Hi FemWealth Friends,
In today’s edition: Jaime Lien’s Archetype raised $13M in Seed funding to leverage AI for understanding physical reality; Michelle Valentine’s Anrok secured $30M in Series B funding to enable SaaS companies to manage the collection of sales tax; Jana Bobosikova’s Kiki World raised a $7M Seed round to empower consumers to co-create products and co-own the company; led by Lily Lyman, Underscore VC, a Boston, US early-stage firm closed its third fund at $58M; and more in women-led startups and VC.
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In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded by Jaime Lien (Head of Machine Perception & Hardware), Archetype is on a mission to solve real-world problems with the power of AI.
The Palo Alto-based startup introduced the first physical AI foundation model - Newton™, based on different types of sensor data, from radar and inertial to chemical and environmental sensors that reveal different aspects of the world.
Archetype also announced a $13 million Seed round led by Venrock. Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Hitachi Ventures, Buckley Ventures, Plug and Play Tech Center, Earl Grey Capital, and Strange Ventures also participated.
FemWealth Favourites ❤️
Startups: Anrok Hits A $250 Million Valuation With A Mundane Idea: Calculating Sales Tax - Co-founded and led by Michelle Valentine, Anrok enables SaaS companies to manage the collection of sales tax. The San Francisco-based startup raised $30 million in Series B funding at a $250 million valuation. Khosla Ventures led the round.
AI disinfo detection startup raises $20M - Founded and led by Lisa Kaplan, Alethea is a disinformation detection and mitigation startup. The Washington, DC-based startup raised $20 million in Series B funding. GV led the round, with participation from Hakluyt Capital and Ballistic Ventures.
Cambium is building a recycled wood supply chain - Co-founded by Marisa Repka, Cambium aims to build a supply chain that keeps wood from being wasted. The Washington, D.C.-based startup raised $8.5 million from The Alumni Fund, Gaingels, and MaC Venture Capital, among others.
PVML receives $8 million in Seed for its secure AI-powered data access platform - Co-founded by Rina Galperin, PVML is a data access platform that allows companies to unlock fast and secure access for developer teams. The Tel Aviv, Israel-based startup raised $8 million in a Seed funding round led by NFX, with additional support from FJ Labs and Gefen Capital.
Kiki World, a beauty brand that uses web3 for customer co-creation and ownership, raises $7M from a16z - Co-founded by Jana Bobosikova, Kiki World is a web3 beauty tech startup that enables consumers to co-create products and co-own the company. The LA-based company raised a $7 million Seed round from the Andreessen Horowitz crypto fund and The Estée Lauder Companies’ New Incubation Ventures, alongside Orange DAO and 2 Punks Capital.
LightLink $6.2M for faster and gasless Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain - Co-founded by Olivia Romero, LightLink is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain that lets dApps and enterprises offer users instant, gasless transactions. The Singapore-based startup raised a $6.2 million round. Investors included MH Ventures and NxGen.
Lirvana Labs Raises $5.3M in Funding - Co-founded and co-led by Christie Pang, Lirvana Labs offers a learning companion app for preschool to elementary grade students. The US-based company raised $5.3M from Kapor Capital, Transcend Capital Partners, and Chingona Ventures.
Amsterdam-based Renewaball gets €3 million to reduce environmental impact of tennis and padel balls - Co-founded by Hélène Hoogeboom Msc, Renewaball manufactures recyclable tennis balls from wool and cotton. The Amsterdam-based startup raised €3 million. Rubio Impact Ventures led the round.
Food sourcing platform Torg raises €2.7M Seed - Co-founded by Rita Kerbaj, Torg is a platform that connects service and private label buyers with suppliers in the food and beverage industry. The Berlin-based company raised €2.7 million in Seed funding. Connect Ventures led the round, joined by FoodLabs, Sondo, and Ventures Together.
Romanian startup Genezio bags €1.8M to help developers automate app creation - Co-founded by Paula Cionca, Genezio is a serverless platform for building full-stack web and mobile applications in a scalable and cost-efficient way. The Bucharest-based startup raised $2 million in Pre-Seed funding. Gapminder VC led the round, with additional support from Underline Ventures.
London-based Marleybones bites €1.05 million seed to redefine dog food with superfood meals - Co-founded by Josephine Rode Bager and Mikala Skov, Marleybones is a London-based fresh dog food brand. The company raised £900,000 (€1.05 million) in Seed funding. JamJar Investments led the round, joined by Active Partners, Rapha, and KatKin.
Enatom raises €900,000 for VR simulations of human anatomy - Co-founded and led by Lusanne Tehupuring, Enatom enables medical students with a VR headset to study anatomical structures in 3D. The University Medical Center Groningen spinout raised €900,000 to develop its holographic models of human anatomy. LUMO Labs, NOM, and UNETI Ventures co-led the round.
Avenir raise $500,000 Pre-Seed to develop B2B wealth management software - Co-founded by Andrea Macdonald, Avenir provides a suite of tools for wealth managers and financial advisors. The company raised $500,000 in Pre-Seed funding from SFC Capital, Techstars, and angel investors.
VC: Underscore VC closes its $58 million third fund as the firm completes a generational transfer (Fortune $) - Led Lily Lyman, Underscore VC, a Boston, US early-stage firm closed its third fund at $58 million. It invests in B2B software startups globally.
Pan-African VC Verod-Kepple closes its first fund at $60M - Co-founded by Ory Okolloh, Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV) closed its first fund at $60 million. It plans to invest in 21 growth-stage companies (Series A and B) across Africa.
Kidron Capital Unveils New VC Fund Dedicated to Women’s Health - Co-founded and co-led by Maria Gajda Horowitz and Dr. Anula Jayasuriya, Kidron Capital a Tel Aviv, Israel-based VC firm announced the first close of its venture capital fund focused on women’s health.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth