Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Updated 2h ago
Plazza eyes $15M raise to expand hyper‑local medicine delivery
Bengaluru‑based quick‑medicine delivery startup Plazza is in advanced talks to raise about $15 million, with roughly $4 million each expected from Accel, Elevation Capital and Nexus Venture Partners and $3 million from existing backers. The funding would value the company near $50 million and support the expansion of its inventory‑led, hyper‑local fulfilment network.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Beeline Medicines raises $300M Series A
Valuing Early-Stage Life Sciences Companies: The Why, the How, and the Impact
Early‑stage life sciences firms face unique valuation challenges due to regulatory, market and scientific uncertainties. Traditional discounted cash flow models are unsuitable, so practitioners rely on risk‑adjusted NPV, market comparables, and venture‑capital exit methods. These valuations influence capital raising, stock‑based compensation, and merger‑acquisition deal structures, including earn‑out provisions. Accurate, stage‑appropriate valuations are essential for securing funding and aligning stakeholder expectations.
A Record Number of Startups Hit $1 Billion in 2025. Not One Was Founded by an All-Female Team
In 2025 the United States saw a record 124 new unicorns, yet only 20 of them—just 16 percent—had at least one female founder and none were created by an all‑female team. While venture capital to female‑led companies has risen overall, all‑female...
Lux Aeterna Raises $10 Million Ahead of 2027 Reusable Satellite Demo
Lux Aeterna, a Denver startup founded by former SpaceX engineer Brian Taylor, announced a $10 million seed round led by Konvoy, bringing its total capital to $14 million. The funding will support development of Delphi‑1, a 200 kg reusable satellite with a 30 kg...
Lux Aeterna Closes $10M Seed to Build Reusable Sats
Lux Aeterna, a Colorado‑based startup founded by former Starlink engineer Brian Taylor, closed a $10 million seed round led by Konvoy Ventures to develop its reusable satellite platform Delphi. The 200‑kg demo satellite, built with COTS parts and a NASA‑partnered heat...
AI-Focused Fund Breakout Raises $114M To Support Early-Stage Biotechs
Breakout Ventures announced the close of its third fund, raising $114 million to back AI‑driven biotech startups. The capital will be deployed to early‑stage companies, including a University of Chicago spin‑out focused on computational small‑molecule design and a stealth venture tackling...
Top VCs Grab Half of Shrinking $68B Market
“In recent months, Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners raised $34 billion, half of the money all U.S. VC funds raised last year. Overall venture fundraising sank 34% to just under $68 billion last year, according to PitchBook.”
AI Networking Startup Eridu Steps Out Of Stealth With More Than $200M In Funding
Eridu, a Saratoga‑based AI networking startup, emerged from stealth with an oversubscribed Series A that raised more than $200 million. The company claims its clean‑sheet switch architecture can cut latency, reduce data‑center power use by up to 70%, and lower capital expenditures...
Evervault Secures $25M to Scale Secure Payment Encryption
ICYMI - .@Evervault raises $25M to scale its ‘secure-by-default’ approach to payment data encryption https://t.co/69Ndf6v1yM @SiliconANGLE @Mike_Wheatley “Quite simply, dealing with this is not their core business, it’s just a distraction from the real business…” - #NextGenApps https://t.co/b0LbyzoIoh
Exclusive: Google-Backed Namma Yatri Raises Fresh Capital
Bengaluru‑based ride‑hailing platform Namma Yatri secured ₹39.75 crore (≈$4.4 million) in a pre‑Series A extension, led by Juspay founder Vimal Kumar with participation from Blume Ventures, Antler and other investors. The round follows a July 2024 $11 million raise and brings Vimal Kumar’s stake to...
Armadin Secures $189.9 Million to Counter AI-Driven Cyber Threats
Armadin announced a $189.9 million seed and Series A round, the largest combined funding ever in cybersecurity, led by Accel with participation from Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Menlo Ventures, In‑Q‑Tel, 8VC and Ballistic Ventures. The capital will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that...
Breakout Ventures Closes $114M Fund, Plans 20 Investments
Breakout Ventures announced the close of a new $114 million venture fund, its first dedicated vehicle, aimed at backing roughly 20 early‑stage companies. The capital raise underscores the firm’s confidence in high‑growth sectors such as SaaS, fintech and artificial intelligence. Breakout...
SS Innovations Raises $18.6M as Surgical Robot Nears US Market
SS Innovations announced an $18.6 million private placement to accelerate its global rollout, including a U.S. launch of the SSi Mantra surgical robot. The company filed for FDA 510(k) clearance in December, with a decision expected by mid‑2026, and aims to compete...
Alt Protein Investors Are Tired of Waiting - They Want Confidence in the Future
Investor confidence in alternative proteins has sharply declined as long development timelines clash with revenue expectations. Key plant‑based and cultivated players such as Beyond Meat face setbacks, widening the later‑stage funding gap. Corporates view the sector's supply chains as fragile,...
Invention Engine’s Four Portfolio Startups Secure $2.5 Mn
Invention Engine, a founder‑led AI and deep‑tech accelerator, announced that four of its portfolio companies have secured roughly $2.5 million in new funding. Sonic Lamb raised about $1 million to scale its India‑designed headphones and expand into automotive and pro‑audio applications. Cheerio...
Deals in Brief: Gobi Partners Backs Cortical Labs, TVS Invests in Vietnam’s Dat Bike, 11 China Deals, and More
A wave of Asian tech financing saw Cortical Labs secure an undisclosed round led by Horizon Ventures and Gobi Partners, while Vietnam’s Dat Bike received a $4 million Series B injection from Thien Viet Securities. Singapore‑based AI startups Acceler8 and Sapiens AI...
Newtrace Raises $6.3 Mn in Pre-Series A Round Led by HDFC Bank, MSIVC
Climate‑tech startup Newtrace secured $6.3 million (₹56.93 crore) in a pre‑Series A round. The financing was led by HDFC Bank and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, with participation from Peak XV Surge, Aavishkaar, and other investors. Newtrace will use the funds to scale pilot...
ZOFF Foods Raises $2 Million in Pre-Series B Round Led by JM Financial Private Equity
Raipur‑based spice brand ZOFF Foods secured $2 million in a Pre‑Series B round, led by JM Financial Private Equity’s India Growth Fund III and joined by boAt co‑founder Aman Gupta. This is the company’s second funding round, underscoring investor confidence in its growth...
LPs Crave a Vehicle to Scale Small Direct Investments
Somebody asked me what may be a “product” that LPs want right now and isn’t easily available. My quick thought: “Do you have access to hot companies so you can put $1-5m yourself (really any valuation) but then present $10-50m to...
Paris-Based Qevlar AI Raises €25.8 Million to Automate Security Operations Centre Investigations with Agentic AI
Paris‑based Qevlar AI announced a €25.8 million funding round, co‑led by Partech and Forgepoint Capital with participation from EQT Ventures. The capital will expand its agentic AI platform that autonomously investigates security alerts, delivering full‑depth analysis and actionable insights. Qevlar claims...
Yann LeCun Raises $1 Billion to Build AI That Understands the Physical World
Yann LeCun, former Meta chief AI scientist, launched Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) with a $1 billion funding round, valuing the Paris‑based startup at $3.5 billion. AMI aims to develop AI world models that understand and reason about the physical world, offering persistent...
Yann LeCun’s AMI Labs Raises $1.03B to Build World Models
Yann LeCun’s new venture AMI Labs secured $1.03 billion in funding, valuing the startup at $3.5 billion pre‑money. The company is developing "world models"—AI systems that learn from real‑world data using the Joint Embedding Predictive Architecture (JEPA). Its first commercial partner is...
Legal AI Platform Legora Valued at $5.5bn After Completing $550m Funding Round
Legal AI platform Legora closed a $550 million Series D round, lifting its valuation to $5.5 billion. The round was led by Accel and featured a slate of existing and new investors, including Salesforce Ventures and Bain Capital. Proceeds will fund an aggressive...
Founders Fund Nears $6B Close for Latest Growth Fund, Sources Say
Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund is close to finalizing its fourth growth fund, Founders Fund Growth IV, with about $6 billion in commitments. Approximately $1.5 billion of the capital comes directly from the firm’s partners, reflecting strong internal backing. The fund follows a $4.6 billion...
YC's Two Smart Solutions Streamline Series A Fundraising
I love how two great optimizations for navigating the Series A process came out of YC. One is the data-driven "capital as a service" approach via Standard Capital. The other is "we will help you navigate the byzantine nuances of...
Mega Secures $11.5M Series A
Mega announced an $11.5 million Series A round to accelerate its AI‑driven growth engine for small‑and‑medium businesses. The round was led by Goodwater Capital with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Atreides, SignalFire and Kearny Jackson. Notably, WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey...
Findhelp Lands $250 Million in Funding
Findhelp, a social care technology platform that connects service providers across the United States, announced it has secured approximately $250 million in new capital from The Rise Funds, TPG’s multi‑sector impact‑investing arm. The financing, terms undisclosed, is expected to accelerate the...
Live Substack Chat on Defense Tech & Fundraising
going to go live on Substack with @MichelleVolz in 13 minutes at 2p ET. we'll talk big themes in defense / industrial tech, emerging vs megafunds, and her lessons from raising a new fund in this environment. @NewcomerMedia subscribers will...
Sage Raises $65M in Series C Funding
Sage Health announced the close of a $65 million Series C round, spearheaded by Goldman Sachs. The financing also includes continued participation from existing backers IVP and Goldcrest. The capital injection is earmarked for scaling Sage's digital health platform and accelerating product...
NVIDIA Leverages Cash to Dominate Entire AI Ecosystem
.@nvidia participated in @nscale_cloud 's $2B Series C at a $14.6B valuation, led by Aker ASA and 8090 Industries. @DellTech, @Lenovo, Nokia, Citadel, Jane Street, and Point72 also came in. That is a significant number for a company founded in...
Janet Bannister’s Staircase Ventures Closes $50-Million Second Fund
Staircase Ventures announced the close of its second fund at CAD 50 million, surpassing the original CAD 40 million target despite a challenging Canadian VC environment. More than 80% of limited partners from the first fund returned, joined by new institutional investors such as...
Read the Pitch Decks of 16 Startups Looking to Disrupt Dating Apps and Social Networking that Have Raised Millions
Business Insider released pitch decks from 16 social and dating startups that have raised from pre‑seed to Series A, collectively securing over $150 million. The companies span IRL event platforms, AI‑driven matchmaking, professional networking, and social‑shopping, with notable rounds such as $22 million...
The Former Coal Miner in the Middle of the A.I. Data Center Boom
Josh Payne, a former Australian coal miner, founded Nscale, a data‑center firm that now powers AI workloads for Microsoft, OpenAI and ByteDance. Leveraging his background in renewable energy and crypto mining, Nscale secured critical electricity and semiconductor supply chains just...
Two Funds, Two Continents: Why VC Firm Satgana Is Doubling Down on Climate Tech
Satgana, a venture capital firm focused on climate‑tech, is launching two dedicated funds—one for Europe and one for Africa—after backing 30 startups across 16 countries with roughly $10 million in assets. The firm invests about $570,000 per startup, emphasizing businesses where...
RNA Editing Startup Tacit Therapeutics Launches with $19M for Brain Diseases
Tacit Therapeutics, an RNA‑editing startup focused on neurological disorders, announced its launch backed by a $19 million financing round. The capital, led by Andreessen Horowitz and DCVC, will fund the development of ADAR‑based therapeutics targeting diseases such as ALS, Huntington’s, and...
Stablecoin Payments Startup Kast Raises $80M at $600M Valuation: Report
Kast, a stablecoin‑based payments platform, closed an $80 million round that lifts its valuation to $600 million. The company projects a $100 million annual revenue run‑rate by 2025 and will use the capital to broaden its footprint across North America, Latin America and...
What Successful Corporate Venture Capital Funds Do Differently
Corporate venture capital (CVC) units are proliferating as firms chase digital disruption, yet many dissolve within a few years despite solid investment performance. Research shows the primary cause is internal tension—balancing strategic insight, financial returns, speed, and risk compliance—rather than...
VC Success Demands EQ: Human‑Centric Investing Over Pure IQ
Venture capital is ultimately a people business. A conversation with @katelin_cruse of Seven Seven Six on bringing a human capital lens to investing: how Pixar and Reddit shaped her philosophy, and why sourcing and supporting founders takes as much EQ...
