Archives

Roblox Introduces Build To Turn Text Prompts Into Playable Games

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Roblox has announced Build, a new mobile-first creation experience that will allow users to turn text prompts into playable games directly within the Roblox app.

BuzzFeed Appoints Stanley E. Washington To Board Of Directors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

BuzzFeed has appointed Stanley E. Washington as an independent member of its board of directors, effective July 16, 2026. Washington will serve on the board’s Audit Committee, Nominating, Corporate Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee, and Compensation Committee. He has also been named chair of the Compensation Committee.

Baird Trust Adds Jeremy Gerch To Louisville Wealth And Family Office Team Managing More Than $30 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Baird Trust Wealth and Family Office has appointed Jeremy Gerch as senior vice president in Louisville, strengthening its ability to advise high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners on complex estate planning and trust matters.

SAP Completes Prior Labs Acquisition And Commits More Than €1 Billion To Scale Enterprise AI Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

SAP has completed its acquisition of Prior Labs, an artificial intelligence research company specializing in foundation models for structured enterprise data.

Cytronic Raises $13.5 Million Seed Funding To Automate E-Commerce Fulfillment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Cytronic has raised $13.5 million in seed funding to develop robotic fulfillment facilities that help direct-to-consumer brands reduce shipping costs, deliver orders faster and scale without building their own warehouse infrastructure. Slow Ventures led the round through partner Will Quist. Geek Ventures, Failup Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Spacecadet, Weekend Fund, Mana Ventures, Rice Capital and Script Capital also participated. Individual investors in the round included Adam Nash and Gokul Rajaram, along with several other backers.

Oura Secures Investment From Eli Lilly To Expand Connected Health Tools

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Oura has received an equity investment from Eli Lilly and Company to accelerate the development of health tools that connect biometric information, daily behaviors and medical treatments. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Meticulous Raises $15 Million Series A To Accelerate AI-Powered Software Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Meticulous has raised $15 million in Series A funding to expand its automated software testing platform and help engineering teams release AI-generated code more quickly without compromising product quality.

Dentons Strengthens Prague Corporate And M&A Practice With Partner Jan Stejskal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Dentons has appointed Jan Stejskal as a partner in its Corporate and M&A practice in Prague, strengthening the global law firm’s capabilities in complex domestic and cross-border transactions involving Central and Eastern European clients.

Kish Insurance Welcomes the Shuck Agency And Andy Cipar Of Huntingdon

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Kish Bancorp, parent company of Kish Bank, announced that the Shuck Agency will join Kish Insurance, the property and casualty insurance subsidiary of Kish Bank, effective August 1, 2026. The collaboration unites two organizations with a shared commitment to local, personalized service, trusted relationships, and strong community ties, enhancing the Shuck Agency's ability to serve its clients while strengthening Kish Insurance's reach across the region.

Visa Introduces Platform for Stablecoin Minting, Movement, And Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Visa announced the Visa Stablecoin Platform, a new enterprise platform designed to help financial institutions, fintechs, and crypto natives access stablecoin capabilities through a single Visa-managed environment. Building on Visa's broader crypto strategy, the platform gives financial institutions, fintechs, and other payment providers a way to access, store, and redeem stablecoins, beginning with Open USD, a new stablecoin recently introduced by Open Standard, including onchain wallet infrastructure through a newly introduced Wallet-as-a-Service offering and connectivity for minting and burning Open USD.

ReefHaven Ventures: UCSD Bioengineering Alumnus Garrett Smith Launches Fund Focused On San Diego MedTech Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Garrett Smith, a University of California San Diego bioengineering PhD alumnus, has launched ReefHaven Ventures as founding managing partner, a San Diego-focused venture capital fund dedicated to early-stage medical technology startups with a focus on reinvesting in the local innovation ecosystem. Smith previously founded his first company as a doctoral student, stewarded technologies through FDA approval, led multiple startups to successful acquisition, directed early innovation partnerships for Johnson and Johnson Innovation, and oversaw a corporate venture capital fund for MedeonBIO.

Kennesaw State’s Mookerji Innovation Fund Reaches 50 Startup Investments After Deploying Nearly $700,000

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Kennesaw State University’s Mookerji Innovation Fund has completed its 50th startup investment, reaching a milestone established when the university launched the student-focused funding program slightly more than five years ago.

Google Partners With Georgia Public Library Service to Offer No-Cost Career and AI Training to State Residents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Google has announced a partnership with the Georgia Public Library Service to provide Georgia public library cardholders with no-cost access to Google Career Certificates and professional artificial intelligence courses.

PUMA Appoints Marcia Dos Santos As Vice President Of Core Business Unit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

PUMA has appointed Marcia Dos Santos as vice president of its Core business unit, effective July 15, 2026, as the sports company continues reorganizing its operations around dedicated Sportstyle and Core teams.

Macy’s Appoints Alexandre Choueiri As CEO Of Bluemercury

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Macy’s has appointed Alexandre “Alex” Choueiri as chief executive officer of Bluemercury, effective August 3, 2026.

Choreo Acquires $700 Million Firm Resource Financial Group Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Choreo announced it has acquired all the assets of Resource Financial Group, a Wilmette, Illinois-based registered investment adviser with approximately $700 million in assets under management as of April 30, 2026. RFG is led by wealth managers Peter M. Maris, Founding Partner, and Brian Pugal, Partner, and is supported by a six-person client service team led by Alexandra Moise, working primarily with closely held business owners and families on business transitions, liquidity events, and retirement planning.

