Innovation

Simply Homes: Single Family Rental Sourcing And Underwriting Company Closes $22 Million

By Annie Baker ● Dec 19, 2023

Simply Homes - an automated Single Family Rental (SFR) sourcing and underwriting platform developed to help solve the affordable housing crisis by mobilizing stagnant housing stock for use in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program - recently announced $22 million in funding for operations and real estate acquisitions. The funding was led by Gutter Capital and Watchung Capital, with participation from Village Global, Ambush Capital, RavenOne Ventures, Neil Parikh, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin, and others.

Genera: Broken Ground On $340+ Million Sustainable Biomaterials Campus

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 19, 2023

Genera - a sustainable molded fiber and biomaterials company - recently announced it has broken ground on the nearly $350 million expansion of its Sustainable Biomaterials Campus, enabling increased manufacturing, production, and distribution operations. This expansion adds over 150,000 square feet to Genera’s existing facility and will house more than 60 robotic thermoforming machines, a fleet of autonomously guided vehicles, and automated packaging lines.

On (Formerly GameOn Technology) Closes $25 Million In Funding

By Noah Long ● Dec 19, 2023

ON (formerly GameOn Technology) recently announced a new round of funding and an updated mission to help enterprises and leading brands productize generative AI chat. And the company's established leadership position in the AI chat ecosystem (combined with the growing marketplace for generative AI) prompted a strategic $25 million funding round, bringing the total funding raised to $80 million.

Fantuan: Asian Food Delivery And Life Services Company Closes $40 Million

By Annie Baker ● Dec 19, 2023

Fantuan - an Asian food delivery and life service platform - recently announced it has closed a $40 million Series C funding round. This funding round was co-led by GrubMarket, a renowned U.S. fresh grocery e-commerce platform, and Celtic House Asia Partners. And VisionPlus Capital, JSD Capital, and other backers from North America and China also participated in this round. With this funding round, it makes Fantuan the only ethnic food delivery platform to secure substantial funding in the post-pandemic era.

Bluebird Network: Communications Infrastructure Provider Closes $285 Million In Senior Secured Credit Facilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 19, 2023

Bluebird Network - a communications infrastructure provider and operator of more than 11,000 miles of fiber and two data centers - recently announced that it has received $285 million of five-year Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The proceeds from the Credit Facilities were used to refinance Bluebird's existing indebtedness and will fund ongoing capital expenditures including network upgrades, expansion into new markets, and an awarded Middle Mile grant build. TD Securities acted as Lead Left Arranger on the financing and is the Administrative Agent for the Credit Facilities.

Enveedo: Cyber Risk Management Company Secures $3.15 Million

By Dan Anderson ● Dec 16, 2023

Enveedo - a cybersecurity company with an innovative approach to integrated risk management - recently announced the closing of its $3.15 million seed funding round, led by Silverton Partners. The funding round was also joined by Runtime Ventures and Blu Ventures who are both focused on the cybersecurity industry and contribute relevant operating experience and funding.

Noetica: Customer Interaction Management Company Raises $7.8 Million

By Annie Baker ● Dec 14, 2023

Noetica AI - an AI software platform that benchmarks corporate debt transactions - recently announced it has raised a $6M seed round investment led by global venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners, bringing its total funding to $7.8 million following a pre-seed round led by Bling Capital in 2022.

Clever Carnivore: Cruelty-Free Meat Company Raises $7 Million Raised To Expand Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 14, 2023

Clever Carnivore - a Chicago biotech startup that is producing low-cost and top-quality cultivated meat - recently announced the successful closing of its $7 million seed round funding. The funding round was led by Lever VC, a globally renowned investor in the alternative protein industry.

Kong Hits $100 Million In Annual Recurring Revenue

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2023

Kong Inc - a leading developer of cloud API technologies - announced today that it has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue. The company’s success results from a commitment to product excellence, a laser focus on the user and customer experience, and the growth of Kong Konnect, its unified cloud API platform - which helps organizations unleash developer productivity and accelerate time to market.

Cambium: Advanced Materials Company Closes $19 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2023

Cambium - an advanced materials innovator for defense and other high-performance fields - recently announced a $19 million Series A funding round. 8VC led the round, with participation from Veteran Ventures, GSBackers, Marlinspike, MVP Ventures, Gaingels, Kern Venture Fund, Jackson Moses (Founder, Silent Ventures), Vertical Capital, and select angel investors.

