• Gen Z trades MBAs for HVACs

• Perplexity AI Nears $14B Valuation in New Funding Round

• Google gears up for I/O 2025 with Android 16 and Gemini AI 

• Hyra Holdings launches a $500M fund with IPO dreams by 2030

• Indian VC funds are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to automate tasks

🧠 Daily Dopamine Dealflow

• Cribl (San Francisco, CA) – Raised $319M Series E at a $3.5B valuation, led by GV, to supercharge its IT + security data infra stack. Absolute unit.

• RepAI (Tel Aviv, Israel) – Locked down $8.2M to scale its AI sales agent for Shopify stores. Think ChatGPT with a cart button.

• Mercately (Latin America) – Snagged $2.6M Seed to power WhatsApp commerce across Latin America. Already profitable with $1.5M+ ARR.

• Dazos (Boca Raton, FL) – Raised $25M Series A to scale CRM software for behavioral health.

• BreachRx (San Francisco, CA) – Landed $15M Series A to automate enterprise incident response.

• LIS Technologies (Oak Ridge, TN) – Scored $11.93M to scale proprietary laser tech. High science meets high stakes.

• Finwave Semiconductor (Waltham, MA) – Raised $8.2M for next-gen chip fabrication.

• Parafin (San Francisco, CA) – Powers embedded finance for SMBs—already partnered with Amazon and Walmart. Backed by Ribbit Capital.

• Pangeam (San Francisco, CA) – Raised $4.25M Seed to make your office layout less soul-sucking via AI workplace intelligence.

• Steerlab (Paris, France) – Raised $1.9M Pre-seed to automate the pain of RFPs and security questionnaires. AI eats paperwork.

💸 VC Funds Raised & Raising

• A100x Ventures – Launched Fund II, a $50M early-stage venture fund based in New York City. The fund focuses on backing pre-seed and seed-stage founders building at the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital assets.

• Motion Ventures – Announced Fund II, a $100M maritime-focused tech fund, marking the largest of its kind to date. The fund aims to accelerate digitalization and decarbonization in the maritime industry by investing in startups that offer innovative solutions for the sector.

Founders: Want to be featured on @tradedvc? → traded.co/submit/vc

🚀 Startup Spotlight

Doji – a virtual try-on platform that uses AI-generated avatars to make online shopping more engaging and personalized.

Background/Problem:
Online shoppers often struggle with visualizing how clothes will look on them, leading to uncertainty and returns. Traditional virtual try-on tools have lacked realism and personalization.

What They Do:
Doji allows users to create realistic avatars by uploading selfies and full-body images. The platform then enables users to virtually try on curated fashion items,

Key Points:

• Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

• Founded by: Dorian Dargan and Jim Winkens

• Funding: $14 million seed round

• Investors: Thrive Capital (Josh Kushner), Origins (Salomon Aiach), 776 (Alexis Ohanian)

• Business Model: Consumer app with potential for in-app purchases and brand partnerships

• Traction: Available in over 80 countries

Founder Profile:

• Dorian Dargan: Formerly at Apple (VisionOS) and Meta (Oculus Quest experiences)

• Jim Winkens: Former researcher at DeepMind and worked on generative AI products at Google

Comps:

• Perfect Corp: AI and AR beauty tech services

• Genies: AI avatar technology company

Why Doji:
By combining advanced AI with a user-centric design, Doji offers a unique solution to the virtual try-on challenge, making online fashion shopping more interactive and personalized.

Check out the highlights from our partnership with Left Lane Capital at the 7th Fast Growth Summit in NYC 📽️

tradedvc

150K followers

View more on Instagram