💸 $1B Hover Mining; $124M Low-Carbon Cement; $105M AI Robotics; €32M Nuclear Heat; $50M RNA Crops; $2.5M Ocean Digital Twin & more | Deep Tech Capital Movements Vol. 25
The Week’s State of Deep Tech Capital: who’s Raising, who’s Betting, and why.
Welcome back to Deep Tech Capital Movements — the weekly report from The Scenarionist that tracks and highlights capital dynamics in deep tech, from early-stage funding rounds to major fund launches.
Dear Friends,
As another week closes on the bleeding edge of the industrial frontier, the flow of capital across deep tech tells a story that’s easy to miss if you only scan the headlines.
But in the aggregate — in the pattern behind these funding rounds and fund closings — there’s a map emerging for how the next cycle of industrial progress might compound, and who will reap its rewards.
This week’s deals span nuclear microreactors and next-gen biomanufacturing, composable ERP and hovering seabed mining robots — a picture of the tangible, capital-intensive, and technologically unsexy industries that must be rebuilt if we’re serious about energy resilience, strategic autonomy, and production scale.
Look closely, and you’ll notice a shift: the resurgence of frontier bets is no longer theoretical. Capital that might have chased consumer SaaS at 20× ARR in 2021 is redeploying into physics, chemistry, and heavy metal. Impossible Metals planning a $1 billion raise to scale its buoyant deep-sea collectors is as symbolically important as it is industrially ambitious: what was once fringe (undersea mining, autonomous robotics with minimal ecosystem damage) is moving into early offtake agreements and vessel builds, with serious institutional backers.
It’s a reminder that the resource bottlenecks for batteries, data centers, and renewable generation are not going away — and the capital market increasingly knows it.
Meanwhile, the nuclear subsector is testing the waters on two fronts: microreactors and heat-only SMRs. Espoo-based Steady Energy’s €32 million Series A for a commercial district-heating reactor in Helsinki shows that Europe’s anti-nuclear dogma can bend when it intersects with energy security. At the same time, Hadron Energy’s modest $500K seed extension for a transportable microreactor program is the flip side: small checks for high-risk engineering that might scale distributed nuclear baseload over the next decade.
The trend line is unmistakable: nuclear startups are moving from white papers to pilot hardware, and they’re doing it with a mix of family offices, state-backed green-tech programs, and strategic partners.
Zoom out, and the AI cross-pollination is a meta-theme worth highlighting. Genesis AI’s $105 million seed round to build robotics foundation models was the week’s headline grabber — and rightly so.
But the real pattern is broader: whether it’s Emerald AI shifting workloads to stabilize grids, Argon AI layering agents over biopharma knowledge graphs, or Civ Robotics automating solar-site surveys, the undercurrent is that ‘AI-first’ doesn’t just mean LLM chatbots anymore — it means AI embedded into the physical world. This is the next frontier: the fusion of synthetic data, simulation engines, and real-world sensors that drive both cost efficiencies and strategic edge for incumbents and insurgents alike.
On the enterprise stack, it’s telling that two ERP plays — Campfire and Tailor — both raised meaningful Series A rounds this week. One is LLM-first, the other API-first, but both aim at the same wound: the bloated, inflexible back ends of legacy enterprise software. In deep tech, capital markets usually cheer the ‘atoms not bits’ pitch, but don’t miss the reality that every industrial company still runs on bits at its core.
If the next wave of cleantech and robotics wants to scale, it will rely on ERP and supply-chain stacks that aren’t trapped in the Oracle/NetSuite labyrinth. In short, infrastructure for infrastructure is investible again.
Then there’s the bio edge. It’s easy to dismiss small checks into recombinant silkworm bioreactors or plasma-exchange clinics as speculative. But look at the momentum: Loopworm’s $3.25M in India, Circulate Health’s $12M for longevity plasma clinics, Primo Biotechnology’s NT$220M in Taiwan for radiopharma scale-up.
Each reflects the same playbook: make biology cheaper, modular, and on-demand. Whether it’s silkworms producing animal vaccines without stainless-steel tanks or circulating plasma to tweak the body’s aging process, the long arc bends toward decentralized, programmable biology. Investors who think this is fringe ignore the parallels with mRNA vaccines and cell therapies a decade ago.
On the fund side, the muscle moving into early and growth stages underlines the same theme: a barbell market.
Greenoaks’ $2.5 billion close signals a continued appetite for late-stage AI and SaaS juggernauts, while America’s Frontier Fund’s $315 million target shows institutional interest in defense-adjacent industrial plays.
