Archives

Vention: $110 Million Raised To Scale Physical AI And Expand Access to Industrial Automation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Vention announced it has raised $110 million in new financing (C$150 million) to accelerate its push into what it calls Physical AI and to help manufacturers automate more quickly and with less complexity. The company said the round included participation from Investissement Québec, Desjardins Capital, Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, and NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital arm, along with other financial institutions.

Emobi: $3.4 Million Seed Funding Raised To Scale JustPlug And Expand Plug-And-Charge EV Roaming

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Emobi announced it has closed a $3.4 million seed round to expand its JustPlug technology and scale its EV charging roaming infrastructure across North America. The company is known as North America’s largest EV charging roaming and JustPlug infrastructure provider and said the new capital will be used to strengthen its technical platform and accelerate commercial partnerships with automakers, fleets, charging operators, and infrastructure providers.

Curate: $10 Million Raised To Help Restaurants Build Loyalty Without Requiring App Downloads

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Curate Technologies, a hospitality platform that powers instant, white-labeled mobile ordering and loyalty experiences, has raised $10 million in a new round of funding led by Kirk Brown, co-founder of ZoomInfo. The round also included institutional support from K5 Global, a venture capital firm co-founded by Michael Kives and Bryan Baum, and participation from individual investors, including NFL wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Carl Cheng, founder of Pieology.

Elysium Therapeutics: $7.5 Million SAFE Round Raised To Advance SOOPR Rescue Therapy For Oral Fentanyl Overdose

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Elysium Therapeutics announced it has completed a $7.5 million SAFE round to accelerate development of SOOPR (Synthetic Opioid Overdose Protection and Reversal), a novel rescue treatment the company is designing specifically to prevent and reverse overdoses caused by highly potent synthetic opioids, particularly when ingested orally. The Lyons, Colorado-based biopharmaceutical company said the financing will support efforts to move SOOPR through additional preclinical and clinical work.

Lassen Peak: Over $10 Million Raised To Bring Handheld Terahertz Radar Concealed-Weapon Detection To Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Lassen Peak announced it has completed a mix of debt and equity financings totaling more than $10 million to fund product completion and prepare for market introduction of what it describes as the world’s first fully integrated handheld radar system for concealed weapon detection.

CraniUS Therapeutics: $20 Million Series B Raised To Advance NeuroPASS Platform For Targeted Brain Drug Delivery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

CraniUS Therapeutics announced it closed a $20 million Series B financing to accelerate development of NeuroPASS, a fully implantable, skull embedded platform intended to bypass the blood brain barrier and enable targeted drug delivery and monitoring in the brain.

Factify: $73 Million Seed Funding Closed To Build A Post-PDF ‘Intelligent Document’ Standard

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Factify, a startup aiming to replace static PDFs with what it calls “Factified” documents, announced it has raised $73 million in seed funding to build a new document standard designed for AI-driven business workflows. The round was led by Valley Capital Partners and included participation from technology and business leaders, including John Giannandrea, former Head of AI at Google and SVP of AI at Apple, Ken Moelis, founder of Moelis & Co., and Peter Brown, CEO of quantitative hedge fund Renaissance Technologies.

Guardian Payroll Services: Interview With President Matt Taylor About The Business Management Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Guardian Payroll Services provides customizable, technology-driven payroll, human resources, and tax compliance solutions that combine automated systems with dedicated personal support to help businesses streamline employee administration. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Guardian Payroll Services President Matt Taylor to learn more.

NexAIoT: Interview With CTO Dr. Hoe Seng Ooi About The Smart Manufacturing Solutions Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

NexAIoT provides Industry 4.0 smart-manufacturing solutions—combining industrial PCs, IoT automation/edge computing, and enterprise data-integration software with consulting and implementation services to help factories digitize and operate more efficiently. Pulse 2.0 interviewed NexAIoT CTO Dr. Hoe Seng Ooi to learn more.

Datatruck: $12 Million Series A Closed To Build An AI-Native Operating System For Long-Haul Trucking

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Datatruck, a Chicago-based platform positioning itself as an AI-native operating system for North American long-haul carriers, announced it has raised a $12 million Series A round led by Avenue Growth Partners, with participation from existing investors. The company said the funding will be used to accelerate product development, expand its teams, and scale adoption among carriers that are replacing legacy transportation management systems with AI-driven platforms.

EAM Closes $575 Million Fund II For Growth Software Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Equality Asset Management (EAM), a Boston-based private equity firm focused on transformative growth software and technology companies, announced it has closed its second fund, EAM Private Equity Partners II, L.P., with $575 million in total capital commitments. The firm said the fund was oversubscribed, with investor demand exceeding its hard cap.

Scholé AI: $3 Million Raised To Bring Personalized And Role Based Learning To Enterprise AI Upskilling

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Scholé AI, an AI native workforce learning platform, has raised $3 million in funding to expand deployments, hire, and continue building its adaptive learning product. The round was led by ACE Ventures with participation from The House Fund and FundF.

Minovia Therapeutics: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Dr. Natalie Yivgi-Ohana About The Biotech Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Minovia Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech developing mitochondria-based cell therapies—using its Mitochondrial Augmentation Technology (MAT) to transplant healthy mitochondria into cells to treat diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction, including rare genetic mitochondrial disorders. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Minovia Therapeutics co-founder and CEO Dr. Natalie Yivgi-Ohana to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Rainbow Weather: $5.5 Million Seed Funding Raised To Expand AI Powered Hyperlocal Forecasting App

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Rainbow Weather, a climate tech startup focused on ultra-accurate short-term forecasting, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its consumer app and expand into business customers. The company said the financing included a syndicate of investors led in part by Yuri Gurski, founder and president of Flo Health.

