Top 10 Startup and Tech Funding News – July 15, 2025
Nickie Louise
Posted On July 15, 2025
It’s Tuesday, July 15, 2025, and we’re back with your daily tech funding news snapshot—a look at where venture dollars are landing and which startups are shaping the next wave of innovation across AI, fintech, media, cybersecurity, and beyond.
Today’s funding landscape is anything but quiet. From Mira Murati’s $2 billion moonshot in AI safety to new tools redefining legal contracts, podcast storytelling, and enterprise video creation, the global startup scene continues to defy economic gravity. Founders across the U.S., Europe, and Africa are pulling in early- and growth-stage capital to solve real operational bottlenecks—from identity security to industrial safety and zero-party data collection.
Funding Highlights
Thinking Machines led the day with a staggering $2 billion raise to develop trustworthy AI systems, joined by notable backers like Nvidia and Andreessen Horowitz. Unify followed with a $40 million Series B to supercharge go-to-market teams using AI agents. Meanwhile, Zip Security, Rwazi, and Heron Data secured fresh capital to reimagine cybersecurity, market insights, and financial automation for leaner, faster operations.
On the early-stage front, legal tech startup Covenant raised $4 million to streamline fund documentation, Trupeer grabbed $3 million to reinvent screen recordings into studio-ready demos, and IntuigenceAI emerged from stealth with $10 million to take on the global engineering talent shortage with AI agents.
Investor Activity
We saw continued confidence from major players like Battery Ventures, Insight Partners, RTP Global, and OpenAI’s Startup Fund—alongside crossover interest from corporates including Nvidia, Cisco, and Salesforce Ventures. From AI infrastructure and digital hummus to lawtech and market intelligence in Africa, investors are writing checks for tools that solve real problems, scale fast, and cut across borders.
Here’s the full breakdown of the 11 equity funding rounds announced today—complete with funding stages, investor details, and what each startup plans to build next.
Thinking Machines Raises $2B in Early-Stage Round for Safer AI Systems
Thinking Machines Lab, the artificial intelligence startup founded by former OpenAI executive Mira Murati, has raised an unprecedented $2 billion early-stage funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The massive investment values the young company at $12 billion despite having no product or revenue yet, reflecting immense investor confidence in Murati’s vision for safer, more reliable AI systems.
Chipmaker Nvidia and corporate backers including ServiceNow, Cisco, and AMD joined the round, underscoring broad enthusiasm to back top AI talent. Launched only in February, Thinking Machines plans to unveil its first AI product within the next few months as it aims to enable a wider range of trustworthy AI applications beyond what today’s models offer.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Thinking Machines Lab
- Investors: Andreessen Horowitz (lead); Nvidia, Accel, ServiceNow, Cisco, AMD, Jane Street
- Amount Raised: $2 billion
- Total Raised: $2 billion
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Heron Data Secures $16M Series A to Automate Finance Workflows
Heron Data, a New York and London-based automation startup, raised $16 million in a Series A round to streamline document-heavy workflows in business lending, equipment financing, and insurance. The company’s AI-driven platform converts piles of unstructured documents into structured, actionable data, helping lenders and insurers process information faster and with far less manual effort.
Insight Partners led the investment, joined by existing backers like Y Combinator, BoxGroup, and Flex Capital. The new capital will fuel the growth of Heron’s engineering and go-to-market teams in New York and London and enhance its internal AI tools as the startup scales in the financial services sector.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Heron Data
- Investors: Insight Partners (lead); Y Combinator, BoxGroup, Flex Capital
- Amount Raised: $16 million
- Total Raised: $17.2 million
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Kaleidoscope Raises $5M Series A for Science Podcasting Studio
Kaleidoscope, a New York-based podcast studio focused on science and technology storytelling, has raised $5 million in a Series A round co-led by Burda Principal Investments and North Base Media.. This fresh funding brings Kaleidoscope’s total financing to $8.6 million and will help the Peabody Award-winning team expand its lineup of hit science podcasts while also developing new content intellectual property for film and television adaptations.
Founded in 2022 by veteran producers Oz Woloshyn and Mangesh Hattikudur, Kaleidoscope has struck a chord with young, educated listeners looking for engaging content about how innovations in areas like AI and biotech are shaping society. The company plans to use the capital to grow its “storytelling” slate, launch new shows, and work with Hollywood partners to bring its most popular series to the screen.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Kaleidoscope
- Investors: Burda Principal Investments (co-lead), North Base Media (co-lead); The Raine Group (notable)
- Amount Raised: $5 million
- Total Raised: $8.6 million
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Covenant Raises $4M Seed to Build AI-Powered Law Firm Platform
Covenant, an AI-driven law startup aiming to function as a “digital law firm” for private market investors, raised $4 million in seed funding to streamline legal processes for investment funds and startups. The round was led by Flybridge Capital Partners with participation from legal industry veteran Neil Barsky.
