💸 Solo GP Sarah Smith Launches $16M Debut Fund
FemWealth Issue #218
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In the Spotlight 💸
Founded and led by former Bain Capital Ventures partner Sarah Smith, Sarah Smith Fund, a US-based early-stage VC firm, raised $16.1 million for its debut fund.
“Every day I’m dreaming of more ways to support my founders, combining my experience and network with AI.” - Sarah Smith (via TechCrunch)
The fund aims to invest in 50 companies mainly in the Stanford ecosystem, with an average check size of $250,000.
Limited partners include Pear VC, Ulu Ventures, and Verdis Investment Management.
Read more here.
FemWealth Favourites ❤️
Startups: Founded and led by Leila Jaafar, Nuclidium is a clinical-stage radiopharma biotech focused on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Basel- and Munich-based company secured €84 million in Series B funding co-led by Kurma Partners, Angelini Ventures, Wellington Partners, and Neva. DeepTech & Climate Fonds, Bayern Kapital, Vives Partners, Eurazeo, NRW.Bank, and HighLight Capital also contributed.
Led by Emily Conley, Renasant Bio develops kidney disease treatments. The Berkeley, California-based startup raised $54.5 million in Seed funding led by 5AM Ventures and joined by Atlas Venture, OrbiMed, and Qiming Venture Partners USA.
Co-founded by Stephanie Wisner, Centivax develops vaccines designed to provide broad protection against multiple strains of viruses. The South San Francisco biotech startup secured a $45 million Series A round led by Future Ventures and including NFX, BOLD Capital, Base4, Kendall Capital Partners, and Amplify Bio.
Co-founded and led by Diana Abdueva, Ph.D., Aqtual, Inc. develops products for chronic diseases and oncology. The California-based medtech company raised a $31 million Series B round from Bold Capital, Bold Longevity Growth Fund, Genoa Ventures, Manta Ray Ventures, and Yu Galaxy.
Co-founded by Julie Zhuo, Sundial builds an analytics stack for AI companies. The San Francisco startup raised a $16 million Series A round led by GreatPoint Ventures.
Co-founded by Danai Antoniou, Gradient Labs creates AI agents for the financial industry. The London startup closed $13 million in Series A funding led by Redpoint Ventures, with participation from LocalGlobe, Puzzle Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures, and Exceptional Capital.
Co-founded by Chelsea Border, AirGarage provides parking facilities management software. The San Francisco-based startup raised $23 million in Series B funding led by Headline and joined by Founders Fund and Fourthline Capital Management.
Co-founded and led by Roberta Vasconcellos, Woba provides a subscription-based flexible office network in Latin America. The São Paulo-based startup raised $13.5 million in a funding round led by Bewater and joined by Kaszek Ventures, Valor Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor Scale-Up Ventures, and Citrino Ventures.
Co-founded by Chriselle Lim and Joan Nguyen, Bumo enables parents to find and book childcare services from vetted providers. The California startup raised a $10 million Seed round co-led by Offline Ventures and True Ventures, with Goodwater Capital and Marketplace Capital also joining.
Co-founded by Olivia Higgs, Blok builds AI agents that simulate user behaviour for mobile apps. The San Francisco startup raised $7.5 million in Series A funding led by MaC Venture Capital.
Co-founded by Tess Frazier and led by Irina Denisenko, Knox helps software companies achieve US government SaaS security compliance. The New York startup raised a $6.5 million Seed round led by Felicis, with contributions from Ridgeline and FirsthandVC.
Co-founded by Petra Doelman, Novenda Technologies is a 3D printing company specialized in dental applications. The Netherlands-based startup closed $6.1 million in Series A funding. Brightlands Venture Partners led the round, joined by KBC Focus Fund, Borski Fund, and Limburg Business Development Fund.
Co-founded by Tamara Ciullo, Cariqa is a payment platform for EV charging. The Berlin startup raised a $4.7 million Seed round co-led by Anthemis Group and Contrarian Ventures, with Anthemis Group Female Innovators Lab, Earth, Golden Egg Check, and Techstars also contributing.
Co-founded and led by Ghita Houir Alami, ZeroEntropy develops an AI retrieval engine for developers. The San Francisco startup raised a $4.2 million Seed round led by Initialized Capital, with support from Y Combinator, Transpose Platform, 22 Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz ( a16z Scout).
Co-founded by Judit Giró Benet and Lidia Navarro Farré, PhD, Blue Box Biomedical offers a urine-based screening test for early signs of breast cancer. The Spanish medtech company raised €3 million in Seed funding led by Unconventional Ventures and joined by Fund F, Grow Ventures, Hans(wo)man Group, and the Foss/Krups family.
Co-founded by Xiaoyin Qu, HeyBoss.AI helps clients build websites and businesses with teams of AI avatar executives. The US startup raised a $3.5 million Seed round led by OpenAI Startup Fund.
Co-founded and led by Clara Stephenson, Solence focuses on treatments for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. The Paris-based AI-driven health startup raised €1.6 million in Seed funding led by Impact Shakers.
VC: Co-founded and led by Janneke Niessen and Eva De Mol Ph.D, Amsterdam-based CapitalT announced the first close of its second fund, targeting €50 million. The fund will back Climate Tech and Future of Work startups.
British Business Bank committed £500 million to invest in diverse fund managers.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth