Top Startup and Tech Funding News – December 8, 2025
Nickie Louise
Posted On December 8, 2025
It’s Monday, December 8, 2025, and we’re back with the day’s top startup and tech funding news across fintech infrastructure, defense tech, enterprise security, synthetic satellites, cleantech, and generative AI. From pre-seed to Series G, today’s rounds underscore strong investor momentum behind hard tech, global fintech, and frontier innovation at the intersection of energy, security, and AI-native software.
Castelion led the day with a $350 million Series B to scale hypersonic missile production for U.S. defense, followed closely by Airwallex’s $330 million Series G to accelerate global fintech infrastructure expansion. ICEYE secured €150 million to boost Europe’s satellite defense capabilities, while Blue Current locked in $80 million to commercialize solid-state batteries.
AI-driven cybersecurity and frontier computing saw continued interest, with Resemble AI raising $13 million to combat deepfakes and Niobium securing $23 million to enable encrypted data processing chips. Spark Cleantech landed €30 million to decarbonize heavy industry, and Crown raised $13.5 million to scale real-pegged stablecoin infrastructure in Brazil.
Early-stage bets highlighted disruptive innovation across secure payments, industrial automation, and AI-native vertical platforms: Tuhk closed $6 million to fight payment fraud, AllScale emerged with $5 million to bank micro-entrepreneurs via stablecoins, and Honeyjar raised $2 million to automate comms workflows with generative AI.
Funding Highlights
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Castelion raised $350 million in Series B to build U.S. hypersonic missile infrastructure.
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Airwallex secured $330 million in Series G funding to expand its global B2B fintech.
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ICEYE closed €150 million to expand its defense-focused satellite constellation.
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Blue Current raised $80 million in Series D extension for solid-state batteries.
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Spark Cleantech landed €30 million to deliver hydrogen-based heating.
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Niobium secured $23 million to develop encrypted computing chips.
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Resemble AI raised $13 million to protect enterprises from AI-driven threats.
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Crown secured $13.5 million to scale a real-pegged stablecoin in Brazil.
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Tuhk raised $6 million to prevent cross-border payment fraud.
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AllScale closed $5 million to power self-custody stablecoin banking.
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Pan Cancer T raised €10 million for T-cell therapies in aggressive breast cancer.
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Helical Fusion secured $5.5 million to develop Japan’s commercial fusion reactor.
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Honeyjar raised $2 million to bring AI co-pilots to PR workflows.
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Rotostitch raised $1 million to automate the manufacturing of apparel.
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TomNext emerged with stealth funding to digitize private markets for LPs.
Investor Activity
Today’s funding landscape saw robust participation from global VCs, sovereign-linked innovation funds, crypto-native investors, and corporate strategics doubling down on infrastructure for secure finance, national defense, and real-world AI adoption. From high-orbit radar satellites to industrial AI tools and decentralized finance rails, capital continues to flow into startups reshaping how the world transacts, secures, and scales.
As we enter the second week of December, investors remain active across climate infrastructure, sovereign tech, and frontier AI platforms. Here’s the full breakdown of December 8’s most significant startup and tech fundings.
Airwallex Raises $330M in Series G Funding to Fuel Global Fintech Expansion
Airwallex, a global payments fintech often compared to Stripe and Adyen, has secured a massive $330 million in Series G funding at an $8 billion valuation. The Melbourne-founded startup (now dual-headquartered in San Francisco) provides a modern platform for cross-border business banking, enabling companies to manage payments, treasury, and expenses across 200+ countries.
This new capital – led by US investor Addition – comes just six months after Airwallex’s last round and will power aggressive growth in the U.S. and other key markets, including doubling its American headcount and investing in AI-driven product development to maintain its edge in borderless finance.
Founded in Australia in 2015 by Jack Zhang, Airwallex started as a cross-border payments provider but has grown into a global financial platform with customers. Airwallex has steadily expanded its footprint as cross-border commerce has grown more complex for international businesses.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Airwallex
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Investors: Addition (lead), T. Rowe Price, Activant, Lingotto, Robinhood Ventures, TIAA Ventures
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Amount Raised: $330 million
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Total Raised: ~$1.5 billion
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Funding Stage: Series G
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Castelion Closes $350M in Series B Funding to Scale Hypersonic Missile Production
Castelion, a cutting-edge defense tech startup, announced it raised $350 million in Series B financing to mass-produce its Blackbeard hypersonic missiles. Founded by SpaceX alumni, the California-based company is advancing one of the Pentagon’s top modernization priorities: affordable hypersonic weapons to bolster U.S. deterrence.
The new funding, co-led by Altimeter Capital and Lightspeed, will bankroll Castelion’s first production facility (“Project Ranger” in New Mexico) and ramp up testing and integration of Blackbeard missiles with U.S. Army and Navy platforms, aiming to deliver hypersonic strike capacity at unprecedented scale and speed for the military.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Castelion
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Investors: Altimeter Capital (co-lead), Lightspeed Venture Partners (co-lead), with participation from Lavrock Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), General Catalyst, First In, Space VC, Cantos, BlueYard, Avenir, Champion Hill, Interlagos
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Amount Raised: $350 million
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Total Raised: ~$464 million
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Funding Stage: Series B
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
ICEYE Secures €150M in Funding to Boost Defense Satellite Fleet at €2.4B Valuation
ICEYE, a Finnish satellite startup specializing in synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imaging, has raised €150 million in new funding (plus a €50 million secondary for early investors) at a valuation of €2.4 billion. General Catalyst led the round, which positions profitable ICEYE to accelerate the deployment of its high-resolution radar satellites as European defense spending soars.
ICEYE’s technology, capable of seeing through clouds, smoke, and darkness, is in high demand for military and disaster-response use cases. With this infusion, the 2014-founded company plans to rapidly launch more satellites to serve European allies’ intelligence needs and cement its status as a key player in the West’s space-based defense infrastructure.
Funding Details:
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Startup: ICEYE
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Investors: General Catalyst (lead), A.P. Møller Holding, Bpifrance, and a consortium of Finnish and Polish investors
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Amount Raised: €150 million (primary equity)
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Total Raised: €600 million
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Funding Stage: Growth funding (Series E)
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Blue Current Charges Up with $80M in Series D Funding Extension for Solid-State Batteries
Blue Current, a Hayward, CA-based pioneer in solid-state battery technology, closed an $80+ million Series D extension round to accelerate the commercialization of its next-gen batteries. The funding was anchored by Amazon, whose interest underscores the strategic importance of safer, high-performance batteries for energy storage and EV applications.
Blue Current’s innovative cells use a silicon-based anode and dry electrolyte, delivering higher energy density without the fire risk of conventional lithium-ion batteries. With Amazon’s Senior VP James Hamilton joining the board, the company will expand its pilot production and move toward mass manufacturing of these solid-state batteries, aiming to meet surging demand for domestic, reliable energy solutions.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Blue Current, Inc.
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Investors: Amazon (anchor), Koch Disruptive Technologies, Piedmont Capital, Rusheen Capital Partners, Allen & Company
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Amount Raised: ~$80 million
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Series D (Extension)
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Spark Cleantech Lands €30M in Series A Funding to Decarbonize Heavy Industry
Paris-based Spark Cleantech has secured €30 million in Series A financing to scale its breakthrough solution for decarbonizing high-temperature industries. Spun out of the prestigious CentraleSupélec, the deeptech startup has developed a methane “plasmolysis” system that uses pulsed plasma to split natural gas into clean hydrogen fuel and solid carbon before combustion.
This process allows steelmakers and other heavy manufacturers to slash CO₂ emissions by swapping fossil fuel heat for low-carbon hydrogen—without overhauling existing equipment—and even produces valuable carbon nanomaterials as a byproduct. Led by 360 Capital and Taranis, the new funding (which includes €17M in equity and additional non-dilutive support) will help Spark Cleantech build its first full-scale production module and deploy the technology at industrial client sites eager to cut their carbon footprint.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Spark Cleantech
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Investors: 360 Capital (lead), Taranis (co-lead), Île-de-France Reindustrialisation Fund, Asterion Ventures
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Amount Raised: €30 million
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Niobium Secures $23M in Funding to Advance Encrypted Computing Chips
Niobium, a Dayton, Ohio-based semiconductor startup, raised over $23 million to develop specialized chips for fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). Backed by tech investors like Fusion Fund and Morgan Creek, as well as corporate newcomers such as Analog Devices’ venture arm and Korea Development Bank, Niobium is building hardware to process data. At the same time, it remains encrypted – a holy grail for data privacy and security.
Led by CEO Kevin Yoder, the company will use the Series A funding to finalize its chip architecture, fabricate its first ASIC, and expand pilot programs. By enabling efficient FHE computation, Niobium’s technology promises to unlock ultra-secure cloud services and sensitive data applications without ever exposing raw data, an advancement with far-reaching implications for finance, healthcare, and government.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Niobium Microsystems
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Investors: Fusion Fund (lead), Morgan Creek Capital, Rev1 Ventures, Ohio Innovation Fund; new strategic backers include Analog Devices (ADVentures), Korea Development Bank, JobsOhio Ventures, Rev1 Angels, Silicon Catalyst Ventures
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Amount Raised: $23 million+
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Resemble AI Gets $13M in Funding to Fight Deepfakes and Secure Enterprise AI
San Francisco-based Resemble AI has raised $13 million in fresh funding to expand its platform protecting organizations from AI-generated threats like deepfakes. The round attracted a who’s-who of investors in tech security and AI – including Comcast Ventures, Craft Ventures, Google’s AI Futures Fund, Okta Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, and more – signaling strong confidence in Resemble’s approach. Led by CEO Zohaib Ahmed, Resemble AI offers enterprise-grade tools to detect and defend against manipulated audio, video, and images, achieving 98% deepfake-detection accuracy across dozens of languages.
The new capital brings Resemble’s total funding to $25M and will fuel global roll-out of its AI threat detection suite (such as the DETECT-3B Omni model and a new explainability engine powered by Google’s Gemini), helping governments and Fortune 500 companies safeguard their operations against the surging wave of generative AI fraud and misinformation.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Resemble AI
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Investors: Berkeley Frontier Fund, Comcast Ventures, Craft Ventures, Gentree Fund, Google AI Futures Fund, IAG Capital Partners, Javelin Venture Partners, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, Okta Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, Taiwania Capital, Ubiquity Ventures
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Amount Raised: $13 million
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Total Raised: $25 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Pan Cancer T Lands €10M in FUnding to Advance T-Cell Therapy for Aggressive Breast Cancer
Pan Cancer T, a biotech startup based in Rotterdam, has raised €10 million in funding to bring a next-generation T-cell therapy to patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The company – a spin-out from Erasmus Medical Center – is developing an autologous TCR-T cell therapy targeting a novel antigen (ROPN1) found in 90% of TNBC tumors but largely absent in healthy tissue, offering a potentially safer and more effective treatment for this deadly cancer subtype.
With the new financing (a mix of €5M venture funding from Dutch investors and a €5M innovation credit from the government), Pan Cancer T will move its lead program from preclinical studies into first-in-human trials at top Netherlands cancer centers in 2026. The therapy’s unique co-stimulatory technology is designed to help T-cells overcome the hostile tumor microenvironment, and success could open the door to treating other solid tumors like melanoma and ovarian cancer in the future.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Pan Cancer T
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Investors: Van Herk Ventures, Thuja Capital, Erasmus MC O&O Holdings, InnovationQuarter (equity investors); plus Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs Innovation Credit
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Amount Raised: €10 million
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Total Raised: €10 million
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Funding Stage: Seed/Series A (early-stage)
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Helical Fusion Gets $5.5M in Funding to Energize Japan’s Commercial Fusion Quest
Helical Fusion, a Japanese startup pursuing commercial nuclear fusion, secured $5.5 million in a Series A extension round to accelerate development of its novel reactor design. The Tokyo-based company is building a steady-state “helical” stellarator reactor (dubbed Helix) aimed at achieving net electric power generation by the 2030s – part of Japan’s strategy to pioneer clean, limitless fusion energy.
This latest funding, which brings Helical’s total investment to about $38 million, was raised with participation from Ecrowd NEXT (a crowd-focused fund) and a broad coalition of corporate and individual backers, reflecting a push to involve diverse stakeholders in Japan’s fusion effort. Helical Fusion will use the funds to advance its Helix HARUKA demonstration device, continue R&D on high-temperature superconducting magnets and materials, and strengthen the domestic supply chain needed to turn fusion from a scientific experiment into an industrial reality.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Helical Fusion
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Investors: Ecrowd NEXT, plus a network of corporate and individual strategic investors in Japan (expanding beyond traditional VCs)
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Amount Raised: $5.5 million
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Total Raised: $38 million
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Funding Stage: Series A (extension)
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Tuhk Snags $6M in Seed Funding to Tackle Payment Fraud Across Borders
Tuhk Inc., a Toronto-based fintech startup, has raised $6 million in seed funding to launch its real-time payment fraud prevention platform. Founded by veterans of fraud solutions like Ethoca, Tuhk is building a network that bridges merchants, banks, and payment providers to collaboratively detect and stop fraudulent transactions – a mission-critical effort as global cybercrime losses race toward $10 trillion.
The round was led by fintech VC FINTOP, with strategic investments from Lloyds Banking Group and Capital One Ventures, signaling industry support for Tuhk’s approach. With the fresh capital, Tuhk plans to roll out its platform in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., enabling companies to share threat intelligence instantly, reduce chargebacks, and approve more legitimate purchases. By breaking down data silos between e-commerce players and financial institutions, Tuhk aims to improve fraud detection while minimizing friction for genuine customers dramatically.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Tuhk Inc.
