Startups

SurrealDB: $23 Million Series A Extension Raised For Advancing Infrastructure Designed For AI-Native Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

SurrealDB has raised an additional $23 million in a Series A extension, bringing its total funding to date to $44 million and expanding its Series A round to $38 million. The new capital brings Chalfen Ventures and Begin Capital into the round, joining existing investors FirstMark and Georgian. As part of the investment, Mike Chalfen, Founder of Chalfen Ventures, has joined SurrealDB’s board.

Circuit: $30 Million Raised For Manufacturing And Service AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Circuit, an Austin-based company building a purpose-built AI platform for manufacturing and service organizations, announced it has raised $30 million from individual investors in one of Texas' largest angel rounds. The funding comes as manufacturers contend with increasing product complexity and a growing skills gap driven by retirements and workforce shortages.

99 Kids Holdings Raises $5 Million Series A To Relaunch THE 99 Superhero Franchise

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

99 Kids Holdings Co., a dual Canada–UAE entertainment company, announced it has closed a $5 million Series A funding round led by Exponential Ventures to reboot THE 99, the comic book and animated franchise that introduced Islam-inspired superheroes based on universal values when it first launched in 2006.

Pharmacelera Raises €6 Million To Expand In U.S. And Advance Quantum-AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Pharmacelera, a deep tech company applying Quantum Mechanics and Artificial Intelligence to drug discovery, announced it has closed a €6 million investment round to accelerate its expansion into the United States and further develop its proprietary platform.

Sitegeist Raises €4 Million Pre-Seed To Automate Concrete Renovation Across Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Sitegeist, a Munich-based construction robotics startup, has raised €4 million in pre-seed funding to deploy automated, AI-enabled modular robots on construction sites and address Europe’s mounting infrastructure repair backlog. The round was co-led by b2venture and OpenOcean, with participation from UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators and angel investors including Verena Pausder, Lea-Sophie Cramer, and Alexander Schwörer, alongside additional strategic backers from the construction and robotics sectors.

Rivage: €2.6 Million Pre-Seed Raised For Modernizing Payroll For Accounting Firms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

France-based payroll software startup Rivage has secured €2.6 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by Partech, marking the company’s first institutional raise since its founding in July 2025.

The Bland Company Raises $2.67 Million Pre-Seed Round To Replace Eggs In Food Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

The Bland Company has raised a $2.67 million pre-seed round led by Initialized Capital, with participation from Entrepreneurs First, Alumni Ventures, Transpose Platform, Behind Genius Ventures, and Vento.

Temporal: $300 Million Series D At $5 Billion Valuation Secured For Open-Source Durable Execution Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Temporal, the open-source platform powering agentic AI applications, has raised $300 million in a Series D financing round at a $5 billion valuation as companies accelerate efforts to move AI systems from pilot projects into production environments. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sapphire Ventures. Existing investors, including Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Tiger Global Management, GIC, Madrona Venture Group, and Amplify Partners, also participated.

ChipAgents: $74 Million Closed For Agentic AI Platform For Semiconductor Design

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

ChipAgents, an agentic AI platform focused on accelerating semiconductor design workflows, announced it has closed an oversubscribed $50 million Series A1 round, bringing its total capital raised to $74 million. The round was led by Matter Venture Partners, a TSMC-backed hardtech venture capital firm, with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Micron, MediaTek, and Ericsson.

VulnCheck: $25 Million Series B Raised For Exploit Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

VulnCheck has raised $25 million in Series B financing to meet surging demand for its exploit intelligence solutions, bringing the company’s total funding to $45 million. The round was led by Sorenson Capital, with participation from National Grid Partners and existing investors including Ten Eleven Ventures and In-Q-Tel.

Certivo: $4 Million Seed Funding Raised For AI-Native Compliance Automation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Certivo, an AI-powered supply chain compliance management platform, announced it has raised $4 million in seed funding to accelerate the launch of what it describes as the AI-native compliance automation category. The round was led by Suffolk Technologies with participation from Pioneer Square Ventures and other investors.

Sphinx: $7.1 Million Seed Funding Closed To Scale Browser-Native Agents For Financial Institutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Sphinx, a compliance automation platform that builds browser-native agents for financial institutions, announced it has raised $7.1 million in seed funding to expand its agent workforce and support growing demand from banks and fintechs managing anti-money laundering and onboarding operations. The round was led by Cherry Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Deel Ventures, and Singularity Capital.

QuadSci: $8 Million Series A Raised For Customer Intelligence AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

QuadSci, a predictive and prescriptive AI platform for customer intelligence, has raised $8 million in a Series A financing round to accelerate product development and expand its go-to-market operations. The round was led by Crosslink Capital, with participation from Alumni Ventures, Correlation Ventures, and angel investors Shail Jain, Peter Gibson, Tom Roloff, and Rob Eberle.

Fireplace: $1.5 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised For Prediction Market Trading Terminal Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Fireplace, a professional trading terminal for prediction markets, has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round aimed at bringing institutional-grade trading infrastructure to one of the fastest-growing asset classes in financial markets. The round was led by Frachtis, with participation from White Star Capital and several other venture capital firms and angel investors, including syndicate rounds on Legion and Echo.

Mundi Ventures: €750 Million First Close For Kembara Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Mundi Ventures has announced a €750 million first close for Kembara, described as Europe’s largest dedicated deep tech growth fund, as it works toward a €1 billion target. The fund is now actively investing in breakthrough deep tech science and engineering companies across the continent.

