Top Startup and Tech Funding News – February 17, 2025

It’s Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and we’re back with today’s top startup and tech funding news. Today’s rounds underscore investor urgency in scaling foundational AI infrastructure, commercial space platforms, and industrial decarbonization systems. As the tech stack reorganizes around AI-native execution and real-world applications, backers are concentrating capital in platforms that automate intelligence, orchestrate reliability, and electrify legacy systems.

Strategic and early-stage rounds targeted chip design automation, cybersecurity threat intelligence, and predictive business tooling. ChipAgents landed $50 million to bring AI agents to chip design workflows, while VulnCheck raised $25 million to identify actively exploited vulnerabilities. Daffodil Health secured $16.3 million to modernize insurance claims processing, Zero Homes closed $16.8 million to digitize home energy upgrades, and QuadSci emerged with $8 million to connect customer usage data to revenue outcomes.

Cloud, space, and energy dominated late-stage and strategic investments. Axiom Space raised $350 million to build its private space station, while Runway secured $315 million to scale generative media tools. Temporal landed $300 million to support long-running AI workflows, Utility Global raised $100 million to decarbonize heavy industry with hydrogen, and Render added $100 million to expand its AI-ready cloud infrastructure for developers.

Tech Funding News

Funding Highlights

• Axiom Space raises $350M Series D to build commercial space station
• Runway raises $315M Series E for generative AI content platform
• Temporal raises $300M Series D to orchestrate reliable AI applications
• Utility Global raises $100M Series D to decarbonize heavy industry
• Render raises $100M Series C extension to expand AI developer cloud
• ChipAgents raises $50M Series A1 for automated chip design
• VulnCheck raises $25M Series B for AI-powered exploit intelligence
• Zero Homes raises $16.8M Series A to streamline home upgrades
• Daffodil Health raises $16.3M Series A to modernize claims processing
• QuadSci raises $8M Series A for predictive customer intelligence

Investor Activity

Today’s funding attracted leading venture and strategic investors doubling down on core infrastructure for AI, enterprise software, and physical systems. Andreessen Horowitz, General Atlantic, NVIDIA, Sequoia, and Fidelity were active across cloud and AI rounds, while APG and Ara Partners focused on industrial decarbonization. Across the stack, capital is concentrating on platforms that build automation, reliability, and AI-first performance at scale.

Axiom Space secures $350M in Series D funding to build commercial space station

Axiom Space, a Houston-based leader in commercial human spaceflight, has secured a $350 million Series D round to advance the development of its private space station and next-generation spacesuits. The funding, led by Qatar’s sovereign fund, QIA, and venture firm Type One Ventures, underscores strong investor confidence in Axiom’s vision to shift orbital operations from government-led platforms to commercial systems.

The company is building Axiom Station, a modular platform intended to succeed the aging International Space Station and enable commercial research and tourism in low-Earth orbit. The fresh capital will accelerate assembly of Axiom’s first station modules – slated to launch to the ISS as early as 2026 – and support production of its Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuits for NASA’s lunar missions. This sizable round, which includes both equity and debt financing, positions Axiom to solidify its lead in the nascent orbital economy as the ISS’s retirement approaches later this decade.

Startup: Axiom Space
Investors: Type One Ventures, Qatar Investment Authority (lead); 1789 Capital, 4iG, LuminArx, and Axiom’s own executive chairman Kam Ghaffarian, among others
Amount Raised: $350 M
Total Raised: ~$855 M
Funding Stage: Series D
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Runway raises $315M in Series E funding for generative AI content platform

New York-based Runway, a startup pioneering generative AI tools for creatives, has raised $315 million in a Series E funding round to double down on its AI content platform. The hefty investment – led by growth equity firm General Atlantic, with participation from strategic backers including NVIDIA, Adobe Ventures, AMD Ventures, and others – nearly doubles Runway’s valuation to $5.3 billion. Runway’s platform provides cutting-edge machine learning models for tasks like AI-generated video and image editing, empowering artists and developers to create media with unprecedented speed and flexibility.

Runway will use the fresh capital infusion to fuel the pre-training of its next-generation “world model” AI systems and expand its suite of generative design tools into new industries. With over 4.5 million developers now on its platform and customers ranging from Hollywood studios to independent creators, Runway is emerging as a key player in the generative AI boom. The Series E round, which also included participation from institutional investors such as Fidelity and Coatue, brings Runway’s total funding to approximately $860 million to date, providing ample runway to scale R&D and cloud infrastructure as demand for creative AI explodes.

