Groove Capital Invests in Minneapolis Ag-Tech Startup Vireo Ag The Minnesota venture firm adds Vireo Ag to its portfolio, backing the company’s mission to accelerate crop breeding through faster, more efficient genome editing. Next In the North • VC News
Austin AI Startup Mentium Raises $3.2M Seed Round with Participation from Matchstick Ventures The round was led by Lerer Hippeau, with participation from Matchstick Ventures, Tower Research Capital, Antler, MBA Ventures, and angel investor Michael Witte. Next In the North • VC News
Groove Capital Invests in St. Paul Startup Maxwell Labs, Building on $500K U.S. Army Energy Tech Grant Groove Capital announced that it has added Maxwell Labs, a St. Paul–based startup pioneering laser cooling technology for AI hardware and high-performance computing (HPC) systems, to its investment portfolio. Next In the North • Tech
AI Startup Blank Metal Raises $3M to Accelerate Enterprise AI Deployment Blank Metal, an AI-native engineering company, has raised $3 million in seed funding to help enterprises move artificial intelligence projects from pilot to production in under 90 days. Next In the North • Funding
Bread and Butter Ventures Backs Parento’s $5.9M Seed II to Expand Paid Parental Leave Access Parento, a New York-based provider of paid parental leave insurance and employee support services, has raised $5.9 million in Seed II funding to expand its reach among small and mid-sized businesses. Grant Gibson • VC News
Minneapolis Health Tech Startup DUOS Secures $130M Growth Investment Led by FTV Capital DUOS, a Minneapolis-based digital health startup, announced it has secured a $130 million strategic growth investment led by FTV Capital, with participation from Forerunner Ventures, its earliest institutional investor. Next In the North • Funding
