Innovation

Publicis To Buy HEPMIL Media Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Publicis Groupe announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire HEPMIL Media Group, Southeast Asia’s leading influencer, content, and social agency. The acquisition will strengthen Publicis Groupe’s presence in the fast-growing creator economy and further position it as the region’s most data-driven influencer marketing network.

Nexa Equity Expanding Investment And Operating Team With Key Additions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Nexa Equity, a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on partnering with high-growth vertical SaaS companies, announced the addition of three senior leaders to its investment and operating teams. The appointments come as the firm builds on its strong momentum following the close of Nexa Equity Fund II, an oversubscribed $390 million fund that brings its assets under management to more than $1 billion.

Abry Partners Buying Portfolio Holding From Capital Z Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Abry Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, has announced an agreement to acquire Portfolio Holding, Inc. from Capital Z Partners, LP, a New York-based private equity firm. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and financial terms were not disclosed.

Advanced Solutions: Funding Raised From Incline Equity Partners For Engagement Management Software

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Incline Equity Partners announced an investment in Advanced Solutions International, a Virginia-based provider of engagement management software serving associations, trade unions, and nonprofit organizations. The transaction strengthens Incline’s presence in technology solutions that drive digital transformation across member-based institutions.

Andersen And University Of San Francisco Partner To Launch Generative AI Tax Research Training Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Andersen has partnered with the University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) to launch a first-of-its-kind Generative AI Tax Research Training Program, designed to redefine how tax professionals responsibly leverage artificial intelligence in their practice.

U Of T Researchers Develop 3D-Printed Metal Composite For Lightweight And High-Strength Aerospace Applications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

A research team from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has developed a new class of metal matrix composites that combine exceptional strength, lightness, and heat resistance. Created using advanced 3D metal printing, the material is designed to withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius, making it highly suitable for aerospace and other high-performance applications.

Landstar Strengthens Board With Appointments Of Barr Blanton and Melanie Housey Hart

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Landstar System, a leading technology-enabled and asset-light provider of integrated freight transportation solutions, announced the appointment of Barr Blanton and Melanie Housey Hart to its Board of Directors, adding two accomplished executives with deep expertise in technology, strategy, and financial management.

Cephia: Princeton University Spinout Raises $4 Million Seed Funding To Advance Metasurface-Based Multimodal Sensing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Cephia AI, a Princeton University spinout developing advanced AI-driven computational imaging technologies and metamaterial-based silicon sensors, announced the close of a $4 million seed funding round to accelerate the development and commercialization of its multimodal sensing platform.

Wealthsimple: C$750 Million At C$10 Billion Valuation Raised For Advancing Product Expansion And Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Toronto-based financial technology company Wealthsimple has raised up to C$750 million in a new equity round, valuing the company at C$10 billion post-money. The round, which includes a $550 million primary offering and a secondary offering of up to $200 million, was co-led by Dragoneer Investment Group and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC. The financing marks one of the largest private rounds in Canada’s fintech history, signaling strong global investor confidence in Wealthsimple’s mission to build a modern financial platform for Canadians.

Loon: $3 Million Raised For Building Canada’s Regulated Digital Dollar and Acquire CADC Stablecoin

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Loon, a Canadian stablecoin company, announced that it has raised $3 million CAD in pre-seed financing to develop a regulated Canadian-dollar-backed stablecoin and acquired the CADC stablecoin from Paytrie. The CADC, launched in 2021, has recorded over $200 million in transaction volume, and Loon will now take over as its new issuer.

Smart Grid Analytics: $3.3 Million Closed For Expanding Global AI Energy Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Smart Grid Analytics, a renewable energy intelligence company based in India, announced that it has raised USD $3.3 million in new funding from a group of strategic investors and clean energy veterans. The funding will be used to advance its AI-driven Solvyn platform, scale product development, and accelerate international expansion across key renewable markets.

CUE Labs: $10 Million Raised For Transforming Enterprise Configuration Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

CUE Labs, the company behind the widely adopted open-source configuration language CUE, has officially emerged from stealth with the launch of its Configuration Control Plane, a new system designed to make enterprise configuration a strategic asset rather than a source of risk. The company also announced more than $10 million in early funding led by Sequoia Capital and OSS Capital, with participation from Founders Fund, Dell Technologies Capital, and several notable angel investors.

LeanDNA: Strategic Growth Investment Raised From Accel-KKR

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Accel-KKR, a leading technology-focused investment firm, has announced a strategic growth investment in LeanDNA, a provider of AI-powered supply planning and inventory optimization solutions for leaders in the discrete manufacturing supply chain. The new funding will drive continued innovation across LeanDNA’s platform and strengthen its expansion into global markets.

Ornn: $5.7 Million Seed Funding Raised For Launching Compute Futures Exchange

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

New York-based Ornn AI has raised $5.7 million in seed funding to launch what it calls the world’s first compute futures exchange, introducing a regulated market structure for GPU capacity. The round was co-led by Crucible Ventures and Vine Ventures, with participation from Link Ventures, Box Group, and several angel investors from finance, AI, and cloud infrastructure.

Kaizen: $21 Million Series A Raised For Modernizing America’s Public Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Kaizen, a technology company transforming how citizens interact with government services, has raised $21 million in Series A funding to advance its mission of rebuilding America’s digital infrastructure for public services. The round was led by NEA with participation from 776, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Carpenter Capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $35 million.

AIG To Buy 35% Stake In Convex And 9.9% In Onex In $2.7 Billion Strategic Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

American International Group announced plans to make two significant strategic investments, acquiring a 35% equity interest in Convex Group Limited, a global specialty insurer, and a 9.9% ownership stake in Onex Corporation, a global alternative asset manager. The dual transactions, valued at approximately $2.7 billion in total, are designed to strengthen AIG’s earnings profile and expand its exposure to specialty insurance and higher-yielding investment opportunities.

Tubulis: Second Tranche Of €344 Million Series C Closed To Advance ADC Pipeline

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Tubulis announced the second and final closing of its Series C financing round, bringing the total raised to €344 million ($401 million). The round included new investors Fidelity Management & Research Company, Janus Henderson Investors, and Blackstone Multi-Asset Investing. These groups join a syndicate led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, alongside new investors Wellington Management and Ascenta Capital. Existing investors continuing their support include Nextech Invest, EQT Life Sciences, Frazier Life Sciences, Andera Partners, Deep Track Capital, Bayern Kapital, Fund+, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), OCCIDENT, and Seventure Partners.

Lanai Software: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Lexi Reese About The Enterprise AI & Security Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Lanai Software is an AI observability platform that helps enterprises detect hidden AI use and recommend which AI tools will benefit them in cost savings. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Lanai Software co-founder and CEO Lexi Reese to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

RealSense: Interview With CEO Nadav Orbach About The Vision Technology Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

RealSense is the destination for industry-leading depth cameras and vision technology used in autonomous mobile robots, access control, industrial automation, healthcare, and more. Pulse 2.0 interviewed RealSense CEO Nadav Orbach to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

LiveView Technologies: Interview With Chief Information And Technology Officer Steve Lindsey About The Software Security Solutions Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

LiveView Technologies (LVT) offers integrated hardware and software security solutions for life safety and security, typically used by commercial, industrial, and public-sector clients. Pulse 2.0 interviewed LVT Information and Technology Officer Steve Lindsey to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Sisense: Interview With CEO Ariel Katz About The Analytics Platform As A Service (AnPaaS) Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Sisense is an API-first, AI-powered Analytics Platform as a Service (AnPaaS) company that helps organizations analyze, visualize, and embed data insights into everyday workflows and applications. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Sisense CEO Ariel Katz to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

BIGO Live: Interview With VP Lynette Yang About The Live Streaming Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Bigo Live is a leading global social live-streaming platform that empowers users to livestream in real time, share life moments, showcase their talents and engage with audiences worldwide. With over 500 million users across more than 150 countries and regions, BIGO Live fosters seamless global connectivity. Leveraging advanced livestreaming technology, the platform delivers high-resolution video, low-latency streaming, and interactive beauty features, creating an immersive and engaging experience for users everywhere. Pulse 2.0 interviewed BIGO Live VP Lynette Yang to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

TechnoMile: Interview With Founder & CEO Ashish Khot About The Company Transforming Government Contracting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

TechnoMile is a software company that provides cloud-based AI-powered solutions for businesses that sell to the government (federal, state, local), especially in the GovCon (government contracting), aerospace, and defense sectors. Pulse 2.0 interviewed TechnoMile founder and CEO Ashish Khot to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Cerberus Capital Management Buying BROCC Finance To Expand Into European NPL Asset Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Cerberus Capital Management, a global alternative investment firm, has completed its acquisition of BROCC Finance AB, a technology-driven Swedish banking group specializing in consumer finance across the Nordic region. The transaction follows regulatory approval from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority and marks Cerberus’ latest strategic investment in European financial services.

Auburn University Students And KYRA Medical Unveil Advanced Surgical Device Prototype

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

A collaboration between Auburn University’s Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design programs has resulted in the creation of a groundbreaking medical device prototype, developed in partnership with KYRA Medical, a global manufacturer of surgical equipment. The innovation, which automatically switches IV bags during arthroscopic procedures, was publicly unveiled at the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) annual conference in Boston earlier this year.

Insignia Capital: Oversubscribed $500 Million Fund III Closed To Drive Growth Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Insignia Capital Group has announced the successful closing of its third private equity fund, with total capital commitments exceeding $500 million. The fund, known as Insignia Capital Fund III, exceeded its initial $375 million target and reached its hard cap, signaling robust investor confidence despite a challenging fundraising environment.

Viola Credit: Oversubscribed $2 Billion Asset-Based Lending Fund Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Viola Credit, a global multi-strategy credit asset manager focused on the innovation economy, has completed the final close of its third Asset-Based Lending (ABL) fund, reaching $2 billion in committed and investable capital. The fund surpassed its $1.5 billion target, reflecting sustained institutional appetite for private credit and ABL strategies.

Bending Spoons: $710 Million At $11 Billion Valuation Secured To Accelerate Global Expansion And AI Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Bending Spoons, one of Europe’s fastest-growing technology companies, announced it has raised $710 million in equity financing at a pre-money valuation of $11 billion. The latest round was led by accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc., with participation from Baillie Gifford, Cox Enterprises, Durable Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Foxhaven Asset Management, and Radcliff, among others. Goldman Sachs International served as the sole placement agent, with Clifford Chance providing legal counsel and ZNR Notai offering notarial advisory services.

Aspira Women’s Health: Laboratory Services Contract Secured With University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

Aspira Women’s Health, a bio-analytical women’s health company focused on gynecologic disease diagnostics, has entered into a new laboratory services agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB Galveston), part of the University of Texas System.

IN8bio: INB-100 Phase 1 Clinical Trial Expanded With Addition of The Ohio State University

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 3, 2025

IN8bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing gamma-delta T cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, has announced that The Ohio State University has joined as a new clinical site in its ongoing Phase 1 trial of INB-100. The donor-derived allogeneic gamma-delta T cell therapy is designed for patients with leukemias undergoing haploidentical stem cell transplantation.