Innovation

MDpanel Acquires Media Referral To Expand New York Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

MDpanel announced it has acquired Media Referral, a New York-based independent medical examination and peer review organization, in a deal aimed at strengthening MDpanel’s presence in New York and the broader Mid-Atlantic region.

Kelvin Group Enters Pacific Northwest With PermaCold Engineering Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Kelvin Group, a national provider of industrial and commercial mission-critical mechanical refrigeration services backed by Southfield Capital, has acquired PermaCold Engineering, an industrial refrigeration company headquartered in the Pacific Northwest. Terms were not disclosed.

Vatn Systems Acquires Crewless Marine To Advance AUV Acoustic Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Vatn Systems, a defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), has acquired Rhode Island-based Crewless Marine to bring advanced underwater acoustic sensing and signal processing capabilities in-house. Vatn said the deal strengthens its vertical integration strategy by giving it tighter control over critical acoustic technologies, reducing supply-chain dependencies, and accelerating development cycles for autonomous undersea systems.

Ricoh Acquires Presentation Products To Expand U.S. Pro AV and Managed Services Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Ricoh has acquired Presentation Products (PPI), a New York-based audiovisual integrator, in a move aimed at deepening its North American digital services portfolio and strengthening workplace collaboration and AV integration offerings.

Click Bond Acquires Brighton Science, Bringing Surface Intelligence To Adhesive-Bonded Fastening

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Click Bond, a Carson City, Nevada-based provider of adhesive-bonded fastening and assembly solutions, has acquired Brighton Science, a Cincinnati-based company known for surface intelligence and adhesion-measurement technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vauban Infrastructure Partners Names Olivier Guerrini Investment Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Vauban Infrastructure Partners said it has appointed Olivier Guerrini as Investment Director, effective January 2026, adding an energy transition executive with more than two decades of experience across utilities and independent power producers to the firm’s investment platform.

Lux: $1.5 Billion For Lux Ventures IX Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Lux, a venture capital firm focused on investing at the frontier of science and technology, announced the close of Lux Ventures IX, a $1.5 billion fund the firm described as its largest to date.

Keypoint Intelligence To Buy DataMaster Online

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Keypoint Intelligence announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DataMaster Online (DMO), a France-based benchmarking service and testing resource for the print industry, in a deal aimed at strengthening Keypoint’s presence in Europe and expanding support for the region’s dealer channel.

Spiro Medical: $67 Million Series Raised A To Develop Neuromodulation System For Asthma

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Spiro Medical, a newly formed company focused on pulmonary neuromodulation for asthma, has closed a $67 million Series A equity financing to develop what it describes as a first-of-its-kind Pulmonary Neuromodulation System (PNM) for the treatment of asthma.

STRM.BIO: $8 Million Series Seed 2 Closed To Advance Non-Viral Gene Delivery For In Vivo Cell Engineering And Gene Therapy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

STRM.BIO raised $8 million in a Series Seed 2 financing to advance its non-viral gene delivery platform for in vivo cell engineering and gene therapy. The round included funding from Recordati, with continued participation from Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Delos Capital, plus new backing from Blue Bay Capital Fund; the Seed 2 round remains open with plans to close by Q1 2026.

SparkCharge: Interview With Founder & CEO Joshua Aviv About The Portable EV Charging Solutions Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

SparkCharge is a company that provides ultra-fast and portable electric-vehicle charging solutions that deliver on-demand charging wherever drivers need it. Pulse 2.0 interviewed SparkCharge founder and CEO Joshua Aviv to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Luxury Presence: $37 Million Secured To Launch Presence CRM

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Luxury Presence said it has raised $37 million in new financing to accelerate the rollout of Presence CRM, a product the company describes as the first “AI relationship engine” designed to help real estate agents identify deal opportunities already embedded in their networks.

Cyera: $400 Million Series F At $9 Billion Valuation Raised As Enterprises Ramp Up AI Security

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Cyera, an AI and data security company, has raised $400 million in a Series F funding round led by funds managed by Blackstone, pushing the company’s valuation to $9 billion and bringing total funding to more than $1.7 billion. The financing comes roughly six months after Cyera’s prior round and marks a valuation that the company says has tripled over the past year.

Ribbon: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Saeid Kian About The Digital Inheritance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Ribbon is a company that provides credit unions with a digital inheritance/estate platform that streamlines beneficiary claims while helping retain deposits and deliver a more supportive experience for grieving families. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Ribbon co-founder and CEO Saeid Kian to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

ViCentra Expands Series D To $98 Million To Scale Kaleido Insulin Patch Pump Commercialization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

ViCentra, a European medical device company commercializing the Kaleido insulin patch pump system, said it has added $13 million in new capital to its Series D financing, bringing the total round to $98 million. The second close includes new investments from ROM Utrecht Region and a consortium of Dutch investors, including Venturing Tech, as well as increased backing from existing investor Innovation Industries.

