Traded: Venture Capital

recent company Raises, Mergers & Acquisitions + memes • intel for those who don't have time

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Contraline, a Charlottesville-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on male reproductive health, has raised $92.5 million in a Series B round co-led by BVF Partners L.P. and RA Capital Management, with participation from GV (Google Ventures), Lumira Ventures, Invus, and other new and existing investors. The company said proceeds will advance late-stage development of NES/T Gel, a once-daily, reversible hormonal male contraceptive that recently completed a Phase 2b study and is expected to move toward Phase 3 trials in 2027. Co-founder and CEO Kevin Eisenfrats said the financing supports Contraline’s mission to expand contraceptive options for men and couples, as the company also continues development of its non-hormonal ADAM™ program.

FOUNDERS: Kevin Eisenfrats & Dr. John Herr

INVESTORS: BVF Partners L.P., RA Capital Management, GV (Google Ventures), Lumira Ventures & Invus

ROUND: Series B
AMOUNT: $92,500,000

HQ: Charlottesville, Virginia

#VentureCapital #Contraline #KevinEisenfrats #DrJohnHerr #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Town has emerged from beta and announced a $55 million Series A funding round led by Andrew Rampell at Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Kirsten Green at Forerunner Ventures and continued backing from First Round Capital, Alt Capital, and Conviction. The company’s AI assistant, known as a “Townie,” is designed to learn how users work by connecting with tools such as email, calendars, Slack, documents, and workflows, helping automate tasks like drafting, scheduling, project tracking, follow-ups, and context gathering while adapting to individual preferences over time.

FOUNDER: Jean-Denis Greze

INVESTORS: Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner Ventures, First Round Capital, Alt Capital, Conviction

ROUND: Series A
AMOUNT: $55,000,000

HQ: San Francisco, California

#VentureCapital #Town #JeanDenisGreze #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Opal, the San Francisco-based hardware startup best known for its premium webcams like the $299 Opal C1, has raised a $40 million Series B round led by OpenAI, according to WIRED. The company is shifting beyond webcams into AI-powered consumer electronics, including a new audio device as its first expanded product category, with additional backing from Samsung Electronics. The investment positions Opal as a close hardware prototyping partner for OpenAI, with the companies expected to collaborate on integrating OpenAI’s voice AI models into future devices. The deal also reflects OpenAI’s broader push into consumer hardware, as it explores products like AI-enabled smartphones and other voice-first devices.

FOUNDERS: Veeraj Chugh & Stefan Sohlstrom

INVESTORS: OpenAI & Samsung Electronics

ROUND: Series B
AMOUNT: $40,000,000

HQ: San Francisco, California

#VentureCapital #Opal #VeerajChugh #StefanSohlstrom #TradedVC

[kuz @kylekuzma]

Dude you guys are everywhere

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Meet @kylekuzma - NBA Champion. Investor. Builder.

Kuz has invested tens of millions of dollars across private companies, with a portfolio that includes @SpaceX, @anduriltech, @Kalshi, Prometheus, and more.

Kuzma says Kobe Bryant was one of the first people to help introduce him to venture capital nearly a decade ago, opening the door to the world of private markets.

Today, Kuzma is especially bullish on space, defense, and deep tech, from launch and satellites to communications, orbit infrastructure, and the future of data centers in space.

Kyle has Co-Founded @OatheGroup, a platform to connect athletes, entertainers, and founders directly. Now, through Oathe Group, Kuzma is building a platform to connect athletes, entertainers, and founders directly.

The name “Oathe” comes from one core principle: doing what you say you’re going to do.

From the court to the cap table, Kyle Kuzma is making moves.

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

DeepSeek is set to raise about 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) in its first external funding round, valuing the Hangzhou-based AI lab at roughly $52 billion to $59 billion, marking a sharp jump from earlier talks that pegged it near $10 billion just weeks ago. Founder Liang Wenfeng is contributing 20 billion yuan of personal funds as the largest backer, alongside expected major participation from Tencent (10 billion yuan) and CATL (5 billion yuan), with additional interest from China’s national AI fund, NetEase, https://t.co/fdfy7Iwg37, and others. The deal underscores DeepSeek’s rapid rise in the global AI race and is expected to fund expanded compute infrastructure and talent compensation.

