Top Startup and Tech Funding News – December 11, 2025

It’s Thursday, December 11, 2025, and we’re back with the day’s top startup and tech funding news across AI hardware, geothermal power, enterprise automation, biotech, crypto infrastructure, and developer tooling. From Seed to Series E, today’s funding rounds underscore strong investor momentum behind frontier compute, climate infrastructure, and automation-first platforms that are reshaping health, software, and finance.

Unconventional AI led the day with a $475 million seed round to build biologically inspired, energy-efficient AI computers, followed closely by Fervo Energy’s $462 million Series E to scale its next-gen geothermal grid. Harness locked in $200 million to accelerate AI-driven DevOps at a global scale, while Fal secured $140 million to power real-time generative media across image, video, and 3D. Prolynx raised $70 million to develop long-acting obesity drugs, and Serval hit unicorn status with a $75 million Series B to reinvent IT support with AI agents. Cross-chain liquidity, AI labs, and automated shopping all saw meaningful investment as investors continued their year-end push into critical infrastructure and emergent user experiences.

Early-stage innovation highlights biotech automation, crypto developer APIs, and personalized retail — with Medra closing a $52 million round to build robot-powered drug discovery labs, Runware raising $50 million for low-latency AI generation, and Phia landing $30 million to scale its AI shopping assistant. LI.FI rounded out the day with a $29 million Series A extension to deepen liquidity across Web3 ecosystems.

Funding Highlights

• Unconventional AI raised $475 million in Seed to build efficient AI compute systems.

• Fervo Energy secured $462 million in a Series E round to expand its geothermal energy operations.

• Harness closed $200 million to automate enterprise software delivery.

• Fal raised $140 million for generative media infra.

• Serval locked in $75 million to power AI-native IT automation.

• Prolynx raised $70 million to develop long-acting obesity treatments.

• Medra secured $52 million to scale its robotic AI drug-discovery platform.

• Runware landed $50 million to accelerate generative developer tooling.

• Phia raised $30 million to grow its AI-powered shopping assistant.

• LI.FI closed $29 million to expand cross-chain liquidity APIs.

Investor Activity

Today’s funding landscape saw deep participation from tier-1 VCs, enterprise strategics, and climate-focused growth investors doubling down on hard-tech infrastructure, AI-native platforms, and health innovation. From geothermal scaling to zero-latency generative compute and robotic bio labs, capital continues to flow into startups reshaping how we power, build, and optimize tomorrow’s world. Here’s the full breakdown of December 11’s most significant startup and tech fundings.

Unconventional AI Raises $475M in Seed Funding Round for Energy-Efficient AI Computers

Unconventional AI, a new startup launched just two months ago by former Databricks AI chief Naveen Rao, has secured an unprecedented $475 million seed round at a $4.5 billion valuation to develop next-generation, energy-efficient AI computers. The company draws inspiration from biology – such as the human brain’s extreme power efficiency – in designing hardware that can run advanced AI models on dramatically less energy.

This massive seed funding, co-led by top-tier firms Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners, will allow the San Francisco-based team to rapidly prototype its novel computing architecture. Participation from tech luminaries, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, underscores strong investor confidence in Unconventional AI’s vision to revolutionize AI hardware with ultra-efficient systems.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Unconventional AI

• Investors: Andreessen Horowitz (co-lead), Lightspeed Venture Partners (co-lead); Lux Capital, DCVC, Jeff Bezos

• Amount Raised: $475 million

• Total Raised: $475 million

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Fervo Energy Raises $462M Series E to Scale Geothermal Power Projects

Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal energy startup backed by Bill Gates’s climate investment fund, closed a landmark $462 million Series E round to accelerate development of its next-generation geothermal power plants. Fervo leverages advanced drilling techniques borrowed from the oil industry to tap deep hot rock formations, aiming to provide 24/7 carbon-free electricity — a solution increasingly sought by tech giants like Google, which has already signed on as a customer.

The oversubscribed funding round, led by B Capital with participation from Google and other major climate-focused investors, brings Fervo’s total financing to roughly $1.5 billion and will fuel construction of its flagship 500 MW “Cape Station” project in Utah as well as a slate of new projects across the western U.S. This vote of confidence indicates strong market belief that Fervo’s novel geothermal technology can help meet surging clean energy demand from data centers and beyond.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Fervo Energy

• Investors: B Capital (lead); Google, Centaurus Capital, and other climate-focused funds

• Amount Raised: $462 million

• Total Raised: ~$1.5 billion

• Funding Stage: Series E

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Harness Raises $200M in Series E Funding for AI-Powered DevOps Automation

Harness, an AI-driven software delivery platform founded by AppDynamics creator Jyoti Bansal, has raised $200 million in new funding, boosting its valuation by nearly 50% to $5.5 billion since its last round. Goldman Sachs led the Series E round and also includes a planned $40 million secondary share sale to provide liquidity for early employees and investors. Harness’s DevOps automation tools help enterprises accelerate the testing, deployment, and monitoring of software code — including code generated by AI — without human intervention.

