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🛡️ Guardz Brings Unified AI Cybersecurity to MSPs
Cybersecurity startup Guardz has raised a $56M Series B led by ClearSky, bringing total funding to $84M. The company is building an AI-native platform tailored for managed service providers (MSPs) serving SMBs.
🤖 Unified, AI-First Security Platform
• Combines endpoint, identity, email, cloud, and data protection in one console — backed by both AI and human-led threat response.
• Includes built-in integrations (e.g., SentinelOne) to cut alert fatigue and accelerate remediation.
• Adds extras like compliance automation, cyber insurance, and phishing simulations.
🚀 Growth Backed by Strong Demand
• Funds will go toward U.S. expansion, product development, and 24/7 MDR capabilities.
• Guardz aims to help MSPs turn cybersecurity into a scalable, recurring-revenue service.
• Already serving “hundreds of partners” across multiple countries.
🔓 Solving the SMB Security Gap
• Most SMBs lack in-house security teams and rely on fragmented tools.
• Guardz enables MSPs to deliver enterprise-grade protection with simplified management.
• Its AI-native design helps close detection and response gaps without adding overhead.
With fresh capital and a clear MSP-first focus, Guardz is betting that unified AI platforms will define the next generation of small-business cybersecurity.
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🧲 IonQ Acquires Oxford Ionics to Scale Quantum Hardware
IonQ is acquiring UK-based Oxford Ionics in a ~$1.1B all-stock deal, aiming to accelerate development of fault-tolerant quantum systems. The acquisition is set to close later in 2025.
🧪 Ion Traps Meet Scalable Manufacturing
• Oxford Ionics’ chips use electrode-based control, avoiding lasers — a key step for stability and mass production.
• Built on standard CMOS processes, the tech fits directly into semiconductor supply chains.
• Joint roadmap targets 256 high-fidelity qubits by 2026 and 80,000+ logical qubits by 2030.
👥 UK Talent and Global Reach
• The 80-person Oxford team, including its co-founders, will join IonQ and continue operations from the UK.
• The move deepens IonQ’s European footprint and supports partnerships with Airbus and UK quantum centers.
📈 Scaling Tech — and the Business
• IonQ, valued near $10B, has made 6 acquisitions since 2022 to consolidate its quantum stack.
• Post-deal, shares jumped up to 11%; 2025 revenue guidance: $75–95M.
• The company is transitioning from lab-scale systems to commercial-grade quantum processors.
This deal signals a pivot: the race to useful quantum computing will be won by those who can manufacture — not just innovate.
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🔥 Dave’s Hot Chicken: From $900 Pop-Up to $1B Franchise Empire
Dave’s Hot Chicken, the spicy fast-casual brand born in a Los Angeles parking lot, has been acquired by Roark Capital in a deal reportedly worth close to $1 billion. What began as a $900 experiment in 2017 is now one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the world.
🍔Viral Flavor, Cult Brand
• Started with just a fryer, canopy, and folding table—sold $40 worth of food on day one.
• Known for its simple menu, extreme heat levels (waiver required!), and no-frills branding.
• Leveraged Instagram virality and celebrity fans (Drake is an investor) to fuel early hype.
⚖️ Scaling With Speed and Consistency
• Expanded to 315+ locations globally with 150 more in development.
• Franchised early, with partners often committing to multi-unit deals.
• Revenue tripled to $600M+ in two years—projected to double again by 2025.
🤝 Roark Capital Seals the Deal
• Roark—owner of Dunkin’, Wingstop, and Arby’s—has followed Dave’s since it hit 15 stores.
• Acquisition brings operational muscle and global franchising expertise.
• Founders remain involved: one leads culinary, the other brand—preserving authenticity.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is proof that a gritty, low-capital launch can scale into a global business with the right product, story, and speed. The question now: Can it keep its edge under private equity ownership?
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🧬 Biopeak Wants to Be the OS for Preventive Health in India
Biopeak, a Bengaluru-based longevity startup, has raised $3.5M in seed funding from Claypond Capital (Ranjan Pai), Accel’s Prashanth Prakash, Nikhil Kamath, and others. The funding will support clinic expansion and development of its AI-powered diagnostic platform.
🏠 Clinics That Combine Imaging, Genomics, and AI
• Offers full-body scans, molecular diagnostics, and microbiome analysis—all under one roof.
• Patients receive personalized health plans following 6+ hour clinical assessments.
• Uses AI to interpret multi-modal data and detect dysfunctions before symptoms appear.
📈 Scaling Healthspan Infrastructure
• Plans to open new clinics in major Indian cities.
• Targeting both wellness-focused consumers and those with unresolved chronic conditions.
• Collaborating with IISc and Longevity India to localize protocols for Indian health profiles.
Biopeak is building India’s first high-tech healthspan clinic network—where prevention, not treatment, takes center stage.
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🔐 Infisical Wants to Be the OS for Developer Security
Infisical, a startup focused on developer-first secrets and identity management, has secured a $16 million Series A round led by CRV, with participation from Gradient Ventures, Operator Stack, and existing investors. The funding aims to expand its platform across secrets, identity, and access management.
🛠 Unified Platform for Secrets, Identity, and Access
• Infisical offers a centralized solution for managing secrets, identities, and access controls, designed to streamline security workflows for developers and DevOps teams.
• The platform integrates with various tools and services, providing seamless management of environment variables, API keys, and other sensitive information.
• By unifying these aspects, Infisical aims to reduce complexity and enhance security across development environments.
