News•Feb 17, 2026
AI Consulting Startup Navikenz Raises $7.5 Mn Led by Sekar PRC and Sudip Nandy
Navikenz, a Noida‑based AI consulting firm, closed a $7.5 million funding round led by Sekar PRC and Sudip Nandy, adding to a prior $8 million raise. The capital will fund team expansion and further development of its AI platforms, including RetailBOT and the NaviKATOR methodology. Founded in 2020, the company now employs about 250 staff across Bengaluru, Noida and Princeton, serving leading pharma, life‑sciences, insurance and finance clients. Navikenz reported Rs 17.2 crore revenue for FY 2024 and turned EBITDA‑positive in its third year.
By Entrackr
News•Feb 17, 2026
Google Maps Co-Founder Lars Rasmussen and Lefteris Katsiadakis Are Turning Athens Into a Startup Magnet
Google Maps co‑founder Lars Rasmussen and Panathēnea CEO Lefteris Katsiadakis are turning Athens into a Southeast European startup hub. The nonprofit festival attracted investors such as Sequoia, Index Ventures, NVIDIA and OpenAI, and featured over 3,000 attendees from 44 countries...
By The Recursive
News•Feb 17, 2026
Paket Mutfak Raises $3.8M to Grow Multi-Brand Cloud Kitchen Model
Turkish cloud‑kitchen software startup Paket Mutfak announced a $3.8 million financing round, bringing its total capital to $12.3 million. The round was led by existing backers Nokta Yatırım Holding, Ünlü & Co, and Fırat İşbecer, with new investors including Ali Sabancı and...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 17, 2026
CraftifAI Raises $3 Mn To Build AI Tools For Embedded Software Development
CraftifAI announced a $3 million seed round, led by Ankur Capital, to accelerate its AI-driven platform for embedded software development. The startup’s Orbit platform uses multi‑agent generative AI to automate code generation, hardware optimization, and AI/ML deployment for edge, IoT and...
By Inc42
News•Feb 17, 2026
Equirus InnovateX Fund Announces Final Close of B2B Tech Fund at Rs 166 Cr
Equirus InnovateX Fund (EIF) announced the final close of its maiden B2B tech fund at Rs 166 crore, a SEBI‑registered Category I AIF targeting seed to pre‑Series A investments. The fund focuses on deep‑tech, SaaS and fintech startups that have a product but are...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 17, 2026
Udtara Ventures Announces Rs 250 Cr Growth Fund
Udtara Ventures has launched a Rs 250 crore Udtara Growth Fund aimed at taking sizable ownership stakes in defence, deep‑tech and frontier engineering firms. The fund will back 8‑10 growth‑stage companies with proven product‑market fit and existing order books, using a blend...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 17, 2026
China AI Startup Moonshot Targets $10 Billion Valuation
Moonshot, the Chinese AI startup behind the Kimi chatbot, is launching a new financing round that targets a $10 billion valuation. The company previously secured $500 million at a $4.3 billion valuation, and its existing backers—Alibaba, Tencent and 5Y Capital—have already committed more...
By Bloomberg – Technology (sitewide)
News•Feb 17, 2026
Edtech Startup Beep Raises $850K in Pre-Series A Round
Edtech startup Beep announced an $850,000 pre‑Series A round, bringing its total funding to $1.5 million. The round was led by Knowhere Ventures, Pacific Global Solutions, and LeadAngels FLV, with participation from angel investors. Beep plans to scale its user base...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 17, 2026
Vietnam's Airports, Money Controls Said to Deter Tech Investors
Vietnam’s startup funding has slowed as investors cite cross‑border frictions, notably congested airports and strict capital controls. The newly opened Long Thanh International Airport is intended to ease Ho Chi Minh City’s traffic but has yet to deliver full relief....
By Nikkei Asia – Economy
News•Feb 17, 2026
The “Valley of Death” Isn’t a Funding Problem — It’s a Risk Design Problem
Deep‑tech startups often stumble not because the science is weak but because the risk profile between a working prototype and a scalable business is mis‑designed. Traditional venture capital timelines of five to seven years clash with the ten‑plus‑year gestation required...
By e27
News•Feb 17, 2026
HomeRun Raises Rs 60 Cr in Series A Led by Sorin Investments
HomeRun, a Bengaluru‑based on‑demand platform for construction and interior materials, announced a Rs 60 crore ($6.6 million) Series A funding round. The round was led by Sorin Investments, which contributed Rs 40 crore, with participation from Titan Capital Winners Fund, Sparrow Capital, Consumer Collective by Atrium...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 17, 2026
UNSW Puts $35 Million Into Uni Startup Spinouts
UNSW Sydney is allocating $35 million to boost research commercialisation, including a $25 million pre‑seed fund and a $10 million investment in VC High Street Ventures, with the goal of launching 50 spinout companies by 2030. The pre‑seed fund will provide up to...
