Startup Fundraising

Carta’s pre-seed funding and venture capital firm guides map the earliest startup capital stack, from founder-first checks before revenue to the mechanics of raising and managing a first VC fund. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Pre-Seed Funding: Guide for Early-Stage Startup Founders - Carta — Carta https://carta.com/learn/startups/fundraising/pre-seed-funding 2. How to Start a Venture Capital Firm and Raise Your First Fund - Carta — Carta https://carta.com/learn/private-funds/venture-capital Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Hypha’s $50 million seed round anchors a fresh wave of AI-native startup financing, with PhoenixAI, Coram AI and Equal AI adding sizable Series B rounds as investors keep backing workflow infrastructure from finance to databases, security and consumer calls. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Hypha Raises $50M Seed to Build AI‑Native Asset Platform — FinanceInsyte https://financeinsyte.com/hypha-raises-50m-seed-to-build-ai-native-asset-platform/ 2. PhoenixAI Raises $80M Series B Funding Led by Sky9 Capital — Startuprise io https://startuprise.io/phoenixai-raises-80m-series-b-funding-led-by-sky9-capital/ 3. Coram AI Raises $35 Million Series B to Accelerate the Future of AI-Native Physical Security — Business Wire https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260610812247/en/Coram-AI-Raises-%2435-Million-Series-B-to-Accelerate-the-Future-of-AI-Native-Physical-Security 4. Equal AI raises $30M to screen calls so Indians don't have to | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/11/equal-ai-raises-30m-to-screen-calls-so-indians-dont-have-to/ 5. Holocene closes Southern Africa's first dedicated climate-tech fund - Disrupt Africa — Disrupt Africa https://disruptafrica.com/2026/06/12/holocene-closes-southern-africas-first-dedicated-climate-tech-fund/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Prometheus raised $12 billion at a $41 billion valuation to automate physical-world engineering, setting the tone for a fundraising day dominated by AI infrastructure, robotics, and hard-tech energy bets. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Jeff Bezos's Prometheus raises $12B to build an 'artificial general engineer' for the physical world | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/11/jeff-bezoss-prometheus-raises-12b-to-build-an-artificial-general-engineer-for-the-physical-world/ 2. Data center infrastructure startup TensorWave raises $350M to help break Nvidia's AI chip monopoly - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/06/10/data-center-infrastructure-startup-tensorwave-raises-350m-help-break-nvidias-ai-chip-monopoly/ 3. Theker just raised $85M to build the factory robot that doesn't specialize in anything | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/11/theker-just-raised-85m-to-build-the-factory-robot-that-doesnt-specialize-in-anything/ 4. Current Secures $80 Million Series E at $1.5 Billion Valuation Following Third Consecutive Year of 70%+ Growth — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/current-secures-80-million-series-e-at-1-5-billion-valuation-following-third-consecutive-year-of-70-growth-302797260.html 5. Endurance Energy raises $54M to harness a massive untapped energy source | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/11/endurance-energy-raises-54m-to-harness-a-massive-untapped-energy-source/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

NEURA Robotics’ up-to-$1.4 billion Series C anchors a surge of huge AI startup financings, with Cyera at $12 billion, Standard Bots hitting unicorn status, and vertical AI rounds pushing deeper into finance and legal workflows. In this episode: Top stories: 1. NEURA Robotics Announces Record Series C of up to $1.4 Billion to Accelerate the World’s Leading Physical AI Platform | Morningstar — Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260610204575/neura-robotics-announces-record-series-c-of-up-to-14-billion-to-accelerate-the-worlds-leading-physical-ai-platform 2. Cyera raises $600M at $12B valuation amid flurry of cybersecurity investments - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/06/10/cyera-raises-600m-12b-valuation-amid-flurry-cybersecurity-investments/ 3. Standard Bots raises $200M at $1B valuation to revolutionize AI-native industrial robotics - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/06/09/standard-bots-raises-200m-1b-valuation-revolutionize-ai-native-industrial-robotics/ 4. OpenAI backs Poetic to automate underwriting and compliance — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/poetic-openai-50m-enterprise-automation-underwriting 5. Sandstone raises $30M to bring AI to in-house legal teams — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/09/sandstone-raises-30m-to-bring-ai-to-in-house-legal-teams/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

ICEYE raised €450 million at a €10 billion-plus valuation, while PhysicsX, Beacon, Standard Bots and City Therapeutics added major growth rounds. The week’s center of gravity is late-stage capital chasing AI-enabled hard tech, defense, industrial software and biotech. In this episode: Top stories: 1. ICEYE leads a new era of sovereign intelligence from space with €1Bn fundraising round | General Atlantic — General Atlantic https://www.generalatlantic.com/media-article/iceye-leads-a-new-era-of-sovereign-intelligence-from-space-with-e1bn-fundraising-round/ 2. Temasek leads UK AI firm PhysicsX $300M Series C funding - TNGlobal — TechNode Global https://technode.global/2026/06/09/temasek-leads-uks-ai-firm-physicsx-300m-series-c-funding/ 3. AI rollup company Beacon closes $225-million Series C round | BetaKit — BetaKit https://betakit.com/ai-rollup-company-beacon-closes-225-million-series-c-round/ 4. Standard Bots Raises $200 Million Series C at $1 Billion Valuation to Scale American-Made, AI-Native Industrial Robots — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/standard-bots-raises-200-million-series-c-at-1-billion-valuation-to-scale-american-made-ai-native-industrial-robots-302795268.html 5. City Therapeutics Announces $99.5 Million Series B Financing to Advance Next-Generation RNAi Therapeutics - BioSpace — BioSpace https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/city-therapeutics-announces-99-5-million-series-b-financing-to-advance-next-generation-rnai-therapeutics Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Stepful raised $55 million to expand AI-assisted healthcare training as hospitals battle staffing costs; PointFive landed $60 million for AI/cloud efficiency, while Moonshot AI’s $30 billion target and NewOrbit’s VLEO bet show capital still chasing infrastructure-scale stories. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Stepful raises $55M to train healthcare workers with AI — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/stepful-55m-series-c-ai-healthcare-training 2. Step Back: When a startup like ICEYE raises a €1 billion “sovereign intelligence” round, what are investors actually underwriting: venture-style software margins and exit multiples, or a more defense-prime-like business built on government procurement, debt, and strategic customers? 