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Investors: FINTOP (lead), Lloyds Banking Group, Capital One Ventures (strategic investors)
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Amount Raised: $6 million
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Total Raised: $6 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
AllScale Raises $5M in Seed Round to Build Stablecoin Bank for Microbusinesses
AllScale, a New York City-based fintech startup, has raised $5 million in seed funding to launch the world’s first self-custody stablecoin neobank for global microbusinesses. The round was co-led by YZi Labs (via its EASY Residency program), Informed Ventures, and Generative Ventures, with backing from the team behind BNB Chain’s ecosystem. AllScale’s platform enables freelancers, content creators, and small merchants to send and receive payments in stablecoins instantly across borders, offering a dollar-denominated bank account alternative without traditional banking friction.
By leveraging blockchain account abstraction and AI “financial copilot” tools, AllScale empowers users to manage invoices, checkouts, and payouts in a secure, decentralized manner. The new funding will fuel product development and international growth as AllScale positions itself at the intersection of fintech and web3, aiming to provide fast, low-cost financial services to the underbanked global gig economy.
Funding Details:
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Startup: AllScale
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Investors: YZi Labs (lead, EASY Residency), Informed Ventures (lead), Generative Ventures (lead), with participation from BNB Chain ecosystem partners
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Amount Raised: $5 million
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Total Raised: $5 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Honeyjar AI Launches with $2M in Funding to Automate PR Workflows
Honeyjar, an AI-powered platform for communications professionals, has emerged from stealth with $2 million in pre-seed funding to modernize public relations workflows. Founded by former PR executive Michelle Masek, Honeyjar aims to be a “comms co-pilot” for PR and marketing teams – using generative AI to handle time-consuming tasks like media list building, press release drafting, coverage tracking, and content creation.
Honeyjar’s initial backing was led by notable media and tech figures, including Heather Hartnett of Human Ventures and Kevin Mahaffey of SNR Ventures, who co-led the round, joined by industry veterans such as Margit Wennmachers (ex-Andreesen Horowitz partner), former NY Post CEO Jesse Angelo, and ex-TechCrunch editor Josh Constine. Honeyjar’s platform, integrated with leading AI models and data sources, creates a collaborative workspace where PR pros can leverage prompt-driven AI assistants to boost their productivity. With this seed capital, the team will refine the product and begin onboarding boutique agencies and in-house comms teams eager to augment their strategy and storytelling with AI.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Honeyjar (Honeyjar AI)
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Investors: Heather Hartnett (Human Ventures, lead), Kevin Mahaffey (SNR Ventures, lead); notable angels including Margit Wennmachers, Jesse Angelo, Josh Constine
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Amount Raised: $2 million
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Total Raised: $2 million
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Funding Stage: Pre-Seed
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Rotostitch Raises $1M in Pre-Seed Round to Revolutionize Apparel Manufacturing
Rotostitch, a San Francisco-based hardware startup, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed round to automate garment manufacturing. Led by CEO Leah McClure, Rotostitch is developing proprietary robotics and software that can sew and assemble textiles with minimal human intervention – a transformative leap for the fashion and apparel industry. The funding was co-led by accelerator VC Boost VC and Nova Threshold, and will enable Rotostitch to accelerate product development and pilot its technology with manufacturers.
By shortening production cycles and localizing automated factories, Rotostitch’s approach could allow clothing brands to go from design concept to finished garment in days rather than months, reducing waste and overstock while making the supply chain far more agile and sustainable. The company’s ultimate goal is to modernize an industry traditionally reliant on manual labor, bringing tech-powered efficiency to clothing production at scale.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Rotostitch, Inc.
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Investors: Boost VC (lead), Nova Threshold (lead)
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Amount Raised: $1 million
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Total Raised: $1 million
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Funding Stage: Pre-Seed
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Crown Receives $13.5M in Funding to Expand Brazil’s Stablecoin Infrastructure
Crown, a Brazilian fintech startup developing a real-pegged stablecoin, secured $13.5 million in a Series A round led by crypto venture firm Paradigm. The investment – Paradigm’s first bet in Brazil – values Crown at around $90 million and will fuel the rapid growth of its flagship stablecoin, BRLV, which is 1:1 backed by the Brazilian Real. Crown’s platform enables seamless, regulated digital transactions in BRLV, bringing the benefits of stablecoins (fast settlement, low fees, global reach) to Brazil’s banking and payments ecosystem.
