Top Startup and Tech Funding News Roundup – Week Ending October 17, 2025

Reflection AI Raises $2B in Series B Funding for Open-Source AI Labs

Reflection AI, a Brooklyn-based startup founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, secured a $2 billion Series B round at an $8 billion valuation. The company is building an open-source AI infrastructure aimed at rivaling closed AI labs like OpenAI. The latest funding will scale Reflection AI’s training clusters and support the development of “frontier” large language models accessible to all.

This round was led by Nvidia, with participation from top tech investors including Disruptive, DST Global, Lightspeed, GIC, Sequoia, and others. The fresh capital will help Reflection AI accelerate its mission to democratize advanced AI research.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Reflection AI

• Investors: Nvidia (lead), Disruptive, DST Global, 1789 Capital, B Capital, Lightspeed, GIC, Eric Yuan, Eric Schmidt, Citi, Sequoia Capital, CRV, among others

• Amount Raised: $2.0 billion

• Total Raised: ~$2.13 billion

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 9, 2025

Ecorobotix Secures $105M in Series D Funding to Advance Precision Agriculture

Ecorobotix, a Swiss agtech startup, closed a $105 million Series D round to expand its precision farming robotics platform. The Yverdon-les-Bains–based company makes AI-guided sprayers that identify individual weeds and crops and apply chemicals plant by plant. The Series D was led by Highland Europe, with new backing from the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) and McWin Capital.

This infusion brings Ecorobotix’s total funding to roughly $150 million. The new capital will help the startup ramp production of its autonomous field robots and pursue global deployments to boost sustainable agriculture.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Ecorobotix

• Investors: Highland Europe (lead), European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), McWin Capital Partners

• Amount Raised: $105 million (approx. €90M)

• Total Raised: ~$150 million

• Funding Stage: Series D

• Funding Date: Oct 13, 2025

HavocAI Lands $85M in Funding for Autonomous Naval Systems

HavocAI, a defense-focused startup from Providence, R.I., raised $85 million to scale its fleet of autonomous naval vessels. The young company builds unmanned boats and surface drones for defense and commercial use, able to “swarm” with minimal human oversight. The round was co-led by In-Q-Tel (the U.S. intelligence community’s VC) and B Capital, with strategic participation from Lockheed Martin, Hanwha, Taiwania Capital, and others.

The latest round brings HavocAI’s total financing to nearly $100 million. The funding will be used to boost production of its robotic boats for the U.S. Navy and allied customers, enhancing autonomous capabilities in maritime defense.

Funding Details:

• Startup: HavocAI

• Investors: In-Q-Tel and B Capital (co-leads); Lockheed Martin, Hanwha, Taiwania Capital, Vanderbilt University, Up Partners, Island Green Capital, Zero Infinity Partners; plus Scout Ventures and Outlander Ventures

• Amount Raised: $85 million

• Total Raised: Nearly $100 million

• Funding Stage: Series B (venture round)

• Funding Date: Oct 10, 2025

Excellergy Raises $70M Series A for Allergy Therapeutics

Excellergy, a Palo Alto biotech, emerged with a $70 million Series A to develop a new class of allergy treatments. The startup is pioneering “effector cell response inhibitors” (ECRIs), drugs that neutralize IgE antibodies and intercept allergic reactions at their source. Samsara BioCapital led the round, joined by Red Tree Venture Capital and Decheng Capital. With this funding (its first institutional round), Excellergy will advance its preclinical pipeline of novel allergy drugs into human trials. The round positions Excellergy to redefine the standard of care in severe allergies and asthma.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Excellergy

• Investors: Samsara BioCapital (lead), Red Tree Venture Capital, Decheng Capital

• Amount Raised: $70 million

• Total Raised: $70+ million (including prior seed)

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 13, 2025

Resistant AI Bags $25M Series B to Fight Financial Fraud

Resistant AI, a Prague-based security startup, raised $25 million in Series B financing to expand its AI-driven fraud detection platform for financial services. Founded in 2019, the company develops machine learning tools that help banks and fintechs spot forged documents, synthetic identities, money laundering, and other complex fraud tactics. The round was led by DTCP Growth (Deutsche Telekom’s growth fund) and included Notion Capital, Google Ventures (GV), and Experian. Resistant AI will use the capital to enter new markets, enhance its threat intelligence models, and scale operations amid rising digital fraud.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Resistant AI

