VC Funding Top Ten — October 7, 2026: AI Deals, Robotics, Defense Tech

Overview

Wednesday, October 7th, 3 PM Pacific. Today's biggest check goes to Multiply Labs, which just locked in a seventy-five million dollar Series B. The robotics firm, which automates cell and gene therapy manufacturing, secured the capital from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's NantWorks. This round highlights a major theme today:

In this show

• Wednesday, October 7th, 3 PM Pacific. Today's biggest check goes to Multiply Labs, which just locked in a seventy-five million dollar Series B. The robotics firm, which automates cell and gene therapy manufacturing, secured the capital from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's NantWorks. This round highlights a major theme today: the continued flood of capital into AI and automation across deep tech sectors. We'll break down all ten of today's top deals. With me are our World and Markets correspondents. Let's get started.
• Across the venture landscape, we tracked over two hundred million dollars in disclosed funding across ten rounds. The story of the day is the dominance of AI, with five of the top ten deals falling into the category. The largest round, as mentioned, was Multiply Labs' seventy-five million dollar Series B. On the public side, a notable deal is Informa's planned acquisition of Clarion Events for two-point-two-four billion pounds, signaling continued consolidation in the events industry. Now for the breakdown.
• Coming in at number two is Miter, a vertical SaaS company focused on the construction industry. They've raised a forty million dollar Series B led by Battery Ventures. Miter provides payroll and HR software, and its growth is impressive. The company reports that two in every one hundred construction workers in the U.S. are now paid through its platform. This traction demonstrates the massive opportunity in building specialized software for legacy industries that have been historically underserved by technology.
• At number three, a significant move in the defense sector. Furientis has secured a twenty-five million dollar seed round at a one hundred twenty-five million dollar valuation, led by Benchmark. The startup aims to mass-produce low-cost interceptor missiles using off-the-shelf components. The key signal here is the investor: a top-tier generalist VC like Benchmark leading a seed round for a defense hardware company underscores a major shift in Silicon Valley's appetite for national security technology.
• The AI trend continues at number four with Siena, which raised a seventeen million dollar Series A led by York IE. Siena develops autonomous AI agents for customer service, specifically targeting e-commerce brands. This new funding isn't just for scaling their current product. The company plans to expand its AI agent capabilities beyond customer service into other core business operations, aiming to create a more comprehensive autonomous workforce for online retailers. This reflects the platform ambitions of many AI startups.
• At number five is fintech player Noah, closing a sixteen million dollar seed extension. The round saw participation from Endeit Capital, FJ Labs, and others. Noah is building payments infrastructure for businesses to send and receive cross-border payments using stablecoins, aiming to bypass traditional, slower systems. Their growth metrics are notable, with a reported five hundred thirty-eight percent increase in year-to-date revenue compared to last year. This highlights the sustained demand for more efficient global payment rails.
• Another AI deal in the construction space takes the number six spot. Kuro has raised a ten-point-eight million dollar seed round led by UVC Partners. The company is developing an AI-powered platform to help general contractors automate the complex pre-construction and estimation process. With the volume of construction bids increasing, contractors are looking for tools to improve accuracy and speed. Kuro's funding will be used to expand its platform to meet this growing demand for efficiency in the early stages of a project.
• At number seven, we enter the world of deep tech with Quanfluence. The startup, which is developing quantum computing solutions, has raised a ten million dollar seed round led by Chiratae Ventures. It's also noteworthy that Pi Ventures, which led their previous seed round, participated again. This follow-on investment from an existing backer signals strong insider confidence in the company's highly technical and long-term roadmap. Quantum computing remains a frontier technology, but investor conviction is clearly growing.
• Number eight is edtech company byteXL, which secured a nine million dollar growth round led by Elevar Equity. byteXL provides an AI-powered platform for skills development and career readiness aimed at college students. The goal is to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements. The new funding will be used to expand its network of partner institutions and further enhance its AI capabilities, personalizing the learning journey for students and improving their job placement outcomes.
• In healthtech, Sunfox Technologies comes in at number nine with a seven million dollar Series A. The round was led by a group of prominent investors including Ashish Kacholia and 3one4 Capital. The company has developed a portable, pocket-sized ECG device, making cardiac monitoring more accessible. With this fresh capital, Sunfox plans a major geographical expansion across India and will begin building out its global go-to-market strategy, aiming to bring affordable medical technology to a wider audience.
• Rounding out our top ten is Zomint, a wealth management platform that has raised three-point-seven-five million dollars in a seed round led by Lightspeed and Prime Venture Partners. Zomint combines AI tools with dedicated human experts to provide personalized investment advice. A key metric for the company is its strong client retention, with a reported ninety-seven percent of clients remaining on the platform. This blend of AI efficiency and human touch appears to be resonating well in the competitive wealthtech market.
• Looking ahead, the public markets continue to see activity through alternative paths. Two special purpose acquisition companies, Pine Tree Acquisition and AfterNext Acquisition, are both expected to close one hundred million dollar IPOs today. This indicates that while the traditional IPO window has been selective, the SPAC market remains a viable, albeit more cautious, option for companies. That’s our top ten for today. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon at three PM Pacific with the next deal flow.