Over $1.16B Deployed into Systems Infrastructure: Robotics, Clean Iron, AI, Space Traffic | Capital Movements Vol. 15
💰The state of deep tech capital: who’s raising, who’s betting, and why.
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Dear Friends,
This week’s funding cycle marked a clear evolution: early-stage momentum with systems ambition. Across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, we tracked 31 startup funding rounds totaling approximately $1.16 billion USD—a reminder that despite broader market caution, deep tech investment remains both global and resilient.
Seed and Series A rounds dominated activity, with 10 Seed deals and 11 Series A deals—highlighting strong early-stage momentum. It's an important signal: investors are placing fresh bets at the roots of new technologies, even as later-stage funding stays selective.
The top sectors by total funding were Biotech, Clean Energy, and SpaceTech, driven by major raises from companies like Granite Bio, Exowatt, and Northwood Space.
North America, particularly the United States, led investment volumes, while Europe showed strength in SpaceTech and sustainable construction, and Asia gained real traction in EV and AgriTech innovation.
More importantly, capital flows this week concentrated heavily on foundational infrastructure and systems-level innovation—not just applications. It feels like an inflection point: a return to building the critical layers upon which future industries will scale.
At the summit, we saw standout raises like Granite Bio’s $100M launch to pioneer new autoimmune antibody therapies, and Electra’s $186M push to commercialize clean iron production for decarbonized steel. Northwood Space’s $30M Series A for a scalable ground station network highlighted that even in the new space economy, connectivity and logistics remain kingmakers.
Zooming out, early bets on robotics, energy systems, and applied AI added further texture. Axibo AI’s $12M raise to expand into humanoid robotics underlines the growing confidence in advanced physical systems.
ChEmpower’s $18.7M Series A for sustainable chip manufacturing tech, and Exowatt’s $70M raise to power AI data centers with dispatchable solar energy, showed that investors are backing not just innovation, but the core infrastructures that support it.
SpaceTech continued its strong run: Germany’s OKAPI:Orbits raised €13M to expand its AI-powered Space Traffic Management platform, while strategic moves like Lockheed Martin’s investment in Farcast demonstrated the critical importance of agile communications for both military and commercial space operations.
In Biotech and HealthTech, investment focused less on speculative drug development and more on platform innovation. Biolinq closed a $100M Series C to advance real-time wearable biosensors, and Grove Biopharma raised $30M to develop synthetic biologics for intracellular disease targets. Precision and infrastructure, rather than pure therapeutic moonshots, defined the week's tone.
Cybersecurity, too, saw structural shifts. Amplifier Security’s $5.6M seed for autonomous user security and Chainguard’s $356M Series D to safeguard the software supply chain both reflected a deeper rethinking: security must now be systemic, not reactive.
On the venture capital side, the week’s fund announcements reinforced the same trend: patient capital for system-building. CIV’s $200M fund for manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure; KOMPAS VC’s €150M targeting industrial tech and sustainability; Sunflower Capital’s $250M early-stage vehicles; and First Momentum’s €35M for B2B deep tech. Even grassroots initiatives like the new $35M Israeli reservist fund spotlighted a growing willingness to fund long-term, hard tech missions.
The connective thread? The investments of the week aren't chasing trends—they're laying the groundwork for the next economy.
In a world increasingly aware of its systemic dependencies—from energy grids to orbital lanes to biological supply chains—capital is pivoting back to necessity. It’s about iron, quantum dots, robotic actuators, carbon-negative construction materials, and AI-engineered biologics. It’s about what must be built—not just what can be imagined.
Deep tech’s center of gravity is shifting. From demos to deployment. From excitement to endurance. From hype to hard problems—and durable solutions.
Let’s start
The Silent Gold Rush of AI-Powered Lab Automation
At first, just a few scattered startups—ambitious, maybe a little too early—were trying to bring AI automation into the wet lab.
But then, the signals started stacking up.
Suddenly, capital was flowing.
Researchers were leaving top-tier institutions to join these teams.
Infrastructure was maturing, and for the first time, it felt like the lab itself was becoming programmable.
We’ve seen enough of these signals converge to believe something real is taking shape.
So in this edition, we map the terrain.
Here’s what we cover:
> Why AI-for-labs is happening now
> Five startups leading this movement, from Boston to Munich
> The capital flowing into the thesis ($250M+ in the last 18 months)
> What could go right (or wrong), and how to think about risk
> What you’ll find isn’t just a list of companies.
It’s a window into a pattern: five teams, across geographies and business models, each taking a different shot at the same big idea—
That scientific experimentation can be scaled, accelerated, and made vastly more repeatable through software, robotics, and intelligent orchestration.
Some of these companies are building full-stack platforms.
Others are solving the invisible but critical problems—connectivity, standards, throughput—that make automation possible in the first place.
Together, they sketch the early shape of something larger:
A potential transformation in how R&D is done, funded, and imagined...
Startups Deals
🔸 Axibo AI Secures $12M to Pioneer 'Made in Canada' Humanoids
Waterloo-based Axibo AI raised $12M to launch a new humanoid robotics division, leveraging its success in cinema robotics and Waterloo’s rich AI and engineering talent. The round included $11M from external investors and $1M from founders.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Canada, North America
Industry: Robotics
Sector: Humanoid Robotics
Tech: AI, Robotics
🔸 Electra Lands $186M to Scale Up Clean Iron Electrowinning Process
Boulder-based Electra raised $186M to expand its clean iron electrowinning process for steel decarbonization. Investors include Capricorn, Temasek, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and major mining and steel industry players.
Deal: Series B
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Materials
Sector: Green Steel
Tech: Clean Iron, Electrowinning
🔸 Granite Bio Unveils With $100M to Develop New Autoimmune Antibodies
Granite Bio launched with $100M to develop first-in-class antibody therapies for autoimmune diseases, leveraging Versant’s Ridgeline Discovery Engine. Backers include Versant, Novartis Venture Fund, Forbion, and Sanofi Ventures.
Deal: Series A + B
Region: Switzerland / Germany / USA (cross-border)
Industry: Biotech
Sector: Autoimmune Therapeutics
Tech: Antibodies, Drug Discovery
🔸 OKAPI:Orbits Raises €13M Seed Funding for Global Space Traffic Management Expansion
Germany-based OKAPI:Orbits secured €13M in seed funding led by Ventech to scale its AI-powered Space Traffic Management platform, addressing rising satellite congestion and supporting space sustainability efforts.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: Germany, Europe
Industry: SpaceTech
Sector: Space Traffic Management
Tech: AI, Space Situational Awareness
🔸 Corvic AI Secures $12M Seed Round to Power Reliable Enterprise Intelligence with AI
Corvic AI raised $12M in seed funding led by M Ventures and Bosch Ventures, with participation from Foothill Ventures, Lam Capital, LDV Partners, K2 Access Fund, and Brian Long. Its platform enables scalable, auditable AI deployments by processing complex enterprise data across industrial, financial, and life science sectors.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: United States, North America
Industry: Enterprise Infrastructure
Sector: Artificial Intelligence
Tech: Data Infrastructure, Generative AI, Cognitive Systems
10 Truths No One Tells You About Building a Deep Tech Team
If you’re building a deep tech startup, let’s start with some brutal honesty.
Your product might be revolutionary. Your IP might be defensible. Your prototype might even work.
But unless you build the right team around it, none of that matters.
Let me say it again for the people in the back of the pitch room:
You don’t scale science. You scale people.
Too often, founders in deep tech think that what they’re building is the business. They obsess over the hardware. The chemistry. The experimental model. The lab result. And in doing so, they treat the team as a checkbox slide on their pitch deck—when it should be the main event.
If this sounds like you, take a breath. You’re not alone.
But it’s time to change how you think about team-building in deep tech—because that’s where investors are placing their bets. Not just on what you’ve built. But on who is building it.
🔸 Amplifier Security Raises $5.6M to Power Autonomous User Security
Atlanta-based Amplifier Security secured $5.6M seed funding to scale its AI-driven Autonomous User Security platform, activating users to reduce cyber risk and partnering with Jamf to expand reach.
