Significant Startup Funding Rounds: March 1-7, 2025
The landscape of startup funding in the U.S. continues to thrive, with numerous companies securing considerable investments in a variety of sectors. This article covers the ten most significant funding rounds reported from March 1 to March 7, 2025, with a special focus on artificial intelligence, defense, and other key industries.
Top Funding Rounds
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Anthropic – $3.5 Billion (Artificial Intelligence)
Anthropic, known for its AI assistant Claude, has raised $3.5 billion in a funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, elevating its valuation to $61.5 billion. This is a notable increase from its previous valuation of $18.5 billion in February 2024. Despite this impressive funding, Anthropic’s valuation continues to lag behind OpenAI, which is approaching a new valuation of $260 billion with a pending $40 billion investment from SoftBank.
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Epirus – $250 Million (Defense)
The Los Angeles-based defense startup Epirus has completed a $250 million Series D fundraising led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners. Focusing on high-energy microwave technology for counter-drone systems, Epirus aims to expand into international and commercial markets while growing its workforce. Though the latest round did not disclose a valuation, the company reports total funding exceeding $550 million since its founding in 2018.
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Shield AI – $240 Million (Defense)
In another significant move for the defense sector, Shield AI has successfully secured $240 million in its F-1 strategic funding round. The San Diego-based company, specializing in autonomous systems for defense applications, now holds a valuation of $5.3 billion, nearly doubling its previous valuation of $2.7 billion. Major investors included Hanwha Aerospace and L3 Harris Technologies, alongside participation from established venture firms.
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Peregrine Technologies – $190 Million (Law Enforcement)
Peregrine Technologies has attracted $190 million in funding, making it a new unicorn with a valuation of $2.5 billion. The San Francisco-based company focuses on data analytics software aimed at assisting law enforcement agencies in managing unstructured data more effectively. This marks one of the largest funding highlights in the law enforcement technology space in recent years.
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Callio Therapeutics – $187 Million (Biotech)
Biopharmaceutical firm Callio Therapeutics has raised $187 million with plans to develop antibody-drug conjugates for cancer treatments. Backed by Frazier Life Sciences, the Seattle and Singapore-based company intends to utilize the funds to establish clinical proof of concept for its ongoing projects.
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4C Medical Technologies – $175 Million (Healthcare)
Based in Minneapolis, 4C Medical Technologies has completed its Series D funding with a total of $175 million from Boston Scientific. This investment will help in advancing its minimally invasive therapies designed for treating structural heart diseases since the company has raised a total of $258 million since its inception in 2015.
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Turing – $111 Million (Artificial Intelligence)
Turing, a Palo Alto-based AI development company known for contributing code to AI projects, secured $111 million in Series E funding. This round was led by Khazanah Nasional and raises Turing’s total funding to $225 million.
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Odeko – $96 Million (Business Development)
Odeko, which provides software solutions for local food and beverage businesses, raised $126 million in its Series E round. This includes $96 million in equity funding and a $30 million credit facility, pushing its total to over $280 million.
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Aescape – $83 Million (Robotics)
Aescape, a robotics startup specializing in AI-driven massage solutions, secured $83 million in funding led by Valor Equity Partners. The New York-based company has raised a total of $128 million since its founding in 2017.
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PetScreening – $80 Million (Pet Services)
PetScreening, which provides software for managing pet policies, raised $80 million in Series B funding. The North Carolina-based company has now raised nearly $85 million since its inception in 2017.
International Highlights
Outside of the United States, Sweden-based aREIM, specializing in property development and management, garnered attention by raising approximately $488 million, marking the largest deal of the week globally.
Funding Methodology
This data represents the largest announced funding rounds for U.S.-based companies, sourced from the Crunchbase database for the week of March 1 to March 7, 2025. While the database typically captures most rounds, a slight delay in reporting may affect the visibility of newly announced funding.
Conclusion
These substantial funding rounds reflect ongoing investor confidence in critical sectors such as artificial intelligence, defense, and healthcare. As these companies continue to innovate and expand, they are reshaping the landscape of their respective industries.
