Top Startup and Tech Funding News – April 7 2025

It’s Tuesday, April 7, 2026, and we’re back with today’s top startup and tech funding news. Today’s rounds highlight a clear shift toward infrastructure-heavy bets across AI, defense, cybersecurity, and space systems. From hypersonic aircraft and AI-native networking to identity security and compliance automation, investors are backing platforms designed to operate at scale in high-stakes environments.

Large early- and growth-stage rounds signal rising conviction in technologies that sit beneath the surface of modern systems—networks that move AI workloads, tools that secure identities across humans and machines, and platforms that automate critical enterprise functions. At the same time, capital is flowing into space servicing, medical devices, and HR intelligence, reflecting a broader push to modernize both physical and digital infrastructure.

Tech Funding News

Funding Highlights

• Hermeus raises $350M Series D to build unmanned hypersonic aircraft
• Aria Networks raises $125M Series A for AI networking infrastructure
• Starfish Space raises $110M Series B for on-orbit satellite servicing
• Modus raises $85M Seed/Series A for AI-powered audit technology
• DepthFirst raises $80M Series B for AI-driven cybersecurity
• Endovascular Engineering (E2) raises $80M Series C for thrombectomy platform
• Linx Security raises $50M Series B for identity governance
• Origin raises $30M Series A+ for AI-powered benefits management
• Natter raises $23M Series A for AI-moderated employee insights
• Variance raises $21.5M Series A for AI compliance agents

Investor Activity

Today’s funding drew strong participation from venture firms and strategic investors focused on foundational systems. Khosla Ventures, Insight Partners, Lightspeed, and Meritech Capital led rounds across defense, identity security, enterprise AI, and financial infrastructure. Meanwhile, specialized investors like Point72 Ventures and Gilde Healthcare backed space operations and medical innovation, underscoring continued appetite for deep-tech and regulated sectors. Across the board, capital is concentrating on platforms that deliver durability, automation, and control in increasingly complex environments.

Aria Networks Raises $125M in Series A Funding for AI Networking Infrastructure

Aria Networks, a London-based startup building hardware-agnostic network infrastructure tailored for AI data centers, said Tuesday it has raised $125 million in its first Series A funding. The round will fund Aria’s efforts to develop “AI-native” networking gear to meet soaring capacity demand as enterprises deploy more compute-intensive AI workloads.

Founded in 2025, the company is already backed by Sutter Hill Ventures, Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners, and Eclipse Ventures. Aria’s board now includes Adam Tullman of Atreides and Stefan Dyckerhoff of Sutter Hill, reflecting strong support from leading enterprise investors.

• Startup: Aria Networks
• Investors: Sutter Hill Ventures, Atreides Management (lead); Valor Equity Partners, Eclipse Ventures
• Amount Raised: $125M
• Total Raised: $125M (Series A)
• Funding Stage: Series A
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Hermeus Raises $350M Series D for Unmanned Hypersonic Fighters

Hermeus, an Atlanta-area defense startup developing autonomous hypersonic aircraft, closed a $350 million funding round. The equity portion of the round was $200M, led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Founders Fund, Canaan, In-Q-Tel, RTX Ventures, Cox Ventures, and others. This latest financing pushes Hermeus’s valuation to about $1 billion and will accelerate development of its Quarterhorse hypersonic fighters, which aim to fly at Mach 5+ speeds without pilots on board. Company co-founder and CEO AJ Piplica said the new capital will help Hermeus demonstrate fully autonomous test flights and to scale up production. This investment comes as the company works to win defense contracts for fast-response strike and reconnaissance missions, extending Hermeus’s previous rounds and partnerships in the space sector.

• Startup: Hermeus
• Investors: Khosla Ventures (lead); Founders Fund, Canaan, In-Q-Tel, RTX Ventures (notable participants)
• Amount Raised: $350M ($200M equity)
• Total Raised: ~$350M
• Funding Stage: Series D (Company valuation ~$1B)
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Starfish Space Raises $110M in Series B Funding for On-Orbit Servicing Missions

Starfish Space, a Washington startup specializing in satellite servicing, said Tuesday it has raised about $110 million in a Series B round. The funding will be used to execute contracted orbital servicing missions, increase production of its “Otter” service spacecraft, and expand staff. Starfish has already flown three successful demonstration missions and plans to launch its first operational mission this year for customers including SES, NASA and the U.S. Space Force.

