💸 $131M Edge Hyperscaler; $55M Autonomous Labs; $59M LiDAR Silicon; $24M AI Logistics; €1M Fermented Fats & more | Deep Tech Capital Movements Vol. 28
The Week’s State of Deep Tech Capital: who’s Raising, who’s Betting, and why.
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Dear friends
Another Monday, another data‑set to parse: forty‑four venture rounds across semiconductors, quantum, biotech, energy, defense, and advanced materials, plus nine fresh funds repositioning themselves for the decade of industrial reinvention. The market narrative is no longer about whether capital will engage the physical world—it clearly has—but rather about how quickly that capital can carve defensible moats where physics, regulation, and supply‑chain control intersect.
This week’s flow tilts decisively toward hard tech with high activation energy. Beam‑steering LiDAR silicon at Lumotive(a fresh $14 million extension bringing its Series B to $59 million), hollow‑core optical fiber at Relativity Networks($6 million seed, $10.6 million to date), EUV free‑electron lasers at xLight ($40 million Series B), trapped‑ion qubits at Qubitcore (undisclosed pre‑seed led by Lifetime Ventures), and modular battery packs at Estes Energy ($11 million seed) each embody a bet that fundamental advances in matter and energy can unlock torrential cash flows. The common thread is deterministic advantage: proprietary fabs, exotic materials recipes, or patented architectures that translate into almost un‑shortable margins once scale is achieved. Investors appear content to finance the expensive tooling and long gestation periods because the payoff sits at the confluence of monopolistic physics and urgent market pull.
Artificial intelligence refuses to remain an overlay; it is burrowing into industrial base‑code. Rather than another carousel of text‑to‑cat‑video demos, capital is backing AI as infrastructure: Radical AI’s autonomous lab slashing discovery timelines with $55 million in Seed+ financing; Magentic’s $5.5 million seed round deploying agents that rescue procurement budgets; Octup’s $12 million seed for predictive exception management derisking global freight; Fortuna’s $18 million Series A that lowers churn in the Medicaid labyrinth. On the metal side, Armada’s $131 million strategic round for megawatt‑class edge modules and Relativity Networks’ ultra‑low‑latency fiber reveal a computing topology shifting toward cheap electrons, sovereign data, and physical proximity to robotics and sensor grids. Compute, in other words, is abandoning coastal real estate for geographies where kilowatts and land converge.
Defense technology has migrated from edgy curiosity to core allocation logic. Rune orchestrates contested‑environment logistics with a $24 million Series A; Asylon’s autonomous guardians secured a parallel $24 million Series B; Ammunic’s programmable fuzes pulled in $1.1 million to modernize munitions electronics; and Booz Allen’s corporate arm—now capitalized at $300 million— underwrites the category. Governments treat venture‑backed iteration speed as a strategic asset, while investors treat federal demand guarantees as a risk‑mitigating coupon. Dual‑use isn’t a euphemism; it is a capital‑efficient commercialization path girded by export‑control moats.
Climate‑aligned engineering has shed its moral‑surcharge premium and begun competing head‑to‑head on operating cost. Estes Energy’s $11 million seed for chemistry‑flexible packs promises diesel‑parity freight; XNRGY’s hyperscale coolingraised an undisclosed growth check from Activate Capital to slash data‑center PUE; Nevoya’s $9.3 million seedfinances an electric carrier fleet that attacks cost per mile with software‑defined dispatch; Naarea’s multi‑million‑euro seedfunds molten‑salt reactors that recycle spent fuel into baseload electrons. Each narrative replaces ESG theater with balance‑sheet pragmatism, aligning decarbonization directly to EBITDA expansion and therefore unlocking growth capital even in a higher‑rate regime.
Sovereignty, both geopolitical and supply‑chain, remains the hidden driver. Phlow’s $37 million Series C scales continuous‑flow chemistry to repatriate antibiotic APIs; Makersite’s $70 million Series B digital‑twins thirty million materials for scope‑3 compliance; Spaceflux’s £5.4 million seed plants telescopic sentinels against orbital debris. These companies monetize the anxiety that strategic dependencies will harden into embargoes. Parallel movements in Asia and Europe reinforce the trend: Yali Capital corals ₹893 crore for India’s chip ambition, while NUS Enterprise ties university IP to a S$150 million venture lever; TechVision’s second vehicle channels over €50 million into the Rhineland’s quantum‑sensor corridor. The capital stack is decentralizing, but the thesis is uniform—own the critical nodes, from lithography photons to active pharmaceutical ingredients, within politically reliable borders.
