Startups

Wrisk Adds Allianz As Strategic Investor In Series B Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Wrisk, a London-based digital insurance platform focused on embedded insurance for the automotive sector, said Allianz Holdings plc has joined its Series B financing as a strategic investor, deepening a long-running commercial relationship between the two companies.

Fanvue: $22 Million Series A Raised And $100 Million ARR

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Fanvue, a London-based creator monetization platform built around AI-powered tools, has raised $22 million in a Series A round as it surpassed a $100 million annualized revenue run rate. The Series A was led by Inner Circle, a community-backed investment firm backed by more than 50 exited founders and operators. Fanvue said additional backers included Moonbug founder René Rechtman, the founders of UK unicorn Marshmallow, and partners from European venture firms.

A47: $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised To Build AI-Native News Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

A47 has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of an AI-native news platform that helps audiences discover, understand, and trust information amid a growing flood of misinformation, fragmented feeds, and engagement-driven noise.

Mal: $230 Million Raised To Launch Digital Bank

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Mal has closed a $230 million investment round to fund the development and launch of what it describes as the world’s first AI-native Islamic digital bank, headquartered in Abu Dhabi. The concluded financing was led by Abu Dhabi-based asset manager BlueFive Capital.

Akedo: $5 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build AI-Native Multi-Agent Content Creation Engine And Launchpad

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

AKEDO has raised $5 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its AI-native content creation engine and launchpad, a platform the company says is designed to improve game and digital content development efficiency through coordinated multi-agent systems.

Veera: $10 Million Raised To Expand Mobile On-Chain Financial Services Platform In Singapore

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Veera, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency-focused financial services platform, has raised $10 million across pre-seed and seed funding rounds as it invests in product development and expansion of its on-chain financial services offering. The round included backing from Sigma Capital, CMCC Titan Fund, 6th Man Ventures, and Ayon Capital, according to the company. The funding will be used to build out its product roadmap and support growth initiatives tied to its mobile-first platform.

ClickHouse: $400 Million Series D Raised, Langfuse Acquisition, And Native Postgres Service Debuted

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

ClickHouse, an open-source database company focused on real-time analytics, data warehousing, observability and AI/ML workloads, has raised $400 million in a Series D financing led by Dragoneer Investment Group as the company pushes deeper into AI infrastructure and application monitoring.

Cytotheryx: $60 Million Series A Closed To Advance Cell Therapy Platform For Liver Disease

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Ouroboros Family Founders Fund I has agreed to lead a $60 million Series A financing for Cytotheryx, a Mayo Clinic spinout developing a preclinical cell therapy platform to treat liver disease, with the deal unveiled during the 2026 Biotech Showcase in San Francisco. The company said the raise will fund the advancement of multiple programs toward the clinic, expand manufacturing infrastructure and GMP capacity, and support regulatory planning, alongside separate debt financing intended to grow its real estate footprint and enable additional manufacturing buildout.

Fleetzero: $43 Million Series A Raised To Scale Electric And Hybrid Propulsion Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Fleetzero, a marine technology company developing hybrid and electric propulsion systems for commercial vessels, has raised a $43 million Series A round led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Maersk Growth, 8090 Industries, and existing backers including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Y Combinator, Benson Capital, Shorewind, and others. The company also announced the opening of a new manufacturing and research-and-development facility in Houston, Texas, intended to serve as its headquarters and production hub.