The round was led by Point72 Ventures and brings Starfish’s total funding to over $150 million. The company’s co-founders say the new capital will help scale up autonomous docking and deorbiting services for aging or defunct satellites, tapping growing demand for in-space life extension and debris-removal capabilities.

• Startup: Starfish Space
• Investors: Point72 Ventures (lead); Activate Capital, Shield Capital (co-leads); Industrials Ventures, NightDragon, NFX, Munich Re Ventures, Toyota Ventures (others)
• Amount Raised: $110M
• Total Raised: >$150M
• Funding Stage: Series B
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

DepthFirst Raises $80M in Series B Funding for AI-Powered Cybersecurity

DepthFirst, an applied AI security startup, announced an $80 million Series B round led by Meritech Capital. The San Francisco–based company emerged from stealth less than 90 days ago and focuses on using specialized AI models to automatically find and fix software vulnerabilities. DepthFirst’s tools are designed to integrate into developer workflows, reasoning across codebases to prevent critical security flaws.

The rapid follow-on funding—just months after a $40M Series A—brings DepthFirst’s total capital to about $120M. Investors, including Forerunner Ventures, The House Fund, Accel, and BoxGroup, also participated, reflecting growing interest in AI-native cybersecurity solutions. DepthFirst says it will use the proceeds to train new domain-specific security models and scale deployments with enterprise customers.

• Startup: DepthFirst
• Investors: Meritech Capital (lead); Forerunner Ventures, The House Fund; existing backers Accel, BoxGroup, Liquid 2 Ventures, Alt Capital, Mantis VC
• Amount Raised: $80M
• Total Raised: $120M
• Funding Stage: Series B
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Endovascular Engineering (E2) Raises $80M in Series C Funding for Thrombectomy Platform

Endovascular Engineering (E2), a medical device company focused on clot-removal technology, announced an oversubscribed $80 million Series C co-led by Gilde Healthcare and Norwest Venture Partners. E2’s Hēlo Thrombectomy Platform is designed to treat pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs) more efficiently than legacy systems by combining aspiration and mechanical clot disruption.

The new financing will support U.S. and European commercialization of the Hēlo system, which has been optimized for faster, single-pass clot removal. Existing investors Santé Ventures, 415 Capital, S3 Ventures, Panakès Partners and M&L Healthcare also participated. Company CEO Dan Rose says the round enables E2 to build its commercial team and continue R&D, bringing the technology closer to patients suffering life-threatening venous thromboembolism.

• Startup: Endovascular Engineering (E2)
• Investors: Gilde Healthcare, Norwest Venture Partners (co-leads); Santé Ventures, 415 Capital, S3 Ventures, Panakès Partners, M&L Healthcare Investments
• Amount Raised: $80M
• Total Raised: ~$80M (Series C)
• Funding Stage: Series C
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Linx Security Raises $50M in Series B Funding for Identity Governance

Linx Security, an identity security and governance platform, raised $50 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Insight Partners, with participation from existing backers Cyberstarts and Index Ventures. Linx’s AI-native software continuously maps and monitors all types of identities (human, machine, services, and emerging AI agents) across an enterprise.

The fresh capital, which brings Linx’s total funding to about $83M, will be used to expand its global footprint, scale go-to-market operations, and accelerate development of new product features. Notably, last year Linx introduced “Linx Autopilot,” an autonomous AI agent that monitors identity changes in real time and automatically mitigates risks. The company says its solutions address the growing problem in which non-human identities now outnumber human ones, creating blind spots in legacy identity management systems.

