Fundraising

After a 30-year career in IT, Protexxa founder raises $7.2M for cybersecurity employee hygiene

Fundraising /

Cybersecurity firm Protexxa has closed a $7.2 million ($10 million Canadian dollars) Series A, led by a family office, for its AI-powered tech that helps companies address cybersecurity concerns by identifying issues and offering solutions. The Canada-based company was founded by former cybersecurity executive Claudette McGowan in 2021. Using its artificial intelligence-powered platform, Protexxa can, […]

After a 30-year career in IT, Protexxa founder raises $7.2M for cybersecurity employee hygiene Read More »

17-year-old Eric Zhu’s startup was built in a high school bathroom — now it’s raised $2.3M and is emerging from stealth

Fundraising /

Eric Zhu started building Aviato, an analytical platform for private market data, in a very typical place for an entrepreneur: the bathroom in his Carmel, Indiana, high school. Now the 17-year-old’s startup is emerging from stealth with $2.3 million in venture funding. Aviato tracks funding rounds and headcount, similar to competitors like Crunchbase and PitchBook, but

17-year-old Eric Zhu’s startup was built in a high school bathroom — now it’s raised $2.3M and is emerging from stealth Read More »

Cohere raises $500M to beat back generative AI rivals

Fundraising /

Cohere, a generative AI startup co-founded by ex-Google researchers, has raised $500 million in new cash from investors including Cisco, AMD and Fujitsu. Bloomberg says that the round, which also had participation from Canadian pension investment manager PSP Investments and Canada’s export credit agency EDC, values Toronto-based Cohere at $5.5 billion. That’s more than double

Cohere raises $500M to beat back generative AI rivals Read More »

Without this company’s technology, future fusion power plants might never light up

Fundraising /

Proponents of nuclear fusion have long promised to create nearly limitless power here on earth by harnessing the same reaction that powers the sun. Today, fusion’s biggest hurdle is ensuring that any fusion power plant produces more power than it needs to operate. The second is ensuring that it has enough fuel to run. Many

Without this company’s technology, future fusion power plants might never light up Read More »

Deel acquires Hofy to build its own IT device management service

Fundraising /

Fast-growing payroll provider Deel is making a sizable acquisition, its third this year. Deel announced on Thursday that it acquired Hofy, a London-based company that delivers and helps manage office equipment for remote hires. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch that the deal was worth over $100 million.

Deel acquires Hofy to build its own IT device management service Read More »

Matera raises $100M from Warburg Pincus to help the US catch up to Brazil in instant payments

Fundraising /

To say that Pix, the instant payment system created by the Central Bank of Brazil, has been a resounding success is an understatement. With Pix, money moves directly between core banking systems of different financial institutions. Adoption has been widespread and ubiquitous. The country’s residents have the ability to even pay street vendors using the

Matera raises $100M from Warburg Pincus to help the US catch up to Brazil in instant payments Read More »

Wittaya Aqua’s data-driven AI helps seafood farmers increase aquaculture production

Fundraising /

More than 3 billion people around the globe rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood products for their protein intake. The world’s aquaculture production has hit a new record, and 89% of all aquatic animal production is being used for direct human consumption, according to a report published just last week. This shows a continuous increase

Wittaya Aqua’s data-driven AI helps seafood farmers increase aquaculture production Read More »

Campus wants to crack the code to get community college to work for everyone

Fundraising /

Community colleges aren’t immune from the current reckoning higher education is facing. Student enrollment is declining while institutions keep raising tuition prices which can prevent students from finishing their programs. Clearly, it’s time for the industry to try something new. Tade Oyerinde thinks startups can help. Oyerinde is the founder and CEO at Campus, a

Campus wants to crack the code to get community college to work for everyone Read More »

Astor’s ‘community’ approach to financial advice aims to help women feel more confident about investing

Fundraising /

Among her friends, Lindsay Dorf is the one with the superpower of being able to understand retail investing. So much so that she became the go-to person for advice. “I had a lot of friends come to me asking for investing advice,” Dorf told TechCrunch. “There were two things I really saw: One, the people

Astor’s ‘community’ approach to financial advice aims to help women feel more confident about investing Read More »

Female-founded startups have raised $15.5 billion so far this year but that’s not really good news

Fundraising /

Funding to women-founded companies overall (including mixed-gender teams) has declined in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, picking up $15.5 billion out of $93 billion – 17% – compared to the $24.8 billion out of $87.7 billion – 28% – in the first half of 2023, according to Pitchbook

Female-founded startups have raised $15.5 billion so far this year but that’s not really good news Read More »