Innovation

ElevenLabs: $100 Million Employee Tender Offer Launched At $6.6 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

ElevenLabs has announced a $100 million employee tender offer, enabling team members to realize liquidity at a company valuation of $6.6 billion—twice the value of its Series C round just nine months ago. The offer is led by existing investors Sequoia and ICONIQ, with additional participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Smash Capital, World Innovation Lab, and other insiders. This move reflects strong investor confidence in ElevenLabs’ trajectory and long-term vision.

Leaf Home Buys Erie Home For Building Large Direct-to-Consumer Residential Services Provider

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Leaf Home has announced the acquisition of Erie Home, bringing together two of the most prominent names in the direct-to-consumer home improvement space. This strategic move significantly expands Leaf’s footprint and capabilities, establishing the combined entity as the most extensive residential services and products provider of its kind across North America.

Unrivaled: Series B Raised At $340 Million Valuation For Professional Women’s Sports League

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Unrivaled, the professional women’s sports league presented by Samsung Galaxy, has announced the closing of its oversubscribed Series B investment round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. The round brings the league’s valuation to $340 million—an extraordinary milestone for a startup league founded just two years ago. This latest funding round reflects growing investor confidence in Unrivaled’s athlete-first model and its potential to redefine the landscape of professional sports.

Hexagon Selling Design & Engineering Division To Cadence For €2.7 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Hexagon has announced a definitive agreement to divest its Design & Engineering business, including the legacy MSC Software operations, to Cadence Design Systems for approximately €2.7 billion. The deal aligns with Hexagon’s broader strategy to streamline its portfolio and concentrate future investments on core segments where it holds market-leading positions.

Rockbridge: Equity Fund III Fund Closed At Over $360 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Rockbridge Growth Equity Management has announced the successful close of its third flagship fund, RB Equity Fund III and RB Equity Fund III-A, with total commitments exceeding $360 million. This close marks a significant milestone for the Detroit-based private equity firm, bringing its total assets under management to more than $1.7 billion.

Shine Capital: Ethan Daly Promoted To General Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Shine Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the promotion of Ethan Daly to General Partner. Daly, who joined Shine in 2020 as its first hire, has played a significant role in shaping the firm’s investment strategy and supporting its portfolio companies.

White Star Capital: $50 Million North American Seed Fund Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

White Star Capital has announced the first close of its new $50 million North American Seed Fund, securing $25 million in initial commitments. The fund is anchored by Fonds de solidarité FTQ and joined by several other limited partners, including Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins (CRCD), Fonds québécois d'amorçage Teralys backed by La Caisse, and TD Innovation Partners, a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

MCatalysis: Seed Funding Raised For Microwave Catalysis Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

MCatalysis, a deep tech startup focused on sustainable fuels and chemicals, has announced the closing of its seed funding round led by HL Energy Ventures (HLEV). The funding will advance the development and commercialization of MCatalysis’s proprietary microwave catalysis technology, which is exclusively licensed from Oxford University Innovation (OUI), the tech transfer arm of the University of Oxford.

Higgsfield: $50 Million Series A Raised To Transform AI Video Creation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Higgsfield.ai, a rapidly growing company specializing in AI for video creation, has announced the successful close of its $50 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by GFT Ventures and joined by a group of firms, including BroadLight Capital, NextEquity Partners, AI Capital Partners, Menlo Ventures, Alpha Square Group, and other strategic backers.

QuEra: $230 Million Series B Expanded With NVentures Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

QuEra Computing, a developer of neutral-atom quantum computers, has announced an additional investment from NVentures (the venture capital arm of NVIDIA). This latest funding expands QuEra’s $230 million Series B round, which was first unveiled in February 2025 and included participation from Google. The round further strengthens QuEra’s position at the intersection of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cloud infrastructure.

iRegene Therapeutics: $40 Million Secured For Advancing Parkinson’s Cell Therapy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

iRegene Therapeutics, a biotechnology company based in Chengdu, China, has announced the completion of its Series B+ financing round, securing over RMB 300 million (about $40 million). The round was co-led by Northern Light Venture Capital, Chuangjing Capital, and OneHealth Haihe Capital, with additional support from other investors.

Solowin: $350 Million AlloyX Acquisition Finalized

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Solowin Holdings has officially closed its $350 million acquisition of AlloyX Limited, a stablecoin infrastructure provider known for its enterprise-grade technology and global payment capabilities. The deal marks a significant step forward in Solowin’s ambition to build a unified financial ecosystem centered on stablecoins, integrating AlloyX’s platform into its regulated financial services network. With this move, Solowin is positioning itself to rapidly expand into emerging markets, including the UAE, ASEAN, and Africa.

Stronghouse Solutions Buying Remodeling Services Company Centurion Exteriors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Stronghouse Solutions, a national leader in roofing and exterior services, has announced the acquisition of Centurion Exteriors, a well-regarded provider of roofing, windows, and exterior remodeling services based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The deal, backed by O2 Investment Partners, marks Stronghouse’s second acquisition of 2025 and continues its rapid expansion since its founding in 2021.

Rogo Buying AI-Based Spreadsheet Company Subset

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Rogo Technologies, the AI platform trusted by leading investment banks, has announced its acquisition of Subset, an AI-powered spreadsheet company backed by Index Ventures. The deal marks a significant step in Rogo’s mission to transform financial modeling by embedding intelligent spreadsheet agents directly into the workflows of bankers and investors.

Huron Buying Wilson Perumal & Company To Enhance Strategy And Operations Consulting Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Huron has announced the acquisition of Wilson Perumal & Company (WP&C), a strategy and operations consulting firm renowned for its expertise in managing complexity to enhance organizational efficiency, profitability, and growth. This strategic move expands Huron’s ability to help clients navigate disruption and drive bold transformation agendas.

Qualus Buying dk Engineering For Expanding Power Infrastructure Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Qualus has announced the acquisition of dk Engineering, a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm based in Walnut Creek, California. This strategic move strengthens Qualus’ position as a leading pure-play power solutions provider and expands its footprint across the western United States.

Boomerang Medical: $20 Million Series B Raised To Advance Pivotal Trial in Ulcerative Colitis

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Boomerang Medical, a women-led innovator in bioelectronic medicine, has announced the closing of a $20 million Series B financing round co-led by Arboretum Ventures and Hatteras Venture Partners.

Signal Hill Equity: Strategic Investment In Kluber Architects + Engineers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Signal Hill Equity Partners has announced a strategic investment in Kluber Architects + Engineers, an established architecture and engineering firm based in Aurora, Illinois. This partnership marks a significant step in Signal Hill’s ongoing effort to build a robust, national platform focused on delivering architecture, engineering, and design services across key social infrastructure sectors.

NuGen Capital: $100 Million Commitment To Advance U.S. Solar And Storage Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

NuGen Capital Management, a national leader in energy development and capital solutions, has announced a new $100 million investment into near-term and operating solar and storage projects across the US.

CIM Group: $132.5 Million Loan Closed For Supporting Santander Tower’s Mixed-Use

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

CIM Group, through its CIM Real Estate Debt Solutions business and on behalf of a CIM-managed fund, has closed a $132.5 million whole loan to Pacific Elm Properties to recapitalize Santander Tower, a landmark high-rise in Downtown Dallas.

SkyFi: Andrew Canales Appointed As Chief Revenue Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Geospatial platform SkyFi has announced the appointment of Andrew Canales as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). In this role, Canales will lead global revenue strategy across government and enterprise markets, overseeing SkyFi’s sales and business development teams as the company expands its reach and impact.

Motion: $60 Million Raised At $550 Million Valuation For Scaling Agentic Work Suite

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Motion, a company focused on agentic work platforms for SMBs, has announced a combined $60 million raise across its Series B, Series C, and Series C2 rounds, bringing total funding to $75 million and valuing the company at $550 million.

CoinShares Going Public Via $1.2 Billion SPAC Merger With Vine Hill Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

CoinShares International, Europe’s leading digital asset manager with roughly $10 billion in assets under management, has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Vine Hill Capital Investment, a publicly traded SPAC listed on NASDAQ. Once the transaction is complete, CoinShares will become publicly listed in the United States under a newly formed entity, Odysseus Holdings Limited.

Public Acquiring Tornado’s Retail Brokerage Accounts

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Trading and investing platform company Public has acquired the retail brokerage accounts of Tornado, an AI-powered financial technology company serving institutional investors. As part of the transaction, more than 85,000 Tornado brokerage customers will transition to Public, gaining access to a broad suite of asset classes and advanced investing tools.

Cox Automotive Buying Alliance Inspection Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

As Manheim commemorates its 80th year in the wholesale automotive industry, Cox Automotive is making a decisive move to reshape the future of vehicle inspections and elevate the wholesale marketplace. The company has acquired full ownership of Alliance Inspection Management (AiM), a longtime partner and recognized leader in vehicle inspection services.

Guidewell Education: Strategic Investment Raised From Eagle Merchant Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Global education company Guidewell Education has received a strategic growth investment from Eagle Merchant Partners. This partnership marks a significant milestone in Guidewell’s evolution, positioning the company to accelerate its expansion and deepen its impact on students worldwide.

Accion: $61.6 Million Fund Closed To Invest In Early-Stage Fintechs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Accion, a global nonprofit focused on financial inclusion, has announced the final close of its second early-stage fintech fund, Accion Venture Lab Fund II, LP, now rebranded as Accion Ventures. The $61.6 million fund will be deployed to support innovative fintech startups that are building solutions for underserved populations across the globe. This marks a continuation of Accion’s decade-long strategy of combining social impact with venture capital discipline to catalyze inclusive financial systems.

Morgan Stanley: JPY131 Billion Closed For Japan-Focused Real Estate Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI), the private real estate investment arm of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, has announced the final close of its inaugural North Haven Real Estate Japan Strategy Fund I (JSF), raising JPY131 billion—approximately US$900 million. This total significantly surpasses the fund’s original target of JPY75 billion (around US$500 million), reflecting strong investor confidence in the firm’s Japan-focused strategy.

Walker & Dunlop: $68 Million In HUD Financing Secured

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Walker & Dunlop has announced the origination of $68.3 million in HUD 232/223(f) loans to refinance seven skilled nursing facilities across Illinois and Wisconsin. The transaction was arranged by the firm’s FHA Finance team, led by Joshua Rosen, Brad Annis, and Johnny Rice, and leverages HUD’s long-term, fixed-rate, non-recourse financing structure. This approach enabled borrowers to replace short-term, variable-rate debt with more stable and predictable capital, thereby enhancing the financial resilience of their healthcare portfolio.

Forward Industries: $1.65 Billion Private Placement For Launching Solana-Focused Digital Asset Treasury Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 9, 2025

Forward Industries has announced a $1.65 billion private placement in cash and stablecoin commitments, marking a pivotal shift toward a Solana-centric digital asset treasury strategy. The PIPE (private investment in public equity) round is led by Galaxy Digital, Jump Crypto, and Multicoin Capital—three of the most influential players in the crypto space. C/M Capital Partners, LP, one of Forward’s largest existing shareholders, also participated.