Top Startup and Tech Funding News – September 18, 2025

It’s Thursday, September 18, 2025, and we’re back with the top startup and tech funding news stories from across the U.S. and around the globe. From billion-dollar AI hardware bets to specialized fintech and healthtech upstarts, investors spread capital across every stage and sector.

Today’s coverage spans everything from Groq’s massive late-stage round to early seed financings in e-commerce and mental health. Groq stole the spotlight with a $750 million raise at a $6.9 billion valuation, underscoring the global race to supply AI infrastructure. Other big winners include SEON with an $80 million Series C to fight fraud, Hubble Network with $70 million to expand its satellite IoT constellation, and RegScale with a $30 million+ Series B to scale cybersecurity compliance.

Early-stage momentum stayed strong as well. Numeral locked in $35 million to automate sales tax compliance, Centari raised $14 million to push its AI deal intelligence platform, and ShopVision secured $4.1 million in seed funding for AI-powered e-commerce insights. Seven Starling also pulled in $8 million to expand its women’s mental health services.

Funding Highlights

• Groq dominated the day with a $750 million raise, valuing the AI chipmaker at $6.9 billion.

• SEON added $80 million to its war chest to accelerate fraud prevention and compliance tools.

• Hubble Network secured $70 million to expand satellite-powered IoT connectivity.

• RegScale landed $30 million+ to grow its AI-driven compliance automation business.

• Numeral raised $35 million to scale its AI sales tax platform for e-commerce and SaaS.

• MarqVision’s $48 million round highlights rising demand for AI brand protection.

• Early rounds from Centari, Seven Starling, Seapoint, and ShopVision spotlight investor appetite for specialized fintech, healthtech, and e-commerce plays.

Investor Activity

Some of the most influential venture firms and strategics were active today. Mayfield, Benchmark, Peak XV, Sixth Street Growth, and Georgian Partners anchored rounds across fintech, compliance, and AI. Corporations like Microsoft’s M12 Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Samsung, and Cisco doubled down on strategic bets, while angels and operators from Tile, DocuSign, and Y Combinator brought operator know-how.

Together, today’s financings show investor conviction across both mega-rounds fueling capital-intensive AI and cybersecurity companies and early-stage innovation in healthtech, fintech, and e-commerce.

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

Numeral Raises $35M in Series B Funding for AI-Powered Sales Tax Automation

Numeral, a San Francisco startup that uses AI to automate complex sales tax compliance, today announced a $35 million Series B raise at a $350 million valuation. The two-year-old company’s platform leverages machine learning to manage thousands of local tax laws for e-commerce and software firms; it now serves over 2,000 customers globally.

This fresh capital infusion, led by Mayfield with participation from Benchmark, comes just six months after Numeral’s $18 million Series A, and will be used to accelerate product development and expand its international footprint.

Founded in 2023 by Sam Ross — an entrepreneur behind multiple e-commerce ventures generating over $50 million in revenue — and Matt DuVall, a veteran software engineer who led teams at Stripe, Notion, and Box, Numeral streamlines the full lifecycle of sales tax compliance for e-commerce and SaaS companies. Its platform handles everything from nexus tracking and state registrations to filing, remittance, exemption certificate management, and even virtual mailbox services. Already trusted by more than 2,000 active customers, Numeral is backed by Benchmark, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator, FundersClub, Mantis, and Mayfield.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Numeral

• Investors: Mayfield (lead), Benchmark

• Amount Raised: $35 million

• Total Raised: $53 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

Seapoint Raises $3M in Pre-Seed Funding Round for Startup Financial Infrastructure

Seapoint, a London-based fintech platform for startups, emerged from stealth with a $3 million pre-seed round. The company provides an AI-driven financial operations suite for venture-backed companies, integrating banking, accounting, and payroll tools. It automates tasks like invoice payments, multi-currency accounts, corporate cards, VAT calculation, and treasury management.

