VC Funding Top Ten — October 21, 2026: Mynt IPO, AI Dominance, Salesforce M&A

Overview

Wednesday, October twenty-first. Today's biggest check goes to Mynt, the operator of the Philippines' popular GCash mobile wallet. The fintech giant just locked in a massive nine hundred sixty-six million dollars in the country's largest-ever IPO, valuing the company at seven billion dollars. This landmark debut signal

In this show

• Wednesday, October twenty-first. Today's biggest check goes to Mynt, the operator of the Philippines' popular GCash mobile wallet. The fintech giant just locked in a massive nine hundred sixty-six million dollars in the country's largest-ever IPO, valuing the company at seven billion dollars. This landmark debut signals powerful investor confidence in Southeast Asia's digital payments boom. From Manila to Silicon Valley, we're tracking the capital flow. I'm your host, and with me are our Markets lead and World correspondent. Let's break down the top ten.
• Here's the top-line snapshot. Across today's ten biggest rounds, we've tracked over one-point-eight-one billion dollars in disclosed funding. The hottest category continues to be AI, accounting for five of the top ten deals. And in major M&A news, Salesforce has agreed to acquire customer engagement platform Braze for approximately five-point-six-six billion dollars. The story of the day is clear: AI continues to dominate venture funding across all stages, from enterprise planning to on-device agents and robotics.
• Our Markets lead kicks us off with the day's second-largest round. ASI, an AI firm specializing in complex system simulations, has closed a three hundred twenty-five million dollar Series C led by Spark Capital. The deal values the company at a staggering three billion dollars. ASI's software helps operators forecast disruptions in critical infrastructure like air traffic control and power grids. This round signals a major investor shift towards AI applications for the physical world, moving beyond just text and image generation.
• Next up, a huge bet on the future of automation. Our World correspondent has details on Eka Robotics, which just raised a one hundred fifty million dollar Series A. The round, co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and F-Prime, catapults the company to a one-point-four-five billion dollar valuation. Eka is developing highly dexterous robots capable of handling unfamiliar objects and performing complex tasks, like screwing in a lightbulb. It’s a massive Series A that underscores the urgent demand for versatile automation in manufacturing and logistics.
• Back to our Markets lead for a major enterprise SaaS deal. AI-powered business planning platform Pigment has secured a two hundred fifty million dollar Series E, led by the Scaleup Europe Fund. This brings Pigment's valuation to two-point-three billion dollars. The company recently surpassed the coveted one hundred million dollar annual recurring revenue mark. This new capital is earmarked to accelerate the development of autonomous planning capabilities, aiming to automate complex financial forecasting for its large global clients.
• Now to the intersection of AI and biotech. Our World correspondent is tracking Coherence Neuro, which just closed a forty-five million dollar seed round. The deal is backed by some of the biggest names in AI, including the OpenAI Startup Fund and Founders Fund. Coherence Neuro is developing advanced AI models and brain implants with the goal of combating brain tumors. This is a significant seed round that highlights a powerful new trend: deploying cutting-edge AI to tackle humanity's most complex diseases.
• At number six, our Markets lead has a late-stage biotech deal. Arctic Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharma company, has raised twenty-one-point-five million dollars. The oversubscribed round saw participation from Pekron, Sanos Group, Kaldbakur, and Landvættir. The company focuses on translating genetic discoveries into new treatments. This new funding will be used to advance two of its pipeline assets toward clinical development, broadening its portfolio beyond dementia and inflammatory skin diseases.
• Next, AI is reshaping the travel industry. Our World correspondent looks at YGO, which raised an eight-point-five million dollar Series A led by Ventech. YGO provides an AI-powered platform that acts as a modern connective tissue for the travel sector, linking companies with a wide variety of service suppliers. The funding will fuel the expansion of its AI-driven infrastructure, aiming to replace outdated legacy systems and capitalize on the consumer shift towards AI-powered trip discovery and booking.
• At number eight, our Markets lead has a fascinating seed deal in AI infrastructure. TraceWeave, an on-device AI startup, has secured two-point-one million dollars in a seed round led by Mirae Asset Capital. The deal was done at a twenty-one-point-one million dollar pre-money valuation. TraceWeave is building a platform to run complex AI agents directly on devices like phones and cars, without needing a constant cloud connection. This tech is crucial for the next wave of integrated AI where connectivity isn't guaranteed.
• And now for a major private equity move in the energy sector. Our World correspondent reports that Ashtead Technology Holdings, a provider of subsea equipment for offshore energy, is being acquired by Ember Infrastructure Management in a deal valued at six hundred ten million dollars. This acquisition highlights sustained investor interest in the offshore energy services market. The plan is to take the company private to accelerate its growth and strategic initiatives away from the pressures of public markets.
• Rounding out the top ten, our Markets lead has a strategic investment in the media space. TNL Mediagene, a media and technology company, has received a six-point-two-five million dollar investment from Vector Advisory Partners. This isn't just a simple cash infusion; the deal is expected to result in Vector holding a majority stake in the company. This signals a significant change of control and a new strategic direction for TNL Mediagene, likely driven by its new majority owner.
• And for the one thing to watch: the rise of Agentic AI. Today's deals for Pigment, YGO, and TraceWeave are part of a massive trend. Venture capital is pouring into startups that build AI not just to process information, but to take action and automate workflows. Expect to see more funding for the infrastructure and applications powering this next wave, moving beyond generative models to autonomous systems that can interact with both the digital and physical worlds. That's our show. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon at three PM Pacific with the next deal flow.