Top 10 Startup and Tech Funding News – August 26, 2025

It’s Tuesday, August 26, 2025 — and we’re back with the latest wave of startup and tech funding news from across the U.S. and around the world. From AI-native CRM platforms to logistics orchestration, biotech breakthroughs, and blockchain infrastructure, today’s deals reflect investor conviction across industries, pushing the limits of software, science, and infrastructure. Today’s lineup is slightly lighter than usual, but tomorrow we’ll be back with a deeper roundup of funding activity.

Funding Highlights

Leading the day, Attio secured $52 million in a Series B to accelerate its AI-native CRM platform, while Aurasell drew $30 million in a lightning-fast seed round for its AI-first sales software. Logistics also saw strong activity with GoodShip’s $25 million Series B for freight orchestration and Nauta’s $7 million seed to modernize import tracking. Biotech was represented by Debut’s $20 million round for AI-powered skincare innovation, while Eyebot raised $20 million to expand its nationwide vision care kiosks. Blockchain infrastructure startup Hemi pulled in $15 million to bring DeFi to Bitcoin, and Splight attracted $12.4 million to expand its AI grid management system. Rounding out the list, Payment Labs raised $3.25 million to simplify complex cross-border payment workflows.

Investor Activity

The day’s funding activity saw heavyweight participation from GV, General Catalyst, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Next47, alongside strategic investors such as L’Oréal’s BOLD and crypto-focused YZi Labs. The breadth of investment — spanning enterprise AI, beauty biotech, renewable grid capacity, and financial infrastructure — underscores how capital continues to flow into both emerging consumer markets and core infrastructure for AI and Web3.

Here’s the full breakdown. Until tomorrow, have a great evening.

Attio Raises $52M in Series B Funding for AI-Native CRM Platform

Attio, a San Francisco-based AI-driven CRM startup, announced a $52 million Series B round to accelerate its “AI-native” go-to-market platform. The financing was led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), with participation from existing backers Redpoint Ventures, Balderton Capital, Point Nine, and 01A.

Attio’s software uses AI primitives to let companies build custom sales and marketing workflows, and the new capital will support rapid scaling of its engineering and global teams as it doubles down on AI features. CEO Nicolas Sharp said the funds will help Attio continue innovating its CRM platform for the next era of sales teams.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Attio

• Investors: GV (Google Ventures, lead), Redpoint Ventures, Balderton Capital, Point Nine, 01A

• Amount Raised: $52 million

• Total Raised: $116 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Aurasell Raises $30M in Seed Funding to Build AI-Native CRM

Aurasell, a San Francisco startup developing an AI-native customer relationship management platform, raised $30 million in seed funding that closed within 28 hours of opening. The round was led by Next47, with participation from Menlo Ventures and Unusual Ventures.

Founded in 2023 by former enterprise software executives, Aurasell plans to use the funding to build a unified AI-driven CRM that integrates forecasting, prospecting, analytics, and other sales tools. By starting from scratch with AI at its core, Aurasell aims to eliminate the “tool bloat” of traditional CRM systems and provide sales teams a single, modern platform.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Aurasell

• Investors: Next47 (lead), Menlo Ventures, Unusual Ventures

• Amount Raised: $30 million

• Total Raised: $30 million

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

GoodShip Raises $25M in Series B Funding for AI Freight Orchestration

GoodShip, a Bellevue, Washington-based freight orchestration and procurement platform, announced a $25 million Series B round. The round was led by Greenfield Partners, with participation from returning investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Ironspring Ventures, Chicago Ventures, and FUSE VC.

GoodShip’s AI-driven software automates transportation planning and bidding for large shippers like Tropicana and Kellanova. The company will use the new funds to expand its team and continue product development as it tackles inefficiencies in the $1 trillion freight industry.

Funding Details:

• Startup: GoodShip

• Investors: Greenfield Partners (lead), Bessemer Venture Partners, Ironspring Ventures, Chicago Ventures, FUSE VC

• Amount Raised: $25 million

• Total Raised: ~$40 million (across four rounds)

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Debut Raises $20M in Funding to Accelerate AI-Driven Skincare

Debut, a biotech beauty startup focused on AI-driven ingredient discovery, raised $20 million in new funding to scale its skin-longevity platform. Investors in the round include Fine Structure Ventures, EDBI (Singapore’s sovereign fund), Wealthberry, BOLD (L’Oréal’s venture arm), GS Futures, Sandbox Industries, and Material Impact.

Debut will use the capital to expand R&D of next-generation skincare molecules and grow its formulation services business, allowing consumer brands to outsource biotech innovation without heavy R&D costs.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Debut

• Investors: Fine Structure Ventures, EDBI, Wealthberry, BOLD (L’Oréal, lead), GS Futures, Sandbox Industries, Material Impact

• Amount Raised: $20 million

• Total Raised: $20 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Eyebot Raises $20M in Series A Funding to Expand Vision Care Kiosks

Eyebot, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based vision care startup, raised $20 million in a Series A round led by General Catalyst. Existing investors AlleyCorp, Baukunst, Village Global, and Ubiquity Ventures also participated. Eyebot installs self-service kiosks in retail and public locations to deliver 90-second, doctor-verified eyeglass prescriptions without appointments or insurance.

The new funding will support the deployment of hundreds of additional kiosks nationwide and the expansion of the engineering and clinical teams to make eye exams more accessible.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Eyebot

• Investors: General Catalyst (lead), AlleyCorp, Baukunst, Village Global, Ubiquity Ventures

• Amount Raised: $20 million

• Total Raised: $20 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Hemi Raises $15M Growth Funding Round to Bring DeFi to Bitcoin

Hemi, a blockchain infrastructure startup, secured $15 million in a growth funding round ahead of its token launch. The round was co-led by crypto-focused investors YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), Republic Digital, and HyperChain Capital, with participation from Breyer Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Crypto.com, DNA Fund, Selini Capital, Protein Capital, Quantstamp, Web3.com, and others.

Hemi is building a virtual machine that embeds a full Bitcoin node into an Ethereum Virtual Machine, aiming to unlock DeFi applications on Bitcoin. The funds will accelerate ecosystem growth and preparations for its upcoming token generation event, leveraging the $1.2 billion already secured on its network.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Hemi

• Investors: YZi Labs (lead), Republic Digital, HyperChain Capital, Breyer Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Crypto.com, DNA Fund, Selini Capital, Protein Capital, Quantstamp, Web3.com, and others.

• Amount Raised: $15 million

• Total Raised: $30 million

• Funding Stage: Growth Round

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Nauta Raises $7M in Seed Funding to Modernize Import Logistics

Nauta, a New York-based AI logistics startup, has raised $7 million in a seed round to expand its global platform for importers. The financing was led by Construct Capital and Predictive.

Nauta aggregates shipping data from emails, documents, and legacy systems to give importers a real-time “source of truth” for global container shipments. The new capital will fund the company’s international expansion and product development as Nauta brings AI-driven orchestration tools to the traditionally manual supply chain.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Nauta

• Investors: Construct Capital (lead), Predictive

• Amount Raised: $7 million

• Total Raised: $7 million

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Splight Raises $12.4M in Funding to Boost Grid Capacity with AI

Splight, a San Francisco grid-technology company, announced a $12.4 million SAFE financing to expand its AI-powered transmission management platform. The round was led by Blue Bear Capital, with participation from ZOMA Capital.

Splight’s Dynamic Congestion Management™ technology uses machine learning to safely increase existing grid capacity and integrate more renewable energy without building new infrastructure. The proceeds will speed up deployments of its DCM platform in the U.S. and Europe and develop new AI-enabled features for grid operators.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Splight

• Investors: Blue Bear Capital (lead), ZOMA Capital

• Amount Raised: $12.4 million

• Total Raised: $12.4 million

• Funding Stage: Seed (SAFE)

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Payment Labs Raises $3.25M Seed Funding for Complex Payment Solutions

Payment Labs, a Los Angeles fintech startup specializing in complex payment workflows, closed a $3.25 million seed round. The financing was led by Aperture Venture Capital, with participation from Capital Eleven, ESPMX, and other investors.

Payment Labs provides a comprehensive SaaS API platform that simplifies cross-border pay-ins and payouts—including tax and compliance—for industries like sports, esports, and the creator economy. The new funding will be used to scale the team and accelerate the development of industry-specific payment and compliance features for its global clientele.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Payment Labs

• Investors: Aperture Venture Capital (lead), Capital Eleven, ESPMX, and others

• Amount Raised: $3.25 million

• Total Raised: $3.25 million

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: August 26, 2025

Tech Funding Summary Table