It’s Tuesday, October 21, 2025, and we’re back with the top startup and tech funding news stories making headlines today. From AI infrastructure and clean energy breakthroughs to fintech and enterprise automation, investors showed strong conviction across sectors, fueling another busy day in global venture capital.

Today’s highlights feature Fal.ai’s massive $250 million late-stage round that pushed its valuation past $4 billion, Moniepoint’s $200 million+ Series C to expand fintech access across Africa, and Anrok’s $55 million Series C to simplify global sales-tax automation.

On the early-stage front, next-gen clean energy player Arbor Energy and enterprise AI agent platform Serval secured $55 million and $47 million, respectively, while chip-design innovator ChipAgents and data-sync startup Estuary strengthened the AI and developer-tool ecosystem with fresh Series A capital. Seed-stage standouts include Casium and TabSense in AI-powered compliance and POS automation, and Bronto in log-data management.

Funding Highlights

• Fal.ai raised ~$250 million to expand its multimodal AI infrastructure and GPU cloud.

• Moniepoint secured $200 million+ to scale banking and payments across Africa.

• Anrok landed $55 million to automate global tax compliance.

• Arbor Energy raised $55 million for its carbon-free HALCYON turbine project.

• Serval pulled in $47 million to advance enterprise IT automation with AI agents.

• ChipAgents closed a $21 million Series A to accelerate AI-driven chip design.

• Findem topped off the day with $51 million in combined equity and debt to expand its AI hiring platform.

Investor Activity

Top global venture and growth investors continued to lead today’s financings, including Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Lowercarbon Capital, Redpoint Ventures, and Spark Capital. Institutional players such as JPMorgan and Marathon Petroleum also joined the mix, reflecting a cross-sector appetite for both deep tech and climate solutions. The combined rounds underscore investor confidence in AI infrastructure, fintech, clean energy, and automation—categories that remain the most resilient in 2025’s venture landscape.

Here’s the full breakdown. Until tomorrow, keep building.

Findem Lands $36M in Series C Funding to Supercharge AI-Powered Hiring

Findem, a Redwood City–based AI talent platform, has secured $51 million in new funding to expand its hiring automation technology. The round includes a $36 million Series C led by Silver Lake Waterman (SLW), with participation from Wing Venture Capital, Harmony Capital, and Four Rivers Group.

The financing also includes a $15 million growth loan from JPMorgan, bringing Findem’s total raise to $105 million since its 2019 founding. Findem uses “3D talent data” from trillions of data points combined with AI to help enterprises identify and engage top candidates. The new funding will accelerate product development, sales efforts, and expansion of Findem’s AI-powered recruiting tools.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Findem

• Investors: Silver Lake Waterman (lead), Wing Venture Capital, Harmony Capital, Four Rivers Group, and JPMorgan (growth loan)

• Amount Raised: $51 million (including $36 M Series C equity + $15 M debt)

• Total Raised: $105 million

• Funding Stage: Series C (plus growth financing)

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Fal.ai Raises About $250M in New Funding Round at $4B+ Valuation

Fal.ai, a multimodal AI infrastructure startup, has closed a massive late-stage financing, valuing the company at $4 billion. According to TechCrunch sources, the Redwood City–based firm secured roughly $250 million in new funding led by Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital (terms not officially disclosed). Fal.ai provides cloud infrastructure hosting for image, video, and audio AI models and has seen explosive growth as demand for multimodal AI surges.

The fresh capital comes on the heels of Fal.ai’s recent $125 million Series C at a $1.5 billion valuation and will be used to expand its GPU cloud and global development efforts. Fal.ai’s investors include Meritech (from the prior round), Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia, and several unnamed tech investors.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Fal.ai

• Investors: Kleiner Perkins (lead), Sequoia Capital, and Meritech Capital (prior round)

• Amount Raised: ~$250 million

• Total Raised: ~$375 million (including prior rounds)

• Funding Stage: Series D (Late-stage growth round)

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Anrok Scores $55M in Series C Funding to Automate Global Sales Tax

Anrok, a San Francisco–area fintech startup, announced a $55 million Series C round to expand its tax compliance automation platform. The round was led by Spark Capital, with co-investors Sapphire Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Index Ventures also participating. Anrok’s software automates global sales tax and indirect tax calculations for companies, using AI to handle complex regulations across markets.

