Pulse 2.0

Databricks Raising Over $4 Billion Series L At $134 Billion Valuation As Revenue Run Rate Tops $4.8 Billion

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

Eiffel Investment: €1.2 Billion Energy Transition III Fund Closed

Invesco Partners With LGT Capital Partners To Bring Multi-Alternative Private Markets Solutions To Investors

Granite Asia: Over $350 Million First Close For Pan Asia Private Credit Fund

BGF Adds Sagacity Solutions CEO Anita Dougall To Board As Non Executive Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 4:15 PM

BGF has appointed Anita Dougall as a Non-Executive Director, adding an entrepreneur and data intelligence executive to its Board as the investment firm continues to emphasize data-driven innovation and support for high-growth UK and Ireland businesses.

Ardian Launches Luxembourg Evergreen Infrastructure Fund With iCapital Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 4:10 PM

Ardian has launched Ardian Access Infrastructure SICAV-RAIF, a Luxembourg-domiciled evergreen vehicle designed to give institutional and private wealth clients broader access to the firm’s global infrastructure and infrastructure secondaries strategies. The fund, available only to professional investors, is part of Ardian’s broader Ardian Access platform, which offers dedicated solutions to expand access to Ardian deal flow for institutional and private investors.

Goodwin Adds Three Private Equity Partners In London

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:36 PM

Goodwin has hired a team of three private equity partners in London, adding Anu Balasubramanian, Jamie Holdoway, and Chetan Sheth to its Private Equity practice as it continues to build out sponsor capabilities across the UK and continental Europe.

Channel3: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build Universal Product Graph For Agentic Commerce

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:16 PM

Channel3, a New York-based startup building what it calls a connected database of every product on the internet, has raised a $6 million seed round to expand its infrastructure for “agentic commerce,” an emerging category of AI-driven shopping experiences where software agents help consumers search, compare, and complete purchases.

S&P Global Names Booz Allen Finance Veteran Matt Calderone CFO Of Mobility Ahead Of Planned Spinoff

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:14 PM

S&P Global has appointed Matt Calderone as Chief Financial Officer of its Mobility business, tapping the outgoing CFO of Booz Allen Hamilton to lead finance for the unit as it prepares to become a standalone public company. Calderone is expected to join S&P Global by March 1, 2026, reporting to Bill Eager, President of S&P Global Mobility and CEO designate of the future standalone business.

Highland Electric Fleets: Up To $150 Million Equity Investment Secured

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:13 PM

Highland Electric Fleets has secured up to $150 million in new equity financing from Aiga Capital Partners as it prepares for a significant expansion of electric bus deployments beginning in 2026. The Beverly, Massachusetts-based company said the funding adds capacity for growth, strengthens an already strong balance sheet, and will support expansion into new markets and additional rollouts next year.

Antin To Buy NorthC From DWS In European Colocation Data Centre Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:59 PM

Antin Infrastructure Partners has agreed to acquire NorthC Datacenters, an enterprise colocation data centre platform in Northwest Europe, from DWS and other minority shareholders. Antin said the transaction will be executed through its Flagship Fund V and remains subject to regulatory approvals, with closing expected in the first half of 2026.

Great Point Partners Acquires Majority Stake In Lenis Group And Names Michel Vounatsos As Chairman

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:57 PM

Great Point Partners, a Greenwich-based healthcare-focused private investment firm, has acquired a majority stake in Lenis Group, a Slovenia-based commercialization and distribution partner for niche and specialty prescription medicines across Central and Eastern Europe. The investment is intended to support Lenis as it expands its regional footprint and broadens access to specialty therapies in markets that can be operationally complex due to varying regulatory, reimbursement, and distribution requirements.

Bolt Insight: £7 Million Raised To Scale AI-Moderated Market Research Globally

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:41 PM

Bolt Insight, a London-based market research company that uses AI-moderated interviews to help brands capture consumer insights, has raised a £7 million funding round led by Pembroke VCT. Pembroke invested £3.5 million, with additional participation from 212, Active Partners, Velocity, and TIBAS Ventures.

Quantum Art: $100 Million Series A Raised To Scale To Multi-Thousand Qubit Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:20 PM

Quantum Art has closed a $100 million Series A financing to accelerate development of its trapped-ion quantum computing platform and push toward a 1,000-qubit commercial system designed for scalable, multi-core architectures. The Ness Ziona, Israel-based company, said the round will help it move from early revenue to broader commercial scale, while supporting global expansion and continued progress toward achieving quantum advantage.

OptiGrid: Interview With CEO Tyler Phillipi About The Energy Optimization Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:01 PM

OptiGrid is a U.S.-based company specializing in innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions that integrate battery storage to enable ultrafast charging without extensive, costly, time-consuming grid infrastructure upgrades. Headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, OptiGrid focuses on delivering modular, scalable, and sustainable charging technologies for fleet operators and commercial properties. Pulse 2.0 interviewed OptiGrid CEO Tyler Phillipi to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Ninety: Interview With Founder & CEO Mark Abbott About The Business Operating System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:23 AM

Ninety is a business operating system that helps organizations run better meetings, track goals and performance (e.g., scorecards/to-dos), and work more effectively toward their vision. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Ninety founder and CEO Mark Abbott to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Integrated Partners Adds $200 Million Firm Morrison Nordmann Wealth Management To Expand Michigan Presence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:19 AM

Integrated Partners said Morrison Nordmann Wealth Management has joined its national financial planning and registered investment advisory platform, bringing an approximately $200 million client asset base to a firm that reports more than $23.8 billion in assets under advisement. Morrison Nordmann is based in Lansing, Michigan, and is led by President Matt Nordmann and Managing Director Scott Morrison.

Measurabl: Maureen Waters Named As CEO As Matt Ellis Shifts To Executive Chairman

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:15 AM

Measurabl said it has appointed Maureen Waters as chief executive officer, elevating the company’s former president and chief growth officer to lead what it described as its next phase of customer-driven growth. Co-founder and CEO Matt Ellis will transition to executive chairman and remain on the board, with responsibility for overseeing investment and M&A opportunities and providing strategic counsel.

Mercer Acquires $130 Million Firm McConnell Financial Advisors To Expand Presence Across Boise And Sun Valley

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:12 AM

Mercer Global Advisors, Inc., operating as Mercer Advisors, said it has acquired McConnell Financial Advisors, a Boise, Idaho-based boutique financial planning firm with approximately $130 million in assets under management. The deal expands Mercer Advisors’ footprint in Idaho, including its reach across Boise and its growing client base in Sun Valley, and builds on the firm's existing presence in both markets.

Osaic: Shannon Reid Named As President And Head Of Advisor Growth And Engagement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:09 AM

Osaic said Shannon Reid will join the firm as President of Osaic and Head of Advisor Growth and Engagement, taking on the President role on Jan. 12, 2026, and reporting to CEO Jamie Price. Price had been serving as President alongside his chief executive duties.

Empromptu: $2 Million Pre-Seed Closed To Build Self-Managing AI Context Engine For Enterprise Software

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:03 AM

Empromptu AI, a San Francisco-based startup focused on helping enterprises shift from static SaaS products to self-improving AI-native applications, has raised an oversubscribed $2 million pre-seed round to accelerate development of what it calls its Self-Managing Context Engine. The company said the technology is designed to allow AI features to manage, train, and improve themselves in production environments, with the broader goal of making AI deployments more reliable and maintainable at scale.

Bioxodes: €5.5 Million Series A Extension Raised To Advance BIOX-101 Toward Pivotal Hemorrhagic Stroke Trial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:00 AM

Bioxodes SA, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for thrombotic and inflammatory diseases, has raised a €5.5 million Series A extension to continue preparations for a potentially registrational Phase 2b trial of BIOX-101 in intracerebral hemorrhage. The company said it plans to initiate the pivotal Phase 2b study in 2027 and believes the program could support BIOX-101 reaching the market as early as the second half of 2030.

Boats Group: $600 Million CPP Investments Commitment Secured In Growth Deal With General Atlantic

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:57 AM

Boats Group, a global operator of online marketplaces for boats and yachts, has announced a strategic growth investment from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, commonly known as CPP Investments, and General Atlantic. CPP Investments has committed $600 million and will take a co control interest in Boats Group as part of the transaction.

Allink Biotherapeutics: $47 Million Series A Extension Raised To Advance Two ADC Programs And Expand Multispecific Platforms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:53 AM

Allink Biotherapeutics, a Shanghai-based clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody drug conjugates and multi-specific antibody therapeutics for oncology and immunology, has completed extension rounds of its Series A financing, raising $47 million. The company said the extension rounds were led by existing supporter Legend Capital and new investor Meituan Long Z Investment, with participation from additional returning and new investors including Lanchi Ventures, Yuanbio Venture Capital, 5Y Capital, Lapam Capital, and Runzhang Venture Capital, among others.

Hexagon Acquires IconPro To Add Industrial AI For Remote Asset Monitoring And Predictive Metrology Maintenance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:50 AM

Hexagon AB has agreed to acquire IconPro, a German industrial AI solutions provider focused on intelligent asset maintenance, as Hexagon looks to expand AI driven monitoring and analytics across its manufacturing install base.

Senzing Acquires Placekey To Expand Open Standard For Location Data Interoperability

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:35 AM

Senzing, a provider of real-time entity resolution technology, has acquired the Placekey service and technology, bringing the open, community-supported identifier standard for places data under Senzing’s ownership. The companies said the transaction aligns with Senzing’s goal of making data more interoperable and easier to connect across organizations and datasets.

VisIC Technologies: $26 Million Round B Second Closing Led By Global Chip Leader As Hyundai Motor And Kia Join

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:31 AM

VisIC Technologies, a Ness Ziona, Israel-based developer of gallium nitride power semiconductors for electric mobility, said it has completed the second closing of its Round B financing, bringing in $26 million. The company said the round was led by a global semiconductor leader and included Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, together referred to as HKMC, as a strategic investor.

Navier: $5.6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Launch Agent-Driven Engineering Platform For Hardware Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:56 AM

Navier, a San Francisco-based startup developing autonomous engineering teams for hardware design and development, has raised $5.6 million in seed funding and launched from stealth. The round included participation from GV (Google Ventures), HCVC, and Y Combinator, as the company positions its technology as a new productivity layer that automates repetitive work between design and engineering groups.

Octane: $100 Million Series F Raised To Fund Expansion And Product Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:41 AM

Octane (Octane Lending), a fintech focused on digitizing the purchasing and financing experience for recreational and specialty vehicle categories, has closed a $100 million Series F equity financing. The company said the round includes primary capital to support growth initiatives, as well as proceeds from secondary share transfers, and follows Octane’s continued originations growth as it looks to deepen its product offering and expand into additional markets.

Skyblue Analytics: Strategic Funding Closed To Expand Global Coverage And Accelerate AI Product Roadmap

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:39 AM

Skyblue Analytics, a fintech infrastructure company focused on helping brokers, banks, and financial institutions build modern investment platforms, has raised a strategic investment round led by a group of industry partners and regional market participants. The round, announced December 15, 2025, included Merchant Seven, A3 Mercados, Matba Rofex, PrimaryX, and Draper Angels LATAM, with the company aiming to expand regional coverage and accelerate development of AI-enabled investment experiences.

Cofactor Genomics Secures Strategic Investment From Labcorp And Ascension Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:36 AM

Cofactor Genomics has received strategic investments from Labcorp and Ascension Ventures to accelerate nationwide expansion of its OncoPrism® immunotherapy response diagnostic and broaden patient access across U.S. cancer care networks.

HASI And KKR Add $1 Billion Commitment To CarbonCount Holdings 1

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:35 AM

HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (HASI) and global investment firm KKR have agreed to increase their capital commitment to CarbonCount Holdings 1 LLC (CCH1) by a combined $1 billion, adding $500 million each to expand the co-investment vehicle’s capacity to finance sustainable infrastructure projects across the United States.

Jordan Partners Backs Vanguard Claims Administration With Strategic Growth Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:31 AM

Jordan Partners has made a strategic growth investment in Vanguard Claims Administration, Inc., a third-party administration and independent adjusting platform serving the property and casualty insurance market, as Vanguard looks to expand its national footprint and deepen its technology and reporting capabilities.

Mirelo: $41 Million Seed Funding Raised To Bring AI Soundtracks To Video, Gaming, And Visual Media

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:26 AM

Mirelo, a Germany-based foundation model company focused on sound for videos, has raised a $41 million seed round led by Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Atlantic.vc and TriplePoint Capital also participated, along with notable angel investors: Yariv Adan, Alex Berriche, Léon Bottou, Burkay Gur, Thomas Hofmann, Antoine Le Nel, Coco Mao, Arthur Mensch, Laura Modiano, Jakob Uszkoreit, and Thomas Wolf.