Pulse 2.0

Meta To Invest $10 Billion For New AI Data Center In Louisiana

BlackRock To Buy HPS Investment Partners In $12 Billion Deal

METRON: Energy Consumption Management Company Secures €12.5 Million

Avantax Onboards $143 Million FA Andrew Erickson

DLA Piper: Sandra Esquiva-Hesse Appointed As Partner In Paris Office

OneRail: Omnichannel Fulfillment Solution Company $42 Million (Series C)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:30 AM

OneRail, a provider of solutions in last-mile omnichannel fulfillment, announced a growth capital investment led by Aliment Capital. Additional participating firms include new investors eGateway Capital and Florida Opportunity Fund, as well as current investors Arsenal Growth Equity, Piva Capital, Bullpen Capital, Las Olas Venture Capital, Chicago Ventures, Gaingels, and Mana Ventures.

SolomonEdwards Buying Tax Advisory Provider Steele Consulting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:51 PM

SolomonEdwards—a national professional services firm offering financial, operational, and technology consulting along with operations support—announced the acquisition of Steele Consulting, a national tax consulting firm. Effective immediately, SolomonEdwards clients have access to an expanded suite of tax support services across state, local, federal, and international jurisdictions.

ConnectDER: Resilient Home Energy Technology Company Raises $35 Million (Series D)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:48 PM

ConnectDER, a leader in resilient home energy technology, announced it has raised $35 million in Series D funding to accelerate its market expansion and product innovation. This funding round was led by Decarbonization Partners, a partnership between BlackRock and Temasek, with participation from MassMutual Ventures (both new investors). And existing investors Avista Development, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Innovation Capital, Evergy Ventures, LG Technology Ventures, and Zoma Capital also participated.

KKR: Philippe de Backer Named As Managing Director Of European Public Affairs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:46 PM

KKR announced the appointment of Philippe de Backer as Managing Director of European Public Affairs, effective January 1, 2025. Philippe, based in KKR’s London office, will report to Ken Mehlman, Partner and Global Head of Public Affairs and Co-Head of Global Impact.

OMERS Private Equity To Buy Integris

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:46 PM

OMERS Private Equity announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Integris from Frontenac, a Chicago-based private equity firm. The financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.

TreeHouse Foods: $205 Million Acquisition Of Harris Tea

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:44 PM

TreeHouse Foods announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire certain subsidiaries that operate the private brand tea business of Harris Freeman & Co, a leading private brand tea manufacturer in the U.S., for about $205 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

Continental Selling Smart Fleet Company Zonar To GPS Trackit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:40 PM

Continental announced the sale of Zonar, a leading smart fleet management provider, to GPS Trackit, an industry pioneer in cloud-based, IoT fleet solutions and GPS tracking. Details of the transaction, including financial terms, are not being disclosed.

Accenture To Buy Auto-Focused Embedded Software Company AOX

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:38 PM

Accenture has agreed to acquire AOX, a German company specializing in embedded software for carmakers and their suppliers. This acquisition will enhance Accenture's capabilities to help automotive clients solve challenges they are facing in their transition to software-defined vehicles.

CoachHub: Digital Coaching Platform Company Closes $42 Million In Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 5:37 PM

CoachHub, a leading global digital coaching platform, announced that it has secured a $40 million growth financing facility from HSBC Innovation Banking UK. This funding will enable CoachHub to accelerate its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and further expand its product offerings. The deal is a key strategic decision for CoachHub to drive rapid innovation while safeguarding employee equity and promoting long-term value creation.

Blackstone Reveals Key Leadership Appointments And New Areas Of Client Coverage

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:02 PM

Blackstone announced three appointments to key firmwide roles and the creation of two new functions to enhance client coverage and capital raising. And Blackstone veterans Farhad Karim and Chris Sullivan will step into new roles and the firm also welcomes Adam Lane.

LPL: Renana Friedlich Named As Chief Information Security Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:01 PM

LPL Financial, a leader in the wealth management industry, announced the strategic hire of Renana Friedlich as executive vice president and chief information security officer (CISO). This move supports the firm’s commitment to cybersecurity in an increasingly difficult business landscape.

SmartBear Buying Digital Quality Platform Company QMetry

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 3:00 PM

SmartBear - a leading provider of software quality and visibility solutions - announced its acquisition of QMetry, provider of a comprehensive AI-enabled digital quality platform designed to scale software quality that is trusted by enterprises globally, such as leading Fortune 500 companies. And this strategic acquisition will further enable agility for DevOps teams to speed up feature delivery, shorten time-to-market, and consistently deliver high-quality software.

Capitolis Buying BGC’s Compression & Optimization Business Capitalab In $46 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:58 PM

Capitolis, a company helping to create safer and more vibrant capital markets, has announced the acquisition of Capitalab, a leader in Rates Portfolio Compression and Margin Optimization, from BGC Group for a purchase amount of $46 million. This deal will enable Capitolis, a market leader in the optimization and compression space, to offer more solutions to the industry and unlock additional innovation to address emerging client needs.

Cresset: $150 Million Minority Investment From Constellation Wealth Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:54 PM

Cresset announced that it has closed on a $150 million minority long-duration investment from Constellation Wealth Capital, which is a long-term strategic investor that provides capital solutions exclusively to wealth management businesses and multi-family offices.

Nuveen Private Capital: Otto Donner Named As Head Of Nordics Business Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 2:53 PM

Arcmont Asset Management and Churchill Asset Management, the European and U.S. asset management companies of Nuveen Private Capital (NPC), announced the continued expansion of its European client coverage capabilities with the appointment of Otto Donner as Head of Nordics Business Development.

EdgeCo Holdings Surpasses $600 Billion In Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:28 PM

EdgeCo Holdings announced it achieved a new record by surpassing $600 billion in assets serviced across its custody, trading, administration, brokerage, investment management, and technology platforms. And its AmericanTCS business unit, which offers retirement plan services to intermediary professionals, now services more than $550 billion in assets. EdgeCo’s wealth management arm NewEdge Capital Group represents over $60 billion in assets serviced.

Kestra PWS Onboards $427 Million Arc Private Wealth Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:26 PM

Kestra Private Wealth Services (Kestra PWS), a registered investment adviser subsidiary of Kestra Financial announced the addition of Arc Private Wealth to its platform. And the firm offers customized solutions, including wealth management, retirement planning, and more, to its client base.

WeatherFlow-Tempest: Weather Technology Company Raises $3 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:19 PM

WeatherFlow-Tempest - a leader in weather technology and environmental monitoring solutions - announced a growth financing round, raising $3 million from WindSail Capital Group.

Movopack: £2 Million Raised To Provide E-Commerce Companies With Sustainable Packaging

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:09 PM

Movopack - a company providing e-commerce platforms with circular and sustainable packaging - announced it has raised a £2 million ($2.5 million) seed funding round led by early-stage investor 360 Capital, with participation from Greiner Innoventures and Techstars.

Wave Neuroscience: Breakthrough Device Designation Received For PTSD Treatment MeRT

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:06 PM

Wave Neuroscience, a leader in personalized non-invasive neuromodulation technology, announced that its proprietary Magnetic EEG Resonance Therapy (MeRT) system has received Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adjunctive treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

LPL Brings In $250 Million Advisor James Norris

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:05 PM

LPL Financial announced that financial advisor James P. Norris, MBA, APMA, of Argosy Financial, has joined its broker-dealer, RIA, and custodial platforms. He reported serving approximately $250 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets and joins LPL from Centaurus Financial.

Withings And French Government Investing €20.7 Million To Advance Preventative Digital Healthcare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:03 PM

Withings announced it is taking a significant step toward reshaping preventative healthcare. Backed with €20.7 million (about $22.5 million) investment and support from the French government through the France 2030 initiative, the company is launching Project DEEP (DEvice as a hEalth Prevention platform). This initiative aims to utilize AI and medical device innovation to advance early detection and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases and accelerate the digital and prevention transition of healthcare systems worldwide.

Mercer Advisors Brings In $110 Million All-Woman Advisory Team Frango Financial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 1:00 PM

Mercer Global Advisors, a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), announced the acquisition of Frango Financial. Frango is an RIA that delivers comprehensive financial planning services to working professionals primarily in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina. Managing about $110 million in client assets, Frango is dedicated to guiding individuals and families to make informed financial decisions.

Nurture Boss: $4.025 Million Raised To Enable Apartment Owners And Operators To Convert More Prospects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:59 PM

In Revenue Capital announced it has joined a $4.025 million Series A funding round for Nurture Boss, a rapidly growing company with an advanced AI solution for the multifamily housing sector. The funding was led by AZ-VC and with participation from current investor PHX Ventures.

Miracle Mile Advisors Signs Strategic Partnership With Offit, Bringing AUM To $7.4 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:57 PM

Miracle Mile Advisors - an registered investment advisor (RIA) offering highly customized wealth management services to high-net-worth clients, announced a strategic partnership with Offit Advisors in Maryland, which expands Miracle Mile’s East Coast presence and brings its assets under management (AUM) to $7.4 billion as December 1.

Tuskira: Threat Defense Platform Company Raises $28.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:00 AM

Tuskira - a threat defense platform utilizing an AI-powered security mesh - announced it has launched out of stealth mode with $28.5 million in funding. The funding round was led by Intel Capital and SYN Ventures, with participation from Sorenson Capital, Rain Capital, Wipro Ventures, and other key industry leaders.

Crescent Energy Buying Eagle Ford Assets For $905 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:59 AM

Crescent Energy Company announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Eagle Ford assets from Ridgemar Energy for an upfront consideration of $905 million plus future oil price contingent consideration, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

Quino Energy: Interview With Founder & CEO Eugene Beh About The Grid Energy Storage Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:58 AM

Quino Energy is a company that is scaling up an aqueous flow battery that uses specially designed reactants called quinones that are dissolved in water. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Quino Energy, founder and CEO, Eugene Beh to learn more about the company.

Trinity Guardion: Hospital Bed Hygiene Solutions Company Raises $6 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:58 AM

Trinity Guardion, a leader in hospital bed hygiene solutions, announced the completion of a $6 million financing, including new funding of $3.5 million in a Series B funding round. This investment is aimed at accelerating the production and commercialization of the innovative Soteria Bed Barrier System. Queen City Angels led this funding round, and other investors included Tamiami Angel Fund, Market Street Ventures, and RKCA.

Prompt Security: GenAI-Based Security Company Raises $18 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 3, 2024

Prompt Security, a leader in Generative AI (GenAI) Security, announced that it secured $18 million in Series A funding led by Jump Capital, with participation from Hetz Ventures (which doubled down on their initial investments), Ridge Ventures, and significant tech companies Okta and F5. Prompt Security will utilize the new funding to further its mission to protect enterprises from GenAI threats while offering clear visibility into and governance over GenAI tools.