🎯Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Updated 39m agoWhat's happening: AI fuels record $119.5B venture fundraising despite fewer rounds
Venture capital fundraising jumped 16.9% to $119.5 billion in 2025, the strongest recovery since the 2022 market reset. The total number of rounds fell 41% to 4,859, concentrating capital in larger AI‑focused financings, with AI startups capturing 58% of Series D cash and median valuations rising across all stages.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OpenAI raises $110B in corporate funding
News•Feb 18, 2026
NewCo Boom Shows No Signs of Slowing
The NewCo model, where Asian biotech assets are spun out into Western start‑ups backed by Western capital, surged in 2025 with 13 new companies—more than double the six disclosed in 2024. Early 2026 already sees three additional launches, including Kidswell Bio’s cell‑therapy spin‑out. Major investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital and Abingworth are actively backing these ventures. The trend signals a deepening cross‑border collaboration in biopharma innovation.
By BioCentury
Social•Feb 18, 2026
AI Startup Nets $11B Valuation Tackling Boring Tech Issue
This AI startup is valued at $11B for solving one of the most boring problems in tech.....
By Ryan Allis
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Camp Hustle Blends Pitches, Niche Investing, and Wellness
What are we doing at Camp Hustle? What to expect? • An angel track with a live deal review • A VC track with a pitch clinic • A Shark Tank-style pitch event • Niche breakouts covering super specific niche investment topics • Wellness activities...
By Elizabeth Yin
News•Feb 18, 2026
Frist Cressey Ventures Raises $425M Fund to Invest in AI-Native Care
Frist Cressey Ventures closed an oversubscribed $425 million Fund IV, lifting its assets under management close to $1 billion. The new fund zeroes in on early‑stage, AI‑native healthcare companies that can reshape care delivery. Strategic limited partners such as Cigna, MedStar Health and...
By HIT Consultant
Blog•Feb 18, 2026
Venture Deals Spring 2026 Course
Registration is now open for the free Venture Deals Spring 2026 course, which begins on March 2. Since its 2022 redesign, more than 32,000 participants have completed the program. The updated curriculum adds fresh video lessons and two new sections...
By Feld Thoughts
Social•Feb 18, 2026
VCs Compelled to Request Founders' Identity Forms in California
Woke California is NUTS. VCs now have to ask founders to fill out this form about how they "identify". We're not even based in Ca but because we have 2 LPs & two portcos with offices in the PRC (People's...
By Michael Eisenberg
News•Feb 18, 2026
EDGX CEO Details the Startup’s Push for AI-Enabled Onboard Processing
Belgian AI space startup EDGX secured €2.3 million funding to accelerate its Sterna edge‑AI computer for satellites and has already signed a €1.1 million multi‑unit contract with a satellite operator. CEO Nick Destrycker says the company will focus on European defense and...
By Via Satellite
News•Feb 18, 2026
DG Matrix, Which Builds Solid-State Transformers to Handle up to 2.4 MW and Boost Data Center Power Efficiency, Raised a...
DG Matrix, a startup developing solid‑state transformers (SSTs) for data centers, announced a $60 million Series A round led by Engine Ventures. The company’s SSTs can handle up to 2.4 MW, promising higher efficiency and reduced footprint compared with legacy transformer technology....
By Techmeme
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Harlem Capital: Early Funding for AI-Building Visionaries
In 2015 we started @HarlemCapital to change who gets to win. Not as a slogan, but as a standard. Ten years later, that standard has become a platform for identifying exceptional founders early and helping them build generational companies. We invest $1.0M to...
By Henri Pierre-Jacques
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Growth Hack 2026: Let AI Agents Recommend You
the best growth hack in 2026 will be to build something so good that AI agents recommend it to users Not word of mouth… word of agent
By Andrew Chen
News•Feb 18, 2026
Digital Savings Startup Vestwell Lands $385M, Doubles Valuation
Vestwell, the New York‑based digital savings platform, closed a $385 million Series E round led by Blue Owl Capital and Sixth Street Growth, pushing its valuation to $2 billion—double its prior level. The fintech now reports annual recurring revenue above $200 million, serving more...
