Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Ramp projects $1.4 billion ARR as it gears up for IPO
Fintech startup Ramp says it will reach a $1.4 billion annual recurring revenue run rate this quarter, up from the $1 billion reported in September. The company cites a 70% year‑over‑year increase in its customer base and expects about $125 million in free cash flow for the year.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Beeline Medicines raises $300M Series A
Indian SpaceX Rival EtherealX Hits 5x Valuation as It Readies Engine Tests
EtherealX, an Indian launch‑vehicle startup, closed a $20.5 million Series A, lifting its valuation 5.5‑fold to $80.5 million. The company is preparing hot‑fire tests of its in‑house “Pegasus” upper‑stage and “Stallion” booster engines, targeting a technology‑demonstration flight in late 2027. Its fully reusable medium‑lift vehicle, Razor Crest Mk‑1, promises payloads up to 24.8 tonnes expendable and as low as $350 per kilogram in a reusable configuration. The raise also funds engine qualification, clustered‑engine testing, and expansion of its manufacturing campus.
Maintain Multiple Buyers to Preserve Deal Leverage
Most founders don’t realize how exposed they are until they’re already in a deal. One buyer, one offer, one path forward. At that point you’re not negotiating, you’re just trying to get to the finish line without losing it. The buyer feels...
Hydrosat Raises $60 Million in Series B Funding
Hydrosat announced a $60 million Series B round led by Hartree Partners, Subutai Capital and Space 4 Earth, bolstering its capital to expand its thermal‑infrared satellite constellation. The funding will fund new satellites, boost engineering capacity in the U.S. and Luxembourg, and accelerate global...
Edtech Platform Headway Inc Secures Series A Extension with Backing From Endeavor Catalyst
Headway Inc., a Ukrainian‑born edtech platform with 160 million users, closed the second tranche of its Series A extension, secured from Endeavor Catalyst. The fund invested above its usual $2 million ceiling, underscoring confidence in the company’s growth trajectory. Headway becomes the first...
MARS Bioimaging Closes $15M Series A Funding
Medical device startup MARS Bioimaging announced a $15 million Series A round, led by Pacific Channel. The financing was delivered in two tranches—$7.6 million initially and $7.4 million later in 2026. The capital will accelerate deployment of its portable spectral photon‑counting CT scanners across...
Bain & Company Launches AI-Focused Venture Ecosystem With Leading Global VC Firms
Bain & Company announced the creation of an AI‑focused venture ecosystem in partnership with several leading global venture‑capital firms. The initiative will combine Bain’s strategic consulting expertise with VC capital to back early‑stage artificial‑intelligence startups. By establishing a dedicated pipeline,...
Cyb3r Operations Raises $5.4M in Financing
London‑based Cyb3r Operations secured $5.4 million in a financing round led by Octopus Ventures, bringing its total capital to $6.75 million after a follow‑on from Pi Labs. The startup provides continuous, automated third‑party cyber risk visibility across tech stacks, flagging vulnerabilities, sanctions,...
Quadric Raises $30M in Series C Funding
Quadric, a Burlingame‑based AI inference engine provider, announced a $30 million Series C round led by ACCELERATE Fund with participation from several notable venture firms. The capital will fund expansion of its General Purpose NPU (GPNPU) processor IP and end‑to‑end toolchain, which...
Feedelity Raises €510K to Turn Customer Feedback Into Action
Ghent‑based startup Feedelity secured €510,000 in a round led by private investors and venture funds NewSchool VC and ScaleFund. The AI‑driven platform aggregates customer reviews from delivery apps, search engines, email and social media, then semi‑automates responses and highlights urgent...
Atomic Insights Raises $10M in Seed Funding
Atomic Insights, a San Diego fintech focused on money‑movement automation for registered investment advisors (RIAs) and family offices, announced a $10 million seed round. The financing was led by Aquiline with participation from Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures and existing backers. The...
