VCLink News

emma | Cloud Management Platform, the cloud management platform transforming multicloud operations, has secured $17M in Series A funding led by Smartfin, with participation from RTP Global and existing investors. The funding will drive product development, US market expansion, and innovation in AI accelerators and cloud integrations. As Dmitry P., CEO of emma, highlights, the company aims to enhance control and flexibility across cloud environments. Anna Wood | Startups Magazine https://lnkd.in/eyhAAzTi #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, including Elon Musk and Andreessen Horowitz leaders, have shown varying reactions to the recent presidential election results. While some look forward to a lighter regulatory environment under a new administration, others express concerns about potential costs tied to tariffs and economic policy shifts. Insights from industry leaders Joe Endoso and Scott Nissenbaum shed light on the nuanced implications for tech innovation and investment. https://lnkd.in/ehbhqGDH #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Illumen Capital has launched its $32.75 million Catalyst Fund to support underrepresented fund managers and early-stage founders, with backing from Ford Foundation and Health Forward Foundation. The firm, led by founder Daryn Dodson, aims to deploy the fund within the next year and a half, focusing on sectors like education, health, climate, and financial inclusion. Dominic-Madori Davis | TechCrunch https://lnkd.in/dvJ82b95 #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Teleo, a construction robotics startup, is on a mission to revolutionize robotics by creating foundational models akin to the strides made in AI with ChatGPT. With its innovative semi-autonomous machinery and focus on diverse datasets, the company recently raised $16.2 million in Series A extensions, led by UP.Partners with support from Trousdale Ventures, Triatomic Capital, F-Prime Capital, and Trucks VC, among others. The funds will propel Teleo's industry expansion and AI advancements. Rebecca Bellan | TechCrunch https://lnkd.in/gtMnzuKp #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Stripe is positioning itself as a major player in the secondary markets with its latest $70 billion buyback tender offer. Funded entirely through its own cash flow, the company continues to attract attention after processing over $817 billion in payments in 2022 and securing its spot as the fifth most sought-after company in the secondary market. Aarav Verma | SecondaryLink https://lnkd.in/ex6B2GJX #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 3) 15. Colleen Acosta's Freya Biosciences has secured $10.4M in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with additional support from Export and Investment Fund of Denmark. This investment will advance microbial immunotherapies addressing bacterial vaginosis (BV) and its impact on preterm birth, transforming women's health globally. https://lnkd.in/dztdk2ck 16. Anomalo, a data quality platform for enterprises, has announced a $10 million extension to its Series B, bringing total funding to $82 million. The company aims to accelerate generative AI deployments through expanded support for unstructured data. https://lnkd.in/dYxUrwAZ 17. Four Growers, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based agtech company, has raised $9 million in its Series A round led by Basset Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and Ospraie Ag Science. The company is developing autonomous robots to address labor shortages in greenhouses and plans to expand its technology to outdoor farms. https://lnkd.in/dCM-5qrP 18. Denis Payen's BiocSol, a UCLouvain spin-off, has raised €5.2 million ($5.48 million) in seed funding led by Agri Investment Fund, alongside VIVES IUF, invest.bw, and IMBC SPINNOVA. This funding supports BiocSol's mission to advance sustainable microbial-based crop protection for eco-friendly agricultural solutions. https://lnkd.in/dNjDk33s 19. Three-Sixty Aquaculture Limited, the UK’s only sushi-grade prawn farm, has raised €4.1 million ($4.44 million) in a Series A funding round led by Primestar Industries Inc. Chef Marcus Wareing and Matthew Freud also participated in the round to support sustainable seafood production and a new facility in Wales. https://lnkd.in/dHZp-JK6 20. Shruti Grover's MannyAI, a fashiontech startup, has secured $1.5 million, including a €1.26 million ($1.5 million) Pre-Seed round led by Dreamcraft Ventures. Alante Capital, Plug and Play EMEA, Carbon13, Ventures Together, and PDS Ventures also participated. https://lnkd.in/de9ENdvB