Fund formation itself has become a precision instrument. Omega’s life‑science pool, Emerald’s water‑tech mandate, Brandon’s biocatalyst fund, and several corporate evergreen pools illustrate a limited‑partner class that prefers managers fluent in the periodic table over spreadsheet generalists. The result is slower money by headline velocity but stickier, more technically literate capital willing to absorb the upfront CapEx for differentiated production capability.
Three directional signals emerge. First, R&D compression: autonomous laboratories, AI‑assisted PCB co‑design, and software‑defined RF stacks are collapsing development calendars, lowering the metabolic rate of venture dollars required to reach product inevitability. Second, edge‑centric infrastructure: modular data halls, liquid immersion, and velocity‑of‑light fibers are redrawing compute geography as a function of grid economics and latency budgets, not ZIP codes. Third, regulation‑induced pull: as the EU AI Act, export‑control regimes, and emissions disclosures acquire enforcement muscle, platforms that embed compliance into their core logic capture demand by legal fiat.
We close the week with a bifurcated landscape. Momentum capital, having exited the generative‑AI carnival, now hides in money markets; the investors still hunting allocate deliberately into assets protected by patents, process know‑how, and geopolitical compulsion. Show a credible glide path from prototype to industrial‑scale margin—ideally shielded by an export license or a radiation‑hardened wafer—and the term sheet arrives, perhaps thinner, certainly more exacting, but still very much alive. Easy software multiples are on sabbatical; engineered inevitability is just clocking in.
See you next Monday.
— Giulia
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Startup Deal Activities to Watch
🔸 BMW i Ventures Co‑Leads $11 Million Seed in Estes Energy for Modular Battery Packs
Munich‑based BMW i Ventures joined Fortescue to invest $11 million in San Francisco’s Estes Energy, which designs chemistry‑agnostic 400 V and 800 V battery packs. The funds accelerate pilot production of the Parvus and Magnus platforms and support ruggedization testing for rail and defense markets. Estes’ architecture lets customers swap cell chemistries without re‑engineering the pack enclosure.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Energy Storage
Sector: Battery Systems
Tech: Chemistry‑Agnostic Packs, Swappable Cell Trays
🔸 Lumotive Adds $14 Million to Series B with Amazon and Oman’s ITHCA
Redmond, WA semiconductor startup Lumotive—developer of beam‑steering chips for 3D sensing—expanded its February Series B to $59 million after new investments from Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund and Oman’s ITHCA Group. Lumotive’s silicon photonics replace moving‑mirror LiDAR, enabling cheaper, smaller sensors for mobile, automotive and robotics markets. Proceeds fast‑track production ramp and customer design‑wins in consumer‑electronics and autonomy applications.
Deal: Series B Extension
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Semiconductors
Sector: 3D Sensing
Tech: Optical Beam Steering, Silicon Photonics
🔸 Magentic Raises $5.5 Million Seed Funding for AI‑Driven Supply‑Chain Savings
London startup Magentic garnered $5.5 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital to deploy AI “teammates” that hunt cost‑savings across global manufacturing spend. Its domain‑specific agents integrate messy procurement data, prioritize opportunities, and execute negotiated savings with human oversight. The capital will accelerate go‑to‑market efforts in CPG and pharma sectors.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United Kingdom, Europe
Industry: Supply‑Chain Software
Sector: Procurement AI
Tech: AI Agents, Cost‑Optimization Algorithms
🔸 Radical AI Raises $55 Million Series Seed+ to Accelerate Materials R&D
New York‑based Radical AI secured $55 million in an oversubscribed Series Seed+ round led by RTX Ventures and NVentures. The company is building an “autonomous lab” platform that blends AI models, computational simulation and robotics to shorten the discovery cycle for advanced materials. Funds will expand its integrated scientific‑intelligence stack and scale pilot programs with aerospace, energy and semiconductor partners.
Deal: Series Seed+
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Advanced Materials
Sector: Materials R&D
Tech: AI/ML Models, Autonomous Labs, Robotic Experimentation
🔸 Qubitcore Receives Undisclosed Pre‑Seed to Develop Trapped‑Ion Quantum Hardware
Yokohama‑based Qubitcore attracted an undisclosed pre‑seed investment led by Lifetime Ventures. The startup is prototyping ion‑trap modules with integrated optical cavities to build distributed, fault‑tolerant quantum computers. Funds will procure lab equipment and hire specialized researchers at its Okinawa R&D center.
