Today's Venture Capital Pulse
YourNest VC launches $48M continuation fund for deep‑tech follow‑ons
YourNest Venture Capital closed a ₹400 cr ($48 million) continuation vehicle, the YourNest Continuum Fund I, after oversubscribing with family offices, individual investors and existing LPs. The fund is anchored by HDFC AMC Select Fund of Funds I and will provide follow‑on capital to deep‑tech portfolio companies such as Miko, Dozee, Opkey and Exponent Energy.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Mach Industries raises $300M Series C
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 and a competency‑based online college venture to venture operations, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the "jobs to be done" for both founders and the firm’s high‑net‑worth investors. Van Ostern explains Alumni Ventures’ strategy of co‑investing without leading rounds, maintaining a broad, sector‑agnostic portfolio of over 1,400 companies, and why the firm believes the next wave of category‑defining startups will emerge outside Silicon Valley. The conversation also highlights cultural differences between US and European VC, noting a more de‑risking approach in Europe versus the US focus on asymmetric returns.
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...
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,...
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...
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...
Mega‑fund Focus Forces Niche Managers to Specialize
LPs wrote $50 billion in checks to 6 firms. Andreessen Horowitz → $15B Thrive Capital → $10B Lightspeed → $9B General Catalyst → $8B Founders Fund → $4.6B Dragoneer Investment Group → $4.3B Meanwhile, new fund closings dropped nearly 50% in one year from 2,100 to 1,117. LPs...
Top 10 Early‑Stage VC Funds for $250K+
If you're EARLY, 10 pre-seed VC funds to target for $250K+ for your company: - Precursor Ventures - Hustle Fund - Outlander - Y Combinator - Initialized Capital - Pear VC - Zeal Partners - Notation Capital - Liquid 2 Ventures - First Round Capital Connect with the partners of the...
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...
Duetti Secures $200M to Target Undervalued Music Rights
Duetti just raised $200 million. It built the infrastructure to invest in the music rights that other companies may overlook. My latest episode on Trapital sits down with Duetti CEO @ltibon to discuss. Check out our latest episode: "Follow The Money:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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%...
Early Belief Fuels Tiny Startups Into Big Success
there will be MANY minnows that become VERY successful firms we at Lux once had a few $ M 1st fund from 1 amazing person who believed in us (a pledge fund) + then a $100M second fund that we couldnt...
Open Cosmos Seeks $200M for European Ka‑band Broadband
.@Open_Cosmos seeks ~$200M in financing ahead of June & Sept deployment deadlines for its Liechtenstein-licensed Ka-band broadband constellation. Co says Europe should rally around it. @defis_eu @aee_gob. https://t.co/0cbcoHxGVq https://t.co/OZBFODhK9v
Marco Pierre White-Backed EatClub Raises $27 Million in Series B
Melbourne‑based restaurant marketplace EatClub has closed a $27 million Series B round, led by Marbruck, pushing its valuation above $200 million. The funding follows a rapid UK rollout that has signed more than 1,000 restaurants and tripled order volumes since its London debut...
AI Forces Preseed Focus on Demos, Not Ideas
AI moves the goalposts for raising preseed capital: less “tell me your product idea” more “show me what you built and how customers react” In the 1990s people raised $5m+ just to build the v1 of their website. In 2000s that...
Clarity of Vision Beats Labels in Startup Investing
I had the privilege of moderating a panel with a Midas List VC a few months back. One insight she shared has changed my view on investing. She said the number one thing she looks for is clarity of vision. That sounds...
Salt Lake City-Based Jump, a Provider of AI Tools for Financial Advisors to Automate Meeting Prep and More, Raised an...
Jump, a Salt Lake City fintech that provides AI‑driven tools for financial advisors, announced an $80 million Series B round led by Insight Partners. The capital will accelerate development of its meeting‑preparation, research, and compliance automation platform and expand its sales force....
Show $50K MRR, VCs Will Chase You
Entrepreneurs: NEVER beg a VC for a check, it tickles their ego and rewards disrespect. Grow to $50K MRR, watch them come begging.
Foresite Capital’s Key Criteria for Investing in Biotech Startups
22February: What does @ForesiteCapital look for in the therapeutics and instrument startups in which it invests? Read founder & CEO @JTananbaum MD's response + more insights from him and the firm's Michael Rome PhD in my latest Q&A interview for...