• Startup: Linx Security
• Investors: Insight Partners (lead); Cyberstarts, Index Ventures (existing backers)
• Amount Raised: $50M
• Total Raised: $83M
• Funding Stage: Series B
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Modus Raises $85M in Seed/Series A Funding to Bring AI to Auditing

Modus, an AI-native audit technology platform, has raised $85 million in combined Seed and Series A funding. Headquartered in New York and co-founded in 2025 by former audit and finance tech veterans, Modus builds AI tools for accounting firms. Its platform automates manual audit procedures, sharpens risk assessment, and preserves auditors’ professional judgment. Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, joined by Comma Capital and investor Garry Tan.

Modus plans to use the funds to further develop its AI audit platform and invest in partnerships with mid-market accounting firms, aiming to modernize a sector that has historically lagged in technology adoption. The company reports early traction, having invested in a top-200 accounting firm and forming a pipeline with other firms interested in adopting its automated audit solutions.

• Startup: Modus
• Investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners (lead); Comma Capital, Garry Tan
• Amount Raised: $85M
• Total Raised: $85M
• Funding Stage: Seed / Series A
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Origin Raises $30M in Series A+ Funding for AI-Powered Benefits Management

Origin, a London-based HR technology startup, raised $30 million in a fresh funding round it calls an extended Series A+. The company’s AI-powered platform centralizes and analyzes complex, multinational employee benefits data to help large employers gain visibility into benefits usage and spending. Notion Capital led the round, with participation from Felix Capital, Acadian Ventures, and HSBC Innovation Banking.

Origin’s co-founders, formerly of a major benefits administration firm, say the new funds will deepen integrations with HR systems and expand partnerships with brokers and insurers. They report that prior anchor customers include Pfizer, Comcast, and BP. Origin will use the investment to scale its team and prepare for growth, particularly as enterprise customers seek AI tools to manage growing benefits costs across regions.

• Startup: Origin
• Investors: Notion Capital (lead); Felix Capital, Acadian Ventures, HSBC Innovation Banking
• Amount Raised: $30M
• Total Raised: >$50M (including prior rounds)
• Funding Stage: Series A+ (extended Series A)
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Natter Raises $23M in Series A Funding for AI-Moderated Employee Insights

Natter, a London-based enterprise insights startup, has raised $23 million in a Series A round led by Renegade Partners. Natter runs structured, AI-orchestrated video-conversation sessions that can collect thousands of employees’ feedback at scale in a fraction of the time required by traditional surveys. Each seven-minute session typically yields over 1,000 words of actionable feedback, compared to roughly ten words from a standard survey response.

Natter says the funding will allow it to roughly triple headcount by year-end and accelerate product development. Prior investors Asymmetric Capital Partners, Kindred Capital, Rackhouse Venture Capital, and Village Global also contributed to the round. Natter positions its platform as a hybrid of focus group depth and survey scale, using AI to moderate and analyze conversations in real time for HR and culture teams.

• Startup: Natter
• Investors: Renegade Partners (lead); Asymmetric Capital, Kindred Capital, Rackhouse Venture Capital, Village Global
• Amount Raised: $23M
• Total Raised: ~$33.5M (with prior $10.5M)
• Funding Stage: Series A
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Variance Raises $21.5M in Series A Funding for AI Compliance Agents

Variance, a fintech startup building AI-driven tools for compliance and risk workflows, raised $21.5 million in a Series A round. The round was led by Ten Eleven Ventures, with backing from 645 Ventures, Y Combinator, and Okta Ventures. Variance’s platform uses agentic AI to streamline tasks such as KYC, AML, and fraud investigations by reasoning over disparate financial data and producing fully auditable decisions. Its agents can model complex compliance workflows and execute them automatically, addressing the challenge of synthetic fraud and fragmented data.

The capital will be used to scale the engineering team and expand enterprise deployments among banks and Fortune 500 firms. Variance’s founders say their tools can complete in minutes what previously took teams of analysts days, illustrating AI’s potential to transform traditionally manual compliance processes.

• Startup: Variance
• Investors: Ten Eleven Ventures (lead); 645 Ventures, Y Combinator, Okta Ventures
• Amount Raised: $21.5M
• Total Raised: $21.5M
• Funding Stage: Series A
• Funding Date: April 7, 2026

Tech Funding Summary Table