The new capital brings Anrok’s total funding to over $100 million, enabling the company to scale its engineering team and service more enterprise clients. Founded in 2020, Anrok will use the funds to accelerate product development of its tax automation software and expand sales globally.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Anrok

• Investors: Spark Capital (lead), Sapphire Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures

• Amount Raised: $55 million

• Total Raised: >$100 million

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Moniepoint Closes $200M+ in Series C Funding to Drive Fintech Growth

Moniepoint, a Nigeria–based fintech unicorn, has closed an oversubscribed Series C round exceeding $200 million. The financing was led by Development Partners International’s ADP III Fund, with LeapFrog Investments joining for the final close. Other participants include Lightrock, Alder Tree Investments, Google Africa Investment Fund, Visa, IFC, Proparco, Swedfund, and Verod Capital. Moniepoint provides banking, payments, and lending services to small businesses and consumers across Africa.

The new funding will support expansion across the continent and internationally, as the startup seeks to extend financial inclusion. CEO Tosin Eniolorunda said the proceeds will help Moniepoint build on its profitable unicorn track record while scaling its product offerings.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Moniepoint

• Investors: Development Partners International (ADP III) (lead), LeapFrog Investments, Lightrock, Alder Tree, Google AIF, Visa, IFC, Proparco, Swedfund, Verod Capital

• Amount Raised: $200 million+

• Total Raised: Not disclosed (Series C only)

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

ChipAgents Raises $21M in Series A Funding for AI-Driven Chip Design

ChipAgents, an AI platform startup for semiconductor design, announced a $21 million Series A round. The Santa Barbara–based company’s funding was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Micron Ventures, MediaTek, Ericsson, and others.

The round also brought in new advisors and angel investors, including Wally Rhines (ex-Mentor Graphics CEO), Raúl Camposano (ex-Synopsys CTO), and Jack Harding (ex-Cadence CEO), along with existing investors SCOp Venture Capital and Amino Capital. ChipAgents provides generative AI agents that automate complex chip design and verification workflows.

The startup said it will use the funds to accelerate product development, expand its engineering team, and forge strategic industry partnerships. ChipAgents has now raised $24 million to date.

Funding Details:

• Startup: ChipAgents

• Investors: Bessemer Venture Partners (lead), Micron Ventures, MediaTek, Ericsson, SCOp Venture Capital, Amino Capital, and prominent EDA executives (Rhines, Camposano, Harding)

• Amount Raised: $21 million

• Total Raised: $24 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Arbor Energy Secures $55M in Series A Funding for Clean Power Turbine

Arbor Energy, a clean energy startup developing next-generation gas turbines, raised $55 million in a Series A round. The funding was co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Voyager Ventures, with additional participation from Gigascale Capital and Marathon Petroleum. Based in El Segundo, California, Arbor Energy is building a modular 25–100 MW carbon-free turbine called HALCYON, which can run on fuels ranging from natural gas to biomass.

The new capital will fund the completion of a 1 MW pilot and support the development of the commercial 25 MW HALCYON system. CEO Brad Hartwig said the funding will accelerate Arbor’s technology development and manufacturing plans, targeting utility and industrial applications for its advanced oxy-combustion turbines.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Arbor Energy

• Investors: Lowercarbon Capital (co-lead), Voyager Ventures (co-lead), Gigascale Capital, Marathon Petroleum Corporation

• Amount Raised: $55 million

• Total Raised: $55 million (this round)

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Serval Raises $47M in Series A Funding for Enterprise IT Automation

Serval, an enterprise AI agent startup, announced a $47 million Series A round. The funding was led by Redpoint Ventures, with participation from First Round Capital, General Catalyst, and BoxGroup. Serval uses generative AI agents to automate IT service management tasks. One AI agent can code and deploy internal IT workflows (like software provisioning), while another serves as a user-facing help desk agent that securely executes those workflows.

Serval will use the fresh investment to expand its engineering team and grow sales as it brings this new AI-driven help desk solution to market. Serval’s impressive roster of clients and investors reflects strong demand for AI tools that boost IT productivity.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Serval

• Investors: Redpoint Ventures (lead), First Round Capital, General Catalyst, BoxGroup

• Amount Raised: $47 million

• Total Raised: $47 million (Series A)

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Estuary Raises $17M in Series A Funding to Power AI Data Movement

Estuary, a startup offering a “right-time” data integration platform, secured $17 million in a Series A round. The New York–based company’s round was led by M13, with participation from FirstMark Capital and Operator Partners. Estuary’s technology merges batch and streaming data pipelines, enabling enterprises to continuously sync data in real time without the high cost of legacy solutions.

The fresh capital will be used to grow Estuary’s engineering and go-to-market teams and expand its enterprise roadmap. Co-founder and CEO David Yaffe said the funding will help enterprises modernize data pipelines so analytics and AI applications always have fresh data. Estuary has now raised $24 million in total equity funding.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Estuary

• Investors: M13 (lead), FirstMark Capital, Operator Partners

• Amount Raised: $17 million

• Total Raised: $24 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Casium Raises $5M in Seed Funding to Simplify Work Visa Filing

Casium, a Seattle-based AI immigration platform, has raised $5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Maverick Ventures, with participation from the Allen Institute’s AI2 Incubator, GTMfund, Success Venture Partners, and angel Jake Heller (co-founder of Casetext). Casium offers an AI-powered solution for enterprise immigration and mobility, handling visa applications and compliance as a proactive, outcome-based service.

CEO Priyanka Kulkarni said the funding will accelerate Casium’s mission to transform hiring of global talent by automating and optimizing immigration workflows. Founded in 2024 as an AI2 Incubator spinout, Casium will use the new capital to further develop its platform and expand customer acquisition.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Casium

• Investors: Maverick Ventures (lead), AI2 Incubator, GTMfund, Success Venture Partners, Jake Heller (angel)

• Amount Raised: $5 million

• Total Raised: $5 million (seed)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: October 20, 2025 (announced Oct 21, 2025)

Saudi Startup TabSense Secures $5M in Seed Funding for AI-Driven POS

TabSense, an AI-driven point-of-sale startup in Saudi Arabia, announced a $5 million initial funding round. The round was led by Jasoor Ventures. TabSense’s platform uses autonomous AI agents to operate multi-branch restaurant and cafe POS systems, handling tasks like menu optimization and management workflow.

Founded in 2024, TabSense said it will use the funds to accelerate product innovation, expand regional sales, and build its engineering team. The startup already serves over 1,000 locations in Saudi Arabia and Jordan and plans to scale internationally.

Funding Details:

• Startup: TabSense

• Investors: Jasoor Ventures (lead)

• Amount Raised: $5 million

• Total Raised: $5 million (seed)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Bronto Raises $14M in Seed Funding to Reinvent Log Data Platform

Bronto, an Irish AI-augmented log data platform startup, has raised $14 million in seed funding. The Dublin-based company’s round was led by Cercano Management, with participation from Heavybit Ventures. Bronto’s founders – serial entrepreneurs Noel Ruane and Trevor Parsons – built the platform to handle massive volumes of log data without performance bottlenecks, a key need in the AI era.

Bronto will use the fresh capital infusion to support hiring and go-to-market expansion as Bronto launches its observability platform. Bronto will use the capital to scale engineering and sales, aiming to become a category-defining log management solution.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Bronto

• Investors: Cercano Management (lead), Heavybit Ventures

• Amount Raised: $14 million

• Total Raised: $14 million (seed)

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: October 21, 2025

Tech Funding Summary Table