Mega-Rounds Hit AI Search, Defense Supply Chains, and Payments — May 21, 2026

Exa Labs raised $250 million at a $2.2 billion valuation, while Amca, Primer, Socket, and Catena Labs added fresh growth capital across AI search, defense manufacturing, payments infrastructure, software security, and agentic finance. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Exa Labs raises $250M at $2.2B valuation for its AI search tools - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/20/exa-labs-raises-250m-2-2b-valuation-ai-search-tools/ 2. Amca Closes $300M Series B at $1B+ Valuation to Strengthen America's Critical Component Supply Chain — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amca-closes-300m-series-b-at-1b-valuation-to-strengthen-americas-critical-component-supply-chain-302776943.html 3. Primer raises $100 million Series C | Blog | Primer — Primer https://primer.io/blog/series-c 4. Socket raises $60M Series C at $1B valuation led by Thrive C... — Socket https://socket.dev/blog/series-c 5. Exclusive: Circle cofounder raises $30 million for Series A ‘AI-native bank’ Catena Labs – DNYUZ — Fortune https://dnyuz.com/2026/05/20/exclusive-circle-cofounder-raises-30-million-for-series-a-ai-native-bank-catena-labs/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]