💸 Demi Guo and Chenlin Meng's Pika Secures $80M for its Text-to-Video AI Platform
FemWealth Issue #162
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded by Stanford University Ph.D students Demi Guo (CEO) and Chenlin Meng (CTO), Pika is a text-to-video AI platform on a mission to make it easier for anyone to create videos on command.
The Palo Alto startup raised an $80 million round from Spark Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Greycroft.
FemWealth Favourites ❤️
Startups: Vilya Expands Series A Financing to $71 Million to Advance Computational Drug Design and Develop a New Class of Medicines - Co-founded by Inca Dieterich, Vilya develops medicines designed to “precisely target disease biology.” The Seattle- and San Francisco-based biotech announced $71 million in Series A funding from Arch Venture Partners, NVentures, Menlo Ventures, Madrona, Lifeforce Capital, and Altitude Life Science Ventures.
Nvidia’s Latest Investment is an AI Startup Focusing on Video Search - Co-founded by Soyoung Lee, Twelve Labs develops an AI model designed to process and interpret videos. The San Francisco-based company secured $50 million in Series A funding. NVentures and NEA led the round, joined by existing investors Index Ventures, Radical Ventures, WndrCo, and Korea Investment Partners.
OB/GYN platform secures US$20m to tackle ‘unmet needs’ in pelvic health - Led by Tracy MacNeal, Materna Medical develops medical devices for women’s pelvic health. The Mountain View, California-based startup raised a $20 million Series A round led by InnovaHealth Partners. Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, Kimera Limited, Women’s Venture Capital Fund, Golden Seeds, Band of Angels, and Houston Angel Network also invested.
Salesforce Ventures leads $15M round in insurance AI company (Axios Pro $) - Co-founded by Jane Tran, Sixfold provides a generative AI solution for insurance underwriting. The New York startup raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Salesforce Ventures.
Team performance platform Rising Team lands $8m Series A - Founded and led by Jennifer Dulski, Rising Team aims to equip managers to build engaged, connected, and successful teams. The Menlo Park, California-based company raised $8 million in Series A funding. Zeal Capital Partners led the round, joined by existing investors Peterson Ventures, Roble Ventures, Female Founders Fund, Burst Capital, and Supernode Ventures.
Hoop uses AI to automatically manage your to-do list - Co-founded and led by Stella Garber, Hoop provides an AI-powered to-do list. The US startup raised $5 million in a Seed funding round led by Index Ventures. Origin Ventures, Divergent Capital, and Chingona Ventures also participated.
Psyomics secures £4M to revolutionise mental health assessment with AI - Led by Dr. Melinda Rees, Psyomics develops a mental health assessment to help clinicians diagnose and treat patients. The London-based startup raised £4 million in a funding round led by Parkwalk Advisors.
Old Well Labs (OWL) Announces Series A Funding Led by Nellore Capital - Co-founded by Megan Barker White, Old Well Labs develops software to find and monitor investment managers and allocators. The US startup raised a $3.7 million Series A round led by Nellore Capital.
Decade Energy raises €3.6M to decarbonisation of logistics fleet - Co-founded by Mariela Atanasova, Decade Energy is a logistics electrification and energy management service provider. The Paris-based company raised €3.6 million in a Seed round co-led by Ananda Impact Ventures and Contrarian Ventures.
Digital receipt startup Slip raises £2.5 million - Co-founded and led by Tash Grossman, Slip digitises receipts to help retailers better understand customer data. The UK startup secured £2.5 million in Seed funding. Adjuvo led the round, joined by Haatch Ventures, Unbundled VC, and the Side by Side Partnership.
Alinia AI raises $2.4M for safe deployment of generative AI - Co-founded and led by Ariadna Font Llitjós, Alinia AI is an alignment platform that enables companies to deploy generative AI safely and controlled. The Barcelona, Spain and New York City-based startup raised $2.4 million in a Pre-Seed funding round co-led by Speedinvest and Precursor, joined by KFund and angel investors.
Hamburg-based SmartLoC secures €1.8 million to streamline international trade B2B payments - Founded and led by Britta Balden, SmartLoC is a B2B payments solution for international trade. The Hamburg, Germany-based company raised €1.8 million in a Seed funding round led by High-Tech Gründerfonds. Loggerhead Ventures and MBG Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Schleswig-Holstein also participated.
Dataform Lab raises £1.1M for offsite construction via software - Founded and led by Eva Magnisali, Dataform Lab aims to transform the AEC industry by accelerating the adoption of automation in off-site construction. The UK startup raised a £1.1 million Seed round led by Marathon Venture Capital.
Punk singer Shira Yevin pushes for fair pay with InPink, a women-focused job marketplace - Founded by Shira Yevin, InPink is a job marketplace for female and non-binary artists and other professionals across the music and live entertainment industry. The US platform raised over $500,000 from Alternative Wealth Partners, Gaingels, LiveNation, Long Beach Accelerator, and angel investors.
VC: Co-founded and co-led by Managing Director Miriam Rivera, Ulu Ventures, a US-based Seed-stage firm, raised over $190 million for its fourth fund, per an SEC filing. [via Axios Pro $]
Women’s Health: Axena Health Adds Over $9M in Series A Funding to Accelerate Global Adoption of Leva, Its Solution for Female Incontinence - Axena Health, a startup that develops medical devices for treating female pelvic health issues, raised a $9.4 million Series A round from Cross-Border Impact Ventures, AXA IM Alts, KOFA Healthcare, and Avestria Ventures.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth