VC Deals: Week of August 4th- 8th

Earlier this week, we sat down in the latest edition of the Emerging Manager Spotlight to get to the bottom of “what actually gets LPs to say yes?”

The first comment from John Felix (an LP who sees hundreds of pitches):

Everyone we meet with is smart and impressive. Those two things are table stakes.

Let that sink in for a second.

Your Stanford MBA, your track record at a big firm, your operating experience at three unicorns—all table stakes.

So, what actually gets you to a “Yes”?

Check out the (text) recap below 👇

Check Out The EM Spotlight Recap

And if that’s not quite your thing, just read on for the deals.

M&A (11)

🥩 V2food, a Sydney, Australia-based alternative protein brand, has acquired Daring Foods, a US-based plant-based chicken startup. The deal value was not disclosed.
​More on SmartCompany →
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​🔋 Lyten, a San Jose, California-based advanced materials startup, has acquired Northvolt, a Swedish-based battery manufacturer, for an undisclosed amount. While the assets were valued at approximately $5 billion, the purchase price was reportedly at a significant discount.
​More on TechStartups →
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​🌍 Bubty, a Dutch-based freelancer management platform, was acquired for $20.4 million by Upwork.
​More on Silicon Canals →​​
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​💼 lemon.markets, a fintech company has been acquired by dwpbank (Deutsche WertpapierService Bank AG), a Frankfurt am Main, Germany-based financial institution, to accelerate digital brokerage offerings. The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​🌉 Rail, a San Francisco-based stablecoin payment platform, was acquired for $200 million by Ripple.
​More on PYMNTS →
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​⚙️ Ottogrid, a Canada-based technology company, was acquired by Cohere, a Toronto, Canada-based AI firm, to enhance the capabilities of its North AI agent platform. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​🩺 Pathway Medical, a San Francisco-based AI startup, was acquired for $63 million by Doximity.
​More on TechStartups →
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​📱 Wallapop, a Barcelona-based online marketplace, was acquired for approximately $436 million by NAVER Corp, a Seongnam, South Korea-based internet company.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​🧬 Freenome, a South San Francisco-based developer of blood-based tests for early cancer detection, was acquired for $75 million upfront, with potential milestone payments up to $700 million by Exact Sciences, a Madison, Wisconsin-based molecular diagnostics company.
​More on STAT+ →
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​✈️ Daedalean AG, a Payerne, Switzerland-based aviation AI startup, was acquired for $225 million by Destinus, a Hengelo, Netherlands UAV maker.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​🌍 Holisto, a travel technology company, was acquired for $32 million by Trivago, a Düsseldorf, Germany-based travel platform company
​More on Skift →
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​🎵 WaveForms AI, a San Francisco-based AI audio startup, was acquired for an undisclosed amount by Meta, a Menlo Park-based technology company.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​🏡 MadeComfy, a Sydney-based Airbnb management proptech company, was acquired for over $50 million by Oyo, a Gurgaon, Haryana, India-based hospitality firm.
​More on Startup Daily →​​
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Pre-Seed (8)

🚀 Orbital Paradigm, a Madrid, Spain-based orbital re-entry capsule company, is raising €2 million in an early-stage funding round led by Akka with participation from Demium Capital, Id4 Ventures, and others.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​💸 Saf.money, a Guatemala City-based cross-border paytech company, raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-seed fundraising round led by Fulgur Ventures with participation from Plan B, Initial Capital, and others.
​More on LatamList →
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​💻 CodeKarma, a Bengaluru, Karnataka-based software productivity platform, raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed fundraising round led by Prosus with participation from Accel, Xeed Ventures, and others.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​🐝 WiseBee, a Philadelphia, PA-based autonomous cyber defense solutions provider, raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed fundraising round led by Frontline Ventures with participation from BrightCap Ventures and others.
​More on Tech.eu →
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​🎮 GameRamp, a San Francisco-based gaming platform, raised $5.4 million in a pre-seed fundraising round led by BITKRAFT Ventures with participation from South Park Commons, Mixi, and others.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​🚀 Boxy, a company with conflicting HQ locations (including Baghdad, Santa Monica, Seattle, Boston, Paris, and Abu Dhabi) offering innovative solutions, raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed fundraising round led by EQIQ.
​More on Wamda →
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​🤖 Deep.SA, a Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based AI startup, raised $1.2 million in a pre-seed fundraising round led by Tam Development and Raed Ventures.
​More on Wamda →
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​🤖 Comp AI, a San Francisco-based AI-driven workforce compensation platform, raised $2.6 million in a pre-seed fundraising round co-led by OSS Capital and Grand Ventures with participation from David Cramer.
​More on VC News Daily →

