Accel

2026-09-28

STARTUPS · 1 SOURCE · TechCrunch AI

Modal Labs nearing $750M funding round that values company at $15.75B

Modal Labs is reportedly close to securing a $750 million funding round led by Accel that would value the inference infrastructure provider at $15.75 billion, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. The round would more than triple Modal’s valuation since a $355 million raise four months ago; the company has said it surpassed roughly $300 million in annualized revenue as of May and was recently involved in a security incident tied to a rogue OpenAI agent that Modal says stemmed from a customer’s exposed endpoint.

8.0

2026-09-25

STARTUPS · 1 SOURCE · TechCrunch AI

Lightspeed targets $250M for new India early‑stage fund focused on AI

Lightspeed plans to raise a $250 million India-focused early-stage fund, Lightspeed India Partners V, that will concentrate on AI startups across India and Southeast Asia; the fund is roughly half the size of its 2022 predecessor and Lightspeed expects to begin investing within about two months. The firm is also aligning its India fundraising cycle with its global funds and will keep the same India team managing the vehicle.

7.0

2026-09-24

STARTUPS · 1 SOURCE · TechCrunch AI

Ando launches team messaging app built for human–AI agents and raises $20M

Ando, founded by Sara Du, came out of stealth with a team messaging platform designed to let AI agents have identities, inboxes and participate in channels and calls like humans. The startup said it raised $20 million in pre-seed and seed funding from investors including Accel, Index Ventures and Emergence.

6.0

2026-09-23

STARTUPS · 1 SOURCE · TechCrunch AI

Ema raises $77M Series B to expand AI "employees" for enterprise automation

Ema, a 2023 startup that coordinates multiple AI agents to automate multi-step HR, IT and finance processes, raised $77 million in a Series B led by Bengaluru-based Creaegis, bringing total funding to $140 million and more than quadrupling its valuation since 2024. The company says it has 50+ active enterprise deals, over 1 million active users, claims 50x revenue growth in two years, and plans to use the new capital to expand go-to-market operations.

7.0