Metropolis, an AI-powered checkout-free parking platform, has secured $1.6 billion in debt and equity, including a $500 million Series D fundraise, the company announced Thursday.

Los Angeles-based Metropolis says it is now valued at about $5 billion after the Series D raise, which was led by a fund managed by LionTree and included participation from BDT & MSD Partners’ affiliated credit funds, DFJ, Eldridge Industries, Slow Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Tekne Capital and Vista.

The company also secured a $1.1 billion term loan from JP Morgan Chase Bank.

With the latest raise, Metropolis has now raised about $3.5 billion in debt and equity since its 2017 inception, per Crunchbase data.

Metropolis has developed a computer vision system that enables drivers to park without using a credit card or even cash. Instead, drivers can use the app and enter information such as name and payment method. Metropolis then tracks the car and charges the owner. It can even email a receipt while they make their way out of the parking lot.

The company says it’s leading “the Recognition Economy,” which it described as “a new age of personalized intelligence where presence replaces devices and credentials as the foundation for a more intuitive, connected and human world.”

It plans to continue expanding into new verticals and new markets with its new capital. The company says it processes more than $5 billion in annual transaction volume at over 4,200 locations. It claims it has “over one million” new members joining per month, and nearly 20 million members total across its network.

“As one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States, Metropolis is transforming how people move and transact in the physical world. We’re eliminating friction and repetition and creating recognition at scale ..,” said CEO and co-founder Alex Israel in a release. “As we deploy our technology into retail, hospitality and fueling, Metropolis will go beyond just processing transactions by embedding speed and simplicity into everyday experiences.”

The company has conducted three major acquisitions in recent times. In 2024, Metropolis took logistics firm SP Plus private in a deal worth approximately $1.5 billion. Earlier this year, it acquired Oosto, an AI-powered biometrics startup, for $125 million.

With the acquisition of SP Plus, Metropolis says it went from a 2,000-person company to one with more than 23,000 employees.

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Illustration: Dom Guzman

Ripple, a crypto payments startup, has raised $500 million at a $40 billion valuation, the company announced on Wednesday.

Funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities, along with Pantera Capital, Galaxy Digital, Brevan Howard and Marshall Wace led the investment. The San Francisco-based company has now raised just under $800 million in funding since its 2012 inception, per Crunchbase data. Other backers include Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Pantera Capital, Abstract and Standard Chartered Bank.

The latest raise follows a recent $1 billion tender offer at the same valuation, the company says. However, reports claim that Ripple “came up empty-handed” after the attempt to buy back $1 billion worth of shares from employees.

Meanwhile, Ripple executives say the new fundraise follows the company’s “strongest year to date.”

“We started in 2012 with one use case – payments – and have expanded that success into custody, stablecoins, prime brokerage and corporate treasury, leveraging digital assets like XRP,” Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple CEO, said in a release. “Today, Ripple stands as the partner for institutions looking to access crypto and blockchain.”

Global venture funding to financial technology startups in 2025 has, as of Nov. 5, reached $43.5 billion across 3,188 deals, per Crunchbase data. That’s a 26.8% increase in dollars raised compared to the $34.3 billion raised across 4,214 deals during the same time period in 2024.

Growing acquisitions

It has been a busy couple of years for the fintech company. In just over two years, Ripple has completed six acquisitions, per Crunchbase data, including two valued at over $1 billion each. Those buys helped the company expand its footprint across payments, custody and stablecoins, while entering new markets in prime brokerage and treasury management.

For example, in April, Ripple announced it was acquiring brokerage house Hidden Road for $1.25 billion in one of the biggest M&A deals ever in crypto.

In March, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropped a legal case against Ripple that accused it of conducting an illegal securities offering.

It’s been a good year for the crypto sector. Shares of blockchain lender Figure closed up 24.4% at $31.11 in first-day trading. More recently, shares have been trading in the $38 range.

And in early June, shares of Circle closed up 168% at $83.29 in their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, minting the stablecoin issuer with a market cap of around $16.7 billion and renewing hopes for an IPO market rebound. More recently, shares have traded in the $118 range.

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Illustration: Dom Guzman

Infravision, a company that aims to transform how power lines are built and maintained with aerial robotics, has raised $91 million in Series B funding.

Singapore’s GIC led the financing, which also included participation from Activate Capital Partners, Hitachi Ventures, and existing backer Energy Impact Partners. The round brings Austin, Texas-based Infravision’s total raised to just under $115 million since its 2018 inception, per Crunchbase data. Its valuation was not disclosed.

The company raised $23 million in a Series A round led by Energy Impact Partners in September 2023.

Infravision claims that its “flexible and automated approach” eliminates many of the contingencies and hazards inherent in conventional power line stringing methods. As a result, projects can be completed faster and more cost-effectively, the company says.

Overall, startups developing robotics technologies have raked in just over $10.3 billion in 2025, according to Crunchbase data. With nearly two months left in the year, this amount is already 36% higher than the $7.54 billion raised by startups in the sector in all of 2024.

While humanoid robotics startups generate the most attention, the largest funding recipients are a more diverse cohort, including surgical robotics, operating systems and manufacturing automation. They’re a geographically dispersed group as well, spanning the U.S., Europe and China.

Preparing for the demand surge

Infravision says it will use the new capital to accelerate the deployment of its TX System – an integrated combination of drones, intelligent ground equipment, and stringing hardware. It also plans to hire “aggressively,” according to Cameron Van Der Berg, co-founder and CEO of Infravision. He expects that the company will have between 150 to 200 employees by year end.

The aerial robotics system has been used in power line projects around the world, including Powerlink Genex in Australia and emergency response deployments with PG&E in California, said Van Der Berg, in a release. PG&E is its biggest U.S. customer, Van Der Berg — a robotics engineer by background — told Crunchbase News via email.

“Infravision’s core technology is an integrated system of four key sub-components that automate grid construction,” he added. “ It’s the system, not a drone alone, that delivers helicopter-class performance at an industrial scale for some of the largest and longest transmission projects in the world.”

Infravision operates a B2B revenue model, focusing on utilities, contractors and developers as its key buyers. The company aims to form long-term, strategic partnerships with these customers where it leases equipment and provides services. “This investment will help us scale to provide a faster, safer, and more cost-effective way to meet surging electricity demand as the world races to double grid infrastructure by 2040,” he added. “With Australia established as a proven market, Infravision is now focused on expanding its North American operations.”

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Illustration: Dom Guzman