Indian Startup Aule Space Enters Satellite Servicing Market
Indian startup Aule Space announced a $2 million seed round to develop low‑cost satellite‑servicing “jetpack” spacecraft that attach to GEO satellites for orbit‑raising and life extension. The company’s approach relies on computer‑vision and AI instead of costly radars, aiming to reduce...
JPM26: As Capital Concentrates, VCs Scrutinize Founder Pedigree and CEO Fit in Early Biotech
At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, venture capitalists highlighted a tightening funding environment for early‑stage biotech firms, driven by a hyper‑concentration of capital among a few investors. VCs now scrutinize founder and CEO attributes, emphasizing regulatory know‑how, market insight, and...
Lytra Completes Pre-Seed Financing for AI-Driven Manufacturing Solution
Munich‑based Lytra closed a pre‑seed round led by High‑Tech Gründerfonds, securing capital to scale its AI‑driven operating system for manufacturing service automation. The platform automates core after‑sales tasks such as spare‑parts ordering, technician scheduling and technical support, integrating directly with...
VC‑Only AI Hackathon in SF: Share, Build, Connect
I've had a lot of fun sharing AI-powered tools I've built to help us run Precursor, and I have learned a lot from folks like Sarah Smith and Chang Xu based on what they are doing. I am thinking of...
Learn Timeless Startup Tactics From Pre‑VC Business History
If you’re struggling to raise, I think it’s sometimes helpful to ask yourself how someone would’ve built this business when the venture capital industry didn’t exist. Some of the techniques founders used back then were GOAT. Reading business / startup...
India’s Emversity Doubles Valuation as It Scales Workers AI Can’t Replace
Emversity, a Bengaluru‑based workforce‑training startup, raised $30 million in a Series A round led by Premji Invest, valuing the company at $120 million. The funding will fuel expansion of its AI‑resistant, grey‑collar talent pipelines across healthcare, hospitality and soon EPC and manufacturing. To...
Depthfirst Secures $40M to Expand Agentic Approach to Software Security
Depthfirst Inc. announced a $40 million Series A round led by Accel to accelerate its AI‑native security platform. The startup’s General Security Intelligence platform deploys custom AI agents that continuously analyze code, infrastructure and workflows, delivering context‑aware vulnerability detection. In its first...
Aikido Security Raises $60M Series B at $1B Valuation to Unify Application Security
Belgian cybersecurity firm Aikido Security announced a $60 million Series B round that values the company at $1 billion, making it Europe’s fastest unicorn in the sector. The funding will accelerate its unified application security platform, which combines static and dynamic testing, software...
Lean Startup Eliminates Early Mistakes in Product Building
The first startup ideas tried to build were awful. We built too much. We built without close rapport with customers and built the wrong things. This was pre Lean Startup. Fast forward. Now that everyone knows about the Lean Startup...
Project Eleven Scores $20M Series A
Project Eleven, a post‑quantum security and digital‑asset migration startup, announced a $20 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Castle Island Ventures and included investors such as Coinbase Ventures, Balaji Srinivasan, Fin Capital, Variant, and several other venture funds....
Choose Unconflicted Banks that Prioritize Founder Interests
What does it mean to be a founder-focused investment bank? Founder-focused means that a bank is fully unconflicted and focused on the interests of founders. In other words, the bank doesn't accept revenue from anyone that could be a buyer...
Blackstone, General Atlantic-Backed Liftoff Mobile Files for IPO
Liftoff Mobile, the Blackstone‑backed mobile‑app marketing platform, filed its initial S‑1 on Tuesday, marking the first step toward an IPO. Market whispers suggest a $400 million raise, though the prospectus omits official size and shareholder stakes. Formed in 2021 from the...
Alpaca Inks $150 Million Series D Funding
Alpaca announced a $150 million Series D round that values the brokerage‑infrastructure provider at $1.15 billion, led by Drive Capital. The investment brings Drive Capital’s Chris Olsen onto Alpaca’s board and is accompanied by a $40 million revolving credit facility to support global expansion....
Monnai Nets $12 Million Funding
Monnai, a global identity and risk data infrastructure firm, secured a $12 million equity round led by Motive Partners. Existing backers Commerce Ventures and 500 Global also participated, bringing total funding since the August 2021 launch to over $23 million. The capital will accelerate...
VoiceRun Bags $5.5 Million Seed Round
VoiceRun announced a $5.5 million seed round to fuel growth of its enterprise Voice AI platform. The round was led by Flybridge Capital Partners with participation from RRE Ventures and Link Ventures. Funds will expand VoiceRun’s code‑first solution as enterprises shift...
Parambil Lands $6M in Seed Funding
Parambil, an artificial‑intelligence platform for complex litigation, announced a $6 million seed financing round. The round was led by Bling Capital with participation from NVP Capital and a group of strategic angels from the mass‑tort, personal‑injury, and legal‑tech sectors. Funds will...
Natural Fiber Welding Receives Investment From Provest Equity Partners and CTW Venture Partners
Natural Fiber Welding, a Peoria‑based developer of plant‑derived performance materials, secured a strategic investment from Provest Equity Partners and CTW Venture Partners. The undisclosed capital infusion coincides with Suhas Uppalapati joining the board as Chairman. The company will deploy the...
Stop Overusing ‘Pivot’: Distinguish Real Evidence‑Driven Shifts
Startup people reach for the word “pivot” when they want a decision to sound intentional. I’ve seen teams use it for everything from a careful course correction to quietly walking away from a plan that stopped holding up. Same word....
Serial Founder Leverages Domain Expertise with Tero
Today, Ben Johnson announced his new company, Tero ( https://www.usetero.com/ ), and I’m thrilled that we at NextView Ventures are joining him on this journey. Read why we invested below 👇 There’s something uniquely powerful about a second-time founder setting...
Ryan Secures Minority Investment From Neuberger Berman
Ryan, the world’s largest dedicated business‑tax services and software firm, announced a minority equity investment from Neuberger Berman Capital Solutions. The deal adds Neuberger to existing shareholders Onex Partners and Ares Private Equity, creating a broader strategic investor base. The...
Vista AI Raises $29.5M in Series B Funding
Vista AI, a Palo Alto startup that provides automated MRI scanning software for hospitals and imaging centers, announced a $29.5 million Series B round. The financing was led by a consortium of health systems—including Cedars‑Sinai, Intermountain Health, University of Utah...
Ammobia Raises $7.5M in Seed Funding
Ammobia, a San Francisco startup developing low‑cost ammonia synthesis, secured $7.5 million in seed funding from Shell Ventures, Air Liquide, MOL Switch and Chevron Technology Ventures. The capital will finance a pilot plant to de‑risk its proprietary Haber‑Bosch 2.0 reactor, which operates...
Amperon Receives Investment From Samsung Ventures
Amperon, a Houston‑based AI energy‑forecasting firm, secured investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, though the amount remains undisclosed. The capital will accelerate Amperon's global expansion and the development of new analytics products for power and utility markets. Founded in 2018,...
Caldera Therapeutics Launches with $112.5M in Total Capital
Caldera Therapeutics, a Cambridge‑based clinical‑stage biotech, announced its launch with $112.5 million in total capital. The financing comprises a $75 million Series A led by Atlas Venture, LAV and venBio, and a $37.5 million Series A‑1 round headed by Omega Funds with new backers Wellington...
Teledyne Acquires DD-Scientific
Teledyne Technologies announced the acquisition of UK‑based DD‑Scientific, a developer of high‑performance gas sensors. The purchase price was not disclosed. DD‑Scientific’s portfolio includes toxic‑gas detection, medical‑grade, and trace‑gas sensors for environmental compliance. The deal expands Teledyne’s instrumentation offerings into precision...
Skild AI Raises Close to $1.4 Billion in Funding at Over $14 Billion Valuation
Skild AI, a Pittsburgh‑based robotics AI startup, announced a funding round of close to $1.4 billion that lifts its valuation above $14 billion. The round was spearheaded by SoftBank Group and featured investors such as NVIDIA’s NVentures, Jeff Bezos, Samsung and LG....
