Financial Diaries - Issue 1
Hello and welcome to the very first issue of Financial Diaries, where each week we spotlight the most exciting funding round shaking up the financial and tech world.
At Spendbase, we’re passionate about helping businesses cut their SaaS and cloud costs by up to 35% without the hassle — freeing you to focus on growth and innovation.
This week, we’re celebrating some incredible funding milestones that showcase the power of innovation and smart financial strategy.
Quote of the Week:
“Most founders think they'll raise capital in 3 months.
Reality check: It takes 6-12 months, if not longer.
Here's the timeline no one tells you about:
- 1-3 months: Prep your materials
- 3-6 months: Engage with investors
- 6-9 months: Due diligence
- 9-12 months: Closing the deal
Pro tip: Start building relationships with investors 12-18 months before you actually need the money.”
1) Stord has raised over $200M in equity and debt financing at a valuation of $1.5B. According to Jacob Boudreau:
“We are grateful to serve incredible customers and honored by their trust and confidence in Stord – it's a true privilege to get to work with world-class entrepreneurs, operators, and builders growing some of the most impactful brands on the planet.”
2) Hamburg-based akeno has raised €4.5 million in a Seed funding round to scale its AI-driven production planning software, marking a step forward in the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector.
"Anyone who plans their production based on outdated master data runs the risk of losing their competitive edge,” says Co-founder and CEO Alexander Ebbrecht. “Our long-term vision is to fully automate production planning, enabling our software to autonomously adapt to real-world events and conditions and optimise production plans in real time.”
3) Dean Bloembergen, Cofounder & CTO at Owner is THRILLED to share that Owner.com has raised a $120M Series C at a $1B valuation!
“5 years ago, we set out on a mission to level the playing field for local restaurant owners. Why? Because we believe local businesses are sacred. Each one reflects the unique DNA of its owner: their story, their spirit, their craft. They bring life and connection to our neighborhoods. Brightness and color to our world.”
4) Openlayer has raised $14.5M in Series A funding to help teams continuously test and validate their AI systems, both before and after they go live.
“Whether you’re working with traditional models or LLMs, Openlayer lets teams define what "good" looks like, run tests that reflect real business goals, and catch issues before they ship. It brings engineers, product teams, and compliance together on a single platform designed for AI testing and governance from end to end.”
5) Sam Kushner, Founder at FlexPoint is thrilled to announce a major milestone in FlexPoint's journey!
“We’ve raised $12M in Series A funding, led by Foundry with continued support from our existing investors. This round of funding brings our total capital raised to $19.5 million.”
“This investment follows a tremendous period of growth here at FlexPoint. In just over 2 years since launching FlexPoint, we’ve built the leading independent payments platform for MSPs and the businesses they serve.”
6) Yuval Brot, CEO at Celery is sharing the big milestone for Celery!
“We just raised $9M in our seed round. Celery started with a call from my friend Hillel Shalev – a master of late-night startup ideas (shoutout to the bedside table that bakes cookies). But this time, it was different. I could hear his frustration. As a CFO, he was drowning in manual financial controls buried in spreadsheets and disconnected systems, instead of being the strategic advisor he wanted to be as a CFO.”
7) Thibault David, CEO and Co-founder of Veesion has announced a €38 million Series B funding round, accompanied by €15 million in non-dilutive funding.
“Veesion, a French startup building AI tools to detect suspicious behaviour in physical stores, has announced a €38 million Series B funding round, accompanied by €15 million in non-dilutive funding”
“We’re proud to bring new investors on board while gaining renewed support from our historical partners. Veesion and its team are giving themselves the means to achieve their ambition: to become a French global champion in computer vision,” shared Thibault David, CEO and Co-founder of Veesion.
8) Alex Calder, Co-Founder & CEO at Coworker.ai is incredibly excited to launch Coworker.ai, and announce our $13m seed funding.
“I want to give a huge thanks to our early supporters, investors, friends and family, and most of all our incredible team. This has been one of the hardest things we've had to do, and we're only just getting started.”
9) Maximilian Rolf, CEO and Co-founder at sensmore has secured €6.5 million in funding to bring Physical AI to the world’s largest mobile machinery by leveraging a combination of cameras, 4D radar, and AI.
“Our roadmap delivers immediate value through intelligent and assistive features from day one, while laying the data foundation for tomorrow’s full automation. We don’t just build for our customers – we partner with them to shape the automated future together.”
10) Christopher Smith, Co-founder of Ontik has raised a €3.2 million Seed round to bring modern financial infrastructure to sectors still reliant on manual processes.
“B2B wholesalers are the financial engine of the real economy—but most are still managing credit with spreadsheets, phone calls and handwritten notes,” said Christopher Smith, Co-founder of Ontik. “We’re giving them modern, automated workflows that save hours every day and unlock serious operational efficiency.”
That’s a wrap for Issue 1 of Financial Diaries!
Thanks for joining us on this journey to smarter financial management. Remember, cutting costs doesn’t mean cutting corners—it means making every dollar work harder for you.
Stay tuned for more updates, expert tips, and inspiring success stories in the next issue. And if you want to learn how Spendbase can help you save on SaaS spend, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Until next time, keep those finances sharp and those budgets lean! 💰✨
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