VCLink News

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 3) 16. David Sutter's OpenTrade, a stablecoin yield products firm, has raised $4 million in a seed extension round led by AlbionVC. The round saw additional participation from a16z crypto and CMCC Global. https://lnkd.in/eQ-VXPMF 17. German cleantech startup HyperHeat, led by its founder team, has raised €3.5 million ($3.71 million) in a round led by Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, with additional participation from Finindus, Possible Ventures, and others. The funding supports the development of zero-carbon industrial heating solutions set to launch by 2025. https://lnkd.in/ejRcjaXP 18. Daricus Releford's StoreCash, a mobile payment solution with instant cash-back rewards, has raised a $3.7 million seed round led by Black Ops Ventures, with participation from MaC Venture Capital, 43North, and Alumni Ventures. The company plans to use the funds for product development and team expansion. https://lnkd.in/eiScGWJ8 19. Ali Haghani and Kevin Jacyna's Circleback, a YC-backed startup transforming meeting intelligence with its AI-powered note-taking tool, has raised $2.5 million in a seed round led by Transpose Platform, Rebel Fund, Pioneer Fund, and notable angel investors. The company has achieved cashflow positivity while growing organically. https://lnkd.in/eW_acwm2 20. Nabt app, a Saudi AgriTech startup led by Merak Capital, has secured $1.5 million (SAR 5.6 million) in a seed funding round with participation from angel investors. The funding supports advancements in agricultural technology innovation. https://lnkd.in/ec-KmbrV 21. Control One | AI Startup , an AI startup, has raised Rs 3 crore ($350,000) in a pre-seed funding round with support from investors including Silicon Valley executives from Tesla, Amazon, and Walmart. The funds will be used to develop a functional prototype and conduct pilot validations. https://lnkd.in/eVMqNZDW

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 9. Steve Roest's PocDoc, a Cambridge-based health-tech startup, has raised £10 million ($17.78 million) in an oversubscribed pre-series A funding round. The funding was led by Molten Ventures, MMC Ventures, Simplyhealth Ventures, and NHS-backed KHP Ventures, bolstering PocDoc's smartphone-based diagnostic technology. https://lnkd.in/eD5ebQSX 10. Joshua Pantony's Boosted.ai, a fintech leveraging generative AI to transform investment management workflows, has secured $15 million to enhance its agentic AI platform Alfa. https://lnkd.in/ehhJMQQW 11. Constrafor, a construction fintech company, has raised $14 million in a Series A funding round led by NFX to enhance its financing and software solutions for contractors. The company also secured a $250 million credit facility. https://lnkd.in/e2ZrZGvD 12. AltMobility, a commercial electric vehicle leasing and asset management startup, has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Eurazeo. Shell Ventures, Twynam, and Ev2 Ventures also participated. https://lnkd.in/eq3WB_HS 13. Thomas Poelmans' Hydrobox, a Kenyan energy startup, has raised $9 million in debt funding from FMO and Electrifi Ventures. This investment will fund eight small hydro projects across rural Kenya, providing clean electricity for over 2,500 households and 10,000 individuals. https://lnkd.in/ejFuEKUw 14. Jonathan Birnbaum's OpenYield, a bond trading platform, has secured $7 million in funding led by Canapi Ventures, with participation from Clocktower Ventures and Flow Traders. The round aims to revolutionize fixed-income markets with automated liquidity and innovative technology. https://lnkd.in/efM3uSEW 15. Andrew Crowell's KeySavvy, a platform enabling secure private-party car transactions, has raised $4.25 million in a funding round led by Bonfire Ventures 🔥, with participation from Experian Ventures - Investing in the Global Credit Economy, Daher Investments, and Founders’ Co-op. The funding will support operational growth, automation, and the launch of a fast-financing product. https://lnkd.in/eBkDR-5P

