💸 Vanessa Rissetto and Tamar Samuels' Culina Health Raises $7.9M Series A
FemWealth Issue #190
Hi FemWealth Friends,
Thank you for welcoming FemWealth into your inboxes in 2024. Quick programming note: a special edition is dropping on January 5th, 2025. Please reach out if you have any exciting predictions, tips, or wins to share.
In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded by Vanessa Rissetto and Tamar Samuels, Culina Health connects patients and healthcare providers to a network of registered dietitians who can provide virtual care focused on chronic disease prevention, wellness, and weight loss.
The US company announced a $7.9 million Series A, led by Healthworx (the CVC of the insurance company CareFirst), with participation from Collab Capital, Cake Ventures, and GW Ventures.
Read more: Culina Health nabs $7.9M to provide virtual access to registered dietitians
FemWealth Favourites ❤️
Startups: Boon raises $20.5M to build agentic AI tools for fleets - Co-founded and led by Deepti Yenireddy, Boon develops AI-driven tools to automate fleet management operations. The San Francisco startup announced $20.5 million in Seed and Series A funding from Marathon and Redpoint Ventures.
Anatomy gets $19M for converting mail to digital lockbox (Axios Pro $) - Co-founded and led by Sasha King, Anatomy Financial is on a mission to automate financial workflows for healthcare. The San Francisco-based startup raised a $19 million Series A led by Canapi Venture and joined by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Bluenote Raises $10M from Lux Capital & Elad Gil to Transform Life Sciences Workflows with AI - Co-founded and led by Fatima Sabar, Bluenote aims to tackle the pharma industry’s regulatory burden. The US startup secured a $10 million Seed round led by Lux Capital, with additional support from Elad Gil, Anthropic & Menlo Ventures Anthology Fund, McKesson Ventures, Electric Capital, Moxxie Ventures, and Carbon Silicon Ventures.
NeuroKaire Secures $10 Million to Advance Precision Medicine for Mental Health - Co-founded by Talia Cohen Solal and Daphna Laifenfeld, NeuroKaire develops precision medicine in psychiatry and neurology. The Tel Aviv, Israel and US-based company raised $10 million in a round led by GreyBird Ventures, joined by Meron Capital, and Jumpspeed Ventures.
New home marketplace Jome raises $9.8M (Axios Pro $) - Co-founded by Sofia Vyshnevska, Jome is an AI-powered real estate marketplace that simplifies the home-buying experience for new construction homes. The Austin-based startup raised $9.8 million in Series A funding. Geek Ventures led the round, joined by U.Ventures, Toloka VC, and Forefront VP.
Cadstrom Raises $6.8M in Seed Funding to Streamline Validation for Electronic Hardware Design - Co-founded and led by Margot Blouin, Cadstrom builds AI tools that enable electrical engineers to design devices correctly on their first try. The Montreal, Canada-based startup raised $6.8 million in Seed funding. Bison Ventures led the round, joined by Innovation Endeavors, and AI2 Incubator.
Lushi Launches Patient-Centric Fertility Care Services with $5M in Seed Funding - Co-founded by Jessica Schaefer and supported by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mana Baskovic, Lushi aims to transform the fertility care experience. The US startup recently launched with $5 million in funding from angel investors, including Ariel Kaye, founder and CEO of Parachute.
Concinnity secures £3M Seed funding to advance AI-driven gene therapy safety - Co-founded and led by Jessica Birt, Concinnity Genetics aims to transform the safety of gene therapies by designing novel control mechanisms using its AI platform and synthetic biology expertise. The Edinburgh-based biotech startup raised €3 million in a Seed round led by Eos Advisory and joined by Scottish Enterprise, Old College Capital, and Maven Capital Partners.
Co-founded by Sara Hernández, Mogu is a SaaS platform that enables travel businesses to create travel proposals and manage bookings and payments. The Madrid-based startup raised €2.2 million in a funding round co-led by 4Founders Capital, Athos Capital, and Bynd Venture Capital.
New Wave Biotech raises €1.2 million to transform R&D in synbio and alt protein production - Co-founded and led by Zoe Yu Tung Law, New Wave Biotech develops AI bioprocess optimisation software empowering synthetic biology innovators to get products to market quicker, better, and at lower cost. The London-based startup raised €1.2 million in funding from EIT Food and Innovate UK.
Belgian-American startup NOX Energy raises $1M to save on energy costs and support a greener electricity grid - Co-founded and led by Axelle Moortgat, Nox Energy connects electricity markets with manufacturers of energy-efficient assets. The Antwerp, Belgium-based startup raised $1 million in a round led by Volve Capital, joined by investors including Seeder.
Teen Period Care Brand RedDrop Wins $1M Prize from Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition - Co-founded and led by Dr. Monica Williams and Dana Roberts, RedDrop is a wellness brand focused on period care products for tweens. The Atlanta-based startup has been awarded the $1 Million Dollar Grand Prize from Black Ambition, Pharrell Williams’ non-profit organization supporting Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs.
With diverse leadership to success: talent development platform Happybase raises €650,000 growth capital - Co-founded by Eva Meije and Marianne Meijers, Utrecht, The Netherlands-based Happybase raised €650,000 to help employees with personal and professional growth.
