Innovation

Cascade Bio: $6 Million Raised To Advance Cell-Free Biomanufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 12, 2025

Cascade Bio, an industrial biotechnology company based in Denver, has closed $6 million in funding to accelerate the transition from petrochemical processes to enzyme-driven manufacturing. The funding includes a $2.8 million seed round led by Endurance28, with additional backing from Stray Dog Capital, 1Flourish, Range Ventures, 10VC, and Amplify. It is complemented by $3.2 million in nondilutive grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Advancing Cell-Free Systems initiative and a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II award.

You.com: $100 Million Series C At $1.5 Billion Valuation Raised For AI Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

You.com announced it has closed a $100 million Series C funding round at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by Cox Enterprises with continued support from Georgian, Salesforce Ventures, and Norwest. David Yang of Socium Ventures has also joined the board as part of this investment. The financing will accelerate the development of the company’s AI infrastructure platform, explicitly designed for autonomous agents.

Veritas Capital: $14.4 Billion Fund IX Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Veritas Capital has completed the final close of its ninth flagship fund with $14.4 billion in capital commitments, surpassing the initial $13 billion target and its hard cap after strong investor demand. This result represents a 35% increase over Fund VIII, which closed at $10.7 billion in 2022.

Cottonwood Group: $1 Billion Surpassed In Final Close For Real Estate Special Situations Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Cottonwood Group, a private equity real estate investment firm with offices in Los Angeles, Boston, and New York, has announced the final close of its Cottonwood Real Estate Special Situations Strategy, exceeding its original fundraising target and reaching $1 billion in total commitments as of August 31, 2025. The capital raised includes contributions from pooled-fund vehicles and separate accounts, reflecting strong investor confidence in the firm’s approach to opportunistic real estate investing.

NewDays: $7 Million Raised For Expanding AI-Based Cognitive Health Program Nationwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

NewDays, a Seattle-based digital health startup focused on cognitive care, has announced the close of a $7 million seed funding round led by General Catalyst and Madrona. The funding will support the expansion of its AI-powered treatment program for individuals experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, with services now available in Texas following successful pilots in California, Washington, and Florida.

The Milestone Group: $1.1 Billion Fund VI Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

The Milestone Group, a leading private equity real estate investment firm, announces the final close of its sixth discretionary equity vehicle, Milestone Real Estate Investors VI, LP, at its hard cap of $1.1 billion. The fund was oversubscribed, reflecting strong demand for Milestone's value-add investment strategies and historic performance despite a challenging fundraising environment.

TVM Capital Healthcare: $150 Million Southeast Asia Fund Launched

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

TVM Capital Healthcare, a global private equity firm focused on healthcare growth in emerging markets, has announced the first closing of its $150 million Southeast Asia Fund (SEA Fund). This marks the third generation of funds managed by the firm and builds on nearly four decades of experience investing in and operating healthcare businesses around the world. Over the past 15 years, TVM Capital Healthcare has played a key role in scaling healthcare companies across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with a strong emphasis on innovation and expanding access to care beyond traditional hospital settings.

Advisor.com: $9 Million Secured For Expanding AI-Based Financial Advice Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Advisor.com has secured $9 million in seed funding, a significant milestone that will accelerate its growth trajectory and enhance its innovative AI-driven financial advisor marketplace. This funding round was spearheaded by Walkabout Ventures, a prominent player in the venture capital space, with notable participation from Jim Brown, the esteemed founder of Long Ridge Private Equity Partners.

Great Hill Partners: $7 Billion Fund IX Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Great Hill Partners has announced the close of its ninth growth buyout fund, Great Hill Equity Partners IX, L.P., with $7 billion in committed capital. The fund significantly exceeded its $5 billion target and reached its hard cap just five months after launch, reflecting strong investor confidence in the firm’s long-term strategy. This brings Great Hill’s total capital raised since its founding in 1998 to more than $19 billion.

Rallybio: $12.5 Million Equity Milestone Payment Received

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Rallybio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to translating scientific advances into transformative therapies for patients suffering from devastating rare diseases, today announced a significant financial development. The company has received an equity milestone payment of $12.5 million from Recursion. The initiation of additional preclinical studies for REV102 triggered this milestone payment. This investigational ENPP1 inhibitor is currently in development for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP), a rare and serious bone disease.

