Innovation

Wind Point Partners Closes Oversubscribed Fund XI At $3.2 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Wind Point Partners has closed its eleventh private equity fund with $3.2 billion in total commitments. The oversubscribed fund exceeded its hard cap and represents the largest fund in Wind Point’s 42-year history.

Pantheon Co-Leads €811 Million Continuation Vehicle For Safety21 And Onlineprinters

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Pantheon has co-led an €811 million multi-asset continuation vehicle for Bregal Unternehmerkapital, providing additional capital and an extended ownership period for two European portfolio companies.

University Of Toronto Joins Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Academic Partnership Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

The University of Toronto has joined Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ Academic Partnership Program, becoming the tenth institution to participate in the nuclear workforce and research initiative.

Blue Earth Capital Raises Over $200 Million For Impact Secondaries Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Blue Earth Capital has completed the second closing of its impact secondaries strategy with more than $200 million in investor commitments. New commitments came from U.S.-based investors including Builders Vision, iAlumbra Capital and Sonen Capital. They join first-close investors Proparco, the Ursimone Wietlisbach Foundation and Stella.

Circle: USDC Onchain Volume Surges 151% To $14.8 Trillion And Revenue Grows 7%

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Circle Internet Group reported significantly faster growth in USDC usage than in revenue during the second quarter of 2026 as the stablecoin expanded across trading, institutional settlement, payments, tokenized assets, and emerging AI-agent transactions.

IBM And University Of Chicago Demonstrate Quantum Advantage With 70 Logical Qubits

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

IBM and researchers from the University of Chicago have demonstrated a quantum computation that they said exceeded the practical capabilities of leading classical simulation methods while providing statistical evidence that the result was accurate. The researchers used a new error correction method to encode 70 logical qubits and complete the calculation in approximately 15 minutes.

Digital Brands Group Begins Strategic Alternatives Review, Including Potential Sale Or Merger

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Digital Brands Group has initiated a formal review of strategic alternatives intended to maximize shareholder value. The apparel and e-commerce company said it will evaluate a range of potential options, including a sale of the company, a merger or another strategic or financial transaction.

Ginkgo Bioworks Expands Autonomous Lab Network To Caltech, MIT, Maryland And Northwestern

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Ginkgo Bioworks has announced collaborations supporting four new autonomous laboratory initiatives at the California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Maryland and Northwestern University.

Microporous Secures Strategic Financing From Eagle Point And Elda River For Virginia Manufacturing Facility

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Eagle Point Credit Management has provided strategic credit financing to Microporous to support the construction of a lithium-ion battery separator manufacturing facility in Danville, Virginia. Elda River Capital also participated in the financing. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Wayy.ai Raises $2 Million Pre-Seed And Launches AI Sales Co-Founder

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Wayy.ai has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding and launched an AI-powered platform that functions as a virtual sales co-founder for solopreneurs and small business owners. The round was led by 0 to 1 Ventures and included strategic angel investor Tunç Yalgin, who previously sold his company to eBay and invested in Wayy.ai founder Leo Popov’s former business, TrueCare24. Other U.S.-based angel investors also participated.

Fly.io Raises $25 Million Series D And Appoints Scott Johnston As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Fly.io has raised $25 million in Series D funding to expand its computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence agents and appointed former Docker CEO Scott Johnston as its new CEO. The round was co-led by Dell Technologies Capital and Intel Capital, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, EQT, Geodesic and Y Combinator.

GRM Information Management Acquires FileVault To Expand Records Management Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

GRM Information Management has acquired FileVault, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based records management company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

NanoKar Therapeutics Develops Next-Generation CAR-T Platform For Multiple Cancers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

University of Utah spinout NanoKar Therapeutics is developing a technology platform intended to improve the durability, effectiveness and safety of CAR-T cancer therapies.

Multiplier Raises $35 Million Series B To Acquire Professional Services Firms And Build AI Tools

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Multiplier has raised a $35 million Series B to expand its model of acquiring specialized professional services firms and building artificial intelligence tools around their operations. The round was led by The General Partnership, with participation from Ribbit Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Disney: Disney+ Membership Ecosystem Elements To Launch In Spring 2027 As Local Originals Triple

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

The Walt Disney Company plans to reposition Disney+ as a broader membership ecosystem that connects streaming content with high-value, always-available benefits across the company’s entertainment, sports, consumer products, and physical experiences.

