Innovation

Pepper: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Bowie Cheung About The Food Distributor Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 26, 2026

Pepper is the technology partner for food distributors. And its AI-first platform helps distributors grow revenue and boost productivity across ordering, sales, marketing, accounts receivable, and other core operating functions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Pepper co-founder and CEO Bowie Cheung about the company’s origins and growth.

Beazer Homes: $10 Million Raised For Military Family Housing Through Fisher House Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Beazer Homes has surpassed $10 million in total funds raised for Fisher House Foundation, marking a major milestone in a nearly decade-long philanthropic partnership supporting military and veteran families.

Domain Capital Group: $768 Million Raised For Entertainment Fund II Targeting Film, TV, And Music Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Domain Capital Group has closed $768 million in equity commitments for its second entertainment-focused investment vehicle, Domain Entertainment Fund II, expanding its strategy of investing in film libraries, television participation, and music catalogs. The fund includes partnerships with major industry players such as Paramount Pictures and Sony Music Publishing, and features investments tied to well-known content and artists, including Sonic 3, Friends, The Matrix Trilogy, Miranda Lambert, and Thomas Rhett.

Mojo Vision: $17.5 Million Raised To Advance Optical I/O For AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Mojo Vision has secured $17.5 million in strategic funding from Future Ventures to accelerate the commercialization of its micro-LED platform for next-generation AI infrastructure.

VICTUS Technologies: Seed Funding Raised For Contested Autonomy Platform Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

VICTUS Technologies, a contested autonomy software company, announced it has raised a seed funding round to accelerate development of its hardware-agnostic platform designed for autonomous systems operating in GPS-denied environments. The round was led by Bow Capital, with participation from Techstars, Marque Ventures, 10VC, and Intbox Ventures. The company did not disclose the amount raised.

Neon: $25 Million Raised For Consumer Data Monetization Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Neon, a consumer platform that enables users to monetize their personal data, announced it has raised over $25 million in combined equity and credit financing from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Upper90, Upfront Ventures, and other investors. This latest round brings the company’s total funding to nearly $27 million, following a $1.5 million pre-seed round led by Upfront with participation from Wilson Sonsini and Xfund.

EPIC Microsystems: $21 Million Raised For AI Data Center Power Delivery Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

EPIC Microsystems, a semiconductor company focused on advanced power delivery solutions for AI infrastructure, announced it has raised $21 million in Series A funding to accelerate the development of its vertical power delivery architecture for next-generation data centers. The round was led by Seligman Ventures, with participation from Intel Capital, AICONIC Ventures, Cambium Capital, and existing investors including A&E Investments, Assam Ventures, and Nepenthe Capital. With this latest financing, the company has raised a total of $26 million to date.

Plug And Play: XDC Network Accelerator Expands Into DeFi With New Cohort

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Plug and Play announced the launch of the third cohort of its XDC Network Accelerator, shifting its focus toward decentralized finance as the ecosystem evolves beyond its early emphasis on real-world asset tokenization. The program, developed in collaboration with the XDC Foundation, has selected 11 startups to build solutions aimed at expanding on-chain liquidity, institutional-grade DeFi infrastructure, and interoperability across blockchain platforms.

Sift: $42 Million Series B Raised To Build AI Infrastructure For Mission-Critical Machines

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Sift has raised $42 million in Series B funding to expand its platform for AI-driven hardware systems. The round was led by StepStone, with participation from GV, Riot Ventures, Fika Ventures, and CIV, bringing the company’s total funding to $67 million.

Lucid Bots: $20 Million Raised To Expand Autonomous Exterior Cleaning Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Lucid Bots, a robotics company focused on autonomous exterior cleaning, announced it has raised $20 million in a Series B funding round. The round was co-led by Cubit Capital and Idea Fund Partners, with participation from Taylor Rhodes, WaterStone Impact Fund, Front Porch Ventures, and existing investors. This latest raise brings the company’s total funding to $34 million.

Adonis: $40 Million Raised For AI Revenue Cycle Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Adonis, an AI-driven revenue cycle management platform for healthcare providers, announced it has raised $40 million in a Series C funding round led by Quadrille Capital, with continued backing from General Catalyst and Bling Capital. The new funding brings the company’s total capital raised to more than $95 million since its founding in 2022.

Electro Switch Acquires E-MAX Instruments To Expand Substation Monitoring And Control Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Electro Switch, a manufacturer of engineered switches and related components for critical applications, announced it has acquired E-MAX Instruments, a provider of control and monitoring solutions for electrical substation equipment.

Sherweb: $125 Million Raised For Cloud Marketplace Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Sherweb, a cloud marketplace distributor, announced it has secured a $125 million minority equity investment from Investissement Québec, including $49.9 million from the Government of Québec’s Fonds pour la croissance des entreprises du Québec. The funding marks the company’s first external investment and is aimed at accelerating its global expansion strategy.

Kleiner Perkins: $3.5 Billion Raised For AI-Focused Venture And Growth Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Kleiner Perkins has raised $3.5 billion in new capital to invest in artificial intelligence-driven companies, reinforcing its position as a major player in venture capital as investor appetite for AI continues to accelerate. The capital includes $1 billion allocated to its twenty-second early-stage fund and $2.5 billion earmarked for growth-stage investments targeting high-inflection, category-defining businesses.

HighVista Strategies: Raudel Yanez Appointed As Head Of Private Equity Secondaries To Launch GP-Led Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

HighVista Strategies has appointed Raudel Yanez as Managing Director and Head of Private Equity Secondaries, as the firm launches a dedicated GP-led secondaries strategy focused on the lower middle market.

Core Scientific: $1 Billion Credit Facility Expanded With Additional $500 Million Commitment From JPMorgan

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Core Scientific, a digital infrastructure company focused on high-density colocation and data centers, announced it has expanded its strategic financing facility to $1 billion following an additional $500 million commitment from JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Metric: Investment Raised From Southfield Capital To Accelerate Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Metric, a specialist executive search and talent solutions firm, has received a majority investment from Southfield Capital, marking a significant step toward scaling globally and expanding its service offerings.

Allegro Finance: $500 Million Joint Venture To Launch Film And TV Credit Platform With Elliott

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 25, 2026

Allegro Finance Limited, an alternative lending platform focused on the media sector, announced a $500 million strategic joint venture and senior funding line with entities advised by Elliott Advisors UK Limited. The partnership establishes a dedicated institutional credit platform for the global film and television industry.

Highlight AI: $40 Million Raised To Build Shared Intelligence Layer For Agentic Work

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 24, 2026

Highlight AI, an AI software company developing an intelligent operating system for teams and AI agents, announced it has raised $40 million in a Series A funding round led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from 359 Capital, General Catalyst, Valor Equity, Common Metal, Makers Fund, Collaborative Fund, Arcadia, and SV Angel.

Cambridge Mobile Telematics: $350 Million Raised To Expand AI-Driven Road Safety Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 24, 2026

Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a telematics and AI company focused on safer mobility, announced a $350 million strategic investment led by TPG and Allianz X, with participation from State Farm. The funding is aimed at accelerating the company’s global expansion and advancing its AI-powered road safety technologies.

Olympus Partners: $1.1 Billion Sale Of Retina Business Of EyeSouth Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 24, 2026

Olympus Partners announced it has agreed to sell the retina business of EyeSouth Partners for $1.1 billion, marking a significant transaction in the ophthalmology services sector. EyeSouth is an eye care-focused management services organization that partners with ophthalmologists and medical optometrists to deliver specialized medical and surgical care.

GCheck: Interview With Founder & CEO Houman Akhavan About The Background Screening Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 24, 2026

GCheck is a background screening company that provides fast, compliant, and transparent hiring solutions to help businesses verify candidates and make more confident hiring decisions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed GCheck founder and CEO Houman Akhavan to learn more.

Oryon Cell Therapies: $42 Million Raised For Autologous Neuron Replacement Therapies Targeting Parkinson’s Disease

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 23, 2026

Oryon Cell Therapies, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing autologous neuron replacement therapies for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, announced it has emerged from stealth with total funding of $42 million, including a newly closed $21 million Series A tranche backed by investors such as Neuro.VC and Byers Capital.

Jeffrey Stewart: A VC And Author Who Says Earlier Global IPOs Are Coming

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 23, 2026

Jeffrey Stewart is a serial founder who built Inc. 500 companies, an investor who’s backed ambitious entrepreneurs through GPO Fund, and a Fintech CEO who scaled across borders. At GPO Fund, his work focuses on helping founders accelerate international expansion and entry in the public markets. Most recently, after 3 years of research and over 100 expert interviews, Jeff published “Global IPO: The Great Rewiring of Capital Markets,” to showcase why there are great opportunities ahead for going public, as well as provide founders with an IPO playbook. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Jeffrey Stewart to learn more.

Grub Lab: $6 Million Raised To Bring Sports And Entertainment IP To Independent Restaurants Nationwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 23, 2026

Grub Lab, an Australia-founded restaurant technology startup, announced it has raised $6 million in funding from Quantaco to accelerate its expansion across the United States and support a national rollout tied to major sports leagues and entertainment studios. The company is positioning itself as a modern solution to help independent restaurants compete for family dining traffic through interactive, branded experiences.

Fresh Del Monte: $285 Million Acquisition Of Del Monte Foods Assets Completed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 23, 2026

Fresh Del Monte Produce, a global producer and marketer of fresh and prepared foods, announced that it has completed the acquisition of select assets from Del Monte Foods Corporation II Inc. and its affiliates in a transaction valued at approximately $285 million. The deal was approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey as part of a court-supervised sale process under Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

CrossCountry Mortgage: Summit Funding Acquisition Expands National Retail Lending Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 23, 2026

CrossCountry Mortgage has entered into an agreement to acquire Summit Funding, a privately held mortgage banker and servicer headquartered in Sacramento, California.

Microsoft: MAI-Image-2 Launches As New In-House AI Image Generation Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 22, 2026

Microsoft announced the launch of MAI-Image-2, a new text-to-image model developed by its AI Superintelligence team, marking a significant step in the company’s push to build its own in-house AI capabilities. The model positions Microsoft among the top three AI image-generation labs globally, according to the Arena.ai leaderboard.

Vesicor Therapeutics: Biotechnology Company Appoints Michael Tolentino As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 22, 2026

Vesicor Therapeutics, an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing p53-based cancer therapeutics using engineered microvesicles, has appointed Michael Tolentino, M.D., as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 17, 2026.

InfraVia Capital Partners: $50 Million Investment In Lithium Project To Support Australian Production

By Amit Chowdhry ● Mar 20, 2026

InfraVia Capital Partners announced an investment in Core Lithium to support the upcoming operation of its Finniss lithium project in Australia, marking the first deployment from its critical metals strategy.