Innovation

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.

Arora Engineers Acquires JWI, Adding Construction Management Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Jacmel Partners announced its portfolio company Arora Engineers has acquired J.A. Watts, LLC (JWI), adding program and construction management capabilities that broaden Arora’s aviation and infrastructure solutions offering across the full project lifecycle.

Marksman Titan Security Acquires Priebe Security Services, Expanding Central Texas Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Marksman Titan Security Group has acquired Priebe Security Services, an Austin-based contract security provider, extending Marksman’s presence in Central Texas and adding more than 450 employees to its operations. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Cordatus Capital Announces Red Dot Acquisition Of East Texas Architectural Sheetmetal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Cordatus Capital and Red Dot Buildings have acquired East Texas Architectural Sheetmetal (ETAS), adding a Mineola, Texas-based manufacturer of metal building components to Red Dot’s pre-engineered metal building platform across the southern U.S.

XBuild: $19 Million Series A Raised And AI-Based Residential Roofing Estimate Product Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

XBuild, an AI estimating platform built for construction contractors, has raised $19 million in a Series A round led by N47, with participation from Rackhouse Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. The company said it will use the new capital to expand beyond roofing into additional construction estimating categories, including concrete, landscaping, painting, windows and doors, glass and glazing, insulation, HVAC, and plumbing.

Atlas Invest: $25 Million Raised To Expand AI-Driven Commercial Real Estate Private Credit Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Atlas Invest has raised $25 million in funding led by BlackRock as it looks to scale its technology-enabled approach to commercial real estate bridge lending and broaden access to institutional-style real estate debt opportunities. The New York-based lender said the raise will support expanded origination and management of senior, real estate-backed loans while strengthening underwriting, monitoring, and servicing capabilities across its portfolio.

Bansk Closes Continuation Fund To Extend Partnership With Arcadia Consumer Healthcare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Bansk Group announced it has closed a continuation fund transaction to expand and extend its ownership partnership with Arcadia Consumer Healthcare, a fast-growing platform in over-the-counter medicines and premium vitamins and nutritional supplements.

Ivo: $55 Million Series B Closed To Scale Contract Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Ivo has raised $55 million in Series B financing to scale its contract-intelligence platform, the company said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

Ethernovia: Over $90 Million Series B Raised To Scale Leading-Edge Autonomy And Physical AI Networking Chips

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Silicon Valley semiconductor startup Ethernovia has raised over $90 million in a Series B financing round to accelerate the development and production of its Ethernet-based packet processor platform, aimed at real-time “physical AI” workloads across vehicles, robots, and industrial intelligent machines.

Unbox Robotics: $28 Million Series B Closed For Supply Chain Robotics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Unbox Robotics has raised $28 million (INR 243 crore) in a Series B funding round led by ICICI Venture and Redstart Labs (Infoedge), with co-investment from F-Prime, 3one4 Capital, Navam Capital, Force Ventures, and other existing backers. The round included a mix of primary and secondary capital, and the company said the transaction also created meaningful employee liquidity through its ESOP program.

Emergent Lands $70 Million Series B As ARR Hits $50 Million In 7 Months

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Emergent, an AI-driven software creation platform that helps users build full-stack web and mobile applications, has raised $70 million in Series B funding led by Khosla Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the company said Tuesday.

Humans& Raises $480 Million Seed Funding At $4.48 Billion Valuation For Building Human-Centric AI Collaboration Tools

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Today humans& announced it officially launching, which is a new company founded by leading researchers from Google, Anthropic, xAI, OpenAI, Meta, and other top labs and academic institutions. In an announcement sent to Pulse 2.0, the company said it has raised $480 million in a seed round of funding at a valuation of $4.48 billion. The round was led by SV Angel and co-founder Georges Harik, with participation from NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos, GV (Google Ventures), Emerson Collective, Forerunner, S32, DCVC, Human Capital, Felicis, and CRV, among others. And this financing is one of the largest seed rounds in the AI industry.

Clari + Salesloft: Interview With VP Of Product Scott Howley About The Revenue Orchestration Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Together, Clari and Salesloft create a category-transforming AI company for revenue, laying the foundation for a Predictive Revenue System that guides revenue teams to accelerate growth. The company combines the broadest dataset, capturing both structured and unstructured signals. End-to-end revenue orchestration capabilities unlock new levels of AI-driven productivity and predictability. Thousands of the world’s most successful companies, including Adobe, IBM, 3M, and Zoom, trust Clari and Salesloft to drive predictable revenue growth. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Clari VP of Product Scott Howley to gain a deeper understanding of the company.