📈 Strategic Growth and Expansion
• With the new funding, Infisical plans to accelerate product development, focusing on enhancing its platform’s capabilities in secrets management and access control.
• The company intends to expand its team, particularly in engineering and customer support, to better serve its growing user base.
• Infisical also aims to increase its presence in the enterprise market, targeting organizations seeking robust and scalable security solutions.
As organizations increasingly prioritize security and compliance, Infisical’s approach to simplifying secrets and access management positions it as a key player in the evolving landscape of developer-centric security solutions.
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🗃 Kargo Wants to Be the AI Brain of the Warehouse Dock
Kargo, a San Francisco-based startup using computer vision to modernize warehouse inventory, has raised an $18.4M Series A extension led by Matter Venture Partners. Strategic investors Lineage Logistics and Armada Supply Chain Solutions joined, alongside existing backers Founders Fund and Sozo Ventures.
🛠 Hardware-Enabled AI for Freight Accuracy
• Kargo builds dockside infrastructure — “Kargo Towers” and “Kargo Lifts” — outfitted with AI-powered cameras.
• The system scans incoming and outgoing freight, capturing label data, case counts, and visible damage.
• A proprietary large language model analyzes the footage to flag overages, shortages, and compliance issues in real time.
⚙️ Strategic Rollout with 3PL Giants
• Armada has installed Kargo across 240 dock doors in its U.S. network, a major signal of operational validation.
• Lineage’s participation ties Kargo to the world’s largest temperature-controlled logistics network.
• Kargo says its system brings “visual proof” to warehouse data — reducing disputes between shippers and carriers.
📈 From Warehouse Cameras to Supply Chain OS
• Kargo aims to evolve beyond hardware into a full software layer for logistics visibility.
• With growing data from docks, the startup is building tools to automate exception handling and inventory reconciliation.
• The model: capture raw physical events at the edge, then abstract insights upstream into ERP and TMS systems.
As legacy logistics players digitize their last blind spots, Kargo is betting that computer vision — not just barcodes — will power the next leap in supply chain intelligence.
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📲 bolttech: Powering Embedded Insurance
Singapore-based insurtech bolttech has closed its Series C funding round, raising $147 million and achieving a post-money valuation of $2.1 billion. The round welcomed new strategic investors Sumitomo Corporation and Iberis Capital, joining existing backers such as Dragon Fund, Baillie Gifford, and Generali’s Lion River.
🤝 Strategic Partnerships and Expansion
• Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading houses, has not only invested in bolttech but also entered into a joint venture to deliver embedded insurance programs and end-to-end services across Asia.
• Iberis Capital, a Portuguese private equity and venture capital firm, brings its expertise to support bolttech’s growth in European markets.
🚀 Advancing Global Insurtech Solutions
• The new funding will enable bolttech to enhance its platform capabilities and accelerate its global growth strategy, aiming to make insurance more personalized, accessible, affordable, and convenient for customers.
• bolttech’s platform connects over 700 distribution partners with more than 230 insurers, offering a wide range of insurance products worldwide.
With this significant investment and strategic partnerships, bolttech is poised to further its mission of transforming the insurance industry through innovative embedded solutions.
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🛡️ Mind: AI-Powered Data Loss Prevention for the AI Era
Cybersecurity startup Mind Security Inc. has secured $30 million in Series A funding to advance its AI-native data loss prevention (DLP) platform. The round was led by Paladin Capital Group and Crosspoint Capital Partners, with participation from Okta Ventures and existing investor YL Ventures, bringing the company’s total funding to over $40 million .
🔓 Autonomous DLP and Insider Risk Management
• Mind’s platform autonomously detects and prevents data leaks by combining data security posture and DLP into a unified solution.
• It employs a multilayer classification system to identify sensitive data, minimizing false positives and reducing alert fatigue.
• The system makes real-time decisions based on business context to distinguish between normal and high-risk behaviors .
📊 Addressing a Growing Threat Landscape
• With the exponential growth of sensitive data in complex IT environments, Mind aims to help organizations navigate the challenges of the AI era.
• The platform addresses risks associated with both structured and unstructured data, which are common vectors for data breaches.
• Notably, a recent incident involved overseas employees from Coinbase providing insider information to hackers, leading to a breach affecting about 100 million customers .
🚀 Scaling Operations and R&D
• The new funding will enable Mind to double its research and development and marketing teams by the end of the year.
• Co-founder and CEO Eran Barak emphasizes the company’s mission to provide smarter, faster, and fully automated approaches to DLP and insider risk management .
As enterprises increasingly adopt AI technologies, Mind positions itself as a critical solution for preventing data leaks and managing insider risks in real-time.
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🧠 You.com: AI Search Built for Work
AI startup You.com is raising new funds at a $1.4B valuation to fuel its shift from consumer AI to enterprise productivity search—positioning itself as a fast, customizable AI assistant for business teams.
🔍 AI That Understands Your Workflow
• Offers AI agents and APIs that help teams research, write, and analyze faster.
• Pitched as “ChatGPT meets Bloomberg Terminal” for internal data and tasks.
• Moves beyond Q&A to power real work—search, generate, summarize, automate.
📈 Enterprise Traction, Strategic Backers
• Customers include hedge funds, tech unicorns, and the NIH.
• $15/month premium plan, with enterprise deals driving growth.
• Backed by Salesforce Ventures, NVIDIA, Georgian, and DuckDuckGo.
