Run date: May 11, 2026

Criteria: AI companies that raised < $15M in the last 12 months (May 2025 – May 2026)

Note: Compiled from public press releases, TechCrunch, Crunchbase, EU-Startups, Tech.eu, and other funding trackers. LinkedIn URLs for founders are best-guess matches from public profiles aligning with the founder's name and current role — verify each before outreach. This run focuses on companies not covered in Runs 1–4.

1. Era (US) – $11M Seed

• Date: April 2026
• HQ: New York, NY
• What they do: Software platform / intelligence infrastructure for AI hardware gadgets. Lets hardware makers create AI agents and orchestrations for AI devices — adding intelligence to classic devices (e.g., headphones) or building custom voice experiences. Debuted with a lineup of quirky mini gadgets built by NYC artists.
• Round breakdown: $9M seed + $2M earlier pre-seed = $11M total.
• Investors: Abstract Ventures (lead), BoxGroup, Collaborative Fund, Mozilla Ventures; pre-seed from Topology Ventures and Betaworks. Angels: Caterina Fake (Flickr co-founder), Ken Kocienda (iPhone keyboard creator), ShaoBo Z (ex-CPO at Rabbit).
• Founders:
  • Liz Dorman, Co-founder & CEO — previously at Humane (AI orchestration), moved to HP via the Humane acquisition. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizdorman/
  • Alex Ollman, Co-founder — previously at HP working on agentic frameworks for enterprises. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexollman/
  • Megan Gole, Co-founder. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megangole/
• Company links:
  • Website: https://era.computer
• News coverage:
  • TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/era-computer-raises-11m-to-build-a-software-platform-for-ai-gadgets/
  • TechFundingNews: https://techfundingnews.com/era-11m-funding-ai-hardware-intelligence-infrastructure/
  • Yahoo Finance: https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/era-raises-11m-build-software-160000149.html

2. Matters.AI (US / India) – $6.25M Seed (incl. pre-seed)

• Date: October 2025
• HQ: US (with India operations)
• What they do: AI-native data security platform. "AI Security Engineer" — an autonomous system that sees, understands, and protects sensitive data across cloud, SaaS, and endpoints. Predictive defense built into the workflow.
• Round breakdown: $4.75M seed + $1.5M pre-seed = $6.25M total.
• Investors: Seed co-led by Kalaari Capital and Endiya Partners, with Better Capital, Carya Venture Partners, and cybersecurity angels. Pre-seed led by Better Capital and Carya Venture Partners.