D.C.-area startups opened 2022 looking to maintain the pace and size of investments that set records over the last 12 months.
So far, so good.
We’ve tracked funding raises since the new year began, and already we’re feeling some déjà vu. In January, the list includes D.C. data security startup Virtru with $60 million; Potomac home improvement company Curbio Inc. with $65 million; District tech startup Wellfound Foods, one of our 2022 Startups to Watch, with $1.4 million; Gaithersburg’s VLP Therapeutics Inc. with $21 million; D.C. online returns processor Optoro Inc. with $25 million and plans for more; Herndon’s HawkEye 360 Inc. with another $5 million, after taking in $145 million in November; and Falls Church electric aircraft Electra.aero Inc. raised an undisclosed Series A round from the venture arm of Lockheed Martin Corp.
The new year also brings new trends that we’ll be looking out for as we charge into the coming months, including investments in climate change and clean tech spaces.
But before we move forward, here are more Greater Washington ventures that raked in new money this month:
- Verica Inc.: The Fairfax continuous verification company said Jan. 18 it raised $12 million in a Series A funding round led by Intel Capital. True Ventures and Mango Capital also participated. The company has now raised $17 million to date, and plans to use the latest financing to expand its products, hire up and scale its go-to-market activities. That, the company said in its announcement, will allow it to bring on more customers faster. Verica’s platform uses what’s called chaos engineering to simulate problems before they actually happen. That allows companies using the software to pinpoint holes in their systems and address them preemptively.
- FutureAI: The early-stage D.C. tech startup announced Jan. 12 an initial $2 million in fresh funding to expand its team and develop its artificial general intelligence technology. As to what makes it different? “The fundamental shortcoming of current AI is its inability to understand the world around it,” whereas this company plans to create AI tech “that understands like a human and serves as the foundation for various real-world applications of AI, from self-driving cars to fully automated customer service,” founder and CEO Charles Simon said in a statement.
- FIT MKT: The new retail venture, pronounced “fit market,” launched in 2021 and is now raising a $2.5 million seed round to fund its first D.C. location, founder Bridget Regan tells us, though she declined to disclose its address. But we know the 9,000-square-foot space will live in Georgetown and sell activewear, home gym equipment and drinks from a juice bar. And it’ll offer experiences from immersive guided meditation sessions to live fitness classes. The capital will fund the buildout, tech, staffing and marketing, said Regan, also of Regan Agency. She’s spearheading the project alongside Matt Ceglie, who will oversee fitness operations for the company.
Who did we miss? Send us an email and let us know.
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