Innovation

Clear Group Acquires Veterinary Specialist Shire Insurance Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Cosegic Strengthens Financial Crime Expertise With FINTRAIL Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Cosegic has acquired FINTRAIL, a specialist financial crime consultancy, in a deal it said will expand the group’s financial crime and regulatory risk capabilities as compliance expectations rise across global markets.

Dripl: €4 Million Raised To Expand Office Hydration Push And Cut Single-Use Packaging

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Dripl, a workplace hydration company, has raised €4 million to expand its office drink systems and push toward its goal of eliminating 1 billion single-use packages by 2030, according to a post by co-founder Colin Deblonde.

Zurich Insurance Group: £8.1 Billion Offer For Beazley With Improved All-Cash Proposal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Zurich Insurance Group announced it has submitted an improved proposal to acquire 100% of Beazley plc, offering Beazley shareholders 1,280 pence in cash per share as it seeks to accelerate talks with the UK specialty insurer’s board.

Revenir: Interview With CEO Shawn Du About The VAT Reclaims Platform Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Revenir is a VAT reclaims platform established to eliminate financial inefficiency and bring innovative technology to the financial sector. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Revenir CEO Shawn Du to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

VDL Groep Acquires Sintecs To Expand High-End Electronics Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

VDL Groep has acquired Sintecs, a Hengelo-based electronics design specialist, as it pushes to deepen its in-house electronics capabilities and broaden its “one-stop-shop” offering spanning mechanics, software, and electronics. The deal adds a 75-person team and a portfolio that spans complex digital electronics design, production support, and cybersecurity-focused products marketed under Sintecs’ Scalys brand.

Invitation Homes Acquires ResiBuilt To Expand Build-to-Rent Development Capabilities Across The Southeast

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Invitation Homes has acquired ResiBuilt Homes, a build-to-rent developer focused on high-growth markets in the U.S. Southeast, in a move the single-family rental REIT says will strengthen its ability to add new housing supply through development and “capital-light” partnerships.

Concentra Acquires Reliant Immediate Care Assets In California, Expanding Los Angeles Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Concentra announced it has acquired the assets of Reliant Immediate Care in California from MBI Industrial Medicine, adding three rebranded centers in the greater Los Angeles area and consolidating a fourth site into an existing Concentra clinic.

Wayne State University And Kyndryl Partner To Build IntelliMake Hub For AI-Based Manufacturing In Detroit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Wayne State University and Kyndryl have entered a multi-year collaboration to establish the IntelliMake research hub and a pilot-scale factory inside Wayne State’s James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering, aiming to accelerate AI-driven manufacturing R&D and workforce training in Detroit. The partners said the on-campus facility will be used to co-develop and demonstrate intelligent and agentic AI manufacturing technologies, run joint workshops focused on AI, cybersecurity, and digital twins, and deploy hands-on demonstration “pods” inside the IntelliMake lab.

Dominion Dynamics: C$21 Million Seed Round Closed For Arctic-Focused Defense Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Dominion Dynamics, a Canadian defense technology startup building interoperable, “attritable” systems for contested environments, has raised a C$21 million (US$15.2 million) seed round led by Georgian, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and British Columbia Investment Management.

New York Stock Exchange Develops Tokenized Securities Trading And On-Chain Settlement Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

The New York Stock Exchange, part of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), said it is developing a platform to support the trading and on-chain settlement of tokenized securities and will seek regulatory approvals for the initiative.

Wed Society: Series B Closed At $11 Million Valuation, Citing 110+ Million Annual Content Views

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Wed Society announced it has closed a Series B funding round at an $11 million valuation, positioning the Oklahoma City-based wedding planning platform to broaden its national footprint and invest in technology and operations as it targets continued expansion in 2026.

Noveon Magnetics: $215 Million Series C Raised To Expand U.S. Rare Earth Magnet Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Noveon Magnetics, a U.S. manufacturer of sintered rare earth permanent magnets, has closed a $215 million Series C financing round led by One Investment Management (OneIM), including a $200 million investment from OneIM.

Wrisk Adds Allianz As Strategic Investor In Series B Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 19, 2026

Wrisk, a London-based digital insurance platform focused on embedded insurance for the automotive sector, said Allianz Holdings plc has joined its Series B financing as a strategic investor, deepening a long-running commercial relationship between the two companies.

A47: $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised To Build AI-Native News Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

A47 has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of an AI-native news platform that helps audiences discover, understand, and trust information amid a growing flood of misinformation, fragmented feeds, and engagement-driven noise.

Mal: $230 Million Raised To Launch Digital Bank

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Mal has closed a $230 million investment round to fund the development and launch of what it describes as the world’s first AI-native Islamic digital bank, headquartered in Abu Dhabi. The concluded financing was led by Abu Dhabi-based asset manager BlueFive Capital.

Medius: Interview With Chief Revenue Officer Mary Barton About The Spend Management Software Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Medius provides cloud-based business spend management software that automates accounts payable—from invoice capture and approvals to payments and spend analytics—so companies can streamline the source-to-pay process. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Medius Chief Revenue Officer Mary Flynn Barton to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Beyond Meat Launches Beyond Immerse Protein Drink Line

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Beyond Meat is moving beyond plant-based meat into functional beverages with the launch of Beyond Immerse, a plant-based protein drink formulated with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and electrolytes.

YouMail: Interview With CEO Alex Quilici About Fighting Against Robocalls And AI-Based Fraud

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

YouMail protects consumers, enterprises, and carriers from harmful phone calls. Best known for its mobile apps that protect users from unwanted calls, texts, and voicemails, YouMail also powers robocall-mitigation intelligence used by carriers and enterprises to detect and stop illegal calling campaigns at the source. Pulse 2.0 spoke with YouMail CEO Alex Quilici to discuss how the company is using AI and large-scale call data to combat robocalls and the growing threat of phone-based fraud.

Fundera Network Launches AI-Powered Platform Built for Clarity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Fundera Network announced it has launched an AI-powered, non-custodial decentralized finance platform aimed at helping users navigate multichain activity with greater structure, risk awareness, and execution support. The company also opened a presale for its $FDR token, positioning the offering as an on-ramp to its broader ecosystem.

Black Titan Lands Up To $200 Million Convertible Note Facility To Expand DAT+ Digital Asset Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Black Titan announced it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a U.S.-based institutional investor for a convertible note financing facility of up to $200 million, positioning the company to accelerate development and execution of its DAT+ strategy.

MillerKnoll Adds Former J. Jill CEO Claire Spofford To Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

MillerKnoll has appointed retail executive Claire Spofford to its board of directors, adding an experienced consumer and omnichannel leader as the company looks to expand across its global portfolio of design brands.

Rochefort Asset Management Provides Senior Secured Loan To Uo Arms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 18, 2026

Rochefort Asset Management said it has closed a senior secured loan to Uo Arms, a Dallas-based firearms manufacturer, to expand production capacity and accelerate development of the company’s NT7 personal defense weapon platform.

Sage Advisors Joins Apollon Wealth Management, Expanding Midwest Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 17, 2026

Apollon Wealth Management is adding Indiana-based registered investment adviser Sage Advisors to its growing national organization, extending the firm’s reach in the Midwest and continuing its strategy of partnering with relationship-driven advisory practices.

Veera: $10 Million Raised To Expand Mobile On-Chain Financial Services Platform In Singapore

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Veera, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency-focused financial services platform, has raised $10 million across pre-seed and seed funding rounds as it invests in product development and expansion of its on-chain financial services offering. The round included backing from Sigma Capital, CMCC Titan Fund, 6th Man Ventures, and Ayon Capital, according to the company. The funding will be used to build out its product roadmap and support growth initiatives tied to its mobile-first platform.

Verdane Invests in Clue to Accelerate the Future of Women’s Health

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Clue, a women-led period and cycle tracking health and wellness app with more than 100 million downloads worldwide, has secured what it described as a significant strategic investment from Verdane, a European growth equity firm focused on technology-enabled businesses. The company said the financing is the largest investment in Clue to date and will make Verdane the app’s largest investor.

Plume Buys Sweepr To Build AI-Orchestrated Customer Experience Platform For ISPs Worldwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Plume announced it has acquired Sweepr, an AI-powered customer-care orchestration platform, in a deal aimed at turning real-time home-network intelligence into guided and automated support actions across digital and assisted channels for internet service providers globally.

SaleCycle Acquires BEYABLE To Build Full-Funnel European Martech Challenger

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Gateshead-based SaleCycle, an e-commerce performance technology provider backed by BGF, has acquired French on-site personalization and conversion optimization company BEYABLE, as the businesses move to form a combined European martech platform aimed at enterprise e-commerce brands.

LDIC Inc. Names Genevieve Roch-Decter As CEO And Adds Nese Sokmen AS Client Relations Head In Senior Leadership Shuffle

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

LDIC Inc. said it has made a series of senior executive appointments aimed at supporting continued growth, strengthening client service, and maintaining what the firm described as performance excellence, as it marks 27 years since its 1998 founding and a second consecutive year of record-high assets under management.

Machine Investment Group Buys Newly Built Mixed-Use Multifamily Property In Georgetown, Texas

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Machine Investment Group has acquired Rise 120, a newly built property with 227 multifamily units and 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail in Georgetown, Texas, in an off-market transaction. The asset, delivered in the first quarter of 2024, sits in a fast-growing submarket of the Austin metropolitan area and is positioned near key employment hubs in Georgetown, Round Rock, and North Austin.