The Battle Begins: 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 Nominations Are Open
TechCrunch has opened nominations for the Startup Battlefield 200, the flagship competition at Disrupt 2026 in Boston. Early‑stage founders with an MVP can compete for a $100,000 equity‑free prize, free exhibit space, and extensive media exposure. The event draws world‑class VC judges and builds on a legacy that includes alumni such as Trello, Dropbox, Discord, and Fitbit. Nominations close mid‑June, and early entry is encouraged to improve selection odds.
Gather AI, Maker of ‘Curious’ Warehouse Drones, Lands $40M Led by Keith Block’s Firm
Gather AI announced a $40 million Series B round led by Keith Block’s Smith Point Capital, bringing its total funding to $74 million. The Boston startup equips warehouse cameras and autonomous drones with a Bayesian‑based AI that ‘gets curious’ to scan barcodes, expiration...
Outtake Raises $40 Million to Bolster Digital Trust Against AI-Driven Threats
Outtake, a cybersecurity startup, announced a $40 million Series B round to accelerate its unified digital‑trust platform amid a surge in AI‑driven phishing and impersonation attacks. The round, led by ICONIQ and featuring investors such as Satya Nadella and Nikesh Arora, brings total capital...
Saudi FinTech Safqah Capital Raises $15.2m Seed Round
Safqah Capital announced a $15.2 million seed round, one of the biggest pure‑equity seed raises in Saudi Arabia. The round was led by anb Seed Fund, Shorooq and Rua Growth Fund, with participation from 500 Global and other regional investors. Safqah...
Bridging Continents: African Innovation at Web Summit Qatar
Web Summit Qatar has rapidly become the Middle East’s largest tech gathering, drawing a record 30,274 attendees from 127 countries in 2026. The event’s growth provides African startups—from fintech to agritech—direct access to Gulf investors, system integrators, and global partners....
Poland’s VC Market Leans Heavily on Seed-Stage Funding
Poland’s venture‑capital market deployed €0.8 billion across 183 transactions in 2025, marking a 28% increase over 2024 when mega‑rounds are excluded. Seed‑stage deals dominated, with 134 rounds – a 20% year‑on‑year rise – and average ticket sizes steady at €1.5 million. Public...
Biotech Startup Pandorum Technologies Raises $18 Mn in Series B Round
Pandorum Technologies, an Indian‑US biotech focused on exosome‑based regenerative therapies, closed an $18 million Series B round led by Protons Corporate. The round, completed in two tranches, values the company at roughly $91 million post‑money, bringing total capital raised to about $43 million. Proceeds...
Grants Are Not Just for Nonprofits: Why For-Profit Operators Miss Out on Early-Stage Capital
Southeast Asian founders often chase equity financing even at the validation stage, leading to unnecessary dilution. The article argues that non‑dilutive grants—such as those from the Gates Foundation, UNICEF Innovation Fund, and Enterprise Singapore’s SLINGSHOT—can fund proof‑of‑concept work while preserving...
Elevate Now Raises Rs 18 Cr in Seed Round Led by Physis Capital
Elevate Now, a doctor‑led clinical weight‑loss platform, secured Rs 18 crore in a seed round headed by Physis Capital, with Inflection Point Ventures and Titan Capital also participating. The Bengaluru startup previously raised $2 million in a pre‑seed round from W Health Ventures,...
How to Get Seed Funding for Startups Without Losing Focus Too Early
The article reframes seed‑stage fundraising as a disciplined, founder‑first process rather than a race for cash. It stresses validating the problem, gathering early user signals, and building a clear narrative before approaching investors. Investors at this stage care more about...
Healthcare Startup Preventify Raises Rs 2 Cr in Pre-Seed Round Led by PedalStart
Preventify, a clinic‑led healthtech startup focused on preventive and chronic care, closed a Rs 2 crore pre‑seed round led by accelerator PedalStart. The funding will finance a first cluster of ten clinics in Kerala, expand chronic disease programs, and upgrade its tech...
Global HealthX Crosses $15 Mn in Healthcare Investments, Unveils Startup Cohort
Global HealthX, the venture studio of the Global University Foundation, announced it has surpassed $15 million in investments across Indian healthcare and life‑science startups over the past two years. The latest cohort features five companies—TapHealth, Wellytics, Monitra Health, Merry Health and...
