Innovation

Nanit: $50 Million Growth Round Funding Raised To Expand AI-Based Infant Health And Development Insights

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 17, 2025

Nanit, a New York-based baby monitoring technology company used by more than one million families, has raised a $50 million growth capital round to expand beyond sleep tracking into a broader, real-time view of infant health and early development. The financing was led by Springcoast Partners, with participation from Upfront Ventures and JVP.

RedotPay: $107 Million Series B Raised To Expand Stablecoin Payments Worldwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 17, 2025

RedotPay announced it has raised a $107 million Series B round as it scales a stablecoin-based payments platform that it says now serves more than 6 million registered users across over 100 markets. The company said the financing was oversubscribed and brings its total capital raised in 2025 to $194 million, reflecting increased investor interest in stablecoin applications that can connect blockchain rails with everyday payment experiences.

Leona Health: $14 Million Seed Funding Raised And WhatsApp AI Copilot For Doctors Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 17, 2025

Leona Health has launched what it describes as the world’s first AI co-pilot for doctors, built on WhatsApp. It is rolling it out across 14 countries and 22 specialties as it works to create a healthcare operating system, starting in Latin America.

Attivare Therapeutics: $6.6 Million Gates Foundation Grant Received To Develop Longer Lasting Malaria Vaccine

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 17, 2025

Attivare Therapeutics said it has received a $6.6 million grant from the Gates Foundation to advance a next-generation malaria vaccine designed to deliver longer-lasting protection. The Natick, Massachusetts-based company said the program will use its proprietary ATTimmune bioscaffold platform to support slow-release delivery of vaccine components, with an emphasis on affordability and deployability in low- and middle-income countries where cold-chain constraints can limit vaccine access.

Brainworks Ventures: $50 Million AI Native Fund Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 17, 2025

Brainworks Ventures has launched a $50 million AI-native venture capital fund that it says is built around what it describes as a new set of economics for companies designed from day one for artificial intelligence. The firm, led by DARPA alumnus Dr. Phillip Alvelda, said the fund is pursuing a first close of $15 million by Q1 2026, targeting a final size of $50 million with the ability to scale to $75 million.

Databricks Raising Over $4 Billion Series L At $134 Billion Valuation As Revenue Run Rate Tops $4.8 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Databricks is raising more than $4 billion in a Series L financing that values the data and AI platform company at $134 billion, as it reported passing a $4.8 billion revenue run rate during its third fiscal quarter and growing more than 55 percent year over year. The company said it achieved the growth while delivering positive free cash flow over the last year and highlighted billion-dollar run rates in both its data warehousing business and its AI products.

Eiffel Investment: €1.2 Billion Energy Transition III Fund Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Eiffel Investment Group has raised its third vintage energy transition infrastructure debt fund, Eiffel Energy Transition III, closing at its hard cap of €1.2 billion after exceeding an initial €1 billion target. The fund brings together more than 30 French and international institutional investors and is positioned as a financing tool supporting European energy sovereignty and competitiveness.

Granite Asia: Over $350 Million First Close For Pan Asia Private Credit Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Granite Asia has secured more than $350 million in a first close for Libra Hybrid, its Pan Asia private credit strategy, as the firm expands beyond its long running technology investing roots into structured credit across the region. The strategy is anchored by Temasek through its private credit platform Aranda Principal Strategies, Khazanah Nasional Berhad and the Indonesia Investment Authority, and is targeting $500 million in total commitments.

Channel3: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build Universal Product Graph For Agentic Commerce

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Channel3, a New York-based startup building what it calls a connected database of every product on the internet, has raised a $6 million seed round to expand its infrastructure for “agentic commerce,” an emerging category of AI-driven shopping experiences where software agents help consumers search, compare, and complete purchases.

Highland Electric Fleets: Up To $150 Million Equity Investment Secured

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Highland Electric Fleets has secured up to $150 million in new equity financing from Aiga Capital Partners as it prepares for a significant expansion of electric bus deployments beginning in 2026. The Beverly, Massachusetts-based company said the funding adds capacity for growth, strengthens an already strong balance sheet, and will support expansion into new markets and additional rollouts next year.