Deal: Pre‑Seed
Region: Japan, Asia
Industry: Quantum Computing
Sector: Hardware Development
Tech: Trapped‑Ion Qubits, Photonic Networks
🔸 Ostia Sciences Completes CAD $1.46 Million Seed Round for Microbiome Therapeutics Platform
Toronto‑based Ostia Sciences closed a CAD $1.46 million seed round and obtained an additional CAD $393k in grants from Natural Products Canada. The spin‑out from the University of Toronto is engineering phosphorylated lantibiotic‑producing probiotics aimed at oral and respiratory health. Capital will advance lead candidate SALI‑10 into clinical validation and optimize manufacturing processes.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Canada, North America
Industry: Biotechnology
Sector: Microbiome Therapeutics
Tech: Engineered Probiotics, Lantibiotic Production
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🔸 BiomEdit Raises $18.4 Million Series B to Expand Designer Probiotics Platform
Indiana‑based BiomEdit collected $18.4 million to commercialize BE‑101, an engineered probiotic that combats necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. Led by Anterra Capital, the round funds conditional USDA licensure and scale‑up with CDMO partner Diamond Animal Health. BiomEdit’s synthetic‑biology pipeline also targets methane reduction and human therapeutic applications.
Deal: Series B
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Animal Health
Sector: Livestock Probiotics
Tech: Synthetic Biology, Engineered Microbiomes
🔸 Fortuna Health Raises $18 Million Series A for Medicaid Navigation Platform
New York City’s Fortuna Health closed an $18 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz to streamline enrollment and recertification for Medicaid beneficiaries. The multilingual platform integrates real‑time data verification with live navigators, reducing coverage churn by 15%. Funding will enhance AI automation features to address emerging federal work‑requirement policies.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Digital Health
Sector: Medicaid Navigation
Tech: AI Eligibility Verification, Multilingual Engagement
🔸 Rune Technologies Lands $24 Million Series A for AI‑Enabled Military Logistics
Arlington, VA‑based Rune Technologies raised $24 million to scale TyrOS, a predictive logistics OS built for contested defense environments. Human Capital led the round with participation from Point72 Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Funds accelerate product integrations, including its recent partnership with Palantir’s OSDK, to turn static spreadsheets into anticipatory supply webs.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Defense Technology
Sector: Military Logistics
Tech: AI Predictive Supply Webs
🔸 Asylon Robotics Raises $24 Million Series B to Scale Autonomous Security Platform
Philadelphia‑based Asylon secured $24 million in Series B financing led by Insight Partners, with Veteran Ventures and Allegion Ventures joining. The company’s DroneDog and Guardian drone systems have logged over 250,000 security missions across critical infrastructure sites. Capital will expand engineering talent and deepen defense and logistics partnerships.
Deal: Series B
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Robotics
Sector: Autonomous Security
Tech: DroneDog, Guardian Drones, AI Surveillance
🔸 xLight Closes $40 Million Series B for EUV Free‑Electron Lasers
Palo Alto‑based xLight raised $40 million to develop particle‑accelerator‑driven free‑electron lasers that could replace today’s EUV light sources in chipmaking. Playground Global led the round alongside Morpheus Ventures and Boardman Bay. The company will use proceeds to finalize subsystem prototypes in collaboration with U.S. national labs and university partners.
Deal: Series B
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Semiconductor Equipment
Sector: Laser Systems
Tech: Free‑Electron Lasers, Particle Accelerators
🔸 Activate Capital Invests in XNRGY to Scale Sustainable Cooling Systems
Montreal‑based XNRGY secured an undisclosed growth investment from Activate Capital to expand its 275,000 sq ft Arizona manufacturing campus. XNRGY designs high‑efficiency air‑handling units and liquid‑cooling platforms tailored for hyperscale data centers and clean‑room environments. Funding supports product roll‑outs and North American capacity build‑out.
Deal: Growth Investment (Undisclosed)
Region: Canada, North America
Industry: Climate Tech
Sector: Thermal Management
Tech: Advanced Air Handling, Liquid Cooling
🔸 ÄIO Secures €1 Million Seed Funding for Fermented Alternative Fats
Tallinn‑based ÄIO raised €1 million to scale precision‑fermentation processes that transform industrial side‑streams into sustainable oils and fats for cosmetics and chemicals. The spin‑out from Tallinn University of Technology claims 97% less land and 90% less water use than palm‑oil production. Proceeds will accelerate pilot‑scale development and regulatory work.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Estonia, Europe
Industry: FoodTech
Sector: Alternative Oils & Fats
Tech: Precision Fermentation, Biomass Valorization
🔸 Glīd Technologies Closes $3.1 Million Pre‑Seed for Road‑to‑Rail Autonomy
Oakland‑based Glīd raised $3.1 million to commercialize dual‑mode vehicles that drive on roads and rails, eliminating costly first‑mile freight bottlenecks. Outlander VC led the round with Draper U Ventures, Antler and Veteran Fund participation. Capital supports field deployments of hybrid‑electric Glīders and expansion of its AI orchestration platform EZRA‑1SIX.