• Investors: DTCP Growth (lead), Notion Capital, Google Ventures (GV), Experian

• Amount Raised: $25 million

• Total Raised: ~$55 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 13, 2025

ClaimSorted Raises $13.3M Seed to Streamline Insurance Claims

ClaimSorted, a London insurtech startup, announced a $13.3 million seed round to modernize insurance claims processing with AI. Built by industry veterans frustrated with slow legacy claims systems, ClaimSorted uses AI agents and automation to handle claims faster and more accurately. The round was led by Atomico, with participation from Eurazeo, Y Combinator, Firstminute Capital, Start Ventures, and a syndicate of insurance-sector angels. ClaimSorted plans to deploy the funding to further develop its Claims TPA 2.0 platform, scale operations, and deliver a smoother, “five-star” claims experience for insurers.

Funding Details:

• Startup: ClaimSorted

• Investors: Atomico (lead), Eurazeo, Y Combinator, Firstminute Capital, Start Ventures, plus insurance-industry angels

• Amount Raised: $13.3 million

• Total Raised: $13.3 million (seed)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Oct 13, 2025

GoodScore Secures $13M Series A for AI-Powered Credit Health

GoodScore, a Bengaluru fintech startup, raised $13 million in a Series A to expand its AI-driven credit health platform. Led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India) with Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital also participating, the round reflects growing investor interest in responsible lending tools in India. GoodScore aggregates users’ credit data and offers personalized insights to improve scores and borrowing behaviors. Millions of users in India’s smaller cities use its app to monitor credit and connect with loans. The new funding will help GoodScore enhance its AI advisory features, expand its product and engineering teams, and grow its credit marketplace linking borrowers and lenders.

Funding Details:

• Startup: GoodScore

• Investors: Peak XV Partners (lead), Stellaris Venture Partners, Saison Capital

• Amount Raised: $13 million

• Total Raised: ~$18 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 13, 2025

Salt AI Raises $10M Pre-Series A to Accelerate Life-Sciences AI

Salt AI, a Los Angeles–based healthtech startup, secured $10 million in a pre-Series A (seed extension) round to expand its contextual AI platform for pharmaceutical and biotech research. The funding was led by Morpheus Ventures and joined by Struck Capital, Marbruck Investments, and cloud-infra partner CoreWeave. Co-founded by healthtech veteran Aber Whitcomb (MySpace co-founder), Salt AI helps researchers build and deploy custom AI models for tasks from drug discovery to clinical trial analytics. The new capital will grow its biopharma customer base and further develop its “AI workflow” toolkit, empowering life-science teams to integrate advanced AI into R&D and operations.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Salt AI

• Investors: Morpheus Ventures (lead), Struck Capital, Marbruck Investments, CoreWeave

• Amount Raised: $10 million

• Total Raised: $13 million (including prior seed)

• Funding Stage: Pre-Series A (seed extension)

• Funding Date: Oct 13, 2025

Kailera Therapeutics Raises $600M Series B for Obesity Drug Trials

Kailera Therapeutics, a biotech focused on obesity therapies, announced a $600 million Series B round to advance its lead weight-loss drug into global Phase 3 trials. The Boston-area company’s injectable therapy targets dual metabolic hormones (like existing GLP-1 drugs) and showed an average 18% weight loss in an early trial in China. The massive round – one of the largest biotech fundraises of 2025 – was led by Bain Capital Private Equity and included Royalty Pharma and sovereign-wealth funds from Qatar and Canada. With this financing, Kailera will initiate international studies of its lead asset and expand its pipeline of next-gen obesity treatments to tackle metabolic disease worldwide.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Kailera Therapeutics

• Investors: Bain Capital Private Equity (lead), Royalty Pharma, Qatar Investment Authority, CPP Investments, Adage Capital Management, and others

• Amount Raised: $600 million

• Total Raised: ~$1.0 billion

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

Lila Sciences Raises $115M Series A Extension for AI-Powered Labs

Lila Sciences, an AI startup building “automated science factories,” raised $115 million in a Series A extension to scale its AI-driven labs. The Cambridge-based company runs facilities where specialized AI models continuously run experiments in chemistry and materials, generating proprietary data for drug discovery and more.

The new funds (at a >$1.3 billion valuation) boost Lila’s total capital to $550 million, with Nvidia’s venture arm joining existing investors from Flagship Pioneering and others. Lila will use the infusion to expand its Boston-area automated lab and open its platform to enterprise partners in energy, semiconductors, and biopharma.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Lila Sciences

• Investors: Nvidia (corporate VC), Flagship Pioneering, General Catalyst, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and others

• Amount Raised: $115 million

• Total Raised: $550 million

• Funding Stage: Series A (extension)

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

Dreamdata Lands $55M in Series B Funding for B2B Marketing Analytics

Dreamdata, a Copenhagen– and New York–based startup for B2B marketing analytics, closed a $55 million Series B to expand its revenue attribution platform. The round was led by PeakSpan Capital, with participation from InReach Ventures, Angel Invest, Curiosity VC, and Crowberry Capital.

Dreamdata’s software helps businesses stitch together data from ads, CRM, and finance to optimize customer acquisition funnels. The company will use the new funding (bringing total funding to $67 million) to accelerate product development and international growth as it aims to become the go-to solution for B2B marketing ROI and automation.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Dreamdata

• Investors: PeakSpan Capital (lead), InReach Ventures, Angel Invest, Curiosity VC, Crowberry Capital

• Amount Raised: $55 million

• Total Raised: $67 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

Yendo Raises $50M in Series B Funding to Expand Vehicle-Backed Credit Platform

Yendo, a Dallas fintech innovating auto-backed credit, closed a $50 million Series B to broaden its lending platform. Yendo offers a credit card secured by a car’s equity, unlocking trillions in untapped asset value for customers with minimal credit history. The round was led by Spice Expeditions, with Autotech Ventures, FPV Ventures, Pelion Ventures, Mark Cuban, and others.

With the new capital (total funding ~$89M), Yendo will expand beyond auto loans into a full digital banking platform, rolling out AI-driven financial products to build an inclusive bank for traditionally underserved customers.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Yendo

• Investors: Spice Expeditions (lead), Autotech Ventures, FPV Ventures, Pelion Venture Partners, Mark Cuban, Clocktower Technology Ventures

• Amount Raised: $50 million

• Total Raised: ~$89 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

Caracol Closes $40M in Series B Funding to Scale Large-Format 3D Printing

Caracol, an Italy-based industrial tech startup, raised $40 million in a Series B to fuel global expansion of its large-format 3D printing solutions. The round was co-led by Omnes Capital and Move Capital, with Italy’s CDP Venture Capital among others. Caracol produces multi-axis robotic platforms that 3D-print complex composite and metal parts for aerospace, automotive, and construction.

With over 100 installations in 50+ countries, Caracol will use the funding to expand its U.S. presence, enhance its multi-material printing software (integrating AI for quality control), and accelerate production scaling in key regions.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Caracol

• Investors: Omnes Capital (co-lead), Move Capital (co-lead), CDP Venture Capital – Large Ventures, plus other Italian institutions

• Amount Raised: $40 million

• Total Raised: >$50 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

OneImaging Raises $38M in Funding to Simplify Medical Scan Scheduling

OneImaging, a Miami healthtech startup, announced $38 million in a late seed/Series A funding round to simplify MRI and CT scheduling and pricing. Founded by a radiologist, the company’s marketplace lets patients easily find and book scans, handling insurance and referrals behind the scenes.

The round was led by Vy Capital, with Aquiline and prominent angels (including Figma’s Dylan Field and Balaji Srinivasan). The infusion will help OneImaging expand regionally and integrate more imaging centers into its end-to-end platform, bringing transparency and speed to diagnostic care.

Funding Details:

• Startup: OneImaging

• Investors: Vy Capital (lead), Aquiline, Dylan Field, Balaji Srinivasan, among others

• Amount Raised: $38 million

• Total Raised: $38 million

• Funding Stage: Seed/Series A (early-stage)

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

Arbio Secures $36M in Series A Funding to Automate Short-Term Rental Management

Arbio, a Berlin proptech startup, secured $36 million in Series A funding to scale its AI-driven platform for short-term rental management. The system combines property management services with automation to handle dynamic pricing, guest communication, booking, and maintenance for vacation rentals.

The round was led by Eurazeo, with OpenOcean, Atlantic Labs, and angel investors (e.g., Philipp Freise of KKR, Johannes Reck of GetYourGuide). The funding brings Arbio’s total raised to over $45 million and will be used to expand into new European markets, enhance its AI capabilities, and pursue strategic acquisitions in the fragmented vacation rental sector.

The company’s AI-driven system pulls market data from sources like Booking.com and Google to adjust rental pricing daily, boosting hosts’ occupancy and revenue, while its on-the-ground operations network ensures quality service for guests. In just a few years, Arbio has grown to manage over 1,200 apartments in 10 cities (Germany, Austria, and the UK), serving more than 460,000 guests, and has completed over 30 acquisitions of smaller rental operators to consolidate the fragmented short-term rental market.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Arbio

• Investors: Eurazeo (lead), OpenOcean, Atlantic Labs, plus angel backers (Philipp Freise, Johannes Reck, etc.)

• Amount Raised: $36 million

• Total Raised: >$45 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 14, 2025

Viven Raises $35M in Seed Funding for AI Digital-Twin Workplace Assistant

Viven, an enterprise AI startup founded by two ex-Eightfold.ai executives, announced a $35 million seed round to bring AI-powered digital twins to the enterprise. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Foundation Capital, FPV Ventures, and others. Viven’s platform creates an AI “digital twin” for each employee by indexing their internal documents (email, Slack, Docs, etc.), enabling teams to query expertise even when colleagues are offline.

The new capital will help Viven advance its specialized language models and expand its enterprise sales efforts. Behind Viven are co-founders Ashutosh Garg and Varun Kacholia, entrepreneurs who have already built two unicorns and helped shape the future of enterprise AI through Eightfold.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Viven

• Investors: Khosla Ventures (lead), Foundation Capital, FPV Ventures, et al.

• Amount Raised: $35 million

• Total Raised: Not disclosed

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Oct 15, 2025

Vertical Semiconductor Raises $11M in Seed Funding for GaN AI Chips

Vertical Semiconductor, an MIT spinout, raised $11 million in seed funding to commercialize its stacked GaN power management chips. The round was led by Playground Global, with Jimco Technology Ventures, Milemark Capital, and Shin-etsu participating. The startup’s novel chip stacks transistors vertically for more efficient power conversion in data-center servers.

Vertical will use the funding to complete prototypes and begin shipping its compact GaN chips, which promise reduced power losses and heat for AI compute clusters.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Vertical Semiconductor

• Investors: Playground Global (lead), Jimco Technology Ventures, Milemark Capital, Shin-etsu

• Amount Raised: $11 million

• Total Raised: Not disclosed

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Oct 15, 2025

Marble Health Raises $15.5M in Series A Funding for Student Mental Health Platform

Marble Health, a digital mental health platform for K–12 students, secured a $15.5 million Series A on Oct 15. Led by Costanoa Ventures with participation from Town Hall Ventures and Khosla Ventures, Marble’s platform integrates virtual therapy services into schools, enabling collaboration among counselors, parents, and clinicians.

The new funding will allow Marble to expand its team and deploy its platform in additional school districts, helping more teens access timely mental health care through their schools.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Marble Health

• Investors: Costanoa Ventures (lead), Town Hall Ventures, Khosla Ventures

• Amount Raised: $15.5 million

• Total Raised: Not disclosed

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 15, 2025

Campfire Raises $65M in Series B Funding for AI-Powered Finance ERP

Campfire, a San Francisco startup building an AI-native ERP for finance teams, announced a $65 million Series B on Oct 15. The round was co-led by Accel and Ribbit Capital, with Foundation Capital, Y Combinator, and angel investors (including Ramp co-founder Karim Atiyeh and Snowflake’s Brad Floering) also participating.

Campfire’s Large Accounting Model automates accounting workflows (reconciliations, close processes, etc.) for enterprises. This financing (bringing total funding to over $100M) will help scale Campfire’s platform across large finance teams and disrupt legacy accounting systems.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Campfire

• Investors: Accel (co-lead), Ribbit Capital (co-lead), Foundation Capital, Y Combinator; angels including Karim Atiyeh, Brad Floering, Steve Sidhu, Scott Buxton, Naeem Ishaq

• Amount Raised: $65 million

• Total Raised: $100+ million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 15, 2025

Jack & Jill Raises $20M in Seed Funding for AI Recruiting Platform

Jack & Jill, a London–based startup, secured a $20 million seed round to launch its conversational AI job-hunting platform. The round was led by Creandum (Stockholm). Jack & Jill’s two-sided app creates “Jack” (an AI interviewer that profiles job seekers) and “Jill” (an AI employer profiler) to match candidates with jobs using chatbot-driven discovery.

