Innovation

Third Arc Bio: $52 Million Series A Extension Raised To Expand Oncology And Immunology Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Third Arc Bio announced it has closed a $52 million Series A extension financing, adding to a previously announced $165 million Series A as the company looks to broaden and accelerate its oncology and immunology and inflammation pipeline. The financing was led by new investor Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) alongside founding investor Omega Funds. The round also included participation from Life Sciences at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, BVF Partners LP, funds managed by abrdn. Inc., accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Marshall Wace, Hillhouse Investment, Galapagos NV, AbbVie Ventures, and Alderline Group. As part of the transaction, a16z General Partner Jorge Conde is joining Third Arc Bio’s board.

beHuman: $4 Million Seed Funding Raised To Scale AI-Driven Early Cancer Detection

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

beHuman, a physician-led preventive care platform focused on improving early cancer detection for underserved populations, has raised a $4 million seed round to expand nationally and grow its network of health insurance partners and end customers.

Corus Orthodontists Raises C$20 Million To Expand Its Doctor-Led Orthodontic Partnership Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Corus Orthodontists, a privately held North American orthodontic partnership network, has secured a C$20 million institutional equity investment led by ATB Financial’s private equity arm, with a co-investment from a prominent Canadian family office. The company said the financing is its inaugural institutional investment and represents a milestone in the continued evolution of its doctor partnership model.

Expert Intelligence: $5.8 Million Seed Funding Raised To Bring AI Decision Automation To Regulated Laboratories

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Expert Intelligence, a Santa Clara-based startup developing AI systems that automate expert decision making in regulated laboratory settings, has raised a $4.7 million seed round led by Sierra Ventures, with participation from TSVC and Acorn Pacific Ventures. The company positions its platform as “foundational infrastructure” for autonomous decision-making in high-compliance environments where data is scarce, tightly controlled, and difficult to use for conventional machine learning approaches.

Columbia Financial To Acquire Northfield Bancorp In $597 Million Deal Tied To Second-Step Conversion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Columbia Financial, a mid-tier holding company for Columbia Bank, and Northfield Bancorp (the holding company for Northfield Bank), announced they have signed an agreement and plan of merger under which Columbia will acquire Northfield in a transaction valued at approximately $597 million. The combined organization is expected to become the third-largest regional bank headquartered in New Jersey, with pro forma total assets of $18 billion based on financial data as of December 31, 2025.

VENU+ Acquires Tiburon Lockers To Expand Smart Locker Platform And North America Footprint

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

VENU+, a ZCG-backed provider of tech-enabled guest mobility, storage, and entertainment solutions for major amusement and entertainment destinations, has acquired Tiburon Lockers, a U.S.-based operator of electronic rental locker systems for high-traffic venues. The deal adds Tiburon’s custom locker rental capabilities to VENU+’s growing smart lockers business and is positioned as a step forward in VENU+’s broader growth strategy focused on scaling integrated, venue-facing storage and mobility offerings.

Formula Fixed: Interview With Founders James And Clare Grady About The Brakeless Cycling League

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Formula Fixed is a high-intensity, brakeless cycling league that brings urban fixed-gear racing to ticketed indoor stadiums and technical, short-track venues designed for spectator-first, digital-native entertainment. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Formula Fixed founders James and Clare Grady to learn more.

Devon Energy: $21.4+ Billion All-Stock Deal For Coterra To Create A $58 Billion Shale Operator

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Devon Energy and Coterra Energy have signed a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction that the companies say will create a “premier shale operator” anchored by a leading position in the economic core of the Delaware Basin. The combined company will be named Devon Energy, headquartered in Houston, and will maintain a significant presence in Oklahoma City.

Gibraltar Closes $1.335 Billion OmniMax Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Gibraltar Industries announced it has completed its all-cash acquisition of OmniMax International from funds managed by Strategic Value Partners, valuing the transaction at $1.335 billion, subject to customary adjustments. The company said the deal will close after it receives the required regulatory approvals and satisfies the customary closing conditions.

TITAN Completes Acquisition Of Vracs De L’Estuaire Cementitious Business In France

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

TITAN Group has completed its acquisition of Vracs de L'Estuaire, adding an established cementitious business in northern France and deepening the company’s operating footprint in one of Europe’s largest construction markets. TITAN cited the transaction as a practical step to accelerate the growth path outlined in its TITAN Forward 2029 strategy, particularly as the company seeks to broaden its offering of lower-carbon building materials across its core geographies.

Connect Media Acquires Networld Media Group, Expanding Commercial Real Estate News Into Adjacent B2B Verticals

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Connect Media, a privately held Los Angeles-based media company focused on commercial real estate news and related B2B businesses, has acquired Louisville, Kentucky-based Networld Media Group, a business-to-business media company that produces industry news and conferences across restaurant, retail, banking, and technology markets. The financial terms were not disclosed.

Consor Engineers Acquires Cavnue To Integrate Smart Road Delivery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Miami-based Consor Engineers announced it has acquired Cavnue, positioning the combined organization to deliver a more integrated approach to planning, engineering, and deployment of “smart road” technologies for transportation agencies and other infrastructure owners.

Penzance Expands Multifamily Portfolio With $200 Million In Virginia And North Carolina Acquisitions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Penzance announced it acquired roughly $200 million of multifamily and residential assets totaling about 1,100 units and more than 1.2 million square feet during the fourth quarter of 2025, expanding its footprint across Virginia and the Carolinas. The firm said the four transactions span a mix of stabilized communities bought below replacement cost and a build-to-rent development project, allowing it to deploy capital across different risk profiles while diversifying its residential exposure.

Cumbuca: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Daniel Ruhman About The Fintech Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Cumbuca is a Y Combinator-backed fintech that acts as the first regulatory proxy for Brazil's Open Finance and Pix ecosystem, enabling international and domestic firms to launch financial products and access local banking infrastructure without holding their own license. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Cumbuca co-founder and CEO Daniel Ruhman to learn more.