Deal: Pre‑Seed
Region: United States, North America
Industry: LogisticsTech
Sector: Autonomous Freight
Tech: Dual‑Mode Vehicles, AI Logistics Orchestration
🔸 Nevoya Raises $9.3 Million Seed Round to Drive Cost‑Parity Electric Trucking
Los Angeles–based carrier Nevoya secured a $9.3 million seed round led by Lowercarbon Capital, with Floating Point, LMNT Ventures and existing backers joining. The startup buys Class‑8 electric trucks and layers AI dispatch software to match loads, optimize charging and keep per‑mile costs on par with diesel fleets. Fresh capital funds Texas market expansion and additional charging partnerships while Nevoya scales its carrier‑as‑a‑service model for Fortune 500 shippers.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Transportation & Logistics
Sector: Electric Trucking
Tech: AI Route Optimization, Fleet Management Software
🔸 Cooler Heads Raises $11 Million Series A for Portable Scalp‑Cooling System
San Diego medical‑device firm Cooler Heads closed an oversubscribed Series A led by Mutual Capital Partners to commercialize its FDA‑cleared Amma™ portable scalp‑cooling unit. The financing coincides with AMA Category I reimbursement codes that take effect in January 2026, expanding market access for chemotherapy hair‑loss mitigation. Funds will scale manufacturing, grow commercial teams and add next‑gen features aimed at infusion‑center workflow integration.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Medical Devices
Sector: Oncology Support
Tech: Portable Scalp‑Cooling, Continuous Thermoregulation
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🔸 Modern Baker Raises £2.5 Million Series A to Scale SUPERLOAF Nutritional Platform
Oxford‑based Modern Baker secured £2.5 million from Adjuvo’s angel network to grow production of SUPERLOAF, a gut‑health bread that lowers post‑prandial glucose. The company deconstructs phytonutrient‑rich vegetables and re‑assembles them into clean‑label ingredients that retrofit ultra‑processed foods. Funding accelerates licensing deals and plant capacity to meet UK supermarkets’ demand for healthier staples.
Deal: Series A
Region: United Kingdom, Europe
Industry: FoodTech
Sector: Functional Ingredients
Tech: Clean‑Label UPF Reformulation, Gut‑Microbiome Optimization
🔸 Aidoc Raises $150 Million to Scale aiOS Clinical AI Platform
New York–based Aidoc secured $150 million from General Catalyst, Square Peg and NVentures, plus a $40 million credit facility, pushing total capital to $370 million. The firm’s aiOS platform orchestrates FDA‑cleared imaging and workflow AI, already supporting 45 million patient encounters annually. Capital will double deployments across U.S. health systems and enhance governance tooling for hospital AI portfolios.
Deal: Growth Funding
Region: United States, North America
Industry: HealthTech
Sector: Clinical Decision Support
Tech: Enterprise AI Orchestration, Imaging Algorithms
🔸 Dispatch Bio Extends Series A; Total Funding Hits $216 Million
San Francisco and Philadelphia‑based Dispatch Bio topped up its Series A with ARCH Venture Partners and PICI to advance its Flare platform for universal solid‑tumor immunotherapy. The virus‑vector approach combines targeted oncolytic payloads with programmable immune activation to clear diverse tumor antigens. Proceeds fund IND‑enabling studies with first‑in‑human trials planned for 2026.
Deal: Series A (Undisclosed Addition)
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Biotechnology
Sector: Oncology Therapeutics
Tech: Flare Oncolytic Vector, Immunotherapy Engineering
🔸 Starseer Secures $2 Million Seed to Bring Transparency to Enterprise AI
Knoxville, TN‑based Starseer closed a $2 million seed round led by Gula Tech Adventures to harden AI systems against prompt injection, data poisoning and compliance gaps. Its model‑agnostic exposure‑management platform delivers detailed behavior analytics and audit‑ready documentation aligned with the EU AI Act. Funding accelerates product roadmap and first enterprise deployments in finance and healthcare.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Cybersecurity
Sector: AI Governance
Tech: Model‑Agnostic Risk Analytics, AI Hardening Tools
🔸 Aigen Raises $10 Million to Deploy Solar‑Powered Weeding Robots
Seattle‑area startup Aigen landed $10 million to scale lightweight, solar‑charged robots that identify and remove weeds without herbicides. The autonomous units leverage computer vision and machine learning to operate 24/7, addressing herbicide‑resistant weeds that cost U.S. farmers billions annually. New capital funds algorithm refinement, fleet manufacturing and multi‑crop field pilots across the Midwest.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: AgTech
Sector: Field Robotics
Tech: Solar‑Powered Autonomy, AI Weed Detection
🔸 Phlow Secures $37 Million Capital Raise to Expand U.S. Essential‑Medicine Production
Richmond‑based Phlow closed a $37 million Series C round to scale its continuous‑flow API manufacturing campus in Petersburg, VA. The funding complements more than $600 million in federal contracts aimed at reshoring antibiotic and pediatric‑drug supply chains. Proceeds will grow the SAPIR™ digital quality platform and add a second sterile‑injectables line coming online in 2026.