Frontline Ventures led the round, believing Seapoint’s “white-glove” service and automation can solve a pain point for founders underserved by traditional banks. The funds will help Seapoint expand its product and onboard more early-stage customers.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Seapoint

• Investors: Frontline Ventures (lead)

• Amount Raised: $3 million

• Total Raised: $3 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Pre-Seed

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

RegScale Raises Over $30M in Series B Funding for Cybersecurity Compliance

RegScale, a cybersecurity controls and compliance startup, announced an oversubscribed Series B of over $30 million. The Washington D.C. company’s continuous controls monitoring (CCM) platform is used by highly regulated enterprises and government agencies. The round was led by Washington Harbour Partners, with new investments from Microsoft’s M12 Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, and Ankona Capital, and continued backing from SYN Ventures and SineWave Ventures.

RegScale plans to use the capital to accelerate growth in the $50+ billion GRC market and advance its AI-driven compliance automation features, which help reduce manual work and improve security posture in real time.

Funding Details:

• Startup: RegScale

• Investors: Washington Harbour Partners (lead), Microsoft M12, Hitachi Ventures, Ankona Capital, SYN Ventures, SineWave Ventures

• Amount Raised: $30 million (reported)

• Total Raised: $30 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

Groq Raises $750M in Funding at $6.9B Valuation for AI Chip Development

Groq, an AI chip startup founded by a lead architect of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit, has raised $750 million in a late-stage round, valuing the company at $6.9 billion. The startup provides high-speed AI inference chips and accelerated computing racks for machine learning and high-performance computing.

The funding was led by Disruptive, with participation from BlackRock, Neuberger Berman, Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, and existing investors Samsung, Cisco, D1 Ventures, and Altimeter. This round more than doubles Groq’s previous valuation and will be used to scale its production and global infrastructure, meeting surging customer demand for AI hardware.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Groq

• Investors: Disruptive (lead), BlackRock, Neuberger Berman, Deutsche Telekom Capital, Samsung, Cisco, D1 Ventures, Altimeter

• Amount Raised: $750 million

• Total Raised: Over $3.0 billion (to date)

• Funding Stage: Late-stage (Series F)

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

Centari Raises $14M in Series A Funding for AI Deal Intelligence Platform

Centari, a New York startup offering an AI-powered deal insights platform, raised $14 million in an oversubscribed Series A round. The company’s “Deal Intelligence” software uses proprietary AI to parse complex M&A, investment, and finance documents into actionable insights for lawyers and dealmakers.

Sentinel Global led the financing, joined by GTMfund, South Park Commons, Alt Capital, RiverPark Ventures, Recall Capital, and other industry-focused partners. Centari plans to use the new funding to grow its engineering and product teams and accelerate development of its enterprise-grade deal analytics tools.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Centari

• Investors: Sentinel Global (lead), GTMfund, South Park Commons, Alt Capital, RiverPark Ventures, Recall Capital

• Amount Raised: $14 million

• Total Raised: $14 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

MarqVision Raises $48M in Series B Funding for AI Brand Protection Services

MarqVision, an AI-driven brand-protection platform based in Los Angeles, announced a $48 million Series B round. The company’s managed service helps brands detect and neutralize online counterfeits, unauthorized sales, and digital piracy using machine learning and automation. Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India & SEA) led the round, and Salesforce Ventures, HSG, Coral Capital, and Y Combinator partner Michael Seibel also invested.

Returning investors Y Combinator, Altos Ventures, and Atinum participated as well. With $90 million raised to date, MarqVision says its AI-powered brand-control system is now used by hundreds of global companies to secure their IP, and the new funding will accelerate product expansion and customer growth.

Funding Details:

• Startup: MarqVision

• Investors: Peak XV Partners (lead), Salesforce Ventures, HSG, Coral Capital, Michael Seibel, Y Combinator, Altos Ventures, Atinum Investment

• Amount Raised: $48 million

• Total Raised: $90 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

Hubble Network Raises $70M in Series B Funding for Satellite IoT Connectivity

Hubble Network, a Seattle startup building a satellite-powered Bluetooth network for IoT devices, secured $70 million in Series B funding. The round brings the company’s total financing to $100 million and will be used to expand its constellation of small satellites and developer ecosystem.