In Europe, Omnes’ €112 million for Real Tech 2 points to a growing defense-tech niche primed to benefit from new EU policy shifts. In Japan, AN Venture Partners’ $200 million first close demonstrates how institutional capital is rethinking biotech commercialization — bridging Japan’s deep research bench with global market playbooks. These funds are not trend-chasing; they’re early signals that sovereign industrial strategy is once again a driver of private capital allocation.
So what should founders and operators take away this Monday?
First, the exit environment remains narrow — but platform bets in complex, regulated domains are still commanding rounds of real size, even at the seed stage.
Second, capital is moving decisively toward startups that solve upstream constraints: energy, compute, materials, bioproduction, secure supply chains. If you’re building yet another thin layer of workflow software on top of a volatile supply chain, you’re now competing with founders actually reinventing the chain itself.
Third, the new frontier is not just about technological novelty — it’s about execution: field pilots, early customers with skin in the game, and clear paths to derisking.
Capital wants to see traction, but in deep tech that means more than a product-market fit slide. It means a plant, a pilot reactor, a signed offtake. In other words: real things.
The bar is high, but the upside is outsized. Stay liquid. Stay curious. And build something that actually works.
See you next Monday.
— Giulia
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Startup Deal Activities to Watch
🔸 Woodchuck Raises $3.75 Million Seed Round for AI-Optimized Biomass Feedstock
Michigan-based Woodchuck secured $3.75 million to scale its image-recognition platform that upgrades biomass quality for renewable energy producers. Investors include NorthStar Clean Energy and Alloy Partners. Funds will expand product engineering and broaden deployment across bioenergy supply chains.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Cleantech
Sector: Biomass Processing
Tech: Computer Vision, AI-Driven Quality Control
🔸 Genesis AI Raises $105 Million Seed Round to Build Robotics Foundation Models
Silicon Valley– and Paris-based Genesis AI emerged from stealth with a $105 million seed round co-led by Eclipse and Khosla Ventures. The startup is developing a physics-driven simulation engine and a large, general-purpose AI model to control real-world robots across industries. Funds will expand its research teams in the U.S. and France and accelerate an open-source release planned for year-end.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States / France — North America & Europe
Industry: Artificial Intelligence
Sector: Robotics
Tech: Synthetic-Data Simulation, Foundation Models
🔸 Campfire Raises $35 Million Series A to Bring AI-First ERP to Startups
San Francisco startup Campfire closed a $35 million Series A led by Accel after winning more than 100 customers away from legacy ERP suites like NetSuite. Its LLM-powered platform automates reconciliations, forecasts, and M&A diligence tasks, slashing monthly close times from 15 days to three. Funds will fuel hiring and deeper vertical integrations.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Enterprise Software
Sector: AI-Driven ERP
Tech: Large-Language-Model Automation, Financial Workflow AI
🔸 Emerald AI Bags $24.5 Million Seed Backed by Nvidia to Make Data Centers Grid-Friendly
Emerging from stealth, Emerald AI raised a $24.5 million seed round from Radical Ventures, Nvidia and climate-focused angels. Its software dynamically shifts AI workloads to match grid conditions, cutting peak power 25% in tests with Oracle and Salt River Project. Funding supports larger pilots en route to a 2026 commercial launch.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Energy Software
Sector: Data-Center Power Management
Tech: AI Workload Orchestration, Virtual Power Plant Integration
🔸 Tailor Scores $22 Million Series A for API-First “Headless” ERP
San Francisco- and Tokyo-based Tailor raised a $22 million Series A led by NEA, ANRI and Japan’s JIC VGI. Its modular ERP back end lets businesses build custom interfaces or plug in AI agents while retaining core inventory and accounting functions. Capital will drive U.S. expansion and deeper product modules.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States / Japan — North America & Asia
Industry: Enterprise Software
Sector: Composable ERP
Tech: API-First Architecture, AI Workflow Agents
🔸 Gallant Secures $18 Million Series B to Advance Stem-Cell Therapies for Pets
San Diego-based Gallant raised $18 million in a Series B led by Digitalis Ventures to bring its off-the-shelf feline gingivostomatitis therapy to market and expand a pipeline for osteoarthritis and dermatitis. The company uses uterine-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat underlying disease rather than symptoms.
Deal: Series B
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Animal Health Biotech
Sector: Regenerative Veterinary Medicine
Tech: Allogeneic Stem-Cell Platform
🔸 USpharma Takes Undisclosed Growth Equity from 1315 Capital to Accelerate Drug-Delivery Pipeline
Miami Lakes–based USpharma received a growth-equity infusion from 1315 Capital to scale advanced drug-delivery platforms and commercialize new products. The company will expand manufacturing and pursue licensing deals for its proprietary formulations targeting improved patient adherence.
Deal: Growth Equity (Undisclosed)
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Pharmaceuticals
Sector: Drug-Delivery Technologies
Tech: Novel Oral & Topical Platforms
🔸 Aircon Closes $8 Million Seed to Bring AI “Captain Cargo” to Air-Freight Forwarders
Dallas-based Aircon announced an oversubscribed seed round that brings total funding to $8 million, co-led by Blumberg Capital and Las Olas VC. Its Captain Cargo AI agent automates quoting, booking and routing, boosting forwarders’ win rates and margins. The capital supports product rollout and international lane expansion.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Logistics Tech
Sector: Air-Cargo Software
Tech: LLM Quoting Automation, Workflow AI
🔸 Impossible Metals Eyes $1 Billion Raise to Scale Hovering Deep-Sea Mining Robots
Berkeley-based Impossible Metals plans to launch a $1 billion financing later this year as it enters growth mode. Its buoyancy-engine robots collect polymetallic nodules while minimizing seafloor disturbance, with $1 billion in early offtake agreements already signed. Current funding totals $15 million; new capital will fund pilot extraction and vessel builds.
Deal: Planned Growth Raise
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Marine Mining
Sector: Battery-Metal Extraction
Tech: Hovering Robotic Collectors, Computer Vision Avoidance
🔸 Nordic Air Defence Adds $3 Million Pre-Seed Extension for Drone-Interceptor Platform
Stockholm’s Nordic Air Defence expanded its pre-seed to $4.4 million with a $3 million infusion led by Inflection. The battery-powered Kreuger 100 interceptor replaces expensive missiles with lightweight, software-defined drones at one-tenth the cost. Funding accelerates manufacturing and key engineering hires.
Deal: Pre-Seed Extension
Region: Sweden — Europe
Industry: Defense Tech
Sector: Counter-UAS
Tech: Battery-Driven Interceptor, Software-Defined Targeting
🔸 CIMware Raises $2.3 Million to Build Memory-Based Smart Switches for AI Data Centers
Bengaluru startup CIMware closed a $2.3 million round led by Transition VC to prototype a composable infrastructure switch that boosts rack-level capacity 4–8×. Proceeds fund hardware production, software hiring and global channel partners targeting AI-heavy cloud and telecom sites.
Region: India — Asia
Industry: Data-Center Hardware
Sector: Composable Networking
Tech: Memory-Based Interconnect, Smart Switch ASIC
🔸 Balthazar Collects €1.8 Million Pre-Seed to Build the OS for Deep-Tech Labs
Amsterdam-based Balthazar closed a €1.8 million pre-seed led by CapitalT and Antler to digitize complex hardware R&D workflows. Its cloud workspace orchestrates experiments, instruments and data for semiconductor, quantum and energy-storage labs, already logging 6,000+ experiments. Funds expand AI features and team headcount.
Deal: Pre-Seed
Region: Netherlands — Europe
Industry: Research Software
Sector: Lab Operating Systems
Tech: Real-Time Experiment Automation, Browser-Based Control
🔸 Steady Energy Closes €32 Million to Build World’s First Commercial Heating-SMR Pilot
Espoo-based Steady Energy raised €32 million from LocalTapiola, Tesi and Move Energy to construct a full-scale pilot of its 50 MW heat-only small modular reactor in downtown Helsinki. The capital also funds design finalization and sales expansion, with preliminary agreements for 15 units in Finland.
Deal: Series A
Region: Finland — Europe
Industry: Nuclear Energy
Sector: District-Heating SMRs
Tech: Heat-Only LDR-50 Reactor, Passive Safety
🔸 Hadron Energy Adds $500 K to Seed Round for Transportable Microreactor
U.S. startup Hadron Energy secured a $500,000 family-office investment to accelerate its HALEU-fueled microreactor program. Recent milestones include a new engineering office, NRC listing and DOE GAIN acceptance. The team is hiring engineers and biz-dev staff to advance licensing and prototype construction.
Deal: Seed Extension
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Nuclear Energy
Sector: Microreactors
Tech: HALEU Core, Transportable Reactor Design
🔸 Field Medical Closes $35 Million Series B for Pulsed-Field Ablation Catheters
Field Medical raised $35 million in a Series B to bring its next-generation pulsed-field ablation system for atrial fibrillation into pivotal trials. The round adds Cue Growth and BioStar Capital to the board and will fund clinical studies, regulatory filings and manufacturing scale-up.
Deal: Series B
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Medical Devices
Sector: Cardiac Electrophysiology
Tech: Pulsed-Field Ablation, Flexible-Catheter Platform
🔸 Liquet Medical Secures Oversubscribed Seed Round for Dual-Tip Pulmonary Catheter
Glen Allen, VA–based Liquet Medical closed an undisclosed but oversubscribed seed round in May to fund a first-in-human pilot of its FDA-cleared Versus™ Catheter, a dual-tip device that simultaneously infuses thrombolytics into both pulmonary arteries while tracking real-time pressure. The study will enroll patients with acute pulmonary embolism at UVA Hospital, giving physicians live hemodynamic feedback that could shorten procedure times and lower drug doses. Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. joined other undisclosed investors in the round.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Medical Devices
Sector: Vascular Drug Delivery
Tech: Dual-Tip Infusion Catheter, Real-Time Hemodynamic Monitoring
🔸 Enquire AI Raises $3 Million Convertible Note to Scale Expert-Insights Platform
Washington, DC-based Enquire AI secured a $3 million convertible note from a syndicate of former UBS, Citi and Credit Suisse research leaders to accelerate expansion into buy-side and consulting markets. Its agentic workflow stitches curated expert networks to LLM pipelines, delivering verifiable insights in minutes rather than days. Funds will grow engineering, expand compliance features and support international sales.
Deal: Convertible Note
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Data & Analytics
Sector: Expert-Knowledge Platforms
Tech: Autonomous AI Workflows, Curated Expert Network
🔸 Portal Biotech Lands $35 Million Series A Co-Led by NATO Innovation Fund
UK startup Portal Biotech won the NATO Innovation Fund’s first investment—part of a $35 million Series A also backed by Earlybird and Pillar—to field portable single-molecule protein-sequencing sensors that detect engineered pathogens within hours. The AI-driven device gives troops, first responders and public-health teams lab-grade results at the point of need, closing critical gaps in bio-defense and pandemic readiness. Proceeds will scale manufacturing and extend the platform to drug discovery and environmental monitoring.
Deal: Series A
Region: United Kingdom — Europe
Industry: Biotechnology
Sector: Biosecurity Diagnostics
Tech: AI-Enhanced Protein Sequencing, Field-Deployable Sensors
🔸 Civ Robotics Closes $7.5 Million Series A to Automate Solar-Site Surveying
San Francisco-based Civ Robotics raised $7.5 million led by AlleyCorp to commercialize CivDot, an autonomous staking robot that cuts large-scale solar-farm layout time from weeks to days. Backers include Bobcat and construction angels who will help the company expand pilots in Europe and Latin America. New capital funds manufacturing, software R&D and a SaaS dashboard for project managers.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Robotics
Sector: Construction Automation
Tech: GNSS-Guided Survey Robots
🔸 Feliqs Banks $9 Million Series A to Advance Pediatric Retina Drug FLQ-101
Fukuoka-based Feliqs closed a $9 million Series A co-led by an undisclosed U.S. pharma major and Beyond Next Ventures to run a Phase 1b/2 trial of FLQ-101, a small-molecule therapy aiming to prevent retinopathy of prematurity. Proceeds will build a U.S. clinical team, expand manufacturing and deepen research on oxidized-lipid pathways in neonatal eye disease. The company also secured non-dilutive support from Japan’s JST.
Deal: Series A
Region: Japan — Asia
Industry: Biopharma
Sector: Pediatric Ophthalmology
Tech: Oxidized-Lipid Modulators, Small-Molecule Therapeutics
🔸 Field Medical Adds $35 Million Series B to Bring Pulsed-Field Ablation into Pivotal Trials
Carlsbad, CA-based Field Medical’s oversubscribed Series B will fund a U.S. pivotal study of its flexible pulsed-field ablation catheter for atrial fibrillation. Cue Growth and BioStar Capital join returning backers, bringing total raised to $70 million. Capital will also scale GMP manufacturing and support CE-mark submissions for the EU market.