Best Buy Reshapes Executive Team To Accelerate Retail, Media And Technology Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Best Buy has announced a series of executive leadership appointments as the consumer electronics retailer prepares for its upcoming CEO transition and reorganizes around four strategic priorities.

ZetaDisplay Acquires Retailmediatools To Expand Retail Media Software Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

ZetaDisplay has agreed to acquire retailmediatools, a Berlin-based software company that provides an API-first, cloud-native retail media platform. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion of the acquisition and the transfer of ownership remain subject to customary closing conditions.

Verdane Acquires Portfolio Of Technology Businesses From Trifork Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Verdane, the European specialist growth buyout investment firm, announced that it has acquired a portfolio of ownership stakes in four technology businesses from Trifork Labs, the venture-financed R&D division of Trifork Group. The transaction will see Verdane partner with Axoniq, the pioneer in event-sourcing architecture; Dawn Health, a patient-centric digital health business; and Frameo, the biggest software provider for WiFi photo frames in the world, enabled by a joint ownership structure alongside Trifork Group. Verdane has also directly acquired an ownership stake in XCI, a cybersecurity business delivering communication intelligence solutions.

Airhive Acquires Carbyon To Create European Direct Air Capture Technology Leader

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Airhive has acquired Carbyon, combining two European direct air capture technology developers to create a larger Anglo-Dutch company focused on reducing the cost of removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

MoonPay Acquires Glide To Strengthen Crypto Deposits Infrastructure In Sixth Deal Of 2026

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

MoonPay, the global crypto financial technology company, has acquired Glide, a crypto deposit technology company that enables apps to accept deposits in any token, wallet, exchange, or payment card without requiring users to manually convert assets before transacting. Glide's team, technology, and customer base are joining MoonPay, with the technology folding into MoonPay Deposits. Financial terms were not disclosed.

RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Advances Engine Inspections With AI-Powered Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, is expanding its engine inspection capabilities with AI-assisted borescope software through the acquisition and integration of Amsterdam-based Aiir Innovations. The technology enables a step change in how inspections are performed, enhancing consistency and efficiency across global maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations for commercial, civil, and military engines.

Whatnot Acquires Shaped To Accelerate AI-Powered Discovery Across Live Commerce

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Whatnot has acquired Shaped, an artificial intelligence company specializing in recommendation and ranking infrastructure, to strengthen product discovery across its live shopping platform. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Grant Drive Group: Interview With Founding Partner Katelyn Gallanty About The Advisory Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Grant Drive Group is a business development and capital advisory firm that helps small to mid-sized companies scale, raise venture capital, and prepare for exit or acquisition. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Grant Drive Group Founding Partner Katelyn Gallanty to learn more.

PVH Appoints Alexis Rollier As Chief Financial Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

PVH Corp. has appointed Alexis Rollier as chief financial officer, effective in early September 2026, adding an experienced global retail and finance executive to the leadership team behind Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

Allstate Appoints Christian Lown As Chief Financial Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

The Allstate Corporation has appointed Christian “Chris” Lown as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective August 3, 2026. Lown will report to Allstate Chair, President and CEO Tom Wilson and oversee the insurer’s financial leadership as the company works to expand its Property-Liability business and provide additional protection products to customers. He brings more than 25 years of senior experience across finance, capital markets, investor relations and corporate development.

Cambium Acquires General Woodcraft, Adding 77-Year-Old Specialty Wood Distributor to Its National Wood Market Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Cambium, a technology-driven platform modernizing how wood is sourced, priced, and distributed across the United States, has acquired General Woodcraft, a Connecticut-based specialty wood products company founded in 1949. The deal marks Cambium's fifth acquisition in five years, following Lumber Tracker, OE Custom, Forward Forestry, and Intectural, and further builds out the company's ambition to create a single national network connecting regional wood suppliers with architects, builders, and enterprise buyers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fluor Divests ICA-Fluor Daniel Stake To ICA For $175 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Fluor Corporation has sold its equity interest in ICA-Fluor Daniel to its longtime joint venture partner ICA for $175 million, ending a business relationship that has supported major infrastructure and industrial projects across Mexico for more than three decades.

Brunner Acquires AdSkate, Expanding AI-Powered Marketing Intelligence And Creative Performance Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Brunner, a leading independent integrated marketing agency, announced its acquisition of AdSkate, an AI-powered creative analytics and marketing intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies optimize advertising performance through advanced creative insights. Brunner's client ecosystem includes national brands such as Aerie, Church's Texas Chicken, Fred Rogers Institute, and Mitsubishi North America, while AdSkate has worked with brands including Infosys, Abbott Labs, and Illinois Lottery.

Apaluma Raises $5.55 Million Seed Funding To Scale Unified Government Data Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jul 17, 2026

Apaluma has raised $5.55 million in seed funding to expand its platform for transforming fragmented government and environmental records into searchable, connected and actionable data. Crosslink Capital and Kickstart led the round, with Haven Ventures and Overwater Ventures serving as co-leads. Orange DAO and NM Vintage Fund also participated as pre-seed and seed investors.