Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Clip raises $500M, pushes valuation past $2.5B
Mexican fintech Clip secured a $500M financing round, lifting its valuation to over $2.5B. The capital will fund a consumer‑focused wallet rollout and broaden its financial‑services platform. Investors were not disclosed and the round remains open.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OpenAI secures $122B private financing round
Jeito Capital, Prominent Biotech Investor, Raises $1.2B for Next Fund
Jeito Capital announced the close of its Jeito II fund, raising €1 billion (about $1.2 billion) – the largest capital raise ever for an independent European biopharma fund. The fund will back 15‑20 clinical‑stage drugmakers, allocating up to €150 million ($162 million) per company across obesity, oncology and autoimmune indications. Jeito’s track record includes three high‑profile exits, such as Merck’s $1.3 billion acquisition of EyeBio. The raise comes as overall venture funding for biotech slipped in Q1 2026, highlighting Jeito’s confidence in Europe’s pipeline.
Atlas Nets $6 Mn To Scale Its Accounting-Focused AI Platform
Singapore‑based AI startup Atlas secured $6 million seed funding from Accel and Stellaris Venture Partners to accelerate its accounting‑focused AI platform. The solution promises to triple the capacity of partner firms by automating routine tasks such as audit preparation, bookkeeping, and...
Acumen Backs Uganda’s Mountain Harvest
Acumen has committed patient capital to Mountain Harvest, a Ugandan specialty coffee producer that works with more than 1,000 smallholder farmers. The investment will fund a temperature‑controlled warehouse, a dry mill and a colour‑sorting line, as well as land acquisition...
VCs Pour $121M Into Male Fertility Startups
Venture capitalists poured $121 million in funding into startups focused on male fertility last year, according to data from PitchBook. One of the companies that raised money was Sperm Racing, a company that held a “sperm race” sporting event at...
New Funding Fuels AirHub’s Defense Drone Ambitions
AirHub, a European drone‑software firm, closed a €4.4 million ($4.8 million) Series A round led by Keen Venture Partners, RunwayFBU, Lumaux and LUMO Labs. The capital will fund expansion of its Drone Operations Center and the launch of MilHub for defense and SecHub...
Inside Q1 2026’s Mega Deal Drought: War, LP Shift & Growth Capital Gap
India’s startup funding fell sharply in Q1 2026, with total capital inflows dropping 26% YoY to $2.3 bn and no $100 million mega deals recorded for the first time since 2022. Despite the funding dip, the number of deals rose 17% as...
Sidewinder Therapeutics Raises $137 Million to Advance Bispecific ADCs
Sidewinder Therapeutics announced a $137 million Series B round, surpassing expectations and bringing its total capital to $162 million. The round was led by Frazier Life Sciences and Novartis Venture Fund, with participation from OrbiMed, DCVC Bio, Goldman Sachs, and others. The funding...
Five African Private Capital Moves in March 2026
In March 2026 Africa’s private‑capital scene saw five notable moves. Adenia Partners capped its Entrepreneurial Fund I at $180 million, surpassing its $150 million target. A SPE Capital‑led consortium invested in Egypt’s eye‑care maker Orchidia, alongside multilateral partners. Phatisa and AgDevCo exited...
Digital Health Funding Concentrates in Fewer Startups: Report
Digital health startups secured $4 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up $1 billion from a year earlier, but the capital was funneled into fewer deals. Only 110 transactions occurred, down from 122, while a dozen mega‑deals of $100 million or more...
Why We Invested in Rocketlane
Insight Partners announced a new investment in Rocketlane, a professional‑services automation platform built to address the exploding demand for AI implementation delivery. The company combines project templates, a shared client portal, and an AI engine called Nitro that automates configuration,...
Hermeus Corp Secures $350 Million Series C, Valuing Unmanned Supersonic Jet Maker at $1 Billion
Atlanta‑based Hermeus Corp closed a $350 million Series C financing led by Khosla Ventures, bringing its post‑money valuation above $1 billion. The cash will fund two new Quarterhorse supersonic prototypes and expand production as the startup races to close the U.S. hypersonic gap.