Founded in 2021 by attorney Jen Berrent, Covenant’s platform leverages multiple AI models (with strict privacy and security controls) to review and summarize complex documents—like limited partnership agreements for venture funds—in a fraction of the usual time. The fresh capital will support the expansion of Covenant’s operations and further development of its suite of AI-powered legal tools, as the company launches new features such as an AI-assisted “Most Favored Nation” contract analysis tool for investors.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Covenant
- Investors: Flybridge Capital Partners (lead); Neil Barsky
- Amount Raised: $4 million
- Total Raised: $4 million
- Funding Stage: Seed
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Rwazi Raises $12M Series A to Scale Global Consumer Insights Platform
Rwazi, a market intelligence startup that gathers real-time consumer data in emerging markets, has secured $12 million in Series A funding led by Bonfire Ventures. The U.S.-based company (founded in 2021 by Joseph Rutakangwa and Eric Sewankambo) built an AI-powered platform that gives businesses visibility into consumer behavior across 190+ countries.
Rwazi’s approach—collecting “zero-party” data voluntarily shared by consumers—has attracted clients like Coca-Cola, Visa, and Nestlé seeking insights beyond what traditional surveys provide. The new funding (Rwazi’s first since a $4 million seed round in 2022) brings its total raised to about $16 million and will be used to scale the startup’s AI analytics co-pilot, hire additional engineers, and enhance its real-time decision-making tools for a growing global customer base.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Rwazi
Investors: Bonfire Ventures (lead); Santa Barbara Ventures, Newfund, Alumni Ventures
Amount Raised: $12 million
Total Raised: $16 million
Funding Stage: Series A
Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Zip Security Secures $13.5M Series A to Simplify SMB Cybersecurity
Zip Security, a New York-based cybersecurity startup, raised $13.5 million in a Series A round to help companies without dedicated security teams automate their IT protection and compliance. Ballistic Ventures led the investment, joined by Silver Buckshot, Mantis VC, General Catalyst, Human Capital, and BoxGroup. Zip’s all-in-one platform automates tasks like cloud identity management, device monitoring, and audit preparation, enabling small and mid-sized businesses in regulated sectors to stay secure and “audit-ready” with far less manual effort.
The startup will use the new funding to expand its engineering and sales teams, build integrations with more third-party security tools, and extend its reach in industries such as finance and healthcare. With this Series A, Zip Security’s total funding rises to about $21 million to date.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Zip Security
- Investors: Ballistic Ventures (lead); Silver Buckshot, General Catalyst, Mantis VC, Human Capital, BoxGroup
- Amount Raised: $13.5 million
- Total Raised: ~$21 million
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Funding Date: July 14, 2025
Little Sesame Raises $8.5M Series A in Funding to Fuel Hummus Expansion
Little Sesame, a Washington, D.C.-based food startup known for its organic hummus, has closed an $8.5 million Series A funding round to scale up its rapidly growing grocery business. The funding was led by InvestEco Capital, with participation from Watchfire Ventures, Santatera Capital, Beliade Consumer Partners, and other strategic investors from the food industry.
Little Sesame began as a local restaurant in 2018 and pivoted to packaged hummus during the pandemic; its retail sales have since exploded with over 100% year-on-year growth, including placement in more than 1,000 stores such as Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Giant. With the new capital, the company is constructing a 23,000-square-foot production facility that will boost output by 400% (to about 400,000 lbs of hummus per week). The funds will also support new product lines (like a hummus for kids) and initiatives to source regeneratively grown organic chickpeas from American farms, as Little Sesame ramps up national distribution.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Little Sesame
- Investors: InvestEco Capital (lead); Watchfire Ventures, Santatera Capital, Beliade Consumer Partners
- Amount Raised: $8.5 million
- Total Raised: Not disclosed
- Funding Stage: Series A
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
IntuigenceAI Raises $10M Seed to Combat Engineering Shortage with AI
IntuigenceAI, a Berkeley-based startup, emerged from stealth with $10 million in seed financing to launch “IntuiAI,” described as the world’s first superintelligent AI engineering platform. The round was led by Innovation Endeavors with participation from Recursive Ventures and Think+. IntuigenceAI’s mission is to alleviate the shortage of human engineers in heavy industries by using AI “synthetic engineers” to automate complex industrial workflows.
Founded by former Microsoft executive Moe Tanabian, the startup has developed specialized AI agents that have demonstrated expert-level performance on professional engineering exams and are already being piloted by Fortune 100 companies to handle time-consuming maintenance and design tasks. The fresh capital will fuel product development and enterprise deployments of IntuiAI across sectors like energy, chemicals, and manufacturing, where it aims to compress months of engineering work into hours.
