Sperm Racing Raises $1 Million From Karatage, Figment Capital & Karman For Unique Event

Sperm Racing, founded by Eric Zhu (Aviato & Thor Ventures), Nick Small (youngest sold-out founder in crypto), Shane Fan (Waterfall Market), and Garrett Niconienko (MrBeast team), recently raised $1 million in a round led by Karatage, with participation from Figment Capital & Karman. The funds will support the development of the world’s first sperm race, a unique event combining health and sport. Set to launch on April 25, 2025, at the Hollywood Palladium, the event will feature a microscopic racetrack where sperm motility is tracked in real-time, offering a full sporting experience with commentary and betting. The event, featuring a UCLA vs USC race, is expected to sell out the venue with 5,000 attendees. Sperm Racing aims to make reproductive health engaging and measurable while addressing declining fertility rates. INVESTORS: Karatage, Figment Capital & Karman AMOUNT: $1,000,000 HQ: #LosAngeles #California #VentureCapital #EricZhu #NickSmall #GarrettNiconienko #Karatage #FigmentCapital #Karman #TradedVC

More Deals

View All

Anthropic Invests $50 Billion In AI Infrastructure With Fluidstack Creating 800 JobsAnthropic is investing $50 billion in American AI infrastructure, building custom data centers with Fluidstack in Texas and New York, with more sites planned throughout 2026. The project aims to create around 800 permanent jobs and 2,400 construction jobs, supporting continued frontier AI research and development. CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei said the facilities will help build more capable AI systems, accelerate scientific discovery, and create American jobs. The investment also aligns with the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan to strengthen U.S. technology leadership, while meeting growing demand for Anthropic’s Claude AI, which serves over 300,000 business customers. FOUNDER: Dario Amodei AMOUNT: $50,000,000 HQ: #San Francisco #California #VentureCapital #Anthropic #DarioAmodei #Fluidstack #TradedVC

BoomPop Raises $25 Million From Investors Including Wing VC And Alex RodriguezBoomPop, a San Francisco-based AI-powered event planning platform co-founded by CEO Healey Cypher and Chief Product & Design Officer Blake Hudelson, raised $25 million in equity funding led by Wing VC, alongside $16 million in debt and credit from Silicon Valley Bank. The round saw participation from Atomic, Acme Capital, Four Rivers Group, Thayer Investment Partners, Fund of Operators Guild, and Gaingels, as well as individual investors like Alex Rodriguez and former DoorDash President Christopher Payne. Founded in 2020 and rebranded in 2023, BoomPop helps companies like Netflix, Google, and Dropbox plan corporate offsites and events through an AI system that automates vendor booking, logistics, and execution—bringing its total funding to nearly $56 million. FOUNDERS: Healey Cypher & Blake Hudelson INVESTORS: Wing VC, Atomic, Acme Capital, Four Rivers Group, Thayer Investment Partners, Gaingels, Alex Rodriguez & Christopher Payne AMOUNT: $25,000,000 HQ: #SanFrancisco #California #VentureCapital #BoomPop #HealeyCypher #BlakeHudelson #WingVC #Atomic #AcmeCapital #FourRiversGroup #ThayerInvestmentPartners #Gaingels #AlexRodriguez #ChristopherPayne #TradedVC

Teradar Secures $150 Million Series B Funding From Capricorn Investment Group And Lockheed MartinBoston-based startup Teradar, led by co-founder and CEO Matt Carey, has raised $150 million in a Series B funding round to advance its solid-state terahertz sensor, which combines radar’s ability to see through rain and fog with lidar’s high-definition imaging. The sensor, which Carey has demonstrated at events like CES, offers long-range, high-resolution sensing at a scale and price point that’s unprecedented, drawing investment from firms including Capricorn Investment Group, Lockheed Martin’s venture arm, Ibex Investors, and VXI Capital. FOUNDER: Matt Carey INVESTORS: Capricorn Investment Group, Lockheed Martin, Ibex Investors & VXI Capital ROUND: Series B AMOUNT: $150,000,000 HQ: #Boston #Massachusetts #VentureCapital #Teradar #MattCarey #CapricornInvestmentGroup #LockheedMartin #IbexInvestors #VXICapital #TradedVC

Forterra Raises $238 Million From Investors Including Moore Strategic Ventures At $1 Billion ValuationForterra, a Maryland-based startup developing autonomous military vehicles, has raised $238 million in a funding round led by Moore Strategic Ventures, lifting its valuation above $1 billion. The company’s vehicles can operate individually or in coordinated “swarms” for missions such as surveillance, missile transport, and AI support, with hundreds already deployed in active operations. Chief Executive Officer Josh Araujo described the vehicles as a “Swiss army knife” of military autonomy, and said the new funds will be used to double production to 1,000 systems next year while expanding mission capabilities. Other participants in the round included Franklin Templeton, Salesforce Ventures, Balyasny Asset Management, and existing in FOUNDER: Alberto Lacaze INVESTORS: Moore Strategic Ventures, Franklin Templeton, Salesforce Ventures, Balyasny Asset Management L.P., 645 Ventures, Hanwha Asset Management, 9Yards Capital, NightDragon, XYZ Venture Capital, Hedosophia, Enlightenment Capital & Crescent Cove Advisors LP AMOUNT: $238,000,000 VALUATION: $1,000,000,000 HQ: #Clarksburg #Maryland #VentureCapital #Forterra #AlbertoLacaze #MooreStrategicVentures #FranklinTempleton #SalesforceVentures #BalyasnyAssetManagement #645Ventures #HanwhaAssetManagement #9YardsCapital #NightDragon #XYZVentureCapital #Hedosophia #EnlightenmentCapital #CrescentCoveAdvisorsLP #TradedVC

Subscribe to get the most important vc news and trends.