Innovation

Illumia Invests In Chennai Global Capability Center To Drive Technology And Product Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Illumia, formerly known as Transact + CBORD and a business unit of Roper Technologies, has formally inaugurated a new office for its Chennai Global Capability Center at the International Tech Park in Chennai, India. The opening reinforces the company's investment in India as a strategic hub for its global technology and product organization, building on nearly fourteen years of presence in the city.

Firestorm Labs Raises $82 Million Series B To Scale Expeditionary Defense Manufacturing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Firestorm Labs, a San Diego-based defense technology company, has raised $82 million in Series B funding, bringing total capital raised to $153 million. The round was led by Washington Harbour Partners with participation from NEA, Ondas, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, Geodesic, Motley Fool Ventures, and others.

Roadzen’s DrivebuddyAI Wins $2.5 Million Contract To Deploy AI Safety Platform Across 3,000-Truck Fleet

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Roadzen's drivebuddyAI driver safety platform has been awarded a contract to deploy its six-camera advanced driver assistance system across a fleet of 3,000 heavy-duty trucks operated by one of India's fastest-growing fleet operators, with expansion potential to 10,000 vehicles over five years.

SLAM Exploration Hires John Dinan As Exploration Manager To Advance Gold And Critical Minerals Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

SLAM Exploration, a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, has hired John Dinan, P.Geo., as Exploration Manager to strengthen its exploration team in New Brunswick. Dinan will support the company's search for copper, nickel, cobalt, antimony, and gold across its 56,000-hectare portfolio of mineral claims in the province.

CC Capital And OneIM Complete A$3.9 Billion Acquisition Of Insignia Financial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

CC Capital, a New York-based private investment firm, and One Investment Management, a global alternative investment manager, have completed the acquisition of Insignia Financial, Australia's leading diversified wealth management group. The companies acquired 100% of Insignia for A$4.80 per share in cash via a scheme of arrangement, representing an enterprise value of approximately A$3.9 billion, or US$2.5 billion. Insignia will be formally de-listed from the Australian Securities Exchange as of April 29, 2026.

Cognizant To Acquire Astreya To Deepen AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Cognizant, a Teaneck, New Jersey-based AI and technology services company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Astreya, a San Jose-based AI-first IT managed services and solutions provider. The transaction is expected to expand Cognizant's AI infrastructure capabilities and production-grade AI operations platform as enterprises accelerate spending on data center infrastructure. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.

CoreGo: Majority Growth Investment From Bregal Milestone To Expand European Event Payment Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Bregal Milestone, a European software growth private equity firm, has made a majority strategic growth investment in CoreGo, a Helsinki-founded provider of open-loop payments and integrated technology solutions for festivals, sports events, and venues across Europe. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Babcock & Wilcox Secures $21 Million In Fuel Switching Technology Awards Amid Rising Baseload Demand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Babcock & Wilcox, an Akron, Ohio-based energy and environmental products and services company, has secured more than 21 million dollars in awards for fuel switching technologies across the United States, reflecting increased utilization of coal and natural gas power plants. The awards, which include engineering and material supply, come alongside continued strong performance in the company's parts and services business driven by elevated baseload generation demand.

Hightouch: $150 Million Series D At $2.75 Billion Valuation Raised To Power Agentic Marketing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Hightouch, a San Francisco-based data and AI marketing platform, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Bain Capital Ventures, valuing the company at 2.75 billion dollars. Additional participants include Iconiq Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Amplify Partners, Y Combinator, and TD7, the venture capital arm of The Trade Desk. The company has grown more than 100% in each of the past two years.

QDNL Participations Rebrands As Ground State Ventures And Announces $88 Million Fund Near Final Close

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Ground State Ventures, formerly known as QDNL Participations, has rebranded and announced that its early-stage quantum technology fund has reached $88 million in commitments, surpassing its original target of $70 million as it approaches final close. The new name and identity reflect the firm's expansion well beyond its original focus on Netherlands-based quantum startups to a broader international investment platform spanning the United States, Europe, and beyond.

Illuminate Financial Closes $135 Million Early Growth Fund Backed By Eight Major Financial Institutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Illuminate Financial, a London-based specialist venture capital firm focused on technology for financial services, has closed its fourth fund at $135 million. The Early Growth Fund was raised from eight of the world's leading financial institutions, including BNP Paribas, Citi, Deutsche Börse, HSBC, Jefferies, RBC, S&P Global, and TD Securities. The fund targets Series B and later Enterprise AI and fintech companies at the inflection point between proven technology and institutional scale.

Happy V: Interview With Founder & CEO Daniella Levy About The Women’s Wellness Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Happy V is a women’s wellness company that develops science-backed, transparently formulated supplements and probiotics designed to balance vaginal pH, support gut health, and manage common health issues like UTIs and hormonal imbalances. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Happy V founder and CEO Daniella Levy to learn more.

Aliya: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO S. P. “Wije” Wijegoonaratna About The Operational Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Aliya is a company that builds AI-powered operational intelligence software and infrastructure for banks. Their aliyaOS™ platform enables financial institutions to modernize lending workflows, optimize risk management, and increase revenue through autonomous, data-driven decisioning. Their technology helps banks move from manual processes to real-time, governed, and scalable lending operations. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Aliya co-founder and CEO Wije S. P. "Wije" Wijegoonaratna to learn more.

Fooda: Interview With Founder & CEO Orazio Buzza About The Leading Workplace Food Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Fooda is a workplace food platform that partners with both national and local restaurants to bring diverse, daily meal options to corporate offices, hospitals, government buildings and schools. Fooda has built its own proprietary technology experience – Fooda OS – that is supported by AI and enables data-driven scheduling, demand forecasting, and concept rotating. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Fooda founder and CEO Orazio Buzza to learn more.