Innovation

INITIATE Ventures: $45 Million Closed For Funding Health Tech And Life Sciences Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

INITIATE Ventures announced the closing of $45 million in its debut venture capital fund and affiliated company creation platform. And INITIATE invests in and co-founds transformative companies at the intersection of healthcare, life sciences, and technology. The fund was designed to enable bold ideas and exceptional entrepreneurs, utilizing the expertise of its experienced investor-operator team.

Twine: Cybersecurity Company Raises $12 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Twine - a US and Israel-based cybersecurity company, announced $12 million in seed funding co-led by Ten Eleven Ventures and Dell Technologies Capital, with participation from angel investors including the founders of Wiz.

Citizen Health: $14.5 Million (Seed) Raised For Transforming Health Experiences

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Citizen Health, an AI-based consumer health platform designed to support 400+ million individuals managing rare and complex conditions, announced the closing of a $14.5 million seed round. This funding round was led by Transformation Capital, with participation from Wavemaker 360 and prominent angel investors. This fundraising is further strengthened by a strategic program investment and partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).

Distyl: AI-Based Automation Company Raises $20 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Distyl announced it has raised $20 million in Series A funding to drive its growth and to meet the accelerating demand from its Fortune 100 customers. This funding round adds Lightspeed Venture Partners, who led the round, and Khosla Ventures. And existing investors Coatue, Dell Technologies Capital, and Nat Friedman also joined, along with strategic and angel investors.

Osyte: $4 Million (Seed) Secured For Driving AI-Based Investment Automation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Osyte (pronounced O-Sight), the developer of an AI-based multi-asset portfolio management technology, announced the closing of its $4 million seed round. This additional funding will enable Osyte to expand its go-to-market capabilities, accelerate its AI product roadmap, and scale its client management team to meet growing demand.

Kintsugi AI: Tax Automation Platform Company Raises Series A Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Kintsugi AI, a tax automation platform, announced that it has extended its Series A with an additional investment from Airwallex, bringing the total funding to $10 million. The company’s previous investors include GSRVentures, WestWave Capital, Link Ventures, Venture Highway, KyberKnight, Plug and Play, and DeVC.

Soaak Technologies: Grant Received From The Oklahoma Center For The Advancement Of Science And Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Soaak Technologies - an industry leader in AI-driven sound frequency therapies and biodigital wellness solutions - announced it has been awarded a $497,500 grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) under its Industry Innovation Program. This non-dilutive funding supports Soaak's continued goal of providing biodigital solutions while fueling job creation and economic growth in Oklahoma.

Lightyear: Enterprise Telecom Management Company Raises $31 Million (Series B)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Lightyear, a leading provider of enterprise telecom management software, announced the completion of a $31 million Series B funding round led by Altos Ventures, with participation from existing investors Ridge Ventures, Amplo, Zigg Capital, and Susa Ventures.

Kalder: $10.5 Million Raised To Transform Customer Loyalty By Helping Brands Earn Revenue From Rewards

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Kalder announced it raised $10.5 million in funding, which includes its most recent $7 million seed round led by Javelin Venture Partners with participation from 8VC, Human Capital, Gingerbread Capital, Emergence Capital, and Formus Capital and prominent angel investors. Previously, Kalder raised $3.5 million in seed funding led by 500 Startups. Additional investors include Harry Maguire of Manchester United, Shuo Wang (Co-founder of Deel), Julius Genachowski, Board Chairman of Sonos, former FCC Chairman and board director of Mattel and Mastercard.

Class8: $22 Million (Series A) Raised To Help Carriers And Drivers With AI Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Class8 (a company that was previously recognized as FleetOps) announced it has secured $22 million in Series A funding, led by Xplorer Capital with new investor Commerce Ventures and returning partners Inspired Capital and Resolute Ventures.

Cyera: Data Security Company Raises $300 Million (Series D) At $3 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Data security leader Cyera announced a $300 million Series D round. This latest funding round was led by Accel and Sapphire Ventures, with additional participation from Sequoia, Redpoint, Coatue, and Georgian, bringing Cyera's valuation to $3 billion (a more than twofold increase in just six months). This funding round follows Cyera’s $300 million Series C round earlier this year and brings Cyera's total funding to $760 million.

Keychain: $15 Million In Funding And $500 Million In Monthly Manufacturing Projects Facilitated

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Keychain - a manufacturing platform for the packaged goods industry - announced that it has raised $15 million in new funding. The funding round was led by BoxGroup, with support from major food companies General Mills and Schreiber, and existing investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, and SV Angel.

Copernic Catalysts: Chemicals And E-Fuels Developer Raises $8 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Copernic Catalysts - a developer of novel catalysts for sustainable chemicals and e-fuels - announced it has raised an oversubscribed $8 million Series Seed Prime round. Breakout Ventures led the round, with existing investors Future Ventures and Engine Ventures and new investors like Innospark Ventures, New Climate Ventures, and Impact Science Ventures.

Alentis Therapeutics: $181.4 Million (Series D) Raised For Advancing Clinical Development Of Anti-Claudin-1 ADCs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Alentis Therapeutics - a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for Claudin-1 positive (CLDN1+) tumors and organ fibrosis - announced that it has raised $181.4 million in Series D financing, supported by a syndicate of top-tier biotech investors. The funding will support Alentis to develop a deep pipeline of CLDN1 targeted medicines for solid tumors. This funding round was led by OrbiMed with co-leads Novo Holdings and Jeito Capital. New investors Frazier Life Sciences, Longitude Capital, Catalio Capital, Piper Heartland Healthcare Capital and Avego Bioscience Capital participated in the round. And significant backing was also received from existing investor RA Capital Management, along with support from Morningside Venture Investments, BB Pureos, Bpifrance through its InnoBio 2 fund, and other early institutional investors, all of whom have been instrumental to Alentis’ development path.

