Innovation

Fracttal: $35 Million Closed To Advance Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Fracttal announced it has closed a $35 million financing round led by Riverwood Capital, with participation from existing backers including Seaya Ventures, as the company looks to speed up international growth and deepen investment in AI-driven maintenance and asset-management capabilities.

Finst: €8 Million Series A Raised For Crypto Investing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

European crypto investing platform Finst has raised €8 million in a Series A funding round led by Endeit Capital, with continued support from returning backers Eelko van Kooten, founder of Spinnin’ Records, and Mark Fransen, co-founder of DEGIRO. The new financing brings Finst’s total funding to €15 million.

Upscale AI: $200 Million Series A Raised To Build Open AI Networking Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Upscale AI announced it has raised $200 million in an oversubscribed Series A round as it works to establish what it calls the first pure-play AI networking infrastructure company, positioning networking as a primary constraint on scaling modern AI systems. The financing was led by Tiger Global, Premji Invest, and Xora Innovation, with participation from Maverick Silicon, StepStone Group, Mayfield, Prosperity7 Ventures, Intel Capital, and Qualcomm Ventures. The company said the new round brings its total funding to more than $300 million and follows a rapid fundraising trajectory, characterized by moving from a $100 million seed round to “unicorn” status within months.

RouteMyPlan: Interview With Founder Timothy Zaide About The Workforce Accountability Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

RouteMyPlan is a workforce accountability platform that helps operations teams schedule employees, track departures, and verify on-site arrivals using real-time navigation and geofencing. Pulse 2.0 interviewed RouteMyPlan founder Timothy Zaide to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Assurant Acquires RL Circular Operations To Expand APAC Reverse Logistics Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Assurant has acquired RL Circular Operations and related subsidiaries, the reverse logistics division of Australia- and New Zealand-based TIC Group, as it pushes deeper into post-purchase services and circular economy solutions across Asia-Pacific. The deal, announced January 18, 2026, adds a major regional operator—formerly known as TIC Reverse Logistics—to Assurant’s Connected Living platform, strengthening returns management, device lifecycle services, and asset recovery capabilities for retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers.

ConnectWise Acquires zofiQ To Add Agentic AI Automation Across MSP Service Desk Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

ConnectWise has acquired zofiQ, an agentic AI company designed to automate high-volume managed service provider (MSP) service desk operations, as the company pushes what it calls the “Age of Autonomous Service.” The deal brings zofiQ’s AI agents deeper into ConnectWise’s professional services automation (PSA) workflows, with ConnectWise positioning the technology as a horizontal automation layer that will expand across its broader platform over time.

NEOintralogistics: €3 Million Seed Round Raised To Scale Robotics-As-A-Service For Warehouses

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

NEOintralogistics has raised €3 million in seed funding to expand its “democratized” approach to warehouse robotics, targeting operators that have been slow to automate due to high upfront costs and lengthy deployments. The company said that the round was co-led by Amadeus Capital Partners, APEX Ventures, and Cetus.

Brickeye: $10 Million Series B Closed To Expand IoT Construction Risk Mitigation Platform Across North America

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Brickeye has raised $10 million in a Series B financing to scale its construction IoT monitoring and risk mitigation services across North America and accelerate expansion into additional international markets. The Toronto-based construction technology company said the round was led by GreenSky Ventures, Brightspark Ventures, Graphite Ventures, Export Development Canada (EDC), Beauchamp Construction, and one of the largest building materials suppliers in North America.

Datarails: $70 Million Series C Raised To Bring AI Into The Heart Of The CFO’s Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Datarails has raised $70 million in Series C funding in a round led by growth equity firm One Peak, as the company bets that finance teams want AI capabilities embedded directly into the tools they already use (especially Excel) rather than forcing a tradeoff between spreadsheets and standalone AI products.

Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation To Launch New Cancer Center At UChicago Medicine

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation will open its first Midwest cancer center through a new grant to the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, expanding the foundation’s effort to establish or expand five Ralph Lauren-named centers across the United States.