Odyssey Secures Investment From NVentures And Samsung Next For AI Research Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Odyssey, an artificial intelligence research company focused on frontier world models, has announced a new investment from NVentures, the venture capital arm of NVIDIA, and Samsung Next. The funding will support the company’s push to develop a general-purpose world simulator capable of generating infinitely long, interactive simulations from any starting point.

Render: $100 Million Series C Extension At $1.5 Billion Valuation Raised For Modern Cloud Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Render has raised $100 million in a Series C extension at a $1.5 billion valuation, bringing its total funding to $258 million as it doubles down on building infrastructure for AI-native software companies.

Upside Robotics: $7.5 Million Seed Funding Raised To Advance Sustainable Farm Automation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Upside Robotics has raised $7.5 million in seed funding to propel its next phase of growth, giving the Velocity-based startup momentum to deepen its partnerships with farmers and agricultural companies across Canada. The funding round was led by Plural, with participation from Garage Capital, Entrepreneurs First and the founders of Clearpath Robotics. The round brings Upside Robotics’ total funding to more than $11 million.

Wave Function Ventures Invests In Aerospace Company Natilus To Advance Sustainable Aviation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Wave Function Ventures announced a strategic investment in Natilus, a San Diego-based aerospace company developing blended-wing-body aircraft aimed at transforming both cargo and passenger aviation through improved efficiency and reduced emissions.

Gemdale Gold Secures C$2.4 Million Strategic Investment From Gold Producer Eldorado

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Gemdale Gold has closed a C$2.4 million strategic investment from Eldorado Gold Corporation through a non-brokered private placement, bringing a new strategic partner onto its share register as it advances its exploration portfolio in Finland.

Tozaro: £6 Million Secured To Cut Gene Therapy Manufacturing Costs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Tozaro, a Bedfordshire-based developer of Smart Polymer technology for cell and gene therapy manufacturing, has secured £6 million in new funding to accelerate commercial partnerships and broaden access to gene therapies. The funding round was led by Mercia Ventures through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II and Mercia’s own funds, with participation from existing investors. The latest investment brings the company’s total funding to £23.7 million since its inception. Mercia first backed the business in 2015 when it operated under its former name, MIP Discovery.

Seasats: $20 Million Series A Closed For Scaling Small Uncrewed Surface Vehicles

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Seasats, a small uncrewed surface vehicle company focused on maritime autonomy, has raised $20 million in a Series A financing to expand production and accelerate product development as demand grows across defense and commercial markets.

SpendRule: $2 Million Seed Funding Raised For Healthcare Contract Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

SpendRule has launched what it describes as healthcare’s first AI-powered contract intelligence platform designed to prevent overpayments in the massive purchased services market. The new system validates service invoices against contract terms before payment, giving health systems greater control over one of their largest and least-managed spend categories.

Utility Global: $100 Million Series D First Close Raised To Scale H2Gen Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Utility Global has announced a first close of $100 million in its Series D financing round to accelerate the global deployment of its economic industrial decarbonization platform. The round was led by Ara Partners and APG Asset Management, one of the world’s largest pension investors representing Dutch pension funds.

Founders Row Invests In Ohm Health To Back Intentional Disconnection Wellness Thesis

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Founders Row, the Atlanta-based consumer investment and incubation firm founded by Jamie Weeks, has announced a strategic investment and advisory partnership with Ohm Health as it formalizes a new thesis around “intentional disconnection” and nervous-system regulation.

Breaker: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Advance Autonomous Orchestration Software

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Austin-based defense technology startup Breaker has raised $6 million in a seed funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with follow-on investment from Australian venture firm Main Sequence, which previously led the company’s pre-seed round. The new capital will support the development and deployment of Breaker’s AI agent software, designed to enable military operators to control teams of autonomous systems across air, land, and sea using voice commands.

Dataro: $14.28 Million Series A Raised For AI Fundraising Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Dataro, an AI-driven fundraising intelligence platform for nonprofits, has raised $14.28 million in a Series A round led by Blueprint Equity. The funding will support the company’s expansion in the United States while it continues serving charities across Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other international markets.

GelMEDIX: $13 Million Seed Funding Closed For Vision Restoration Biotechnology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

GelMEDIX, a biotechnology company developing regenerative therapies to restore vision, has completed a $13 million seed financing round led by Safar Partners, with participation from HTL Biotechnology, Beacon Angels, TiE Boston Angels, Boston Harbor Angels, and other investors. The company will use the proceeds to advance its lead program, GMX-101, a retinal pigment epithelial cell therapy designed to treat late-stage Geographic Atrophy, and to further develop its proprietary injectable hydrogel scaffold platform.

Codoxo: $35 Million Series C Raised To Scale Pre-Claim Cost Prevention

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Codoxo, an AI-powered healthcare payment integrity platform, announced an oversubscribed $35 million Series C round to accelerate national adoption of its pre-claim cost-prevention model and expand its generative AI capabilities.

Lightworks Secures Up To $12 Million To Accelerate Large-Scale AI Deployment For Regulated Organizations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Lightworks, a Canadian enterprise AI consultancy, has secured up to $12 million in financing to support the launch of its flagship AI services and accelerate its expansion among the world’s largest and most highly regulated enterprises.