Innovation

Invio Automation Buys Calvary Robotics To Expand High-Precision Automation Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Arsenal Capital Partners portfolio company Invio Automation has acquired Calvary Robotics in a deal expanding Invio’s engineering depth and manufacturing capacity across a set of fast-growing end markets. Terms were not disclosed.

Onyx Capital Names Billy Sheil President Of Onyx Americas And Launches New York Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Onyx Capital Group announced it has named Billy Sheil President of Onyx Americas as the firm expands internationally again and opens a new office in New York City. Sheil brings 20 years of experience in futures market making, beginning with crude futures and later trading a broader range of commodities. In the role, he will lead the build-out of Onyx’s U.S. operation and focus on developing relationships and partnerships as the company establishes its North American presence.

RapidFort: $42 Million Series A Raised To Advance Continuous Software Supply Chain Remediation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

RapidFort has raised $42 million in Series A financing to expand its platform for continuously analyzing, remediating, hardening, and protecting software artifacts across the delivery lifecycle. The round was led by Blue Cloud Ventures and Forgepoint Capital, with participation from prior lead investor Felicis Ventures. Additional investors included Alumni Ventures, Boulder Ventures, Gaingels, and others.

Santé Ventures Closes Record $330 Million Fund V To Back Early-Stage Biotech, Medtech, And Digital Health

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Santé Ventures has closed its fifth fund with $330 million in committed capital, surpassing a $300 million target and marking the firm’s largest fund to date. The early stage healthcare and life sciences investor said Fund V will continue backing biotechnology, medical technology, and digitally enabled healthcare companies aimed at significant unmet medical needs, supported by what it described as a broader and more diversified limited partner base.

GrubMarket: $50 Million Series H At $4.5 Billion Valuation Raised To Accelerate AI And Global E-Commerce Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

GrubMarket announced it has raised around $50 million in Series H financing, positioning the round as a significant up round that values the company at a $4.5 billion pre-money valuation. The company described itself as an AI-powered technology enabler for the American food supply chain and one of the largest private food technology and e-commerce businesses globally.

Construction Partners Completes GMJ Paving Acquisition, Adding 12th Houston-Area Asphalt Plant

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Construction Partners, a vertically integrated roadbuilder operating across Sunbelt markets, has acquired GMJ Paving Company, LLC, an asphalt paving contractor focused on public infrastructure work in the Houston region.

Heritage Financial Completes Olympic Bancorp Acquisition, Brings Kitsap Bank Into Heritage Bank

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Heritage Financial announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Olympic Bancorp, Inc., with the merger becoming effective January 31, 2026. As part of the transaction, Olympic merged into Heritage, and Kitsap Bank merged into Heritage Bank, expanding Heritage’s footprint and adding branches that will continue operating under the Kitsap Bank name.

Novacore To Acquire CP Insurance Associates, Expanding Lender-Placed Insurance And Compliance Services For Financial Institutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Novacore agreed to acquire CP Insurance Associates in a deal aimed at expanding its specialty platform for financial institutions and lender-focused insurance services. The acquisition is set to add CP Insurance Associates’ insurance tracking, investor property coverage, lender-placed insurance, and compliance-oriented services to Novacore’s suite of specialty solutions, strengthening Novacore’s reach across banks, mortgage servicers, credit unions, and other lending channels nationwide.

Encore Closes Oversubscribed Fund V At $350 Million In Accelerated Raise

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Encore Consumer Capital has closed Encore Consumer Capital Fund V LP and related vehicles, raising $350 million in limited partner commitments and marking an oversubscribed raise completed in less than five months. The San Francisco-based firm said the new fund expands its capacity to pursue lower-middle-market opportunities in consumer staples, a sector where Encore has historically focused on building brands and scaling operating capabilities across manufacturing, distribution, and go-to-market execution.

GCM Acquires Kettmann Machining To Expand MedTech Manufacturing Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

GCM, an outsourced manufacturer of precision components and assemblies for medical technology end markets, has acquired Kettmann Machining, a manufacturer of precision-machined plastic and metal parts serving MedTech customers. GCM is backed by middle market healthcare private equity firm Avista Healthcare Partners. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Teciem Launches As Apax Completes Purchase Of Finastra Treasury And Capital Markets Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Teciem launched as a new standalone provider of treasury and capital markets software following the completion of Apax Funds’ acquisition of Finastra’s Treasury and Capital Markets (TCM) division. Backed by a significant investment commitment from Apax, Teciem said it will prioritize product development and innovation while expanding and supporting its specialist talent base.

Vision Innovation Partners Buys Ophthalmic Associates Of Alexandria To Expand Mid-Atlantic Eye Care Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Vision Innovation Partners has acquired Ophthalmic Associates of Alexandria, adding a comprehensive ophthalmology practice in downtown Alexandria to its regional network. The deal extends VIP’s footprint in one of its largest metropolitan markets and represents the platform’s 27th add-on acquisition since the company was founded in 2017.

Stoneridge Sells Control Devices Segment To Center Rock For $59 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Stoneridge announced it has completed the sale of its Control Devices segment to an affiliate of Center Rock Capital Partners. The deal carried a base purchase price of $59 million. Stoneridge said it plans to use net cash proceeds, after taxes and transaction-related expenses, to repay debt and strengthen its balance sheet.

