Pulse 2.0

U.S. Bancorp To Buy BTIG In Up To $1 Billion Deal To Expand Capital Markets Offering

AbbVie And Trump Administration Strike $100 Billion Deal Tied To Medicaid Prices, Direct-To-Patient Drug Access, And U.S. Investment Plan

Mission Produce To Acquire Calavo Growers In $430 Million Deal, Expanding Avocado Supply And Entering Prepared Foods

University Of Utah Startup CaLycia Bioscience Advances Macrophage-Engineered Cell Therapy For Glioblastoma

Slack Unveils Rebuilt Slackbot As Context-Aware AI Agent For Work

Ammobia: $7.5 Million Raised To Scale Low-Cost Ammonia Production Technology Critical To Energy Resilience

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:34 AM

Ammobia, a San Francisco-based startup developing modular “Haber-Bosch 2.0” ammonia production plants, has raised a $7.5 million seed round to advance reactor technology it says can materially cut the cost and complexity of ammonia synthesis. The round was backed by Shell Ventures, ALIAD (Air Liquide), MOL Switch (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ venture arm), and Chevron Technology Ventures, with additional participation from Katapult Ocean, AIR Capital, Alumni Ventures, and Motivate Fund. Ammobia also reported follow-on capital from existing investors, including Starlight Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Arosa Capital, and Zero Infinity Partners, bringing total funding to $13.5 million across dilutive and non-dilutive capital.

Royal Van Leeuwen Acquires Corrotherm International’s Global Business Activities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:33 AM

Royal Van Leeuwen has acquired the global business activities of Corrotherm International, expanding its offering in specialist nickel alloy products for energy-related applications. Corrotherm, founded in 1992, supplies nickel alloy seamless pipes, fittings and flanges to international customers, including those in oil and gas and the petrochemical industry.

Highwire Acquires The Bliss Group To Create Integrated Marketing And Communications Agency For High-Growth Brands

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:32 AM

Highwire announced it has acquired The Bliss Group, combining two independent agencies in a bid to build a more integrated marketing and communications partner focused on linking reputation and demand programs to measurable business outcomes. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Coastal Joins Tata Consultancy Services To Expand Salesforce-Led Transformation Work Globally

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:30 AM

Coastal, a Salesforce, data and AI consultancy formerly known as Coastal Cloud, announced it has been acquired by Tata Consultancy Services, a global IT services and digital transformation provider with operations spanning 46 countries.

Tocvan Appoints Anna Ladd-Kruger To Board And Grants 300,000 Stock Options

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:27 AM

Tocvan Ventures has appointed mining executive Anna Ladd-Kruger as an independent director, effective January 14, 2026, adding a board member with more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning finance, capital markets, M&A and governance across multiple mining jurisdictions.

Sedgwick Launches Global Specialty Platform For Complex And High-Severity Losses

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:26 AM

Sedgwick announced it has launched a new Sedgwick Global Specialty platform aimed at managing the largest and most technically complex losses, expanding on its existing marine and energy capabilities, and widening its focus across additional specialty risk categories.

OptConnect Buys DPL Wireless To Add AI-Based Device Intelligence To Global Managed IoT Connectivity Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:25 AM

OptConnect, a provider of managed wireless connectivity solutions, has acquired Canada-based DPL Wireless to expand its engineering capabilities and bring more device-level intelligence to IoT deployments, particularly in ATM connectivity and adjacent use cases.

SiteOne Landscape Supply Acquires Bourget Flagstone Co.

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:24 AM

SiteOne Landscape Supply announced it has completed the acquisition of Bourget Flagstone Co., a division of Bourget Bros. Building Materials is a wholesale distributor of hardscape products with one location in Santa Monica, California.

One Rock Capital Partners Buys Majority Stake In American Furniture Rentals

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:24 AM

One Rock Capital Partners announced an affiliate has acquired a majority stake in American Furniture Rentals (AFR), a national furniture rental provider serving special events, trade shows, and residential and commercial customers across the U.S. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Diligent Acquires 3rdRisk To Deliver AI-Native Third-Party Risk Management At Scale

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:23 AM

Diligent, a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software provider that positions itself as an AI-first platform, said it has acquired 3rdRisk, an AI-native third-party risk management platform headquartered in the Netherlands.

Phenom Acquires Included AI, Bringing Agentic People Analytics To HR And Business Leaders

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:22 AM

Phenom, an applied AI company focused on helping organizations hire, develop, and retain talent, said it has acquired Included, an AI-native agentic people analytics platform designed to turn fragmented workforce data into actionable insights for faster decision-making.

ISG Acquires AI Maturity Index Platform As Part Of Broader AI Acceleration Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:20 AM

Information Services Group (ISG) announced it has acquired the AI Maturity Index, a SaaS platform designed to help organizations assess and improve workforce readiness for adopting AI, as the company expands a broader AI acceleration strategy that also includes a new internal AI Acceleration Unit and an upcoming AI-powered insights platform.

Behringer Buys 182,154-SF Addison Industrial Property From Pillar Commercial Affiliate

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:20 AM

Behringer has acquired Addison II, a light industrial building in Addison, Texas, from an affiliate of Allen-based Pillar Commercial, expanding the Dallas-based family office’s light industrial footprint in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.

Prometheus Acquires Webalo To Build Closed-Loop Digital Execution Platform Linking Frontline Work To Systems Of Record

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:19 AM

Prometheus Group, an enterprise asset management (EAM) software provider, has acquired Webalo, an AI-enabled connected worker platform, in a deal aimed at closing the gap between frontline activity and enterprise execution.

