For many months, this column was dominated by start-ups related to artificial intelligence and various varieties of software. This is not too surprising considering these corporations currently receive the majority of enterprise capital funding.
Still, in this month’s edition of 5 interesting startup deals, all the funded corporations that caught our attention focused on hardware, from a medical device for at-home pimples treatment to an artificial retina developed aboard the International Space Station. Here’s a closer look.
$25 million for at-home pimples injections
Just a few years ago, the idea that you could get a prescription without going into a doctor’s office and then self-administer treatment at home by injecting yourself with a needle seemed… distant, to say the least.
But that was then, and this is now. In 2025 tens of millions of Americans have gotten used to it to receive prescriptions for injectable medications like Ozempic online with just a few clicks of a button and then self-administer these medications in the comfort of your own home.
One platform that is leading the way in online healthcare is Him and herwhich began in 2017 by prescribing and selling men’s products online, comparable to generic Viagra and hair loss medications, and now runs a full-fledged telehealth network offering the whole lot from contraceptives to GLP-1 weight reduction medications.
Now the Hims graduate has began a similar company, but focused on pimples care. Co-founder of Hims & Hers Jacek Abrahamlatest startup, Indomorecently got here out of hiding with $25 million in funding. The startup, which is still in clinical trials, says it goals to be the first and only company to deliver prescription corticosteroid injections for pimples on to consumers’ homes via its ClearPen microneedling device.
“ClearPen will be the first major innovation in acne care since Accutane” – Abraham, who is also managing partner at the company Atomic– wrote in the statement. “For too long, people have had to choose between ineffective surface treatments and waiting weeks to see a dermatologist. ClearPen will give patients instant access to a corticosteroid microneedle injection right in their bathroom.”
In addition to Atomic, investors in Indomo include: Foresite Capital AND Polaris Partners. The company said it’ll use its capital to support Phase 2 clinical trials and device platform development. In the long run, he plans to make use of ClearPen technology to treat skin problems aside from pimples.
“We are looking for teams that combine scientific rigor with practical impact,” Foresite partner Hyung Chun – wrote in the statement. “Indomo uses proven dermatological knowledge in an accessible, patient-friendly form – with an emphasis on precision and patient safety during processing. This combination is rare.”
Related Crunchbase query: Venture financing for telehealth startups
Just hands: $16 million for humanoid robotic limbs
If you follow the robotics industry, you’re probably aware that there’s something of a debate going on in the industry: To be humanoid or to not be humanoid?
For based in Zurich Mimic roboticsthe answer is: In a sense, each.
Earlier this month, the Swiss company announced $16 million in latest funding to develop industrial robotic limbs that have human hands and are designed to be positioned on a movable tabletop in a factory or retail setting.
“Humanoids are exciting, but there aren’t many industrial scenarios where a full-body enclosure really adds value.” Stephan-Daniel Gravertco-founder and CPO at Mimic, said in a statement. “Our approach combines dexterous AI-powered robotic hands with proven off-the-shelf robotic arms to deliver the same capabilities in a way that is much simpler, more reliable and quick to deploy.”
It’s a similar approach to MicroFactorya San Francisco-based startup that we wrote about in last month’s edition of this column. That company also eschewed a full-body approach, focusing solely on the appendages needed to perform a specific task, although the Bay Area company’s robotic arms had different tool attachments fairly than humanoid hands and fingers.
To date, Mimic has raised $20.8 million, via Crunchbase. He led her last round ElaiaNear Speedinvest. Other investors in the seed round, which the company described as “significantly oversubscribed,” were Founder, 1st kind, 10x Founders, 2,100 ventures AND Redwood Scout.
Overall, robotics funding – for each humanoid and non-humanoid projects – has been cut this yr, Crunchbase data shows. In fact, investments in robotics-related startups in 2025 will reach the highest total amount since 2021 because, among other things, Character AND Bot company. lift big rounds.
Related Crunchbase query: Funds to begin in robotics
$7 million for blindness treatment developed in low Earth orbit
It takes a very long time for a financing round to make it onto this list, given the regular stream of intriguing deals that come across our desk in any given month. But a startup producing artificial retinas aboard the International Space Station definitely exceeds that bar.
