Pulse 2.0

Anduril Raises $5 Billion Series H At $61 Billion Valuation For Defense Industrial Expansion

OpenAI Confirms Deployment Company Launch With More Than $4 Billion Backing, Acquires AI Consulting Firm Tomoro

Signant Health: Acquisition Of Ametris Creates End-To-End eCOA And Digital Outcome Measures Platform

Optura: $17.5 Million Series A Raised To Scale Healthcare ROAI Platform

Ampa: Oversubscribed Financing Accelerates Rollout Of Portable Depression Treatment Platform

Akamai Technologies: $205 Million Acquisition Of LayerX Advances AI Workforce Security Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:55 AM

Akamai Technologies announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LayerX for approximately $205 million, advancing its workforce security strategy with AI usage control capabilities.

Elemental Royalty: C$327 Million Acquisition Of Vizsla Royalties Expands Exposure To Panuco Silver-Gold Project

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:52 AM

Eight Directions Technology Limited announced that it entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Quartzsea Acquisition Corporation in a proposed SPAC transaction that implies a pre-money equity valuation of approximately $515 million.

NAB Acquires Banked To Expand Real-Time Payments Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:41 AM

National Australia Bank announced it has acquired Banked, a fintech company that enables businesses and customers to make and receive payments instantly through account-to-account payment technology.

Bragg Gaming Group: $9 Million Drayton International Acquisition Accelerates Games-First Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:34 AM

Bragg Gaming Group announced it has entered into a binding term sheet to acquire Drayton International in a transaction valued at approximately $9 million, marking a major step in the company’s transition toward a games-first iGaming strategy.

Arcadea Group Acquires Brazilian Healthcare Software Company Sofis

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:31 AM

Arcadea Group, a long-term investor in global software businesses, announced the acquisition of Sofis, a provider of mission-critical software for Brazil’s healthcare sector focused on hemotherapy and cell therapy.

Relation Insurance: Crop Insurance Brokerage Acquisition Expands California Grower Presence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:29 AM

Relation Insurance Services announced it has acquired the assets of Crop Rx Insurance Services, LLC. The transaction became effective on March 31, 2026, and financial terms were not disclosed.

Boyne Capital: New Platform Investment In Fragrance Company YZY Fragrances

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:28 AM

Boyne Capital announced that one of its affiliates has made a new platform investment in YZY Fragrances, a branded fragrance company specializing in perfumes, colognes, and body mists.

Mako Capital Group: Vanessa Gabela Joins As Partner And Head Of Investor Relations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:25 AM

Mako Capital Group announced that Vanessa Gabela has joined the firm as Partner and Head of Investor Relations. In this role, Gabela will lead the firm’s capital formation initiatives, oversee relationships with current and prospective investors, support the firm’s institutional growth strategy, and serve on Mako’s Investment Committee.

Resurrect Bio: $10.3 Million Oversubscribed Series A Raised To Accelerate Crop Disease Resistance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:24 AM

Resurrect Bio, a biotechnology company developing disease-resistant crops through gene editing, announced the final close of its Series A funding round at $10.3 million, oversubscribed from the company’s previously announced $8.1 million initial close in February 2026.

Brown University-Backed Ocean State Labs Opens As Rhode Island’s First Life Sciences Startup Incubator

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:21 AM

Ocean State Labs, Rhode Island’s first life sciences startup incubator, officially opened with support from Brown University and several public and private sector partners.

Synthetic: $10 Million Seed Raised For AI Bookkeeping Platform For Software Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:13 AM

Synthetic announced it has raised $10 million in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures. Additional participants in the round included Basis Set Ventures along with operator-investors Tobi Lütke, Kaz Nejatian, Zach Abrams, Cosmin Nicolaescu, and Michael Tannenbaum.

Degron Therapeutics: $40 Million Series A Extension Closed To Support Molecular Glue Degrader Clinical Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:11 AM

Degron Therapeutics announced the closing of a $40 million Series A Extension financing round to support the continued clinical development of its molecular glue degrader pipeline. The financing round was led by LAPAM CAPITAL, with participation from GTJA Investment Group, Fortune Capital, CSPC & Growth, ApicHope, GF Xinde, CASSTAR, Kinghall Ventures, and GAGE Capital. The latest financing brings the total capital raised by Degron Therapeutics to $95 million.

GridCARE: $64 Million Series A Raised To Create New ‘Power Acceleration’ Category For AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:09 AM

GridCARE announced it has raised a $64 million oversubscribed Series A round to accelerate what the company describes as a new category called “Power Acceleration” for AI infrastructure. The financing was led by Sutter Hill Ventures, with participation from John Doerr, along with utility and institutional investors including National Grid Partners, Future Energy Ventures, Emerson Collective, Stanford University, and existing investors including Xora, Aina Ventures, Overture, Acclimate Ventures, and Clearvision Ventures.

Stratos Wealth: $4.8 Billion In Client Assets Added With Acquisition Of 11 Partner Practices

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 10:07 AM

Stratos Wealth Holdings announced it has completed the acquisition of 11 partner advisory practices representing approximately $4.8 billion in total client assets as of December 31, 2025. The transactions were underway before SEI made its strategic investment in the business and reflect Stratos’ strategy of investing in partner advisory firms to support growth, improve enterprise value, and create long-term succession pathways.