By Startup Daily (ANZ)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Bootstrapped and Profitable AI InsurTech Company Mea Platform Raises €42.2 Million
UK‑based AI InsurTech mea Platform announced a €42.2 million minority growth equity investment from SEP to accelerate product development and customer engagement. The company, founded in 2021, has remained bootstrapped and profitable for four consecutive years. Its domain‑specific AI platform, already...
By EU-Startups
News•Feb 16, 2026
Mortgage Originator Maestro AI Announces $1.2M Pre-Seed
Maestro AI, an AI‑powered platform for mortgage origination, secured $1.2 million in pre‑seed funding led by New Stack Ventures, with participation from Family VC, ZFO, Roark’s Drift, and local angels. Founded by industry veteran David Rogove—who previously built and sold Wemlo...
By Crowdfund Insider
News•Feb 16, 2026
Is BDC Too Big to Change?
In 2022 the Canadian government commissioned a report asking venture capital firms for candid feedback on the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The report, which highlighted concerns about BDC’s size, dual mandate, and recent turnover, was never publicized or...
By BetaKit (Canada)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Philippine “Revolut” Maya Eyes Up to $1 Billion US Listing
Philippine fintech Maya, an all‑in‑one digital banking app, is eyeing a U.S. IPO that could raise up to $1 billion. The platform now serves 5.4 million customers and disbursed 68 billion pesos ($1.2 bn) in loans in 2024. Its filing comes amid a volatile...
By Finance Magnates Fintech
News•Feb 16, 2026
Have Money, Will Travel: A16z’s Hunt for the Next European Unicorn
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) led a $2.3 million pre‑seed round in Swedish AI dental startup Dentio, marking the firm’s first bite into Sweden’s health‑tech ecosystem. The investment follows a16z’s broader strategy of deploying scouts and partners across Europe to capture early‑stage AI...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 16, 2026
How Ricursive Intelligence Raised $335M at a $4B Valuation in 4 Months
Ricursive Intelligence, founded by former Google Brain and Anthropic engineers Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini, closed a $300 million Series A and a $35 million seed round, totaling $335 million, at a $4 billion valuation within four months of launch. The startup builds an AI‑driven...
By TechCrunch AI
News•Feb 16, 2026
Suhail Sameer-Led OTP Ventures Closes First Fund At ₹500 Cr
OTP Ventures, founded in 2023 by ex‑BharatPe CEO Suhail Sameer, closed its first fund at ₹500 crore after a 17‑month raise that attracted over ₹750 crore in commitments. The fund originally aimed for ₹400 crore but was capped to maintain size discipline and...
By Inc42
News•Feb 16, 2026
Anthropic Raises $30 Billion in Series G
Anthropic announced a $30 billion Series G round, led by GIC and Coatue, pushing its post‑money valuation to $380 billion. The financing includes more than 30 investors, among them Microsoft, NVIDIA, Sequoia Capital, and major sovereign and institutional funds. Proceeds will accelerate frontier...
By VC News Daily
News•Feb 16, 2026
NeoVolta Raises US$23 Million for Georgia Battery Pack and BESS Manufacturing Facility
San Diego‑based NeoVolta has raised roughly US$23 million to fund a joint‑venture battery‑energy‑storage system (BESS) plant in Georgia. The financing, split between a private placement and working‑capital contributions, backs the first US$7 million milestone of a three‑phase capital plan. The facility will...
By Energy Storage News
News•Feb 16, 2026
QuicKart Secures $1.5 Million to Expand Fresh Commerce Across the UAE
QuicKart, the UAE’s first dedicated fresh‑commerce platform for dairy and farm produce, closed a $1.5 million seed round led by Orbit Ventures. The funding will be used to optimise supply‑chain logistics, upgrade technology, expand last‑mile fulfilment and cold‑chain infrastructure, and add...
By Wamda
News•Feb 16, 2026
Why Hiro Is Bullish on UK and EU Game Dev Funding After Helping The Chinese Room and Bulkhead Go Independent
Venture capital firm Hiro Capital launched its advisory arm to guide fragmented game studios, recently steering The Chinese Room and Bulkhead Interactive out of Tencent‑owned entities toward independent UK/EU ownership. The firm argues that Europe’s talent, lower costs and restrictive...
