This article is sponsored by Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab. Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab (MSISVL) provides early-stage startups with access to capital and resources to help them develop and scale. Its mission is to foster a more equitable and sustainable investment landscape. Applications to join the 2025 MSISVL cohort are open now through March 14. Inclusivity meets sustainability One example of MSISVL’s impact is Sortile, a tech startup transforming textile recycling. Constanza Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Sortile, highlighted the value of the experience. “Incredible
A San Francisco startup, Waterlily, is using AI to simplify long-term care planning and costs. Founded in 2021 by Lily Vittayarukskul, the company was born out of personal hardship—her aunt’s terminal colon cancer diagnosis left the family struggling with overwhelming medical costs. “It wiped us out financially,” Vittayarukskul, a former NASA data scientist, told TechCrunch. At the time, she was studying aerospace engineering, but the emotional and financial toll of her aunt’s illness led her to pivot to genetic and data science, ultimately inspiring Waterlily’s mission. How does Waterlily help individuals
Nigerian fintech unicorn Moniepoint has received a “strategic investment” from Visa, according to Techcrunch. The funding aims to propel financial inclusion and support the expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Africa. Moniepoint’s Series C Sources close to the deal say Moniepoint received over $10 million from Visa after securing a $110 million Series C round last October. Now, its Series C surpasses $120 million, and the company is allegedly speaking to other investors and could potentially attract more funding in the coming months while continuing its billion-dollar valuation.
Robin AI, a Black-owned legal AI startup, has won second place on the Startups 100 index. The startup uses AI to automate contract reviews, slashing costs and freeing up legal teams. Last year, it raised $25 million in a unique extension of its Series B funding round. The company was founded in 2019 by former Clifford Chance lawyer Richard Robinson and machine learning researcher James Clough. “Robin AI are truly ground breaking in their innovation, aiming to cut down legal processing times. Despite the challenges, the UK is still a
Fundment, a Black-owned all-in-one tech platform for financial advisers, raised £45 million ($55.4 million) in Series C led by Highland Europe, as per Tech Funding News. The investment will scale the team, develop the product, and achieve future growth. Financial advisers are under more pressure than ever, which is why the global financial planning software market is set to amount to $18.1 billion in the next decade. For this reason, Fundment aims to create innovative solutions for financial advisers that will allow a smooth experience for their clients. “Financial advice is
The London-based venture capital firm Black Seed VC has won the prestigious 2025 Startups 100 DEI Award. Black Seed VC aims to address the funding gap between white and Black founders. The company was also ranked 41st in the 2025 Startups 100 Index, the UK’s longest-running index of the most promising new businesses. When and why was Black Seed VC founded? Black seed VC was founded by Karl Lokko in 2021, who spent a decade campaigning and advocating for a fairer and more inclusive business ecosystem. After the death of George Floyd, businesses and brands
Ilara Health recently received a $1 million loan from the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to help improve private outpatient clinics in Kenya, according to TechPoint. What is Illara health? The company originally started by renting diagnostic equipment to clinics. Eventually, it expanded to offer health centres the choice to buy pharmaceuticals and items like hospital furniture on credit. The money will help underserved communities have better healthcare by investing in diagnostic devices, health tech, and pharmaceuticals. Last year, the company raised $4.2 million in debt-equity pre-Series A round
Serena Ventures—Williams’ VC firm participated in a $10 million seed funding for Teal Health – a women’s health startup founded by Kara Egan (CEO) and Dr. Avnesh Thakor. The company, founded in 2020, was formed to create an at-home-self collect cervical cancer screening kit, which is under FDA review for the time being. During Thakor’s medical experience, he witnessed inadequate change in cervical cancer screenings and formed a self-collect prototype. “Teal Wand™ will provide women with an alternative to the traditional screening method with stirrups and a speculum, making it easier for
Funding for female-led and female-founded ventures in Africa reached a five-year low in 2024, ‘Africa: The Big Deal’ reported. A five year low for Women-led ventures These figures are the lowest they’ve been since 2019, as female CEOs received only $48 million in funding in 2024. That number is four times less than in 2023. In contrast, $2.2 billion went to their male peers in 2024. Additionally, female CEOs only received 2% of the total invested last year. Funding for gender-diverse teams was slightly better as they received $123 million in
BlackRock Inc. executive Adebayo Ogunlesi has joined OpenAI’s board of directors. The billionaire investor has experience in infrastructure investing, aligning with OpenAI’s to expand data centers and energy resources to grow AI development. Ogunlesi, a senior managing director and board member at BlackRock, joined the company last year after it bought his previous business, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), for around $12 billion, making him a billionaire. Who is Adebayo Ogunlesi? Ogunlesi created GIP in 2006 before spending 23 years at Credit Suisse, holding several senior positions such as Executive Vice
