Venture Capital

Palm Tree Crew: $20 Million Series B At $215 Million Valuation Raised To Drive Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

Palm Tree Crew has closed a $20 million Series B financing round led by WME Group, valuing the company at $215 million. The investment establishes a strategic partnership that will leverage WME’s sports, entertainment, and licensing networks to accelerate Palm Tree Crew’s growth across live events, hospitality venues, and lifestyle offerings.

GEM Digital: $25 Million Pledged To Althea Limited

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

GEM Digital Limited has committed $25 million to Althea Limited to accelerate the rollout of Althea L1, a purpose-built blockchain designed to transform payments for broadband, utilities, and critical infrastructure. This funding will help bring transparent, programmable settlement tools to networks worldwide and support the development of a resilient financial layer for essential services.

Level99: $50 Million Growth Equity Raised From Act III To Advance National Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

Level99 has secured a $50 million follow-on growth equity commitment from Act III Holdings to accelerate new location development and expand its social entertainment brand into top-tier U.S. markets. This funding comes after results from the company’s first two venues exceeded initial projections, underscoring confidence in Level99’s scalable model.

Aven: $110 Million At $2.2 Billion Valuation Raised For Machine Banking Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

Aven closed a $110 million Series E funding round at a $2.2 billion valuation, more than doubling its worth in just one year. Led by Khosla Ventures and joined by long-time backers such as General Catalyst, Caffeinated Capital, GIC, Electric Capital, and Founders Fund, this round positions Aven to move faster on its vision for next-generation home finance.

Manulife Investment And TruAmerica: $1 Billion Platform For Preserving Affordable Housing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

Manulife Investment Management has joined forces with TruAmerica Multifamily to create a new $1 billion affordable housing partnership. The venture, called Anchor Point Residential, starts with the acquisition of general partner interests in a portfolio of 51 properties that offer income-restricted apartments supported by Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

Cascade Bio: $6 Million Raised To Advance Cell-Free Biomanufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

Cascade Bio, an industrial biotechnology company based in Denver, has closed $6 million in funding to accelerate the transition from petrochemical processes to enzyme-driven manufacturing. The funding includes a $2.8 million seed round led by Endurance28, with additional backing from Stray Dog Capital, 1Flourish, Range Ventures, 10VC, and Amplify. It is complemented by $3.2 million in nondilutive grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Advancing Cell-Free Systems initiative and a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II award.

You.com: $100 Million Series C At $1.5 Billion Valuation Raised For AI Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

You.com announced it has closed a $100 million Series C funding round at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by Cox Enterprises with continued support from Georgian, Salesforce Ventures, and Norwest. David Yang of Socium Ventures has also joined the board as part of this investment. The financing will accelerate the development of the company’s AI infrastructure platform, explicitly designed for autonomous agents.

NewDays: $7 Million Raised For Expanding AI-Based Cognitive Health Program Nationwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

NewDays, a Seattle-based digital health startup focused on cognitive care, has announced the close of a $7 million seed funding round led by General Catalyst and Madrona. The funding will support the expansion of its AI-powered treatment program for individuals experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, with services now available in Texas following successful pilots in California, Washington, and Florida.

Advisor.com: $9 Million Secured For Expanding AI-Based Financial Advice Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Advisor.com has secured $9 million in seed funding, a significant milestone that will accelerate its growth trajectory and enhance its innovative AI-driven financial advisor marketplace. This funding round was spearheaded by Walkabout Ventures, a prominent player in the venture capital space, with notable participation from Jim Brown, the esteemed founder of Long Ridge Private Equity Partners.

DeVry University: Partnership With 1871 Expanded

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

DeVry University has announced an expanded partnership with 1871, joining its flagship Startup Roadmap Program to enhance experiential learning for aspiring entrepreneurs further. This move builds on a longstanding collaboration between the two organizations and reflects DeVry’s commitment to preparing learners for real-world innovation and business leadership.

Cornell Tech: 11 New Startups Added To Runway Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Cornell Tech has announced the arrival of 11 new ventures to its campus this September as part of the Runway Startups Program, operated by the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. The incoming cohort is tackling a diverse set of global challenges—from agricultural robotics and energy systems to fertility care, trade compliance, and AI safety—underscoring the program’s commitment to translating advanced research into real-world impact.

Brilliant NextGen: $9.7 Million Raised For Advancing Product Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Brilliant NextGen, a leader in smart home control technology, has closed a $9.7 million funding round backed by Almeida Strategic Investments and Tyrod Taylor’s Strategic Investments Fund. The company also announced the appointment of Tony Smalls, CPA, CGMA—Partner at MGO and CEO of Smarthomes Solutions—to its Board of Directors, signaling a strategic push to scale operations and deepen market reach across North America.

Q6 Cyber Secures Strategic Investment To Expand Fraud Prevention Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Q6 Cyber, a Miami-based company specializing in threat intelligence and fraud prevention, has received a significant growth investment from Charlesbank Capital Partners. The funding comes through Charlesbank’s Technology Opportunities Fund. It is intended to help Q6 Cyber accelerate its expansion, enhance its product offerings, and pursue strategic acquisitions that will broaden its capabilities and reach.

Spinwheel: Strategic Investment Secured For Advancing Future Of Consumer Credit Ecosystem

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Spinwheel, the agentic AI-powered credit data and payments platform, announced a strategic investment from Citi Ventures. The funding will support Spinwheel’s continued go-to-market growth, expand its agentic AI platform, and build out its data sets and product offerings. In addition, Citi Ventures will advise Spinwheel on product use cases that matter most to the largest financial institutions.

Mojo Vision: $75 Million Series B Raised To Advance AI-Based Micro-LED Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Mojo Vision, a company specializing in high-performance micro-LED technology, has announced the closing of a $75 million Series B Prime funding round. This investment will help the company accelerate the commercialization of its advanced micro-LED platform and expand its applications in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Vanedge Capital led the funding round. And it included continued support from existing investors such as Edge Venture Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Fusion Fund, Knollwood Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, and Khosla Ventures. Some of the new investors joining the round include imec.xpand, Keymaker, Ohio Innovation Fund, and Hyperlink Ventures.

Enveda: $150 Million Series D Raised To Advance Clinical Trials And Enhance Leadership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Enveda, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing a new generation of small-molecule drugs sourced from nature, has announced a significant milestone with the close of its $150 million Series D funding round. The round was led by Premji Invest and included participation from a mix of new and existing investors such as Baillie Gifford, Kinnevik, Lingotto Investment Management, Peakline Partners, FPV, Socium Ventures, Dimension, Level Ventures, Henry Kravis, IA Ventures, and Lux Capital. It follows a previous $150 million Series C round that included support from Sanofi. And this latest investment brings the company’s total funding to $517 million and marks its transition into unicorn status.