Startups

Standard Nuclear Raises $140 Million Series A And Begins Production Of Advanced HALEU TRISO Fuel

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Standard Nuclear announced it has raised $140 million in Series A funding and has begun production of advanced HALEU TRISO nuclear fuel, positioning the company to scale domestic supplies of a key fuel form used in next-generation reactors. The round was led by Decisive Point, with participation from new investors Chevron Technology Ventures, StepStone Group, and XTX Ventures. Standard Nuclear said the financing also included support from existing investors Welara, Fundomo, Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, and Crucible Capital, among others.

Lucend: $3.3 Million Seed Funding Closed And Rebrands From Coolgradient

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Lucend, formerly known as Coolgradient, has raised $3.3 million in Seed funding as it expands into the U.S. market with software designed to improve data center uptime and reliability while reducing energy and water consumption. The financing was led by Remarkable Ventures Climate (RVC) and included Mitsubishi Electric Innovation Fund, New Climate Ventures, Avesta, and Stepchange, with support from existing investor 4impact capital.

Mine: $14 Million Series A Raised To Launch MoneyGPT AI Money Agent And Rebrand From Fizz

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Mine, formerly known as Fizz, raised a $14 million Series A to support the launch of MoneyGPT, an AI-powered personal finance agent designed to help young adults feel more in control of their money as they navigate variable income, debt, and shifting financial goals. The round was led by 359 Capital, with participation from Kleiner Perkins and new investor FJ Labs, as well as existing backers Y Combinator and U.S. News & World Report. The financing brings Mine’s total capital raised to $28 million.

Barnwell Bio: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Bring Metagenomic Biosurveillance To Poultry Producers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Barnwell Bio, a precision animal health intelligence company, has raised $6 million in seed funding to scale a metagenomic biosurveillance system that provides poultry producers with earlier warning of emerging disease threats. The round was led by Twelve Below, with participation from Max Ventures, Dorm Room Fund, Banter Capital, Planeteer Capital, AgVentures Alliance, Daybreak Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and AgLaunch Farmers.

GlassPoint: $20 Million Funding Raised To Fuel Expansion Of Solar Industrial Process Heat

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

GlassPoint, a provider of solar industrial process heat, announced it has closed a $20 million funding round led by N.I.S. New Investment Solutions, a Liechtenstein-based asset manager, with participation from returning investor MIG Capital. The company said the financing will support global expansion and advance large-scale deployments in its pipeline, with a near-term focus on projects in the U.S. Southwest, Southern Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

Grid Aero: $20 Million Series A Raised To Scale Long-Range Autonomous Airlift

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Grid Aero, an aerospace startup building low-cost, autonomous aircraft for long-range operations, has raised $20 million in a Series A round co-led by Bison Ventures and Geodesic Capital. The financing also included participation from Stony Lonesome Group and Alumni Ventures, alongside returning investors Ubiquity Ventures, Calibrate Ventures, and Commonweal Ventures.

Upwind Raises $250 Million Series B To Scale Runtime First Cloud Security Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Upwind, a runtime-first cloud security company, has raised $250 million in Series B financing, bringing total funding to $430 million. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from Salesforce Ventures and Picture Capital, alongside existing investors including Greylock, Cyberstarts, Leaders Fund, Craft Ventures, TCV, Alta Park, Cerca Partners, Swish Ventures, and Penny Jar Capital.

Visitt: $22 Million Series B Raised To Build A Single AI Interface For Commercial Real Estate Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Visitt, an AI native property operations platform for commercial real estate, has raised $22 million in Series B funding led by Susquehanna Growth Equity, with participation from existing investors Vertex Ventures Israel, Anfield, and Sarona Ventures.

Yolando: $8.5 Million Raised From Drive Capital To Launch GEO And Competitive Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Yolando, a Toronto-based competitive intelligence and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform, said it has officially launched commercially after raising $8.5 million in total cumulative funding from Drive Capital. The company positions its software as a way for marketing teams to measure and improve how their brands appear in AI-generated answers, alongside traditional search visibility.

Epic Angels Backs Refurbi Seed Extension To Scale LATAM Refurbished Smartphone Ecosystem

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Epic Angels, the global all-female investor collective, has invested in Refurbi, a Colombia-founded company building a circular ecosystem for affordable, sustainable refurbished smartphones, as the startup raises a $4 million seed extension round across equity and debt.

MyARC: Over $2 Million Raised To Launch Next-Generation Platform For Fitness Creators

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

MyARC, a platform designed to help fitness creators train their communities at scale, announced the launch of a next-generation product to support, monetise, and grow creator-led fitness businesses. The company also disclosed a $2 million-plus funding round with participation from Araya Ventures, Morgan Stanley, Techstars, and G Fund.

Synthesia: $200 Million Series E At $4 Billion Valuation Raised To Expand AI Video And Agentic Workforce Training

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Synthesia, a London-headquartered AI video platform focused on helping organizations create and share knowledge, said it has raised a $200 million Series E round at a $4 billion valuation, positioning the company to accelerate product development aimed at enterprise learning, internal communications, and upskilling.

Everything: $6.9 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build A Unified Perps and Markets ‘Everything Exchange’ With Humanity Verification

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Everything, a Hong Kong-based startup positioning itself as an “everything exchange” spanning perpetual futures, spot markets, prediction markets, and payments, has raised a $6.9 million seed round as it builds a unified trading experience across Telegram, mobile, and web.

2150 Closes €210 Million Second Fund, Lifting AUM To €500 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Venture firm 2150 said it has reached a final close on its second fund at €210 million, bringing the firm’s total assets under management to €500 million as it continues investing in technology companies aimed at reshaping cities and the industries that power them.