Deal: Seed Round
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Cybersecurity
Sector: User Security Automation
Tech: AI, Human-in-the-loop Security
🔸 ChEmpower Secures $18.7M to Advance Abrasive-Free Planarization for Chips
Portland-based ChEmpower raised $18.7M in Series A funding to scale its sustainable, abrasive-free planarization technology for advanced semiconductor and AI chip manufacturing. Investors include Intel Capital and M Ventures.
Deal: Series A
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Semiconductors
Sector: Advanced Materials
Tech: Abrasive-Free Planarization, Semiconductor Manufacturing
🔸 Northwood Raises $30M Series A to Build Ground Station Network
El Segundo-based Northwood Space raised $30M to build a vertically integrated, scalable global ground station network, critical for expanding space-to-Earth data infrastructure. Investors include Alpine Space Ventures and a16z.
Deal: Series A
Region: USA, North America
Industry: SpaceTech
Sector: Ground Infrastructure
Tech: Satellite Communications, Ground Stations
🔸 Lockheed Martin Invests $2M in Satcom Startup Farcast
Farcast, a California-based satcom startup, secured a $2M strategic investment from Lockheed Martin to advance its modem-agnostic flat panel antennas, key to next-gen military and space communications.
Deal: Strategic Investment (Series A Extension)
Region: USA, North America
Industry: SpaceTech / Defense
Sector: Satcom Infrastructure
Tech: Flat Panel Antennas, AESA
🔸 UbiQD Lands $20M to Scale Quantum Dot Tech for Ag and Solar
New Mexico-based UbiQD raised $20M Series B to scale its sustainable quantum dot platform, boosting light optimization for greenhouse farming and improving solar panel efficiency.
Deal: Series B
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Advanced Materials, AgTech, SolarTech
Sector: Light Optimization Technologies
Tech: Quantum Dots
🔸 Grove Biopharma Closes $30M Series A for Bionic Biologics Platform
Chicago-based Grove Biopharma raised $30M Series A to advance its Bionic Biologics™ platform, developing synthetic biologics targeting intractable intracellular disease pathways in oncology and neurodegeneration.
Deal: Series A
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Biotech
Sector: Intracellular Therapeutics
Tech: Synthetic Biologics, Protein Engineering
🔸 Synthetic Design Lab Raises $20M to Advance SYNTHBODY ADC Platform
San Francisco’s Synthetic Design Lab closed $20M funding led by Playground Global and Godfrey Capital to advance its SYNTHBODY ADC platform, optimizing targeted delivery in cancer therapeutics.
Deal: Seed
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Biotech
Sector: Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADC)
Tech: Targeted Therapeutics, Protein Engineering
🔸 Adaptavate Secures £2.7M to Scale Carbon-Negative Construction Materials
UK-based Adaptavate raised £2.7M pre-Series A to accelerate industrial scale-up of Breathaboard, a carbon-negative alternative to plasterboard, supporting construction sector decarbonization.
Deal: Pre-Series A
Region: UK, Europe
Industry: ConstructionTech
Sector: Low-Carbon Building Materials
Tech: Sustainable Construction Materials
🔸 Exowatt Closes $70M Series A to Scale Dispatchable Solar for Data Centers
Miami-based Exowatt raised $70M Series A led by Felicis to scale its Exowatt P3 platform, a modular solar-thermal system aimed at meeting growing AI data center energy needs.
Deal: Series A
Region: USA, North America
Industry: EnergyTech
Sector: Solar + Long-Duration Storage
Tech: Solar-Thermal Energy, Data Center Power
🔸 Caban Secures $50M to Expand Energy-as-a-Service Platform
Plano, Texas-based Caban raised $50M equity funding to scale its battery storage and EaaS model for critical infrastructure, expanding clean energy deployments across the Americas and Dubai.
