Issue #56: The Fabric of Crypto Payments

Renaissance Fusion, a French startup, has raised €32 million to develop a simplified approach to stellarator fusion reactors, aiming to make fusion energy more practical and cost-effective. The company is working on high-temperature superconducting coils and liquid metal walls to improve efficiency and scalability while reducing maintenance complexity. By addressing key engineering challenges, Renaissance Fusion hopes to accelerate the commercial viability of fusion power, which has long been seen as a promising but elusive clean energy source.

​Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based surveillance technology startup, has raised $275 million in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, valuing the company at $7.5 billion. This investment brings Flock's total funding to over $950 million. The company, founded in 2017, provides security cameras and software to assist law enforcement and businesses in crime prevention, reporting a 70% year-over-year increase in annual recurring revenue, surpassing $300 million. Flock plans to expand its product line to include U.S.-manufactured drones in 2025 and is constructing a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Georgia. Serving over 4,800 law enforcement agencies and nearly 1,000 businesses, Flock has also appointed Brandon Simins as CFO in preparation for a future public listing.

​Zolve, a neobank catering to global citizens relocating to the U.S., has raised $51 million in equity funding and secured a $200 million debt facility. The equity round, led by Accel and Lightspeed Venture Partners, aims to enhance Zolve's digital banking services, which include U.S. bank accounts, credit cards, and personal loans tailored for immigrants. The $200 million debt facility will be used to buy expats' books from its partner banks to underwrite risks. This funding underscores investors' confidence in Zolve's mission to simplify financial integration for newcomers to the U.S.

LiquidTrust, a Los Angeles-based fintech company, has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Anthemis Female Innovators Lab Fund, Resolute Ventures, and Motivate Ventures. The company also launched Micro Escrow Pay, an instant escrow payment solution designed for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), aiming to embed trust directly into payment flows and mitigate risks such as fraud and nonpayment. By integrating escrow into global payment processes, LiquidTrust enables SMBs to transact securely without the complexities of traditional escrow services. The company has selected J.P. Morgan as its primary operating bank to support its expanding infrastructure.