LambdaVision is a startup working on developing an artificial retina in a microgravity environment in the ISS orbiting laboratory. Earlier this month, the Farmington, Conn.-based company closed a $7 million round of financing to proceed its work on developing a protein-based artificial retina for people suffering from degenerative retinal diseases comparable to retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, which cause partial or total blindness in tens of millions of individuals around the world every yr.
The startup is working to develop highly uniform, 200-layer thin protein movies for artificial retinas in the microgravity environment aboard the ISS because the company says the process is difficult to perform on Earth. The latest funding will likely be used to speed up preclinical development and scale up retinal production in space.
“The round highlights the growing recognition of the potential of space-based biomanufacturing to accelerate the development of life-changing therapies on Earth,” LambdaVision CEO NicoleWagner – wrote in the statement. (*5*)
He co-led his latest financing Seven seven six AND Aurelia Foundry with support from Seraphim Space. “We are excited to support them as they scale their microgravity manufacturing platform for clinical outcomes.” Rob Desboroughpartner of the investor specializing in space technologies Seraphim Space, said in a statement.
Data shows that the company has raised $13.7 million so far Crunch Baseincluding a $5 million grant from NASA in 2020
Related Crunchbase query: Financing biotechnology ventures 2025
$7 million for artificial intelligence-generated stickers for children
Box of stickers he says it began just two months ago when he was a co-founder Robert WhitneyMy 4-year-old son asked, “Can we make our own coloring sheets?”
This query prompted graduate student Whitney Anthropicto hitch the co-founder and CEO Arun Gupta (formerly z Grailed) to found Stickbox, a toy company that claims to have developed the first-ever voice-powered creative AI tool for children.
The idea was apparently so compelling that the New York startup quickly raised $7 million in funding Maveron, AI2 Incubator, Mateusz Brezina and a tennis legend Serena Williams‘ Serena Ventures.
A sticker box looks much like what it seems like: a cube that prints stickers. Children suggest pictures using their voices. Importantly, in line with the company, the box does not collect voice data and does not have a camera.
Like many other popular tech toys today, including Yoto and Toniebox audio players, Stickbox also highlights that while it is tech-enabled, it doesn’t require a screen, which suggests it doesn’t come with much defects related to excessive time spent by a child’s developing brain.
Related Crunchbase query: Venture financing for toy startups
$6.9 million for laboratory substitutes for rare metals
Rare earth minerals are an essential input for the whole lot from smartphones to electric vehicle engines to wind turbines and defense systems.
But despite its name, this group of 17 closely related elements is not so much geologically rare because it is limited in supply. This is on account of each the difficulty and cost of extraction, in addition to China’s near monopoly on their production and processing. China’s dominance has also led to the creation of rare earth elements geopolitical flashpoint and critical vulnerabilities for industries and governments around the world.
So when a startup comes onto the scene that claims to be developing laboratory alternatives to rare metals, we take a closer look. Oxford, based in the UK Milvus advanced last month it said it had raised $6.9 million in seed funding to “regenerate Earth’s rarest metals from abundant elements and commercialize at scale in clean energy, transportation, electronics and chemical manufacturing.”
The company said it is working to design a latest generation of low-cost nanomaterials to exchange some of the world’s most rare and strategic materials in the fields of fresh energy, catalysis and optoelectronics. The company’s nanoalloys and membranes are currently being tested in collaboration with global electrolyzer OEMs and chemical manufacturers.
He managed the financing of Milvus Hoxton’s venturesWith LQD ventures, The day after tomorrow the expedition, Tuesday’s capital, Brand Leslie Enterprises, from the Den Bosch dynasty fund, Bluebirds, M.D. One Ventures, EQt Foundation and returning investor Low-emission capital also participates.
Rare earth minerals are an area of great interest for start-up investors. Over the past few quarters, a growing variety of venture-backed corporations have secured funding in areas comparable to battery and magnet recycling, rare earth mining technology and even space mining, in line with Crunchbase data.
Related Crunchbase query: Recently funded corporations related to rare earth materials and battery recycling