Infinitopes Expands Seed Round To $35.1 Million To Advance Precision Cancer Vaccine Into First-In-Human Trial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Infinitopes has expanded its seed financing to $35.1 million, adding $15.4 million in a second close that the company says will accelerate clinical development of its lead precision cancer vaccine candidate, ITOP1. The financing was co-led by Octopus Ventures and new investor Amplify Bio, with additional participation from new investor Macmillan Cancer Support and existing backers Cancer Research Horizons and Manta Ray Ventures.

Gillson Sciences Expands Into Environmental Testing With SanAir Technologies Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Gillson Sciences has partnered with SanAir Technologies Laboratory, adding accredited environmental testing and consulting capabilities to its analytical services platform as it broadens its focus from life sciences into a more integrated view of human health. The move reflects Gillson’s view that environmental conditions—such as air and water quality and broader community safety factors—can meaningfully influence long-term health outcomes, and that earlier identification of environmental risk can help strengthen prevention efforts.

VIA Names Matt O’Rourke Chief Creative Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

VIA has appointed award-winning creative leader Matt O’Rourke as chief creative officer, effective immediately, as the Portland, Maine-based advertising and marketing agency looks to sharpen its creative vision and support continued growth. O’Rourke will report to CEO Leeann Leahy, join VIA’s executive leadership team, and oversee creative direction across the agency’s client roster, which includes brands such as Arm & Hammer, Klondike, and Golden Corral.

Miami International Sells 90% of MIAXdx To Robinhood-Susquehanna Joint Venture

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Miami International Holdings has completed the sale of a 90% stake in its MIAX Derivatives Exchange (MIAXdx) to a joint venture created by Robinhood Markets in partnership with Susquehanna International Group, while retaining a 10% ownership interest in the exchange and clearinghouse. MIAXdx operates as a Designated Contract Market and Derivatives Clearing Organization with CFTC approval to list and clear fully collateralized futures, options on futures and swaps, giving the new owners a regulated platform to expand in derivatives and so-called prediction markets.

Cloover Lands $1.222 Billion Capital Commitment To Scale AI Operating System For Home Energy Upgrades In Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Cloover, a Berlin-based climate software and financing platform for residential electrification projects, announced it has secured a combined $1.222 billion in new capital commitments, pairing $22 million in Series A equity with a $1.2 billion debt facility designed to fund homeowner and installer financing for clean-energy installations. The equity round was led by MMC Ventures and QED Investors, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital, BNVT Capital, Bosch Ventures, CENTROTEC SE, and Earthshot Ventures.

Swissto12: €73 Million Secured In ESA-Backed Support For HummingSat Compact Telecom Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

SWISSto12 has secured €73 million ($84.8 million) in financial support from European Space Agency (ESA) member states to advance HummingSat, its next-generation, compact geostationary satellite platform designed to deliver lower-cost and more agile commercial and sovereign communications capabilities. The support is being provided through ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) HummingSat Partnership Project, part of ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications.

Yale Realty: Virginia Beach Landstown Commons Acquired For $102 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

An affiliate of Yale Realty Services Corp. has acquired Landstown Commons Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for $102 million, expanding the firm’s portfolio of open-air retail centers.

Energy Fuels To Acquire Australian Strategic Materials In $299 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Energy Fuels announced it has signed a Scheme Implementation Deed to acquire Australian Strategic Materials Ltd. in a transaction the company values at about US$299 million, aiming to create what it describes as the largest fully integrated rare earth “mine-to-metal & alloy” producer outside of China.

LightPath Technologies To Acquire Amorphous Materials, Expanding Infrared Optics Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

LightPath Technologies has acquired the assets of Amorphous Materials, Inc. (AMI), adding proprietary chalcogenide glass melting capabilities designed to support large-diameter infrared optics and expand the company’s U.S.-based manufacturing footprint. The deal was completed for $7.0 million in cash, with the potential for up to $3.0 million in additional equity consideration tied to technical milestones.

