane Street and Situational Awareness, with participation from...
By Bloomberg – Technology (sitewide)
News•Feb 24, 2026
Nimble Raises $47M to Give AI Agents Access to Real-Time Web Data
Nimble announced a $47 million Series B round led by Norwest to scale its AI‑driven web‑search platform. The service uses autonomous agents to query the internet in real time, validates results, and outputs them as structured tables that can be queried like...
By TechCrunch Enterprise
News•Feb 24, 2026
Exclusive: Newtrace to Raise Pre Series A Funding Led by HDFC Bank
Climate‑tech startup Newtrace announced a Rs 28 crore pre‑Series A round, led by HDFC Bank with participation from Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and existing backers. The funding, issued via 2,541 convertible preference shares, keeps the post‑money valuation flat at Rs 237 crore ($26 million). Proceeds will fund product...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 24, 2026
From ‘Prompt-and-Pray’ to Production: Straion Raises €1.1M to Govern AI Coding at Scale
Straion, a governance layer for AI‑generated code, closed a €1.1 million seed round led by Marathon VC. The startup aims to replace the “prompt‑and‑pray” development model by centralising organisational rules and validating AI‑generated plans before execution. Its platform integrates with tools...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 24, 2026
Arctic15 Turns 15, Anniversary Edition Opens with Exclusive Early-Bird Pricing
Arctic15 is marking its 15th anniversary with a June 11‑12, 2026 conference in Helsinki, featuring a curated showcase of 100 breakthrough startups, dedicated experience zones, and new LP‑GP and Defence Tech summits. The event emphasizes high‑quality, one‑to‑one matchmaking between founders...
By ArcticStartup
News•Feb 24, 2026
Student Mobility Startup ZeroMoblt Raises Pre-Seed Round
ZeroMoblt, a student‑mobility platform founded in April 2024, announced a pre‑seed round of ₹1.5 crore co‑led by JioMart CEO Sandeep Varaganti, Ashok Agrawal and high‑net‑worth investors. The capital will accelerate its AI‑native technology, expand operations across key Indian education hubs, and...
By Entrackr
Podcast•Feb 24, 2026•33 min
Colin Van Ostern: Why Alumni Ventures Is Betting on UK Venture Capital
In this episode, Colin Van Ostern, incoming head of Alumni Ventures' UK operations, discusses the firm’s network‑powered, diversified venture model and its expansion into the UK to tap a growing European startup ecosystem. He shares his unconventional path from politics...
By Angel Invest Boston
News•Feb 24, 2026
Czech ValkaAI Raises One of the Biggest CEE Pre-Seed Rounds to Date
Czech AI startup ValkaAI closed a €12 million pre‑seed round, one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe, led by Rockaway Ventures with participation from J&T Ventures, Tensor Ventures, BD Partners and Fond Naše Česko. The funding will fuel development of...
By The Recursive
News•Feb 24, 2026
SecFund Invests in Advanced Composite Manufacturer Arceon
Arceon, a Delft‑based advanced composite maker, received new capital from SecFund and Tenzing Alpha to commercialise its carbon‑based material Carbeon. The single‑step silicon infiltration process makes Carbeon lighter, stronger and faster to produce, targeting rockets, satellites and hypersonic platforms. The...
By JEC Composites
News•Feb 24, 2026
Tewke Secures £1.5M to Scale AI-Powered Home Energy Platform
London‑based Tewke closed a £1.5 million second‑stage round, backed by JamJar, Cur8, Energy Mix Ventures, Project Ventures and Revolut CTO Vlad Yatsenko. The company’s Tap device, engineered in the UK, retrofits without a neutral wire and can be installed in minutes,...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 24, 2026
Stripe, PayPal Ventures Bet on India’s Xflow to Fix Cross-Border B2B Payments
Xflow, a Bengaluru‑based fintech, closed a $16.6 million Series A round led by General Catalyst with participation from Stripe and PayPal Ventures, valuing the company at $85 million post‑money. The startup now has over $32 million in total funding and processes roughly $1 billion in...
By TechCrunch Fintech
Blog•Feb 24, 2026
The Life of “Little P’s” And Non-Partners: How to Make the Most of the Opportunity
The article advises junior venture capital analysts that their lack of senior brand authority limits founder engagement, but they can compensate by tapping the firm’s existing network of general partners, portfolio founders, and limited partners. It recommends initiating warm introductions,...
By This Is Going To Be BIG
News•Feb 23, 2026
Ubicquia Secures $106 Million To Scale AI Infrastructure Solutions
Ubicquia announced a $106 million Series D round led by 67 Capital and Marunouchi Innovation Partners, aimed at scaling its AI‑driven infrastructure portfolio worldwide. The company already serves more than 1,000 utilities, municipalities and commercial clients across the U.S., Latin America, Europe...
By Ventureburn
News•Feb 23, 2026
Ubicquia Secures $106 Million in Series D Funding
Ubicquia, a provider of intelligent infrastructure solutions, closed a $106 million Series D round. The financing was led by 67 Capital and Marunouchi Innovation Partners, with participation from Hamilton Lane, ClearSky, GMS and strategic partner Sercomm. The capital will accelerate AI development for...
By VC News Daily
News•Feb 23, 2026
Ex-Sequoia Capital India Arm Peax XV Raises $1.3bn Across New Fund Trio
Peax XV, the former Sequoia Capital India unit, announced a $1.3 billion raise across three newly launched funds. The capital is allocated to a seed‑stage vehicle, a growth‑stage fund, and a later‑stage continuation fund, enabling the firm to support startups throughout...
By AltAssets
News•Feb 23, 2026
Google Spinout Aalyria Achieves $1.3 Billion Valuation in Series B Round
Aalyria, a Google spin‑out focused on space‑based networking, closed a $100 million Series B round that lifts its valuation to $1.3 billion. The funding, led by Battery Ventures and J2 Ventures, will fund a one‑third staff increase and accelerate rollout of its Spacetime...
By SatNews
News•Feb 23, 2026
Aalyria Raises $100 Million Series B
Aalyria, a Livermore‑based aerospace communications firm, closed a $100 million Series B financing round, bringing its valuation to $1.3 billion. The round was led by Battery Ventures and J2 Ventures, with participation from DYNE and other investors. The funding will be used to...
By VC News Daily
News•Feb 23, 2026
Guggenheim Brothers Media Wants To Institutionalize The Creator Economy’s Middle Market
Guggenheim Brothers Media has launched a $75 million fund, anchored by Abu Dhabi’s Ethmar International, to fill the middle‑market funding gap in the creator economy. The Los Angeles‑based firm will invest $1‑5 million in 20‑25 early‑ to growth‑stage media and entertainment companies...
By Net Influencer
News•Feb 23, 2026
Humand Secures $66 Million Series A to Revolutionize the “Deskless” Workforce with AI
Humand announced a $66 million Series A round, co‑led by Kaszek and Goodwater Capital, to accelerate its AI‑powered platform for the 2.7 billion deskless workers worldwide. The San Francisco‑based startup positions its mobile‑first operating system as a social‑network‑style hub where frontline employees can request...
By HRTechFeed
News•Feb 23, 2026
AI Sample Generator Just 4 Noise Raises $1M From BADideas.fund, Sound Hub Denmark and More
Berlin‑based Just 4 Noise, an AI‑driven audio sample generator, closed a $1 million pre‑seed round backed by BADideas.fund, SoundInvest and Sound Hub Denmark. The platform lets producers type a text prompt and receive unique, royalty‑free sounds that can be dropped directly into a...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 23, 2026
The BIG Summit Meets at the Intersection of Patient Advocacy and Venture Investment
At the BIO Investor Growth (BIG) Summit, IBD Ventures’ associate director Nicole Schwerbrock discussed how venture philanthropy and patient advocacy are reshaping investment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research. She explained that patient‑driven funding models complement traditional venture capital by...
By Bio.News
News•Feb 23, 2026
Exclusive: Practo In Talks To Raise $100 Mn In Pre-IPO Round
Practo is in advanced talks to raise between $100 million and $125 million in a pre‑IPO round that will combine equity and debt, led by a global private‑equity firm and joined by existing backers. The financing values the health‑tech platform at roughly...
By Inc42
Podcast•Feb 23, 2026•41 min
VC10X - The Consumer AI Opportunity Nobody Is Chasing Ft. Ankur Sethi, Founder, Winner Capital
In this episode, Ankur Sethi, founder of Winner Capital, explains why he believes consumer AI is the present, not the future, and why it remains vastly underfunded compared to enterprise SaaS. He highlights the democratization of large language models that...
By VC10X
Blog•Feb 23, 2026
UK Government-Backed Cyber Security Programme Alumni Raise £47.4m in Follow-On Investment
Innovate UK’s Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator (CyberASAP) alumni have attracted £47.4 million in post‑programme funding over the past nine years, with private capital accounting for 68% of that amount. The accelerator, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,...
By IT Security Guru
News•Feb 23, 2026
Beltone Holding Launches Growth-Stage Private Equity Platform
Beltone Holding, an Egypt‑based investment group, has launched a private equity platform to complement its existing venture arm. The new platform targets growth‑stage companies, offering a structured path from early‑stage venture funding to institutional‑scale capital. Ali Mokhtar, CEO and Managing...
By Wamda
News•Feb 23, 2026
Goldman Sachs’ Petershill Targets $5bn for Fifth Flagship Fund
Goldman Sachs’ alternative investment arm Petershill is launching its fifth flagship fund, aiming to raise about $5 billion, equal to the size of its 2020 fund. The fund will continue the firm’s strategy of taking minority stakes in private‑market managers in...
By Private Equity Wire
News•Feb 23, 2026
Victoria Takes Venture Capital Crown From NSW in $2.2 Billion Funding Surge
Victoria’s venture capital ecosystem surged in 2025, raising $2.2 billion across 134 deals – a 2.9‑times increase year‑on‑year and the state’s second‑largest funding year on record. The growth was driven by a sharp rise in mid‑size ($20‑49.9 million) and large ($50 million‑plus) rounds,...
By SmartCompany » StartupSmart (AU)
News•Feb 23, 2026
The Government Wants VCs to Co-Invest in a $1 Billion Defence Industry Fund
The Australian federal government is preparing to contribute up to $500 million as co‑investment alongside venture capital firms into one or more Advanced Capabilities Investment (ACI) funds aimed at defence and dual‑use technologies. A Request for Expressions of Interest on AusTender...
By Startup Daily (ANZ)
News•Feb 23, 2026
D2C Lifestyle Brand DailyObjects Posts Rs 110 Cr Revenue in FY25
DailyObjects, the Indian D2C tech‑accessories brand, posted Rs 110 crore revenue for FY25, a 31% increase over the prior year. The surge in sales was offset by a 60% jump in net loss, which rose to Rs 16 crore as total expenses climbed 30%...
By Entrackr