Top Startup and Tech Funding News – December 18, 2025

It’s Thursday, December 18, 2025, and we’re back with today’s top startup and tech funding news spanning AI software development, biotech, industrial engineering, and embedded cybersecurity. From early-stage compliance automation to mega-rounds in natural language programming and antibody design, today’s funding underscores global momentum in intelligent infrastructure, cyber defense, and applied AI platforms.

Lovable led the day with a $330 million Series B to expand its natural language–based software development environment. In comparison, Chai Discovery secured $130 million to accelerate AI-driven biologics, while Atavistik Bio’s $120 million Series B reflects growing investor conviction in allosteric therapeutics for rare diseases. Meanwhile, platforms such as Adaptive Security, Neural Concept, and Paramify are rethinking how CISOs, engineers, and compliance teams build and secure systems on AI-native foundations.

Today’s activity underscores how embedded intelligence—from deepfake simulation and generative CAD to precision drug pipelines—is becoming the backbone of software automation, clinical innovation, and global security in an increasingly AI-driven economy.

Tech Funding News

Funding Highlights

• Lovable raised $330M Series B for AI-powered software development.
• Chai Discovery secured $130M Series B for AI-designed biologics.
• Atavistik Bio raised $120M Series B to advance allosteric therapeutics.
• Adaptive Security closed $81M Series B to combat enterprise deepfakes.
• Neural Concept brought in $100M Series C for industrial generative AI.
• Nirvana Insurance raised $100M Series D for AI-native trucking insurance.
• Octane closed $100M Series F to grow powersports lending.
• GravityLabs secured $17M Series A for AI wellness gamification.
• Paramify raised $12M Series A to automate compliance workflows.
• Exein brought in €100M Series C to protect embedded IoT systems.

Investor Activity

Today’s funding drew participation from leading crossover investors, AI-native funds, and strategic corporates, accelerating investments into engineering intelligence, biologic automation, and machine-first security infrastructure. As 2025 winds down, investor focus remains sharp on platforms that transform industry-specific operations into AI-enabled systems of record and control.

Here’s the full breakdown of December 18’s most significant startup and tech fundings.

Lovable Raises $330M in Series B Funding for AI ‘Vibe Coding’ Platform

Lovable, a Swedish AI startup, said Thursday that it raised $330 million in a Series B round, valuing the company at $6.6 billion. The Stockholm-based company offers a “vibe-coding” platform that enables users to build entire software applications using natural-language prompts. CapitalG (Alphabet) and Menlo Ventures led the round, which also included Khosla Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Databricks Ventures, and others.

The timing matters. Just one month ago, Lovable disclosed that it had reached $200 million in annual recurring revenue. Bloomberg and Reuters both verified the figure, putting real financial weight behind the company’s growth claims.

Lovable plans to use the new capital to expand enterprise features and scale its infrastructure as it continues rapid growth in AI-assisted software development.

• Startup: Lovable

• Investors: CapitalG (lead), Menlo Ventures (lead), Khosla Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Databricks Ventures, etc.

• Amount Raised: $330 million

• Total Raised: ~$530 million (including prior $200M Series A)

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Chai Discovery Raises $130M in Series B Funding for AI-Driven Drug Discovery

Chai Discovery, a San Francisco biotech, announced a $130 million Series B round on Thursday, roughly doubling its valuation to $1.3 billion. The company uses large-scale AI models to design novel antibody drugs and biologics, aiming to slash drug discovery times. The round was co-led by Oak HC/FT and General Catalyst, with participation from existing backers OpenAI, Thrive Capital, Menlo Ventures, and Dimension Ventures.

The financing brings Chai’s total raised to about $225 million and will be used to accelerate research on its generative molecule-design platform.

• Startup: Chai Discovery

• Investors: Oak HC/FT (lead), General Catalyst (lead), OpenAI (existing), Thrive Capital, Menlo Ventures, Dimension Ventures

• Amount Raised: $130 million

• Total Raised: $225 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Atavistik Bio Raises $120M in Series B Funding for Precision Allosteric Therapeutics

Atavistik Bio, a Cambridge, Mass. biotech, said it secured $120 million in Series B financing on Thursday. The round was led by Nextech Invest and The Column Group, with participation from Lux Capital and Regeneron Ventures. Atavistik is developing precision allosteric small-molecule drugs for rare diseases.

The new funds will advance its pipeline—including an AKT1-selective inhibitor for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and a JAK2 V617F inhibitor for myeloproliferative neoplasms—toward early clinical proof of concept.

• Startup: Atavistik Bio

• Investors: Nextech Invest (lead), The Column Group (lead), Lux Capital, Regeneron Ventures

• Amount Raised: $120 million

• Total Raised: $120 million (Series B)

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Adaptive Security Raises $81M in Series B Funding for AI-Driven Deepfake Defense

Adaptive Security, a startup developing AI-powered deepfake attack simulations for enterprise cybersecurity, announced an $81 million Series B round on Thursday. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures and included NVentures (Nvidia’s VC arm), OpenAI Startup Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Abstract Ventures, Capital One Ventures, and Citi Ventures.

Founded in early 2025, Adaptive simulates realistic deepfake scenarios involving voice, video, and text to train security teams. The Series B brings Adaptive’s total funding to $146.5M and will accelerate development of its generative AI threat platform to meet rising demand for deepfake defense.

