Archives

KKR-Led Consortium Nearing Deal To Buy ST Telemedia Global Data Centres At $10B+ Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

A consortium led by KKR is in advanced talks to acquire Singapore-based data-center operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in a transaction that would value the company at more than US$10 billion (over S$13 billion), according to The Wall Street Journal.

CloudForge: $3.95 Million Secured To Bring AI Sales And Procurement To The Metals Supply Chain

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

CloudForge, an AI-powered sales and procurement platform built for the metals supply chain, has emerged from stealth with $3.95 million in funding from Zero Infinity Partners, Resolute Ventures, and Bienville Capital.

BizTrip AI Adds $1.5 Million Tranche As Pre-Seed Funding Reaches $2.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

BizTrip AI, a maker of AI-powered travel management technology, has raised $1.5 million in new preseed financing, marking the third tranche of its preseed round and bringing total funding to $2.5 million. The latest tranche was led by RRE Ventures, with participation from AI Fund, BAG Collective, BAG Ventures, and Correlation Ventures. Sabre Corporation also participated, alongside ten individual qualified investors, including Michael Cain, Mike Daly, and Valerie Layman.

Shield Lands $100 Million From Thrive Holdings To Scale AI First IT Services Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Shield Technology Partners announced it has raised a $100 million in investment from Thrive Holdings to accelerate product development and support additional acquisitions as it expands a national platform of IT services businesses.

CesiumAstro: $470 Million Series C Closed To Scale AI-Enabled Space And Defense Communications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

CesiumAstro announced it has secured $470 million in Series C growth capital to accelerate U.S. expansion and global deployment of its software-defined, AI-enabled space communications platforms. The Austin, Texas-based space and defense communications provider said the raise combines $270 million in equity and a $200 million financing package structured as a public-private partnership.

Airties Names Deepak Harie Chief Revenue Officer To Lead Global Sales Push

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Airties has appointed Deepak Harie as chief revenue officer, tasking the former Nokia senior executive with overseeing global sales and business development as the company targets continued growth in broadband service provider deployments.

Ensis Partners Launches New York Boutique Focused On Middle-Market Debt Restructuring

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Ensis Partners, a newly formed independent financial advisory firm founded by Mark Buschmann and Richard Shinder, has launched in New York City, backed by institutional and high-net-worth investors. The firm is positioning itself as a specialist in complex debt restructurings and related strategic transactions for middle- and upper-middle-market companies.

Constructor Capital: $110 Million Fund I Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Constructor Capital announced it has officially closed its first fund at $110 million, with plans to invest globally in Seed- and Series A-stage startups across DeepTech, SoftwareTech, and EdTech.

NYU Langone Health Partnering With Isaac Health To Expand Virtual Memory Care Access Across New York

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Isaac Health has partnered with NYU Langone Health to broaden access to specialized brain health and memory care through a virtual care model, aiming to shorten the time to evaluation and improve continuity of care for people experiencing memory concerns and related symptoms.

Biorce: $52.5 Million Series A Raised To Expand Globally And Apply AI to Clinical Trial Design

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Biorce, a Barcelona-based health AI company focused on using artificial intelligence to improve how clinical trials are designed and executed, announced it has closed a $52.5 million Series A round to accelerate international expansion and scale its platform, Aika.

Spore.Bio Names Dr. Michael J. Miller As VP To Bolster Scientific And Regulatory Strategy For Rapid Microbiology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Spore.Bio announced it has appointed Dr. Michael J. Miller as Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, adding a longtime industry specialist in rapid microbiological methods and contamination control as the company scales its manufacturing quality control platform.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Buying Reck & Co To Bolster Marine And Transport Claims Capabilities in Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced it has expanded its claims and risk management platform through an acquisition by its subsidiary, Gallagher Bassett, which has purchased Reck & Co GmbH, a specialist provider of global transport and marine claims services. The buyer did not disclose financial terms.

Lenzing Takes Majority Control Of TreeToTextile To Speed Scale-Up Of Cellulosic Fibers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Lenzing Group announced it will acquire a controlling majority stake in Swedish innovation company TreeToTextile AB, increasing its ownership through the issuance of new shares and positioning the company to accelerate the industrialization of TreeToTextile’s fiber technology.

Julius Baer Board Changes Set For 2026 AGM As Vice Chairman Steps Down

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Julius Baer announced Vice Chairman Richard Campbell-Breeden will not seek re-election at the company’s 2026 annual general meeting and will retire from the board at that point, setting up a planned transition in the board’s leadership structure.

Picton Investments Launches Private Equity Fund With Morningside Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

PICTON Mahoney Asset Management, operating as PICTON Investments, has launched the PICTON Morningside Private Equity Fund, marking the firm’s first private equity offering and expanding its alternatives platform into private markets.

Hamilton Lane: Nearly $2 Billion Closed For Infrastructure Opportunities Fund II, Tripling Predecessor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Hamilton Lane announced it has reached a final close for Hamilton Lane Infrastructure Opportunities Fund II, with $1.5 billion in commitments to the fund and nearly $400 million more committed through related vehicles, bringing total commitments to nearly $2 billion. The firm said the raise exceeded the vehicle’s $1.25 billion target and, including related commitments, is more than three times the size of its predecessor, Hamilton Lane Infrastructure Opportunities Fund I.

Day AI: $20 Million Series A Raised And CRMx Platform Launched For Agent-First Sales Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Day AI, a company building an AI-native customer relationship platform, said it has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Sequoia Capital and has made its product generally available. In a post on LinkedIn, founder and CEO Christopher O'Donnell argued that traditional CRM workflows force teams to spend too much time “context-switching” across records and tools, while leaders wait weeks for insights into why deals are slipping or which messages resonate in demos.

Plug: $20 Million Series A Closed To Scale EV First Marketplace As Used EV Market Expands

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Plug announced it raised a $20 million Series A round to expand its electric vehicle-focused marketplace, as a wave of off-lease inventory is expected to hit the U.S. market over the next several years. The company said the financing was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from Galvanize and existing investors Autotech Ventures, Leap Forward Ventures, and Renn Global.

Loop AI: $14 Million Series A Raised To Expand Agentic Back-Office Platform for Restaurants And Retail

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Loop AI, an enterprise-grade AI platform built for restaurant and retail back-office teams, has raised a $14 million Series A round led by Nyca Partners, adding a roster of new and returning backers as it accelerates product expansion and hiring across multiple offices.

Hakuhodo Buys Majority Stake In Vietnam-Based Digital Agency BCM

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Hakuhodo announced that it has acquired a majority stake in BCM Venture Integrated Co. Ltd., a Vietnam-based independent integrated digital marketing agency, making BCM a consolidated subsidiary of the Hakuhodo Group.

SpaceX Acquires xAI In Deal Reportedly Valuing Combined Company At $1.25 Trillion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

SpaceX has acquired xAI in a deal valued at about $1.25 trillion, according to Reuters. Because both companies are privately held, the valuation reflects negotiated deal math and investor expectations and could shift materially depending on financing, governance, and any path toward an eventual public offering.

Waymo Confirms $16 Billion Round At $126 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Waymo confirmed it raised a $16 billion investment round valuing the company at $126 billion post-money, marking what it described as a shift from proving autonomous driving to scaling it commercially. The company said the financing was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price, alongside additional investors including BDT & MSD Partners, CapitalG, Fidelity Management & Research Company, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Perry Creek Capital, and Temasek. Waymo said Alphabet remains its majority investor.

Vanguard Targets More Than $500 Million in Investor Savings With Broad Fund Fee Cuts

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Vanguard announced it is rolling out broad-based expense-ratio reductions across its fund lineup, projecting the changes will deliver more than half a billion dollars in investor savings in 2025 and 2026. The company said the latest round includes lower expense ratios for 84 mutual fund and ETF share classes across 53 funds, representing nearly $250 million in fee reductions expected in 2026.

Singapore Gulf Bank Launches Regulated Platform Linking USD And Stablecoins For Near Real-Time Settlement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB), a fully licensed bank backed by Whampoa Group and Mumtalakat, said it has launched what it described as a first-of-its-kind, regulated, bank-operated network that brings U.S. dollars and stablecoins together on a single platform, enabling near-real-time settlement and streamlining treasury workflows across regions.

Aura To Buy Qoria, Targeting ASX Listing For Combined Digital Safety Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Aura, an AI-based online safety platform focused on individuals and families, said it has signed a binding agreement to acquire Qoria, an Australia-based provider of student safety and wellbeing tools, in a deal that would create a larger global digital safety business spanning home, school, and workplace use cases.

Tharimmune Adds Jill Sommers And William Wiley To Board As Canton Network Strategy Expands

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Tharimmune has appointed Jill Sommers and William Wiley, CFA, to its board of directors, effective February 1, 2026, as the company advances its effort to support the Canton Network and its associated financial market infrastructure strategy.

Pepper Advantage Closes Computershare Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Pepper Advantage has completed its acquisition of Computershare’s UK mortgage servicing business, Computershare Loan Services, strengthening its position as a scaled credit management and servicing platform in the UK. Backed by J.C. Flowers & Co., Pepper Advantage framed the deal as a strategic expansion that increases both its managed asset base and the breadth of servicing capabilities it can deliver to institutional clients.

K2 International Expands Financial Lines With Acquisition Of Rising Edge Management Liability Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

K2 Group Holdings Limited (K2 International) has acquired the management liability underwriting business of Rising Edge, adding a dedicated management liability team and establishing a new division in the London market.

Stellar Cyber: Interview With Founder & CTO Aimei Wei About The Open XDR Security Operations Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Stellar Cyber provides an AI-driven, Open XDR security operations platform that unifies tools like SIEM and NDR to help lean security teams visualize, detect, and automatically respond to threats across IT, cloud, and OT environments. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Stellar Cyber founder and CTO Aimei Wei to learn more.

Principle: $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Closed To Bring Military Wargaming Style Simulations To Corporate Strategy Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

Principle, a strategic foresight platform that uses AI to simulate competitive futures, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding as it moves from bespoke pilots toward a repeatable product aimed at corporate strategy teams. The round was led by SMRK VC and SMOK VC, with participation from RideHome AI Fund, a16z Scout Fund, Bain Capital Scout Fund, and Unpopular Ventures.