The Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report: 7/20/26 – AlleyWatch

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 7/18/26 featuring funding details for Flex, Regatta, Rime, and twenty-four other deals representing $4B in new funding that you need to know about.

Fireworks AI – $1.5B

Redwood City-based Fireworks AI is an advanced platform that enables users to build, tune, and scale AI applications using open-source models. Founded by Chenyu Zhao, Dmytro Dzhulgakov, Dmytro Ivchenko, James Reed, Lin Qiao, and Pawel Garbacki in 2022, Fireworks AI has now raised a total of $1.8B in total equity funding and is backed by Atreides Management, Bessemer Venture Partners, Evantic Capital, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Lone Pine Capital, Menlo Ventures, NVIDIA, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, TCV, and The Twenty Minute VC.

Emergent – $130.0M

Pleasanton-based Emergent is an AI-powered software creation platform that enables users to build full-stack web and mobile applications. Founded by Madhav Jha and Mukund Jha in 2024, Emergent has now raised a total of $230M in total equity funding and is backed by Claypond Capital, Creaegis, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sentinel Global, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Y Combinator.

Fora – $60.0M

New York-based Fora is a travel agency platform that connects travelers with independent travel advisors for trip planning and booking services. Founded by Evan Frank, Henley Vazquez, and Jake Peters in 2021, Fora has now raised a total of $138.5M in total equity funding and is backed by BlackPines Capital Partners, Forerunner, Heartcore Capital, Insight Partners, Plus Capital, Tactile Ventures, Thrive Capital, and Tribeca Venture Partners.

Chai Discovery – $400.0M

San Francisco-based Chai Discovery develops artificial intelligence models and software for protein engineering and molecular design. Founded by Jack Dent, Jacques Boitreaud, Joshua Meier, and Matthew McPartlon in 2024, Chai Discovery has now raised a total of $630M in total equity funding and is backed by Avenir, Avra Capital, Baillie Gifford, Bain Capital Ventures, Battery Ventures, BDT & MSD Partners, Dimension Capital, General Catalyst, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Lachy Groom, Menlo Ventures, Oak HC/FT, OpenAI, Sapphire Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital, and Yosemite.

Nous Research – $75.0M

New York-based Nous Research is a decentralized AI startup that focuses on developing open-source, human-centric artificial intelligence models and tools. Founded by Jeffrey Quesnelle, Karan Malhotra, Ryan Teknium, and Shivani Mitra in 2023, Nous Research has now raised a total of $145M in total equity funding and is backed by Robot Ventures and Union Square Ventures.

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InstaLILY AI – $60.0M

New York-based InstaLILY develops artificial intelligence software that helps organizations automate complex sales, service, and operational workflows. Founded by Amit Shah and Sumantro Das in 2023, InstaLILY AI has now raised a total of $85M in total equity funding and is backed by Energize Capital, Home Depot Ventures, Insight Partners, and United Rentals.

Feathery – $30.0M

San Francisco-based Feathery is an agentic data intake platform that automates operational workflows for financial services companies. Founded by Peter Dun and Zack Khan in 2021, Feathery has now raised a total of $34M in total equity funding and is backed by Allstate Strategic Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Clocktower Technology Ventures, Erie Strategic Ventures, Index Ventures, and Portage Ventures.

Rime – $24.0M

San Francisco-based Rime creates human-like conversational voice models for enterprises, allowing calls to be handled with a more natural tone and rhythm. Founded by Ares Geovanos, Brooke Larson, and Lily Clifford in 2021, Rime has now raised a total of $32.6M in total equity funding and is backed by Alumni Ventures, Cadenza Ventures, Corazon Capital, M13, Twilio, and Unusual Ventures.

BRINC Drones – $125.0M

Seattle-based BRINC Drones develops technology that enhances public safety, focusing on hardware, software, and services for emergency responders. Founded by Blake Resnick in 2017, BRINC Drones has now raised a total of $282.2M in total equity funding and is backed by Dylan Field, Index Ventures, and Motorola Solutions.

Hadrius – $22.0M

San Francisco-based Hadrius is an AI-native compliance platform that centralizes compliance operations for financial firms. Founded by Allen Calderwood, Som Mohapatra, and Thomas Stewart in 2021, Hadrius has now raised a total of $24.5M in total equity funding and is backed by CRV, Pathlight Ventures, and Y Combinator.

Flex – $70.0M

San Francisco-based Flex is a financial technology company that offers an end-to-end finance platform that integrates business and personal finance management. Founded by Hadi Solh and Zaid Rahman in 2022, Flex has now raised a total of $185.1M in total equity funding and is backed by 53 Stations, Crosslink Capital, Florida Funders, Portage Ventures, Spice Expeditions, The Halo Fund, Titanium Ventures, and Wellington Management.

Spectro Cloud – $100.0M

San Jose-based Spectro Cloud develops an AI infrastructure and cloud-native infrastructure management platform for enterprises. Founded by Gautam Joshi, Saad Malik, and Tenry Fu in 2019, Spectro Cloud has now raised a total of $262.5M in total equity funding and is backed by AMD Ventures, Ericsson, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, LG Technology Ventures, and Maximus.

Bunkerhill Health – $25.0M

Palo Alto-based Bunkerhill Health develops AI agents aimed at enhancing clinical and operational teams within health systems. Founded by David Eng and Nishith Khandwala in 2022, Bunkerhill Health has now raised a total of $55M in total equity funding and is backed by Felicis, Khosla Ventures, Optum Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Y Combinator.

