Top Startup and Tech Funding News Roundup – Week Ending October 10, 2025
Nickie Louise
Posted On October 10, 2025
It’s Friday, October 10, 2025, and we’re back with the top startup and tech funding news stories making waves this week. From multibillion-dollar AI financings and energy-storage bets to early-stage breakthroughs in biotech, defense, and developer tools, capital continued to pour across every stage and geography. This week’s coverage spans Monday, October 6, through Friday, October 10, 2025, spotlighting both late-stage giants and scrappy up-and-comers.
Reflection AI led the headlines with a massive $2 billion Series B to advance open-source superintelligence, while Austin-based Base Power pulled in $1 billion Series C to reinvent home-energy storage. In space and defense, Stoke Space raised $510 million Series D to accelerate reusable rocket launches, and HavocAI brought in $85 million Series B to scale AI-powered naval systems. Meanwhile, Vercel’s $300 million Series F pushed its valuation to $9.3 billion, solidifying its place as a cornerstone of modern web infrastructure.
Funding Highlights
The week was dominated by mega-rounds in AI, energy, and infrastructure — alongside a steady stream of activity in biotech and early-stage innovation.
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Reflection AI raised $2B Series B to push forward open-source superintelligence.
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Base Power secured $1B Series C to deploy home battery networks across the U.S.
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Stoke Space landed $510M Series D to fast-track reusable rocket development.
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Vercel closed $300M Series F at a $9.3B valuation, expanding its AI web infrastructure.
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n8n raised $180M Series C for workflow automation and AI integration.
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Arthrosi Therapeutics secured $153M Series E for late-stage gout drug trials.
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EvenUp raised $150M Series E to scale its AI-powered legal tech platform.
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Nilo Therapeutics launched with $101M Series A to pioneer neuro-immunology treatments.
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Supabase pulled in $100M Series E to expand its open-source backend platform.
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HavocAI raised $85M Series B for autonomous military vessels.
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Meanwhile secured $82M Series B to expand its Bitcoin-based life insurance products.
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Trogenix raised €80M Series A to develop “Trojan horse” gene therapies for cancer.
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Feedzai raised $75M in a growth round to enhance AI-powered fraud detection.
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Filigran closed $58M Series C to scale its open-source cybersecurity tools.
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Spellbook raised $50M Series B to automate legal contract workflows with AI.
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RealSense raised $50M Series A to advance 3D vision technology for robots.
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Coinflow raised $25M Series A to scale its global stablecoin payments network.
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Vycarb secured $5M seed to expand ocean-based carbon capture.
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Mentium raised $3.2M seed for AI-driven logistics automation.
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Lucent raised A$2M pre-seed (~$1.3M USD) to power its AI data curation platform.
Investor Activity
Top venture and corporate investors led the charge again this week. NVIDIA, B Capital, Accel, Insight Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz anchored multi-hundred-million-dollar rounds, while Lockheed Martin, In-Q-Tel, and Google’s CapitalG made strategic bets in defense, energy, and climate tech.
The pattern continues: mega-rounds fueling frontier AI, energy, and space innovation, balanced by healthy seed and Series A momentum across fintech, healthtech, and automation. Together, these financings show unwavering investor conviction in founders building the infrastructure, intelligence, and industries of tomorrow.
Here’s the full breakdown. Until next week, have a great weekend.
Reflection AI Raises $2B in Series B Funding for Open-Source Superintelligence
Reflection AI, a Brooklyn-based AI startup co-founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, secured a colossal $2 billion Series B funding round at an $8 billion valuation to accelerate its mission of building open-source superintelligent AI models. Barely a year old, Reflection AI is positioning itself as a major contender in the AI race by openly releasing advanced large language models.
The funding – one of the largest ever for an open-source AI lab – drew participation from heavyweights including NVIDIA’s venture arm, B Capital, Citi Ventures, DST Global, Hillspire (Eric Schmidt’s family office), GIC, and 1789 Capital, alongside existing backers CRV, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Sequoia Capital.
