Startups news on October 22, 2026

1. 0110:34 UTC

   Koliway buys expedited freight firm Millhouse, names Bryan Foe CEO

   3 outlets · first: manilatimes.net Acquisition

   Machine summary Koliway founder and managing partner Chris Kolquist said the firm combines executive operating experience with acquisition expertise and intends to preserve the acquired company's culture and relationships. No deal value, revenue figures or transaction timeline were given in the material reviewed.

   1. Bryan Foe was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Millhouse Logistics, with a stated remit covering operations, commercial growth, customer success and strategic expansion.
   2. The announcement describes Foe as having more than three decades of logistics leadership experience, including executive roles at C.H. Robinson, GlobalTranz and Carpool Logistics.
   3. Millhouse is described as an expedited ground and air freight provider with cross-border logistics operations across North America.
   4. The announcement states that Millhouse provides service to shippers in healthcare and life sciences, automotive and OEM, third-party logistics, aerospace and MRO, and high-value industrial and manufacturing.
   5. Koliway founder and managing partner Chris Kolquist said the firm combines executive operating experience with acquisition expertise and intends to preserve Millhouse's culture and its customer and carrier relationships.

   Reported by manilatimes.net, Dealroom and American Journal of Transportation.

   • C.H. Robinson
   • Millhouse Logistics
   • Koliway
   • GlobalTranz
   • Carpool Logistics

2. 0204:38 UTC

   Harvard spinout Pascal raises $8.5M follow-on seed for solid-state cooling

   2 outlets · first: techjuice.pk Funding

   Machine summary Key facts from the reports:

   1. Sazze Partners and LB Investment co-led the round, with KDB Silicon Valley also participating, per the report
   2. Per that report, Engine Ventures and Khosla Ventures had earlier backed the startup with $8 million in funding.
   3. According to Pascal, the company's fridges operate with roughly 20% greater efficiency compared to current models, while its material withstood 300,000 cycles of operation, approximately a year's worth of use.
   4. Just from refrigerant leaks, HVAC equipment is responsible for roughly 2% of all greenhouse gas emissions, while industry estimates referenced in the report project that air-conditioning energy demand might triple by 2050.
   5. Co-founders Adam Slavney and Jinyoung Seo developed the research at Harvard University's Mason Group, building the first prototype cooling system there in August 2022

   Reported by techjuice.pk and TechJuice.

   • Khosla Ventures
   • LB Investment
   • KDB Silicon Valley
   • Engine Ventures
   • Sazze Partners
   • Pascal

3. 0311:25 UTC

   RhymeQ raises $2.2 million pre-seed for Python quantum layer

   2 outlets · first: Quantum Computing Report Funding

   Machine summary The Karlsruhe and Zürich based company says its platform, Rhyme, lets developers with standard Python skills write and debug quantum software that compiles to NVIDIA CUDA-Q. The company said the capital will fund engineering hiring, enterprise platform integration and growth of its developer waitlist.

   1. Ground State Ventures led the round; Vanagon Ventures, Plug and Play and Freiraum Ventures participated, according to Quantum Computing Report
   2. The company says Rhyme compiles directly to the NVIDIA CUDA-Q framework, running on GPU-accelerated quantum simulators and multiple physical quantum processor architectures
   3. Rhyme is designed for developers with standard Python proficiency, requiring no quantum circuit compilation or gate-level hardware expertise, per the company
   4. The product was unveiled during NVIDIA GTC Berlin, and the company is operating a developer waitlist
   5. Capital is earmarked for engineering hires, enterprise platform integration and growth of the developer waitlist community

   Reported by Quantum Computing Report.

   • Plug and Play
   • Freiraum Ventures
   • Rhyme
   • Ground State Ventures
   • RhymeQ
   • NVIDIA GTC Berlin

4. 0407:59 UTC

   Unicorn India Ventures opens US operations for deep-tech portfolio

   2 outlets · first: techinasia.com Funding

   Machine summary The firm, which closed its third fund at ₹1,200 crore earlier in 2026 and reported a ₹450 crore first close for IITM Unicorn Frontier Fund I, said the US team will help portfolio startups enter the US market and build a co-investment ecosystem.

   1. Unicorn India Ventures’ third fund closed at ₹1,200 crore earlier in 2026. The firm said it saw US investor interest in Indian deep-tech during that raise.
   2. The firm announced a first close of ₹450 crore for IITM Unicorn Frontier Fund I, which the reports say came within three months of SEBI approval for the fund.
   3. Founded in 2016 and based in Mumbai, UIV is an early-stage venture firm focused on Indian deep-tech startups.
   4. According to UIV, the firm intends to form a mid‑to‑senior level group of operator‑investors across the United States, with the goal of fostering local ecosystems and growing its investor base.
   5. Kanakamedala's stated mandate covers backing deep-tech founders, helping portfolio startups expand into the US, growing the investor base, and feeding global technology-market intelligence to the India investment team.

   Reported by techinasia.com and analyticsindiamag.com.

   • Google
   • IITM Unicorn Frontier Fund I
   • Unicorn India Ventures

Each summary and its key facts are a machine summary of the reports linked under it; the outlets, times and counts come from those reports' own records. How a rundown is built.