Wonder – $650.0M

New York-based Wonder operates a mealtime platform offering restaurant meals, meal kits, and food delivery through a unified ordering experience. Founded by Juan Cappello and Marc Lore in 2018, Wonder has now raised a total of $3.1B in total equity funding and is backed by Accel, AllianceBernstein, ARK Investment Management, Google Ventures, Kayne Anderson Rudnick (KAR), and New Enterprise Associates.

Senra Systems – $65.0M

Redondo Beach-based Senra Systems designs and manufactures wire harnesses for aerospace, defense, and other industries. Founded by Benjamin Shanahan, Eric Perez, Jordan Black, and Pete Beukelman in 2023, Senra Systems has now raised a total of $90M in total equity funding and is backed by 8VC, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, CIV, Dylan Field, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Interlagos Capital, JAWS Estates Capital, Lowercarbon Capital, Sequoia Capital, Sozo Ventures, and The Friedkin Group.

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Reo.Dev – $11.3M

San Francisco-based Reo.Dev provides a revenue intelligence platform for companies that sell to developers. Founded by Achintya Gupta, Gaurav Jain, and Piyush Agarwal in 2023, Reo.Dev has now raised a total of $20.4M in total equity funding and is backed by Elevation Capital, Foster Ventures, Gokul Rajaram, Heavybit, India Quotient, and Uncorrelated Ventures.

Regatta – $68.0M

San Francisco-based Regatta is a transactional and analytical database that executes parallel queries and helps deliver apps with less code in a faster time. Founded by Boaz Palgi, Eran Borovik, and Erez Webman in 2020, Regatta has now raised a total of $68M in total equity funding and is backed by 83North, Amdocs, Bill Scannell, Comcast, Eyal Waldman, Frank Slootman, Greg Lavender, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Salesforce, and TPY Capital.

Augmodo – $21.0M

Seattle-based Augmodo Spatial AI enables real-time tracking of products across all stores, enhancing inventory management and shopping experiences. Founded by Ross Finman in 2023, Augmodo has now raised a total of $63.9M in total equity funding and is backed by Arena Holdings, Chemist Warehouse, Interlace Ventures, Jefferson River Capital, Lerer Hippeau, New Fare, TQ Ventures, and Webb Investment Network.

Cyclops.io – $20.0M

Cambridge-based Cyclops.io is a new operating system for team collaboration. Founded by Alex Wilson, David Johnson, and Pat Duffy in 2015, Cyclops.io has now raised a total of $28M in total equity funding and is backed by Castle Island Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Global PayTech Ventures, Lasagna, and Nava Ventures.

Quadric – $16.0M

Burlingame-based Quadric develops semiconductor intellectual property and tools for on-device artificial intelligence computing. Founded by Daniel Firu, Nigel Drego, and Veerbhan Kheterpal in 2016, Quadric has now raised a total of $89.8M in total equity funding and is backed by BEENEXT, International Finance Corporation, Offline Ventures, Pear VC, and Uncork Capital.

Overtone – $18.0M

New York-based Overtone dating app uses AI and voice tools to create more personal, thoughtful connections. Founded by Justin McLeod in 2025, Overtone has now raised a total of $18M in total equity funding and is backed by FirstMark, Match Group, and Pace Capital.

Corner Health – $25.0M

Santa Monica-based Corner Health is a healthcare technology company that helps nurse practitioners operate and grow independent primary care practices. Founded by Anne Gifford and Lava Sunder in 2024, Corner Health has now raised a total of $32.4M in total equity funding and is backed by First Round Capital, Oak HC/FT, and Zigg Capital.

TerraFirma – $100.0M

Austin-based TerraFirma is a software company that designs and develops construction technology systems to control earthmoving machines. Founded by Noah McGuinness and Noah Schochet in 2023, TerraFirma has now raised a total of $115M in total equity funding and is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Banner VC, Definition, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Magnetar Capital, Peak 6, Ravelin Capital, Saga Ventures, and Trust Ventures.

TYLsemi – $43.0M

San Jose-based TYLsemi is transforming AI infrastructure silicon development by delivering standards-based, production-ready chiplets. Founded by Mohit Gupta and Sunil Bhardwaj in 2026, TYLsemi has now raised a total of $43M in total equity funding and is backed by Egis Technology, Global Hands-On VC, Matter Venture Partners, and Viola Ventures.

Walden Robotics – $300.0M

Cambridge-based Walden Robotics Builds wheeled, two-armed semi-humanoid robots using Physical AI for manufacturing and logistics. Founded by Adrien Gaidon, Ben Burchfiel, Dave Johnson, Kerri Fetzer-Borelli, and Russ Tedrake in 2026, Walden Robotics has now raised a total of $300M in total equity funding and is backed by AE Ventures, Calibrate Ventures, Colle Capital Partners, CoreWeave Ventures, Deviation Capital, KAS Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, NextView Ventures, NVIDIA, One Madison Group, Prologis Ventures, Samsung Ventures, Shine Capital, Squarepoint Capital, The Boeing Company, and Toyota.

Kind Designs – $10.0M

Miami Beach-based Kind Designs creates 3D-printed seawalls and tiles that protect coastlines, restore marine life, and support sustainable infrastructure. Founded by Anya Freeman and James Layfield in 2022, Kind Designs has now raised a total of $20M in total equity funding and is backed by Adrian Fenty, Golden Seeds, GOVO Venture Partners, Kyle Kuzma, Mark Cuban, New York Angels, Portfolia, and Tamiami Angel Funds.

Guthrie AI – $4.0M

Philadelphia-based Guthrie AI develops an AI-powered bid management and proposal automation platform for specialty contractors. Founded by Tuneer De in 2023, Guthrie AI has now raised a total of $4.2M in total equity funding and is backed by Chicago Ventures.