Innovation

Respan: Interview With Founder & CEO Andy Li About The AI Engineering Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 18, 2026

Respan is a proactive, full-stack AI engineering platform that provides a unified control plane for developers to trace, evaluate, and monitor LLM agent behavior while offering an AI gateway to improve production performance. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Respan founder and CEO Andy Li to learn more.

NC Community College System: Interview With VP Of Economic Development John Loyack On State’s Workforce Development Efforts

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 18, 2026

The North Carolina Community College System’s Economic Development Division provides education, training, and support for new and existing businesses, aiming to boost the state's economy through workforce development. It offers customized training (through an initiative called NCEdge), support for new ventures through programs like the Small Business Center Network, training for food and beverage and life sciences companies through BioNetwork, and apprenticeship programs like ApprenticeshipNC. The division serves as a key link between community colleges, businesses, and government agencies to drive economic growth across all 100 North Carolina counties. Pulse 2.0 interviewed the Vice President of the North Carolina Community College System’s Economic Development Division, John Loyack, to learn more.

Commerzbank: €39 Billion UniCredit Takeover Offer Formally Rejected

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 18, 2026

Germany-based Commerzbank has formally rejected a €39 billion takeover offer from Italy’s UniCredit, escalating a months-long standoff that has become one of Europe’s most closely watched banking battles.

Gentrack: NZ$24 Million Acquisition Of Factor Expands AI-Powered Pricing Intelligence In g2 Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

Gentrack announced it has completed the acquisition of Factor, embedding AI-powered pricing intelligence capabilities into its g2 utilities platform as the company expands its offering for global energy retailers.

IBM: New Forward Deployed Units Model Aims To Accelerate Enterprise AI Deployment

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

IBM announced the launch of a new AI delivery model called Forward Deployed Units (FDUs), which the company says is designed to help enterprises move artificial intelligence initiatives from experimentation into large-scale production environments faster and more efficiently.

SpaceX: 5-For-1 Stock Split Reportedly Approved Ahead Of Expected IPO

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

SpaceX shareholders have approved a 5-for-1 stock split as the Elon Musk-led aerospace and satellite company moves closer to what could become one of the most highly anticipated initial public offerings in recent years. The decision, first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by sources familiar with the matter, marks another major milestone for the private company as investor attention surrounding a potential public listing intensifies.

Prudential: $389 Million Bharti Life Stake Acquisition To Expand India Insurance Presence

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

Prudential announced it has agreed to acquire a 75% stake in Bharti Life Insurance Company Limited from Bharti Life Ventures Pvt Ltd and 360 ONE Asset Management as part of a strategic repositioning of its India operations. The transaction, which remains subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, involves an initial cash consideration of ₹3,500 crore, approximately $389 million.

Santa Clara University: $175 Million Gift Launches Mark & Mary Stevens School Of Medicine

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

Sutter Health and Santa Clara University announced the launch of the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, which will become the first new medical school established in California’s San Francisco Bay Area in more than a century. The school is being funded in part through a $175 million gift from Santa Clara University alumna Mary (Mathews) Stevens and her husband, venture capitalist Mark Stevens.

Publicis: $2.2 Billion Acquisition Of LiveRamp To Accelerate AI Data Co-Creation And Smarter Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

Publicis Groupe announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire LiveRamp in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion in enterprise value, as the advertising and technology giant accelerates its push into AI-driven data co-creation and agentic business transformation.

Assertio: $166.4 Million Acquisition By Zydus Worldwide DMCC Announced

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

Assertio Holdings announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Zydus Worldwide DMCC, a subsidiary of Zydus Lifesciences Limited, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $166.4 million.

Fasset: $51 Million Series B Raised To Expand AI-Enabled Financial Infrastructure Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 17, 2026

Fasset announced that it has raised a $51 million Series B funding round with participation from SBI Group, Investcorp, Arz Portföy, and several additional strategic partners.

OpenAI Partners With Malta To Provide Free AI Access For Citizens

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 16, 2026

OpenAI and the Government of Malta announced a partnership to provide ChatGPT Plus access to all Maltese citizens through a new national initiative focused on AI literacy and practical skills development.