Deal: Growth Equity
Region: USA, North America
Industry: EnergyTech
Sector: Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS)
Tech: Battery Storage, Energy Management
🔸 Irrigreen Raises $19M Series A for Smart Robotic Lawn Irrigation
Irrigreen secured $19M Series A to expand its patented robotic irrigation tech, saving homeowners up to 50% on water usage via digitally mapped sprinkler systems with live weather adaptation.
Deal: Series A
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Robotics
Sector: Smart Water Systems
Tech: Robotic Sprinklers, AI Mapping
🔸 GreenGrahi Raises ₹32 Crore ($3.8M) to Scale Insect Biomanufacturing
GreenGrahi raised ₹32 crore (around $3.8M) led by Avaana Capital to expand its insect-based biomanufacturing platform for sustainable animal feed and agricultural bio-inputs.
Deal: Seed
Region: India, Asia
Industry: AgriTech / BioTech
Sector: Sustainable Protein, BioInputs
Tech: Insect Biomanufacturing
🔸 Fabric Raises $13.5M Series A to Scale EV IoT & Data Solutions
Bengaluru-based Fabric, via subsidiary Intellicar, raised $13.5M Series A to expand IoT and data stack for EV fleets, helping accelerate India's shift to sustainable mobility.
Deal: Series A
Region: India, Asia
Industry: EVTech / IoT
Sector: Connected Mobility
Tech: EV Data Analytics, IoT Solutions
🔸 Emmi AI Raises €15M Seed to Build AI Engineering Assistant
Linz-based Emmi AI raised €15M seed, Austria’s largest to date, to boost its AI-driven simulation platform optimizing aerospace and automotive engineering workflows.
Deal: Seed
Region: Austria, Europe
Industry: DeepTech / IndustrialTech
Sector: Engineering Simulations
Tech: AI Simulations, Digital Twins
🔸 BioLumic Secures $8.3M Series B Extension for Light-Activated Seed Traits
BioLumic closed $8.3M Series B extension to scale its non-GMO xTraits™, using UV light to program high-yield traits into corn, soybean, rice, and forage seeds without genetic modification.
Deal: Series B Extension
Region: USA, North America
Industry: AgriTech
Sector: Seed Technology
Tech: Light-Activated Traits, Non-GMO Seed Innovation
🔸 DBR77 Robotics Raises €3.5M Seed to Expand Globally
Poland-based DBR77 Robotics raised €3.5M Seed to expand its IoT and digital twin-powered robotics platform for manufacturing and logistics optimization across Europe and the US.
Deal: Seed
Region: Europe (Poland)
Industry: IndustrialTech
Sector: Robotics, Digital Twin
Tech: IoT Integration, Robotics Marketplace
🔸 Durin Raises $3.4M to Automate Critical Minerals Drilling
Durin raised $3.4M pre-seed to build automated drilling rigs for mineral exploration, aiming to cut costs and boost efficiency by replacing manual drilling labor with robotics and machine learning.
Deal: Pre-Seed
Region: USA, North America
Industry: MiningTech / Robotics
Sector: Critical Minerals Exploration
Tech: Autonomous Drilling, Sensor-Driven Robotics
🔸 RISE Robotics Raises $1.5M for Electrified Linear Actuators
Somerville-based RISE Robotics raised $1.5M to expand Beltdraulic, its electric linear actuator tech designed to replace hydraulics in medium and heavy-duty machinery, cutting emissions and fuel use.
Deal: Funding
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Energy
Sector: Industrial Electrification
Tech: Electric Actuators, Heavy Machinery Tech
🔸 Isembard Raises $9M to Reinvent Precision Manufacturing
UK startup Isembard raised $9M seed to deploy modular, AI-driven manufacturing cells, helping reshore critical production for defense, aerospace, and energy amid Western supply chain crises.
Deal: Seed
Region: UK, Europe
Industry: IndustrialTech / Manufacturing
Sector: Modular Factories
Tech: Robotics, AI Production Planning
🔸 Overture Life Raises $20.6M to Automate IVF Labs
Palo Alto-based Overture Life raised $20.6M to expand AI and robotics-based IVF lab automation, targeting lower costs, higher success rates, and broader fertility access worldwide.
Deal: Funding
Region: USA, North America
Industry: HealthTech / MedTech
Sector: Fertility Automation
Tech: IVF Robotics, Non-Invasive Embryo Testing
🔸 Etiome Launches with $50M to Develop Preemptive Medicines
Boston-based Etiome emerged with $50M from Flagship Pioneering to create "molecular movies" of disease progression, identifying early biomarkers for new classes of preventive medicines.
Deal: Funding
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Biotech / AI
Sector: Precision Health, Preemptive Medicine
Tech: Multiomics, Predictive Biomarkers
🔸 Sheep Inc. Raises £5M Series A for Connected Traceability in Fashion
Wool apparel brand Sheep Inc. raised £5M to expand its Connected Dot tech, enabling full traceability from regenerative farms to final garment stitching.
Deal: Series A
Region: UK, Europe
Industry: ConsumerTech / FashionTech
Sector: Sustainable Apparel
Tech: Traceability, Carbon-Negative Wool
🔸 Araceli Biosciences Raises $11.2M for AI-Driven Drug Discovery Imaging
Portland’s Araceli Biosciences raised $11.2M to scale its Endeavor imaging platform and Clairvoyance AI software for ultra high-throughput drug discovery.
Deal: Seed
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Bioinformatics / Drug Discovery
Sector: High-Content Imaging
Tech: AI Analysis, Cellular Phenotyping
🔸 Chainguard Raises $356M Series D at $3.5B Valuation
Cybersecurity startup Chainguard raised $356M Series D to scale its software supply chain security platform, tripling its valuation to $3.5B.
Deal: Series D
Region: USA, North America
Industry: Cybersecurity
Sector: Software Supply Chain
Tech: Secure Open Source, Supply Chain Protection
🔸 RepAir Carbon Raises $15M Series A Extension for Low-Energy Carbon Capture
Israel-based RepAir Carbon raised $15M Series A extension to scale its electrochemical carbon capture system, consuming 70% less energy than alternatives.
Deal: Series A Extension
Region: Israel, Middle East
Industry: Carbon Removal
Sector: Carbon Capture
Tech: Electrochemical Capture, Modular Systems
🔸 Biolinq Closes $100M Series C for Wearable Metabolic Sensors
San Diego’s Biolinq raised $100M Series C to advance its precision wearable biosensors for real-time glucose and future multi-analyte metabolic health tracking.
Deal: Series C
Region: USA, North America
Industry: HealthTech / MedTech
Sector: Wearable Biosensing
Tech: Real-Time Glucose Sensing
Venture Capital
🔹 CIV Launches $200M Fund for Manufacturing, Energy, and Infrastructure Startups
CIV has raised a $200 million venture fund to invest in early-stage companies focused on manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure sectors. The firm plans to invest between $5 million and $15 million per company.
🔹 KOMPAS VC Closes €150M Fund II to Invest in Industrial Tech and Sustainability
Copenhagen-based KOMPAS VC closed a €150 million second fund targeting early-stage startups working in industrial technology and sustainability. The fund focuses on companies addressing CO₂ emissions, productivity, and supply chain resilience, and plans to back around 25 startups globally.
🔹 Sunflower Capital Raises $250M Across Two Funds for Early-Stage Investments
Sunflower Capital announced the launch of Funds I and II totaling $250 million to invest at the earliest stages, often before company formation, in sectors related to modern enterprises, critical industries, and physical infrastructure. The firm was founded approximately 2.5 years ago.
🔹 First Momentum Raises €35M Second Fund to back energy, automation and AI
First Momentum announced the closing of a €35 million second fund aimed at early-stage B2B deeptech startups in areas such as energy storage, automation, advanced materials, and quantum technologies. The firm targets initial checks between €200,000 and €1 million, aiming to invest in 35 companies.
🔹 $35M VC Fund Launched by Israeli Reservists to Support Startups Founded During Conflict
A new $35 million venture capital fund was launched following a meeting between reserve soldier David Citron and venture capitalist Alan Buch during the Israel-Hamas conflict. The fund will invest in startups founded by Israeli reservists during or after their military service.