Top Startup and Tech Funding News – February 26, 2025

It’s Thursday, February 26, 2026, and we’re back with today’s top startup and tech funding news. Today’s rounds spotlight strategic bets on AI-native infrastructure, robotics intelligence, cyber risk automation, and orchestration layers for post-GPU compute. As investor attention shifts toward physical AI systems and deskless workforce platforms, capital is accelerating into sectors that merge software precision with real-world complexity.

Major Series A to C financings underscore growing confidence in autonomous systems data, accounting automation, and mobile-first operations for frontline teams. Meanwhile, deep-tech challengers in AI inference, robotics modeling, and self-driving logistics are securing fresh capital to scale next-gen platforms across global markets. Today’s deals span infrastructure AI, enterprise automation, robotics, cyber defense, and workforce tech—pointing to a broader push toward embedded intelligence in both digital and physical domains.

Tech Funding News

Funding Highlights

• Encord raises $60M Series C for autonomous systems data platform
• Callosum raises $10.25M Seed for multi-chip AI orchestration
• RLWRLD raises $26M Seed 2 for industrial robotics AI
• Einride raises $113M PIPE ahead of SPAC merger
• Third Way Health raises $15M Series A for AI-enabled healthcare ops
• Union.ai raises $38.1M Series A for AI development infrastructure
• Basis raises $100M Series B for AI accounting agents
• Humand raises $66M Series A for AI platform serving frontline workers
• UpGuard raises $75M Series C for cyber risk platform
• Letter AI raises $40M Series B for AI-driven sales enablement

Investor Activity

Today’s financings drew participation from leading VCs and strategic corporates focused on automation, applied AI, and digital operating systems. Accel, GV, and NEA backed foundational enterprise platforms, while Plural, Kaszek, and Headline Asia targeted edge orchestration and robotics world models. Mozilla Ventures, Y Combinator, and EQT extended support across infrastructure and industrial AI, as Springcoast and Health Velocity concentrated on cyber resilience and healthcare automation. The day’s rounds reflect a decisive shift toward platforms reshaping workflows, compliance, and coordination across high-friction industries.

Encord Raises $60M in Series C Funding for Autonomous Systems Data Platform

Encord, a data infrastructure startup for robotics, closed a $60 million Series C today. The round was led by Wellington and included investors Bright Pixel and Isomer, bringing Encord’s total funding to $110 million. Encord’s platform automates the tedious data tasks needed to train physical AI systems – handling data curation, annotation, evaluation, and traceability for robots and drones.

The funding will help scale the platform as the physical AI market grows; analysts forecast hundreds of millions of intelligent robots in the coming decade.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Encord

• Investors: Wellington (lead), Bright Pixel, Isomer, (existing: Y Combinator, CRV, N47, Crane, Harpoon)

• Amount Raised: $60M

• Total Raised: $110M

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Callosum Raises $10.25M in Seed Funding for Multi-Chip AI Orchestration

Callosum, a London startup co-founded by Cambridge neuroscientists, raised $10.25 million in seed funding. The round was led by Plural (Taavet Hinrikus, Ian Hogarth), with angel investors including Charlie Songhurst, Stan Boland, and John Lazar. Callosum is building software to orchestrate AI workloads across diverse accelerator chips, aiming to reduce dependence on Nvidia hardware.

This comes as the AI industry shifts focus from training to inference, with Deloitte noting that inference will account for two-thirds of compute by 2026. The new capital will accelerate product development and partnerships with chip vendors as Callosum addresses this emerging “AI beyond GPU” market.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Callosum

• Investors: Plural (lead), angel backers Charlie Songhurst, Stan Boland, John Lazar

• Amount Raised: $10.25M

• Total Raised: $10.25M

• Funding Stage: Seed

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

RLWRLD Raises $26M in Seed 2 Funding for Industrial Robotics AI

RLWRLD, a Singapore-based startup developing robotics foundation models, closed a $26 million Seed 2 round today. The round was co-led by Headline Asia and Z Venture Capital, with participation from strategic industry backers including CJ Logistics, Lotte Ventures, Hanwha Asset Management, Mirae Asset-Emart, Hyosung Ventures, and others.

RLWRLD trains its AI models directly in live factory settings – a novel approach that generates proprietary real-world data for robotics intelligence. The funding will support RLWRLD’s expansion and the forthcoming debut of its first large-scale robotics “world model,” aiming to bridge the gap between simulated training and real-world deployment.

Funding Details:

• Startup: RLWRLD

• Investors: Headline Asia (lead), Z Venture Capital (co-lead), CJ Logistics, Lotte Ventures, Hanwha, Mirae Asset-Emart, Hyosung Ventures, Smilegate, T Investment, Hashed Ventures (strategic)

• Amount Raised: $26M

• Total Raised: $41M

• Funding Stage: Seed 2

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Einride Raises $113M PIPE Ahead of SPAC Merger

Swedish autonomous trucking startup Einride has secured a $113 million PIPE (private investment in public equity) ahead of its planned SPAC merger. The oversubscribed financing included a major U.S. asset manager (unnamed) and Stockholm-based EQT Ventures. Combined with a previously announced $100M crossover round, Einride has now locked in about $213M tied to its public listing.

