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US-Based Loyal Raises $155M to Develop Anti-Aging Drugs for Dogs Paving the Way for Human Applications

San Francisco-based biotech startup Loyal secures $155M to develop lifespan-extending drugs for dogs, aiming to pioneer breakthroughs that could one day benefit humans.

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San Francisco-based biotech startup Loyal has raised $155 million in funding to develop cutting-edge drugs designed to extend the lifespan of dogs — and potentially humans in the future. Founded by Celine Halioua, a former Oxford PhD student, Loyal is on a mission to delay canine aging by targeting metabolic and hormonal imbalances before they develop into age-related diseases.

Expected to launch its first product in 2026, Loyal is working on a beef-flavored pill aimed at helping dogs live longer, healthier lives. While the initial focus is on pets, the underlying science could pave the way for groundbreaking human anti-aging therapies.

From Oxford Labs to a $425M Startup

Halioua, 30, left her PhD studies at Oxford to join Longevity Fund, a San Francisco-based venture firm specializing in biotech innovations around lifespan extension. In 2019, she founded Loyal and spent nearly six years shaping its scientific foundation.

“I realized applying this science to humans would require billions in funding and years of trials,” Halioua said. “But we can prove it works with dogs first.”

The company has already entered discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is leveraging the agency’s conditional approval pathway for innovative veterinary medicines. Loyal’s first drug targets senior dogs aged 10 and above, mimicking the life-extending effects of caloric restriction. Another upcoming product is designed specifically for large-breed dogs, reducing growth hormone levels to slow aging.

$155 Million to Disrupt the Pet Longevity Market

Loyal raised $135 million in equity and $20 million in venture debt from leading investors, including Bain Capital, First Round, Khosla Ventures, and Valor Equity Partners. The company’s current valuation stands at $425 million.

With 90 million pet dogs in 60 million U.S. households, the market potential is enormous. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, U.S. families spent an average of $1,852 per pet in 2024, up 6% year-over-year. If Loyal’s drugs secure regulatory approval, the company could generate hundreds of millions in revenue annually.

UK-Based Butternut Box Secures €75M to Expand Fresh Pet Food Operations in Europe

Paving the Way for Human Applications

While Loyal’s immediate goal is to enhance pet longevity, its long-term vision reaches further: extending healthy human lifespan. However, developing a similar therapy for people would require $1 billion+ in investment and a decade or more of research and trials.

“People think of longevity science as billionaire fantasies or unproven supplements,” Halioua explained. “But Loyal’s approach is rooted in rigorous biology. When pet owners see their dogs living longer, they’ll naturally ask: why not us too?

The Bigger Picture

Loyal’s groundbreaking work has landed it on Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups list for 2025. As the biotech sector races to tackle aging — a challenge once thought impossible — Loyal is carving out a unique path: proving anti-aging science through pets first.

As Halioua puts it:

“This is the direction the world is heading. I’ve never once worried that we’re on the wrong path.”

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US-Based AI Insurance Startup Klaimee Raises $5.5 Million to Protect Businesses from Autonomous AI Agent Failures

Y Combinator-backed insurtech startup Klaimee has raised $5.5 million in seed funding to build insurance-backed warranties and liability coverage for autonomous AI agents, addressing one of the biggest unanswered questions in enterprise AI: who pays when AI makes a costly mistake?

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US-based insurtech Klaimee has raised $5.5 million in seed funding to develop insurance products specifically designed for autonomous AI systems, offering businesses protection when AI agents make mistakes that result in financial losses or operational failures.

The round was led by FundersClub’s Alexander Mittal, with participation from ex/ante, Pioneer Fund, Multimodal Ventures, Kima Ventures, Rebel Fund, Robinhood Ventures, Y Combinator, and several angel investors.

Building Insurance for the AI Agent Era

Unlike traditional software, autonomous AI agents can independently execute financial transactions, send emails, modify sensitive data, make business decisions, and interact directly with customers.

According to Klaimee, these new capabilities expose enterprises to risks that conventional Technology Errors & Omissions (E&O) and Cyber Insurance policies were never designed to cover.

Rather than treating AI failures as standard software bugs or cybersecurity incidents, Klaimee has built a platform that evaluates, certifies, and insures AI agents based on the unique risks associated with autonomous decision-making.

Its offering combines technical audits, operational risk assessments, AI-specific liability insurance, and certification into a single framework that enterprises can use during procurement and vendor approval processes.

Solving a Growing Enterprise Problem

The startup argues that one question is increasingly slowing enterprise AI adoption:

Who pays if an autonomous AI agent causes damage?

As AI systems gain greater autonomy, procurement, legal, and risk management teams are beginning to require software vendors to demonstrate that their AI products are backed by dedicated liability coverage before contracts are signed.

Klaimee says several enterprise customers have already encountered procurement requests asking for proof of AI liability insurance worth at least $5 million per occurrence before large commercial agreements could proceed.

The issue is becoming more pressing as regulations evolve. The company points to legislation such as California’s AB 316 and the EU AI Act, alongside insurers increasingly excluding AI-related claims from traditional liability policies.

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Backing AI with Financial Guarantees

Founded by Ines Boutemadja and Julien Catonnet, Klaimee aims to bridge the gap between AI deployment and enterprise risk management.

The company’s platform audits AI agents, evaluates their operational reliability, certifies approved systems, and backs them with insurance specifically designed for autonomous AI failures.

According to CEO Ines Boutemadja, enterprises increasingly need more than technical assurances—they also require financial guarantees that AI-related failures will be covered.

The founders compare today’s AI insurance market to the early days of cyber insurance two decades ago, arguing that AI liability is becoming a new category of enterprise risk that will require dedicated insurance products rather than extensions of existing policies.

Riding the Next Wave of AI Infrastructure

The funding will be used to expand Klaimee’s operations and further develop its certification and insurance platform as demand for enterprise AI governance continues to grow.

As organizations move beyond AI copilots toward fully autonomous systems capable of making decisions and executing actions independently, startups like Klaimee are emerging as part of a broader ecosystem building the infrastructure needed for widespread AI adoption.

Instead of focusing solely on improving AI capabilities, the company is addressing the trust, accountability, and financial safeguards enterprises increasingly require before allowing autonomous AI agents to operate inside mission-critical business workflows.

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US-Based AI Startup Hang Ten Systems Raises $32M to Scale AI-Driven Enterprise Transformation Globally

The funding will support global expansion, talent acquisition, and the development of AI-powered enterprise transformation solutions.

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Hang Ten Systems, the AI startup founded by former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka, has raised $32 million (approximately ₹302 crore) in a seed funding round led by Mayfield Ventures.

The round also attracted participation from Aramco Ventures, the venture capital arm of Aramco, alongside several angel investors.

The fresh capital will be used to expand the company’s workforce and accelerate the deployment of its AI-powered enterprise solutions for large organizations worldwide.

Founded by Vishal Sikka, Hang Ten Systems helps enterprises adopt artificial intelligence to improve operations, accelerate digital transformation, and modernize software development.

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Accelerating Enterprise AI Adoption

Hang Ten Systems plans to use the newly raised funding to expand its engineering and enterprise teams while increasing its presence among large global organizations.

The company has already begun working with major enterprise customers, including Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Fresenius, delivering AI-powered project execution and enterprise transformation solutions.

Its platform combines artificial intelligence with industry expertise to help organizations improve operational efficiency, streamline software development, and accelerate digital initiatives.

According to Vishal Sikka, the company aims to help businesses unlock tangible value from AI as enterprises move beyond experimentation toward large-scale deployment.

AI-Powered Software Development Platform

Hang Ten Systems is developing an AI-native operating model designed to reduce the time and cost required to build, modify, and manage enterprise software.

The platform incorporates AI-powered code generation, a reusable skills library, and a network of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) who work closely with enterprise customers on complex transformation projects.

Its solutions support a wide range of business functions, including enterprise transformation, finance, human resources, and new product development.

By combining automation with human expertise, the company aims to help organizations develop and scale SaaS applications more efficiently while reducing implementation complexity.

Experienced Leadership Team

Hang Ten Systems currently employs a team of 16 professionals with experience across enterprise software, artificial intelligence, and industrial technology.

In addition to founder Vishal Sikka, the leadership team includes former ANSYS executive Navin Budhiraja, alongside Sanjay Rajagopalan, Tao Liu, Frank Yu, Pradeep Panicker, and Yusuf Safdari.

Explaining the company’s name, Sikka compared the rapid rise of artificial intelligence to surfing a powerful wave, saying businesses must not only embrace AI but master it to fully realize its potential.

With fresh funding, early enterprise customers, and an experienced leadership team, Hang Ten Systems is positioning itself as a provider of AI-powered enterprise transformation solutions. The investment will enable the company to expand globally while helping organizations integrate artificial intelligence into core business operations at scale.

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U.S.-Based Fintech Startup Mercury Raises $200M at $5.2B Valuation to Expand AI-Powered Banking Platform

The company plans to deepen its banking infrastructure, AI capabilities, and payroll services after securing preliminary approval to launch Mercury Bank.

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Mercury, the US-based financial technology company focused on banking services for startups and businesses, has raised $200 million in a Series D funding round that values the company at $5.2 billion.

The round was led by TCV, with participation from existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue, CRV, Sapphire Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Spark Capital.

The latest financing brings Mercury’s total primary and secondary funding to approximately $700 million.

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Scaling an AI-Driven Banking Platform for Businesses

Mercury currently serves more than 300,000 business customers through a digital banking platform designed for startups, founders, and growing companies.

The company said it reached an annualised revenue run rate of $650 million during the third quarter of 2025, while applications during the first quarter of 2026 increased 2.5 times compared with the same period a year earlier.

Over the past year, Mercury expanded its product suite with several AI-driven and developer-focused tools aimed at modernising business banking infrastructure.

Expanding AI and Developer Banking Tools

Among the newly launched products is “Mercury Insights,” the company’s first AI-powered financial intelligence feature designed to provide customers with real-time financial analysis and operational insights.

Mercury also expanded its developer infrastructure offerings by introducing secure bank account access APIs and a command-line interface that allows businesses to execute banking operations directly from developer terminals.

Later this year, the company plans to launch “Mercury Command,” an AI-powered interface that enables users to execute financial workflows using natural language prompts.

Moving Into AI-Powered Payroll and Full Banking Services

Following its acquisition of Central, Mercury plans to integrate AI-powered payroll services into its broader banking ecosystem.

The company also expanded “Mercury Personal,” its consumer-focused banking service, to all eligible applicants across the United States.

The funding announcement comes shortly after Mercury received preliminary approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish Mercury Bank, a move that would allow the company to offer integrated banking services directly through its own regulated institution.

Growing Investor Interest in AI-Native Financial Infrastructure

The raise reflects continued investor appetite for AI-native fintech infrastructure providers building integrated platforms across banking, payments, developer tools, payroll, and financial automation.

As financial institutions increasingly adopt AI-driven workflows and embedded financial services, Mercury is positioning itself as a unified operating platform for modern businesses seeking programmable and automated banking infrastructure.

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