Startup Monday: Latest tech trends & news happening in the global startup ecosystem (Issue 156- March 1)

Welcome to Startup Monday, my weekly newsletter that recaps the week in the global startup ecosystem. To have this newsletter emailed to you, you can sign up here.

Top startup news to follow this week:

1. Social Discovery Group launches $20M venture fund to invest in social discovery startups

Social Discovery Group said it is starting , a that will invest in social discovery startups.$20 million corporate venture fund

SDG Lab is poised to back early-stage startups in AI-powered communication, VR/AR advancements, and social discovery platforms with an annual investment fund of $20 million. The venture studio provides founders with critical resources, including legal assistance, back-office support, tech infrastructure, and marketing expertise-allowing them to focus on innovation and scale.

“Social interaction is evolving, and digital intimacy is the next frontier,” said Kudos, CEO of SDG Lab, in a statement. “At SDG Lab, we’re not just funding ideas-we’re co-creating the future of human connection. By investing in and partnering with bold entrepreneurs, we are building technologies that make meaningful relationships possible, no matter where people are in the world.”

SDG Lab aims to simplify the startup journey with a straightforward fundraising process. Entrepreneurs can secure seed funding for MVP development and additional capital for scaling, ensuring their vision becomes a profitable reality.

2. AI startup Bridgetown Research raises $19 million in latest funding

The Series A funding round valued the Seattle-based company at $250 million, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

While most AI solutions focus on searching and summarizing information using large language models (LLMs), Bridgetown Research develops AI agents that gather proprietary data from experts and customer surveys.

These agents analyze the data to identify patterns and generate insights, aiding executives and investors in making strategic decisions.

With the latest fundraise, Bridgetown plans to invest further in training AI agents or bots to perform a broader set of analyses and enhance access to sector-specific intelligence through partnerships.

The company, which initially focused on private equity deal screening, has expanded to encompass a broader range of market research services.

3. AI startup Anthropic close to $3.5 billion fundraise, sources say

The startup behind the Claude chatbot could receive backing from venture firms Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst and Bessemer Venture Partners, the sources said.

Venture capital heavyweights have rushed to pour into AI-linked startups, with nearly half of all funding dollars raised last year in the U.S. going to these companies, to capitalize on the future prospects of a booming technology.

The funding talks at Anthropic also underscore the appeal of U.S. AI startups, despite the emergence of China’s lower-cost alternative DeepSeek rattling some investors.

Anthropic did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The fundraise was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

A major rival of OpenAI in the foundation model space, Anthropic was co-founded by former executives at the Sam Altman-led startup, and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei.

It was valued at around $18 billion in a fundraise led by Menlo Ventures last year.

4. DeepSeek claims ‘theoretical’ profit margins of 545%

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek recently declared that its AI models could be very profitable — with some asterisks.

It discussed these numbers in more detail at the end of a longer GitHub post outlining its approach to achieving “higher throughput and lower latency.” The company wrote that when it looks at usage of its V3 and R1 models during a 24-hour period, if that usage had all been billed using R1 pricing, DeepSeek would already have $562,027 in daily revenue.

Meanwhile, the cost of leasing the necessary GPUs (graphics processing units) would have been just $87,072.

The company admitted that its actual revenue is “substantially lower” for a variety of reasons, like nighttime discounts, lower pricing for V3, and the fact that “only a subset of services are monetized,” with web and app accessing remaining free.

Of course, if the app and website weren’t free, and if other discounts weren’t available, usage would presumably be much lower. So these calculations seem to be highly speculative — more a gesture towards potential future profit margins than a real snapshot of DeepSeek’s bottom line right now.

5. Snowflake grows startup accelerator with $200M in new capital

The new injection of capital follows a string of activity by Snowflake over the past several months that illustrates that company’s growth ambitions.

The Snowflake Startup Accelerator, formerly known as the Powered by Snowflake Funding Program, invests in a broad range of early-stage startups. Notably, the accelerator invests in startups building AI-based industry-specific products on Snowflake. Startups in the accelerator receive technical support from Snowflake and access to co-marketing opportunities, as well as credits for Amazon’s public cloud, AWS.

A portion of the fresh $200 million will come from Snowflake’s new and existing VC partners, including Bain Capital Ventures, Blackstone Innovations Investments, Bessemer Venture Partners, Capital One Ventures, General Catalyst, Greylock Partners, Hetz Ventures, Mayfield, NewBuild Venture Capital, NTTVC, and Virtue.

There’s some fine print to be aware of. Snowflake noted in a blog post that while participating VC firms may invest in Snowflake Startup Accelerator companies, there’s “no guarantee” that any particular company will receive funding or that the full target amount will be invested.

6. Maternity clinic Millie nabs $12M Series A from an all-star, all female class of VCs

Sharma was inspired to launch the company after the birth of her daughter in 2019. She faced pregnancy complications and, since she grew up with a family full of doctors, was able to identify some symptoms that were missed by medical staff. The experience led her to build a maternity clinic — the one she would have wanted while she was giving birth.

“What makes Millie unique is our hybrid model which combines in-person care at our clinics with virtual visits, remote monitoring, and a proprietary app,” Sharma told TechCrunch. “We do this with a capital efficient model, increasingly powered by AI-enabled workflows, in collaboration with payors and health system partners.”

Millie’s cap table consists of all female-led firms. The company, which has raised nearly $19 million to date, will use the fresh capital to expand its physical footprint across California and advance its technology services. It also wants to expand the network of healthcare partners with whom it works.

