Top Startup and Tech Funding News – August 27, 2025
Nickie Louise
Posted On August 27, 2025
It’s Wednesday, August 27, 2025, and we’re back with today’s top startup and tech funding news from the U.S. and across the globe. From billion-dollar bets on robotics intelligence to fresh capital fueling insurtech, climate tech, and fintech automation, today’s lineup highlights how investors are doubling down on the future of work, resilience, and infrastructure.
Funding Highlights
Capital poured into late-stage AI robotics as FieldAI secured a massive $405 million round backed by Nvidia and Jeff Bezos to advance general-purpose robot brains. In fintech, Central raised $8.6 million to automate startup back-offices, while Vox AI landed $8.7 million to expand its voice-AI platform across global drive-thrus. Insurtech momentum continued with Sola pulling in $8 million for climate-driven parametric home insurance. Entertainment tech also drew attention as South Korea’s BIGC grabbed $14 million to scale its K-pop-driven global venue platform.
Early-stage activity remained strong. Terraton raised $11.5 million to franchise biochar production for carbon removal, Bench IQ secured $5.3 million to scale its AI judicial analytics, and InstaLILY brought in $25 million to deploy industry-specific AI teammates across heavy enterprises.
Investor Activity
Today’s deals brought together heavyweight backers such as Nvidia’s NVentures, Bezos Expeditions, Insight Partners, and Stonebridge Ventures alongside specialist funds like FINTOP Capital, Lowercarbon Capital, and JAM FINTOP. The diversity of capital—from global AI robotics to niche climate and legal tech—shows that investors are actively chasing both scale and frontier innovation in 2025.
Here’s the full breakdown. Until tomorrow, stay sharp and keep building.
InstaLILY Raises $25M in Series A Funding for AI Teammates Platform
InstaLILY AI, the startup building vertical-specific AI “teammates” (called InstaWorkers™) to automate complex enterprise workflows, has raised $25 million Series A funding round led by Insight Partners.
The San Francisco–based company’s platform enables companies in heavy industries (like manufacturing, distribution, insurance, and healthcare) to deploy AI agents that plug into existing software systems (ERPs, CRMs, etc.) and autonomously execute end-to-end tasks. InstaLILY’s co-founders say this “Code-as-Work” approach expands human capacity by having AI actually do work, rather than just assist.
The new funding will be used to expand the library of pre-trained AI workers across additional industries and deepen integrations with enterprise systems.
Funding Details:
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Startup: InstaLILY
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Investors: Insight Partners (lead), Perceptive Ventures, Marvin Ventures
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Amount Raised: $25 million
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
Vox AI Raises $8.7M in Seed Funding for Restaurant Voice AI
Vox AI, a voice-AI startup focused on quick-service restaurants (QSRs), has raised $8.7 million in seed funding to advance its conversational drive-thru technology. Led by global VC firm Headline, the round also included participation from True, Simon Capital, and returning investor Souschef Ventures.
The Amsterdam- and San Francisco–based company’s software enables fully autonomous drive-thru ordering and operations in over 90 languages, handling customer orders and assisting staff without requiring new hardware. Vox AI’s platform is already deployed at major fast-food chains, where it can boost order accuracy and speed while freeing employees for other tasks. The fresh capital brings Vox AI’s total raised to $10 million and will support its global expansion and launch of a new San Francisco office.
Founded in October 2023, Vox AI is targeting the $1 trillion quick-service restaurant market, where operators are facing labor shortages, high turnover, and rising wage pressures. Its voice platform lets customers place orders in drive-thrus and mobile apps while giving staff real-time shift guidance and system alerts.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Vox AI
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Investors: Headline (lead), True, Simon Capital, Souschef Ventures
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Amount Raised: $8.7 million
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Total Raised: $10 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
Sola Raises $8M in Series A Funding to Scale Parametric Home Insurance
Sola, a climate-tech insurtech startup, has raised $8 million in Series A financing to expand its parametric home insurance platforms. The round was led by FINTOP Capital and its JAM FINTOP affiliate, with participation from VC firm 10VC and Georgia Tech’s venture fund. Sola uses objective data (wind and hail sensors) to automatically trigger payouts for homeowners after extreme-weather events, simplifying the claims process and improving reliability.
