Pulse 2.0

Nuveen Buying Schroders For About £9.9 Billion In Cash

Anthropic: $30 Billion Series G At $380 Billion Valuation Raised For Enterprise AI And Coding Platform

Orthofuse: Orthopaedic Medtech Company Secures £2.2 Million Seed Funding

Exact Imaging: $10 Million Raised For Prostate Cancer Detection Platform

The University Of Tulsa’s Hurricane Ventures Invests In AI Bioprocess Platform BioReact

Didero: $30 Million Secured To Automate Global Supply Chains

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:30 PM

Didero, a New York-based software company using AI agents to automate enterprise procurement, announced it has raised $30 million in a Series A financing round co-led by Chemistry and Headline, with participation from M12, Microsoft’s Venture Fund. The new capital will support product development and go-to-market expansion as manufacturers and distributors deploy Didero’s platform to reduce manual work, improve visibility, and operate more resilient global supply chains.

Karmel Capital Raises About $170 Million For AI-Focused Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 3:28 PM

Karmel Capital Management announced the final close of its newest opportunity fund and related vehicles, securing approximately $170 million in total capital commitments. The raise marks the largest fundraise to date for the San Diego-based alternative investment management firm.

Bracket: $7 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build AI-Native Treasury Infrastructure For Mid-Market Finance Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 2:56 PM

Bracket, a London-based fintech focused on modernizing treasury operations for mid-market companies, has closed a $7 million seed funding round led by Macquarie Group and Blackfinch Ventures, with existing investor Failup Ventures increasing its commitment. The company said the capital will be used to accelerate its mission of delivering AI-native treasury infrastructure designed specifically for mid-sized finance teams that have historically relied on fragmented systems and manual processes.

Nour Private Wealth Expanding Into Investment Fund Management To Broaden Private-Market Access

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 2:50 PM

Nour Private Wealth announced it is expanding its multi-family office platform to include investment fund management capabilities through Nour Private Management, an affiliate of the firm. The move is designed to provide ultra-high-net-worth families with structured and curated access to private-market opportunities within NPW’s integrated advisory framework.

Open World And VerifyMe To Merge In Nasdaq-Listed Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 2:44 PM

VerifyMe, a provider of authentication and precision logistics technologies, and Open World Ltd., a blockchain infrastructure and real-world asset tokenization platform, have signed a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger. The transaction is designed to create a Nasdaq-listed, institutional-grade real-world asset tokenization company focused on regulated digital asset infrastructure.

Manufact: $6.3 Million Seed Funding Raised To Power MCP-Based Agents And ChatGPT Apps

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 2:35 PM

Manufact, the infrastructure platform for AI agents built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), has raised $6.3 million in seed funding to accelerate its development and expand its team amid rising global developer demand. The round was led by Peak XV, with participation from Liquid 2 Ventures, Ritual Capital, Pioneer Fund, Y Combinator, and several angel investors, including the co-founder and COO of Supabase.

The Idea Village: Interview With CEO Jon Atkinson About The Startup Support Nonprofit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 2:30 PM

The Idea Village is a New Orleans-based nonprofit that builds and supports a thriving startup ecosystem by providing accelerator programs, mentorship, and resources to help founders launch and scale innovative businesses, fostering economic growth in the region. Pulse 2.0 interviewed The Idea Village CEO Jon Atkinson to learn more.

Santé: Wine And Spirits Fintech Platform Raises $7.6 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:43 AM

Santé, a fintech platform serving the wine and spirits industry, announced it has raised $7.6 million in funding led by Bonfire Ventures, with participation from Operator Collective, Y Combinator, and Veridical Ventures. The company plans to use the capital to expand its sales team and develop new products tailored to grocers and other retailers with complex commercial operations.

Mayer Brown: Samuel Dibble Joins San Francisco Office As Partner In Corporate & Securities Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:39 AM

Mayer Brown announced that Samuel Dibble has joined its expanding San Francisco office as a partner in the Corporate & Securities practice, strengthening the firm’s M&A and emerging company and venture capital capabilities. Dibble joins the firm from Baker Botts LLP.

Keycard Acquires Anchor.dev To Unlock Autonomous Coding Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:37 AM

Keycard, the identity and access platform for AI agents, announced it has acquired Anchor.dev to extend its platform to govern coding agents and eliminate tradeoffs between autonomy, capability and security. The deal brings in the Anchor.dev team, a stealth startup focused on automatic certificate issuance and validation, with experience building trusted infrastructure at companies such as Cloudflare, GitHub, and Heroku.

Uptiq: $25 Million Series B Raised To Scale Industry-Ready Solutions And Launch Qore For Builders

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:31 AM

Uptiq, an AI platform purpose-built for financial services, announced it has raised $25 million in Series B funding to accelerate the rollout of its industry-ready AI applications and expand its Qore orchestration platform for developers and builders. The round was led by Curql, with participation from Silverton Partners, 645 Ventures, Broadridge, Green Visor Capital, Live Oak Ventures, First Capital, Epic Ventures, Tau Ventures, and Evolution VC.

Daypass.com: Online Travel Agency Closes $2 Million Funding Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:25 AM

daypass.com, a Mexican online travel agency focused on day-use hotel experiences, has closed a $2 million investment round to accelerate international expansion, enhance its technology platform, and strengthen its position as a marketplace for one-day hospitality services.

Hauler Hero: $16 Million Series A Raised For AI Waste Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:21 AM

Hauler Hero, an AI-powered operating system for waste management companies, announced it has raised $16 million in Series A funding led by Frontier Growth, with participation from Disruptive Founders Fund, Somersault Ventures, and several waste industry and ServiceTitan executives. The New York-based company said the new capital follows a year of rapid expansion and will be used to scale its suite of AI tools for waste haulers, which are currently in beta.

RBC Wealth Management Expands Echelon Lifestyle Services Platform For Ultra-High-Net-Worth Clients

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:16 AM

RBC Wealth Management announced the expansion of RBC Echelon, its premier platform for ultra-high-net-worth clients, with the addition of three industry-leading lifestyle services providers: a luxury travel concierge, a premium collections storage and logistics specialist, and expanded fine art advisory services that now include collectibles and appraisal support. The additions bring the curated RBC Echelon network to 16 external providers.

Backslash Security: $19 Million Series A Raised For Protecting AI-Driven Software Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:39 AM

Backslash Security has raised $19 million in Series A funding to address the fast-emerging security risks tied to AI-native software development, as enterprises increasingly adopt autonomous coding agents and large language models across their development workflows. The round was led by KOMPAS VC, with participation from Maniv and Artofin Venture Capital, as well as existing investors StageOne Ventures and First Rays Capital.

Dynamic Core Capital Partners Closes $240 Million Oversubscribed SBIC Buyout Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:36 AM

Dynamic Core Capital Partners, the rebranded identity of Dubin Clark, announced the closing of DC Small Business Fund, LP at $240 million, exceeding its original $200 million target. The firm’s inaugural Small Business Investment Company fund was oversubscribed, signaling strong investor demand for its lower middle market buyout strategy.

Big Health Secures $23.7 Million To Scale FDA-Cleared Treatments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:30 AM

Big Health announced it has secured $23.7 million in new strategic funding to accelerate the adoption of its FDA-cleared digital mental health treatments, as health systems increasingly integrate reimbursable digital care into routine practice. The company develops prescription digital therapeutics targeting some of the most common mental health conditions. Its flagship products, SleepioRx for insomnia disorder and DaylightRx for generalized anxiety disorder, are among just nine treatments cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ newly established Digital Mental Health Treatments category.

Fidelity Launches Two Active CLO ETFs: FAAA and FCLO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:21 AM

Fidelity Investments announced the launch of two actively managed exchange-traded funds that provide investors with access to the collateralized loan obligation market: the Fidelity AAA CLO ETF (FAAA) and the Fidelity CLO ETF (FCLO). The funds are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market and are available commission-free for individual investors and financial advisors through Fidelity’s online brokerage platforms.

Raynmaker: Interview With Co-Founder & President Garth Fasano About The Autonomous Sales Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:18 AM

Raynmaker provides an AI-native autonomous sales platform for small and medium-sized businesses that handles the entire sales journey—from engaging inbound leads and qualifying them to booking appointments and taking payments—using a lifelike, brand-aware voice agent 24/7. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Raynmaker co-founder and President Garth Fasano to learn more.

Praxis Group Names Tarek El Moghrabi To Lead Middle East Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:04 AM

Praxis has appointed Tarek El Moghrabi as Regional Head of Growth and Business Development for the GCC, as the firm looks to expand with rising demand for private wealth, corporate, and funds services in the Middle East. The appointment underscores Praxis’ long-term commitment to the region, where it has maintained an on-the-ground presence in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for roughly a decade.

Raymond James Brings In $730 Million Wealth Management Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:01 AM

Raymond James announced it has added a six-advisor team in Wisconsin to Raymond James Financial Services, the firm’s independent advisor channel, as it continues to expand its footprint among independent practices.

LPL Financial Onboards $420 Million Sound Wealth Advisors Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:54 AM

LPL Financial announced two financial advisors from Sound Wealth have joined the firm’s broker-dealer and Registered Investment Advisor platform, bringing an advisory practice that reported approximately $420 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets.

TRUCE Software Closes Series B For Mobile-First AI Video Telematics Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:52 AM

TRUCE Software has closed a Series B funding round to accelerate growth as it expands two recently launched product suites spanning commercial vehicle fleets and K-12 schools. Financial terms were not disclosed. The round was led by Yttrium, with participation from existing institutional investors Allomer Capital Group and New Amsterdam Growth Capital.

Alva Energy Launches With $33 Million Series A To Unlock 10 GWe Of U.S. Reactor Capacity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:50 AM

Alva Energy launched with $33 million in Series A funding led by Playground Global, positioning itself as a nuclear energy company focused on boosting power output from the existing U.S. reactor fleet to meet rising electricity demand from AI data centers and other industrial uses. The Cambridge, Massachusetts based startup said its approach offers a faster and lower cost path to expanding clean, firm power than building new nuclear plants, with a timeline and cost profile it argues can be competitive with gas fired generation.

OncoRes Medical Closes A$27 Million Private Round To Advance Elora QME Imaging System And U.S. FDA Pathway

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:47 AM

OncoRes Medical has closed an AUD $27 million private funding round to advance clinical development and regulatory milestones for its Quantitative Micro-Elastography (QME) Imaging System, Elora, as the Perth-based medical device company builds toward U.S. entry and FDA approval.

Bearing: $4.5 Million Seed Funding Raised For Scaling On The ServiceNow AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:41 AM

Bearing, a physical security operations software company built natively on ServiceNow, has closed an oversubscribed $4.5 million seed round to support team growth and accelerate product development aimed at automating physical security workflows with ServiceNow AI Agents. The round was led by AZ-VC, with continued investment from High Alpha and participation from PHX Ventures and Lightbank.

Brigade Capital Closes $1 Billion Inaugural Private Credit Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:37 AM

Brigade Capital Management announced it has closed its first dedicated private credit vehicle, the Brigade Private Credit Solutions Fund, raising over $1 billion of investable capital in an oversubscribed fund backed by a range of global institutional investors.

Garden City Equity Raises $255 Million For ‘People First’ Investment Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:36 AM

Garden City Equity, a people-first holding company focused on acquiring and growing family- and founder-owned businesses for the long term, said it has raised $255 million for its next tranche of investments. The firm targets lower middle-market businesses in the South and Southwest United States with up to $25 million of EBITDA.

Industrial Service Solutions Acquires MSHS Pacific Power Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:49 AM

Industrial Service Solutions (ISS) has acquired MSHS Pacific Power Group (MSHS PPG), an independent maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) specialist serving power generation, industrial, marine, and national security customers. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Careerminds Buys Keystone Partners, Renovo, Job Copilot, And Outplacement Australia In Multi-Company Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:49 AM

Careerminds has acquired Keystone Partners, Renovo, Job Copilot, and Outplacement Australia, assembling a portfolio of career transition and talent solutions businesses spanning North America, the UK, and Australia as it pushes to build a larger, end-to-end workforce solutions platform.