Venture Capital

Celesta Capital: Anand Chandrasekaran Joins As Managing Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2024

Celesta Capital, a global deep tech venture capital firm, announced that technology investor and product leader Anand Chandrasekaran has joined as a Managing Partner. Chandrasekaran has over 20 years of experience identifying transformative startups and founding and scaling global companies. He previously served as a Partner at General Catalyst and a product leader at Meta, Five9, Bharti Airtel, Snapdeal, and others.

Evinced: AI-Based Digital Accessibility Company Raises $55 Million (Series C)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2024

Evinced—a leading software company powering accessible web and mobile development—announced it has raised $55 million in Series C funding, bringing its total funding to $112 million. The funding round was led by existing investor Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors M12 (Microsoft's venture fund), BGV, Capital One Ventures, and Engineering Capital. Evinced also welcomed a new investor, Vertex Ventures.

Sublime: AI-Based Email Security Company Raises $60 Million (Series B)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2024

Sublime Security - an AI-based email security platform - announced it had raised $60 million in Series B funding, bringing the company's total funding to $93.8 million. The current funding round was led by IVP, with participation from new investor Citi Ventures and existing investors Index Ventures, Decibel Partners, and Slow Ventures. The latest funding round will support continued investment in Sublime's platform and community.

Eureka Robotics: $10.5 Million (Series A) Raised To Help Factories Automate Work

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2024

Singapore-based company Eureka Robotics has announced it raised a $10.5 million Series A round led by B Capital with participation from new investors Airbus Ventures, Maruka Corporation, G. K. Goh Ventures, and returning investors UTEC and ATEQ.

Emory University Collaborating With Techstars For Launching Pre-Accelerator Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2024

Pre-seed investor firm Techstars announced it is partnering with The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation, and Goizueta Business School’s Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation to launch the Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst Program.

Pollo Tropical: $230 Million Credit Facility Secured

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2024

Comvest Credit Partners - a leading provider of flexible direct financing solutions to middle-market companies - announced that it is acting as an administrative agent on a new $230 million senior secured credit facility for Pollo Tropical, a Miami-based quick-service restaurant chain specializing in Latin-Caribbean-style cuisine.

Prezent.AI Raises $7.3 Million From True Global Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

True Global Ventures (TGV) Opportunity Fund, a venture capital firm focused on transformative AI and Blockchain applications, announced a $7.3 million investment in Prezent AI. Prezent AI is a fast-growing company that is transforming enterprise business communication through AI-based storytelling solutions.

Azimuth AI: Edge Computing Silicon Company Secures $11.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

Azimuth AI, a company that produces highly customized silicon products for edge and embedded computing markets, announced it has closed a $11.5 million venture round. Moneta Ventures, a Sacramento-based venture capital firm, co-led the funding round, which another local Sacramento firm, Growth Factory, also joined. Azimuth's seed round investor, AUM Ventures, a venture capital firm based in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), also re-invested in this round.

Intersect Power: Over $800 Million Raised And Strategic Partnership With Google And TPG

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

Intersect Power announced a strategic partnership with Google and TPG Rise Climate (TPG) to offer scaled renewable power and storage solutions to new data centers. This partnership is designed to deliver gigawatts of new data center capacity across the US. By the decade's end, Intersect Power will catalyze a targeted $20 billion in renewable power infrastructure investment.

HiringBranch: C$5 Million (Series A) Raised For Scaling Soft Skills AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

HiringBranch, a leading AI-based soft skills assessment platform, announced that it raised C$5 million in Series A funding. Crédit Mutuel Equity led the round, which included participation from Export Development Canada and Anges Québec.

Wavegate: Neuromodulation Technology Company Reveals $26 Million (Series A) Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

Wavegate, a pioneering developer of neuromodulation technology for chronic pain management, announced it has secured a lead investor in their $26 million Series A funding round led by UCEA Capital Partners, a London-based investment firm. This funding will accelerate the development of Wavegate's proprietary Ellipse platform, featuring StimuLux technology, designed to provide breakthrough therapeutic solutions for chronic pain patients.

Kaymbu: Classroom Engagement Company Raises Growth Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

Kaymbu - a leading classroom documentation and family engagement platform for early childhood education - announced it has landed a growth funding package from Decathlon Capital Partners. This revenue-based financing package will support Kaymbu's continued investment in platform development, expansion of client service capabilities, and new customer growth. The details of the revenue-based funding transaction were not disclosed.

Ayar Labs: $155 Million Secured At $1+ Billion Valuation To Address Needs For Cost-Effective AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

Ayar Labs, a leader in optical interconnect solutions for large-scale AI workloads, announced it has secured $155 million in funding led by Advent Global Opportunities and Light Street Capital to break down the AI bottleneck of data movement with its optical I/O technology. This brings the total funding to $370 million and raises the company’s valuation to above $1 billion.

Silent Push: Preemptive Cybersecurity Intelligence Company $10 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 12, 2024

Silent Push - a leading preemptive cybersecurity intelligence company - announced a $10 million Series A funding round co-led by Ten Eleven Ventures and Stepstone Group LP. This and its early seed round bring its total funding to $22 million.

eSelf: $4.5 Million (Seed) Closed To Create Face-To-Face Conversational AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

eSelf - a platform for businesses to create face-to-face conversational AI agents - announced the official launch of their solution along with $4.5 million in seed funding. The funding round was led by Explorer Investments, with participation from Ridge Ventures and strategic angel investors, including Eyal Manor (former VP of Engineering at YouTube and Chief Product & Engineering Officer at Twilio).

Stigg: $17.5 Million (Series A) Raised For Modernizing Software Monetization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

Stigg, which is the first unified monetization platform for engineers, announced $17.5 million in series A funding, led by Red Dot Capital Partners, with participation from Unusual Ventures, Emerge Ventures, Redseed, and Cerca Partners. This funding brings the company's total funding to $24 million.

Flare: Threat Exposure Management Company Raises $30 Million (Series B)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

Flare, a global leader in Threat Exposure Management (TEM), announced its $30 million Series B Round led by Base10 Partners with participation from Inovia Capital, White Star Capital, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ.

Fleet: Australia-Based Space Exploration Company Raises $100 Million (Series D) Raised At $525 Million Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

Fleet Space Technologies - which is Australia's leading space exploration company - announced the closing of a $100M Series D funding round led by Teachers' Venture Growth (TVG), the late-stage venture and growth investment arm of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, and joined by existing investors Blackbird Ventures, Hostplus, Horizons Ventures, Artesian Venture Partners, and Alumni Ventures.

Monarch Private Capital Reveals Impact Across South Carolina Through Nearly 100 Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

Monarch Private Capital - an impact investment firm that develops, finances, and manages a diversified portfolio of projects generating federal and state tax credits - announced its impact across South Carolina through nearly 100 investments spanning Anderson to Rock Hill and Greenville to Charleston.

GameAbove Entertainment: Matt Shepard Named As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

GameAbove Entertainment has appointed Matt Shepard as its new CEO. Shepard, a renowned sports executive and broadcaster, brings decades of experience in the sports and entertainment world to this leadership role.

ProvLabs: Blockchain Infrastructure Company Raises Seed Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2024

ProvLabs, a provider of blockchain infrastructure technology solutions that enable real-world assets to be deployed at scale, announced it has completed a seed round fundraising and carve-out from Provenance Blockchain Foundation.