CEO Wesley Pergament said the company has grown revenue sevenfold since its last round and has become a Lloyd’s of London coverholder. The new funding (bringing total funding to $11.7 million) will enable Sola to scale its sales and product teams and make its weather insurance available to more homeowners nationwide.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Sola
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Investors: FINTOP Capital & JAM FINTOP (co-leads), 10VC, Georgia Tech Venture Fund
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Amount Raised: $8 million
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Total Raised: $11.7 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
BIGC Raises $14M in Series A Funding for Global Entertainment-Tech Platform
BIGC, a South Korean entertainment-tech company, secured $14 million in Series A financing to accelerate its global expansion. Founded by CEO Mihee Kim, BIGC operates the world’s first all-in-one digital venue platform for live performance and K-pop events, offering ticketing, AI-powered livestreaming, fan engagement, commerce, and analytics in a single platform.
The Series A round was led by Stonebridge Ventures and BonAngels Venture Partners, with participation from Nextrans, NAU IB, Hana Ventures, Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK), and Alois Ventures. With over 1.1 million users worldwide, BIGC plans to use the funding to further scale its platform across new markets (including J-pop and global festival IPs) and to build on its proprietary live-streaming AI and fan-data analytics capabilities.
Funding Details:
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Startup: BIGC
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Investors: Stonebridge Ventures (lead), BonAngels Venture Partners (lead), Nextrans, NAU IB, Hana Ventures, Industrial Bank of Korea, Alois Ventures
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Amount Raised: $14 million
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Total Raised: $25.4 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
FieldAI Lands $405M Funding to Advance Robotics AI
FieldAI, a robotics software startup backed by Nvidia, Bezos Expeditions, and Bill Gates’s foundation, announced a massive $405 million fundraising across two recent rounds, valuing the company at about $2 billion. The Irvine, California–based company develops “physics-first” foundation models that enable robots (including humanoids and quadrupeds) to navigate unpredictable real-world environments without maps or prior training.
The new capital (led by Nvidia’s venture arm NVentures and Jeff Bezos’s family office) will be used to scale FieldAI’s global deployment and accelerate R&D on its Field Foundation Models (FFMs) for general-purpose robotics intelligence. FieldAI’s backers also include Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Canaan Partners, Intel Capital, Prysm Capital, Gates Frontier, and Samsung, reflecting strong investor enthusiasm for AI-driven robotics platforms.
Funding Details:
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Startup: FieldAI
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Investors: NVentures (Nvidia, lead), Bezos Expeditions (lead), Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Canaan Partners, Intel Capital, Prysm Capital, Gates Frontier, Samsung
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Amount Raised: $405 million
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Total Raised: $405 million
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Funding Stage: Series C (late-stage)
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
Central Raises $8.6M Seed Funding for Autonomous Startup Back-Office
Central, a San Francisco–based fintech startup, raised $8.6 million in seed funding to expand its AI-powered back-office platform designed specifically for startups. The round was led by First Round Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Ritual Capital, Multimodal Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Surgepoint Capital, and angel investors including Kulveer Taggar, JJ Fliegelman, and Richard Aberman. Central’s platform connects with Slack to automate payroll, benefits, compliance, accounting, and taxes, allowing founders to focus on building rather than bureaucracy. The startup will use the proceeds to scale its platform, grow its expert support team, and add more integrations to streamline startup operations.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Central
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Investors: First Round Capital (lead), Y Combinator, Ritual Capital, Multimodal Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Surgepoint Capital, Kulveer Taggar, JJ Fliegelman, Richard Aberman
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Amount Raised: $8.6 million
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Total Raised: $8.6 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
Terraton Raises $11.5M Seed Funding to Franchise Biochar Production
Terraton, a climate tech startup developing biochar-based carbon removal, announced an $11.5 million seed round to fund a franchise model of biochar production facilities. The round was co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Gigascale Capital, with participation from ANA Future Frontier (ANA Holdings), East Japan Railway Company’s Takanawa Gateway Global Co-Benefits Fund, and angel investors including Google’s Jeff Dean and AI veteran Bret Taylor.
