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 data into actionable intelligence, enabling end‑to‑end automation of administrative workflows. The solution can be deployed on‑premises, in customer‑managed clouds, or via managed infrastructure.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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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,...
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...
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,...
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...
US Emerges as Servify’s Largest Market in FY25 with Rs 400 Cr Revenue
Servify reported FY25 revenue of Rs 781 crore (~$94 million), a 16% year‑on‑year increase, with the United States becoming its largest market contributing Rs 400 crore (~$48 million), 51% of total revenue. White‑label protection plans drove 97% of income, growing 14% to Rs 758 crore....
What’s Driving Startup Investors’ Shift Towards Domestic LPs?
Indian venture capital firms are increasingly turning to domestic limited partners as macro volatility and geopolitical tensions make foreign capital harder to secure. A recent Inc42 survey shows 74% of institutional investors would prefer Indian‑origin LPs for the next funding...
Syneron Raises $150m for Macrocyclics, and Other Financings
Syneron Bio, a Beijing‑based biotech, closed a $150 million Series B just four months after raising $100 million, underscoring strong investor appetite for macrocyclic peptide therapeutics. The company’s AI‑powered Synova platform claims to design drug candidates for protein targets that have eluded conventional...
Plume Raises €3.3M to Cut Years From Renewable Energy Development Timelines
Plume, a Franco‑American geospatial AI startup, closed a €3.3 million (≈$3.6 million) round led by AENU with participation from Y Combinator, Kima Ventures and others. The company’s platform consolidates more than 150 continuously updated geographic datasets and deploys AI agents that parse unstructured...
India Is Slowing Down but Southeast Asia Is Falling Behind Faster
India’s venture capital market contracted 18% in FY2025‑26, pulling in $11.7 billion, yet it remains the world’s fourth‑largest funding pool. The decline is uneven: late‑stage financing fell 38% while early‑stage capital rose 33%, signaling a shift toward disciplined growth. Southeast Asia,...
STAT+: Biotech VCs, Used to a Winning Formula in Drug Development, Face Disruption
For decades, biotech venture capitalists have followed a formula—seed university science, add seasoned pharma executives, and invest tens of millions—to generate drugs and returns. That playbook is now under pressure as Chinese biotech firms deliver research faster and cheaper, and...
Temasek Trust's C3H Leads $1.2M Funding for Singaporean Healthtech Firm Injewelme
Temasek Trust’s Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health (C3H) led a US$1.2 million funding round for Singapore‑based health‑tech firm injewelme. The capital will accelerate deployment of the company’s DeepHealthVision (DHV) platform, which uses remote photoplethysmography and predictive AI to capture more...
Bay Capital to Launch Digital Fund; Appoints Sandeep Barasia, Tej Kapoor as Partners
Bay Capital announced the launch of a Digital Opportunities Fund, a Category II Alternative Investment Fund aimed at backing high‑growth public and private digital companies in India. The firm appointed former Delhivery chief business officer Sandeep Barasia and ICICI Venture veteran Tej Kapoor as...
Astranova Mobility Raises Rs 60 Cr in Series A Led by IvyCap Ventures
Astranova Mobility, an Indian EV financing and asset‑management platform, closed a Rs 60 crore ($6.4 million) Series A round led by IvyCap Ventures, with participation from Asian Development Bank, Advantedge Founders and Trucks Venture Capital. The funding will boost the startup’s data, AI and...
Secondary Sales in SEA: The Liquidity Lifeline when Exits Are Scarce
Southeast Asia’s startup boom has made secondary share sales a common liquidity tool, allowing early investors to cash out before a full exit. These transactions often accompany oversubscribed primary rounds, creating a blended deal where only part of the capital...
Neurodivergent App Spoony Shuts Down as Investors Prefer AI
Spoony, an Australian social app for disabled and neurodivergent users, raised roughly US$660,000 and built a community of over 65,000 members. The startup’s planned 2025 funding round collapsed as venture capital shifted toward artificial‑intelligence ventures, prompting a shutdown slated for...
Blackline Safety to Go Private in $850-Million Deal
Calgary‑based Blackline Safety will delist from the Toronto Stock Exchange after agreeing to be taken private by an affiliate of Silicon Valley private‑equity firm Francisco Partners. The definitive agreement values the company at up to CAD $850 million (approximately US$630 million), offering shareholders...
AWS Boss Explains Why Investing Billions in Both Anthropic and OpenAI Is an OK Conflict
AWS chief Matt Garman explained that Amazon’s $50 billion investment in OpenAI, alongside an $8 billion stake in Anthropic, is a manageable conflict of interest. He argued that AWS routinely competes with its cloud partners and has built processes to avoid unfair...
Former Li Auto Executives Chen Wei and Zhang Xiao Launch Joint Venture, Backed by Former Employer
Former Li Auto chief AI scientist Chen Wei and ex‑product head Zhang Xiao have founded Xieyue Intelligence, a venture focused on consumer‑grade embodied intelligence for the home. The startup closed its first funding round with backing from Li Auto and...
Sidewinder Therapeutics Inks $137M Series B Financing
Sidewinder Therapeutics closed an oversubscribed $137 million Series B round to fund its next‑generation bispecific antibody‑drug conjugates for cancer. The financing was co‑led by Frazier Life Sciences and Novartis Venture Fund, with participation from Series A backer OrbiMed and a slate of new...
TeraWatt Technology Completes Final Close of Series C
TeraWatt Technology announced the final close of its Series C round, expanding its investor base with four new backers. The round builds on earlier commitments from Khosla Ventures, Temasek, JIC Venture Growth Investments, JBIC, GX Acceleration Agency, and G.K. Goh Ventures....
Livid Pulls In $10M Funding
Livid, an ad‑free video hosting service aimed at creators and small businesses, announced a $10 million funding round on April 8, 2026. The capital comes from investor Geige Vandentop and Dan Briggs, co‑founder of StreamYard, which Briggs sold to Hopin for $250 million before...