Deal: Series B
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Medical Devices
Sector: Cardiac Electrophysiology
Tech: Pulsed-Field Ablation, Flexible-Catheter Platform
🔸 Argon AI Raises $5.5 Million Seed to Build AI Workspace for Biopharma
New York-based Argon AI landed a $5.5 million seed round led by Crosslink Capital and Wireframe Ventures. Its cloud workspace layers custom AI agents over scientific literature, competitive intel and trial registries, turning static data into living dashboards for R&D and medical-affairs teams. Funds will grow the engineering staff and accelerate integrations with ELN and quality-management systems.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Biopharma
Sector: Life-Science Knowledge Management
Tech: AI Agents, Secure Data Dashboards
🔸 Circulate Health Collects $12 Million Seed to Scale Plasma-Exchange Longevity Clinics
Novato, CA-based Circulate Health raised $12 million led by Khosla Ventures to expand its therapeutic-plasma-exchange (TPE) network from 24 to 50+ clinics by year-end. TPE removes pro-aging inflammatory factors, and early data show improvements in biomarkers tied to frailty and cognition. Proceeds will fund a SaaS platform for protocol standardization and international franchising.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Therapeutic
Sector: Plasma-Based Therapies
Tech: Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
🔸 Primo Biotechnology Raises NT$220 Million Series A for Radiopharmaceuticals
Taipei-based Primo Biotechnology secured NT$220 million ($6.8 million) to bring [¹⁸F]PSMA-1007 prostate-cancer imaging to Taiwanese hospitals under a license from Germany’s ABX. The financing also advances two in-house radioligand therapy candidates and sets the stage for a 2026 IPO. Funds expand GMP manufacturing and regulatory affairs.
Deal: Series A
Region: Taiwan — Asia
Industry: Radiopharma
Sector: Precision Oncology
Tech: PSMA PET Tracer Production, Radioligand Therapies
🔸 Terra CO₂ Adds $124.5 Million to Series B for Low-Carbon Cement Scale-Up
Golden, CO-based Terra CO₂ extended its Series B to $224 million with fresh capital from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Barclays Climate Ventures and others to build a 240 kt/yr supplementary-cementitious-material plant in Dallas–Fort Worth. Its “drop-in” reactor turns abundant silicate rock into a clinker-replacement that cuts cement CO₂ by up to 50%. Bank-backed credit lines add working-capital flexibility for additional U.S. and EU sites.
Deal: Series B Extension
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Climate Tech
Sector: Low-Carbon Building Materials
Tech: Drop-In SCM Reactors, OPUS ZERO™ 100% Cement Substitute
🔸 Syntis Bio’s $33 Million Series A Fuels Oral Gastric-Bypass Alternative
Boston-based Syntis Bio closed a $33 million Series A led by Cerberus Ventures to push SYNT-101, a once-daily capsule that lines the duodenum and mimics bariatric surgery, into Phase I. The company also secured up to $5 million in NIH grants and will expand its polymer-coating platform to rare metabolic disorders. Founder Bob Langer says the approach could deliver GLP-1-like efficacy without injectables.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Biopharma
Sector: Metabolic & Rare-Disease Therapeutics
Tech: Duodenal Lining Polymer, Oral Nutrient-Redirect Platform
🔸 Terrana Biosciences Receives $50 Million from Flagship to Build RNA Crop-Traits Pipeline
Cambridge-based Terrana Biosciences, founded in 2021 inside Flagship Pioneering, obtained a $50 million internal round to commercialize RNA molecules that confer disease resistance and yield boosts in tomatoes, corn and soy. The platform leverages AI to design mobile, heritable RNAs with improved stability across climates. Capital scales greenhouse trials and pilot production in North America and Brazil.
Deal: Growth Financing
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Ag-Biotech
Sector: RNA Crop Protection
Tech: AI-Designed Mobile RNA, Plant Trait Library
🔸 Skynopy Raises $17.6 Million Seed to Virtualize Satellite Ground Stations
Paris-based Skynopy collected $17.6 million from Alven, CNES and others to deploy a hybrid ground-station network that lets operators book antennas on demand through a cloud API. Its virtualized modems cut capex for new constellations and enable latency-sensitive remote-sensing missions. Proceeds fund antenna manufacturing and U.S. market entry.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: France — Europe
Industry: Space Infrastructure
Sector: Ground-Station as a Service
Tech: Timeshared Antenna Array, Virtualized Modem Platform
🔸 ZeroRISC Grabs $10 Million Seed to Commercialize Open-Source Silicon Root-of-Trust
Mountain View-based ZeroRISC raised $10 million led by Fontinalis Partners, with participation from Analog Devices co-founder Ray Stata, to productize its OpenTitan-derived security IP for IoT and chiplet markets. CEO Dominic Rizzo argues transparent silicon is “inevitable,” and the company will offer identity-as-a-service to device makers tired of black-box roots-of-trust. Funds will support early-access silicon and automotive safety certification.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Semiconductors
Sector: Hardware Security
Tech: Open-Source Root-of-Trust, Integrity Management Platform
🔸 NexQloud Secures $2.3 Million Pre-Seed to Build Decentralized Kubernetes Cloud
Palo Alto-based NexQloud closed a $2.3 million Reg CF pre-seed to deploy 1,850 energy-efficient NanoServers across ten countries, offering a Distributed Kubernetes Service for AI and SaaS workloads. The blockchain-backed platform rewards capacity providers with NXQ tokens while delivering low-latency compute at half the carbon of hyperscalers. Proceeds extend the runway 12 months and set up a planned $5 million seed round.
Deal: Pre-Seed
Region: United States — North America
Industry: Cloud Infrastructure
Sector: Decentralized Computing
Tech: NanoServer Mesh, Tokenized Resource
🔸 Ignis Energy Clinches $13.6 M Series A to Expand Global Geothermal Portfolio
Houston-based Ignis Energy raised $13.6 million to advance AI-driven geothermal exploration projects across Nevada, Utah, Alaska and Türkiye. The round follows an earlier first close and adds strategic investors such as Nabors Industries and The Twynam Group. Proceeds will fund drilling programs and de-risking studies aimed at bringing new baseload-renewable capacity online by 2027.
Deal: Series A
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Energy
Sector: Geothermal Power
Tech: AI Targeting Engine, Multi-Country Resource Mapping
🔸 Planet Wins €240 M Multi-Year Satellite-Services Contract from German Government
Planet Labs Germany landed a €240 million, multi-year deal to supply Pelican satellite capacity, PlanetScope imagery and AI analytics for European security missions. The award expands Planet’s sovereign-data footprint in Europe and builds on recent NATO agreements. Revenue will start flowing in January 2026 without altering Planet’s FY-2025 guidance.
Deal: Government Contract
Region: Germany, Europe
Industry: Space Data
Sector: Earth Observation
Tech: Pelican High-Res Satellites, AI Maritime & ISR Analytics
🔸 Climeworks Raises $162 M Growth Equity to Scale Direct-Air-Capture Projects
Swiss DAC pioneer Climeworks secured $162 million in new equity led by BigPoint Holding and Partners Group, bringing total funding to more than $1 billion. Capital will speed construction of large-scale CO₂-removal plants such as Mammoth in Iceland and help weather U.S. policy uncertainty. The company calls it 2025’s largest carbon-removal investment to date.
Deal: Growth Round
Region: Switzerland, Europe
Industry: Climate Tech
Sector: Carbon Removal
Tech: Modular Direct-Air-Capture Reactors
Proteine Resources Secures €9.5 M EIC Grant to Build Autonomous Insect-Protein Factory
Poland’s Proteine Resources won €9.5 million from the EU’s EIC Accelerator and SMOK Ventures to construct a fully autonomous insect-protein plant and launch a beef-analogue ingredient for premium pet foods. Its circular system up-cycles mushroom waste into bio-active proteins rich in taurine and L-arginine, cutting disposal costs for growers while reducing emissions. The pilot facility will scale production ten-fold and validate decentralised modular units for global deployment.
Deal: Blended Grant/Equity
Region: Poland, Europe
Industry: Agri-Food Biotech
Sector: Insect Protein
Tech: AI-Controlled Insect Bioconversion, Autonomous Manufacturing
🔸 Neutonic Raises $3.7 M Seed Round to Expand Nootropic Beverage Line
UK-based Neutonic, founded by influencers Chris Williamson and James Smith, closed a $3.7 million seed round valuing the brand at $20 million. Investors include Grenade founder Alan Barratt and fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines. Funds will scale U.K. production, launch U.S. retail channels and grow the team behind its Cognizin- and Rhodiola-infused “Productivity Drink.”
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United Kingdom, Europe
Industry: Consumer Health
Sector: Functional Beverages
Tech: Nootropic Formulations, D-to-C-First Distribution
Loopworm Raises $3.25 M Pre-Series A to Commercialize Silkworm Bioreactors
Bengaluru-based Loopworm secured $3.25 million led by WaterBridge Ventures and Japan’s Enrission Capital to scale its recombinant-protein platform that uses silkworms as living bio-factories. The approach eliminates costly stainless-steel fermenters, enabling faster, cheaper production of complex proteins for animal vaccines, aquafeed and diagnostics. Capital will fund a 6,000-tonne insect-processing plant and international commercial pilots.