Deal: Series C
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Sector: CDMO
Tech: Continuous‑Flow Chemistry, Digital Quality Control
🔸 Armada Lands $131 Million to Deploy Modular AI Data Centers at the Edge
Armada, a U.S.-based edge hyperscaler, raised $131 million in a strategic funding round led by Pinegrove, Veriten, and Glade Brook, with continued backing from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, M12, and others. The funds will support deployment of Leviathan, Armada’s megawatt-scale modular AI data centers designed to operate in remote environments and integrate with diverse energy sources.
Deal: Strategic Round
Region: USA, North America
Industry: AI Infrastructure
Sector: Edge Computing / Modular Data Centers
Tech: Leviathan MDC, Liquid Cooling, Energy-Agnostic Edge Deployment
🔸 Cambridge Terahertz Raises $12 Million Seed for 3‑D Box‑Scanning Sensors
MIT‑spun Cambridge Terahertz secured $12 million in seed capital led by Felicis, with Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund joining. Its solid‑state terahertz imagers look through cardboard to verify e‑commerce returns, attacking a $100 billion fraud problem. The round finances productization of a conveyor‑scale scanner and expands hiring in Sunnyvale and Cambridge, MA.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Imaging Hardware
Sector: Supply‑Chain Security
Tech: Terahertz CMOS Sensors, 3‑D Imaging Algorithms
🔸 Cascade Space Raises $5.9 Million Seed to Build End‑to‑End Laser Comms Network
Cascade Space has secured $5.9 million in a seed round to accelerate development of Cascade Portal, a platform designed to streamline satellite communication system design, testing, and operations. The company recently released the open‑source “spacelink” Python library used within Cascade Portal to support communication system analysis. Founded in 2025 by veterans from SpaceX and Astra, Cascade aims to remove key bottlenecks in spacecraft RF and communication design, offering mission-assurance infrastructure for lunar and deep‑space operations.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: USA (San Francisco, California), North America
Industry: Space / Aerospace
Sector: Satellite Communications / Communication Systems
Tech: Cascade Portal, spacelink Python library, RF & comms system design tools
🔸 Diode Secures $11.4 Million Series A to Automate PCB Co‑Design With AI
San Francisco‑based Diode raised $11.4 million in a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and DCVC, with Y Combinator continuity. Its AI‑driven board‑layout engine co‑optimizes schematics and routing, cutting hardware iterations by 60%. Capital will fund cloud‑based verification tools and expand support for radiation‑hardened aerospace designs.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States, North America
Industry: EDA Software
Sector: PCB Design Automation
Tech: AI Layout Synthesis, Cloud Verification
🔸 TRIC Robotics Raises $5.5 Million Seed to Cut Pesticides With UV‑Light Robots
Delaware‑based TRIC Robotics garnered $5.5 million led by Version One Ventures to commercialize autonomous robots that sweep strawberry fields nightly, exposing pests to targeted UV‑C light. Field trials show a 90% reduction in fungicide use while maintaining yields. Funding will scale manufacturing and expand the platform to lettuce and grape vineyards.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: AgTech
Sector: Field Robotics
Tech: UV‑C Pest Control, Autonomous Navigation
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🔸 NexxaAI Raises $4.4 Million to Bring Domain‑Specific AI Agents to Heavy Industry
Sunnyvale‑based NexxaAI closed a $4.4 million pre‑seed round led by a16z Speedrun to embed cognitive RPA into manufacturing, mining and energy workflows. Its “Full‑Self Computing” agents observe human desktop actions, build process graphs, and then execute tasks autonomously under compliance guardrails. Proceeds will expand partnerships with SAP integrators and launch a European pilot hub.
Deal: Pre‑Seed
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Industrial Software
Sector: Automation & RPA
Tech: Process Graph AI, Cognitive Agents
🔸 Genesis SFL Secures €300k Pre‑Seed to Develop GEN Re‑Entry Capsule
Zagreb‑based Genesis SFL raised €300,000 to prototype GEN, an autonomous micro‑re‑entry capsule for returning science payloads from LEO. The funding, led by Feelsgood and Fil Rouge Capital, supports wind‑tunnel testing and ESA safety certification. The company aims for a suborbital demonstrator flight in early 2027.
