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Ciridae Raises $20 Million Seed Round Led By Accel To Bring AI Transformation To Real Economy Businesses

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Ciridae, an AI transformation firm building operating systems for real economy businesses, has raised $20 million in seed funding led by Accel, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Sunflower Capital, and Backcountry Ventures. The company was founded by CEO Jack Soslow, a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz and data scientist at Meta, and CTO Jack Weissenberger, a former engineering leader at Salesforce and Head of ML at Teneyx. Ciridae will use the new capital to expand its engineering team and advance its mission of bringing AI transformation to mid-market companies that have largely been left behind by the broader AI boom.

Ripple Prime Secures $200 Million Debt Facility From Neuberger Specialty Finance To Expand Institutional Capacity

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Ripple, the blockchain-based enterprise solutions provider, has closed a $200 million debt facility from funds managed by Neuberger Specialty Finance, the asset-based investment team within Neuberger, a global investment management firm. The facility will support the continued growth of Ripple Prime, Ripple's multi-asset prime brokerage platform, amid rising client demand for institutional-grade prime services and margin financing solutions.

Cowboy Space Corporation Raises $275 Million Series B At $2 Billion Valuation To Build Orbital Data Centers and Rockets

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Cowboy Space Corporation, the orbital infrastructure company founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, has raised $275 million in Series B financing at a $2 billion valuation. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from new investors IVP, Blossom Capital and SAIC, alongside existing backers Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Construct Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, Interlagos and Bhatt himself. The company, which operated under the name Aetherflux since its founding in 2024, also unveiled a new name and brand alongside the funding announcement.

Sparkling Bins: Interview With CEO John Conway About The Cleaning Systems Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Sparkling Bins is the global leader in manufacturing high-quality, eco-friendly trash bin cleaning systems while also providing a turnkey business model that empowers entrepreneurs to start and scale their own profitable sanitation services. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Sparkling Bins CEO John Conway to learn more.

OFA Group: Interview With COO Thomas Gaffney About The Architectural And Technology Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

OFA Group is a Cayman Islands-based architectural and technology firm that provides traditional design and fit-out services while developing proprietary AI-driven platforms, such as "QikBIM," for generating coordinated BIM models for early construction project development, and PlanAid for building code compliance automation. Pulse 2.0 interviewed OFA Group COO Thomas Gaffney to learn more.

Driive Raises Pre-Seed Round To Build AI Scheduling Platform For Home Service Trades

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Driive, the Lincoln, Nebraska-based AI-native booking and scheduling platform built for the home service trades, has closed a pre-seed funding round with investment from Nebraska Angels, Nelnet, Move Venture Capital, and Luke Hansen, founder and CEO of CompanyCam. The company is building what it describes as the scheduling layer for the trillion-dollar U.S. home services industry, targeting HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, and other home service contractors.

Grand Games Raises $70 Million Series B To Scale Hybrid Casual Mobile Gaming Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Grand Games, the Istanbul-based mobile gaming company, has raised a $70 million Series B funding round, bringing total funding raised to $103 million. The round was led by Balderton's Growth Fund, which doubled down on its Series A investment from January of last year. Existing investors Bek Ventures and Laton Ventures also followed on, alongside mobile gaming serial entrepreneur and exited founder Mert Gür as an angel investor. The company's valuation has increased approximately 6x since its previous round just over 12 months ago, with only single-digit dilution, putting it within reach of unicorn status.

Cellply Secures €7.15 Million In Funding To Accelerate Global Expansion Of Cell Therapy Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Cellply, a Bologna-based deep tech company developing analytical tools for cell therapy and regenerative medicine, has secured €7.15 million in funding and opened a round extension to support its international growth plans. The round was led by Enea Tech and Biomedical Foundation, with participation from CDP Venture Capital and existing investors. The company is developing tools to characterize immunotherapies and cell-based therapies at single-cell resolution, with its flagship VivaCyte platform at the center of its commercial strategy.

CMI Financial Group Secures Senior Financing Facility From Royal London Asset Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

CMI Financial Group, a leading Canadian alternative mortgage lender and financial services platform, has closed a senior financing facility with Royal London Asset Management, expanding its origination capacity in the Canadian residential mortgage market. RLAM, which manages approximately £199 billion in assets, is one of the United Kingdom's largest asset managers, and the transaction signals positive institutional sentiment toward the Canadian residential lending sector and real estate environment.

