Top Startup and Tech Funding News Roundup for the Week Ending July 25, 2025
Nickie Louise
Posted On July 25, 2025
It’s Friday, July 25, 2025, and we’re back with your top startup and tech funding news roundup for the week ending today. From AI blood analyzers and bitcoin-powered remittances to submarine data intelligence and edge AI chips, this week’s deals show that investors are casting a wide net across industries—and doubling down on startups tackling real-world infrastructure, security, and access problems.
We’re a bit late hitting send today, but we’ve more than made up for it with a packed edition—featuring funding rounds from across the U.S., India, Israel, and Latin America. From strategic investments to Series B expansions, founders are building at the edge of the ocean, of connectivity, and AI.
Funding Highlights
Maro secured $4.3 million to stop cybersecurity breaches at the human level. Scopio Labs added $10 million to its Series D to automate blood diagnostics with AI. Lightyear raised $23 million to scale its pan-European investing platform, and Baxter Aerospace landed $6 million to expand production of its vertical-takeoff drones and field broadband kits. Meanwhile, SuperK and Netrasemi showed the growing momentum in India’s retail and semiconductor sectors, respectively.
Investor Activity
This week saw active participation from forward-looking investors like Zebra Ventures, Viola Growth, NordicNinja, and Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal’s fund. Strategic capital also played a big role, with corporate VCs and government-backed investors anchoring key rounds in aerospace, medtech, and RFID.
Below is the full breakdown of today’s most interesting funding stories—complete with company snapshots, deal terms, and who’s backing the next generation of global innovators.
Here’s the full breakdown. Until next week, have a great weekend.
Spear AI Raises $2.3M in Seed Funding for Submarine Data AI
Spear AI, a defense tech startup founded by U.S. Navy veterans, secured $2.3 million in its first outside funding round to help militaries harness AI for submarine data analysis. The Washington-based company specializes in passive acoustic intelligence – using sensors and AI to determine whether underwater sounds come from rain squalls, whales, or potential threats.
Spear AI’s platform, already backed by a $6 million U.S. Navy contract, will use the new funds to double its 40-person team and expand its AI-driven solutions for both naval and commercial applications. The seed round was led by Cortical Ventures and included Scare the Bear, marking a strong venture debut for Spear AI’s mission to bring cutting-edge AI into the undersea domain.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Spear AI
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Investors: Cortical Ventures (lead), Scare the Bear
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Amount Raised: $2.3 million
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Total Raised: $2.3 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Maro Raises $4.3M in Seed Funding to Combat Human Risk in Cybersecurity
Maro, a New York City-based cybersecurity startup, raised $4.3 million in seed funding to help organizations tackle the “human factor” in cyber threats. The round was led by Downing Capital Group. Maro’s cognitive security platform uses AI-driven agents to monitor and intervene in real time when risky user behaviors occur – from potential data leaks in chatbots to phishing attempts and insider threats.
Founded in 2024 by Jadon Montero, Gwen Betts, and Jen Andre, Maro will use the fresh capital to grow its team, accelerate product development, and scale its go-to-market strategy for its human-risk management tools. By addressing human error and malicious actions amplified by AI, Maro aims to give security teams better visibility into employee behaviors and prevent incidents before they happen.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Maro
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Investors: Downing Capital Group (lead)
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Amount Raised: $4.3 million
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Total Raised: $4.3 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Saf.money Secures Pre-Seed Funding for Bitcoin-Powered Remittances
Saf.money, a Guatemala City-based fintech platform, has raised an undisclosed pre-seed round to expand its cross-border payments network built on bitcoin and stablecoins, company co-founder and CEO Mario Aguiluz announced on X. Backed by crypto-focused investors including Fulgur Ventures, Plan B, Initial Capital, and 1A1z, Saf.money’s platform enables faster, cheaper remittances by integrating digital asset rails with traditional banking.
With Saf.money, users can send money as seamlessly as a text or WhatsApp message, while the backend uses bitcoin and dollar-pegged stablecoins to move funds across borders. The startup (founded by Mario Aguiluz and Esteban de la Peña) will use the new capital to grow across Latin America and add more stablecoin channels and partnerships in the U.S., aiming to improve financial access with its hybrid crypto-banking model.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Saf.money
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Investors: Fulgur Ventures, Plan B, Initial Capital, 1A1z
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Amount Raised: Undisclosed
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Pre-Seed
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Baxter Aerospace Lands $6M in Series A Funding for Unmanned Systems & Connectivity
Baxter Aerospace, a St. George, Utah-based aerospace systems integrator, raised $6 million in Series A funding to accelerate production of its advanced unmanned aircraft and deployable communication systems. The investment came from the DoD Accelerator Fund, providing Baxter with resources to scale up manufacturing of its Dragonfly long-endurance vertical-takeoff drone and its field-deployable broadband communication kits.
Led by founder and President Michael Baxter, the company operates at the intersection of edge connectivity, UAVs, and precision manufacturing. Baxter Aerospace plans to use the Series A proceeds to expand its factory capacity and support critical use cases ranging from disaster response to defense missions that require persistent ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and resilient communications in austere environments.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Baxter Aerospace
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Investors: DoD Accelerator Fund (lead).
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Amount Raised: $6 million
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Total Raised: $6 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Xemelgo Gains Strategic Investment from Zebra Ventures to Scale RFID Platform
Xemelgo, a Bellevue, Wash.-based startup providing cloud-powered RFID and IoT software, received a strategic investment from Zebra Ventures, the venture arm of Zebra Technologies. The funding amount was not disclosed. Xemelgo’s real-time visibility platform helps manufacturers and retailers track assets and inventory with RFID sensors, delivering actionable insights to improve operational efficiency.
Led by CEO Rich Rogers (a former Hitachi executive), Xemelgo has already gained traction in sectors like automotive and industrial manufacturing, and recently expanded into retail to help stores manage stock with greater accuracy. The company, which has raised roughly $8.2 million to date, will use the Zebra Ventures partnership to enter new industry verticals, enhance its AI capabilities for automated tracking, and meet growing demand for its IoT-driven analytics platform.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Xemelgo
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Investors: Zebra Ventures (strategic/corporate investor)
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Amount Raised: Not disclosed
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Total Raised: $8.2 million
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Funding Stage: Strategic Investment
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Scopio Labs Adds $10M in Series D Funding Extension to Advance AI Blood Analyzer
Scopio Labs, an AI-driven healthtech company, secured an additional $10 million as a Series D extension to accelerate its rollout of a fully automated blood diagnostics platform. The funding comes exactly a year after Scopio Labs secured $42 million in Series D funding led by Fortissimo Capital. The latest funding extension was led by Viola Growth and brings Scopio’s total funding to $52 million.
Based in Tel Aviv, Scopio Labs has developed a Complete Blood Morphology (CBM) analyzer that uses high-resolution imaging and AI to autonomously examine blood smears – aiming to eliminate one of the last manual bottlenecks in lab diagnostics.
The new investment will help Scopio scale manufacturing and go-to-market for the CBM analyzer, which can analyze ten times more cells than traditional methods and is set to be showcased at a major lab medicine conference (ADLM 2025). With existing FDA-cleared digital microscopy tools already in labs, Scopio is pushing hematology into an era of AI-powered automation.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Scopio Labs
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Investors: Viola Growth (lead).
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Amount Raised: $10 million
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Total Raised: $52 million
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Funding Stage: Series D Extension
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Transcend Imaging Gets Investment to Expand Mobile MRI Labs
Transcend Imaging, a Cape Coral, Fla.-based provider of mobile MRI imaging labs, received a strategic growth investment from Modular Devices, a healthcare equipment company backed by private equity firm O2 Investment Partners. Although financial terms were not disclosed, the partnership is aimed at fueling Transcend’s rapid expansion as a leading supplier of interim MRI lab solutions across the United States.
Founded in 2023, Transcend has built a fleet of mobile MRI units that hospitals and clinics can deploy on-demand – meeting surging demand for imaging capacity without costly construction. Modular Devices’ backing will help Transcend scale up its fleet and customer reach, leveraging Modular’s own expertise in mobile medical facilities to cement Transcend’s position as a dominant player in the mobile MRI space.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Transcend Imaging
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Investors: Modular Devices (strategic investor, backed by O2 Investment Partners).
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Amount Raised: Not disclosed
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Strategic Investment
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Lightyear Lands $23M in Series B Funding to Grow European Investing Platform
Lightyear, a London-based fintech startup, has raised $23 million in Series B funding to accelerate its commission-free investment platform across Europe. The round was led by NordicNinja VC, joined by early-stage backers Superangel and Specialist VC, along with prominent angel investors from Estonia’s tech community.
Founded in 2021 by Wise alumni Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer, Lightyear lets users in 25 countries invest in thousands of stocks, ETFs, and funds via a sleek mobile app.