DeVry University: Partnership With 1871 Expanded

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

DeVry University has announced an expanded partnership with 1871, joining its flagship Startup Roadmap Program to enhance experiential learning for aspiring entrepreneurs further. This move builds on a longstanding collaboration between the two organizations and reflects DeVry’s commitment to preparing learners for real-world innovation and business leadership.

Trinity Investments And Certares Sell EAST Miami Hotel To Blackstone Real Estate Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Trinity Investments and Certares Real Estate Management have announced the sale of EAST Miami, a 352-room lifestyle hotel located in the heart of Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, to funds affiliated with Blackstone Real Estate. The transaction marks a strategic exit for the sellers, who acquired the property in 2021 from Swire Properties and implemented operational enhancements that led to a more than 60% increase in net operating income during their first full year of ownership.

Cornell Tech: 11 New Startups Added To Runway Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Cornell Tech has announced the arrival of 11 new ventures to its campus this September as part of the Runway Startups Program, operated by the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. The incoming cohort is tackling a diverse set of global challenges—from agricultural robotics and energy systems to fertility care, trade compliance, and AI safety—underscoring the program’s commitment to translating advanced research into real-world impact.

Dallas Opportunity Partners Buying B&S Aircraft Alloys

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Dallas Opportunity Partners, a Texas-based family office focused on investing in critical American infrastructure, has announced the acquisition of B&S Aircraft Alloys, a distributor of high-performance metal alloys serving aerospace, defense, and energy sectors. The acquisition marks a strategic move to strengthen domestic supply chains and support industries reliant on advanced materials.

Brilliant NextGen: $9.7 Million Raised For Advancing Product Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Brilliant NextGen, a leader in smart home control technology, has closed a $9.7 million funding round backed by Almeida Strategic Investments and Tyrod Taylor’s Strategic Investments Fund. The company also announced the appointment of Tony Smalls, CPA, CGMA—Partner at MGO and CEO of Smarthomes Solutions—to its Board of Directors, signaling a strategic push to scale operations and deepen market reach across North America.

Anderson Global Buying Clearview To Enhance Corporate Services Footprint In Dubai

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Anderson Global, a rapidly expanding international corporate and fund services platform, has announced the acquisition of Clearview, a Dubai-based provider of corporate and financial services for high-net-worth individuals. The move strengthens Anderson’s existing operations in the region by integrating Clearview’s experienced team, specialized expertise, and established client relationships.

Q6 Cyber Secures Strategic Investment To Expand Fraud Prevention Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Q6 Cyber, a Miami-based company specializing in threat intelligence and fraud prevention, has received a significant growth investment from Charlesbank Capital Partners. The funding comes through Charlesbank’s Technology Opportunities Fund. It is intended to help Q6 Cyber accelerate its expansion, enhance its product offerings, and pursue strategic acquisitions that will broaden its capabilities and reach.

Spinwheel: Strategic Investment Secured For Advancing Future Of Consumer Credit Ecosystem

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Spinwheel, the agentic AI-powered credit data and payments platform, announced a strategic investment from Citi Ventures. The funding will support Spinwheel’s continued go-to-market growth, expand its agentic AI platform, and build out its data sets and product offerings. In addition, Citi Ventures will advise Spinwheel on product use cases that matter most to the largest financial institutions.

Mojo Vision: $75 Million Series B Raised To Advance AI-Based Micro-LED Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Mojo Vision, a company specializing in high-performance micro-LED technology, has announced the closing of a $75 million Series B Prime funding round. This investment will help the company accelerate the commercialization of its advanced micro-LED platform and expand its applications in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Vanedge Capital led the funding round. And it included continued support from existing investors such as Edge Venture Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Fusion Fund, Knollwood Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, and Khosla Ventures. Some of the new investors joining the round include imec.xpand, Keymaker, Ohio Innovation Fund, and Hyperlink Ventures.

Enveda: $150 Million Series D Raised To Advance Clinical Trials And Enhance Leadership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Enveda, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing a new generation of small-molecule drugs sourced from nature, has announced a significant milestone with the close of its $150 million Series D funding round. The round was led by Premji Invest and included participation from a mix of new and existing investors such as Baillie Gifford, Kinnevik, Lingotto Investment Management, Peakline Partners, FPV, Socium Ventures, Dimension, Level Ventures, Henry Kravis, IA Ventures, and Lux Capital. It follows a previous $150 million Series C round that included support from Sanofi. And this latest investment brings the company’s total funding to $517 million and marks its transition into unicorn status.

Zentiva To Be Acquired By GTCR

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

Zentiva, a major European pharmaceutical company focused on producing affordable generic medicines, is set to be acquired by GTCR. The transaction marks a significant transition for Zentiva, which has been owned by Advent International since 2018.

SingleStore To Be Acquired In Buyout Led by Vector Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

SingleStore, a data platform known for powering enterprise AI applications, has agreed on a growth buyout led by Vector Capital. This deal marks a significant step forward for SingleStore as it continues to scale its operations and expand its reach in the fast-growing AI and data infrastructure space.

ViewTrade: Interview With Co-Founder & President James St. Clair On Powering Global Market Access

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 11, 2025

ViewTrade is the force that powers fintech and cross-border investing for financial services firms throughout the world. We provide the technology, support, and brokerage services that business innovators need to quickly launch or enhance a retail investing experience. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ViewTrade co-founder and President James St. Clair to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Blocks.diy: $10 Million Raised To Empower Teams With Custom AI Work Tools

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

Blocks.diy, a Tel Aviv-based startup focused on AI-powered workplace productivity, has secured $10 million in seed funding. The round was led by monday.com—marking its first-ever external startup investment—and joined by Qumra Capital and Entree Capital. The funding will advance Blocks.diy’s mission to help teams build intelligent work tools and AI agents tailored to their specific workflows, without needing a dedicated development team.

Aurva: $2.2 Million Closed For Launching Real-Time AI Data Access Monitoring Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

Data security startup Aurva has emerged from stealth with $2.2 million in seed funding to launch its unified platform for access monitoring and AI observability. The round was led by Nexus Venture Partners and joined by DeVC, along with prominent angel investors including former Meta executives and the founders of Postman.

Rendezvous Robotics: $3 Million Pre-Seed Raised For Scaling Autonomous Space Infrastructure Assembly

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

Rendezvous Robotics, a space infrastructure startup founded by MIT researcher Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, Phil Frank, and Joe Landon, has emerged from stealth with $3 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Aurelia Foundry and 8090 Industries, with participation from ATX Venture Partners, Mana Ventures, and several angel investors. The company is developing modular, autonomous systems that self-assemble in orbit using its patented TESSERAE technology.

Torus: $200 Million Raised For Building Future Of Decentralized Power

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

Torus, an energy technology company based in Utah, has raised $200 million in funding from Magnetar, a principal alternative asset manager. This investment will help Torus rapidly expand its innovative modular power plants across the United States. These systems are designed to support utilities, data centers, and industrial facilities by providing reliable, scalable, and secure energy—especially as demand surges due to artificial intelligence and electrification.

Potbelly Joining RaceTrac In $566 Million Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

Potbelly, a well-known sandwich shop chain founded in Chicago over four decades ago, is set to be acquired by RaceTrac, a major convenience store operator headquartered in Atlanta. The deal is valued at approximately $566 million, and it will see RaceTrac purchase all outstanding shares of Potbelly at $17.12 per share in an all-cash transaction. This represents a significant premium over Potbelly’s recent trading average and reflects strong investor confidence in the brand’s future.

Standard Fleet: $13 Million Raised To Expand Hardware-Free Fleet Management And Digital Key Access

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

Standard Fleet, a company focused on modernizing fleet management for connected vehicles, has secured $13 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Nova Threshold and included participation from WEX Venture Capital, SNR, and several well-known investors in the mobility and energy sectors. This funding will enable Standard Fleet to scale its platform and expand access to its Digital Key product, which allows fleet operators to manage vehicle access without the need for physical hardware.

PixVerse: $60 Million Series B Raised For Expanding Global Access To AI-Based Video Creation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 10, 2025

PixVerse, a rapidly growing AI video platform, has secured $60 million in Series B funding to accelerate its global expansion. The round was led by Alibaba, with additional support from new investor Antler. This funding will help PixVerse scale its technology and make high-quality video creation more accessible to users around the world, including creators, businesses, and everyday individuals.