Innovation

Pulse Security AI: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Mike Armistead About The Cybersecurity Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Pulse Security AI provides an autonomous, AI-driven cybersecurity platform designed to instantly deploy a full security stack and autonomously manage it 24/7. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Pulse Security AI co-founder and CEO Mike Armistead to learn more.

Lightbeam: Interview With President Ben Stilwill About The Healthcare Technology Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Lightbeam Health Solutions is a healthcare technology company that provides an AI-powered population health platform. It aggregates fragmented medical and social data to help providers, payers, and health systems improve care quality, manage patient risk, and succeed in value-based care. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Lightbeam Health President Ben Stilwill to learn more.

Railmark Acquires Katahdin Railcar Services To Expand Tank Car Repair Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Railmark Holdings, a Henderson, Kentucky-based rail services company, has acquired Katahdin Railcar Services LLC, an Association of American Railroads (AAR)-certified tank car repair operation based in Derby, Maine. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition brings Railmark to 13 operating locations across 11 states, three of which are shortline railroads.

SkinMedica Deepens Commitment To Regenerative Science With Continued Investment In R&D

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, announced SkinMedica's expanded commitment to regenerative science, with investments advancing innovation, research, clinical insight, and patient experience. The initiatives include a new Regenerative Science Advisory Board, an expanded research and development facility, and new flagship retail experiences.

Lion One Metals Appoints Ronan Geoghegan As VP Of Corporate Development And Investor Relations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Lion One Metals Limited, an emerging Canadian gold producer operating the Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji, has appointed Ronan Geoghegan as Vice President of Corporate Development and Investor Relations. The announcement coincides with the resignation of Hamish Greig, the company's longtime Vice President and Corporate Secretary, who has been with Lion One since its public inception approximately 16 years ago.

AstraZeneca Licenses Zegfrovy From Dizal In Deal Worth Up To $1.5 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

AstraZeneca has entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement with Dizal Pharmaceutical for Zegfrovy, an oral targeted therapy approved in the U.S. and China for certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

I Squared Capital To Sell Minority Stake In TIP Group to IMCO And GCM Grosvenor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

I Squared Capital, a leading independent global infrastructure investor, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell a 25% minority interest in TIP Group, one of Europe's leading transportation equipment leasing and services platforms, to the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario and GCM Grosvenor.

ReElement Technologies Raises $25 Million From U.S. Department Of War To Expand Rare Earth Refining

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

ReElement Technologies Corporation, a rare earth and critical mineral refiner based in Indiana and a minority holding of American Resources has received a $25 million investment from the United States Department of War through its Economic Defense Unit and the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. The funding comes from the Department's Industrial Base Fund and is directed at expanding domestic refining capacity at ReElement's Marion, Indiana Refining Campus.

Ensysce Biosciences Awarded $5.3 Million To Advance Overdose-Protected Opioid

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Ensysce Biosciences has received a $5.3 million installment from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to support the development of its MPAR overdose-protection technology and lead product candidate, PF614-MPAR.

Vedanta Oil & Gas To Invest $5 Billion To Boost Production Fivefold

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Vedanta Oil & Gas plans to invest $5 billion to increase its oil and gas production by more than fivefold, supporting India’s broader effort to reduce its dependence on imported energy, according to Bloomberg.

MDA Space Closes Upsized $819 Million Bought Deal Offering of Common Shares

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

MDA Space, a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry, announced the closing of its previously announced upsized bought deal offering of common shares in Canada and the United States. A total of 23,000,000 common shares were issued and sold at a price of $35.60 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $819 million to the company.

Linker Finance Secures $5 Million Seed To Accelerate Growth Engine for Community Banks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Linker Finance, a modular platform purpose-built for community banks, announced it has secured an additional $5 million in Seed funding, bringing its total Seed funding to $8.7 million following its previously announced $3.7 million round. The financing includes continued participation from existing investors Chingona Ventures, Ten One Ten Ventures, Audaz Capital, and Angeles Investors, alongside new strategic investment from 22nd State Banking Company.

Goodfin Launches QSBS Venture Fund Targeting 0% Federal Capital Gains Tax On Startup Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Goodfin, a Y Combinator-backed agentic wealth platform founded in 2022, has launched the Goodfin QSBS Venture Fund, a vehicle designed to give accredited investors access to early-stage startups that have been pre-vetted for eligibility under Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code — the provision governing Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS). The fund is structured to help investors potentially exclude up to $15 million or more in capital gains per investment from federal taxes, targeting an effective federal capital gains rate of 0% on qualifying exits. State tax treatment varies by residence.

Skalar Raises €12 Million To Build AI-First Tax Advisory Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Skalar has raised €12 million through its pre-seed and seed financing rounds to expand an AI-first tax advisory firm designed to address Germany’s growing shortage of tax consultants. Headline led the financing, with participation from futurepresent, QED Investors, Repeat Ventures, MS&AD Ventures, Foreword Fund, and several angel investors.