Deal: Pre-Series A
Region: India, Asia
Industry: Industrial Biotech
Sector: Recombinant Proteins
Tech: Silkworm-Based Expression, Reactor-Free Manufacturing
🔸 Cosma Collects €2.5 M Seed to Map Deep-Sea Ecosystems with Autonomous Robots
French deep-tech startup Cosma raised €2.5 million from WIND and Ternel to industrialise swarms of underwater drones that capture 3-D seabed imagery at 100 k images per hectare. The AI-powered digital-twin platform aids marine scientists, offshore wind developers and navies in monitoring biodiversity and infrastructure risks. Funds will expand the fleet and scale European client delivery.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: France, Europe
Industry: Ocean Tech
Sector: Environmental Monitoring
Tech: 3-D Photogrammetry, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
🔸 Algocell Secures $2.8 M Pre-Seed to Accelerate AI-Driven Bioprocess Optimisation
Tel Aviv-based Algocell closed a $2.8 million pre-seed round led by Good Company VC and backed by the Israel Innovation Authority. Its digital-twin software reduces time and cost in scaling cultivated-meat, precision-fermentation and biofuel processes. Proceeds will grow the data-science team and launch commercial pilots across food, cosmetics and industrial chemicals.
Deal: Pre-Seed
Region: Israel, Middle East
Industry: Bio-Manufacturing
Sector: Process Optimisation
Tech: ML Digital Twins, Hybrid Data-Modeling
🔸 Future Cow Raises R$4.85 M Seed to Scale Precision-Fermentation Dairy Proteins
São Paulo-based Future Cow combined public grants and crowdfunding to raise R$4.85 million (~$885 k) for animal-free whey and casein production. Backers include FAPESP and EMBRAPII, complementing earlier investment from Big Idea Ventures. The startup will optimise yeast strains and pilot 200–5,000 L fermenters ahead of commercial scale-up in 2026.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Brazil, Latin America
Industry: Alternative Protein
Sector: Precision Fermentation
Tech: Recombinant Dairy Proteins, Hybrid Product Platforms
Venture Capital & Fund Activities to Watch
🔹 America’s Frontier Fund Targets $315 Million Debut Vehicle
America’s Frontier Fund is seeking $315 million for its inaugural “Frontier Fund,” combining $140 million in private LP capital with up to $175 million in government-guaranteed SBIC loans. The Arlington-based firm—led by In-Q-Tel veteran Gilman Louie and backed by state and federal programs—will back frontier-tech startups in advanced manufacturing, compute, energy, and space that reinforce U.S. strategic leadership. If fully raised, the vehicle would be nearly eight times larger than the median first-time U.S. VC fund in 2024, signaling growing investor appetite for defense and dual-use innovation.
🔹 Greenoaks Collects $2.5 Billion for Sixth Flagship Fund
San Francisco-based Greenoaks has closed its sixth venture fund at $2.5 billion—roughly 20% larger than its 2023 predecessor and reportedly 2.2 times oversubscribed. The firm, known for concentrated bets on category leaders like Databricks, Stripe, and Scale AI, will continue a low-volume, high-conviction strategy across growth-stage software and AI deals. The raise underscores LP demand for managers with strong DPI in a consolidating late-stage market.
🔹 Red Dot Capital Secures $320 Million to Scale Israeli Growth Rounds
Herzliya-based Red Dot Capital Partners closed Fund III at $320 million—above its original $250 million target—lifting the firm’s AUM to $750 million. The early-growth vehicle will lead Series A-C rounds in Israeli tech companies with $1-5 million in ARR, deploying initial checks of $10-20 million; four investments (Finout, Stigg, Oligo, Bria AI) are already on the books. New Israeli institutional LPs and investors from states without formal ties to Israel joined the pool, reflecting broader regional interest in the country’s tech ecosystem.
🔹 Sentinel Global Closes Inaugural Fund at $213.5 Million
Jeremy Kranz, former head of tech investing at Singapore’s GIC, has raised $213.5 million for Sentinel Fund I, backed by family offices and sovereign wealth funds. Sentinel will invest across cyber-security, data infrastructure, and interoperable commerce platforms that enable enterprise transformation. The firm positions itself as a hands-on partner for founders needing global go-to-market guidance and rigorous compliance at scale.
🔹 Catalio Raises $400 Million-Plus for Nexus Fund IV
Life-sciences specialist Catalio Capital Management exceeded its $400 million target for Catalio Nexus Fund IV, topping the $381 million raised in 2022. The New York firm—backed by KKR co-founder Henry Kravis—plans 30-35 global investments across biotech, diagnostics, devices, and life-science tools; 16 deals have already been executed. Catalio cites lower biotech valuations and looming Big Pharma patent cliffs as a “generational” entry point for platform technologies.
