Innovation

Group14: $463 Million Series D Raised To Scale Silicon Battery Material

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Group14 Technologies has successfully finalized a substantial funding round, securing US$463 million, primarily led by SK, Inc. This financing round saw robust participation from a distinguished group of existing investors, including notable names such as Porsche Investments, ATL, OMERS, Decarbonization Partners, Lightrock Climate Impact Fund, and the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund.

Litespeed Racing: Interview With Founder & CEO Patrick Warren About The Ultra-Lightweight Wheels Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Litespeed Racing manufactures ultra-lightweight wheels for both street and race cars. The company specializes in using forged magnesium alloys and carbon fiber to create high-performance wheels that are lighter than traditional aluminum or even some carbon fiber wheels. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Litespeed Racing founder and CEO Patrick Warren to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Chowbus: Interview With CEO Linxin Wen About The Restaurant Streamlining Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Chowbus is a restaurant technology company that provides various services, primarily focusing on streamlining restaurant operations and enhancing the customer experience. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Chowbus CEO Linxin Wen to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

GoalVest: First Close Of Venture Growth Fund II Targeting $50 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

GoalVest Venture Capital, a female-founded division of GoalVest Advisory, has announced the first close of GoalVest Venture Growth Fund II, targeting a $50 million raise, with approximately 60 Limited Partners (LPs) participating.

Veteran Ventures: $60 Million Fund II Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Veteran Ventures Capital (VVC), a firm focused on dual-use national security technologies, has closed Veterans Fund II at $60 million, exceeding expectations. VVC-backed companies have received over $250 million in non-dilutive government funding, showcasing the firm's practical approach.

Pritzker Private Capital: $3.4 Billion Closed For PPC IV

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Pritzker Private Capital (PPC) has announced the closing of PPC IV, securing $3.4 billion in commitments, surpassing its $3 billion target and exceeding the $2.7 billion raised for PPC III in 2021.

Cerberus: Sale of ECI To Rosebank Industries Completed At $1.9 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Cerberus Capital Management has completed the sale of Electrical Components International (ECI) to Rosebank Industries for approximately $1.9 billion.

Aircards: £3 Million Growth Investment Raised For Advancing Immersive Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Aircards, a global immersive studio, has secured a £3 million growth capital investment from Foresight Group to fuel its international expansion. The funding will enhance Aircards’ offerings, including immersive content, interactive displays, and analytics, enabling deeper engagement for brands and consumers worldwide.

Cascala Health: $8.6 Million Seed Funding Secured For Advancing AI-Based Clinical Intelligence Platform For Post-Acute Care

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Cascala Health, a healthcare technology company specializing in AI solutions for care teams and post-acute care operators, has raised $8.6 million in seed financing. The funding round was co-led by Flare Capital Partners and Eniac Ventures, along with contributions from other investors, bringing total funding to $11.23 million since its launch in mid-2024.

Zed: $32 Million Series B Raised For Scaling Collaborative AI Coding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Zed Industries has raised $32 million in Series B funding, led by Sequoia Capital, bringing its total funding to over $42 million. The new funds will help enhance real-time collaboration between developers and AI agents within the code.

Functionize: $41 Million Series B Raised For Advancing AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

Functionize, an AI platform for creating software test cases, has completed a $41 million Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to over $67 million since its inception in 2015. Led by Mumford Investments and LHH Investments, with support from Canvas Ventures and Wipro Ventures, this funding will help accelerate Functionize's mission to enhance enterprise innovation by reducing repetitive tasks through self-correcting automation.

TensorZero: $7.3 Million Seed Funding Raised For Building Stack For Industrial-Grade LLM Applications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 21, 2025

TensorZero, a startup developing an open-source stack for industrial-grade large language model (LLM) applications, has secured $7.3 million in seed funding. Led by FirstMark, the round also includes Bessemer Venture Partners, Bedrock, DRW, Coalition, and several angel investors.

Lowe’s Buying Foundation Building Materials For $8.8 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Lowe's Companies has agreed to buy Foundation Building Materials (FBM) for about $8.8 billion.

Vanara Capital Launched Via Strategic Partnership With TPG

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Vanara Capital, an investment management firm focused on flexible capital solutions for growth-stage technology companies, has launched in partnership with TPG NEXT. TPG NEXT, part of TPG’s strategy to support new investment firms, will be a key anchor investor in Vanara’s inaugural fund, joining notable investors like Greg Williams, CEO of Acrisure.

Anchorage Capital Advisors: $1.5 Billion Raised for Credit Opportunities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Anchorage Capital Advisors, an investment firm with $26.1 billion focused on global credit markets, has successfully closed the Anchorage Credit Opportunities Fund IX. This fund has received $1.5 billion in commitments, exceeding its target of $1.25 billion.

