Venture Capital

Essenvia: Regulatory Submission Management Raises $4 Million

By Dan Anderson ● May 14, 2023

Essenvia - a pioneer in regulatory submission management for the MedTech industry - announced it closed $4M in Pre Series A financing led by Benhamou Global Ventures and Wavemaker360 with participation from existing investors First Rays, Rebright partners, as well as Pasadena Angels. And the company announced the appointment of Wavemaker360 partner Kwame Ulmer and BGV Partner Yashwanth Hemaraj to Essenvia's board of directors.

Origin Investments: Over $300 Million Raised For Final Close Of QOZ Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2023

Origin Investments - a leading real estate fund manager - announced the final close of Origin Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund II (QOZ Fund II) after raising over $300 million which follows raising more than $264 million for Origin Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund I (QOZ Fund I). And with that level of fundraising achieved, Origin ranks in the top 2% of QOZ managers that report equity raised, according to proprietary industry research by Novogradac.

Fedi: Financial And Data Technology Company Secures $17 Million

By Noah Long ● May 14, 2023

Fedi - a U.S.-based developer of community-empowering financial and data technology - announced that it has raised $17 million in a Series A funding round and the company is set to pre-launch an alpha version of Fedi for builders later this month.

Pando: Supply Chain Software Company Secures $30 Million

By Annie Baker ● May 12, 2023

Supply chain software company Pando recently announced it raised $30 million in a Series B funding round.

Embr Labs: $35 Million Secured For Treating Menopause Symptoms

By Noah Long ● May 12, 2023

Embr Labs - the company behind Embr Wave, the leading wearable to treat the symptoms of menopause - announced that it has raised $35 million via intellectual property (IP)-based debt financing.

Novidea: Insurtech Company Secures $50 Million In Series C

By Annie Baker ● May 12, 2023

Novidea - a company that is known as the creator of a born-in-the-cloud and data-driven platform optimizing the entire insurance policy and distribution lifecycle - announced that it has raised $50 million in Series C funding.

Healthy.io: $50 Million Raised To Turn Smartphones Into Clinical-Grade Devices

By Noah Long ● May 10, 2023

Healthy.io - a global leader in transforming the smartphone camera into a clinical-grade device - announced that it completed a $50 million investment. This Series D funding round was led by Schusterman Family Investments and is joined by Aleph and other existing shareholders.

Sourcepass: $65 Million Raised And Proxios Acquisition

By Annie Baker ● May 9, 2023

Sourcepass - an industry-leading IT Services and Cybersecurity provider - recently announced an additional $65 million in funding, bringing their total funding to $135 million. This investment will be used to advance their groundbreaking strategic initiatives. Sourcepass also announced the successful acquisition of Proxios

Horizon Capital: Over $250 Million In Commitments Raised With A Focus On Ukraine

By Annie Baker ● May 9, 2023

Horizon Capital Growth Fund IV (HCGF IV) announced recently that it exceeded a target size, doubling commitments to $254 million and becoming the 1st fund in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to be awarded 2X Flagship Fund status, 1 of circa 10 funds globally who have achieved this distinction, and 1 of only 2 such funds who are women-founded and women-led. This fund will provide growth capital to back visionary entrepreneurs in Ukraine and Moldova. HCGF IV is being managed by Horizon Capital, a U.S. private-equity firm investing in fast-growing tech and export-oriented companies in Ukraine and the near region, and led by Founding Partner and CEO Lenna Koszarny.

Vera Equity: $20 Million In Commitments Raised

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2023

Vera Equity - a venture capital firm supporting early-stage companies through its unique access to talent - announced it has raised a $20 million fund and invested in 20 innovative fintech startups to date. The firm was co-founded by Michael Vaughan, former COO at Venmo; Jonathan Pomeranz, True Search partner and co-head of the Financial Services Practice; and True co-CEOs Joe Riggione and Brad Stadler.

UC Davis Health Researchers Receives AHA Grant As Part Of $13 Million Initiative

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2023

UC Davis Health researchers have received an American Heart Association grant to study chronic stress and cardiovascular disease in underserved communities. And a team of UC Davis Health scientists is establishing a new research center to study the impact of stress from everyday life on heart health in underserved communities.

