Startups Weekly AI News
June 16 - June 24, 2025The week brought significant developments for startups specializing in agentic AI, with two major funding rounds dominating the news. These investments target AI systems capable of autonomous decision-making and task execution in enterprise environments.
Berlin's Mercanis secured $20 million in Series A funding to accelerate its AI procurement platform. The company's technology automates the entire sourcing lifecycle using agentic AI, from identifying suppliers to managing contracts. Investors including Partech and AVP led the round, bringing Mercanis' total funding to $30 million. The startup plans to expand internationally and challenge legacy procurement systems with its AI-native approach.
Pelico raised $40 million in a strategic round led by General Catalyst for its supply chain AI platform. Operating from Paris and Miami, Pelico develops real-time AI assistants that help manufacturers anticipate production issues. The system monitors live data to instantly spot parts shortages and bottlenecks, serving clients like Airbus and Safran. This funding will enhance their AI co-pilot technology for factory operations.
These funding events underscore several key trends in the agentic AI space. First, investors increasingly back enterprise-focused AI agents that optimize complex business workflows rather than consumer applications. Both Mercanis and Pelico target operational efficiency in procurement and manufacturing – traditionally manual, time-intensive domains where autonomous AI brings clear value.
Second, the funding amounts indicate maturing confidence in specialized agent architectures. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, these platforms incorporate deep industry knowledge to handle domain-specific tasks. Pelico's system integrates with factory data systems, while Mercanis understands procurement regulations and supplier dynamics.
Finally, this week's activity continues momentum from early June when Y Combinator featured 70 agentic AI startups in its spring cohort. While no new startups launched this particular week, the funding for established players suggests the sector is moving beyond experimentation into scaled implementation.
The focus remains largely on business process automation, with investors prioritizing solutions that reduce operational costs and complexity. As these AI agents mature, they're increasingly positioned as co-pilots that augment human workers rather than replace them entirely.
Looking ahead, these investments will likely accelerate development of more sophisticated autonomous workflows. The funding enables deeper R&D into areas like multi-agent collaboration and real-time adaptation – capabilities essential for handling dynamic business environments.
While no consumer-focused agentic AI news emerged this week, the enterprise sector demonstrates robust growth. The substantial funding rounds suggest we'll see more startups entering this space with specialized solutions for industry-specific challenges in the coming months.