In Southeast Asia, Cybersecurity Is Booming but Funding Is Not
Southeast Asia’s cybersecurity sector saw venture funding plunge to US$24 million in 2025, a 40 percent decline from 2024 and a stark contrast to the US$533.6 million peak in 2021. All three rounds were early‑stage, with no late‑stage deals recorded, reflecting a more...
Atlassian’s First Investor Leads $8.55 Million Seed in Workflows Documentation Startup Fluency
Australian AI‑driven workflow documentation startup Fluency announced a $6 million seed round, led by Accel, Atlassian’s first external investor. The round, which also includes DST Global Partners and other venture firms, values the company at roughly $30 million. Proceeds will be used...
VCs Clash over Non-Financial Use Cases in Web3 and Crypto
Prominent crypto VCs are publicly sparring over the fate of non‑financial Web3 applications. a16z partner Chris Dixon blames years of scams, extractive behavior and regulatory pressure for the lack of traction, while Dragonfly’s Haseeb Quereshi argues the products simply failed...
US Energy Storage Startup Moves In On The Residential Market With Another $232 Million
Lunar Energy announced a $232 million Series C and D financing round, led by Activate Capital, B Capital and Prelude Ventures, with Sunrun among the backers. The capital will fund expansion of its AI‑powered residential energy‑storage system that learns household consumption patterns and enables...
Should Investors Join the Rush for Venture-Capital Trusts?
The UK Budget will cut the upfront income‑tax relief on new venture‑capital trust (VCT) shares from 30% to 20% starting April 2026, prompting a surge in investor demand this tax year. Sales have jumped to £140 million in the past three...
India Has Changed Its Startup Rules for Deep Tech
India has overhauled its startup framework, extending deep‑tech status to 20 years and raising the revenue eligibility threshold to ₹3 billion. The change dovetails with a ₹1 trillion Research, Development and Innovation fund and the $1 billion‑plus India Deep Tech Alliance, aimed at easing...
SpaceX IPO Could Drive Investor Interest in Other Space Companies
Investor Kirk Konert said a potential SpaceX IPO this summer could unlock unprecedented capital for the space sector, with the launch expected to raise tens of billions at a valuation above $1.5 trillion. Recent IPOs of Firefly Aerospace and York Space...
He Quit GTBank, His Startup Failed: This Founder Reinvented Himself to an Exit and Venture Scale in the Diaspora
Nigerian‑born entrepreneur Seyi Fabode left GTBank to launch Power2Switch, raising $3 million and later exiting after five years. He subsequently built an IoT water‑sensor startup that raised $4 million before shutting down, and now runs an AI‑driven energy‑infrastructure platform for investors in...
Evvolve & Partners Formalizes ‘Evvolve Circle’ to Address the Fragmentation in Private Market Co-Investment
Evvolve & Partners has launched the Evvolve Circle, an invitation‑only consortium that links family offices and ultra‑high‑net‑worth investors with institutional‑scale private‑market deal flow. The network delivers a confidential framework for shared due diligence, proprietary deal exchange and direct co‑investment across...
McKinsey Vet Franck Le Deu Joins Nisa Leung’s New Fund; Plus C-Suite Shuffle at Bicycle
Former McKinsey senior partner emeritus Franck Le Deu has joined Aulis Capital as a venture partner. Aulis, the Hong Kong‑based fund launched by veteran Chinese VC Nisa Le Ung, will back emerging biotech and health‑tech companies across Asia and the West. Le Deu, who...
Series A Companies: Biotech’s Class of 2025
After four years of falling series A activity, biotech start‑up financing stabilized in 2025. The number of companies raising series A remained flat versus 2024, while total dollars raised increased. BioCentury’s analysis shows a broader revival, with round sizes, investor profiles, and...
How Far Will Elon Musk Take the ‘Everything’ Business as SpaceX and xAI Merge?
Elon Musk announced the merger of SpaceX and his AI startup xAI, creating a unified "everything" conglomerate that could reshape Silicon Valley’s power dynamics. With a personal net worth near $800 billion, Musk positions the combined entity to accelerate innovation across...