The deal values Einride at roughly $1.35 billion pre-merger. Einride will use the funds to expand its electric, self-driving freight trucks into new markets (including North America and the Middle East) as demand for sustainable logistics grows.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Einride

• Investors: EQT Ventures, major U.S. asset manager (private)

• Amount Raised: $113M (PIPE)

• Total Raised: ~$213M (with prior financing)

• Funding Stage: PIPE (SPAC merger funding)

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Third Way Health Raises $15M in Series A Funding for AI-Enabled Healthcare Ops

Third Way Health, an AI-driven healthcare front-office platform, announced a $15 million Series A led by Health Velocity Capital. The Los Angeles startup embeds teams in medical practices to handle scheduling, authorizations, and billing, using AI to streamline operations. Serving providers that care for over 5 million patients, its solution can cut administrative costs by as much as 40%.

The fresh funding (bringing total funding to $22.5M) will be used to scale operations and enhance the company’s AI capabilities. Third Way Health says the round will accelerate its expansion, allowing more clinics and payers to relieve staff burnout and improve patient access through smarter automation.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Third Way Health

• Investors: Health Velocity Capital (lead, Kristin Torres Mowat)

• Amount Raised: $15M

• Total Raised: $22.5M

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Union.ai Raises $38.1M in Series A Funding for AI Development Infrastructure

Union.ai, the developer of the Flyte open-source AI workflow platform, has raised $38.1 million in Series A funding. The round was led by NEA and included Nava Ventures, with Mozilla Ventures joining as a new investor. Union.ai provides an end-to-end infrastructure for deploying AI and ML pipelines (training, deployment, observability, etc.), addressing a growing need for robust AI dev tools.

Founded in 2020, the company has evolved Flyte into a full AI platform used by enterprises to move projects from prototype to production. The new capital will accelerate product development and community growth as demand surges for scalable, agentic-AI orchestration systems.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Union.ai

• Investors: NEA (lead), Nava Ventures, Mozilla Ventures

• Amount Raised: $38.1M

• Total Raised: $38.1M

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Basis Raises $100M in Series B Funding for AI Accounting Agents

Basis, an AI platform for accountants, announced a $100 million Series B round for AI accounting agents. The round was co-led by Accel and GV (Google Ventures), with participation from Khosla Ventures and other existing investors. Basis uses AI “agents” to automate end-to-end accounting workflows (tax, audit, bookkeeping) for firms and enterprises.

The startup reports that its agents are already used by ~30% of the top 25 accounting firms, delivering 20–50% efficiency gains. The fresh funding (valuing Basis at $1.15B) will be used to expand its engineering and machine-learning teams and refine the platform’s AI agents, helping fill talent gaps in the accounting industry.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Basis

• Investors: Accel (lead), GV (lead), Khosla Ventures, NFDG, Better Tomorrow Ventures, BoxGroup, Avid Ventures

• Amount Raised: $100M

• Total Raised: $100M

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Humand Raises $66M in Series A Funding for AI Platform Serving Frontline Workers

Humand, a startup building an “AI operating system” for deskless workers, secured $66 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Kaszek and Goodwater Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and angel investors such as Arash Ferdowsi (Dropbox) and Rajat Suri (Lyft). Humand’s mobile-first platform centralizes HR and operational workflows (onboarding, requests, scheduling, etc.) for frontline employees via AI assistants.

The service is already used by over 1.6 million workers across 1,500 organizations globally. The new capital will support U.S. expansion and further development of AI-driven automation for field workforces, aiming to give traditionally underserved workers the same digital tools available to office staff.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Humand

• Investors: Kaszek (co-lead), Goodwater Capital (co-lead), Y Combinator, and angel investors (Arash Ferdowsi, Guillermo Rauch, Martin Varsavsky, Rajat Suri, others)

• Amount Raised: $66M

• Total Raised: $66M

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

UpGuard Raises $75M in Series C Funding for Cyber Risk Platform

UpGuard, a cybersecurity and risk management company, announced a $75 million Series C round today. The investment was led by Springcoast Partners, joining existing backers August Capital, Square Peg, and Pelion Venture Partners. UpGuard’s AI-powered platform provides a unified view of cyber risk across vendors, attack surface, and workforce.

Used by 50,000 organizations in 90+ countries, the company processes over 100 billion risk signals daily. The new funding will drive product innovation (expanding its AI-based Cyber Risk Posture Management tools), accelerate global go-to-market efforts, and support strategic M&A as UpGuard scales.

Funding Details:

• Startup: UpGuard

• Investors: Springcoast Partners (lead), August Capital, Square Peg Capital, Pelion Venture Partners

• Amount Raised: $75M

• Total Raised: $75M

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Letter AI Raises $40M in Series B Funding for AI-Driven Sales Enablement

Letter AI, a startup in revenue enablement, closed a $40 million Series B round led by Battery Ventures. Other participants included Y Combinator, Lightbank, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Stage 2 Capital. Letter AI’s platform injects real-time, deal-specific intelligence into live sales opportunities by combining CRM data, training content, and customer interactions.

The latest cash infusion helps sales teams respond faster during active deals. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and global expansion as enterprises move from fragmented sales tools to unified AI-native enablement systems.

Funding Details:

• Startup: Letter AI

• Investors: Battery Ventures (lead), Y Combinator, Lightbank, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, Stage 2 Capital

• Amount Raised: $40M

• Total Raised: $40M

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Feb 26, 2026

Tech Funding Summary Table