Startup: Runway
Investors: General Atlantic (lead); NVIDIA, Adobe Ventures, AllianceBernstein, AMD Ventures, Fidelity, Mirae Asset, Emphatic Ventures, Felicis, Premji Invest
Amount Raised: $315 M
Total Raised: ~$860 M
Funding Stage: Series E
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Temporal raises $300M in Series D funding to orchestrate reliable AI applications

Temporal, the open-source workflow orchestration platform, has secured $300 million in Series D financing at a $5 billion valuation to help enterprises reliably run complex, AI-driven applications. Based in Bellevue, Washington, Temporal provides a “durable execution” cloud service that guarantees that software workflows are complete even in the face of system failures. This technology has become crucial as companies deploy autonomous AI agents and other long-running processes that demand high reliability. Andreessen Horowitz led the round (its second major investment in Temporal in as many years), joined by Lightspeed, Sapphire Ventures, and existing backers including Sequoia, Index Ventures, Tiger Global, GIC, and others.

The funding comes on the heels of explosive growth: Temporal reports a 380% year-over-year revenue expansion and billions of workflow executions on its platform. Used by organizations like OpenAI, Netflix and thousands of developers, Temporal’s platform is increasingly seen as foundational infrastructure for the AI era. The new capital will enable Temporal to scale its cloud services and global engineering team to meet surging demand, and follows a $146 million Series C raised in 2025. With this round, the startup has amassed roughly $650 million in total funding, positioning it among Seattle’s most valuable tech scale-ups, riding the AI wave.

Startup: Temporal
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz (lead); Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures; with notable participation from Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Tiger Global, GIC, Madrona Venture Group, Amplify Partners
Amount Raised: $300 M
Total Raised: ~$650 M
Funding Stage: Series D
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Utility Global lands $100M in Series D funding to decarbonize heavy industry

Utility Global, a Houston-based industrial decarbonization company, announced a $100 million first close of its Series D funding to accelerate the rollout of its hydrogen production technology for hard-to-abate sectors. The round is led by existing majority owner Ara Partners (a climate-focused private equity firm) alongside APG Asset Management, one of Europe’s largest pension investors.

Utility Global has developed H2Gen, a proprietary process that converts industrial off-gases and steam into clean hydrogen and a pure CO₂ stream, without drawing electricity from the grid. By co-generating hydrogen fuel and concentrated CO₂, ready for capture or utilization, H2Gen aims to slash emissions in carbon-intensive industries such as steel, cement, refining, and chemicals.The new funding will enable Utility Global to scale up manufacturing of H2Gen units and deploy full-scale commercial projects across North America, Europe, and Asia.

The company has already inked pilot partnerships with major industrial players (including ArcelorMittal and Japan’s Kyocera), and this capital infusion transitions it from proven pilot technology into global commercialization. By targeting on-site decarbonization for facilities that have been among the most challenging to green, Utility Global is positioned to play a pivotal role in the energy transition. The Series D brings the company’s total funding to an estimated $180+ million and signals strong investor conviction that the heavy industry’s emissions problem can be tackled with practical, cost-effective solutions.

Startup: Utility Global
Investors: Ara Partners (lead); APG Asset Management; additional strategic partners to be announced
Amount Raised: $100 M (Series D first close)
Total Raised: ~$183 M
Funding Stage: Series D
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Render secures $100M in Series C funding extension to expand its cloud platform for AI developers

San Francisco-based Render, a cloud platform for modern application developers, has raised an additional $100 million as part of its Series C, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. The funding was led by Georgian, the same firm that led Render’s original Series C, with strong participation from existing investors including Addition, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and 01 Advisors. Render provides a fully managed cloud infrastructure service that lets developers deploy and scale applications without worrying about server management – a developer-friendly alternative to hyperscale cloud providers.

The platform has attracted over 4.5 million developers and a fast-growing roster of startups and businesses building on it. With this new capital, Render plans to double down on features for AI-native software as companies seek easier ways to host machine learning models and AI-driven applications. Render’s CEO notes that simplifying cloud operations for the next generation of AI applications is a “defining challenge” of the decade, and the company aims to be the go-to cloud for this wave of software innovation.

