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Raphe scores $100M, VO/D gets $5M from NFL stars, and VCs stack billions for climate-tech, AI defense, and predictive markets

Raphe scores $100M, VO/D gets $5M from NFL stars, and VCs stack billions for climate-tech, AI defense, and predictive markets

Oh, and also — Climatiq’s carbon AI powers Siemens, Raphe raises $100M for drones, and VCs pour billions into defense + climate-tech.

Traded: Venture Capital
June 26, 2025

Your dose of daily dealflow, essential VC & tech trends to know. The biggest moves in venture, all in one place. Celebrating startups, founders, and funders.

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Today’s venture pulse is pounding through defense, AI, and industrial edge-tech.
Decagon’s $131M Series C at a $1.5B valuation isn’t just about support automation—it’s a billboard for enterprise-grade AI staying hot. Climatiq’s $11.6M push into carbon data automation shows B2B AI tackling climate at scale, while Mandolin’s $40M blitz is turning 30-day med insurance verifications into 3-hour AI ops.

Meanwhile, Onebrief’s defense SaaS just hit unicorn status with a $20M Series C extension—used by nearly every branch of the U.S. military—and Raphe's $100M drone raise marks India’s latest aerospace breakout. Add in VO/D’s $5M round from NFL stars to freeze-dry candy brands, and you've got one thing clear:

Real-world tech, deployed at scale, is where the money's marching.

🧠 Dopamine Dealflow

Certify (Boston) – Raised $40M Series B, led by Transformation Capital with General Catalyst, Upfront, and SemperVirens, to upgrade AI-powered healthcare data infra.
Synthflow AI (Berlin) – Raised $20M Series A, led by Accel, to supercharge no-code voice AI agents and open a U.S. office.
DataBahn.ai (Dallas) – Raised $17M Series A, led by Forgepoint Capital, for its AI data pipeline tackling enterprise security.
Qunnect (NY) – Raised $10M Series A extension, led by Airbus Ventures, with Cisco and Quantonation, to advance quantum networking.
DejaBlue (France) – Raised $8M Seed, led by redalpine, to integrate solar, EV charging, and energy contract optimization.
BackOps AI (San Francisco) – Raised $6M Seed, led by Construct Capital, to automate supply chain workflows with composite AI.
Sitch (NYC) – Raised $5M Seed, from M13 and a16z, merging human matchmaking with AI for dating done differently.
Jarsy (San Francisco) – Raised $5M Pre-Seed, led by Breyer Capital, to democratize private investing via blockchain rails.
Antler Bio (Dublin, Ireland) – Raised $4.3M Seed, led by The First Thirty, to decode gene expression for dairy herds.
Mahalo (Chicago) – Raised $2.6M Pre-Seed, led by Motivate VC, improving post-purchase experience for manufacturers.
Nascent Materials (NJ) – Raised $2.3M Seed, led by SOSV, developing lithium-ion battery cathodes.
PhotoDay (Austin, TX) – Secured growth investment (undisclosed), led by Serent Capital, scaling its SaaS for volume photographers.
Metaview (UK) – Raised $35M Series B, led by GV (Google Ventures), to power AI-assisted hiring from the interview up.
Enate (UK) – Raised strategic funding, led by Scottish Equity Partners, expanding its AI orchestration platform globally.
Vellum Health (US) – Raised Series A, led by FCA Venture Partners, delivering mobile IV care with AI.
Extra Duty Solutions (US) – Received strategic equity from Bregal Sagemount, backing its software for public safety operations.
Bruce Markets (US) – Raised strategic capital, from Apex, Fidelity, Nasdaq Ventures, Robinhood & more, scaling its overnight U.S. equities platform.
Lux Aeterna (Denver) – Raised $4M Pre-Seed, led by Space Capital, building reusable satellites for orbital logistics.