🤖 Built by AI Veterans
• Founded by ex-Salesforce AI leads Richard Socher and Bryan McCann.
• Total funding near $100M; new round aims to expand R&D and enterprise go-to-market.
You.com wants to be more than a chatbot—it’s building the AI coworker for the modern enterprise. Can it outmaneuver Big Tech in the race for AI-first workflows?
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🚀 Impulse Space: Building the Highways of Orbit
Impulse Space, a California-based startup founded by SpaceX propulsion pioneer Tom Mueller, has raised a massive $300 million Series C round to scale its orbital transport fleet. The funding, led by Linse Capital with participation from DFJ Growth and returning investors like Founders Fund and Lux Capital, brings Impulse’s total capital raised to $525 million—making it one of the largest private rounds in space tech history.
🪐 Space Tugs for the Satellite Economy
• Impulse builds orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), or “space tugs,” that move satellites from drop-off points to precise orbits.
• Its Mira vehicle, powered by Saiph bipropellant thrusters, launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission in late 2023.
• The company has secured over 30 contracts worth nearly $200 million across commercial, civil, and defense sectors.
📈 Why It Matters
• As rideshare launches become the norm, OTVs offer cost-effective, flexible last-mile delivery for satellites.
• Impulse’s services support Earth observation, communications, national security, and even deep space missions.
• The company aims to make in-space mobility a foundational layer of orbital infrastructure.
👩🚀 Led by a SpaceX Veteran
• Tom Mueller, Impulse’s founder and CEO, was a founding engineer at SpaceX and the architect of its Merlin and Draco engines.
• His team includes seasoned aerospace professionals with deep expertise in propulsion and spacecraft design.
💸 Fueling the Future
• The new funding will accelerate hiring, manufacturing, and R&D to meet surging demand.
• Impulse is positioning itself as a key player in the rapidly growing market for in-space logistics and mobility.
With this significant capital infusion, Impulse Space is poised to become a cornerstone of the orbital economy, providing essential infrastructure for the next generation of space missions.
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💳 Chime: Digital Banking Pioneer
Chime, the mobile-first fintech known for eliminating banking fees, has officially filed for its long-awaited IPO. The company is aiming for an $11.2 billion valuation—less than half its 2021 private market peak but still one of the largest fintech exits in years.
🏦 Mobile Banking for the Underserved
• Offers no-fee checking, high-yield savings, and early access to paychecks via partner banks (Bancorp and Stride).
• Targets the 60M+ Americans earning under $100K, positioning itself as the anti-bank bank.
• Became a category-defining brand through simplicity, gamified savings tools, and rapid mobile onboarding.
📈 IPO Mechanics and Market Signal
• Chime plans to list under the ticker CHYM, offering 32M shares at $24–$26 each—raising up to $832M.
• The offering is led by Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley.
• This IPO is seen as a bellwether for fintech recovery after a muted market in 2022–2024.
💰 From $25B Down to Earth
• Last valued at $25B in 2021 (led by Sequoia), Chime is repricing in line with public comps like SoFi and Nubank.
• The company will use proceeds to cover RSU taxes and invest in customer growth.
• Despite the markdown, Chime remains one of the most successful consumer fintechs to date.
🛸 Founded for Frictionless Finance
• Founded in 2013 by Chris Britt (ex-Comcast) and Ryan King (ex-Plaxo), who saw big banks profiting off consumer mistakes.
• Their thesis: “No overdraft fees” and automated savings would resonate with middle-income users burned by traditional banks.
Chime’s IPO could reopen the fintech floodgates—but will public markets reward growth without big margins?
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⚡️ REplace: Fast-Tracking Clean Energy Projects with AI Site Intelligence
REplace, a climate tech startup based in the U.S., has raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and data center infrastructure. The startup uses AI to drastically cut the time it takes to assess land and grid compatibility—one of the biggest bottlenecks in clean energy development.
🧠 Instant Site Selection with AI
• REplace’s platform evaluates over 50 variables—including grid access, land ownership, permitting complexity, and market dynamics—to identify optimal sites for energy projects.
• What previously took weeks or months can now be done in seconds, helping developers avoid dead-end projects and start building faster.
💸 Pre-Seed Backing from Climate and Infra Angels
• The $2.1M round was led by Gravity Climate and Techstars, with participation from Malbec Ventures, Adam/a, and angels with backgrounds in solar, energy, and data infra.
• This brings REplace’s total funding to $2.175M. The capital will be used to expand engineering capacity, enhance its AI feature set, and scale across U.S. markets.
🚀 Traction with Industry Leaders
• Already in use by major players like Iberdrola (via Kyoto), EDF Renewables, Doral Energy, Elawan, and Bithenergy, REplace is proving its value to large-scale energy developers.
• The platform helps reduce early-stage failure risk—critical in a market where 80% of U.S. clean energy projects stall before reaching construction.
👨💻 Founded by Developers, for Developers
• REplace was founded in 2023 by Matias Sigal (CEO) and Alan Algamis (CTO), both with experience navigating energy development challenges firsthand.
• Their insight into the friction in site selection helped shape REplace’s core product: an AI-first tool that removes uncertainty at the earliest stage.
In a world racing to electrify everything, REplace wants to make sure projects don’t die on the drawing board. Will AI finally unblock clean energy at scale?
