Innovation

Sobi To Acquire Arthrosi For Up To $1.5 Billion, Adding Phase 3 Gout Asset AR882

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB has signed an acquisition agreement to buy Arthrosi Therapeutics in a transaction valued at up to $1.5 billion, Viva Biotech said. Under the terms disclosed, Sobi will pay $950 million upfront at closing, subject to customary adjustments, plus up to $550 million in contingent consideration tied to future milestones. The companies expect the transaction to close in the first half of 2026.

Duke Nicholas Institute Launches Dashboard Ranking Power Sector Competitiveness Across 12 Southeastern States

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability has launched a new interactive resource designed to help stakeholders compare the competitiveness of the power sector across the Southeast, offering a state-by-state view of policies and market features that shape how utilities, regulators, producers, and consumers interact.

Purdue University: Campuswide AI Graduation Requirement Approved

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Purdue University unveiled a sweeping artificial intelligence strategy on Friday, Dec. 12, anchored by a new graduation requirement that will make “AI working competency” a core expectation for all undergraduate students at the university’s main campus locations in Indianapolis and West Lafayette.

PolyAI: $86 Million Series D Closed To Scale Enterprise Voice Agents And Agent Studio Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

PolyAI, an enterprise conversational AI company focused on automating customer interactions, has raised $86 million in Series D funding in a round co-led by Georgian, Hedosophia, and Khosla Ventures. Additional participants include NVentures (NVIDIA’s venture capital arm), British Business Bank, Citi Ventures, Squarepoint Ventures, Sands Capital, Zendesk Ventures, and Point72 Ventures.

Cynch AI: $9 Million Raised To Accelerate Acquisition-Led Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

True Global Ventures has led a $9 million equity investment round in Cynch AI, a San Francisco-based company building AI native tax automation software and pursuing acquisition-led growth in the tax and accounting market. The round also included participation from existing investors Permanent Capital, AI Capital, Clear Ventures, and Factory HQ, according to the firms.

Impulse Dynamics: Over $158 Million Raised To Advance Next Generation Heart Failure Devices

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Impulse Dynamics, a medical device company focused on therapies for heart failure, said it has raised more than $158 million in financing to expand commercialization and support development across its clinical and technology pipelines.

Locus FS: $40 Million In Strategic Investment Raised To Expand Biomanufacturing And Scale Bio-Based Additives

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Locus Fermentation Solutions (known as Locus FS) has secured more than $40 million in growth capital this year as it ramps up biomanufacturing capacity and expands commercialization of its bio based additives across oil and gas, mining, agriculture, and industrial and consumer packaged goods markets.

SK Capital To Invest In Swixx BioPharma In Deal Valued At Over €1.5 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

SK Capital Partners, a New York-based private investment firm focused on life sciences, specialty materials, and ingredients, has reached a definitive agreement through an affiliate to invest in Swixx BioPharma AG as the company looks to accelerate its next phase of growth and global expansion. The transaction values Swixx at more than €1.5 billion.

Relation: Additional $26 Million Raised To Advance Lab In The Loop Drug Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Relation Therapeutics has raised an additional $26 million from existing investors NVentures, DCVC, and Magnetic Ventures as it continues building an AI-driven drug discovery and development platform focused on improving confidence in the underlying biology of disease.

DISCO Pharmaceuticals: €36 Million Seed Funding Raised And Mark Manfredi Named As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

DISCO Pharmaceuticals has appointed biotech executive Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., as chief executive officer and completed the final close of a €36 million seed financing round to advance its pipeline of surfaceome-targeted drug candidates for hard-to-treat tumors.

Surf: $15 Million Raised To Scale AI Model Built For Digital Asset Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Surf, an AI intelligence platform focused on digital assets, has raised $15 million in funding led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures and Digital Currency Group. The San Francisco-based company said the new capital will be used to develop Surf 2.0 and expand its enterprise offering as demand rises among crypto traders, researchers, and investors for faster and more reliable market intelligence.

Trendtracker: $7 Million Series A Raised To Scale AI-Based Strategic Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Trendtracker, a Ghent, Belgium-based scale-up building an AI-powered strategic intelligence platform, has raised $7 million in Series A funding to accelerate global expansion and deepen product development. Armilar led the round with participation from existing investor Capricorn Partners.

Reel Power International: New Investment Secured From StoneTree

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

StoneTree Investment Partners, a private equity firm focused on lower-middle-market industrial businesses, has invested in Reel Power International, an Oklahoma City-based manufacturer of engineered equipment used in wire, cable, and flexible-material handling applications.

Amca Acquires Aerospace Control Products To Expand Hydraulic Pressure Switch Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Amca, a Los Angeles-based aerospace and defense company, has acquired Aerospace Control Products, Inc. (ACPI), a Davenport, Iowa, manufacturer known for flight-critical pressure and liquid-level switches, as the buyer continues to build out a broader hydraulics-focused components platform. The transaction adds custom pressure measurement capabilities and expands Amca’s presence in hydraulic components used across major commercial aircraft programs.

Avocet Partners Launches With $500 Million Equity Commitment And Buys EMC National Life

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Avocet Partners has launched a new insurance-focused investment and operating platform backed by $500 million of committed equity capital from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management and Lane42 Investment Partners. The New York-based firm said it was formed to acquire, operate, and grow life insurance platforms while establishing an ecosystem of related investment and service entities.

