VCLink News

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 3) 14. Guilherme Gomes’s U.K.-based crypto startup Bleap has raised $2.3 million in pre-seed funding led by Ethereal Ventures, with participation from Maven 11, Alliance DAO, Robot Ventures, and Credibly Neutral. Bleap offers a Mastercard-linked debit card for stablecoin payments without conversion fees and cashback features. https://lnkd.in/ea5BGBUw 15. Jung Hee-yong's Biocom, a Korea-based AI healthcare startup, raises ₩3 billion ($2.25 million) in a pre-Series A round led by East Gate Partners, LLC, Lotte Ventures, and the 중소벤처기업진흥공단(Korea SMEs Startups Agency). The funding will support AI enhancements, service improvement, and global expansion. https://lnkd.in/eFEN9_BQ 16. Thomas Kaldor’s Ajust, an Australian AI startup focused on consumer advocacy, has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Carthona Capital. The platform boasts an 80% resolution rate over 20,000 consumer interactions with more than 750 Australian businesses. https://lnkd.in/ewiGpTXm 17. Manuel Rios Krauss' Deep Blue BioTech, a UK-based biotech company developing photosynthesis-driven biomanufacturing processes, secures $800,000 in pre-seed funding led by Sustainable Ventures. One Planet Capital and Innovate UK also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/eDiGKrzy 18. Hyderabad-based watertech startup Althion, trusted by institutions like Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, raises ₹3.6 crore ($432,000) in a pre-Series A round led by BioAngels. Investors Arun Seth, Om Manchanda, "KNK" Venkataraman KNK, and Shubham Rastogi also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/egj-ZxF4 19. Ecobloom Technologies, a Swedish AgTech startup, has secured investment from Bling Capital to scale its precision farming solutions, including its AI-driven EcoSense platform. The funds will support technology enhancements and global expansion for sustainable agriculture. https://lnkd.in/e83KnvZW

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 8. Arthur Leopold and Jonathan Meyers's Agentio, an adtech company simplifying creator-led advertising, has raised $12 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Benchmark , with additional participation from Craft Ventures and AlleyCorp. https://lnkd.in/efuHEAZV 9. Kratos Gamer Network, has raised $9.5 million in a funding round led by Aptos Labs, with participation from Polygon Labs and Game7. The funding will be used to decentralize gamer data ownership, enabling gamers to take control of their digital identities and monetize their skills through its Proof of Gamer (POG) engine. https://lnkd.in/e2u7qb2M 10. Alan Hunter's Sydney-based NRN - National Renewable Network, a renewable energy company, has raised $4.28 million in an oversubscribed pre-Series A funding round. Investors include Investible, Electrifi Ventures, Jelix Ventures, and Ecotone Partners. https://lnkd.in/eJkcXr_t 11. Australian health tech startup My Mirror - Online Psychology, led by Bronwen Clune, raises $4 million to enhance digital mental health services and expand operations into New Zealand. The round was led by Purpose Ventures, with participation from Roger Allen and existing investors. https://lnkd.in/e3ts8322 12. Lars Langhout's NoPalm Ingredients, a Dutch sustainability company, has raised €2.5 million ($2.65 million) to further develop its eco-friendly, yeast-based palm oil alternative from upcycled food waste. The funding supports pilot projects involving Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever. https://lnkd.in/ewE4GYHS 13. Biotangents Ltd, a Scottish biotech company specializing in diagnostic solutions for dairy farming, secures £2.3 million ($2.63 million) in funding. Eos led the investment, with support from British Business Investments, Kelvin Capital, and Scottish Enterprise. https://lnkd.in/eqDkxrRd