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🎮 Oncade: Reshaping Game Distribution by Putting Power Back in Players’ Hands
San Francisco-based gaming startup Oncade has raised $4 million in seed funding to reinvent how games are sold and shared. By letting developers sell directly to players—and rewarding communities that help spread the word—Oncade is flipping the script on app stores and traditional game distribution channels.
⚙️ A New Model for Game Monetization
• Oncade enables developers to launch their own storefronts, sell games directly, and bypass fees from Steam, the App Store, and Google Play.
• The platform lets players act as affiliates—promoting games and in-game items in exchange for revenue share.
• It supports presales, live ops, and global payouts via stablecoin rails, offering speed, transparency, and ownership.
🚀 Backed by Builders and Gaming Vets
• The $4M round was led by a16z crypto’s CSX initiative, with participation from Balaji Srinivasan, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, and other gaming insiders.
• Oncade plans to use the funds to scale its platform and grow its developer base across mobile and PC ecosystems.
👾 Founded by Gaming Industry Veterans
• Co-founders Stavros Lee and Greg Reisdorf bring deep experience from EA, Activision, OUYA, Meta, and Coinbase.
• Their vision: empower developers and players to share in the economics of game publishing and discovery.
📉 Tackling the Discovery and Cost Problem
• Game studios today face steep platform fees and rising customer acquisition costs.
• Oncade turns discovery into a community-driven function—rewarding creators, streamers, and players who help games find their audience.
By decentralizing distribution and aligning incentives, Oncade is giving the gaming world a platform that’s more open, more direct, and more player-first.
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🩺 Omada Health: Reinventing Chronic Care
Omada Health, a digital health pioneer, is preparing to go public on the Nasdaq with a targeted $1.1 billion valuation. Its virtual care platform tackles chronic conditions with a hybrid model that’s gaining traction as employers seek scalable, cost-effective health solutions.
📱 A Platform for “Between-Visit” Care
• Omada’s solution manages diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and mental health through a continuous virtual care model, supplementing traditional healthcare.
• The company serves over 2,000 employers and health plans, with more than 679,000 active members as of Q1 2025.
• Programs integrate devices, behavioral coaching, and clinical services—designed to reduce hospital visits and improve long-term outcomes.
📈 Financial Growth and IPO Momentum
• Omada filed for an IPO aiming to raise $158M by offering 7.9M shares at $18–$20 each.
• Revenue grew 38% YoY in 2024 to $169.8M, with a 57% jump in Q1 2025 alone, hitting $55M.
• Losses are narrowing: Q1 2025 net loss was $9.4M vs. $19M in Q1 2024—indicating a path toward profitability.
💼 Backers and Boardroom Strength
• Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, U.S. Venture Partners, and Wellington.
• IPO underwriters include Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan, signaling strong institutional confidence.
🌐 Strategic Timing as Virtual Care Rebounds
• Omada’s IPO comes amid a cautious market, where others like Klarna and StubHub are waiting.
• But demand for scalable, outcome-based healthcare is resurging, especially from employers focused on chronic care ROI.
• The IPO could serve as a bellwether for the digital health sector’s second wave—more grounded in clinical results and payer value.
With traction, tightening financials, and a model aligned to long-term trends in employer health and value-based care, Omada could emerge as a category-defining public company in digital chronic care.
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💳 Meta Eyes Stake in Scale AI to Power GenAI Ambitions
Meta is in advanced talks to invest over $10 billion in Scale AI, the data infrastructure startup powering many of today’s leading AI models. The potential deal would mark one of the largest-ever investments by a tech giant in an external AI company.
📊 Fueling the Data Layer
• Scale AI provides high-quality training data for OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta’s own LLaMA models.
• Its platform enables supervised fine-tuning, RLHF, and structured data labeling at enterprise scale.
• 2024 revenue reached ~$870M; 2025 target: over $2B.
🧠 Meta’s External Bet on AI Infrastructure
• The deal signals a shift from Meta’s build-it-alone AI strategy to strategic partnerships.
• Scale also supports Meta’s classified “Defense Llama” work — expanding its AI footprint into defense.
• The investment could give Meta long-term preferential access to Scale’s services and platform.
💵 Massive AI Capex, Broad Reach
• Meta plans to spend up to $68B this year on AI hardware, infrastructure, and product rollouts.
• Generative AI features are coming to Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Ads by 2026.
• A deepened alliance with Scale could sharpen Meta’s edge across consumer and enterprise AI use cases.
For Meta, this isn’t just about data — it’s about controlling the full stack of the AI value chain.
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🥛 PFx Biotech: Allergy-Free Milk Proteins Made by Microbes
Porto-based PFx Biotech has raised €2.5M in grant funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator to scale its production of human milk proteins—without cows. The startup is using precision fermentation to make infant-safe, allergen-free proteins for the next generation of nutrition products.
🧬 Proteins Inspired by Human Biology
• Produces lactoferrin, α-lactalbumin, and osteopontin using engineered microbes.
• Designed for infant formulas and medical nutrition—without cow allergens.
• Motivated by a founder’s personal experience raising a child with milk allergies.
🏠 Scaling With EU Backing
• Grant will fund bioreactor upgrades, regulatory approvals, and key hires.
• Targets commercialization of bioidentical lactoferrin as a lead ingredient.
• Alumni of Mylkcubator and EIT Food programs; part of the emerging alt-dairy deeptech scene.
🌍 Health, Sustainability, and Global Demand
• Eliminates reliance on animal agriculture while improving nutritional outcomes.
• Positioned for infant, senior, and functional food markets.
• Meets growing demand for hypoallergenic, sustainable protein sources.