Seed (25)

💳 Creditop, a Bogota, Colombia-based point-of-sale financing solution, raised $3.7 million in a seed fundraising round led by Collide Capital with participation from Clocktower, Alaya Capital, and others.
​More on LatamList →
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​🦉 Flox, a Stockholm, Sweden-based company helping humans and wildlife safely coexist using AI, raised $1 million in a seed fundraising round led by Unconventional Ventures, with participation from Norrsken Accelerate, Argand Partners, Almi Invest, and others.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​🌍 Qbeast, a Barcelona-based company helping open data platforms scale efficiently, raised €6.5 million in a seed fundraising round led by Peak XV’s Surge with participation from HWK Tech Investment, Elaia Partners, and others.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​♻️ PeroCycle, a Cambridge-based recycling startup, raised €4.5 million in a seed funding round led by Cambridge Future Tech with participation from Anglo American.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​🎛️ Oxmiq, a Campbell, CA-based GPU hardware and software IP company, raised $20 million in a seed fundraising round led by MediaTek.
​More on DataCenterDynamics →
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​🌍 AlterEco Pulp, an L’Aquila, Italy-based sustainable packaging company, raised €3.5 million in a seed fundraising round led by Eureka! Fund I Technology Transfer with participation from Azimut Eltif Venture Capital ALIcrowd III and IV funds, Open Venture, and others.
​More on StartupBusiness →
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​🤖 Endex.ai, a New York, NY-based platform bringing AI agents directly into Excel, raised $14 million in a seed funding round led by OpenAI Startup Fund.
​More on TechStartups →
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​🥗 Better Nature, a London-based FoodTech startup specializing in clean-label tempeh products, raised €1.2 million in a seed financing round led by Ascension with participation from Innovate UK, Seedrs (Republic Europe), and others.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​⚡ YPlasma, a Newark, United States-based plasma-based cooling technology company, raised $2.5 million in a seed fundraising round led by Faber and SOSV.
​More on DataCenterDynamics →
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​🤖 Rifa AI, a Milpitas, CA-based conversational AI platform, raised $1.1 million in a seed fundraising round led by Seaborne Capital.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​⚡ Wattch, an Atlanta, GA-based energy efficiency platform, raised $6 million in a seed funding round led by Spero Ventures with participation from Christopher Klaus, Steve Bolze, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🚀 Tracelight, a London, UK-based AI tool for financial modeling, raised $3.6 million in a seed fundraising round led by Chalfen Ventures with participation from Acequia Capital, Inovo, and others.
​More on Tech.eu →
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​🏋️ GymGoer, a Bangalore, India-based gym pass startup, raised $400,000 in a seed round led by Matt Keogh with participation from Blake Beltram.
​More on SmartCompany →
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​💳 Lava Payments, a Wilmington, DE-based developer of digital wallets for the agent-native economy, raised $5.8 million in a seed fundraising round led by Lerer Hippeau with participation from Harlem Capital, Streamlined Ventures, and others.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​🌍 Wanda Health, a Seattle, WA, US, and Bristol, UK-based intelligent virtual care platform, raised €2.1 million in a seed funding round led by EMV Capital plc.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​🍪 Doughlicious, a London-based company specializing in gluten-free frozen cookie dough and gelato bites, raised €4.3 million in a seed funding round led by Rich Products Ventures (RPV) with participation from The Angel Group.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​🌍 Resilience Media, a London, United Kingdom-based platform building the voice of NATO’s defence tech sector, raised $346K in a seed fundraising round led by Earlybird Venture Capital.
​More on Tech.eu →
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​💡 Joinable Labs, a Glendale, CA-based company, raised $2 million in a seed fundraising round led by Accomplice Blockchain with participation from Tess Ventures, VitalStage Ventures, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🌐 Wuilt, a Cairo, Egypt-based platform helping merchants build online stores for free, raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by Flat6Labs, MTF VC, and Hub71.
​More on Menabytes →
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​🚀 RIFD, an Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Shariah-compliant SME receivables securitisation platform, raised $180,000 in a seed fundraising round led by Antler.
​More on Wamda →
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​🌱 HYLENR, a Hyderabad-based clean energy startup, raised $3 million in a pre-Series A fundraising round led by Valour Capital with participation from Chhattisgarh Investments Limited, Karthik Sundar Iyer, and others.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​🥭 MangoPoint, a Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India-based chemical-free mangoes exporter, raised $1 million in a pre-Series A fundraising round led by Inflection Point Ventures, The Chennai Angels, and Native Angel Network.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​👗 Outzidr, a Bengaluru, Karnataka-based Gen Z women-focused fashion brand, raised Rs 27 crore in a pre-Series A fundraising round led by RTP Global and Stellaris Venture Partners.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​🌸 Fraganote, a New Delhi, India-based fragrance brand, raised $1 million in a pre-Series A fundraising round led by Rukam Capital.
​More on Indian Startup News →​