By Crunchbase News
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Open‑source AI SRE Auto‑creates Debugging Tools for Any Team
.@incidentfox is an open-source AI SRE that builds its own debugging tools. It learns each team’s unique systems and auto-generates the integrations it needs — no custom engineering required. Congrats on the launch @jimmyweiiiii and @LongYi1207! https://t.co/H68FjaBikx https://t.co/JWvl2EPJpN
By YCombinator
Social•Feb 18, 2026
AI Sales Agent Raises $14M, Beats Human Reps
In this episode of Founder Firesides,@snowmaker talks to the founders of @simpleailab, @catheryn_li & @Zach_Kamran, who just raised a $14M seed. Simple AI gives businesses an AI sales agent that handles inbound calls end-to-end and outperforms their human reps. https://t.co/keftLeBwrc
By YCombinator
News•Feb 18, 2026
Circuit Raises $30M in Funding
Circuit, an Austin‑based AI platform for manufacturing and service firms, announced a $30 million financing round. The round was led by a roster of high‑profile backers including Jim Breyer, Lew Cirne, and other tech investors. CEO Tyson Tuttle said the capital...
By FinSMEs
Social•Feb 18, 2026
How Many VCs Should You Pitch for Seed?
Hey founders, when you raised your seed round, how many unique VC firms did you send your pitch?
By Mike Maples Jr.
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Modern Treasury: Stripe‑style API for Corporate Cash Flows
This is a big deal. It's like Stripe but for moving money in and out of companies. You just call the API and Modern Treasury does the rest.
By Paul Graham
News•Feb 18, 2026
STAT+: Biotech Startup Raises $175 Million to Advance Alzheimer’s Antibody Therapy
Korsana Biosciences announced a $175 million financing round led by Fairmount, Venrock, Wellington Management and TCGX to develop its Alzheimer’s antibody candidate KRSA‑028. The startup positions KRSA‑028 as a next‑generation “brain shuttle” designed to clear amyloid plaques more efficiently than existing...
By STAT (Biotech)
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Seeking Weird Consumer Startups—DM Me Your Demo
I'd love to invest in more founders building something weird in consumer. If that's you, shoot me a demo or link to the product. My DMs are open. :)
By Ryan Hoover
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Early Funding for Diverse Founders Who Dream Big
We founded Harlem Capital because the world is better when everyone is encouraged to dream big. Winners can come from everywhere but need support to reach their full potential. We invest $1.0M to $2.5M in startups before success is obvious. All Winners Welcome....
By Jarrid Tingle
News•Feb 18, 2026
Epetōme Secures Multi-Million-Pound Investment to Scale Its Subscription-Based Gut Health Range Globally
Epetōme, the UK‑based gut‑health brand founded by nutritionist Emily English, has secured a multi‑million‑pound investment led by Active Partners and Redrice Ventures. The funding will accelerate its international rollout and fund expanded clinical trials on probiotics and prebiotics. Since its...
By InternetRetailing
News•Feb 18, 2026
French VC Quantonation Raises €220 Million for Flagship Quantum and Deep-Physics Fund
Quantonation Ventures closed its second flagship fund at €220 million, making it the world’s largest dedicated quantum‑investment vehicle by assets under management. The round attracted both returning backers such as Vertex Holdings and new limited partners including the European Investment Fund,...
By EU-Startups
Podcast•Feb 18, 2026•43 min
The New European Sovereignty Stack: Energy, Minerals, Compute
The episode examines Europe’s modern sovereignty as an industrial and supply‑chain challenge, focusing on semiconductors, rare‑earth minerals, and energy infrastructure. Guests highlight Europe’s heavy reliance on imports, a thin venture‑capital ecosystem, and the need for coordinated capital to close the...
By The European VC (EUVC)
News•Feb 18, 2026
Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund Dumps ETHZilla Stake as ETH Treasuries Face Pressure
Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund has completely divested its 7.5% stake in ETHZilla, the former 180 Life Sciences company that rebranded to run an Ether‑focused treasury. The stake, worth about $40 million when disclosed in August 2025, is now reported as zero...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 18, 2026
InKind Raises $450M in Funding
Austin‑based restaurant commerce platform inKind announced a $450 million funding round backed by Peak6 founders, former Sodexo US CEO, and Condé Nast CPTO. The capital will fuel a rollout to an additional 10,000 U.S. restaurants over the next twelve months. inKind already...
By FinSMEs
News•Feb 18, 2026
Drug Discovery Platform Peptris Raises Rs 70 Cr in Series A Round
Peptris, a Bengaluru‑based AI drug‑discovery startup, closed a Rs 70 crore ($7.7 million) Series A round co‑led by IAN Alpha Fund and Speciale Invest. The capital will accelerate its pipeline, moving novel chemical entities and repurposing programs toward clinical readiness within 24 months. Peptris’ platform...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 18, 2026
Is Australia’s Secondaries Market the Solution to Delayed Exits and Liquidity Pressure?
Australia’s venture ecosystem is confronting a liquidity crunch as exits stretch and companies remain private longer. Secondary transactions have moved from occasional fixes to a structural component, with analysts estimating a US$2.6 billion pool of liquidity in tech firms over the...
By Startup Daily (ANZ)
News•Feb 18, 2026
Fabless Semiconductor Startup Vervesemi Raises $10 Mn in Series A Round
Fabless semiconductor startup Vervesemi announced a $10 million Series A round co‑led by Ashish Kacholia and Unicorn India Ventures, with participation from Roots Ventures, Caperize Fina, and MAIQ Growth Scheme. The funding will accelerate commercialization of its machine‑learning‑enhanced analog signal‑chain ICs, expand...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 18, 2026
Zest Equity Launches Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow Following FSRA Authorisation
Zest Equity, backed by Morgan Stanley and regional investors, launched two new FSRA‑regulated services—Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow—expanding its private‑market infrastructure platform. Zest Arrange digitizes end‑to‑end deal‑making workflows, while Zest Escrow provides a regulated escrow function with segregated UAE bank...
By FinSMEs
News•Feb 18, 2026
Artociti Raises Rs 1 Cr on Shark Tank India at Rs 13.33 Cr Valuation
Artociti, a Bokaro‑based 3D wall‑art startup, secured Rs 1 crore on Shark Tank India in exchange for a 7.5% stake, placing its post‑money valuation at roughly Rs 13.33 crore. The funding, provided by investors Namita Thapar and Vineeta Singh, will finance a new manufacturing...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 18, 2026
SatVu Raises £30M to Accelerate Its Constellation
UK‑based thermal‑imaging firm SatVu announced a £30 million equity raise, bringing its total financing to £60 million. The funding, sourced from the NATO Innovation Fund, British Business Bank and existing backers, will accelerate the deployment of its HotSat constellation after the on‑orbit...
By Payload
News•Feb 18, 2026
Early-Stage Biotechs Suffer in 2025 As VC Shuns Risk: PitchBook
Venture capital in biopharma rebounded in 2025, delivering $33.8 billion across 1,171 deals, but the capital is increasingly concentrated in late‑stage companies. Early‑stage startups received only 32% of the funding, down from over 40% during the pandemic surge, while median deal...
By BioSpace
News•Feb 18, 2026
India’s AIF Industry Crosses Rs 15 Lakh Crore as Domestic Capital & Liquidity Reshape Private Markets
India’s alternative investment fund (AIF) sector has crossed the ₹15.05 lakh crore mark, underscoring rapid scale and emerging maturity. Equity‑oriented AIFs have delivered roughly 8.7 % alpha over the BSE Sensex across multiple cycles, highlighting consistent outperformance. Domestic investors now contribute about 55 %...
By The Economic Times – Markets
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Caterpillar VC Funds ElevenEs' 1GWh LFP Factory in Serbia
Caterpillar VC backs startup ElevenEs as it builds 1GWh LFP cell factory in Serbia #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/lb6SNWjg1K
By Tor “SolarFred” Valenza
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Wildlight Secured Multiple Funding Rounds, Stayed Silent
It is of course not at all surprising that Wildlight raised money through multiple rounds of investment. The unusual thing is that unlike many other studio startups in the last five years it never publicized the initial investment or subsequent funding...
By Ethan Gach
News•Feb 17, 2026
Breakthrough Victoria Scores 5x Uplift on Investment in US Quantum Startup Listing on the NYSE
Breakthrough Victoria’s A$29 million stake in US‑based Infleqtion has generated a five‑fold value increase after the company listed on the NYSE via a SPAC merger. Infleqtion raised US$550 million, debuting at US$14.25 per share and closing at US$15.59, a 14% first‑day gain....
By Startup Daily (ANZ)
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Anticipate Investor Attacks with a Rude Q&A
When I started WP Engine, I thought I was pretty good at pitching. I had sold millions of dollars of software at Smart Bear, and I’d helped other companies with their pitches and fundraising. But of course it’s different when someone...
By Jason Cohen
News•Feb 17, 2026
Temporal
Temporal announced a Series D financing round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, bringing new capital to the open‑source durable execution platform. The round includes Lightspeed partners Anoushka Vaswani, Ravi Mhatre, Bucky Moore and Justin Shen. Temporal’s technology underpins mission‑critical services at...