Paxos Labs Launches Amplify Transit With Nearly $30 Million Moved On Robinhood Chain In Two Weeks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Paxos Labs, an enterprise stablecoin infrastructure company incubated within Paxos, has launched Amplify Transit, a stablecoin conversion product that allows platforms to move between major stablecoins across blockchain networks at fixed fees and locked rates. Transit went live on July 1, 2026, and has processed nearly $30 million in volume on Robinhood Chain as of July 13. Morpho, Jumper, Across, and Arcus have selected Transit as their integration of choice as they build on Robinhood Chain.

Nopan Raises €7.2 Million To Expand Account And Wallet Payments Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Nopan, a performance platform for account and digital wallet payments, has raised €7.2 million in total funding, including a new investment round led by Newion. Existing investors Crane and Seedcamp participated in the latest financing, along with a group of angel investors with experience across merchant payments and financial technology.

Atombeam Appoints Cody Martinson As President Of Neurpac Division

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Atombeam has appointed Cody Martinson as president of its Neurpac division, placing the technology executive in charge of the unit’s engineering, product marketing, sales, and broader growth strategy.

SST VI To Acquire SSGT III In $1.2 Billion All-Stock Self-Storage Merger

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Strategic Storage Trust VI (SST VI) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Strategic Storage Growth Trust III (SSGT III) in an all-stock merger valued at approximately $1.2 billion in total asset value. Both companies are sponsored by affiliates of SmartStop Self Storage REIT.

ORTEC Acquires TOBA HR Solutions To Expand Healthcare Workforce Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

ORTEC has acquired TOBA HR Solutions, a provider of workforce management software for healthcare organizations in Belgium and Luxembourg. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PointsKash Acquires ChainBytes Software Assets in All-Stock Acqui-Hire

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

PointsKash, a financial technology company developing self-service financial kiosks, digital banking, cryptocurrency, and loyalty rewards solutions, has completed the acquisition of the proprietary software assets of ChainBytes in an all-stock transaction that closed July 10, 2026. As part of the deal, ChainBytes founder and lead software developer Eric Grill has joined PointsKash as Principal Software Architect. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Cyberimpact: Interview With General Manager Geoffrey Blanc About The Email Marketing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Cyberimpact is a Canadian-based, bilingual email marketing platform that enables small and medium-sized businesses to easily create, automate, and track email campaigns while ensuring compliance with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Pulse 2.0 interviewed Cyberimpact General Manager Geoffrey Blanc to learn more.

Acorn Capital Management Completes Sale Of Berry Aviation To Bristow Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Ardian Partners With Munich Electrification, Providing Capital to Accelerate Battery Technology Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Ardian, a global private investment firm, is acquiring a majority stake in Munich Electrification from the company's founders. Munich Electrification provides battery management systems and electronics, control and sensor components, as well as software primarily for electric mobility and battery energy storage systems applications. As part of the transaction, the founders will retain a minority stake while the existing management team significantly invests alongside Ardian and the founders into the company. Completion is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities, and the parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

Creative Planning Expands Commercial Insurance Capabilities With Addition Of Lovell Insurance Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Creative Planning, one of the nation's leading registered investment advisory firms, announced the acquisition of Lovell Insurance Group, a respected commercial insurance brokerage known for its expertise in complex commercial insurance, surety, and risk management solutions. As part of the transaction, John Lovell, Mike Pernice, and Georgia Williams have joined the Creative Planning team.

PartnerOne Acquires ISI Analytics to Expand Enterprise Collaboration Intelligence Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

PartnerOne, an enterprise software acquisition group, has acquired ISI Analytics, a provider of analytics and operational intelligence tools for enterprise collaboration platforms including Microsoft Teams, Cisco, and Webex. Financial terms were not disclosed.

NFP Acquires Total Benefits Advisors To Expand Northeast Ohio Presence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

NFP, an Aon company, has acquired Total Benefits Advisors, a Cleveland-based advisory firm specializing in employee benefits, retirement services, and wealth management. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Cents Acquires Insight Systems To Expand Laundry Industry Data And Reporting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Cents has acquired Insight Systems, a business intelligence, dashboarding, and reporting platform developed for the garment care industry. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Madrivo Acquires MoneyGeek To Combine Finance Content With Performance Marketing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

PEF Advisors Acquires Carroll Tower Apartments In St. Charles, Illinois

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

Preservation Equity Fund Advisors, LLC (PEF Advisors), a real estate private equity firm focused on preserving existing affordable housing in high-cost markets, announced the acquisition of Carroll Tower, a 108-unit affordable senior housing community in St. Charles, Illinois. This represents PEF Advisors' third acquisition in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

VLS Environmental Solutions Acquires ECC to Expand West Coast Hazardous Waste Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 15, 2026

VLS Environmental Solutions has acquired Environmental & Chemical Consulting (ECC), a Los Angeles-based provider of hazardous and non-hazardous waste management services, in a move that extends VLS's footprint into Northern California and consolidates its position across the western United States. Financial terms were not disclosed.