Postman Acquires Fern To Expand API Documentation And SDK Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Postman announced it has acquired Fern, a developer experience company that helps businesses publish API documentation and generate software development kits, in a move aimed at making it easier for teams to build and ship APIs that are simpler for developers to adopt.

TECregen Raises CHF 10 Million Seed Round, Names Dr. Bo Rode Hansen Chairman

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Basel, Switzerland-based TECregen has raised CHF 10 million (approximately €10.7 million / $12.6 million) in seed financing to advance a new class of thymus-rejuvenating biologics aimed at restoring immune function by rejuvenating thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The round was led by the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) and included participation from LifeSpan Vision Ventures, Carma Fund, EOS BioInnovation, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), the JFG Life Sciences Foundation of the University of Basel, and Zurich Cantonal Bank.

Enable Injections Announces $30 Million Sanofi Investment To Expand enFuse On-Body Injector Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Enable Injections announced that Sanofi is making a $30 million investment in the Cincinnati-based drug delivery company to accelerate a manufacturing build-out, bolster supply chain capabilities, and support commercial growth for its enFuse on-body delivery system.

Protege: $30 Million Raised To Expand Real-World Data Access For AI Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Protege, an AI data platform focused on unlocking trusted, real-world datasets at scale, has raised a $30 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The financing expands the company’s previously announced $25 million Series A from August 2025 and brings total funding to $65 million since Protege’s founding in 2024. Returning investors include Footwork, CRV, Bloomberg Beta, Flex Capital, Shaper Capital, and others.

Tenax Aerospace Completes Refinancing, Buys Out Bain Capital Credit And Consolidates NTC Group Ownership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Tenax Aerospace, a provider of special mission aircraft and related services to U.S. government and commercial customers, said it has completed a refinancing that includes the buyout of its junior capital partner, Bain Capital Credit, consolidating ownership of the business under NTC Group.

ShopBack: Interview With Co-Founder Joel Leong About The Leading Rewards And Shopping Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

ShopBack is a cashback and rewards platform that lets shoppers earn money back on purchases made through its app or website with partner retailers, typically by redirecting users to merchants and sharing a portion of the referral commission. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ShopBack co-founder Joel Leong to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Digital Asset And Kinexys By J.P. Morgan Plan To Issue USD JPM Coin Natively On Canton Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Digital Asset and Kinexys by J.P. Morgan said they intend to collaborate to bring J.P. Morgan’s USD-denominated deposit token product, JPM Coin (ticker: JPMD), to the Canton Network through native issuance, in a move aimed at enabling regulated digital money to circulate across privacy-enabled public blockchain infrastructure.

Babylon Raises $15 Million From a16z Crypto To Enable Native Bitcoin Collateral

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Babylon announced that it has raised $15 million from a16z crypto to develop Babylon Trustless BTCVaults, an infrastructure system designed to let native Bitcoin be used as collateral across on-chain financial applications without relying on wrapping, custodians, or intermediaries.

Swap: $100 Million Series C Raised To Expand Global Commerce Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Hack The Box: Interview With Founder & CEO Haris Pylarinos About The Cybersecurity Readiness And Upskilling Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Hack The Box is the leading AI-powered cybersecurity readiness and upskilling platform, trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises, government organizations, and MSSPs to build effective cyber resilience and mastery at scale. Through AI-enhanced intelligence, gamified labs, live-fire simulations, and the power of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity communities, it helps teams master offensive and defensive skills in the age of AI through real-world scenarios. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Haris Pylarinos, Founder and CEO of Hack The Box, to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Atmus Filtration Closes $450 Million Koch Filter Deal And Launches Industrial Solutions Segment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Atmus Filtration Technologies has completed its acquisition of Koch Filter Corporation, expanding beyond vehicle and equipment filtration into industrial air filtration and related end-markets such as commercial and industrial HVAC, data centers, and power generation.

Captura Acquires Studio Source Yearbooks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Captura, a software ecosystem for high-volume photography studios, said it has acquired Studio Source Yearbooks, aiming to fold yearbook production support and operational execution into Captura’s platform and give studios a single workflow to manage yearbooks from setup through delivery.

WPP Media Launches Sports Arm To Unify Sponsorship, Content, And Measurement For Modern Fan Engagement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

WPP Media said it is launching WPP Media Sports, a unified sports and gaming practice designed to help brands plan, activate, and measure sports marketing investments across live events, streaming, social, creators, gaming, and broader culture as fan behavior and commerce shift across platforms.

AllianceHCM Adds Former Paylocity President Michael Haske To Board To Support AI-Driven Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

AllianceHCM has appointed Michael Haske, a longtime SaaS and human capital management executive and former president and chief operating officer of Paylocity, to its board of directors as the company accelerates platform innovation and expands its national footprint.

CentralReach: Interview With CEO Chris Sullens About The Autism Support Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

CentralReach provides software and technology solutions that help autism and IDD care providers manage clinical, administrative, and practice-management workflows. Pulse 2.0 interviewed CentralReach CEO Chris Sullens to gain a deeper understanding of the company.