The Founder Institute is reportedly raising $15 million for a new venture fund, named Founder Capital. This development, which has been revealed in a recent regulatory filing, marks a significant milestone for the Silicon Valley-based accelerator, which first opened its doors in 2009 and has since spread to over 100 countries.

eBrands, a Nordic-based export platform enabling international growth for consumer brands, has raised €7.5 million in its latest equity funding round, bringing its total funding raised to €50 million. The funding round was led primarily by Veikko Laine family office, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, and operative shareholders.

While venture capital funding shows signs of bouncing back in 2025, funding for early-stage startups is unfortunately still lagging since reaching a high in 2022. To increase runway and build a sustainable business, startups should find alternative ways to secure funding beyond traditional VC firms. As the founder and CEO of an early-stage startup myself, here are the best options we’ve found for increasing runway amid a VC slowdown.

An invention improving microscopes to battle diseases like cancer and a tool ensuring financial AI models are unbiased are ideas that have won £20,000 for their female founders.

Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva, announces it has completed a £15 million investment with Oxford Science Enterprises, an independent billion-pound investment company that finds, funds, and builds transformational science and technology companies – across life sciences, healthtech, and deeptech –from Oxford’s world-leading research.

The United Kingdom has an evolved startup ecosystem, with over 73,000 active tech companies, of which more than 4,600 are led by women. The region ranks third globally for startups led by women. However, funding for women-led tech companies in the UK has seen a downward trend since its peak in 2021 at $2.9 billion. Ongoing economic challenges, such as rising inflation and geopolitical conflicts, have impacted investments.

Alloyed has announced the completion of a £37m Series B funding round. The fundraise will be used to expand Alloyed’s manufacturing facilities in Abingdon, UK, and Seattle, USA, as well as accelerating the development of its digital platforms for the design and processing of improved alloys and alloy components.

Blackwall has announced that it has raised a €45 million Series B round led by B2B investor, Dawn Capital. Already deployed across more than 2.3 million websites and applications, Blackwall defends web ecosystems from malicious automated threats.

OpenOcean, a pan European venture capital firm specialising in early-stage investments in business software that drive AI innovation, has announced its fourth main venture fund.

YAi, a platform helping marketing agencies and brands create, evaluate, and improve AI-generated content at scale, has raised £250,000 in Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) funding from Jenson Ventures.

Investment in any startup comes with a degree of the unknown, and investors will do all the due diligence they can before making a decision. Pre-seed investors come in at an early stage – when companies are a little more untried and carry greater risk of failure.

Bioniq, founded in 2019 and renowned for its personalised nutritional supplements based on blood biomarker data, is proud to announce that football star Diogo Dalot, right-back for Manchester United and the Portugal national team, has joined the company as an investor, contributing over €1 million.

Soulmates Ventures is strengthening its commitment to sustainable innovation with a €50 million fund, increasing initial investments to up to €3 million per startup, with follow-on funding totalling up to €5 million to ensure long-term support.

Finnish energy technology company Capalo AI announces a €3.8 million seed funding round to maximise the value of energy storage systems and accelerate the green transition through its AI-powered virtual power plant.

PhilosopherKing, an AI-driven gaming platform enabling real-time, dynamic storytelling, has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by 468 Capital and 212. The funding will be used to advance the company’s AI-powered technology, expand its team, and accelerate its vision of transforming interactive storytelling in gaming and other industries.

Global Work, a startup dedicated to reshaping the future of work, has raised $1.25 million in pre-seed funding to enhance its AI-powered platform, which provides personalised support and automation for every specialist looking for a new job.

Grant funding is one of the most powerful, yet underutilised, tools for business growth. It provides non-dilutive capital – allowing businesses to innovate, scale, and drive economic impact. However, the competition can be fierce, and success depends on far more than just meeting the eligibility criteria. The most successful applications look at a grant as an investment – funders want to see a return, whether in innovation, job creation, or industry advancement.

Page, the AI-powered external relations platform based at Velocity, the startup incubator at the University of Waterloo, has successfully closed $4.1 million in seed funding to expand its services into the US and UK markets.

Perci Health has received an investment of £295,000 from Macmillan Cancer Support to help more people with cancer get the personalised care they need.

Novatron Fusion Group (NFG) is pleased to announce the successful closing of its Series A1 funding round. This achievement is further enhanced by a new strategic long-term industrial partnership with lead investor and new board member St1, marking a new chapter in the journey toward commercial fusion energy.