Enechain: Japan Power Trading Startup Raises About $32 Million, Says Report

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 25, 2026

Japan power trading startup enechain has raised ¥5.05 billion (about $31.9 million) in an additional funding round to support business expansion. The round includes investors such as Soros Capital Management and Coreline Ventures, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. The person said the financing details have not yet been publicly disclosed.

Stream: $90 Million Series D Raised To Expand Workplace Finance Platform And Accelerate US Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Stream, the workplace finance provider formerly known as Wagestream, has raised $90 million in a Series D round, bringing total funding to $228 million. The company said the new capital will support its push to bring “fair financial tools” to more workers by expanding partnerships with employers and continuing to broaden its product suite.

Allocation Strategy: £1.6 Million Seed Funding Raised For Helping Portfolio Design

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Allocation Strategy announced it has raised £1.6 million in seed funding in a round led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from angel investors and industry experts. The company said the financing will be used to build and scale the business, expand its research and development, and accelerate the rollout of new solutions for institutional investors.

Overworld: $4.5 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised For Local-First Diffusion World Models

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Overworld (formerly Wayfarer Labs) has released a research preview of what it calls a local-first diffusion world model, an early and experimental system designed for researchers, engineers, and builders exploring how diffusion-based world models might run entirely on-device at frame rates suitable for play. The company framed the release as foundational work toward a broader platform, while cautioning that the preview does not yet reflect the level of visual fidelity, stability, or depth it plans to deliver publicly.

Shield Space: $2.7 Million Pre-Seed Closed To Advance Autonomous Space Control Capability

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Shield Space announced it has raised a $2.7 million pre-seed round to develop autonomous “Space Control” and counterspace capabilities designed to support NATO and allied forces, the company said in a LinkedIn post.

Antidote: $5 Million Seed Funding Closed To Automate Billing Compliance for Enterprise Law Firms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Antidote, a London-based legaltech company, has raised a $5 million Seed round led by Lakestar, with participation from Concept Ventures, The LegalTech Fund (TLTF), and a group of industry angels. The financing brings Antidote’s total capital raised to $7 million, following a $2 million pre-seed in 2025, and will be used to accelerate product development and expand in the U.S.

CoolSem Technologies Closes Pre-Seed Round To Advance Wafer-Level Thermal Management Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

CoolSem Technologies, an Eindhoven-based semiconductor thermal management startup, said it has closed a pre-seed financing round led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), with participation from KBC Focus Fund NV, the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), and TTT Green Tech B.V. (managed by SHIFT Invest). The company did not disclose the amount raised, but said the four-investor European syndicate provides a “solid runway” to move its technology from early concept toward customer-validated engineering samples.

Sparkli: $5 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised For A Multimodal AI-Native Learning Engine For Children

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Sparkli, a Zurich-based AI startup founded by former Google Area 120, Search, and YouTube team members, has raised a $5 million pre-seed round to build a multimodal AI native learning engine for children ages 5 to 12.

Helin: €10 Million Closed To Scale Industrial Edge Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Helin has secured a €10 million growth investment led by Amsterdam-based venture firm FORWARD.one as it looks to scale its industrial edge intelligence platform and expand internationally. The Rijswijk-based company, which provides edge computing and analytics technology for asset-heavy industries, said the round follows the securing of a loan from Rabobank and will be used to grow sales capacity and further develop its platform.

Balance Homes Relaunches With $30 Million Backing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Balance Homes has relaunched with a $30 million investment led by Falco Group, positioning its flexible co-ownership model as an alternative way for homeowners to access equity and stay in their homes amid rising affordability pressures.

Agileday: €6.4 Million Series A Raised To Modernize Professional Services Operations With AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Agileday, a Finnish technology company building a people-centric operating platform for professional services firms, has raised a €6.4 million Series A round to support international expansion and further develop its AI-driven product.

Baseten: $300 Million At $5 Billion Valuation Raised As Inference Becomes Core AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Baseten, an AI inference company focused on running modern models in production, has raised $300 million in new financing at a $5 billion valuation. IVP, CapitalG, and NVIDIA anchored the round, as demand accelerates for high-performance infrastructure that can reliably deploy and operate AI models at scale.

Juspay: $50 Million Series D Follow-On At $1.2 Billion Valuation Raised For Payments Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Juspay announced it has secured a $50 million Series D follow-on investment from WestBridge Capital to support global expansion, with the deal structured as a mix of primary and secondary capital that values the company at $1.2 billion.

TIC Holding Schweiz Takes Stake in Vibro-Consult To Expand Swiss Testing And Calibration Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

TIC Holding Schweiz AG has acquired a stake in Vibro-Consult AG, adding a Swiss market leader in vibration and machinery diagnostics to its growing platform of accredited testing, inspection, and calibration services.

Artie: $12 Million Series A Raised To Bring Real-Time Data Streaming To AI Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Artie, a fully managed real-time data streaming platform, has raised a $12 million Series A to help companies move from batch-based data movement to streaming-first infrastructure as AI systems shift from dashboards into live, decision-making production environments. The round was led by Dalton Caldwell at Standard Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Pathlight Ventures, and a group of angel investors, including Arash Ferdowsi, Benn Stancil, Chris Best, Charles Hearn, and Lenny Rachitsky.

Cubby: $63 Million Series A Raised To Expand AI-Native Self-Storage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Cubby has raised a $63 million Series A minority investment to accelerate the growth of its property management platform for self-storage operators, the company said. The round was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with existing investors also participating.