Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
AI infrastructure startups LMArena and Lovable reach multi‑billion valuations
AI evaluation startup **LMArena** raised **$150 million Series A** at a **$1.7 billion** valuation after launching its “AI Evaluations” service in late 2025. Swedish startup **Lovable**, which offers a “vibe coding” no‑code platform, raised **$330 million Series B**, tripling its valuation to **$6.6 billion** while scaling ARR from **$1 million to $200 million in one year**.
Both highlight intense investor demand for specialized AI tools with clear enterprise revenue traction.
E‑commerce infrastructure startup Swap secures $100 million Series C
London‑based e‑commerce platform **Swap** raised **$100 million Series C**, co‑led by **Iconiq** and **DST Global**, to scale payments and global logistics tools for online brands. The round comes around nine months after a **$40 million Series B**, bringing total funding to **$149 million** and underscoring investor appetite for revenue‑adjacent commerce infrastructure.
NYC virtual maternal care startup Pomelo Care raises $92 million Series C
Virtual maternal health platform **Pomelo Care** closed a **$92 million Series C** led by **Stripes**, bringing its total reported equity funding to **$179 million**. The New York‑based healthtech startup, founded in 2021, plans to expand its virtual care model aimed at improving pregnancy and postpartum outcomes while reducing costs for payers.
AI data platform Protege lands $30 million Series A to power licensed training data
AI training data startup **Protege** raised a **$30 million Series A** led by **Andreessen Horowitz**, taking total equity funding to **$65 million**. The company focuses on providing **licensed real‑world data** to address one of AI development’s biggest bottlenecks, positioning itself as core infrastructure for model builders seeking compliant, high‑quality datasets.
Fintech AI lab Autonomous Technologies Group secures $15 million pre‑seed
**Autonomous Technologies Group**, an AI research lab building applied reasoning models for **financial advising**, raised **$15 million pre‑seed** led by **BoxGroup** and **Y Combinator**. Founded in 2025, the startup aims to deliver more reliable, explainable AI‑driven financial guidance, reflecting broader momentum for domain‑specific reasoning models in fintech.
Behavioral health OS startup Oasys Health raises $4.6 million seed and pre‑seed
New York–based **Oasys Health**, an **AI‑native operating system for behavioral health**, closed **$4.6 million** in combined seed and pre‑seed funding. The **$4 million seed** was led by **Pathlight Ventures** with participation from Twine Ventures and Better Ventures, while **1984 Ventures** led a **$600,000 pre‑seed**, supporting product development and go‑to‑market.
United Manufacturing Hub secures €5 million to expand industrial open‑source platform
Industrial startup **United Manufacturing Hub** raised **€5 million** in funding led by **KOMPAS VC**, alongside seed + speed Ventures, Sustainable Future Ventures, Archimedes New Ventures and angel investors. The company plans to enhance its **open‑source manufacturing platform**, extending connectivity, advanced data modeling and **AI agents for factories** to accelerate Industry 4.0 adoption.
New Jersey awards $1.3 million in clean tech grants to 17 startups
The **New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation, and Technology (CSIT)** awarded about **$1.3 million** in **Clean Tech R&D Seed Grants** to **17 early‑stage startups** across the state. Since 2020, CSIT has approved **150 awards totaling $13 million** for New Jersey clean tech companies, supporting commercialization of solutions from carbon capture to EV infrastructure and advanced materials.
Cybersecurity startup funding surges with strong early‑stage pipeline
New industry data show cybersecurity startup funding rising roughly **47% in dollar terms** and **31% in deal volume** compared with 2024, signaling renewed investor confidence. Early‑stage (Seed and Series A) deals accounted for up to **69% of quarterly activity**, while active **M&A by players like Palo Alto Networks and Google** is creating strong exits and recycling capital into new security ventures.
Global edtech innovators named in 2026 GSV Cup 50 cohort
The **GSV Cup** announced its **2026 GSV Cup 50**, selecting early‑stage edtech and workforce startups from more than **3,000 global nominations**. The cohort has collectively raised over **$177 million**, represents **$264 million** in disclosed valuation, and features **two‑thirds led by underrepresented founders**, highlighting diversity and the convergence of **AI, education and skills**.
North American startup funding jumps 46% in 2025, led by AI and security
New Crunchbase data show **North American startup funding** reached **$280 billion in 2025**, up **46%** year over year for seed through growth stages. About **$69 billion** went to Series A and B rounds, with standout late‑stage deals including a **$700 million Series B** for identity security provider **Saviynt** and **$600 million** for AI robotics startup **Physical Intelligence**, setting the backdrop for 2026 fundraising.
Robotics startups highlighted as key players to watch in 2026
A new **Global Startup Heat Map** identifies **10 top robotics startups** to watch in 2026 from a dataset of more than **3,800** emerging companies worldwide. These startups are advancing applications from industrial automation to service robots, reflecting sustained investor and corporate interest in robotics as labor constraints and efficiency pressures grow.