Startups

ZaiNar: $100 Million Raised At $1 Billion Valuation For Physical AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

ZaiNar, a physical AI infrastructure company, has emerged from nine years in stealth with more than $100 million in funding at a valuation exceeding $1 billion. The company says it has developed a breakthrough platform that transforms existing wireless networks into a sensing system capable of continuously determining the precise location of devices and objects without relying on satellites, cameras, or additional device power and computing.

Peak XV Partners: $1.3 Billion Raised Across Three New Funds To Back Founders In India, APAC And Beyond

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Peak XV Partners announced it has closed $1.3 billion across three new funds focused on supporting exceptional founders in India, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The capital raise includes an India Seed Fund, an India Venture Fund and an APAC Fund, reinforcing the firm’s multi-stage investment strategy across early and growth phases.

Zero Homes: $16.8 Million Raised For Home Upgrade Technology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Zero Homes has raised $16.8 million in a Series A round to expand its digital platform that streamlines home upgrades for homeowners and contractors. The funding was led by Prelude Ventures, with participation from SJF Ventures, Watsco Ventures, and existing investors VoLo Earth Ventures, Overture VC, and FJ Labs.

Giant: $8 Million Seed Funding Raised For Interactive Storytelling Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Giant, an interactive storytelling platform that enables children to become cartoon characters and design their own worlds, has raised $8 million in seed funding. The round was led by Matrix, Decasonic, and Griffin Gaming Partners, with participation from Perceptive Ventures, Flex Capital, Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, and LightShed Ventures.

AlayaCare: $50 Million Growth Capital Raised From CIBC Innovation Banking

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

CIBC Innovation Banking has provided a $50 million growth capital facility to AlayaCare, a provider of home and community care software solutions, to support continued expansion and strategic acquisitions.

Vizzia: €30 Million Series B Raised For Public Safety Technology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Vizzia, a European public safety technology platform focused on sovereign video surveillance solutions for local authorities, has raised €30 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Base10 Partners, with continued support from Headline and SISTAFUND.

happyhotel: €6.5 Million Series A Closed For Revenue Management Software Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

happyhotel, a Germany-based revenue management software provider for independent hotels and hotel groups, has raised €6.5 million in Series A funding as it pivots from a traditional software platform toward a more autonomous AI-driven agent model. The round was led by Reimann Investors, with participation from existing backers including Start-up BW Innovation Fund, seed + speed Ventures, and Wecken & Cie.

Cognee: $7.5 Million Seed Funding Raised For Building Enterprise Grade Memory Layer For AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Berlin based AI infrastructure startup Cognee has announced it has raised $7.5 million in a seed funding round to scale its enterprise grade memory technology designed to help artificial intelligence systems retain structured, long term context. The round was led by Pebblebed, with participation from 42CAP and Vermilion Ventures, along with angel investors from Google DeepMind, n8n, and Snowplow.

Venice Security: $33 Million Funding Raised For Adaptive Privileged Access Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Venice Security, formerly known as Valkyrie, has officially launched with $33 million in total funding, including a $25 million Series A round, as it aims to modernize privileged access management for enterprises navigating increasingly complex, AI-driven environments.

Heron Power: $140 Million Series B Raised For Building Next-Generation Power Grid

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Heron Power announced it has closed $140 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of its solid-state transformer technology and expand U.S.-based manufacturing. The round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz through its American Dynamism Fund and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with participation from existing investors Capricorn Investment Group, Energy Impact Partners, Valor Atreides AI Fund, and Gigascale Capital.

Ubicquia: $106 Million Series D Raised To Accelerate Intelligent Infrastructure Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Ubicquia, a leader in AI-driven intelligent infrastructure solutions, announced the close of its $106 million Series D funding round. The investment was led by 67 Capital and Marunouchi Innovation Partners, with participation from existing investors Hamilton Lane, ClearSky, GMS, and strategic partner Sercomm.

Hypercore: $13.5 Million Series A Raised For Loan Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Hypercore, a loan management platform for private credit funds, announced it has raised $13.5 million in Series A funding led by Insight Partners. The capital will support the launch of the company’s AI Admin Agent, a new approach to loan servicing that integrates Hypercore’s loan management software with AI-driven agents to deliver end-to-end operational infrastructure for private credit funds.

Sirion Completes Majority Investment From Haveli Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Sirion announced the completion of a majority investment from Haveli Investments, marking a new phase of growth for the AI-native contract lifecycle management provider. The transaction had been previously announced in January.

Aalyria: $100 Million Series B At $1.3 Billion Valuation Raised For Aerospace Communications Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Aalyria announced it has closed a $100 million Series B financing round, valuing the company at $1.3 billion, as it looks to expand its next-generation communications infrastructure for space-based and high-mobility networks. The round was led by Battery Ventures and J2 Ventures, with participation from DYNE and other investors.

Humand: $66 Million Series A Raised For AI Workforce Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Humand has raised $66 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered operating system designed for the world’s 2.7 billion deskless workers. The round was co-led by Kaszek and Goodwater Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and notable technology founders including Arash Ferdowsi, Guillermo Rauch, Martin Varsavsky, and Rajat Suri.

7Rivers: $5 Million Series A Raised For Scaling AI-Driven Data Modernization Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

7Rivers, a technology services company focused on helping enterprises harness data and artificial intelligence, has completed a $5 million Series A investment led by Inoca Capital Partners, which took a minority stake in the business. The funding is aimed at accelerating the company’s AI-driven data modernization initiatives and expanding its role within the Snowflake ecosystem.

Coral Care: $13 Million Series A Raised For Expanding In-Home Care Nationwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Coral Care has raised $13 million in a Series A round to accelerate the expansion of its in-home pediatric therapy services nationwide. The funding was led by Haymaker Ventures, with participation from FCA Ventures and Peterson Ventures.

Sherpas: $3.2 Million Seed Funding Raised For AI Wealth Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Sherpas announced the close of a $3.2 million seed funding round to accelerate development of its AI-native operating layer for wealth management firms. The round was led by 1248, the family office of Mariner Wealth Advisors Founder and CEO Marty Bicknell, with major participation from AUA Private Equity Capital and GoHub Ventures, as well as strategic investors and advisory firms across the wealth management industry.

Phoenix Tailings: $40.2 Million Raised For Accelerating U.S. Production Of Rare Earth Metals

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Phoenix Tailings has closed a $40.2 million oversubscribed B-3 amplification round, bringing its total Series B funding to $116.6 million as the company accelerates the expansion of domestic rare earth metals production.

Pepper: $50 Million Series C Raised For Expanding Food Distribution Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Pepper, an end-to-end technology platform serving independent food distributors, has raised $50 million in Series C funding to expand its product innovation, deepen AI-enabled capabilities, and accelerate adoption across the food distribution ecosystem. The round was led by Lead Edge Capital, with participation from existing investors including ICONIQ, Index Ventures, Greylock, Harmony Partners, and Interplay.

Eagle Wireless: $30 Million Series B Raised For Expanding 5G R&D And Domestic Device Production

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Eagle Wireless, a U.S.-based cellular module manufacturer serving the IoT and automotive markets, announced it has raised $30 million in a Series B financing round co-led by Asymmetric Capital Partners and The O.H.I.O. Fund. The new funding brings Eagle Wireless’ total capital raised to $44 million and positions the company to expand its role as the global connectivity ecosystem transitions from 4G to 5G.

ElevenEs Secures Series B First Closing For Advancing 1GWh LFP Mega Factory In Serbia

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

ElevenEs announced it has completed the first closing of its Series B investment round, backed by Caterpillar Venture Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.. An affiliate of BST (HK) Ltd., a Hong Kong-based commodity trading house, also participated in the round.

Rizon: $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Closed To Bring Digital Dollars To Global Users

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Delaware-based fintech startup Rizon has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding as it aims to make digital dollars accessible and spendable for people around the world, no matter where they live. The funding round was led by Market One Capital and marks an early milestone in the company’s growth since its launch just five months ago.

Ubyx Raises Funding From Arab Bank Fintech Accelerator AB Xelerate

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

AB Xelerate, the fintech accelerator of Arab Bank, has made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a provider of clearing and acceptance infrastructure for tokenised deposits and regulated stablecoins, as regulated digital money moves from pilot initiatives to broader execution across global financial markets.

Badge: $17.1 Million Series A Raised For Wallet Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Badge, an operating platform for Apple and Google Wallets, has raised $17.1 million in funding to help businesses build and scale wallet-based customer experiences. The financing includes a $13.8 million Series A round led by TTV Capital with participation from Stripe, Synchrony Ventures, and Infinity Ventures, along with a previously unannounced $3.3 million seed round from QED Investors and Infinity Ventures. As part of the Series A investment, Lynne Laube, Venture Partner at TTV Capital and co-founder and former CEO of Cardlytics, has joined Badge’s board of directors.

Step Pharma Secures €2.5 Million EIC Grant To Advance Dencatistat In CTPS2 Null Gynaecological Cancers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Step Pharma has secured a €2.5 million blended finance grant from the European Innovation Council under the EIC Accelerator programme, with the award also including the potential for up to €10 million in equity investment. The funding will support the continued development of the company’s lead product, dencatistat, a first-in-class, highly selective, orally bioavailable CTPS1 inhibitor, for CTPS2 null ovarian and endometrial cancers.

Qumis: $4.3 Million Seed Funding Closed For Attorney-Trained AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Qumis, an attorney-trained AI platform focused on commercial insurance coverage intelligence, has raised $4.3 million in an oversubscribed seed round, bringing its total funding to $6.75 million. The round was led by MTech Capital, with new strategic investor American Family Ventures and participation from all prior investors.

Plato: $14.5 Million Seed Funding Closed For AI Operating System For Distributors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Plato, a company building an AI operating system for distributors, announced it has raised $14.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Atomico, with participation from Cherry Ventures, D11Z. Ventures, Discovery Ventures, and Lucid Capital.

Odynn: $9.5 Million Seed Funding Raised For AI Travel And Loyalty Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Odynn, an AI-powered platform that enables banks and fintechs to launch personalized travel and loyalty programs, has raised $9.5 million in seed funding led by Bonfire Ventures and co-led by Fiat Ventures. The company positions itself as the “AI Shopify for loyalty and travel,” helping financial institutions deploy personalized, branded travel portals in a matter of weeks rather than years.

Code Metal: $125 Million Series B Raised For Verifiable Code Translation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 21, 2026

Boston-based Code Metal, a company focused on verifiable code translation for mission-critical industries, has closed a $125 million Series B financing round led by Salesforce Ventures. Additional participants in the round include Accel, B Capital, Smith Point Capital, J2 Ventures, Shield Capital, Overmatch, RTX, and others. The company also announced that Ryan Aytay, former CEO of Tableau, has joined as President and Chief Operating Officer.