🔹 Arāya Ventures Closes Debut Super Angel Fund at $26.3 Million
London-based Arāya Ventures wrapped up its oversubscribed Super Angel Fund at $26.3 million, with a cornerstone £5 million commitment from British Business Investments. The community-powered fund will issue £150k-£450k tickets into roughly 60 UK pre-seed and seed startups in health, fintech, commerce, and the future of work, while operating an Angel Academy to upskill female investors. Arāya has already backed 16 companies and expanded offices to Dubai as it eyes a forthcoming global follow-on fund series.
🔹 AN Venture Partners Assembles $200 Million Fund I to Unlock Japanese Biotech
San Francisco- and Tokyo-based AN Venture Partners closed its first fund at $200 million to commercialize science originating in Japan’s research institutes. In partnership with ARCH Venture Partners, ANV will invest across modalities and stages, having already backed seven companies—including Capacity Bio, City Therapeutics, and Imbria Pharma—with three stealth bets in the pipeline. LPs include Japan Investment Corporation, Shionogi, Otsuka, and the mega-banks MUFG and SMBC, highlighting domestic institutional support for a national biotech push toward 2030.
🔹 CareQuest & MATTER Reveal 2025 SMILE Health Accelerator Cohort
CareQuest Innovation Partners and Chicago incubator MATTER selected eight startups—spanning smart-brushing, pediatric crowns, AI dental assistants, and AR education—for the fourth SMILE Health program, the largest to date. Chosen from applicants in 15 countries, the cohort will receive a stipend, mentorship, and access to a new Startup Data Hub during a four-month accelerator that culminates at HLTH 2025. The initiative addresses chronic under-funding of oral-health innovation despite a $430 billion global spend and growing fluoride-policy gaps.
🔹 Alliance VC Hits €40 Million First Close for Nordic AI Fund
Oslo- and Stockholm-based Alliance VC secured €40 million toward its €100 million target for Alliance Nordic III, backed by Telenor, Saminvest, KLP, Investinor, and Smedvig. The fund will write €0.3-3 million tickets into 25-30 pre-seed to Series A startups leveraging AI to replace workflows in productivity, digital health, fintech, and climate tech. Alliance intends every future investment to have AI at its core, building on earlier successes with Xeneta, Superside, and 1X.
🔹 Iron Key Capital Launches Web3-Native Investment Club
New York-based Iron Key Capital unveiled “Iron Key Venture Partners,” a member-driven investment club that tokenizes participation points and uses DAO tooling to streamline early-stage syndication across Web3, AI, and real-world-asset startups. DeFi specialist Nikolas Casagrande joined the advisory board to scale the model, which forgoes carried interest in favor of community governance. The structure seeks to democratize venture access while remaining compliant via smart-contract infrastructure and selective accreditation.
🔹 Alliance VC’s Vestbee Profile Details AI-Centered Strategy
A complementary Vestbee report highlights Alliance VC’s intent to deploy the remaining €60 million by mid-2026, with follow-on reserves for top performers. The firm stresses that AI’s ability to create “digital labor” will drive its thesis, and notes that Nordic founders excel in data-rich verticals suited to workflow automation. LPs view the region’s strong tech-policy environment and deep-talent pipelines as mitigants to macro volatility.
🔹 Omnes Capital Raises €112 Million for Real Tech 2 Deep-Tech Fund
Paris-based Omnes Capital reached a €112 million first close for Omnes Real Tech 2, slated to finish fundraising in 2026. The vehicle will nurture early-growth European deep-tech firms in defense, AI, quantum, advanced materials, and new space—building on exits like Quandela and ARX Robotics from its prior fund. Omnes positions the strategy as the first in Europe to benefit from the EU’s new Defense mandate, offering portfolio companies scale-up capital and pan-European market access.
🔹 AssetCool Secures £10 Million ($13.7 Million) Series A for Grid-Cooling Tech
Leeds-based AssetCool, developer of composite coatings that boost power-line capacity by up to 40%, raised a £10 million Series A led by Energy Impact Partners and National Grid Partners. The funding will expand manufacturing, accelerate U.S. market entry, and support R&D for next-generation heat-dissipation materials vital to grid decarbonization. AssetCool’s technology offers a cost-effective alternative to reconductoring as utilities confront surging electrification demand.