Starfish Space Secures $110 Million Series B to Accelerate Satellite Servicing
Starfish Space announced a $110 million Series B round led by Point72 Ventures, aimed at scaling its Otter on‑orbit servicing platform. The financing brings the company's total capital raised to more than $150 million and underwrites contracts with the U.S. Space Force,...
Patlytics Secures $40M in Series B Funding With Contribution From Relativity
Patlytics announced a $40 million Series B round led by Relativity, bolstering its AI‑driven patent analytics platform. The capital will fund an aggressive expansion into Asian markets and broaden the technology’s application to sectors such as life sciences. Existing investors also participated,...
Trayd Construction Tech Firm Raises US$17 Million
Trayd, a construction‑tech startup, raised US$17 million from investors including Y Combinator, Suffolk Technologies, and RXR. Its platform automates complex union payroll, HR, and compliance for specialty contractors across union‑heavy states. By reducing a 14‑hour manual process to under 30 minutes, the...
Fermtech Secures £2.5m Backing to Scale Production of Cocoa Made From Crop Waste
Oxford‑based biotech start‑up Fermtech announced a £2.5 million seed investment to accelerate its sustainable cocoa powder made from crop waste. The funding will be used to scale manufacturing facilities and expand market reach as climate‑driven supply constraints push chocolate prices higher....
Most Active And Highest-Spending Startup Investors Diverged In Q1
Q1 2026 saw venture funding surge to record levels, driven by massive AI‑focused rounds. While D.E. Shaw and MGX co‑led the two largest financings for OpenAI and Anthropic, they were not the most prolific dealmakers. Andreessen Horowitz topped post‑seed deal...
Handhold Raises €3M to Replace Fragmented Software Buying Journeys with AI Account Managers
Handhold secured €3 million (≈$3.3 million) seed funding led by Entourage Capital, joined by Inovia Capital, e2vc and prominent angels. The startup’s AI‑agent platform assigns virtual account managers to qualify leads, run demos, onboard users and handle renewals, aiming to replace fragmented...
Mappedin Secures $24.5 Million Series B to Scale City‑Wide Indoor Mapping
Kitchener‑Waterloo‑based Mappedin announced a $24.5 million Series B on April 7, 2026, led by Edison Partners and Betatron Venture Group. The funding, which closed in December 2025, is earmarked for city‑scale indoor mapping and deeper integration with safety and public‑venue platforms. The...
Madica Backs Three Startups, Launches Fundraising Guide for First-Time Founders
Madica, a pre‑seed programme for African startups, announced a $600,000 investment across three new companies—Kilimo Fresh, Hakimu, and Biovana—each receiving up to $200,000 and entry into an 18‑month mentorship and network program. The investments target Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria, extending...
Patlytics Secures $40 Million Series B to Accelerate AI‑Driven Patent Law Platform
Patlytics announced a $40 million Series B financing round led by SignalFire, with participation from N47, Liquid2 Ventures and legal‑industry investors. The funding will fuel the startup’s AI‑driven platform that automates the entire patent lifecycle for more than 40% of the...
Hermeus Secures $350 Million Led by Khosla, Reaches $1 Billion Valuation
Defense startup Hermeus closed a $350 million financing round—$200 million in equity led by Khosla Ventures and $150 million in debt—valuing the company at $1 billion. The capital will fund two new supersonic jets, expand manufacturing, and deepen ties with the U.S. Department of...
Jeito Capital Raises Record US$1.2bn to Bankroll European Biopharma’s Next Generation
Jeito Capital closed its second biopharma fund, Jeito II, at a record $1.2 bn (about €1 bn), making it the largest raise for an independent European biotech‑focused PE firm. The fund will back 15‑20 clinical‑stage companies, allocating roughly $162 m per position across obesity,...
Funding Dips, but Fundamentals Hold: European Tech Raises €7.5B in March
European tech funding in March 2026 slipped slightly, with 292 deals raising €7.5 bn (~$8.1 bn), down 1.4% in deal count and 3.8% in capital from February. The month saw 13 companies each attract over €100 m (~$108 m), while 26 deals kept terms undisclosed....