Deal: Pre‑Seed
Region: Croatia, Europe
Industry: SpaceTech
Sector: Re‑Entry Vehicles
Tech: Autonomous Capsules, Ablative Heat‑Shield Materials
🔸 Makersite Secures $70 Million Series B to Map Product Supply‑Chain Emissions
Stuttgart‑based Makersite raised $70 million from Hitachi, Schneider Electric and TDK Ventures to expand its digital‑twin platform that models cost, compliance and CO₂ footprints for 30 million materials. The funding will accelerate U.S. expansion and automate scope‑3 reporting for automotive and electronics OEMs.
Deal: Series B
Region: Germany, Europe
Industry: Sustainability Software
Sector: Supply‑Chain Intelligence
Tech: LCA Digital Twins, Scope‑3 Automation
🔸 Spaceflux Raises £5.4 Million Seed to Build Global Space‑Object Tracking Network
London‑based Spaceflux secured £5.4 million led by Foresight Williams to deploy a constellation of optical telescopes that deliver sub‑arc‑second tracking of satellites and debris. The system feeds predictive conjunction alerts to satellite operators, reducing false positives by 60%. Capital will finance three additional observatories in the Southern Hemisphere by 2026.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United Kingdom, Europe
Industry: Space Situational Awareness
Sector: Optical Tracking
Tech: Distributed Telescopes, Predictive Orbit Analytics
🔸 Inbound Aerospace Raises $1 Million Pre‑Seed to Build Autonomous Re‑Entry Vehicles
Chennai‑incubated Inbound Aerospace closed a $1 million pre‑seed round led by Speciale Invest and Piper Serica. The startup is designing a 50 kg autonomous capsule capable of on‑demand microgravity missions and sample return. Funding will complete CFD simulations of its lifting‑body geometry and secure ISRO launch rideshare slots.
Deal: Pre‑Seed
Region: India, Asia
Industry: SpaceTech
Sector: Re‑Entry Systems
Tech: Miniature Lifting‑Body, Autonomous Guidance
🔸 SunCubes Secures €1.1 Million Seed to Develop Laser‑Based Drone Charging
Milan‑based SunCubes closed a €1.1 million seed round backed by Plug and Play, CDP Venture Capital and ESA’s BIC program. The company is building an in‑flight laser‑power‑beaming system that keeps UAVs aloft for hours by converting optical energy to electricity mid‑air. Funds will produce an MVP demonstrator and prove eye‑safety and atmospheric‑attenuation thresholds before large‑scale field trials with logistics‑drone partners.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Italy, Europe
Industry: DroneTech
Sector: Wireless Power
Tech: Laser Power‑Beaming, In‑Flight Charging
🔸 Octup Raises $12 Million Seed to Bring AI Forecasting to Logistics Management
Tel‑Aviv startup Octup collected $12 million in seed funding despite wartime disruptions, with CEO Dan Pely serving reserve duty during the raise. Its SaaS platform ingests ERP and telematics data to predict shipment exceptions and automate mitigation workflows, cutting expediting costs by up to 20%. The company will triple headcount, accelerate AI‑model development, and expand its North‑American footprint.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Israel, Middle East
Industry: Supply‑Chain Software
Sector: Logistics AI
Tech: Predictive Exception Management, ML Forecasting
🔸 Ammunic Systems Closes $1.1 Million Seed for Smart Munition Electronics
Bengaluru‑based Ammunic Systems raised $1.1 million in a seed round co‑led by India Accelerator and Finvolve. The defense R&D firm designs indigenous electronic fuzes and modular warhead components aimed at improving precision and safety of field artillery. Capital will scale prototyping labs, pursue DRDO trials, and expand its IP portfolio in programmable munition subsystems.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: India, Asia
Industry: Defense Technology
Sector: Smart Munitions
Tech: Programmable Fuzes, Modular Warheads
🔸 Relativity Networks Raises $6 Million Seed to Scale Hollow‑Core Fiber for AI Data Centers
Orlando‑based Relativity Networks secured $6 million (total funding $10.6 million) to commercialize hollow‑core fiber capable of 50% faster light propagation than glass. Strategic backer Prysmian will co‑manufacture the cable, enabling hyperscalers to site data centers 90 km from power sources without latency penalties. Proceeds accelerate pilot deployments and advance U.S. patent filings.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Fiber Optics
Sector: Data‑Center Infrastructure
Tech: Hollow‑Core Fiber, Ultra‑Low‑Latency Networking
🔸 Reshape Systems Raises €856k Pre‑Seed for Trustworthy AI Risk Analytics
Zurich‑based Reshape Systems bagged €856,000 to launch a platform that stress‑tests AI‑driven industrial and aerospace systems for failure modes. The funding—backed by Wingman Ventures and the SICTIC angel network—will support pilot projects with Swiss rail operators and European defense OEMs. The company’s scenario‑generation engine exposes edge‑case hazards, helping clients meet upcoming EU AI Act requirements.
