Innovation

Kincell Bio: $22 Million Raised For Cell Therapy Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Kincell Bio announced the completion of a $22 million round led by new investor NewSpring Capital through its dedicated healthcare strategy NewSpring Healthcare. The funding round was also led by existing investor Kineticos Life Sciences.

Vivo Capital: Public Fund Closed With Over $740 Million In Commitments

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Vivo Capital—a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on healthcare and life sciences—announced it has closed the third cycle of its Vivo Opportunity Fund and its affiliates with over $740 million in commitments. The Public Fund invests in preclinical and clinical-stage life sciences businesses that are developing or commercializing novel therapies for unmet medical needs.

Lilly To Expand Purdue University Collaboration With Up To $250 Million Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Eli Lilly and Company and Purdue University recently announced a significant expansion of their long-time alliance, with Lilly’s planned investment of up to $250 million in the collaboration over the next eight years. And this deal, which has the potential to be the largest ever industry-academic agreement of its kind in the US, will look to advance innovation in the pharmaceutical pipeline.

Verdi: C$6.5 Million Raised For Automating Legacy Farm Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Verdi, a company making irrigation automation accessible to every farm, announced it has raised $6.5 million CAD ($4.7 million USD) in its latest oversubscribed seed round, bringing the total funding to $9.5 million. The funding round was led by SVG Ventures, with participation from NEC X, Ponderosa Ventures (a member of Galvanize Climate Solutions' platform), Elemental Impact, GenomeBC, One Small Planet, Waterpoint Lane, Dangerous Ventures, VentureUs, Echo River Capital, Cyan Ventures, Jetstream, and Baker Hall Capital.

Renown Capital Partners: $250 Million In Anchor Capital Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Renown Capital Partners—an investment firm focused on growth-stage technology companies helping to secure an efficient, affordable, and reliable energy system—announced it has formally launched. Renown is a spinout of Moore Capital Management, which has provided $200 million of anchor capital. The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) has committed an additional $50 million of anchor capital.

Granite Creek: Matt Morgan Named As Director Of Business Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Granite Creek Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private investment firm, announced the appointment of Matt Morgan as Director of Business Development. With over 20 years of leadership experience in agribusiness, Morgan will focus on sourcing investment opportunities to support the firm’s agribusiness strategy and portfolio company activities.

Rippling: $450 Million Raised At $16.8 Billion Valuation For Workforce Management System

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Human resources software company Rippling recently announced it has raised $450 million at a $16.8 billion valuation. This financing includes investment from Elad Gil, Sands Capital, GIC, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Baillie Gifford, and Y Combinator, along with participation from existing investors. There was no lead investor in this funding round.

Ben Marchionna: Interview With Michigan’s First Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Ben Marchionna serves as the State of Michigan's first-ever Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). And his goal is to lead the supercharging of Michigan's innovation economy, leading strategy, building connective tissue, and driving bold action across founders and their startups, investors, universities, corporations, and government. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Ben Marchionna to learn more about his roles.

Interview With Syniti CEO Kevin Campbell About The Enterprise Management Software Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Syniti, part of Capgemini, creates enterprise management software for complicated data transformations. Following its acquisition by Capgemini, at the end of 2024, the team will reinforce the Group’s data-driven digital core business transformation services, notably large-scale SAP transformations, such as the move to SAP S/4HANA, Pulse 2.0 interviewed Syniti CEO, Kevin Campbell, to learn more about the company.

Theom: $20 Million Series A Raised For Transforming Data Governance And Security

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Theom, an AI-native Data Operations Center (DOC) platform that automates AI and data governance and security, announced it has raised $20 million in Series A funding. Wing VC led the round, which also included Sentinel One, Snowflake, and Databricks.

Kanoo Pays: Interview With Founder & Chairman Nicholas Rees About The Digital Wallet Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Kanoo is a Super App that connects businesses with users and offers an integrated digital wallet, allowing you to send and receive money anywhere in The Bahamas. With Kanoo, transactions are no longer a hassle. Our digital wallet is a safer and more convenient cashless option. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Kanoo Pays founder and Chairman Nicholas Rees to learn more about the company.

Olio: $11 Million B Round Raised For Streamlining Care Coordination Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Olio, a leading software platform streamlining care coordination, announced the closing of an $11 million Series B funding round. The funding round was led by Fulcrum Equity Partners with participation from Mutual Capital Partners (MCP).

Church & Dwight Buying Touchland Brand For Up To $880 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Church & Dwight announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Touchland brand for $700 million at closing, consisting of cash and Church & Dwight restricted stock, and a payment up to $180 million contingent on the achievement of Touchland’s 2025 net sales for a total purchase price of up to $880 million.

Polar Asset Management Partners Buying Castlefield Associates

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Polar Asset Management Partners (a leading multi-strategy hedge fund manager based in Toronto) announced that it acquired Castlefield Associates. Castlefield is a relative value systematic futures hedge fund manager founded in 2019 by Chris Schindler and partners.

TSG Consumer To Buy EoS Fitness

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

TSG Consumer Partners (a leading specialist private equity firm focused exclusively on the consumer sector) announced it has signed a definitive agreement to buy EoS Fitness, a leading US operator of High Value. Low Price. (HVLP) gyms. And EoS Chief Executive Officer Rich Drengberg will continue to head the company with his tenured leadership team and will retain a vested interest in the go-forward company.

