The Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report: 10/12/26. The Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report takes us on a trip across various ecosystems in the US, highlighting some of the notable funding activity in the various markets that we track. The notable startup funding rounds for the week ending 10/10/26 featuring funding details for TypeSafe AI, Oratomic, Voltus, and 30 other deals representing $3.3B in new funding that you need to know about. REACH NYC TECH LEADERS AlleyWatch is NYC's leading source of tech and startup news, reaching the city's most active founders, investors, and tech leaders. Learn More Ampersand - $15.0M. San Francisco-based Ampersand provides integration infrastructure for enterprise AI agents and software applications. Founded by Ayan Barua and Lauren Long in 2022, Ampersand has now raised a total of $19.7M in total equity funding and is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, CTO fund, Flex Capital, Mana Ventures, Matrix, Tenacity Capital, and Yelp. Arena - $200.0M. San Francisco-based Arena develops an evaluation platform that enables users to test, compare, and assess the performance of AI models across a range of tasks. Founded by Anastasios Angelopoulos, Ion Stoica, and Wei-Lin Chiang in 2023, Arena has now raised a total of $450M in total equity funding and is backed by 01 Advisors, AMP PBC, Andreessen Horowitz, Dell Technologies Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Felicis, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, QuantumLight, Salesforce Ventures, and The House Fund. Avarra - $17.0M. San Mateo-based Avarra is an enterprise avatar and AI simulation firm. Founded by Christopher Iezzoni, David Knight, Matt Huang, and Scot McIntosh in 2023, Avarra has now raised a total of $25M in total equity funding and is backed by Alumni Ventures, Draper Associates, Duration Ventures, GTMfund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Zoom. Aventra Defense Systems - $17.5M. Vienna-based Aventra Defense Systems operates as a defense technology start-up. Founded by Brian Retherford and Michael Weigand in 2025, Aventra Defense Systems has now raised a total of $20.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Booz Allen Ventures, Konvoy, Langford Industries, Lavrock Ventures, and Sands Capital Ventures. Capitolis - $120.0M. New York-based Capitolis provides technology and financial solutions designed to improve capital efficiency and reduce risk across capital markets. Founded by Gil Mandelzis, Igor Teleshevsky, and Thomas Glocer in 2017, Capitolis has now raised a total of $457.8M in total equity funding and is backed by Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, JP Morgan, Nomura, State Street, Tradeweb, and UBS. Clockwork Systems - $31.0M. Palo Alto-based Clockwork Systems is a technology company that offers network-software solutions designed for high-performance, time-sensitive workloads. Founded by Balaji Prabhakar, Deepak Merugu, and Yilong Geng in 2018, Clockwork Systems has now raised a total of $72.6M in total equity funding and is backed by e& capital, New Enterprise Associates, Premji Invest, Seligman Ventures, and Wing Venture Capital. Flai - $27.0M. San Francisco-based Flai is an AI-powered software company that provides customer communication and workflow automation tools for automotive dealerships. Founded by Alen Polakof, Ari Polakof, and Juan Alzugaray in 2025, Flai has now raised a total of $33.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Base10 Partners, Findlay Auto Group, First Round Capital, The Friedkin Group, Toyota Ventures, and Y Combinator. Fortastra - $32.6M. Torrance-based Fortastra develops and operates maneuverable spacecraft designed to protect space-based infrastructure from potential threats. Founded by Michael Smayda in 2025, Fortastra has now raised a total of $40.6M in total equity funding and is backed by ATX Venture Partners, First In, Rsquared VC, Side Door Ventures, Space Capital, and Upfront Ventures. Gallatin - $50.0M. El Segundo-based Gallatin develops artificial intelligence software and data-driven tools for military logistics and defense sustainment operations. Founded by Brian Ballard, Daniel Buchmueller, and Woody Glier in 2024, Gallatin has now raised a total of $65M in total equity funding and is backed by 8VC and Silent Ventures. General Medicine - $120.0M. San Francisco-based General Medicine provides healthcare services through an online platform that connects patients with everyday and specialty care. Founded by Ashwin Muralidharan, Elliot Cohen, and TJ Parker in 2023, General Medicine has now raised a total of $152M in total equity funding and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, BoxGroup, Eli Lilly & Company Foundation, Granger Management LLC, Matrix, and VXI Capital. CONNECT WITH NYC INNOVATORS Join NYC's top tech companies in reaching AlleyWatch's engaged audience of founders, investors, and decision-makers. Learn More Ghost - $11.0M. San Francisco-based Ghost is a consumer hardware and software company building a private, local-first computing system for personal artificial intelligence. Founded by Zain Javaid in 2025, Ghost has now raised a total of $11M