Innovation

Balena Secures Investment From LoneTree Capital To Scale Edge AI And IoT Fleet Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Balena, an IoT fleet management platform focused on deploying, managing, and scaling fleets of edge computing and AI devices, has secured a strategic growth investment from LoneTree Capital, a New York-based growth capital firm. The companies said the partnership will accelerate Balena’s product roadmap, with an emphasis on Edge AI workloads, expanded security capabilities, and features to meet evolving compliance requirements.

Jersey Coast Insurance Joins World Insurance Associates

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

World Insurance Associates, a Top 50 insurance brokerage, has acquired the business of Jersey Coast Insurance, an insurance agency based in Margate City, New Jersey. The transaction closed on October 1, 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed.

LO3 Capital Backs FastTrack Staffing With Senior Debt For Owner-Operator Buyout

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

LO3 Capital has made a senior debt investment in FastTrack Staffing, a temporary and temp-to-hire staffing provider headquartered in Ocala, Florida, to support the company’s acquisition by staffing industry veteran Randy Burkhart.

Mistplay To Acquire Mobivity’s Connected Rewards Platform To Expand Omnichannel Loyalty Gamification

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Mistplay has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mobivity Holdings Corp.’s Connected Rewards platform and related assets, a deal the companies say will broaden Mistplay’s LoyaltyPlay business and deepen its ability to help brands and app publishers tie mobile gameplay to real-world rewards.

BIOMAKERS Raises Additional $8 Million To Scale Global Precision Oncology Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

BIOMAKERS, a San Francisco-headquartered precision medicine and oncology intelligence company, announced it has closed an additional $8 million in financing as it shifts from building diagnostics and data infrastructure to scaling an AI-native platform designed to support drug and diagnostic development, improve clinical trial execution, and expand access to precision oncology globally. Participants in the round include Labcorp Venture Fund, Oncology Ventures, Endurance28, Zentynel, Sonen Capital, Sky High Fund, and other strategic investors.

Highlander Partners Acquires Tapatío Hot Sauce From Saavedra Family

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Highlander Partners has acquired Tapatío, the No. 5 hot sauce brand in the U.S., buying the business from the Saavedra family in a deal that brings in additional equity and new financing partners while keeping the founding family involved post-closing.

Think Bioscience: $55 Million Raised For Developing Small-Molecule Drugs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Think Bioscience, a Boulder, Colorado-based biotechnology company developing small-molecule drugs against historically difficult targets, has raised $55 million in an oversubscribed Series A financing to advance its internal pipeline of first-in-class programs.

Formulary Financial: $4.6 Million Seed Funding Closed To Build AI-Native Fund Administration Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Formulary Financial has emerged from stealth with $4.6 million in seed funding to launch what it calls a full-service, AI-native fund administration business aimed at modernizing back-office operations for private market investors. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Acrew Capital, Company Ventures, Human Ventures, Serena Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and a group of strategic partners and industry executives.

Perimeter Solutions Acquires Econo Fence, Expanding Protection Platform In Southern California

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Perimeter Solutions Group (PSG), a Bertram Capital portfolio company building a national perimeter-protection platform, has acquired Southern California-based commercial and industrial fencing contractor Econo Fence, expanding PSG’s footprint in California. Terms were not disclosed.

CTSi, EXPANSIA, And JHNA Merge To Form Next-Generation Defense And Aerospace Technology Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

John H. Northrop & Associates (JHNA), Coherent Technical Services (CTSi), and EXPANSIA Group (EXPANSIA) have merged to create a new national defense technology company backed by Falfurrias Management Partners, positioning the combined platform to support warfighters, operators, and program offices with digital engineering, full-spectrum modeling and simulation, and advanced fabrication capabilities.

ASGN To Buy Quinnox For $290 Million, Expanding Digital Engineering And Offshore Delivery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

ASGN has agreed to acquire digital solutions provider Quinnox in a $290 million all-cash deal, a move the IT services firm said will deepen its digital engineering capabilities and expand its offshore delivery footprint as it prepares to rebrand to Everforth in the first half of 2026.

Newsela Acquires Schoolytics To Unify Student Data Across Instruction, Assessment, And Interventions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Newsela has acquired Schoolytics, an analytics and AI platform used by K-12 districts to measure, monitor, and manage student data, as the company expands beyond content and assessment into deeper data and workflow tooling for educators. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Alliant Power Acquires Capital Reman Exchange To Expand Heavy-Duty Engine Remanufacturing Offering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Alliant Power has acquired Capital Reman Exchange, adding Class 8 diesel engine and component remanufacturing capabilities to its portfolio as it looks to deliver more end-to-end solutions for the heavy-duty aftermarket across North America. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bear Icebox Communications Acquires Boutique PR Firm Carson Stoga Communications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Bear Icebox Communications (BICOM) has acquired Carson Stoga Communications, a boutique public relations and communications agency focused on brand reputation and crisis management, the companies said. Financial terms were not disclosed.

US LBM Acquires Arizona And Nevada’s XO Windows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

US LBM has acquired XO Windows, a regional supplier and installer of windows and doors serving residential and commercial builders across the Phoenix and Las Vegas-Henderson metro areas. The deal expands US LBM’s product depth and installation capabilities in two of the Southwest’s most active new-construction markets, while extending XO Windows’ reach through US LBM’s broader western footprint.

Bluestone Equity Partners Invests In Selkirk Sport To Fuel Product Innovation and Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Bluestone Equity Partners has made a strategic investment in Selkirk Sport, positioning the pickleball equipment and sportswear brand to accelerate product development, expand across omnichannel retail, and pursue targeted growth in Asia. The transaction represents Selkirk’s first external investment and marks Bluestone’s ninth deal from its inaugural $300 million fund, which closed in a single close in the first quarter of 2023.

Fortune Brands Extends $1.25 Billion Revolving Credit Facility, Pushing Maturity to 2031

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Fortune Brands Innovations announced it has extended its existing revolving credit agreement, reinforcing its liquidity position and maintaining access to flexible capital for general corporate purposes. The company announced that it executed the extension on January 16, 2026.

Comtech Wins $5+ Million Follow-On Space Components Award For Civil Lunar Exploration Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Comtech Telecommunications has received a follow-on space components contract worth more than $5 million to support a major U.S. civil space exploration program, the company said Tuesday. The award calls for Comtech to provide advanced electronic components and component engineering services to a leading aerospace and defense prime contractor involved in next-generation human space exploration, with the work aimed at enabling technologies for missions that will explore new areas of the lunar surface.

United Building Solutions Buys DFW Mechanical Group To Expand Southern HVAC Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

United Building Solutions, a commercial HVAC services provider backed by AE Industrial Partners, has acquired DFW Mechanical Group, a full-service commercial and industrial mechanical contractor with operations spanning Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida.

Divert Lands New Wittington-Led Funding To Scale Food Waste-To-Energy Infrastructure Across North America

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Divert secured new funding led by Wittington Investments, Limited to accelerate the buildout of infrastructure aimed at reducing wasted food across North America, as the company scales its “Prevent, Provide, Power” model across major retail and manufacturing customers.

Blackstone Closes Majority Investment In NetBrain As Bernadette Nixon Takes Over As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Blackstone Growth has closed its previously announced majority investment in NetBrain Technologies, with the AI NetOps platform provider saying the funding will accelerate global expansion and advance its AI-powered network automation capabilities.

Juniper Biomedical Wins Phase 3 NIH SPARC Neuromod Prize And Adds Frank Fischer to Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Juniper Biomedical has won Phase 3 of the NIH SPARC Neuromod Prize, earning a $1.6 million cash award that the company said will support ongoing product development and clinical trials for its lead therapy targeting mixed urinary incontinence (MUI).

Brennan Investment Group Acquires 13-Property Industrial Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Brennan Investment Group has acquired a 13-property shallow-bay industrial portfolio totaling 801,728 square feet across the Chicagoland and Milwaukee markets, extending the Chicago-based firm’s footprint in a segment seeing sustained demand from small and mid-sized tenants.

Leadinfo Acquires Visitor Queue To Expand Global Website Visitor Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

team.blue brand Leadinfo has acquired Visitor Queue, a Canada-based website visitor identification and lead intelligence provider, in a move aimed at strengthening Leadinfo’s North American presence and accelerating its push toward a global, privacy-compliant visitor intelligence platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Allianz Global Investors Raises $690 Million First Close For Emerging Markets Credit Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Allianz Global Investors has raised a $690 million first close for its Allianz Credit Emerging Markets (ACE) fund, a vehicle aimed at mobilizing institutional capital to support the low-carbon economic transition across Africa, Latin America and Asia, according to a LinkedIn post by British International Investment (BII) Investment Director Michael Sanni.

KKR Increases Ownership Stake In Altavair, Expanding Aircraft Leasing Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

KKR has signed a definitive agreement to increase its ownership stake in Altavair and its sister company, AV AirFinance, deepening a strategic partnership focused on commercial aviation leasing and financing.

Exciva: €51 Million Series B Closed To Advance Alzheimer’s Agitation Therapy Into Phase 2

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

EQT Life Sciences announced it co-led a €51 million Series B financing in Exciva, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for behavioral symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease, with proceeds earmarked to move the company’s lead program into a Phase 2 study.

Orbem: €55.5M Series B Raised To Scale MRI-Powered AI Across Food and Healthcare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Orbem has secured €55.5 million in Series B funding to advance its goal of building a healthier and more sustainable future. The round was led by Innovation Industries and joined by Supernova Invest, with continued support from existing investors General Catalyst, 83NORTH, The Venture Collective (TVC) Collective, and Possible Ventures.

PRC-Saltillo Buys Therapy Box Apps To Expand Global AAC Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

PRC-Saltillo, a major provider of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, said it has acquired the Therapy Box suite of apps—Predictable, Scene & Heard Pro, Colourful Semantics, and Voca Quest—adding a set of widely used communication and language-development products to its existing app lineup.

ATTOM Acquires ResiShares To Expand Data and Analytics Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

ATTOM has acquired key assets of ResiShares, including its analytics platform and proprietary technology, in a deal aimed at deepening ATTOM’s analytics and AI-driven capabilities for customers across the real estate ecosystem. Financial terms were not disclosed.