With this massive capital infusion, Reflection AI plans to double down on R&D for large-scale AI systems and expand its team, all while keeping its models open for community oversight.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Reflection AI
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Investors: NVIDIA (co-lead), Disruptive, B Capital, Citi Ventures, DST Global, Hillspire (Eric Schmidt), GIC, 1789 Capital; existing backers CRV, Lightspeed, Sequoia Capital
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Amount Raised: $2 billion
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Total Raised: ~$2.13 billion
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Funding Stage: Series B
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Base Power Secures $1B in Series C Funding to Transform Home Energy Storage
Base Power, an Austin-based energy startup led by Zach Dell (son of Dell Technologies’ founder Michael Dell), secured a whopping $1 billion Series C round to accelerate deployment of its residential battery leasing network. The fresh funding reportedly values Base Power at over $3 billion pre-money and was led by Addition, joined by a who’s-who of climate and tech investors including Trust Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed, Andreessen Horowitz, Ribbit Capital, Google’s CapitalG, Spark Capital, Bond, Lowercarbon, Avenir, Glade Brook, Positive Sum, and 1789 Capital.
Launched in 2023, Base Power provides home battery systems that give homeowners backup power and feed energy to the grid during peak demand, effectively creating a distributed virtual power plant. This massive round (following a $200 million Series B just months ago) will fuel Base Power’s first battery manufacturing facility in Austin and scale up its operations as it aims to “reindustrialize” the grid with thousands of networked home batteries.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Base Power
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Investors: Addition (lead); Trust Ventures, Valor Equity, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed, Andreessen Horowitz, Ribbit Capital, CapitalG (Google), Spark Capital, Bond, Lowercarbon, Avenir, Glade Brook, Positive Sum, 1789 Capital
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Amount Raised: $1 billion
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Total Raised: Not disclosed (>$1.3 billion estimated)
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Funding Stage: Series C
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Stoke Space Lands $510M in Series D Funding to Accelerate Reusable Rockets
Stoke Space, a Kent, Washington-based space startup developing fully reusable launch vehicles, raised a massive $510 million in Series D funding to speed up development of its Nova rocket. The round was led by Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund and included participation from Washington Harbour Partners and General Innovation Capital, alongside existing backers such as 776 (Alexis Ohanian’s fund), Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Bill Gates’ climate fund), Glade Brook Capital, and Toyota Ventures.
This injection of capital more than doubles Stoke’s total funding, giving it nearly $1 billion to complete Nova’s development and conduct its first orbital test flights next year. Stoke Space’s pioneering approach to second-stage reusability aims to enable frequent, low-cost medium-lift launches, positioning the company as a key player in meeting growing demand for satellite and defense launches with rapid turnaround times.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Stoke Space Technologies
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Investors: US Innovative Technology Fund (lead), Washington Harbour Partners, General Innovation Capital; existing backers 776, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Glade Brook Capital, Toyota Ventures, among others
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Amount Raised: $510 million
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Total Raised: ~$990 million
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Funding Stage: Series D
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Funding Date: October 8, 2025
Vercel Raises $300M Series F as AI Web Platform Soars to $9.3B Valuation
Vercel, the Silicon Valley-based cloud platform powering modern web applications and AI tools, has raised $300 million in a heavily oversubscribed Series F round, catapulting its valuation to $9.3 billion. The round was co-led by Accel and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, with participation from BlackRock, StepStone Group, and Khosla Ventures.
Vercel’s platform (known for creating the Next.js framework) has become a core layer of internet infrastructure for companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nike—enabling developers to deploy scalable websites and AI applications without managing servers.
This latest infusion will fund the expansion of Vercel’s AI cloud services, security enhancements, and its rapidly growing AI developer assistant. It also positions the company to compete more aggressively in the global edge computing and AI hosting market as demand for real-time web and AI experiences surges.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Vercel
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Investors: Accel (co-lead), GIC (co-lead), BlackRock, StepStone Group, Khosla Ventures
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Amount Raised: $300 million
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Total Raised: ~$860 million
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Funding Stage: Series F
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Funding Date: September 30, 2025
n8n Lands $180M in Series C Funding at $2.5B Valuation for Workflow Automation
Berlin-based startup n8n, known for its popular open-source workflow automation platform, has raised $180 million in a Series C round at a $2.5 billion valuation. The funding was led by Insight Partners and included participation from existing investors such as Sequoia Capital and FirstMark Capital. n8n’s “low-code” platform allows developers and non-developers alike to automate tasks by connecting different apps, APIs, and AI tools through customizable workflows.
With the explosive growth of AI-driven business processes, n8n has seen surging demand from companies looking to streamline operations without heavy engineering effort. The new capital will be used to expand n8n’s cloud services, integrate more AI capabilities into its workflow engine, and grow its global community and enterprise support, solidifying its position as a leader in the workflow automation and integration space.
