The AlleyWatch Startup Daily Funding Report: 5/18/2026

May 18, 2026

The latest venture capital, seed, pre-seed, and angel deals for NYC startups for 5/18/2026 featuring funding details for Nof1, Geni, and much more. This page will be updated throughout the day to reflect any new fundings.

Nof1 – $15M

AI

Nof1, an AI research lab that trains frontier models for financial markets, has raised $15M in Venture funding from investors that include Sui Group Holdings and Karatage. Founded by Jay Azhang in 2023, Nof1 has now raised a total of $25M in reported equity funding.

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Geni – $1.84M

EDTECH

Geni, a screen-free toy company that makes AI-powered audio storytelling devices for children, has raised $1.84M in funding according to a recent SEC filing. The filing indicates that the total offering is for $2M and there were six investors in this close. Geni was founded by Kevin Tang and Marcelo Coelho in 2025.