Brainwaves, Browsers, Bets
Brainwave sensors (Atlas), browser agents (Kernel), and prediction markets (Kalshi) — plus Afore Capital’s winter cohort, Robin Hood Catalyst’s accelerator, and more!
This is Teli Labs’s weekly newsletter: Her Hustle, a place to learn all about the new and the next in female entrepreneurship. We highlight the women who are building startups—from those launching from dorm rooms to experienced professionals turning their bold visions into reality.
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Luana Lopes Lara, Co-Founder of Kalshi, a prediction market platform that allows users to trade on future events, raised $300M in funding led by Sequoia and a16z.
Serena Ge, Co-Founder & CEO of Datacurve, a startup building high-quality AI training data for software development, raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Chemistry.
Catherine Jue, Co-Founder & CEO of Kernel, a company providing browsers-as-a-service so developers can build and run AI agents on the web, raised $22M in Seed and Series A funding led by Accel.
Ana Montero, Co-Founder & CEO of Atlas, a developer of a wearable that measures brainwave activity to improve mental wellbeing and performance, raised $14M in funding from Acrew Capital, Compound, HOF Capital, Unshackled Ventures, and others.
Romi Gubes, Co-Founder & CEO of Sensi.AI, a company using AI to detect and predict care events and improve outcomes in senior care, raised $45M in Series C funding led by Qumra Capital.
Anita Modi, Co-Founder & CEO of Peer AI, a company using agentic AI to automate regulatory documentation and accelerate drug approvals, raised $12.1M in funding led by Flare Capital Partners and SignalFire.
Alisa Wu, Solo Founder & CEO of Lucent, a company building training data for browser agents that help AI models use the internet to get things done, raised $2M in pre-seed funding from Horizon VC, Long Journey Ventures, and others.
Alison Alvarez, Co-Founder & CEO of BlastPoint, an AI-driven customer intelligence platform helping utilities and financial institutions deliver equitable, data-driven insights to their customers, raised $10.6M in growth funding led by MissionOG.
Adele James, Co-Founder & CTO of Phagos, a France-based biotech developing bacteriophage-based therapies as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics, raised €25M in Series A funding led by CapAgro, Hoxton Ventures, CapHorn, and Demeter.
Rumala Sheikhani, Founder of Everyset, an entertainment tech company streamlining background casting and payroll for film and TV productions, raised $9M in funding led by Crosslink Capital and Haven Ventures.
Ana De Sousa, CEO of Agio Ratings, a London-based company providing quantitative risk insights for digital assets to help financial institutions assess exchange and custodial risk, raised $6M in funding led by AlbionVC.
Melissa Chambers, Co-Founder & CEO of Sitehop, a UK-based company developing quantum-ready encryption hardware to secure high-speed data networks, raised £7.5M in funding led by Northern Gritstone.
Rachael Annabelle Yong, Founder & CEO of Gullie, a company reinventing employee relocation with the world’s first full-stack AI relocation platform, raised $2M in funding led by B Capital.
✍️ A fast-growing startup that helps founders generate pipeline through executive-led LinkedIn content ($1M ARR in six months) is hiring Content Writers. Email info@telilabs.com if interested.
📊 Truewind (YC S23) is hiring a Growth Intern to drive social, content, and community-led growth at its AI-powered platform redefining how startups and accounting firms manage their books.
🤖 Born is building its NYC office and hiring engineering and growth/community talent to shape the future of social consumer AI.
🎥 Cocreate (YC S25) is hiring Software Engineering interns (paid, hybrid SF/Palo Alto) to build features in Electron + React, optimize media pipelines, and shape product architecture.
🌴 Dose of Travel Club is hiring a contract Event & Retreat Coordinator to plan global retreats and activations, manage vendors and logistics, and bring creative, community-driven travel experiences to life.
🚀 Afore Capital is flying college founders to SF and providing $20K–$100K, mentorship, and VC access to turn AI ideas into startups over two months; applications for the winter cohort are now open.
💡 Robin Hood Catalyst, a four-month accelerator for pre-seed social impact founders in education, financial access, health, housing, hunger, and jobs, is now accepting applications.
💸 Alma is hosting a $100K pitch competition for immigrant-led startups (pre-seed or <$2M raised), with 10 teams pitching live in Palo Alto on November 20; applications are open until November 6.
🧠 An exited founder is investing in 15 non-technical founders before year-end, seeking vibe coded prototypes and market-savvy builders using AI to launch products without code.
💁♀️ Teli matches and introduces young talent to founders at top early-stage startups & SMBs. Apply to join our talent pool!
A founder shared a list of 50 VC funds that actually invest at inception, including Hustle Fund, Pear VC, Dorm Room Fund, Afore Capital, Better Tomorrow Ventures, and more.
a16z shared “Fruits of the Walled Garden,” arguing that the next edge in AI won’t come from bigger models but from access to trusted, permissioned data. As OpenAI’s Sora 2 and Anthropic’s Claude Teams move up the stack, startups like VLex and OpenEvidence show that real moats come from owning unique, defensible data ecosystems — not compute.
Sugar Free Capital raised a $32M inaugural fund to back early-stage MIT founders, led by Sheena Jindal, with plans to invest in companies founded by the university’s alumni and community.
Vega, co-founded by Madeline Park, is building a social network focused on authentic recognition and real human connection. Instead of algorithms or AI agents, profiles are shaped by what real people say about you — aiming to create a more meaningful, people-first social fabric.
Natalie Neptune highlighted the rise of student VC funds across continents — from Dorm Room Fund and Rough Draft Ventures in the US to Protégé Ventures in Asia and ASIF Ventures in Europe.
Raf Sabawi launched Elora App, a platform that connects clients with their ideal hairstylists through personalized hair profiles and a smart matching system, now live on the App Store.
Nuttall Women’s Health launched research funding and investment programs focused on female-specific biology and women’s health companies, offering $500K-$5M grants per project.
Atlas (featured above for raising $14M), after 5 years of R&D, unveiled a new wearable that sits discreetly behind the ear and measures brainwave activity in real time, translating mental states into insights to improve focus, energy, and stress management.
Lucy Nicholls of Intelligence Node is competing to speak at the eCommerce Summit Berlin in the “Bold Predictions and Forecasts” category, highlighting AI, media, and entrepreneurship. Vote for her here!
Emma Conant announced the upcoming launch of EVERYBODY, a gender-inclusive swim and activewear brand on Kickstarter, aiming to create gender inclusive swim and activewear.
October 13 - 19 | LA Tech Week by a16z (Los Angeles)
October 20 - 24 | DC Startup & Tech Week (Washington DC)
October 14 | 🧩 Cofounder Matching: Meet Your Future Founding Team (Cambridge, MA)
October 16 | 💼 Healthtech Chief of Staff Mixer (NYC)
October 17 - 19 | 🧬 Women Longevity × London Hackathon (London)
October 20 | ☕ Women’s AI Breakfast: Raising Capital in AI (London)
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Love,
Daniela & The Teli Team