Firmbase: Financial Planning And Analysis Company Secures $12 Million

By Dan Anderson ● May 9, 2023

Firmbase announced it has emerged from stealth and announced $12 million in funding for its Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) platform. This funding round was led by S Capital with participation from Meron Capital and a group of unicorn startup founders and angel investors.

University Of Southern California Announces Over $1 Billion Initiative For Computing Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2023

USC President Carol Folt recently announced a $1 billion-plus initiative for computing research and education across disciplines with a focus on AI, machine learning and data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming, and blockchain.

Scale VC Closes Fund II With $5 Million In Commitments

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2023

Scale VC - a Missouri-based venture capital fund and studio investing monetary and social capital in early-stage tech founders - announced it is expanding its support with a $5 million Fund II, the largest venture capital fund raised in the city to date.

Convergent Therapeutics: $90 Million Raised For Advancing Development Of Radiopharmaceuticals To Treat Prostate Cancer And Other Solid Tumors

By Noah Long ● May 9, 2023

Convergent Therapeutics - a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of next-generation radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer - announced the completion of a $90 million Series A financing, led by OrbiMed and RA Capital Management with participation from Invus.

Carnegie Mellon University Leading NSF AI Institute For Societal Decision Making With $20 Million Commitment

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2023

The advancement of artificial intelligence and its integration into crisis response can impact society and help save lives. But to actually be effective, artificial intelligence researchers, social scientists, decision-makers, and the public must understand and trust these tools. Led by Carnegie Mellon University, the AI Institute for Societal Decision Making (AI-SDM) is going to improve the response to societal challenges such as disaster management and public health by developing human-centric AI tools to assist with critical decisions. The institute is also going to develop interdisciplinary training to bolster effective and rapid responses in uncertain and dynamic situations. The AI-SDM is 1 of 7 AI institutes awarded today by the National Science Foundation. And a 5-year $20 million commitment from the NSF will support the institute.

Genemod: $4.5 Million Secured For Workspace Collaboration Platform

By Annie Baker ● May 9, 2023

Genemod - a cloud-based workspace collaboration software for biopharma R&D teams - announced it raised $4.5 million in seed funding co-led by defy.vc and LDV Partners, with participation from Dolby Family Ventures and Vulcan/Cercano Ventures.

Pluto Biosciences: $3.7 Million Secured For Life Sciences SaaS Platform

By Dan Anderson ● May 9, 2023

Pluto Biosciences - a life sciences software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform - announced the closing of a $3.7 million seed round led by Silverton Partners. This funding round will fuel the expansion of Pluto's innovative platform, which gives scientific teams both a unified home for managing their biological data, and an industry-first and interactive canvas for analyzing and visualizing complex biological data sets using no-code computational biology pipelines.

Slash: Online Banking Platform Company Raises $19 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2023

Slash - an online banking platform for the hustle economy - announced recently that it emerged from stealth with $19 million in seed and Series A funding. The seed and Series A funding rounds were led by NEA with additional participation from Menlo Ventures, Connect Ventures, Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Global Founders Capital, with participation from angel investors William Hockey, the founder of Plaid, and Justin Mateen, co-founder and former CMO of Tinder.

Instruqt: Product Growth Platform Closes €15 Million In Series A

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2023

Instruqt – a product-led growth platform company that helps customers bring their products to life through engaging and interactive demos and training – announced it has raised €15 million in a Series A round led by Blossom Capital.

SuperDuperSecret Co.: Over $1 Million Raised To Build Out Battle Royale Chess

By Annie Baker ● May 8, 2023

SuperDuperSecret Co. announced it successfully raised over $1 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round. The investors include Round 13 Digital Asset Fund, Merit Circle, Polygon Ventures, Solana Foundation, LD Capital, Overwolf, Big Brain Holdings, and angel investors such as Sebastien Borget, Gabby Dizon, and Cristian Manea, among several others. The company’s launch title, Royale Chess—a 10-player, battle royale chess game—marks the first of many games across their underlying meta-game platform, focusing on multiplayer, evergreen games.

Viatu: $1 Million Raised To Simplify Booking Multi-Day Sustainable Travels

By Noah Long ● May 8, 2023

Viatu - a travel company utilizing API and data-driven technology to simplify the booking process of multi-day sustainable adventures - announced it has raised a $1 million seed round led by Ndoto LLC. The participants in the round include Austrian sustainable travel marketplace ASI Reisen and a number of prominent angels like ex-Uber and founder of Ambo Ventures and Kenyan-based lodge Emboo Camp, Loic Amado. Viatu has raised $1.2 million so far.

Entendre Finance: $4 Million Raised For Automated Accounting Solution For Web3 Businesses

By Noah Long ● May 8, 2023

Entendre Finance announced it has raised $4 million in seed financing to launch the first fully automated end-to-end accounting and bookkeeping solution for businesses operating in Web3. Led by Basis Set and with participation from Valhalla, Caffeinated, Moonpay, Alumni, MDig, and Alpine, Entendre built a platform that modern finance teams can use to put blockchain financial operations on autopilot.

Kindbody: $25 Million Raised For Expanding Access To Fertility

By Annie Baker ● May 8, 2023

Morgan Health - the JPMorgan Chase & Co. business unit focused on improving the quality, equity, and affordability of employer-sponsored health care - announced recently a $25 million investment in Kindbody, a leading fertility clinic network, and global family-building benefits provider for employers offering the full spectrum of reproductive care from preconception to postpartum through menopause. Dr. Cheryl Pegus, a Managing Director with Morgan Health Ventures, will be joining Kindbody’s Board of Directors.

Campus.edu: $29 Million Secured To Make Community College More Accessible

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2023

Campus.edu - a company transforming higher education by making community college accessible across the country - recently announced it has opened enrollment with $29 million in funding from Discord founder Jason Citron; OpenAI founder Sam Altman; Figma founder Dylan Field; former head of Stripe Issuing Lachy Groom; Bloomberg Beta; Founders Fund; Rethink Education; Reach Capital and Precursor Ventures among other investors.

Initial Therapeutics: $75 Million Closed For Launching A New Drug To Stop Difficult-To-Drug Protein Target Formation

By Annie Baker ● May 8, 2023

Apple Tree Partners (ATP) - a leader in life sciences venture capital - announced the launch of Initial Therapeutics, a biotechnology company created to make medicines that block notoriously difficult-to-drug protein targets with a new mode of action: selective termination of protein synthesis (STOPS). Initial was developed by ATP with $75 million in Series A funding.

Tristero: $4.8 Million Raised To Develop Technology For Enabling Decentralized Dark Pools

By Dan Anderson ● May 8, 2023

Tristero - a company working toward developing decentralized dark pool technology to create a fairer trading environment - announced the launch of their company supported by a $4.8M Seed round co-led by General Catalyst and Steel Perlot. And the company will be using the funding to build markets designed to minimize the price impact of trades, an invisible cost to all market participants.

Impact Nano: Advanced Materials Supplier Company Raises $32 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 7, 2023

Impact Nano L.L.C. - a U.S.-based chemical manufacturing company enabling sustainable computing with advanced materials - announced that it has raised $32 million in total funding in successive rounds from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Intel Capital, and other investors. In conjunction with the latest funding round, Sean Doyle, managing director of Intel Capital will join the board of directors.

Inbox Health: Patient Billing Communications Company Raises $22.5 Million

By Annie Baker ● May 6, 2023

Inbox Health - a leading patient billing communications platform - announced that it has completed a $22.5 million Series B financing round, bringing the total capital raised to over $43 million since inception. The Series B funding round was led by Ten Coves Capital with participation from existing investors including Commerce Ventures, CT Innovations, Vertical Venture Partners, Healthy Ventures, and Fairview Capital.

Kinnos: $15 Million Raised To Meet The Commercial Demand Of Novel Color Additives For Disinfection Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 6, 2023

Kinnos - the maker of Highlight, a novel technology that colorizes disinfectants - announced a $15 million financing led by a group of current and former industry leaders. And the company also named healthcare veteran Steve Fanning as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors.