Startups

Firestorm Labs Raises $82 Million Series B To Scale Expeditionary Defense Manufacturing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Firestorm Labs, a San Diego-based defense technology company, has raised $82 million in Series B funding, bringing total capital raised to $153 million. The round was led by Washington Harbour Partners with participation from NEA, Ondas, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, Geodesic, Motley Fool Ventures, and others.

Hightouch: $150 Million Series D At $2.75 Billion Valuation Raised To Power Agentic Marketing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Hightouch, a San Francisco-based data and AI marketing platform, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Bain Capital Ventures, valuing the company at 2.75 billion dollars. Additional participants include Iconiq Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Amplify Partners, Y Combinator, and TD7, the venture capital arm of The Trade Desk. The company has grown more than 100% in each of the past two years.

Parallel Web Systems: $100 Million Series B At $2 Billion Valuation Raised To Scale AI Agent Web Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Parallel Web Systems, a Palo Alto-based web infrastructure company powering how AI agents access the open web, has raised a 100 million dollar Series B round at a 2 billion dollar valuation, led by Sequoia Capital. The round more than doubles Parallel's Series A valuation from five months ago and brings total capital raised to 230 million dollars. Existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Spark Capital, Terrain Capital, and Abstract Ventures all increased their participation. Andrew Reed, Partner at Sequoia Capital, will join Parallel's board of directors.

TriFetch: $1.9 Million Raised To Automate Administrative Workflows For Independent Specialty Clinics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

TriFetch, a San Francisco-based AI automation platform built for independent specialty clinics, has raised a $1.9 million pre-seed round led by Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from angels with backgrounds at Google, Hippocratic, Mercor, and MIT. The company is emerging from stealth with a platform designed to automate the three workflows that dominate clinic operating costs: patient calls and scheduling, referral processing, and prior authorizations.

Performativ Raises $14 Million Series A To Expand AI-Native Wealth Management Operating System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Performativ, a Copenhagen-based operating system for wealth management, has raised 14 million dollars in a Series A funding round led by Deutsche Börse Group, with participation from Rabo Investments, the investment arm of Rabobank, former McKinsey Senior Partner Jacob Dahl, and existing investors FinTech Collective and EIFO, the Danish sovereign wealth fund.

MagicCube Secures Investment From e& in $10 Million Post-Quantum Security Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

MagicCube, a software-based security platform for payments, identity, and digital assets, has closed the second tranche of its $10 million funding round with a strategic investment from e& Capital, the investment arm of the UAE-based global technology group e&. The round's first close included payments technology company Verifone as a strategic investor, alongside existing backers Bold Capital Partners and Mosaik Partners.

Coultreon Biopharma Raises $125 Million Series A to Advance Oral Autoimmune Therapy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Coultreon Biopharma, a Belgium-based biotechnology company formerly known as Onco3R Therapeutics, has closed an oversubscribed 125 million dollar Series A financing round to advance its immunology pipeline. The round was led by Sofinnova Investments and co-led by Forbion and Novo Holdings, with additional participation from Galapagos, Regeneron Ventures, Balyasny Asset Management, Luma Group, Samsara BioCapital, Longwood Fund, and Finchley Healthcare Ventures.

Golden Child Raises $37 Million to Launch Science-Backed Fresh Dog Food Brand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Golden Child, a Miami-based fresh dog food company, has emerged from stealth with 37 million dollars in funding from Atomic, A*, and Redpoint Ventures. The company is introducing a new class of fresh dog food built around veterinary nutrition science, culinary craftsmanship, and a proprietary supply chain designed to meet the same standards as human food delivery.

ProcessMiner Raises Seed Funding To Scale AI-Powered Process Optimization For Manufacturing And Critical Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

ProcessMiner, an Atlanta-based provider of AI-powered process optimization for manufacturers, has raised seed funding led by Titanium Innovation Investments. The investment marks the company's first external funding round and will support platform expansion, hiring, and growth into new industrial verticals.

