Edge Tutor receives USD 1 million in pre-Series A funding
Edge Tutor, an online tutoring outsourcing company, has received USD 1 million in a pre-Series A funding round. Investors include Seaborne Capital, M Venture Partners, Kaya Founders, Orvel Ventures, Ideaspace, the Lorinet Foundation, and angel investors.
The company connects educators with international tutoring firms through a white-label platform, offering end-to-end managed services. Since launching in 2023, Edge Tutor has expanded across the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East, claiming that its revenue share in these regions has grown from 5% in 2022 to 30% in 2024, with projections to exceed 50% by 2026.
The new funding will be used to expand tutor capacity, enter new international markets, and invest in automation for training, quality control, and curriculum development.
Techcoop bags USD 70 million to digitalize Vietnam’s agricultural supply chain
Techcoop, a Vietnam-based agritech platform, has bagged USD 70 million in a Series A funding round, comprising equity and debt financing. The equity portion was co-led by TNB Aura and AVV, with participation from BlueOrchard, FMO, AppWorks, and Capria Ventures.
Techcoop’s B2B platform digitalizes Vietnam’s export-oriented agricultural supply chains, equipping small agribusinesses and farmer cooperatives with traceability tools, flexible financing, and market access. The company focuses on high-value crops such as cashew nuts, coconut, coffee, fresh fruits, and vegetables while promoting sustainable farming practices.
The fresh capital will support enhancements to Techcoop’s technology stack, expansion of export infrastructure, and improvements in corporate governance.
Airtree Ventures leads USD 1.5 million investment in Twine
Twine, an artificial intelligence-powered platform, has raised USD 1.5 million in a funding round led by Airtree Ventures, with participation from Gill Findlay, Sam Nickless, and Hemal Shah.
Twine addresses the disconnect between product and sales teams by automating real-time customer insights from conversations. Unlike traditional feedback loops prone to sampling and recency bias, Twine claims its AI-driven platform provides unbiased intelligence for companies.
The funding will accelerate product development, enterprise system integrations, and AI capabilities for insight extraction and distribution.
Sonar acquires AutoCodeRover to enhance AI-powered software development
Sonar, a provider of code quality and security solutions, has acquired AutoCodeRover, an autonomous agent platform for software development. The acquisition strengthens Sonar’s AI capabilities, enabling automation in debugging, issue remediation, and code refactoring.
Developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore, AutoCodeRover integrates large language models with code search and reasoning capabilities to streamline software development. Sonar plans to incorporate AutoCodeRover’s technology into its SonarQube platform, with integration set for later this year.
Epic Angels backs Dispute Buddy and BusCaro in latest investments
Epic Angels, a female-led investment collective, has invested in two startups—Dispute Buddy, a legal tech company based in New Zealand, and BusCaro, a mobility platform in Pakistan.
Dispute Buddy streamlines legal evidence collection by allowing users to screen-record and organize digital communications for legal proceedings. Inspired by the founder’s personal experience in family court, the platform aims to make legal disputes faster and more accessible. The investment, which includes participation from Techstars and angel investors, will help Dispute Buddy expand its tech team, strengthen sales efforts, and scale operations in Australia and New Zealand.
BusCaro is transforming Pakistan’s mass transit system by providing safe, reliable, and affordable bus and minivan services for daily commutes. Epic Angels first invested in BusCaro’s pre-seed round in 2024 and renewed its commitment in this latest funding round, which also saw participation from Wahed Ventures and angel investors.
Altius Labs raises USD 11 million in pre-seed funding to enhance blockchain performance
Altius Labs, a blockchain infrastructure startup, has raised USD 11 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Founders Fund and Pantera Capital. The investment was structured as a simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) and token warrants.
Altius Labs is developing a new blockchain execution layer designed to improve speed, efficiency, and interoperability across ecosystems such as Solana and Ethereum. By separating transaction execution from consensus mechanisms, the company seeks to address congestion issues and enable decentralized financial applications to scale more efficiently.
The funding will support R&D, team expansion, and early-stage implementation of its execution layer across multiple blockchain networks.
GCL Global acquires 20% stake in Nekcom Games
GCL Global, a Nasdaq-listed entertainment company, has acquired a 20% equity stake in Nekcom Games and secured global publishing rights for its upcoming title, Showa American Story.
The equity acquisition, structured as a Series B preferred stock purchase, was finalized in December 2024. As part of the deal, GCL’s publishing division, 4Divinity, will distribute Showa American Story, a role-playing game inspired by 1980s pop culture. The game is scheduled for release in 2025.
