This week in startup news lacked significant merger and acquisition or IPO action, but plenty of notable developments and intriguing fundraising stories kept the venture landscape buzzing.
In a compelling twist, the controversial AI startup Cluely saw rivals introduce products specifically designed to detect its viral cheating software. But Cluely itself doubled down, indicating it’s prepared to launch new hardware solutions aimed at making its platform harder for detection measures.
Meanwhile, embattled fashion-tech firm CaaStle ran into deeper trouble, facing additional lawsuits and serious allegations against its founder, who now stands accused of financial mismanagement.
Figure AI, an aggressively expanding robotics startup, took drastic measures against secondary market brokers who had been marketing its shares. The company issued cease-and-desist warnings demanding brokers halt their promotion efforts immediately.
In Eastern Europe, the founders of Imaguru—the first startup hub in Belarus—revealed their story of resilience after exile forced them to relocate to Warsaw and Madrid. Despite displacement, the team remains committed to supporting entrepreneurs across Europe with backing from European institutions.
The legal battle between HR startups Deel and Rippling intensified as Deel officially accepted legal papers from its rival alleging spying practices. Elsewhere, a London-based investor sought to halt the sale of struggling EV startup Canoo’s assets to its own CEO, calling the auctioning process “deeply flawed.”
On the funding side, Cast AI secured a substantial $108 million Series C round to enhance its automated AI workload optimization services and expand internationally. Lightrun, an Israeli AI observability platform aimed at debugging production code, sealed a $70 million Series B led by Accel and Insight Partners.
Legal-tech startup Supio landed $60 million led by Sapphire Ventures to grow its AI-powered legal data analysis platform. Finnish firm IXI received a notable $36.5 million round—backed by Amazon—to develop autofocus technology for prescription eyewear.
San Francisco’s Nuvo raised $34 million from heavyweights Sequoia and Spark Capital for its platform streamlining B2B trade, while OmniRetail emerged as a promising Nigerian-based startup, securing a $20 million Series A for expanding its e-commerce reach throughout West Africa.
Japanese health-tech company Craif secured a $22 million Series C to scale its microRNA-based early detection software for cancers. Balloon-based aerial imaging startup Near Space Labs gained attention after raising $20 million to broaden its high-resolution stratospheric imagery solutions. Glacier, tackling urban recycling challenges through robotic innovation, closed a $16 million Series A, attracting backing from climate-conscious investors including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund.
Kintsugi, an AI-powered sales tax compliance solution, boosted its valuation significantly to $150 million after raking in an additional $18 million in capital. And Hoofprint Biome, a startup aimed at reducing livestock methane emissions, announced its own $15 million Series A round.
In fund news, U.K.-based Volution launched a fresh $100 million vehicle focused on fintech, SaaS, and AI, reinforcing confidence in Britain’s tech ecosystem. Additionally, EWOR introduced a bold new fellowship program allocating approximately $68 million to European founders, creating competitive dynamics with Harry Stebbings’ similar initiative, Project Europe.
Finally, Ali Partovi’s respected venture capital firm Neo attracted positive recognition as its early investments delivered compelling returns, underlining Partovi’s successful approach to backing ambitious startups and contributing substantially to his longevity and industry credibility.
