Pulse 2.0

Clorox To Buy Purell Maker GOJO For $2.25 Billion, Expanding Health And Hygiene Push

Capital One To Buy Brex For $5.15 Billion In Cash-And-Stock Deal

Oppenheimer: Michelle Jacobi Joins As Managing Director In Global Fund Placement & Advisory Group

Baseten: $300 Million At $5 Billion Valuation Raised As Inference Becomes Core AI Infrastructure

Juspay: $50 Million Series D Follow-On At $1.2 Billion Valuation Raised For Payments Infrastructure

Ridgeline Roofing Acquires Bold North Roofing And Contracting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 4:19 PM

Ridgeline Roofing & Restoration, a residential and commercial roofing solutions provider backed by Bertram Capital, has acquired Bold North Roofing and Contracting LLC, a roofing and exterior services company serving Minnesota’s Twin Cities metro area. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Chainlink Buys FastLane’s Atlas To Expand SVR And Boost DeFi Revenue Across More Chains

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 4:18 PM

Chainlink has acquired the intellectual property behind Atlas from FastLane and onboarded key Atlas personnel, bringing a production-tested on-chain order flow and value recapture system under the “Chainlink standard.” The deal is designed to accelerate the multi-chain rollout of Chainlink SVR, an oracle-based solution that helps DeFi protocols reclaim so-called Oracle Extractable Value (OEV) generated around Chainlink Price Feeds.

Jackalope Brewing Company Acquires Black Abbey

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 4:17 PM

Jackalope Brewing Company has acquired fellow Nashville-area craft brewer Black Abbey Brewing Company, bringing together two longtime Tennessee brands as Jackalope enters what it described as a deliberate next phase of expansion.

Metagenics Acquires UK Probiotic Brand Symprove In Gryphon-Backed Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 4:04 PM

Metagenics, a practitioner-focused nutritional supplements company backed by Gryphon Investors, has acquired Symprove, a UK-based probiotic brand, from bd-capital as it looks to expand its presence in gut health and accelerate global growth. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Janus Henderson To Acquire Richard Bernstein Advisors, Expanding Model Portfolio And SMA Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 4:03 PM

Janus Henderson Group announced it is acquiring Richard Bernstein Advisors (RBA) in a deal the global asset manager said will significantly expand its footprint in model portfolios and separately managed accounts, two areas of wealth management that have been growing rapidly as advisors look for scalable, outcomes-oriented solutions.

Vector Acquires YardView To Expand Unified Yard Management Across Logistics Networks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 4:00 PM

Vector has acquired YardView, a yard management and dock visibility provider, in a move aimed at delivering a single, end-to-end platform spanning gate, yard, dock, and document workflows for shippers and logistics operators.

Sculptor: $400 Million CLO XXXVI Closed As New-Issue Pricing Tightens For Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:55 PM

Sculptor Capital Management announced it has closed Sculptor CLO XXXVI, a $400 million collateralized loan obligation transaction backed by a near-fully ramped portfolio of senior secured loans, as the alternative asset manager opened 2026 with what it described as its tightest new-issue pricing to date for a deal of this structure.

TIC Holding Schweiz Takes Stake in Vibro-Consult To Expand Swiss Testing And Calibration Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:53 PM

TIC Holding Schweiz AG has acquired a stake in Vibro-Consult AG, adding a Swiss market leader in vibration and machinery diagnostics to its growing platform of accredited testing, inspection, and calibration services.

Verndale Buys Amp’s Product Experience Division To Expand Product, UX, And Technology Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:46 PM

Verndale has acquired the Product Experience Division of Amp from Advantage Solutions, adding a team focused on product design, UX, engineering, and digital marketing as the company broadens its end-to-end digital product offering. The acquired group will operate under the Verndale brand.

Aqua Pennsylvania Awarded Nearly $17 Million In PENNVEST Funding For PFAS Treatment Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:45 PM

Aqua Pennsylvania announced it has secured $16.9 million in financing through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to support the installation of five PFAS treatment systems serving nine community well sites across Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties.

Alpiq Acquires France’s Largest Battery Storage Facility At Port Of Nantes Saint-Nazaire

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:43 PM

Alpiq has acquired the Cheviré operational battery energy storage system (BESS) in western France from Harmony Energy, expanding its push into flexible assets used to balance renewable power and support grid stability. The Swiss energy company said the deal closed on January 21, 2026, and described Cheviré as the largest battery storage facility currently operating in France.

Artie: $12 Million Series A Raised To Bring Real-Time Data Streaming To AI Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:35 PM

Artie, a fully managed real-time data streaming platform, has raised a $12 million Series A to help companies move from batch-based data movement to streaming-first infrastructure as AI systems shift from dashboards into live, decision-making production environments. The round was led by Dalton Caldwell at Standard Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Pathlight Ventures, and a group of angel investors, including Arash Ferdowsi, Benn Stancil, Chris Best, Charles Hearn, and Lenny Rachitsky.

Audax Strategic Capital Invests In Strickland Brothers To Fuel M&A Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:33 PM

Audax Strategic Capital (ASC) has made a structured equity investment in Strickland Brothers, a Princeton Equity Group-backed quick-lube and automotive maintenance platform, with proceeds earmarked to help fund actionable M&A opportunities as the business continues its national expansion. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PlayVS Buys Esports Company Vanta, Adding 3,000 K–12 Schools And Expanding Youth Coaching Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:32 PM

PlayVS said it has acquired Vanta Esports, combining two education-focused scholastic esports communities as PlayVS pushes to broaden access to organized competition, coaching, and school-aligned programming for students across the U.S.

