Latest Startups & Entrepreneurship News
Modal Labs in Talks for $2.5B Valuation Funding
AI inference startup Modal Labs is negotiating a new funding round at a $2.5 billion valuation, more than doubling its previous $1.1 billion value from five months ago. The round, potentially led by General Catalyst, follows an $87 million Series B with $50 million annualized revenue run rate. This reflects surging demand for AI infrastructure.
Apptronik Raises $520M for Humanoid Robotics
Austin-based humanoid robotics startup Apptronik secured $520 million from investors including Google and Mercedes-Benz, valuing it at $5 billion. The funding aims to commercialize robots for industrial use, driving a 336% YoY increase in weekly startup funding to $740 million. Deal activity rose to 40 transactions.
India Approves $1.1B State-Backed VC Program
India's government cleared a $1.1 billion venture capital initiative to fund startups via private investors, amid 200,000+ startups and 49,000 registered in 2025. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted expansions in deep-tech benefits, ahead of the India AI Impact Summit. This boosts the world's largest startup ecosystem.
Datoms Secures $2.77M Series A for Industrial IoT
Indian deeptech IoT startup Datoms raised $2.77 million (Rs 25 Cr) in Series A led by BIG Global Investments, with YourNest and IvyCap Ventures. It provides IoT infrastructure for manufacturing automation. The funding supports industrial operations scaling.
Naboo Raises $70M for Corporate Event Procurement
Naboo secured $70M to dominate corporate event procurement using agentic AI tools. This highlights AI's infiltration into procurement processes amid weekly startup funding trends.
Simile Lands $100M to Predict Human Behavior
AI startup Simile raised $100M for behavior prediction technologies. The funding underscores investor interest in advanced AI applications across industries.
Porters Raises €2.7M for AI Banking Operations
Fintech Porters secured €2.7 million in pre-seed led by Earlybird VC, with Seedcamp and angels from Qonto and others. It develops AI-native banking services. Expansion targets mission-critical operations.
Manufact Scoops $6.3M for AI Agent Infrastructure
MCP infrastructure startup Manufact raised $6.3M to connect AI agents like ChatGPT to external tools, addressing integration fragmentation. It powers production AI applications in real-world settings.
Red Sea Global Launches AI Venture Fund with Bunat VC
Red Sea Global and Bunat Ventures are launching an AI fund targeting 25 early- and growth-stage startups in Saudi Arabia over three years. Focus is on AI-native or AI-enabled innovations.
Grafana Labs Eyes $9B Valuation in New Funding
Observability platform Grafana Labs is in talks for funding led by GIC, boosting valuation from $6.6B to $9B. This follows a $270M round in 2024 with backers like CapitalG and Sequoia.
Idfy Secures $52M for Regulatory Technology
Mumbai-based Idfy raised $52M (Rs 476 Cr) led by Neo Asset Management, including Rs 220 Cr primary infusion. It contributes to India's $740M weekly startup funding surge.
Supertails Raises $30M in Petcare Funding
Petcare startup Supertails secured $30M led by Venturi Partners, with Nippon India and others. Part of heightened Indian startup investments this week.