Terraton’s approach supplies local operators with equipment and know-how to convert agricultural waste into biochar — a carbon-sequestering soil additive that stores CO₂ for centuries. The new funding will help Terraton expand its franchise network in key agricultural regions, helping to meet growing corporate demand for verifiable carbon removal through scalable biochar solutions.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Terraton
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Investors: Lowercarbon Capital (lead), Gigascale Capital, ANA Future Frontier Fund, Takanawa Gateway Co-Benefits Fund, Jeff Dean, Bret Taylor
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Amount Raised: $11.5 million
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Total Raised: $11.5 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
Bench IQ Raises $5.3M Seed Funding for AI Judicial Analytics
Bench IQ Inc., a Toronto-based legal tech startup, secured $5.3 million in seed funding for its AI-powered judicial intelligence platform. The company’s generative AI analyzes federal court judges’ prior decisions (even the 97% that lack written opinions) to help lawyers tailor their arguments, a capability already in use by four of the top five U.S. law firms.
The seed round was led by Battery Ventures LP and Inovia Capital, with participation from CIBC Innovation Banking, MVP Ventures, Maple VC, and Haystack Ventures. Bench IQ plans to use the new capital to expand its data set to state courts and improve its analytics, enabling lawyers to strategize cases with unprecedented insight into judges’ decision patterns.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Bench IQ
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Investors: Battery Ventures (lead), Inovia Capital (lead), CIBC Innovation Banking, MVP Ventures, Maple VC, Haystack Ventures
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Amount Raised: $5.3 million
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Total Raised: $7.4 million (including a prior $2.1M pre-seed round)
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: August 27, 2025
Tech Funding Summary Table
| Startup | Investors (Lead and notable) | Amount Raised | Total Raised | Stage | Funding Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InstaLILY | Insight Partners (lead), Perceptive Ventures, Marvin Ventures | $25 million | Not disclosed | Series A | August 27, 2025 |
| Vox AI | Headline (lead), True, Simon Capital, Souschef Ventures | $8.7 million | $10 million | Seed | August 27, 2025 |
| Sola | FINTOP Capital & JAM FINTOP (leads), 10VC, Georgia Tech Venture Fund | $8 million | $11.7 million | Series A | August 27, 2025 |
| BIGC | Stonebridge Ventures (lead), BonAngels Venture Partners (lead), Nextrans, NAU IB, Hana Ventures, IBK, Alois Ventures | $14 million | $25.4 million | Series A | August 27, 2025 |
| FieldAI | NVentures (Nvidia, lead), Bezos Expeditions (lead), Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Canaan, Intel Capital, Prysm Capital, Gates Frontier, Samsung | $405 million | $405 million | Series C | August 27, 2025 |
| Central | First Round Capital (lead), Y Combinator, Ritual Capital, Multimodal Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Surgepoint Capital, Kulveer Taggar, JJ Fliegelman, Richard Aberman | $8.6 million | $8.6 million | Seed | August 27, 2025 |
| Terraton | Lowercarbon Capital (lead), Gigascale Capital, ANA Future Frontier, Takanawa Gateway Co-Benefits, Jeff Dean, Bret Taylor | $11.5 million | $11.5 million | Seed | August 27, 2025 |
| Bench IQ | Battery Ventures (lead), Inovia Capital (lead), CIBC Innovation Banking, MVP Ventures, Maple VC, Haystack Ventures | $5.3 million | $7.4 million | Seed | August 27, 2025 |
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