Precision53 Acquires The Iron Factory’s Club Machining And Chroming Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Precision53 (P53), a luxury U.S.-based golf equipment maker known for producing forged irons domestically, said it has acquired substantially all assets related to club machining, refinishing, and chroming from Arizona-based The Iron Factory. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fini Raises $3.6 Million From YC And Matrix Partners To End AI Hallucinations And Rebuild Trust In Customer Support

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

Fini is an accuracy-first AI for enterprise customer support. Fini recently raised $3.6 million in seed funding led by Matrix Partners (with Y Combinator and notable angels) to solve AI's biggest problem in regulated industries: hallucinations. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Fini CEO Deepak Singla to gain a deeper understanding.

L-Nutra: $83.5 Million In Total Series D Raised And Abu Dhabi JV For Medical Nutrition and Longevity Programs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2026

L-Nutra announced it has secured a $36.5 million investment led by Mubadala Investment Company as part of its Series D round, bringing total Series D proceeds to $83.5 million. The company is pushing to expand internationally and scale its “nutrition as medicine” and longevity-focused programs.

Knightvest Capital Acquires Heritage Estates And Renames Community The Palmer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Knightvest Capital has acquired Heritage Estates, a 230-unit multifamily community in Orlando, Florida, marking the 15th investment in the firm’s Fund II and its third Orlando acquisition in the past six months. The transaction brings Knightvest’s total owned unit count in the Orlando market to 1,535.

Triple Whale Acquires Anteater To Expand AI-Powered Commerce Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Triple Whale has acquired Anteater, an AI visibility platform that measures how large language models surface brands, products, and sources in AI-generated answers. The deal marks Triple Whale’s first acquisition and positions the company to offer what it calls an end-to-end view of “AI search” performance—letting brands track LLM visibility alongside traditional commerce and marketing metrics, and tie that exposure to revenue outcomes.

KEO World Fully Repays Up To $500 Million Hayfin Credit Facility, Paving Way For Maha Capital Merger Plan

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

KEO World, a global B2B fintech focused on digital payments, embedded credit, and AI-driven supply chain finance, said it has fully repaid a secured loan facility of up to $500 million provided by Hayfin Capital Management in January 2022, completing the facility on its original four-year term. The company said the financing helped it scale Workeo™, its B2B supply chain financing platform, particularly in Mexico.

Tailwater Capital Expands Upstream Platform With Northern Delaware Basin Non-Operated Leasehold Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Tailwater Capital and its upstream investment platform, Tailwater E&P, have acquired a diversified, non-operated leasehold position in the northern Delaware Basin spanning Lea and Eddy counties in New Mexico.

Dam Secure: $4 Million Seed Funding Closed To Help Enterprises Secure AI-Generated Code At Scale

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Dam Secure, an AI security startup based in Sydney and San Francisco, has raised $4 million in seed funding to address the security risks posed by AI-generated code entering production environments. The round was led by Paladin Capital Group, a Washington, D.C.-based investor focused on cyber and AI.

Statusphere: $18 Million Series A Raised To Scale Micro-Influencer Programs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Statusphere has raised $18 million in a Series A financing led by Volition Capital as the company positions its AI-powered platform to help enterprise retailers and consumer brands turn micro-influencer marketing into a repeatable, brand-safe growth channel. The round brings Statusphere’s total funding to $27 million and included participation from HearstLab, 1984 Ventures, and How Women Invest.

Montage Partners Exits Advantco In Sale To Argano

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Montage Partners announced it has exited its investment in Advantco International, a Charlotte, North Carolina–based provider of enterprise integration software, following the company’s acquisition by Argano, LLC, a portfolio company of Trinity Hunt Partners.

Zeeco Acquires Devco Process Heaters To Expand Midstream Fired-Heater Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Zeeco, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based provider of combustion and environmental solutions, has acquired Devco Process Heaters, a fired-heater design and technology company, in a move aimed at expanding Zeeco’s footprint in the U.S. midstream oil and gas market.