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. Cresta, a generative AI platform for contact centers, secures $125 million in Series D funding led by WiL (World Innovation Lab) and QIA, with participation from Accenture, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, and others. The funds will accelerate product development, scale go-to-market strategies, and enhance virtual agent capabilities. https://lnkd.in/eJiQbFAy 2. David Singleton and Hugo Barra's /dev/agents, building the operating system for AI agents, has raised an impressive $56 million seed round at a $500 million valuation. The round was led by Index Ventures and CapitalG, with participation from Conviction Capital and tech leaders like Andrej Karpathy and Andy Rubin. https://lnkd.in/eGkgzNWX 3. Steve Oldham's Captura, a U.S.-based ocean carbon capture technology company, has raised $45.3 million in its Series A funding round, backed by strategic investors including Japan Airlines, Saudi Aramco, and Equinor. The funding will support the company's goal to achieve commercial-scale operations by 2026. https://lnkd.in/ehpbtVqG 4. Hui Feng's Allink Biotherapeutics, an oncology and immunology biotech company, raises $42 million in its Series A financing round led by Lanchi Ventures. YuanBio Venture Capital, Gaorong Ventures, and Med-Fine Capital also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/ebDM_PQG 5. US-based AI-powered wealthtech Range has raised $28 million in Series B funding led by Cathay Innovation, with additional backing from Gradient. Founded in 2021, the platform manages nearly $3 billion in assets and leverages AI to deliver financial advice at unprecedented speeds. https://lnkd.in/enxv-_gJ 6. Munich-based proptech company Predium, led by its founders, has raised €13 million ($18.06 million) in its Series A funding round to enhance its ESG management platform and expand into new markets. Investors include Norrsken VC, UVC Partners, b2venture, and Mutschler Ventures AG. https://lnkd.in/eecqJjC8 7. Saudi-based Cipher | سايڤر, a cybersecurity company, has raised $13.3 million in its pre-IPO funding round led by Saudi venture capital firm Impact46. The funding aims to support Cipher’s growth and advancements in cybersecurity services both locally and globally. https://lnkd.in/eHekFahW

Indian startups secured $9.2 billion in venture capital funding across 984 deals from January to October 2024, indicating a 44.4% YoY rise in disclosed funding value, as per GlobalData Plc. Among notable funding rounds, Zepto raised $665M in June and $340M in August, followed by Meesho securing $300M and PharmEasy raising $216M. ZEE News https://lnkd.in/eajCwcqk #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Munich-based proptech company Predium has secured €13 million in a Series A funding round to enhance its ESG management platform and expand into new markets. Investors include Norrsken VC, UVC Partners, b2venture, and Mutschler Ventures. Predium specializes in ESG solutions for real estate and finance sectors, boasting key clients like Deutsche Investment Group and Colliers. Kay Aloha V. | The SaaS News https://lnkd.in/grfYWKQb #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Kenro Capital has officially launched, positioning itself to address liquidity solutions in the crowded venture capital ecosystem across India and Southeast Asia. Led by Piyush Gupta, formerly of Peak XV Partners, and Norbert Fernandes, Kenro Capital plans to deploy $20-30 million per investment, focusing on minority stakes in growth companies poised for public listing in 2-3 years. Aditi Yagnik | SecondaryLink https://lnkd.in/eM8XvpFQ #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

VCLink's Weekly Investor Fundraise Report (Part 2) 5. Jupiter Bioventures has raised $70 million for its newly launched biotech fund. The fund, which received backing from Mission BioCapital and Mayo Clinic, will focus on creating transformational biotech companies targeting cancer and other diseases through bold, science-first models. https://lnkd.in/e-55JnkG 6. Jeremy Colless's Artesian (Alternative Investments) and Brett Fifield's Hort Innovation have partnered to launch the $60 million Hort Innovation Venture Fund. The unveiled fund will back early-stage startups offering innovative solutions for the Australian horticulture industry, addressing challenges such as productivity and accessibility. https://lnkd.in/ejPuBYGK 7. Matt de Boer and Matthew Dellavedova's Athletic Ventures is raising $25 million for its first venture capital fund. The fund will support early-stage businesses, building on prior investments in companies such as GYG, Eucalyptus, and MGI. https://lnkd.in/eeTKwGFU 8. Type One Ventures has raised $4 million for T1V CUBY CONTINUATION 1-1 A SERIES OF TYPE ONE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, a continuation vehicle linked to Cuby. The fund will invest in Cuby, a robotics company specializing in Mobile Micro-Factories for scalable home manufacturing. https://lnkd.in/eBgPsmBy

VCLink's Weekly Investor Fundraise Report (Part 1) 1. Tomasz Tunguz's Theory Ventures has closed $450 million for its second fund. The announced fund, which focuses on early-stage software startups across data, AI, and web3, will invest $1M-$25M in companies leveraging technology discontinuities for go-to-market advantages. https://lnkd.in/e8UjvQ_B 2. Rachel Reeves and Debbie Wosskow, OBE announce over £250 million ($320 million) raised for the UK-based Invest in Women Taskforce initiative. The fund, which received participation from Barclays, M&G, British Business Bank, Morgan Stanley, Visa Foundation, BGF, and Aviva, aims to drive systemic change for female investors and founders while creating one of the largest investment pools globally for female-led businesses. https://lnkd.in/e4RnuEnc 3. Blue Bear Capital closes $160 million for its third AI-energy fund, with an additional $40 million in co-investment vehicles. The closed fund will invest in AI-enabled solutions for energy and logistics industries, as demonstrated by its portfolio companies like TruckLabs and Raptor Maps — Solar Software. https://lnkd.in/euuu5MpG 4. Faisal Sedrani, PMP®'s Merak Capital has unveiled Exel By Merak, an $82 million gaming fund and accelerator. The announced fund will focus on supporting gaming startups locally and internationally, aiming to position Saudi Arabia as a global gaming hub. https://lnkd.in/e9xx-_gP

