Innovation

Skyhawk Therapeutics Signs $2 Billion Deal With Merck

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Skyhawk Therapeutics has partnered with Merck to discover novel RNA-targeting small molecules for neurological conditions with high unmet medical needs. Utilizing its SkySTAR platform, Skyhawk will identify small molecule candidates targeting specific RNA targets set by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Hatteras Venture Partners: Over $200 Million Raised For Two Healthcare Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Hatteras Venture Partners has announced the final closings of Hatteras Venture Partners VII (HVP VII) and Hatteras Opportunity Fund I, LP (HOF I), securing over $200 million in capital commitments from limited partners. This milestone coincides with Hatteras’s investment in its 100th portfolio company and marks 25 years of developing transformational companies in the field of human medicine.

Advent To Buy U-blox For $1.3 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

u-blox Holding has announced a binding agreement with ZI Zenith, which will launch a public tender offer to acquire all publicly held registered shares of u-blox for CHF 135.00 per share in cash. This offer represents a 53% premium over the average share price for the last six months and a 32% premium over the average of the previous 60 trading days preceding the media reports about the deal.

L&G And Federated Hermes Merging $6.37 Billion Property Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Financial services company Legal & General (L&G) and property investment trust Federated Hermes Property Unit Trust (FHPUT) have announced the merger of their UK property funds. This strategic move results in a combined portfolio valued at approximately £4.7 billion ($6.37 billion), strengthening their market position.

Polestar Analytics: $12.5 Million Raised For Advancing AI Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Polestar Analytics, a leader in AI-driven data analytics and planning, has raised $12.5 million in growth capital from a consortium of US-based family offices and institutional investors. This funding will enhance its AI capabilities and further develop its 1Platform, a top-tier solution for enterprise-scale analytics.

IVIX: $60 Million Series B Raised To Help Governments Combat Financial Crime

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

IVIX, an AI-based platform designed to assist governments in combating financial crime, has completed a $60 million Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to $85 million. The round was led by O.G. Venture Partners (OGVP) and included participation from several other investors.

Lennox: $550 Million Deal For The HVAC Division Of NSI Industries

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Lennox, a leader in the field of energy-efficient climate control solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the HVAC division of NSI Industries from Sentinel Capital Partners for approximately $550 million.

Platinum Equity To Buy Airlines Connectivity Solution Company Anuvu

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Platinum Equity announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Anuvu, a leading provider of global entertainment and high-speed connectivity solutions for airlines, VIP/VVIP aircraft, cruise lines and other mobility end-markets.

Continua: $8 Million Seed Funding Raised For Social AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Continua, a leader in Social AI, has raised $8 million in seed funding to enhance group chat dynamics and allow artificial intelligence to actively engage in conversations. The round was led by GV, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and angel investors like Jeff Dean and Adam Ghetti.

Google To Invest Additional $9 Billion In Oklahoma

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Google is set to invest $9 billion in the state of Oklahoma over the next two years, with a focus on bolstering its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. This substantial investment is aimed at developing a new, state-of-the-art data center campus in the city of Stillwater, alongside the expansion of its existing facility in Pryor. In addition to these infrastructure upgrades, Google will implement a range of educational and workforce development programs aimed at enhancing local opportunities.

Nexsys To Buy Palomar Billing Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Nexsys Billing & Practice Management, a leading provider of technology-driven revenue cycle solutions for physician practices, has announced the acquisition of Palomar Billing Services, located in San Diego, CA.

Compound Planning: $4 Billion In AUM Surpassed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Compound Planning, a digital family office transforming wealth management for next-generation advisors and clients, has surpassed $4 billion in assets under management (AUM), marking a significant milestone in its growth.

Baton: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Chat Joglekar About The Small Business Empowerment Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Baton is a company on a mission to empower small business owners to get paid for their life’s work and make it accessible for anyone to own a small business. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Baton co-founder and CEO Chat Joglekar to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Advent: $400 Million Deal For Coherent’s Aerospace And Defense Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Coherent, a leader in photonics, has agreed to sell its Aerospace and Defense business to Advent for $400 million. The proceeds will help reduce Coherent’s debt and enhance its earnings per share (EPS).

Medallion: $43 Million Raised For Enhancing Healthcare Back-Office Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Medallion, a leader in AI-based provider network infrastructure, announced it has raised $43 million in new funding. Acrew Capital led the round, with participation from Washington Harbour Partners and insiders, including Sequoia Capital, GV, Spark Capital, NFDG, and others. This funding brings Medallion's total to $130 million.

Era: Interview With Co-Founder & COO Lindsay Brady About The Wealth Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Era is a company that enables you to make more of your money with an AI for your finances that handles taxes, spending, saving, and investments. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Era co-founder and COO Lindsay Brady to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Diliko: Interview With CEO Glenn Hazard About The Data Management Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

Diliko is a company that is at the forefront of revolutionizing data management by embedding security, governance, and intelligence into the core of enterprise operations. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Diliko CEO Glenn Hazard to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

H.I.G. Capital: Harrison B. Davis Added As Managing Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2025

H.I.G. Capital, a global alternative investment firm managing $70 billion of capital across various investment strategies, has announced a significant expansion of its dedicated Small-Cap & Growth (SCG) team with the appointment of Harrison B. Davis as Managing Director in the firm's Miami office.

HolmesAI: Seed+ Funding Raised For Advancing Personalized AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

HolmesAI, a platform for Persona-based AI agents, has completed its Seed+ funding round, raising a total of $3 million with support from investors including Bitrise Capital, Waterdrip Capital, and CGV Fund. The project received early-stage incubation from HashKey Group and a major cloud computing company.

Protege: $25 Million Series A Raised For Expanding AI Training Data Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

Protege, a platform for the secure exchange of proprietary data for AI training, has secured $25 million in a Series A funding round led by Footwork, with participation from CRV, Bloomberg Beta, Flex Capital, Shaper Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, and more.

ONERWAY: $10 Million Series A+ Round Raised At Nearly $200 Million Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

Global payments infrastructure provider ONERWAY has closed a $10 million Series A+ funding round, bringing its valuation to nearly $200 million. Led by Yunqi, with participation from existing Series A investors Lanchi Ventures, Eminence Ventures, and Enlight Growth Partners, this round showcases strong investor confidence in ONERWAY's mission to streamline global financial transactions.

Achmea IM: €225 Million Private Equity Impact Fund Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

Achmea Investment Management has launched the Achmea IM PE Partnership Fund – Healthy People & Planet 2025, designed to provide Dutch pension funds and institutional investors with cost-effective access to private equity investments focused on individual and societal health.

Alchelyst And Lyra Client Solutions To Merge

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

Alchelyst, a full-service fund administrator for alternative asset managers, is merging with Lyra Client Solutions, a tech-driven client servicing firm spun out from Apollo. This new platform aims to enhance the investor experience in private markets and is set to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, pending customary conditions.

Monroe Capital: Todd Davis Named As Director On Direct Originations Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

Monroe Capital has announced that Todd Davis has joined the firm as a Director on the direct originations team. In this pivotal role, Todd will focus on cultivating and securing new business opportunities specifically within the vibrant Northeast region. He will be operating out of the firm's bustling New York office, a strategic hub for financial activities.

Uncle Arnie’s: $7.5 Million Series A Raised For Beverage Brand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 17, 2025

Uncle Arnie's, a rapidly growing THC and hemp-infused beverage brand in the U.S., has closed a $7.5 million Series A funding round to support its expansion. Co-led by Mindset Capital and Delta Emerald Ventures, the round also includes investor Harry Rubin, a founding partner of the Boston Beer Company, who is joining the board of directors.

THL Buying Headlands Research From KKR

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 16, 2025

THL Partners, a leading private equity firm focused on middle-market growth companies, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Headlands Research, a prominent multinational network of clinical trial sites, from KKR. This partnership aims to enhance Headlands' technology and infrastructure, improving its ability to deliver high-quality clinical trial data for pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors.

NIU Invest: Acquisition Of Majority Stake In Critical Metals Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 16, 2025

NIU Invest SE, led by Austrian investor Cevdet Caner, has completed its subscription for new Ordinary Shares in Critical Metals PLC, acquiring 61,402,390 shares and securing a majority stake of 60.34%.

Fitch Learning To Buy Moody’s Analytics Learning Solutions And The Canadian Securities Institute

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 16, 2025

Fitch Learning, a leader in financial education and certifications, has agreed to acquire two businesses from Moody’s: Moody’s Analytics Learning Solutions (MALS), which specializes in credit training, and the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI), a key provider of professional certifications in Canada.

HR Path: Strategic Acquisition Of RKM Consulting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 16, 2025

HR Path, a global leader in HR consulting and HRIS solutions, has strategically acquired RKM Consulting, an Australian company specializing in SAP SuccessFactors implementation.

26North: Acquisition Of AVI-SPL Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 16, 2025

26North Partners, founded by Josh Harris, has acquired AVI-SPL, a leader in audio-visual (AV) and unified communications (UC) technologies.