PFx Biotech is rewriting the future of milk—replacing cows with microbes to create a cleaner, safer, and more precise source of nutrition.
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🛡️ Anduril Is Building the Autonomy Stack for U.S. Defense
Anduril, the defense tech startup founded by Palmer Luckey, has raised $2.5B in Series G funding at a $30.5B valuation, nearly doubling its worth since 2023. Founders Fund led the round with a record $1B check, joined by Valor Equity, Andreessen Horowitz, and others. The raise includes a tender offer for early employees.
🤖 Full-Stack Autonomy for National Defense
• Builds AI-powered surveillance towers, autonomous drones, and software to fuse battlefield data.
• Focused on modular, scalable systems that integrate rapidly into military operations.
• Positions itself as the defense equivalent of Tesla + Palantir—owning both hardware and software layers.
💳 Biggest VC Bet in Defense Tech
• Revenue has doubled in the past year, approaching ~$1B in 2024.
• Oversubscribed 8x, indicating surging interest in dual-use and defense-aligned ventures.
• Tender offer provides early liquidity—a sign of long-term confidence from existing investors.
🌐 From Startup to Strategic Prime
• Competing with traditional defense primes by moving faster and iterating on battlefield feedback.
• Strong alignment with U.S. defense goals: autonomy, deterrence, and cost-effective deterrents.
• Long-term risks include geopolitical volatility, contract dependency, and intense regulatory scrutiny.
Anduril isn’t just a contractor—it’s positioning as a full-stack autonomy provider for the modern military.
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🧠 Vima Therapeutics Launches to Treat Dystonia at the Root
Vima Therapeutics, a neuroscience-focused biotech, has launched with a $60 million Series A led by Atlas Venture, with participation from Access Industries and Canaan. The company is advancing VIM0423, the first oral small molecule targeting the root cause of dystonia and related movement disorders.
🧬 Mechanism-Driven Oral Therapy for Movement Disorders
• VIM0423 selectively targets muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the brain, a pathway known to be disrupted in dystonia and related disorders.
• Existing treatments offer symptomatic relief but suffer from tolerability issues—Vima aims to address the underlying neural dysfunction.
• As an oral therapy, VIM0423 could offer a more accessible and patient-friendly alternative to injectable or device-based treatments.
👥 Led by Veteran Neuroscience Operators
• CEO Bernard Ravina, MD, is a movement disorder expert with experience at Voyager, Biogen, and Praxis.
• President and Head of R&D Judith Dunn, PhD, brings 30+ years in drug development, including senior roles at Roche.
• The leadership team also includes veterans from Surface Oncology, Takeda, and Wyeth, adding cross-functional experience in neurology and clinical operations.
📈 Advancing Toward Clinical Proof
• VIM0423 is currently in Phase 1 trials, with Phase 2 expected to launch in Q4 2025.
• The Series A funding will support continued clinical development, biomarker strategy, and platform expansion.
• Vima is initially targeting isolated dystonia but sees broader potential in related movement disorders like Parkinsonism and Tourette’s.
As the field shifts from symptom control to disease modification, Vima’s targeted, mechanism-based approach has the potential to redefine treatment for a historically underserved patient population.
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🧠 Oblong Pivots to Decentralized
Oblong Inc. (NASDAQ: OBLG), historically known for enterprise collaboration tools, is rebranding itself around AI and digital assets — raising $7.5M in a private placement to launch a Bittensor-centric strategy built around the $TAO token.
🔗 From Whiteboards to Permissionless Intelligence
• Oblong will acquire $TAO and build tools for Bittensor, a decentralized network rewarding machine learning contributions.
• The company plans to operate in subnet 0, earning yield by providing AI services on-chain.
• This marks a full pivot away from its Mezzanine™ collaboration platform into AI-native crypto infrastructure.
🪙 Token-Backed Capital Raise
• The $7.5M came from institutional investors at $3.77 per share, totaling 1.99M shares.
• As of Q1 2025, Oblong had $4.3M in cash and no debt — giving it a clean balance sheet to execute its new thesis.
• Proceeds will be used for $TAO accumulation and engineering around the Bittensor stack.
📉 Betting on the Third Era of Crypto
• Oblong believes crypto is entering its “AI phase,” following the monetary (Bitcoin) and smart contract (Ethereum) eras.
• Bittensor’s capped 21M token supply and incentive structure resemble early Bitcoin, but applied to compute.
• The firm sees $TAO as a potential foundational asset for decentralized AI coordination.
🎯 High-Risk, High-Conviction Rebrand
• Oblong is effectively transforming into a public vehicle for Bittensor exposure.
• Investors are betting on $TAO’s long-term upside and the firm’s ability to carve out technical value in the ecosystem.
• The move mirrors a growing number of crossover plays between public markets and open-source AI.
As AI and blockchain increasingly collide, Oblong is making a high-conviction wager: that the next trillion-dollar protocol may be owned — not built — by the ones who get in early.
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🚐 Plus: Bringing Autonomous Trucks to Wall Street
Autonomous trucking startup Plus is going public through a SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX, valuing the company at $1.2 billion. The deal will provide $300 million in gross proceeds and is expected to close by Q4 2025 — marking Plus’ second attempt at going public after a scrapped 2021 IPO.
🧠 Software-First Autonomy for Global OEMs
• Plus builds self-driving software for long-haul trucks, targeting global manufacturers like Traton, Hyundai, and Iveco.
