Crowdfunding Market Competitor Analysis Report 2025: Competitive Strategies, Platform Innovations, Funding Trends, and Revenue Forecast Insights to 2033




Crowdfunding Market Competitor Analysis Report 2025: Competitive Strategies, Platform Innovations, Funding Trends, and Revenue Forecast Insights to 2033

The crowdfunding market is poised for robust growth, projected to reach US$ 5.43 billion by 2033 from US$ 1.68 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 15.82%. This alternative financing model leverages online platforms to connect individuals, startups, and organizations with global investors, utilizing donation-based, reward-based, equity, and debt models. Digital platforms and social media enhance crowdfunding’s reach, empowering entrepreneurs with global access and idea validation. Despite regulatory challenges, advancements in technology, such as blockchain and AI, are promoting transparency and trust within the evolving industry. Key players include Alibaba, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe.

Dublin, Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “Crowdfunding Market Key Companies Analysis, Competitive Strategies, Platform Innovations, Funding Trends, and Revenue Forecast Insights” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The Crowdfunding industry is expected to expand lucratively to an estimated value of US$ 5.43 Billion by 2033, from US$ 1.68 Billion in 2025. This expansion reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.82% between 2025 and 2033.

The Crowdfunding Market serves as a dynamic alternative financing model that enables individuals, startups, and organizations to raise funds directly from a large pool of investors or contributors through online platforms. It operates across various models, including donation-based, reward-based, equity, and debt crowdfunding, catering to different funding needs and risk appetites.

The rise of digital platforms and social media has significantly expanded the reach and accessibility of crowdfunding, empowering entrepreneurs to validate ideas and engage supporters globally. Increasing demand for innovative project financing and reduced dependence on traditional financial institutions continue to drive market growth. However, challenges such as regulatory uncertainty and investor protection remain. Despite these, the market is evolving rapidly with technological advancements, transparency measures, and integration of blockchain and AI, fostering trust and efficiency in the global crowdfunding ecosystem.

Key Attributes:

Key Topics Covered:

1. Crowdfunding Market
1.1 Historical Trends
1.2 Forecast Analysis

2. Market Share Analysis – Crowdfunding Market

3. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd
3.1 Overview
3.1.1 Company History and Mission
3.1.2 Business Model and Operations
3.1.3 Workforce
3.2 Key Persons
3.2.1 Executive Leadership
3.2.2 Operational Management
3.2.3 Division Leaders
3.2.4 Board Composition
3.3 Recent Development & Strategies
3.3.1 Mergers & Acquisitions
3.3.2 Partnerships
3.3.3 Investments
3.4 Sustainability Analysis
3.4.1 Renewable Energy Adoption
3.4.2 Energy-Efficient Infrastructure
3.4.3 Use of Sustainable Packaging Materials
3.4.4 Water Usage and Conservation Strategies
3.4.5 Waste Management and Circular Economy Initiatives
3.5 Product Analysis
3.5.1 Product Profile
3.5.2 Quality Standards
3.5.3 Product Pipeline
3.5.4 Product Benchmarking
3.6 Strategic Assessment: SWOT Analysis
3.6.1 Strengths
3.6.2 Weaknesses
3.6.3 Opportunities
3.6.4 Threats
3.7 Revenue Analysis

The above information will be provided for all the following companies:

• Kickstarter, PBC
• Indiegogo, Inc.
• GoFundMe
• Fundable
• Crowdcube
• SeedInvest Technology, LLC
• Fundly
• Patreon Inc.
• Wefunder Inc.
• CircleUp Network Inc.
• Fundrise LLC
• StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc.
• AngelList Holdings LLC
• Crowdfunder Inc.
• EquityNet
• GoGetFunding
• Seedrs Limited
• Ketto
• DreamWallets

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ri9bea

About ResearchAndMarkets.com
ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world’s leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Attachment

• Crowdfunding Market

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Built with Ruby? Pitch it live at RubyConf Runway to Ruby applications close April 17




Built with Ruby? Pitch it live at RubyConf Runway to Ruby applications close April 17

RubyConf 2026 takes place July 14–16 in Red Rock, Nevada; Ruby builders worldwide are invited to apply and share what they’re creating with Ruby

RED ROCK, Nev., Feb. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ruby Central today announced that applications for Runway to Ruby: the RubyConf Pitch Competition are due April 17, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. The competition is designed as a community spotlight, an on-stage moment for Ruby-powered startups and new ventures to share what they’re building, connect with peers, and earn support to keep going.

Runway to Ruby celebrates the practical, creative work Rubyists ship every day: products, developer tools, and businesses built with Ruby at the core. Applicants selected to pitch live at RubyConf will compete for up to $30,000 in cash and in-kind prizes, with additional partner-contributed awards to be announced.

“Ruby has always been about building things that last,” said Shan Cureton, Executive Director of Ruby Central. “Runway to Ruby is a stage for the innovation already happening throughout our community, and an invitation for future builders to take a fresh look at what’s possible with Ruby.”