Exited Founder Podcast | Andrew Kirpalani: From Bar Napkin to Acquisition — Exiting WorkHound
In this episode, co‑founder and CTO Andrew Kirpalani recounts how a $20K accelerator deal sparked the creation of WorkHound, a mobile‑first employee engagement platform for truck drivers. He explains how his varied startup engineering background informed the product’s design and...
US RegTech Investments Recovered in 2025 Driven by a 61% Surge in Deals Under $100m
US RegTech funding rebounded in 2025, posting a 17% year‑over‑year increase to $5.9 billion across 294 deals. Deal activity under $100 million surged 61%, reaching $3.4 billion, while large transactions above $100 million continued to shrink. Vanta secured a marquee $150 million Series D at a...
Narwhal Labs Secures £20m for Its Autonomous Comms Platform
Bristol‑based AI scale‑up Narwhal Labs has closed a £20 million (~$25.6 million) funding round as it launches DeepBlue OS, an autonomous communications platform that replaces human agents with AI across voice, SMS, email and WhatsApp. The utility‑priced solution offers zero setup fees,...
Africa's Startup Surge Hits $705m as Investment Momentum Builds
African startups raised $705 million in Q1 2026 across 59 deals in 14 countries, a 26.5% year‑over‑year increase. Egypt led with $190 million, followed by South Africa ($157 million), Kenya ($94 million), Nigeria ($78 million) and Morocco ($48 million). Fintech attracted $221 million, energy $141 million and logistics $149 million,...
What Happened when Scale Met the Farm Reality
Between 2020 and 2022, over $750 million poured into South Asian agritech startups promising digital scale for millions of smallholder farmers. By 2025, funding dried up as high customer‑acquisition costs, low farmer spending power, and fragmented markets proved unsustainable for direct‑to‑farmer...
European VC Jeito Gets $1.2B to Help Private Biotechs Control Their 'Destiny'
Jeito Capital, a Paris‑based venture firm, closed its second fund at $1.2 billion (over €1 billion, roughly $1.08 billion). The capital will be deployed to a dozen or so European drug‑development startups seeking to advance pre‑clinical and early‑stage clinical programs. By providing sizable,...
Customer Interaction Platform Angoor AI Raises Pre-Seed Round Led by Venturizer
Angoor AI, an AI‑native customer interaction platform founded in 2023, closed a pre‑seed round of roughly $240,000 (Rs 2 crore) led by Venturizer, with several angel investors joining. The funding will fuel the build‑out of its enterprise sales team, expand product and...
Mexico's Banco Plata: $550M Revenue, 200% YoY Growth
Banco Plata (@bancoplatamx) is Mexico's answer to Nubank. They are crushing it and no one is talking about them. - $550+ million annualized revenue growing >200% YoY - 4 year old company - core product is a credit card (same place Nubank...
Future Startups Will Raise $15M Seed for $1M Token Magic
soon we’re going to have a handful of startups that can raise $15m+ seed rounds and who can deliver a magical experience with $1m/month token budgets, then there’ll be everyone else.
Future Equity, Present Value: The Law and Economics of SAFEs
The Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) was introduced by Y Combinator in 2013 to replace convertible notes, stripping away debt features while preserving the ability to convert into preferred stock later. SAFEs quickly became the standard for seed‑stage financing...
KreditBee Enters Unicorn Club with $280 Mn Series E Round
KreditBee secured $280 million in a Series E round, lifting its post‑money valuation to $1.5 billion and making it the first FY27 unicorn in India. The round was led by Motilal Oswal Alternates, Hornbill Capital and MUFG‑backed Dragon Funds, with participation from WhiteOak,...
Zsystems Brings Total Funding to $2.7 Million with Latest Seed Round
ZSystems, a Morocco‑based B2B2C marketplace, closed a $1.65 million seed round led by Azur Innovation Management, with participation from MNF Ventures, Witamax and new international investor Harambeans Prosperity Fund. The raise lifts total funding to $2.7 million after a $1.05 million pre‑seed round....
ManiacVC Built as Fully AI‑Native Investment Firm
this is why i chose to build @maniacvc to be AI native from the ground up. all of maniac is AI native from outbound sourcing, analyst work, inbound handling, investment memos, and everything in between.
