Innovation

Arrcus Reports 3x Bookings Growth And Launches AI-Policy-Aware Inference Network Fabric

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Arrcus announced a record 3x increase in bookings in 2025 across datacenter, telco, and enterprise customers, alongside the launch of its Arrcus Inference Network Fabric, a purpose-built networking solution designed to accelerate real-time and agentic AI applications.

Octopus Deploy: AI Pulse Report Warns Of Senior Developer Shortage As AI Reshapes Hiring And Productivity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Octopus Deploy has released its 2026 AI Pulse Report: AI adoption and its impact on developer productivity, finding that while AI tools are delivering measurable productivity gains for software teams, they are also accelerating a structural shift in junior hiring that could result in a senior developer shortage within the next three to five years.

Substantial Group To Be Acquired For £2 Billion By InfraVia, Liberty Global And Telefónica

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

InfraVia Capital Partners, Liberty Global, and Telefónica have agreed to acquire Substantial Group for £2 billion through their existing joint venture, nexfibre, in a move designed to create a scaled wholesale challenger in the UK broadband market.

Cherry Bekaert Acquires LA-Based CPA Firm RKE

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Cherry Bekaert announced it has acquired the business of Richardson Kontogouris Emerson LLP, a public accounting and advisory firm serving clients since 2006.

Pine Environmental Services Acquires Terratech

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Pine Environmental Services announced the acquisition of Terratech Environmental Equipment & Supplies, expanding its presence in the Arizona environmental market.

SGT Capital Closes Artificial Intelligence Co-Investment Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

SGT Capital announced the successful closing of its SGT Capital Artificial Intelligence (AI) Co-Investment Fund, which was 25% oversubscribed. The fund expands the firm’s strategy of investing in market-leading data analytics, cybersecurity, and med-tech companies, while responding to rising institutional investor demand for exposure to AI-driven business models.

Circuit: $30 Million Raised For Manufacturing And Service AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Circuit, an Austin-based company building a purpose-built AI platform for manufacturing and service organizations, announced it has raised $30 million from individual investors in one of Texas' largest angel rounds. The funding comes as manufacturers contend with increasing product complexity and a growing skills gap driven by retirements and workforce shortages.

99 Kids Holdings Raises $5 Million Series A To Relaunch THE 99 Superhero Franchise

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

99 Kids Holdings Co., a dual Canada–UAE entertainment company, announced it has closed a $5 million Series A funding round led by Exponential Ventures to reboot THE 99, the comic book and animated franchise that introduced Islam-inspired superheroes based on universal values when it first launched in 2006.

Vanguard Renewables Acquires E-Z Recycling To Expand Midwest Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Vanguard Renewables, a national leader in organics recycling and renewable energy production, announced the acquisition of E-Z Recycling, a Minnesota-based food and beverage waste recycling company. The deal strengthens Vanguard Renewables’ presence in the Midwest and adds critical depackaging capabilities to its expanding anaerobic digestion network, further enabling the conversion of food waste into renewable energy.

AF Gruppen Acquires Majority Stake In Swedish Concrete Contractor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

AF Gruppen is expanding its footprint in Sweden’s construction sector through a majority investment in a regional concrete specialist. AF Bygg Syd AB has signed an agreement to acquire 70% of the shares in H.A. Bygg Entreprenad AB, with the remaining 30% continuing to be owned by the company’s employees.

MyMiniFactory Acquires Thingiverse To Create Largest Creator-First Community

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

MyMiniFactory has acquired 100% of Thingiverse from Ultimaker, bringing together nearly 8 million users and forming what the company describes as the world's largest creator-first 3D printing platform. The transaction integrates Thingiverse into the SoulCrafted ecosystem, a movement centered on valuing, protecting, and sustainably funding human-made creative work.

Why Grab Is Buying Stash Financial For $425 Million Enterprise Value

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Grab recently announced it has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% of the equity interest in Stash Financial, a U.S.-based digital financial services company, marking a significant expansion of its global financial services ambitions.

VB Spine To Acquire Exclusive Rights To Augmedics’ AR Navigation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

VB Spine has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire exclusive rights to the xvision Spine System from Augmedics, adding augmented reality navigation to its enhanced visualization portfolio. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the coming weeks.

Exa Capital Acquires Clinical Workforce Management Platform StaffReady

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Exa Capital, a strategic long-term operator that acquires and holds enterprise software companies indefinitely, has announced the acquisition of StaffReady, a SaaS platform specializing in clinical workforce management for healthcare organizations.

Sitegeist Raises €4 Million Pre-Seed To Automate Concrete Renovation Across Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Sitegeist, a Munich-based construction robotics startup, has raised €4 million in pre-seed funding to deploy automated, AI-enabled modular robots on construction sites and address Europe’s mounting infrastructure repair backlog. The round was co-led by b2venture and OpenOcean, with participation from UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators and angel investors including Verena Pausder, Lea-Sophie Cramer, and Alexander Schwörer, alongside additional strategic backers from the construction and robotics sectors.

National Fish And Wildlife Foundation Awards $3 Million Through Southeast Aquatics Fund To Restore Freshwater Habitats

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $3 million in grants through its Southeast Aquatics Fund to restore aquatic habitats and support native freshwater species across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Rivage: €2.6 Million Pre-Seed Raised For Modernizing Payroll For Accounting Firms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

France-based payroll software startup Rivage has secured €2.6 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by Partech, marking the company’s first institutional raise since its founding in July 2025.

Newron Pharmaceuticals Secures Up To €38 Million To Advance Phase III Evenamide Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Newron Pharmaceuticals has secured up to €38 million in gross proceeds through an agreement with a group of existing and new shareholders from Europe and Asia, strengthening its financial position as it advances the Phase III ENIGMA-TRS program for evenamide in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Earthworks Industries Acquiring Minerals Recovery System IP And Appoints Chad McMillan As Strategic Advisor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Earthworks Industries announced it has entered into a binding memorandum of understanding dated February 10, 2026, to acquire 100% of the intellectual property for a minerals recovery system from Wokaura Art and Innovations Inc.

The Bland Company Raises $2.67 Million Pre-Seed Round To Replace Eggs In Food Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

The Bland Company has raised a $2.67 million pre-seed round led by Initialized Capital, with participation from Entrepreneurs First, Alumni Ventures, Transpose Platform, Behind Genius Ventures, and Vento.

AIT Worldwide Logistics Partners With Private Equity Firm Greenbriar Equity Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Supply chain solutions provider AIT Worldwide Logistics has entered into a definitive agreement to form a strategic partnership with Greenbriar Equity Group, marking a new phase of growth for the privately held logistics company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Temporal: $300 Million Series D At $5 Billion Valuation Secured For Open-Source Durable Execution Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Temporal, the open-source platform powering agentic AI applications, has raised $300 million in a Series D financing round at a $5 billion valuation as companies accelerate efforts to move AI systems from pilot projects into production environments. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sapphire Ventures. Existing investors, including Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Tiger Global Management, GIC, Madrona Venture Group, and Amplify Partners, also participated.

ChipAgents: $74 Million Closed For Agentic AI Platform For Semiconductor Design

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

ChipAgents, an agentic AI platform focused on accelerating semiconductor design workflows, announced it has closed an oversubscribed $50 million Series A1 round, bringing its total capital raised to $74 million. The round was led by Matter Venture Partners, a TSMC-backed hardtech venture capital firm, with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Micron, MediaTek, and Ericsson.

VulnCheck: $25 Million Series B Raised For Exploit Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

VulnCheck has raised $25 million in Series B financing to meet surging demand for its exploit intelligence solutions, bringing the company’s total funding to $45 million. The round was led by Sorenson Capital, with participation from National Grid Partners and existing investors including Ten Eleven Ventures and In-Q-Tel.

Certivo: $4 Million Seed Funding Raised For AI-Native Compliance Automation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Certivo, an AI-powered supply chain compliance management platform, announced it has raised $4 million in seed funding to accelerate the launch of what it describes as the AI-native compliance automation category. The round was led by Suffolk Technologies with participation from Pioneer Square Ventures and other investors.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Invests $6.3 Million In Next Generation Of Prostate Cancer Researchers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has announced a $6.3 million investment to support 31 early-career scientists through its 2025 Young Investigator Awards, reinforcing its long-standing commitment to advancing precision medicine and life-extending treatments for prostate cancer patients worldwide.

Sphinx: $7.1 Million Seed Funding Closed To Scale Browser-Native Agents For Financial Institutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Sphinx, a compliance automation platform that builds browser-native agents for financial institutions, announced it has raised $7.1 million in seed funding to expand its agent workforce and support growing demand from banks and fintechs managing anti-money laundering and onboarding operations. The round was led by Cherry Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Deel Ventures, and Singularity Capital.

QuadSci: $8 Million Series A Raised For Customer Intelligence AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

QuadSci, a predictive and prescriptive AI platform for customer intelligence, has raised $8 million in a Series A financing round to accelerate product development and expand its go-to-market operations. The round was led by Crosslink Capital, with participation from Alumni Ventures, Correlation Ventures, and angel investors Shail Jain, Peter Gibson, Tom Roloff, and Rob Eberle.

Fireplace: $1.5 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised For Prediction Market Trading Terminal Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Fireplace, a professional trading terminal for prediction markets, has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round aimed at bringing institutional-grade trading infrastructure to one of the fastest-growing asset classes in financial markets. The round was led by Frachtis, with participation from White Star Capital and several other venture capital firms and angel investors, including syndicate rounds on Legion and Echo.

Seek Labs Awarded $2 Million USDA Grant To Develop CRISPR-Based And Mutation-Resistant Avian Flu Therapeutic

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 18, 2026

Seek Labs has been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to develop a novel, mutation-resistant therapeutic for highly pathogenic avian influenza using its proprietary Programmable Target Ablation Platform. The funding is part of a broader federal effort to combat the ongoing spread of avian influenza, which has disrupted poultry production, driven up egg and poultry prices, and strained the global food supply.