• Startup: Adaptive Security

• Investors: Bain Capital Ventures (lead), NVentures (Nvidia), OpenAI Startup Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Abstract Ventures, Capital One Ventures, Citi Ventures

• Amount Raised: $81 million

• Total Raised: $146.5 million

• Funding Stage: Series B

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Octane Raises $100M in Series F Funding to Expand Powersports Financing

Octane, a New York fintech that provides financing solutions for powersports dealerships, closed a $100 million Series F round on Thursday. Valar Ventures led the round, with Upper90, Huntington Bank, Camping World Holdings, Holler-Classic, and other investors also participating. Octane said it will use the proceeds to fund growth initiatives and secondary share transfers as it continues rapid origination growth.

Before this round, Octane had raised $242 million; the new funds bring its total financing to about $342 million. The company has now originated over $7 billion in loans through its platform.

• Startup: Octane

• Investors: Valar Ventures (lead), Upper90, Huntington Bank, Camping World Holdings, Holler-Classic, etc.

• Amount Raised: $100 million

• Total Raised: $342 million

• Funding Stage: Series F

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Neural Concept Raises $100M in Series C Funding to Accelerate AI in Engineering Design

Neural Concept, a Swiss startup building AI tools for industrial design workflows, said it raised $100 million in a Series C round on Thursday. Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives led the financing, with participation from Forestay Capital, Alven, HTGF, D.E. Shaw Ventures, and Aster Capital. Neural Concept’s platform embeds AI into CAD and simulation, enabling engineers to explore millions of design options early in the development process.

The new capital will be used to expedite product development (including a planned generative CAD feature), expand global go-to-market teams, and deepen partnerships with leaders like Nvidia and Microsoft.

• Startup: Neural Concept

• Investors: Goldman Sachs Alternatives (Growth Equity, lead), Forestay Capital, Alven, HTGF, D.E. Shaw Ventures, Aster Capital

• Amount Raised: $100 million (€85M)

• Total Raised: ~$127 million

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Nirvana Insurance Raises $100M in Series D Funding for AI Trucking Insurance Platform

Nirvana Insurance, an AI-driven commercial trucking insurer, announced a $100 million Series D on Thursday. Valor Equity Partners, with Lightspeed Venture Partners and General Catalyst among the participants, led the preemptive round. Nirvana uses machine learning to streamline underwriting and claims for long-haul fleets.

Fresh off an $80M Series C in March, the company said the new funding will be used to scale its AI-powered insurance platform and pursue its vision of an AI-based insurance “operating system” for the industry.

• Startup: Nirvana Insurance

• Investors: Valor Equity Partners (lead), Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst

• Amount Raised: $100 million

• Total Raised: $180 million

• Funding Stage: Series D

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Paramify Raises $12M in Series A Funding for Automated Compliance Platform

Paramify, a cloud compliance automation startup, closed a $12 million Series A on Thursday. The Utah-based company raised the round from Moore Strategic Ventures (lead) alongside Album VC, Next Frontier Capital, and Frazier Venture Partners. Paramify’s platform helps companies automate security compliance workflows. It initially focused on simplifying the U.S. government’s FedRAMP certification but has since pivoted to broader enterprise risk management.

The new funding will support the expansion of Paramify’s platform to cover additional standards (such as SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001) and accelerate go-to-market efforts.

• Startup: Paramify

• Investors: Moore Strategic Ventures (lead), Album VC, Next Frontier Capital, Frazier Ventures

• Amount Raised: $12 million

• Total Raised: $15.5 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

GravityLabs Raises $17M in Series A Funding to Expand AI Wellness Platform

GravityLabs, an AI-driven digital health startup, said it raised $17 million in a Series A on Thursday. The round was backed by BVA (formerly SoftBank Ventures Asia), Goodwater Capital, Atinum Investment, NAVER, DSC Investment, and Bass Ventures.

Founded by Woonyeon Kim, GravityLabs’ flagship product is Moneywalk — a gamified app that leverages AI and data analytics to build healthy habits. GravityLabs will use the funding to establish a U.S. office, hire local talent, and accelerate the expansion of its AI-powered wellness platform in North America and Japan. The company has raised $25M to date.

• Startup: GravityLabs

• Investors: BVA (SoftBank Ventures Asia), Goodwater Capital, Atinum Investment, NAVER, DSC Investment, Bass Ventures

• Amount Raised: $17 million

• Total Raised: $25 million

• Funding Stage: Series A

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Exein Raises €100M in Series C Funding to Advance AI-Driven IoT Security

Exein, an embedded cybersecurity startup based in Rome, announced a €100 million funding round on Thursday. The financing was led by London-based Blue Cloud Ventures, with participation from J.P. Morgan, HV Capital, Intrepid Growth Partners, and Geodesic Capital. Exein builds AI-powered security that runs on the firmware of connected devices, protecting IoT systems in real time.

The new capital will accelerate development of its next-generation on-device AI security platform and support a multi-transaction M&A program as the company expands in the U.S. and APAC. With this round (which includes debt financing), Exein’s total 2025 funding now stands at €170 million.

• Startup: Exein

• Investors: Blue Cloud Ventures (lead), J.P. Morgan, HV Capital, Intrepid Growth Partners, Geodesic Capital

• Amount Raised: €100 million

• Total Raised: €170 million

• Funding Stage: Series C

• Funding Date: Dec 18, 2025

Tech Funding Summary Table