💸 Raquel Urtasun's Waabi Raised $200M to Develop Fully Driverless Trucks
FemWealth Issue #164
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In the Spotlight 💸
Founded and led by Raquel Urtasun, Waabi is developing fully driverless trucks using generative AI technology. It plans to launch fully driverless trucks in 2025.
“This technology is extremely, extremely powerful. It has this amazing ability to generalize, it’s very flexible, and it’s very fast to develop. And it’s something that we can expand to do much more than trucking in the future. … This could be robotaxis. This could be humanoids or warehouse robotics. This technology can solve any of those use cases.” - Raquel Urtasun, Founder and CEO of Waabi (via TechCrunch)
The Toronto-based company raised a $200 million Series B round co-led by Uber and Khosla Ventures. NVIDIA, Volvo Group Venture Capital, Porsche, Scania Invest, Ingka Investments, HarbourVest Partners, G2 Venture Partners, BDC Capital, Export Development Canada, Radical Ventures, and Incharge Capital also participated.
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Startups: Andreessen Horowitz Backs Behavioral Healthcare Company Talkiatry (WSJ $) - Co-founded by Dr. Georgia Gaveras, Talkiatry offers online psychiatric services. The New York startup announced a $130 million Series C in equity and debt. Andreessen Horowitz led the equity round, with additional participation from Perceptive Advisors.
iOnctura raises nearly $86m in Series B to fund Phase II cancer trials - Founded and led by Catherine Pickering, iOnctura is a cancer biotech that develops precision small molecules to combat hard-to-treat tumors. The Swiss company raised $85.8 million in a Series B round co-led by Syncona and EIC Fund, joined by Merck Ventures, Inkef Capital, VI Partners, Schroders Capital, and 3B Future Health Fund.
Daydream rakes in $50M seed funding to build an AI-powered search engine suited for e-commerce - Co-founded by Julie Bornstein (The Yes, Stich Fix) and Lisa Yamner Green, Daydream is an e-commerce search engine that uses AI to make search more personalized. The US company raised $50 million in Seed funding. Forerunner Ventures and Index Ventures co-led, joined by GV and True Ventures.
Pomelo Care notches $46M for virtual maternal services (Axios Pro $) - Founded and led by Marta Bralic, Pomelo Care is a virtual medical practice for pregnancy and newborn care. The New York City startup raised $46 million in Series B funding. Andreessen Horowitz and First Round Capital co-led the round, joined by Stripes, BoxGroup, Operator Partners, and SV Angel.
Zing Coach Raises $10M in Series A Funding - Co-founded and led by Tanya Parfenyuk, Zing Coach provides an AI-powered solution for hyper-personalized fitness training. The German company raised $10 million in Series A funding co-led by Zubr Capital and Triple Point Capital.
Stanly Raises $8 Million in Pre-Series A Round, Aims to Revolutionize Fandom Experience - Co-founded and led by Rebecca Leung, Stanly’s app offers fan-to-fan and artist-to-fan communication and commerce. The Los Angeles startup raised $8 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by C Capital, with AppWorks, Goodwater, and Palm Drive Capital also participating.
Kilimo helps farmers save water and get paid for it - Co-founded by Tatiana Malvasio, Kilimo provides a water management tool for farmers. The Argentinian startup announced a $7.5 million Series A led by Emerald Technology Ventures, with participation from iThink VC, Kamay Ventures, Salkantay Ventures, and The Yield Lab Latam.
Now a Series A startup, kids app and ‘digital toy’ Pok Pok is coming to Android - Co-founded by Melissa Cash and Esther Huybreghts, Pok Pok offers an app focused on building play-based learning experiences for preschool kids. The company raised $6 million in a Series A round led by Adjacent’s Nico Wittenborn, joined by Konvoy Ventures, MetaLab Ventures, Banana Capital, and angel investors, including Michelle Kennedy from Peanut.
Apolitical granted $5M from Google.org for government AI training - Co-founded by Robyn Scott (CEO) and Lisa Witter, Apolitical is a network and learning platform that supplies training to governments across the world. The Stockholm-based company raised $5 million in grant funding from Google.org.
Spanish IENAI Space raises €3.9M for small satellites - Co-founded by Dr. Sara Correyero Plaza, IENAI Space develops electric propulsion systems and mission analysis for nano-satellites. The Madrid-based company raised a $4.2 million round led by GED Conexo, with Inveready, WA4STEAM, DPM, and CDTI also joining.
Scoop Analytics Announces $3.5M in Seed Funding from Ridge Ventures, Engineering Capital, Industry Ventures - Co-founded by Janet Gehrmann, Scoop Analytics is a business analytics tool that uses AI to provide insights into consumer behavior and market trends. The San Francisco startup raised a $3.5 million Seed round led by Ridge Ventures, joined by Industry Ventures, and Engineering Capital.
Style DNA gets a generative AI chatbot that suggests outfit ideas based on your color type - Co-founded and led by Elena Volkova, Style DNA is an AI-powered fashion stylist app that creates a personalized style profile from a single selfie. The Barcelona-based company previously announced €3.4 million in Pre-Seed funding from Black River Ventures.
forward earth raises €3.2M for environmental data management - Co-founded by Cari Davidson, forward earth is an AI-powered carbon management platform for businesses. The Berlin-based startup raised €3.2 million in funding. Speedinvest led the round, joined by Revent, Lucid Capital, the European Union (EFRE), and angel investors.
Backstroke Raises $2M in Seed Funding - Co-founded by Allyson Talyor, PhD, Backstroke is a generative AI messaging platform designed for B2C brands and retailers. The US-based startup raised $2 million in a Seed funding round co-led by High Alpha and Ground Game Ventures, joined by Allos Ventures.
Meet Seen, a new app for friends to record reactions to TikToks and other content - Co-founded by actress Karen Gillan, Seen provides a video messaging app. The US startup raised $1 million in funding.
GenAI startup mika lands €800k for automated accounting - Founded and led by Agnieszka M. Walorska, mika builds generative AI-powered models to handle accounting tasks, tax filings, and financial advice. The Berlin-based startups raised €800k in Pre-Seed funding. Samen Slimmer, an alliance composed of Keen Venture Partners, DFF, and Slimmer AI led the round.
VC: MIT Spinout The Engine Ventures Raises New $398 Million Fund To Tackle Tech’s Toughest Problems - Led by CEO Katie Rae, The Engine Ventures, a VC firm spun out of MIT, launched its third fund of $398 million to invest in Seed and Series A startups in areas such as sustainability, health, and infrastructure.
Paris-based VC Breega hits first close of $75M Africa fund to back pre-seed and seed startups - French VC Breega announced the first close of a $75 million fund to invest in early-stage startups in Africa. The “Africa Seed I” fund is co-led by Tosin Faniro-Dada (ex CEO of Endeavor Nigeria).
Fashion Industry: The $1 million boost for New York’s garment district (Vogue Business $) - Founded and led by Ngozi Okaro, Custom Collaborative, a New York-based non-profit that trains low-income and immigrant women in sustainable fashion received $1 million in funding.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth