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
Aurascape Raises $50M to Secure Enterprise AI Applications
Aurascape emerged from stealth after closing a $50 million Series A round led by Menlo Ventures and Mayfield Fund. The startup, founded by cybersecurity veterans from Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks and Netskope, is building an AI‑native security platform that monitors and controls AI‑generated traffic across enterprise networks. It aims to give security teams visibility into shadow AI usage and enforce data‑loss‑prevention policies for text, image, video and code. Proceeds will accelerate product development, expand the engineering team and drive broader enterprise adoption.
Camp Hustle Turns Travel Into Lasting Business Connections
You know that feeling when you leave a conference and think "...why did I fly across the country for that?" Well, you won't be thinking that at Camp Hustle. Campers leave with deal leads, co-investors, and friends they're texting a week later....
SiFive Announces $400M Series G Round
SiFive announced a $400 million Series G financing that lifts its valuation to $3.65 billion. The round was led by Atreides Management and attracted marquee backers such as NVIDIA, Apollo Global Management, Point72 Turion and T. Rowe Price. SiFive says the capital will speed development...
Luminai Lands $38M Series B Round
AI‑native automation startup Luminai closed a $38 million Series B round, bringing its total capital to $60 million. The round was led by Peak XV Partners, with new investor Define Ventures and continued support from General Catalyst and Y Combinator. Luminai’s platform transforms fragmented healthcare...
Thiel's Contrarian Truth Model Drives Billion‑Dollar Wins
Peter Thiel's ability to predict the future made him over $22 Billion. He invested in Facebook, Palantir, & SpaceX before anyone. His secret? He uses the "Contrarian Truth" model of decision-making. Here's how it works:
E2 Raises $80M to Market Thrombectomy Platform
Endovascular Engineering (E2) closed a $80 million Series C round to launch its Hēlo mechanical thrombectomy platform for pulmonary embolism. The funding, led by Norwest and Gilde Healthcare, will expand E2’s commercial team and sustain R&D after FDA clearance was secured last...
Haast Secures $12M Series A Funding
Haast, an AI‑powered enterprise compliance engine, announced a $12 million Series A round led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from DST Global Partners, Airtree, Aura Ventures, and Black Sheep Capital. The financing lifts the company’s total U.S. capital raised to $17.05 million since...
Petwealth Nabs $1.7M Pre-Seed Round
Petwealth, a pet‑health diagnostics startup founded in 2025, announced a $1.7 million pre‑seed round to fund its clinical‑grade testing platform. The company unveiled an exclusive diagnostic partnership with Kennel Connection and a telehealth integration with Pawp, extending its reach to veterinarians...
AI Hype, Hard Lessons: Where SEA’s Startup Capital Is Really Going
Cooley partner David He told e27 that Southeast Asia’s startup funding landscape has shifted dramatically, with capital becoming more disciplined and expectations higher. AI has emerged as the dominant sector, now attracting a sizable share of new investments. He identified...
CertifID Pulls In $47.5M Series C Financing
CertifID announced a $47.5 million Series C financing round led by Centana Growth Partners and the hiring of Josh Linn as chief product officer and Liz Conn as chief marketing officer. The funding bolsters the company’s ability to enhance its wire‑fraud protection...
We're Making Assumptions About the Economy that Could Prove Disastrously Wrong
a16z partner David Ulevitch warns that long‑standing assumptions behind venture and bank lending are eroding. Hardware and other previously ignored sectors are gaining attention, while AI has upended enterprise‑software valuations, leading to loan defaults. Banks have shifted roughly $1.3 trillion into...
Potomac Tech Wire - April 9
Rivet Industries announced a $57 million raise to expand its AI‑powered wearable devices for the U.S. Army, including a $195 million prime contract for Soldier Borne Mission Command. ORAN Development secured $45 million Series A funding to build AI‑driven 6G radio access networks, backed...
Six Takeaways From Our Latest Fundraising Report
The Venture Capital Journal released its first‑quarter fundraising report, spotlighting a sharp disconnect between general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs). The analysis identifies six trends, including a roughly 15% YoY drop in capital commitments, heightened LP scrutiny, a surge...
