Ataraxis AI has raised $20.4 million in a Series A round led by AIX Ventures to commercialise its cancer treatment prediction technology. Thiel Bio, Founders Fund, Floating Point, Bertelsmann, Giant Ventures and Obvious Ventures also participated. The company previously raised $4 million in seed funding. The startup analyses high-resolution images of cancer cells using AI trained on hundreds of millions of images from thousands of patients. According to Ataraxis, its technology is 30% more accurate than current standards for breast cancer care. The funding will support the commercial launch of its first breast cancer test and expansion into other cancer types. Co-founded by Jan Witowski and NYU professor Krzysztof Geras, Ataraxis aims to help predict long-term cancer outcomes and potentially reduce unnecessary chemotherapy treatments.

Germany-based Stenon has raised €18 million ($20.5 million) in Series B funding led by Dutch impact investor Pymwymic to expand its nitrogen and soil data management platform. The funding comes as fertiliser prices surge globally, with EU nitrogen fertiliser costs up 70% in 2024. Stenon's FarmLab product combines hardware and software to generate real-time soil data, measuring plant-available nitrogen, soil organic carbon, temperature and moisture within seconds. The platform uses optical and electrical sensors with AI to provide immediate fertilisation insights, allowing farmers to optimise application rates. The company operates across several million acres in Europe, Central Asia, Brazil and the US. Stenon claims its technology delivers 2-8% yield increases and 20-40% average return on investment for nitrogen fertiliser across crops including corn, beans and cotton.