• Its system is currently being tested on roads in Texas and Sweden, with full commercial rollout planned for 2027.
• The company’s stack can be deployed incrementally — starting with driver-assist features and progressing to full autonomy.
📉 Second Shot After Market Pullback
• In 2021, Plus walked away from a $3.3B SPAC due to market instability.
• The current $1.2B valuation reflects more tempered expectations — but also more clarity on product roadmap and partnerships.
• Market conditions for SPACs have improved, especially in high-capex, long-horizon sectors like autonomous transport.
📦 Solving Logistics’ Bottlenecks
• Trucking continues to face labor shortages and efficiency gaps, making autonomy a compelling solution.
• Plus believes its tech can reduce delivery times, improve safety, and cut costs for freight operators.
• Regulatory signals in the U.S. and EU are gradually favoring autonomous commercial vehicles.
As the race to autonomous logistics heats up, Plus is betting that patient engineering and deep OEM ties will help it outlast earlier hype cycles.
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📈 Filament Syfter: Fixing the Data Stack for Private Equity
AI startup Filament Syfter has raised $4.8 million in Series A funding to rebuild the fragmented data infrastructure in private equity. The round was led by FINTOP Capital, with participation from several unnamed investors. This brings the London-based company’s total funding to $6.5 million.
🔍 AI to Unlock Deal Intelligence
• Filament Syfter helps PE and investment banking firms centralize and enrich their internal and third-party data sources.
• The platform applies AI to reveal actionable insights across siloed CRMs, emails, documents, and public databases.
• It’s designed to surface better-fit deals, deepen relationship intelligence, and speed up decision-making.
📉 Solving the ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’ Problem
• Many private market firms have spent heavily on CRMs but still rely on gut feel for deal sourcing due to poor data quality.
• Filament Syfter aims to “operationalize” data — turning static information into a proactive advantage.
• Current clients include mid-market investors like Astorg, Inflexion, and Cavendish.
🌍 Global Ambitions and Strategic Backing
• Funding will support Filament Syfter’s expansion into North America and broader global private markets.
• FINTOP Capital partners Chris Haley and Max Haskin will join the board to guide financial services scaling.
• CEO Phil Westcott, formerly with IBM Watson, sees the firm becoming the “data engine” for the PE sector.
As competition heats up in private markets, Filament Syfter is betting that smarter data — not just more data — will define the next generation of outperformers.
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🧮 Axiom: AI That Solves Math for Wall Street
Stanford PhD student Carina Hong is raising $50M for her AI startup Axiom, aiming for a $300M–$500M valuation. The company is developing large language models trained on mathematical proofs to tackle complex problems in quantitative finance and risk analysis.
➕ Math Meets Markets
• Axiom’s AI aspires to solve intricate math problems, potentially uncovering market patterns beyond human detection.
• The technology targets hedge funds and quantitative firms seeking advanced modeling and risk assessment tools.
👩🎓 Founder with Deep Academic Roots
• Hong, a first-generation college student from Canton, China, completed degrees in math and physics at MIT in three years.
• She studied neuroscience at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and is now pursuing a joint JD/PhD at Stanford.
• In 2022, she received the Alice T. Schafer Prize, awarded to the top woman math major in the U.S.
💳 High Stakes, High Potential
• Despite being pre-product, Axiom is attracting significant investor interest, reflecting a trend of funding AI startups with strong academic foundations.
• The startup aims to provide tools that offer better modeling, faster trades, and smarter risk decisions in the financial sector.
Axiom’s success could hinge on its ability to build trust with institutional clients and deliver on its promise of mathematically rigorous AI solutions for finance.
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🌐 Zero Networks: Microsegmentation Without the Headache
Zero Networks, a cybersecurity startup out of Tel Aviv, just raised $55M in Series C funding to make ransomware defense radically simpler. With agentless, automated microsegmentation, the company aims to bring zero trust principles to every corner of the enterprise—without complex deployments or endless rule-writing.
🔐 Zero Trust Meets Zero Friction
• Offers an automated microsegmentation platform that blocks lateral movement—the core tactic in modern ransomware attacks.
• Combines Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) with Identity Least Privilege to dynamically limit who can access what, and when.
• Agentless deployment model means rapid rollout across devices, users, and workloads—on-prem or cloud.
📊 Hypergrowth, Global Ambitions
• Revenue grew 300% since late 2023, with its customer base tripling in the same period.
• Funding will fuel go-to-market and R&D expansion across North America, EMEA, and APAC.
• Customers span sectors like healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure—where lateral movement risks are highest.
💸 $55M Series C, Backed by Global Funds
• Led by Highland Europe, with returning support from USVP, Venrock, PICO, and F2 Venture Capital.
• Pushes total funding over $100M—a strong war chest for category leadership.
• Investors see Zero Networks as uniquely capable of scaling segmentation without the complexity that’s hampered adoption elsewhere.
🛸 Born from the Front Lines
• Founded by Benny Lakunishok (CEO), whose team has deep cybersecurity roots across Check Point, Microsoft, and the IDF’s Unit 8200.
• Their pitch: segmentation should be as simple as installing a firewall, not a multi-year IT project.
• The product continuously adapts access controls based on real-world behavior—no need to pre-define all rules.
Zero Networks believes the ransomware era calls for more than detection—it demands containment by design. Will simplicity be the real breakthrough in zero trust adoption?