With nearly 50,000 users already in London, the new funding will support US expansion and enhancements to its AI matching and coaching features.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Jack & Jill (AI-powered recruiting platform)

• Investors: Creandum (lead); others not disclosed

• Amount Raised: $20 million

• Total Raised: $20 million (seed)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Oct 16, 2025

Deel Secures $300M in Series E Funding at $17.3B Valuation

Payroll and HR platform Deel completed a $300 million Series E financing, valuing the company at $17.3 billion. Ribbit Capital joined as a new co-lead with existing backers Andreessen Horowitz and Coatue. The San Francisco–based startup plans to use the funds for acquisitions and to enhance its payroll, banking, and AI-powered HR products.

Deel reported crossing $100M in monthly revenue in September, and this funding comes as it prepares for further expansion and an eventual public listing.

Founded in 2018 by MIT alumni Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang, Deel has become a key player in the remote-work economy by helping companies hire, pay, and manage workers around the world without tripping over local compliance laws. The company’s software automates the tedious parts of international hiring—from tax forms and contracts to payments and invoices—so businesses can focus on growth instead of paperwork.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Deel (global payroll platform)

• Investors: Ribbit Capital (co-lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management

• Amount Raised: $300 million

• Total Raised: Not disclosed

• Funding Stage: Series E

• Funding Date: Oct 16, 2025

Upgrade Raises $165M at $7.3B Valuation, Prepping for IPO

San Francisco neobank Upgrade raised $165 million at a $7.3 billion valuation in new funding. The growth capital was led by specialty finance firm Neuberger Berman, whose Head of Specialty Finance joined Upgrade’s board, and included participation from existing investors DST Global and Ribbit Capital.

The raise comes as fintech IPOs regain momentum; Upgrade CEO Renaud Laplanche told Reuters it plans an IPO within 12–18 months. Upgrade offers affordable credit products, and it will use the fresh capital to scale ahead of its public market debut.

Founded in 2016 by Laplanche alongside Adelina Grozdanova, Jeff Bogan, Matt Wierman, Soul Htite, and Visar Nimani, Upgrade has built a reputation for helping everyday consumers access credit without the high costs that often come with it. Since launching in 2017, the company has delivered more than $42 billion in consumer loans across credit cards, buy-now-pay-later programs, and home and auto financing.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Upgrade (consumer fintech)

• Investors: Neuberger Berman (lead), DST Global, Ribbit Capital

• Amount Raised: $165 million

• Total Raised: Not disclosed

• Funding Stage: Late-stage venture (pre-IPO funding)

• Funding Date: Oct 16, 2025

Zepto Raises $400M in Funding to Fuel India’s Quick-Commerce Growth

Indian quick-commerce startup Zepto announced a $400 million funding infusion led by California’s public pension fund CalPERS. Existing backers, including Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The StepStone Group, and Nexus, also participated. The new capital (primary and secondary) will help Zepto scale its operations across India’s fast-growing instant delivery market.

CEO Aadit Palicha noted Zepto has rapidly expanded order volume and will use the funds to improve the profitability of its dark-store network and continue geographic expansion. The round positions Zepto for an eventual IPO while intensifying competition with rivals like Swiggy and BlinkIt.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Zepto (Indian quick-commerce)

• Investors: CalPERS (lead); Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The StepStone Group, Nexus Venture Partners

• Amount Raised: $400 million (primary & secondary)

• Total Raised: Not disclosed (~$1.3B raised last year)

• Funding Stage: Late-stage venture (primary/secondary round)

• Funding Date: Oct 16, 2025

Adcytherix Raises €105M in Series A Funding for Next-Gen Cancer ADCs

Adcytherix, a Marseille, France biotech, closed a €105 million (≈$122M) Series A to advance its pipeline of novel antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The round was led by Bpifrance (Large Venture and InnoBio funds) and co-led by Kurma Partners, Andera Partners, and Angelini Ventures, alongside Surveyor Capital (Citadel) and aMoon. Existing investors Pontifax, DawnBiopharma (KKR), Pureos Bioventures, and RA Capital also participated.