MML Capital: Over €630 Million Raised For Debut Continuation Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

MML Capital has closed its debut continuation vehicle, MML Dorchester SCSp, with more than €630 million of investor commitments after what the firm described as a significantly oversubscribed fundraising. MML said the continuation fund was created to acquire interests in two European business services companies currently held across prior MML Partnership Capital funds, alongside stakes owned by other shareholders. Under MML’s ownership, the firm said both companies delivered strong performance during the hold period, more than doubling EBITDA through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

Lumotive Expands Global Footprint And Adds Senior Leaders

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Lumotive is expanding internationally and adding executive leadership as it scales commercial adoption of its Light Control Metasurfaces (LCM) platform across robotics, industrial automation, and smart infrastructure markets.

eAgronom: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Robin Saluoks About The Climate Tech Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

eAgronom is a climate-tech platform that helps farmers and agri businesses manage regenerative farming practices while generating and monetizing high-quality carbon credits. Pulse 2.0 interviewed eAgronom co-founder and CEO Robin Saluoks to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Turnkey: Interview With VP Of Revenue Ali Faivus About The Programmable Wallet Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Turnkey is a company that provides secure, scalable, and programmable crypto infrastructure for embedded wallets and on-chain transaction automation. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Turnkey VP of Revenue Ali Faivus to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Philips Agrees To Buy SpectraWAVE To Expand AI-Enabled Coronary Imaging And Physiology Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Philips has agreed to acquire SpectraWAVE, a Bedford, Massachusetts-based company developing enhanced vascular imaging and AI-enabled coronary physiology assessment tools. Philips said the deal is intended to strengthen its image-guided therapy business and broaden its offering for interventional cardiology teams treating coronary artery disease.

Destination XL And FullBeauty Brands Agree To Merger To Create $1.2 Billion Inclusive Apparel Retailer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Destination XL Group and FullBeauty Brands have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in a merger of equals that the companies said will create a scaled, category-defining retailer focused on inclusive apparel across plus-size women and Big + Tall men. The deal is structured as an all-stock transaction and is expected to close in the first half of Destination XL’s fiscal year 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and approval by Destination XL shareholders.

ChemLex: $45 Million Raised To Open Singapore Headquarters And Self-Driving Lab For Drug Discovery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

ChemLex, an AI-for-science company focused on accelerating chemical discovery for the pharmaceutical industry, said it has established its global headquarters and a self-driving laboratory in Singapore and closed a $45 million funding round led by Granite Asia.

Esusu: $50 Million Series C At $1.2 Billion Valuation Raised To Expand Rent Reporting And Rental Data Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Esusu announced it has raised $50 million in Series C financing at a $1.2 billion valuation as it expands its platform for credit building and economic mobility, with a focus on scaling rent reporting and using verified rental data more broadly across financial services. The New York-based fintech said the financing brings its total capital raised to more than $200 million.

InduPro Therapeutics Secures Sanofi Strategic Equity Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

InduPro, a biotechnology company developing therapeutics that leverage membrane protein spatial relationships, has entered into a strategic equity investment and research collaboration with Sanofi to advance a novel bispecific PD-1 agonist program for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The Seattle and Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said the program is currently in preclinical development and that Sanofi will fund preclinical and IND-enabling research activities as part of the collaboration.

ECP: Major Level Equity Growth Investment Raised To Advance AI Development For Assisted Living Software Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

ECP, a software platform built specifically for assisted living communities, has secured a significant growth investment led by Level Equity, with participation from existing investors and the company’s management team. The Milwaukee-based company said it will use what it described as the largest growth investment in assisted living software history to accelerate product development, with a focus on AI, value-based care, and ease of use.

Corpay Finalizes Mastercard’s $300 Million Minority Investment Valuing Cross-Border Business At About $13 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Corpay, the corporate payments company listed on the NYSE as CPAY, said it has completed Mastercard’s $300 million minority investment in Corpay’s cross-border business, concluding a transaction that Mastercard first announced in April and that places an enterprise valuation of approximately $13.0 billion on the unit.

Blue Current: Over $80 Million Series D Extension Anchored By Amazon To Commercialize Silicon Solid-State Batteries

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Blue Current, a Hayward, California-based developer of silicon solid-state batteries, has closed a Series D extension funding round of more than $80 million, anchored by Amazon, with participation from Koch Disruptive Technologies, Piedmont Capital, Rusheen Capital Partners, and Allen & Company. The company said the financing is intended to accelerate the commercialization of its silicon composite solid-state battery platform for mobility and stationary energy storage applications, positioning the technology as a safer, higher-performing alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Westwood Financial Expands Corporate Credit Facility By $145 Million To $470 Million Total

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Westwood Financial, a Los Angeles-based retail real estate investment firm, has raised additional capital by closing a recast and $145 million upsize to its corporate credit facility, increasing the total facility to $470 million. The 55-year-old firm said the expanded financing strengthens liquidity and flexibility as it pursues a long-term growth strategy centered on neighborhood retail, particularly grocery-anchored assets.

FoodLabs: Fund III Closed Above €105 Million To Back ‘Lab-To-Shelf’ Food Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

FoodLabs said it has closed its third venture fund at more than €105 million, expanding the Berlin-based firm’s push to finance and build startups tackling food-system infrastructure, technology, and research challenges. The firm disclosed the fund close in a LinkedIn post, framing the raise as part of a broader effort to modernize an industry it described as massive, economically significant, and facing “existential challenges.”

Melt&Marble: €7.3 Million Series A Closed To Commercialize Precision-Fermented Designer Fats

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 15, 2025

Melt&Marble, a Gothenburg-based biotech company developing designer fats using precision fermentation, has raised €7.3 million (80 MSEK) in a Series A round to scale production and bring its first ingredients to market for personal care and food applications. The financing was led by Swedish deeptech investor Industrifonden and included participation from the European Commission’s European Innovation Council Fund, as well as strategic investments from Beiersdorf and Valio. Chalmers Ventures, Catalyze Capital, and other backers also participated. The company said the EIC Accelerator supported the effort with an additional €2.5 million grant last year, bringing the latest funding total to €10 million over the past year, including €2.76 million in EU grants.