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🧠 Ciroos: AI Teammates for Ops Teams
Ciroos, a stealthy AI startup founded just four months ago, has burst onto the scene with a $21M seed round to reinvent how reliability teams detect and respond to system failures—using autonomous AI agents that act like full-time teammates.
⚙️ AI That Works Like an SRE
• Ciroos builds AI “teammates” designed for site reliability engineering (SRE), blending diagnostics, troubleshooting, and resolution into one intelligent layer.
• Agents integrate into existing devops stacks (observability, incident tracking, code) via MCP and A2A frameworks.
• Teams can tune autonomy: from passive suggestion to near full auto-remediation.
🚀 Fast Launch, Big Backers
• Raised $21M in seed funding led by Energy Impact Partners, with participation from AME Cloud Ventures and ex-Gigamon CEO Paul Hooper.
• Team includes former execs from Cisco, AWS, and Gigamon—bringing deep ops and enterprise DNA.
• Based in Pleasanton, CA, with plans to scale engineering across the Bay Area and India.
🌐 Crowded but Growing Arena
• Enters a competitive space with startups like StackAI, Spur, Artisan, and Coworker—each building domain-specific AI coworkers.
• Unlike generic copilots, Ciroos focuses exclusively on ops downtime and production reliability.
• The market for AI-first operations tooling is expanding rapidly as cloud complexity outpaces human scaling.
🌐 Autonomy Meets Enterprise Ops
• Ciroos isn’t just automating tasks—it’s building a multi-agent platform that collaborates, not just executes.
• Early demos show agents analyzing incident graphs, suggesting fixes, and triggering mitigation workflows in seconds.
• Designed to reduce alert fatigue, MTTD, and MTTR—key metrics for modern SRE teams.
Ciroos is betting that “AI teammates” will become as essential to ops teams as observability dashboards—will reliability be their wedge into the enterprise AI stack?
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🧠 Paradromics: Achieving a Milestone in Brain-Computer Interface Technology
Paradromics, a neurotechnology startup based in Austin, Texas, has successfully completed its first human implantation of the Connexus brain-computer interface (BCI), marking a significant advancement in the field.
🧪 First Human Implantation of Connexus BCI
• On May 14, 2025, during a scheduled epilepsy surgery at the University of Michigan, neurosurgeons temporarily implanted the Connexus device into a patient’s temporal lobe.
• The procedure lasted approximately 10 to 15 minutes, during which the device recorded neural activity, demonstrating its capability to capture meaningful brain signals.
💡 Advancements in Neural Signal Recording
• Connexus features a compact design—smaller than a dime—with 420 electrodes capable of high-resolution signal capture at the neuron level.
• This design aims to decode speech-related neural activity more precisely, potentially translating brain signals into speech, text, and cursor movements.
🔬 Transition to Clinical Trials
• Following this successful procedure, Paradromics plans to initiate long-term clinical trials by the end of 2025, pending FDA approval.
• The trials will focus on individuals with severe motor impairments, such as those resulting from ALS, stroke, or paralysis, aiming to restore communication abilities.
💰 Strategic Partnerships and Funding
• In February 2025, Paradromics announced a strategic investment from Saudi Arabia’s Neom, signaling growing international interest in BCI technology.
• To date, the company has raised nearly $100 million in funding, supporting its mission to develop high data-rate BCI systems.
🏁 Positioning in the BCI Landscape
• Paradromics’ recent achievement positions it as a notable competitor to other BCI developers, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which has also been conducting human trials.
• The successful human implantation of Connexus underscores Paradromics’ commitment to advancing neurotechnology and its potential to impact individuals with severe motor impairments.
As Paradromics moves forward with clinical trials, the company’s innovative approach to brain-computer interfaces holds promise for transforming the lives of individuals facing significant communication challenges.
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🛸 Neuralink: Building Brain-Computer Interfaces for Thought-Based Control
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has raised $650 million in Series E funding to accelerate the rollout of its brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies. The round boosts Neuralink’s valuation to nearly $9 billion, marking one of the largest financings in the neurotech sector to date.
🧬 Brain Implants That Let You Control Devices by Thought
• Neuralink’s first product, Telepathy, uses ultra-thin threads implanted in the brain to detect neural activity and translate it into digital commands.
• It enables patients with severe paralysis to control devices—like phones, keyboards, or robotic limbs—just by thinking.
• Five people have already received the implant, with trials underway in the U.S., Canada, and UAE.
💸 Deep Bench of Backers in Series E
• Investors in this mega-round include Founders Fund, Sequoia, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed, and ARK Invest.
• The new capital will support R&D, clinical deployment, and scaling the patient onboarding process.
• Neuralink has now raised over $1 billion since its founding in 2016.
👁 Expanding Into Vision Restoration
• Neuralink is also working on Blindsight, a device aimed at restoring sight to the blind by bypassing damaged optic nerves.
• The FDA granted it “Breakthrough Device” status, expediting its path to human trials.
• It reflects Neuralink’s broader ambition to treat neurological conditions, not just enhance healthy brains.
⚔️ Racing Ahead in a Crowded Field
• Neuralink is in active competition with startups like Synchron, Paradromics, and Precision Neuroscience, which are also racing to bring BCI products to market.
• Unlike its rivals, Neuralink is taking a high-bandwidth, fully implantable approach—betting on long-term AI integration and full-brain interfacing.
With a $9B valuation and FDA-cleared trials underway, Neuralink is no longer just a moonshot—it’s a serious contender to redefine the relationship between humans and machines. But can it move fast enough to maintain its lead?
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🧬 Hormona: Revolutionizing Women’s Hormone Health with AI and At-Home Testing
London-based health-tech startup Hormona has secured $6.6 million (£5M) in seed funding to transform how women monitor and manage their hormonal health. By integrating AI-driven analytics with at-home testing, Hormona aims to provide women with real-time insights into their hormonal fluctuations, eliminating the need for frequent lab visits and invasive procedures.
🔬 Innovative Approach to Hormone Monitoring
• Hormona’s at-home tests are fully quantitative, covering the complete clinical range with over 90% accuracy compared to standard venous blood samples.
• The platform offers ongoing monitoring at a fraction of the cost of traditional hormone panels, which can exceed $175 per test.
• Users receive personalized insights into their hormonal phases, symptom-reduction strategies, cycle-specific nutrition advice, and partner alerts through a monthly subscription model.
📌 Founders Driven by Personal Experience
• Founded in 2020 by CEO Karolina Löfqvist and COO Jasmine Tagesson, Hormona was born out of Löfqvist’s personal struggle with undiagnosed hormonal issues.
• Their combined expertise in consulting, user experience, and product development has been instrumental in creating a platform that addresses the complexities of women’s hormonal health.
📈 Rapid Growth and User Engagement
• Hormona’s app has been downloaded in over 190 countries, experiencing 30% month-over-month growth.
• The platform boasts an 80% user retention rate after one year, indicating strong user engagement and satisfaction.
💼 Strategic Funding and Expansion Plans
• The seed round was led by Helsinki-based Voima Ventures and co-led by SuperNode Global in London, with participation from DLF Ventures, Nascent Invest, and Techstars.
• The new capital will support the launch of additional hormone tests, expansion of B2B partnerships, and enhancement of infrastructure, marketing, and customer support.
• Voima Ventures’ Inka Mero and SuperNode’s Gina King will join Hormona’s all-female board, bringing valuable expertise to guide the company’s next growth phase.
Hormona’s innovative approach and strong backing position it to become a leading force in the evolution of women’s hormonal health management.
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🤖 Inven: Transforming Private Market Deal Sourcing with AI
Helsinki-based fintech startup Inven has secured $12.75 million in Series A funding to revolutionize how private market deals are sourced. By leveraging artificial intelligence, Inven aims to provide investment professionals with a more efficient and insightful approach to identifying opportunities in the private sector.
🔍 AI-Powered Deal Discovery
• Inven’s platform continuously analyzes data from over 21 million companies across 160+ countries, utilizing information from millions of sources, including company websites, news outlets, and regulatory filings.
• The AI-native system employs advanced natural language processing to process unstructured data, enabling it to surface investment opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed.
💼 Strategic Funding and Expansion Plans
• The Series A round was co-led by Ventech and Vendep Capital, with participation from angel investor Risto Siilasmaa, founder of F-Secure and former Chair of Nokia, along with existing backers Lifeline Ventures and Joint Effects.
• With the new capital, Inven plans to double or triple its workforce over the next 12 to 18 months, focusing on expanding its AI engineering, product development, and customer success teams.
• The company also aims to broaden its presence in North America and other key financial hubs globally.
👥 Experienced Founding Team
• Founded in 2022 by former consultants from McKinsey and BCG—Niilo Pirttijärvi, Ekku Jokinen, and Tommi Kupiainen—Inven was born out of firsthand experience with the inefficiencies in traditional deal sourcing methods.
• Their combined expertise in consulting and technology has been instrumental in developing a platform that addresses the complexities of the private market landscape.
📈 Growing Adoption Among Investment Professionals
• Over 700 firms across Europe and the U.S., including investment banks, private equity firms, and consultants, are currently utilizing Inven’s platform to streamline their deal sourcing processes.
• The platform’s ability to deliver timely and relevant insights has made it an invaluable tool for professionals seeking a competitive edge in the market.
With its innovative approach and strong backing, Inven is poised to become a leading force in the evolution of private market deal sourcing.
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⚡ Heron Power: Tesla Alums Transforming the Future of Grid Technology
Heron Power, founded by former Tesla engineers, is developing next-generation power electronics and control systems designed to make the electric grid more stable, resilient, and capable of integrating renewable energy sources seamlessly.
🔋 Innovating for a Smarter, More Flexible Grid
• The company’s modular and scalable technology enables utilities and microgrids to manage energy flow dynamically, addressing challenges posed by intermittent renewables like solar and wind.
• Their solutions focus on improving grid stability and accelerating response times, key factors as power networks evolve toward decentralization and decarbonization.
🔬 Expertise Rooted in Industry Experience
• Heron Power’s leadership team comes from Tesla’s Powertrain and Energy divisions, combining deep engineering knowledge with practical experience in battery and grid-scale power systems.
• This expertise underpins the company’s ability to develop utility-ready technologies that meet real-world demands.
🚀 Scaling to Meet Growing Energy Infrastructure Needs
• Recently closing a $38 million Series A led by Energy Impact Partners, Heron Power plans to use the capital to expand product development, pilot deployments, and commercial partnerships.
• The company aims to work closely with utilities and energy regulators to accelerate adoption of its grid modernization technologies amid rising global demand.
• As grids worldwide transition toward cleaner energy and smarter management, Heron Power is positioned to capture a significant share of this expanding market.
With its strong technical foundation and strategic growth plans, Heron Power is poised to drive critical innovation in the energy sector’s shift toward a cleaner, more reliable grid.
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