Emerging Manager Explores Industrial Tech Trends in New Fund
Watch @MichelleVolz and I talk about her new fund @pax_ventures. We discuss big themes in industrial tech + raising a fund as an emerging manager https://t.co/qy84WOhSde
Exclusive: Ecofy Set to Raise Rs 380 Cr Led by British International Investment
Ecofy Finance, a climate‑focused NBFC, is raising Rs 380 crore in a Series B equity round led by British International Investment. The round includes Rs 220 crore from BII, Rs 70.5 crore from Finnfund, and continued backing from FMO and Green Growth Equity Fund....
Advisory Equity Can Yield Tiny Slice of Billion-Dollar Exit
I did some startup advisory in exchange for shares like 5 years ago. The company got acquired and now the new company is refactoring my cut. I'm getting a total of 11 shares which means if they exit for $1B...
Michelle Volz Launches Pax Ventures with $50M Fund
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-a16z Partner Michelle Volz Launches Pax Ventures with $50 Million First Fund to Bet on 'Industrial-Scale Markets' https://t.co/qADKBFz8lm
Vilnius-Based Food Supply Marketplace Saltz Raises €20 Million Series A, Plans 100+ Hires as It Expands Across Europe
Vilnius‑based Saltz secured a €20 million Series A round led by the EBRD, aiming to accelerate its pan‑European food‑supply marketplace. The funding will fund expansion into new markets, broaden supplier offerings, and support hiring over 100 staff by 2026. Saltz’s platform consolidates...
BuytoGive Launches £500,000 Funding Round
BuytoGive, a UK e‑commerce marketplace that converts regular online purchases into charitable donations, announced a £500,000 seed round, the first half of a £1 million raise at a £3 million pre‑money valuation. The company recently secured access to 1.2 million products via a...
Augur Raises $15m From Plural to Turn Existing Surveillance Infrastructure Into Real-Time Intelligence
London‑based Augur has closed a $15 million seed round led by Plural to turn Europe’s existing camera and sensor networks into real‑time threat intelligence. The startup’s AI platform ingests video and sensor feeds, delivering live situational awareness without requiring hardware replacement....
What’s Steering Toyota’s “Fund the Future” Mandate?
Toyota has dramatically expanded its venture arm, Toyota Ventures, to accelerate its shift from a traditional carmaker to a broader mobility provider. Since 2017 the unit’s assets under management have risen from $100 million to over $800 million across six funds, backing...
Germany’s Telura Exits Stealth with €4 Million Pre-Seed to Unlock Geothermal Energy with Electric Impulse Drilling
Munich‑based Telura announced a €4 million pre‑seed round led by Nucleus Capital, Possible Ventures and First Momentum, coupled with a validation pact with Germany’s SPRIND agency. The startup’s electric impulse drilling technology replaces mechanical bits with high‑voltage pulses to fracture rock,...
Last Week in Venture 3/8/2026
OpenAI announced a staggering $110 billion financing round, valuing the company at a pre‑money $730 billion, with Amazon, Nvidia and SoftBank as anchor investors. The size of the deal eclipses the GDP of many nations, redefining what a private‑company valuation can look...
Pac O'Shea & Hayyaan Ahmad Drive Round Treasury Conviction
Truth: Pac O'Shea and Hayyaan Ahmad were (and still are) the investment thesis behind our conviction in Round Treasury 🙌
DiligenceSquared Closes $5M in Funding to Bring AI-Driven Commercial Due Diligence to Private Equity
DiligenceSquared announced a $5 million seed round led by Relentless with participation from Y Combinator to scale its AI‑driven commercial due‑diligence platform. The solution combines AI voice agents, automated data synthesis, and interactive, source‑traceable reporting to replace traditional consulting projects that typically...
Hard Capital? Secondary Market Deals Thrive Amid Recession
Entrepreneurs: It's getting f*cking bad out here. Recession type bad. BlackRock just limited withdrawals from their private credit fund and their stock dropped 7% yesterday. If you're not generating revenue right now YOU are in trouble. Raising capital just got significantly harder...