Deal: Pre‑Seed
Region: Switzerland, Europe
Industry: AI Safety
Sector: Model Assurance
Tech: Edge‑Case Simulation, Risk Scoring
🔸 Naarea Secures Undisclosed Seed to Advance Fourth‑Generation Molten‑Salt Micro‑Reactors
Paris‑based Naarea raised a multi‑million‑euro seed round from Deeptech4Good and EIC Fund to commercialize 30‑MW micro‑reactors using molten‑salt fast‑neutron technology. The design consumes spent nuclear fuel and runs at atmospheric pressure, offering inherent safety and reduced waste. Funds will complete pre‑licensing studies with France’s ASN and build a full‑scale thermal‑hydraulic loop by 2027.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: France, Europe
Industry: Energy
Sector: Advanced Nuclear
Tech: Molten‑Salt Fast Reactors, Micro‑Modular Power
🔸 Pyck Grabs €2.6 Million Seed for Open‑Source Warehouse OS
Stuttgart‑based Pyck closed a €2.6 million seed round led by IRIS to build an open‑source toolkit that lets logistics teams assemble bespoke warehouse‑management systems 60% faster. Early customers already run Pyck’s AI‑ready WMS across three European fulfillment centers. Proceeds will grow the engineering team and launch a data‑manager module for cross‑site inventory harmonization.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Germany, Europe
Industry: Logistics Software
Sector: Warehouse Management
Tech: Open‑Source WMS, AI‑Driven Toolkits
🔸 Spacely AI Raises $1 Million Seed to Bring Generative Design to Architecture
Bangkok‑based Spacely AI landed $1 million to commercialize a generative‑AI platform that converts textual briefs into parametric building plans and interior concepts. The tool cuts early‑stage design cycles from weeks to hours and integrates local building‑code datasets for rapid compliance checks. Funding will support a Revit plug‑in launch and pilot programs with Southeast‑Asian architecture firms.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Thailand, Asia
Industry: Generative Design
Sector: Architecture AI
Tech: Text‑to‑Parametric Models, Code‑Aware Generators
🔸 Néboda Raises €1.84 Million Seed to Scale Cost‑Competitive Vertical Farming
Galicia‑based Néboda secured €1.84 million from Clave Capital, Unirisco and CDTI to finalize an automated pre‑industrial facility producing pesticide‑free leafy greens. Its lean‑manufacturing approach couples hydroponics, robotics and AI, achieving yields that out‑compete soil‑grown crops on price. The round sets up a larger Series A in 2026 to fund Spain’s first industrial‑scale vertical‑farm plant.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Spain, Europe
Industry: AgTech
Sector: Vertical Farming
Tech: Automated Hydroponics, Robotics‑Driven Cultivation
🔸 Memories.ai Banks $8 Million Seed to Tackle Long‑Context Video Intelligence
Seattle‑based Memories.ai raised $8 million led by Susa Ventures and Samsung Next to process 10 million hours of video with natural‑language queries. Its three‑tier pipeline—noise reduction, searchable indexing, and synthesis—lets enterprises mine surveillance and social footage for complex events. The startup will double its 15‑person research team and roll out on‑device compression modules for privacy‑critical deployments.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Video AI
Sector: Long‑Context Analytics
Tech: Tiered Video Processing, On‑Device Indexing
🔸 NetraSemi Secures ₹107 Crore (~$12.4 M) Series A for Edge‑AI SoCs
Kerala‑based NetraSemi raised INR 107 crore in Series A financing led by Zoho Corporation and Unicorn India Ventures. The fab‑lite startup is developing quad‑core RISC‑V system‑on‑chips with integrated NPU blocks that run video analytics locally, eliminating cloud latency. Proceeds will fund tape‑out of four chip variants and expand a domestic packaging line to strengthen India’s semiconductor supply chain.
Deal: Series A
Region: India, Asia
Industry: Semiconductors
Sector: Edge AI Hardware
Tech: RISC‑V SoCs, On‑Device Neural Engines
Venture Capital & Fund Activities to Watch
🔹 Yali Capital Closes ₹893 Cr Deep Tech Fund, Bets on India’s Frontier Tech
Yali Capital has closed its ₹893 crore (~$104M) debut fund to back India’s deep tech surge—well above target. The fund will deploy early and growth-stage capital across semiconductors, AI, robotics, genomics, and aerospace. With five deals already in (4baseCare, Perceptyne, C2i), it’s targeting eight portfolio companies by year-end. Backers include Infosys, Qualcomm Ventures, Tata AIG, and key government funds—positioning Yali as a central player in India's deep tech breakout.