Sansoni Management Grows $250m+ Under Management, Backing High-Potential Operators and Scalable Ventures
Sansoni Management now oversees more than $250 million in assets, targeting founders and operators rather than pure ideas. The firm’s portfolio showcases rapid wins, including a national marketplace with $200 million of deal‑ready inventory, a 25 percent stake in NBL’s Melbourne United, and...
Unusual Retention Curve Mirrors the Hype Cycle
Does a hype cycle have a retention curve that looks like this? Literally never seen a retention cohort graph like this https://t.co/BwMCDv7eIY
California's Wealth Tax Threatens Innovation, Yet I Stay
The California wealth tax as currently written would be really bad for the state and its innovation economy. That said, even if it passes I'm not going anywhere. California has helped me create more wealth than I could imagine growing up on...
Tom Hayes – USC Marshall School of Business Talk – 2/11/26
Tom Hayes, chairman of Great Hill Capital, delivered a keynote at USC Marshall School of Business on February 11, 2026. He outlined the firm’s recent $5 billion assets‑under‑management expansion and its disciplined risk‑management framework. Hayes highlighted macro opportunities in emerging markets...
Jeff Bezos Reveals the Brutal Fundraising Fight Behind Amazon’s Origin Story
Jeff Bezos recalled that raising Amazon’s first seed round in 1994 was his toughest challenge. He met roughly 60 angel investors, many of whom needed convincing about the nascent internet. Forty of those angels flat‑out rejected the pitch, forcing Bezos...
Foreign VCs Warn Nigeria’s New Capital Gains Tax Could Slow Investment
Nigeria’s 2025 Tax Act replaces the standalone Capital Gains Tax regime with a unified system, raising the corporate CGT rate from a flat 10% to as high as 30% and introducing an economic‑nexus rule that taxes offshore share sales tied...
CEE Startup & Tech Weekly: CEE Tech Weekly: Databricks Completes $5B Funding Round
Databricks announced the close of a $5 billion equity round and an additional $2 billion of debt capacity, pushing its valuation to $134 billion and reporting $5.4 billion in annualised revenue, a 65 % YoY increase. The funding round underscores the influence of its Romanian...
When Investors Say ‘No Technical Moat’, What They’re Really Saying
Investors often ask for a technical moat, but founders like Curaley demonstrate that early enterprise pilots and trust can provide stronger defensibility. Curaley secured a paid pilot with a global enterprise before building a full product, using that credibility to...
From College Tweets to 55+ Backed Companies
today i have been writing a piece on how we sourced the 55+ companies we've backed over the last 5 years and pulling the thread has been so beautiful. feeling so much gratitude for this journey that started as me...
Nvidia's $30B OpenAI Stake Turns Hardware Into Equity
Nvidia reportedly invested $30B in OpenAI, its own major customer. The chip maker powering AI now has equity in the models running on it. When hardware becomes equity, your AI vendor list has a silent shareholder at the table. Source: https://t.co/KNtNLIRTOQ
Altesa BioSciences Raises $75M Series B
Altesa BioSciences announced an oversubscribed $75 million Series B round, led by Forbion with participation from Sanofi and existing backers Medicxi, Pitango, and Atlantic Partners. The financing will support the development of its lead candidate, vapendavir, targeting viral-driven exacerbations in COPD and...
Master VC Technicals in One Weekend with 7 Guides
7 VC guides to teach you the technicals in one weekend👇 ♻️ Repost to help someone VC recruiting right now.
Ten63 Therapeutics Secures New Funding
Ten63 Therapeutics, an AI‑driven drug‑discovery firm spun out of Duke and TTIC, announced a strategic investment from Chugai Venture Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, bringing total capital to over $45 million. The company leverages its BEYOND generative‑chemistry platform...
Efficient Computer Receives $60M Series A
Efficient Computer announced a $60 million Series A round led by Triatomic Capital, bringing its total capital raised to $76 million. The financing will accelerate its product roadmap and expand engineering and developer teams. The startup is developing the world’s most energy‑efficient general‑purpose...
Jump Closes $80M Series B Financing Round
Jump, an AI platform for financial advisors, closed an $80 million Series B round led by Insight Partners. The financing, which also attracted new backers such as F‑Prime, Allianz Life Ventures, TIAA Ventures and Peterson Partners, brings the company's total capital to...
Europe’s 2025 VC Funding Rebounds to 22% of US
2025 saw a modest recovery of venture capital investment in Europe after three years of decline, with a total of €66.2 billion deployed. Even so, this was only 22% of the amount invested in the US, despite the two economies...
Envisioning the Next Generation of Frontier AI Labs
Thinking a bunch about frontier AI labs and what a new kind of lab might look like.