Startups

Artie: $12 Million Series A Raised To Bring Real-Time Data Streaming To AI Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Artie, a fully managed real-time data streaming platform, has raised a $12 million Series A to help companies move from batch-based data movement to streaming-first infrastructure as AI systems shift from dashboards into live, decision-making production environments. The round was led by Dalton Caldwell at Standard Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Pathlight Ventures, and a group of angel investors, including Arash Ferdowsi, Benn Stancil, Chris Best, Charles Hearn, and Lenny Rachitsky.

Cubby: $63 Million Series A Raised To Expand AI-Native Self-Storage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Cubby has raised a $63 million Series A minority investment to accelerate the growth of its property management platform for self-storage operators, the company said. The round was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with existing investors also participating.

Yuki: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build An AI ‘Control Layer’ For Data Spend

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Yuki, a data cost optimization startup, has emerged from stealth with a $6 million seed round, targeting a growing pain point for enterprises facing rising data and AI infrastructure bills. The financing was led by Hyperwise Ventures, with participation from VelocitX, Tal Ventures, Fresh.fund, and Yakir Daniel, the founder of Spot.io (which was acquired by NetApp and is now part of Flexera).

GIGR (Playad): $5.4 Million Pre-Seed Secured To Build Multi-Agent AI Marketing Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

San Francisco-based startup GIGR (dba Playad) has raised $5.4 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate development of AI marketing agents designed to help teams create, test, and improve advertising creative with less manual work and less guesswork.

ZBD: $40 Million Series C Raised To Expand Lightning-Powered Payments And Rewards Inside Video Games

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

ZBD, a payments company focused on enabling real-money transactions inside games and consumer apps, said it has secured $40 million in Series C financing commitments led by Blockstream Capital Partners (BCP). The company positions itself as a fully licensed, vertically integrated payments provider built specifically for gaming, using the Bitcoin Lightning Network to support embedded payments and rewards at scale.

ABZ Innovation: $8.2 Million Closed To Scale Heavy-Duty Agricultural And Industrial Drones

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

ABZ Innovation, a Europe-based maker of heavy-duty agricultural and industrial drones, has raised $8.2 million in a funding round led by Vsquared Ventures, with participation from Day One Capital and Assembly Ventures. The company said the new capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate product development, and support commercial growth in key international markets, including continued traction in the United States.

Octarine Bio: €5 Million Raised To Scale Precision-Fermented Natural Pigments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Octarine Bio has secured €5 million in new funding, bringing its total Series A financing to €12.8 million, including earlier pre-Series A capital, as the Danish biotech pushes to scale a new platform for sustainable, bio-based pigments.

Mia Labs: $20 Million Series A Closed To Expand AI ‘Super Employee’ For Auto Dealership Communications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Mia Labs, the company behind an AI-powered conversational platform designed specifically for automotive dealerships, has raised a $20 million Series A round to accelerate product development, expand its team, and scale deployments across the U.S. The financing brings the company’s total capital raised to $29 million.

Waldo: $225 Million Debut Fund Closed To Back Founder-Led Software And Tech-Enabled Services Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Waldo, a New York-based investment firm, said it has closed its $225 million inaugural vehicle, Waldo I, to invest in proven, early-growth stage software and tech-enabled services companies. The firm said it is targeting entrepreneurs building enduring businesses with strong fundamentals and real-world traction, aiming to support companies on a path to scale without relying on public markets to define their outcomes.

Klir: $17.5 Million Series B And Credit Facility Closed To Scale Operational Data Hub for Water Utilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Klir has closed $17.5 million in growth financing, combining a $10 million Series B equity round with a $7.5 million credit facility from Innovation Banking at CIBC, as the company scales its operational platform for water utilities across North America and beyond.

Mews: $300 Million Series D At $2.5 Billion Valuation Raised To Push AI-Native Hotel Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Mews, a hospitality operating system provider, has raised $300 million in a Series D funding round led by EQT Growth, with new participation from Atomico and HarbourVest Partners and continued backing from Kinnevik, Battery Ventures, and Tiger Global. The investment values Mews at $2.5 billion and will be used to accelerate product development focused on AI-driven automation, as well as expand payments and fintech capabilities and support international growth across North America, Europe, and additional markets.

Cyclic Materials: $75 Million Series C Raised To Scale Rare Earth Recycling

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Cyclic Materials has closed an oversubscribed $75 million Series C equity round as it scales rare-earth recycling operations across the U.S. and Europe and expands its Canada-based research and development footprint The financing was led by accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, with participation from the Canada Growth Fund and continued support from existing shareholders.

DealHub: $100 Million Raised To Build An Agentic Quote-To-Revenue Platform For Enterprise Monetization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

DealHub has raised $100 million in a growth funding round led by Riverwood Capital as it pushes to reposition CPQ as the core “agentic” control plane for enterprise monetization, expanding beyond quoting into a unified quote-to-revenue platform that spans pricing and packaging through contracting, billing, and revenue recognition.