Top tech startup funding news for today, May 19, 2025

CellCentric, a Cambridge, UK-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, raised $120 million in a Series C funding round to accelerate the development of its novel cancer therapy. The funding, led by RA Capital Management with new investor Forbion (alongside Avego Bioscience and BrightEdge), will support Phase II/III trials of inobrodib, CellCentric’s oral treatment for multiple myeloma.

The company plans to use the capital to fast-track clinical studies (including combination trials and a maintenance therapy program) and prepare for a Phase III program by mid-2026.

Funding Details:

Startup: CellCentric

Investors: RA Capital Management (lead), Forbion, Avego Bioscience Capital, BrightEdge

Amount Raised: $120 million

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Series C

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Dazos Raises $25 Million Series A for Behavioral Health CRM Platform

Dazos, a Boca Raton, FL-based provider of a CRM platform for behavioral health organizations, raised $25 million in a Series A round led by Radian Capital. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and enhance support for Dazos’s growing customer base of clinics and care providers.

Founded in 2021, Dazos’s software helps behavioral health providers increase patient admissions, optimize revenue cycles, and automate administrative operations, allowing staff to focus more on patient care. CEO David Farache noted that the capital will enable Dazos to expand capabilities, reduce administrative burden, and reach more patients in need of high-quality care.

Funding Details:

Startup: Dazos

Investors: Radian Capital (lead)

Amount Raised: $25 million

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Series A

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Graphiant Raises $19 Million Series B Extension for Network-as-a-Service Expansion

Graphiant, a San Jose, CA-based Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) provider, secured $19 million in a Series B extension co-led by Tali Ventures (STC Group) and Wa’ed Ventures (Aramco). This investment brings Graphiant’s total Series B funding to $102 million and will support the startup’s expansion into the Middle East, including establishing a regional headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Founded by Khalid Raza (previously founder of Viptela), Graphiant delivers next-generation NaaS solutions that enable secure, high-performance connectivity across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Alongside the new capital, Graphiant is partnering with Saudi corporate investors to localize talent and technology, aligning with the Kingdom’s push to become a global digital infrastructure hub.

Funding Details:

Startup: Graphiant

Investors: Tali Ventures (STC Group) and Wa’ed Ventures (Aramco) (co-leads); participants include Sequoia Capital, Two Bear Capital, IAG Capital Partners

Amount Raised: $19 million

Total Raised: $102 million (Series B total)

Funding Stage: Series B (Extension)

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Thndr Raises $15.7 Million (Series B) for MENA Investment Platform

Thndr, a Cairo, Egypt-based digital investment platform, raised $15.7 million in funding to fuel its expansion across the Middle East. The round was led by Prosus Ventures, with participation from BECO Capital, JIMCO (Jameel Investment Management), Endeavor Catalyst, Y Combinator, and others.

Thndr plans to use the new fresh capital infusion to enter new markets in the MENA region, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia as key targets for growth. Founded in 2020, Thndr offers a mobile-first platform for retail investors to access stocks, mutual funds, gold, and other instruments under local regulatory licenses. This latest financing brings Thndr’s total funding to $37.76 million to date, supporting its mission to empower millions of first-time investors in the region.

Funding Details:

Startup: Thndr

Investors: Prosus Ventures (lead); BECO Capital, JIMCO, Endeavor Catalyst, Y Combinator, etc.

Amount Raised: $15.7 million

Total Raised: $37.76 million

Funding Stage: Series B (estimated)

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

BreachRx Raises $15 Million Series A for Cybersecurity Incident Response Platform

BreachRx, a San Francisco-based provider of an enterprise incident response platform, raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Ballistic Ventures. Additional investors include SYN Ventures, Overline, and Silver Buckshot Ventures.

The company will use the funds to expand its operations and accelerate product development. BreachRx’s platform streamlines cybersecurity incident response by coordinating cross-functional workflows, clearly defining team roles and timelines, and automating playbook generation for various incident types. The new capital brings BreachRx’s total funding to over $23 million, and the startup also added notable cybersecurity figures to its board (including former Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia) as it scales up to meet enterprise demand.

Funding Details:

Startup: BreachRx

Investors: Ballistic Ventures (lead); SYN Ventures, Overline, Silver Buckshot Ventures

Amount Raised: $15 million

Total Raised: $23 million+

Funding Stage: Series A

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Persist AI Raises $12 Million Series A for Robotic Drug Formulation Platform

Persist AI, a Sacramento, CA-based startup pioneering AI-driven robotics for pharmaceutical formulation development, raised $12 million in a Series A financing round. The round was led by Spero Ventures with participation from MBX Capital, Global Brain’s Shimadzu Future Innovation Fund, Eli Lilly & Co., SignalFire, Good AI Capital, and others (including Y Combinator as an existing backer).

Persist AI plans to use the funding to expand its robotic laboratory infrastructure and build comprehensive data sets to train its formulation-predicting AI models. By scaling up its cloud-connected robotic lab, Persist AI aims to increase the range of drug formulations it can design, synthesize, and test autonomously, ultimately helping pharmaceutical companies accelerate the development of tablets, injectables, and other therapies.

Funding Details:

Startup: Persist AI

Investors: Spero Ventures (lead); MBX Capital, Global Brain (Shimadzu Fund), Eli Lilly & Co., SignalFire, Y Combinator, etc.