This piece was updated to reflect the investors in the round and clarify the doctors in Sharma’s family.

7. Clean energy startup 1KOMMA5° grows to €520 million, eyes €10 billion target by 2030

The company increased its total revenue close to €520 million in 2024, up from around €450 million in 2023 — despite “ a recession and declining demand “ for solar systems and heat pumps.

Adjusted for acquisitions, 1KOMMA5° achieved the strongest growth in its history, with organic sales rising from €360 million to €490 million in 2024; this underscores the company’s claim to European market leadership in the megamarket of home electrification.

Philipp Schröder , CEO and Co-founder of 1KOMMA5°, states: “ Even in the midst of a crisis year and in a shrinking market environment, we are growing by 36 percent. This is a great success for the entire team. We have made significant investments in Heartbeat AI and the smart meter rollout in 2024.

Despite sourcing polysilicon from Germany, which is far more expensive than production in Asia, and facing rising sales costs, we remain sustainably profitable on an operational level and debt-free. Over the last two years, we have consistently increased our revenue and profits without using an already approved credit line in 2024 .”

Founded in 2021 by Jannik Schall, Micha Grueber, Michael Hinderer, Philip Liesenfeld, and Philipp Schröder, 1KOMMA5° now employs around 2,500 people worldwide. They are a CleanTech startup for CO2-neutral energy, heat and mobility. The company operates around 80 locations in 7 markets worldwide, serving as the one-stop shop for intelligent, integrated energy solutions such as photovoltaics, electricity storage, heat pumps and EV charging stations.

8. SEAentia reels in €16 million for sustainable Corvina aquaculture

The funds were raised between capital from Indico Capital Partners’ Blue Fund and the Mar2030 Programme.

João Rito , President of SEAentia, stated: “ This investment from Indico and the support from Mar2030 will make possible the world’s first Corvina production facility using recirculating aquaculture systems. This will enable us to meet growing demand and export this species on a large scale with high quality .”

SEAentia was founded in 2017 by João Rito, Nuno Leite, John Jones, and Sónia Rito, with initial support from Thierry Loustau and the business consultant All The Way. Its mission is to produce high-quality Corvina, focusing on innovative methods such as the use of recirculating aquaculture systems to ensure a constant and responsible production cycle while guaranteeing animal welfare.

The company aims to lead commercial Corvina production in RAS, controlling the entire production cycle in an environmentally responsible system. SEAentia is adamant that animal welfare and ecological sustainability are central pillars of their strategy.

The new funding, which could be increased by a further €8 million, will enable SEAentia to implement a large-scale infrastructure in the port of Peniche, allowing it to establish its production capacity, which is expected to reach 700 tonnes per year of high-quality Corvina, following strict sustainability criteria.

The investment is also set to be announced during the Luso-French Economic Forum, in attendance will be Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron.

9. Taktile raises €51.5 million to help risk experts in financial services adopt AI for decision-making

Taktile, a decision automation platform with offices in Berlin, London and New York, has raised €51.5 million in a Series B funding round, to continue optimising risk management strategies across the entire customer lifecycle.

The round was led by Balderton Capital, with participation from existing investors Index Ventures, Tiger Global, Y Combinator, Prosus Ventures, Visionaries Club as well as Larry Summers, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, bringing Taktile’s total funding to date to €75.3 million.

Maik Taro Wehmeyer , CEO & Co-founder, Taktile said: “ From day one of our journey, we believed that millions of lives could be improved by enabling organisations to make optimal decisions for their customers. By keeping experienced risk experts in control, we make it possible for even the most regulated businesses in financial services to fully adopt AI into high-stakes workflows .”

Founded in 2020 by Maik Taro Wehmeyer and Maximilian Eber, Taktile empowers risk experts to build, monitor, and optimise automated risk decisions across the entire customer lifecycle-from onboarding and credit underwriting to fraud and compliance transaction monitoring.

In 2024, Taktile quadrupled its customer base and grew over 3.5x in ARR. Its customer base spans 24 markets, encompassing FinTech companies such as Mercury, Kueski, and Zilch, as well as some of the world’s largest financial institutions, including Allianz and Rakuten Bank.

10. Unique secures €28.6 million to innovate agentic AI workforce in financial services

This round was led by CommerzVentures and DN Capital, with continued support from existing seed investors including VI Partners and Pictet Group.

Unique’s total investment now stands at €50.5 million.

“ We are excited to announce this Series A investment ,” said Manuel Grenacher , CEO of Unique. “ This funding will significantly boost our global expansion efforts and enhance our ability to deploy agentic solutions for our clients. As a vertical AI leader and a category owner, we are dedicated to advancing the financial services industry, and with the strong backing from our investors, we aim to drive the next wave of innovation .”

Founded in 2021 by Manuel Grenacher, Andreas Hauri, and Michelle Heppler, Unique innovates agentic AI for the financial services industry, providing solutions that empower financial institutions to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

With data security and regulatory compliance ensured, Unique’s platform supports customers to deploy agentic AI, through one of its 25 specialised ‘off the shelf’ use cases, or via customised agents. These solutions for back and middle-office functions can be integrated into existing systems, delivering improved performance and accuracy in processing data and requests.

Unique AI is already deployed by blue-chip companies with more than €2.1 trillion in assets under management, including Pictet Group, UBP, LGT Private Banking, SIX and others.

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