MaterialsZone: Long-Term Commercial Agreement With Kafrit Group To Develop Improved Products

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 13, 2023

MaterialsZone - a leading Materials Informatics platform for manufacturers’ R&D teams, and Kafrit Group - a global masterbatches and compounds producer - announced today their long-term commercial agreement enabling Kafrit Group to better utilize their data to develop improved products and provide an unparalleled customer experience to its clients.

Laza Medical: $36 Million Raised To Develop Robotic Imaging Solution For Cardiovascular Interventions

By Annie Baker ● Dec 12, 2023

Laza Medical announced today that it had closed $36 million in Series A financing. Laza Medical is developing an imaging solution for cardiac interventions enabled by AI software and state-of-the-art robotics. The funding round was led by The Capital Partnership (TCP) with financial participation from GE HealthCare, PA MedTech VC fund, Unorthodox Ventures, and Dara Holdings.

Netrality Data Centers: Core Interconnection Facility Operator Company Raises $380 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2023

Netrality Data Centers - one of the largest, privately held owners and operators of core interconnection facilities in the U.S. - recently announced it has secured a $380 million sustainability-linked credit facility (SLL).

Medefy Health: Mobile-First Healthcare Benefits Navigation Platform Raises $10 Million

By Annie Baker ● Dec 11, 2023

Medefy Health - a mobile-first healthcare benefits navigation platform dedicated to improving the employee health benefits experience through real-time guidance - announced today that it has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Mercury Fund with participation from Advantage Capital. This new funding round will enable Medefy further to enhance its existing technology platform and artificial intelligence capabilities to operate more efficiently at scale.

Liquid AI: MIT Spinoff Company Raises $37.6 Million To Build General Purpose AI Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 11, 2023

Liquid AI is a company that aims to build state-of-the-art, general-purpose AI systems that are capable, efficient, and trustworthy. The company also recently raised $37.6 million in a seed round of funding. The company was founded by Ramin Hasani, Mathias Lechner, Alexander Amini, and Daniela Rus, and it spun out of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).

SparkMeter: Grid Management Services Company Raises $5 Million

By Dan Anderson ● Dec 9, 2023

SparkMeter - a provider of grid management services, equipment, and software solutions that increase access to reliable electricity in underserved communities across Africa, Asia, and the Americas - announced a strategic $5 million investment and global partnership with Honeywell Smart Energy, one of the largest utility digital solution providers in the world.

Withings Launches Heart Health Hybrid Smartwatch ScanWatch Nova

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 8, 2023

Withings - a leader in connected health devices and the inventor of the first hybrid smartwatch - recently announced its latest innovation: ScanWatch Nova. This new iteration provides a powerful health scan in a splendid luxury diver-style watch with crucial health benefits to track health metrics and activity, including on-demand electrocardiogram, SpO2, body temperature 24/7, advanced activity tracking, and in-depth sleep analysis.

Trackstar: $2.6 Million Secured To Advance First Universal API For Warehouse Management Systems

By Annie Baker ● Dec 7, 2023

Trackstar - a Y Combinator-backed startup transforming supply chain logistics with the world’s first universal API for Warehouse Management Systems - recently announced it had closed a $2.6 million seed round led by TMV. This funding round will accelerate Trackstar's global mission to integrate with warehouse management systems, enhancing supply chain efficiency and data accessibility for businesses of all sizes.

Certa And Castellum.AI Partnering To Offer Professionals With Financial Crime Risk Data For Improved Third-Party Risk Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 7, 2023

Certa (a leader in third-party management solutions) announced today a partnership with Castellum.AI (a global financial crime risk platform). This partnership integrates Castellum.AI risk screening into Certa’s TPRM platform, providing compliance and procurement professionals access to the most accurate, reliable, and fastest information on sanctions, export controls, adverse media, beneficial ownership, etc.

Ford Pro And Xcel Energy Partnering On Installation Of 30,000 EV Charging Ports For Business Fleets By 2030

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 6, 2023

Ford Pro (the commercial division within Ford Motor Company) and Xcel Energy (a national leader in clean energy) recently announced a unique collaboration to support the deployment of 30,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports in Xcel Energy service territories across the U.S. by 2030 with most upfront costs offset by Xcel for qualifying business fleet customers.