Seemplicity: Interview With Co-Founder & CPO Ravid Circus About The Exposure Management Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Seemplicity is an exposure management platform that consolidates security findings, prioritizes the most important risks, and automates remediation workflows by routing fixes to the right teams and tools. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Seemplicity co-founder and CPO Ravid Circus to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Checkbox: $23 Million Series A Closed To Build AI Legal Front Door For In-House Legal Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Checkbox has raised a $23 million Series A round to accelerate development of its AI Legal Front Door platform, positioning the product as a single entry point for legal teams to capture, manage, and measure enterprise legal work. The round was led by Touring Capital, with participation from Peak XV (formerly Sequoia Capital India), Conductive Ventures, Tidal Ventures, Five V Capital, and angel investors including Jerry Ting, VP and Head of Agentic AI at Workday and former co founder and CEO of Evisort.

Tenpoint Therapeutics: $235 Million Raised To Launch Dual Agent Presbyopia Eye Drop YUVEZZI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Tenpoint Therapeutics said it has secured $235 million in new capital, combining an $85 million Series B preferred stock financing with a $150 million senior secured term loan facility, as the company prepares to commercialize its newly approved presbyopia treatment, YUVEZZI.

Tree Line: $1.1 Billion Direct Lending Fund IV Closed To Expand Lower Middle Market Lending

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Tree Line Capital Partners has closed its fourth flagship fund with $1.1 billion in total capital commitments, marking the largest raise in the firm’s history. The vehicle, Tree Line Direct Lending IV, LP, exceeded its $550 million equity target, finishing with $724 million in equity commitments plus $355 million in leverage commitments.

Gyde Launches With $60 Million Funding To Build AI-Native Brokerage Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Gyde, an AI-native brokerage platform based in Austin, Texas, announced its official launch alongside $60 million in capital raised to modernize how brokers support clients across insurance, health, and wealth decisions.

Ropes & Gray: Noah Yavitz Added To Expand Commercial Litigation Practice In NY

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Ropes & Gray announced it has added prominent New York-based litigator Noah Yavitz as a partner in its litigation & enforcement practice, continuing a recent run of lateral growth in the firm’s New York office.

Sonos Unveils Amp Multi, A Multi Channel Streaming Amplifier Built For Larger Custom Home Audio Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Sonos announced it is launching Sonos Amp Multi, a multi-channel streaming amplifier designed for professional residential integrators building more complex, multi-room audio systems. The company positioned the product as an expansion of the Sonos experience into larger homes and higher-channel-count installations, aiming to reduce installation friction while keeping day-to-day control simple for homeowners.

Google Brings AI Plus To The U.S. As Part Of A 35 Market Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Google is expanding Google AI Plus into 35 additional countries and territories, including the United States, widening access to a lower-priced subscription that bundles premium AI capabilities across multiple Google products.

OpenAI Launches Prism, A Free AI Writing Workspace For Scientists

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

OpenAI has launched Prism, a free, AI-native workspace designed to help scientists write and collaborate on research in one integrated environment, with GPT-5.2 embedded directly into the workflow. The product is available now to anyone with a ChatGPT personal account, with support for organizations on ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, and Education plans expected “soon.”

Ropes & Gray Adds Private Equity Partner Paul Dali To Expand European Private Capital Offering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Ropes & Gray has added private equity lawyer Paul Dali as a partner in London, a move the firm says strengthens its European private capital capabilities and cross-border M&A support for private equity and asset management clients.

Ropes & Gray Adds Antitrust Partner Marta Kelly In New York To Bolster Transactional Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 28, 2026

Ropes & Gray has added antitrust lawyer Marta Kelly as a partner in its New York office, expanding the firm’s transactional antitrust capabilities as clients navigate heightened regulatory scrutiny around dealmaking.

Rhino Investments Group Buys Pleasant Valley Plaza, A Grocery-Anchored Retail Center in Oxnard

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 28, 2026

Rhino Investments Group has acquired Pleasant Valley Plaza, a grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping center in Oxnard, California, expanding its portfolio of necessity-based retail assets. The deal closed on December 30, 2025.

Intentsify Acquires Salutary Data In Second Strategic Deal Following Five By Five

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 28, 2026

Intentsify has acquired Salutary Data, adding a large-scale U.S. B2B contact and company-intelligence provider to its intent-data and signal-based go-to-market platform as the company continues an acquisition-driven expansion following its prior Five by Five deal.

Adecco Acquires Advantis Medical Staffing To Expand U.S. Tech-Enabled Healthcare Staffing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 28, 2026

Adecco has acquired Advantis Medical Staffing, a U.S. healthcare staffing firm focused on travel nursing and allied health, as the company moves to deepen and scale its North American healthcare workforce capabilities.

Bain Capital Acquires APP Jet Center, Entering Fixed-Base Operator Sector

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 28, 2026

Bain Capital has entered the fixed-base operator (FBO) sector with the acquisition of APP Jet Center, a provider of aviation services at high-quality, supply-constrained airports in the United States. The five-location platform was acquired from Ridgewood Infrastructure, with financial terms not disclosed.

P&G Acquires Wonderbelly to Expand Its Digestive Wellness Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 28, 2026

Procter & Gamble has acquired Wonderbelly, a “free-from” digestive wellness brand, adding it to P&G’s Personal Health Care (PHC) portfolio as the company expands its reach in over-the-counter digestive relief.