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. German AI startup Black Forest Labs, known for its work on AI tools like Elon Musk's Grok image generator, is in talks with Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) to raise a $200 million round, potentially reaching a valuation exceeding $1 billion. https://lnkd.in/e2fQi5ad 2. Anass B. and Mehdi Oudghiri's eyewa, a Dubai-based eyewear retail company, has successfully raised $100 million in its Series C round led by General Atlantic to scale operations, including opening 100 additional stores across the GCC. https://lnkd.in/eUXWZM6P 3. Israeli startup Eon, has achieved unicorn status with a $70 million funding round led by BOND at a $1.4 billion valuation. Sequoia Capital, Greenoaks, and Lightspeed also participated. https://lnkd.in/eMFrpMtc 4. Hooman Hakami's Sirona Medical, a radiology IT innovator, has secured $42 million in its Series C funding round led by Avidity Partners. The round also saw participation from 8VC and GreatPoint Ventures. https://lnkd.in/eHeyVWgh 5. Ian Brodie's Levanta, an affiliate marketing platform empowering Amazon sellers and creators, has raised $20 million in its Series A round led by Volition Capital. The funding will drive platform enhancements and market expansion. https://lnkd.in/e8hHyvPN 6. Gil Mandelzis's Capitolis, a fintech specializing in financial resource optimization, has raised $20 million in strategic investments led by Citi, with contributions from State Street, Morgan Stanley, and UBS. This funding underlines Capitolis' mission to enhance efficiency in capital markets under evolving regulatory frameworks. https://lnkd.in/e4sC_WWr 7. Vlad Gheorghiu's Kyan Health, a Swiss startup focused on addressing workplace mental health and wellbeing with its AI-driven platform, has secured €15.8 million ($23.42 million) in funding. Swisscom Ventures, Amplo VC, and greymatter capital led the round. https://lnkd.in/epuyHS3r 8. Roon, a healthtech company offering video-based medical insights from doctors, has raised $15 million in a round co-led by Forerunner and FirstMark, with participation from Sequoia Capital and TMV. https://lnkd.in/erzqHJ4C

Levanta has secured $20 million in Series A funding led by Volition Capital to expand its affiliate marketing platform that empowers Amazon sellers and creators through performance-based partnerships. The funding will drive platform enhancements and market expansion. https://lnkd.in/e5ipvH8b #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Citi has invested in Pylon, a mortgage infrastructure fintech platform, through its SPRINT unit and Citi Ventures. This partnership will enable Pylon to leverage Citi's mortgage trading desk and provide enhanced access to Wall Street-level liquidity and rates for Pylon’s clients. The deal reflects Citi's broader push into fintech and aligns with improving efficiency in the mortgage market. Carmen Arroyo Nieto | Bloomberg https://lnkd.in/e_CRAEVn #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Israeli startup Eon has achieved unicorn status within just a year of its founding, raising $70 million in its latest funding round led by BOND, at a $1.4 billion valuation. With backing from investors like Sequoia Capital, Greenoaks, and Lightspeed, Eon's platform is revolutionizing cloud resource management through automation and visibility. Meir Orbach | CTech by Calcalist https://lnkd.in/eMw3NGX8 #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Dubai-based eyewa has successfully raised $100M in a Series C round led by General Atlantic to scale its eyewear retail operations, including plans to open 100 additional stores across the GCC. The company's innovative approach combines fashion-forward designs and affordability, supported by its own production facility and proprietary brands. Anass B. and Mehdi Oudghiri, Eyewa's co-founders, shared insights into their growth strategy, highlighting Eyewa's rapid expansion and profitability. Tage Kene-Okafor | TechCrunch https://lnkd.in/gpvznvbi #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 3) 15. Michael A. Hanono's Talus Network, a decentralized AI company, has raised $6 million in a new funding round led by Polychain Capital. Foresight Ventures, Animoca Ventures, GeekCartel, and Echo also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/esUHYQn6 16. Ismail Sami's Molyon, a Cambridge University spin-out developing lithium-sulfur batteries, has raised $4.6 million in its first funding round co-led by Plural and IQ Capital. The funding will drive commercialization of cutting-edge energy storage technologies for drones, EVs, robotics, and beyond. https://lnkd.in/eBrB2mCh 17. Cofactor AI, a Chicago-based AI-powered platform for hospitals, has raised $4 million in Seed funding led by Drive Capital. The funding will support the company's expansion and development of the Cofactor Denial Suite, designed to improve patient access to care by reducing administrative burdens in healthcare. https://lnkd.in/e8n4cKmv 18. Kenneth Kouot's Tempest, a developer platform focused on self-service workflows and built-in automations, has launched with $3.2M in seed funding led by Abstract Ventures Inc.. Box Group, Background Capital, and notable investors like Max Mullen also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/eiwPD8jn 19. Bangalore-based crypto startup BitSave has raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round from Leo Capital. The company, which manages $450,000 in assets and serves 520 users, aims to innovate SIP-based investment products for long-term passive investors while focusing on licensing and brand awareness. https://lnkd.in/eZSegmyG 20. Jasmin Flori-Hess's Raindrop, a Darwin-based insurtech startup, has secured seed funding to expand its platform simplifying insurance policy analysis. The funding will support regional innovation and enhance solutions for insurance professionals across Australia. https://lnkd.in/e-fA4Nke