ElevenLabs Raises $500M, Soundtrack Acquires Tunify and Ambie, and Germany Tops January Figures
ElevenLabs announced a $500 million raise as it prepares for an IPO, underscoring the surge in AI‑driven startups. Spotify‑backed Soundtrack acquired Tunify and Ambie, aiming to combine local market reach with global scale. Germany topped January’s European tech funding, highlighted by...
Taranis Capital Secures DFSA Acknowledgement for New ‘Disruptive Tech Fund’
Taranis Capital Limited has secured formal acknowledgement from the Dubai Financial Services Authority for its newly created Taranis Disruptive Tech Fund LP. The fund, filed in November 2025, targets high‑impact technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, fintech, advanced analytics...
Chiral Raises $12M in Seed Funding
Chiral, a Zurich‑based nanotechnology spin‑off from ETH Zurich and Empa, announced a $12 million seed round led by Crane Venture Partners, with participation from Quantonation, HCVC, Founderful and public funding from Innosuisse. The financing follows a 2024 pre‑seed round and will...
Bridging the Valley of Death: How C3H Is Powering the Next Wave of Climate, Health Tech Startups
Temasek Trust’s Catalytic Capital for Climate & Health (C3H) is emerging as a key early‑stage investor for climate and health tech startups across Asia. By providing patient capital to ventures such as Notpla, Dozee and Equatic, C3H aims to bridge...
PHathom Technologies Raises $4M in Funding
pHathom Technologies, a Halifax‑based cleantech firm, announced a $4 million funding round led by Propeller Ventures, with participation from NBIF, Invest Nova Scotia and Carmeuse Ventures. The infusion brings the company’s total capital raised to $12 million since its 2024 launch. pHathom...
Lawhive Closes $60M Series B for Consumer Legal AI
Lawhive announced a $60 million Series B round led by Danaher co‑founder Mitch Rales, adding to a $40 million Series A raised less than a year earlier. The UK‑originated legal‑tech firm now reports over $35 million in annual revenue—a seven‑fold increase in 12 months—and operates...
Capalo AI Raises €11M in Series A Funding
Capalo AI, a Helsinki‑based sustainable‑tech firm, secured €11 million in a Series A round. The financing was led by Heartcore Capital with participation from Tesi, VentureFriends, PROfounders, Inventure, Innovestor and family offices. The capital will fund expansion into additional European markets in...
Daytona Raises $24M for AI Agent Computing Infrastructure
Daytona announced a $24 million Series A round led by FirstMark Capital, with participation from Pace Capital, Upfront Ventures, E2VC, Darkmode, Datadog, and Figma Ventures. The startup offers programmatic, composable sandboxes that act as "computers for every AI agent," enabling instant startup,...
Shuvi Shrivastava
Shuvi Shrivastava, a Lightspeed partner and advisor in India, leverages a decade‑long tech and consulting background to back internet‑first businesses, especially fintech. Raised across small‑town India and educated abroad, she embodies the post‑1991 liberalization generation that grew up online. Her...
Markato
Markato, founded in 2023, is a curated wholesale marketplace that links premium global brands with vetted retailers throughout Asia. The platform secured seed‑stage investments from LSVP and LSIP during its launch year. Lightspeed partners Rahul Taneja and Dat Han joined...
Vennre Secures $9.6m Pre-Series A to Open Private Markets to MENA’s ‘HENRYs’
Fintech platform Vennre announced a $9.6 million pre‑Series A round, co‑led by Vision Ventures and anb seed fund, with participation from Sanabil 500, Ace & Co, Plus VC and strategic investors. The hybrid equity‑debt financing will fund the digitisation of private‑market access for MENA’s high‑earning, not‑yet‑rich...
CollegeDekho Posts Rs 151 Cr Loss in FY25, Revenue Remains Flat
CollegeDekho reported a flat top line of Rs 221.6 crore for FY25, barely up from the prior year, while its net loss widened 19% to Rs 151 crore. Advertising and promotional expenses surged 31% to Rs 126 crore, becoming the largest cost driver, even as employee‑benefit...