Who should apply

Ruby Central encourages applications from Rubyists who are:

• Building a Ruby-powered startup or new venture and want a clear, friendly stage to tell the story.
• Ready to pitch a real product direction, whether you’re early, bootstrapped, or still finding product-market fit.
• Interested in a community-forward spotlight rather than a high-gloss marketing moment.

Eligibility (at a glance)

To apply, your startup must:

• Use Ruby as a core technology.
• Have raised less than $500,000 in total funding to date.
• Be an incorporated or otherwise legally structured business entity.

One finalist will advance from each participating region.

How to apply

Submit your application here: https://rubycentral.teamtailor.com/jobs/6963879-rubyconf-pitch-competition-the-ruby-runway

Application deadline: April 17, 2026 (11:59 PM ET).

About RubyConf 2026

RubyConf 2026 will take place in Red Rock, Nevada from July 14–16, 2026.

About Ruby Central

Ruby Central is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the Ruby programming language and community. Ruby Central is home to RubyGems.org, the RubyGems ecosystem, and RubyConf, and develops programs that strengthen the Ruby community through events, education, and stewardship of critical infrastructure.

Media Contact
Cindi Sutera
Ruby Central, Communications
Cindi@RubyCentral.org | 1-610-613-2773

Built with Ruby? Pitch it live at RubyConf Runway to Ruby applications close April 17




Built with Ruby? Pitch it live at RubyConf Runway to Ruby applications close April 17

RubyConf 2026 takes place July 14–16 in Red Rock, Nevada; Ruby builders worldwide are invited to apply and share what they’re creating with Ruby

RED ROCK, Nev., Feb. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ruby Central today announced that applications for Runway to Ruby: the RubyConf Pitch Competition are due April 17, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. The competition is designed as a community spotlight, an on-stage moment for Ruby-powered startups and new ventures to share what they’re building, connect with peers, and earn support to keep going.

Runway to Ruby celebrates the practical, creative work Rubyists ship every day: products, developer tools, and businesses built with Ruby at the core. Applicants selected to pitch live at RubyConf will compete for up to $30,000 in cash and in-kind prizes, with additional partner-contributed awards to be announced.

“Ruby has always been about building things that last,” said Shan Cureton, Executive Director of Ruby Central. “Runway to Ruby is a stage for the innovation already happening throughout our community, and an invitation for future builders to take a fresh look at what’s possible with Ruby.”

Who should apply

Ruby Central encourages applications from Rubyists who are:

• Building a Ruby-powered startup or new venture and want a clear, friendly stage to tell the story.
• Ready to pitch a real product direction, whether you’re early, bootstrapped, or still finding product-market fit.
• Interested in a community-forward spotlight rather than a high-gloss marketing moment.

Eligibility (at a glance)

To apply, your startup must:

• Use Ruby as a core technology.
• Have raised less than $500,000 in total funding to date.
• Be an incorporated or otherwise legally structured business entity.

One finalist will advance from each participating region.

How to apply

Submit your application here: https://rubycentral.teamtailor.com/jobs/6963879-rubyconf-pitch-competition-the-ruby-runway

Application deadline: April 17, 2026 (11:59 PM ET).

About RubyConf 2026

RubyConf 2026 will take place in Red Rock, Nevada from July 14–16, 2026.

About Ruby Central

Ruby Central is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the Ruby programming language and community. Ruby Central is home to RubyGems.org, the RubyGems ecosystem, and RubyConf, and develops programs that strengthen the Ruby community through events, education, and stewardship of critical infrastructure.

Media Contact
Cindi Sutera
Ruby Central, Communications
Cindi@RubyCentral.org | 1-610-613-2773

ZeroDrift Emerges From Stealth With a16z speedrun Backing to Make Every Enterprise Communication Compliant in the AI Era




ZeroDrift Emerges From Stealth With a16z speedrun Backing to Make Every Enterprise Communication Compliant in the AI Era

ZeroDrift is a compliance enforcement layer that sits between an organization and the outside world. The platform acts as a communication firewall, validating every outbound message against SEC, FINRA, and internal policies before it sends.

New York, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In regulated industries, speed has become a competitive advantage, but compliance remains a structural brake. Teams want to launch campaigns, communicate with clients, and deploy AI-driven tools, yet every message must pass through manual review. The result is weeks of delay, lost momentum, and teams avoiding written communication altogether. ZeroDrift was built to change that. Today, the company announced its launch from stealth alongside a $2 million pre-seed round to automate compliance in real time, unlocking business velocity while giving compliance teams infrastructure to scale oversight.

The pre-seed round was led by a16z speedrun and brings ZeroDrift’s total funding to $2 million. The capital will support the company’s go-to-market launch, product expansion across communication channels, and continued development of its AI-driven compliance engine.

Kumesh Aroomoogan, founder and CEO of ZeroDrift.

The timing reflects a growing tension across financial services and other regulated industries. Firms are under pressure to move faster, scale digital outreach, and adopt AI, while regulatory requirements continue to demand strict oversight of every external communication. Traditional compliance models rely on manual redlines, approval queues, and post-hoc sampling. These processes were built for a different era and cannot scale with today’s communication volume, leaving compliance teams stretched thin and business teams waiting. ZeroDrift takes a fundamentally different approach by shifting compliance from a gate at the end of the process into an automated guardrail that operates in real time.