Funding Details:
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Startup: n8n
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Investors: Insight Partners (lead), Sequoia Capital, FirstMark Capital, and other existing backers
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Amount Raised: $180 million
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Total Raised: Not disclosed (~$240 million reported)
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Funding Stage: Series C
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Arthrosi Therapeutics Snags $153M Series E for Next-Gen Gout Drug
Arthrosi Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biotech developing treatments for gout and other inflammatory diseases, raised $153 million in a Series E round to advance its lead drug candidate through late-stage trials. The financing was co-led by Prime Eight Capital, CR Capital, and HighLight Capital, with participation from HM Ventures, ReliantTech, and existing investors.
Arthrosi’s novel therapy targets a key immune system pathway involved in chronic gout flares, aiming to provide a disease-modifying treatment for patients who don’t respond to current options. With this hefty investment, Arthrosi plans to initiate a Phase 3 trial for its gout drug and expand its pipeline into related metabolic-inflammatory conditions. The round underscores strong investor confidence in Arthrosi’s approach as it tackles a widespread condition with significant unmet medical need.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Arthrosi Therapeutics
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Investors: Prime Eight Capital (lead), CR Capital, HighLight Capital, HM Venture, ReliantTech, and existing investors
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Amount Raised: $153 million
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Total Raised: ~$360 million
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Funding Stage: Series E
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Funding Date: October 8, 2025
EvenUp Lands $150M Series E to Transform Personal Injury Law with AI
EvenUp, a San Francisco–based legal tech startup, closed a $150 million Series E funding round that doubles its valuation to about $2 billion. The funding was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from an array of investors including REV (RELX Ventures), B Capital, SignalFire, Adams Street Partners, Bain Capital, HarbourVest, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Broadlight Capital.
EvenUp’s platform uses a proprietary AI model trained on hundreds of thousands of injury cases and medical records to automate much of the personal injury claim process – drafting legal documents, reviewing evidence, and assessing case value – freeing up attorneys to focus on higher-value work.
The new capital brings EvenUp’s total funding to $385 million and will fuel the expansion of its AI-driven Claims Intelligence Platform and the hiring of more engineering and legal experts. EvenUp aims to narrow the “justice gap” by helping law firms resolve cases faster and more efficiently across the U.S. and Canada.
Funding Details:
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Startup: EvenUp
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Investors: Bessemer Venture Partners (lead), REV (RELX VC), B Capital, SignalFire, Adams Street, Bain Capital, HarbourVest, Lightspeed, Broadlight Capital
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Amount Raised: $150 million
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Total Raised: $385 million
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Funding Stage: Series E
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Funding Date: October 7, 2025
Nilo Therapeutics Launches with $101M in Series A Funding for Neuro-Immunology
Nilo Therapeutics, a biotech startup based in New York City, emerged from stealth with a $101 million Series A financing to pioneer neuro-immunology treatments. The hefty round was co-led by The Column Group, DCVC Bio, and Lux Capital, with participation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Alexandria Venture Investments.
Nilo is developing therapies that recalibrate the immune system via neural pathways – focusing on vagus nerve signals – to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in a novel way. The founding team includes top scientists from Columbia, Yale, and Harvard, and the company has brought on a former Novartis executive, Kim Seth, Ph.D., as CEO to guide its transition from lab research to clinical development.
With the new funding, Nilo is building out R&D labs in NYC, hiring an interdisciplinary team, and advancing preclinical programs targeting neural-immune circuits. This approach could open up a fresh therapeutic avenue beyond traditional immunosuppressants, potentially addressing a range of diseases with high unmet need.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Nilo Therapeutics
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Investors: The Column Group (co-lead), DCVC Bio (co-lead), Lux Capital (co-lead), Gates Foundation, Alexandria Venture Investments
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Amount Raised: $101 million
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Total Raised: $101 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Supabase Secures $100M in Series E Funding at $5B Valuation to Scale Open-Source Backend
Supabase, the San Francisco–headquartered open-source backend-as-a-service startup, secured a $100 million Series E round that pushes its valuation to approximately $5 billion. The financing was co-led by Accel and Peak XV (formerly Sequoia India), with participation from Figma Ventures and other returning backers. Supabase has emerged as the leading open-source alternative to Google’s Firebase, offering developers a powerful backend stack built on PostgreSQL – including real-time databases, authentication, storage, and Edge Functions – all without vendor lock-in.