Nationwide: Acquisition of Reinsurance Renewal Rights From Markel Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Nationwide, one of the largest providers of insurance and financial services products in the United States, has officially completed the acquisition of the renewal rights for the reinsurance business of Markel Insurance, which operates under the larger umbrella of the Markel Group. This significant deal was finalized in accordance with the terms of the agreement that was initially announced on July 30, 2025.

Digi Buying Jolt For About $145.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Digi International, a global leader in Internet of Things (IoT) products and solutions, has acquired Jolt Software, a prominent provider in the convenience store and food and beverage sectors, for approximately $145.5 million in cash.

Stonepeak: Middle East Renewables Platform WahajPeak Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Stonepeak, a prominent alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, has launched WahajPeak, its first renewable energy platform in the Middle East. WahajPeak will invest in utility-scale renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and battery storage, across the Gulf Cooperation Council and beyond.

Automated Industrial Robotics Buys Owens Design

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Automated Industrial Robotics (AIR) has acquired Owens Design, a Fremont, California-based industrial automation firm known for creating custom solutions in high-tech industries. This acquisition enhances AIR’s engineering capabilities across its operations in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland, allowing it to provide innovative solutions globally.

Amphenol Buying Trexon From Audax Private Equity For About $1 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Audax Private Equity, a partner for middle- and lower-middle-market companies, has agreed to sell Trexon, a designer and manufacturer of custom interconnect solutions, to Amphenol Corporation. The sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, pending standard conditions.

Fortifi To Buy Protein Processing Company Provisur Technologies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Fortifi Food Processing Solutions has announced its acquisition of Provisur Technologies, a leader in protein processing solutions. This move supports Fortifi’s goal of providing advanced automation, robotics, and software.

Arthur: Interview With Founder And CEO Christoph Fleischmann About The Enterprise AR/VR Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Arthur Technologies is a company that specializes in augmented and virtual reality solutions for enterprises with a focus on dynamic collaboration. The company enables users to conduct virtual meetings, share files and information seamlessly, and export the results with ease. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Arthur Technologies founder and CEO Christoph Fleischmann to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Nexstar Media To Buy TEGNA For $6.2 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 20, 2025

Nexstar Media Group and TEGNA have announced an agreement for Nexstar to acquire all outstanding TEGNA shares for $22.00 per share, totaling $6.2 billion, including TEGNA’s net debt and fees. This purchase price represents a 31% premium over TEGNA’s average stock price ending August 8, 2025.

Basic Capital: $25 Million Series A Raised For Helping Workers Achieve Retirement Goals

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

Basic Capital, a 401(k) platform that helps workers achieve retirement goals, has closed a $25 million Series A funding round led by Forerunner and Lux Capital. Existing investors SV Angel, Box Group, and financial leader Henry Kravis participated, along with new investors HOF Capital and Inspired Capital.

SpinLaunch: $30 Million Closed To Advance Development Of Meridian Space Constellation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

SpinLaunch has secured $30 million in funding to advance its Meridian Space low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband constellation. This investment includes contributions from existing investors, led by ATW Partners, as well as Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Space Kinetic: Investment Raised From CerraCap Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

CerraCap Ventures, a prominent early-stage venture capital firm, has invested in Space Kinetic Corp., a U.S. national security innovator based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This investment supports CerraCap's goal of enhancing solutions in space defense and strengthening America's strategic edge in a competitive global landscape.

Databricks: Series K Funding Round At Over $100 Billion Valuation Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

Databricks, a prominent player in the fields of Data and AI, has recently announced a significant development: the signing of a term sheet for its Series K funding round. This round, which is anticipated to close shortly, has garnered enthusiastic backing from existing investors and is poised to elevate the company's valuation to $100 billion or more.

IMMEC: Investment Raised From CORE Industrial Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

CORE Industrial Partners, a private equity firm specializing in manufacturing and industrial services, has made investments in IMMEC LLC and IMMEC Machine & Welding. Based in Social Circle, Georgia, and founded in 2002, IMMEC offers facility maintenance, retrofit, and renovation services to various industries, including transportation and food and beverage.

Alvarez & Marsal: Arpito Mukerji Named As Managing Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) India has appointed Arpito Mukerji as Managing Director in its Financial Advisory and Special Situations practice, where he will focus on developing the Debt Financing vertical in India.

Thompson Street Capital Partners: DDC Solutions Sold To Daikin

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 19, 2025

Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP), a private equity firm in St. Louis, MO, has sold DDC Solutions, a provider of high-density GPU cooling solutions and software, to Daikin Applied, a subsidiary of Daikin Industries. The deal terms were not disclosed.