Hi FemWealth Friends!
In the Spotlight 💸
Founded and led by Peony Li, Jude, a London-based bladder health startup secured a $4.24 million seed round to expand into the US.
“It’s easier for women to talk about health issues — especially this issue in particular. (…) There are no competitors out there — it’s a complete white space.” - Peony Li, via TechCrunch
With an initial focus on women’s health, Jude aims to establish the business as a category leader in the bladder health space and address broader health issues that affect both men and women, including overactive bladder, leaking or incontinence, or recurring urinary infections.
Jude’s offering includes a prescription-free bladder strength supplement, a range of absorbent pants, liners and pads, and a support hotline with free advice from trained specialists.
Eka VC and Joyance led the company’s seed round, with additional support from June Angelides at Samos VC, and Dr. Fiona Pathiraja of Crista Galli Ventures. The startup also received a grant from Innovate UK.
Read more here.
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Imbue raises $200M to build AI models that can ‘robustly reason’ - Co-founded and led by Kanjun Qiu, Imbue, a San Francisco-based AI research lab raised $200 million in a Series B funding round, at a valuation of over $1 billion. Astera Institute, Nvidia, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, and Notion co-founder Simon Last participated in the round.
CLARA Analytics Raises $24M in Series C Funding, Accelerating AI Adoption for Insurance Claims - Led by Heather H. Wilson, CLARA Analytics, is a California-based provider of insurance claims optimization solutions. Spring Lake Equity Partners led the company’s Series C round, joined by Aspen Capital Group, Oak HC/FT, and QBE Ventures.
Brine Fi Raises $16.5 Million As It Aims To Broaden The DEX Market - Co-founded by Ritumbhara Bhatnagar (CDO), Brine Fi, a decentralised exchange for cryptocurrencies trading, announced a $16.5 million funding round. Pantera Capital led the round, with additional support from Elevation Capital, Starkware, Spartan Group, Goodwater Capital, Upsparks Ventures, Protofund Ventures, and angel investors.
AI reading coach startup Ello raises $15M to bolster child literacy - Co-founded by Dr. Elizabeth Adams (CXO), Ello aims to eradicate childhood illiteracy by leveraging artificial intelligence and child speech recognition technology. It secured $15 million in Series A funding.
Amy Schumer, Mark Wahlberg among SkinnyDipped’s star-studded $12M Series A - Founded by mother-and-daughter Val and Breezy Griffith, snack company SkinnyDipped, announced $12 million in Series A funding to move into new retailers and new categories.
Norwegian AML software firm Strise secures $10.8M funding for global expansion - Co-founded and led by Marit Rødevand, the Norwegian anti-money laundering intelligence software company raised $10.8 million in Series A funding. Atomico led the round with participation from existing backers Curiosity, Maki.vc, Sondo Capital and Likeminded, and angel investors including Camilla Giesecke (Klarna’s COO).
Real-time flight rewards search engine Point.me raises $10M - Co-founded by president Tiffany Funk, Point.me is an online search engine and concierge service that makes it easy to discover real-time reward flight options. The New York-based startup raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Thayer Ventures, with participation from PAR Capital Ventures, RiverPark Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures, and MoreThanCapital.
Opna wants to help companies hit ‘net zero’ by finding and funding carbon projects - Founded and led by Shilpika Gautam, the London startup raised $6.5 million in a Seed funding round led by Atomico, with additional support from Pale Blue Dot, MCJ Collective, Angelinvest, Tiny VC, and angels.
Kind Designs raises $5M in seed funding to deploy 3D-printed seawalls - Founded and led by Anya Freeman, Kind Designs, a Miami-based developer of 3D-printed seawalls whose design mimics coral reefs and mangroves, raised $5 million in seed funding from GOVO Venture Partners, M4 Investing, and the Florida Opportunity Fund.
Blooming Health snags $4.2M for social needs of older adults (Axios Pro $)- Co-founded by CCO Kavitha Gnanasambandan, Ph.D., the New York-based platform connects aging care providers with patients and their caregivers. It raised $4.2 million in a seed funding round co-led by Afore Capital and Crossbeam Venture Partners, with additional funding from Metrodora and Evan Moore.
Sam Altman-backed Mentra aims to match neurodivergent jobseekers with ideal jobs - Co-founded and led by Jhillika Kumar, Mentra aims to build an AI-powered “neuroinclusive employment network”. The tech platform leverages AI to help enterprises hire employees with cognitive differences (e.g. autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder). Mentra announced a $3.5 million seed round led by Shine Capital, and joined by Hydrazine Capital, Verissimo, Full Circle, Charlotte Fund, and angel investors.
Copenhagen-based HR tech Woba raises €2.95 million to measure and maximise employee retention - The employee retention platform, co-founded and led by Malene Madsen, raised a $3 million funding round led by reSeed Ventures and EIFO.
Athena Alliance Raises $2.5M in Seed Funding - Founded by Coco Brown, the San Francisco-based professional development community for executive and board-ready women, raised $2.5 million in a seed extension funding round led by Leonas Capital and Advisory. Notably, 87% of its cap table are women, 29% are people of color, and 3% are LGBTQ+.
Breastfeeding Support Platform pumpspotting Raises $2.2M Series Seed II Round to Continue Expansion to Workplace, Retail & Commercial Environments - Founded and led by Amy VanHaren, the US-based breastfeeding support platform secured $2.2 million in Series Seed II funding. Sincere Corporation and Maine Venture Fund led the round, with additional support from Unum Business Ventures, and Maine Technology Institute.
LocalGlobe and Pronomos Capital back Itana to pave the way for Africa’s first digital free zone - Co-founded by COO Coco Liu, Itana is a Nigerian developer of “digital free-trade charter cities”. It raised $2 million in pre-seed funding from Future Africa, LocalGlobe, Amplo, and Pronomos Capital.
Miri Raises $1.2M in Pre-Seed Funding to Launch Its AI-Driven Health and Wellness Platform - Co-founded and led by Amy Kelly, Miri is a US-based AI health and wellness platform that offers users 24/7 access to health and wellness experts.
Voiijer’s new app offers a social community for nature-lovers and explorers - Co-founded by CPO Michelle Excell, Voiijer aims to connect nature enthusiasts to the world’s wonders. The startup raised nearly $1 million in angel funding from friends and family.
VC: 500 Global closes $143M fund for Southeast Asia startups - 500 Global, the venture firm and seed accelerator co-founded and led by veteran investor Christine Tsai, closed $143 million in capital commitments for its largest Southeast Asia early-stage fund to date.
Connect Ventures hits $80M for its next fund, says the Bear market means ‘Product is back, baby!’ - Co-founded and co-led by Sitar Teli, the London-based seed stage-focused VC announced an initial close of $80 million for its fourth fund. The firm invests across B2B SaaS, Fintech, Consumer, Healthcare, and Web3. LPs include British Patient Capital, De Agostini, Big Society Capital, Top Tier, and Molten Ventures.
World Fund adds over €50M to climate kitty despite climatetech funding dip - Founded and led by Daria Saharova, Berlin-based VC World Fund raised an additional €50+ million for its climate tech-focused fund.
Nordic-based Unconventional Ventures nears €30M fund close to back diverse European teams - Launched in 2018 as an SPV ‘nano-fund’ by Thea Messel and Nora Bavey, Unconventional Ventures (UV) is now structured as a VC entity. The Copenhagen-based firm targets a €30 million fund to back early-stage startups led by underrepresented founders in Europe, with a focus on climatetech, femtech, diversity tech, sustainable fashion, foodtech, healthtech, edtech, and fintech. LPs include Atomico, the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), Investinor, The Case for Her, and The Inner Foundation.
Catalyst Fund reaches first close to back climate-tech startups in Africa - Co-led by Managing Partner Maelis Carraro, Catalyst Fund announced an initial close of $8.6 million of its $40 million fund intended for investment in climate startups in Africa. The pan-African fund is targeting pre-seed startups in agtech, insurtech, climate fintech, fishery management, food systems, cold chain, waste management, and water management. Backers include FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi), Cisco Foundation, USAID Prosper Africa, and tech investor Andrew Bredenkamp.
Seattle-based Breakers, a new fund led by Annie Luchsinger, eyes early-stage startups- Annie Luchsinger, a former entrepreneur and investor at Anthos Capital, launched Breakers, a new Seatle-based VC firm aiming to back pre-seed and seed-stage software and consumer internet businesses across the US and Canada.
How Today’s Most Innovative Investors Are Shaking Up Venture Capital
“Despite raising less money, women consistently outperform their male counterparts, delivering much more per dollar invested and generating a higher return on investment in both private and public companies. What’s more, gender-balanced investment teams correlate with a higher IRR and an increase in fund returns, and female VC partners lead nearly twice as many financings in female founding teams.” - Lindsey Taylor Wood, CEO and General Partner at The Helm
Setting up a VC fund 101 — what emerging managers need to know
“Building a network of credible and knowledgeable investors, advisors and partners is a cornerstone of a successful VC fund.” - Inka Mero, founder and managing partner at Voima Ventures
Women’s Health: The firms that want to test menstrual blood - Features M.D. Sara Naseri, co-founder and CEO of Qvin; Miriam Santer co-founder and COO of theblood.
Sports: Jazmin Sawyers: GB athlete on the need for more women-specific sport science research
“I would love to see more research about the affects of the menstrual cycle, which could inform how we train, help us to avoid preventable injuries, and teach us how to optimise our performances at major championships. (…)
As elite athletes, although we can’t influence the level of research being undertaken, what we can do is talk openly about the topic and do our bit to normalise the conversation.” - Jazmin Sawyers, British track and field athlete and sports presenter
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth