AI dominated this week’s funding with $128 million across four deals.
AI companies captured $128 million across four deals this week, led by Checkbox’s $33 million Series A for its legal work AI agent platform.
The Sydney-based company, founded in 2016 by former Sydney Boys High School classmates Evan Wong and James Han, previously raised $6.3 million in a pre-Series A round in 2022.
The round was led by Touring Capital, supported by existing investors Peak XV, formerly Sequoia Capital India, and Tidal Ventures, as well as Conductive Ventures Five V Capital, and angels including Jerry Ting, head of agentic AI at Workday. The raise values the business at $100 million.
Melbourne-based AutoGrab secured an $80 million Series B at a $230 million valuation on 27 January. The round for the car valuation platform was led by UK VC Octopus Ventures and New Zealand’s Movac, supported by Premier Capital Partners and existing backers EVP and Ten13. Founded in 2020, AutoGrab previously raised a $5 million seed round in 2022, then a $7 million Series A in October 2023.
Jelou raises $10m led by Wellington Access
Jelou closed a $10 million Series A led by Wellington Access Ventures to expand Brain, its platform for building AI agents that execute financial operations inside WhatsApp.
The company, founded in Ecuador in 2017 by CEO Luis Loaiza and Alberto Vera, has already processed over $100 million in transactions through messaging apps across Latin America. The round included participation from Krealo, Credicorp’s corporate venture arm, and Collide Capital, bringing Jelou’s total funding to $13 million including a $3 million seed round led by Act One Ventures and Arca Continental Ventures.
“When customers are most ready to act, things usually fall apart,” said Luis Loaiza, CEO and founder of Jelou. “They get redirected out of the conversation, put on hold, or asked to repeat themselves across systems. We built Brain so businesses can meet customers where they already are and complete the entire operation securely inside chat.”
Jelou’s platform enables payments, identity checks, credit applications, and digital signatures entirely within WhatsApp. The company operates across 13 countries and serves over 500 clients across banking, retail, logistics, and consumer goods.
Sparkli raises $5m pre-seed led by Founderful
Sparkli, founded by Google alums in Zurich, raised a $5 million pre-seed round for its multimodal AI-native learning engine designed for children aged 5 to 12.
The round was led by Founderful, with participation from Arc Investors and a grant from Innosuisse. The platform transforms children’s questions into interactive, multi-disciplinary learning expeditions covering technology, design thinking, sustainability, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and global awareness.
Founded by Lax Poojary, Lucie Marchand, and Mynseok Kang, who are veterans of Google Area 120, Search, and YouTube, the company is validating its platform through a strategic pilot with one of the world’s largest private school groups, providing access to a network of more than 100 schools and over 100,000 students ahead of a private beta launch.
Climatic raises $10m seed led by Lerer Hippeau
Climatic emerged from stealth with a $10 million seed round led by Lerer Hippeau to pioneer the daily lung health category.
The New York-based company, backed by research with Mount Sinai, is positioning lung care as a daily wellness practice rather than something people address only during illness or environmental crises.
Climatic plans to launch L Max, its first proactive lung health system, in late spring 2026. Lerer Hippeau’s portfolio includes category disruptors such as Warby Parker, Allbirds, and Glossier.
On the House raises $1.7m led by Purpose Ventures
Brisbane-based On the House, founded by Startmate alumni Remy Tucker, closed a $1.7 million seed round on 27 January to offer free period products in public bathrooms. The round was led by WA VC Purpose Ventures, supported by UniQuest Extension Fund and Startmate.
Factory raises $4.69m Series A led by Shearwater
Factory, a manufacturing process management platform, secured a $4.69 million Series A round led by Shearwater Capital with participation from US investor Martin Tobias and existing backers Investible, Adrian DiMarco, and Beachhead Capital.
The Sydney software startup, founded in 2021 by brothers Paul and Michael Lutkajtis, previously raised $1.05 million in a 2023 seed round led by Investible. The capital will be used to increase product and engineering capacity, expand the go-to-market team, and for US expansion, kicking off in Texas.
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