Macnica ATD Europe Acquires Indesmatech To Deepen Engineering Presence Across Northern Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Macnica ATD Europe, the European division of global semiconductor distributor Macnica Holdings, has acquired Indesmatech, a pan-European technology and advisory company specializing in advanced semiconductor representation, design-in support, consulting, and point-of-sale buying services. The acquisition strengthens Macnica ATD Europe's commercial and engineering presence across Scandinavia and Northern Europe, adding established regional relationships and in-house engineering capabilities to its existing footprint in the region.

Verdane Closes €635 Million Continuation Vehicle Anchored By Arrive Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Verdane, the European specialist growth buyout investment firm, has closed a €635 million multi-asset continuation vehicle anchored by Arrive Group, alongside Talentech and Pet Media Group. Coller Capital served as the sole lead investor in the transaction, with StepStone acting as co-underwriter. The vehicle was significantly oversubscribed, reflecting strong interest from high-quality institutional investors.

Restive Ventures Closes $45 Million Fund III To Back AI-Native Financial Services Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Restive Ventures, the early-stage venture firm, has closed its third fund with $45 million in committed capital, targeting what the firm projects will be a $1 trillion market opportunity in AI-native financial services. Fund III attracted a mix of returning limited partners and new institutional investors, including endowments and global asset managers, as well as strategic partners across banking, insurance, payments, and technology.

Algorithmiq Closes €18 Million Funding Round And Moves Global HQ To Milan

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Algorithmiq, a quantum computing software company, has closed an €18 million strategic funding round and relocated its global headquarters to Milan, Italy. The round was led by United Ventures, with participation from Inventure VC, and marks the largest venture capital investment into an Italian quantum startup to date.

Eyeo Raises $40 Million Series A To Bring Light-Capturing Nanophotonic Sensor Technology To Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Eyeo has announced a $40 million Series A funding round, bringing the Eindhoven, Netherlands-based company's total funding to $55 million. The round is led by Innovation Industries, with participation from existing investors imec.xpand, Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund, QBIC fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and Brabant Development Agency. The capital will fund eyeo's drive to bring seven years of proven nanophotonic science to market as production-ready color-splitting sensors.

NanoStruct Raises €2.6 Million To Accelerate Same-Day Food Safety Pathogen Detection

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

NanoStruct GmbH has announced the completion of a €2.6 million financing round led by HTGF High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital, and the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund. The German deep-tech startup is developing a rapid pathogen detection solution for the food industry that combines nanotechnology, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence to dramatically compress the time required to identify dangerous bacteria such as Listeria and Salmonella.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires London-Based Maritime Law Firm Mays Brown Solicitors

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has announced that its claims and risk management solutions subsidiary, Gallagher Bassett, has acquired Mays Brown Limited, doing business as Mays Brown Solicitors, a boutique maritime law firm based in London. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Janney Montgomery Scott Welcomes Financial Advisor Shane Kelly In Darien, Connecticut

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Janney Montgomery Scott has announced the addition of Shane Kelly as Financial Advisor and First Vice President of Wealth Management in Darien, Connecticut. Kelly joins from Oppenheimer & Co. and manages more than $120 million in client assets, continuing Janney's growth in the region.

MCF Advisors Acquires Hoff Bujnoch & Associates To Expand Northern Kentucky Presence

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

MCF Advisors has announced the acquisition of Hoff Bujnoch & Associates, a Newport, Kentucky-based wealth management firm overseeing approximately $250 million in assets under management. The transaction, which closed on April 29, 2026, expands MCF's presence in the Northern Kentucky market and marks the Lexington-based firm's third acquisition since partnering with Wealth Partners Capital Group and the Aspire Holdings platform of HGGC in March 2025.

&Partners Welcomes Principality Private Wealth In Arlington Heights, Illinois

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

&Partners has announced the addition of Principality Private Wealth, an established wealth management team based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The team's arrival reflects continued growth across the &Partners community as the firm expands with experienced advisory groups who value alignment, independence, and a client-first approach.

Medit Acquires Progressive Orthodontics And Launches Global Orthodontic Business Division

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Medit, a global leader in digital dentistry solutions, has announced the establishment of its Global Orthodontic Business Division and the acquisition of Progressive Orthodontics, a leading orthodontic education institution headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California. The acquisition was completed through Medit's U.S. subsidiary, Medit USA Inc., and marks the Seoul-based company's most significant strategic expansion into the orthodontic segment to date. Financial terms were not disclosed.

