Innovation

Custom Surgical Raises €3.5 Million Pre-Series A To Digitize Ophthalmology Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Custom Surgical, a Munich-based medical technology company focused on digitizing and standardizing ophthalmology workflows, has closed a €3.5 million pre-series A financing round led by Ventech, with participation from ZEISS and a group of existing and new investors.

Microsoft: Asha Sharma Named CEO Of Gaming Division As Phil Spencer Retires

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Microsoft has named Asha Sharma as Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, marking a major leadership transition for the company’s gaming business as longtime executive Phil Spencer steps down.

Sciwind Biosciences: $495 Million Commercialization Deal With Pfizer China For Biased GLP-1 Therapy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Hangzhou-based Sciwind Biosciences announced a strategic commercialization collaboration with Pfizer China for Ecnoglutide injection, a new-generation cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist. Under the agreement, Pfizer will obtain exclusive commercialization rights for the product in Mainland China, marking a significant step in advancing its global metabolic strategy in the country.

Vaniam Group Appoints Cherie Myatt As Interim President

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Vaniam Group has appointed Cherie Myatt as Interim President, effective immediately, as the oncology-focused partner to biopharma companies reinforces its long-term commitment to value creation and leadership continuity.

S&P Global Appoints Martin Metzker As Chief Strategy Officer For Mobility Global Ahead Of Planned Spinoff

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

S&P Global has appointed Martin Metzker as Chief Strategy Officer of S&P Global Mobility, completing the executive leadership team for the unit as it prepares to separate into a standalone public company.

BigTime Software Names Jerry Cosmas As Chief Financial Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

BigTime Software, a provider of AI-powered professional services automation software, has appointed Jerry Cosmas as its new chief financial officer, signaling what the company describes as a new phase of growth and strategic expansion.

Akima Names Lauren Cates Vice President Of Business Development For Emerging Markets Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Akima, a provider of mission-focused solutions to the federal government, announced the appointment of Lauren Cates as vice president of business development for its Emerging Markets Group. The group delivers advanced technologies and digital solutions designed to help federal clients achieve peak performance.

Synopsys Appoints Former Deloitte Executive Peter Shimer To Board And Announces Director Transitions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Synopsys announced the appointment of Peter A. Shimer to its board of directors, adding a veteran financial executive with four decades of experience at Deloitte. Shimer’s appointment is effective immediately, and he will serve on the board’s audit committee.

Ursa Major Appoints Chris Spagnoletti As Chief Executive Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Ursa Major announced the appointment of Chris Spagnoletti as Chief Executive Officer, marking a leadership transition as the aerospace and defense company continues to scale its hypersonic, solid rocket motor, and space propulsion programs.

Stavtar Solutions Appoints Michael Basen As Head Of StavMarket

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Stavtar Solutions, a business spend management and expense allocation SaaS provider serving complex enterprises such as alternative asset managers, announced the appointment of Michael Basen as Head of StavMarket.

Casio America Names Dave Shaw As Director Of Marketing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Casio America has appointed Dave Shaw as Director of Marketing, marking a leadership transition as the company prepares for its next phase of growth in the U.S. market.

Georgia-Pacific Names Nate Medina As Senior Vice President And General Sales Manager Of GP PRO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Georgia-Pacific has named Nate Medina as senior vice president and general sales manager of GP PRO, the company announced. In the role, Medina will oversee the organization’s field sales, national accounts, and distribution teams, with a focus on driving commercial execution and strengthening customer partnerships across the business.

Tidal Cyber Appoints Cat Self As Senior Director Of Adversary Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Tidal Cyber has appointed Cat Self as Senior Director of Adversary Research, expanding its focus on procedural-level threat intelligence and adversary testing as part of its Threat-Led Defense platform.

Stable Money: $25 Million Pre-Series C Funding Round Raised For Fixed-Income Investment Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Stable Money has raised $25 million in a Pre-Series C round led by Peak XV Partners, with continued participation from Z47, RTP Global, and Fundamentum Partnership, as the Bengaluru-based company accelerates its push to modernize India’s fixed deposit market.

Emergent Hits $100 Million ARR In Eight Months And Launches Mobile App

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Emergent announced it has reached $100 million in annual run rate in just eight months, positioning itself among the fastest-growing vibe coding platforms. The milestone comes alongside the launch of Emergent AI, the company’s new mobile app that lets users build and publish software directly from their smartphones.

Solid Launches With $20 Million Seed Funding To Automate Semantic Engineering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Solid, an enterprise software company focused on improving the reliability of artificial intelligence systems, announced its public launch alongside $20 million in seed funding. The round includes backing from Team8 and SignalFire and will be used to accelerate enterprise adoption of trustworthy AI by reducing the manual effort required to maintain consistent business meaning in data.

Ormat Technologies Signs Up To 150 Million MW Portfolio PPA With NV Energy To Support Google Data Centers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

Ormat Technologies announced it has signed a long-term geothermal portfolio power purchase agreement for up to 150 MW with NV Energy to support the Nevada data center operations of Google.

World Labs Raises $1 Billion To Advance Spatial Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 24, 2026

World Labs, the spatial intelligence startup co-founded by renowned AI expert Fei-Fei Li, announced it has secured $1 billion in new funding to accelerate the development of its “world models” — artificial intelligence systems designed to perceive, generate, reason and interact with three-dimensional environments.

ZaiNar: $100 Million Raised At $1 Billion Valuation For Physical AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

ZaiNar, a physical AI infrastructure company, has emerged from nine years in stealth with more than $100 million in funding at a valuation exceeding $1 billion. The company says it has developed a breakthrough platform that transforms existing wireless networks into a sensing system capable of continuously determining the precise location of devices and objects without relying on satellites, cameras, or additional device power and computing.

General Catalyst Commits $5 Billion To India Over Five Years

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Venture capital firm General Catalyst announced it is committing $5 billion to India over the next five years, marking one of the largest dedicated venture capital commitments to the country.

ESS Tech Acquires VoltStorage IP And Assets To Advance Iron-Salt Battery Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

ESS Tech has acquired the intellectual property and assets of VoltStorage GmbH in a move designed to expand its technology portfolio and accelerate the development of flexible, lower-cost long-duration energy storage solutions.

Erie Strayer Receives Strategic Investment Led By CQL Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Erie Strayer, a fourth-generation, family-owned leader in concrete batching solutions, announced that it has received a strategic investment led by CQL Capital, a private equity firm focused on partnering with founder- and family-owned businesses. The investment is designed to support Erie Strayer’s long-term growth initiatives while preserving its legacy, family values, leadership, and customer-first culture.

Axol Bioscience Acquires Newcells Biotech’s Ophthalmology Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Axol Bioscience, a provider of induced pluripotent stem cell technologies for drug discovery and research, announced that it has acquired the ophthalmology business of Newcells Biotech. The transaction expands Axol’s portfolio of iPSC-derived retinal organoid and retinal pigment epithelium models and strengthens its position as an independent provider of physiologically relevant in vitro retinal models for ophthalmology drug discovery and safety testing.

Armstrong World Industries Acquires Eventscape To Expand Design And Fabrication Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Armstrong World Industries announced it has acquired Eventscape, Inc., a design and fabrication company recognized for delivering complex, design-driven architectural environments. The transaction strengthens Armstrong’s architectural specialties portfolio and expands its custom design and fabrication capabilities across commercial building projects.

HKW Acquires Material Handling Systems Provider Handling Systems And Conveyors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

HKW has acquired Handling Systems and Conveyors, expanding its portfolio of technical industrial businesses serving aerospace, defense, and manufacturing markets.

Peak XV Partners: $1.3 Billion Raised Across Three New Funds To Back Founders In India, APAC And Beyond

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Peak XV Partners announced it has closed $1.3 billion across three new funds focused on supporting exceptional founders in India, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The capital raise includes an India Seed Fund, an India Venture Fund and an APAC Fund, reinforcing the firm’s multi-stage investment strategy across early and growth phases.

Zero Homes: $16.8 Million Raised For Home Upgrade Technology Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Zero Homes has raised $16.8 million in a Series A round to expand its digital platform that streamlines home upgrades for homeowners and contractors. The funding was led by Prelude Ventures, with participation from SJF Ventures, Watsco Ventures, and existing investors VoLo Earth Ventures, Overture VC, and FJ Labs.

Microsoft And Responsible AI Leaders Pledge $50 Billion To Bridge The Global AI Divide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Microsoft’s leadership is urging swift action to confront what it describes as a widening artificial intelligence divide between developed and developing regions of the world, outlining a multiyear commitment to expand access, opportunity and skills in emerging markets.

Amazon Selects Louisiana For $12 Billion Data Center Campuses Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Amazon announced plans to invest $12 billion to construct new, state-of-the-art data center campuses in Louisiana, marking the company’s first data center presence in the state and a major expansion of its U.S. cloud and AI infrastructure footprint.

Opensity Solutions Launches Serving Legal, Financial And Professional Services Firms

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 23, 2026

Opensity Solutions has officially launched as a newly combined managed services organization formed through the integration of K2 Services, Epiq GBTS, and Forrest Solutions. Originally announced in November 2025, the combination creates, the company says, the largest end-to-end, tech-enabled managed services organization focused on serving sophisticated legal, financial, and professional services firms.