Editor’s note: This is the mid-month version of a monthly column that highlights five interesting deals each month that may have flown under your radar. See the June entries here.
It’s been a busy six months so it’s no wonder you missed out on some interesting startups raising funding.
Don’t worry, we’ve got a few that caught our eye.
Make it rain
One thing humans have yet to figure out is how to control Mother Nature.
Still, one El Segundo, California-based startup is trying its hand at rain.
In May, Rainmaker Technology raised a $6.3 million seed round from a large group of investors including Long Journey Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures, and Garry Tan. The startup aims to develop cloud seeding technology, a weather modification tool discovered last century that aims to induce rain by injecting ice nuclei into clouds.
Cloud seeding can work, but the question is usually how well it works. It’s been in the news lately.
The Rainmaker is set to hire its first engineers this year and will be ready to be on the ground making rain in late 2024.
Experience the game
Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to take on an NFL linebacker or get crushed by a 350-pound defensive lineman?
Sports tech startup StatusPro raised $20 million in Series A funding in February, and we hope that helps you.
The Miami-based startup’s virtual reality simulation game franchise, NFL PRO ERA, puts players in the shoes of their favorite quarterback on the field. Since the game’s launch, StatusPro has attracted over 1 million users.
The company also has some big-name investors: GV led the new round, which also included participation from LeBron James and Drake.
StatusPro plans to use the new funding to develop new titles and improve its technology and other features.
AI and Robotics
Let’s be honest, robotic humanoids are cool and terrifying at the same time, but that combination is what makes them on this list.
1X, a Norwegian company developing cutting-edge Android technology, has raised $100 million in Series B funding led by EQT Ventures. The company raised Series A funding led by OpenAI with participation from Tiger Global in March last year.
But it’s not the investor we’re concerned about, it’s Neo.
What is Neo?
Neo is the company’s second-generation android. It’s designed as a bipedal humanoid and is developed for what the company calls “everyday home assistance, providing versatile support for a wide range of household tasks in the consumer market.”
1X’s mission is to produce safe and advanced androids to meet labor needs around the world, and the company already counts major corporations in the logistics and security sectors as customers.
I know 1X is just one of many companies developing humanoids — even Tesla is developing one — but the idea of a human-like robot setting your dinner table is definitely “interesting.”
Better Nails
Robotics and automation are improving a lot of things, but are they improving salon visits too?
Startup 10Beauty secured $17 million in Series A funding led by Shine Capital in February to develop a “salon-quality” manicure machine.
The process seems simple: Insert the Manicure Pod, customize your manicure via the mobile app, slip your hand into the little rectangular machine, and let it do the work of filing, polishing, and shaping your nails.
The Burlington, Massachusetts-based company said it has sold out of its first 1,000 machines, and that customers include Nordstrom and Ulta Beauty. The manicure machine gives a faster finish than a regular manicure and allows customers to do other tasks, like hair care, while the machine is running.
What’s even more impressive is that 10Beauty has secured a total of $38 million in equity financing since its founding in 2019.
Better nails can cost a lot of money.
AI for Social Media
Have you ever felt lonely on social media and needed a friend?
Well, now you can create it, or at least use AI to create it.
Butterflies.AI secured a $4.8 million seed round led by Coatue in June. The Bellevue, Washington-based startup is building a social media platform where humans and AI can “coexist” by allowing users to create AI friends.
The platform uses AI models to allow users to create new “friends” in just a few minutes. The AI personas are detailed, complete with their profile, background, and even emotions. Users can then create and interact with other users and AI personas on the platform.
To be honest, we don’t fully understand that idea. Isn’t the purpose of social media to argue with people who don’t think the same way as you? Not to make friends.
Illustration: Dom Guzman
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