Innovation

Adams Street Partners Launches ASPEN Lux, A Luxembourg-Domiciled Evergreen PE Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Adams Street Partners, a private markets investment manager with more than $65 billion in assets under management, has launched the Adams Street Private Equity Global Fund, known as ASPEN Lux, a Luxembourg-domiciled open-ended evergreen vehicle aimed at professional and eligible investors outside the United States.

Pennylane Raises €175 Million To Expand AI And E-Invoicing Push Across Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Pennylane has raised €175 million in a funding round led by TCV, with participation from Blackstone Growth, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, CapitalG, and Meritech Capital, as the company seeks to position itself as a leading “financial operating system” for European businesses. Bloomberg revealed that the funding round was at a $4.25 billion valuation.

Bayer Signs 5 Year Collaboration With Vanderbilt University Medical Center To Advance Cardiovascular And Kidney Drug Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Bayer and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have entered a five-year strategic collaboration aimed at advancing new therapies from early target identification through Investigational New Drug (IND) application, with an initial focus on cardiovascular and kidney diseases.

Prudential Advisors Adds AI-Driven Lead Scoring And GenAI Insights To Advisor Leads Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Prudential Advisors, the retail distribution business of Prudential Financial, announced it has enhanced its Advisor Leads program by embedding artificial intelligence and data science across the full lead lifecycle to improve lead quality and increase conversion rates for its advisor force.

Point Laz: $3 Million Raised To Scale Automated Mine Shaft Inspections

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

Point Laz Mining Laser Expertise announced it has closed a $3 million funding round to accelerate production and global deployment of its automated mine shaft inspection technology and related analytics platform. The financing was led by the i4 Capital Fund, with significant participation from Fonds Impulsion, which is managed by Investissement Québec and financed by the Government of Québec.

BioCatch: Interview With VP Of Product Marketing Raj Dasgupta About The Fraud Detection Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2026

BioCatch is a digital fraud detection company that uses AI-driven behavioral biometric intelligence to analyze user interactions—such as keystroke dynamics and mouse movements—to distinguish between legitimate customers and potential cybercriminals. Pulse 2.0 interviewed BioCatch VP of Product Marketing Raj Dasgupta to learn more.

British Business Bank Backs IQ Capital Fund V With Up To £50 Million Commitment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

The British Business Bank has committed up to £50 million to IQ Capital’s Fund V, extending a relationship that has seen the Bank make cornerstone commitments to all seven of IQ Capital’s funds since its first investment in Fund I in 2006.

Pulsar Acquires Controlling Stake In Navee Technology And Launches Pulsar Türkiye

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Pulsar International has acquired a controlling interest in Istanbul-based Navee Technology, forming a new operating entity, Pulsar Türkiye, as the satellite communications provider expands its commercial maritime footprint and adds deeper local coverage in Türkiye.

AIG And CVC Launch Up To $3.5 Billion Strategic Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

American International Group and global private markets manager CVC said they have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at advancing AIG’s long-term investment objectives while expanding CVC’s insurance-focused solutions and private markets offerings.

Piper Sandler Completes Acquisition of MENA Growth Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Piper Sandler Companies announced it has completed its acquisition of MENA Growth Partners, a merchant bank headquartered in Abu Dhabi, in a move that expands the U.S. investment bank’s footprint in the Gulf and formalizes a regional platform it intends to use as a strategic hub across the GCC.

Datawave And Cerberus Strike Majority Investment Deal To Build Singapore-India-Gulf Subsea Cable System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Datawave Networks, a Cyprus-based independent subsea infrastructure provider, said it has signed a binding investment and financing agreement with affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management to fund and accelerate development of the Singapore–India–Gulf (SING) Cable System, a next-generation subsea fiber optic network spanning the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Sharon AI Enters Strategic $200 Million Investment Partnership With Digital Alpha

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

SharonAI Holdings and its subsidiaries announced it has entered a strategic investment partnership with Digital Alpha that could provide up to $200 million of equity and revenue-share capital, alongside an exclusive technology partnership with Cisco aimed at scaling AI and high-performance cloud compute infrastructure across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

HighPost Capital Promotes David Weston To Senior Managing Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

HighPost Capital has promoted David Weston to Senior Managing Director for its Buyout/Late-Stage Growth Fund, expanding his leadership responsibilities while he continues to lead sourcing and diligence efforts across the firm’s core consumer-oriented sectors.

The Access Group Acquires Route Optimization Platform MaxOptra

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

The Access Group has acquired MaxOptra, a London-based route Optimization and delivery management platform used by more than 450 customers to optimise over 6,000 vehicles daily across 26 industry sectors, including food and beverage, construction, logistics, and waste management. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Arteris Completes Cycuity Acquisition To Add Silicon Hardware Security Assurance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Arteris announced it has closed its previously announced acquisition of Cycuity, adding semiconductor cybersecurity assurance technology as chipmakers face a growing threat landscape that increasingly extends into the hardware layer.

CloudAvanti Names Brad Dever Chief Commercial Officer And Managing Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

CloudAvanti has appointed Oracle services executive Brad Dever as chief commercial officer and managing director, effective January 19, as the boutique consulting firm looks to scale its go-to-market efforts and expand across North America.

Renewa Secures $502 Million In Financing To Support Clean Energy Land Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Renewa announced it has secured $502 million in financing from a consortium of leading institutional investors to expand its land-based financing platform that supports clean energy infrastructure projects across the United States.

e& And IBM Unveil Enterprise-Grade Agentic AI To Transform Governance And Compliance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Global technology group e& and IBM announced a strategic collaboration aimed at building an enterprise-grade agentic AI foundation at e&, beginning with policy, risk, and compliance workflows.

Stafford Capital Partners Closes Over $1.1 Billion For Flagship Infrastructure Secondaries Fund V

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Stafford Capital Partners announced it has closed Stafford Infrastructure Secondaries Fund V (SISF V) and associated vehicles at more than $1.1 billion, bringing the firm’s infrastructure assets under management to $2.7 billion and marking its largest infrastructure raise to date.

GSE Solutions Acquires Iddeal, Strengthening Nuclear Engineering Program Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

GSE Solutions announced it has acquired Iddeal Concepts, Iddeal Services, and Iddeal Solutions, expanding GSE’s engineering program offerings for nuclear and energy generation customers and adding new software and specialized ASME Code expertise.

UST Acquires Digital Banking Services Firm Tailwind Business Ventures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

UST has acquired Texas-based fintech Tailwind Business Ventures, a move aimed at strengthening UST’s banking and financial services capabilities and expanding its presence in South America. Financial terms were not disclosed.

SouthWorth Capital Management Buys American Furniture Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

SouthWorth Capital Management, a Memphis-based family office focused on lower-middle-market investments, has acquired American Furniture Manufacturing (AFM) and its family of companies, adding a vertically integrated producer of upholstered residential furniture to its manufacturing portfolio.

Alta Semper To Acquire Majority Stake In Nature’s Rule

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Alta Semper announced it has signed definitive agreements to acquire a majority stake in Nature’s Rule, a UAE-headquartered sports nutrition and dietary supplements company with manufacturing operations in Egypt, in a deal that underscores private equity’s growing focus on health and wellness brands across emerging markets.

goFLUENT Buys Learnship Operations To Expand Corporate Language Training

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

goFLUENT announced it has acquired the business operations of Germany-based Learnship Networks GmbH, a move the company framed as part of its efforts to accelerate consolidation in the corporate language training market as AI-driven tools reshape how multinational employers deploy and measure language development.

Alcami Acquires RTP Facility to Further Expand Biologic Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Alcami has acquired a 37,000-square-foot facility in Research Triangle Park for $6.7 million, expanding the contract development and manufacturing organization’s analytical and development footprint in Durham, North Carolina.

Bitwise Appoints Shyam Natarajan As Chief Strategy Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Bitwise has named Shyam Natarajan as chief strategy officer, adding a senior executive role to accelerate its AI-first modernization and enterprise transformation work. The AI, data, and digital engineering services provider said the appointment supports its focus on helping global enterprises modernize their digital foundations and build AI-first systems that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Terex Appoints Namita Jindal As Chief AI and Data Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Terex has appointed Namita Jindal as senior vice president and chief AI and data officer, effective immediately, as the industrial equipment manufacturer looks to accelerate its digital transformation agenda.

Elyos AI: $13 Million Series A Raised To Expand AI “Front Office” Agents for Trades Businesses

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Elyos AI has raised a $13 million Series A round to accelerate development of AI agents built for trades businesses, targeting one of the sector’s most persistent operational problems: missed work and lost revenue when customer inquiries aren’t handled quickly and consistently. The Series A was led by Blackbird, with participation from Y Combinator and Pi Labs.

Ananda Impact Ventures Lands €73M First Close For Fifth Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Ananda Impact Ventures has announced a €73 million first close for its fifth fund, describing it as the largest first close in the firm’s history and a signal of continued institutional and private appetite for Europe-focused impact strategies.

Crescent European Specialty Lending Backs Apheon-Led Consolidation In Trenchless Pipe Rehabilitation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Crescent Capital Group announced its European Specialty Lending strategy has provided financing to support a buy-and-build platform in the trenchless pipe rehabilitation market led by pan-European mid-market private equity firm Apheon and the founders of several Germany-based pipe rehabilitation and manufacturing businesses.