The funding market continues to show strong momentum, with companies across artificial intelligence, fintech, space exploration, software infrastructure, and hospitality raising significant funding. From billion-dollar investments in next-generation AI to large funding rounds supporting thousands of restaurants, these deals reflect where investors are placing their biggest investments.
Based on data curated from the Intellizence Startup Funding Dataset, here are the five top startup funding deals announced during the week ending February 21st, 2026.
Funding Deals for the Week – Highlights
| Company | Sector | Funding Amount | Funding Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Labs | Technology | $1B | Venture Series Unknown | |
| inKind | Hospitality / FinTech | $450M | Venture Series Unknown | |
| Vestwell | Fintech | $385M | Series E | |
| Temporal Technologies | Technology | $300M | Series A | |
| Axiom Space | Aviation | $350M | Venture Series Unknown |
Funding Deals of the Week
World Labs— $1 Billion
Industry: Technology
Round: Venture Series Unknown
World Labs has raised $1 billion in new funding as it accelerates efforts to build advanced “spatial intelligence” systems. Spatial intelligence refers to AI systems capable of understanding and interacting with three-dimensional environments — a critical component for robotics, augmented reality (AR), autonomous systems, and next-generation computing.
The investors included chip companies AMD, Nvidia, software firm Autodesk, Emerson Collective, Fidelity Management & Research Company, and Sea, among others. Autodesk invested $200 million in World Labs and will serve as an adviser to the startup.
Why This Deal Matters
- Signals strong investor confidence in next-gen AI beyond large language models
- Supports the development of AI systems that understand physical space
inKind— $450 Million
Industry: Technology
Round: Venture Series Unknown
inKind, the leading restaurant commerce enablement platform and technology company, has raised $450 million in capital. The funding will enable the company to accelerate its growing platform of 6,000 restaurants in the U.S. to an additional 10,000 U.S. restaurants over the next year.
The funding was led by Magnetar, and included several prominent firms, including MarcyPen Capital Partners, Alpha Wave Global, Matt Hulsizer and Jenny Just (founders of Peak6), Metallica, over a dozen restaurant owners, Carl Pascalera (former CEO of Visa), sports and media mogul, Alex Meruelo, Sarosh Mistry (former CEO of Sodexo US), and Vasanth Williams (CPTO of Conde Nast).
Strategic Impact of Funding
- Addresses liquidity challenges in the restaurant sector
- Expands access to alternative financing models
- Strengthens post-pandemic recovery in hospitality
Vestwell — $385 Million
Industry: Fintech
Round: Series E
Vestwell raised $385 million in Series E funding at a valuation of $2 billion. The company provides digital savings platforms for retirement accounts, education savings, and other financial tools. The deal reflects sustained investor confidence in fintech infrastructure companies modernizing legacy financial systems.
The round was led by Blue Owl Capital and Sixth Street Growth, with participation from new and existing investors, including Neuberger Berman, SLW, Morgan Stanley, Franklin Templeton, TIAA Ventures, and HarbourVest. JPMorgan acted as the placement agent and structuring agent for Vestwell in connection with the financing.
Key Highlights
- Growing demand for digital-first retirement infrastructure
- Expansion of state-sponsored retirement programs
- Scalable SaaS-driven fintech model
Temporal Technologies — $300 Million
Industry: Technology
Round: Series D
Temporal Technologies has raised $300 million in a Series D round led by Andreessen Horowitz, doubling its valuation to $5 billion. The company builds workflow orchestration software that helps developers manage complex, stateful applications reliably at scale. As businesses increasingly rely on distributed systems and microservices, workflow reliability platforms like Temporal become mission-critical.
The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and joined by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sapphire Ventures, with strong participation from insiders Sequoia Capital, Index, Tiger, GIC, Madrona, and Amplify.
Major Highlights
- Strong demand for infrastructure-level developer tools
- Growth in cloud-native architectures
- Continued VC appetite for enterprise software
Axiom Space — $350 Million
Industry: Aviation
Round: Venture Series Unknown
Axiom Space, a leader in commercial human space exploration, is developing private space station modules and enabling commercial missions. It has raised $350 million in a funding round led by QIA and TypeOne Ventures. The commercialization of space continues to accelerate, with private companies taking larger roles in infrastructure and missions.
Type One Ventures and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) co-led the round, with participation from 1789 Capital, 4iG, LuminArx Capital Management, and others. Axiom Space Founder and Executive Chairman Kam Ghaffarian also participated in the round, reinforcing his commitment to the company’s mission. J.P. Morgan served as the sole placement agent to Axiom Space in connection with the financing.
Major Highlights
- Expands private-sector presence in space
- Supports long-term commercial space station ambitions
- Reflects global sovereign wealth fund interest in space
Conclusion
These major funding rounds — totaling over $2.4 billion combined — demonstrate that despite macroeconomic uncertainty, investors remain committed to backing transformative platforms in AI, fintech, infrastructure software, hospitality, and space exploration. For businesses, investors, and market intelligence teams, tracking such funding activity provides early insight into emerging growth sectors and competitive shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Intellizence Funding data?
Intellizence Funding data provides structured, near real-time intelligence on startup funding rounds, including deal size, investors, valuation, funding stage, and sector classification.
How does Intellizence track large funding rounds?
Intellizence monitors verified public disclosures, regulatory filings, company announcements, and trusted media sources, then classifies each deal using standardized funding signals.
Who uses Intellizence Funding data?
- Venture Capital & Private Equity firms
- Corporate strategy and M&A teams
- Market intelligence and research teams
- Sales and GTM teams tracking high-growth accounts
How can I access the Funding Dataset?
You can access the Funding Dataset through the Intellizence web platform, API, or email alerts. Subscribers can filter by industry, geography, investor, funding round, or date for customized insights.
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