ZeroDrift is an AI-native communication firewall that validates and fixes content before it is sent, giving compliance teams control at scale and business teams the speed to execute. The platform encodes SEC, FINRA, and firm-specific policies into machine-readable rulepacks, then enforces them at the point of creation. ZeroDrift integrates directly into tools teams already use, including email, browsers, CRMs, websites, social platforms, and AI systems. Content is checked instantly, issues are flagged with suggested fixes, and compliant messages move forward without delay. Compliance teams retain full visibility through centralized dashboards, audit trails, and exam-ready evidence generated automatically.

“People do not want to be non-compliant. They just have no way to know if what they are writing is acceptable until it is too late,” said Kumesh Aroomoogan, founder and CEO of ZeroDrift. “Compliance should be a guardrail that lets teams move faster, not a gate that slows everything down. Our goal is to make compliance happen automatically at the speed of work.”

The idea for ZeroDrift came from founder Kumesh Aroomoogan’s experience building Accern (one of the first no-code AI platforms for financial services), which he exited by acquisition in 2025. He repeatedly saw legal and compliance reviews stall launches and drain momentum. He also noticed a more subtle shift, where people preferred phone calls over emails because they were unsure whether what they were writing was compliant. Compliance was not only slow, it was changing how people communicated. 

ZeroDrift was created to solve that problem by giving teams certainty in real time.

ZeroDrift is launching initially in financial services, serving registered investment advisors, asset managers, broker-dealers, and wealth platforms. The market includes more than 15,000 RIAs, 3,500 asset managers, and hundreds of thousands of registered representatives in the United States alone. Early use cases include faster campaign launches, higher sales velocity, safe deployment of client-facing AI, and instant exam readiness without last-minute scrambles.

The broader shift toward AI and multi-channel communication is intensifying the problem ZeroDrift addresses. Firms now communicate across email, websites, social platforms, client portals, and AI assistants, each with its own compliance requirements. Manual review does not scale across this landscape, and hiring more compliance staff is neither economical nor effective. As communication volume increases, the firms that succeed will be those that automate governance rather than rely on human bottlenecks.

“Compliance has quietly become a limiting factor for how fast regulated companies can operate,” said Troy Kirwin from a16z speedrun. “ZeroDrift flips that dynamic by preventing violations before they happen and making compliance a built-in part of everyday workflows.”

Looking ahead, ZeroDrift plans to deepen its coverage across financial services before expanding its rule-based compliance engine into other regulated sectors, including insurance, healthcare, ESG disclosures, and AI governance. The long-term vision is to become the universal trust layer for any system that communicates, ensuring that as AI and automation scale, trust, safety, and compliance scale with them.

Media images can be found here. 

About ZeroDrift
ZeroDrift is an AI-native communication firewall that validates and fixes content before it is sent, giving compliance teams control at scale and business teams the speed to execute. The platform encodes SEC, FINRA, and firm-specific policies into machine-readable rulepacks, then enforces them at the point of creation.

ZeroDrift integrates directly into tools teams already use, including email, browsers, CRMs, websites, social platforms, and AI systems. Content is checked instantly, issues are flagged with suggested fixes, and compliant messages move forward without delay. Compliance teams retain full visibility through centralized dashboards, audit trails, and exam-ready evidence generated automatically.

About a16z speedrun
Speedrun is Andreessen Horowitz’s (a16z) flagship program that invests in new startups across consumer/enterprise AI, bio + healthcare, crypto, fintech, games, infrastructure, and companies building toward American dynamism. Founded in Silicon Valley in 2009, a16z has $90B in assets under management.

CONTACT: For further information please contact the ZeroDrift press office on press@zerodrift.ai 

ZeroDrift Emerges From Stealth With a16z speedrun Backing to Make Every Enterprise Communication Compliant in the AI Era




ZeroDrift Emerges From Stealth With a16z speedrun Backing to Make Every Enterprise Communication Compliant in the AI Era

ZeroDrift is a compliance enforcement layer that sits between an organization and the outside world. The platform acts as a communication firewall, validating every outbound message against SEC, FINRA, and internal policies before it sends.

New York, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In regulated industries, speed has become a competitive advantage, but compliance remains a structural brake. Teams want to launch campaigns, communicate with clients, and deploy AI-driven tools, yet every message must pass through manual review. The result is weeks of delay, lost momentum, and teams avoiding written communication altogether. ZeroDrift was built to change that. Today, the company announced its launch from stealth alongside a $2 million pre-seed round to automate compliance in real time, unlocking business velocity while giving compliance teams infrastructure to scale oversight.

The pre-seed round was led by a16z speedrun and brings ZeroDrift’s total funding to $2 million. The capital will support the company’s go-to-market launch, product expansion across communication channels, and continued development of its AI-driven compliance engine.

Kumesh Aroomoogan, founder and CEO of ZeroDrift.