The San Francisco-based company counts National Australia Bank, United Airlines, Morningstar, and U.S. banking giants JPMorgan and Citigroup as both customers and prior backers. Bansal noted that Harness was not actively seeking capital, but overwhelming investor interest in AI-enabled infrastructure led to an oversubscribed raise that will support further R&D, strategic acquisitions, and global expansion.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Harness

• Investors: Goldman Sachs (lead); IVP, Menlo Ventures, Unusual Ventures (plus existing investor-partners like JPMorgan and Citigroup)

• Amount Raised: $200 million

• Total Raised: $570 million

• Funding Stage: Series E

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Fal Raises $140M in Series D Funding to Power Real-Time Generative Media

Fal, a San Francisco-based real-time generative media platform, has secured $140 million in a Series D funding round led by Sequoia Capital — tripling the startup’s valuation to $4.5 billion since July. Co-founded in 2021 by former engineers from Coinbase and Amazon, Fal provides the infrastructure layer for on-demand image, video, 3D, and audio generation via a serverless API that automatically scales across global regions.

Its platform enables developers and enterprises to run open-source or proprietary AI models at ultra-low latency, supporting use cases ranging from immersive creative tools to personalized content and dynamic advertising. This new capital infusion (Fal’s third raise in 2025) will fuel hiring and international expansion as the company races to meet rising demand. The round’s participation by tech heavyweights — including Kleiner Perkins, NVIDIA’s NVentures, and Alkeon Capital alongside existing backers like Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer — underscores Fal’s status as a key player defining the future of generative AI infrastructure.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Fal

• Investors: Sequoia Capital (lead); Kleiner Perkins, NVentures (NVIDIA’s VC arm), Alkeon Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Kindred Ventures, Meritech Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, and others

• Amount Raised: $140 million

• Total Raised: $197 million

• Funding Stage: Series D

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Serval Raises $75M in Series B Funding as AI IT Support Startup Hits Unicorn Status

Serval, a San Francisco-based AI automation startup for IT support, has raised $75 million in a Series B round led by Sequoia Capital, vaulting the company’s valuation to $1 billion only three months after its previous fundraise. Serval’s platform uses generative AI agents to automate more than half of IT support tickets across organizations, extending beyond help-desk queries into HR, legal, and finance workflows.

Originally launched as an AI-powered help desk assistant, Serval has evolved into a full IT service management solution with a feature its CEO, Jake Stauch, calls “vibe coding,” which allows administrators to create complex automation routines by simply describing tasks in natural language. The fresh financing comes amid explosive growth (500% revenue increase since August) and reflects investors’ belief that Serval can challenge entrenched incumbents like ServiceNow in the $30B+ ITSM market.

The new funds will be used to scale Serval’s engineering and go-to-market teams as the startup works to deepen its platform’s integration into enterprise environments and maintain its rapid pace of innovation.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Serval

• Investors: Sequoia Capital (lead); Redpoint Ventures, Meritech Capital, First Round Capital, General Catalyst, Evantic Capital, and others

• Amount Raised: $75 million

• Total Raised: Not disclosed

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Prolynx Banks $70M in Series A Funding to Develop Longer-Lasting Obesity Drugs

Prolynx, a biotechnology startup based in Emeryville, California, has raised $70 million in Series A financing to advance a new class of obesity treatments that require far less frequent dosing than today’s weight-loss drugs. The company is developing monthly or quarterly injectable therapies using a proprietary extended-release “linker” technology, aiming to improve upon popular weekly injections such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy by reducing side effects and improving patient adherence.

The funding round was co-led by life sciences venture firms 5AM Ventures, OrbiMed, and Monograph Capital. Prolynx’s CEO Chris Boulton – a pharma veteran from Amgen and Sanofi – said the infusion will enable the startup to push several long-acting hormone analogs through preclinical development. With obesity viewed as a multifaceted condition and a large market (analysts project $100B+ in next-gen therapy sales by 2030), Prolynx is positioning its technology to differentiate new medications in an increasingly competitive field. The Series A proceeds will support Prolynx’s laboratory research and initial clinical preparations for its lead candidates, including an extended-release version of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy) that could be dosed once a month.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Prolynx

• Investors: 5AM Ventures (co-lead), OrbiMed (co-lead), Monograph Capital (co-lead)

• Amount Raised: $70 million

• Total Raised: $70 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Medra Raises $52M in Series A Funding to Automate Drug Discovery with AI and Robots

Medra, a San Francisco-based biotech startup that integrates artificial intelligence and robotics, has closed a $52 million Series A round led by Human Capital to build fully automated “AI wet labs” for drug discovery. Medra’s platform — described as a “Physical AI Scientist” — uses general-purpose robots to conduct thousands of biological experiments, while machine-learning models analyze the results and continuously refine hypotheses.