Wynnchurch Capital Acquires LED Components Company Principal Industries

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Wynnchurch Capital - a leading middle-market private equity firm - announced that it has acquired Principal Industries along with Principal’s founders, Bryan and Blake Vincent, and the management team.

Wayvee Analytics: Interview With Co-Founder & CPO Alex Ovcharov About The Retail Tech Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Wayvee Analytics is a retail tech company that is offering an innovative solution for real-time Customer Satisfaction (C-SAT) and engagement monitoring in brick-and-mortar stores. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Wayvee Analytics Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Alex Ovcharov to learn more about the company.

Growth Catalyst Partners Buys Technology And Science Strategy Group InspiredMinds!

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 20, 2024

Growth Catalyst Partners - a US-based private equity firm focused on investing in information, marketing, and tech-enabled services - announced the acquisition of U.K.-based InspiredMinds! InspiredMinds! is a rapidly growing and award-winning global technology and science strategy group at the center of the AI healthcare markets.

JobGet Buys Snagajob, Bringing Reach To Over 100 Million Hourly Workers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

JobGet, a leading app-first job platform for hourly workers, announced the acquisition of Snagajob. This deal expands JobGet’s reach to over 100 million hourly workers, covering nearly the entire hourly workforce in the US.

XP Health: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Antonio Moraes About The Vision Care Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

XP Health is a digital-first vision platform focused on eye exams and eyewear, using customer-centric design and technology to make high-quality vision care more affordable, accessible, and provide a better member experience. Pulse 2.0 interviewed XP Health CEO and co-founder Antonio Moraes to learn more about the company.

Refactor: Interview With Solo Capitalist Zal Bilimoria About The Early-Stage Investment Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Refactor is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in companies in bio, climate, and hard tech innovation. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Refactor Solo Capitalist Zal Bilimoria to learn more about the company.

RIIG: $3 Million (Seed) Raised To Protect Organizations From Cyber Threats

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

RIIG, a risk intelligence and cybersecurity solutions provider, announced that it has closed a $3 million seed funding round. Led by the Felton Group—the family office of Charlottesville-based hedge fund manager Jaffray Woodriff—this funding round will accelerate the development and launch of RIIG's AI-powered solutions, expand client support, and grow its sales and marketing teams.

Robinhood To Buy RIA Management Platform Company TradePMR In $300 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Robinhood Markets agreed to acquire TradePMR, a custodial and portfolio management platform for Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs). With 25+ years in the industry and over $40 billion in assets under administration, TradePMR will enhance Robinhood’s customer offerings by delivering a top-ranked RIA custody and portfolio management platform that connects financial advisors to a new generation of investors.

Jersey Mike’s: Deal Signed With Blackstone For A Reported $8 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Jersey Mike’s Subs, a leading franchisor of fast-casual submarine sandwich stores known for fresh grilled subs, announced it has reached an agreement under which private equity funds managed by Blackstone – led by Blackstone’s most recent flagship private equity vehicle – will buy a majority ownership position in Jersey Mike’s. While the official figure was undisclosed, sources with The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was valued at $8 billion.

Matador Network: Interview With CEO Ross Borden About The Travel Adventure Brand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Matador Network is the world's number-one media brand for modern adventurers. With over 16 million followers across social media, Matador has become a leading travel brand through its production of article features, city guides, creator-first content, and original videos. It also launched the free AI travel genius GuideGeek last year. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Matador Network CEO Ross Borden to learn more about the company.

Iveda: Interview With CEO & Founder David Ly About The Smart City Digital Transformation Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Vatn Systems: Defense Technology Company Raises $13 Million (Seed)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Vatn Systems - a leading defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles for the US military and allies - announced it has raised an oversubscribed $13 million seed round, bringing total funding to $16.5 million. The funding round was led by DYNE Ventures with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures, RTX Ventures, In-Q-Tel (IQT), Propeller Ventures, SAIC Ventures, Cubit Capital, Fortitude Ventures, and existing investors that include Centre Street Partners, The Veteran Fund, Blue Collective, and Decisive Point.

Writer: Enterprise-Focused Generative AI Platform Raises $200 Million (Series C) At $1.9 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Writer, a full-stack generative AI platform for the enterprise, announced $200 million in Series C venture funding at a $1.9 billion valuation. The funding round was co-led by Premji Invest, Radical Ventures, and existing investor ICONIQ Growth, with participation from investors including Salesforce Ventures, Adobe Ventures, B Capital, Citi Ventures, IBM Ventures, and Workday Ventures. Existing investors Accenture, Balderton, Insight Partners, and Vanguard supported the funding round.

Shiru: Ingredient Discovery Company Raises $16 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Shiru - a pioneer in AI-based ingredient discovery - announced it has secured a $16 million investment round as it leads a revolution in how ingredients are discovered and developed across multiple industries.

ScaleOps: Cloud Resource Management Company Secures $58 Million (Series B)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

ScaleOps, a leader in real-time automated cloud resource management, announced $58 million in Series B funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Returning investors NFX and Glilot Capital Partners and new investor Picture Capital participated in the round, which comes just one year after its series A and follows tremendous business growth for the company. The round brings the company's total funding to $80 million.

Fort Health: $5.5 Million Raised For Expanding Mental Health Care Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 19, 2024

Fort Health, a leader in integrated behavioral health, announced that it has raised $5.5 million to expand mental health care to more pediatricians' offices. Twelve Below and Vanterra led this funding round, bringing the total amount raised to $16 million.