The company plans to use this capital to expand its AI-assisted developer tools, grow its global infrastructure footprint, and scale enterprise support as larger customers adopt the platform. This round (coming just months after its previous raise) underscores investor appetite for developer infrastructure plays that combine open-source communities with strong commercial traction.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Supabase
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Investors: Accel (co-lead), Peak XV (co-lead), Figma Ventures, and other existing investors
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Amount Raised: $100 million
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Total Raised: $500+ million
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Funding Stage: Series E
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Funding Date: October 8, 2025
HavocAI Scores $85M in Funding to Build AI-Powered Military Boats
HavocAI, a Rhode Island-based defense tech startup, has raised $85 million in funding to scale up production of its autonomous, AI-driven military boats. Co-founded by former U.S. Navy officers in 2024, HavocAI retrofits commercial vessels with proprietary autonomy software, dramatically cutting the cost and time needed to field unmanned naval craft.
The round, closed in late September and announced on October 9, included investments from B Capital Group, UP.Partners (mobility-focused fund), In-Q-Tel (the CIA’s venture arm), Lockheed Martin, and Taiwania Capital. HavocAI has quickly deployed over 20 robotic vessels for the U.S. Army and Navy (from 14-foot unmanned speedboats to 100-foot autonomous patrol ships) and even supports allied forces like Poland.
With this infusion, bringing total funding to nearly $100 million, the startup will expand its fleet and production capacity, positioning itself at the forefront of the military’s shift toward AI-powered autonomous systems for maritime defense.
Funding Details:
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Startup: HavocAI
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Investors: B Capital Group, UP.Partners, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin, Taiwania Capital
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Amount Raised: $85 million
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Total Raised: ~$100 million
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Funding Stage: Series B (Venture)
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Meanwhile Raises $82M in Series B Funding to Expand Bitcoin Life Insurance
Meanwhile, a Bermuda-based Bitcoin-focused life insurance startup, secured $82 million in new funding to scale its crypto-denominated insurance and annuity products. The Series B round was co-led by Bain Capital Crypto and Haun Ventures, with additional backing from Pantera Capital, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Stillmark.
Meanwhile offers regulated life insurance and savings policies in which all premiums and claims are paid in Bitcoin, providing policyholders an alternative that hedges against inflation and fiat currency risk. This raise brings Meanwhile’s total funding in 2025 to $122 million, following a $40 million Series A earlier in the year. The fresh capital will help the company forge partnerships with traditional insurers worldwide and roll out new bitcoin-based financial products for both retail and institutional customers.
With interest in crypto-native financial services growing, Meanwhile aims to blend the stability of insurance with the upside and resilience of Bitcoin.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Meanwhile (Bitcoin Life Insurance)
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Investors: Bain Capital Crypto (co-lead), Haun Ventures (co-lead), Pantera Capital, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, Stillmark
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Amount Raised: $82 million
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Total Raised: $122 million (in 2025)
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Funding Stage: Series B
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Funding Date: October 7, 2025
Trogenix Banks €80M Series A to Pioneer ‘Trojan Horse’ Cancer Therapies
Trogenix, an Edinburgh, Scotland-based biotech startup, secured €80 million (~$84 million USD) in Series A funding to accelerate its “Trojan Horse” gene therapy platform for aggressive cancers. The round was led by IQ Capital, with participation from 4BIO Capital, Cancer Research Horizons, the Brain Tumor Investment Fund, Eli Lilly, LongeVC, Meltwind, and Calculus Capital.
A spinout from the University of Edinburgh, Trogenix is engineering synthetic “super-enhancers” – genetic payloads that selectively infiltrate tumor cells and trigger their destruction from within by the immune system. Its lead program targets glioblastoma, one of the deadliest brain cancers, with first-in-human trials expected in early 2026.
This financing marks one of Europe’s largest early-stage biotech raises of the year and will enable Trogenix to advance its preclinical research into clinical trials. By effectively smuggling immune triggers inside cancer cells, Trogenix aims to develop potentially curative one-time treatments for tumors that resist conventional therapies.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Trogenix
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Investors: IQ Capital (lead), 4BIO Capital, Cancer Research Horizons, Brain Tumor Investment Fund, Eli Lilly, LongeVC, Meltwind, Calculus Capital
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Amount Raised: €80 million (~$84 million)
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Total Raised: €80 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: October 6, 2025
Feedzai Secures $75M in Funding to Boost AI Financial Crime Detection
Feedzai, a Lisbon-founded fintech scaleup focused on AI-powered fraud detection and anti–money laundering (AML) solutions, raised $75 million in fresh funding at a reported $2 billion valuation. The growth round drew participation from a syndicate of investors, including Portugal’s own Lince Capital and Iberis Capital, as well as Explorer Investments, Oxy Capital, and Buenavista Equity Partners.