3. Moonshot AI seeks $30bn valuation, 7x jump in six months — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/moonshot-ai-kimi-30-billion-valuation-china-ai-race 4. PointFive Raises $60M to Expand AI Efficiency Platform — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/pointfive-raises-60-million-expand-ai-efficiency-platform/ 5. NewOrbit raises £13.9m to build satellites for near-Earth space - UKTN — UK Tech News https://www.uktech.news/space-tech/neworbit-raises-13-9m-to-build-satellites-for-near-earth-space-20260608 Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Moonshot AI is chasing up to $2 billion at a $30 billion valuation, while Bezos-backed Flourish lands a $500 million Series A; the AI capital race is stretching from Chinese foundation models to brain-inspired systems and data-center cooling. In this episode: Top stories: 1. China’s Moonshot AI seeks US$30 bil value in new funding talks — Bloomberg — The Edge Malaysia https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/806162 2. Flourish Raises $500M for Brain-Inspired AI Research - Fundraise Insider — Fundraise Insider https://fundraiseinsider.com/blog/flourish-raises-500m-for-brain-inspired-ai-research/ 3. ZutaCore: $100 Million Series C Raised To Expand AI Data Center Cooling Platform — Pulse2 https://pulse2.com/zutacore-100-million-series-c-raised-to-expand-ai-data-center-cooling-platform/amp/ 4. Contraline Raises $92.5M Series B for Male Contraceptive - Fundraise Insider — Fundraise Insider https://fundraiseinsider.com/blog/contraline-raises-92-5m-series-b-for-male-contraceptive/ 5. Creator Fund closes $56M to back Europe's scientific founders — Tech.eu https://tech.eu/2026/06/08/creator-fund-closes-56m-to-back-europes-scientific-founders/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Supabase and AlphaSense set the pace with $500 million and $350 million rounds, while Pace, Lassie and Opal show venture money crowding into AI agents for insurance, small-business admin and identity governance. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Supabase doubles valuation to $10B in 8 months | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/supabase-doubles-valuation-to-10b-in-8-months/ 2. AlphaSense Raises $350M at $7.5B Valuation, and Surpasses $600M in Annual Recurring Revenue — AlphaSense https://www.alpha-sense.com/press/alphasense-raises-350m-at-7-5b-valuation-and-surpasses-600m-in-annual-recurring-revenue/ 3. Insurtech Pace raises $46 mn Series B for AI insurance operations — BeInsure https://beinsure.com/news/pace-raises-46-mn-for-ai-insurance-operations/ 4. Lassie Raises $35 Million Series A To Build Autonomous AI Systems For Small Businesses — Pulse2 https://pulse2.com/lassie-raises-35-million-series-a-to-build-autonomous-ai-systems-for-small-businesses/amp/ 5. Opal Security Raises $23 Million for AI-Native Identity Governance - SecurityWeek — SecurityWeek https://www.securityweek.com/opal-security-raises-23-million-for-ai-native-identity-governance/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Ramp, Supabase and Allen Control Systems raised $1.45 billion combined, showing venture money still crowding into AI infrastructure, enterprise automation and defense robotics while European AI seed funds also scale up. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Ramp raises $750 million, plans AI spending software | American Banker — American Banker https://www.americanbanker.com/news/ramp-raises-750-million-plans-ai-spending-software 2. Supabase Raises $500M Series F at $10.5B Valuation as AI Coding Reshapes the Backend Stack – Unite.AI — Unite.AI https://www.unite.ai/supabase-raises-500m-series-f-at-10-5b-valuation-as-ai-coding-reshapes-the-backend-stack/ 3. Allen Control Systems Raises $200 Million Series B at $2.2 Billion Post-Money Valuation to Scale Manufacturing and Accelerate Deployment of Bullfrog | Morningstar — Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260526638233/allen-control-systems-raises-200-million-series-b-at-22-billion-post-money-valuation-to-scale-manufacturing-and-accelerate-deployment-of-bullfrog 4. Insurtech Pace raises $46 mn Series B for AI insurance operations — Beinsure https://beinsure.com/news/pace-raises-46-mn-for-ai-insurance-operations/ 5. Merantix Capital Closes €103M Fund for European AI | Fund Momentum — Fund Momentum https://fundmomentum.vc/blog/merantix-capital-103m-fund-european-ai-rothe-locher-2026 Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Supabase raised $500 million at a $10.5 billion valuation as Ramp hit $44 billion and Helion drew $465 million, showing late-stage capital crowding into AI infrastructure, fintech automation, and power-hungry fusion bets. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Database startup Supabase raises $500 million $10.5 billion valuation — CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/04/database-startup-supabase-raises-500-million-10point5-billion-valuation.html 2. Ramp raises $750M Series F at $44 billion valuation — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/ramp-series-f-44-billion-valuation 3. Helion, the Sam Altman-backed fusion startup, raises $465M to build a power plant for Microsoft | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/04/helion-the-sam-altman-backed-fusion-startup-raises-465m-to-build-a-power-plant-for-microsoft/ 4. Benchmark raises its first-ever growth fund as part of $2B capital haul | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/03/benchmark-raises-its-first-ever-growth-fund-as-part-of-2b-capital-raise/ 5. Ona Therapeutics Raises $86.6 Million Series B to Advance First-in-Class ADCs into Clinical Development | Markets Insider — Markets Insider https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/ona-therapeutics-raises-86-6-million-series-b-to-advance-first-in-class-adcs-into-clinical-development-1036224233 Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

DeepSeek is lining up its first outside funding at a potential $59 billion valuation, while Benchmark breaks tradition with a growth fund and AlphaSense raises $350 million as AI keeps reshaping venture deal sizes. In this episode: Top stories: 1. DeepSeek lines up its first outside money: a $7bn round at up to $59bn — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/deepseek-7-billion-maiden-fundraising 2. Benchmark raises its first-ever growth fund as part of $2B capital raise | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/03/benchmark-raises-its-first-ever-growth-fund-as-part-of-2b-capital-raise/ 3. AlphaSense Raises $350M at $7.5B Valuation, and Surpasses $600M in Annual Recurring Revenue | Markets Insider — Markets Insider https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/alphasense-raises-350m-at-7-5b-valuation-and-surpasses-600m-in-annual-recurring-revenue-1036221219 4. Town Raises $55M Series A From a16z and Forerunner to Build the AI Assistant That Learns How You Work | Markets Insider — Markets Insider https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/town-raises-55m-series-a-from-a16z-and-forerunner-to-build-the-ai-assistant-that-learns-how-you-work-1036221588 5. Gigaton raises $26M to rip out the control software running heavy industry — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/gigaton-26m-series-a-autonomous-plants Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Impulse Space raised $500 million as venture capital kept pouring into capital-intensive frontiers, with Mach Industries, NewLimit, Focused Energy and Twinco also announcing large rounds across defense, biotech, fusion and trade finance. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Impulse Space Raises $500M Series D to Build In-Space Mobility Infrastructure for the Space Economy — Impulse Space https://www.impulsespace.com/updates/impulse-space-raises-500-million-dollar-series-d-to-build-in-space-mobility-infrastructure-for-the-space-economy 2. Defense tech darling Mach Industries hits $1.8B valuation, a 4x jump in a year | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/01/defense-tech-darling-mach-industries-hits-1-8b-valuation-a-4x-jump-in-a-year/ 3. NewLimit raises $435M led by Founders Fund to bring longevity medicines to human trials — NewLimit Blog https://blog.newlimit.com/p/newlimit-raises-435m-led-by-founders 4. Focused Energy raises $240M to commercialise NIF laser fusion tech — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/focused-energy-240m-laser-fusion-nif-rwe 5. Twinco Secures €165M to Scale Trade Finance Model - Ventureburn — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/twinco-secures-e165m-to-scale-trade-finance-model/ Got 60 seconds? Tell us what you think and help shape the show: https://www.lanternpodcasts.com/topfive/feedback?show=startup-fundraising Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

DeepSeek is in talks to raise $10 billion at a $45 billion valuation, while Cognition, DriveNets, Inherent and Gigascale show venture money still clustering around AI infrastructure, agents, science and power-hungry physical systems. In this episode: Top stories: 1. AI Startup Update: DeepSeek Targets $45B Valuation in Record $10B Chinese AI Fundraise — Cyber News Centre https://www.cybernewscentre.com/ai-startup-update-deepseek-targets-45b-valuation-in-record-10b-chinese-ai-fundraise/ 2. Cognition AI Raises $1 Billion as Devin Starts Writing Most of Its Own Code - Memeburn — Memeburn https://memeburn.com/cognition-ai-raises-1-billion-as-devin-starts-writing-most-of-its-own-code/ 3. DriveNets Secures $410M Series D to Meet Surging Demand for Ethernet Fabric in Large-Scale AI Deployments — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drivenets-secures-410m-series-d-to-meet-surging-demand-for-ethernet-fabric-in-large-scale-ai-deployments-302787577.html 4. Backing Founders Rebuilding the Physical Economy - Gigascale Capital — Gigascale Capital https://gigascale.com/insights/gigascale-fund-i-physical-economy/ 5. Inherent Raises $50M to Build AI-Native Science Platform - Ventureburn — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/inherent-raises-50m-to-build-ai-native-science-platform/ Got 60 seconds? Tell us what you think and help shape the show: https://www.lanternpodcasts.com/topfive/feedback?show=startup-fundraising Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Cognition AI’s $1 billion Series D at a $26 billion valuation anchors a funding slate where AI agents, memory chips, scientific discovery and defense integration all drew serious capital, while byFounders added a €130 million-plus early-stage fund for Nordic and Baltic startups. In this episode: Top stories: 1. XCENA Raises $135M Betting Memory Is AI's Real Bottleneck | Awesome Agents — Awesome Agents https://awesomeagents.ai/news/xcena-135m-memory-ai-bottleneck/ 2. Exclusive: Picogrid Raises $45M Series A — Tectonic Defense https://www.tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-picogrid-raises-45m-series-a/ 3. Ex-DeepMind researchers raised $50M to build AI that figures out which scientific questions are worth asking — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/inherent-ai-50-million-seed-deepmind-faraday-science 4. Cognition AI Raises $1B at $26B Valuation in 2026 — The AI World https://theaiworld.org/news/cognition-ai-raises-1b-at-26b-valuation-in-2026 5. Sara Rywe’s byFounders Launches €130M+ Fund III to Back Europe’s Next Global Success Stories — FemWealth https://femwealth.substack.com/p/sara-rywes-byfounders-launches-130m Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Modal’s $355 million Series C tops a funding tape packed with AI and infrastructure bets, including Mercury, Exa, OpenRouter, Socket and Catena Labs, as venture capital keeps concentrating around platforms and late-stage winners. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Best Startups with Recent Funding in 2026 — Startups Gallery https://startups.gallery/news 2. Venture Capital in 2026: AI, Liquidity & Startup Funding Explained — Nothing Ventured https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MdpI-zEb4Y 3. Series B Funding: A Complete Guide for Startups - Carta — Carta https://carta.com/learn/startups/fundraising/series-b Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Cognition raised more than $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation, with Lux, General Catalyst and 8VC co-leading as VC dollars crowd into AI. Airbnb-backed WeRoad, RevEng.AI, Robbin and Nandan Nilekani’s new F2A fund show adjacent bets in travel, security, fintech and India deeptech. In this episode: Top stories: 1. AI coding startup Cognition secures $1Bn in funding at $26Bn valuation - The Tech Portal — The Tech Portal https://thetechportal.com/2026/05/27/ai-coding-startup-cognition-secures-1bn-in-funding-at-26bn-valuation/ 2. Airbnb-backed WeRoad raises $58M to take its group travel platform to the US | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/27/airbnb-backed-weroad-raises-58m-to-take-its-group-travel-platform-to-the-us/ 3. RevEng.AI raises $15M to reverse-engineer software binaries and hunt down malicious threats - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/27/reveng-ai-raises-15m-reverse-engineer-software-binaries-hunt-malicious-threats/ 4. Robbin raises USD 8 mln in seed round for supply chain finance | The Paypers — The Paypers https://thepaypers.com/fintech/news/brazil-based-robbin-raises-usd-8-mln-in-seed-funding 5. Nandan Nilekani Launches ₹3,000 Crore Fund for AI and DeepTech Investments, ETEnterpriseai — ETEnterpriseAI https://enterpriseai.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/nandan-nilekani-launches-3000-crore-fund-for-ai-and-deeptech-investments/131342402 Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

OpenRouter raised $113 million as Commure, Zeron, Ocean and NanoCo also pulled fresh capital, showing VC appetite still clustering around AI infrastructure, healthcare automation, autonomous logistics and security tools that promise direct enterprise utility. In this episode: Top stories: 1. OpenRouter raises $113M to bring order to enterprise AI inference routing - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/26/openrouter-raises-113m-bring-order-enterprise-ai-inference-routing/ 2. Commure Secures $70M at $7B Valuation to Deploy AI Agents Across Healthcare Administration — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/26/commure-secures-70m-at-7b-valuation-to-deploy-ai-agents-across-healthcare-administration/ 3. Chinese EV truck startup Zeron raises $200 million in B2 round to fuel autonomous truck push - CnEVPost — CnEVPost https://cnevpost.com/2026/05/26/zeron-raises-200-million-b2-round/ 4. Ocean Closes $28M to Fight AI-Powered Phishing With Agentic Email Security — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/26/ocean-closes-28m-to-fight-ai-powered-phishing-with-agentic-email-security/ 5. NanoCo Raises $12M Seed for Sandboxed AI Agent Platform After Viral Open Source Launch — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/26/nanoco-raises-12m-seed-for-sandboxed-ai-agent-platform-after-viral-open-source-launch/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Primer raised $100 million for AI-enabled payments, while Socket, Dust, Tribal and Arito AI added fresh capital across code security and enterprise agents. VC appetite remains concentrated around AI infrastructure that can plug directly into business workflows. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Primer Raises $100M Series C to Bring AI to Every Payment and Accelerate US Expansion — The AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/25/primer-raises-100m-series-c-to-bring-ai-to-every-payment-and-accelerate-us-expansion/ 2. Socket raises USD $60 million to tackle code risks — SecurityBrief India https://securitybrief.in/story/socket-raises-usd-60-million-to-tackle-code-risks 3. Dust Raises $40M to Make AI Multiplayer Inside the Enterprise — The AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/25/dust-raises-40m-to-make-ai-multiplayer-inside-the-enterprise/ 4. Tribal Raises $10M Seed for Context-Aware AI Agents - TAMradar Funding Rounds Signals — TAMradar https://www.tamradar.com/funding-rounds/tribal-seed-10m 5. Arito AI Raises $6 Million Seed Round | The SaaS News — The SaaS News https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/arito-ai-raises-6-million-seed-round Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Anthropic is nearing a funding round above $30 billion, while DeepSeek courts its first outside capital and Recursive emerges from stealth. The week’s startup funding pulse is still dominated by AI scale, with fintech infrastructure and China-focused funds adding market color. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Anthropic nears US$30 billion funding round to top OpenAI as most valuable AI startup - NEWSx.io — NewsX.io https://newsx.io/2026/05/23/anthropic-nears-us30-billion-funding-round-to-top-openai-as-most-valuable-ai-startup/ 2. DeepSeek founder declares AGI as the goal as $10bn funding round advances — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/deepseek-agi-goal-10bn-funding-round 3. Recursive AI Startup Raises $650M for Self-Improving Tech | Phemex News — Phemex News https://phemex.com/news/article/ai-startup-recursive-secures-650-million-for-selfimproving-ai-technology-84831 4. Former Citadel quants raised $78M for the AI operating system Wall Street's wealth managers didn't have — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/moment-78-million-citadel-quants-ai-trading-wealth-management 5. BAI Capital Holds $600M First Close of $800M Cross-Regional Fund | Fund Momentum — Fund Momentum https://fundmomentum.vc/blog/bai-capital-600m-first-close-800m-china-growth-fund-anna-long-2026 Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Hark raised over $700 million at a $6 billion valuation to build personalized AI models, software, and hardware, while fresh rounds for Socket, Variational, Pivot, and NanoCo show capital still chasing AI infrastructure and security. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Hark Raises $700M Series A at a $6B Valuation | Morningstar — Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260521171628/hark-raises-700m-series-a-at-a-6b-valuation 2. Socket Raises $60M to Strengthen AI Security - Ventureburn — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/socket-raises-60m-to-strengthen-ai-security/ 3. DeFi Derivatives Protocol Variational Raises $50 Million Series A Led by Dragonfly - FinanceFeeds — FinanceFeeds https://financefeeds.com/defi-derivatives-protocol-variational-raises-50-million-series-a-led-by-dragonfly/ 4. Pivot Raises $40M To Scale Ai Procurement Platform — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/pivot-raises-40m-ai-procurement-system/ 5. NanoCo rejects $20M acquisition offer after viral launch, raises $12M seed round for NanoClaw platform - FoundersToday — FoundersToday https://www.founderstoday.news/nanoco-rejects-20-millions/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

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]

Armada, Radar, and Unframe led a fresh wave of late-seed-to-Series B funding, with $230 million for modular AI infrastructure, a $170 million retail-tech unicorn round, and enterprise AI demand translating into big contract-value claims. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Armada Raises $230M To Scale Modular AI Infrastructure — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/armada-raises-230m-modular-ai-infrastructure/ 2. Radar reaches unicorn status in series B funding round — CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/19/radar-reaches-unicorn-status-in-series-b-funding-round.html 3. Enterprise AI startup Unframe raises $50M after booking $100M in contract value in year one - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/19/enterprise-ai-startup-unframe-raises-50m-booking-100m-contract-value-year-one/ 4. Relay Financial Raises $50M Round to 'Ignite' Brand, Expand Market Reach | Fintech.ca — Fintech.ca https://www.fintech.ca/2026/05/19/relay-raises-spark-capital-ignite-brand-expand-market/ 5. From teen hacker to Iron Dome researcher, this founder raised $28M to fight AI phishing | TechCrunch — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/from-teen-hacker-to-iron-dome-researcher-this-founder-raised-28m-to-fight-ai-phishing/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Capital is still piling into AI-heavy startups, led by Decart’s $300 million world-model round, while fresh checks for enterprise agents, defence drones, patient notetaking, and a $400 million fintech fund show investors staying aggressive. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Decart raises $300M to put a real-time world model in front of Amazon’s chips — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/decart-300-million-radical-ventures-world-models 2. Multiplayer AI startup Dust raises $40M to help enterprises move beyond isolated AI assistants - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/18/multiplayer-ai-startup-dust-swipes-40m-funding-help-enterprises-move-beyond-isolated-ai-assistants/ 3. Drone AI startup Arkeus raises $25 million — SmartCompany https://www.smartcompany.com.au/startupsmart/drone-ai-startup-arkeus-raises-25-million-valuation-100-million/ 4. Kin Health raises $9M to build an AI notetaker for patients — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/18/kin-health-raises-9m-to-build-an-ai-notetaker-for-patients/ 5. Banco Santander backs Mouro Capital's $400M fund as fintech VC hits $1B in commitments — TFN - Spain — Europesays https://www.europesays.com/spain/26099/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI workflow startups are still commanding serious checks, from enterprise agents to voice dictation, while investors also put fresh growth capital behind fintech infrastructure and energy-transition companies in emerging markets. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Multiplayer AI startup Dust raises $40M to help enterprises move beyond isolated AI assistants — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/18/multiplayer-ai-startup-dust-swipes-40m-funding-help-enterprises-move-beyond-isolated-ai-assistants/ 2. Marketing operating system Nectar Social raises $30M Series A led by Menlo — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/16/marketing-operating-system-nectar-social-raises-30m-series-a-in-round-led-by-menlo/ 3. Wispr AI in talks to raise $260M at $2B valuation, led by Menlo Ventures — Crypto Briefing https://cryptobriefing.com/wispr-ai-260m-raise-2b-valuation/ 4. Stitch Raises $25M Series A Led by Andreessen Horowitz - 뉴스와이어 — Korea Newswire https://www.newswire.co.kr/newsRead.php?no=1034546 5. PE firm Lightrock launches $500 million fund for companies focused on energy transition, EVs - The Economic Times — The Economic Times https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/pe-firm-lightrock-launches-500-million-fund-for-companies-focused-on-energy-transition-evs/articleshow/131111403.cms Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure keeps pulling capital across the stack: robotics mega-rounds, self-improving AI labs, power-grid startups, licensed data suppliers, and fresh India-focused venture funds are all competing to define where the next bottleneck — and return profile — sits. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Mind Robotics Raises $400M To Scale Industrial AI Robotics — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/mind-robotics-raises-400m/ 2. Recursive emerges from stealth at £3.5bn with £480m round — Resultsense https://www.resultsense.com/news/2026-05-14-recursive-ai-emerges-stealth-3-5bn/ 3. GridCARE Raises $64 Million Series A from Leading AI and Energy Investors to Create a New Category: Power Acceleration for AI — Business Wire https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514546216/en/GridCARE-Raises-%2464-Million-Series-A-from-Leading-AI-and-Energy-Investors-to-Create-a-New-Category-Power-Acceleration-for-AI 4. Ex-Peak XV MDs Launch Mettle Capital, Target $350-400 Mn Fund - BusinessInfoMedia — Inc42 Media https://businessinfomedia.com/ex-peak-xv-mds-launch-mettle-capital-target-350-400-mn-fund 5. Wirestock raises $23M to supply creative multimodal data to AI labs — TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/14/wirestock-raises-23m-to-supply-multi-modal-data-to-ai-labs/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI capital keeps arriving in huge blocks, with multibillion-dollar drug discovery, self-improving AI, industrial robotics, inference hardware, and security rounds showing investors still underwriting the full stack of the next automation wave. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Isomorphic Labs secures $2.1 Billion funding to scale its AI drug design engine - BioSpace — BioSpace https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/isomorphic-labs-secures-2-1-billion-funding-to-scale-its-ai-drug-design-engine 2. Recursive raises USD 650 M for self‑improving AI, citing... — Aidaily Post https://aidailypost.com/news/recursive-raises-usd-650-m-selfimproving-ai-citing-lems-information 3. Mind Robotics Announces $400M in New Funding to Expand Industrial Robotics Deployment — The AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/13/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/ 4. Fractile: $220 Million Raised To Build Next-Generation AI Inference Hardware — Pulse 2.0 https://pulse2.com/fractile-220-million-raised-to-build-next-generation-ai-inference-hardware/ 5. Exaforce raises USD $125m in Series B for AI security — SecurityBrief https://securitybrief.com.au/story/exaforce-raises-usd-125m-in-series-b-for-ai-security Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI remains the fundraising gravity well, with Isomorphic Labs’ $2.1 billion Series B setting the tone and smaller but serious rounds flowing into security operations, voice agents, agent evaluation, and finance automation. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Isomorphic Labs secures $2.1 Billion funding to scale its AI drug design engine — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/isomorphic-labs-secures-2-1-billion-funding-to-scale-its-ai-drug-design-engine-302769674.html 2. Exaforce Raises $125M Series B to Combat AI-Powered Attacks with Real-Time Security Reasoning | Morningstar — Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260512993333/exaforce-raises-125m-series-b-to-combat-ai-powered-attacks-with-real-time-security-reasoning 3. Vapi nabs $50M to make voice AI more human - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/12/vapi-nabs-50m-make-voice-ai-human/ 4. Judgment Labs Closes $32M in Seed and Series A Funding to Build the Continuous Improvement Layer for AI Agents — Business Wire https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260512621556/en/Judgment-Labs-Closes-%2432M-in-Seed-and-Series-A-Funding-to-Build-the-Continuous-Improvement-Layer-for-AI-Agents 5. Adfin raises $18m Series A from Index Ventures for agentic business finance — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/dfin-18m-series-a-index-ventures-agentic-finance Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Capital is piling into AI infrastructure and applied automation, from DeepSeek’s state-backed megaraise talks to orbital data centers, humanoid robots, human-risk security and healthcare ops. The bar is high, but investors are still writing big checks where AI meets real bottlenecks. In this episode: Top stories: 1. DeepSeek Seeks Record $7.3 Billion AI Funding Round - Dataconomy — Dataconomy https://dataconomy.com/2026/05/11/deepseek-record-funding-735b-china-ai-2025/ 2. Cowboy raises $275 million to build rockets with orbital data center upper stages - SpaceNews — SpaceNews https://spacenews.com/cowboy-raises-275-million-to-build-rockets-with-orbital-data-center-upper-stages/ 3. Report: Chinese Humanoid Robot Startup Vbot Raises USD $73M in Pre-A Funding — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/11/report-chinese-humanoid-robot-startup-vbot-raises-usd-73m-in-pre-a-funding/ 4. Frame Security raises $50M to fight the AI attacks targeting employees — Ynet News https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/rjgtqpjymg 5. Basata Raises $21M Series A to Rebuild the Operational Layer — IT Digest https://itdigest.com/healthtech/healthcare-analytics/basata-raises-21m-series-a-to-rebuild-the-1t-operational-layer-of-american-healthcare/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Enterprise AI funding is clustering around gritty workflow replacement, from ERP modernization and autonomous coding to receivables and construction procurement. Investors are still paying up where startups can claim real enterprise integration, not just model-layer novelty. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Tessera Labs Secures $60M in Funding Led by Andreessen Horowitz to Transform ERP Modernization — The AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/09/tessera-labs-secures-60m-in-funding-led-by-andreessen-horowitz-to-transform-erp-modernization/ 2. Blitzy Raises $200M at $1.4B Valuation to Accelerate AI-Driven Software Development for Enterprises — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/08/blitzy-raises-200m-at-1-4b-valuation-to-accelerate-ai-driven-software-development-for-enterprises/ 3. EU-backed Kembara's first big bet is $160m Quantum Motion round — Silicon Republic https://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/eu-backed-kembaras-first-big-bet-is-160m-round-for-quantum-motion-uk 4. Fazeshift Raises $17 Million To Bring AI Automation To Accounts Receivable - Accountio — Accountio https://accountio.co.uk/startups/fazeshift-series-a-17-million-ai-accounts-receivable-startup/ 5. ProcurePro raises $15 million Series B round — Business News Australia https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/procurepro-raises-15-million-in-series-b-round-to-take-construction-procurement-ai-global.html Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Seed investors are still backing AI that rewires enterprise operations, not just chat interfaces. Alongside fresh rounds for Pit and CodeWords, Khwarizmi’s new GCC fund shows early-stage capital formation remains active outside Silicon Valley. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Pit Launches With $16M to Rebuild Enterprise Operations With AI - Efficiently Connected — Efficiently Connected https://www.efficientlyconnected.com/pit-ai-native-enterprise-operations-launch/ 2. CodeWords raises $9M to develop AI agents that automate before you ask  - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/07/codewords-raises-9m-develop-ai-agents-automate-ask/ 3. Khwarizmi Ventures Launches $70M GCC Startup Fund — Arab Founders https://arabfounders.net/en/khwarizmi-ventures-fund-ii-gcc-startups/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI funding keeps pushing into the operational guts of companies: insurance underwriting, ERP transformations, embedded app agents and software security. The rounds are still sizable, but the real signal is investors backing AI that rewires regulated, legacy and developer workflows. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Corgi raises $160M at $1.3B valuation to expand AI-native insurance platform - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/06/corgi-raises-160m-1-3b-valuation-expand-ai-native-insurance-platform/ 2. Tessera Labs Raises $60M Funding For AI Enterprise Automation — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/tessera-labs-raises-60m-to-scale-multi-agent-ai-enterprise-transformation-platform/ 3. AlphaDrive Launches $100 Million Cyber And AI Venture Fund With Leumi Partners As Anchor Investor — Pulse 2.0 https://pulse2.com/alphadrive-launches-100-million-cyber-and-ai-venture-fund-with-leumi-partners-as-anchor-investor/ 4. CopilotKit Secures $27M Series A to Embed AI Agents Directly Into Enterprise Apps — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/05/06/copilotkit-secures-27m-series-a-to-embed-ai-agents-directly-into-enterprise-apps/ 5. Boost Security acquires SecureIQx and Korbit, adds $4M in new funding - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/06/boost-security-acquires-secureiqx-korbit-adds-4m-new-funding/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI-agent and infrastructure startups are still setting the pace for startup fundraising, with fresh capital flowing into customer-service agents, enterprise coding automation, open-source inference, and e-commerce ad platforms at valuations that assume rapid enterprise adoption. In this episode: Top stories: 1. AI agent startup Sierra valued at $15B in new $950M funding round - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/04/ai-agent-startup-sierra-valued-15b-new-950m-funding-round/ 2. Blitzy raises $200M at $1.4B valuation to deploy thousands of coding agents in parallel - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE https://siliconangle.com/2026/05/05/blitzy-raises-200m-1-4b-valuation-deploy-thousands-coding-agents-parallel/ 3. RadixArk Launches with $100 Million in Seed Funding Led by Accel to Grow SGLang and Democratize Frontier AI Infrastructure — Business Wire https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260505077157/en/RadixArk-Launches-with-%24100-Million-in-Seed-Funding-Led-by-Accel-to-Grow-SGLang-and-Democratize-Frontier-AI-Infrastructure 4. IronSource founders raise $60M at $500M valuation for Zyg, an agentic AI platform that automates e-commerce advertising — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/zyg-ironsource-founders-agentic-ecommerce-ai Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure is still absorbing the week’s biggest checks, from Sierra’s nearly $1 billion raise to ocean-powered compute and open-source inference. Strategic capital is also sharpening around industrial AI, with BMW adding a new $300 million venture fund. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Bret Taylor's Sierra raises nearly $1 billion months after last capital push — CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/04/bret-taylor-sierra-fundraise-openai.html 2. Panthalassa Raises $140M For Ocean AI Computing Push — Ventureburn https://ventureburn.com/panthalassa-raises-140m-ocean-ai-computing/ 3. Italian TravelTech startup Smartness closes €47 million Series B for European expansion – BeBeez International — BeBeez International https://bebeez.eu/2026/05/04/italian-traveltech-startup-smartness-closes-e47-million-series-b-for-european-expansion/ 4. Featherless AI Funding: $20M Series A AMD & Airbus — Editorial Team https://entrepreneurloop.com/featherless-ai-funding-20m-series-a-amd-airbus-ventures/ 5. BMW i Ventures Launches $300M Fund III to Back AI-Driven Industrial Innovation – Metrology and Quality News - Online Magazine — Keith Mills Publishing Editor https://metrology.news/bmw-i-ventures-launches-300m-fund-iii-to-back-ai-driven-industrial-innovation/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Big checks are clustering around AI infrastructure and agentic software, from JuliaHub, Encord and Featherless to Oolka’s consumer-credit agents, while Founders Fund’s $6 billion growth vehicle shows LPs still leaning into concentrated, high-conviction tech bets. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Agentic engineering startup JuliaHub lands $65M to automate the design and testing of industrial products — Mike Wheatley https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/30/agentic-engineering-startup-juliahub-lands-65m-automate-design-testing-industrial-products/ 2. Encord Announces $60 Million in Series C Funding — Menlotimes https://www.menlotimes.com/post/encord-announces-60-million-in-series-c-funding 3. Featherless Raises $20M Series A to Power Open-Source AI Infrastructure — Menlotimes https://www.menlotimes.com/post/featherless-raises-20m-series-a-to-power-open-source-ai-infrastructure 4. AI Credit Startup Oolka Raises $14M Series A Led by Accel - NervNow™ — NervNow https://nervnow.com/ai-credit-startup-oolka-raises-14m-series-a-led-by-accel/ 5. Thiel’s Founders Fund Raises $6 Billion in Its Largest-Ever Haul - Bloomberg — Natasha Mascarenhas https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-01/thiel-s-founders-fund-raises-6-billion-in-its-largest-ever-haul Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Capital is clustering around frontier AI and its bottlenecks, from Flourish’s brain-inspired efficiency bet and Standard Intelligence’s AGI raise to Encord’s data layer. Founders Fund’s $6 billion growth vehicle underlines how much late-stage financing is staying private. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Internet Explorer creator Thomas Reardon raises $500M for Flourish, a brain-inspired AI efficiency startup valued at $2.5B — The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/news/flourish-reardon-brain-inspired-ai-efficiency 2. Standard Intelligence Raises $75 Million From Sequoia And Spark Capital To Scale AGI Research — Amit Chowdhry https://pulse2.com/standard-intelligence-raises-75-million-from-sequoia-and-spark-capital-to-scale-agi-research/ 3. Encord Announces $60 Million in Series C Funding — Menlotimes https://www.menlotimes.com/post/encord-announces-60-million-in-series-c-funding 4. Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund raises $6 billion in its largest-ever haul - The Economic Times — ET https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/peter-thiels-founders-fund-raises-6-billion-in-its-largest-ever-haul/articleshow/130683345.cms 5. BioOrbit Closes £9.8 Million Seed Round To Manufacture Cancer Therapies In Space — Amit Chowdhry https://pulse2.com/bioorbit-closes-9-8-million-seed-round-to-manufacture-cancer-therapies-in-space/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI startups are still pulling serious growth checks, with Aidoc landing $150 million for clinical imaging, Scout AI raising a $100 million Series A for autonomous warfare, and Featherless.ai drawing $20 million for open-model infrastructure. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Clinical AI company Aidoc snags $150M in new funding | TechTarget — By: Anuja Vaidya https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366642590/Clinical-AI-company-Aidoc-snags-150M-in-new-funding 2. Scout AI raises $100M Series A funding - Intelligence Community News — Intelligence Community News https://intelligencecommunitynews.com/scout-ai-raises-100m-series-a-funding/ 3. Featherless.ai pulls in $20M to scale serverless hosting for open-source AI models - SiliconANGLE — Duncan Riley https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/30/featherless-ai-pulls-20m-scale-serverless-hosting-open-source-ai-models/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI fundraising is still defying gravity, with billion-dollar seed money and nine-figure growth rounds flowing into agent infrastructure, medical diagnostics, and finance automation. The market is rewarding anything that looks like core AI infrastructure — even before business models are fully visible. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Europe’s Largest-Ever Seed Round Emerges – Founder News — Founder News Team https://foundernews.eu/europes-largest-ever-seed-round-emerges/ 2. Parallel Raises at $2 Billion Valuation to Scale Web Infrastructure for Agents — Parallel Web Systems https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parallel-raises-at-2-billion-valuation-to-scale-web-infrastructure-for-agents-302756350.html 3. Nvidia’s NVentures backs $150M round for medical AI startup Aidoc - SiliconANGLE — Maria Deutscher https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/29/nvidias-nventures-backs-150m-round-medical-ai-startup-aidoc/ 4. Rogo Raises $160M Series D to Scale the Agentic Platform for Finance | The AI Journal — Cision PR Newswire https://aijourn.com/rogo-raises-160m-series-d-to-scale-the-agentic-platform-for-finance/ 5. Exclusive: Supabase Execs Were So Impressed With Dreambase ... — Mary Ann Azevedo https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/supabase-startup-investment-dreambase-ai-felicis/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Mega-rounds are clustering around defense space and AI systems that replace human workflows, from satellites and warehouse robots to legal services and sales. The capital is big, the valuations are aggressive, and the strategic buyer is often hiding in plain sight. In this episode: Top stories: 1. True Anomaly raises $650 million, reaching $2.2 billion valuation - SpaceNews — Sandra Erwin https://spacenews.com/true-anomaly-raises-650-million-reaching-2-2-billion-valuation/ 2. Sereact Secures $110M in Series B Funding to Scale AI-Powered Robotics - TechStory — Sneha Singh https://techstory.in/sereact-secures-110m-in-series-b-funding-to-scale-ai-powered-robotics/ 3. Parag Agrawal's startup raises $100M to build a parallel web for AI agents - SiliconANGLE — Mike Wheatley https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/28/parag-agrawals-startup-raises-100m-build-parallel-web-ai-agents/ 4. Manifest OS Raises $60M to Scale the World’s First AI-Native Law Firm Model — Businesswire https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260427884891/en/Manifest-OS-Raises-%2460M-to-Scale-the-Worlds-First-AI-Native-Law-Firm-Model 5. Actively raises $45M Series B to replace human-led sales with 24/7 AI ‘superintelligence’ agents - Tech Startups — Tech Startups https://techstartups.com/2026/04/28/actively-raises-45m-series-b-to-replace-human-led-sales-with-24-7-ai-superintelligence-agents/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure dominated today’s fundraising tape, from a £814 million superintelligence seed round to a $60 million orchestration Series B, while quantum investors showed there is still LP appetite for hard-tech venture funds. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Ineffable Intelligence secures £814m seed round — Kirstie Pickering https://www.uktech.news/ai/ineffable-intelligence-secures-814m-seed-round-20260428 2. Orkes Series B: AI Orchestration Infrastructure at Scale — Missionmedia https://missionmedia.asia/ai-orchestration-infrastructure-enterprise/ 3. Mosaic Secures $18M Series A To Build AI-Driven Operating System For Deal Makers — AI Insider https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/27/mosaic-secures-18m-series-a-to-build-ai-driven-operating-system-for-deal-makers/ 4. QDNL Participations Rebrands to Ground State Ventures as Fund Hits $88 Million, Exceeds Target — The Quantum Insider https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/04/28/qdnl-participations-rebrands-to-ground-state-ventures-as-fund-hits-88-million-exceeds-target/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Google’s milestone-heavy Anthropic deal towers over another busy AI funding day, with sizable rounds for Sereact, Orkes, and Qubitcore showing investors still paying up for infrastructure, robotics, and hard-tech leverage. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Google Announces $40 Billion Investment Deal in AI Startup Anthropic — Aditya Raghunath https://www.tikr.com/blog/google-nasdaq-googl-stock-announces-40-billion-investment-deal-in-ai-startup-anthropic 2. Sereact sammelt 110 Millionen Dollar für KI-Entwicklung — IT-Boltwise https://www.it-boltwise.de/sereact-sammelt-110-millionen-dollar-fuer-ki-entwicklung.html 3. Orkes: $60 Million Raised For AI Orchestration Platform Scaling Enterprise Agent Deployments — Amit Chowdhry https://pulse2.com/orkes-60-million-raised-for-ai-orchestration-platform-scaling-enterprise-agent-deployments/ 4. OIST発の量子コンピュータスタートアップQubitcore、シードラウンドで総額15.3億円を調達 | Qubitcore株式会社のプレスリリース — Qubitcore株式会社のプレスリリース https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000166227.html 5. Indian VC firm Capital-A hits first close of Fund II at $17m — Dealstreetasia https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/capital-a-first-close-fund-ii-480556 Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Startup funding showed a split screen: massive strategic capital for AI consolidation, a solid infrastructure Series C, and smaller seed bets in crypto trading and consumer social that still need to prove they’re more than vibes. In this episode: Top stories: 1. AI startups Cohere, Aleph Alpha to merge with $600M in new funding — Maria Deutscher https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/24/ai-startups-cohere-aleph-alpha-merge-600m-new-funding/ 2. Cloudsmith Secures $72 Million in Series C Funding Round, Accelerating Global Delivery Platform Growth - Arabia Tomorrow — Arabiatomorrow https://arabiatomorrow.com/cloudsmith-secures-72-million-in-series-c-funding-round-accelerating-global-delivery-platform-growth/ 3. Liquid Raises $7.6 Million in Seed Funding to Expand Mobile-First Decentralized Trading Platform - VC Tavern — VC Tavern https://vctavern.com/liquid-raises-7-6-million-in-seed-funding-to-expand-mobile-first-decentralized-trading-platform/ 4. Two College Students Secure $5.1 Million in Pre-Seed Funding to Create an AI-Powered Social Network on iMessage — Kenneth Green https://techweekly.co.za/2026/04/25/two-college-students-secure-5-1-million-in-pre-seed-funding-to-create-an-ai-powered-social-network-on-imessage/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

Capital is still concentrating around infrastructure: artifact management, workflow orchestration, creator tooling, devices, and compliance all drew fresh checks. The notable signal is that investors are backing practical AI rails, not just model-layer moonshots. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Cloudsmith raises USD $72 million in Series C round — Karen Joy Bacudo https://itbrief.ie/story/cloudsmith-raises-usd-72-million-in-series-c-round 2. Orkes Raises $60M to Expand AI Workflow Orchestration — Ekemini https://ventureburn.com/orkes-raises-60m-to-expand-ai-workflow-orchestration/ 3. ComfyUI Raises $30M at $500M Valuation in Craft Ventures-Led Round | Gate News — Gate News https://www.gate.com/news/detail/comfyui-raises-30m-at-500m-valuation-in-craft-ventures-led-round-20577219 4. Era Raises $11 Million to Power the Next Generation of AI Devices — Robotwisser https://robotwisser.com/news/era-raises-11-million-to-power-the-next-generation-of-ai-devices 5. Iridius Raises $8.6M Seed Round to Build Compliance-by-Design AI Platform for Regulated Enterprise Workflows - CXO Digitalpulse — News https://www.cxodigitalpulse.com/iridius-raises-8-6m-seed-round-to-build-compliance-by-design-ai-platform-for-regulated-enterprise-workflows/ Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

The headline number today is almost absurd: Project Prometheus, Jeff Bezos's physical AI lab co-founded with scientist Vikram Bajaj, just closed a $10 billion round at a $38 billion valuation. What makes this deal genuinely interesting isn't just the size — it's who wrote the checks. JPMorgan and BlackRock aren't your typical Sand Hill Road LPs. When two of the world's largest financial institutions start leading AI rounds at this scale, it signals that the institutional money that historically sat out early-stage tech is now planting flags directly in foundational AI infrastructure. Prometheus represents a bet that the next frontier isn't just software agents but AI embedded in the physical world — robotics, manufacturing, real-world systems. That's a long and expensive road, which explains why the fundraise looks less like a startup round and more like a sovereign wealth play. Zooming out, the rest of today's deals reinforce a clear theme: defense AI and agentic systems are where smart money is flowing right now. Rilian, a McLean, Virginia shop building AI-native cybersecurity and defense systems, pulled in a chunky $17.5M seed — well above typical seed sizing — suggesting investors aren't waiting for traction proofs when national security use cases are on the table. Meanwhile, Luminai's $38M Series B (led by Peak XV, formerly Sequoia India) for healthcare operations automation shows agentic AI moving deeper into regulated, process-heavy industries where the ROI case is concrete. The dark horse of the day is Era Computer's $11M raise to build a software platform for AI gadgets — essentially positioning itself as the OS layer for the coming wave of AI-native hardware devices. It's early and niche, but if the AI gadget category finds its footing (a big if), Era is betting it can be the picks-and-shovels play. Think of it as the Android moment for AI peripherals, if that moment ever comes. The broader market color: capital is concentrating fast around physical AI, defense, and agentic automation. Edtech, notably, is fading from investor conversations — a quiet but telling rotation away from pandemic-era darlings toward harder, more defensible infrastructure bets. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Bezos's Physical AI Lab Hits $38B After $10B Round | Awesome Agents — Daniel Okafor https://awesomeagents.ai/news/bezos-prometheus-physical-ai-10b-38b/ 2. Rilian: $17.5 Million In Seed Funding Raised To Advance Agentic AI For Cyber And Defense Operations — Amit Chowdhry https://pulse2.com/rilian-17-5-million-in-seed-funding-raised-to-advance-agentic-ai-for-cyber-and-defense-operations/ 3. Luminai Raises $38 Million Series B — Healthcare IT News https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2026/04/23/luminai-raises-38-million-series-b-remission-medical-closes-series-a-led-by-blue-heron-capital/ 4. Era computer raises $11M to build a software platform for AI gadgets — Ivan Mehta https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/era-computer-raises-11m-to-build-a-software-platform-for-ai-gadgets/ Notable reactions: 1. Era raises $11 million to build software platform for AI gadgets - BWE News – USA, World, Tech, AI, Finance, Sports & Entertainment Updates — admin https://bwenews.net/era-raises-11-million-to-build-software-platform-for-ai-gadgets/ 2. Era raises $11M to build a software platform for AI gadgets - prodSens.live — Ivan Mehta https://prodsens.live/2026/04/23/era-raises-11m-to-build-a-software-platform-for-ai-gadgets/ 3. Era raises $11M to build a software platform for AI gadgets - Daily of USA – Breaking News & Politics from the United States — News Room https://dailyofusa.com/era-raises-11m-to-build-a-software-platform-for-ai-gadgets/ 4. The global edtech boom is fading as investors look elsewhere — Hacker News (1 pts, 0 comments) https://restofworld.org/2… Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

