Hi FemWealth Friends,
In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded and led by Miriam Rivera, Ulu Ventures raised its fourth fund of $208 million. The Palo Alto, California-based VC firm invests in Seed stage startups across enterprise, fintech, consumer, health, and sustainability.
Ulu’s investment thesis is driven by the conviction that diversity is profitable. Most of the firm’s portfolio companies are founded by diverse teams, including women, minority, URM, and/or immigrant founders.
The firm has over $200 million AUM and 10 unicorns in its portfolio.
Read more: Ulu Ventures sticks to its diversity strategy, raises $208M
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Startups: Moderne raises $30M to solve technical debt across complex codebases - Co-founded by Olga Kundzich, Moderne is a code refactoring automation platform. The Miami-based company announced a $30 million Series B round led by Acrew Capital, with participation from Allstate, Amex Ventures, Intel Capital, Mango Capital, Morgan Stanley, TIAA Ventures, and True Ventures.
Salience Labs closes funding for photonic switches - Co-founded and led by Vaysh Kewada, Salience Labs provides photonic solutions targeting connectivity for AI data center infrastructure. The Oxford, UK-based startup raised $30 million in Series A funding co-led by ICM HPQC Fund and Applied Ventures.
Libeen secures €25M to help Gen Z buy a home - Co-founded by Sofía Iturbe, Libeen is a rent-to-own housing platform. The Madrid, Spain-based company raised €25 million in a round led by Andbank and joined by Cusp Capital and angel investors.
Tofu is building an omni-channel marketing platform for enterprises - Co-founded by Elaine Zelby, Tofu is an AI-driven B2B marketing platform. The San Francisco-based startup raised a $12 million Series A round led by SignalFire. Other investors include HubSpot Ventures, Tau Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Alumni Ventures, SH Fund, Riverside Ventures, Eudemian Ventures, Han Bridge Capital, Index Ventures, Stage 2 Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, and others.
Junevity’s $10M Seed Round: A Major Step for Longevity Science (Endpoints News $) - Co-founded by Janine Sengstack, Junevity is creating novel therapeutics to reset cellular health and promote longevity. The San Francisco-based biotech company raised $10 million in Seed funding co-led by Goldcrest Capital and Godfrey Capital.
Techie-focused tax startup Fifteenth raises $8.25M (Axios Pro $) - Co-founded by Laura Moreno, CPA, Fifteenth provides personalized tax advisory services for tech professionals, including founders, tech employees, and VCs. The San Francisco startup raised $8.25 million in Seed funding co-led by A* and General Catalyst, with participation from SV Angel and angel investors.
Pinkfish helps enterprises build AI agents through natural language processing - Co-founded and led by Charanya “CK” Kannan, Pinkfish is an AI automation platform for enterprises. The San Francisco startup raised a $7.6 million Pre-Seed round led by Norwest Venture Partners, with participation from Storm Ventures and angel investors.
Era Raises $6M to Bring AI-Powered ‘Wealth-Care’ to Every American; Partners With Cerebras to Pioneer Next-Gen Financial Intelligence - Co-founded by Lindsay Brady, Era is an AI-powered personal finance platform that helps individuals manage their money by automating tasks, including budgeting, saving, and investing. The San Francisco startup raised $6.2 million in Seed funding co-led by MaC Venture Capital, Third Kind Venture Capital, and Protagonist. Clocktower Ventures, K5 Ventures, and Northzone also joined.
Swedish startup raises €6M seed to advance methane-reducing feed additives - Co-founded by Maia Lidbeck, Agteria Biotech is developing a feed additive designed to reduce methane emissions from cattle. The Stockholm, Sweden-based company raised €6 million in Seed funding co-led by Industrifonden and AgriZeronz and joined by Norrsken Launcher and Mudcake.
Credit Agricole, 6 million Euros for Krill Design - Co-founded by Martina Lamperti, Krill Design transforms organic by-products into sustainable biomaterials. The Milan, Italy-based startup raised €6 million in Series A funding led by Algebris Investments and joined by Primo Capital and Crédit Agricole Italia.
Kodiak Hub AI-powered supplier management platform raises $6M to expand into the US - Founded and led by Malin Schmidt, Kodiak Hub helps businesses manage relationships with suppliers. The Stockholm, Sweden-based startup raised $6 million from Oxx.
Renew Risk secures £5M for renewable energy risk modelling - Co-founded and led by Ashima Gupta, Renew Risk provides insights into physical risks affecting renewable energy assets. The London-based startup raised £5 million in a round led by Molten Ventures and joined by Lloyd’s and Insurtech Gateway.
Stockholm’s ReCarber raises €5.1M to remove CO2 on a gigaton scale; here’s how - Co-founded by Susanna Backman, Recarber develops and finances carbon removal projects. The Stockholm-based startup raised €5.1 million in a funding round co-led by Luminar Ventures, Spintop Ventures, and Course Corrected.
Planted secures €5M Seed funding to enhance AI-driven ESG software - Co-founded by Cindy Schüller, Planted is an AI-supported ESG platform that supports companies in their sustainability transformation. The Cologne, Germany-based startup raised €5 million in Seed funding from TechVision Fonds, Wenvest Capital, Neoteq Ventures, AWS Gründungsfonds, Smart Infrastructure Ventures, and angel investors.
From Bootstrap to Blackbird: The Future of Factor House - Co-founded by Kylie Troy-West, Factor House helps engineers manage real-time data systems. The Melbourne startup raised a $5 million Seed round led by Blackbird Ventures, with OIF Ventures, Flying Fox Ventures, and LaunchVic also contributing.
Springboards launches AI platform to enhance creative advertising, secures $5m seed funding - Co-founded by Amy Tucker, Springboards provides an AI-powered platform designed for creative professionals in the advertising industry. The Australia-based startup raised $5 million in Seed funding led by Blackbird Ventures.
Fuel Venture Capital invests in $4.5M round of female-led Aracor AI transforming legal operations - Founded by Katya Fisher, Aracor AI is an AI-native platform for complex contract review and due diligence. The Miami-based legal tech startup raised $4.5 million in Pre-Seed funding led by Fuel Venture Capital.
Cerula Care Secures $3.7M to Expand Cancer-Focused Behavioral Health Platform - Co-founded and led by Supriya Laknidh, Cerula Care develops behavioral health tools for oncologists. The US startup raised $3.7 million in Seed funding led by Esplanade Ventures and joined by Amplify Capital, BrightEdge, DigiTx Partners, SpringTime Ventures, and Mike Pykosz.
A 16-year-old helms this new regenerative farming startup - Co-founded and led by Harper Moss, Carbonzero.eco is a regenerative farming startup that turns agricultural waste into biochar. The Los Altos, California-based company raised $3.5 million in Seed funding.
Canadian Menopause Platform Coral Raises $4.1M Seed Round - Co-founded by Fiona Lake Waslander and Anna Chif, Coral is a women’s virtual care platform for perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. The Montreal-based startup raised $2.9 million (CAD 4.1M) in Seed funding led by Brightspark and joined by Diagram, The51, and angel investors.
This German e-fuel tech startup taps €2.3M funding to make green jet fuel a reality - Co-founded by Julia Bauer, Spark E-fuels develops sustainable aviation fuels. The Berlin-based startup raised €2.3 million in Pre-Seed funding led by Nucleus Capital. Zero Carbon Capital, IBB Ventures, Chemovator, Voyagers.io, and 1.5° Ventures also joined.
Finnish startup secures €2.3M to advance stem cell therapy for corneal blindness - Co-founded by Laura Koivusalo, Anni Mörö, Tanja Ilmarinen, and Heli Skottman, Stemsight develops stem cell therapies to treat corneal blindness. The Tampere, Finland-based startup raised €2.3 million from Voima Ventures, Stephen Industries, Biothom Oy, and Business Finland.
Constructiontech startup AI-BOB secures €2M for international expansion - Co-founded and led by Elin Mårtensson, AI-Bob uses AI to ensure construction projects comply with regulations, environmental requirements, and industry standards. The Stockholm-based startup raised €2 million in a funding round led by CapitalT and joined by Fund F and NCA.
3D mood board and marketplace Mattoboard picks up $2M to launch AI visual search - Co-founded by Sabina Khilnani, Mattoboard provides web-based software designed to simplify the creative process for interior designers and architects. The San Francisco startup raised a $2 million Seed round led by Acrobator Ventures, with participation from Blue Field Capital, SoundBoard, Home Depot Ventures, and Masco.
Female-focused search engine Diem sees 40% growth amid Trump, TikTok’s troubles, and Meta’s ‘masculinity’ moment - Co-founded by Emma Bates and Divia Singh, Diem is building an alternative to mainstream social platforms for women. The US startup raised $1.8 million from Precursor, Alumni Ventures, Gaingels, Swizzle Ventures, Otherwise Fund, and Rogue Women.
Future AGI Announces $1.6M Pre-Seed Funding Round and Launches World’s Most Accurate Multimodal AI Evaluation Tool - Co-founded by Charu Gupta, Future AGI enables developers and businesses to build and deliver their AI systems faster. The San Francisco-based AI infrastructure startup raised $1.6 million in Pre-Seed funding co-led by Powerhouse Ventures and Snow Leopard Ventures. Angellist Quant Fund, Swadharma Source Ventures, Saka Ventures, angel investors, and others also participated.
VC: Nina Capital announces first close of €50m fund to back early-stage healthtech founders - Founded by Marta G. Zanchi, Nina Capital announced the first close of its third fund of €50 million. The Barcelona-based VC firm aims to back 25 Pre-Seed to Series A health tech startups in Europe, the US, Canada, Israel, and Australia.
Swizzle Ventures Launches $6.6M Fund for Women’s Health and Wealth Startups - Founded and led by Jessica Kamada, Swizzle Ventures closed its $6.6 million Fund I, focused on advancing women’s health and wealth through pivotal life stages.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth