Innovation

Walker & Dunlop Secures $105 Million Refinancing For Nashville High-Rise

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 6, 2025

Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $105 million refinancing loan for 805 Lea, a mixed-use high-rise in the heart of downtown Nashville.

Genesys: $1.5 Billion Investment Raised From Salesforce And ServiceNow

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Genesys, a global leader in AI-powered experience orchestration, announced today that it has secured a $1.5 billion investment from Salesforce and ServiceNow. Each company will contribute an equal amount, reinforcing their strategic partnerships with Genesys and its position as a key customer experience (CX) platform for enterprises worldwide.

Shell: $1.45 Billion Sale Of Colonial Enterprises Stake Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Shell Midstream Operating (SMUS), a subsidiary of Shell plc, has completed the sale of its 16.125% interest in Colonial Enterprises, Inc. to a subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. The divestment is part of Shell's broader strategy to focus on performance, discipline, and simplification, allowing the company to concentrate on areas where it has scale and a competitive advantage.

SAP To Buy SmartRecruiters, Enhancing Talent Acquisition With AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

SAP and SmartRecruiters announced that SAP has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SmartRecruiters, a leading provider of talent acquisition (TA) software. This acquisition will integrate SmartRecruiters' expertise in high-volume recruiting and AI-enabled candidate engagement into the SAP SuccessFactors human capital management (HCM) suite.

BCE: C$5 Billion Acquisition Of Ziply Fiber Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

BCE announced it has completed its acquisition of Ziply Fiber, a leading fiber Internet provider in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The transaction is valued at C$5.0 billion ($3.65 billion) in cash, with BCE also assuming approximately C$2.6 billion in Ziply Fiber’s outstanding net debt.

Blue J: $122 Million Series D Raised For GenAI Tax Research Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Blue J, a leading generative AI tax research platform, announced it has secured a $122 million Series D funding round. The investment was led by Oak HC/FT and Sapphire Ventures, with participation from Intrepid Growth Partners and previous investors Ten Coves Capital and CPA.com.

Duke Energy Selling $6 Billion Stake In Florida Utility To Brookfield

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Duke Energy announced a definitive agreement for Brookfield to acquire a 19.7% indirect equity interest in Duke Energy Florida for a total of $6 billion in cash. The investment, made through Brookfield's Super-Core Infrastructure strategy, will support Duke Energy's efforts to modernize its energy infrastructure and drive growth initiatives.

Machinify To Buy Performant Healthcare For About $670 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Performant Healthcare, a provider of technology-enabled payment integrity services, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Machinify, a healthcare intelligence company, for approximately $670 million. Machinify is a portfolio company of New Mountain Capital.

Piper Sandler To Buy Boutique Investment Bank G Squared Capital Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Piper Sandler Companies has announced a definitive agreement to acquire G Squared Capital Partners, a boutique investment bank specializing in government services and defense technology.

Middleby Buying Food Solutions Company Frigomeccanica

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

The Middleby Corporation, a global manufacturer of commercial kitchen and food processing equipment, has acquired Frigomeccanica S.p.A. The acquisition, which adds to Middleby's Food Processing portfolio, was for the Italy-based company that specializes in equipment for drying, defrosting, and fermenting food.

Huron Buying Financial Services Consulting Firm Treliant

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Huron, a global professional services firm, has acquired Treliant, a leading advisory and managed services partner for the financial services industry. The acquisition is intended to expand Huron's Commercial segment and help financial institutions navigate complex regulatory and macroeconomic challenges.

Quanta Services Buying Dynamic Systems For $1.35 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Quanta Services, a provider of specialty contracting services, has announced its acquisition of Dynamic Systems (DSI), a premier provider of mechanical and process infrastructure solutions. The deal, valued at $1.35 billion, will expand Quanta's services in the technology, semiconductor, and healthcare sectors.

Savvy Advisors Onboards $270 Million Firm Perspective 6 Wealth Advisors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

Savvy Advisors, a federally registered investment advisor (RIA), has added Perspective 6 Wealth Advisors, a Minneapolis-based team, bringing its total number of advisors to 68. Perspective 6 manages approximately $270 million in assets and specializes in working with professionals in the medical technology and medical device industries.

SOLARCYCLE And ASU Developing Solar Panels From Recycled Glass

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

SOLARCYCLE, a technology-based solar panel recycler, has announced a breakthrough in solar circularity with the successful creation of a proof-of-concept solar panel made with 50% recycled glass from end-of-life panels.

CommBox: Interview With CEO Dvir Hoffman About Turning Websites Into Conversations And Unifying CX

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

CommBox is a customer experience platform designed to unify customer interactions across all digital channels—chat, messaging, email, voice, and video—through advanced conversational AI and automation. Its newest offering, CommSite, brings that intelligence to the front end of the website, turning static pages into interactive, self-serve experiences. Customers can ask questions, get personalized answers, and complete tasks in real time—powered entirely by the brand’s own data. To learn more about this evolution in digital CX, Pulse 2.0 spoke with CommBox CEO Dvir Hoffman about the company’s mission, momentum, and what’s next.

ATHLETHC: Interview With CEO And Navy Seal Veteran John Timar About The Microdose Brand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2025

ATHLETHC is a company that creates performance microdose products for the active lifestyle, pioneering the movement of hemp-derived cannabinoids into the plant-based nutraceutical market. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ATHLETHC CEO John Timar to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

EquiLend Buys Trading Apps For Boosting Front Office Automation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

EquiLend, a global leader in securities finance, has acquired Trading Apps, a technology provider specializing in front-office automation. This acquisition is part of EquiLend's strategy to streamline the entire securities finance process, from trading to post-trade settlement.

Sprout Social Buying NewsWhip For Up To $65 Million For Boosting Predictive Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

Sprout Social, a provider of cloud-based social media management software, has acquired NewsWhip, a company specializing in AI-powered, predictive media intelligence. The deal, valued at $55 million in cash with up to $10 million in potential earnouts, is set to expand Sprout Social's capabilities in helping brands and publishers anticipate emerging trends and breaking news.

HNI To Buy Steelcase In $2.2 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

HNI Corporation and Steelcase have entered a definitive agreement for HNI to acquire Steelcase in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion.

GTCR To Buy FMG Suite To Enhance Growth In Financial Advisor Marketing Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

GTCR, a leading private equity firm, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire FMG Suite from Aurora Capital Partners. FMG Suite is a premier provider of marketing automation software for financial advisors and insurance professionals.

Macquarie Asset Management: Inaugural $711 Million Infrastructure Secondaries Fund Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

Macquarie Asset Management announced the final close of its inaugural infrastructure secondaries fund, the Macquarie Alliance Partners Infrastructure Fund (MAPIF), with total commitments of $711 million. This figure includes both the main fund and the separate managed account (SMA) capital commitments.

Lumana: $40 Million Series A Raised For Transforming Video Security With AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

Lumana, a leader in AI-driven video security solutions, has raised $40 million in a Series A funding round led by Wing Venture Capital, bringing its total funding to $64 million. This capital will enhance its video intelligence platform and accelerate market initiatives.

Arbital Health: $31 Million Series B Raised For Advancing Value-Based Care Risk Contracting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

Arbital Health, a healthcare technology company providing essential infrastructure for managing risk-based contracts, recently announced a $31 million Series B funding round led by Valtruis, with participation from Transformation Capital, Shaper Capital, and Healthy Ventures.

CRV: $750 Million Fund Closed To Lead Seed And Series A Rounds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

Venture capital firm CRV has announced the closing of its latest fund, CRV XX, with $750 million in commitments.

UC’s 1819 Demo Day Displays Cincinnati’s Next Wave Of Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

The University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub recently hosted its Venture Lab Demo Day, providing a platform for five local startups to pitch their groundbreaking ideas to an audience of investors, mentors, and industry experts. These ventures, born from the UC Digital Pre-Accelerator, are tackling diverse challenges from pet care to speech therapy, showcasing the strength of the Cincinnati Innovation District's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

MH2Fund Launched To Advance Hydrogen Economy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

The Monaco Hydrogen Alliance and MobilityVC have launched MH2Fund, a venture that supports early-stage companies in the hydrogen economy. Their first investment is in SunGreenH2, a developer of affordable, modular green hydrogen electrolyzers.

Cambridge Innovation Capital: £100+ Million Committed To University Spin-Outs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) is investing at least £100 million in spinouts from the University of Cambridge, leveraging the commercial potential of its research in science and technology. This initiative supports the university's plans for four million square feet of high-tech space at Cambridge West, as well as an Innovation Hub in central Cambridge, designed for startups and entrepreneurs.

Amphenol: $10.5 Billion Deal For The Connectivity and Cable Solutions Segment Of CommScope

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

CommScope, a leader in network connectivity, has reached an agreement to sell its Connectivity and Cable Solutions (CCS) segment to Amphenol for about $10.5 billion in cash. This strategic move is expected to reshape CommScope's business and provide significant returns to shareholders.

QA Sphere: Interview With Creator Andrian Budantsov About The AI-Based Test Management System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 4, 2025

QA Sphere is an AI-powered test management system designed to streamline and simplify the software testing process for development teams. It serves as an all-in-one platform for managing both manual and automated testing workflows. Pulse 2.0 interviewed QA Sphere Creator Andrian Budantsov to gain a deeper understanding of the platform.

JotPsych: $5 Million Seed Funding Raised For Fully Agentic EHR Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 3, 2025

JotPsych, a leader in AI scribing for behavioral health, has raised $5 million in seed funding from Base10 Partners. Their AI scribe significantly reduces documentation time and customizes to clinician preferences.