The timing reflects a growing tension across financial services and other regulated industries. Firms are under pressure to move faster, scale digital outreach, and adopt AI, while regulatory requirements continue to demand strict oversight of every external communication. Traditional compliance models rely on manual redlines, approval queues, and post-hoc sampling. These processes were built for a different era and cannot scale with today’s communication volume, leaving compliance teams stretched thin and business teams waiting. ZeroDrift takes a fundamentally different approach by shifting compliance from a gate at the end of the process into an automated guardrail that operates in real time.

ZeroDrift is an AI-native communication firewall that validates and fixes content before it is sent, giving compliance teams control at scale and business teams the speed to execute. The platform encodes SEC, FINRA, and firm-specific policies into machine-readable rulepacks, then enforces them at the point of creation. ZeroDrift integrates directly into tools teams already use, including email, browsers, CRMs, websites, social platforms, and AI systems. Content is checked instantly, issues are flagged with suggested fixes, and compliant messages move forward without delay. Compliance teams retain full visibility through centralized dashboards, audit trails, and exam-ready evidence generated automatically.

“People do not want to be non-compliant. They just have no way to know if what they are writing is acceptable until it is too late,” said Kumesh Aroomoogan, founder and CEO of ZeroDrift. “Compliance should be a guardrail that lets teams move faster, not a gate that slows everything down. Our goal is to make compliance happen automatically at the speed of work.”

The idea for ZeroDrift came from founder Kumesh Aroomoogan’s experience building Accern (one of the first no-code AI platforms for financial services), which he exited by acquisition in 2025. He repeatedly saw legal and compliance reviews stall launches and drain momentum. He also noticed a more subtle shift, where people preferred phone calls over emails because they were unsure whether what they were writing was compliant. Compliance was not only slow, it was changing how people communicated. 

ZeroDrift was created to solve that problem by giving teams certainty in real time.

ZeroDrift is launching initially in financial services, serving registered investment advisors, asset managers, broker-dealers, and wealth platforms. The market includes more than 15,000 RIAs, 3,500 asset managers, and hundreds of thousands of registered representatives in the United States alone. Early use cases include faster campaign launches, higher sales velocity, safe deployment of client-facing AI, and instant exam readiness without last-minute scrambles.

The broader shift toward AI and multi-channel communication is intensifying the problem ZeroDrift addresses. Firms now communicate across email, websites, social platforms, client portals, and AI assistants, each with its own compliance requirements. Manual review does not scale across this landscape, and hiring more compliance staff is neither economical nor effective. As communication volume increases, the firms that succeed will be those that automate governance rather than rely on human bottlenecks.

“Compliance has quietly become a limiting factor for how fast regulated companies can operate,” said Troy Kirwin from a16z speedrun. “ZeroDrift flips that dynamic by preventing violations before they happen and making compliance a built-in part of everyday workflows.”

Looking ahead, ZeroDrift plans to deepen its coverage across financial services before expanding its rule-based compliance engine into other regulated sectors, including insurance, healthcare, ESG disclosures, and AI governance. The long-term vision is to become the universal trust layer for any system that communicates, ensuring that as AI and automation scale, trust, safety, and compliance scale with them.

Media images can be found here. 

About ZeroDrift
ZeroDrift is an AI-native communication firewall that validates and fixes content before it is sent, giving compliance teams control at scale and business teams the speed to execute. The platform encodes SEC, FINRA, and firm-specific policies into machine-readable rulepacks, then enforces them at the point of creation.

ZeroDrift integrates directly into tools teams already use, including email, browsers, CRMs, websites, social platforms, and AI systems. Content is checked instantly, issues are flagged with suggested fixes, and compliant messages move forward without delay. Compliance teams retain full visibility through centralized dashboards, audit trails, and exam-ready evidence generated automatically.

About a16z speedrun
Speedrun is Andreessen Horowitz’s (a16z) flagship program that invests in new startups across consumer/enterprise AI, bio + healthcare, crypto, fintech, games, infrastructure, and companies building toward American dynamism. Founded in Silicon Valley in 2009, a16z has $90B in assets under management.

CONTACT: For further information please contact the ZeroDrift press office on press@zerodrift.ai 

Newo Raises $25M Series A Led by Ratmir Timashev to Scale AI Voice Infrastructure for Small Businesses




Newo Raises $25M Series A Led by Ratmir Timashev to Scale AI Voice Infrastructure for Small Businesses

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Newo.ai, the AI platform that turns customer conversations into revenue, today announced a $25 million Series A funding round led by Ratmir Timashev, co-founder of Veeam Software, and co-founder of OH.io.

The round brings Newo’s total capital raised to approximately $32 million, following earlier angel, seed, and SAFE financings. Participating investors include Aloniq, Constructor, Acrobator, and s16vc.

Across industries, Newo has found that small businesses often miss 20–40% of inbound calls due to staffing constraints and after-hours demand, representing a significant and largely invisible revenue opportunity. While AI reception has become increasingly common, reliably solving this problem in live voice environments remains far more difficult than it appears once systems move beyond demos and into real-world use. When it works, the outcome is straightforward. Businesses stop missing calls, recover 20–40% of previously lost revenue, and deliver a faster, more consistent customer experience without adding staff.

Newo provides human-like AI voice and text agents that answer, route, and resolve customer inquiries across phone calls, SMS, web chat, and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, built specifically for production use rather than experimentation. A partner-first business, the Newo platform is designed for MSPs, VoIP providers, software companies, and agencies, the platform enables partners to deploy and white-label AI reception and customer communication solutions for SMB customers in minutes.

“Small businesses are under pressure to respond instantly, but most still lose revenue simply because no one picks up the phone,” said David Yang, co-founder of Newo. “After decades spent building enterprise AI at scale as a co-founder of ABBYY, it was clear to me that voice was the last major customer channel that hadn’t been rebuilt for automation. Newo is changing that by making AI agents accurate, reliable, and genuinely usable in real business environments. This investment lets us scale a platform that is already becoming core infrastructure for how small businesses capture demand and invest in growing our partners who deliver it.”

Turning missed calls into revenue
The data suggests that small businesses leave about 62% of calls unanswered, beyond just losing revenue to unanswered calls they are also missing after-hours inquiries, and face limited staff availability. Newo’s AI voice agents are designed to operate as always-on front desks in real business environments, following structured workflows for booking, routing, escalation, and handoff rather than relying on open-ended conversation alone.

The platform is built to handle the realities of live voice interactions, from noisy call settings and ambiguous requests to zipcode routing and after-hours call answering, enabling reliable appointment booking, lead qualification, order intake, and customer support without adding headcount.

These capabilities reflect lessons learned through repeated production deployments, not theoretical design choices.

Today, more than 15,000 AI agents have been created on the Newo platform, with early adoption led by industries such as dental practices, restaurants, home services, and cleaning businesses. The platform is built to translate agent performance into measurable revenue impact, giving businesses visibility into how AI-driven call handling contributes directly to bookings and sales. Backed by a network of more than 200 certified partners, Newo doubled its revenue in the final two months of 2025 and entered 2026 with continued momentum as customer demand accelerates.

One example is Image Orthodontics, a multi-location Bay Area practice led by Harvard-trained orthodontists, which discovered it was missing nearly 20% of inbound calls during peak and after-hours periods. After deploying Newo’s AI receptionist, the practice captured calls that previously went unanswered, resulting in more than $400,000 in incremental revenue within the first quarter, driven by newly booked appointments and after-hours inquiries.

A key differentiator of the platform is Newo’s Zero-Hallucination Architecture, which powers its AI receptionist, AI front desk, and AI call center use cases. The system uses multiple voice and text AI agents to verify responses in parallel, ensuring consistent accuracy across real-world customer conversations. This architecture delivers sub-second latency, consistently human-like voice quality, and the reliability required for a phone answering service that businesses can trust to handle high call volumes.

Investor conviction behind the Series A
Ratmir Timashev has backed Newo across multiple earlier financings and chose to lead the Series A after the platform demonstrated repeatable customer adoption and growing inbound call volumes across industries.

“AI has reached a point where it can move from experimentation into core business operations,” said Ratmir Timashev, co-founder of Veeam Software and co-founder of OH.io. “What stood out about Newo’s voice AI solution was not the promise, but the proof. Businesses are already depending on AI Receptionists by Newo to handle real customer communications 24/7, faster and more accurately than human agents, driving revenue through superior customer experience.”

Use of funds
Newo plans to use the Series A capital to accelerate product development, expand its partner ecosystem, and scale go-to-market efforts to meet growing demand from SMB-focused service providers. The company will also invest in expanding its AI voice capabilities across additional industries and use cases.

About Newo.ai
Newo.ai is a San Francisco–born AI startup building human-like AI Receptionists and Agents for small and medium businesses. Founded by AI entrepreneurs David Yang, PhD, and Luba Ovtsinnikova, the company helps businesses answer calls, book appointments, and drive revenue across voice, chat, and messaging. With a partner-first platform that launches fully trained agents in minutes, Newo.ai empowers MSPs, VoIP providers, software companies, and agencies to offer scalable, white-label AI services built for the modern customer. Learn more at www.newo.ai.

Media contact
NewoPR@watersagency.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c389c024-53e3-404e-9313-46c0a700dcc0

Newo Raises $25M Series A Led by Ratmir Timashev to Scale AI Voice Infrastructure for Small Businesses




Newo Raises $25M Series A Led by Ratmir Timashev to Scale AI Voice Infrastructure for Small Businesses

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Newo.ai, the AI platform that turns customer conversations into revenue, today announced a $25 million Series A funding round led by Ratmir Timashev, co-founder of Veeam Software, and co-founder of OH.io.

The round brings Newo’s total capital raised to approximately $32 million, following earlier angel, seed, and SAFE financings. Participating investors include Aloniq, Constructor, Acrobator, and s16vc.

Across industries, Newo has found that small businesses often miss 20–40% of inbound calls due to staffing constraints and after-hours demand, representing a significant and largely invisible revenue opportunity. While AI reception has become increasingly common, reliably solving this problem in live voice environments remains far more difficult than it appears once systems move beyond demos and into real-world use. When it works, the outcome is straightforward. Businesses stop missing calls, recover 20–40% of previously lost revenue, and deliver a faster, more consistent customer experience without adding staff.

