The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Largest Financings Went To Defense, Wearables, Energy And Security

2026-04-03 · Source: Artificial intelligence - Crunchbase News · Field: Business & Management — Entrepreneurship & Start-ups, Capital Markets & Investment Management · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

The Crunchbase Megadeals Board reported significant startup funding activity for the week of March 28-April 3, with U.S.-based companies securing over $100 million in venture deals. Topping the list was Saronic, an autonomous vessel developer, which raised a $1.75 billion Series D round led by Kleiner Perkins, achieving a $9.25 billion valuation. Other notable investments included Whoop's $575 million Series G for fitness wearables, Valar Atomics' $450 million for nuclear energy, and EnerVenue's $300 million Series B extension for battery technology. Cybersecurity firm Tenex.AI secured $250 million, while micromobility company Also, a Rivian spin-off, raised $200 million. Space infrastructure startup Starcloud received $170 million, and cloud infrastructure provider ScaleOps landed $130 million. Ambrosia Biosciences obtained $100 million for biotech, and OpenFX secured $94 million for money transfer services.

Key takeaway

For investors tracking U.S. venture capital trends, this week's megadeals highlight continued strong interest in defense tech, fitness wearables, and energy solutions. You should note the substantial valuations achieved by companies like Saronic and Whoop, indicating robust investor confidence in these sectors. Consider diversifying your portfolio to include innovative startups in autonomous systems, nuclear energy, and AI-driven cybersecurity, as these areas are attracting significant capital and demonstrating rapid growth.

Key insights

Top U.S. startups secured substantial venture capital across diverse sectors, led by defense tech and fitness wearables.

Principles

• Defense tech attracts significant capital.
• Wearable tech continues strong growth.
• AI infrastructure is a key investment area.

In practice

• Monitor defense tech for large rounds.
• Track fitness wearables for growth.
• Observe AI infrastructure for emerging players.

Topics

• Startup Funding
• Defense Technology
• Autonomous Vessels
• Fitness Wearables
• Energy Technology

Best for: Investor, Entrepreneur, Tech Journalist

Related on AIssential

• The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Massive Deals For Medical Devices, Futuristic AI Gadgets And Frontier Labs Lead — The week's top funding rounds highlight robust investor confidence in AI, physical tech, and specialized enterprise solutions.
• The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Defense Tech Leads With Multiple Large Deals, Topped By $600M For Space Security Startup True Anomaly — Defense tech and AI applications are attracting substantial venture capital, with several companies securing nine-figure funding rounds.
• From Rocket Motors to Consumer AI - dot.LA — The LA tech scene is diversifying beyond software, with significant investment in hard tech, defense, and specialized AI applications.
• Focused Energy raises $240M, TrueLayer acquires In3, and London regains top spot — This week's European tech landscape saw over 60 funding deals totaling more than €3.1 billion, alongside over 5 exits and M&A transactions.
• 15 defence startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs — Geopolitical shifts are driving a surge in venture capital funding for defense startups focused on AI and autonomous systems.

Open in AIssential →

Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Artificial intelligence - Crunchbase News.