Innovation

Apple: Animato’s Expertise And Intellectual Property Acquired In Structured Acqui-Hire

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Apple has quietly agreed to hire employees and license intellectual property from Animato, a startup focused on software for creating virtual avatars used in video chats and tutoring, according to a European Commission filing highlighted by MacRumors.

Innovative Industrial Properties: $45 Million Secured Term Loans Closed To Extend Debt Maturity Profile

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. announced the closing of four secured term loans totaling $44.9 million in gross proceeds. The loans have an initial term of five years, carry a fixed interest rate of 6.67%, and are secured by certain company properties.

Findd: $21 Million Growth Investment Raised For AI-Native Workforce Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Findd announced a $21 million growth investment from Unbundled Capital to accelerate expansion of its AI-native workforce management platform for frontline industries.

Redwire: $15 Million Follow-On Order From US Army Aviation Center Of Excellence For Stalker UAS Training

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Redwire Corporation announced it secured a $15 million follow-on order from the 1st Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE), for its Stalker uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to support advanced individual training. The latest award marks the third order Redwire has received from the 1st Aviation Brigade, AVCOE over the past eight months, bringing the total value of recent orders to $24.8 million.

ProEncia Biotechnology: Pre-Seed Funding Closed To Advance Next-Gen Periodontal Disease Treatment

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

ProEncia Biotechnology announced it has closed a significant pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its next-generation periodontal disease treatment pipeline.

Blank Bio: $7.2 Million Seed Raised To Advance RNA Foundation Models For Precision Oncology

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Blank Bio announced the closing of a $7.2 million seed financing alongside a strategic collaboration with PacBio to advance RNA foundation models for precision oncology applications.

RemotePass: $17.4 Million Series B Raised For Employment, Payroll, And Fintech Platform Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

RemotePass, the global employment, payroll, and spend management platform, announced it has raised $17.4 million in Series B funding led by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with participation from 500 Global and existing investors Oraseya Capital, 212 VC, Access Bridge Ventures, and Khwarizmi Ventures.

Commure: $70 Million Raised At $7 Billion Valuation For AI Healthcare Operations Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Commure, an AI platform focused on healthcare operations, announced that it raised $70 million in financing at a $7 billion post-money valuation. The funding round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Morgan Stanley, and Kirkland & Ellis.

eSIM Go: Funding Round Led By Digital Infrastructure Provider TNS Global To Expand Travel eSIM And MVNO Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

eSIM Go announced it has secured a strategic funding round led by TNS Global to support geographic expansion and accelerate growth across its Travel eSIM and MVNO offerings.

Rightbrain AI: £3 Million Raised To Help Enterprises Safely Deploy AI Across Existing Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Rightbrain AI has raised £3 million in funding to expand its enterprise AI platform designed to help organizations securely deploy and manage artificial intelligence tools across existing business systems. The round was led by NPIF II, with participation from existing investors Salica Investments and NYDIG.

Primer: $100 Million Series C Raised To Accelerate AI Payments Platform And US Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Primer announced a $100 million Series C funding round to accelerate the development of AI-powered payment infrastructure and expand its footprint in the US market.

Silverco Mining: Acquisition Of Nuevo Silver Completed To Become Newest Silver Producer

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Silverco Mining announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Nuevo Silver, becoming the newest silver producer as it adds the producing La Negra Mine in Querétaro, Mexico to its portfolio.

Novvia Group Acquires APC Packaging

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Novvia Group, a global rigid container and life sciences packaging distributor backed by Kelso & Company, announced the acquisition of APC Packaging, a Florida-based supplier of sustainable luxury beauty packaging solutions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Inszone Insurance Services: Texas Personal Lines Expansion Accelerates With Taylor Insurance Agency Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Inszone Insurance Services announced the acquisition of Kevin Taylor Insurance Agency, LLC, which operates as Taylor Insurance Agency, strengthening the company’s personal lines insurance presence in Texas and expanding its footprint in San Antonio.

IBM: AI-Powered Security Portfolio Expanded With Project Glasswing Collaboration

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

IBM announced an expansion of its enterprise security program focused on protecting organizations against AI-powered cyber threats, while also deepening its involvement in Project Glasswing, an industry initiative aimed at securing critical software infrastructure.

Blue Ocean Technologies: William Goodbody Jr. Appointed As Head Of Market Operations In Australia

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Blue Ocean Technologies announced the appointment of William Goodbody Jr. as Head of Market Operations for Blue Ocean ATS in Australia, expanding the company’s presence across the Asia Pacific region. Based in Melbourne, Goodbody will oversee operational strategy and market expansion initiatives throughout Australia and the broader APAC market as the company continues growing its institutional trading ecosystem.

Las Vegas Raiders: Michael Dell And Ari Emanuel Reportedly Join Ownership Group In Minority Stake Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

The Las Vegas Raiders are adding a new group of high-profile minority investors, including Michael Dell and Ari Emanuel, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Century Health: $5 Million Seed Raised For AI-Powered Clinical Data Abstraction Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Century Health, a health technology company applying AI to real-world clinical data for research and therapeutic development, announced an oversubscribed $5 million seed round led by Origin Ventures. Additional participants in the financing included InnovateHealth Ventures, 25madison, Next Play Ventures, 2048 Ventures, and Alumni Ventures, alongside strategic angel investors including Citeline founder Zorba Lieberman and clinicians specializing in nephrology, neurology, and ophthalmology.

AEye And MoveAWheeL Sign MOU To Explore Automotive Safety Solution

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

AEye and MoveAWheeL announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore an automotive safety solution that combines AEye’s Apollo™ long-range lidar technology with MoveAWheeL’s road-surface friction sensing platform.

Checker: $8 Million Raised For Digital Asset Infrastructure Platform Serving Financial Institutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Checker, a digital asset infrastructure company focused on stablecoin liquidity and cross-border financial services, announced it has raised $8 million in funding from Galaxy Ventures, Al Mada Ventures, and Framework Ventures.

HR Path: Latin America Expansion Accelerates With TEC360 People Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

HR consulting and HRIS solutions company HR Path announced the acquisition of TEC360 People, strengthening its presence in Latin America and expanding its regional HR transformation capabilities.

Mach Industries Acquires Exquadrum to Expand Propulsion And Energetics Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Mach Industries announced it has acquired Exquadrum, Inc., a company specializing in aerospace and defense propulsion technologies, in a move designed to strengthen its vertically integrated manufacturing and accelerate development of next-generation unmanned systems.

Use.AI: Interview With Cofounder & CEO Ihor Herasymov About The All-In-One AI Workspace

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Use.AI provides an all-in-one platform that allows users to access and compare over 25 major artificial intelligence models, such as GPT-5, Claude, and Gemini, through a single subscription and unified dashboard. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Use.AI Cofounder & CEO Ihor Herasymov to learn more.

Fitness Ventures Beomces Largest Crunch Fitness Franchisee Following 22-Location Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Fitness Ventures announced the acquisition of 22 Crunch Fitness locations from Harman Fitness, expanding its footprint to 115 locations across 30 states and making it the largest franchise operator in the Crunch Fitness system.

Bird-X: Symterra Acquisition Expands EMF Bird Deterrent Technology Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Bird-X announced the acquisition of Symterra, the developer of the patented Symterra Pulse™ bird deterrent system, expanding Bird-X’s portfolio of technology-driven bird control solutions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Financial Planning Partners Announces $90 Million Merger With Encore Financial

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Encore Financial, an independent financial advisory firm and member of the Affiliated Advisors network, announced that Financial Planning Partners, led by veteran financial advisor Joan Gilles, has joined the firm. The merger adds approximately $90 million in assets under management to Encore from Cetera and represents a major milestone for both organizations as they align around a shared focus on client-centered financial planning.

7RIDGE: Fidelity International Strategic Ventures Portfolio Acquisition Expands Financial Markets Technology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

7RIDGE, a specialist investor focused on financial markets infrastructure and technology, announced the acquisition of the Fidelity International Strategic Ventures (FISV) portfolio of financial technology investments from Fidelity International, a global asset manager.

Dentons: Hong Kong Intellectual Property And Technology Practice Expanded With Key Partner Additions

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Dentons announced the expansion of its Intellectual Property and Technology practice in Hong Kong with the addition of Loke-Khoon Tan, Dominic Edmondson, and Maria Joannides Smith to its partnership and leadership team. The trio joins from Baker McKenzie and is expected to strengthen the Firm’s capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

Yahoo Finance: AlphaSpace Launches Professional-Grade Investment Platform For Retail Investors

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Yahoo Finance announced the launch of AlphaSpace, a new premium investment platform designed to give everyday investors access to professional-grade research tools through a fully customizable interface. The platform combines market data, charting, news, analysis, portfolios, alerts, and AI-powered assistance into a unified workspace aimed at helping investors make faster and smarter decisions.

Bank First: $202.9 Million Acquisition Of PSB Holdings Expands Wisconsin Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 21, 2026

Bank First Corporation announced it has signed an agreement to acquire PSB Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Peoples State Bank, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $202.9 million. The deal combines two Wisconsin-based community banking institutions and expands Bank First’s presence across North Central Wisconsin and the greater Milwaukee area.