Antin To Buy NorthC From DWS In European Colocation Data Centre Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Antin Infrastructure Partners has agreed to acquire NorthC Datacenters, an enterprise colocation data centre platform in Northwest Europe, from DWS and other minority shareholders. Antin said the transaction will be executed through its Flagship Fund V and remains subject to regulatory approvals, with closing expected in the first half of 2026.

Great Point Partners Acquires Majority Stake In Lenis Group And Names Michel Vounatsos As Chairman

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Great Point Partners, a Greenwich-based healthcare-focused private investment firm, has acquired a majority stake in Lenis Group, a Slovenia-based commercialization and distribution partner for niche and specialty prescription medicines across Central and Eastern Europe. The investment is intended to support Lenis as it expands its regional footprint and broadens access to specialty therapies in markets that can be operationally complex due to varying regulatory, reimbursement, and distribution requirements.

Bolt Insight: £7 Million Raised To Scale AI-Moderated Market Research Globally

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Bolt Insight, a London-based market research company that uses AI-moderated interviews to help brands capture consumer insights, has raised a £7 million funding round led by Pembroke VCT. Pembroke invested £3.5 million, with additional participation from 212, Active Partners, Velocity, and TIBAS Ventures.

Quantum Art: $100 Million Series A Raised To Scale To Multi-Thousand Qubit Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Quantum Art has closed a $100 million Series A financing to accelerate development of its trapped-ion quantum computing platform and push toward a 1,000-qubit commercial system designed for scalable, multi-core architectures. The Ness Ziona, Israel-based company, said the round will help it move from early revenue to broader commercial scale, while supporting global expansion and continued progress toward achieving quantum advantage.

OptiGrid: Interview With CEO Tyler Phillipi About The Energy Optimization Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

OptiGrid is a U.S.-based company specializing in innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions that integrate battery storage to enable ultrafast charging without extensive, costly, time-consuming grid infrastructure upgrades. Headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, OptiGrid focuses on delivering modular, scalable, and sustainable charging technologies for fleet operators and commercial properties. Pulse 2.0 interviewed OptiGrid CEO Tyler Phillipi to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Ninety: Interview With Founder & CEO Mark Abbott About The Business Operating System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Ninety is a business operating system that helps organizations run better meetings, track goals and performance (e.g., scorecards/to-dos), and work more effectively toward their vision. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Ninety founder and CEO Mark Abbott to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Empromptu: $2 Million Pre-Seed Closed To Build Self-Managing AI Context Engine For Enterprise Software

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Empromptu AI, a San Francisco-based startup focused on helping enterprises shift from static SaaS products to self-improving AI-native applications, has raised an oversubscribed $2 million pre-seed round to accelerate development of what it calls its Self-Managing Context Engine. The company said the technology is designed to allow AI features to manage, train, and improve themselves in production environments, with the broader goal of making AI deployments more reliable and maintainable at scale.

Bioxodes: €5.5 Million Series A Extension Raised To Advance BIOX-101 Toward Pivotal Hemorrhagic Stroke Trial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Bioxodes SA, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for thrombotic and inflammatory diseases, has raised a €5.5 million Series A extension to continue preparations for a potentially registrational Phase 2b trial of BIOX-101 in intracerebral hemorrhage. The company said it plans to initiate the pivotal Phase 2b study in 2027 and believes the program could support BIOX-101 reaching the market as early as the second half of 2030.

Boats Group: $600 Million CPP Investments Commitment Secured In Growth Deal With General Atlantic

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Boats Group, a global operator of online marketplaces for boats and yachts, has announced a strategic growth investment from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, commonly known as CPP Investments, and General Atlantic. CPP Investments has committed $600 million and will take a co control interest in Boats Group as part of the transaction.

VisIC Technologies: $26 Million Round B Second Closing Led By Global Chip Leader As Hyundai Motor And Kia Join

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

VisIC Technologies, a Ness Ziona, Israel-based developer of gallium nitride power semiconductors for electric mobility, said it has completed the second closing of its Round B financing, bringing in $26 million. The company said the round was led by a global semiconductor leader and included Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, together referred to as HKMC, as a strategic investor.

