Pulse 2.0

Disney Makes $1 Billion Investment In OpenAI As Companies Sign Licensing Agreement For Sora

IBM Buying Confluent In $11 Billion Deal

EpilepsyGTx Secures $33 Million Series A To Advance Single-Dose Gene Therapy For Focal Refractory Epilepsy

Bobyard Raises $35 Million Series A To Expand AI-Driven Construction Estimating Platform

Crisp Raises $26 Million In Series B1 Funding To Scale Vertical AI For Retail And Supply Chains

Kilo: $8 Million Seed Funding Closed To Accelerate Agentic Engineering Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:37 AM

Kilo Code, an open source coding agent focused on agentic engineering, has raised $8 million in seed funding as it looks to expand its platform and deepen adoption among software developers and engineering teams. The round was led by Cota Capital, with participation from Breakers, General Catalyst, Quiet Capital, and Tokyo Black. The company is based in San Francisco and launched earlier this year.

New Mexico DFA Expands Match Fund To $147 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:13 AM

New Mexico’s Department of Finance and Administration has secured an additional $72 million in funding following the implementation of Euna Grants, a cloud-based grants management platform developed by Euna Solutions. The expanded funding brings the total value of the New Mexico Match Fund to $147 million and reflects a significant increase in federal dollars leveraged through state investment.

ESO Fund: Interview With CEO Scott Chou About Stock Option Exercise Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:10 AM

ESO Fund provides funding to help startup employees exercise their stock options. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ESO Fund CEO Scott Chou to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Medra Raises $52 Million Series A To Build Physical AI Scientists

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:04 AM

Medra, a San Francisco-based company developing what it describes as the world’s first platform for Physical AI Scientists, has raised $52 million in a Series A financing to accelerate the development of its autonomous laboratory technology. The round was led by Human Capital, with participation from existing investors Lux Capital, Neo, and NFDG, as well as new investors Catalio Capital Management, Menlo Ventures, 776, Fusion Fund, and others.

GrailPay: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Will Messina About The Payments Infrastructure Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:02 AM

GrailPay is a company that provides a payments infrastructure platform that enables fintechs, merchant-service payment providers, and financial institutions fully white-label and de-risked bank payments. Pulse 2.0 interviewed GrailPay co-founder and CEO Will Messina to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Ditto: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Adam Fish About The Edge-Native Data Infrastructure Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:00 AM

Ditto builds a mobile database with built-in peer-to-peer sync that keeps apps running and data consistent even without Wi-Fi, servers, or cloud connectivity. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Ditto co-founder and CEO Adam Fish to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Joy Parenting Club Acquires Heba Care To Expand AI-Based Parenting And Family Health Support

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:59 AM

Joy Parenting Club has acquired Heba Care, a digital health platform focused on supporting families navigating complex health and developmental needs, in a move that significantly expands Joy’s ambition to build the most comprehensive AI-powered parenting ecosystem. The transaction brings clinically validated care-coordination tools into Joy’s platform while accelerating the company’s mission to provide always-on, trusted guidance to parents worldwide.

Harness: $240 Million Series E At $5.5 Billion Valuation Raised To Advance AI Across Software Delivery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:49 AM

Harness has secured $240 million in Series E financing as it accelerates its mission to bring artificial intelligence to every stage of software delivery that follows code creation. The round includes a $200 million investment led by Goldman Sachs and a planned $40 million tender offer with participation from IVP, Menlo Ventures, and Unusual Ventures, valuing the company at $5.5 billion.

Alphyn Biologics: $25 Million Series B Raised To Advance Dermatology Clinical Programs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:45 AM

Alphyn Biologics, a clinical-stage dermatology company focused on developing first-in-class multi-target therapeutics for severe and common skin diseases, has closed a $25 million Series B financing round, twice oversubscribed. QCA Investment Group led the Series B round. It included participation from existing investors Angel Physicians Fund and Serial Stage Venture Partners, as well as a corporate fund, along with several new investors. The strong demand for the round reflects growing investor confidence in Alphyn’s proprietary Multi-Target Therapeutic Drug Platform and the potential of its lead candidate, Zabalafin Hydrogel, to address multiple underlying drivers of inflammatory and infectious skin diseases.

