Innovation

Anthropic Partners With Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, And Goldman On $1.5 Billion AI Venture Targeting Private Equity-Owned Firms

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 5, 2026

Anthropic has announced a partnership with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, and Goldman to launch a $1.5 billion venture to accelerate AI adoption across hundreds of portfolio companies, according to CNBC. Additional asset managers participating in the effort include Apollo and General Atlantic. The new entity, which has not yet been named, will deploy Anthropic's Claude AI model directly inside businesses, beginning with companies owned by the investment firms involved.

Lithosquare Raises $25 Million In Seed Funding To Deploy Geology AI For Critical Metal Exploration

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 5, 2026

Lithosquare, a deep tech startup applying foundational AI to mineral exploration, has secured $25 million in seed funding to deploy its Geology AI platform globally. The round was led by World Fund with participation from Kindred Capital VC, daphni, Omnes, and OVNI Capital. The company has spent months operating alongside initial exploration partners to validate its technology in real-world geological settings before announcing the raise.

Sequana Medical: Interview With CEO Ian Crosbie About The Medical Device Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 5, 2026

Sequana Medical is a medical device company that develops innovative solutions for patients with liver disease. The company’s flagship product, the alfapump, is a fully implanted device that treats recurrent or refractory liver ascites by automatically and continuously pumping fluid from the abdomen to the bladder, eliminating the need for repeated painful drainage procedures. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Sequana Medical CEO Ian Crosbie to learn more.

TestSprite: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Yunhao Jiao About The Autonomous AI Testing Agent

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 5, 2026

TestSprite provides an autonomous AI testing agent that automatically generates, executes, and maintains end-to-end frontend and backend tests to validate AI-generated code, ensuring production-ready software with minimal manual effort. Pulse 2.0 interviewed TestSprite co-founder and CEO Yunhao Jiao to learn more.

Galvanize Real Estate Acquires Three-Property Industrial Portfolio In Green Oaks

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Galvanize Real Estate, the sustainable real estate strategy of global asset manager Galvanize, has acquired a three-property industrial portfolio totaling 462,300 square feet in Green Oaks, Illinois, a growing industrial hub north of Chicago.

Fortress Solutions Forms Holding Company And Acquires Dimension Energy Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Fortress Solutions, a provider of mission-critical services for telecommunications and next-generation networking, has announced the formation of Fortress Solutions Holdings, a newly established holding company, alongside the acquisition of Dimension Energy Solutions, formerly known as Dimension Energy Services.

SAP To Acquire Prior Labs And Invest Over €1 Billion To Build Frontier AI Lab In Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

SAP SE has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Prior Labs, the pioneer of Tabular Foundation Models, in a deal that commits the enterprise software giant to investing more than €1 billion over the next four years to scale Prior Labs into a globally leading frontier AI research lab. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Praana Group Completes Acquisition Of Multi-Chem

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Praana Group has completed its acquisition of Multi-Chem, which will now operate as Sterling MultiChem within the company's Sterling Specialty Chemicals platform. The acquisition brings together Sterling Specialty Chemicals' expertise in specialty chemical manufacturing, polymer technologies, and advanced surfactant systems with Multi-Chem's field service capabilities, creating an expanded platform for supporting oil and gas operators with high-performance chemical solutions across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations. Multi-Chem has built a strong presence in oilfield chemicals through application-driven programs addressing drilling, completion, production, flow assurance, corrosion and scale management, water treatment, and process optimization. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Sculptor Real Estate And Trinity Investments Acquire JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort From MassMutual

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

A joint venture between Sculptor Real Estate Income Strategy and Trinity Investments has completed the acquisition of the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, a luxury beachfront property on Florida's Gulf Coast, from MassMutual, the leading mutual life insurance company that has owned the resort for more than four decades.

Oliver Wyman To Acquire Restructuring Firm CR3 Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Oliver Wyman, the global management consulting firm and a business of Marsh, has entered into an agreement to acquire CR3 Partners, a consulting firm specializing in transition, turnaround, and distress advisory services. The transaction is expected to close later in the current quarter, with financial terms not disclosed.

Gloo Completes Acquisition Of EnterpriseMarketdesk

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Gloo, a Nasdaq-listed technology platform serving the faith and flourishing ecosystem under the ticker GLOO, has completed its acquisition of EnterpriseMarketdesk, an established Workday Services Partner that provides consulting, implementation, and support services to nonprofit and mid-market organizations.

Datavault AI Prices $60 Million Common Stock Offering To Deploy Quantum-Ready GPU Edge Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Datavault AI, a Philadelphia-based artificial intelligence and data infrastructure company traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker DVLT, has priced a registered direct offering of approximately 109 million shares of common stock at gross proceeds of $60 million before deducting offering expenses. The offering was led by several preeminent global investment managers alongside participation from existing shareholders, with Titan Partners, a division of American Capital Partners, acting as the sole placement agent.

LibreMax Capital: $285 Million Fund Launched For Asset-Backed Income Interval Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

LibreMax Capital, an asset management firm specializing in securitized products and asset-backed finance, announced the launch of the LibreMax Asset-Backed Income Fund (LMIFX), its first interval fund designed to provide investors with access to private asset-backed finance and structured credit opportunities. The fund debuted with $285 million in capital commitments and aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns alongside current income.

Smartness Raises €47 Million Raised For Lodging Industry Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Smartness, an agentic technology platform for the lodging industry, has raised €47 million in what the company describes as the largest-ever round in Italy for a Vertical AI company. The funding comes as Smartness pushes to redefine how hospitality operators engage with software, shifting the model from purchasing tools to purchasing outcomes.

A-Cube Secures €4 Million Round To Accelerate International Tax Compliance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

A-Cube, an Italian technology company specializing in automated digital tax compliance, has closed a €4 million funding round led by P101 SGR, one of Italy's leading venture capital firms. Sella Direct Ventures, a fintech-focused investor, also participated in the round and will make its global network available to the company. The capital will support A-Cube's expansion across key European markets, accelerate the development of its API-first platform, and fund integration of artificial intelligence models to enhance automation and predictive capability. The Milan-based company, founded in 2018, has processed more than 70 million invoices since 2019 and currently serves more than 450 customers across more than 10 countries.

Bizora: Interview With Founder & CEO Adam Tahir About The Tax Research And Advisory Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Bizora is an AI-powered tax research and advisory platform that helps professionals, such as CPAs and attorneys, quickly obtain citation-backed answers, navigate complex federal and state compliance, and manage M&A transactions, reducing manual research time significantly. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Bizora founder and CEO Adam Tahir to learn more.

PodPlay: Interview With Co-Founder & CRO Ben Borton About The OS For Sports Venues

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

PodPlay provides a full-stack operating system for modern recreational sports venues, integrating app-based reservations, automated video replays, digital scoreboards, smart facility access, and payments to enable autonomous operations, reduce labor costs, and enhance the player experience. Pulse 2.0 interviewed PodPlay co-founder and CRO Ben Borton to learn more.

CommLoan: Interview With Founder & CEO Mitch Ginsberg About The Real Estate Lending Technology Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

CommLoan is a commercial real estate lending technology company that operates a digital marketplace using its proprietary CUPID AI engine to connect borrowers and brokers with a wide range of commercial mortgage lenders, streamlining the financing process. Pulse 2.0 interviewed CommLoan founder and CEO Mitch Ginsberg to learn more.

Global Net Lease To Acquire Modiv Industrial In $535 Million All-Stock Transaction

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Global Net Lease has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Modiv Industrial, a net-lease industrial REIT listed on the NYSE under the ticker MDV, in an all-stock transaction valued at an enterprise value of approximately $535 million.