InsuranceDekho raises USD 70 million in follow-on funding
InsuranceDekho, an insurtech platform, has raised USD 70 million in a follow-on funding round co-led by Beams Fintech Fund, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), and BNP Paribas Cardif’s insurtech fund managed by Eurazeo.
Founded in 2017, InsuranceDekho provides insurance solutions across motor, health, life, and corporate categories. The fresh capital will be used to enhance its technology infrastructure, expand distribution networks, and strengthen its position as India’s leading digital insurance marketplace.
Beams Fintech Fund, which previously backed the company, reaffirmed its commitment by participating in this round, citing strong market fit and continued growth in digital insurance adoption.
Lorien Finance secures USD 2.25 million in pre-Series A funding
Lorien Finance, a fintech firm specializing in education financing, has secured USD 2.25 million in a pre-Series A round led by FlatIronX, with participation from Seedstars International Ventures, Ahimsa Capital, and angel investors.
The company provides financing solutions for students from emerging markets, connecting them to a global lending pool backed by partners such as Sallie Mae.
The fresh capital will support Lorien Finance’s expansion into tier-two and tier-three cities in India. The company also plans to enhance its risk assessment technology to streamline loan approvals and offer more personalized funding solutions.
Dodo Payments raises USD 1.1 million in pre-seed funding
Dodo Payments, an Indian fintech startup, has raised USD 1.1 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Antler and 9Unicorns, with participation from Venture Catalysts and several angel investors.
Founded in 2023, Dodo Payments operates as a merchant of record (MoR) platform, enabling businesses in India and emerging markets to process cross-border transactions with higher success rates and fewer regulatory hurdles. The company also provides fraud detection, chargeback resolution, and underwriting tools to enhance transaction security.
The fresh capital will support product development, expansion into new markets, and improvements in compliance and security infrastructure.
Recent deals completed in China:
- Readline, a synthetic biology company, has secured over RMB 500 million (USD 70 million) in its latest funding round. The investors include Green Pine Capital Partners, Shenzhen Co-Stone Asset Management, Changde Xingxin, Baiyin Kejian, and Deyuan Group, as well as government and industry funds. The company will use the proceeds for capacity building and new product development. —36Kr
- HooRoo Technology, a hardware content developer, has completed a pre-Series B funding round, securing an eight-figure RMB sum. The round was led by Digital Domain, a provider of visual effects and virtual reality content. The capital will go toward R&D, ecosystem expansion, and marketing. —36Kr
- Horimed, a medical imaging technology company, has raised over RMB 100 million (USD 14 million) in its latest funding round. The round was backed by Nanjing Industry Investment, Huatai Zijin, Peiyang Begonia Fund, Andon Health, and Yuanbio Venture Capital. Poseidon Hill Capital served as the financial advisor. The company will use the funds for product R&D, production, regulatory approval, and commercialization. Founded in 2016, Horimed specializes in optical and ultrasound medical imaging and laser ablation technologies. —36Kr
- Logan Laser, a solid-state laser technology company, has raised tens of millions of RMB in a Series B funding round. Richen Capital was the sole investor, while Qichen Capital acted as the financial advisor. The fresh capital will be used to build new production lines and develop new projects. —36Kr
- Deep Shenhe, a biotechnology company, has secured tens of millions of RMB in an angel round of financing. The investment came from Houxue Capital, Leaguer Financial, and Langcheng Capital. —36Kr
- Casbot, a humanoid robotics startup, has raised over RMB 100 million in an angel funding round. The round saw participation from Lenovo Capital, SDIC Unity Capital, and Henan Asset Management. The company will use the funds to accelerate humanoid robot production and core technology development. —36Kr
- Weiqin Technology, a 3D vision sensor manufacturer, has completed a pre-Series A funding round worth an eight-figure RMB sum. The investment was led by Xiamen Hi-tech VC. The company will use the capital to ramp up production of high-precision sensors and expand overseas. —36Kr
- X Square Robot, an embodied intelligence startup, has secured a nine-figure RMB sum in a pre-Series A++ funding round. The round was jointly led by Lightspeed China Partners and Legend Capital Management, with participation from the Beijing Robot Industry Fund and Shenqi Capital. The funding will be used to train its next-generation embodied AI model and advance real-world applications. —36Kr
Nexmedis, KKR, Demuzo, and more made recent headlines:
- Nexmedis, an Indonesia-based provider of health information systems (HIS), raised an undisclosed amount in a funding round co-led by East Ventures and Forge Ventures.
- KKR, a global investment firm, acquired a stake in Employment Hero, an employment management platform, from SEEK Investments. The financial terms were not disclosed. SEEK Growth Fund remains a significant investor in the company.
- Demuzo, an Indonesia-based music technology startup, secured USD 600,000 in pre-seed funding from angel investors to launch its music investment platform.
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