By GamesIndustry.biz
News•Feb 16, 2026
Investment Fund for Wales Sees Largest-Ever Deal
British Business Bank’s £130 m Investment Fund for Wales has completed its largest single investment, a £3.5 m injection into engineering services firm Advantiv. The deal, executed by fund manager Foresight Group, marks the 102nd investment since the fund’s 2023 launch. Advantiv...
By UKTN (UK Tech News)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Tembo Raises £16M in Funding Round
London‑based fintech Tembo announced a £16 million funding round led by Gresham House Ventures and existing backers such as Goodwater Capital and the British Business Bank. The capital will fuel expansion of its digital savings and mortgage platform, including the recently...
By FinSMEs
News•Feb 16, 2026
Scaling Our Spinout Ecosystem
The UK spinout ecosystem has attracted over $19.2 billion in venture capital since 2020, making it Europe’s largest hub for science‑based startups. However, a shortage of domestic scale‑up capital, founder‑focused tax and visa constraints, and a procurement system that favors large...
By UKTN (UK Tech News)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Intuos Receives €720K for Non-Commercial Aviation Operations and Safety
Intuos, an Italian startup focused on non‑commercial aviation efficiency, closed a €720,000 investment round led by Argo, Techstars, Ventive and other investors. The funding will accelerate development of its two‑part platform that digitises flight operations and adds real‑time IoT telemetry...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 16, 2026
Milan-Based Contents Secures €5.9 Million for AI Workflow Platform, Sets up Doha Hub for Middle East Expansion
Italian AI workflow startup Contents announced a €5.9 million Series B extension, bringing its total financing to €21 million. The round was led by Qatar Development Bank with participation from Alkemia Capital, and will fund the launch of a Doha‑based hub serving the...
By EU-Startups
News•Feb 16, 2026
Bestselling Author Paulo Andrez Joins the EU-Startups Summit 2026 on May 7-8 in Malta
Bestselling author, angel investor and serial entrepreneur Paulo Andrez will join the EU-Startups Summit 2026 in Malta on May 7-8. Known for backing unicorn Sword Health and earning the 2012 Best European Angel Investment award, Andrez brings decades of early‑stage...
By EU-Startups
News•Feb 16, 2026
European Tech Weekly Recap: More than 65 Tech Funding Deals Worth over €3.4B
European venture capital activity surged last week, with more than 65 tech funding deals totaling over €3.4 billion. Cloud startups captured €1.2 billion, followed closely by space ventures at €1.1 billion, while healthtech secured €214.4 million. The United Kingdom led the regional tally with...
By Tech.eu
News•Feb 16, 2026
Anthropic Valued at $380Bn as It Raises $30Bn Series G
Anthropic secured $30 billion in a Series G round led by GIC and Coatue, lifting its post‑money valuation to $380 billion. The funding backs rapid expansion of its enterprise AI suite, including Claude, Claude Code, and the newly launched Opus 4.6 model, which now leads...
By Startups Magazine
News•Feb 16, 2026
Exclusive: Tiger Global-Backed Kutumb Enters Gay Dating Space with Polo
Bengaluru‑based Kutumb has entered the LGBTQ+ dating market with Polo, a new gay‑focused app now live on Google Play. Polo offers selfie‑based verification, AI‑driven matchmaking, instant messaging and audio‑video calls, plus private photo albums and interest filters. The launch follows...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 16, 2026
ValleyNXT Ventures Launches Rs 400 Cr Early-Stage Fund for Deeptech Startups
ValleyNXT Ventures has launched the Bharat Breakthrough Fund‑I, a SEBI‑registered Category I VC vehicle aimed at seed to pre‑Series A deep‑tech startups. The fund seeks an initial Rs 200 crore raise, with an option to double to Rs 400 crore. It will combine traditional venture capital...
By YourStory
News•Feb 16, 2026
Terra Now Valued at over $100 Million, as It Extends Funding to $34 Million
Terra Industries, an African defence‑technology startup, extended its Series A round to $34 million after adding $22 million in fresh capital, pushing its valuation past the $100 million mark. The round was led by Lux Capital and attracted new angel investors such as actor...
By Techpoint Africa
News•Feb 16, 2026
LocalHost Raises $2.5 Mn From InVideo, RedBull India, and Others
LocalHost, a startup launchpad, secured $2.5 million in an angel round led by InVideo, RedBull India, Anthropic and Eros International. The capital will fund expansion of its global founder labs, bolstering hardware infrastructure and scaling operational teams across regions. Existing labs...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 16, 2026
Exclusive: UK HealthTech Startup Nul Raises €840k in Seed Funding to Help Nullify Alcohol Dependence
UK‑based health‑tech startup Nul announced a €840,000 seed round led by dmg ventures and BYVP to fund its UK commercial launch and international expansion. The company offers a fully remote, subscription‑based platform that pairs clinical care with the FDA‑approved medication naltrexone...