Eli Lilly: Mounjaro And Zepbound Generate $14.87 Billion As Volume Growth Offsets 13% Price Decline

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Eli Lilly generated approximately $14.87 billion in combined second-quarter revenue from Mounjaro and Zepbound as rapidly expanding patient demand more than offset lower realized prices.

NCR Voyix: Interview With Amit Acharya About Unified Commerce And Agentic Retail

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

NCR Voyix is a platform-powered leader in unified commerce for shopping and dining, bringing together software, payments, services, and edge-enabled execution on the Voyix Commerce Platform. Serving customers in more than 35 countries, the company empowers retailers and restaurants to accelerate new possibilities for their businesses. Pulse 2.0 interviewed NCR Voyix Head of Product for Retail Commerce Amit Acharya to learn more.

Kraft Heinz Raises Organic Sales Outlook 125 Basis Points As Incremental Investment Reaches $700 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Kraft Heinz raised its full-year 2026 organic-sales outlook after second-quarter results exceeded management’s expectations across U.S. retail, food service, and emerging markets. The company now expects organic net sales to decline between 0.5% and 2% compared with the prior year. Its previous guidance called for a decline of between 1.5% and 3.5%.

Mitsui: Core Operating Cash Flow Reaches $1.78 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Mitsui & Co. reported approximately $1.78 billion of core operating cash flow during its fiscal first quarter, even though cash provided by operating activities was only about $268 million.

Westlake: PEM Operating Income Swings $503 Million As Average Prices Rise 14%

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Westlake Corporation delivered a sharp recovery in its Performance and Essential Materials business during the second quarter of 2026 as higher polyethylene and PVC resin prices, lower energy costs, supply disruptions, and internal profitability initiatives transformed the segment’s earnings.

Lumora Raises Pre-Seed Funding To Target South Korea’s $145 Billion Industrial Solar Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Lumora has closed a pre-seed financing round to expand its industrial solar platform across South Korea. The round was led by a fund anchored by consumer goods company Yuhan-Kimberly and managed by MYSC, with participation from HGI and other strategic investors.

Moove Raises $250 Million At $2.1 Billion Valuation To Scale Autonomous Mobility Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Moove has raised $250 million in Series C funding at a $2.1 billion valuation to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet and infrastructure platform. The round was led by Mubadala Investment Company and co-led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, and Ion Pacific. BlueCrest Capital Management, Sona Asset Management and The Raptor Group also participated.

Medallia Completes Recapitalization And Secures $150 Million In New Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Medallia has completed a recapitalization agreement with its lenders, significantly reducing its outstanding debt and securing $150 million in new capital.

Obsidian Therapeutics Completes Galera Merger And $350 Million Private Placement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Obsidian Therapeutics has completed its previously announced transaction with Galera Therapeutics and closed an oversubscribed $350 million private placement.

Patelco Credit Union Invests In Payfinia And Joins CUSO Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Patelco Credit Union has made a strategic investment in Payfinia’s Credit Union Service Organization and joined its board to help shape the development of embedded and real-time payment services for credit unions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PaveMasters Secures Majority Investment From THL Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

PaveMasters has received a majority investment from THL Partners to accelerate the expansion of its pavement maintenance platform across the Western United States. Existing investor Northern Lakes Capital sold its ownership stake as part of the transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Scale Social AI Raises New Financing To Expand Enterprise Content Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Scale Social AI has raised new financing to expand its AI-native content infrastructure platform and managed programs for enterprise brands. The amount and investors were not disclosed.

Balance Theory Raises $19 Million Series A Led By SYN Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Balance Theory has raised $19 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-native platform for managing cybersecurity investments. The round was led by SYN Ventures, with participation from existing investors DataTribe and TEDCO.

Ratio Therapeutics Raises $70 Million Series C To Advance Radiopharmaceutical Pipeline

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Ratio Therapeutics has raised $70 million in Series C funding to advance its targeted radiopharmaceutical pipeline and expand its manufacturing infrastructure. The round increases the clinical-stage pharmaceutical company’s total capital raised to more than $240 million. Existing investors Duquesne Family Office and Bristol Myers Squibb participated alongside new investors Catalio Capital Management, Eli Lilly and Company, and Wasatch Group.

Terra Mobility Secures $40 Million Credit Financing From Vista Credit Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2026

Terra Mobility has secured $40 million in credit financing from Vista Credit Partners, the credit investment arm of Vista Equity Partners.