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 8. Latvia-based defence tech startup Origin Robotics, known for its BEAK drone, secures €4.5 million ($4.9 million) in funding from the European Defence Fund. The funds will support the development of its cost-effective compact MPortISTAR drone with laser targeting capabilities and enhance operational safety. https://lnkd.in/ecs5nb5x 9. Nurau, a Montreal-based AI startup, raises $1.5 million in seed funding to expand its AI-powered HR coaching platform, eCoach, into the US market. The round was led by Investissement Québec, with participation from ACET Capital and angel investor Sylvain Authier. https://lnkd.in/epiyp-zp 10. Erdem Can's Vinter AI Recruitment Platform, a London-based AI-powered recruitment platform, has raised €1.4 million ($1.48 million) in seed funding from ALCORA. The platform aims to revolutionize recruitment processes with bias-screened AI algorithms and advanced analytics dashboards. https://lnkd.in/eGkA4A2c 11. Rangel Barbosa's Apoia, a Brazilian edtech company, raises $800,000 in funding led by big_bets, Reach Capital, and Blustone Capital. The company plans to expand its AI-driven platform, offering over 15K courses across 170 areas, and grow its reach in Brazil. https://lnkd.in/e5R8WefE 12. Cameron Briggs's Vente AI, a London-based startup focused on automating business development for recruiters, raises £500,000 ($615,000) in pre-seed funding from Antler and angel backers. The AI-powered technology has already generated £300,000 for agencies in two months. https://lnkd.in/eujsver2 13. Kenyan startup Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24, founded to address post-harvest waste with innovative refrigeration solutions like its B2B app Markiti, secures funding from global impact investor Acumen. The funding supports expansion across Africa, including constructing a solar-powered cold chain facility. https://lnkd.in/erQiTFrH

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. James Peng's Pony.ai, an autonomous mobility company, closes $260 million in a U.S. IPO, achieving a $4.55 billion valuation. Operating across California and Beijing, Pony AI continues to lead in the robotaxi market despite competition from Tesla. https://lnkd.in/e8xDk_HM 2. Decart, a generative AI technology company, raises $25 million in its latest funding round led by Benchmark to enhance its AI-driven consumer market innovations, including a highly efficient interactive AI video game model. https://lnkd.in/eifr-ace 3. Celosia Therapeutics, a biotech company, secures $16.75 million in one of Australia's largest Series A rounds, with participation from Uniseed, UniSuper, and Iomar Barrett. The funding will fast-track the development of the company's ALS gene therapy, CTx1000. https://lnkd.in/eRUsir8U 4. Japanese fintech startup Habitto, co-founded by innovative leaders, secures $11.7 million in Series A funding led by QED Investors and DG Daiwa Ventures（DGDV）. Anthemis Group, Scrum Ventures, and others also participated to support the expansion of its digital banking platform and new financial products tailored for young customers. https://lnkd.in/etC5tKEr 5. AI Spera, a South Korea-based cybersecurity company, raises $9 million in funding led by KB Investment. JB Investments, KYOBO Life Insurance 교보생명, Smilegate Investment, NHN, and Netmarble also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/e9V_T-w2 6. MediSun Energy, an osmotic (blue) energy technology leader, raises $8.75 million in seed funding led by Vynn Capital. TNB AURA, Ciri Ventures, MOAJ Holding, and others also participated, with MOAJ committing an additional $30 million for a Saudi Arabia joint venture. https://lnkd.in/eAyXM-Vi 7. Laodis Menard's Argil (YC S24), an AI-powered video engine startup, raises €4.9 million ($5.27 million) in pre-seed and seed rounds led by EQT Ventures, with participation from YouTuber Kwebblekop and others. The funding will enable Argil to provide creators and brands with advanced AI-driven tools for producing lifelike video avatars. https://lnkd.in/ezQaCbTT