Innovation

ZyG: $58 Million Seed Raised For Agentic Operating System To Scale Direct-To-Consumer Brands

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

ZyG announced the launch of its Agentic Operating System, an end-to-end platform designed to help direct-to-consumer (DTC) products scale into full brands. Alongside the launch, the company raised a $58 million seed round backed by investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Viola Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with additional participation from Disruptive AI, Emerge, Access Industries, Stardom Ventures, and Jibe Ventures.

Galvanize: $370 Million Raised For Decarbonization-Focused Commercial Real Estate Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Galvanize announced the final close of Galvanize Real Estate Fund I, securing $370 million in commitments from a globally diverse group of institutional investors. The investors include pension funds, foundations, registered investment advisors, banks and their clients, and family offices.

AgriPass: $7.5 Million Seed Round Raised For AI-Powered Robotic Weed Control Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

AgriPass, an AI and robotics company focused on adaptive agricultural field operations, announced that it has raised $7.5 million in seed funding to accelerate the commercial-scale-up of its RHIC robotic weed-control platform across the United States and Europe.

Vintage Investment Partners: David Chiodo Joins To Expand North American Venture Presence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Vintage Investment Partners announced that David Chiodo has joined the firm’s investment team as it strengthens its presence in North America. The global venture capital platform, founded in 2003 and managing more than $4.4 billion in assets under management, said Chiodo will be based in New York and will focus on deepening engagement with venture capital fund managers, founders, and the broader venture ecosystem across the United States and Canada.

Levitate: $16 Million Raised For AI-Powered Relationship Marketing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Levitate announced it has raised $16 million in a new funding round led by Harbert Growth Partners with participation from Bull City Venture Partners and Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures.

Castle Biosciences: Interview With Founder, CEO, And President Derek Maetzold About The Molecular Diagnostics Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Castle Biosciences is a molecular diagnostics company that develops and commercializes proprietary tests designed to provide personalized, clinically actionable information to improve treatment decisions and patient outcomes, with a primary focus on skin cancers, uveal melanoma, and gastroenterological diseases. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Castle Biosciences founder, CEO, and President Derek Maetzold to learn more.

Waterland Private Equity Enters Strategic Partnership With Palletways

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

European private equity firm Waterland Private Equity has entered a strategic partnership with Palletways, acquiring a majority stake in the palletised freight distribution network to support its next phase of European growth and operational development.

Main Capital Partners Invests In Good Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Main Capital Partners has announced a majority investment in Good Solutions, a Swedish provider of manufacturing improvement software focused on production monitoring, operational optimization and factory performance analytics.

Visualize Group Completes Acquisition Of Gaming Testing And Compliance Company BMM Testlabs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

The Visualize Group has completed its acquisition of BMM Testlabs, marking the first private equity control acquisition in the North American regulated gaming testing and inspection market.

Smithbucklin Acquires McKinley Advisors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Smithbucklin announced it has acquired McKinley Advisors, bringing together two firms focused on serving associations and mission-driven organizations. The combination adds McKinley’s research and strategic advisory capabilities to Smithbucklin’s long-standing association management and event services platform.

One Call To Buy Data Dimensions To Expand Workers’ Compensation Care Coordination Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

One Call, a technology-enabled ancillary services and care management platform serving the workers’ compensation industry, has entered into an agreement to acquire Data Dimensions, an Electronic Data Interchange clearinghouse and technology services provider serving healthcare, insurance, and government customers.

Create Music Group: $450 Million Funding At $2.2 Billion Valuation Raised For Music And Media Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Create Music Group announced the completion of a $450 million funding round, valuing the Los Angeles–based music and media platform at $2.2 billion. The round includes a mix of new equity and debt capital that will support the company’s continued expansion across media, intellectual property, and technology.

Florida Blue Foundation: $3.5 Million Invested To Address Florida Maternal Health Crisis

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

The Florida Blue Foundation announced a $3.5 million investment to expand maternal health support programs across Florida, aiming to improve outcomes for mothers and babies while addressing high rates of preterm birth and infant mortality statewide.

Smith Micro: $4.9 Million Raised Through Convertible Notes And Warrants Financing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Smith Micro Software, a software company focused on mobile and wireless solutions, announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement expected to generate approximately $4.9 million in gross proceeds through private financing.

University Of Utah: Partnership With U.S. Patent And Trademark Office Expands Innovation Support Across The Mountain West

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

The University of Utah has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to host a community engagement office on its campus, expanding access to intellectual property education, resources, and expertise for students, entrepreneurs, and businesses across the Intermountain West.

Capitol AI: Interview With Founder & CEO Shaun Modi About Turning Enterprise Data Into Decision-Grade Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Capitol AI is building a sovereign operating system for intelligence for regulated, high-stakes institutions, including professional services firms, publishers, and government agencies. Capitol runs entirely inside enterprise infrastructure, transforming proprietary data into structured, decision-grade artifacts, including due diligence reports, regulatory documentation, and executive intelligence. Model-agnostic and fully auditable, with no data egress, the platform gives institutions durable control over their data, workflows, and standards. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Capitol AI founder and CEO Shaun Modi to learn more.

Tilray Brands: £33 Million BrewDog Asset Acquisition Expands Global Craft Beverage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Tilray Brands announced that it has completed the acquisition of select assets from craft beer company BrewDog for £33 million, expanding its international beverage platform and strengthening its presence in the global craft beer market.

Fig Security: $38 Million Raised For SecOps Resilience Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Fig Security, a cybersecurity startup focused on strengthening the reliability of enterprise security operations, has emerged from stealth with $38 million in combined seed and Series A funding. The company aims to help organizations detect and fix breakdowns across complex security operations environments as enterprises increasingly rely on layered infrastructure, data pipelines, and automated detection systems.

JetStream Security: $34 Million Raised For AI Governance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

JetStream Security announced that it has raised $34 million in seed funding to address a growing challenge facing enterprises adopting artificial intelligence: how to govern and trust AI systems deployed across their organizations. The funding round was led by Redpoint Ventures and included participation from the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund, along with several notable angel investors, including George Kurtz of CrowdStrike, Assaf Rappaport of Wiz, and Frederic Kerrest of Okta.

Illume: Pre-Seed Funding Raised For Wellness Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Illume, a data intelligence platform built for the wellness industry, announced the closing of its pre-seed funding round alongside the launch of a new brand identity and website. The Cincinnati-based company said the funding will help expand its platform, which provides business intelligence tools tailored for med spas and aesthetics practices.

MightyFly: $10 Million Raised To Scale Autonomous Hybrid eVTOL Cargo Aircraft For Logistics And Defense

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

MightyFly, an autonomous air logistics company developing hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo aircraft, announced it has raised $10 million in new funding. The round included participation from Draper Associates, At One Ventures, and 500 Global. With the latest investment, the company’s total funding has reached $15 million.

Burst: $3 Million Raised For HSA/FSA Reimbursement Platform And Rebrand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Burst, a company focused on simplifying how consumers use health savings account (HSA) and flexible spending account (FSA) funds, announced that it has raised $3 million and rebranded from its previous name, Float. The company also disclosed a $2.1 million seed round led by Pear VC, with participation from Rock Health Capital, Meridian Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and a group of additional funds and angel investors.

Vast Coworking Group Acquired By Flexible Workspace Platform Investor New State Capital Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

New State Capital Partners announced it has acquired Vast Coworking Group, one of the largest coworking platforms in the world, in a carve-out transaction from United Franchise Group. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

FundBank: Strategic Investment In Blockchain Fintech Trrue To Expand Digital Asset Banking

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

FundBank announced it has made a significant investment in blockchain fintech company Trrue as part of its broader strategy to expand banking and custody services for digital assets. The investment supports FundBank’s efforts to address growing institutional demand for secure fiat banking infrastructure tied to cryptocurrency and blockchain-based assets.

Skema: Seed Funding Raised For AEC Design Data Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Skema announced it has closed a strategic seed funding round to accelerate development of its platform designed for architecture, engineering, and construction professionals. The company said the capital will be used to expand its platform capabilities, deepen integrations with AEC workflows, and extend its tools across the full spectrum of design and construction phases. The round was led by Robin Bienfait, a board member of Skema and CEO of Atlanta Tech Park and Emnovate. The investor base includes strategic industry partners, venture investors, and family offices.

Hibachi Worldwide: Strategic Investment From Andakin Ventures To Accelerate Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Hibachi Worldwide announced it has received a strategic growth investment from Andakin Ventures to accelerate the global expansion of its in-home hibachi and private chef entertainment platform.

Lotus Domaine: Strategic Investment Relationship With OPENVC Unicorn Fund I

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Lotus Domaine Fund III, LP, a private equity fund focused on founder-led enterprise technology companies, announced that it has entered into a finalized strategic investment relationship with OPENVC Unicorn Fund I, LP, a platform providing institutional-grade access to late-stage private technology companies.

Crossover Markets: $31 Million Raised For Institutional Crypto Trading Platform At $200 Million Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Crossover Markets, a digital asset trading technology firm focused on institutional crypto liquidity, announced it has raised $31 million in a Series B financing round, valuing the company at $200 million.

Artemis: $6 Million Raised For Distributed Energy Operating System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

Artemis, formerly known as Monalee, announced that it has raised $6 million in financing to expand its AI-powered platform designed to streamline distributed energy deployment. The round was co-led by Long Journey Ventures and Copec WIND Ventures, with participation from Ludlow Ventures, Shrug Capital, Coalition Operators, Plug and Play Ventures, FJ Labs, Tribeca Ventures, Palm Tree Crew, and Scott Banister.

NextWork: $4.45 Million Seed Round Raised For AI Skill Verification Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 5, 2026

NextWork, a platform designed to help people learn practical artificial intelligence skills by building real-world projects and publishing proof-of-work portfolios, announced it has raised $4.45 million in a seed funding round led by Shakti VC. The round also included participation from Cake Ventures, along with repeat investors GD1 VC, Blackbird Ventures, Icehouse Ventures, Phase One Ventures and a group of angel investors.