KVP International Buys SafePath-IVD To Expand Veterinary And Human Diagnostics Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:41 AM

KVP International has acquired SafePath Laboratories and IVD Research, collectively known as SafePath-IVD, strengthening its position in veterinary diagnostics while expanding capabilities across human health markets. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Gloat: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Ben Reuveni About The AI-Based Orchestration Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:30 AM

Gloat is the Work Orchestration Platform that closes the gap between AI investment and ROI by orchestrating AI agents, technology, and human expertise together. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Gloat co-founder and CEO Ben Reuveni to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Brkthru: Interview With Co-Founder Jeff Hastedt About The Digital Marketing Agency

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:15 AM

Brkthru is a digital marketing agency that helps brands reach targeted audiences through data-driven advertising campaigns across channels like social, search, display, and streaming media. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Brkthru co-founder Jeff Hastedt to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Lifesight: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Tobin Thomas About Unified Marketing Measurement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:00 AM

Lifesight is a privacy-first marketing measurement platform that utilizes causal AI, attribution, media mix modeling, and incrementality testing to help companies understand and optimize media spend across channels. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Lifesight co-founder and CEO Tobin Thomas to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

InduPro: Strategic Equity Investment Raised From Sanofi

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:47 AM

InduPro Therapeutics announced a strategic equity investment from Sanofi along with a new research collaboration designed to accelerate the development of InduPro’s bispecific PD-1 agonist program for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

IFP Onboards $700 Million CenterBridge Planning Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:46 AM

Independent Financial Partners has brought on CenterBridge Planning Group, a five-advisor team overseeing more than $700 million in client assets, marking one of the firm’s most significant team additions to date.

Concurrent Adds 10 Advisors In Q4 As Firm Accelerates Toward $15 Billion In AUM

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:42 AM

Concurrent Investment Advisors added ten advisors across the fourth quarter as the Tampa-based hybrid RIA continued a year of rapid expansion, bringing its total wealth and retirement assets to more than $30 billion. The growth reflects the firm’s ongoing momentum with its independent platform model as it moves toward surpassing $15 billion in assets under management.

Mars Finalizes Acquisition Of Kellanova

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:25 AM

Mars, Incorporated has completed its acquisition of Kellanova, uniting two long-standing consumer goods companies and creating a broader global snacking powerhouse. The deal brings together Kellanova’s portfolio of billion-dollar snack brands, including Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, RXBAR, and Kellogg’s international cereal brands, with Mars’ existing lineup of major confectionery and snack products such as Snickers, M&M’s, Twix, Dove, Skittles, Extra, Kind, and Nature’s Bakery.

Serval: $75 Million Series B At $1 Billion Valuation Raised For Enterprise Automation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:23 AM

Serval has secured $75 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital, bringing the company’s valuation to $1 billion and marking a significant milestone in its evolution from an IT automation tool to a horizontal enterprise platform. The latest funding round also included participation from Redpoint, Meritech, First Round, General Catalyst, Evantic, Sound Ventures, Radical Ventures, and others. In total, Serval has raised $127 million since August.

On Me: $6 Million Seed Funding Closed To Expand Its Digital Gifting Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:20 AM

On Me has secured a $6 million seed round to advance its personalized digital gifting platform, one of the largest consumer fintech seed financings completed in 2025. The round was led by NFX with participation from pre-seed investors Lerer Hippeau and focal.

Fervo Energy: $462 Million Raised To Advance Next-Generation Geothermal Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:16 AM

Fervo Energy has secured a $462 million Series E round to accelerate the commercial buildout of its next-generation geothermal portfolio, marking one of the largest private financings in the geothermal sector. New investor B Capital led the oversubscribed round. And it included participation from a broad base of new and returning investors, reflecting rising market confidence in Fervo’s ability to deliver large-scale, around-the-clock carbon-free power.

BMW: Milan Nedeljković Named As New Chairman Of The Board Of Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:05 AM

BMW AG announced that Dr. Ing. Milan Nedeljković will become the company’s next Chairman of the Board of Management, assuming the role on May 14, 2026. The decision was approved by the Supervisory Board following the launch phase of the Neue Klasse program, marking a pivotal leadership transition at a time when the company is navigating large-scale technological and operational transformation.

Finance Of America: $2.5 Billion Strategic Partnership Secured To Expand Home Equity Lending Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:02 AM

Finance of America Companies Inc. announced a significantly expanded $2.5 billion strategic partnership with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, marking one of the company’s most significant capital commitments to date and signaling a major investment in the growing U.S. retirement and home equity financing market.

No-IP: Strategic Majority Investment Completed And Suchit Rout Named As New CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:49 PM

No-IP Technologies has completed a strategic and majority investment in Vitalwerks Internet Solutions, the company behind No-IP. The transaction introduces a new leadership structure and positions the DNS and remote access provider for expanded innovation, product development, and partner growth initiatives. As part of the transition, founder Dan Durrer will move into the role of Founder and Chief Technology Officer. Suchit Rout, Founder and Managing Partner of Indus Growth Fund, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer.

Kent Outdoors: $90 Million Credit Facility Secured

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:42 PM

Kent Outdoors has secured a $90 million asset-based revolving credit facility from PNC Business Credit, a multi-year financing arrangement designed to expand the company’s domestic market presence and support ongoing seasonal working capital needs. The new facility provides additional liquidity to help Kent scale its operations and sustain its growth trajectory across a broad portfolio of outdoor and watersports brands.

New Vintage Partners: Interview With Co-Founder Charles Jaskel About The Investment Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:35 PM

New Vintage Partners is an investment firm that builds portfolios of LP stakes in venture capital and growth-equity funds and provides liquidity solutions for both limited partners and general partners. The firm focuses on LP-led secondaries and utilizes a “mosaic” approach to portfolio construction that uses secondary transactions as a proactive tool rather than a purely defensive one. Pulse 2.0 interviewed New Vintage Partners co-founder Charles Jaskel to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Integrity Growth Partners: $220 Million Fund Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:31 PM

Integrity Growth Partners has closed its first committed capital fund at $220 million, surpassing its $200 million target and marking a significant milestone for the Los Angeles-based growth equity firm. The oversubscribed raise reflects strong demand from limited partners such as StepStone Group, Oxford Financial Group, and Olympus Ventures, signaling increasing investor confidence in the firm’s founder-focused model and transparent approach to backing growth-stage B2B software and technology-enabled companies.

APi Group To Acquire CertaSite And Reaffirms 2025 Outlook

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:50 PM

APi Group Corporation announced that it has agreed to acquire CertaSite, a Midwest-based fire and life safety services provider built on an inspection-first operating model. The acquisition is scheduled to close in the first quarter of 2026 pending regulatory approvals and will be financed with cash on hand.

Capital Power Signs $3 Billion Deal With Apollo

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:48 PM

Capital Power Corporation announced a significant expansion of its growth strategy during its 2025 Investor Day event in Toronto, outlining ambitious 2030 targets while securing two strategic agreements that reinforce its position as a leading North American natural gas power producer.

Alamo Group To Buy Petersen Industries In $166.5 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:44 PM

Alamo Group has agreed to acquire Petersen Industries for $166.5 million, marking a significant expansion of its industrial equipment capabilities. The transaction, announced from the company’s headquarters in Seguin, Texas, will bring the Florida-based manufacturer of truck-mounted grapple loader equipment into Alamo Group’s Industrial Equipment Division once the deal closes in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and customary conditions.

Perimeter Solutions To Buy Medical Manufacturing Technologies In $685 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:42 PM

Perimeter Solutions announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Medical Manufacturing Technologies for approximately $685 million in cash, inclusive of certain tax benefits. The acquisition will add a high-growth, high-margin medical manufacturing platform to Perimeter’s portfolio and expand its presence into minimally invasive medical device production technologies.