Feedzai’s machine learning platform monitors transactions for some of the world’s largest banks and payment processors, flagging and preventing suspicious activities in real time. With this new capital, Feedzai plans to accelerate product development (such as advanced AI models for emerging payment methods), expand further into markets like Latin America and Asia, and strengthen its enterprise sales teams. Already recognized as one of Europe’s leading late-stage fintech startups, Feedzai is doubling down to maintain its edge in the global fight against financial crime.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Feedzai
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Investors: Lince Capital, Iberis Capital, Explorer Investments, Oxy Capital, Buenavista Equity Partners
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Amount Raised: $75 million
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Total Raised: Not disclosed (prior rounds over $230 million)
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Funding Stage: Growth / Late-stage venture
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Funding Date: October 6, 2025
Spellbook Snags $50M in Series B Funding to Automate Legal Contracts with AI
Spellbook, a Toronto-based startup pioneering generative AI for legal workflows, secured $50 million in a Series B funding round to expand its AI-powered contract platform. The round was led by Portage Ventures with participation from Chartline Capital Partners and other undisclosed investors.
Spellbook’s software acts like an AI assistant for lawyers and contract managers – it can draft, review, and redline contracts using large language models, speeding up negotiation cycles while flagging risks and suggesting optimal terms. The company has already been adopted by law firms and corporate legal teams aiming to boost efficiency in contract review and due diligence.
With the new funding, Spellbook plans to deepen its integrations with commonly used legal tools, ensure its AI is compliant with jurisdiction-specific regulations, and grow its team of legal engineers. The goal is to automate the routine drudgery of contract work so that legal professionals can focus on higher-level advisory tasks.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Spellbook
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Investors: Portage Ventures (lead), Chartline Capital Partners, and other investors (not disclosed)
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Amount Raised: $50 million
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Total Raised: ~$60 million
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Funding Stage: Series B
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
RealSense Raises $50M in Series A Funding to Advance Vision for Robots
RealSense, a San Francisco-based company specializing in AI-powered computer vision, has raised $50 million in Series A funding to accelerate the adoption of “physical AI” in robots and automation. Incubated out of Intel’s vision technology group, RealSense provides advanced depth-sensing cameras and perception software that help machines like autonomous robots and drones understand and navigate the physical world.
The new funding – from undisclosed backers – will enable RealSense to bring its 3D vision technology to more robotics developers and industries, shortening the time-to-market for machines with human-like spatial awareness. Led by CEO Nadav Orbach, the company also announced a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA to combine RealSense’s depth cameras with NVIDIA’s AI computing platform.
With a global customer base of over 3,000 and more than 80 patents, RealSense is now poised to scale up production and meet growing demand for smarter vision in automation.
Funding Details:
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Startup: RealSense
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Investors: Not disclosed (strategic collaboration announced with NVIDIA)
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Amount Raised: $50 million
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Total Raised: ~$50 million (first major round)
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Filigran Raises $58M Series C to Boost Open-Source Cybersecurity Tools
Filigran, a Paris-based cybersecurity startup, closed a $58 million Series C funding round led by Eurazeo’s growth fund, with participation from Deutsche Telekom’s T.Capital, Accel, and Insight Partners. Founded in 2022, Filigran develops open-source threat intelligence and security analytics platforms used by over 6,000 organizations — including U.S. federal agencies and the European Commission — to transform raw cyber data into actionable insights.
The company plans to use the funds to launch OpenGRC, a new open-source cyber risk management solution, and to further enhance its flagship XTM One platform, which uses AI to help security teams detect and respond to threats faster.
Filigran is also expanding into strategic markets such as Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the United States, building on the momentum of its $35 million Series B round just a year ago. The Series C investment will help Filigran scale its engineering and go-to-market teams as it continues to champion open-source innovation in cybersecurity.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Filigran
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Investors: Eurazeo (lead), Deutsche Telekom T.Capital, Accel, Insight Partners
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Amount Raised: $58 million
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Total Raised: ~$93 million
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Funding Stage: Series C
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Funding Date: October 6, 2025
Coinflow Raises $25M in Series A Funding to Scale Stablecoin Payments Network
Coinflow, a Chicago-based fintech startup specializing in stablecoin payments, raised $25 million in a Series A round aimed at expanding its global payout network. The investment was led by crypto-focused firm Pantera Capital and joined by Coinbase Ventures, CMT Digital, Jump Capital, and The FinTech Fund. Coinflow’s platform enables businesses to send, receive, and settle payments worldwide using stablecoins (like USDC) with near-instant settlement and lower fees, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional cross-border payment systems.
The startup reports explosive growth – a 23× increase in revenue since 2024 – and now supports transactions in over 170 countries, processing billions in volume. With this new funding (bringing total capital to roughly $29 million), Coinflow plans to broaden its payout coverage across Asia and Latin America, hire aggressively in the U.S. and Europe, and enhance its fraud prevention and compliance tools. As more enterprises adopt crypto for international payments, Coinflow aims to modernize the global payments infrastructure with blockchain efficiency.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Coinflow
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Investors: Pantera Capital (lead), Coinbase Ventures, CMT Digital, Jump Capital, The FinTech Fund
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Amount Raised: $25 million
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Total Raised: ~$29 million
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Funding Stage: Series A
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Funding Date: October 8, 2025
Vycarb Gets $5M Seed Funding to Scale Ocean Carbon Capture
Vycarb, a Brooklyn-based climate tech startup, raised $5 million in seed funding to expand its ocean-based carbon removal system. The round was led by Twynam Investments, with participation from ocean-tech backers MOL Switch and Hatch Blue, as well as Clocktower Ventures, Idemitsu Kosan, and SGInnovate.
Founded in 2022 by oceanographer Dr. Garrett Boudinot, Vycarb has developed a distributed, water-based process that uses seawater and mineral inputs to convert CO₂ emissions into stable bicarbonate, which can be safely stored in the ocean for millennia. Its sensor-equipped modular units can be deployed at factories or on ships, capturing carbon at the source and also reducing local ocean acidity.
With the new capital, Vycarb will scale up its East River pilot project in New York and adapt the technology for a wider range of industrial emitters. The funding will also support regulatory compliance and the development of measurement and verification standards, as Vycarb aims to make carbon capture affordable and quantifiable in the fight against climate change.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Vycarb
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Investors: Twynam Investments (lead), MOL Switch, Hatch Blue, Clocktower Ventures, Idemitsu, SGInnovate
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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: October 6, 2025
Mentium Raises $3.2M Seed Funding to Bring AI “Digital Workers” to Logistics
Mentium, an Austin, TX-based startup building AI-powered “digital workers” for freight brokerages and logistics companies, raised $3.2 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its platform. The round was led by Lerer Hippeau, with participation from Matchstick Ventures, Tower Research Capital, Antler, MBA Ventures, and angel investor Michael Witte (CEO of Equal Parts).
Mentium’s software deploys AI agents to automate back-office drudgery in logistics – handling tasks like data entry, load matching, scheduling, and paperwork – so that freight brokers can operate more efficiently with fewer errors.
Founded in 2023 by CEO Aziz Satarov and CTO Matthieu Berger, the company integrates with existing freight management systems to serve as a digital operations assistant, creating a single source of truth from otherwise fragmented data. With the new seed capital, Mentium plans to expand its engineering team, speed up product development, and ramp up go-to-market efforts targeting freight and trucking firms. By offloading mundane processes to AI “workers,” Mentium aims to help the logistics industry modernize and tackle labor shortages.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Mentium
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Investors: Lerer Hippeau (lead), Matchstick Ventures, Tower Research Capital, Antler, MBA Ventures, Michael Witte (angel)
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Amount Raised: $3.2 million
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Total Raised: $3.2 million
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Funding Stage: Seed
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Lucent Raises A$2M in Pre-Seed Funding to Fuel AI Data Curation Platform
Lucent, a Melbourne, Australia-based AI startup founded by 22-year-old Alisa Wu, raised A$2 million (≈US$1.3 million) in an oversubscribed pre-seed round to build its specialized data platform for AI research labs. The funding – closed within 36 hours of launch – came from a roster of early-stage backers including Long Journey Ventures, Horizon Ventures, Browder Capital, and Weekend Fund.
Lucent aims to supply AI companies with unique, hard-to-find datasets tailored to specific use cases. In an era where the quality of training data can make or break AI models, Lucent focuses on curating behavioral and web interaction datasets that help AI systems learn from real human online behavior.
This is the second startup for Alisa Wu (her first was acquired in 2024), and it leverages her experience as a founding engineer at an ad-tech company later bought by Canva. With the pre-seed funds, Lucent will expand its data collection and delivery platform and hire a core team, positioning itself at the crucial intersection of data and AI model development as demand soars for better AI training data.
Funding Details:
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Startup: Lucent
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Investors: Long Journey Ventures (lead), Horizon Ventures, Browder Capital, Weekend Fund, and other angels
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Amount Raised: A$2 million (~$1.3 million USD)
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Total Raised: A$2 million
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Funding Stage: Pre-Seed
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Funding Date: October 9, 2025
Tech Funding Summary Table
| Startup | Investors (Lead and notable investors) | Amount Raised | Total Raised | Funding Stage | Funding Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection AI | NVIDIA, Disruptive, B Capital, Citi Ventures, DST Global, Hillspire (Eric Schmidt), GIC, 1789 Capital, CRV, Lightspeed, Sequoia | $2 B | ~$2.13 B | Series B | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Base Power | Addition (lead); Trust Ventures, Valor Equity, Thrive, Lightspeed, a16z, Ribbit, CapitalG, Spark, Bond, Lowercarbon, Avenir, Glade Brook, 1789 Capital | $1 B | >$1.3 B* | Series C | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Stoke Space | US Innovative Technology Fund (lead); Washington Harbour; 776; Breakthrough Energy; Toyota Ventures, etc. | $510 M | ~$990 M | Series D | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Vercel | Accel (co-lead), GIC (co-lead); BlackRock, StepStone, Khosla Ventures | $300 M | ~$860 M | Series F | Sept 30, 2025 |
| n8n | Insight Partners (lead); Sequoia Capital, FirstMark Capital, others | $180 M | Not disclosed | Series C | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Arthrosi Therapeutics | Prime Eight (lead); CR Capital, HighLight, HM Venture, ReliantTech, existing investors | $153 M | ~$360 M | Series E | Oct 8, 2025 |
| EvenUp | Bessemer (lead); REV (RELX), B Capital, SignalFire, Bain, Lightspeed, etc. | $150 M | $385 M | Series E | Oct 7, 2025 |
| Nilo Therapeutics | The Column Group (lead), DCVC Bio (lead), Lux Capital (lead); Gates Fdn., Alexandria | $101 M | $101 M | Series A | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Supabase | Accel (co-lead), Peak XV (co-lead); Figma Ventures; existing investors | $100 M | $500 M+ | Series E | Oct 8, 2025 |
| HavocAI | B Capital, UP.Partners, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin, Taiwania Capital | $85 M | ~$100 M | Series B | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Meanwhile | Bain Capital Crypto (lead), Haun Ventures (lead); Pantera, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual, Stillmark | $82 M | $122 M (2025) | Series B | Oct 7, 2025 |
| Trogenix | IQ Capital (lead); 4BIO, Cancer Research Horizons, Eli Lilly, LongeVC, etc. | €80 M | €80 M | Series A | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Feedzai | Lince Capital, Iberis, Explorer Investments, Oxy Capital, Buenavista | $75 M | Not disclosed | Growth Round | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Filigran | Eurazeo (lead); Deutsche Telekom T.Capital, Accel, Insight Partners | $58 M | ~$93 M | Series C | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Spellbook | Portage Ventures (lead); Chartline Capital, others | $50 M | ~$60 M | Series B | Oct 9, 2025 |
| RealSense | Not disclosed (strategic partnership with NVIDIA) | $50 M | ~$50 M | Series A | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Coinflow | Pantera Capital (lead); Coinbase Ventures, CMT Digital, Jump Capital, FinTech Fund | $25 M | ~$29 M | Series A | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Vycarb | Twynam Investments (lead); MOL Switch, Hatch Blue, Clocktower, Idemitsu, SGInnovate | $5 M | $5 M | Seed | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Mentium | Lerer Hippeau (lead); Matchstick, Tower Research, Antler, MBA Ventures, M. Witte | $3.2 M | $3.2 M | Seed | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Lucent | Long Journey (lead); Horizon Ventures, Browder Capital, Weekend Fund | A$2 M (~$1.3 M) | A$2 M | Pre-Seed | Oct 9, 2025 |
*Total raised for Base Power estimated from known funding rounds.
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