3

U.S. Startup Funding Deals: Weekly Highlights

As the new year unfolds, the venture capital landscape remains dynamic, with U.S.-based startups securing significant funding rounds. Each week, we present a curated summary of the most substantial funding deals exceeding $100 million, showcasing innovative sectors and emerging technologies.

Key Funding Rounds from April 5 to April 11, 2025

This past week observed a comparatively subdued funding environment, with no rounds surpassing the $200 million mark. This contrasts sharply with the previous week, which featured record-high investments, including eleven rounds of $100 million or more. Below are the highlights from the recent round of funding:

1. Base Power
   $200 million, Energy
   The Austin, Texas-based startup Base Power secured a $200 million Series B financing round, primarily to expand its residential backup power systems. Addition led this investment. Since its inception in 2023, Base Power has raised a total of $268 million to date.
2. Caris Life Sciences
   $168 million, Biotech
   Hailing from Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences specializes in advanced AI and molecular profiling. The firm raised $168 million in a growth round led by Braidwell, bringing its total funding to nearly $1.9 billion since its founding in 2018.
3. Merida Biosciences
   $121 million, Biotech
   Newcomer Merida Biosciences from Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced a successful launch with $121 million in Series A funding. Co-led by Bain Capital Life Sciences, this firm focuses on developing therapeutics for autoimmune and allergic diseases.
4. Rescale
   $115 million, Simulation
   San Francisco’s Rescale, a digital engineering platform, raised $115 million in Series D funding. While no lead investor was disclosed, participants included Applied Ventures and Nvidia. Rescale has raised over $260 million since its founding in 2011.
5. Nuro
   $106 million, Autonomous Driving
   Nuro, situated in Mountain View, California, attracted $106 million in an ongoing Series E round, adjusting its valuation to $6 billion. Though the company has faced challenges since its last investment in 2021, it has raised a total of $2.2 billion thus far.
6. Amca
   $76.5 million, Aerospace
   El Segundo, California-based Amca has launched with an initial funding round of $76.5 million, albeit without a disclosed lead investor. Notable backers include Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.
7. Brinc Drones
   $75 million, Drones
   Brinc Drones from Seattle, a manufacturer of emergency response drones, secured $75 million with support from Index Ventures. Founded in 2017, Brinc Drones has raised a total of $157 million.
8. Rain
   $75 million, Fintech
   Santa Monica’s Rain, which provides early wage access and financial wellness solutions, also received $75 million in Series B funding, led by Prosus Ventures. Since 2019, the company has raised nearly $504 million in both debt and equity.
9. Incident.io
   $62 million, Cybersecurity
   New York’s Incident.io, an incident management platform, raised $62 million in Series B funding led by Insight Partners. Founded in 2021, the company has raised over $96 million to date.
10. Tessell
    $60 million, Database
    San Francisco-based Tessell, offering a database-as-a-service solution, announced a $60 million Series B funding round led by WestBridge Capital, bringing its total raised since 2021 to $94 million.

Noteworthy Global Fundraising

A significant funding round reported this week was Canada-based Tailscale, which raised $160 million in Series C financing, valuing the cybersecurity company at approximately $1.5 billion.

These funding rounds reflect the increasingly competitive landscape for venture capital investment, particularly within sectors such as biotech, energy, and technology. As noted, this data pertains to the funding rounds announced for the week from April 5 to April 11, 2025.

Source link