💸 Hormona Raises $2.8M to Improve Hormonal Health
FemWealth Issue #155
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In today’s edition: Karolina Löfqvist and Jasmine Tagesson’s Hormona raised $2.8M in funding to improve hormonal health; co-founded by Lucy (Eunjeong) Park and Henny (Hae in) Son, Upstage secured a $72M Series B to accelerate the development of purpose-trained large language models and document AI capabilities for enterprises; co-led by Sara Deshpande, Maven Ventures raised $60M for its fourth fund to back Seed stage consumer tech startups; co-founded by GP Kim Kolt, US-based climate investor Bay Bridge Ventures is raising a new $200M fund.
Get in touch at femwealth@substack.com.
In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded by Karolina Löfqvist (CEO) and Jasmine Tagesson (COO), Hormona is a women’s health company on a mission to improve hormonal health. Taking a data-driven approach combined with at-home testing, it aims to track hormone fluctuations and inconsistencies.
The London-based company raised $2.8 million in Pre-Seed funding from Nascent Invest, Techstars, and SFC Capital.
Read more: Hormona bridges the gender data gap in hormonal health, going beyond baby making
FemWealth Favourites ❤️
AI Startup Upstage Secures $72 Million for US, Asian Expansion (Bloomberg $) - Co-founded by Lucy (Eunjeong) Park (Chief Scientific Officer) and Henny (Hae in) Son (Head of Demand Generation), Upstage aims to accelerate the development of purpose-trained large language models (LLMs) and document AI capabilities for enterprises. The US and South Korea-based startup secured a $72 million Series B round from Korea Development Bank, Shinhan Venture Investment, Hana Ventures, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, IBK Securities, SBVA, Primer Sazze, Company K Partners, and Premier Partners.
Theolytics secures funds to advance oncolytic adenovirus therapy - Co-founded by Charlotte Casebourne Stock (CEO) and Margaret Duffy (CSO), Theolytics is developing therapies for ovarian cancer. The Oxford, UK-based biotech company raised £19 million in funding from Sound Bioventures, M Ventures, Taiho Ventures, Epidarex Capital, Oxford Science Enterprises, and the University of Oxford.
Pula raises $20M Series B to provide agricultural insurance to farmers in Africa, Asia and LatAm - Co-founded by Rose Goslinga, Pula is an insurtech that helps farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to manage risks related to their crops and livestock. The Nairobi, Kenya-based startup secured a $20 million Series B round. BlueOrchard led the round, joined by IFC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Hesabu Capital.
Tokenized Credit Platform Centrifuge Plans Institutional RWA Lending on Coinbase’s Base, Raises $15M in VC Investment - Co-founded by Cassidy Daly, Centrifuge is a platform for onchain finance that aims to enable a faster, more cost-effective, and transparent model for connecting investors and borrowers with bankless liquidity. The startup secured $15 million in Series A funding. ParaFi Capital and Greenfield co-led the round. Arrington Capital, Bloccelerate, Borderless Capital, Circle Ventures, Edessa Capital, Gnosis, IOSG Ventures, Modular Capital, ProtoCap, Re7 Capital, Scytale Digital, Skynet Trading, Stake Capital, The Spartan Group, TRGC, and Wintermute Ventures joined.
FYLD secures £12M funding for AI-powered field management platform - Co-founded and led by Shelley Copsey, FYLD helps critical infrastructure companies to drive operational efficiency and reduce safety incidents with data. The UK startup closed a £12 million funding round.
Breaking, a ‘Plastic Degradation’ Startup, Emerges from Stealth with $10.5M After Gestating at Colossal - Co-founded and led by Sukanya Punthambaker, Ph.D., Breaking’s engineered microorganisms degrade multiple types of plastic waste into organic materials without pre-treatment. The US startup raised a $10.5 million Seed round from Builders VC, Animal Capital, and Climate Capital.
Cozero raises €6.5M for climatetech software: aiding enterprises in decarbonisation -Co-founded and led by Helen Tacke, Cozero is a carbon accounting platform that enables companies to measure and reduce emissions and comply with sustainability regulation requirements. The Berlin-based startup raised €6.5 million in Series A funding. Kvanted Ventures and ENV co-led the round, joined by New Alpha Asset Management.
AmphiStar raises €6M to recycle waste - Co-founded by Karolien Maes and Sophie Roelants, AmphiStar is a bioengineering startup that produces biofactants to make the manufacture of cosmetics more environmentally friendly. The Ghent, Belgium-based company raised €6 million from the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), Qbic III, and Flanders Future Tech Fund (FFTF).
LunaJoy Health Adds $4.2M in Funding; Launches ‘LunaCare’ for Women’s Mental Health - Co-founded by Sipra Laddha, MD and Shama Rathi, MD, LunaJoy Health provides maternal mental health care. The US-based startup raised a $4.2 million round from Y Combinator, FoundersX Fund, Goodwater Capital, Magic Fund, VentureSouq, Nurture Ventures, and NorthSouth Ventures.
B2B marketplace The Folklore bags $3.4M seed to get brands into global stores - Founded and led by Amira Rasool, The Folklore is a commerce company empowering diverse consumer product businesses in Africa, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. The New York startup raised $3.4 million in a Seed round led by Benchstrength, with participation from Slauson & Co, Techstars, and Black Tech Nation Ventures.
Sumday raises A$5.3M to expand outside of Australia (Axios Pro $) - Co-founded and led by Jessica Richmond, Sumday is an Australian carbon accounting startup. It raised A$5.3 million ($3.4 million) in Seed funding. Planeteer Capital led the round, joined by Blackbird Ventures, Wedgetail, and angel investor Cameron Adams.
Sweden’s OlsAro raises €2.5M seed to expand AI-enabled climate-smart crop breeding platform - Led by Elén Faxö, OlsAro develops crop varieties using AI-enabled forward genetics to address food security challenges. The Sweden-based startup raised €2.5 million in Seed funding. Future Food Fund and PINC co-led the round. AgFunder, Flora Ventures, and Mudcake also joined.
Investors and founders can meet their match with Cherub, the ‘Raya of angel investing’ - Co-founded by Jaclyn Johnson (CEO) and Angeline Vuong (CPO), Cherub is a marketplace that pairs angel investors with entrepreneurs. The US company raised $1.25 million from angels, including Drybar’s Alli Webb and Blavity’s Morgan DeBaun.
VC: Consumer tech investing is still hot for Maven Ventures, securing $60M for Fund IV - Co-led by Sara Deshpande, Maven Ventures raised $60 million for its fourth fund. The Palo Alto, Califonia-based VC firm focuses on Seed stage investments in consumer tech startups.
This new early-stage VC is making founder mental health a priority - Founded by Yonca Braeckman (CEO) and Diana Pati (COO), Belgium-based Impact Shakers announced the first close (€5 million) of its impact fund targeted at €20 million. It aims to back early-stage impact startups across Europe.
Bay Bridge Ventures is raising $200M for a new climate fund, filings show - Co-founded by General Partner Kim Kolt, US-based climate investor Bay Bridge Ventures is raising a new $200 million fund.
a16z promotes Jennifer Li to help lead the new $1.25B Infrastructure fund - Jennifer Li became Andreessen Horowitz’s new general partner six years after she joined the firm. She will help invest the VC’s new $1.25 billion Infrastructure fund.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth