Venture Capital

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.

KPS Capital Partners to Buy Control Of Novacel From Chargeurs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

KPS Capital Partners announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Novacel, the surface protection solutions business currently owned by Compagnie Chargeurs Invest SA. Chargeurs will reinvest alongside KPS and retain a 25% ownership interest in the company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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.

Hivemind And CPIC IMHK Partner To Launch $500 Million Real-World Asset Tokenization Fund Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 26, 2026

Hivemind Capital announced it has formed a strategic partnership with CPIC Investment Management to build a fund platform focused on tokenizing select real-world assets for institutional and other eligible non-retail counterparties, with an initial target capacity of up to $500 million.

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.

Santa Barbara Venture Partners: Interview With Founder & Managing Partner Dan Engel

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Santa Barbara Venture Partners is a Santa Barbara-based venture capital firm that invests in software companies and helps portfolio companies accelerate marketing and customer acquisition through its 100+ LP expert network. The VC firm has a unique approach to VC in that it believes in producing ongoing liquidity and cash distributions for its Limited Partners, and has already completed eight successful exits after just five and a half years, a huge industry outlier in terms of performance. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Santa Barbara Venture Partners Founder and Managing Partner Dan Engel to gain a deeper understanding of the firm.

Sakana AI Announces Strategic Partnership With Google

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

Sakana AI announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with Google following its Series B round, and that Google is also making a financial investment in the company to further strengthen the relationship.

NPHarvest Selected For Business Finland Deep Tech Accelerator With Up To €1.2 Million Funding Pathway

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

NPHarvest, a Finnish cleantech company developing fertilizer inputs from liquid waste streams, has been selected for up to €1.2 million in funding through Business Finland’s Deep Tech Accelerator program, a competitive initiative designed to help research-driven companies scale internationally based on technical depth and readiness for global commercialization.

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.

UConn Tech Commercialization Sets 2025 Records For Disclosures, Startup Funding, And Licensing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

UConn’s Technology Commercialization Services reported a record year in fiscal 2025, posting higher invention disclosures, more licensing activity, and increased startup fundraising and revenue despite a tougher national innovation environment.

Inspirit Equity Acquires Majority Stake In Facility Services Provider Sizemore

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

FlexTecs Raises Strategic Investment From Cohere Capital To Expand Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

FlexTecs, a provider of recovery audit, contract compliance and payment accuracy software and services, said it has received a strategic investment from Cohere Capital, a Boston-based private equity firm focused on technology and tech-enabled services businesses.

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.

TRiCares: Up To €20 Million EIB Loan Secured To Advance Topaz Tricuspid Valve Replacement Trials

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

TRiCares SAS, a privately held medtech company developing a minimally invasive treatment for tricuspid regurgitation, said it has signed a loan agreement for up to €20 million in non-dilutive financing with the European Investment Bank, the long-term lending institution of the European Union.

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.

StepStone And Blue Moon Complete $250 Million Continuation Vehicle To Hold Senior Housing Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 24, 2026

StepStone Real Estate, the real estate arm of StepStone Group, and Blue Moon Capital Partners said they have completed a $250 million continuation vehicle to operate a portfolio of five Class A, stabilized senior housing communities originally developed or redeveloped by Blue Moon.

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.

Aqua Pennsylvania Awarded Nearly $17 Million In PENNVEST Funding For PFAS Treatment Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Aqua Pennsylvania announced it has secured $16.9 million in financing through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to support the installation of five PFAS treatment systems serving nine community well sites across Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties.

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.

Audax Strategic Capital Invests In Strickland Brothers To Fuel M&A Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Audax Strategic Capital (ASC) has made a structured equity investment in Strickland Brothers, a Princeton Equity Group-backed quick-lube and automotive maintenance platform, with proceeds earmarked to help fund actionable M&A opportunities as the business continues its national expansion. Financial terms were not disclosed.