Vinnova Innovative Startups 2026 opens Oct 12: up to SEK 500,000
Vinnova's Innovative Startups 2026 call opens for applications on 12 October 2026 and closes 12 January 2027 at 14:00, with decisions on 23 March 2027. It provides up to SEK 500,00…
Founders News
Founder news on validation.
19 updates tagged validation.
Intrepid Growth closes US$525M debut fund to back AI founders
Toronto- and London-based Intrepid Growth Partners announced the final close of its inaugural fund at US$525 million (about C$730 million), US$25 million above target, on 14 Septem…
Hugging Face launches Microduck, a $399 open-source bipedal robot
On Aug 28, 2026 Hugging Face launched Microduck, a $399 open-source bipedal robot with 15 motors, a camera and lidar, targeting first deliveries before Christmas in North America a…
Onos Health raises $17M Series A for behavioral-health clinical AI
On Aug 27, 2026 Onos Health announced a $17M Series A led by Costanoa Ventures to build behavioral-health AI for clinical intelligence and utilization analysis. It reflects sustain…
Vinnova's Innovativa Startups 2026 grant raised to max SEK 500,000, opens Oct 12
Vinnova's revamped Innovativa Startups 2026 call offers grants of up to SEK 500,000 (up from SEK 300,000 in the 2025 Phase 1) to test customer needs, business concept and willingne…
Sebrae and Bossa Invest open Inova Startups 6th edition, up to R$800k per startup
At Startup Summit 2026 (Aug 26), Sebrae/SC and Bossa Invest launched the 6th edition of the Inova Startups program, with gross capital of R$20 million and up to R$800 thousand inve…
Proptech seed rounds swell to $6.3M average in 2026
The average proptech seed round rose to $6.3M in 2026 (up from $3.6M in 2022), with more than half now $5M or larger, per MetaProp tracking cited by Commercial Observer on Aug 25,…
Blackbird raises AUD $1.05 billion for the largest ANZ venture fund
On 25 August 2026 Blackbird closed its sixth fund at AUD $1.05 billion, the largest VC raise in Australia and New Zealand, lifting total assets under management above AUD $12.5 bil…
Venture for Canada launches Solopreneurship program for independent founders
On 5 August 2026 national charity Venture for Canada launched Solopreneurship, a six-week hybrid program helping Canadians build a business around a single skill or service without…
Start BSB 3rd cycle opens: up to R$200k non-refundable grants for DF startups
FAPDF's Start BSB 3rd cycle offers non-refundable economic subsidy (subvencao economica) of up to R$53,000 for ideation, R$110,000 for incubation/pre-acceleration and R$200,000 for…
CSIRO ON Accelerate 11 opens: up to A$80k non-dilutive, apply by 31 Aug 2026
CSIRO opened applications for ON Accelerate 11, its national deep-tech accelerator, running 27 July to 31 August 2026. Selected teams receive a three-month program valued at over A…
NC IDEA MICRO opens Fall 2026 cycle: $10K grants for North Carolina founders
NC IDEA opened its Fall 2026 MICRO grant cycle on Jul 27, 2026, awarding $10,000 (75% at signing, 25% two months later) plus an eight-week customer-discovery and launch program. Ap…
NSW MVP Ventures awards $1M to 22 startups; grants up to $75,000
The NSW Government's revamped MVP Ventures Program awarded $1 million across 22 startups (from 322 applications), with individual grants ranging from $24,225 to $75,000. The progra…
Techstars Founder Catalyst Fall 2026: free, equity-free virtual pre-accelerator
Techstars is running its Founder Catalyst Global Fall 2026 pre-accelerator, a 10-week, fully virtual, non-equity and free program from Sept 22 to Nov 27, 2026. Applications close A…
NSW MVP Ventures backs 22 startups with $1M; Round 3 now in assessment
On 14 July 2026 the NSW Government announced 22 startups and small businesses would share more than $1 million under Round 2 of the 2025-26 MVP Ventures Program. The program offers…
DataTribe Challenge: cyber startups apply by Sept 11 for $25K
Applications for DataTribe's annual Cybersecurity Startup Challenge are open with a September 11, 2026 deadline; five seed/pre-seed finalists compete live October 26-27 at The Capi…
LaunchVic funds 9 AI & deeptech pre-accelerators with $3.5M for Victorian founders
On 18 June 2026, Victoria's LaunchVic announced $3.5 million to fund nine pre-accelerator programs for early-stage AI and deeptech startups, with each provider receiving up to $400…
Vinnova opens Test & Demo grant for SMEs: up to SEK 1M, deadline Sept 8 2026
Vinnova's 'Test & Demo for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 2026' call opened 2 June 2026 and closes 8 September 2026 at 14:00. It funds up to 70% of eligible costs to a maximum…
Vinnova Innovative Startups 2026: up to SEK 500,000, applications Oct 12-Jan 12
Vinnova's Innovative Startups 2026 call funds knowledge-intensive Swedish startups with up to SEK 500,000 to test customer needs, business idea and willingness to pay. The applicat…