Innovation

Hydrosat: $60 Million Series B Raised To Expand Thermal-Infrared Satellite Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Hydrosat, a provider of thermal-infrared satellite data and AI-driven analytics for water and resource management, announced it has closed $60 million in new financing to support expansion across commercial, civil government, and defense markets. The Series B round was led by Hartree Partners, Subutai Capital Partners, and Space 4 Earth, with new participation from Truffle Capital. Hydrosat said the financing also included follow-on investment from the Luxembourg Future Fund, OTB Ventures, Blue Bear Capital, Statkraft Ventures, Cultivation Capital, and Santa Barbara Venture Partners.

Equal1: $60 Million Closed To Bring Quantum Computing To Standard Semiconductor Fabs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Equal1 has raised $60 million in new funding to accelerate development and deployment of its silicon-based quantum computing systems, aiming to make quantum hardware manufacturable and deployable using existing semiconductor manufacturing and standard data center infrastructure. The round was led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), with participation from Atlantic Bridge Ventures, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Matterwave Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, Elkstone, and TNO Ventures. The financing brings Equal1’s total funding to more than $85 million.

AlphaLum Raises CHF 3.4 Million Seed Round To Scale AR Optics For Smart Glasses

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

AlphaLum, a Lausanne-based augmented reality optics and sensing company spun out of ams OSRAM’s corporate incubator, has raised CHF 3.4 million in seed financing to accelerate its push from advanced engineering into a supplier role for next-generation smart glasses and spatial-computing hardware. The round was led by Vsquared Ventures.

NEFCO Partners With Leonard Green & Partners To Back Next Phase of Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

NEFCO, a family-operated, value-added construction supply company serving professional contractors nationwide, has entered into a strategic partnership with private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners (LGP) aimed at accelerating the company’s long-term growth strategy.

TradingBlock to Join Nant Global Finance In Deal Tied To Blockchain-Based Capital Markets Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

TradingBlock, a Chicago-based online brokerage focused on active and professional traders, said it will join Nant Global Finance, Inc., a newly formed capital markets platform that aims to modernize public-market infrastructure using blockchain-enabled settlement technology, subject to final FINRA approvals.

Higgsfield Raises Series A Total Past $130 Million And Tops $200 Million Run Rate In Under Nine Months

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Higgsfield announced it has raised an $80 million Series A extension, bringing its total Series A financing to more than $130 million and valuing the company at more than $1.3 billion, as the generative video startup reports reaching a $200 million annual run rate less than nine months after launch. The round included participation from Accel, AI Capital Partners (Alpha Intelligence Capital’s U.S.-based fund), Menlo Ventures and other investors, the company said.

Konnex: $15 Million Raised To Build On-Chain Marketplace For Autonomous Robot Labor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Konnex announced it has raised $15 million from a group of strategic backers to expand a platform designed to turn autonomous robotic work into a standardized, app-like service that can be contracted, verified, and paid for in real time. The round included participation from venture firms Cogitent Ventures, Liquid Capital, Leland Ventures, Covey, M77 Ventures, and Block Maven.

WitnessAI: $58 Million Closed To Expand AI Agent Security And Governance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

WitnessAI announced it has raised $58 million in strategic funding to accelerate global go-to-market efforts, expand its product portfolio, and deepen security and governance controls for enterprises building and deploying AI agents.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies To Invest $200M In MrBeast’s Beast Industries

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced it has agreed to make a $200 million equity investment in Beast Industries, the entertainment and consumer products company founded by YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast.

WeLab: $220 Million Series D Strategic Financing Raised To Fuel Southeast Asia Expansion And AI Push

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

WeLab announced it has closed a $220 million Series D strategic financing, describing the round as the largest digital banking capital raise in Asia in 2025 and the biggest funding round in the company’s history. The financing includes both debt and equity and brings in a mix of new investors alongside continued backing from existing investors and strategic capital partners.

Zydus Completes Agenus Biologics Facilities Acquisition And Launches U.S. CDMO Unit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Zydus Lifesciences Limited announced it has completed a set of agreements with Agenus Inc. that transfers ownership of Agenus’ biologics manufacturing facilities and operations to Zydus, establishing a new U.S.-based platform that will operate under a newly formed subsidiary, Zylidac Bio LLC.

Decisions + ProcessMaker Acquires SAP Automation Specialist Configurable Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Decisions + ProcessMaker, the recently merged providers of business process automation and AI orchestration software, has acquired Configurable Management, a longtime partner that builds SAP-focused automation products to reduce risk and complexity in large SAP programs, such as migrations, data validation efforts, and enterprise-wide modernization initiatives.

SIM IP And Tangibly Launch Trade Secret Litigation Financing Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

SIM IP and Tangibly have launched a partnership aimed at funding and accelerating trade secret litigation, pairing SIM IP’s intellectual property monetization and enforcement experience with Tangibly’s AI-driven trade secret management and intelligence platform.

DC BLOX Lands $240 Million HoldCo Financing From BlackRock’s GIP To Advance Southeast Hyperscale Buildout

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

DC BLOX, a regional provider of connected data centers and fiber network infrastructure across the Southeastern U.S., said it has secured a $240 million HoldCo financing facility from Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which is part of BlackRock. The company said the new capital will support its hyperscale data center expansion strategy and broaden the financing base behind a growing portfolio of digital infrastructure projects in the region.

Parloa: $350 Million Series D Raised At $3 Billion Valuation To Expand Agentic AI For Customer Experience

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Parloa, a provider of AI agents for enterprise customer experience, said it has raised $350 million in a Series D round that values the company at $3 billion, as it accelerates its push to become a category leader in “agentic AI” for customer relationships.

Midnite: $35 Million Series C Raised To Fund Product, Hiring, And International Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Midnite, a UK-based sportsbook and casino operator, has closed a $35 million Series C funding round led by Raine Partners IV, the flagship growth equity fund of The Raine Group, as the company pushes to scale its platform and expand beyond its home market.

PK Consumer Health To Acquire Finland’s Puhdistamo, Expanding Nordic Consumer Healthcare Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

PK Consumer Health, a consumer healthcare platform backed by Avista Healthcare Partners and Damier Group, has signed an agreement to acquire Finland-based Puhdistamo – Real Foods Oy, expanding PK’s footprint in the Nordic region and adding exposure to fast-growing categories including vitamins, minerals and supplements, sports nutrition, and functional drinks.

SEMCAP Food & Nutrition Closes $125 Million Debut Fund Backed By Strategic Industry Investors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

SEMCAP Food & Nutrition announced it has closed its inaugural Food & Nutrition fund with $125 million in commitments, positioning the growth equity platform to expand its portfolio of “better-for-you” and sustainable food brands across the U.S. and Canada.

CF Private Equity Closes Fifth Co-Investment Fund at $187 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

CF Private Equity has completed the final close of its fifth dedicated private equity co-investment vehicle, CF Private Equity Co-Investment Opportunities V, L.P., raising $187 million and surpassing its $175 million target.

H.I.G. Growth Sells Minority myKaarma Stake To Warburg Pincus

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

H.I.G. Growth Partners, the growth equity affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, has sold a minority stake in portfolio company myKaarma to Warburg Pincus, bringing the global growth investor onto myKaarma’s board of directors as the dealership software provider enters its next stage of expansion.

Bertram Capital Exits NEFCO With Sale To Leonard Green

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Bertram Capital announced it has completed the sale of its portfolio company NEFCO Holding Company LLC to Leonard Green & Partners, marking Bertram’s second exit from its Fund IV and its 23rd realization since the firm launched in 2006. Financial terms were not disclosed.

ALTÉRRA And BBVA Partner On Proposed $1.2 Billion Climate Co-Investment Fund With $250M Commitment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

ALTÉRRA, one of the world’s largest private investment vehicles for climate finance, and BBVA said they have formed a new partnership centered on a climate co-investment vehicle that ALTÉRRA plans to launch, with BBVA committing $250 million as a proposed strategic limited partner, subject to regulatory approvals.

Slips: $3.5 Million Series Seed Raised To Expand Peer-To-Peer Betting Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Slips, a peer-to-peer betting company positioning itself as an alternative to traditional sportsbooks, said it has raised a $3.5 million series seed round to accelerate product development, hiring, and national expansion. The round was led by Las Olas Capital and Sunset Bay Capital. Slips also cited participation from several individual and strategic investors, including Andrew Schwartzberg, whom the company identified as a co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets and Leeds United.

BXP Closes Over $1 Billion In Asset Sales, Advancing 2025–2027 Disposition Plan

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

BXP announced it has completed a series of property sales generating aggregate net proceeds of more than $1.0 billion, marking progress toward the company’s multi-year $1.9 billion disposition target for 2025 through 2027 that it outlined at its September 2025 Investor Day.

Indiana’s National Drone Test Site Spotlights Arrive AI’s Push To Scale Autonomous Delivery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Arrive AI is positioning itself as a key infrastructure player in autonomous delivery after Indiana was selected as a newly designated federal Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) testing site, a move the company says is the first expansion of its kind in more than a decade.

Mission Produce To Acquire Calavo Growers In $430 Million Deal, Expanding Avocado Supply And Entering Prepared Foods

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Mission Produce announced it has agreed to acquire Calavo Growers in a cash-and-stock deal that would expand Mission’s North American avocado footprint, add new fresh-produce categories, and provide an entry into prepared foods through Calavo’s guacamole and related products.

University Of Utah Startup CaLycia Bioscience Advances Macrophage-Engineered Cell Therapy For Glioblastoma

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

University of Utah startup CaLycia Bioscience is developing an immune cell therapy designed to treat aggressive brain and spine cancers such as glioblastoma from within the body, aiming to provide an alternative path beyond standard radiation and chemotherapy.

Slack Unveils Rebuilt Slackbot As Context-Aware AI Agent For Work

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Slack announced it has rebuilt Slackbot from the ground up, repositioning the familiar in-app helper as a “personal, context-aware AI agent” designed to reduce the time employees spend searching for decisions, summarizing conversations, and tracking down files across channels and tools.

Ammobia: $7.5 Million Raised To Scale Low-Cost Ammonia Production Technology Critical To Energy Resilience

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Ammobia, a San Francisco-based startup developing modular “Haber-Bosch 2.0” ammonia production plants, has raised a $7.5 million seed round to advance reactor technology it says can materially cut the cost and complexity of ammonia synthesis. The round was backed by Shell Ventures, ALIAD (Air Liquide), MOL Switch (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ venture arm), and Chevron Technology Ventures, with additional participation from Katapult Ocean, AIR Capital, Alumni Ventures, and Motivate Fund. Ammobia also reported follow-on capital from existing investors, including Starlight Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Arosa Capital, and Zero Infinity Partners, bringing total funding to $13.5 million across dilutive and non-dilutive capital.

Royal Van Leeuwen Acquires Corrotherm International’s Global Business Activities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Royal Van Leeuwen has acquired the global business activities of Corrotherm International, expanding its offering in specialist nickel alloy products for energy-related applications. Corrotherm, founded in 1992, supplies nickel alloy seamless pipes, fittings and flanges to international customers, including those in oil and gas and the petrochemical industry.