Bluespring Adds Front Porch Financial In Merger With U.S. Financial Services To Create $1.7 Billion Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:18 AM

Bluespring Wealth Partners, an acquirer of registered investment advisors and wealth management firms, announced Front Porch Financial has joined Bluespring partner firm U.S. Financial Services in a merger that creates a roughly $1.7 billion wealth management business.

Teledyne Buying DD-Scientific For Electrochemical Gas Sensors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:17 AM

Teledyne Technologies has acquired DD-Scientific Holdings Limited and its subsidiary, DD-Scientific Limited, adding a U.K.-based gas-sensing specialist to its portfolio of environmental, industrial process, and gas- and flame-detection businesses.

Generational Wealth Launches After Merger And $100 Million Acquisition, Reporting Over $900 Million In Client Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:17 AM

Generational Wealth, a newly launched wealth management and financial planning firm, has formally entered the market under a unified brand following a merger tied to a joint $100 million acquisition.

Pi Squared: Interview With Founder & CEO Grigore Roșu About The Decentralized Payments Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:16 AM

Pi Squared is building FastSet, a decentralized settlement and payments network designed to deliver instant, trustless transactions (and verifiable computation) at internet scale without the bottlenecks of traditional blockchains. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Pi Squared founder and CEO Grigore Roșu to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Bitzero: Interview With President Mohammed Bakhashwain About The Blockchain Infrastructure Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:16 AM

Bitzero develops clean, renewable-energy-powered data centers designed to support high-performance computing, blockchain infrastructure, and sustainable digital operations. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Bitzero President Mohammed Bakhashwain to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

The Causal Compass: How Mo Hamid Is Reframing Analytics For The Mid-Market AI Era

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:15 AM

Mo Hamid is a Detroit-based technology and go-to-market leader with a background spanning software engineering, data products, market research, and operational analytics. He previously founded Unison, a SaaS market intelligence platform that was acquired by FigBytes, and has held roles across global enterprise and high-growth environments. Today, his work focuses on helping organizations connect data and AI investments to real-world outcomes, with an emphasis on clarity, adoption, and measurable wins over hype.

Multipolitan Releases ‘The Digital State Project’ To Map The Future of Governance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:00 AM

Multipolitan, a platform for borderless living headquartered in Singapore, has released The Digital State Project. The flagship report explores how governments can rebuild citizenship and public services for a digital-first world.

OneMain And TPG Extend And Expand Forward Flow Partnership To $2.4 Billion Through 2028

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:38 AM

OneMain Holdings and TPG announced they have extended and expanded their forward flow agreement, under which TPG will continue purchasing consumer and auto loans originated by OneMain through June 30, 2028.

Cowbell: Simon Hughes Named As Chief Commercial Officer As It Pushes Next Phase of Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:35 AM

Cowbell has appointed Simon Hughes as chief commercial officer, elevating the executive who built the company’s U.K. operation to oversee worldwide commercial strategy as the cyber and specialty insurer targets its next growth cycle.

Constant Contact Buys GURU Conference And Marketing Education Assets From GURU Media Hub

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:32 AM

Constant Contact has acquired select event and education assets from GURU Media Hub, a deal the digital marketing platform says will expand its role in hands-on, results-focused marketing education for small businesses and nonprofits.

AIM Investment Group Acquires Micro Forms, Adding Nearly 60-Year Precision Metal Stamping Manufacturer In Texas

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:31 AM

AIM Investment Group has acquired Micro Forms, a Garland, Texas-based precision metal stamping and engineering manufacturer founded in 1967, adding the business to AIM’s portfolio of industrial companies.

Sonesta Names Keith Pierce And Jeff Leer Co-CEOs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:28 AM

Sonesta International Hotels announced it has appointed Keith Pierce and Jeff Leer as co-chief executive officers, effective April 1, 2026, as the company prepares for the retirement of current CEO John Murray at the end of March.

Atomic Insights: $10 Million Seed Funding Raised To Modernize Money Movement And Payment Workflows For RIAs And Family Offices

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 6:47 AM

Atomic Insights, a fintech provider of money-movement and workflow automation tools for registered investment advisors and family offices, has raised $10 million in seed funding as it expands a platform designed to centralize payment requests, automate approvals, and connect directly to custodians and banks through real-time APIs.

Aikido: $60 Million Series B Raised At $1 Billion Valuation For Cybersecurity Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:24 PM

Aikido announced it has raised a $60 million Series B financing at a $1 billion valuation, marking one of the fastest reported paths to unicorn status for a European cybersecurity company. The round was led by DST Global’s Tom Stafford, with participation from PSG Equity, Singular, Notion Capital, and other investors.

NewYork GreenCloud Buys California Biomass Plant to Launch Carbon-Negative AI Factory

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:06 PM

NewYork GreenCloud (NYGC) announced it has acquired the Buena Vista Biomass Power (BVBP) facility in Ione, California, and plans to redevelop the site into what it describes as its first large-scale carbon-negative “AI Factory” that pairs renewable, behind-the-meter power with liquid-cooled AI compute.

Amplitude Acquires InfiniGrow To Bring Revenue Analytics To Marketers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 4:59 PM

Amplitude has acquired InfiniGrow, an AI marketing analytics company, as the Nasdaq-listed analytics platform seeks to expand its AI-driven capabilities beyond product analytics into marketing and revenue use cases. Financial terms were not disclosed.