Chapter Raises $100M Series E Round
Chapter, an AI-driven Medicare navigation provider, announced a $100 million Series E financing round. The round was led by Generation Investment Management and included new backers Fifth Down Capital and 8VC alongside existing investors. The capital comes as Chapter’s valuation has more...
Qoro Quantum Secures $750,000 Pre-Seed to Orchestrate Hybrid Networks
London‑based deep‑tech startup Qoro Quantum announced a $750,000 pre‑seed round led by Ada Ventures, with participation from Superangels Venture Fund and the Polsky Center. The company’s platform provides a unified orchestration layer that condenses roughly 150,000 lines of integration code...
Sedron Technologies Raises $500M to Scale Waste-to-Resource Upcycling
Sedron Technologies announced a $500 million financing round to accelerate deployment of its Varcor up‑cycling platform across North America. The capital will fund new manufacturing capacity, a biosolids‑upcycling plant in Florida slated for 2028, and additional agricultural sites serving large dairy...
Luminai Raises $38M and Partners with Cleveland Clinic
Luminai announced a $38 million Series B round led by Peak XV Partners and a strategic partnership with Cleveland Clinic to automate its massive administrative workflow. The AI platform now handles over 80% of referral and intake documents that previously...
A Timeline of What Led up to Grüns Being Acquired by Unilever
Unilever announced it will acquire fast‑growing supplement startup Grüns, best known for its green gummy‑bear vitamins. The startup, founded in 2022, hit a $300 million annualized run rate within two years and secured a $500 million valuation after raising roughly $50 million. Grüns...
Accountant Launches AI Tax Startup, Secures $12M Seed
In 2023, Dave Haase was a CPA who had been running his own firm in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years when he saw a live demo of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Upon seeing the AI agent successfully file a...
Chapter Secures $100M to Bridge Seniors and AI Tech
Chapter, a New York‑based AgeTech startup, closed a $100 million Series E round led by Generation Investment Management, with participation from Fifth Down Capital, 8VC, Stripes, Addition and Susa Ventures. The funding backs its AI‑native platform that scans more than 24,000 Medicare...
Luminai Secures $38M, Inks Enterprise AI Partnership with Cleveland Clinic
Luminai announced a $38 million Series B round led by Peak XV Partners, lifting its total capital to $60 million. Simultaneously, the company unveiled an enterprise AI deployment with the Cleveland Clinic to automate the routing of faxed referrals. By embedding hospital‑specific standard operating procedures...
Hermeus Secures $350 Million Series C, Valuing Unmanned Supersonic Fighter Maker at $1 Billion
Atlanta‑based Hermeus Corp. closed a $350 million Series C financing led by Khosla Ventures, pushing its valuation past $1 billion. The cash will fund two new Quarterhorse supersonic jets, expand manufacturing, and accelerate work on the Mach‑3+ Darkhorse hypersonic platform. Investors include Founders...
VMG Partners Invests in The Doux, Uniqlo Owner Fast Retailing Raises Full-Year Forecast
VMG Partners has taken a minority stake in hair‑care brand The Doux to accelerate its U.S. distribution across Target, Walmart and other mass retailers. Fast Retailing, the parent of Uniqlo, lifted its FY2026 operating‑profit outlook to ¥700 billion ($4.4 billion) after a...
2,500 Angel Investors. All SaaS. All Searchable.
The VC Corner has launched a searchable database of 2,500 angel investors who exclusively back SaaS companies. All investors have a track record of writing pre‑seed or seed checks, eliminating sector‑mix noise. The list is part of a premium subscription...
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SA Startup Refiant Raises $5M to Advance Sustainable AI
South African‑founded AI startup Refiant secured a $5 million seed round, led by climate‑tech investor VoLo Earth Ventures, to accelerate its nature‑inspired compression technology. The platform claims to shrink massive AI models—such as a 120‑billion‑parameter network—so they can run on a...