Traffic And Mobility Consultants Acquires CTSi To Establish Presence In Northeast Florida

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Traffic and Mobility Consultants, a Florida-based transportation planning and traffic engineering firm backed by Grovecourt Capital Partners, has acquired Chindalur Traffic Solutions, a Jacksonville-based traffic and transportation engineering firm serving public agencies and private developers throughout Northeast Florida. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ingersoll Rand Acquires Fox S.R.L. To Expand Metering And Dosing Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Ingersoll Rand, a global provider of mission-critical flow creation, life science, and industrial solutions listed on the NYSE under the ticker IR, has acquired Fox s.r.l. and XF s.r.l., significantly expanding its metering and dosing technologies portfolio.

COEO Solutions Acquires S-NET Communications To Deepen Network, Security, And Managed IT Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

COEO Solutions, a Riata Capital Group portfolio company focused on managed network and cloud communications for multi-location mid-market enterprises, has acquired S-NET Communications, a Schaumburg, Illinois-based managed technology provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.

steute Technologies Completes Three Acquisitions In Three Months To Expand Global Medical And Industrial Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

steute Technologies, a Battery Ventures portfolio company specializing in switching devices, sensors, and wireless networks for medical and industrial applications, has announced three acquisitions over the past three months, significantly broadening the company's global reach, engineering capabilities, and product portfolio. Battery first invested in Lohne, Germany-based steute in 2024 and has now completed more than 90 applied technology transactions across North America and Europe since 2003.

Worldly Acquires Bendi Software To Add AI-Powered Supply Chain Mapping And Risk Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Worldly, the leading sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform for the consumer goods industry, has acquired Bendi Software, a UK-based supply chain mapping and supplier risk intelligence company. Financial terms were not disclosed. Bendi's technology will be integrated across the Worldly platform over the coming months, expanding capabilities within Worldly Axion, Supplier Compliance Management, and adjacent products.

OPAQUE Acquires Cryptographic AI Technology From UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

OPAQUE, the Confidential AI company headquartered in San Francisco and founded by researchers from UC Berkeley's RISELab, has acquired advanced cryptographic AI technologies from the Technology Innovation Institute, the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council. The acquisition marks the first time cryptographic AI technologies developed in the UAE have been acquired and deployed at scale by a U.S.-based technology company.

American Express Global Business Travel To Be Acquired By Long Lake For $6.3 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

American Express Global Business Travel, operated by Global Business Travel Group and listed on the NYSE under the ticker GBTG, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Long Lake Management in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.3 billion. Amex GBT shareholders will receive $9.50 per share in cash, representing a 60.2% premium to Amex GBT's closing stock price on May 1, 2026, and a premium of approximately 65.1% over the 30-day volume weighted average price ending that date.

Avista Healthcare Partners Launches Birchwell Consumer Health And Acquires Bag Balm As First Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Avista Healthcare Partners, a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on healthcare with over $10 billion invested in more than 50 healthcare businesses globally, has announced the launch of Birchwell Consumer Health, a new U.S. consumer healthcare platform formed to acquire differentiated, problem-solving over-the-counter and skincare brands. Birchwell's first acquisition is Bag Balm, a Vermont-based therapeutic skincare brand founded in 1899, acquired from a seller group led by Gemini Investors.

Audax Private Debt Closes $1 Billion Private Credit Continuation Vehicle Led By Pantheon

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Audax Private Debt, a leading provider of financing solutions for the middle market, has announced the closing of Audax Direct Lending Solutions Fund I CV, a $1.0 billion private credit continuation vehicle led by Pantheon, a leading global credit secondaries solutions investor.

Mobius Renewables Completes Acquisition Of Air Liquide’s Biogas Production Activities Across Four Countries

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Mobius Renewables, a global vertically integrated low-carbon fuels platform established in December 2025 by funds managed by IFM Investors, has completed the acquisition of Air Liquide's biogas production activities in the United States, France, Norway, and Sweden.

Earlyasset: Interview With CEO Shawn Bercuson On Unlocking Private Market Liquidity

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 4, 2026

Earlyasset is a company that is building the infrastructure layer and digital transaction engine for the venture secondary market, helping to provide liquidity for employee and investor shares in growth-stage companies through algorithmic pricing and streamlined, compliant, and lower-cost transaction workflows. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Earlyasset CEO Shawn Bercuson to learn more.