Newo provides human-like AI voice and text agents that answer, route, and resolve customer inquiries across phone calls, SMS, web chat, and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, built specifically for production use rather than experimentation. A partner-first business, the Newo platform is designed for MSPs, VoIP providers, software companies, and agencies, the platform enables partners to deploy and white-label AI reception and customer communication solutions for SMB customers in minutes.

“Small businesses are under pressure to respond instantly, but most still lose revenue simply because no one picks up the phone,” said David Yang, co-founder of Newo. “After decades spent building enterprise AI at scale as a co-founder of ABBYY, it was clear to me that voice was the last major customer channel that hadn’t been rebuilt for automation. Newo is changing that by making AI agents accurate, reliable, and genuinely usable in real business environments. This investment lets us scale a platform that is already becoming core infrastructure for how small businesses capture demand and invest in growing our partners who deliver it.”

Turning missed calls into revenue
The data suggests that small businesses leave about 62% of calls unanswered, beyond just losing revenue to unanswered calls they are also missing after-hours inquiries, and face limited staff availability. Newo’s AI voice agents are designed to operate as always-on front desks in real business environments, following structured workflows for booking, routing, escalation, and handoff rather than relying on open-ended conversation alone.

The platform is built to handle the realities of live voice interactions, from noisy call settings and ambiguous requests to zipcode routing and after-hours call answering, enabling reliable appointment booking, lead qualification, order intake, and customer support without adding headcount.

These capabilities reflect lessons learned through repeated production deployments, not theoretical design choices.

Today, more than 15,000 AI agents have been created on the Newo platform, with early adoption led by industries such as dental practices, restaurants, home services, and cleaning businesses. The platform is built to translate agent performance into measurable revenue impact, giving businesses visibility into how AI-driven call handling contributes directly to bookings and sales. Backed by a network of more than 200 certified partners, Newo doubled its revenue in the final two months of 2025 and entered 2026 with continued momentum as customer demand accelerates.

One example is Image Orthodontics, a multi-location Bay Area practice led by Harvard-trained orthodontists, which discovered it was missing nearly 20% of inbound calls during peak and after-hours periods. After deploying Newo’s AI receptionist, the practice captured calls that previously went unanswered, resulting in more than $400,000 in incremental revenue within the first quarter, driven by newly booked appointments and after-hours inquiries.

A key differentiator of the platform is Newo’s Zero-Hallucination Architecture, which powers its AI receptionist, AI front desk, and AI call center use cases. The system uses multiple voice and text AI agents to verify responses in parallel, ensuring consistent accuracy across real-world customer conversations. This architecture delivers sub-second latency, consistently human-like voice quality, and the reliability required for a phone answering service that businesses can trust to handle high call volumes.

Investor conviction behind the Series A
Ratmir Timashev has backed Newo across multiple earlier financings and chose to lead the Series A after the platform demonstrated repeatable customer adoption and growing inbound call volumes across industries.

“AI has reached a point where it can move from experimentation into core business operations,” said Ratmir Timashev, co-founder of Veeam Software and co-founder of OH.io. “What stood out about Newo’s voice AI solution was not the promise, but the proof. Businesses are already depending on AI Receptionists by Newo to handle real customer communications 24/7, faster and more accurately than human agents, driving revenue through superior customer experience.”

Use of funds
Newo plans to use the Series A capital to accelerate product development, expand its partner ecosystem, and scale go-to-market efforts to meet growing demand from SMB-focused service providers. The company will also invest in expanding its AI voice capabilities across additional industries and use cases.

About Newo.ai
Newo.ai is a San Francisco–born AI startup building human-like AI Receptionists and Agents for small and medium businesses. Founded by AI entrepreneurs David Yang, PhD, and Luba Ovtsinnikova, the company helps businesses answer calls, book appointments, and drive revenue across voice, chat, and messaging. With a partner-first platform that launches fully trained agents in minutes, Newo.ai empowers MSPs, VoIP providers, software companies, and agencies to offer scalable, white-label AI services built for the modern customer. Learn more at www.newo.ai.

Media contact
NewoPR@watersagency.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c389c024-53e3-404e-9313-46c0a700dcc0

mpathic Expands to Scale Safety Across Foundational Models and AI Applications




mpathic Expands to Scale Safety Across Foundational Models and AI Applications

Clinician-built safeguards, validated in clinical and hospital settings, now supporting AI builders deploying at massive scale

SEATTLE, Feb. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — mpathic, a clinician-founded AI safety company, today announced its expansion to support foundational model developers and LLM-powered application teams as AI becomes a first-line interface for youth, mental health, medical, and other high-risk situations. This move brings the company’s clinically grounded solutions to a broader set of AI developers and enterprise partners, resulting in 5X quarter-over-quarter growth at the end of 2025.

Drawing on years of work in clinical trials and hospital settings, mpathic helps AI teams stress-test model behavior before deployment, evaluate responses against clinically grounded standards, and monitor live interactions with safeguards that can flag, redirect, or intervene when needed. In one early engagement with an AI model builder, mpathic’s clinician-led evaluation and human data program helped reduce undesired model responses by more than 70 percent.

Built by Clinicians for a New Class of AI Risk

mpathic was founded in Seattle by board-certified psychologist and NLP researcher Dr. Grin Lord after seeing children, clinicians, and patients increasingly turn to AI tools before human support, often in moments of distress, mental health concerns, and other high-stakes situations. Dr. Lord was joined by co-founder and Chief Information Officer Dr. Danielle Schlosser, a leading San Francisco clinician and tech innovator. Together with mpathic’s team of top clinicians and researchers, they have become the foremost experts in translating real-world clinical judgment into repeatable safety workflows for AI systems.

“AI is increasingly the first line response in our most vulnerable and risky moments, whether in the doctor’s office, in 24/7 chats with teens, or in other high-risk situations. It’s crucial that we accept and embrace this reality, and ensure that those interactions rise to the occasion,” said Dr. Grin Lord, CEO and Founder of mpathic. “We’ve pressure-tested our approach in clinical trials and hospital settings, and we’re now bringing that rigor and resulting impact to the AI builders whose products touch billions of lives.”

Early Impact in High-Risk AI Deployments

mpathic turns expert clinical judgment into repeatable workflows that help AI teams find failure patterns in sensitive scenarios, benchmark and improve model behavior using clinician-generated evaluation datasets, and monitor live interactions so they can apply safeguards that reduce risk before issues reach users.

In one early engagement, an AI model builder faced rare but high-risk conversations involving severe distress signals, including self-harm, suicidality, and crisis states, alongside patterns of emotional over-reliance on AI support. mpathic rapidly deployed a clinician-led program in which hundreds of licensed, multilingual mental health clinicians created ground-truth evaluation datasets across multiple risk domains. As a result, their client saw undesired AI responses drop by over 70 percent.

A Fortune 100 AI lab shared with the mpathic team, “It’s so crucial that you all exist. We’ve worked with other vendors that don’t understand how to find the mental health expertise we need. We’re very thankful to be working together.”

Trust and Momentum Across the Foundational AI Ecosystem

mpathic works with leading foundational AI model developers serving tens of millions of users, organizations deploying AI in sensitive settings, and clinical partners including Panasonic WELL, Seattle Children’s Hospital and more.

As safety becomes central to deployment strategy, the company reported 5X quarter-over-quarter growth last quarter.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a clear shift,” said Dr. Danielle Schlosser, Co-Founder and Chief Information Officer. “AI systems are no longer just tools, but rather companions, advisors, and emotional touchpoints. I’m thrilled that mpathic is at the helm of navigating this new frontier, creating safe experiences for users worldwide.”

Following an additional $15 million financing closed in 2025, led by Foundry VC, mpathic is expanding its global network of licensed experts, accelerating its human data and benchmarking platform, and growing its real-time safety and SaaS offerings.

As part of this growth, the company announced a growing leadership team, with Rebekah Bastian, founding team at Zillow and exited founder, joining as Chief Marketing Officer, and Dr. Alison Cerezo, Fierce 50 2025 and American Psychological Association AI advisory member, named as Chief Science Officer.

mpathic is currently hiring for several roles: https://mpathic.ai/careers/

About mpathic:
mpathic is keeping humans safe in the AI era with experts and software that are rooted in psychology and powered by clinicians. The company works with leading AI model builders, application teams and clinical researchers to understand and protect people, reducing the world’s biggest human risks.

Media Contact:
Nectar Communications
mpathic@nectarpr.com

mpathic Expands to Scale Safety Across Foundational Models and AI Applications




mpathic Expands to Scale Safety Across Foundational Models and AI Applications

Clinician-built safeguards, validated in clinical and hospital settings, now supporting AI builders deploying at massive scale

SEATTLE, Feb. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — mpathic, a clinician-founded AI safety company, today announced its expansion to support foundational model developers and LLM-powered application teams as AI becomes a first-line interface for youth, mental health, medical, and other high-risk situations. This move brings the company’s clinically grounded solutions to a broader set of AI developers and enterprise partners, resulting in 5X quarter-over-quarter growth at the end of 2025.

Drawing on years of work in clinical trials and hospital settings, mpathic helps AI teams stress-test model behavior before deployment, evaluate responses against clinically grounded standards, and monitor live interactions with safeguards that can flag, redirect, or intervene when needed. In one early engagement with an AI model builder, mpathic’s clinician-led evaluation and human data program helped reduce undesired model responses by more than 70 percent.

Built by Clinicians for a New Class of AI Risk

mpathic was founded in Seattle by board-certified psychologist and NLP researcher Dr. Grin Lord after seeing children, clinicians, and patients increasingly turn to AI tools before human support, often in moments of distress, mental health concerns, and other high-stakes situations. Dr. Lord was joined by co-founder and Chief Information Officer Dr. Danielle Schlosser, a leading San Francisco clinician and tech innovator. Together with mpathic’s team of top clinicians and researchers, they have become the foremost experts in translating real-world clinical judgment into repeatable safety workflows for AI systems.

“AI is increasingly the first line response in our most vulnerable and risky moments, whether in the doctor’s office, in 24/7 chats with teens, or in other high-risk situations. It’s crucial that we accept and embrace this reality, and ensure that those interactions rise to the occasion,” said Dr. Grin Lord, CEO and Founder of mpathic. “We’ve pressure-tested our approach in clinical trials and hospital settings, and we’re now bringing that rigor and resulting impact to the AI builders whose products touch billions of lives.”

Early Impact in High-Risk AI Deployments

mpathic turns expert clinical judgment into repeatable workflows that help AI teams find failure patterns in sensitive scenarios, benchmark and improve model behavior using clinician-generated evaluation datasets, and monitor live interactions so they can apply safeguards that reduce risk before issues reach users.

In one early engagement, an AI model builder faced rare but high-risk conversations involving severe distress signals, including self-harm, suicidality, and crisis states, alongside patterns of emotional over-reliance on AI support. mpathic rapidly deployed a clinician-led program in which hundreds of licensed, multilingual mental health clinicians created ground-truth evaluation datasets across multiple risk domains. As a result, their client saw undesired AI responses drop by over 70 percent.

A Fortune 100 AI lab shared with the mpathic team, “It’s so crucial that you all exist. We’ve worked with other vendors that don’t understand how to find the mental health expertise we need. We’re very thankful to be working together.”

Trust and Momentum Across the Foundational AI Ecosystem

mpathic works with leading foundational AI model developers serving tens of millions of users, organizations deploying AI in sensitive settings, and clinical partners including Panasonic WELL, Seattle Children’s Hospital and more.

As safety becomes central to deployment strategy, the company reported 5X quarter-over-quarter growth last quarter.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a clear shift,” said Dr. Danielle Schlosser, Co-Founder and Chief Information Officer. “AI systems are no longer just tools, but rather companions, advisors, and emotional touchpoints. I’m thrilled that mpathic is at the helm of navigating this new frontier, creating safe experiences for users worldwide.”

Following an additional $15 million financing closed in 2025, led by Foundry VC, mpathic is expanding its global network of licensed experts, accelerating its human data and benchmarking platform, and growing its real-time safety and SaaS offerings.

As part of this growth, the company announced a growing leadership team, with Rebekah Bastian, founding team at Zillow and exited founder, joining as Chief Marketing Officer, and Dr. Alison Cerezo, Fierce 50 2025 and American Psychological Association AI advisory member, named as Chief Science Officer.

mpathic is currently hiring for several roles: https://mpathic.ai/careers/

About mpathic:
mpathic is keeping humans safe in the AI era with experts and software that are rooted in psychology and powered by clinicians. The company works with leading AI model builders, application teams and clinical researchers to understand and protect people, reducing the world’s biggest human risks.

Media Contact:
Nectar Communications
mpathic@nectarpr.com

WorldWiDE EdTech Awards 2026 Winners Announced




WorldWiDE EdTech Awards 2026 Winners Announced

Inaugural program recognizes EdTech solutions improving learning outcomes and accessibility

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Feb. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WorldWiDE EdTech Insights, a global organization advancing innovation and responsible technology use in education, today announced the winners of the 2026 WorldWiDE EdTech Awards. The inaugural program recognizes education technology solutions that demonstrate measurable impact on learning outcomes and improved accessibility for learners worldwide.

“Education technology continues to reshape how people learn and teach at every stage of life,” said Chris Bryant, Managing Director, WorldWiDE EdTech Insights. “Our judges rewarded solutions with intuitive design, strong alignment with accessibility standards, and responsible AI integration. Many of this year’s winners tackled high-effort tasks including administration, assessment, and providing timely feedback to learners.”

This year’s program attracted entries across early childhood education, K–12, higher education, professional and workplace learning, language learning, student wellbeing, and civic and life skills. Submissions reflected growing use of AI in education, including adaptive learning, tutoring, and personalization.

An independent panel of education experts evaluated entries using five criteria: impact, design, innovation, accessibility, and responsibility. Winners were selected based on overall performance against these criteria.

The 2026 WorldWiDE EdTech Awards winners include:

• Lumio (by SMART Technologies) — EdTech Tool of the Year
• AhaSlides — Educator Tool of the Year
• 2U — Personalized Learning Company of the Year
• Bedrock Learning — Language and Literacy Tool of the Year
• Younglabs — Early Education Tool of the Year
• DreamCollege.ai — College Admissions Counseling Tool of the Year
• Xebia Academy — Professional Education Tool of the Year
• DoSomething — Civic Education Tool of the Year
• Nari — Student Wellbeing Tool of the Year
• PreMed.PK — Exam Prep Tool of the Year
• SkillsVR — Virtual Learning Tool of the Year

The complete list of winners is available at https://worldwide-edtech.org/award-winners-2026.

Nominations for the 2027 WorldWiDE EdTech Awards will open on September 1, 2026.

About WorldWiDE EdTech Insights

WorldWiDE EdTech Insights is a global organization advancing innovation, equity, and responsible technology use in education. Through research, events, and awards programs, WorldWiDE EdTech Insights connects educators, technologists, and policymakers to improve teaching and learning worldwide.

CONTACT: Contact
WorldWiDE EdTech Insights
media@worldwide-edtech.org