This is a weekly column about the five biggest funding rounds of the past week.

For several weeks in a row, we have seen a reduced momentum of large funding rounds, with 1-2 companies reaching nine-figure sums, and last week we saw 5 companies cross the $100 million funding threshold at once. The money went into very different sectors, from cleantech, to biotech, to fintech, to even restaurant-focused software.

Gradiant, $225M

Sector: Cleantech.
Gradiant became one of the newest unicorns this past week after raising $225 million in a Series D led by BoltRock Holdings and Centaurus Capital. The water technology startup is now valued at $1 billion. The startup develops technologies to reduce water consumption and create wastewater treatment systems for companies in the pharmaceutical, semiconductor, food and other industries that require water. The funding is the largest in the wastewater treatment industry since at least early 2022. The company was founded in 2013 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company has now raised more than $392 million.

Tipalti, $150M

Sector: Fintech.
Automated payment solution Tipalti received a hefty $150 million last week in a round of “additional growth funding,” as the company called it. Back in 2021, the Foster City, California-based fintech company raised $270 million in a Series F led by G Squared at a valuation of $8.3 billion. No valuation was given this time – though that’s not unusual in these times of slowing venture funding and declining valuations. The latest round came from JPMorgan Chase Bank and Hercules Capital, which specializes in venture debt, though Tipalti has not announced a distinction between debt and equity. Founded in 2010, Tipalti has raised about $700 million to date.

Restaurant365, $135M

Sector: Accounting.
Running a restaurant is hard – everyone knows that. Restaurant365 is trying to make it a little easier, and last week the Irvine, California-based startup got some big-name backers. The company raised a $135 million round led jointly by KKR and L Catterton. The new round values the company at $1 billion, according to its release. Restaurant365 offers enterprise management software for restaurants, helping them take care of accounting, payroll, supply chain and more. The company has more than $100 million in revenue and is used in more than 40,000 restaurants. Founded in 2011, the company has raised more than $260 million.

Avenue One, $100M

Sector: Property Management.
New York-based Avenue One also joined the unicorn herd last week with a $100 million raise led by WestCap. The infusion of cash valued the company at $1 billion. The startup, founded in 2020, provides several services to single-family rental investors – such as finding the next property or financing. Institutional investors began buying up single-family homes during the pandemic as interest rates remained low and families sought more space. Even when interest rates went back up, there was clearly still enough interest in the market to call a property management startup a unicorn.

Boundless Bio, $100M

Sector: Biotechnology.
It seems like every week one or two biotech startups get a huge round. Last week was no different. First, Boundless Bio, a clinical-stage startup focused on next-generation precision oncology, raised a $100 million Series C round led jointly by Leaps by Bayer and RA Capital Management. The San Diego-based startup is developing a therapy targeting extrachromosomal DNA for patients with cancer amplified by oncogenes. In the past, targeted therapies have been largely ineffective in treating patients with cancer with oncogene amplification, the company said. Founded in 2018, the company has raised more than $250 million.

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We’ve summarized last week’s results and hope you found the information useful. Stay tuned for more information.