The fresh funds will support the scaling of Render’s global infrastructure and R&D, ensuring high availability and performance as customer demand surges. Including this extension, Render has raised about $258 million to date, and its unicorn valuation reflects investor confidence in its position as a developer-centric cloud in an AI-first world.

Startup: Render
Investors: Georgian (lead); Addition, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, 01 Advisors (all major existing backers)
Amount Raised: $100 M
Total Raised: $258 M
Funding Stage: Series C extension
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

ChipAgents lands $50M in Series A1 funding to automate semiconductor design

ChipAgents, a Santa Clara-based startup delivering “agentic AI” solutions for semiconductor design, has closed an oversubscribed $50 million Series A1 round. The follow-on funding comes just months after the company’s initial $21 million Series A in October 2025, bringing ChipAgents’ total equity raised to roughly $74 million. ChipAgents’ platform integrates with electronic design automation (EDA) tools from Cadence and Synopsys to automate key chip design, verification, and debugging tasks using AI-driven agents.

By offloading tedious RTL design and verification steps to AI, ChipAgents aims to dramatically shorten semiconductor development cycles and reduce engineering bottlenecks – a critical advantage as chip complexity soars. The startup has already gained traction with 80 semiconductor companies as customers and has grown its team from 10 to 46 employees in the last year. The Series A1 round was led by Matter Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, and strategic backers such as Micron, MediaTek, and Ericsson.

Their involvement signals industry validation of ChipAgents’ approach. The fresh funding will be used to scale the company’s engineering and product teams and accelerate development of new AI features. By injecting automation into an industry facing talent shortages and time-to-market pressure, ChipAgents is poised to help chipmakers innovate faster and more efficiently.

Startup: ChipAgents
Investors: Matter Venture Partners (lead); Bessemer Venture Partners, Micron, MediaTek, Ericsson (participating)
Amount Raised: $50 M
Total Raised: ~$74 M
Funding Stage: Series A1
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

VulnCheck raises $25M in Series B funding for AI-powered exploit intelligence

Cybersecurity startup VulnCheck has raised $25 million in a Series B round to scale its exploit intelligence platform for identifying and prioritizing software vulnerabilities. The financing was led by Sorenson Capital with participation from strategic investor National Grid Partners and existing backers, including Ten Eleven Ventures and In-Q-Tel. VulnCheck’s platform collects and analyzes vast data on real-world exploits – scanning hundreds of sources and over 500 million records – to determine which known software vulnerabilities are actively being weaponized by attackers.

By focusing on exploitation evidence and delivering machine-curated intelligence, VulnCheck helps security teams zero in on the vulnerabilities that matter most, closing the “exploitation gap” between when a flaw is disclosed and when it’s used in attacks. This approach addresses a major pain point: legacy vulnerability management tools overwhelm analysts with thousands of threats, most of which never get exploited. VulnCheck’s data-driven solution has seen hypergrowth, with enterprise annual recurring revenue up 557% and a rapidly expanding user community in the past year.

The company will use the new funding to expand its threat intelligence capabilities and meet surging demand from both government and enterprise clients. Including this round, VulnCheck has raised $45 million to date. By bringing timely exploit data to defenders’ fingertips, VulnCheck aims to dramatically improve how organizations prioritize patches and mitigate real-world cyber risks.

Startup: VulnCheck
Investors: Sorenson Capital (lead); National Grid Partners; Ten Eleven Ventures, In-Q-Tel (existing)
Amount Raised: $25 M
Total Raised: $45 M
Funding Stage: Series B
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Zero Homes lands $16.8M in Series A funding to streamline home upgrades

Denver-based Zero Homes has raised $16.8 million in Series A funding to scale its end-to-end digital platform for home upgrades. The startup’s software enables homeowners to plan and execute major home improvements – like installing heat pumps, solar panels, or energy-efficient appliances – through a fully online process, reducing the friction that typically plagues renovation projects. Using Zero’s mobile app, homeowners can scan their house with a smartphone to generate a detailed digital twin, which Zero’s system then uses to automatically produce precise upgrade designs, cost estimates, and energy savings projections.

The platform then connects users with a curated network of local contractors to complete the installations, handling everything from permitting to scheduling in one place. Zero Homes’ approach aims to make upgrading a home “as easy as buying anything else online,” replacing the opaque and stressful contractor search process with transparency and convenience. The $16.8 million round was led by Prelude Ventures, a climate-tech-focused VC, with participation from SJF Ventures, Watsco Ventures (the investment arm of HVAC giant Watsco), and previous investors VoLo Earth, Overture VC, and FJ Labs.

