Innovation

Liquid Stock Launches Spark, An Evergreen Liquidity Vehicle for Pre-IPO Shareholders After S-1 Filings

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Liquid Stock has introduced Spark, an evergreen financing vehicle designed to provide cost-efficient liquidity to employees and other shareholders of private technology companies after the issuer has publicly filed an S-1 registration statement.

Sheridan Capital Partners Invests In ICANotes To Scale Behavioral Health EHR And Practice Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Sheridan Capital Partners announced it has completed an investment in ICANotes, a behavioral health-focused practice management and electronic health records software provider, as demand for mental health services rises and documentation and compliance requirements continue to expand. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Morgan Stanley Capital Partners Takes Majority Stake in Engineering Firm Olsson

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP) have made a majority investment in Olsson, Inc., an employee-owned engineering and design firm, in a transaction that also includes significant re-investment by Olsson employees.

Axol Bioscience: $2.8 Million Raised To Accelerate US Expansion And Scale iPSC Cell Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Axol Bioscience announced it has raised $2.8 million (£2.1 million) in funding to expand its US operations, advance product development, and scale cell manufacturing capacity. The financing was led by US life sciences investor BroadOak Capital Partners, with participation from Axol’s founding investor, the Roslin Foundation. Axol said the capital will support growth of its commercial presence in the US while also enabling development of enhanced induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models in neuroscience, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular disease.

Polygon Labs To Acquire Coinme And Sequence In $250+ Million Deal To Build U.S.-Licensed Stablecoin Payments Stack

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Polygon Labs announced it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Coinme and Sequence for more than $250 million, aiming to expand into regulated U.S. stablecoin payments and deliver core components of what it calls the Polygon Open Money Stack. The company said the acquisitions add at-scale fiat coverage through physical cash and digital fiat on- and off-ramps, wallet infrastructure, and cross-chain orchestration through intents.

Solis Mammography Acquires Women’s Center For Radiology, Expanding Into Orlando

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Solis Mammography announced it has acquired Women’s Center for Radiology, marking the breast imaging provider’s entry into the Orlando market and extending its footprint across Florida.

Flip: $20 Million Series A Raised After Handling 300 Million Automated Customer Service Calls

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Flip, an AI platform that automates customer service phone calls for enterprise brands, has raised $20 million in a Series A round as it reported surpassing 300 million calls handled across hundreds of brands. The financing was co-led by Next Coast Ventures and Ridge Ventures, with participation from Data Point Capital, ScOp Venture Capital, Bullpen Capital, Forum Ventures, and angel investors. The round brings Flip’s total funding to $31 million.

National New Markets Fund Wins $95 Million New Markets Tax Credit Allocation From U.S. Treasury

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

National New Markets Fund (NNMF), an affiliate of Los Angeles-based impact investor SDS Capital Group, has been awarded a $95 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The allocation is part of the CDFI Fund’s $10 billion 2024–2025 NMTC round, which the group described as the largest in the program’s history.

J.F. Lehman & Company Completes Acquisition Of Wellman Dynamics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO), an alternative asset manager focused on aerospace, defense, government, maritime, environmental and infrastructure sectors, said it has acquired a majority stake in Wellman Dynamics, a Creston, Iowa-based manufacturer of large-scale magnesium and aluminum sand castings used in aerospace and defense applications.

Affinity Group Acquires Mascari NXT To Expand AI-Powered Selling Across The Food Industry

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Affinity Group, a North American sales and marketing agency serving retail and foodservice brands, has acquired Mascari NXT, an AI and data integration company, in a move aimed at modernizing how food industry sales teams identify opportunities, engage customers, and execute across channels.

ACP CreativIT Rebranding Under New National Brand Tusker

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

ACP CreativIT, a technology solutions provider built through a series of regional acquisitions, is rebranding all of its offices under a single national name: Tusker. The company said the new identity is designed to increase brand recognition, support a unified operating model across markets, and position the platform for additional acquisitions expected later this year.

Bain Capital Real Estate Raises $5 Billion in New Capital And Closes $3.4 Billion Real Estate Fund III

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Bain Capital Real Estate announced it has closed more than $5 billion in new capital across its real estate strategies, including the final fundraising close for Bain Capital Real Estate Fund III with approximately $3.4 billion in total commitments.

C3 Integrated Solutions Aligns Leadership To Support Next Phase of Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

C3 Integrated Solutions has made two leadership moves it says will support its next phase of growth as the U.S. Department of Defense advances phased enforcement of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework.

StarLIMS Announces Strategic Investment By Turn/River Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

StarLIMS, an enterprise informatics software provider for laboratories, said it has secured a strategic investment from Turn/River Capital, with existing sponsor Francisco Partners exiting its position as part of the transaction.

Marauder Capital Expands Operating Partner Team With Bryan Hoffman and Pedro Buhigas

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Marauder Capital announced it has added Bryan Hoffman and Pedro Buhigas as operating partners, expanding the Fort Worth-based private investment firm’s operating bench as it targets growth across energy and industrial services.

RISA Labs: $11.1 Million Series A Raised To Scale AI Operating System For Oncology Workflows Nationwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

RISA Labs, a company developing an AI-driven operating system for oncology, said it has closed an $11.1 million Series A financing to expand deployments across cancer clinics, health systems, specialty pharmacies and infusion networks in the U.S.

