Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
House advances sweeping capital-formation package aimed at expanding startup investment
The U.S. House passed the INVEST Act to broaden capital access, update the accredited investor definition, and raise certain fund caps—measures intended to make it easier for founders and emerging funds to raise capital and for more individuals to invest in private startups. The package bundles over 20 bipartisan bills and also streamlines disclosure to lower barriers for companies going and staying public
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Fervo Energy’s $462M Series E highlights continued climate-tech megadeals
Fervo Energy closed a $462 million Series E to scale its next‑generation geothermal systems, reflecting the surge of large climate‑tech funding rounds in 2025. This deal exemplifies how investors are prioritizing long‑duration, grid‑scale clean energy alongside AI‑enabled climate solutions
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Unconventional AI and other mega-rounds underscore AI+climate funding dominance in 2025
2025 saw record large rounds in AI climate tech, including a reported $475 million seed for Unconventional AI and multiple multi‑hundred‑million raises, signaling investor concentration in AI and climate startups. Industry data shows AI and climate captured a disproportionate share of venture capital throughout the year
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Harness raises $200M Series E as enterprise AI devops demand accelerates
Harness secured $200 million in Series E funding, increasing its valuation to about $5.5 billion as customers adopt AI‑driven software delivery and automation tools. The round, led by Goldman Sachs, included a secondary offering to provide liquidity for early employees and investors
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Serval becomes a unicorn after $75M Series B for AI IT automation
Serval raised $75 million in a Series B led by Sequoia Capital, bringing the AI IT automation startup to a $1 billion valuation; its platform automates a large share of IT support tickets and extends into HR, legal and finance workflows. The rapid re‑rating reflects growing enterprise demand for generative‑AI agents in internal operations
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Major startup festival COMEUP 2025 convenes startups, investors and corporates in Seoul
COMEUP 2025 opened at COEX Seoul featuring 275 startups from 46 countries, national pavilions, keynote speeches, IR pitching, matchmaking and participation from global VCs and corporations to foster investment and partnerships. The event’s theme, “Recode the Future,” focuses on deep tech and global entrepreneurship and arranged over 2,000 business meetings
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Medra and Prolynx among notable Series A rounds in biotech and obesity therapeutics
Medra raised $52 million to scale its robotic AI drug‑discovery platform, while Prolynx secured $70 million for long‑acting obesity treatments—both announced as part of December funding coverage and reflecting strong investor interest in AI‑augmented biotech and therapeutics. These rounds illustrate continued capital flow into life‑science startups deploying automation and novel therapeutics
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AWS Marketplace revamp helps AWS‑native startups win enterprise customers
AWS revamped its Marketplace at re:Invent 2025 with new AI features and pricing models, enabling startups like DataMasque to sell AI and data‑protection solutions more effectively to global enterprises via the online store. The changes aim to accelerate partner revenue and simplify procurement for customers buying AI‑centric software
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European impact and climate startups face tougher funding but greater execution focus
Analysts say 2025 marks a shift in Europe from ambition to execution: fundraising is harder, but investors demand proven economic and operational models, pushing founders to demonstrate commercial viability beyond impact claims. The move reflects a maturing ecosystem where efficiency and measurable outcomes matter more than narrative alone
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Dealflow continues globally with region‑specific rounds and impact investments
Deal trackers report active mid‑sized transactions—e.g., S2G’s $25M investment in Chile’s Oxzo and a $44M round into bound4blue led by impact investors—showing continued geographic diversification of capital into agtech, maritime decarbonization and other sectors. These deals highlight that while megadeals draw headlines, steady regional investment persists across impact segments
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Seed and pre‑seed investing trends: bigger bets, leaner teams and AI concentration
VC commentary notes 50% of 2025 VC went to the top 1% of companies, with seed/pre‑seed evolving toward larger initial checks for fewer teams and a pronounced AI 'distortion field' concentrating capital on the most promising models. The dynamic increases pressure on early founders to demonstrate product‑market fit and defensibility quickly
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