MENLO TIMES

Inspired Capital, backing founders building an inspired future, led by Alexa von Tobel, Penny Pritzker, Mark Batsiyan, Lucy Deland, and the team, announced Inspired Fund IV, a $450M fund committed to backing the 0.01% of early-stage founders who are bending the world to their reality. Inspired reflects on seven years of backing founders with capital, operational expertise, and networks, reporting 10 unicorns and 10 portfolio companies generating over $100 million in revenue,

Pear VC, building a venture firm that truly puts founders first, led by Mar Hershenson and Pejman Nozad, has announced Fund V, a $333 million fund that brings Pear to more than $1.1 billion in assets under management, along with three new General Partners. Building Around Founders. Pear has backed founders behind companies such as DoorDash, Gusto, Guardant Health, Vanta, and Listen Labs, supporting businesses that have gone public, become category leaders, or been acquired.

Graduate Ventures, the Netherlands’ largest nationwide university-affiliated venture fund, led by Auke van den Hout, and the team, has launched its second seed fund of €125 million, with €100 million already committed. Graduate Ventures now partners with eight universities and three university medical centres, giving it nationwide coverage to provide startups with capital and hands-on support from its network of investors, successful entrepreneurs and alumni of its partner un

Uplift Ventures, an independently operating venture platform investing in and building startups shaping the future of Physical AI, Energy, Enterprise AI, and Logistics, has announced the launch of its inaugural €100 million venture capital fund, dedicated to backing Europe's next generation of Deep Tech founders. Uplift Ventures plans to back up to 20 startups and selected Deep Tech funds from its €100 million fund, creating a unique global network that benefits founders long

Volition Capital, a Boston-based growth equity investment firm, led by Managing Partners Sean Cantwell, Larry Cheng, Roger Hurwitz, and the team, has announced the final closing of Volition Capital Fund VI, L.P. (“Fund VI”) at its hard cap of $950 million in limited partner capital commitments. Fund VI was oversubscribed, reflecting strong demand from both its existing and new limited partners. Fund VI is the largest fund raised by Volition to date, bringing its total assets

Seed Capital, partnering with remarkable entrepreneurs across the Nordics to build global winners, led by General Partners Lars Andersen, Ulla Brockenhuus-Schack, Geeta Schmidt, and Managing Partner Christian Brøndum, has now completed its fifth fund, valued at €130 million. Fund V will make investments ranging from €3 million to €6 million across 15 to 17 companies, from the seed stage through to Series A. The firm continues to concentrate on fintech and AI-driven B2B servi

Molten Ventures, a leading venture capital firm with a 20-year track record of investing in and developing disruptive high-growth technology companies across Europe and the UK, announced the first close of its Growth Fund at £175 million. The British Business Bank has committed £75 million as a cornerstone investor. Molten Ventures has committed the remaining £100 million of the first close and will continue to seek additional investors, with the aim of growing the Growth Fun

A16Z has raised $1.1B for its newest fund: the Machine Age Fund, aimed at accelerating the physical buildout of AI. The fund reflects a broader push to bring AI into the physical world, positioning the technology as a powerful tool for solving real-world problems and expanding abundance. AI’s capabilities are expanding rapidly, with systems moving from chat to reasoning, coding, and increasingly complex forms of knowledge work. As utility and demand grow, so does the computat

Navisalma, the newly founded European Venture Platform, founded by Einride founders Robert Falck and Linnéa Kornehed Falck, together with previous McKinsey Partner and Material Economics co-founder Robert Westerdahl, announced its launch. Europe does not have an innovation problem. It has a scaling problem. Europe produces world-class science, engineering, and frontier technologies, backed by centuries of leadership in design, craftsmanship, industrial excellence, and quality

RunwayVC, investing in founders shaping industry, led by Tor Bækkelund and the team, has announced the first close of RunwayVC Fund II at NOK 400 million (€40 million). Aker continues as the cornerstone investor, joined by Halliburton, Aker BP and Aker Solutions, institutional investors KLP and Investinor, Norwegian industrial families and a group of experienced technology and finance investors. Fund II reflects more than an increase in capital. It represents a broader convic

