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 1/10/25 featuring funding details for LMArena, Rain, Biller Genie, and eleven other deals representing $20.9B in new funding that you need to know about.
Cambium – $100.0M
El Segundo-based Cambium specializes in advanced materials for defense and aerospace, focusing on AI-driven designs and agile manufacturing practices. Founded by Simon Waddington and Stephan Herrera in 2019, Cambium has now raised a total of $127.0M in total equity funding and is backed by 8VC, Alumni Ventures, Gaingels, GSBackers, Inevitable Ventures, J17 Ventures, Jackson Moses, JACS Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, MVP Ventures, SignalRank, Vanderbilt University, and Veteran Ventures Capital.
Array Labs – $20.0M
Palo Alto-based Array Labs designs and operates space-based radar systems and delivers 3D Earth imagery and geospatial data services. Founded by Andrew Peterson and Isaac Robledo in 2019, Array Labs has now raised a total of $25.6M in total equity funding and is backed by Aera VC, Animal Capital, Catapult, Clearance Venture Partners, Cultivation Capital, KOMPAS VC, Maiora Ventures, Multimodal Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, and Y Combinator.
Lassen Peak – $10.0M
Bellevue-based Lassen Peak develops a technology that turns dangerous weapon detection procedures into safe, efficient, and dignified experiences. Founded by Ehsan Afshari and Hatch Graham in 2019, Lassen Peak has now raised a total of $42.0M in total equity funding and is backed by AI Capital Partners, Axon, Lauder Partners, Lioncrest, Madrona, and Octave Ventures LLC.
Pomelo Care – $92.0M
New York-based Pomelo Care is a health technology company that develops evidence-based healthcare solutions for women and children. Founded by Marta Bralic in 2021, Pomelo Care has now raised a total of $179.0M in total equity funding and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, BoxGroup, Plus Capital, Stripes, and SV Angel.
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LMArena – $150.0M
San Francisco-based LMArena is a web-based platform that evaluates large language models (LLMs) through anonymous, crowd-sourced pairwise comparisons. Founded by Anastasios Angelopoulos, Ion Stoica, and Wei-Lin Chiang in 2025, LMArena has now raised a total of $250.0M in total equity funding and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Felicis, Kleiner Perkins, Laude Ventures, LDV Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, The House Fund, and UC Investments.
Semafor – $63.6M
New York-based Semafor is a news and media company that offers widely covered news content across the globe. Founded by Ben Smith and Justin B. Smith in 2022, Semafor has now raised a total of $107.6M in total equity funding and is backed by Antenna Group, David Rubenstein, Henry Kravis, PSP Capital Partners, and Thomas Leysen.
xAI – $20.0B
Burlingame-based XAI is an artificial intelligence startup that develops AI solutions and tools to enhance reasoning and search capabilities. Founded by Christian Szegedy, Elon Musk, Greg Yang, Igor Babuschkin, Kyle Kosic, Manuel Kroiss, Toby Pohlen, and Yuhuai Wu in 2023, xAI has now raised a total of $37.7B in total equity funding and is backed by Baron Capital, Cisco Investments, Fidelity, MGX, NVIDIA, Qatar Investment Authority, StepStone Group, and Valor Equity Partners.
Rain – $250.0M
New York-based Rain is a stablecoin infrastructure platform offering wallets and global transfers through a unified API for enterprises and neobanks. Founded by Charles Yoo-Naut and Farooq Malik in 2021, Rain has now raised a total of $332.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Dragonfly, Endeavor Catalyst, FirstMark, Galaxy Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest, and Sapphire Ventures.
Autonomous Technologies Group – $15.0M
New York-based Autonomous is an AI-powered fintech company that helps users manage investments and financial decisions independently. Founded by Dillon Erb in 2025, Autonomous Technologies Group has now raised a total of $15.0M in total equity funding and is backed by BoxGroup, Collaborative Fund, Fusion Fund, and Y Combinator.
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Apella Technology – $80.0M
Oakland-based Apella Technology is an AI startup that brings modern engineering to improve surgery. Founded by Cameron Marlow and David Schummers in 2019, Apella Technology has now raised a total of $104.0M in total equity funding and is backed by Casdin Capital, HighlandX, Houston Methodist Hospital, K2 HealthVentures, OpAmp Capital, Operator Partners, PFM Health Sciences, Upside Partnership, and Vensana Capital.
Blackbird.AI – $28.0M
Rochester-based Blackbird.AI develops narrative and risk intelligence tools for detecting emerging dangers and staying ahead of real-world harm. Founded by Naushad UzZaman and Wasim Khaled in 2017, Blackbird.AI has now raised a total of $58.6M in total equity funding and is backed by Christopher Young, David DeWalt, Dorilton Ventures, and Ten Eleven Ventures.
Presto – $10.0M
Redwood City-based Presto is a software company that provides AI and automation solutions to the restaurant industry. Founded by Michael Chorey and Rajat Suri in 2008, Presto has now raised a total of $182.6M in total equity funding and is backed by Link Ventures, Metropolitan Partners, and REMUS Capital.
GS Microelectronics – $35.0M
San Jose-based GS Microelectronics provides manufacturing services for custom semiconductor solutions, including chip design, engineering, and power ICs. Founded by Farhat Jahangir in 2021, GS Microelectronics has now raised a total of $53.0M in total equity funding and is backed by Maverick Silicon.
Biller Genie – $22.0M
Miami-based Biller Genie automates accounts receivable processes by handling invoice delivery, reminders, payment collection, and reconciliation. Founded by Thomas Aronica in 2018, Biller Genie has now raised a total of $33.5M in total equity funding and is backed by Radian Capital.
The AlleyWatch audience is driving progress and innovation on a global scale. There are a number of options to reach this audience of the world’s most innovative organizations and startups at scale including strategic brand placement, lead generation, and thought leadership in front of an audience that comprises the vast majority of key decision-makers in the NYC business community and beyond. Learn more about advertising to NYC Tech, at scale.
