Weekly TOP Startup / VC news of February 19, 2026

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Andercore, Berlin's AI-driven industrial trade platform, secured $40 million in Series B funding. This capital injection, bringing total funding to $75 million, fuels its aggressive European expansion. It will deepen category coverage. The company will also advance its AI platform for direct supplier sales. Andercore targets the fragmented global wholesale market. It streamlines cross-border supply in sectors like infrastructure, energy, and building materials. Key investors include Atomico, Project A, Inven Capital, Commerzbank, and KfW. Andercore's technology brings prediction, speed, and efficiency to traditionally manual supply chains, revolutionizing a multi-trillion-dollar economy.

Indian startups attracted substantial early-stage capital. Apparel manufacturing platform Showroom B2B secured $17 million for scaling. Healthcare fintech Care.fi raised $8 million, targeting US and Middle East expansion. Semiconductor intelligence firm ThirdAI, deep-tech medical device maker Articulus Surgical, homeware brand Nester, and student social commerce platform TimBuckDo also closed significant funding rounds. These investments highlight robust venture capital interest in India's diverse technology landscape, driving innovation and preparing for global market penetration. The funding fuels growth across AI, robotics, supply chain, and consumer sectors. This demonstrates a thriving startup ecosystem.

Quantum Systems secured €150 million from EIB, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, and KfW. This substantial European financing package propels its leadership in multi-domain defense technology, encompassing advanced air and ground autonomous systems. Funds will drive industrial scaling, R&D, and integration of strategic acquisitions, like Fernride for ground autonomy. The investment reinforces European security, technological sovereignty, and critical infrastructure protection. Plans include expanding production into Ukraine. This pivotal move solidifies Quantum Systems' role as a vital provider of unmanned solutions, crucial for Europe's evolving defense landscape and global challenges.

Algorized, an Étoy-based deep-tech startup, recently closed a $13 million Series A funding round. This capital fuels its Physical AI platform. The technology uses existing wireless sensors—like UWB, mmWave, and Wi-Fi—to digitize industrial environments. It enables robots to interpret human presence and intent with ultra-low latency. This predictive safety engine allows robots to operate at full speed alongside people. It eliminates costly stops. The funding will scale commercial deliveries of this crucial system. It also advances intent prediction models and expands global engineering hubs. The aim is to transform industrial efficiency and human-robot collaboration across automotive and manufacturing sectors.

Apptronik secured $520 million in new funding. Its valuation reached $5 billion. Investors include Google and Mercedes-Benz. This capital injection accelerates Apollo humanoid robot production and market deployment. Apptronik initially targets manufacturing and logistics sectors. Future expansion includes healthcare and home use. The company leverages Google DeepMind AI for advanced capabilities. It positions itself to dominate the burgeoning humanoid robotics market.

Newo, a San Francisco-based AI innovator, successfully secured $25 million in Series A funding. This substantial investment propels the expansion of its cutting-edge AI voice and text agent platform. Newo specializes in providing "AI receptionists" meticulously engineered for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). These intelligent, always-on agents expertly manage all inbound customer communications: phone calls, SMS messages, and various web chat platforms. The robust system actively prevents significant revenue losses often incurred from missed customer interactions. This crucial funding will accelerate product development, strategically expand Newo's vital partner ecosystem, and scale its go-to-market strategies. Proven operational successes across diverse industries, from bustling dental practices to vibrant restaurants, unequivocally solidify investor confidence in Newo's transformative AI technology, ensuring SMBs capture every customer opportunity.

Warsaw-based Demoboost secured €2.8M in funding. Digital Ocean Ventures and RIO co-led the round, with B-Value participating. The platform revolutionizes B2B software sales. It automates product demos. It transforms these demos into actionable revenue intelligence. This dramatically boosts sales efficiency. The capital will fuel significant AI development. It will also drive strategic international expansion. Demoboost helps B2B companies cut unqualified calls. It slashes customer acquisition costs. It shortens sales cycles. It empowers sales and presales teams. The company provides scalable, data-driven buyer experiences. It is reshaping the future of B2B sales engagement and intelligence.

SpaceX eyes a massive IPO, possibly $1.5 trillion. Dual-class shares are under consideration. This follows SpaceX's acquisition of xAI. xAI itself sees co-founder exits and a major reorganization. The AI firm also faces regulatory probes globally. These probes target xAI's Grok AI over problematic content generation. Elon Musk seeks greater control. He drives rapid execution. This marks a pivotal period for his interconnected ventures.

Inertia Enterprises, a Livermore, California-based energy innovator, has secured $450 million in Series A funding. This significant capital injection accelerates its ambitious commercialization roadmap for laser-based fusion power. The company harnesses breakthrough inertial confinement fusion (ICF) physics. This science was demonstrably proven at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), achieving net energy gain. Inertia’s core strategy involves constructing "Thunderwall," the world's most powerful laser system. It also includes establishing an industrial production line for mass-manufacturing fusion fuel targets. These foundational efforts underpin a phased commercial rollout. The ultimate vision is delivering grid-scale fusion electricity via a pilot plant. A gigawatt, utility-scale fusion power plant follows within the next decade. Led by experienced founders, Inertia aims to revolutionize global energy. Its mission is to provide abundant, safe, and clean power, transforming the future of electricity generation and combating climate change with advanced energy solutions. This deep tech investment marks a pivotal moment for the fusion industry.

Smart Bricks secures $5M in pre-seed funding. Andreessen Horowitz led the round. The AI startup redefines real estate investing. It deploys agentic AI infrastructure. This automates complex acquisition workflows. Processes traditionally taking months now complete in minutes. The platform analyzes vast global data. It identifies top investment opportunities. Smart Bricks offers an AI-native operating system. It streamlines valuation, underwriting, and due diligence. CEO Mohamed Mohamed guides this innovation. The new capital fuels expansion. Smart Bricks transforms how capital flows into global property markets, boosting efficiency and precision for investors.

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