Kindred Bravely Acquires Storq To Expand Support For Mothers From Pregnancy Through Early Parenthood

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:30 PM

Kindred Bravely has acquired and launched Storq, bringing the design-forward motherhood brand, founded in 2015, under its umbrella as the companies aim to support mothers through every stage of early parenthood.

Wealthcare Crosses $10 Billion In AUM And Expands Advisor Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:20 PM

Wealthcare Capital Management announced it delivered 32% assets-under-management growth in 2025, ending the year with more than $10 billion in AUM as the technology-enabled RIA continued to add advisors, roll out new partnerships, and expand its service model for independent firms.

Cubby: $63 Million Series A Raised To Expand AI-Native Self-Storage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:19 PM

Cubby has raised a $63 million Series A minority investment to accelerate the growth of its property management platform for self-storage operators, the company said. The round was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with existing investors also participating.

PayPal To Buy Cymbio To Expand Agentic Commerce And AI-Channel Selling

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:18 PM

PayPal has agreed to acquire Cymbio, a multi-channel orchestration platform that helps brands sell across “agentic” AI shopping surfaces and other e-commerce channels, as the payments company moves to deepen its commerce offering inside emerging AI-driven discovery and checkout experiences.

Yuki: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build An AI ‘Control Layer’ For Data Spend

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:17 PM

Yuki, a data cost optimization startup, has emerged from stealth with a $6 million seed round, targeting a growing pain point for enterprises facing rising data and AI infrastructure bills. The financing was led by Hyperwise Ventures, with participation from VelocitX, Tal Ventures, Fresh.fund, and Yakir Daniel, the founder of Spot.io (which was acquired by NetApp and is now part of Flexera).

Healthier Capital: $220 Million Debut Fund Closed To Back Early-Stage Health-Tech Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:57 PM

Healthier Capital has closed a $220 million oversubscribed inaugural venture fund, raising capital from universities, endowments, family offices, healthcare organizations, and other investors as it looks to back early-stage companies operating at the intersection of healthcare and technology.

Black Bay Partners Closes Third Fund At $425 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:33 PM

Black Bay Partners has completed the final closing of its third private equity vehicle, Black Bay III, L.P., reaching the fund’s hard cap of $425 million in capital commitments, the firm said Thursday.

Andela Acquires Woven To Bolster Technical Assessments for AI Engineers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:32 PM

Andela has acquired Woven, a technical assessment company known for real-world engineering scenarios, structured scoring rubrics, and AI-enabled evaluation, as the talent marketplace provider looks to strengthen how it measures AI fluency and predicts on-the-job performance for engineers.

GIGR (Playad): $5.4 Million Pre-Seed Secured To Build Multi-Agent AI Marketing Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:30 PM

San Francisco-based startup GIGR (dba Playad) has raised $5.4 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate development of AI marketing agents designed to help teams create, test, and improve advertising creative with less manual work and less guesswork.

ZBD: $40 Million Series C Raised To Expand Lightning-Powered Payments And Rewards Inside Video Games

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:25 PM

ZBD, a payments company focused on enabling real-money transactions inside games and consumer apps, said it has secured $40 million in Series C financing commitments led by Blockstream Capital Partners (BCP). The company positions itself as a fully licensed, vertically integrated payments provider built specifically for gaming, using the Bitcoin Lightning Network to support embedded payments and rewards at scale.

Paralex: Interview With Founder & CEO Stephen Candelmo About The AI-Based Legal Services Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 12:15 PM

Paralex is an AI-powered legal services platform that gives startups and small businesses fast, attorney-verified answers, contract reviews/drafting, and advisory sessions at fixed, upfront prices (no hourly billing). Pulse 2.0 interviewed Paralex founder and CEO Stephen Candelmo to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

ABZ Innovation: $8.2 Million Closed To Scale Heavy-Duty Agricultural And Industrial Drones

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:42 AM

ABZ Innovation, a Europe-based maker of heavy-duty agricultural and industrial drones, has raised $8.2 million in a funding round led by Vsquared Ventures, with participation from Day One Capital and Assembly Ventures. The company said the new capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate product development, and support commercial growth in key international markets, including continued traction in the United States.

Octarine Bio: €5 Million Raised To Scale Precision-Fermented Natural Pigments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:41 AM

Octarine Bio has secured €5 million in new funding, bringing its total Series A financing to €12.8 million, including earlier pre-Series A capital, as the Danish biotech pushes to scale a new platform for sustainable, bio-based pigments.

Mia Labs: $20 Million Series A Closed To Expand AI ‘Super Employee’ For Auto Dealership Communications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:36 AM

Mia Labs, the company behind an AI-powered conversational platform designed specifically for automotive dealerships, has raised a $20 million Series A round to accelerate product development, expand its team, and scale deployments across the U.S. The financing brings the company’s total capital raised to $29 million.

Waldo: $225 Million Debut Fund Closed To Back Founder-Led Software And Tech-Enabled Services Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:33 AM

Waldo, a New York-based investment firm, said it has closed its $225 million inaugural vehicle, Waldo I, to invest in proven, early-growth stage software and tech-enabled services companies. The firm said it is targeting entrepreneurs building enduring businesses with strong fundamentals and real-world traction, aiming to support companies on a path to scale without relying on public markets to define their outcomes.

Guardz: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Dor Eisner About The Cybersecurity Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 11:32 AM

Guardz is a company that provides an AI-powered, unified cybersecurity platform designed specifically for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to secure and insure small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) against a wide range of cyber threats. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Guardz co-founder and CEO Dor Eisner to learn more.