Venture Capital

iCOUNTER: $30 Million Series A Raised For Cybersecurity Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 20, 2025

Apollo Information Systems has announced the launch of iCOUNTER, a cyber risk intelligence company led by John Watters, a pioneer in cyber threat intelligence. iCOUNTER focuses on delivering precision risk intelligence to protect customers in the SLED, SMB, and enterprise sectors from targeted attacks.

Substack: $100 Million Series C Raised At Reported $1.1 Billion Valuation For Newsletter Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 20, 2025

Substack has announced that it has raised $100 million in Series C funding, led by investors at BOND and The Chernin Group (TCG), with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Rich Paul (CEO and founder of Klutch Sports Group), and Jens Grede (CEO and co-founder of SKIMS).

Mantis VC: $100 Million Third Fund Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 20, 2025

Mantis VC, a venture capital firm co-founded by Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, members of the musical group The Chainsmokers, has raised $100 million in commitments for its third fund. This amount marks a $20 million increase from the previous Fund II, which raised $80 million. With this new fund, Mantis VC now manages a total of $225 million across all three funds.

EPR Fireworks: Strategic Growth Investment Raised For Advancing Fire And EMS Software Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

EPR Fireworks, a leading provider of cloud-based records management solutions for fire and EMS services, has secured growth capital from Frontier Growth, a SaaS-focused equity firm with expertise in government technology. This partnership will help EPR enhance its platform and develop new industry solutions while the founding team retains majority ownership.

Paddle: $25 Million Secured For Merchant Of Record Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Paddle, a leading Merchant of Record for digital products, has raised $25 million from CIBC Innovation Banking to support global expansion and product development. This funding follows a total of $293 million in previous investments from firms such as FTV Capital and KKR.

Confident Security: $4.2 Million Raised To Enable Provably Private AI Interactions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Confident Security, a company focused on private AI interactions, has launched with $4.2 million in funding from Decibel, South Park Commons, Ex Ante, and Swyx. With AI managing sensitive data, such as medical records and trade secrets, privacy is a critical concern.

Apple Pledges $500 Million To MP Materials

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Apple pledged $500 million to MP Materials, the U.S.'s only fully integrated rare earth producer. This multi-year deal involves purchasing American-made rare earth magnets from MP's Independence facility in Texas. They will also develop a rare earth recycling line in Mountain Pass, California, and create new magnet materials and technologies to improve performance. As part of Apple’s plan to invest over $500 billion in the U.S. over four years, this initiative builds on its history of supporting American innovation and promoting tech recycling.

JA Mining: $17 Million Series A Raised For Expanding Green Mining Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Ja Mining, a blockchain infrastructure company, has closed a $17 million Series A round, funded by investors with experience in blockchain and renewable energy. The money will expand renewable-powered cloud mining across North America, Europe, and Asia.

SL Green: Over $1 Billion Raised For Opportunistic Debt Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

SL Green Realty, Manhattan’s largest office landlord, announced it had surpassed its $1 billion goal for the SLG Opportunistic Debt Fund. The fund, backed by global institutional investors including pension funds and insurance companies, received over $500 million in new commitments this week, with more expected soon.

Governor Whitmer Reveals Michigan Advanced Air Mobility Initiative

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new executive order establishing the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative to expand Michigan’s AAM capabilities, ensure safe integration across sectors, and position the workforce, manufacturers, and infrastructure as national assets. Four projects will receive over $4.1 million to support AAM research and infrastructure through the second round of the AAM Activation Fund.

SAHAM BANK: €55 Million Raised From EBRD To Invest In Morocco

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

SAHAM BANK has reaffirmed its commitment to green finance through a partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), under the Green Economy Financing Facility Plus (GEFF Plus). Supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), EU, and Canada’s HIPCA fund, the initiative will mobilize €55 million for SAHAM BANK through two credit lines to boost Morocco’s private sector green transition.

ghSMART: Significant Minority Investment Raised From KKR

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

ghSMART (a global leadership advisory firm) and KKR (a global investment firm) announced that KKR funds will acquire a significant minority stake in ghSMART. The firm partners with CEOs, boards, and investors to develop effective leadership teams and support high-stakes decisions. ghSMART’s founder, partners, and employees will retain majority ownership, while CEO Jeff McLean and the current management team continue to lead. The financial details weren't disclosed.

The Riverside Company: Value Fund II Closed At $750 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Global investment firm The Riverside Company announced the final close of its Riverside Value Fund II (RVF II) at $750 million, more than doubling its predecessor RVF I, which closed at $350 million in June 2023. RVF II, launched in February 2025, was significantly oversubscribed and closed five months later.

re:cap: €125 Million Raised For Scaling Capital OS

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

re:cap, a Berlin-based fintech firm known for its Capital Operating System (Capital OS), is expanding into the UK market and has secured a €125 million credit facility from HSBC Innovation Banking and Avellinia Capital. This funding will enable the company to offer more flexible financing options to tech firms.

Flyer One Ventures: €50 Million Fund V Launched For Investing In Ukrainian Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Ukrainian venture capital firm Flyer One Ventures has launched Fund V, a €50 million fund, with significant backing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This fund will focus on early-stage tech companies in Ukraine and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

BrightAI: $51 Million Raised For Bringing AI Into The Physical World

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

BrightAI, a company specializing in integrating AI into physical infrastructure, has raised $51 million in Series A funding, co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital. With previous funding from Upfront Ventures, BrightAI's total funding now stands at $78 million.

Ballmer, Gates, Stand Together, Valhalla, And John Overdeck Partnering To Launch NextLadder Ventures With Over $1 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

A coalition of foundations and philanthropists, including the Ballmer Group, Gates Foundation, Stand Together, Valhalla Foundation, and John Overdeck, has launched NextLadder Ventures, a $1 billion initiative aimed at expanding economic opportunities for low-income individuals.

Keystone Agency: Majority Stake Acquired By Warburg Pincus

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Warburg Pincus, a global leader in private equity growth investing, plans to acquire a majority stake in Keystone Agency Partners, a prominent insurance broker network. While financial details remain undisclosed, the investment aims to boost Keystone's innovation and expansion. Bain Capital, which launched Keystone in 2020, will retain a minority stake through a new investment from Bain Capital Insurance.

Hadrian: $260 Million Raised For Building AI-Based Factories For America

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Hadrian, an advanced manufacturing company specializing in AI-powered factories for the American defense sector, has announced the acquisition of $260 million in capital. This investment will facilitate significant expansions in California and Arizona, adding nearly five football fields of manufacturing space. The funds will enhance research and development (R&D) capabilities and create specialized teams for shipbuilding and naval defense.

TechVision: Fund II Closed At Over €50 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

TechVision Fund (TVF) II has successfully completed its final closing, raising over €50 million. As the fourth generation of venture capital funds managed by TVF Management GmbH, TVF II focuses on investing in tech startups at the pre-seed and seed stages, primarily in the Rhineland/North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region and the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (Netherlands/Belgium).

Q.ANT: €62 Million Secured For Photonic Processing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Q.ANT, a leader in photonic processing, has secured €62 million in a Series A financing round to accelerate the commercialization of its energy-efficient photonic processors for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). The funding was co-led by Cherry Ventures, UVC Partners, and imec.xpand, includes participation from various deep tech investors. This significant investment aims to transform AI computing.

Exein: €70 Million Series C Raised For Building Digital Immune System For IoT Devices

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 19, 2025

Exein, a leader in embedded IoT security, has secured €70 million in a Series C funding round to advance its mission of developing a digital immune system for connected devices, providing real-time security solutions. The funding, led by Balderton with contributions from Supernova, Lakestar, and previous investors, will enable Exein's global expansion into key markets, including the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Receive: $4 Million Seed Funding Raised For Democratizing Financial Access For SMBs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

Receive, a fintech startup focused on democratizing financial access for small businesses, has emerged from stealth mode with a $4 million seed funding round led by NGVP, raising its total funding to $7.1 million. Supported by investors like Blank Ventures and Insight Partners, Receive addresses issues such as delayed payouts and high capital costs that hinder SMB growth.

Blockskye: $15.8 Million Secured For Overhauling Corporate Travel

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

Blockskye, a global travel infrastructure company focused on modernizing enterprise travel, has raised $15.8 million in a funding round led by Blockchange, with participation from United Airlines Ventures, Lightspeed Faction, and others.

Stratos Wealth: Strategic Investment Raised From SEI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

SEI and Stratos Wealth Holdings have announced a partnership aimed at helping financial advisors expand their practices. SEI will make a strategic investment in Stratos, which supports financial advisors across various business models.

LeadStory: $2.75 Million Seed Funding Raised For Advanced AI Video Search Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

LeadStory, an innovative on-demand news streaming platform, has secured $2.75 million in Seed funding to enhance its AI-driven video search functionality and expand its global audience of 10 million.

Teletactica: $1.5 Million Raised For Scaling Advanced Communication Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

Teletactica, a Ukrainian DefenseTech company specializing in jamming-resistant communication systems, has secured a $1.5 million investment from MITS Capital and Green Flag Ventures. MITS Capital is an investment group focused on Ukrainian defense innovation, and this funding round builds on Teletactica's participation in the MITS Acceleration Program and a previous pre-seed round.

BroadStreet Partners: Strategic Investment Raised For Insurance Brokerage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

BroadStreet Partners, a leading middle-market insurance brokerage, has completed a strategic investment led by Ethos Capital, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), and White Mountains Insurance Group.

TEDCO: Collide Capital Picked To Support Investment Of Allocated SSBCI Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

TEDCO, Maryland's economic development engine, has chosen Collide Capital as an early-stage venture capital fund manager to manage and invest up to $10 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury's State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funding.

AWAKE Chocolate: C$8 Million Secured For Caffeine Alternative

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 18, 2025

AWAKE Chocolate, known for its delicious caffeinated chocolate bites and bars, has successfully raised C$8 million in its latest investment round. This includes C$5 million from Btomorrow Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of British American Tobacco, and C$3 million from BDC Capital. The latest funding round boosts AWAKE's total investment to C$15.5 million.