Navier: $5.6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Launch Agent-Driven Engineering Platform For Hardware Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Navier, a San Francisco-based startup developing autonomous engineering teams for hardware design and development, has raised $5.6 million in seed funding and launched from stealth. The round included participation from GV (Google Ventures), HCVC, and Y Combinator, as the company positions its technology as a new productivity layer that automates repetitive work between design and engineering groups.

Skyblue Analytics: Strategic Funding Closed To Expand Global Coverage And Accelerate AI Product Roadmap

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Skyblue Analytics, a fintech infrastructure company focused on helping brokers, banks, and financial institutions build modern investment platforms, has raised a strategic investment round led by a group of industry partners and regional market participants. The round, announced December 15, 2025, included Merchant Seven, A3 Mercados, Matba Rofex, PrimaryX, and Draper Angels LATAM, with the company aiming to expand regional coverage and accelerate development of AI-enabled investment experiences.

Cofactor Genomics Secures Strategic Investment From Labcorp And Ascension Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Cofactor Genomics has received strategic investments from Labcorp and Ascension Ventures to accelerate nationwide expansion of its OncoPrism® immunotherapy response diagnostic and broaden patient access across U.S. cancer care networks.

Mirelo: $41 Million Seed Funding Raised To Bring AI Soundtracks To Video, Gaming, And Visual Media

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 16, 2025

Mirelo, a Germany-based foundation model company focused on sound for videos, has raised a $41 million seed round led by Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Atlantic.vc and TriplePoint Capital also participated, along with notable angel investors: Yariv Adan, Alex Berriche, Léon Bottou, Burkay Gur, Thomas Hofmann, Antoine Le Nel, Coco Mao, Arthur Mensch, Laura Modiano, Jakob Uszkoreit, and Thomas Wolf.

WSP To Buy TRC For $3.3 Billion To Build Top U.S. Power And Energy Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

WSP Global has agreed to acquire TRC Companies, a U.S.-based engineering and consulting firm known for its Power and Energy franchise, in an all-cash deal valued at US$3.3 billion. WSP said the transaction would expand its capabilities across the full infrastructure lifecycle and elevate the combined business into the largest engineering and design firm in the U.S. by revenue, with roughly 27,000 employees nationwide following closing.

PayPal Files To Launch Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank To Broaden Small Business Lending and Add Savings Accounts

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

PayPal Holdings has submitted applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation seeking approval to establish PayPal Bank. This proposed Utah-chartered industrial loan company would deepen the fintech giant’s role in small business financial services in the United States.

Ritten: $35 Million Series B Closed To Expand AI Platform For Behavioral Health Providers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Ritten, an AI-powered system of record for behavioral health providers, has raised a $35 million Series B funding round led by Five Elms Capital, with participation from existing investors Threshold Ventures, 8VC, Bienville Capital, and others. The Philadelphia-based company said the financing will support expansion across mental health and addiction treatment providers spanning all levels of care.

OnCorps AI: $55 Million Closed To Scale Agentic Fund Operations Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

OnCorps AI, an agentic AI platform focused on fund operations for asset managers and fund administrators, has raised $55 million in growth capital from Long Ridge Equity Partners as it looks to accelerate product development, expand go-to-market capacity, and scale infrastructure to support a growing customer base.

Realm.Security: $2 Million Strategic Investment Raised From Presidio Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Realm.Security, a Boston-based cybersecurity company building what it calls the industry’s first AI-native Security Data Pipeline Platform, has secured a $2 million strategic investment from Presidio Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Japan-headquartered Sumitomo Corporation. The company said it will use the funding and Sumitomo’s global network to accelerate expansion across Asia-Pacific through channel partners, while continuing to strengthen its executive leadership as demand grows for tools that help security teams manage the rising volumes of telemetry data and the costs of storing and processing it.

iRobot Agrees To Be Acquired By Lender And Supplier Picea In Chapter 11 Process

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

iRobot Corporation, the maker of Roomba consumer robots, said it has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement with its secured lender and primary contract manufacturer, Shenzhen PICEA Robotics Co., Ltd. and Santrum Hong Kong Co., Limited, collectively referred to as Picea, paving the way for Picea to acquire iRobot through a court-supervised process.