FOUNDER: Liang Wenfeng

INVESTORS: Tencent, CATL, China’s national AI fund, NetEase, https://t.co/fdfy7Iwg37, IDG Capital & Monolith Capital

AMOUNT: $7,400,000,000

HQ: Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

#VentureCapital #DeepSeek #LiangWenfeng #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

AlphaSense is being valued at $7.5 billion in a new funding round that raised $350 million, nearly doubling its valuation from its 2024 round as the AI-powered market-research platform heads toward a possible IPO. Chief Executive Jack Kokko said the company, which helps users search and analyze financial documents using AI, is seeing strong momentum, with ARR surpassing $600 million earlier this year. Investors in the round include Vitruvian Partners, Accenture’s venture arm, JPMorgan Asset Management, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, and D.E. Shaw Ventures. Accenture also plans to integrate AlphaSense into its corporate client offerings as part of the deal.

FOUNDERS: Jack Kokko & Raj Neervannan

INVESTORS: Vitruvian Partners, Accenture’s venture arm, JPMorgan Asset Management, Goldman Sachs Alternatives & D.E. Shaw Ventures

AMOUNT: $350,000,000
VALUATION: $7,500,000,000

HQ: New York City

#VentureCapital #AlphaSense #JackKokko #RajNeervannan #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Suno raised over $400 million in a Series D round at a $5.4 billion post-money valuation, as it continues scaling its AI-driven music creation platform aimed at both professional artists and first-time creators. The round was led by Bond Capital, with participation from IVP, Forerunner, Union Square Ventures, Alkeon, Quiet, and existing backers including Matrix, Lightspeed, Menlo Ventures, and Schroders Capital. Co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman said the company will use the funding to accelerate product development and expand its music models built in collaboration with the music industry, as it pushes further into consumer and creator music experiences.

FOUNDERS: Mikey Shulman, Georg Kucsko, Martin Camacho, & Keenan Freyberg

INVESTORS: Bond Capital, IVP, Forerunner, Union Square Ventures, Alkeon, Quiet, Matrix, Lightspeed, Menlo Ventures & Schroders Capital

ROUND: Series D
AMOUNT: $400,000,000
VALUATION: $5,400,000,000

HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts

#VentureCapital #Suno #MikeyShulman #GeorgKucsko#MartinCamacho KeenanFreyberg TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Coralogix raised $200 million in a Series F round at a $1.6 billion post-money valuation, as investors double down on infrastructure built for AI-era software monitoring. The round came just 11 months after its Series E and was led by Advent and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), with participation from Greenfield Partners and Brighton Park Capital, bringing total funding to $550 million. The Boston-headquartered company, founded in Israel, builds observability tools used by companies like IBM and JFrog, and says demand is rising as AI agents enter production environments and require continuous monitoring and troubleshooting. Co-founder and CEO Ariel Assaraf said customers are increasingly interacting with its platform through AI agents and command-line interfaces rather than traditional dashboards, underscoring the shift toward agent-driven operations.

FOUNDERS: Ariel Assaraf & Yoni Farin

INVESTORS: Advent, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), Greenfield Partners & Brighton Park Capital

ROUND: Series F
AMOUNT: $200,000,000
VALUATION: $1,600,000,000

HQ: Boston, Massachusetts

#VentureCapital #Coralogix #ArielAssaraf #YoniFarin #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

If you're a VC, watch this to see @dhaber's top three most exciting companies he invested in with @a16z

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

NewLimit, a longevity startup co-founded by Brian Armstrong, raised $435 million in a funding round that values the company at $3.1 billion—more than triple its valuation a year ago—as investor enthusiasm builds around drugs aimed at slowing or reversing aging. The company, which is focused on reversing cellular aging but has no approved products yet, plans to begin human studies next year for its first drug targeting alcohol-related liver disease. The raise places NewLimit among a growing cohort of billionaire-backed longevity ventures, alongside peers pursuing similar “rejuvenation” science. Jacob Kimmel, who was recently appointed CEO, said the initial focus on liver disease is intended to serve as a stepping stone toward broader anti-aging applications.

