Innovation

International Paper Plans Spin Off To Form Two Standalone Public Packaging Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

International Paper announced plans to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies: a North America-focused International Paper and a new EMEA Packaging business focused on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company said the move is intended to accelerate profitable growth by sharpening each business’s operational and capital-allocation priorities based on distinct regional market dynamics.

MITO AI: $4.5 Million Pre-Seed Funding Closed For Collaborative AI Video Creation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

MITO AI, a Madrid- and San Francisco-based startup building a collaborative platform for AI-native video creation, has raised a $4.5 million pre-seed round led by Paul Murphy at Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company said the financing included participation from Kibo, Kfund, Sequoia, and A16Z scouts, LifeX, and angel investors, including unicorn founders and executives with ties to USV, Roblox, and GitHub.

Arkero: $6 Million Pre-Seed Closed And Early Deals Signed With MLS, NWSL, And EFL Clubs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Arkero, a new AI-driven operations platform for professional sports organizations, has raised a $6 million pre-seed round and announced early partnerships with teams across Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, and England’s Football League.

Automata: $45 Million Series C Closed To Build Operating System For AI Ready Labs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Automata, a London-based lab automation company focused on fully integrated platforms for life sciences, announced it has closed a $45 million Series C funding round led by Dimension. The company said the financing included participation from Danaher Ventures, Tru Arrow Partners, Octopus Ventures, Entrepreneurs First, and other investors, alongside a strategic investment partnership with Danaher Corporation. As part of the deal, Murali Venkatesan Ph.D., Global Head of Danaher Ventures and Vice President of Science Technology and Innovation, will join Automata’s board.

Terra Energy: $105 Million Raised To Expand Residential Solar Subscription Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Terra Energy, a residential solar subscription provider based in Miami, announced it has closed a $105 million funding round to support its expansion beyond Florida into Texas and, next, California. The company said the final component of the series was a $35 million green loan financing from Breakwall Capital.

Northslope: $22 Million Series A Raised To Scale Palantir-Native And Mission-Specific AI Applications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Northslope, an applied AI company built specifically for the Palantir operating system, has raised $22 million in a Series A financing to scale its forward deployed engineering model and expand its Palantir-native AI application platform.

RobCo: $100 Million Series C Raised To Scale Physical AI Robotics In U.S. And Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

RobCo, a Munich-founded physical AI-driven robotics company, has raised $100 million in Series C funding to advance its “Physical AI” roadmap, expand enterprise deployments, and deepen its presence in the U.S. market. The company, founded in 2020, builds AI-enabled robotic systems designed to operate inside real production environments, targeting industrial use cases where autonomy and adaptability are increasingly critical.

1Buy.AI: $3.9 Million Seed Funding Closed To Build AI ‘Operating System’ For Electronics Procurement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

1Buy.AI, an AI-first electronics procurement platform, has raised a $3.9 million seed round to expand development of what it describes as an AI operating system for sourcing and managing electronic components across global supply chains.

Francisco Partners Closes $2.2 Billion Take-Private Of Jamf

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Jamf announced it has completed its acquisition by Francisco Partners, ending the Apple device management and security company’s run as a public firm and positioning it to pursue an expanded product roadmap under private ownership.

Apple Acquires Audio AI Company Q.ai

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Apple has confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup developing artificial intelligence technology for audio, as the company continues adding AI-driven features across its hardware lineup. And Apple did not disclose the terms of the acquisition.

Lunar: €46 Million Closed To Scale Nordic Business Banking, Build Lending, And Expand Into Norway and Finland

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Nordic challenger bank Lunar announced it has completed a €46 million capital increase to accelerate growth in its business banking franchise, develop a broader lending proposition, and support continued geographic expansion across the Nordics, including planned moves deeper into Norway and Finland. The company framed the financing as fuel to pursue growth and profitability in parallel, with management reiterating an expectation to reach profitability in 2026.

Pixellot: $35 Million Closed To Expand AI-Driven Youth Sports Streaming And Monetization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Pixellot, an Israel-based provider of AI-automated sports capture and streaming for youth and community athletics, has secured $35 million in new funding to support global expansion and accelerate development of its AI-as-a-Service platform.

Primmune Therapeutics: $8.6 Million Raised For Cclinical Development Of PRTX007

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Primmune Therapeutics announced it has completed an additional $8.6 million close of its Series B financing, bringing the total amount raised in the round to $23.3 million. The latest close included participation from Bioqube Ventures, Oberland Capital and Samsara Biocapital. The company said the new capital will support continued clinical development of PRTX007, an orally administered, systemically acting small-molecule toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist being developed as an immunotherapy for solid tumors.

Gigablue: $20 Million Series A First Close Raised For High Integrity Marine Carbon Removal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Gigablue, a marine carbon dioxide removal company, announced it has secured a $20 million first close of its Series A financing, announcing the raise during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

AxisCare Expands Home Care Software Platform Following Strategic Partnership With Frontier Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

AxisCare announced it has broadened its home care technology platform and service offerings following its strategic partnership with Frontier Growth, which made a minority investment in the company in March 2024. The Waco, Texas-based home care management software provider said the partnership has helped accelerate product development, expand services, and strengthen its role as a technology partner for home care agencies seeking operational efficiency and growth.

heyData: $16.5M Series Closed A To Unify Security And Compliance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

heyData has closed a $16.5 million Series A funding round led by Riverside Acceleration Capital, positioning the company to accelerate product development and expand its footprint across Europe. The company framed the raise as a commitment to making compliance and IT security more intuitive and automated for everyday business teams, rather than a specialized, expert-only function managed through spreadsheets and ad hoc processes.

Levellr: $2.5 Million Raised To Bring Real-Time AI Insights To Discord Communities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Levellr, an AI insights platform focused on helping brands and game studios understand and monitor Discord and other next-generation community platforms, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding in a round led by Fuel Ventures.

Breakthru Medicine: $60 Million Series A Raised For Building New Cancer Drugs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Breakthru Medicine has emerged from stealth after closing a $60 million Series A financing round, following a previously undisclosed seed round, and is developing new therapeutic modalities for cancer patients facing significant unmet needs.

Tenpoint Therapeutics: $235 Million Raised To Launch YUVEZZI Presbyopia Eye Drop

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Tenpoint Therapeutics has secured $235 million in new funding to support the planned commercialization of its presbyopia treatment, YUVEZZI. The company said the capital combines an $85 million Series B preferred stock financing and a $150 million non-dilutive senior secured term loan facility.

Ressio Software: Series A Raised To Expand AI Tools For Residential Builders

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Ressio Software, an AI-powered construction management platform built for residential home builders and remodelers, has raised a Series A round led by Blueprint Equity. The company said the financing will fuel increased investment in product development and customer success as it modernizes how residential construction teams plan, manage, and deliver projects.

XALTER: Seed Funding Raised To Expand XR Training For The Energy Workforce

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

XALTER, an immersive extended reality (XR) workforce development company serving the energy industry, announced it has raised a seed funding round led by EIC Rose Rock. The company said the investment will support market expansion and continued product innovation as energy operators confront workforce turnover, skill scarcity, and training approaches that have not kept pace with modern operational demands.

AON3D: New Funding Closed To Scale High-Temperature Industrial 3D Printing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

AON3D has secured a new funding round led by Cycle Capital, with participation from Desjardins Capital and continued backing from existing investors SineWave Ventures, IronGate Capital Advisors, Starship Ventures, and EDC Capital.

Dealroom.co: $7 Million Raised To Expand Global Tech-Ecosystem Mapping

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Dealroom.co, a data platform focused on startups, high-growth companies, venture capital, and technology ecosystems, said it has raised $7 million in new funding to accelerate international expansion and deepen its product and data capabilities.

DNV Becomes Largest Shareholder In Recare After Up to €37 Million Growth Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Recare, a Berlin-based provider of technology for hospitals and care providers, has closed a growth financing round of up to €37 million, including a €7 million option, to accelerate the rollout of an AI agent platform for discharge management and aftercare.

Lucend: $3.3 Million Seed Funding Closed To Bring ‘Transparent AI’ Optimization To U.S. Data Centers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Lucend announced it has raised a $3.3 million Seed round to expand into the U.S. with software that uses existing sensor data to deliver explainable, “human-in-the-loop” optimization recommendations for data center operations, targeting major gains in energy, water, and labor efficiency.

Daphni’s Blue Fund Reaches €260 Million Final Close

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Daphni has completed the final closing of its Blue venture fund at €260 million, according to a LinkedIn post from Pierre-Eric Leibovici, co-founder and partner at the Paris-based investment firm.

HomeCooks: £1.4 Million Closed To Scale Meal Subscription Across Northern UK

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

PXN Ventures announced it has recently made a significant investment in the ready-meal subscription company, HomeCooks, as part of a £1.4 million funding round. This move marks the addition of HomeCooks to PXN’s expanding portfolio in the North of England, reflecting the growing interest in convenient and nutritious meal solutions among consumers.

Proba Raises €1.25 Million To Expand Scope 3 Fertilizer Emissions Certification Into the U.S. and Brazil

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Proba, a startup focused on certifying Scope 3 emissions reductions in the agri-food supply chain, has raised €1.25 million to support market expansion into the United States and Brazil. The round included participation from existing investors Future Food Fund, Yield Lab Europe, and Value Factory Ventures.

Permira To Buy Minority Stake In Carne Group At €1.4 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Carne Group, Europe’s largest independent third-party management company and a provider of fund regulation and governance solutions, said funds advised by Permira have agreed to acquire a significant minority stake in the business at an enterprise valuation of €1.4 billion.

First Reserve Takes Strategic Stake In WGI To Fund Expansion And Add-On Acquisitions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

First Reserve has entered into a strategic growth partnership with WGI, Inc., an engineering, design, and infrastructure solutions provider focused on transportation, public infrastructure, water resources, geospatial services, and related end markets across high-growth regions of the Southeastern United States. Financial terms were not disclosed.