in total equity funding and is backed by Abstract, Andreessen Horowitz, Audacious Ventures, Cory Levy, Karman Ventures, Maria Davidson, Max Mullen, Nova Ventures, SV Angel, Vincent Weisser, and Zachary Sims. GUDEA - $7.0M. Minneapolis-based GUDEA is an IT Internet firm offering AI productivity platform working as a storm tracker for the internet. Founded by James Thomin, Jonathan Sperber, and Keith Presley in 2023, GUDEA has now raised a total of $7.6M in total equity funding and is backed by Collide Capital and Mudita Venture Partners. Hilt - $4.2M. Chattanooga-based Hilt provides a data movement governance platform that monitors and controls how data moves across cloud and endpoint infrastructure. Founded by William Cielen in 2025, Hilt has now raised a total of $4.7M in total equity funding and is backed by Alumni Ventures, Array Ventures, Base10 Partners, Brickyard, Liquid 2 Ventures, Sarah Smith Fund, sequel, and Verdict Capital. Melius - $20.0M. New York-based Melius is a software platform that provides creating and managing images, video, audio, and other creative content services. Founded by Young Kim in 2025, Melius has now raised a total of $25M in total equity funding and is backed by Anti Fund, CRV, Genius Ventures, and Vine Ventures. MMI - $125.0M. Jacksonville-based MMI is a medical technology company that develops robotic systems for microsurgery and supermicrosurgery. Founded by Giuseppe Prisco, Hannah Teichmann, and Massimiliano Simi in 2015, MMI has now raised a total of $354.4M in total equity funding and is backed by Angelini Ventures, BioStar Capital, and S3 Ventures. Join thousands of NYC tech leaders who start their day with AlleyWatch. Multiply Labs - $75.0M. San Francisco-based Multiply Labs develops robotic systems for automating biologics manufacturing. Founded by Alice Melocchi, Fred Parietti, Joe Wilson, Tiffany Kuo, and Zack Bright in 2016, Multiply Labs has now raised a total of $97.7M in total equity funding and is backed by AstraZeneca, Casdin Capital, Fifty Years, Founders Fund, Lingotto, Lux Capital, NantWorks, Ora Global, Strange Ventures, and Teradyne Ventures. Namespace Labs - $42.0M. San Francisco-based Namespace provides developer infrastructure for coding, building, testing, and running software across Mac, Windows, and Linux environments. Founded by Hugo Santos in 2022, Namespace Labs has now raised a total of $65.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Burst Capital, Essence VC, New Enterprise Associates, Olivier Pomel, Scale Venture Partners, Susa Ventures, and The Twenty Minute VC. Nous Research - $90.0M. Austin-based Nous Research develops open-source AI models, agents, research tools, and infrastructure for AI development and deployment. Founded by Jeffrey Quesnelle, Karan Malhotra, Ryan Teknium, and Shivani Mitra in 2023, Nous Research has now raised a total of $160M in total equity funding and is backed by 1789 Capital, M12 - Microsoft's Venture Fund, Menlo Ventures, NVIDIA, Robot Ventures, Samsung Electronics, Union Square Ventures, and Y Combinator. Oratomic - $475.0M. Pasadena-based Oratomic develops neutral-atom quantum hardware and error-correction architectures for utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers. Founded by Dolev Bluvstein, Hsin-Yuan Huang, John Preskill, and Manuel Endres in 2025, Oratomic has now raised a total of $785M in total equity funding and is backed by ARCH Venture Partners, Bezos Expeditions, General Catalyst, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Spark Capital. Parallel Systems - $100.0M. Los Angeles-based Parallel Systems is an autonomous, battery-electric rail system that aims to transition freight transportation from trucking to rail. Founded by Ben Stabler, Brian Ignaut, John Howard, and Matthew Soule in 2020, Parallel Systems has now raised a total of $191.3M in total equity funding and is backed by Agility, Anthos Capital, AVP, Cobalt Capital, Collaborative Fund, Congruent Ventures, Hillspire, and Riot Ventures. ENGAGE NYC DECISION MAKERS Connect with NYC's tech ecosystem through AlleyWatch, the most trusted voice in local tech and startups. Learn More Pro Shop - $24.0M. New York-based Pro Shop is a Golf Media and Commerce Company. Founded by Chad Mumm and Joe Purzycki in 2022, Pro Shop has now raised a total of $44M in total equity funding and is backed by AMB Group, Ares Capital, Causeway Media Partners, PGA TOUR, Phoenix Capital Ventures (PCV), and Powerhouse Capital. Santé - $15.0M. New York-based Santé provides liquor stores with custom inventory management, e-commerce, and industry-specific tools. Founded by Antoine Balaresque and Darren Fike in 2023, Santé has now raised a total of $22.6M in total equity funding. AlleyWatch's exclusive coverage of this round: Sante Raises $15M to Run Wine and Liquor Stores on One AI-Powered Operating System Trmeric - $6.5M. San Ramon-based Trmeric is an AI-powered software company that provides an integrated platform for managing enterprise transformation initiatives. Founded by Debottam Datta and Siddharth Bohra in 2023, Trmeric has now raised a total of $6.5M in total equity funding and is backed by CerraCap Impact Venture Capital, Executive Enterprise Venture Fund, FalconX, Gokul Rajaram, Hitachi Ventures, Schema Ventures, Shailesh Lakhani, and Yatish Mishra. Type One Energy - $200.0M. Knoxville-based Type One Energy develops stellarator-based fusion technology for electricity generation. Founded by Brian Matthews, Chris Hegna, David Anderson, John Canik, and Randall Volberg in 2019, Type One Energy has now raised a total of $283.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Clutterbuck Capital Management, Lowercarbon Capital, Siemens Energy Ventures, and SiteGround Capital. TypeSafe AI - $870.0M. San Francisco-based TypeSafe AI develops machine-native artificial intelligence for software systems. Founded by Erik Gafni and Sasha Sheng in 2024, TypeSafe AI has now raised a total of $910M in total equity funding and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. You are seconds away from signing up for the hottest list in NYC Tech! Ultra.tech - $50.0M. New York-based Ultra develops and deploys intelligent warehouse robots designed for task automation, particularly in e-commerce packaging environments. Founded by Chetan Parthiban, Jonathan Schwartz, Max Friefeld, and Oliver Ortlieb in 2024, Ultra.tech has now raised a total of $62M in total equity funding and is backed by Framework Ventures, M13, NextView Ventures, Wing Venture Capital, and Y Combinator. UpSmith - $10.0M. Dallas-based UpSmith combats skilled worker shortages with technology to expand workforce productivity for employers. Founded by Wyatt Smith in 2022, UpSmith has now raised a total of $18.3M in total equity funding and is backed by Asymmetric Capital Partners, CIV, Deason Capital Services, Hannah Grey, Sandwith Ventures, SemperVirens Venture Capital, Synetro Group, WaterStone Impact Fund, and Zachary Bookman. Valon - $150.0M. New York-based Valon develops software infrastructure for mortgage servicing and other regulated financial workflows. Founded by Andrew Wang, Eric Chiang, Jonathan Hsu, and Linda Du in 2019, Valon has now raised a total of $347.1M in total equity funding and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital. VEIR - $110.0M. Woburn-based VEIR develops superconducting power delivery solutions designed to support high-density computing infrastructure. Founded by Adam Wallen, Steve Ashworth, and Tim Heidel in 2019, VEIR has now raised a total of $221.7M in total equity funding and is backed by Congruent Ventures, Engine Ventures, Galvanize Climate Solutions, Gates Frontier, Hui Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Matter Venture Partners, Piva Capital, Sabanci Climate Technologies, Tyche Partners, and VXI Capital. Vitalize - $31.0M. San Francisco-based Vitalize Care is solving the most pressing clinical operations problems for health systems, starting with optimizing staffing and scheduling. Founded by Nikhil D'Souza, Sanketh Andhavarapu, and Veeraj Shah in 2021, Vitalize has now raised a total of $31M in total equity funding and is backed by .406 Ventures, Constellation, Dorm Room Fund, MemorialCare Innovation Fund, Norwest, Oak HC/FT, Powerhouse Ventures, Rock Health Capital, and Y Combinator. REACH NYC TECH LEADERS AlleyWatch is NYC's leading source of tech and startup news, reaching the city's most active founders, investors, and tech leaders. Learn More Voltus - $225.0M. San Francisco-based Voltus helps businesses manage electricity use through energy technology and demand response services. Founded by Dana Guernsey, Gregg Dixon, and Matthew Plante in 2016, Voltus has now raised a total of $291.1M in total equity funding and is backed by Activate Capital Partners, Ajax Strategies, All Aboard, Broadscale, Climate Investment, Generation Investment Management, NGP Energy Technology Partners, and Vitol. Wally Health - $25.0M. New York-based Wally is the future of oral care - giving the power back to patients. Founded by Chelsea Acosta Patel, Stipe Latkovic, and Tyler Burnett in 2019, Wally Health has now raised a total of $28.1M in total equity funding and is backed by Bling Capital, Jack Abraham, and Maveron. AlleyWatch's exclusive coverage of this round: Wally Raises $25M to Give Members Unlimited Cleanings and Diagnostics for $249 a Year Zenflow - $52.0M. South San Francisco-based Zenflow is a medical company that gives new hope to men suffering from BPH symptoms. Founded by Nick Damiano, Shreya Mehta, and Wayne Silby in 2014, Zenflow has now raised a total of $133.3M in total equity funding and is backed by ClavystBio, Cook Medical, F-Prime, Invus Opportunities, and MedTech Venture Partners. CONNECT WITH NYC INNOVATORS Join NYC's top tech companies in reaching AlleyWatch's engaged audience of founders, investors, and decision-makers. Learn More