Carta Healthcare: Brent Dover Named As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 6, 2023

Carta Healthcare - a health tech company aiming to harness the value of clinical data - announced today the appointment of Brent Dover as chief executive officer. Dover succeeds former CEO Matt Hollingsworth - who co-founded Carta Healthcare in 2017 and remains a board member. And in his new role, he will continue to focus on product innovation, business development, and strategic partnerships for Carta Healthcare’s market-leading solutions.

IBM Consulting And Palo Alto Networks Expanding Strategic Cybersecurity Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 5, 2023

IBM Consulting and Palo Alto Networks recently announced that they will expand their strategic partnership to enable clients to strengthen their end-to-end security postures and navigate evolving security threats. Palo Alto Networks will be in a select group of strategic IBM Consulting partners, and IBM Consulting will be a premier security services partner for Palo Alto Networks.

Generation Food Rural Partners Launching Nexture Bio To Transform Cultivated Meats

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 5, 2023

Big Idea Ventures (BIV) - a global leader in early-stage alternative protein and food technology investing - recently announced its third portfolio company through the Generation Food Rural Partners Fund (GFRP). Nexture Bio develops novel technologies to support the advancement of alternative meat products.

NPCx: How This Company Is Building The Next-Generation Of AI For NPCs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 4, 2023

NPCx is a company building the next generation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Non-Player Characters (NPC) in Interactive Entertainment, including Video Games, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality. Pulse 2.0 interviewed NPCx CEO and co-founder Cameron Madani to learn more.

TruaID: This Digital Identity Verification Product Helps People Keep Personal Information More Secured

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 2, 2023

Digital identity and screening company Trua recently announced it has launched a new product called TruaID, which will give consumers a greater sense of security with their private information while providing businesses with a more efficient means of screening customers and prospective employees. TruaID eliminates the need for users to repeatedly provide businesses, government agencies or potential employers with their private personal information such as Social Security number, driver’s license, birth certificate, or other documents.

Amini: $4 Million Raised To Focus On Africa’s Environmental Data Gap

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 2, 2023

Amini - a Nairobi-based climate tech startup focused on solving Africa’s environmental data gap through AI and satellite technology - recently announced that it has raised $4 million in a seed funding round. The funding round was led by Salesforce Ventures (Salesforce's global investment arm) and Female Founders Fund, a seed-stage venture fund that invests exclusively in female-founded companies.

QuantHealth Launches Katina To Help Pharma Researchers Run Significant Protocols At Scale

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 1, 2023

QuantHealth - an AI-powered clinical trial design startup - recently announced a major product upgrade to its platform to simulate trials at scale and expedite, de-risk and optimize drug development. Katina provides clinical researchers with an AI-guided workflow that simulates hundreds of thousands of potential trial protocol combinations of patient groups, treatment parameters, and different endpoints to maximize the trial success probability while considering additional operational and commercial considerations.

BlueVoyant: Conquest Cyber Acqusition And Over $140 Million In Series E Funding

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 30, 2023

BlueVoyant - a cybersecurity company that illuminates, validates, and mitigates internal and external risks - recently announced the acquisition of Conquest Cyber, a cyber defense company renowned for its innovative SaaS technology that streamlines risk management across an organization's entire cyber program. And Conquest Cyber has proven successful within high-security environments, including the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and Government organizations. BlueVoyant also raised over $140 million in Series E funding to accompany the acquisition of Conquest Cyber.

May Mobility: New CFO And $105 Million Series D Funding Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 30, 2023

May Mobility - a leader in developing and deploying autonomous vehicle (AV) technology - recently announced the company's $105 million Series D funding round. And the company also revealed that Anna Brunelle has joined as CFO.

Radiology Partners Unveils AI Integration Platform With AWS HealthImaging

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 30, 2023

Radiology Partners (RP) - a leading radiology practice in the U.S. through its owned and affiliated practices - recently announced the launch of its RPX AI orchestration platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS). And RPX AI is RP’s AI orchestration and integration platform, and it utilizes AWS HealthImaging, a HIPAA-eligible service for storing, analyzing, and sharing medical images at petabyte scale. RP selected AWS HealthImaging to advance its ability to seamlessly deploy a suite of AI tools across any reading platform, creating a highly accessible and adaptable solution for hospitals and health systems to deliver high-quality, technology-enabled care.