Quantum Software Firm Zapata Completes Oversubscribed $15 Million Strategic Financing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Zapata Quantum, a hardware-agnostic pure-play quantum software company, has closed an oversubscribed $15 million strategic financing round led by Triatomic Capital, with participation from additional strategic investors. Odeon Capital Group acted as co-lead placement agent on the offering.

Fermeate: $2 Million Raised To Scale Optogenetic Control Platform For Industrial Fermentation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Fermeate, an industrial biotechnology company using light to improve precision fermentation, has raised $2 million in a seed round led by Newfund Capital, with participation from SOSV, Ajinomoto Group Ventures, Ki Tua Fund, Heuristic Capital Partners, Momentum Capital, Plug & Play, Tesserakt Ventures, and Ag Startup Engine.

CleanDesign: $20 Million Raised To Scale Hybrid Energy Management Software Across Oil, Gas And Mining

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

CleanDesign, a Toronto and Nashville-based software-driven energy technology company, has secured a $20 million growth investment led by Edison Partners. The capital will support accelerated deployment of CleanDesign's Hybrid Energy Management Systems across North America, with particular momentum in the mining sector.

Liquid: $18 Million Raised For 24/7 Multi-Asset Trading Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Liquid, a New York-based platform building around-the-clock access to trading across major asset classes, has closed an $18 million Series Seed funding round. The raise was co-led by Neo and Left Lane Capital, with participation from Haun Ventures, K5 Global, SV Angel, AntiFund, and Sunflower Capital, alongside existing investors Paradigm and General Catalyst.

Four Pillars: $20 Million Valuation Secured In Series A Led By Pantera Capital To Expand As Web3 Solutions Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Four Pillars, a Seoul-based blockchain research and technology company, has closed a Series A investment led by Pantera Capital, with Further Ventures, backed by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, participating as anchor investor. The round establishes a post-money valuation of approximately KRW 30 billion, equivalent to $20 million, representing validation from two of the most prominent institutional investors in the global digital assets space.

Audion: $15 Million Closed To Expand AI-Powered Performance Audio Advertising Platform Into The United States

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Audion, a leading European audio advertising platform, has raised $15 million and announced its expansion into the United States, marking a significant step in its effort to define the emerging Performance Audio category. CEO Arthur Larrey will relocate to New York City to lead U.S. operations.

Zamp: $30 Million Raised To Scale AI-Powered Sales Tax Operating System Globally

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Zamp, a vertically integrated sales tax compliance platform, has raised $30 million in total funding and announced the global launch of Zamp OS, which it describes as the Operating System of Sales Tax. The latest round was led by Acrew Capital with participation from Thomson Reuters Ventures and several of Zamp's accounting firm partners.

Windmill: $12 Million Raised For AI Platform Building The Context Graph For Workforce Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Windmill, an AI company building what it calls the context graph for people, has raised $12 million in a seed round led by Inspired Capital, with participation from Primary Venture Partners, Founder Collective, and Oceans Ventures. The company has grown to more than 100 customers including Kalshi, Rho, and Merge since launching its performance reviews product in November 2025.

Cybord: $7 Million Raised To Accelerate Visual AI Platform For Electronic Component Inspection

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Cybord AI, a Tel Aviv-based provider of Visual AI for electronic component inspection and supply chain resilience, has raised an additional $7 million in an extended Series A round led by Capri Ventures, with participation from new and existing investors. The company also announced the formation of a dedicated U.S. sales management team to deepen engagement with North American and global electronics manufacturers.

IC Realtime: $2 Million Series A Raised To Accelerate AI And Software Expansion For Surveillance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

IC Realtime, a Pompano Beach, Florida-based provider of professional-grade surveillance and security technology, has secured a $2 million Series A round led by a personal investment from John Hatherly, founder of Wynnchurch Capital, with participation from existing investors. Hatherly will also join IC Realtime's board of directors.

Liquid Instruments: $50 Million Series C Raised For Software-Defined Test Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Liquid Instruments, a San Diego-based pioneer in software-defined test solutions, has closed a $50 million Series C funding round co-led by Keysight Technologies and the Australian Government's National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. In addition to investing, Keysight will enter into a commercial arrangement with Liquid Instruments to accelerate the development of a new class of AI-driven instrumentation.

Clarasight: $11.5 Million Raised For AI Platform Optimizing Enterprise Travel And Expense Spend

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Clarasight, an AI platform for enterprise travel and expense, has raised an $11.5 million Series A led by AlleyCorp, with participation from Rackhouse Venture Capital, Clocktower Ventures, Pulse Fund, Thayer Ventures, Future Back Ventures, Vestigo Ventures, and XYZ Venture Capital. The round follows a year in which recurring revenue grew approximately 10 times and the platform expanded to manage data from programs representing more than $5 billion in enterprise travel and expense spend.

Actively: $45 Million Raised To Scale Intelligence-Led Revenue Platform Powered By Per-Account AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Actively, a New York-based company transforming how enterprise revenue teams operate through AI-driven automation, has raised $45 million in Series B funding, bringing total funding to $68 million. The round was co-led by TCV and First Harmonic, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, First Round Capital, and Alkeon. The company will use the capital to build new products, expand into more enterprises, hire top talent, and open a new San Francisco office.

Neutonic: $6 Million Raised At $60 Million Valuation To Accelerate Global Retail Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Neutonic, a functional drinks and supplements brand built around nootropics and cognitive performance, has raised $6 million at a $60 million valuation to accelerate expansion across the UK, United States, and new international markets. The round includes backing from Alan Barrett, founder of Grenade, alongside investors including Ollie Marchon, Ross Edgley, Dan Martell, Codie Sanchez, and Zach Ranen. Gym King founder Jay Parker joins as a special advisor.

Manifest OS: $60 Million Raised At $750 Million Valuation To Scale AI-Native Law Firm Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Manifest OS, a company powering a new generation of AI-native law firms built on fixed-fee and outcomes-based pricing, has raised $60 million in a Series A round at a $750 million valuation, which the company describes as the largest Series A in legal technology history. The round was led by Menlo Ventures alongside Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital, and Quiet Capital.

OpenLight: $50 Million Raised For Next-Generation Photonics Platform Serving AI Data Centers And Beyond

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

OpenLight, a Santa Barbara-based photonics company and developer of custom Photonic Application-Specific Integrated Circuits, has raised $50 million in a Series A-1 round, bringing its total funding to $84 million. The oversubscribed round was led by Matter Venture Partners, with participation from new investors Acclimate Ventures and Catapult Ventures, alongside existing backers Xora Innovation, Capricorn Investment Group, Mayfield, and New Legacy.

Patronus Group: €11 Million Raised For Senior Safety And Connected Living Technology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Patronus Group, a technology company building intuitive solutions for older adults focused on safe, independent, and connected living, has raised €11 million in funding. New investors in the round include Markus Fleischer, 3TS Capital Partners, Jochen Klueppel, and Grazia Equity, joining existing backers Singular, Adjacent, Burda Principal Investments, NAP, and UVC Partners, among others.

Redpine: $8 Million Raised For Premium AI Data Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Redpine, an AI data company focused on unlocking premium, non-public data for high-impact domains, has raised $8 million in seed funding. The round was led by NordicNinja VC, with participation from Node.vc and Luminar Ventures.

True Anomaly: $650 Million Raised At $2.2 Billion Valuation For Space Defense Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

True Anomaly, a defense technology company building autonomous spacecraft and space superiority systems for the U.S. military and its allies, has raised $650 million in Series D financing at a $2.2 billion valuation. The round brings the company's total capital raised to $1 billion since its founding in 2022.

Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals: $12 Million Raised For Targeting Alzheimer’s Disease

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapies for neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases, has closed a $12 million Series A financing round led by Double Point Ventures, with participation from both new and existing investors.

Sniffies Secures $100 Million Investment From Match Group, A Fast-Growing GBTQ Dating And Cruising Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Sniffies, a map-based platform designed for gay, bisexual, and non-heterosexual men to connect in real time, has secured a $100 million minority investment from Match Group. The deal includes an option for Match Group to acquire the remaining equity in the future, signaling strong long-term conviction in the platform and the segment it serves.