Startups

enSights: Cloud-Based Clean Energy Optimization Company Raises $10 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

enSights, a cloud-based clean energy optimization and management platform company, announced that it raised a $10 million Series A funding round, co-led by venture capital firms JAL Ventures and XT VC, with the participation of the Menomadin Foundation.

Offcall: Doctor-Focused Career Platform Company Raises $2 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Offcall, a financial and career platform built by and for physicians, announced it officially launched to address the growing career and financial challenges doctors face in a challenging healthcare landscape. And Offcall raised $2 million, with participation from Bloomberg Beta, Roar Ventures, and 26 leading physicians across the U.S. including Shiv Rao, MD, Founder and CEO of Abridge, Joseph Habboushe, MD, CEO and co-founder of MDCalc, and Cheri Blauwet, MD, Paralympian and sports medicine physician.

EvenFlow AI: $1.5 Million (Seed) Raised For Transforming Automotive Service Lane Capacity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

EvenFlow AI - a leader in AI-based capacity and revenue optimization solutions for automotive dealership service departments - announced the closing of a $1.5 million seed round led by Automotive Ventures and FM Capital. This funding round will advance the company's mission to revolutionize service lane capacity management and revenue growth for automotive dealerships across North America.

Upwind: Cloud Security Provider Secures $100 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Upwind - a next-generation cloud security provider - announced it has raised $100 million in Series A funding. The funding round was led by David Sacks' Craft Ventures. It was joined by new investors TCV and Alta Park Capital, and all of Upwind's existing investors, including Greylock, Cyberstarts, Leaders Fund, Cerca and Sheva-founded by NBA Champion Omri Casspi.

Alveron Pharma: €5 Million (Seed Extension) Raised To Advance Intracranial Haemorrhage Therapy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Alveron Pharma announced the closing of a €5 million Series Seed extension financing (about $5.28 million) to advance the development of its innovative drug, OKL-1111, to treat intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). And the syndicate is led by Broadview Ventures and includes the participation of all existing investors including Sanquin (the Dutch Blood Foundation), Thuja Capital, Waterman Ventures and Oost NL.

Element451: AI-Based Student Engagement Platform Company Raises $175 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Element451, a leading AI-based student engagement platform transforming higher education recruitment and retention, announced a strategic investment from PSG. The funding aims to position the company to meet the growing demand for AI-based student engagement solutions in higher education and other learning-based settings.

Connexa Capital: Interview With Managing Partner Jonathan Beda About The Venture Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Connexa Capital is a venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies with strong business fundamentals and sustainable growth strategies. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Connexa Capital managing partner Jonathan Beda to learn more about the firm.

System Two Security: $7 Million Raised To Bring A New Level Of AI To Detection Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

System Two Security - a cybersecurity startup built on an AI agent foundation that advances Detection Engineering - announced it raised $7 million in funding led by Costanoa Ventures, with participation from security-focused investor Runtime Ventures and The Hive and Webb Investment Network. The round was also joined by individual investors, including technology veterans Scott McNealy (former CEO of Sun Microsystems), Frederic Kerrest (co-founder of Okta), Ash Devata (CEO of GreyNoise), and others. System Two aims to help security teams deal with advances in attack sophistication and frequency due to attackers adopting GenAI.

Playgama: HTML5 Game Platform Company Raises $3 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Playgama, a game tech platform designed to give HTML5 developers access to the whole web market at once, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by The Open Platform (TOP) and s16vc. The round is also backed by FJ Labs, The Games Fund, TON Ventures, and Kirill Eves, CEO and Founder of Unlimit.

GROWL: Connected Fitness Company Raises $4.75 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Connected fitness company GROWL emerged from stealth to launch a groundbreaking product: a boxing bag transformed into a personal, at-home boxing & fitness coach. And GROWL’s product reveal is backed by $4.75 million in seed funding from a notable group of investors, including lead investor Skip Capital, along with Kima Ventures, Teampact Ventures, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane.

MakersHub: Accounts Payable Company Raises $7 Million (Additional Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

MakersHub, a next-generation accounts payable platform for data-driven businesses and their accounting partners, announced it has raised an additional $7 million of Seed funding. QED Investors and TTV Capital led the round, which brings MakersHub’s total funding to $11.5 million.

PhotoniCare: Medical Device Company Raises $4.6 Milloin

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

PhotoniCare - a medical device company dedicated to delivering innovation to frontline care that demonstrably enhances patient outcomes - announced that it has secured $4.6 million in Series B funding, formed a manufacturing partnership with Gentex Corporation for its FDA-cleared OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, and finalized the relocation of its headquarters from Champaign, Illinois to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The new funding is the first close in an expected $9 million round.

NetBird: €4 Million Raised For Developing Open-Source Network Security Solution

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

NetBird, a Berlin-based company developing an open-source network security solution, has raised €4 million in seed funding. The funding round was co-led by InReach Ventures and existing investor Nauta, with participation from Antler and a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, showcasing support from both private and public institutions.

Qi Biodesign: Genome Editing Company Completes $75 Million In Total Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

Qi Biodesign, a biotechnology company developing next-generation genome editing technologies, announced the completion of its Series A funding round. The company has now raised a total of $75 million across its Seed, Series Pre-A, and Series A stages.

Bounce Insights: AI-Based Market Research Company Secures $4.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 9, 2024

AI-based market research platform Bounce Insights announced that it has raised a $4.5M round led by ACT Venture Capital. Also joining the round are Irrus Investments, Enterprise Ireland, Digital Irish Venture Fund, alongside industry veteran Ian Kiernan (MRops). The angel investors involved in Bounce’s $1.2 million raise in November 2022 include Anne Heraty (Cpl Resources), Gareth Lambe (Meta, Medihive), David Shackleton (OpenBack, Ding), and Michael Dwyer (Pigsback).

Soda Health: Health Tech Company Raises $50 Million (Series B)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Soda Health - a health tech company enhancing the use of benefit dollars to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities - announced a $50 million Series B financing. General Catalyst led the round with additional capital from former Humana CEO Bruce Broussard and participation from existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Define Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners USA, and SVB Capital. And Caitlin Donovan of General Catalyst has joined Soda Health’s board of directors.

Sage: $35 Million (Series B) Secured For Transforming Senior Living Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Sage, a leading operations management platform for senior living, announced it raised $35 million in Series B funding, led by IVP and with participation from Friends & Family Capital and PLUS Capital. Existing investors Maveron, Goldcrest Capital, Distributed Ventures, and ANIMO Ventures also participated.

Nelnet And Edge Focus Expand Strategic Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Edge Focus - a leading fintech company focused on consumer finance - announced a strategic investment by Nelnet, a financial services company specializing in investment management, education technology, and asset servicing.

Orbite: Space Training And Operations Company Raises $4 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Orbite, a premier space training and operations company for space explorers, announced it raised $4 million Series A funding round, backed by existing and new investors.

Nuvig: $161 Million (Series B) Raised To Develop Novel Immunomodulatory Therapeutics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Nuvig Therapeutics - a privately held biotechnology company developing novel immunomodulatory therapeutics for patients with inflammatory autoimmune diseases - announced the closing of a $161 million Series B round. The funding was co-led by Sanofi Ventures, Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities (formerly Cowen Healthcare Investments), and Norwest Venture Partners, with participation from new investors, B Capital, Leaps by Bayer, Global BioAccess Fund, LOTTE Holdings, Alexandria Venture Investments, and funds managed by abrdn, and existing shareholders, Novo Holdings A/S, Platanus, Bristol Myers Squibb, Digitalis Ventures, and Mission BioCapital.

Atlas Venture: $450 Million Fund XIV Closed To Invest In Biotech Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Atlas Venture—a leading early-stage venture capital firm investing in biotech innovation—announced closing its fourteenth fund, raising $450 million in an oversubscribed fundraise. Through Fund XIV, Atlas Venture will continue collaborating with talented entrepreneurs to found, seed, incubate, and invest in new biotech startups that will bring new medicines to patients.

Steno: $20 Million In Growth Capital Raised From Trinity Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Trinity Capital, a leading provider of diversified financial solutions to growth-oriented companies, announced the commitment of $20 million in growth capital to Steno, a provider of legal support and court reporting services.

Sightglass: AI-Based Investor Relations Platform Company Raises $3 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Sightglass, a new AI-based investor relations platform for the private markets, announced that it had raised a $3 million seed funding round led by Base10 Partners.

Celleste Bio: Cocoa-Tech Company Secures $4.5 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Celleste Bio, an early-stage cocoa-tech company, announced the closing of a $4.5 million seed funding round led by Supply Change Capital, with participation from Mondelēz International's SnackFutures Ventures, Consensus Business Group, The Trendlines Group, Barrel Ventures and Regba Agriculture. Supply Change Capital led the funding round.

Sollis Health: Concierge Medicine Provider Company Secures $33 Million (Series B)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Sollis Health, which is the first concierge medicine provider to offer its members 24/7 access to ER-level diagnostics and capabilities, announced the completion of a $33 million Series B funding round, led by Foresite Capital with participation from Torch Capital, Montage Ventures, Friedom Partners, Read Capital, and One Eight Capital, and others.

Pixeltable: AI Data Infrastructure Company Raises $5.5 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Pixeltable announced the launch of its open-source AI data infrastructure, backed by a $5.5 million seed round led by The General Partnership, with participation from Exceptional Capital, South Park Commons, Liquid 2, Serena Data ventures, and notable industry veterans like Michael Stoppelman (Angel Investor & Former SVP of Engineering at Yelp), Wes McKinney (Principal Architect, Posit), Bill Hsieh (Bridge Street Advisors), and Steven Mih (CEO Across AI, former CEO of Aviatrix, Alluxio, and Ahana).

Tractian: Manufacturing AI Leader Raises $120 Million (Series C)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Manufacturing AI leader Tractian secured $120 million in Series C funding led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from General Catalyst, Next47, and NGP Capital. This latest investment solidifies the Atlanta-based company as a key player in the industrial maintenance space.

AMP: AI-Based Waste Sortation Company Secures $91 Million (Series D)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

AMP Robotics, a leading provider of AI-powered sortation at scale for the waste and recycling industry, announced it had raised $91 million in corporate equity in a Series D funding round led by Congruent Ventures. This funding round featured participation from current and new investors, including Sequoia Capital, XN, Blue Earth Capital, Liberty Mutual Investments, California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), Wellington Management, Range Ventures, and Tao Capital Partners.

Ethyca: Data Privacy Engineering Company Closes $10 Million In Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2024

Ethyca, a leader in data privacy engineering, announced a $10 million funding round led by Aspenwood Ventures and AVP. They are joining Ethyca’s existing investors, Des Traynor (Cofounder, Intercom), Guillermo Rauch (CEO, Vercel), Scott Belsky (CSO, Adobe), and Kevin Hartz (Cofounder, Eventbrite). This investment will help Ethyca enhance key product capabilities and grow its team.

Nua Surgical: Ireland-Based Maternal Health Company Raises €6.5 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 7, 2024

EQT Life Sciences announced that the EQT Health Economics strategy has invested in Nua Surgical, an Irish medical device company that is innovating in maternal health. EQT Life Sciences led this €6.5 million Series A financing.