Amount Raised: $12 million

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Series A

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

LIS Technologies Raises $11.93 Million for Laser Isotope Separation Tech

LIS Technologies, an Oak Ridge, TN-based developer of proprietary laser isotope separation technology, raised $11.93 million in new funding from investors including Innovating Capital. This infusion brings the company’s total capital raised to over $47 million to date. LIS Technologies will use the funds to further develop and diversify its CRISLA (Condensation Repression Isotope Selective Laser Activation) platform into applications like stable medical isotopes production.

Led by President Jay Yu and CEO Christo Liebenberg, the company’s laser-based process can selectively excite and separate isotopes, offering a U.S.-origin alternative for uranium enrichment and enabling production of critical isotopes for nuclear energy, medical research, and even quantum computing industries.

Funding Details:

Startup: LIS Technologies

Investors: Innovating Capital (lead); other unnamed investors

Amount Raised: $11.93 million

Total Raised: $47 million+

Funding Stage: Funding round (Series A/B stage)

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

GDI Raises $11.5 Million Series A (Extension) to Scale EV Battery Anodes

GDI (Graphenix Development Inc.), a Rochester, NY-based battery materials startup, raised an additional $11.5 million in Series A funding to scale up production of its silicon-based electric vehicle (EV) battery anodes. The extension round was led by Helios Climate Ventures along with Impact NY and EIT InnoEnergy, bringing GDI’s total Series A financing to over $20 million.

GDI claims its advanced silicon anodes can deliver ~30% higher energy density than conventional graphite anodes and enable EV charging in under 15 minutes. With the new capital, CEO Rob Anstey said GDI will ramp up output at its pilot plant in the Netherlands over the next two years, aiming to supply these high-performance anodes to battery manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe.

Funding Details:

Startup: GDI

Investors: Helios Climate Ventures (lead); Impact NY, EIT InnoEnergy

Amount Raised: $11.5 million

Total Raised: $20 million+ (Series A total)

Funding Stage: Series A (additional)

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Button Finance Raises $5 Million Series A for AI-Driven Home Equity Lending

Button Finance, Inc., a New York City-based fintech company focused on home equity lending, secured $5 million in a Series A round led by Hildene Capital Management. The strategic funding will support Button Finance in expanding its product offerings and further developing its AI-driven technology platform.

Led by CEO Jason Harris, Button Finance uses a proprietary AI underwriting engine to help homeowners quickly access home equity, even those historically overlooked by traditional lenders. The company’s online platform streamlines home equity loans by leveraging machine learning to assess creditworthiness, enabling more efficient and inclusive lending for consumers.

Funding Details:

Startup: Button Finance

Investors: Hildene Capital Management (lead); existing investors (undisclosed)

Amount Raised: $5 million

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Series A

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Hy2Care Raises €4.5 Million for Injectable Cartilage Repair Hydrogel

Hy2Care, a Geleen, Netherlands-based biomedical company developing an injectable hydrogel for cartilage repair, raised €4.5 million in funding (early growth round). Half of the funding came from a European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund investment awarded in 2022, and the other half was raised from existing shareholders led by Brightlands Venture Partners, with participation from new investors including LIOF (Limburg’s regional development fund).

Hy2Care will use the capital to complete critical preparations for its upcoming U.S. clinical trial of its CartRevive hydrogel implant, which aims to enable natural regeneration of damaged cartilage. A spin-off from the University of Twente’s MIRA Institute, Hy2Care has already finished patient enrollment in a European trial and anticipates CE marking (EU market approval) by early 2026 for its cartilage repair solution.

Funding Details:

Startup: Hy2Care

Investors: Brightlands Venture Partners (lead existing investor); European Innovation Council Fund; LIOF (new investor)

Amount Raised: €4.5 million (approx. $4.8 M)

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Series A-equivalent Funding

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Olaris Gets Undisclosed Investment for Precision Medicine Platform

Olaris, a Framingham, MA-based precision medicine and metabolomics company, received an undisclosed investment from scientific instrumentation firm Bruker Corporation. While the exact amount was not made public, Olaris stated it will use the funds to advance the development and commercialization of its proprietary metabolomics platform, which uses machine learning and metabolite biomarkers to improve disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

Led by founder and CEO Dr. Elizabeth O’Day, Olaris recently launched myOLARIS-KTdx, a non-invasive, urine-based test for monitoring kidney transplant health, demonstrating the company’s focus on cutting-edge diagnostics in transplant care. The strategic investment by Bruker is expected to help Olaris accelerate bringing such diagnostic assays to market and scaling its precision medicine solutions.

Funding Details:

Startup: Olaris

Investors: Bruker Corporation (strategic investor)

Amount Raised: Undisclosed

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Strategic Investment (Corporate)

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Teleskope Receives Growth Investment from SEVA Growth for Employee Experience Platform

Teleskope Technologies, a Las Vegas, NV-based provider of an employee experience and engagement platform, received a growth investment from SEVA Growth (amount not disclosed). The company will utilize the funding to expand its operations and accelerate the development of its community-building software suite.

Founded in 2020 and led by CEO Aman Brar, Teleskope’s platform enables large employers to foster meaningful employee engagement through mentoring programs, internal social groups, volunteering initiatives, event management, and more. With clients spanning over fourteen industries, Teleskope’s tools help improve workplace community and communication. The backing from SEVA Growth — a growth equity investor — is expected to support Teleskope’s next phase of scaling as it continues to enhance workplace culture for enterprise clients.

Funding Details:

Startup: Teleskope Technologies

Investors: SEVA Growth (growth equity investor)

Amount Raised: Undisclosed

Total Raised: Not disclosed

Funding Stage: Growth Investment

Funding Date: May 19, 2025

Funding Summary Table

Legend: N/D = Not Disclosed (information not provided)