Adcytherix will use the funding to file INDs for its lead ADC candidate by the end of 2025 and develop additional proprietary ADCs with novel payloads. The financing – touted as Europe’s largest ADC-focused Series A in 2025 – positions the company to become a major independent ADC player.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Adcytherix (cancer biotherapeutics)

• Investors: Bpifrance (lead), Kurma Partners, Andera Partners, Angelini Ventures, Surveyor Capital (Citadel), aMoon; with existing backers (Pontifax, DawnBiopharma/KRR, Pureos, RA Capital)

• Amount Raised: €105 million (~$122 million)

• Total Raised: €135 million (including prior €30M seed)

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 16, 2025

Chari Raises $12M Series A in Funding, Secures First Moroccan Fintech License

Casablanca-based Chari, a YC-backed ecommerce and fintech platform for retail merchants, closed a $12 million Series A on Oct 15. The round – the largest Series A in Morocco – was led by SPE Capital and Orange Ventures, with participation from Verod, Global Founders Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Plug and Play, and others.

This latest round brings Chari’s total funding to $17 million. In parallel, Chari became the first VC-backed startup in Morocco to obtain a national payment license, allowing it to issue IBANs, debit cards, and process transfers. Chari will use the funds and license to build a “merchant super-app,” digitizing informal retail and embedding financial services into corner shops.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Chari (Moroccan fintech/e-commerce)

• Investors: SPE Capital (lead), Orange Ventures; plus Verod-Kepple, Global Founders Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Plug and Play, and others

• Amount Raised: $12 million

• Total Raised: $17 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 15, 2025

General Intuition Raises $134M in Seed Funding for AI Spatial Reasoning

General Intuition, a new AI research startup spun out of gaming platform Medal, landed $133.7 million (≈$134M) in seed funding. Led by Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst with participation from Raine Ventures, the funding will train AI agents on Medal’s 2 billion annual video-game clips dataset.

The startup is building foundation models for spatial-temporal reasoning, aiming to teach AI how objects move and interact in 3D environments. Early backers were drawn by Medal’s unique gaming video data moat. General Intuition plans to use the funds to grow its research team and advance its general AI agent models for applications in gaming, robotics, and beyond.

Funding Details:

• Startup: General Intuition (AI research lab)

• Investors: Khosla Ventures (lead), General Catalyst; participation from Raine Ventures

• Amount Raised: ~$134 million

• Total Raised: $134 million (seed)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Oct 16, 2025

Tempo Raises $500M in Series A Funding for Stripe-Backed Blockchain

Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain incubated by Stripe and Paradigm, raised $500 million in a Series A round. Led by Thrive Capital and Greenoaks, the funding valued Tempo at roughly $5 billion and included participation from Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, and SV Angel. Designed as an Ethereum-compatible Layer 1 optimized for high-throughput payments, Tempo’s network is already working with companies like OpenAI, Shopify, Visa, and Deutsche Bank.

The capital infusion accelerates Stripe’s foray into crypto infrastructure, adding momentum to its expanding blockchain strategy alongside acquisitions like stablecoin issuer Bridge. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison has called Tempo “the payments-oriented L1, optimized for real-world financial-services applications.”

Funding Details:

• Startup: Tempo (blockchain for payments)

• Investors: Thrive Capital (lead), Greenoaks, plus Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, SV Angel

• Amount Raised: $500 million

• Total Raised: $500 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Oct 17, 2025

Second Nature Raises $22M in Series B Funding for AI Sales Training

Second Nature AI Inc. raised $22 million in funding for its AI-powered sales training platform. The Series B was led by Sienna Ventures, with participation from Bright Pixel, StageOne Ventures, Cardumen Capital, Signals VC, and Zoom Communications. The New York–area startup’s software creates AI “personas” to simulate realistic sales conversations for training new reps. For example, managers input a product scenario, and Second Nature generates simulated buyers to help trainees practice.

Second Nature says its platform has helped customers close 46% more deals, and the new capital (bringing total funding to $37M) will support scaling its platform and go-to-market as it expands beyond sales into HR recruiting and customer service training.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Second Nature AI (sales training software)

• Investors: Sienna Ventures (lead), Bright Pixel, StageOne Ventures, Cardumen Capital, Signals VC, Zoom Communications Inc.

• Amount Raised: $22 million

• Total Raised: $37+ million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Oct 17, 2025