🔹 First‑of‑its‑kind Venture Capital Programme in Asia Launches as NUS Commits S$150 Million
NUS Enterprise will channel S$50 million into select early‑stage venture firms and earmark another S$100 million for co‑investments alongside those partners, creating a university‑backed pipeline for deep‑tech spin‑outs. The twin‑track programme targets post‑seed growth gaps that research‑based startups face, pairing capital with structured mentorship, networks and market‑entry support. Positioned as the first initiative of its type by an Asian university, the vehicle aims to strengthen Singapore’s role as a regional hub amid a broader “funding winter.”
🔹 Omega Funds Closes Oversubscribed $647 Million Fund VIII
Boston‑based Omega Funds raised $647 million—exceeding its $600 million target—to continue backing life‑science companies addressing severe unmet medical needs. Since 2004 the firm has amassed $2.5 billion across eight funds, with portfolio companies bringing 52 products to market and recording nearly 100 exits via M&A or IPO. Fund VIII will invest across the U.S. and Europe, leveraging Omega’s company‑creation playbook and deep expertise in oncology, immunology, rare diseases and precision medicine.
🔹 Science Creates and Pioneer Group Form Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Science & Tech Ventures
UK innovation hubs Science Creates (Bristol) and Pioneer Group (London) are integrating programmes, lab space and mentoring to build a cohesive national pathway for more than 350 deep‑tech startups. The partnership will co‑promote infrastructure across regional clusters while aligning accelerator curricula and venture‑building resources. Both organisations—already delivery partners for UKRI—expect to streamline founder access to capital, talent and specialised facilities across biotechnology, quantum, AI and advanced‑materials verticals.
🔹 TechVision Fund II Reaches €50 Million for Rhineland and Euregio Meuse‑Rhine Startups
Cologne‑based TechVision Fund (TVF) secured more than €50 million for its second vehicle, targeting pre‑seed and seed teams in North Rhine‑Westphalia and the cross‑border Euregio region. Investors include NRW.BANK, Sparkasse Aachen and new backers Helaba and regional entrepreneurs. TVF II has already funded five deep‑tech ventures—ranging from graphene‑based chip interconnects to next‑gen wastewater treatment—underscoring its strategy of acting as both financier and hands‑on sparring partner through 2035.
🔹 Veralto Commits €20 Million to Emerald’s Global Water Fund II
Water‑technology leader Veralto will become a cornerstone investor in Emerald Technology Ventures’ forthcoming €150‑180 million Global Water Fund II, slated to launch in October. The commitment grants Veralto early access to promising water‑treatment, monitoring and contaminant‑removal startups while offering portfolio companies a route to Veralto’s global customer base. Both partners frame the deal as accelerating breakthrough solutions for critical water challenges and advancing sustainable industrial innovation.
🔹 Brandon Capital Raises $290 Million for Sixth BioCatalyst Life‑Sciences Fund
Australian venture firm Brandon Capital closed A$439 million (≈$290 million) for its largest fund to date, expanding its global life‑sciences reach while continuing domestic support. Existing LPs Hesta, Host Plus, CSL and QIC were joined by Western Australia’s government and the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. The fund has already backed radiopharma, antibody‑drug conjugate and oncology startups, reflecting Brandon’s strategy of financing science with strong commercial potential across Australia, Europe and the U.S.
🔹 Timescale Ventures Debuts to Back Early‑Stage Industrial & AI Startups
Founders Christina O’Conor and Carly Anderson announced Timescale Ventures, a new firm focused on pre‑seed and seed companies modernising energy, manufacturing, transportation, compute and other critical systems. The fund will target software‑and‑hardware plays that harness emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to boost efficiency and resilience in legacy sectors. More details—including capital targets and first investments—are expected in the coming months as the partners engage with industrial founders.
🔹 Booz Allen Triples Venture‑Capital Commitment to $300 Million
Booz Allen Hamilton is expanding its corporate venture arm from $100 million to $300 million, planning 20–25 new investments over five years in AI, cyber, autonomy, space and re‑industrialisation technologies. The firm positions the move as critical to maintaining U.S. tech leadership, pairing capital with Booz Allen’s federal‑market expertise and customer access. Portfolio successes to date—spanning defense‑grade sensor, data‑security and unmanned‑systems startups—demonstrate the strategic value of coupling investment with mission‑driven co‑creation.