South Park Commons, helping the world's most talented technologists discover and build their life's work, announced $575M Fund IV. Since 2016, the firm’s thesis has been that exceptional outcomes emerge when high talent density meets innate curiosity. Its approach focuses on identifying intensely curious builders, bringing them together at the earliest and often most isolating stage of the startup journey, and supporting them through the uncertainty of company building. The f

Highland Europe, a growth-stage specialist investor, has announced its sixth fund of €1.1B and promoted two new Partners, on the back of generating over €1 billion of liquidity in 2026. The firm will continue backing Europe’s next generation of technology leaders. Founded in 2012, Highland has raised €3.75 billion across six funds, backed more than 80 companies, and completed 30 exits. Notable outcomes include the $3 billion sale of Nexthink, Huel's agreed acquisition by Dano

SuperCharger Ventures, the global ecosystem for EdTech startups led by Janos Barberis and the team, has announced the launch of Fund I. It will invest in EdTech and Future-of-Work companies worldwide, with a focus on pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Initial investments in selected startups will be up to €250,000, with follow-on funding ranging from €500,000 to €1.5 million. The fund is backed by family offices and high-net-worth investors, with 90% of first-close commitments

Paradigm, a technology investment firm led by Matt Huang and the team, has raised its fourth fund: $1.2B to back the most ambitious builders at the frontier of technology. Founded in 2018, Paradigm invests in frontier technologies spanning crypto, AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, combining research and product development with venture investing. The firm backs founders across stages, with investments in companies such as Zipline, SendCutSend, True Anomaly, and Nous R

Expeditions, investing in the future of European security, led by Mikołaj Firlej and Stanisław Kastory, has announced the final close of its second fund at €197M. Expeditions’ Fund II is investing in the technologies and founders that are shaping the future of European defence and strengthening its sovereignty, helping to define Europe’s role in the world over the next century. Founded in 2021 by defence technology and autonomous warfare experts Dr. Mikolaj Firlej and Stanis

Climentum Capital, investing in climate hard tech companies shaping a sustainable, resilient, and competitive Europe, led by General Partners Doerte Hirschberg, Dr. Jennifer Jacobs Dungs, Morten Halborg, and Stefan Maard, has announced the close of the first €60 million of Fund II, matching the full size of Fund I. The new fund will continue backing hard tech for a new Europe, investing in climate hard tech companies shaping a sustainable, resilient, and competitive industria

Ruya Ventures, a solo GP fund led by Rick Hao, closes a $50M Solo GP debut fund to back Europe's deep tech. Ruya Ventures: Investment Philosophy. Ruya Ventures was founded to take a deliberate approach to venture investing rather than pursuing the easiest entry point into the asset class. The focus is on deep technology, informed by more than a decade of investing through cycles where long timelines and high capital intensity made the category less conventional for many inves

Menlo Ventures, an early-stage VC firm, marked its 50th anniversary and announced $3 billion in new capital, the largest raise in Menlo’s history, to back the next generation of AI leaders, from infrastructure and frontier models to AI-native applications across enterprise, healthcare, and consumer markets. Two Funds to Go All In on AI. Menlo Ventures XVII focuses on Seed and Series A investments, backing founders at the earliest stages as they develop breakthrough technologi

Seedcamp, partnering with Europe’s most exceptional tech founders from day one, led by Reshma Sohoni, Carlos Eduardo Espinal, and the team, has announced $320 million in new funds. Seedcamp was the first believer in Revolut, Wise, UiPath, Synthesia, and Fluidstack, back when those category-defining companies were just ideas. It has backed teams like BioOrbit, Sunrise Robotics, and Dust, building where software meets science and the physical world. Across every technology cycl

Pitchdrive, backing the boldest founders and build alongside them from day one, led by Boris Bogaert, Koen Christiaens, Wim Derkinderen, Jonas Dhaenens, Lorenz Bogaert, and the team, has announced the closing of its fourth fund at €60 million, strengthening its commitment to the Co-founder Capital model. Fund IV is fully privately backed, with no government or institutional money, unusual for a European fund of this size. Strong Investor Demand. The fund attracted significant