Startups
Air Doctor raises $20M to plug a gap in how people find doctors when they’re traveling
Air Doctor, a startup that connects international travelers with vetted doctors, has raised $20 million in a Series B round to expand its platform, which helps users find medical care abroad without upfront costs. Launched to solve the problem of accessing healthcare in unfamiliar countries, Air Doctor’s service matches insurance policies with doctors' services, managing reimbursements while reducing costs and processing times. With over 80,000 users and a network of 20,000 doctors in 84 countries, the company now focuses on a B2B2C model, partnering with major health insurers. Founded by Jenny Cohen Derfler and her son, the idea emerged after personal experiences navigating foreign healthcare systems.
Dinii, a cloud-based restaurant management platform, raises $45M Series B
Dinii, a Japanese startup founded in 2018 by Mao Yamada and Kazuki Otomo, offers a cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system that allows restaurants to manage orders, payments, and customer data through mobile devices, bypassing the need for expensive on-site hardware. Inspired by U.S.-based Toast, Dinii has gained traction with 3,000 restaurants in Japan, offering cashless payments and CRM features. The company recently raised $48 million in a funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, marking Bessemer's first investment in Japan. With plans to expand into financial services, employee management, and daily payouts, Dinii aims to grow its presence across Japan and Southeast Asia. The Japanese food service market is expected to reach $475 billion by 2030, offering significant growth potential.
Howbout raises $8M from Goodwater to build a calendar that you can share with your friends
Howbout helps users find time to meet friends by sharing calendars. Over 75% of users (mostly Gen Z) share their full calendar with at least one friend. Founded in August 2020 by Neil Tanna, Jake Jenner, and Duncan Cowan. The startup raised $8 million in Series A funding, with a total of $13 million raised. The app allows viewing and sharing schedules with friends and creating groups. It offers tools for scheduling, voting on times, and adding events to Memories or a bucket list. Users can invite people via links, but responding requires downloading the app. The app has over 4 million monthly active users and 50 million events created. Howbout targets the U.S. market and focuses on network effects driven by event planners. It is exploring growth strategies, aiming to build a social network around shared time.
How a cold email to a VC helped salon software startup Mangomint raise $35M
Daniel Lang, Dan Poineau, and Sandra Huber founded Mangomint in 2017 to create salon and spa operations software. Mangomint focuses on all-in-one software for small and medium-sized businesses, automating tasks like booking, appointment reminders, and promotional emails. The beauty and wellness market Mangomint targets is projected to reach $185 billion by 2030. The company’s annual recurring revenue and customer growth have surpassed 100% for several years, processing over $1 billion in transactions. Notable clients include Ouidad, OSEA, Shop Good, and Surya Spa. Mangomint raised $35 million in a Series B round led by Altos Ventures, with SaaStr Fund’s Jason Lemkin participating. Lang connected with Lemkin through a cold email, which led to SaaStr’s interest in investing. Altos Ventures sees strong potential in vertical software for SMBs, and Mangomint’s innovative solutions for salons and spas. Competitors include GlossGenius, Varago, MindBody, and Boulevard. Mangomint plans to use the funding to hire more talent and develop automation-driven features to enhance client engagement and retention.
How a viral AI image catapulted a Mexican startup to a major adidas contract
Antonio Nuño, Fatima Alvarez, and Enrique Rodriguez co-founded Someone Somewhere in 2016 to connect artisans with global companies. The startup helps artisans in rural Mexico apply traditional handcrafts to clothing and accessories for a fair wage. In 2023, they used AI, specifically Stable Diffusion, to create designs that showcase artisans' work for large companies. A viral post on LinkedIn about an adidas-Mexico soccer jersey led to a partnership with the brand. The jersey collection featured hand-embroidered designs by women artisans, reaching millions globally. The company grew by leveraging AI, increasing product designs from 10 to 5,000 monthly. In three years, Someone Somewhere's revenue grew 36x, and its team now works with triple the brands. Their AI approach led to partnerships with major companies like Google, Uber, Stripe, and Amazon. A QR-coded amenity kit sparked a collaboration with Nimble, leading to products sold in Apple stores. Someone Somewhere has raised $1.7 million in funding and has been profitable since 2022.
Bangladeshi-born founder’s Australian startup acquired for $16 bln
AirTrunk, a data center group, is being acquired for USD 16.1 billion by Blackstone and CPP Investments. The deal marks Blackstone's largest investment in the Asia Pacific region and Australia's biggest buyout of 2024. AirTrunk's majority stake was previously acquired by Macquarie Asset Management in 2020, valuing the company at $3 billion. Robin Khuda, AirTrunk's founder, is a Bangladeshi-Australian entrepreneur with an accounting and finance background. AirTrunk operates 11 data centers across Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Khuda started AirTrunk in 2015 after transitioning from corporate life, funding the venture with his retirement savings. The deal highlights the influence of South Asian Australian founders in the global tech industry.
Adaptive builds automation tools to speed up construction payments
The construction industry has a slow payments problem, taking 2-3 months for construction companies to get paid. Adaptive is a platform that provides tools designed to simplify payments and accounting for general construction contractors. Adaptive delivers an array of workflow automations for financial management, including budgeting, expense tracking, accounts payable and electronic payments. Adaptive uses generative AI algorithms to automate financial management and bookkeeping workflows. Adaptive's competitors include Briq, Beam and MakersHub. Adaptive has more than 280 construction companies on its customer roster. The company plans to acquire subcontractor clients by building tailored products for that segment. Adaptive will explore monetizing different integrated payments, insurance and payroll functions. Andreessen Horowitz, Definition, Exponent, 3kvc, Box Group and Gokul Rajaram participated in Adaptive’s Series A round. The startup plans to expand its workforce from 29 to 45 by the end of the year.
Gifting on-demand startup Afloat goes nationwide
Afloat, a gift delivery app that lets you shop from local stores and have gifts delivered to a loved one on the same day, is now available across the U.S. The startup was founded by Sarah-Allen Preston. Afloat aims to support local businesses and provide the convenience of online shopping. The app currently works with 100 store partners. Afloat has helped its store partners expand their gifting revenue by 30-50%. The company has shifted to a SaaS model to allow more stores to join the platform. Afloat offers subscription plans for stores at $99/month and $299/month. The company is building a subscription tier for consumers. Afloat currently has over 30,000 users and is backed by Goodwater Capital and Techstars.
HoundDog.ai helps developers prevent personal information from leaking
HoundDog.ai scans code to find potential leaks of personally identifiable information (PII). The startup was founded by Amjad Afanah, who has experience in data security. Unlike other tools, HoundDog.ai looks at the code itself, not just data flow. It integrates with continuous integration and warns about leaks before code is merged. Currently supports Java, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, GraphQL, OpenAPI/Swagger queries. Python support is coming soon. Important for AI-generated code as it can contain security vulnerabilities. HoundDog.ai itself uses AI models (optionally) from OpenAI. It can cut compliance costs for startups by generating reports automatically. Offers a free plan with paid plans starting at $200/month.
App developer Crowdaa raises €1.2M and plans a US expansion
Crowdaa is a French company founded by Vigile Hoareau and Jimmy Thomas. It allows non-developers to create and release mobile apps. The founders aim to give creators more control over their platforms. The company initially focused on music but expanded to a general service. A recent update automates app building, deployment and submission. Crowdaa uses a full-stack service, drag-and-drop interface and integrated tools. The company recently raised €1.2 million in seed funding. The funds will be used for sales and marketing, US launch and AI chatbox assistant. Crowdaa aims to work with filmmakers and music labels in the future. Investors see potential as Crowdaa helps creators without extensive resources.