With the new funding, São Paulo-based Crown plans to scale up adoption of BRLV among fintechs, businesses, and possibly public institutions, positioning itself as a core infrastructure player for Brazil’s burgeoning crypto economy. The round brings Crown’s total funding to roughly $21.6M and underscores growing investor confidence in emerging market stablecoins as a driver of financial inclusion.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Crown (BRLV stablecoin)
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Investors: Paradigm (lead) (first major Brazil investment by Paradigm)
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Amount Raised: $13.5 million
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Total Raised: $21.6 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
TomNext Emerges from Stealth with Funding to Digitize Private Markets
London-based fintech TomNext has emerged from stealth mode after securing an undisclosed funding round led by Panghea Capital Partners. TomNext is building an AI-powered intelligence and workflow platform for private-market investors (Limited Partners in venture capital, private equity, and real assets) to streamline due diligence and portfolio management. Co-founded by CEO Itay Tuchman, the startup aims to replace the fragmented, analog processes that family offices and institutional LPs traditionally use – offering a unified digital workspace that structures deal data, automates document analysis, and, eventually, facilitates transactions via blockchain tokenization.
The funding coincides with TomNext’s launch of a closed beta with select wealth managers and family offices. In addition to lead investor Panghea, the round drew support from Consello, Blizzard (the Avalanche ecosystem fund), Altea Partners, and prominent fintech and asset management angels. The backing from these finance veterans will help TomNext accelerate product development and scale its platform, positioning it as critical infrastructure for the $20+ trillion alternative assets industry seeking greater efficiency and transparency.
Funding Details:
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Startup: TomNext
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Investors: Panghea Capital Partners (lead), with participation from Consello, Blizzard (Avalanche Fund), Altea Partners, and strategic angel investors in fintech/wealth management
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Amount Raised: Undisclosed
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Total Raised: Not disclosed
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Funding Stage: Seed (Stealth launch)
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Funding Date: December 8, 2025
Tech Funding Summary Table
| Startup | Investors (Lead and notable investors) | Amount Raised | Total Raised | Funding Stage | Funding Date |
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| Airwallex | Addition (lead); T. Rowe Price, Activant, Lingotto, Robinhood Ventures, TIAA Ventures | $330 million | ~$1.5 billion | Series G | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Castelion | Altimeter Capital (co-lead), Lightspeed (co-lead); Lavrock, a16z, General Catalyst, others | $350 million | ~$464 million | Series B | Dec 8, 2025 |
| ICEYE | General Catalyst (lead); A.P. Møller, Bpifrance, Finnish & Polish investors | €150 million (+€50M secondary) | €600 million | Late-stage (Growth) | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Blue Current | Amazon (anchor); Koch Disruptive Tech, Piedmont, Rusheen, Allen & Co. | ~$80 million | Not disclosed | Series D Extension | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Spark Cleantech | 360 Capital (lead), Taranis; Île-de-France Reindustrialisation Fund, Asterion Ventures | €30 million | Not disclosed | Series A | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Niobium | Fusion Fund (lead); Morgan Creek, Rev1, Ohio Innovation Fund; ADI Ventures, KDB, etc. | $23 million+ | Not disclosed | Series A | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Resemble AI | No single lead (backers include Comcast, Craft, Google AI Fund, Okta, Sony IF, Javelin, etc.) | $13 million | $25 million | Series A | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Pan Cancer T | Van Herk, Thuja Capital (lead investors); Erasmus MC Holdings, InnovationQuarter; + Dutch gov’t credit | €10 million | €10 million | Seed/Early Stage | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Helical Fusion | Ecrowd NEXT; (plus corporate and individual Japanese investors) | $5.5 million | $38 million | Series A Extension | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Tuhk | FINTOP (lead); Lloyds Banking Group, Capital One Ventures | $6 million | $6 million | Seed | Dec 8, 2025 |
| AllScale | YZi Labs (lead, EASY Residency); Informed Ventures, Generative Ventures; BNB Chain partner | $5 million | $5 million | Seed | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Honeyjar | Heather Hartnett (Human Ventures) & Kevin Mahaffey (SNR) (co-leads); Margit Wennmachers, Jesse Angelo, Josh Constine | $2 million | $2 million | Pre-Seed | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Rotostitch | Boost VC (lead), Nova Threshold (lead) | $1 million | $1 million | Pre-Seed | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Crown | Paradigm (lead) | $13.5 million | $21.6 million | Series A | Dec 8, 2025 |
| TomNext | Panghea Capital (lead); Consello, Blizzard (Avalanche), Altea, angels | Undisclosed | Not disclosed | Seed (Stealth) | Dec 8, 2025 |
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