Diffraqtion: $4.2 Million Pre-Seed Closed To Build Quantum Camera Imaging Constellations For Space and Earth Observation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Diffraqtion, an MIT and University of Maryland spinout developing satellite and telescope systems powered by a quantum camera, has closed a pre-seed financing round totaling $4.2 million, combining both dilutive and non-dilutive capital. The round was led by QDNL Participations, with participation from milemark•capital, Aether VC, ADIN, and Offline Ventures. In addition to the equity financing, the company also secured non-dilutive support through a DARPA SBIR Direct-to-Phase 2 contract tied to space situational awareness capabilities.

Enspire DBS Therapy Secured $10.3 Million Series B1 To Advance DBS-Enabled Stroke Rehabilitation Trial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Enspire DBS Therapy, a Cleveland-based clinical-stage medical device company developing an implantable neuromodulation approach for post-stroke recovery, has raised $10.3 million in a Series B1 financing to support pivotal clinical development of its deep brain stimulation-enabled rehabilitation program. The round was led by Genesys Capital, which joined as a new investor, with participation from existing backers Cleveland Clinic and JobsOhio Ventures. As part of the financing, Genesys Capital Managing Partner Jamie Stiff will join Enspire’s board of directors.

WitnessAI: $58 Million Raised To Expand Globally And Roll Out New Security Controls For AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

WitnessAI, an enterprise AI security and governance vendor, said it has raised $58 million in a strategic funding round to accelerate global go-to-market efforts and broaden its product portfolio as more companies deploy autonomous, agent-based AI systems. The round was led by Sound Ventures, with participation from Fin Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and Forgepoint Capital Partners, according to the company. WitnessAI said the capital will be used to expand internationally and scale product development focused on securing AI agents alongside traditional large-language-model usage.

The 33rd Team Raises Eight-Figure Series B As It Shifts From Media To Football Analytics Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

The 33rd Team, a football intelligence and technology company founded by veteran NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum, has closed an eight-figure Series B funding round as it accelerates its push to become a data and technology provider for pro and collegiate football organizations. The round was led by a consortium of strategic SME-focused investors and included Liberty Media, FORTA Advisors, Autumn Road, Dan Senor, Nick Gross, Gary Vaynerchuk, Ryan Moore, Greg Ciongoli, George Pyne, John Low, and Silver Falcon Capital, the family office of former NASCAR CEO Brian France. The company said it also added football industry participants to its cap table, including NFL alumnus Justin Pugh and former head coach Matt Patricia.

Net Health Acquires Keet Health From WebPT, Expanding Outcomes Measurement and RTM Push In Rehab Therapy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Net Health has acquired Keet Health, a WebPT company, in a deal the companies said will broaden access to outcomes measurement and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) tools for rehabilitation therapy providers and accelerate adoption of hybrid care models.

American Resources Secures $200 Million Equity Facility to Scale U.S. Critical Minerals Refining

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

American Resources announced ReElement Technologies has closed a $200 million strategic equity facility from Transition Equity Partners that the companies plan to use to scale U.S.-based critical mineral and rare earth refining capacity, starting with an expansion of ReElement’s Marion, Indiana operations.

Nuclera Extends Series C Funding To $87 Million To Advance Antibody Engineering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Nuclera, a biotech company developing a benchtop platform for rapid access to functional proteins, has raised a $12 million extension to its Series C financing, bringing total Series C funding to $87 million.

KatRisk Acquires Symfos To Expand Underwriting And Portfolio Risk Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

KatRisk, a global provider of catastrophe risk models and climate analytics, has acquired Symfos, a UK-based software company whose Orchestra platform is used by insurers and reinsurers for underwriting and portfolio intelligence.

Euna Solutions Acquires GrantExec To Expand AI-Powered Grants Discovery And Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Euna Solutions has acquired GrantExec, an AI-native startup focused on simplifying grant discovery and research for nonprofits, universities, and community-focused organizations, as Euna looks to deepen AI-driven capabilities across its end-to-end grants platform.

Klearly: €12 Million Series A Raised To Expand Restaurant Payments Across Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Klearly, an Amsterdam-based payments platform built for restaurants, bars, and clubs, announced in a LinkedIn post that it has raised a €12 million Series A round led by PayPal Ventures as it pushes beyond the Netherlands into new European markets. The funding included participation from Italian Founders Fund alongside existing backers Global PayTech Ventures, Antler Elevate and Shapers.

Net At Work Acquires Kansas MSP NCS To Expand Midwest Footprint And Add Nterfuse Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Net at Work announced it has acquired Network Computer Solutions (NCS), a Kansas-based managed services provider, in a deal aimed at accelerating the buyer’s expansion across the U.S. Midwest and deepening its managed services bench.

Charles River Plans $570 Million Combined Purchase Of K.F. Cambodia and PathoQuest Remainder Stake

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Charles River Laboratories International announced it has agreed to acquire K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd. for about $510 million and to buy the remaining 79% of PathoQuest SAS for €51.6 million, bringing the combined deal value to roughly $570 million, according to a company statement.

Zepo Intelligence: $15 Million Seed Round Raised To Protect Workspaces From AI-Driven Social Engineering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Zepo Intelligence, a human-centric cybersecurity startup focused on defending employees against AI-powered manipulation, has raised a $15 million seed round backed by European investors Kibo Ventures, eCAPITAL, and TIN Capital.

Verna: $4 Million Raised To Help Organizations Deliver Nature Recovery Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Verna announced it has raised $4 million to meet growing demand for software that helps organizations take verifiable action on nature recovery, as companies and public bodies move from nature risk reporting toward long-term delivery on the ground.