Bettii Pod Raises £400K to Advance Its Menstrual Cup Washing Solution for Public Toilets - Founded and led by Elaine Galston, The Bettii Pod, a femtech startup developing a menstrual cup/disc washer for public toilets, secured £400,000, including £70,000 from Scottish EDGE and £338,000 from investors Equity Gap and Scottish Enterprise.
From period underwear to plastic-eating mushrooms: Miki Agrawal’s life after Thinx - Serial entrepreneur Miki Agrawal, launched Hiro Technologies, a startup that harnesses fungi to turn soft plastics back into nature.
Women’s & Family Health: First Baby Born Using Gameto’s Egg Maturation Technology that Reduces IVF Hormone Injections - Co-founded and led by Dr. Dina Radenkovic, Gameto announced the world’s first live birth using Fertilo, its technology that matures eggs outside the body.
WellTheory Launches Program Targeting Link Between Autoimmune Disease and Hormonal Health - Co-founded and led by Ellen Rudolph, WellTheory, a virtual care platform for autoimmune disease, launched a new women’s health program that aims to support women dealing with the interconnected challenges of autoimmune disease and hormone imbalances.
NIH Launches DiscoverWHR, a New Digital Resource to Advance Women’s Health Research - The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched DiscoverWHR, a new platform that serves as a centralized hub for women’s health research.
VC: XGEN Venture closes $190M fund with plans to invest in early-stage biotech, medtech firms - Co-founded and co-led by Federica Draghi, Italian VC XGEN Venture launched its $190 million debut fund to invest in biotech and medtech companies.
‘Genius Girl’ goes from inspiring a Korean TV show character to raising a $100 million AI fund - Songyee Yoon launched Principal Venture Partners (PVP), a $100 million fund to back AI startups. The US firm will write early-stage checks ranging from $100,000 to “single-digit millions.” Daniela Rus, a renowned researcher at MIT and Dawn Song, a Professor at UC Berkeley and MacArthur Fellow are also Partners at the firm.
Swizzle Fund raises $5M for inaugural fund addressing women’s health and wealth - Jessica Kamada launched Swizzle Fund I with $5 million in capital commitments, according to an SEC filing. The firm plans to invest in companies that empower women through pivotal life stages at the intersections of Care, Health, and Wealth.
Co-led by General Partner Maha Katabi, PhD, CFA, Sofinnova Venture Partners is raising up to $550 million for its seventh fund, per an SEC filing [via Axios Pro].
Venture Capital in 2025: predictions and trends to watch out for - By Francesca (Check) Warner, Partner at Ada Ventures
Arlan Hamilton announces changes at Backstage Capital, will step into advisory role - Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital, announced her decision to transition into a chairperson and advisory position at the firm. She also stated that the firm will enter a strategic partnership with 360 Venture Collective which will be “acquiring a significant stake in Backstage’s management entity.”
The things nobody told me about launching a fund: The ops and costs of running a first fund - Carmen Alfonso Rico, solo GP at VC firm Cocoa details the various costs associated with launching and running a fund.
How Stacy Brown-Philpot Became Silicon Valley’s Most Influential Board Member - Features Stacy Brown-Philpot, who after stepping down as CEO of TaskRabbit joined the boards of HP, Nordstrom, Noom, and StockX and became one of the most sought-after board members in the US. Now she is starting her own venture fund - Cherryrock Capital.
AI: ‘My job is to worry’: Google DeepMind COO Lila Ibrahim on the responsibility of building AI - Features Lila Ibrahim, first ever COO of Google DeepMind
“I certainly hope that my daughters and their generation push the bounds of what it means to be an engineer, a scientist, well beyond what my generation was able to accomplish (…)
“I also feel like it’s my responsibility now in this role, at this time in history, to make sure that I am not just bringing women along but thinking about bringing others along, whether it’s gender, geographic diversity, ethnic diversity – because I think to have the impact in society that we need to have, we need the diverse voices in from the beginning.” - Lila Ibrahim, COO of DeepMind
Women’s Sports: Women’s basketball league Unrivaled secures $28 million in new funding from star-studded investor lineup - Founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled is an upcoming professional women’s basketball league. The US league raised $28 million in Series A funding. The Berman family led the round, joined by Build Your Legacy Ventures, Avenue Sports Fund, and others. The league has signed 36 top players who will all get equity.
Fashion & Beauty Industry: Vera Wang on why she’s selling her brand after 35 years (Vogue Business $) - Veteran designer Vera Wang struck a deal with WHP Global to sell her eponymous brand after 35 years in business. She will stay on as founder and chief creative officer while joining WHP as a shareholder.
Puig extends Charlotte Tilbury investment after sales triple (Vogue Business $) - Charlotte Tilbury MBE, who currently serves as president, chairman, chief creative officer, and founder of the namesake brand, will retain a minority stake, with Puig “to progressively assume full ownership until the beginning of 2031”.
Thank you for reading FemWealth! If you enjoyed this edition, please share it with a friend. Submit a deal, share news tips and feedback, and tell me how I can help you at femwealth@substack.com.
Stay tuned for a special edition on January 5th! Enjoy the holiday season and have an excellent start to 2025!
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth