💸 Sara Marquart's Planet A Foods Secures $30M Series B to Produce Cocoa-Free Chocolate
FemWealth Issue #188
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded by Sara Marquart, Planet A Foods produces sustainable, cocoa-free chocolate using plant-based ingredients through traditional fermentation methods.
The Munich, Germany-based B2B foodtech startup secured a $30 million Series B round co-led by Burda Principal Investments and Zintinus, with participation from AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance, Bayern Kapital, Cherry Ventures, Omnes Capital, Tengelmann Ventures, and World Fund.
Read more: Planet A Foods nabs $30M to make tons more cocoa-free chocolate
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Startups: Sage Secures $35 Million in Series B Funding to Transform Senior Living Operations Across the U.S. and Beyond - Co-founded by Ellen Johnston, Sage Solutions provides software for senior living communities. The New York startup raised $35 million in a Series B round led by IVP, with additional support from Friends & Family Capital, Plus Capital, Animo Ventures, Distributed Ventures, Goldcrest Capital, and Maveron.
20VC-backed crypto wallet Deblock raises £13.3m amid crypto’s new boom - Co-founded by Adriana Restrepo, Deblock provides a digital wallet that allows users to manage cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies. The London startup raised a £13.3 million Seed round from Headline, Hoxton Ventures, Chalfen Ventures, and 20VC.
Portugal’s CarboCode raises €15M to bring infant formula closer to breast milk’s nutritional benchmark - Co-founded by Gyorgyi Osztrovszky, CarboCode produces and commercializes glycosphingolipids for cosmetic and nutrition applications. The Portugal and Germany-based biotech company raised €15 million in Series C funding led by Iberis Capital.
Orakl Oncology raises €11M to launch AI-powered drug development products - Co-founded by Fanny Jaulin, PhD and Diane-Laure Pagès, PhD, Orakl Oncology leverages tumor avatars that combine best-in-class biology with high-quality clinical and molecular data at scale. The Paris, France-based precision oncology company raised an $11.6 million Seed round led by Singular, with additional support from Bpifrance and Grand Prix i-Lab.
Fello Raises $10.4M to Launch Peer Support Platform Tackling Loneliness Epidemic - Co-founded and led by Alyssa Pollack, Fello is a peer support platform addressing the loneliness epidemic. The US startup launched with $10.4 million in funding from 62Ventures, The Capital Factory, Katalyst Capital, and Offline Ventures.
Cambridge-based 52North secures €5.7 million funding to advance oncology-focused innovations - Co-founded and led by Umaima Malik Ahmad, 52North provides fully-integrated clinical, AI, and medical-device based systems focused on oncology care. The Cambridge, UK-based company raised €6 million in a funding round co-led by KHP Ventures and Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Co. (CSIP). OKG Capital, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Cancer Research Horizons, and Macmillan Cancer Support also participated. The round includes a €1.4 million grant provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
ICHRA-focused StretchDollar raises $6M with help from Oscar Health - Co-founded by Kaiza Molina, StretchDollar helps SMBs offer affordable and customizable health benefits to employees. The San Francisco and Pittsburgh-based startup raised a $6 million round co-led by Fika Ventures and Oscar Health, joined by Precursor Ventures, and Springbank.
After selling his last startup to IBM, this founder now wants to bring ‘agentic memory’ to enterprise data - Co-founded by Dr. Niloufar Salehi, Across AI develops a “dynamic memory system.” The US startup raised $5.75 million in Seed funding co-led by Cota Capital and Village Global.
CAT Labs, a startup fighting tech-enabled crime, raises $5.4 million seed round (Fortune $) - Founded and led by Lili Infante, Cat Labs is building digital asset recovery and cybersecurity tools to help government agencies and private industry fight tech-enabled crime. The New York-based startup raised a $5.4 million Seed round led by M13. Existing investors Castle Island Ventures, CMT Digital, and Hash3 also joined.
RL Core Technologies Announces Successful Close of $5 Million Seed Round Funding Led by TQ Ventures - Co-founded and led by Martha White, RL Core Technologies provides waste and wastewater process control optimization software. The Edmonton, Canada-based company raised $5 million in a Seed round led by TQ Ventures and joined by Flying Fish Ventures.
Mondelez Sees a Future for Chocolate in Cultured Cocoa Startup (Bloomberg $) - Co-founded by Michal Beressi Golomb and Hanne Volpin, PhD, Celleste Bio aims to produce high quality and high value cocoa ingredients using cell culture methods, eliminating the dependence on cultivation of cocoa trees. The Tel Aviv-based company raised $4.5 million in a Seed round led by Supply Change Capital, joined by SnackFutures Ventures, Consensus Business Group, The Trendlines Group, Barrel Ventures, and Regba Agriculture.
Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner are raising money for a new consumer startup - Co-founded by Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner, Khloud, a US snackmaker secured $4.5 million of a $10 million round it’s aiming to raise. (per an SEC filing via Axios Pro $ and Techcrunch)
Ex-Microsoft employees get $4M from Accel to build an AI tool for product presentations - Founded by Priyaa Kalyanaraman and Purvanshi Mehta, Lica provides an AI tool that enables users to create personalized product videos and presentations by recording their screens. The San Francisco startup raised a $4 million Seed round led by Accel, with South Park Commons, Village Global, and angels also contributing.
Nectir lets teachers tailor AI chatbots to provide their students with 24/7 educational support - Co-founded and led by Kavitta Ghai, Nectir enables teachers to create a personalized learning partner that provides constant support and assistance to students. The company announced its $4 million Seed round led by Long Journey Ventures with participation from Behind Genius Ventures, Entrada Ventures, and Precursor Ventures.
Luminate Medical secures additional funding as clinical tests get under way in the US - Co-founded by Barbara Oliveira, Luminate is developing technology to deliver cancer treatments at home. The Galway, Ireland-based company raised €2.5 million in a Series A extension led by Atlantic Bridge.
Y Combinator alum Nowadays, founded by sisters, raises $2M to automate event planning - Founded by sisters Anna Sun and Amy Yan, Nowadays uses LLM AI to plan large, expensive events automatically. The San Francisco-based company raised a $2 million Seed round from Y Combinator, Basis Set Ventures, Hike VC, VentureUs, Underdog Labs, Decacorn Capital, SBXi, E14, and angels.
Thomas Benski’s Lumina Makes $2 Million Investment in Game Studio Creators Corp - Founded and led by Anne-Margot Rodde, Creators Corp. is an Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) game studio evolving at the intersection of the creators economy and the metaverse. The Los Angeles startup raised a $2 million round led by Lumina.
MaxHome emerges from stealth mode with $2 million in pre-seed funding and partnerships with powerhouse real estate brokerages - Founded and led by Divya Aathresh, MaxHome is an AI-native platform for real estate agents and brokerages. The US startup secured $2 million in a Pre-Seed round led by BBG Ventures, with participation from Power of N and Fortitude Ventures.
London-based Synthera secures €1.7 million to develop financial risk management with generative AI - Co-founded and led by Mariana Barona, Synthera uses GenAI for financial risk management. The London-based startup raised €1.7 million in Pre-Seed funding. Motive Ventures led the round, joined by Entrepreneur First, Transpose Platform, KDX, BuenTrip Ventures, Robin Capital, and Angel Invest.
Biodiversity startup Darwin secures €1.5M for nature data analysis - Co-founded and led by Aurore Falque-Pierrotin, Darwin helps businesses measure and manage their environmental impact, focusing on biodiversity. The Paris-based startup raised a $1.6 million Pre-Seed round led by Astérion.
Violette_FR Lands Series B Funding (WWD$) - Founded by French-born makeup artist Violette Serrat, Violette_FR is a vegan beauty brand inspired by the French mentality of celebrating imperfection. The New York City company raised an undisclosed Series B round. Silas Capital and Experienced Capital co-led, joined by Monogram Capital Partners and Felix Capital.
VC: WHAM Launches High-Impact Investment Collaborative - Led by Carolee Lee, Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM), a US non-profit launched The WHAM Investment Collaborative—an initiative aimed to accelerate innovation and unlock the vast, underexplored opportunities within the women’s health market. The Investment Collaborative founding members are Insight Partners (represented by Alexandra Lundin), L Catterton (represented by Erin Lambroza), Lightstone Ventures, Northpond Ventures (represented by Sharon Kedar), RA Capital Management, and UPMC Enterprises (represented by Anna Mamo).
“By accelerating innovation in women’s health, we can unlock significant economic and health benefits—not just for women, but for everyone. The WHAM Investment Collaborative goes beyond closing the funding gap; it’s about driving solutions that will transform healthcare.” - Carolee Lee, CEO and Founder of WHAM
Founded and led by Mary Wheeler, BioRock Ventures, a US VC fund focused on therapeutics startups, is raising $60 million for its second fund (per an SEC filing via Axios Pro).
Led by Kelli Jones, Sixty8 Capital, a US VC firm dedicated to investing in Black, Latinx, Women, LGBTQ+, and disabled founders, is raising up to $40 million for its second fund (per an SEC filing via Axios Pro).
Nonprofit 1863 Ventures has closed, reborn into for-profit New Majority Ventures - Founded and led by Melissa Bradley, 1863 Ventures, a Washington, DC nonprofit venture firm that invested in underrepresented founders, will transition into a for-profit organisation called New Majority Ventures that will continue its mission. It will invest capital on behalf of a fiscal sponsor.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth