Archives

YSE Beauty: $15 Million Series A Raised For Skincare Brand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

YSE Beauty, the clinically tested skincare brand founded by entrepreneur and actress Molly Sims, has closed a $15 million Series A growth equity round to accelerate its expansion at Sephora, invest in new product development, and further scale its direct to consumer business.

Carlyle To Acquire KFC Korea In 100% Stake Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Carlyle announced an affiliated entity of Carlyle Asia Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 100% stake in KFC Korea, as the global investment firm looks to build on its food and beverage and quick-service restaurant investing experience in Asia and support the brand’s next phase of growth in South Korea. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Golden Goose Taps HSG As Majority Investor With Temasek Taking Minority Stake

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Golden Goose Group announced that global investment firm HSG will acquire a majority stake in the Italian luxury brand operator, with Temasek and a fund managed by Temasek-owned True Light Capital joining as minority investors. Existing shareholder Permira will remain a strategic minority holder and continue its partnership with the company. The deal also includes partial liquidity for Permira-advised funds and other current shareholders, including Carlyle, while Golden Goose said the transaction’s financial terms were not disclosed and closing is expected in summer 2026, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

Deerpath Capital: Fund VII Closed Above $2 Billion Target

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Deerpath Capital Management, LP said it has closed Deerpath Fund VII, with the flagship vehicle exceeding its $2 billion equity target and, together with anticipated leverage, expected to support roughly $3.5 billion of total investable capital. The firm focuses on cash flow-based senior debt financing for sponsor-backed U.S. lower-middle-market companies.

Hale Capital: Fund V Closed, Lifting Assets Under Management To $334 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Hale Capital Management announced the successful close of Hale Capital Partners Fund V, bringing the firm’s assets under management to $334 million. The New York-based investment firm said Fund V will continue its long-standing strategy of partnering with management teams and boards to build, scale, and reinvent lower-middle-market national security and technology businesses at key operating and growth inflection points.

Looma: $13 Million Closed To Expand In Store Retail Media Network And Rolls Out To Nearly 600 Kroger Stores

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Looma, an in-store retail media platform focused on storytelling and product recommendations at the shelf, has raised $13 million in new capital to accelerate its national expansion and support a major Kroger rollout in wine and spirits departments.

Adaptive Security: $81 Million Series B Secured To Counter AI Powered Cyber Threats

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Adaptive Security has raised an $81 million in Series B funding as it scales a platform designed to help organizations defend against AI-enabled impersonation, deepfakes, and multi-channel social engineering attacks. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures and included participation from NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital arm, the OpenAI Startup Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Abstract Ventures, Capital One Ventures, and Citi Ventures.

Thread: $30.5 Million Raised To Expand Embedded Banking And Scale Its Digital Branch Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Thread Bancorp, the parent company of Thread Bank, announced it has closed a $30.5 million funding round to accelerate development of its Embedded Banking strategy and expand what it describes as a “digital branch” model delivered through partner brands and vertical SaaS platforms.

Baker McKenzie: Matthias Schemuth Named As Singapore Principal And Asia Pacific Projects Co Head

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Baker McKenzie has added project finance lawyer Matthias Schemuth to its Singapore office as a Principal and Asia Pacific Co Head of Projects within the firm’s Finance & Projects practice. In the role, Schemuth will co lead the regional projects offering alongside Partner Jon Ornolffson, who is based in Tokyo.

DLA Piper Adds Ignacio Delpino As Finance Partner In Chile Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

DLA Piper has appointed Ignacio Delpino as a partner in its Finance practice in Chile, expanding the firm’s banking and capital markets capabilities in the country. Delpino brings more than 15 years of experience advising on structured, bilateral, and syndicated financings, as well as domestic and cross-border capital markets matters, derivatives and ISDA documentation, and banking and financial regulatory issues. He most recently served as general counsel and board secretary at Banco Security.

Mobius Materials: $3 Million Seed Funding Closed To Bring Transparency And Liquidity To The Secondary Semiconductor Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Mobius Materials, a Richmond, Virginia-based startup positioning itself as a safe spot market for semiconductors, has closed a $3 million Series Seed financing round as it looks to bring more liquidity, quality control, and price transparency to the secondary market for chips and electronic components.

Vital Lyfe: $24 Million Seed Funding Raised To Scale Portable Water Making Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Vital Lyfe, a Hawthorne, California-based startup developing portable systems that can produce purified water from a range of natural sources, including seawater, has raised $24 million in financing to accelerate manufacturing and expand early deployments as it prepares to bring its first consumer-ready products to market in 2026.

TPG To Acquire Majority Stake In Conservice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

TPG announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Conservice, a utility management platform used by the property management industry, in a transaction aimed at supporting the company’s continued growth. Advent International, which first invested in Conservice in 2020, will retain a significant minority interest following the deal, while TA Associates will fully exit its stake.

Sullivan & Cromwell Adds Partners Aprajita Dhundia And Ian Ferreira To London Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Sullivan & Cromwell is adding partners Aprajita Dhundia and Ian Ferreira to its London office as the firm continues building out private capital capabilities in the market and positioning London as a key hub for global client work. The firm said the hires are aimed at strengthening its private equity, M&A and tax bench for financial sponsor clients executing increasingly complex cross-border transactions.

Willkie: Restructuring Partner Allyson B. Smith Added To New York Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has hired restructuring attorney Allyson B. Smith as a partner in the firm’s New York office, continuing a recent buildout of its global restructuring bench.

Woodchuck: Growth Investment Raised To Advance AI-Powered Construction Waste Diversion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Woodchuck, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based climate tech startup focused on diverting wood waste from construction and manufacturing sites, has secured a growth round investment from Michigan Rise, a venture investment subsidiary of the MSU Research Foundation, to support the company’s expansion across the United States.

Wealth Enhancement Acquires Spectrum Wealth And Putman Group, Pushing Total Client Assets Past $131.2 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Wealth Enhancement said it has acquired Spectrum Wealth Management, an independent registered investment advisor based in Irvine, California, along with Spectrum’s affiliated tax practice, certified public accounting firm Putman Group. The deal expands Wealth Enhancement’s integrated wealth management offerings with added tax planning capabilities. And it increases the firm’s overall scale, bringing total client assets to more than $131.2 billion after including previously announced acquisitions and the Spectrum transaction.

Architect Financial Technologies: $35 Million Series A Raised To Scale Perpetual Futures Exchange AX

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Architect Financial Technologies announced it has raised $35 million in a strategic Series A round to accelerate the growth of AX, which it describes as the financial industry’s first centralized exchange for perpetual futures tied to traditional asset classes.

DataLane: $22.5 Million Series A Closed To Map 20 Million Local Businesses

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

DataLane, a New York based startup building an identity graph for local businesses, has raised a $22.5 million Series A financing round led by Amplify Partners, as the company aims to help enterprises more accurately find, verify, and reach offline merchants across the United States.

Last Energy: $100+ Million Series C Raised For Nuclear Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Last Energy, an advanced nuclear technology company, said it has closed an oversubscribed Series C financing of more than $100 million to fund development of its pilot reactor and prepare for initial deployments of its micro modular nuclear plants.

PERENfra Closes $142.8 Million Oversubscribed Debut Fund to Invest in U.S. Water Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

PERENfra has completed fundraising for its inaugural Perennial Infrastructure Fund I with $142.8 million in committed capital, closing the vehicle at an oversubscribed level as the firm looks to scale investments across essential water infrastructure projects in high-growth U.S. markets.

Ember LifeSciences: $16.5 Million Series A Raised To Scale Cold Chain Technology For Pharmaceuticals

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Ember LifeSciences announced it has raised $16.5 million in Series A financing to accelerate development and commercialization of its cold chain technology aimed at reducing temperature-related spoilage and packaging waste across global healthcare distribution.

Kirkland & Ellis: Corporate M&A Partner Alex Robertson Joins In Dallas

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Kirkland & Ellis has added corporate partner Alex Robertson to its Corporate Practice Group, bringing him into the firm’s Dallas office as it continues to build out its Texas footprint and private equity and M&A capabilities. The firm announced the hire on December 15, 2025.

One Equity Partners To Buy Montanhydraulik

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

One Equity Partners said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Montanhydraulik GmbH, a Germany-based industrial engineering and manufacturing specialist focused on ultra-large-scale hydraulic cylinders, aggregates, and complete hydraulic systems, along with related global maintenance and repair services. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Lovable: $330 Million Series B At $6.6 Billion Valuation Raised To Expand No Code Building Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Lovable announced it has raised $330 million in Series B funding at a $6.6 billion valuation to expand its platform for creating websites and applications without traditional software development. The round was led by CapitalG and Menlo Ventures’ Anthology fund, with participation from a mix of corporate venture investors and growth firms, as Lovable positions itself to serve both large enterprises and early-stage founders looking to move from idea to product faster.

S3 Ventures: $250 Million Fund VIII Closed And New General Partner Promotions Revealed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

S3 Ventures, a Texas based early stage venture capital firm, has raised its eighth fund at $250 million as it marks 20 years since the firm’s founding in 2005. With the new vehicle, S3 Ventures said it now manages more than $1 billion in assets and supports more than 40 active portfolio companies across the United States.

OpenGate Capital Sells ScioTeq To Tikehau Capital And Retains Minority Stake

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

OpenGate Capital has completed the sale of ScioTeq, a provider of ruggedized display and mission critical visualization systems for aviation and defense applications, to the aerospace and defense fund of alternative asset manager Tikehau Capital. OpenGate said it will retain a meaningful minority position and continue supporting ScioTeq as it enters its next growth phase.

IFS To Buy Softeon To Expand Industrial AI Into Warehouse Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

IFS has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Softeon, a provider of cloud native warehouse management, warehouse execution, and distributed order management software, in a deal aimed at extending IFS’s Industrial AI capabilities into warehouse operations. IFS said the combination will create an integrated platform that links manufacturing operations with warehouse execution, as enterprises modernize supply chains amid infrastructure constraints and labor shortages.

Apollo Funds To Buy Majority Stake In Prosol Group From Ardian

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Apollo announced it agreed to acquire a majority stake in Prosol Group, a French fresh food retail operator, from Ardian, positioning the company for its next phase of growth in France and internationally. Prosol’s existing shareholders and management team will reinvest alongside the Apollo funds.

BDO: Andrew Howson Named As UK Head Of Private Equity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

BDO has appointed Andrew Howson as its new UK Head of Private Equity, tasking him with expanding the firm’s private equity service offering and deepening relationships across the UK and broader PE community. Howson joined BDO in 2017 as a Transaction Services partner after holding senior roles at EY and Deloitte, and he has served for years on BDO’s private equity leadership team, building relationships with private equity investors and portfolio companies.