🍴 Suplyd, a Cairo, Egypt-based next-generation restaurant infrastructure company, raised $2 million in a pre-Series A fundraising round led by 4DX Ventures with participation from Camel Ventures and Plus VC.
​More on Wamda →

Series A (18)

🦜 Lorikeet, a Surry Hills, Australia-based AI customer support startup, raised $75 million in a Series A fundraising round led by QED Investors with participation from Blackbird, Square Peg, and others.
​More on Startup Daily →
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​🛡️ Ostra Security, an Eden Prairie, MN-based cybersecurity company, raised $9.5 million in a Series A fundraising round led by General Catalyst with participation from Rally Ventures, Jeff Cowan at CapitalFour, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🤖 Casap, a San Francisco-based AI startup focused on fighting first-party fraud, raised $25 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Emergence Capital with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Primary Venture Partners, and others.
​More on PYMNTS →
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​🤖 DPDzero, a Bengaluru, India-based startup using AI to help banks and NBFCs recover debt, raised $7 million in a Series A fundraising round led by GMO Venture Partners with participation from SMBC Asia Rising Fund, Blume Ventures, and others.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​🔬 Chai Discovery, a San Francisco-based molecular design company, raised $70 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Menlo Ventures with participation from Yosemite, DST Global Partners, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🪞 Reflection AI, a Brooklyn, New York-based open-source AI platform, raised $130 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Sequoia Capital, CRV, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
​More on TechStartups →
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​🚀 Tavily, a company with an undisclosed headquarters location focused on connecting AI agents to the web, raised $25 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Insight Partners.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​💡 OLarry, a San Jose, CA-based company providing innovative solutions, raised $10 million in a Series A fundraising round led by TTV Capital, Walkabout Ventures, and Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🌱 Tanso, a Munich, Germany-based environmental compliance platform, raised €12 million in a Series A fundraising round led by henQ with participation from Fortino Capital, Capnamic, and others.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​🤖 Cline, a San Francisco-based chatbot platform, raised $32 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Emergence Capital with participation from Pace Capital, 1984 Ventures, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →​
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💳 IORQ, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based fintech company, raised $6.4 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Monashees with participation from ONEVC, Upload Ventures, and others.
​More on LatamList →
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​✈️ Jeh Aerospace, a Hyderabad, India-based company scaling the commercial aircraft supply chain, raised $11 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Elevation Capital and General Catalyst.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​💳 Alaan, a Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based AI-powered fintech company, raised $48 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Peak XV Partners with participation from 885 Capital, Y Combinator, and others.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​🔐 Approov Mobile Security, an Edinburgh-based mobile app security platform, raised €5.7 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Investment Fund for Scotland with participation from Souter Investments, Lanza techVentures, and others.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​🤖 SixSense, a Singapore-based AI-powered chip detection platform, raised $8.5 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Peak XV’s Surge with participation from Alpha Intelligence Capital, FEBE Ventures, and others.
​More on Data Center Dynamics →
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​🌍 Kriptown, a Paris-based company launching a tokenised SMEs exchange, raised $6.14 million in a Series A fundraising round led by CACEIS with participation from BNP Paribas, Bpifrance, Centilux Family Office, and others.
​More on Tech.eu →
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​🛡️ Mitigata, a Bengaluru, Karnataka-based cyber resilience startup, raised $5.9 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Nexus Venture Partners, Titan Capital. and WEH Ventures.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​💡 Metaforms, a San Francisco-based company, raised $9 million in a Series A fundraising round led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India) with participation from Nexus Venture Partners, Together Fund, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →

Series B (9)

🤖 FORT Robotics, a Philadelphia, PA-based robotics safety solutions company, raised $18.9 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Tiger Global with participation from Prime Movers Lab, Mark Cuban, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🩳 Ten Thousand, a New York, NY-based performance-driven men’s activewear brand, raised $24.5 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Forza Capital.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🔬 SNIPR Biome, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based biotech company targeting antimicrobial resistance, raised €35 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, German Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIN-D), and Lundbeckfonden BioCapital.
​More on EU-Startups →​​
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​💼 Kustomer, a New York, NY-based customer service platform, raised $30 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Norwest Venture Partners with participation from Battery Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🧬 Strand Therapeutics, a Boston, MA-based biotechnology company, raised $153 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Kinnevik, Regeneron Ventures, and ICONIQ.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🌐 The Browser Company, a New York-based AI-powered browser platform, raised $128 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Pace Capital, BoxGroup, and NextView Ventures.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​💊 Retension Pharmaceuticals, a Falls Church, Virginia-based pharmaceutical company, raised $15 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Collage Partners, Green Park & Golf Ventures, and Transhuman Capital.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🤖 Daloopa, a New York, NY-based AI-driven financial data platform, raised $18 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Touring Capital with participation from Morgan Stanley, Nexus Venture Partners, and others.
​More on PYMNTS →
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​💳 Rillet, a Palo Alto, California-based AI accounting startup, raised $70 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Iconiq Capital with participation from Sequoia Capital.
​More on Crunchbase News →
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​🎵 Lyric, a Sunnyvale, CA-based AI-powered supply chain platform, raised $43.5 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Insight Partners with participation from Primary Venture Partners, Permanent Capital Ventures, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​📊 ketteQ, an Atlanta, Georgia-based supply chain management platform, raised $20 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Vocap Partners with participation from The Barkawi Group and Circadian Ventures.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​📦 Salasa, a Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based ecommerce fulfillment platform, raised $30 million in a Series B fundraising round led by Artal Capital with participation from SVC, Wa’ed Ventures, and others.
​More on MENAbytes →

Series C (9)