The new funding brings Lightyear’s total raise to about $58 million and comes as the startup surpasses $1 billion in customer assets under management. Lightyear plans to use the capital to introduce AI-powered features that make investing more accessible – such as tools explaining stock moves and market trends – and to expand into additional European markets as it takes on U.S. rivals like Robinhood.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Lightyear
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Investors: NordicNinja (lead), Superangel, Specialist VC, with notable angels like Taavet Hinrikus (Wise) and Markus Villig (Bolt).
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Amount Raised: $23 million
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Total Raised: $58 million
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Funding Stage: Series B
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
Netrasemi Secures $12M in Series A Funding to Build Edge AI Chips in India
Netrasemi, a Kerala, India-based semiconductor startup, has raised INR 1.07 billion (approximately $12 million) in Series A financing to develop its next-generation edge AI chips. The round was co-led by tech company Zoho Corporation and Unicorn India Ventures, an existing investor. Netrasemi designs specialized system-on-chip processors for smart IoT devices, including an AI-powered video analytics chip (A2000) and a microcontroller for IoT sensors (R1000) – both currently in the tapeout stage using TSMC’s 12nm technology.
The fresh funds will boost R&D and help ramp up production and hiring as Netrasemi doubles its engineering team to meet demand. This Series A brings Netrasemi’s total funding to roughly INR 1.25 billion (~$14 million) to date, bolstering India’s ambitions in homegrown semiconductor innovation for AI and IoT.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Netrasemi
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Investors: Zoho Corporation (lead), Unicorn India Ventures
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Amount Raised: ₹1.07 billion (≈ $12 million)
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Total Raised: ~ $14 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: July 25, 2025
SuperK Bags $12M in Series B Funding to Scale Small-Town Retail Network
SuperK, a value-focused retail startup based in Andhra Pradesh, India, has secured ₹100 crore (about $12 million) in Series B funding to expand its tech-enabled grocery chain for small towns. The round was co-led by 3STATE Ventures, the venture fund of Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, and Mithun Sacheti, founder of CaratLane.
Indian cricket star Shubman Gill also invested, alongside existing backers Blume Ventures and Xseed Ventures. Founded in 2020, SuperK partners with local entrepreneurs to run franchised supermarkets offering low-cost household essentials.
The company already operates 130 franchise stores across 80+ towns – branding itself as a “Costco for small-town India” with an in-house retail tech platform. With this new capital, SuperK plans to strengthen its core team and launch in 300 additional towns across South India. The funding underscores investor confidence in SuperK’s model to modernize retail in India’s underserved Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Funding Details:
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Startup: SuperK
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Investors: 3STATE Ventures (Binny Bansal, lead), Mithun Sacheti (co-lead), Blume Ventures, Xseed Ventures, Shubman Gill
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Amount Raised: ₹100 crore (≈ $12 million)
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Total Raised: ~ $18 million
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Funding Stage: Series B
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Funding Date: July 24, 2025
Tech Funding Summary Table
| Startup | Investors (Lead and notable investors) | Amount Raised | Total Raised | Funding Stage | Funding Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spear AI | Cortical Ventures (lead); Scare the Bear | $2.3 million | $2.3 million | Seed | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Maro | Downing Capital Group (lead) | $4.3 million | $4.3 million | Seed | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Saf.money | Fulgur Ventures; Plan B; Initial Capital; 1A1z | Undisclosed | Not disclosed | Pre-Seed | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Baxter Aerospace | DoD Accelerator Fund (lead) | $6 million | $6 million | Series A | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Xemelgo | Zebra Ventures (corporate VC arm of Zebra Technologies) | Not disclosed | $8.2 million | Strategic Investment | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Scopio Labs | Viola Growth (lead) | $10 million | $52 million | Series D Extension | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Transcend Imaging | Modular Devices (O2 Investment Partners’ portfolio company) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Strategic Investment | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Lightyear | NordicNinja (lead); Superangel; Specialist VC; Angels: Taavet Hinrikus, Markus Villig | $23 million | $58 million | Series B | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Netrasemi | Zoho Corp (lead); Unicorn India Ventures | ₹1.07 billion (≈$12 M) | ~$14 million | Series A | Jul 25, 2025 |
| SuperK | 3STATE Ventures (Binny Bansal, co-lead); Mithun Sacheti (co-lead); Blume Ventures; Xseed Ventures; Shubman Gill | ₹100 cr (≈$12 M) | ~$18 million | Series B | Jul 24, 2025 |
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