It's raining nine-figure rounds this week, and today's haul is a good one. Leading the pack: Sygaldry Technologies just closed a $139M Series A to build quantum computers that work *alongside* classical hardware in data centers — not as a sci-fi replacement, but as a practical co-processor for AI training and inference. Quantum-for-AI is becoming a real investment thesis rather than a talking point, and Sygaldry's approach of plugging into existing AI researcher toolchains is the kind of pragmatism that gets checks written. Also landing: Reliable Robotics pulled in $160M led by Nimble Partners to scale its autonomous flight system — essentially software that turns any conventional aircraft into an uncrewed vehicle. Autonomous aviation is quietly having a moment, and $160M is serious money for a company that's moved beyond demos into actual deployment. On the fintech side, Slash Financial hit unicorn status with a $100M Series C at a $1.4B valuation, led by Ribbit Capital. The AI-expansion framing is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, but Ribbit doesn't write checks lightly. Meanwhile, MedTech intelligence platform AcuityMD closed its own $80M Series C, with StepStone leading and Benchmark participating — a solid vote of confidence for AI-driven medical device sales infrastructure. Smaller but notable: Octen grabbed $10M in seed from Square Peg and others to build faster web search for AI agents. With agentic workflows exploding, purpose-built search infrastructure is a smart wedge. The real conversation starter today, though, is off the fundraising table entirely: TechCrunch is reporting that SpaceX moved to preempt Cursor's planned $2B fundraise with a $60B buyout offer. Whether that deal closes or not, it signals that the AI coding tool wars have escalated to a level where Elon Musk is apparently willing to write a nine-zero check to keep pace with Anthropic's Claude Code. The market is hot, the stakes are absurd, and the pace isn't slowing. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Sygaldry raises $139M to build quantum computers for AI — Evertiq https://evertiq.com/news/2026-04-22-sygaldry-raises-139m-to-build-quantum-computers-for-ai 2. Reliable Robotics Raises $160M — Erin O'Brien https://www.tectonicdefense.com/reliable-robotics-raises-160m/ 3. Slash Financial: $100 Million Series C At $1.4 Billion Valuation Raised To Fuel AI Expansion — Amit Chowdhry https://pulse2.com/slash-financial-100-million-series-c-values-banking-platform-at-1-4-billion-and-fuels-ai-expansion/ 4. AcuityMD secures $80 million new funding to fuel AI innovation in MedTech - Med-Tech Insights — Oliver Johnson https://med-techinsights.com/2026/04/22/acuitymd-secures-80-million-new-funding-to-fuel-ai-innovation-in-medtech/ 5. Octen raises $10M in seed funding to speed up AI agent search queries — Maria Deutscher https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/22/octen-raises-10m-seed-funding-speed-ai-agent-search-queries/ Notable reactions: 1. SpaceX Has Option to Buy Cursor for $60 Billion - XAI and Cursor Try to Catch Athropic Claude Code | NextBigFuture.com — Brian Wang https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/04/spacex-has-option-to-buy-cursor-for-60-billion-xai-and-cursor-try-to-catch-athropic-claude-code.html 2. How SpaceX preempted a $2B fundraise with a $60B buyout offer | TechCrunch — Marina Temkin https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/how-spacex-preempted-a-2b-fundraise-with-a-60b-buyout-offer/ 3. Show HN: We built a <60ms, open-source alternative to E2B using RustVMM and KVM — Hacker News (6 pts, 0 comments) https://github.com/TencentCloud/CubeSandbox Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]

If you needed a temperature check on where venture dollars are flowing in 2026, today's news is basically a neon sign pointing straight at AI infrastructure. Three deals dominated the day, each at a different scale but telling the same story. Lead with NeoCognition, which is the headline-grabber: a $40 million *seed* round for an AI agent research lab that just emerged from stealth. The founding team comes out of one of the more established AI agent labs, and the pitch is building 'specialized intelligence' — agents that learn more like humans rather than pattern-matching on static training data. Forty million at seed is still eyebrow-raising even by 2026 standards, and it signals that investors are willing to write enormous checks on research-stage teams with the right pedigree before there's a product in sight. Then there's Sygaldry Technologies, which pulled in $139 million in a Series A to build quantum computers specifically designed to work *alongside* classical GPU infrastructure in data centers — targeting AI training and inference bottlenecks. Quantum-for-AI has been a 'five years away' promise for a long time, but the data center integration angle is a more pragmatic framing than most quantum pitches, and the round size suggests serious institutional conviction. Floating above it all is Jeff Bezos' Project Prometheus, reportedly closing in on $10 billion at a $38 billion valuation. Launched just last November with $6.2 billion, the lab is targeting physical-world AI across robotics, manufacturing, aerospace, and drug discovery. When a lab is doubling its war chest in under six months, you're watching a race being run. The outlier worth flagging: Humble, an ex-Uber ATG and Waabi founder's autonomous freight startup, raised $24 million seed to build a cabless, fully electric truck. It's a notably different technical bet than Aurora or Kodiak — vision-language-action models instead of rule-based stacks, no driver's cab, no hub handoffs. Early and speculative, but the founder DNA is serious. The broader market color here is hard to miss: capital is concentrating fast at the infrastructure and research layers of AI, seed rounds have effectively repriced upward by a full order of magnitude for elite teams, and physical AI is graduating from buzzword to billion-dollar investment theme. In this episode: Top stories: 1. NeoCognition Emerges from Stealth With $40 Million Seed Round to Advance Specialized Intelligence and Expert Agents | Morningstar — Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260421sf39689/neocognition-emerges-from-stealth-with-40-million-seed-round-to-advance-specialized-intelligence-and-expert-agents 2. AI research lab NeoCognition lands $40M seed to build agents that learn like humans | TechCrunch — Marina Temkin https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/21/ai-research-lab-neocognition-lands-40m-seed-to-build-agents-that-learn-like-humans/ 3. Sygaldry raises $139M to build quantum computers for AI — Evertiq https://evertiq.com/news/2026-04-22-sygaldry-raises-139m-to-build-quantum-computers-for-ai 4. Jeff Bezos’ physical AI lab is close to raising $10 billion — Ana-Maria Stanciuc https://thenextweb.com/news/bezos-project-prometheus-10-billion 5. Humble raises $24M to build a cabless EV truck — Ana-Maria Stanciuc https://thenextweb.com/news/humble-24m-seed-cabless-autonomous-electric-truck Notable reactions: 1. New a16z-Backed News Brand Wants to Be Like Cramming Every X Post Into Your Brain at Once — Mike Pearl https://gizmodo.com/new-a16z-backed-news-brand-wants-to-be-like-cramming-every-x-post-into-your-brain-at-once-2000748858 2. Announcing Monitoring The Situation - Erik Torenberg — Erik Torenberg https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/p/announcing-monitoring-the-situation 3. Cursor, Gamma, and Inferact ar… Follow and rate Startup Fundraising on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email [email protected]