🛠️ Clay, a New York, NY-based AI-powered sales automation startup, closed $100 million in a Series C funding round led by CapitalG with participation from Sequoia Capital, Meritech Capital, and others.
​More on TechCrunch →
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​🎵 ElevenLabs, a New York-based company specializing in AI-generated music and text-to-speech technology, raised $180 million in a Series C fundraising round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), ICONIQ Growth, and Sequoia Capital.
​More on Inc. →
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​💻 Fal, a San Francisco-based GPU provider, raised $125 million in a Series C fundraising round led by Meritech with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Shopify Ventures, and others.
​More on Datacenter Dynamics →
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​🔧 D-Tools, a Concord, CA-based provider of business management software for system integrators, raised $12 million in a Series C fundraising round led by StellarIQ and Greybull Stewardship.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🤖 N8n, a Berlin, Germany-based AI agent startup, raised an undisclosed amount in a Series C fundraising round led by Accel and Insight Partners.
​More on Sifted →
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​🌟 Positive Development, a McLean, VA-based company focused on innovative solutions, raised $51.5 million in a Series C fundraising round led by aMoon Fund with participation from B Capital, Flare Capital Partners, and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🛡️ SAFE Security, a Palo Alto, CA-based cybersecurity platform, raised $70 million in a Series C fundraising round led by Avataar Ventures, Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital and NextEquity Partners.
​More on Indian Startup News →
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​🌍 GeoWealth, a Chicago, IL-based platform expanding private market access for advisors, raised $38 million in a Series C fundraising round led by Apollo Global Management with participation from BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and others.
​More on TechStartups →
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​🚀 Unmind, a London, England-based workplace mental health platform, raised $35 million in a Series C fundraising round led by TELUS Global Ventures, Project A, and Felix Capital.
​More on VC News Daily →

Series D (2)

🚀 Firefly Aerospace, a Cedar Park, Texas-based aerospace company, completed its IPO, raising $868 million Prior to the IPO, the company raised $589 million in a Series D round with participation from RPM Ventures, GiantLeap Capital, Human Element VC, and others.
​More on Fast Company →
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​💼 Capacity, a St. Louis, MO-based AI-powered support automation platform, raised $92 million in a Series D fundraising round led by Chicago Atlantic.
​More on VC News Daily →​

Other (13)

​📚 Faba, a Treviso, Italy-based EdTech startup focused on screen-free storytelling, raised €4.5 million in a venture round led by CDP Venture Capital, Oltre Impact, and Ad4Ventures.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​💰 BOB, a Berlin-based crypto startup, raised €9.5 million in a funding round. The round was led by Anchorage, Amber Group and Sats Ventures.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​🌍 Bit2Me, an Elche, Spain-based crypto services company, raised €30 million in a funding round led by Tether Ventures with participation from Investcorp, Telefónica Ventures, and others.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​💧 Watergate, a London-based smart water technology company, raised €848K in a crowdfunding round.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​🌱 AeroFarms, a Newark, NJ-based indoor vertical farming company, raised $244 million in a fundraising round led by Grosvenor Food & AgTech (GFA), Ingka Investments, and Cibus Capital with participation from ACEG, AllianceBernstein, IKEA, Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), and others.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🌍 WATR, a Norfolk, United Kingdom-based global environmental monitoring platform, secured a growth round led by 24Haymarket, Anglia Capital Group, and Euphemia.
​More on Tech.eu →
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​🛡️ Harmattan AI, a Paris, France-based defence technology company, is seeking $200 million in a funding round led by Financire Saint James with participation from Tholus Capital, W Ventures, and others.
​More on Sifted →
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​🤖 Bisly, a Tallinn, Estonia-based AI building automation company, raised €4.3 million in a funding round led by 2C Ventures with participation from Aconterra, Pinorena Capital, and others.
​More on Tech.eu →
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​🦗 Grasshopper Bank, a New York City-based digital banking platform, raised $46.6 million in a fundraising round led by Patriot Financial Partners LP with participation from Glendon Capital Management.
​More on PYMNTS →​​
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​🧪 PhnyX Lab, a Palo Alto, California-based technology company, raised $4 million in a SAFE funding round led by SK Networks with participation from Aidan Gomez and Illia Polosukhin.
​More on VC News Daily →
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​🛡️ Resistant AI, a Prague, Czech Republic-based AI platform combating APP fraud, secured a funding round led by Experian with participation from GV, Alphabet, and others.
​More on Silicon Canals →
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​⚡️ Bling Energy, a Lisbon-based company accelerating the energy transition in Portugal, raised €15 million in a funding round led by BlueCrow Capital.
​More on EU-Startups →
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​💼 Employee Navigator, a Bethesda, MD-based benefits and HR software company, raised $100 million in a fundraising round led by JMI Equity and Spectrum Equity.
​More on VC News Daily →​

That’s a wrap on this week’s fundings!

As always, see you next week