Sapiom Raises $15M to Help AI Agents Buy Their Own Tech Tools
Sapiom, founded by former Shopify payments director Ilan Zerbib, announced a $15 million seed round led by Accel to build a financial layer that lets AI agents automatically purchase and authenticate external services. The platform aims to automate micro‑payments and credential...
Angitia’s Latest Megaround to Fuel Mid-Stage Milestones: Venture Report
Angitia Biopharmaceuticals raised a $130 million Series D round, marking its second nine‑digit financing in just over a year after a $120 million Series C and following multiple nine‑figure Series B raises. New investors Frazier Life Sciences and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners joined existing backers,...
VAST Data Plans Funding Round so Early Stock Holders Can Get Cash
VAST Data is closing a $1 billion financing round that values the AI‑focused storage vendor at roughly $30 billion. The bulk of the cash will come from a secondary sale where existing shareholders dump 5‑6 shares for each new issue, generating $700‑$850 million...
Lunar Energy Banks $232 Million Series D
Lunar Energy, a Mountain View‑based provider of integrated home battery systems and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) software, closed an oversubscribed $102 million Series D financing. The round was led by B Capital and Prelude Ventures and follows an unannounced $130 million Series C led...
Secondary Sales Shift From Founder Windfalls to Employee-Retention Tools
AI‑focused startups such as Clay, Linear and ElevenLabs are increasingly using secondary tender offers to let employees sell shares at soaring valuations, with Clay’s latest offering pricing stock at $5 billion, up 60% from its August valuation. These deals contrast with...
Israeli Weather Satellite Startup Raises $175 Million in Investment Capital
Israeli weather‑data startup Tomorrow.io announced a $175 million financing round to launch DeepSky, an AI‑native satellite constellation. The company has already deployed 13 smallsats that deliver a 60‑minute global revisit, feeding its AI‑driven analytics platform used across critical industries. DeepSky will...
Willie’s Remedy+ Raises $15M in Series A Funding
Willie’s Remedy+, an Austin‑based maker of THC‑infused social tonics, secured $15 million in Series A financing. The round was led by Left Lane Capital with participation from Second Sight Ventures. CEO Greg Serrao plans to deploy the capital toward national retail expansion...
Goodfire Raises $150M in Series B Funding
Goodfire, a San Francisco AI interpretability startup, secured $150 million in Series B financing. The round was led by B Capital and featured both existing backers and new investors such as Salesforce Ventures and Eric Schmidt. The capital will accelerate frontier research,...
Duna Raises €30M in Series A Funding
Duna, an AI-native business identity platform operating from Amsterdam and Berlin, closed a €30 million Series A round. The financing was led by CapitalG with participation from existing backers Index Ventures, Puzzle Ventures and Snowflake chairman Frank Slootman. The new capital lifts...
Advance Raises $8.55M in Seed Funding
Advance, a New York‑based fintech, raised $8.55 million in seed funding to scale its insurance‑focused payment platform. The round was led by nvp Capital with participation from Crystal Ventures, Vesey Ventures, Mensch Capital, and strategic angels such as Assaf Wand. Funds...
SENAI Inks $6.2M Seed Round
Washington‑based SENAI, an online video intelligence platform, closed a $6.2 million seed round led by 10D Ventures, with participation from FS Ventures, 1948 Ventures and investor Jonathan Kolber. The company transforms unstructured online video into geo‑specific, real‑time intelligence to counter security...
Feltsense Raises $5.1M Seed Funding
Feltsense Holdings announced a $5.1 million seed round led by Draper Associates, with participation from Precursor Ventures, Liquid2 Ventures and several prominent founders. The capital will fund the development of AI agents designed to act as fully autonomous founders—ideating, building,...
Global VC Investment Surged In January, With U.S. Dominating Funding But A Pair Of AI Model IPOs In China
Global venture capital funding surged to $55 billion in January 2026, more than doubling the year‑ago level and rising over 50 percent from December. The United States accounted for roughly 70 percent of the capital, with AI‑focused startups receiving 57 percent of all funding....
Lawhive Raises $60M in Series B Funding
London‑based legal‑tech firm Lawhive announced a $60 million Series B round, led by Danaher co‑founder Mitch Rales and backed by investors such as GV, Balderton Capital and TQ Ventures. The capital will accelerate Lawhive’s AI‑native platform rollout across the United States, where...