By EU-Startups
News•Feb 16, 2026
Wealthtech Startup Otto Money Raises $1.3 Mn Led by Pravega Ventures
Wealthtech startup Otto Money announced a $1.3 million pre‑seed round led by Pravega Ventures, with participation from several angel investors. The funding will be deployed over the next 12‑18 months to bolster AI models, expand personalization and goal‑based advisory features, and...
By Entrackr
News•Feb 16, 2026
Techstars Sydney Is the Latest Victim of the NSW Government’s Ongoing Startup Purge
Techstars Sydney accelerator is shutting down after its three‑year contract with the NSW government expired, ending the state’s funding for the program. Over three cohorts the accelerator invested more than $6 million in 36 startups, with 58% receiving their first external...
By Startup Daily (ANZ)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Blackstone Backs Neysa in up to $1.2B Financing as India Pushes to Build Domestic AI Infrastructure
Neysa, an Indian AI‑infrastructure startup, secured up to $600 million of primary equity from Blackstone, giving the private‑equity firm a majority stake, and plans an additional $600 million in debt to expand its GPU fleet. The capital will help the company grow...
By TechCrunch AI
News•Feb 16, 2026
Global Fintech Investment Rebounds in 2025, Supported by Stronger Exit Activity
Global fintech investment rebounded in 2025, reaching $116 billion despite a record‑low 4,719 deals, indicating larger, more selective transactions. Venture capital contributed $56.7 billion while M&A added $55.4 billion, with the United States leading deal value. Digital‑assets funding nearly doubled to $19.1 billion, buoyed...
By Finextra
News•Feb 15, 2026
ZeroDrift Announces $2M Round to Automate Compliance
ZeroDrift emerged from stealth with a $2 million pre‑seed round led by a16z speedrun, aiming to automate compliance for financial‑services communications. The AI‑native platform acts as a real‑time firewall that encodes SEC, FINRA and firm‑specific policies into machine‑readable rulepacks. By integrating...
By Crowdfund Insider
News•Feb 15, 2026
How to Get Into A16z’s Super-Competitive Speedrun Startup Accelerator Program
Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun accelerator, launched in 2023, accepts fewer than 1% of applicants, admitting about 50‑70 startups per 12‑week San Francisco cohort. The program invests up to $1 million—$500,000 upfront for 10% equity and a conditional $500,000—offering extensive advisory, brand, and vendor‑credit...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 15, 2026
Qatar Development Bank Expands Investment Program to QAR 1 Billion as Demand Surges
Qatar Development Bank announced an expansion of its Startup Qatar Investment Program to QAR 1 billion (≈$275 million) by 2030, an eight‑fold increase in capital allocation. The surge follows more than 6,000 startup applications in the past three years, reflecting strong regional...
By The Fintech Times
News•Feb 14, 2026
In a Changed VC Landscape, This Exec Is Doubling Down on Overlooked Founders
Stacy Brown‑Philpot, former TaskRabbit CEO and Google veteran, launched Cherryrock Capital in 2025 to fill a gap for underinvested entrepreneurs by writing smaller Series A and B checks. The fund, backed by institutional LPs such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Melinda...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 14, 2026
India Doubles Down on State-Backed Venture Capital, Approving $1.1B Fund
India has approved a $1.1 billion state‑backed venture capital fund aimed at deep‑tech and advanced manufacturing startups. The fund of funds will channel government capital through private VC firms, building on a 2016 program that invested over $2.8 billion in 1,370 startups....
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 14, 2026
European FinTech Investments Dropped by 11% YoY Amid Market Uncertainties in 2025
European FinTech investment contracted 11% year‑over‑year in 2025, with total funding falling to $16.3 billion across 743 deals. Deal activity under $100 million shrank 26%, while large transactions above $100 million held steady, pushing the average deal size to $21.9 million. The market’s shift...
By Fintech Global
News•Feb 13, 2026
Anthropic Raises $30B, Bringing Its Valuation to $380B
Anthropic announced a $30 billion Series G round, pushing its valuation to $380 billion, the second‑largest private tech financing after OpenAI. The round was led by Coatue and GIC, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft, D.E. Shaw, Dragoneer, Founders Fund, ICONIQ and MGX. Anthropic reported a...
By AI Business