Funding Details:
- Startup: IntuigenceAI
- Investors: Innovation Endeavors (lead); Recursive Ventures, Think+
- Amount Raised: $10 million
- Total Raised: $10 million
- Funding Stage: Seed
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Trupeer.ai Lands $3M Seed to Automate Product Demo Videos with AI
Trupeer, a San Francisco-based AI startup, has raised $3 million in seed funding to automate the creation of professional software demo videos from simple screen recordings. Trupeer’s platform uses artificial intelligence to turn raw screen captures into polished, tutorial videos within seconds, complete with AI-generated voice narration, human-like avatar presenters, smart zooms, subtitles, and translations in 50+ languages.
The investment was led by RTP Global with participation from Salesforce Ventures (after Trupeer won Salesforce’s AI Pitch competition) and a network of over 20 Fortune 500 CIOs and CTOs as angel investors. Already adopted by more than 10,000 teams for onboarding, support, and training content, Trupeer will use the funds to expand its product capabilities – including tools to create videos from documents and integrations with enterprise knowledge platforms – as it strives to become an AI-powered “shared brain” for organizational product knowledge.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Trupeer.ai
- Investors: RTP Global (lead); Salesforce Ventures, and multiple Fortune 500 CIO/CTO angels
- Amount Raised: $3 million
- Total Raised: $3 million
- Funding Stage: Seed
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
HaloTech Secures €10M to Expand AI-Powered Industrial Safety Platform
HaloTech, a Madrid-based industrial safety startup, has secured €10 million (about $10.8 million) in a growth funding round to scale its AI- and IoT-powered workplace safety platform. The company’s flagship HALO device uses artificial intelligence to monitor industrial environments and prevent accidents, aiming to revolutionize safety in factories and construction sites.
The undisclosed investors backing this round valued HaloTech at roughly a €100 million pre-money valuation. HaloTech plans to use the funds to ramp up manufacturing of its safety devices (including opening new production facilities in Spain, the U.S., and Brazil) and to enhance its AI analytics platform as it expands into international markets.
Funding Details:
- Startup: HaloTech
- Investors: Undisclosed investors
- Amount Raised: €10 million
- Total Raised: Not disclosed
- Funding Stage: Growth Round
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Unify Raises $40M Series B Funding to Transform Go-to-Market with AI
Unify, a San Francisco-based startup providing an AI-native platform for sales and marketing teams, raised $40 million in a Series B round to help companies accelerate their go-to-market growth. The funding was led by Battery Ventures, with participation from high-profile backers including the OpenAI Startup Fund, Thrive Capital, Emergence Capital, and Capital49.
Unify’s platform employs intelligent AI agents to identify high-intent prospects, personalize outreach at scale, and automate repetitive sales tasks, allowing human sales reps to focus on closing deals rather than chasing leads. Coming just nine months after its Series A, this latest round brings Unify’s total funding to roughly $52 million, which will fuel the expansion of its operations and product development as the company positions itself as an essential AI layer for enterprise sales teams.
Funding Details:
- Startup: Unify
- Investors: Battery Ventures (lead); OpenAI Startup Fund, Thrive Capital, Emergence Capital, Capital49
- Amount Raised: $40 million
- Total Raised: ~$52 million
- Funding Stage: Series B
- Funding Date: July 15, 2025
Funding Summary Table
| Startup | Investors (Lead and notable investors) | Amount Raised | Total Raised | Funding Stage | Funding Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinking Machines Lab | Andreessen Horowitz (lead); Nvidia, Accel, ServiceNow, Cisco, AMD, Jane Street | $2 billion | $2 billion | Series A | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Heron Data | Insight Partners (lead); Y Combinator, BoxGroup, Flex Capital | $16 million | $17.2 million | Series A | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Kaleidoscope | Burda Principal Investments (co-lead), North Base Media (co-lead); The Raine Group | $5 million | $8.6 million | Series A | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Covenant | Flybridge Capital (lead); Neil Barsky | $4 million | $4 million | Seed | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Rwazi | Bonfire Ventures (lead); Santa Barbara Ventures, Newfund, Alumni Ventures | $12 million | $16 million | Series A | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Zip Security | Ballistic Ventures (lead); Silver Buckshot, General Catalyst | $13.5 million | ~$21 million | Series A | Jul 14, 2025 |
| Little Sesame | InvestEco Capital (lead); Watchfire Ventures, Santatera Capital, Beliade CP | $8.5 million | Not disclosed | Series A | Jul 15, 2025 |
| IntuigenceAI | Innovation Endeavors (lead); Recursive Ventures, Think+ | $10 million | $10 million | Seed | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Trupeer | RTP Global (lead); Salesforce Ventures, Fortune 500 CIO/CTO angels | $3 million | $3 million | Seed | Jul 15, 2025 |
| HaloTech | Undisclosed investors | €10 million (~$10.8M) | Not disclosed | Growth Round | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Unify | Battery Ventures (lead); OpenAI Startup Fund, Thrive, Emergence, Capital49 | $40 million | ~$52 million | Series B | Jul 15, 2025 |
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