By Lightspeed » Ideas
News•Feb 17, 2026
QuadSci Receives $8M Series A Funding Round
QuadSci announced an $8 million Series A round led by Crosslink Capital, with participation from Alumni Ventures, Correlation Ventures, and several angel investors. The startup’s AI platform uniquely ties product usage telemetry to revenue outcomes, enabling firms to predict churn, uncover growth,...
By VC News Daily
News•Feb 17, 2026
ChipAgents Completes $50M Series A1 Round
ChipAgents announced the close of an oversubscribed $50 million Series A1 round, raising its total capital to $74 million. The round was led by Matter Venture Partners, a TSMC‑backed HardTech VC, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Micron, MediaTek and Ericsson. ChipAgents’ Agentic...
By VC News Daily
Social•Feb 17, 2026
AI Power, Compute, Algorithms Multiply to Shift Leverage
I have a simplified conjecture about AI progress. Your mileage may vary but here it is. f(i) = p × c × a where i=intelligence, p=power, c=compute, a=algorithms, multiplied together. This means neglecting any variable creates a ceiling and any breakthrough compounds...
By Chamath Palihapitiya
News•Feb 17, 2026
Dragonfly Raises $650M for Crypto Venture Fund IV
Dragonfly Capital announced the close of its fourth crypto venture fund with $650 million in commitments, topping the original $500 million target. The fund will back early‑stage blockchain projects across infrastructure, DeFi, stablecoins and tokenized real‑world assets. Recent allocations include...
By Ventureburn
News•Feb 17, 2026
Meridian Closes $17M Seed Round to Bring Agentic AI to Financial Modeling
Meridian, an AI‑driven financial modeling startup, emerged from stealth with a $17 million seed round at a $100 million post‑money valuation. The funding was led by Andreessen Horowitz and The General Partnership, joined by QED Investors, FPV Ventures, and Litquidity Ventures. Meridian...
By The AI Insider
News•Feb 17, 2026
Dragonfly Raises $650M for New Fund to Back DeFi, Prediction Markets and Stablecoins
Dragonfly Capital announced the close of its fourth venture fund, raising $650 million to back projects in decentralized finance, stablecoins and prediction markets. The fund marks the firm’s largest commitment yet, reflecting confidence that the crypto sector remains in an early...
By The Defiant
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Joining Benchmark: Passion for Series A Venture Investing
I’m really excited to share that I’m joining Benchmark. The past two years as a full time investor have been the most rewarding of my career. I really love venture capital, which is not something I ever imagined I’d say when...
By Jack Altman
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Onshore Secures $31M Series B for AI Tax Automation
Congrats to Onshore on their $31M Series B! Onshore is building an AI-native platform that replaces manual CPA workflows with continuous, automated tax intelligence. Instead of relying on spreadsheets and fragmented documentation, Onshore automates data collection and analysis while keeping expert...
By YCombinator
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Boston Trains AI Founders; SF Steals Them—Others Beware
Boston has the schools. SF has the companies. 21 of the Forbes AI 50 founders went to school in Boston—then left for San Francisco. If SF doesn’t learn from this cautionary tale, Austin and Miami will. https://t.co/pmYxLaYXWy
By Garry Tan
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Bay Relocation Signals Founder Seriousness, Not Random Investor Bias
The hardest core founders have always moved to the Bay -- living in this area is an indication of seriousness. Investors are not drawing from a random sample.
By Arianna Simpson
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Robinhood Ventures Backs Boom Supersonic, Democrat
Super cool to have @boomsupersonic as one of the first companies in the @RobinhoodApp Ventures fund—democratizing investor access to private companies.
By Blake Scholl
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Ex-Altera CEO Leads Vsora to Challenge Nvidia, AMD
Former Altera CEO Sandra Rivera has joined French AI chip startup @vsora_dsp as chair of the board. I had a chat with her about raising Vsora's profile, raising funding, and competing with Nvidia, AMD and the entire landscape of startups...
By Sally Ward-Foxton
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Nvidia, Khosla Invest $200M to Power Instant Multilingual AI Agents
Nvidia and Khosla just put $200M into @polyaivoice, and looking at the stats, it makes sense. They already handle 500M+ calls for giants like Marriott & PG&E. Now, you can build a 45-language agent in 5 mins just from a URL. Massive...
By Data Chaz