Depthfirst Raises $40M in Series A Funding
San Francisco‑based depthfirst announced a $40 million Series A round led by Accel, with participation from Alt Capital, BoxGroup, Liquid 2 Ventures, Mantis VC, SV Angel and several angels. The funding will accelerate research and development, go‑to‑market initiatives, and hiring across applied research, engineering, product, and...
Build a Minimum Evolvable Product, Not Just MVP
When you're starting out, you don't just need a minimum viable product. You need a minimum evolvable product. In this episode of Main Function, @agupta offers an update to the classic MVP playbook. He’ll outline strategies for getting your first customers,...
Fundraising Standards Shift: $100k Now Considered Failure
In 2008 / 2009, when founders said they couldn’t raise money, they meant they literally couldn’t raise anything. Now when people say they can’t raise money, they mean they can’t raise more than like $100k.
Titl Raises $2.5M in Seed Funding
Titl, a Miami‑based proptech startup that leverages AI and blockchain for property title verification, closed a $2.5 million seed round led by Cofounders Capital and FIT Ventures. The funding will fuel the company’s expansion beyond Florida into Georgia, Maryland, and Connecticut....
Dilution Can Propel You to Trillion‑dollar Valuation
Sometimes, it takes a little dilution to reach Trillionaire status Where will you land? Try https://t.co/NlPWFTrkQ8 https://t.co/kU3hxso4IY
Performance Beats Hype; Deliver to Stand Out in VC
Much has been said about the challenge of standing out in VC, amid a growing pool of competing capital. Nothing works better than actually doing the work, delivering, performing. Thank you @dunn for your trust ⭐️
Pillr Health Receives Investment From Water Street Healthcare Partners
Pillr Health, a Boca Raton‑based provider of software and tech‑enabled services for health‑care delivery organizations, announced an investment from private‑equity firm Water Street Healthcare Partners. The financial terms were not disclosed, but the capital will fund an expansion of Pillr's...
Launch Now, Iterate Later: Perfection Isn’t Required
Stop waiting for your startup’s product to be perfect because it never will be and that's okay so launch, get feedback, improve.
Relentless Problem‑Solving Trumps Mere Founder‑Problem Fit
The best founders are relentless problem solvers. They have founder-problem fit; but more importantly, they have an innate desire to just keep solving whatever the next problem is. Founder-problem fit matters. But relentless problem-solving wins.
Novee Emerges Raises $51.5M in Total Funding
Novee, an AI offensive security startup based in Tel Aviv, announced it has raised $51.5 million in total funding from investors including YL Ventures, Canaan Partners, and Oren Zeev. The company, founded in May 2025, offers an AI‑driven penetration‑testing platform that mimics...
Maxfusion Raises Funding
Maxfusion, a Prague‑based platform for automated video ad creation, secured undisclosed funding from Czech Founders VC, angel investor Ory Weihs, and its founders. The capital will fund a proprietary audio‑guided foundation model and accelerate customer acquisition. The service offers bulk...
Meet Caria Raises $1M in Pre-Seed Funding
Meet Caria, a New York‑based AI‑native recruitment software startup, announced a $1 million pre‑seed round led by ANF Investment. The funding will accelerate development of its AI‑driven platform that streamlines job creation, candidate sourcing, interviewing, and evaluation while integrating with existing...
Osapiens Raises US$ 100M in Series C Funding
German enterprise software firm osapiens announced a $100 million Series C round, led by Decarbonization Partners, a BlackRock‑Temasek joint venture. Existing backers Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Armira Growth also participated. The capital will fund accelerated product innovation, expansion into new international markets,...
Tive Raises $20M in Funding
Boston‑based Tive announced a $20 million funding round led by Lightsmith Group, with participation from Sageview Capital, World Innovation Lab, AVP and Supply Chain Ventures. The capital will fund expansion of its operations and further development of its real‑time logistics visibility...