Bidbus: Interview With Co-Founder & COO Ellson Chen About Car Marketplace Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Bidbus is the infrastructure that enables dealerships to source consumer-owned used cars at scale through competitive private-party auctions. Bidbus runs three weekly auctions where hundreds of dealers compete for vehicles, creating a consistent supply of quality vehicles for dealers and higher payouts for sellers by matching each car to the right demand in real time. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Bidbus co-founder and COO Ellson Chen to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

careCycle: Interview With Founder & CEO Alex Doonanco About The Medicare-Focused Voice AI Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

careCycle is a company that provides a comprehensive suite of voice AI teams for medicare advantage and ACA distributors. Pulse 2.0 interviewed careCycle founder and CEO Alex Doonanco to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Gradiente SGR Closes €180+ Million Gradiente III Fund, Growing 33% Versus Prior Vehicle

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Elm Capital announced Gradiente SGR has reached a final close for Gradiente III, the Italian private equity firm’s third fund, with total commitments exceeding its €180 million target. The firm said the vehicle is 33% larger than its predecessor and drew support from a mix of new and existing institutional investors and family offices across Europe and North America, including public pension funds, foundations, funds of funds, and banks.

XSML Capital Closes $142 Million African Rivers Fund IV Above Hard Cap

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

XSML Capital announced it has reached a final close of African Rivers Fund IV at $142 million, exceeding the fund’s $135 million hard cap, as the manager pointed to sustained investor appetite for SME-focused strategies in African frontier markets despite a tougher fundraising backdrop.

Western Digital Rebrands As WD And Unveils 100TB+ HDD Roadmap And New AI-Era Storage Technologies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Western Digital announced it is repositioning itself for what it calls the AI-driven data economy, including a corporate rebrand to WD and a set of product and platform announcements aimed at raising hard drive capacity, improving performance for AI workloads, and reducing power consumption at scale. The company presented the updates at its Innovation Day 2026 event.

Safe To Eat: Interview With Founder Devin August Sailer About The Food Awareness Nonprofit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Safe To Eat is a youth-led initiative that advocates for and helps implement allergen-safe food options, labeling, and emergency protocols (like epinephrine awareness) in domestic violence and homeless shelters, especially in crisis settings. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Safe To Eat founder Devin August Sailer to learn more.

Revena: $8 Million Raised To Cut Hospital Revenue Losses With AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Revena, an artificial intelligence platform focused on automating the hospital revenue cycle, has raised a US$8 million seed round backed by Canary, Flourish Ventures, and Caravela Capital. The company said the financing comes after deployment across more than 60 hospitals and a 20x growth in 2025, as providers seek ways to reduce revenue leakage and administrative burden associated with complex billing processes.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Launches DGAM Global Private Equity Fund With Ardian Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Desjardins Global Asset Management is expanding its private markets lineup with the launch of the DGAM Global Private Equity Fund, a new vehicle designed to give accredited Canadian investors streamlined access to private equity through a flexible structure and diversified exposure.

Claros Mortgage Trust Closes $500 Million Secured Term Loan With HPS To Refinance 2026 Debt Maturity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Claros Mortgage Trust has closed a $500 million, four-year secured term loan credit facility provided by investment funds and accounts managed by HPS Investment Partners. The new facility carries a floating interest rate of SOFR plus 675 basis points and can be prepaid at any time, subject to certain conditions.

Verdane And Scott Capital Partners Back Aquavest’s Majority Investment In Bluewater Bio To Scale Water Reuse Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Verdane and Scott Capital Partners have partnered to make a significant majority investment in Bluewater Bio through Aquavest, as the investors move to build a multinational platform focused on water and wastewater treatment technologies.

Veremark: $26 Million Series B Raised To Expand Globally And Add Always-On Workplace Trust Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Veremark, a London-founded workplace trust company, announced it has raised $26 million in Series B funding as it looks to accelerate international expansion and broaden its product suite across screening, conduct-risk monitoring and credential verification. The round was led by Gresham House Ventures, with participation from existing investors Samaipata, ACF Investors, and Stage 2 Capital.

Blackstone: Q4 Private Equity Inflows Hit $20.3 Billion, Led By $4.2 Billion In Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Blackstone closed the fourth quarter of 2025 with a sharp rebound in private equity fundraising, reporting $20.3 billion of private equity inflows for the period. The quarter stood out for both its scale and its mix, with capital concentrated in strategies that have attracted consistent LP demand amid slower distributions and selective commitment pacing across private markets.

Blue Water Venture Partners To Buy French Children’s Fashion Brand Jacadi Paris

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Blue Water Venture Partners, an investment firm led by New York-based investor Joseph Hernandez, said it has entered into a letter of intent to acquire Jacadi Paris, the Paris-founded children’s fashion brand known for heritage styling and French craftsmanship.

JJG Aero: $30 Million Series B Raised To Expand North Bangalore Manufacturing Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Bengaluru-based aerospace components manufacturer JJG Aero has raised $30 million in a Series B financing led by Norwest, as the company moves to scale capacity and deepen vertical integration amid rising global demand for aircraft systems and engine parts.

KKR-Led Consortium Nearing Deal To Buy ST Telemedia Global Data Centres At $10B+ Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

A consortium led by KKR is in advanced talks to acquire Singapore-based data-center operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in a transaction that would value the company at more than US$10 billion (over S$13 billion), according to The Wall Street Journal.

CloudForge: $3.95 Million Secured To Bring AI Sales And Procurement To The Metals Supply Chain

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

CloudForge, an AI-powered sales and procurement platform built for the metals supply chain, has emerged from stealth with $3.95 million in funding from Zero Infinity Partners, Resolute Ventures, and Bienville Capital.

BizTrip AI Adds $1.5 Million Tranche As Pre-Seed Funding Reaches $2.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

BizTrip AI, a maker of AI-powered travel management technology, has raised $1.5 million in new preseed financing, marking the third tranche of its preseed round and bringing total funding to $2.5 million. The latest tranche was led by RRE Ventures, with participation from AI Fund, BAG Collective, BAG Ventures, and Correlation Ventures. Sabre Corporation also participated, alongside ten individual qualified investors, including Michael Cain, Mike Daly, and Valerie Layman.