Startups

Armada: $230 Million Series B Raised To Scale Modular AI Infrastructure And U.S. AI Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Armada announced a $230 million oversubscribed Series B round at a $2 billion pre-money valuation to accelerate deployment of modular AI infrastructure and expand domestic manufacturing capacity for sovereign AI systems. The funding round was co-led by BlackRock, Overmatch, and 8090 Industries, and included participation from strategic investors including Johnson Controls, NightDragon, Mitsui, and Singtel Innov8.

Bunch: $35 Million Series B Raised By Private Markets Infrastructure Platform In Series B Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Bunch, a private markets infrastructure platform, has raised $35 million in Series B funding led by Portage, part of Sagard, with participation from Illuminate Financial.

Veriten: $105 Million Initial Close Announced For Fund II Focused On Energy And Industrial Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Veriten announced the initial close of its second flagship energy venture fund with more than $105 million in capital commitments. The fund is designed to accelerate scalable technology solutions across energy, power, and industrial applications.

Hellbender: $12.5 Million Seed Round Raised To Accelerate Domestic Manufacturing Of Physical AI And Launch On-Edge Camera Line

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Hellbender announced the closing of a $12.5 million seed funding round to accelerate domestic manufacturing capabilities and expand its edge AI hardware platform portfolio. The round was co-led by Magarac Venture Partners and Veredas Partners, with participation from Mana Ventures, Gaingels, Sum VC, and Active Angels Network.

Contrario: $2.3 Million Raised For AI Recruiting Platform That Hit $6 Million Annualized Revenue

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Contrario, an AI-native recruiting platform built for high-growth companies, officially launched after reaching $6 million in annualized revenue and paying more than $1 million to recruiters in under six months.

Texture: $12.5 Million Raised For Grid Software Platform For Utilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Texture, a grid software platform that gives utilities a unified view of every device and data source on their network, announced it has raised $12.5 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by VoLo Earth Ventures and Equal Ventures, with participation from Lerer Hippeau and Abstract Ventures.

BRAMI: $33 Million Series B Raised To Scale Italian Protein Pasta

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

BRAMI announced it has raised $33 million in Series B funding led by VMG Partners to expand manufacturing capacity, strengthen its supply chain, and accelerate national growth for its protein pasta business. Existing investors including La Molisana, Pentland Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, and Gather Ventures also participated in the round.

Rasa Legal: $1 Million Investment From NextLadder Ventures Added To $5 Million Seed Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 20, 2026

Rasa Legal announced a $1 million investment from NextLadder Ventures as part of the company’s previously announced $5 million late seed funding round.