All posts tagged: 25M

Scimplify raises M to challenge China’s grip on critical materials with AI

Scimplify raises $25M to challenge China’s grip on critical materials with AI

Published by skeptic

As manufacturers across industries strive to reduce their reliance on Chinese suppliers, Indian startup Scimplify has raised $25 million to expand its AI-powered approach to producing specialty chemicals and critical materials, with semiconductors, defense and energy emerging as key growth markets. The all-equity strategic round was led by Hitachi Ventures, with customers Henkel and Teknor Apex joining as new investors. Existing backers Accel India, Bertelsmann India Investments, Omnivore, and 3one4 Capital also participated. The round values the Bengaluru-based startup at $250 million after the investment, according to a person familiar with the transaction, up from $150 million after a $40 million Series B round in March 2025. The latest investment brings Scimplify’s total equity funding to $80 million, the startup said, though it declined to disclose its valuation. The growing adoption of AI and advanced computational tools has accelerated materials discovery and research. However, turning promising chemistry into commercially available products at scale remains a slow and complex process. Manufacturers need to develop production processes, qualify facilities, and meet stringent quality standards, all while navigating …

Aptera (SEV) now says it needs M to start production, stock drops 15%

Aptera (SEV) now says it needs $25M to start production, stock drops 15%

Published by skeptic

Source: Aptera Motors Aptera (SEV) now says it needs only about $25 million to start production of its Solar EV, down from the $40 to $45 million it quoted just seven weeks ago. It’s good news on paper. But the market didn’t buy it: Aptera’s stock fell about 15% on the announcement, leaving the solar car startup with a market cap of roughly $69 million. A smaller number, same problem In its Q2 2026 results in August, Aptera said it needed $40 to $45 million to launch low-volume production at its Carlsbad facility, plus another $140 to $160 million to reach high volume. The new plan, published today, is a lot leaner: Advertisement – scroll for more content About $25 million to start production, with the first 40 vehicles built starting by the end of 2026 $40 million more to ramp to 500 vehicles per month, which Aptera calls self-sustaining $50 million more for high-volume tooling, targeting about 20,000 vehicles a year That’s roughly $115 million all-in, compared to $180 to $205 million before. Aptera …

Chrissy Teigen’s two-storey tree inside m family home has poignant hidden meaning

Chrissy Teigen’s two-storey tree inside $25m family home has poignant hidden meaning

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s Beverly Hills mansion, with an estimated price tag of $25 million, is a haven for them and their four children, Luna, Miles, Esti and Wren. It is full of an array of incredible features, and one of which is not only visually impressive but also incredibly meaningful. In the centre of their living space, the family have a two-storey tree that was once a living tree that’s now been embalmed.  The focal point was a poignant installation for John and Chrissy as it is there to represent their late son Jack, who sadly died when Chrissy was 20 weeks pregnant in 2020.  The model has called the structure the “tree of life” and in an Instagram Live the couple explained exactly the thought process behind the addition. The tree is visible behind Chrissy “We dedicated this to baby Jack and it’s really beautiful,” hitmaker John explained. “We were inspired by our friend Kelly Wearstler’s house – she has a tree in the middle of it – and we thought it would …

EPA announces m boost for drinking water infrastructure

EPA announces $25m boost for drinking water infrastructure

Published by skeptic

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced more than $25m in new funding to strengthen drinking water infrastructure in small, rural, and tribal communities nationwide. The investment is designed to help local water systems modernise ageing infrastructure, improve compliance with federal drinking water standards, and reduce exposure to harmful contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lead. The funding will be distributed through the Small, Rural, and Tribal (SmaRT) Drinking Water Assistance Program, which provides financial support to states and territories. These authorities will then allocate grants to communities most in need of assistance with critical water infrastructure projects and Safe Drinking Water Act compliance. By directing resources towards underserved communities, the EPA aims to improve public health, enhance the reliability of local water supplies, and address longstanding infrastructure challenges that have left many smaller water systems struggling to meet modern safety standards. EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer commented: “Reliable access to clean, safe drinking water is essential for American communities to thrive and a top priority for the Trump …

Gateway Capital announces first close of M Fund II

Gateway Capital announces first close of $25M Fund II

Published by skeptic

Gateway Capital Partners, the venture firm founded by Dana Guthrie, announced the first close for its $25 million target Fund II earlier this week, the Milwaukee-based firm told TechCrunch. Gateway Capital declined to share the exact amount of the first close. The first close means Fund II can begin its investment operations. Guthrie said the firm began raising its Fund II in the middle of last year. Fund II’s average check size will be between $500,000 and $600,000. It will be industry-agnostic, she said, though it will have “a bias toward Midwest industries that are ripe for disruption,” such as supply chain and logistics, and manufacturing AI. Guthrie said she hopes to back at least 20 companies from this fund. Gateway Capital, launched in 2020, last raised a $13 million Fund I in 2020. Source link

Mercor competitor Deccan AI raises M, sources experts from India

Mercor competitor Deccan AI raises $25M, sources experts from India

Published by skeptic

As demand grows for training and refining AI models, Deccan AI — a startup supplying post-training data and evaluation work — has raised $25 million in its first major funding round, with much of that work carried out by an India-based workforce of experts. The all-equity Series A round was led by A91 Partners, with participation from Susquehanna International Group and Prosus Ventures. While frontier AI labs including OpenAI and Anthropic build core models in-house, much of the post-training work — from data generation to evaluation and reinforcement learning — is increasingly being outsourced as companies push to make systems reliable in real-world use. Deccan is emerging as one of a new set of startups serving that demand. Founded in October 2024, Deccan provides services ranging from helping models improve coding and agent capabilities to training systems to interact with external tools such as application programming interfaces (APIs), which connect AI models to software systems. The startup works with frontier labs on tasks such as generating expert feedback, running evaluations and building reinforcement learning environments, …

Zeno raises M to speed up production of its battery-swap motorbikes

Zeno raises $25M to speed up production of its battery-swap motorbikes

Published by skeptic

The EV transition might have hit a hurdle in the U.S., but it’s not slowing down in East Africa, where several startups are vying for a piece of the burgeoning electric motorbike market. Zeno is one of those companies, and this week it announced a $25 million Series A to expand its app-controlled battery-swap network and produce more of its Emara motorcycles. About $20.5 million of the total was an equity fundraise, Zeno co-founder and CEO Michael Spencer told TechCrunch. It was led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Active Impact and Lowercarbon Ventures. The remaining $4.5 million is a debt facility from Camber Road and Trifecta Capital. Zeno had previously raised a $9.5 million seed round led by Lowercarbon Ventures and Toyota Ventures. Since emerging from stealth a-year-and-a-half ago, Zeno has built more than 800 of its Emara motorbikes and set up more than 150 charging locations across four countries in East Africa. The Zeno Emara has a long seat to carry passengers and cargo.Image Credits:Zeno / Motorbikes are a cornerstone of transportation in …

Superorganism raises M to back biodiversity startups

Superorganism raises $25M to back biodiversity startups

Published by skeptic

Superorganism launched in 2023 as what it claims is the first venture capital firm focused on biodiversity, aiming to serve as the conservationist on the cap table for nature-friendly startups. Now, the firm has closed its first fund, securing $25.9 million in capital commitments from Cisco Foundation, AMB Holdings, and Builders Vision, among others, along with individuals like Jeff Jordan, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Superorganism backs companies across three categories: tech that slows or reverses extinction, startups that operate at the intersection of climate and biodiversity, and tools that enable conservationists to do their work more effectively. The firm writes checks of $250,000 to $500,000 in size for pre-seed and seed-stage companies and donates 10% of its profits to future conservationist efforts. “You could think of us a lot like a climate tech fund, but instead of thinking about, where can we emit less carbon dioxide or avoid emissions in the first place, we’re doing the same thing for nature loss,” Kevin Webb, a managing director at Superorganism, told TechCrunch. Superorganism portfolio company Spoor …