Innovation

Klarna: Membership Revenue Jumps More Than 600%, But 2026 GMV Outlook Gets Cut

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Klarna lowered its full-year 2026 gross merchandise volume outlook while raising its transaction margin expectations, signaling that the company expects stronger economics from a somewhat smaller volume base. Meanwhile, Klarna Membership revenue rose more than 600% year over year as paying subscribers grew eightfold to 2 million, adding a rapidly expanding recurring-revenue component to its broader payments and lending platform.

LeonaBio: ELAINE-3 Enrollment Reaches 495 Of About 600 Patients As Up To $146 Million Of Warrant Proceeds Could Support Upcoming Milestones

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

LeonaBio has enrolled 495 patients in its Phase 3 ELAINE-3 trial of lasofoxifene, putting enrollment at roughly 83% of the study’s approximately 600-patient target as the company works toward completing enrollment in the fourth quarter of 2026. Topline data from the registrational study are expected in the second half of 2027, while outstanding cash-exercisable warrants could provide LeonaBio with up to an additional $146 million if exercised in full.

Costco And SCAN Health Plan Expand Partnership To Launch Senior-Focused Medicare Products

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Costco Wholesale and SCAN Health Plan have expanded their strategic partnership to develop a suite of senior-focused insurance products aimed at improving value, accessibility and the overall Medicare experience for older adults. The expanded alliance represents Costco’s first comprehensive partnership with a Medicare plan.

Uplift Investors Acquires Engage fi As Third Platform Investment From $670 Million Debut Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Uplift Investors has acquired Engage fi, a technology and strategic advisory firm serving banks and credit unions, from Falfurrias Management Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Bimergen Energy Retains 7.5% Stakes In Three Battery Projects While Booking Only $500,000 Of Their Equity Value

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Bimergen Energy retained 7.5% equity ownership in three battery energy-storage projects as part of transactions completed during Q2 2026, but recorded only $500,000 as the provisional value of those interests. The company said it expects a conservative appraisal of the stakes to result in a fair market value significantly above the amount currently reflected in its financial results.

Arden Names Brad Perilman CFO As $375+ Million Premium Platform Expands Finance Leadership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Arden Insurance Services has appointed Brad Perilman as Chief Financial Officer as the tech-enabled managing general underwriter continues expanding its executive leadership team following a period of rapid growth.

Freightos: Gross Booking Value Jumps 33% To Record $422 Million While Revenue Grows Just 3%

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Freightos processed a record $422 million of gross booking value during Q2 2026, up 33% year over year, even as recognized revenue increased only 3% to $7.7 million. The widening gap between transaction value and reported revenue highlights how rapidly the scale of activity moving through the Freightos platform is expanding relative to current monetization.

Interstice Digital And FalconX Launch Cross-Chain Swap Engine Connecting $9 Trillion Monthly Canton RWA Flow With Robinhood, Solana, And Ethereum

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Interstice Digital has launched a cross-chain swap engine in partnership with FalconX, creating a non-custodial connection between the Canton Network and major blockchain ecosystems including Robinhood Chain, Solana and Ethereum.

Home Depot: Receivables Jump 18.5% To Nearly $7 Billion As H1 Operating Cash Flow Reaches $11.4 Billion And Q2 Sales Top $47.8 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Home Depot's net receivables increased approximately 18.5% year over year to $6.96 billion at the end of its fiscal second quarter, substantially outpacing the company's 5.7% quarterly sales growth. At the same time, Home Depot generated $11.42 billion of operating cash flow during the first half of fiscal 2026, providing substantial capacity to fund dividends, debt repayments, capital expenditures and acquisitions.

Femasys: H1 Net Loss Narrows To $3.6 Million As $30 Million Financing Includes Up To $90 Million Of Potential Warrant Proceeds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Femasys reported a first-half 2026 net loss of $3.62 million, improving by nearly $6.9 million from a $10.48 million loss a year earlier, even though its underlying operating loss was essentially unchanged at approximately $9.29 million versus $9.31 million. The biotechnology company subsequently completed a $30 million private placement, with associated warrants carrying the potential to generate up to another $90 million upon full cash exercise.

H World Manachised And Franchised Revenue Jumps 25% As 497 Of 498 China Openings Use Asset-Light Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

H World Group's manachised and franchised hotel revenue increased 25.2% year over year to RMB3.6 billion in Q2 2026, while 497 of the 498 hotels the company opened in China during the quarter used its manachised or franchise model. The figures highlight an increasingly asset-light growth strategy even as H World's overall hotel network continues expanding rapidly.

Jasper Therapeutics: KP-104 Renal Data Due Q4 2026 As $132 Million Kira Financing Extends Runway Into H2 2028

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Jasper Therapeutics expects Stage 1 interim data from a Phase 2 study of newly acquired KP-104 in rare renal diseases during Q4 2026, providing the first major clinical catalyst following its acquisition of Kira Pharmaceuticals and concurrent $132 million private placement. The financing is expected to fund planned operations through the second half of 2028 while Jasper advances a newly expanded three-asset immunology pipeline.

Traws Pharma Ties Up To $50 Million Of Additional Financing To Influenza Regulatory And Clinical Milestones

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Traws Pharma has structured up to $50 million of potential additional financing around specific regulatory and clinical milestones for its influenza program, directly connecting future capital availability to progress with tivoxavir marboxil and its planned Phase 2a human influenza Challenge study.

Citius Oncology: LYMPHIR Vial Orders Rise 31% To 926 As 44 Institutions Adopt Drug And July Sets Record

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Citius Oncology reported accelerating institutional demand for LYMPHIR during its fiscal third quarter, with institutional vial orders increasing 31% sequentially to 926 from 708 and 44 institutions having prescribed and ordered the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma treatment since its commercial launch. Demand continued accelerating after quarter-end, with July producing a record 383 institutional vial orders.

Vivos Therapeutics: Service Revenue Nearly Doubles To $3.8 Million While Product Revenue Falls 28%

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Vivos Therapeutics is becoming increasingly weighted toward healthcare services, with Q2 2026 service revenue nearly doubling to $3.8 million from $1.94 million while product revenue declined approximately 28% to $1.36 million from $1.89 million. The expansion in services drove total quarterly revenue up 35% to $5.15 million.

Gulf Resources: Bromine Revenue Jumps 314% While Factory Utilization Reaches Just 19%

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Gulf Resources' bromine revenue increased 314.4% to $23 million in fiscal 2025 from $5.55 million, even though its bromine factories operated at only 19% of stated annual production capacity. The combination highlights how much higher pricing and production volumes improved the business, even while leaving most of the company's theoretical production capacity unused.

Lumentum Cloud Transceiver Revenue Jumps More Than 173% As Optical Circuit Switches Add Over $90 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Lumentum's cloud transceiver revenue increased by more than 173% during fiscal 2026, while the initial ramp of its optical circuit switch products contributed more than $90 million in revenue. Together, the two businesses give Lumentum exposure to different layers of the expanding optical infrastructure being deployed inside cloud and AI data centers.

Seismic Completes Highspot Merger, Creating 3.5 Million-User GTM Platform With $100 Million+ Annual R&D Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Seismic has completed its merger with Highspot, creating a combined go-to-market performance company serving 2,500 customers and 3.5 million sales, marketing and enablement users worldwide. The combined company will operate under the Seismic name and will be led by Seismic Chief Executive Officer Rob Tarkoff.

InfiniG Raises $5.2 Million Seed Round To Scale Mobile Coverage As A Service Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

InfiniG has raised $5.2 million in Seed funding to expand its Mobile Coverage as a Service platform for enterprises and property owners seeking more reliable indoor cellular connectivity. J2 Ventures and Stormbreaker Ventures co-led the round. InfiniG plans to use the funding to expand enterprise deployments, automate integrations with mobile network operators, scale its InfiniG Insights analytics capabilities, and advance the platform's foundation for automation and physical AI.