With this capital, Zero plans to expand its digital-first home upgrade service to new markets beyond its initial footholds in Colorado, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California, broaden its product offerings, and grow its contractor network. The company’s ultimate goal is to accelerate home electrification and energy-efficiency upgrades at scale, tapping into the $ 500+ billion home improvement market by removing long-standing barriers for both homeowners and contractors.

Startup: Zero Homes
Investors: Prelude Ventures (lead); SJF Ventures, Watsco Ventures, VoLo Earth Ventures, Overture VC, FJ Labs (existing)
Amount Raised: $16.8 M
Total Raised: ~$17 M (Series A)
Funding Stage: Series A
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Daffodil Health raises $16.3M in Series A funding to modernize health plan claims processing

Daffodil Health, a San Francisco-based healthtech startup, has raised $16.3 million in Series A funding to upgrade the antiquated infrastructure used by U.S. health insurance plans for claims pricing and administration. Daffodil’s AI-powered platform enables health insurers and third-party administrators to bring critical claims processes in-house – particularly out-of-network claims repricing and payment integrity checks – which are often outsourced to opaque third-party vendors.

By using a modern SaaS model with transparent algorithms and real-time reporting, Daffodil allows payors to directly control how out-of-network medical bills are priced and paid. This promises faster processing, cost savings, and defensible benchmarks that can withstand regulatory audits. The company’s solution supports new insurance plan designs such as reference-based pricing and narrow provider networks, reflecting the industry’s shift toward cost transparency. The Series A round was led by Flare Capital Partners, a prominent digital health investor, with participation from LRVHealth and returning seed investor Maverick Ventures.

Also joining were notable healthcare executives such as Scott Mingee (former CEO of Equian) and Jim Lacy (former president of Collective Medical), whose experience underscores the market need for innovation in claims systems. With the new funding, Daffodil plans to accelerate product development and scale up deployments with health plan customers. The startup has raised a total of $20.9 million to date. As rising healthcare costs push insurers to improve efficiency, Daffodil Health is providing a timely platform to replace legacy claims workflows with AI-driven automation and accuracy.

Startup: Daffodil Health
Investors: Flare Capital Partners (lead); LRVHealth; Maverick Ventures (existing); angels, including former Equian CEO Scott Mingee and former Collective Medical COO Jim Lacy
Amount Raised: $16.3 M
Total Raised: $20.9 M
Funding Stage: Series A
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

QuadSci receives $8M in Series A funding for predictive customer intelligence

QuadSci, a New York-based startup offering an AI platform for customer intelligence, has secured an $8 million Series A round to help businesses drive growth and reduce churn. The financing was led by Crosslink Capital, with participation from Alumni Ventures, Correlation Ventures, and prominent angel investors including Shail Jain, Peter Gibson, Tom Roloff, and Rob Eberle. QuadSci’s technology analyzes massive streams of product usage data and customer behavior – tracking trillions of digital events – to reveal which customer actions correlate with revenue outcomes.

By applying predictive and prescriptive AI models, the platform can alert companies to early signs of customer churn, identify upsell opportunities, and recommend proactive steps for go-to-market teams. This evidence-based guidance helps align sales, marketing, and customer success teams on the highest-impact actions to grow the business. QuadSci’s approach stands out for connecting granular product telemetry directly to financial metrics, giving B2B companies a clearer view of how engagement drives value.

The startup was recently named “Machine Learning Company of the Year” in the prestigious AI Breakthrough Awards, highlighting its innovation in applying AI to customer data. With the new $8 million injection, QuadSci plans to expand its engineering and data science teams and accelerate customer adoption. This Series A appears to be the company’s first institutional round, bringing total funding to roughly $8 million. As enterprises increasingly prioritize customer retention in the subscription economy, QuadSci offers a timely AI-powered solution to turn usage data into actionable revenue intelligence.

Startup: QuadSci
Investors: Crosslink Capital (lead); Alumni Ventures, Correlation Ventures; notable angels including Shail Jain, Peter Gibson, Tom Roloff, Rob Eberle
Amount Raised: $8 M
Total Raised: ~$8 M
Funding Stage: Series A
Funding Date: Feb 17, 2026

Tech Funding Summary Table (February 17, 2026)