Venture Capital

Smack Technologies: $32 Million Raised For Frontier AI Lab Focused On U.S. National Security

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Smack Technologies, a frontier artificial intelligence lab focused on national security, announced that it has raised $32 million through a seed and Series A funding round to develop AI systems designed to support decision-making for the U.S. military and allied defense organizations.

Five Bells: Seed Financing Raised To Expand Digital Asset Post-Trade Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Five Bells, a digital asset post-trade infrastructure company, announced that it has closed a seed financing round led by Ego Death Capital, with participation from Timechain, Epoch, and Fulgur Ventures. The funding will support the expansion of the company’s software platform designed to automate trade confirmation, clearing workflows, settlement coordination, and risk mitigation processes across digital asset spot and derivatives markets.

Temple: $54 Million Raised For Elite Athlete Wearable Startup

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Temple, a wearable technology startup founded by entrepreneur Deepinder Goyal, has raised $54 million in its first funding round, according to a post by Goyal. The round was structured as a friends and family investment and values the company at approximately $190 million post-money.

Confido: $9 Million Raised For Embedded Financial Infrastructure For Law Firms And LegalTech Platforms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Confido, an embedded payments and financial infrastructure platform built for law firms and legal technology providers, announced that it has raised $9 million in financing across two rounds, with the latest round led by Aquiline Capital Partners. Additional investors participating in the financing include The LegalTech Fund, Breakwater Ventures, Live Oak Bank, and Context Ventures, which led the company’s initial round.

Nvidia: $2 Billion Investment In Lumentum To Advance AI Data Center Optics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Nvidia announced a multiyear strategic partnership with Lumentum Holdings to accelerate innovation in advanced optical technologies used in next-generation AI infrastructure. The collaboration will focus on research and development as well as manufacturing capacity needed to support rapidly expanding AI data center systems.

Kansas State University: $6 Million International Project To Develop AI ‘Smart Scout’ System For Crop Monitoring

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Kansas State University is leading an international research collaboration to develop an artificial intelligence-powered system designed to help soybean farmers detect crop problems earlier and estimate yields more accurately.

Adrianna Papell: Private Equity Investment To Expand Global Lifestyle Brand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

Adrianna Papell, a New York City–based designer of women’s special-occasion apparel, has received a strategic investment from Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital.

IntelliGRC: $3.5 Million Seed Round Raised For Cybersecurity GRC Platform For MSPs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 4, 2026

IntelliGRC, a cybersecurity governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platform designed for managed service providers (MSPs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs), announced it has closed a $3.5 million seed funding round. The investment, finalized on January 31, 2026, will support product innovation, expand artificial intelligence capabilities, and accelerate go-to-market efforts as the company scales its Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance as a Service (GRCaaS) platform.