Startups

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.

Simform Invests $3 Million To Scale Microsoft Cloud And AI Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Simform has announced a $3 million strategic investment to expand its Microsoft Cloud and AI practice, deepen its Azure engineering capabilities, accelerate IP-led delivery, and scale co-sell collaboration across key global markets.

Daffodil Health: $16.3 Million Series A Raised For AI-Based Health Plan Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Daffodil Health, an AI-powered platform modernizing U.S. health plan administration and claims processing, has raised $16.3 million in a Series A round, bringing total funding to $20.9 million. The funding was led by Flare Capital Partners, with participation from LRVHealth and returning investor Maverick Ventures, plus individual investors including Scott Mingee, former CEO of Equian, which was acquired by Optum, and Jim Lacy, former president and COO of Collective Medical, which was acquired by PointClickCare.

Onodrim Industries: €40 Million Seed Funding Secured For European Defense Technology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Amsterdam-based Onodrim Industries has raised €40 million in seed funding to build what it describes as a new foundation for Europe’s defence and industrial technology capabilities. The round was led by Founders Fund, Lakestar, and General Catalyst, with participation from additional funds and angel investors across Europe and the US.

FYLD: $41 Million Series B Raised For Scaling AI Frontline Intelligence For Infrastructure Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

FYLD has raised a $41 million Series B to expand its AI-powered frontline intelligence platform for infrastructure operators managing distributed, high-risk fieldwork across energy, construction, and water. The round was led by Energy Impact Partners LP, with participation from Partech through its Growth Impact Fund, as the company reported finishing 2025 with 82% year-over-year growth and accelerating momentum in the U.S.

Sphinx: $7.1 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build Browser Native Agents For AML And KYC Work

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Sphinx announced it has raised a $7.1 million seed round to scale what it describes as a browser native, agentic compliance workforce for financial institutions, positioning the product as a last compliance hire that can take on day-to-day operational work across anti-money laundering, know your customer, and know your business processes. The round was led by Cherry Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Deel Ventures, and Singularity Capital. Sphinx said the new capital will be used to expand the deployment of its compliance agents, as banks and fintechs seek to manage rising volumes of fraud and regulatory workload without continually adding headcount.

Monaco: Over $35 Million Raised For AI-Native Sales Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 17, 2026

Monaco announced its official launch as an AI-native sales platform designed to accelerate revenue growth for early-stage startups, following a period of operating in stealth. The company is entering public beta after raising over $35 million in total funding, including a Series A round led by Founders Fund.

Contents: $7 Million Series B Extension Raised For European AI Work Execution Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

Contents, the Milan-based AI work execution platform, has closed a $7 million Series B extension led by Qatar Development Bank, with participation from Alkemia Capital. The investment brings the company’s total funding to $25 million and underscores the growing alignment between European AI infrastructure players and Gulf sovereign innovation strategies.

Wisdom Raises Over $1.3 Million In Pre-Seed Financing To Support Aging In Place

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

Wisdom announced it has secured more than $1.3 million in pre-seed financing to advance its smart home platform designed to help older adults live safely and independently. The funding includes a $315,000 social-impact investment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, alongside $925,000 in previously unannounced capital raised through crowdfunding and angel investors. The new investment will support platform development and real-world deployment of Wisdom’s Smart Home system, which leverages ambient sensing and edge AI technology to support aging in place.

Xyall: €7.6 Million Raised To Accelerate Global Rollout Of Tissue Dissection System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

Xyall BV, a next-generation innovator in molecular pathology, has raised €7.6 million in new funding to accelerate the global rollout of its automated tissue dissection platform. The financing round was led by Capricorn Partners through its Capricorn Healthtech Fund II, with participation from Sioux Technologies, Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Health Investment Partners, and several private investors.

Nscale Signs $1.4 Billion GPU-Backed Delayed Draw Term Loan

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

Nscale, the AI-native hyperscaler, announced it has signed a USD $1.4 billion Delayed Draw Term Loan (GPU DDTL) backed by GPUs. The oversubscribed loan, led by funds managed by PIMCO, Blue Owl, and LuminArx Capital Management with support from additional asset managers and banks, will finance multiple GPU cluster deployments across Norway, Portugal, Iceland, and the UK. This follows Nscale’s recent $1.1 billion Series B equity raise—the largest Series B in European history—and its $433 million Pre-Series C SAFE.

Blockbrain: €17.5 Million Series A Raised To Scale Responsible Enterprise AI Across Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

Stuttgart-based modular AI platform Blockbrain has raised €17.5 million in Series A funding to accelerate the development and expansion of its responsible AI agents designed to prevent company knowledge loss and strengthen enterprise productivity. The round was led by Alstin Capital and 13books Capital, with participation from HARTING Family Foundation. Existing investors Giesecke+Devrient Ventures, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg Ventures, and Mätch VC also increased their commitments.

Lassie: $75 Million Series C Raised For Prevention-First Pet Insurer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

Stockholm-based pet insurance platform Lassie has raised $75 million in Series C funding as it positions itself to lead Europe’s evolving pet care and insurance market. The round is one of the largest European insurtech financings of the past year and included participation from Balderton Capital, Felix Capital, Inventure, Passion Capital, and Stena Sessan.

INLEAP Photonics Raises Pre-Seed Funding To Advance Counter-Drone System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 16, 2026

INLEAP Photonics, a German deep tech company developing ultra-fast laser beam steering systems, has emerged from stealth following the completion of a pre-seed funding round in summer 2025 to accelerate development of its laser-based counter-drone platform for defence and critical infrastructure protection.