Avarra raises $17 million in Series A funding round. Avarra has raised $17 million in Series A funding, led by Duration Ventures, to expand its AI avatar platform for upskilling and supporting go to market teams. Avarra's $17 million Series A funds expansion of its AI avatar platform for go to market (GTM) teams, with a focus on upskilling human sellers rather than replacing them. The Series A was led by Duration Ventures, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Draper Associates, GTMfund, Alumni Ventures, and a strategic investment from Zoom. This follows an $8 million seed round in October 2024, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from GTMfund, FirsthandVC (or Firsthand Alliance), and industry figures including John W. Thompson. Total capital raised stands at approximately $25 million. Proceeds will support engineering and go to market hiring plus expansion of the customer facing side of the platform. The round ranks in the 74.5th percentile for comparable deals. What is Avarra? Avarra, founded in 2023 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, builds AI avatars that capture expertise from a company's top leaders and experts, then deploy it across GTM teams. The platform began with sales training simulations and has expanded into a full avatar system for onboarding, coaching, live deal support, and customer facing interactions. Core capabilities include: * Personal coaches that teach playbooks and accelerate ramp (reported reductions of 25-50%, with examples cutting ramp from 18 months to 6 months or from 8 weeks to 4 weeks). * Practice buyers and role play sessions that simulate real prospects. * Pre and post call coaching, meeting preparation, and certification against company criteria. * Ride along experts that join live deals to handle technical, pricing, or product questions. * Customer facing avatars (website SDRs, embedded CSMs, product demo experts) available any time, running the same playbook as human sellers. * Feedback loops that surface which behaviors drive wins and close the gap between play design and execution. Avatars learn from expert conversations and existing materials; updates propagate across the system. The platform runs natively on Zoom. Reported outcomes include 10-30% lifts in win rates or quota attainment, 10x more demos from inbound leads in some cases, and high session volume (more than 10,000 AI coaching and role play sessions per week). Customers include Elastic, Masimo, Proofpoint, Netskope, Owner.com, and others that have scaled the platform to more than 1,000 GTM professionals. Contracted ARR from mid market and enterprise customers grew 698% year over year, with overall ARR up more than 400% year over year. Who are Avarra's founders? CEO and co-founder David Knight brings deep enterprise software and GTM experience. He previously held senior roles at Proofpoint (EVP and GM of Security Products and Information/Cloud Security) and WebEx (CTO of Collaboration Software Group and other product leadership positions), with earlier experience at Sybase, Oracle, and as an EIR at IVP. Co-founders include Matt Huang (COO), Chris Iezzoni (CTO/Head of AI), and Scot McIntosh (Head of Engineering). The company has roughly 31 employees. Avarra positions itself against the prevailing AI for sales narrative of automating routine tasks. Its contrarian thesis is that durable GTM advantage comes from reliably executing complex processes that require sophisticated product knowledge and industry expertise. By capturing institutional knowledge and making it available as always-on avatar coaches and experts, the company aims to make human sellers more effective and consistent rather than displace them. CEO David Knight has stated: "The companies winning with AI aren't replacing their people. They're investing to make their people irreplaceable." Investors echo this view. Arif Janmohamed (Duration Ventures, previously Lightspeed) backed the seed and led the Series A, describing Avarra as defining the future of work. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan highlighted the combination of AI power with the human touch critical to revenue teams. Lightspeed and Draper Associates similarly emphasize scaling human impact and institutional knowledge. Duration Ventures is a new firm founded by Arif Janmohamed (ex Lightspeed) and Trevor Oelschig (ex General Catalyst), focused on early stage enterprise AI. Janmohamed's prior involvement at seed creates continuity. Zoom's strategic participation aligns with native Zoom integration and the broader push for AI native tools that enhance collaboration and revenue workflows. Returning investors (Lightspeed, GTMfund) and new participants (Draper Associates, Alumni Ventures) signal strong conviction after demonstrated traction. In roughly two years from founding, Avarra moved from stealth seed to Series A with substantial revenue acceleration, enterprise customer expansion, and product evolution from pure simulation/training into a broader avatar platform spanning internal enablement and external customer interactions. High weekly session volume and multi thousand user deployments indicate product market fit in complex enterprise sales environments. The funding enables deeper engineering investment (to strengthen avatar realism, knowledge capture, and analytics) and GTM scale to pursue larger enterprise deals and broader adoption. The native Zoom relationship and strategic capital from Zoom provide distribution and integration advantages. Continued success will depend on sustaining measurable impact on ramp time, win rates, and quota attainment while expanding the customer facing avatar use cases that differentiate the platform from pure training tools. Please email Daily Company your feedback and news tips at hello(at)dailycompanynews.com