Startups

Elly: $8 Million Raised For AI-Native Hiring Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Elly, the AI-powered hiring platform developed by Recruit Tech Labs, has launched publicly alongside an $8 million funding round led by Sorenson Capital, with participation from Atomic and Next Wave Capital. As part of the investment, Rob Rueckert, partner at Sorenson Capital’s venture and growth funds, has joined Elly’s board of directors.

Chariot Defense: $34 Million Series A Raised To Scale Battlefield Power Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Chariot Defense, a defense technology company focused on next-generation battlefield power systems, announced it has raised $34 million in Series A funding, bringing its total funding to $41 million. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from DCVC, LMNT, Marlinspike, Overmatch, Shield Capital, Ensemble, and Trenches Capital. Existing investors General Catalyst and XYZ also joined the round.

Abram Scientific: $11.75 Million Series A Raised For Portable Coagulation Diagnostics Platform CoagCare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Abram Scientific announced it has secured $11.75 million in Series A financing to accelerate development of its proprietary portable coagulation diagnostics platform, CoagCare™. The round was led by global pharmaceutical company Octapharma AG, with additional participation from existing and new investors affiliated with the University of Colorado Anschutz.

Cicada: $13.5 Million Raised To Modernize Local-Currency Latin American Bond Trading

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Cicada, a U.S.-regulated electronic trading platform connecting institutional capital to local-currency markets in Latin America, announced it has raised $13.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Citi. The round included participation from the Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3) through its independent venture capital arm, L4, as well as Kaszek, Dila, and Crestone. The financing also includes a parallel strategic equity program aimed at anchoring liquidity through committed market makers, with leading Wall Street institutions joining as early participants.

Croissant: $28 Million Raised To Scale Intentional Commerce Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Croissant announced it has raised $28 million in capital to accelerate growth and deepen partnerships with leading brands and retailers, bringing its total capital raised to $52 million.

Profitmind: $9 Million Series A Raised For Retail Agentic AI Platform Led By Accenture Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Profitmind, an agentic AI decision intelligence platform built for retail teams, has raised $9 million in a Series A financing round led by Accenture Ventures. The round included participation from new investor Thorndale Farm, along with reinvestment from existing backers Magarac Venture Partners, AI Fund led by Profitmind Chairman Andrew Ng, and Lightscape Partners. Several individual investors also joined the round, including board member Mario Ciampi, former President of Disney Store and former COO of The Children’s Place.

Dytto Raises €1.5 Million Pre-Seed To Build AI Assistant For Accountants

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Dytto, a Ghent-based fintech startup focused on modernizing the accounting profession, has raised €1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Entourage and Fortino Ventures. The company is building an AI assistant designed to reduce administrative workloads for accountants and enable them to focus more on strategic financial advice.

Frankenburg Technologies: €30 Million Raised To Build Europe’s Next-Generation Missile Manufacturing Capacity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Frankenburg Technologies, a European defence technology startup focused on affordable, mass-manufacturable missile systems and sovereign production capacity, has raised €30 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Plural and followed by SmartCap, bringing the company’s total funding to €40 million.

VoiceLine: €10 Million Raised To Scale Enterprise-Grade Voice AI For Frontline Organizations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

VoiceLine has raised €10 million in a Series A funding round led by Alstin Capital and Peak, with participation from existing investors Scalehouse Capital, Venture Stars, and NAP. The company will use the capital to scale its AI platform, expand internationally, and accelerate growth across additional frontline-heavy industries, including pharma, medtech, food and beverage, insurance, and financial services.

Verley: €32 Million Series A Raised To Scale Precision-Fermented Whey Protein Ingredients

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Verley, a Lyon-based food and nutrition ingredient company developing high-performance whey proteins through precision fermentation, has secured an oversubscribed €32 million Series A round, including non-dilutive funding, four years after its founding. The round was led by Alven, with participation from existing investors Sofinnova and Sparkfood, alongside additional non-dilutive support from BPI France.

Evoke Security: $4 Million Pre-Seed Raised For Cybersecurity Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 25, 2026

Evoke Security, a cybersecurity startup focused on securing the agentic workforce, has raised $4 million in pre-seed funding led by Crosspoint Capital Partners, with participation from Red Cell Partners. The company said the capital will support its mission to provide security teams with visibility and control over AI agents operating across enterprise environments.