AI Fashion, Ammonia Power And A Robot Labor Force

This is a monthly column that runs down five interesting startup funding deals every month that may have flown under the radar. Check out our year-end entry here.

The start of a new year brings a lot of promise — and a lot of interesting new funding rounds. Let’s take a look at a handful of funding deals you may have missed in January.

Designed by AI

Artificial intelligence is in fashion — literally.

This month, Raspberry AI secured $24 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. The New York-based startup’s platform turns designers’ sketches into photorealistic renderings, showing in rich detail how products will look, fit and drape in real life.

The platform helps speed up the design process significantly, considering visualizing how a previous best-seller would look in new fabrics can take weeks of waiting for a physical sample to arrive and hours of making changes using traditional photo-editing software.

However, using Raspberry AI’s platform can generate final renderings in 10 seconds and even generate the assets and technical drawings needed for manufacturing. The idea is to give brands — from luxury to mass market — back much of the time lost in the design process.

AI may not need clothes, but apparently it can help design them.

Ammonia power

Speaking of AI, one thing the new tech has made abundantly clear is the need for new, clean power sources.

One startup looking at creative ways for new power is Amogy, which raised a $56 million venture round co-led by Aramco Ventures and SV Investment. The New York-based startup has developed a patented ammonia-powered system that splits ammonia into its base elements of hydrogen and nitrogen. The system then funnels the hydrogen into an integrated fuel cell or hydrogen engine — creating high-performance power with zero carbon emissions.

The startup has also demonstrated how its tech works. Last year, it used its ammonia-to-electrical power platform to sail the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered maritime vessel.

The startup also has used the tech to power an aerial drone, commercial farm tractor and semi-truck.

The fresh cash is expected to be used to commercialize the technology in markets including maritime shipping and stationary power generation.

Off-roading with AI

The defense tech sector took off last year, and it seems 2025 may see more of the same.

This month, Overland AI landed a $32 million Series A led by 8VC 1. The Seattle-based startup is creating uncrewed ground vehicles for military operations. However, the added twist is these vehicles are designed for some of the more rugged, off-road areas with little communication ability (including no GPS), where it can be challenging for even humans to traverse.

The company said such design is necessary, especially “in the Indo-Pacific, where complex off-road terrain demands resilience and precision.”

Founded in 2022, the startup already supports a range of programs in the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command.

Data-rich waters

It’s hard to say where climate tech funding will go in the next few years due to shifts in the political wind.

One company that may not have to worry about that is Xocean — thanks in part to the wind energy economy — which locked up a round worth approximately $119 million this month from investors including S2G Ventures.

The Dublin-based marine robotics startup provides data to the energy and hydrography industries. The startup uses uncrewed surface vessels that are controlled remotely — and can remain on the water for long stretches — to collect valuable ocean data, including wind data for offshore wind farms.

The company’s low-carbon USVs are equipped with sensors and real-time communications to help capture and relay datasets about the sea and environment. The company’s customers include BP and Shell.

The offshore wind sector is a key factor in the company’s growth, with global installed capacity projected to reach over 250 gigawatts (excluding China) by 2035. That’s a more than 500% expansion from today.

The company’s vessels are also used in the inspection of aging offshore infrastructure and the development of offshore carbon capture and storage facilities.

Robots at work

There’s no denying space tech and robotic startups make this list a lot. Let’s face it, space and robots are pretty cool.

This month RoboForce’s $10 million seed financing round from investors such as Carnegie Mellon University makes the list. The Milipitas, California-based startup is looking to put its “robo-labor” into dangerous work environments where there are labor shortages. Its target industries include solar, space, manufacturing and mining — all sectors which the U.S. Bureau of Labor found were among the most impacted by injuries and loss of labor.

RoboForce’s AI-powered robots have 1mm accuracy in performing motor movements like picking, placing, pressing and connecting. They also have the ability to communicate and learn with its spatial AI copilot system.

First up for the new labor force will be the solar panel market later this year.