0G Private Computer Passes 250 Billion Tokens As USD Payments And Email Sign-In Remove Crypto Barrier To Private AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

0G Labs said its 0G Private Computer platform has surpassed 250 billion tokens and 15,000 users less than four months after launch, as the company adds U.S. dollar payments, email onboarding and video generation to make its decentralized private AI infrastructure easier to access.

Meradia Adds Glen Robertson As Director To Expand SimCorp And Investment Transformation Expertise

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Meradia has appointed Glen Robertson as director, adding more than two decades of investment operations, technology implementation and business transformation experience as the consulting firm expands its capabilities for asset and wealth management clients.

R1 To Acquire Humata Health As AI Prior Authorization Platform Delivers Up To 96% First-Pass Approval

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

R1 has agreed to acquire Humata Health, an AI-powered prior authorization technology company, in a deal designed to expand the automation capabilities of R1’s Phare Operating System and move healthcare providers and payers closer to real-time authorizations. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the third quarter.

Columna Capital Sells Majority Stake In Ardentis To Medbase After Doubling Dental Platform To 20 Clinics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Columna Capital has sold its majority stake in Ardentis Cliniques Dentaires to Medbase, bringing one of the leading dental care platforms in French-speaking Switzerland under the ownership of one of the country’s largest healthcare networks. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction closed on August 14.

Codio Raises $5 Million And Launches AI Literacy Platform To Prepare Students For AI-Driven Workforce

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Codio has completed a $5 million strategic growth financing led by long-term investor Armada Investment while launching a new AI Literacy offering designed to help colleges prepare students for a workforce increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

BHP: Copper Generates Majority Of Group EBITDA For First Time As Segment Reaches Record $18.2 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

BHP's copper-producing assets generated the majority of Group Underlying EBITDA for the first time in fiscal 2026, with Total Copper Underlying EBITDA increasing 48% to a record $18.2 billion and accounting for 54% of the group's earnings measure, up from 45% a year earlier.

Fabrinet: Data Center Revenue Jumps 68% To $669 Million And Becomes 51% Of Quarterly Sales As DCI More Than Doubles

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Fabrinet's Data Center revenue surged approximately 68% year over year to $669.3 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, making the category approximately 51% of total quarterly revenue as demand tied to networking, high-performance computing and AI infrastructure continued to reshape the company's revenue mix.

XP Inc: Net Inflow Nearly Triples To R$28 Billion While Active Clients Grow 1%

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

XP Inc. generated R$28 billion of total net inflows during the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 188% from R$10 billion a year earlier and 94% from R$14 billion in the first quarter, even as its number of active clients increased only 1% year over year to approximately 4.77 million.

Perpetua Resources: $2.9 Billion EXIM Loan Approval Paired With $574.2 Million Cash And $3,000 Gold Floor Ahead Of H2 2026 Stibnite Decision

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

Perpetua Resources is approaching a potential final investment and construction decision for the Stibnite Gold Project in the second half of 2026 with a substantially strengthened financing position, including unanimous U.S. Export-Import Bank approval of a $2.9 billion senior secured long-term loan and $574.2 million of unrestricted cash at the end of June. The company has also spent $28.9 million on put options establishing a $3,000-per-ounce floor for up to 158,016 ounces of gold produced in 2031 while retaining exposure to gold prices above that level.

Liferay: Interview With Co-Founder And CMO Bryan Cheung About Digital Experience Platforms And AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

OBDeleven: Interview With CEO Dainius Sapežinskas About Making Professional Vehicle Technology Accessible To Drivers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 18, 2026

OBDeleven provides a vehicle diagnostics and connected car platform that combines compact hardware with a mobile application, enabling drivers to diagnose, maintain, and customize their vehicles. Its capabilities include professional diagnostics, maintenance functions, One-Click Apps, advanced coding, live vehicle data, AI-powered diagnostics, and trip analysis. Pulse 2.0 interviewed OBDeleven CEO Dainius Sapežinskas to learn more.