FOUNDERS: Brian Armstrong, Blake Byers & Jacob Kimmel

INVESTORS: Founders Fund, Thrive Capital & Lilly Ventures

AMOUNT: $435,000,000
VALUATION: $3,100,000,000

HQ: San Francisco, California

#VentureCapital #NewLimit #BrianArmstrong #BlakeByers #JacobKimmel TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Westmag, a U.S.-based manufacturer of robot actuators and drone motors, raised $11 million in 2025 in a funding round led by a16z, with participation from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, NFDG, Menlo Ventures, and other investors. Since the raise, the company has expanded industrial capacity, strengthened its supply chain, secured high-volume customers, and is now ramping production at its South San Francisco factory to fulfill committed orders as it scales domestic production of motors and actuators for the growing robotics and drone markets.

FOUNDERS: David Hansen & Jordan Sanders

INVESTORS: Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Founders Fund, Lux Capital, NFDG & Menlo Ventures

AMOUNT: $11,000,000

HQ: South San Francisco

#VentureCapital #Westmag #DavidHansen #JordanSanders #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Board, the New York-based startup building “together tech” for in-person play, has raised a $20 million Series A led by Union Square Ventures. The company was founded by Brynn Putnam, who previously sold Mirror to Lululemon, and says it has already sold thousands of its 24-inch touchscreen game device and is now deployed in tens of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and restaurants. The round also brings in Michael Mignano, who joins the board, alongside angel investors Biz Stone, Tim Ferriss, and Scott Belsky.

FOUNDER: Brynn Putnam

INVESTORS: Union Square Ventures, Biz Stone, Tim Ferriss & Scott Belsky

ROUND: Series A
AMOUNT: $20,000,000

HQ: New York

#VentureCapital #Board #BrynnPutnam #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Mach Industries, the three-year-old defense tech startup founded and led by 22-year-old CEO Ethan Thornton, has raised a $300 million Series C at a $1.8 billion valuation, nearly quadrupling its value in a year, the company said Monday. The round was led by Infinite Capital and Ribbit Capital, with participation from investors including Bedrock Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Khosla Ventures. Mach had previously raised $100 million in June 2025 at a $470 million valuation. The Huntington Beach-based company, which is building a suite of autonomous military systems and has rapidly expanded to roughly 350 employees, has benefited from strong investor demand amid growing defense tech momentum.

FOUNDER: Ethan Thornton

INVESTORS: Infinite Capital, Ribbit Capital, Bedrock Capital, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures

AMOUNT: $300,000,000
VALUATION: $1,800,000,000

HQ: Huntington Beach, California

#VentureCapital #MachIndustries #EthanThornton #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Sekai has raised $26 million in combined Seed and Series A funding as usage of its AI-native creation platform accelerates, with users building more than 15 million mini-apps and roughly 200,000 new apps created daily. The Series A was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Connect Ventures, while the seed round was led by Mayfield, with participation from investors including a16z Speedrun, 359 Capital, Parable VC, 645 Ventures, A*, and MVP Ventures. The San Francisco–based company, founded in 2024 by Lucky Zhang, is positioning its product as a “prompt-to-app” system where users can instantly generate and remix interactive software, ranging from games to utilities, and says the new capital will expand engineering and product development as well as deepen creator partnerships with CAA.

FOUNDER: Lucky Zhang

INVESTORS: Khosla Ventures, Connect Ventures, Mayfield Fund, Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun, A* Capital, MVP Ventures, 359 Capital, Cherubic Ventures, Parable VC & 645 Ventures

ROUND: Seed & Series A
AMOUNT: $26,000,000

HQ: Sunnyvale, California

#VentureCapital #Sekai #LuckyZhang #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Berkshire Hathaway agreed to acquire homebuilder Taylor Morrison Home in a $6.8 billion deal, a move that signals long-cycle confidence in a housing market still pressured by elevated mortgage rates and weak demand. The offer represents a 24% premium to Taylor Morrison’s recent close and values the company at roughly $8.5 billion including debt, with CEO Sheryl Palmer saying the deal reflects alignment between Berkshire’s long-term investment horizon and homebuilding’s 5-, 7-, and 10-year cycles. The acquisition comes as analysts debate whether U.S. housing is nearing a bottom after two years of negative sentiment and declining sales.

SALE PRICE: $6,800,000,000

HQ: Omaha, Nebraska

#VentureCapital #BerkshireHathaway #TaylorMorrisonHome #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Salt & Straw is exploring a potential sale with Piper Sandler that could value the boutique ice cream chain at more than $200 million, as it continues to scale beyond scoop shops into select grocery distribution and generates over $100 million in annual revenue. Founded in 2011 in Portland by cousins Kim Malek and Tyler Malek, the company now operates roughly 50 stores and has built a reputation for small-batch, experimental flavors. Investors in the business include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, KarpReilly, and Enlightened Hospitality Investments, and the potential transaction comes amid broader deal activity in the ice cream sector.
FOUNDERS: Kim Malek & Tyler Malek

AMOUNT: $200,000,000

HQ: Portland, Oregon

#VentureCapital #SaltandStraw #KimMalek #TylerMalek #PiperSandler TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Invisix, an Eindhoven-based ASML spinout developing soft X-ray metrology tools for advanced chip manufacturing, has raised €20 million in an oversubscribed seed round announced June 1. The round brings in Hitachi Ventures, Transition Ventures, imec.xpand, Doosan Investment Co., and a tier-1 semiconductor manufacturer, with prior reporting by Sifted suggesting Samsung may be the unnamed chipmaker. The company is building inspection systems based on high-harmonic generation to peer inside increasingly complex 3D chip architectures, aiming to replace slow or destructive wafer checks with non-invasive imaging and AI-driven reconstruction. The new capital will fund team expansion, a first commercial system, and customer demonstrations from its Eindhoven cleanroom.

FOUNDERS: Christina Porter & Sietse van der Post

INVESTORS: Hitachi Ventures, Transition Ventures & Doosan Investment Co.,

AMOUNT: 23,300,000

HQ: Eindhoven, Netherlands.

#VentureCapital #Invisix #ChristinaPorter #SietsevanderPost #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Ghost Angels is a venture fund launched in 2025 by Max Rivera and a group of roughly 20 former Snap employees to back pre-seed and seed-stage startups building AI-powered social and consumer technology products. While the fund has not disclosed the total amount of capital raised, it has already invested in at least five startups and plans to deploy additional capital into at least 15 more companies over the next year, focusing on ventures that combine artificial intelligence with social connectivity, media creation, and new digital business models.

FOUNDER: Max River

#VentureCapital #GhostAngels #MaxRiver #TradedVC

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

Gigascale Capital, the climate-focused venture firm founded by former Meta Platforms CTO Mike Schroepfer, has closed its first institutional fund at $250 million, marking its shift from deploying Schroepfer’s personal capital to managing outside institutional money. Founded in 2023 and co-led by Victoria Beasley and Evaline Tsai, the Palo Alto-based firm invests from pre-seed to Series A in clean energy, grid infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and “physical AI” systems for industrial applications. Gigascale has backed more than 25 companies to date, including grid-tech startup Heron Power and microreactor developer Radiant, reflecting its thesis that climate impact comes from building lower-cost, higher-reliability physical systems.

FOUNDERS: Victoria Beasley & Evaline Tsai

AMOUNT: $250,000,000

HQ: Palo Alto, California

#VentureCapital #GigascaleCapital #VictoriaBeasley #EvalineTsai #TradedVC