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 8. Wordware (YC S24), a San Francisco-based AI development company, has raised $30 million in a seed round led by Spark Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Felicis, Day One Ventures, and prominent angel investors like Paul Graham and Webflow’s Vlad Magdalin. The funding will help businesses adopt sophisticated AI agents through natural language, with early adopters including Instacart and Metadata. https://lnkd.in/d_azDaDY 9. Vishal Shukla's Aviz Networks, a provider of open networking solutions and AI-driven network management tools, secures $17 million in its Series A round led by Alter. Qualcomm Ventures, Celestica, and others also participated. https://lnkd.in/dCK797NG 10. OneCell Diagnostics Inc., led by Nobel Laureate Dr. James Rothman on its board, has raised $16M in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Celesta Capital, with contributions from Tenacity Ventures, Cedars-Sinai, Eragon Ventures, and Singularity Ventures. The funding will enable OneCell to expand its next-generation liquid biopsy test, OncoIndx Ikon, to the U.S. market. https://lnkd.in/dkq_Bm8A 11. Paris-based Faircraft, a lab-grown leather startup, has raised $15.8 million to scale its operations and deliver luxury-quality leather with reduced environmental impact. The round was backed by Kindred Ventures, Heirloom, CapHorn, Alliance for Impact Inc., and others. https://lnkd.in/dhcsTMRd 12. ALTIN KADAREJA's CARDO AI, a technology platform innovating in asset-based finance and private credit, has closed a $15 million Series A funding round co-led by Blackstone Innovations Investments and FINTOP Capital, with additional support from JAM FINTOP. Blackstone is already leveraging Cardo AI's technology across its Credit & Insurance operations. https://lnkd.in/dv_VJugz 13. Aira Technologies, an AI-driven wireless networks innovator, has raised $14.5 million in its Series B round led by AT&T Ventures, Intel Capital, and IQT (In-Q-Tel)). Neotribe Ventures and Acrew Capital also supported the round. https://lnkd.in/dy3rsyXV 14. Gustav Hasselskog's Candela, a Swedish electric waterborne transport company, has secured a $14M extension to its Series C round, led by SEB’s Private Equity and joined by EQT Ventures and KanDela AB. The funding will support its push into the global market, including U.S. operations on Lake Tahoe. https://lnkd.in/dMagPmjw

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. Amazon expands its investment in Anthropic with an additional $4 billion, underscoring its aggressive push in the generative AI sector. Through this partnership, Amazon Web Services (AWS) becomes the primary training provider for Anthropic’s AI models, with new capabilities from Claude models already benefiting companies like Pfizer and Intuit. https://lnkd.in/d7imxZ9k 2. Aadit Palicha's Zepto, a quick-commerce startup, has raised $350 million in a new funding round, maintaining its $5 billion valuation as it gears up for an IPO next year. This funding will support its operations, which currently serve over 7 million orders daily across India. https://lnkd.in/dUNKD7Pn 3. Viswa Colluru, PhD's Enveda, an AI-driven nature-based drug discovery company, has raised $130 million in its Series C round led by Kinnevik and FPV Ventures. Dimension Capital Pty Ltd, Lux Capital, and The Nature Conservancy also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/dP39CV89 4. League One Volleyball, a sports platform, has secured $100 million in funding led by Atwater Capital, with contributions from Ares Management Corporation and Left Lane Capital. The capital will fuel preparations for the launch of its professional league, LOVB Pro, in January. https://lnkd.in/ddsSmJH8 5. David Sutton's Nivoda, a digital marketplace and supply chain platform for the diamond industry, has raised $51 million to expand its offerings beyond diamonds and gemstones to all jewelry. The round was led by Northzone, with participation from Avenir, Headline, Abstract Ventures, and Canaan. https://lnkd.in/dYVpA4YR 6. Co-founder and CEO Justin Fiaschetti's Inversion, a space logistics provider, has raised $44 million in its Series A round led by Spark Capital and Adjacent. Lockheed Martin Ventures, Kindred Ventures, and Y Combinator also participated. https://lnkd.in/djzUBiEH 7. Israel (Srulik) Dvorsky's TailorMed, an Israeli digital health company, has secured $40 million in equity and debt financing to advance its mission of improving healthcare affordability in the U.S. This round was led by Windham Capital Partners, with participation from Samsung Next, Citi Impact Fund, and more. https://lnkd.in/dAS_Y68W

US venture capital (VC) funding crossed the $100 billion mark in the first 10 months of 2024, reflecting a 17% YoY growth with major deals involving companies like OpenAI and X.AI leading the charge. Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData Plc, highlights the US's global dominance in VC funding both in deal volume and value. Private Equity Wire https://lnkd.in/djdrFNnH #Venture #VentureCapital #VC

Nivoda, a digital marketplace and supply chain platform for the diamond industry, has raised $51M in funding led by Northzone, with participation from existing investors, including Avenir, Headline, Abstract Ventures, and Canaan Partners. The funds will help Nivoda expand its marketplace beyond diamonds and gemstones to encompass all jewelry. David Sutton, CEO and co-founder of Nivoda, shared insights into the company's efforts to streamline the global supply chain for jewelers. FinSMEs https://lnkd.in/dTQNheuW #Venture #VentureCapital #VC