VoLo Earth Ventures: Interview With Co-Founder & Managing Director Kareem Dabbagh About The Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

VoLo Earth is a venture capital firm that backs early-stage companies in the backbone sectors of the economy: energy, grids, materials, industrial systems, and manufacturing. The firm writes first-in checks and takes active board seats, focused on solutions where winning economics and decarbonization outcomes move together. Pulse 2.0 interviewed VoLo Earth Ventures co-founder and managing director Kareem Dabbagh to learn more.

Dishio: $2.5 Million Seed Funding Raised At $20 Million Valuation To Help Restaurants Turn Guest Data Into Repeat Revenue

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Dishio, an AI growth engine for restaurants, has announced a $2.5 million seed round at a $20 million valuation. The Miami-based company said the funding will support expansion of its platform, which helps restaurant operators capture, own, and activate guest data across the entire customer journey by unifying the fragmented restaurant tech stack into a single customer intelligence and growth layer.

Faraday Future Appoints YT Jia As Sole Global CEO And Jerry Wang As Executive Chairman

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Faraday Future Intelligent Electric has announced a sweeping leadership overhaul, appointing founder YT Jia as sole Global CEO and core founding member Jerry Wang as Global Executive Chairman, both effective May 5, 2026. The changes also include the resignation of Matthias Aydt as Global Co-CEO and the appointment of independent director Chad Chen as Lead Independent Director. The company said the transition marks the full return of its founding team and a new chapter in its evolution as a Physical AI ecosystem company.

Rocket Lab To Buy Motiv Space Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Rocket Lab has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Motiv Space Systems, a California-based company specializing in space robotics, motion control systems, and precision mechanisms for spacecraft. The acquisition advances two strategic objectives for Rocket Lab: adding Mars-proven robotics heritage for advanced planetary and national security missions, and closing a key gap in the company's vertical integration strategy by bringing critical spacecraft components in-house. The deal is expected to close during the second quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Lumen To Acquire Cloud-Native Networking Platform Alkira

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Lumen has announced an agreement to acquire Alkira, a cloud-native, carrier-agnostic networking platform that enables enterprises to design, deploy, and operate connectivity across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The proposed transaction pairs Alkira's cloud-native control plane with Lumen's existing fiber network, advancing the company's digital platform strategy to deliver cloud-like consumption for global enterprise networking. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Legora Acquires Regulatory Intelligence Platform Graceview

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Legora has announced the acquisition of Graceview, a regulatory horizon scanning platform used by leading global law firms and corporations. The deal adds real-time regulatory change visibility to Legora's existing platform, which serves as a collaborative operating system for legal work. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Scale AI Expands Pentagon AI Partnership To $500 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Scale AI has announced a five-fold expansion of its enterprise agreement with the U.S. Department of War's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, increasing the total potential contract value from $100 million to $500 million. The expansion follows rapid uptake of the Production Other Transaction Authority agreement since its original award in September 2025, with demand across the Department exceeding the original contract ceiling.

MoneyFlare Launches AI Crypto Trading App With One-Click Automated Quant Trading

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2026

MoneyFlare has launched an AI-powered cryptocurrency trading app designed to give everyday investors access to fully automated quantitative trading without coding skills or professional trading experience. The platform, operated by Ai Actuarial Limited — a company registered with UK Companies House — aims to lower the barrier to entry for crypto quant trading by condensing the process into three steps: register an account, choose an AI quantitative trading plan, and activate automated trading with a single click.

Kirkland & Ellis Welcomes Energy And Infrastructure Partner Christopher Peponis

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2026

Kirkland & Ellis has announced that Christopher Peponis has joined the firm as a partner, bringing nearly two decades of energy industry experience across in-house and private practice roles. He joins alongside a group of eight lawyers focused on project development and finance transactions across the energy and infrastructure sectors.

The Black Box Announces Project Pipeline Exceeding $10 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2026

The Black Box, a UAE-based technology and manufacturing company, has announced an estimated project pipeline exceeding $10 million following its first participation at Make it in the Emirates 2026, one of the country's leading industrial and innovation exhibitions. The milestone marks a significant moment for the six-year-old company as it expands its presence across advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, enterprise technologies, and immersive training solutions.