Topic
funding
Technology Malaysia's AI Agent-Powered Messaging Platform Respond.io Raises $62.5M, Targets Acquisitions
Respond.io, a Malaysian AI-powered customer conversation management platform, has raised $62.5M in Series B funding led by Camber Partners. The company has grown to $35M in annual recurring revenue with 169% year-over-year growth and a 30% profit margin. It plans to use the capital for hiring, organic growth, and acquisitions in North America and Europe.
Technology Sarvam AI Raises $234M Led by HCLTech, Becomes India's Newest Unicorn
Sarvam, a Bengaluru-based AI startup, raised $234 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by HCLTech, becoming India's newest AI unicorn. The funding supports sovereign AI development with models tailored for Indian languages, deployed across banking, insurance, government, and defense.
Technology NewCore Emerges with $66M to Give AI Agents Identities as Digital Workers
Cybersecurity startup NewCore emerged from stealth with $66 million in seed funding led by Cyberstarts to provide identity management for AI agents, treating them as first-class digital employees with permissions and lifecycle controls. The company claims existing identity platforms are ill-suited for the growing workforce of human and AI agents.
Technology Orbio raises $21 million to automate hiring and onboarding for frontline workers
Orbio, an enterprise startup using AI agents to automate hiring and onboarding for frontline workers, announced a $21 million Series A led by Dawn Capital. Customers include YUM! Brands and Poke, with one behavioral health provider seeing 20% more candidates hired. The company competes with Paradox and WorkJam and plans to use the funds to develop more AI agents.
E-Commerce & Marketplaces Ex-Anduril Engineer Raises $42M to Build the Amazon of Composite Parts for B2B Manufacturing
Layup Parts, a startup founded by former Anduril engineer Zack Eakin, has raised $42 million in Series A funding to build a digital marketplace for custom composite parts. The company aims to streamline ordering of carbon fiber and fiberglass parts, similar to how Amazon simplifies consumer purchases, targeting B2B customers in motorsports, design, and manufacturing.
Technology Focused Energy Raises $240M Series A for Laser-Powered Fusion, One of Largest Early-Stage Rounds
Focused Energy, a Germany-based fusion startup, announced an oversubscribed $240 million Series A round, one of the largest early-stage rounds for a fusion power company. The company is developing a laser-powered inertial confinement reactor inspired by the National Ignition Facility, with plans to build its first demonstration system at a decommissioned nuclear plant in Germany. RWE was the main investor.
Technology Board, the new game startup from Mirror founder Brynn Putnam, raises $20M, has already sold thousands
Board, a New York-based startup building physical-digital board games, has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Union Square Ventures. The company reports strong traction with tens of thousands of units sold across all 50 states and plans to launch an AI-powered game creation platform later this year.
Technology Quick-commerce FirstClub doubles valuation to $255M in 9 months on quality-first grocery bet
FirstClub, an Indian quick-commerce startup focused on curated quality groceries, raised $55M in Series B funding co-led by Peak XV Partners and Sofina, doubling its valuation to $255M in nine months. The company plans to expand beyond Bengaluru and into new categories.
Technology OpenAI Files Confidential IPO Paperwork, Eyes Wall Street Debut Amid AI Race
OpenAI has confidentially filed paperwork with the US SEC for an initial public offering, according to a Business-Today report. The ChatGPT maker's move comes amid a wave of AI public listings, with rival Anthropic and SpaceX also planning debuts. OpenAI's latest valuation stands at $852 billion, but the company faces pressure to justify its worth amid high compute costs.
Technology Coralogix raises $200M on bet that someone needs to watch the AI agents
Coralogix has raised $200 million in Series F funding, valuing the observability startup at $1.6 billion. The round, led by Advent and CPPIB, comes as enterprises increasingly deploy AI agents that require new monitoring tools. The company's revenue grew over 60% in the past year, and more than half of enterprise customers now use its AI agent Olly or other AI interfaces.
Technology Supabase Raises $500M at $10B Valuation, Doubling in 8 Months on Vibe-Coding Boom
Supabase, the open-source Postgres database platform, raised $500 million at a $10 billion pre-money valuation, doubling its valuation in eight months. The company attributes its growth to the rise of vibe-coding tools like Claude Code and Codex, which have driven database launches up 600% year-over-year, with over 60% launched by AI tools. Supabase also launched Multigres, an operating system for Postgres, to ease scaling complexity.
Technology Founders from Goldman and Meta build voice AI for Africa and Middle East markets
AethexAI, a startup founded by former Goldman Sachs and Meta employees, has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to build voice AI for customer service in Africa and the Middle East. The company uses its own small models (Kora series) to handle local dialects of English, French, and Arabic, addressing latency and accuracy issues plaguing larger models in these regions. It currently processes over 17,000 calls per day.
Technology Jeff Bezos Funds Flourish's $2.5 Billion Quest for a Synthetic Brain That Runs on 50 Watts
Jeff Bezos has invested $50 million (later nearly doubled) into Flourish, a neuro AI startup founded by former Amazon executive Rob Williams and neuroscientist Thomas Reardon. The company aims to build a synthetic intelligence system called Cortex AI that matches the human brain's learning efficiency and power budget of 50 watts or less, addressing the energy inefficiency of large language models. Flourish has raised $500 million at a $2.5 billion valuation from investors including Lux Capital, Google Ventures, and Catalio.
Technology Theker Secures $85M to Build Reconfigurable Factory Robots for Generalist Tasks
Theker, an AI robotics startup in Barcelona, raised $85M in a Series A round, claimed to be Europe's largest robotics Series A. The company builds reconfigurable robots for warehouse and factory tasks, with early backing from Inditex (Zara's parent). Investors include CRV, Samsung, and Aglaé Ventures.
Technology Jedify Secures $24M to Enhance AI Contextual Understanding
Jedify, a New York-based startup, has raised $24 million in a Series A funding round to enhance AI agents with contextual understanding of businesses. The funding, led by Norwest, will support product development and expansion efforts.
Commodities India's Agriculture Budget Soars to Rs 1.4 Lakh Crore
The Modi government has increased India's agriculture budget five-fold to Rs 1.4 lakh crore over 12 years. Key initiatives include climate-resistant crops, soil health cards, and increased fertiliser subsidies.
Business Regional Retailers Eye IPOs to Fuel Expansion
Regional retail companies in India are planning IPOs to fund expansion as small towns become retail growth hubs. Companies like Sathya Agencies and SS Retail have filed for IPOs, aiming to capitalize on rising incomes and digital connectivity.
Business Evotrex Secures $30M to Launch Hybrid RVs
Evotrex, a startup backed by Anker, has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round to develop its hybrid RVs. The company plans to produce 1,000 units annually, leveraging its unique hybrid system to stand out in the competitive RV market.
Business Lottery Grant Boosts Fenland Paint Recycling Startup
Remo, a paint recycling enterprise in Cambridgeshire, has secured a £400,000 National Lottery grant. This funding will enable the company to expand operations, hire more staff, and increase service availability.
Trade India Approves Rs 39,290 Crore Infrastructure Package
India's Union Cabinet has approved a Rs 39,290 crore package to enhance aviation, highway infrastructure, and transport modernization. Key projects include a Rs 10,000 crore ATF Price Stabilisation Fund and a Rs 8,301 crore coastal highway project.
Commodities Kpler Secures $1bn Investment for Strategic Growth
Kpler, a leader in maritime analytics, has secured over $1bn from Sixth Street to enhance its market position and product offerings. This investment supports Kpler's expansion into new markets and strengthens its role in global trade intelligence.