BP Ventures Asia and Middle East Managing Director Sophia Nadur Exits
Sophia Nadur, managing director for Asia and the Middle East at BP Ventures, announced her exit to build a portfolio of non‑executive director and advisory roles. Nadur had overseen BP Ventures’ investments in EV‑focused startups such as BluSmart, Zingbus and...
Nvidia Invests In CPU Chip Startup SiFive
Nvidia disclosed a strategic stake in SiFive, the RISC‑V processor startup, as part of a $400 million oversubscribed financing round that values SiFive at $3.65 billion. The new capital will accelerate SiFive’s development of custom RISC‑V CPUs and AI IP aimed at...
'Time to Shift that Narrative' — RBC to Launch $1-Billion Fund to Help Canadian Businesses Grow
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) announced a new growth fund that could deploy up to $1 billion to invest directly in Canadian companies. The initiative aims to keep capital at home, supporting sectors of national importance such as defence, infrastructure,...
Growth Investment Partners Ghana Adds New Investors
Growth Investment Partners (GIP) Ghana, a platform launched by British International Investment, has added Axis Pension Trust and Norfund as investors, bringing a $20 million commitment. The new capital expands GIP’s $40 million‑plus deployment to 16 portfolio companies in manufacturing, agriculture, financial...
SiFive Raises $400M To Double Down On High Performance RISC-V For Data Centers
SiFive announced a $400 million Series G financing round to accelerate its high‑performance RISC‑V offerings for data‑center workloads. The round was oversubscribed, with lead investors including NVIDIA and Apollo Global Management. Proceeds will fund new CPU core designs, accelerators, and system IP,...
Exel Gaming Accelerator Reopens with up to $300,000 in Funding for Third Cohort
Exel Gaming Accelerator has reopened for its third cohort, offering up to $300,000 in combined cash and in‑kind support. Startups can receive up to $150,000 in cash plus $150,000 worth of services, weekly mentorship, and an AI‑focused curriculum. The program...
Collide Capital Raises $95M Fund to Back Fintech, Future-of-Work Startups
Collide Capital announced the close of its second fund, raising $95 million, a 44% increase over its inaugural $66 million Fund I. The firm, founded in 2021, plans to deploy the capital over the next 3.5 years, focusing on early‑stage fintech, supply‑chain...
Portal Closes $50M Series A
Portal Space Systems announced a $50 million Series A round led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33, with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, Ark Invest, AlleyCorp and FUSE. The capital will fund the first flight of its Starburst spacecraft on Transporter‑18 and a...
Yao Ming, Marc Lasry Invest in Tsai’s Asian College Hoops League
Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai’s Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) secured a Series A round with investors including former NBA star Yao Ming, private‑equity veteran Marc Lasry and venture‑capitalist David Blitzer. The round, led by Tsai’s family office Blue Pool Capital, is valued at least eight...
Deep‑tech Startups Raise Similar Capital, Graduate Faster, IPO More
Some eye-opening stats that undergird rising defense innovation enthusiasm from my new report on the subject (https://t.co/rRtYxEUlOB: "Deep tech startup investment was long held back by the misconception of far greater capital intensity relative to software startups. In reality, looking...
Propeller Brings Five MENA Deeptech Startups to Silicon Valley with Kernel Camp
Propeller, an AI‑focused venture capital firm, launched the inaugural Kernel Camp residency, bringing five deep‑tech startups from Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt to Silicon Valley. The eight‑week program embeds founders in the Bay Area ecosystem, offering access to engineers, investors...
Estonia’s Handhold Secures €3M Seed to Automate B2B Software Sales with AI Agents
Estonia‑based Handhold raised €3 million (≈$3.3 million) in a seed round led by Entourage Capital to automate inbound B2B software sales with multimodal AI agents. The platform assigns each lead a virtual “account manager” that qualifies prospects, delivers custom demos, and guides...
AfterQuery Raises $30M To Expand AI Data Solutions
AfterQuery announced a $30 million Series A round that values the applied‑data lab at $300 million. The funding will fuel expansion of its expert network, hiring, and enterprise solutions. The company already works with nearly 100,000 vetted professionals and has surpassed a $100 million...
ARK Invest Is Betting on Underdog Drone Delivery Company Manna to Beat Out Alphabet and Zipline
Manna, the Irish drone‑delivery startup, closed a $50 million Series B round led by ARK Invest, bringing total funding to $110 million. The company has already completed more than 250,000 deliveries in Ireland, Finland and Texas and partners with Uber, DoorDash, Deliveroo and Just Eat....
Sora Fuel Raises $14.6 Million to Produce Jet Fuel From Air, Water, and Clean Energy
Climate‑tech startup Sora Fuel announced a $14.6 million financing round to accelerate its air‑to‑fuel technology that converts water, ambient CO₂ and renewable electricity into carbon‑negative jet fuel. The Boston‑based company claims its integrated direct‑air‑capture process can capture CO₂ for under $50...
Sateliot Seeks €100M in Latest Funding Round
Sateliot, the Spanish low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite operator, has opened a Series C round seeking roughly $108 million to finance the launch of 16 additional 5G‑capable satellites. The company already has six satellites in orbit and plans to add five more this year,...
Next‑Gen Family Office Members Join Elite VC Co‑Investment Club
Do you know a next-gen member of a family office that's curious about VC and wants to learn by doing, not just reading? @AlumniVentures is forming a new class of NextGen VC Club members This is a chance for...
Follow Insider @Markjeffrey for Top BitTorrent Subnets
To know which BitTorrent subnets are worth tracking, I follow @markjeffrey -- since he has skin in the game and announces which ones @stillcorecap is investing in. $tao
Venture Capital Has a Starting Line Problem
The article argues that venture‑capital bias stems less from overt discrimination in pitch rooms and more from unequal starting lines for underrepresented founders. It cites data showing Black founders raise roughly one‑third the capital of comparable white peers and contrasts...
Hidden Semantic Debt Drives $162M AI Infrastructure Bet
$162M raised for AI infrastructure last week. No headlines. Here's why: 'customer' means something different in every AI tool you're using. Each new tool compounds the problem. The semantic inconsistency is the hidden debt. And someone just bet $162M on it.
Global Investors Help Boost Latin America’s Late-Stage Funding Boom In Q1
Latin America’s venture ecosystem recorded a $1.03 billion funding surge in Q1 2026, driven primarily by a 158% jump in late‑stage and growth capital to $761 million. Mexico eclipsed Brazil, with Kavak’s $300 million Series F alone accounting for nearly a third of regional funds....
Exclusive: BRND.ME to Convert Into Public Company; Set to Raise Rs 300 Cr Debt
BRND.ME, the e‑commerce roll‑up formerly Mensa Brands, has approved a name change to Mensa Brand Technologies Limited, signaling its conversion to a public company ahead of an IPO slated for the next 12‑18 months. The board also authorized a Rs 300 crore...
Masters’ Union Launches Rs 100 Cr Early-Stage Investment Platform
Masters’ Union, the Gurugram‑based business school, has launched MU Ventures, a Rs 100 crore ($12 million) early‑stage fund targeting founders under 25. The platform offers rapid funding decisions—typically within 10 days—and invests between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 50 lakh ($6k‑$60k) per startup. MU Ventures operates through...
Bryson DeChambeau Leads ‘Eight-Figure’ SportsBox AI Acquisition
Bryson DeChambeau led a group of investors in an eight‑figure acquisition of Sportsbox AI, the computer‑vision startup that creates 3‑D avatars from 2‑D video. The deal, valued between $10 million and $99 million, follows DeChambeau’s own use of the platform to fine‑tune...
Patlytics Secures $40 Million Series B to Accelerate AI‑Driven Patent Law Platform
Patlytics announced a $40 million Series B funding round led by SignalFire, bringing its total capital to $75 million. The AI startup, founded by Paul Lee and Arthur Jen, uses machine learning to automate the entire patent prosecution process and already serves...