EV Mobility Startup Trev Mobility Raises Angel Round to Expand Across Delhi NCR
Trev Mobility, an app‑first premium EV ride‑hailing service, secured an angel round of roughly $440,000 (Rs 3.65 crore) from its user base, adding to a prior Rs 20 lakh seed grant. The funding will fuel fleet expansion beyond its current 100 electric vehicles across...
Google CEO Sundar Pichai Says 'AI Shift' Opens Opportunities to Invest in Startups
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the AI boom is opening new opportunities for Alphabet to invest in high‑growth startups. The company’s early bet on SpaceX now values at roughly $100 billion, while recent commitments to Anthropic, Stripe and Waymo total billions...
★ OpenAI Announces $122 Billion Additional ‘Committed Capital’, and Announces Their ‘Superapp’ Plan for the Future
OpenAI announced a new funding round that brings its committed capital to $122 billion, pushing its post‑money valuation to $852 billion. The company unveiled a “superapp” vision that would merge ChatGPT, Codex, browsing and agentic capabilities into a single user experience. At...
AI Startups Raised $221 Billion in Q1 as Venture Funding Shows No Slowdown
North American AI startups attracted a record $221 billion in Q1 2026, roughly six times the previous quarter’s total. A handful of mega‑rounds drove most of the growth, with OpenAI raising $122 billion, Anthropic $30 billion, xAI $20 billion and Waymo $16 billion. Early‑stage activity...
Natter Scoops Up $23M
Natter, an AI‑native conversation‑intelligence platform, announced a $23 million funding round led by Renegade Partners. The capital will fund global expansion and accelerate product development for its real‑time video‑chat analytics. Natter’s technology captures thousands of simultaneous 1:1 video conversations, turning raw...
What’s Familiar in Health Tech’s Q1 Funding Totals
Health‑tech funding surged in Q1, highlighted by Whoop’s $575 million Series G round that lifted its valuation into the multibillion‑dollar range. Smaller but notable deals included OpenEvidence, eMed, Talkiatry and Alphabet’s Verily, each securing tens of millions to expand data, telehealth, AI‑driven...
Amazon's $8B Bet Yields 7x Return in Two Years
AMZN invested $8 billion in Anthropic late 2023. That stake is now valued at $60.6 billion, roughly 3x their quarterly net income and a 7x return in just two years.
Most AI Startups Should Bootstrap, Keep Full Ownership
The vast majority of ai startups I meet (outside of capital intensive areas like foundational models, semis, defense) would be better off bootstrapping in the long run. Best time ever to own 100 pct.
Digital Health Funding Sees $1 Billion Boost Since Q1 2025
Funding for digital health startups surged to $4 billion in Q1 2026 across 110 deals, a $1 billion increase from the same period a year earlier. The average deal size climbed to $36.7 million, the highest since Q4 2021. Twelve mega‑deals accounted for 59% of...
North America VC Record: 87% AI Funding in Q1
A $252.6B quarter. 💥 North America funding shattered records in Q1, with 87% going to AI. $221B was poured into companies like @OpenAI and @Anthropic. Fewer deals. More capital into winners. Big implications for what comes next. 👀 https://t.co/X325jhmfm2 https://t.co/PTXFUrjfKJ
Ghodsi Warns 2024 Is Terrible Year for IPOs
Ali Ghodsi says this is a terrible year to go public … bad news for SpaceX and maybe OpenAI/Anthropic
Industry Overview: Female Founders
The venture‑capital ecosystem still allocates only about 2% of its dollars to female‑founder startups, a share that has barely moved despite growing attention. Recent data show female‑led exits have risen to 24% in 2024 and IPO participation jumped seven‑fold, yet...
Join Zoom Office Hours for A16z Speedrun Applications
hosting zoom office hours this week for a16z speedrun you'll be able to apply to a16z speedrun in just a few weeks, so so come AMA. first come, first served drop a comment + like and I'll DM you a calendly link...
Aria Networks Secures $125M to Launch AI-Native Infrastructure for Data Centers
Aria Networks announced a $125 million Series A round to fund its AI‑native networking infrastructure for data centers. Backed by Sutter Hill Ventures, Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners and Eclipse Ventures, the startup aims to deliver hardware‑agnostic networking that works...