Convergint Buying Fiber Solutions To Expand Security And AV Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Convergint, a leader in service-based systems integration, announced the acquisition of Fiber Solutions. This leading integrator specializes in designing, installing, and maintaining fiber optic, structured cabling, electronic security, and audio/video networks. Based in Fort Myers, Florida, with operations in Nashville, Tennessee, Fiber Solutions enhances Convergint’s presence in this Southeast region, expanding its capabilities in the healthcare and commercial sectors.

Inverness Graham To Buy Cognito Forms

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Inverness Graham, a Philadelphia-based buyout firm that buys innovative companies where technology transforms traditional industry, announced that it has acquired Cognito Forms, a growing SaaS-based provider of low-code / no-code workflow automation solutions.

Arkestro: $36 Million Raised For Predictive Procurement Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Arkestro, a premier Predictive Procurement Platform accelerating enterprise spend transformation, announced a strategic investment totaling $36 million. The funding was led by Altira Group and Aramco Ventures, with participation from existing investors NEA, KDT, and Activant.

Vintage Investment Partners: Leyla Holterud Named As Partner And Opens London Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Vintage Investment Partners, a venture capital platform with $4.3 billion in AUM and founded in 2003, announced the opening of its first European office in London and the appointment of Leyla Holterud as Partner to lead Vintage's further expansion across the region.

Persona AI: $27 Million Raised For Embodied AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Persona AI, a leader in embodied artificial intelligence, today announced it has closed its oversubscribed pre-seed funding round, raising $27 million. The funding round was co-led by Unity Growth and Tides Ventures, with participation from Mirae Asset Group, Invicta Growth, Fathom Fund, Embedded Ventures, Wave Function Ventures, Zero Infinity Partners, dConstruct Technologies, Goose Capital, SGH, Sound Media Ventures, Kalea Ventures, K50 Ventures, Cofounder Ventures, Tola Capital, SGA Capital, and Olive Hill Ventures, and K2 Global.

Cohere Health: $90 Million C Round Closed For Clinical Intelligence Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Cohere Health, a leader in clinical intelligence solutions for health plans and risk-bearing providers, announced it has raised $90 million in Series C funding. The funding round was led by Temasek, with continued support from Deerfield Management, Define Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, Longitude Capital, and Polaris Partners. This new investment brings Cohere's total funding to $200 million.

Nortian: $41 Million Raised At $100 Million Valuation For Producing Ultra-Pure Collagen

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Nortian, a biotech company pioneering the production of ultra-pure collagen through a proprietary and vertically integrated process, announced it has raised $41 million in a funding round (one of the largest in the collagen space) to launch its U.S. manufacturing operations and accelerate commercialization. The funding round was led by AJ Hollander, one of the world's largest hide processors and traders. Hollander features unmatched scale and security in hide sourcing, processing over 10,000 hides daily across five U.S. facilities.

Addepar: $230 Million G Round Raised At $3.25 Billion Valuation To Advance Data Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Addepar, a global technology and data platform that investment professionals depend on to make the most informed, data-driven investment decisions, announced its $230 million Series G investment round closing. The funding round was co-led by Vitruvian Partners and returning investor WestCap, with additional participation from 8VC and Valor Equity Partners. Global investor EDBI, operating under SG Growth Capital—the investment platform of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Enterprise Singapore, also joined this round as a new investor.

Dynamo Ventures: $54 Million Fund III Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 15, 2025

Dynamo Ventures announced the closing of its third fund at $54 million, more than tripling the size of its inaugural fund. The raise emphasizes Dynamo's focus on supporting early-stage founders who are reimagining how goods are made, moved, and monetized across supply chains, logistics, and the foundational industries that power the global economy.

Openlayer: $14.5 Million Series A Raised For Helping Scale Enterprises

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2025

Openlayer - a unified platform for evaluation and governance of AI systems at the enterprise level - announced a $14.5 million Series A round, led by Race Capital with participation from NXTP, KPN Ventures, Mindset, Y Combinator, Quiet Capital, and Telefonica.

Reflect Orbital: $20 Million Series A Raised For Accelerating Satellite Constellation Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2025

Reflect Orbital announced it has raised a $20 million Series A to accelerate development of its satellite constellation to deliver sunlight on demand. The funding round was led by Lux Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Starship Ventures.

RM Capital Partners: Acquisition Of ISO Solar Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2025

RM Capital Partners - a strategically positioned private equity firm focused on enabling market leaders across the infrastructure services industry - announced it has completed the acquisition of Integrated Solar Operations d/b/a ISO Solar, a leading provider of turnkey solar energy systems to residential, commercial, and government customers across Puerto Rico.

Granola: $43 Million Series B Raised For AI Workspace Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2025

Granola, an AI-based notepad that combines your typed notes with AI transcriptions, announced the launch of Granola 2.0. And Granola identified that the most valuable information in companies isn't found in static documents or wikis, but in the daily conversations happening across teams.

Wells Fargo: $20 Million ‘Open For Business Growth’ Program Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2025

Wells Fargo announced Open for Business Growth, a new $20 million philanthropic program where nonprofits enable small business owners ready to scale operations or grow revenue. Launching first in Chicago, Illinois, the program will expand to other markets across the U.S. in the coming year.

Zing Coach: Interview With Co-Founder Tanya Parfenyuk About The Fitness Products Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 14, 2025

Zing Coach has created a new generation of fitness products and personal fitness companions. And it connects to your smartphone, wearables, personal messenger, and smart TV while reviewing the data and translates it into movement actions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Zing Coach co-founder Tanya Parfenyuk to learn more about the company.