Aistra Acquires Controlling Stake In Veracity Services To Expand Finance And Accounting Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:59 AM

Aistra announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Veracity Services as part of a strategy to expand its AI-augmented finance and accounting business and broaden its global client base.

Lansdowne Partners: $150 Million First Close Announced For UK Innovation-Focused VC Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:57 AM

Lansdowne Partners has launched a venture capital fund focused on supporting high-potential UK companies emerging from the country’s university research base and startup ecosystem. The fund announced a first close of $150 million and is targeting a final close in December, with indicated investor interest already exceeding the fund’s $200 million cap.

Allegiant: Acquisition Of Sun Country Airlines Completed To Create Leading Leisure-Focused U.S. Airline

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:53 AM

Allegiant Travel Company announced it has completed its acquisition of Sun Country Airlines Holdings, creating what the companies describe as the leading leisure-focused airline in the United States.

Amberd.ai Partners With RL Jones To Streamline Tariff Refunds And Cross-Border Logistics Operations Using AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 9:00 AM

Amberd.ai announced a partnership with R.L. Jones Customhouse Brokers to deploy an AI decision platform designed to streamline tariff refund management and cross-border logistics operations tied to IEEPA tariff processes.

Ascentage Pharma: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Dr. Dajun Yang About The Global Hematology-Oncology Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 8:00 AM

Ascentage Pharma is a global, commercial-stage, integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, differentiated therapies to address unmet medical needs in cancer. With two approved products in China, Olverembatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Lisaftoclax for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and a growing portfolio of global clinical trials, including registrational studies cleared by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency, Ascentage Pharma is advancing treatments across hematologic malignancies including CML, CLL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), high- and intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and is also expanding its pipeline in solid tumors. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dajun Yang to learn more about the company.

Origin Lab: $8 Million Seed Raised To Turn Video Game Worlds Into AI Training Data

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:33 AM

Origin Lab, the technology platform turning licensed video game worlds into structured training data for world models and multimodal AI, announced an $8 million seed round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Credibly: Over $260 Million In New Financing Secured To Accelerate SMB Financing Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:31 AM

Credibly announced that it secured more than $260 million in new financing to strengthen its capital base and support continued growth in small and medium-sized business financing.

Stitch: $25 Million Raised For Financial Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Today at 7:29 AM

Stitch announced it has raised $25 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, marking the venture firm’s first investment in the GCC region. The funding round brings Stitch’s total funding to $35 million. Existing investors Arbor Ventures, COTU Ventures, Raed Ventures, and SVC also participated in the round.

UPM: Ray Technology IP Acquisition Expands Bio-Based Glycols Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:32 PM

UPM announced it has acquired the intellectual property related to Ray Technology from Avantium, expanding its portfolio of bio-based glycols technologies and strengthening its position in renewable chemicals production.

Mantle8: €31 Million Raised For Natural Hydrogen Exploration And Drilling Campaign

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:31 PM

Mantle8 has raised €31 million in Series A funding to advance its proprietary technology platform and launch a global exploration and drilling campaign aimed at identifying the first commercially exploitable reservoir of high-purity natural hydrogen.

Mann Lake: Apis Biologix Acquisition Advances Honey Bee Nutrition Science

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:29 PM

Mann Lake announced the acquisition of Apis Biologix, the developer of the Bio-Activator and BIO-Metabolic-Fuel nutritional supplements widely known among beekeepers as “Canadian Rocket Fuel.” The deal brings Apis Biologix’s proprietary bee nutrition science fully under the Mann Lake umbrella and is expected to accelerate the development of next-generation feeding solutions for hobbyist and commercial beekeepers.

Spark Dealer Group: Landscape Supply Acquisition Expands Presence In Central Texas

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:28 PM

Spark Dealer Group has acquired Landscape Supply, an outdoor power equipment and landscape supply business serving the Central Texas market.

KDE: €1 Million Investment From Sovereign Tech Fund To Strengthen Open Source Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:26 PM

KDE announced that the Sovereign Tech Fund is investing more than €1 million into KDE software development. The funding will be used to strengthen the structural reliability and security of KDE’s core infrastructure, including Plasma, KDE Linux, and the frameworks underlying its communication services.

NVision: $55 Million Series B Raised To Expand From Quantum Sensing Into Quantum Computing For Drug Discovery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:25 PM

NVision announced a $55 million Series B financing round as the company expands from quantum sensing into quantum computing, with the goal of accelerating the discovery and validation of new therapies. The funding round was anchored by Abbott and also included a $17 million venture loan from the European Investment Bank. Other investors participating in the round included Playground Global, Matterwave Ventures, and Entrée Capital. The new financing brings NVision’s total capital raised to $120 million.

Adaption: AutoScientist Automates Model Training And AI Research Loops

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:24 PM

Adaption announced the launch of AutoScientist, a new system designed to automate the research and development loop behind AI model training and alignment. The company said the platform enables users to co-optimize training data and model recipes automatically, with the goal of making advanced model adaptation accessible beyond a small group of frontier AI researchers.

HBX Group Acquires Bridgify To Expand Experiences Ecosystem

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:24 PM

HBX Group has agreed to acquire 100% of Bridgify, an AI-native travel technology company focused on experiences distribution technology. The acquisition supports HBX Group’s strategy to broaden its Experiences offering while strengthening the use of AI across its operations.