Biggest Startup Funding Deals
The week’s top startup funding deals featured major rounds in artificial intelligence, defense technology, and healthcare innovation. Artificial intelligence and defense were the key sectors driving big funding rounds last week, although significant investments were also seen in biotech, healthcare, and robotics.
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Anthropic, $3.5B, artificial intelligence: Anthropic, a competitor to ChatGPT with its AI assistant Claude, secured a massive $3.5 billion funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. This valuation brought Anthropic’s worth to $61.5 billion, significantly higher than its $18.5 billion valuation in February 2024.
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Epirus, $250M, defense: Defense tech startup Epirus raised a $250 million Series D round led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners. The Los Angeles-based company develops high-energy microwave technology to counter drones and other electronics. The round included a strategic investment from General Dynamics Land Systems.
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Shield AI, $240M, defense: Shield AI, a defense and aerospace startup, secured a $240 million F-1 strategic funding round at a $5.3 billion valuation. The San Diego-based company creates autonomous systems for defense. The funding saw significant participation from strategic investors Hanwha Aerospace and L3 Harris Technologies.
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Peregrine Technologies, $190M, law enforcement: Law enforcement startup Peregrine Technologies raised a $190 million funding round led by Sequoia Capital, becoming a unicorn at a $2.5 billion valuation. The San Francisco-based firm develops data analytics software for law enforcement agencies.
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Callio Therapeutics, $187M, biotech: Cancer therapy drug developer Callio Therapeutics secured a $187 million Series A round led by Frazier Life Sciences. The biotech company, based in Seattle and Singapore, is developing multipayload antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for cancer treatment.
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4C Medical Technologies, $175M, healthcare: Minneapolis-based 4C Medical Technologies, a medical device company focused on minimally invasive therapies for structural heart disease, closed a $175 million Series D round led by Boston Scientific.
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Turing, $111M, artificial intelligence: Palo Alto-based Turing, which contributes code to AI projects, raised an $111 million Series E financing round at a $2.2 billion valuation led by Khazanah Nasional.
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Odeko, $96M, business development: New York-based Odeko, a software platform for local coffee shops and cafes, raised a $126 million Series E round, including $96 million in equity led by B Capital.
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Aescape, $83M, robotics: Aescape, an AI robotics startup for massages, secured $83 million in funding led by Valor Equity Partners.
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PetScreening, $80M, pets: Mooresville, North Carolina-based PetScreening, a pet policy management software developer, raised an $80 million Series B round led by Guidepost Growth Equity and Volition Capital.
Global Deals
Outside the U.S., Sweden-based property development company aREIM raised approximately $488 million in a venture round.
Methodology
The funding deals were tracked from the Crunchbase database for U.S.-based companies between March 1 and March 7. While most rounds are represented, there might be a small delay in reporting some deals.