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 8. James Andronis and Huw Birrell's Fresho, a food tech company specializing in AI-powered ordering, has secured $17 million in a Series B round led by Geoff Tarrant. The funding will support U.S. expansion and efforts to revolutionize fresh food wholesale with AI-driven supply chain efficiency. https://lnkd.in/e-93M5Ay 9. METRON, a French cleantech company, has successfully closed a €12.5 million ($13.25 million) funding round led by the German GET Fund along with BNP Paribas, Climate Investment (CI), and Vertigo. The company plans to expand its international presence and further assist global industrial groups in achieving measurable decarbonization goals. https://lnkd.in/eavEKWNy 10. Aaron Tartakovsky's Epic Cleantec, a leader in water reuse technology, has secured $12 million in Series B funding to drive the adoption of its innovative OneWater™ system across the U.S. This groundbreaking solution addresses water scarcity, with deployment in high-profile projects like Salesforce Tower in San Francisco and the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. https://lnkd.in/emf6tMcW 11. OceanWell has raised $11 million in Series A funding to revolutionize water technology with deep-sea modular water farms. Backed by Kubota Corporation and other strategic investors, the company aims to address global water scarcity with energy-efficient desalination and sustainable water solutions. https://lnkd.in/e4FcabtQ 12. Veijo Hytti's Keto Software, a Finnish company specializing in Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM), has raised €8.4M ($9M) in a funding round led by Emerald Technology Ventures. Additional participation came from Greencode Ventures and others. https://lnkd.in/ePcY-KsC 13. Dr. Niklas Panten's etalytics, a cleantech startup specializing in AI-driven IoT software for energy systems optimization, has raised $8 million in its Series A funding round led by Alstin Capital. ebm-papst and TF H IV Technologiefonds Hessen GmbH & Co. KG also participated to support global scaling and sustainability initiatives for the flagship product etaONE®. https://lnkd.in/eXHWt4bm 14. Joel Belafa's Biolevate, an AI-powered medical writing solutions company, has raised €6 million ($6.54 million) in a Seed funding round led by EQT Ventures. The funding will position the biotech sector platform to streamline and enhance documentation processes. https://lnkd.in/eVE3mFNE

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. Cradle Bio has successfully secured a $73M Series B round to accelerate the growth and adoption of its AI-powered protein-making software within the pharmaceutical industry. This funding highlights the continued focus on leveraging artificial intelligence in drug development. https://lnkd.in/e6H_3Jyx 2. Michael Spelfogel's Cardless, a San Francisco-based startup disrupting the co-branded credit card industry, has raised $30 million in a new funding round led by Activant Capital. Mischief, Industry Ventures, Thayer Ventures, Assurant, and Amex Ventures also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/ecNYFkcs 3. ⚡ Orlin RadEV ⚡'s AMPECO, a leading EV charging platform, has secured $26M in Series B funding led by Revaia. Notable existing investors Cavalry Ventures, BMW iVentures, and LaunchHub also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/eaVZDT3F 4. Surjendu Kuila and Mayank Gupta's Zopper, an insurance technology startup, has raised $25 million in its Series D round led by Elevation Capital and Dharana Capital. Blume Ventures also participated in the funding, which will drive advancements in AI, optimize insurance distribution, and strengthen personalized solutions for customers in India. https://lnkd.in/e6PSa6fv 5. Mo Sarwat's Wherobots, a Scottsdale-based geospatial data platform, has successfully raised $21.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Felicis. Additional participation came from JetBlue Ventures, P7 Ventures, Clear Ventures, and Wing VC, supporting the company's vision to enhance geospatial analytics for better understanding of the natural world. https://lnkd.in/ePw66jxq 6. PlayAI, a generative AI voice solutions platform, has secured $21 million in a seed round co-led by 500 Startups and Kindred Ventures. The Y Combinator-backed platform focuses on enabling realistic text-to-speech capabilities for applications. https://lnkd.in/eSjek5Gi 7. neoplas med GmbH, a Germany-based medical technology company, has raised $18 million in funding from Niterra Ventures Company. The funds will support the international expansion of its argon cold plasma jet therapy platform, including the kINPen® MED device, which accelerates wound healing and addresses infected and chronic wounds. https://lnkd.in/eaVhV_h6