Investors included serial entrepreneurs and funders: Swagar Capital’s Ryan Swagar, DocuSign co-founder Tom Gonser, Tile co-founder Mike Farley, RPM Ventures’ Marc Weiser, Seraph Group’s Tuff Yen, and Y Combinator, among others. Hubble’s network allows smart devices to connect over long distances via its proprietary satellite network, and the company plans to deploy more satellites to scale its global coverage.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Hubble Network

• Investors: Swagar Capital (Ryan Swagar), Tom Gonser, Mike Farley, Marc Weiser, Tuff Yen, Y Combinator

• Amount Raised: $70 million

• Total Raised: $100 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

SEON Raises $80M in Series C Funding for AI Fraud Detection

SEON, a fraud prevention and anti-money-laundering platform headquartered in Budapest and Austin, announced an $80 million Series C funding led by Sixth Street Growth. The investment includes participation from existing backers IVP, Creandum, and Firebolt, and new investor Hearst Communications.

SEON’s software uses machine learning and data analysis to detect and block fraud and financial crime in real time, and the new funding (bringing its total to $187 million) will support global expansion and enhanced AI product development. The company’s customers include fintech firms like Revolut, Plaid, and Afterpay, which use SEON’s API to streamline compliance workflows.

Funding Details:

• Startup: SEON

• Investors: Sixth Street Growth (lead), IVP, Creandum, Firebolt, Hearst Communications

• Amount Raised: $80 million

• Total Raised: $187 million

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

WorkFusion Raises $45M in Funding for AI Compliance Automation

WorkFusion, an enterprise AI startup specializing in financial compliance automation, raised $45 million in funding. The round was led by growth equity firm Georgian Partners and also included Serengeti Asset Management, Nokia Growth Partners III, Teralys Capital, and others.

WorkFusion’s platform provides “AI agents” to automate anti-money laundering, sanctions screening, KYC, and fraud detection processes in financial institutions. The fresh investment will fuel the company’s expansion as it seeks to capture a larger share of the fintech compliance market with its specialized automation software.

Funding Details:

• Startup: WorkFusion

• Investors: Georgian Partners (lead), Serengeti Asset Management, Nokia Growth Partners III, Teralys Capital

• Amount Raised: $45 million

• Total Raised: $45 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

Seven Starling Raises $8M to Expand Women’s Mental Health Platform

Seven Starling, a virtual maternal mental health provider founded by Harvard graduates, announced an $8 million funding round led by women-focused VC Rethink Impact. The Washington, D.C. company’s platform connects women with therapists and care teams for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum mental health support.

Other participants in the round include Pear VC, Zeal Capital, Magnify Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Expa, Fiore Ventures, March of Dimes, Rogue Women’s Fund, and Graham & Walker. Seven Starling will use the new capital to expand its telehealth services into more states (from 18 states today) and deepen partnerships with healthcare providers, aiming to reach over 30 states by 2026.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Seven Starling

• Investors: Rethink Impact (lead), Pear VC, Zeal Capital, Magnify Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Expa, Fiore Ventures, March of Dimes, Rogue Women’s Fund, Graham & Walker

• Amount Raised: $8 million

• Total Raised: $8 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

ShopVision Raises $4.1M Seed for AI E-Commerce Platform

ShopVision Technologies, a Vancouver startup developing AI tools for online retailers, closed a $4.1 million seed round. The round was led by Brightspark Ventures, with participation from BDC Capital, Rhino Ventures, and industry leaders from major brands. ShopVision calls itself an “AI super agent” that combines visual competitive intelligence (e.g., retail images) with a merchant’s own sales and pricing data to automate merchandising and pricing decisions.

The new seed funding will support product development and customer acquisition as ShopVision prepares to launch its platform globally.

Funding Details:

• Startup: ShopVision Technologies

• Investors: Brightspark Ventures (lead), BDC Capital, Rhino Ventures

• Amount Raised: $4.1 million

• Total Raised: $4.1 million (to date)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: September 18, 2025

Tech Funding Summary Table