By leveraging automation and AI, the company aims to dramatically accelerate the process of finding new therapeutics, generating proprietary experimental data at a scale not possible with manual lab work. The new funding brings Medra’s total financing to about $63 million and comes just three months after the startup emerged from stealth. Alongside lead investor Human Capital, the round included notable deep-tech backers such as Lux Capital, Menlo Ventures, 776, and Fusion Fund.

Medra plans to use the capital to expand its automated lab facilities, grow its team of engineers and scientists, and forge partnerships with pharmaceutical companies as it moves toward deploying its continuous discovery platform for real-world drug R&D projects.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Medra

• Investors: Human Capital (lead); Lux Capital, Neo, NFDG (existing investors), and new investors including Menlo Ventures, Seven Seven Six (776), and Fusion Fund

• Amount Raised: $52 million

• Total Raised: $63 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Runware Raises $50M in Series A Funding to Speed Up Generative AI for Developers

Runware, a developer tools startup based in San Francisco, raised $50 million in a Series A round to expand its real-time generative AI platform for images, video, and audio. The funding was led by Dawn Capital, with participation from Comcast Ventures, Speedinvest, Insight Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun fund, bringing Runware’s total funding to $66 million to date. Founded in 2023 by Flaviu Radulescu and Ioana Hreninciuc, Runware offers a unified API that enables developers to integrate on-demand media generation into their apps without managing specialized AI infrastructure.

The company’s custom “Sonic” inference engine supports over 400,000 open-source and proprietary models and has already powered more than 10 billion creations for more than 200,000 developers worldwide. With the new capital, Runware plans to grow its engineering team and scale its global cloud footprint, positioning itself as a key enabler for the next wave of apps built on generative AI content.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Runware

• Investors: Dawn Capital (lead); Comcast Ventures, Speedinvest, Insight Partners, a16z Speedrun

• Amount Raised: $50 million

• Total Raised: $66 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Phia Raises $30M in Series A Funding for AI-Powered Shopping Assistant

Phia, an AI-driven shopping startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates (the youngest daughter of Bill Gates) and climate activist Sophia Kianni, has raised $30 million in new funding to reinvent the online retail experience. The New York-based company offers an AI-powered shopping assistant — available as a mobile app and browser extension — that helps consumers find products across the web, compare prices, and spot deals, effectively streamlining the bargain-hunting process.

The round is being treated as Phia’s Series A and was led by Notable Capital, with guidance from veteran investor Hans Tung (known for bets on firms like Airbnb and Anthropic). Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures also participated, valuing the year-old startup at approximately $180 million, just months after it raised an initial $8 million seed round in September.

Beyond institutional investors, Phia has attracted an array of celebrity supporters – from model Hailey Bieber and media matriarch Kris Jenner to former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Spanx founder Sara Blakely – though Phoebe Gates notes that her father Bill Gates, while supportive, has not invested. The fresh funds will enable Phia to refine its AI search technology, grow its user base, and double down on its mission to make online shopping more efficient and sustainable (for example, by promoting secondhand and circular fashion).

Funding Details:

• Startup: Phia

• Investors: Notable Capital (lead, Hans Tung), Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures; notable individual backers include Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sheryl Sandberg, Sara Blakely

• Amount Raised: $30 million

• Total Raised: $38 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

LI.FI Secures $29M in Funding to Expand Cross-Chain Crypto Liquidity Protocol

LI.FI, a Berlin-based cryptocurrency infrastructure startup, has secured $29 million in fresh funding to scale up its cross-chain liquidity protocol for digital assets. The round is an extension of LI.FI’s Series A was co-led by Multicoin Capital and CoinFund, bringing the startup’s total funding to approximately $52 million. LI.FI’s technology aggregates decentralized exchanges, bridges, and other Web3 liquidity sources, allowing developers to easily route token swaps and transfers across more than 20 different blockchain networks.

By providing a single API to access multiple fragmented ecosystems, the platform aims to serve as the “universal liquidity layer” for crypto applications, simplifying user experiences for moving value between chains. With the new capital, LI.FI plans to support additional blockchains and scaling solutions, enhance its smart routing algorithms, and onboard more developers through expanded documentation and tooling. The company is positioning itself to capitalize on the growing demand for interoperability in decentralized finance (DeFi), as crypto users seek seamless asset movement across chains without being limited to any single chain.

Funding Details:

• Startup: LI.FI

• Investors: Multicoin Capital (co-lead), CoinFund (co-lead); other participants include L1 Digital, Circle, and Factor[e] Ventures

• Amount Raised: $29 million

• Total Raised: $52 million

• Funding Stage: Series A (extension)

• Funding Date: Dec 11, 2025

Tech Funding Summary Table