Innovation

Janus Henderson To Acquire Richard Bernstein Advisors, Expanding Model Portfolio And SMA Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Janus Henderson Group announced it is acquiring Richard Bernstein Advisors (RBA) in a deal the global asset manager said will significantly expand its footprint in model portfolios and separately managed accounts, two areas of wealth management that have been growing rapidly as advisors look for scalable, outcomes-oriented solutions.

Vector Acquires YardView To Expand Unified Yard Management Across Logistics Networks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Vector has acquired YardView, a yard management and dock visibility provider, in a move aimed at delivering a single, end-to-end platform spanning gate, yard, dock, and document workflows for shippers and logistics operators.

Sculptor: $400 Million CLO XXXVI Closed As New-Issue Pricing Tightens For Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Sculptor Capital Management announced it has closed Sculptor CLO XXXVI, a $400 million collateralized loan obligation transaction backed by a near-fully ramped portfolio of senior secured loans, as the alternative asset manager opened 2026 with what it described as its tightest new-issue pricing to date for a deal of this structure.

TIC Holding Schweiz Takes Stake in Vibro-Consult To Expand Swiss Testing And Calibration Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

TIC Holding Schweiz AG has acquired a stake in Vibro-Consult AG, adding a Swiss market leader in vibration and machinery diagnostics to its growing platform of accredited testing, inspection, and calibration services.

Verndale Buys Amp’s Product Experience Division To Expand Product, UX, And Technology Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Verndale has acquired the Product Experience Division of Amp from Advantage Solutions, adding a team focused on product design, UX, engineering, and digital marketing as the company broadens its end-to-end digital product offering. The acquired group will operate under the Verndale brand.

Aqua Pennsylvania Awarded Nearly $17 Million In PENNVEST Funding For PFAS Treatment Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Aqua Pennsylvania announced it has secured $16.9 million in financing through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to support the installation of five PFAS treatment systems serving nine community well sites across Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties.

Alpiq Acquires France’s Largest Battery Storage Facility At Port Of Nantes Saint-Nazaire

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Alpiq has acquired the Cheviré operational battery energy storage system (BESS) in western France from Harmony Energy, expanding its push into flexible assets used to balance renewable power and support grid stability. The Swiss energy company said the deal closed on January 21, 2026, and described Cheviré as the largest battery storage facility currently operating in France.

Artie: $12 Million Series A Raised To Bring Real-Time Data Streaming To AI Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Artie, a fully managed real-time data streaming platform, has raised a $12 million Series A to help companies move from batch-based data movement to streaming-first infrastructure as AI systems shift from dashboards into live, decision-making production environments. The round was led by Dalton Caldwell at Standard Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Pathlight Ventures, and a group of angel investors, including Arash Ferdowsi, Benn Stancil, Chris Best, Charles Hearn, and Lenny Rachitsky.

PlayVS Buys Esports Company Vanta, Adding 3,000 K–12 Schools And Expanding Youth Coaching Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

PlayVS said it has acquired Vanta Esports, combining two education-focused scholastic esports communities as PlayVS pushes to broaden access to organized competition, coaching, and school-aligned programming for students across the U.S.

Kindred Bravely Acquires Storq To Expand Support For Mothers From Pregnancy Through Early Parenthood

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Kindred Bravely has acquired and launched Storq, bringing the design-forward motherhood brand, founded in 2015, under its umbrella as the companies aim to support mothers through every stage of early parenthood.

Cubby: $63 Million Series A Raised To Expand AI-Native Self-Storage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Cubby has raised a $63 million Series A minority investment to accelerate the growth of its property management platform for self-storage operators, the company said. The round was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with existing investors also participating.

PayPal To Buy Cymbio To Expand Agentic Commerce And AI-Channel Selling

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

PayPal has agreed to acquire Cymbio, a multi-channel orchestration platform that helps brands sell across “agentic” AI shopping surfaces and other e-commerce channels, as the payments company moves to deepen its commerce offering inside emerging AI-driven discovery and checkout experiences.

Yuki: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build An AI ‘Control Layer’ For Data Spend

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Yuki, a data cost optimization startup, has emerged from stealth with a $6 million seed round, targeting a growing pain point for enterprises facing rising data and AI infrastructure bills. The financing was led by Hyperwise Ventures, with participation from VelocitX, Tal Ventures, Fresh.fund, and Yakir Daniel, the founder of Spot.io (which was acquired by NetApp and is now part of Flexera).

Healthier Capital: $220 Million Debut Fund Closed To Back Early-Stage Health-Tech Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Healthier Capital has closed a $220 million oversubscribed inaugural venture fund, raising capital from universities, endowments, family offices, healthcare organizations, and other investors as it looks to back early-stage companies operating at the intersection of healthcare and technology.

Black Bay Partners Closes Third Fund At $425 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Black Bay Partners has completed the final closing of its third private equity vehicle, Black Bay III, L.P., reaching the fund’s hard cap of $425 million in capital commitments, the firm said Thursday.

ZBD: $40 Million Series C Raised To Expand Lightning-Powered Payments And Rewards Inside Video Games

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

ZBD, a payments company focused on enabling real-money transactions inside games and consumer apps, said it has secured $40 million in Series C financing commitments led by Blockstream Capital Partners (BCP). The company positions itself as a fully licensed, vertically integrated payments provider built specifically for gaming, using the Bitcoin Lightning Network to support embedded payments and rewards at scale.

Paralex: Interview With Founder & CEO Stephen Candelmo About The AI-Based Legal Services Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Paralex is an AI-powered legal services platform that gives startups and small businesses fast, attorney-verified answers, contract reviews/drafting, and advisory sessions at fixed, upfront prices (no hourly billing). Pulse 2.0 interviewed Paralex founder and CEO Stephen Candelmo to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

ABZ Innovation: $8.2 Million Closed To Scale Heavy-Duty Agricultural And Industrial Drones

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

ABZ Innovation, a Europe-based maker of heavy-duty agricultural and industrial drones, has raised $8.2 million in a funding round led by Vsquared Ventures, with participation from Day One Capital and Assembly Ventures. The company said the new capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate product development, and support commercial growth in key international markets, including continued traction in the United States.

Octarine Bio: €5 Million Raised To Scale Precision-Fermented Natural Pigments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Octarine Bio has secured €5 million in new funding, bringing its total Series A financing to €12.8 million, including earlier pre-Series A capital, as the Danish biotech pushes to scale a new platform for sustainable, bio-based pigments.

Mia Labs: $20 Million Series A Closed To Expand AI ‘Super Employee’ For Auto Dealership Communications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Mia Labs, the company behind an AI-powered conversational platform designed specifically for automotive dealerships, has raised a $20 million Series A round to accelerate product development, expand its team, and scale deployments across the U.S. The financing brings the company’s total capital raised to $29 million.

Waldo: $225 Million Debut Fund Closed To Back Founder-Led Software And Tech-Enabled Services Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Waldo, a New York-based investment firm, said it has closed its $225 million inaugural vehicle, Waldo I, to invest in proven, early-growth stage software and tech-enabled services companies. The firm said it is targeting entrepreneurs building enduring businesses with strong fundamentals and real-world traction, aiming to support companies on a path to scale without relying on public markets to define their outcomes.

Guardz: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Dor Eisner About The Cybersecurity Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Guardz is a company that provides an AI-powered, unified cybersecurity platform designed specifically for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to secure and insure small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) against a wide range of cyber threats. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Guardz co-founder and CEO Dor Eisner to learn more.

Klir: $17.5 Million Series B And Credit Facility Closed To Scale Operational Data Hub for Water Utilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Klir has closed $17.5 million in growth financing, combining a $10 million Series B equity round with a $7.5 million credit facility from Innovation Banking at CIBC, as the company scales its operational platform for water utilities across North America and beyond.

Mews: $300 Million Series D At $2.5 Billion Valuation Raised To Push AI-Native Hotel Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Mews, a hospitality operating system provider, has raised $300 million in a Series D funding round led by EQT Growth, with new participation from Atomico and HarbourVest Partners and continued backing from Kinnevik, Battery Ventures, and Tiger Global. The investment values Mews at $2.5 billion and will be used to accelerate product development focused on AI-driven automation, as well as expand payments and fintech capabilities and support international growth across North America, Europe, and additional markets.

Cyclic Materials: $75 Million Series C Raised To Scale Rare Earth Recycling

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Cyclic Materials has closed an oversubscribed $75 million Series C equity round as it scales rare-earth recycling operations across the U.S. and Europe and expands its Canada-based research and development footprint The financing was led by accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, with participation from the Canada Growth Fund and continued support from existing shareholders.

DealHub: $100 Million Raised To Build An Agentic Quote-To-Revenue Platform For Enterprise Monetization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

DealHub has raised $100 million in a growth funding round led by Riverwood Capital as it pushes to reposition CPQ as the core “agentic” control plane for enterprise monetization, expanding beyond quoting into a unified quote-to-revenue platform that spans pricing and packaging through contracting, billing, and revenue recognition.

Pinegrove Opportunity Partners: $2.2 Billion Raised For Inaugural Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 23, 2026

Pinegrove Opportunity Partners, a venture and growth secondaries specialist, announced it has closed its first fund with $2.2 billion in capital commitments, topping its $2 billion target and ending the raise oversubscribed.

Snapchat Updates Family Center To Give Parents More Insight Into Teen Accounts

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Snapchat is expanding the capabilities of its Family Center parental tools, adding new insights designed to help parents and caregivers better understand how teens spend time on the app and how they’re connecting with new friends.

Cambio: $18 Million Closed To Bring Agentic AI To Commercial Real Estate Capital Planning And Compliance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Cambio, an AI-native commercial real estate operations platform, has launched publicly after raising $18 million in Series A funding to help landlords and investors turn sprawling building data into faster, investment-grade decisions on retrofits, capital planning, and regulatory compliance. The round was led by Maverick Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Adverb Ventures, Peterson Ventures, and angel investors that include executives from Procore, OpenAI, Anthropic, Vanta, Vercel, ServiceNow, Notion, and Amplitude.

Superstate Raises $82.5 Million Series B To Expand Onchain Equity Issuance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 22, 2026

Superstate announced it has closed an $82.5 million Series B financing as the company expands from tokenized Treasury products into infrastructure that enables SEC-registered public companies to issue and manage tokenized shares directly on public blockchains.