Venture capital news covering startup funding, VC deals, funding rounds, investor activity, and the startup ecosystem.
Indian quick-commerce startup FirstClub raised $55 million in a Series B round co-led by Peak XV Partners and Sofina, doubling its valuation to $255 million from $120 million in September 2025. The Bengaluru-based firm has crossed 1 million orders and 170,000 households in a year, and plans to expand to Hyderabad and add new categories.
This commentary argues that despite a surge in defense tech funding and valuations, most startups will fail to transition from prototype contracts to production deals, a challenge known as the 'Valley of Death.' It draws on insights from venture investor Ross Fubini to identify what separates successful companies from the rest.
Coralogix secured $200 million in Series F funding led by Advent and CPPIB, valuing the software monitoring startup at $1.6 billion. The round comes 11 months after a $115 million Series E, bringing total funding to $550 million. Revenue grew over 60% in the past year, with about 30 customers spending over $1 million annually.
AlphaSense raised $350 million in a funding round, nearly doubling its valuation to $7.5 billion from $4 billion in its previous financing. The company is an AI-powered market intelligence platform.
Investor Michael Burry expressed skepticism that SpaceX and Anthropic are worth $1 trillion, citing hype and technical challenges. He noted SpaceX's S-1 filing shows $18.7 billion revenue and $4.9 billion net loss, questioning its $2 trillion valuation target. Burry also called Anthropic's AI model development too expensive and expects computing power to become commoditized.
Ex-Meta CTO Mike Schroepfer's venture firm Gigascale Capital closed a $250 million fund for early-stage climate tech, focusing on energy, grid infrastructure, and critical minerals. The fund, its first with institutional investors, will back startups supplying cheaper power and physical AI.
This commentary argues that New York venture capital firms are increasingly looking beyond the city for investments, driven by San Francisco's AI boom and intense local competition. It suggests that New York firms have matured enough to expand geographically, both physically and in deal sourcing.
This article reports on a new wave of consumer social startups aiming to disrupt dating apps and social media by addressing loneliness and user dissatisfaction. It highlights pitch decks from 17 startups that have raised millions, showcasing investor interest in AI tools for networking and IRL-focused platforms.
Sekai, founded by Lucky Zhang, raised $20 million in Series A funding co-led by Khosla Ventures and Connect Ventures. The platform lets users create AI-powered mini apps, with over 15 million built and 200,000 generated daily. Users spend over an hour per day on average.
The51, a Canadian VC firm backing female-led companies, is launching its third fund with BMO as lead investor, targeting $30-million. The fund has secured 17 female co-anchors and will invest in health, wealth, and work sectors.