Venture Capital stories - Page 9

Qodo launches a beta Azure DevOps integration that embeds its AI-driven, context-aware code review directly into pull request workflows.

Aspire partners with early-stage investor Antler to capture global founders at inception, targeting a 2.3x jump in startup customers by 2026.

ORCA Opti touts defensible AI, rapid global expansion and a 2027 IPO as it targets regulated markets and warns most AI startups will fail.

Christchurch AI startup Contented raises NZD $4.1m seed round to grow its meeting-minutes platform and push into Australia, UK and US.

Yaspa appoints payments veteran Justin Fraser as Chief Revenue Officer to drive global growth of its open banking and AI payments platform.

Beast Industries acquires fintech app Step, betting on financial literacy tools to turn his vast creator audience into customers.

ZeroDrift emerges from stealth with USD $2m to automate real-time compliance checks on outbound communications in regulated industries.

AI bookkeeping startup Botkeeper shuts after 11 years, citing rapid client consolidation, lost revenue and an unsustainable path forward.

Agentic AI is shredding seat-based SaaS models, sparking a wave of 'zombie' vendors, valuation shocks and leaner, AI-native rivals.

Anthropic adds Claude plugins to Cowork, fuelling investor fears that agent-style AI could undermine traditional seat-based software.

Qodo 2.0 launches multi-agent AI code review to boost trust in autogenerated code, claiming 11% better detection of critical issues.

Ecommpay and Payrails form strategic tie-up, offering large merchants a single API to streamline complex, multi-provider payment stacks.

RapidFort secures USD $42m Series A to scale automated software supply chain security and continuous vulnerability remediation.

Genstore launches AI-driven eCommerce platform promising end-to-end shop automation, after beta users processed USD $2.3 million in sales.

Swiss startup Umanitek has unveiled Guardian Agent, a subscription tool to spot deepfakes, fake profiles and AI-driven impersonation online.

Fieldguide secures USD $75m Series C from Goldman Sachs to scale agentic AI for audit firms, lifting its valuation to USD $700m.

Campus dating start-up Ditto lands USD 9.2 million to grow its AI-powered iMessage matchmaking service for US college students.

GoCab secures USD $45m in equity and debt to expand gig driver vehicle financing and electric mobility across Africa and emerging markets.

Forward Networks debuts Forward AI, a digital twin-powered agentic assistant promising safer, verifiable automation for network operations.

A Copenhagen startup says its Argus software can generate full eye prescriptions from a single smartphone photo in under a minute.