Archives

QXO Secures $1.2 Billion Apollo-Led Convertible Preferred Investment to Fund Future Acquisitions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

QXO announced that funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management and other investors have agreed to invest $1.2 billion in the company through a new series of convertible perpetual preferred stock, a financing structure intended to bolster QXO’s flexibility as it pursues acquisition opportunities.

Cowbell Names John Botros CFO As Insurtech Targets Profitability and Accelerates Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Cowbell announced it is entering a “next cycle” of its growth strategy focused on sustained revenue expansion, operating profitability, and continued international buildout, as the cyber and specialty insurance provider broadens beyond its roots in adaptive cyber coverage.

Mastercam Acquires Swedish Partner AME, Expands Direct Presence In Sweden And Norway

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Mastercam, a CAD/CAM software provider and part of Sandvik Group, said it has completed the acquisition of Advanced Mechanical Engineering AB (AME) in Sweden, a longtime channel partner, as it moves to deepen its market presence and customer support across Sweden and Norway.

BENTELER To Acquire Deutsche Bahn’s ioki, Building European End-To-End Autonomous Mobility Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

BENTELER Group has signed an agreement to acquire ioki GmbH, Deutsche Bahn AG’s software-based mobility solutions unit, in a deal aimed at creating what the companies describe as Europe’s first full-service provider for autonomous mobility spanning vehicles, software, and fleet operations. Financial terms were not disclosed, and closing is expected in the near future.

Flutterwave Acquires Mono To Expand Open Banking Infrastructure Across Africa

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Flutterwave has acquired Mono, an open banking infrastructure provider focused on African markets, as the payments company moves to deepen bank-based and authenticated payment capabilities across the continent. The deal positions open banking as a core part of Flutterwave’s strategy to support alternative payment methods beyond traditional card rails, with an emphasis on verified, locally relevant payment flows and stronger trust layers for merchants and financial partners.

Destinus Buying Daedalean For CHF 180 Million To Advance Aviation-Grade AI for Defense and Civil Aviation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Destinus Group BV has completed its acquisition of Daedalean AG, a Zürich-based developer of advanced AI systems for aviation, in a transaction valued at CHF 180 million (about $225 million). Following the close, Daedalean will operate inside Destinus as a core hub for AI engineering, autonomy research, and advanced perception technologies.

Jacobs To Buy Remaining Stake In PA Consulting For £1.216 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Jacobs has reached an agreement to acquire the remaining shares of PA Consulting that it does not already own, taking full ownership of the innovation and transformation consultancy. The transaction is designed to deepen Jacobs’ push into higher-value advisory and transformation work, including artificial intelligence-driven programs, while strengthening its ability to serve clients across the full asset lifecycle.

Alchera X: Interview With President & CEO Michael Plaksin About The Visual AI Tech Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Alchera X is an AI tech company that is engaging in the development and distribution of products involving: visual artificial intelligence (AI), AI data, facial recognition, augmented reality, wildfire detection, healthcare solutions, and more. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Alchera X’s President and CEO, Michael Plaksin, to learn more about the company.

Kodiak AI And Bosch Partner To Scale Production-Grade Autonomous Trucking Hardware

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Kodiak AI said it has agreed with Bosch to collaborate on and scale the manufacturing of a production-grade, redundant autonomous platform designed to bring Kodiak’s AI-powered “Kodiak Driver” to trucks at commercial scale. The companies said the platform integrates specialized hardware, firmware, and software interfaces needed to automate trucks, either directly on a vehicle production line or through an upfitter.

Gnani.ai: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Ganesh Gopalan About The Speech And Conversational Solutions Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Gnani.ai develops AI-driven speech and conversational automation solutions for enterprises. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Gnani.ai co-founder and CEO Ganesh Gopalan to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners To Sell Global Loan Agency Services To Oakley Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) said it has agreed to sell its portfolio company Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS) to Oakley Capital, a European private investment firm, marking the second exit from LLCP Europe II SCSp.

Plaud Unveils Wearable AI Notetaker NotePin S And Plaud Desktop

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 4, 2026

Plaud has introduced Plaud NotePin S, an upgraded version of its wearable AI notetaker, and launched Plaud Desktop, a dedicated desktop app designed to capture and summarize online meetings without meeting bots. Based in San Francisco, the company said the two releases extend Plaud’s “conversation intelligence” across the full spectrum of how professionals meet today—face-to-face, on calls, and in virtual meetings.

Orum Therapeutics Names Chad May As Chief Scientific Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 4, 2026

Orum Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs), has appointed Chad May, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer, bringing more than two decades of oncology and immunology R&D experience spanning antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), T-cell engagers, and next-generation therapeutic platform development.

Insilico Medicine And Servier Announce Up To $888 Million Multi-Year Oncology Drug Discovery Collaboration

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 4, 2026

Insilico Medicine announced it has entered a multi-year research and development collaboration with Servier focused on discovering and developing novel oncology therapies, combining Insilico’s AI-driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, with Servier’s global experience in cancer drug development.

McCormick Takes Majority Control Of McCormick de Mexico With $750 Million Purchase

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

McCormick & Company announced it has completed the acquisition of an additional 25% ownership interest in McCormick de Mexico from Grupo Herdez, increasing McCormick’s ownership in the joint venture to 75% and giving it a controlling stake in the business.

Sandisk Names First Solar CFO Alexander Bradley To Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Sandisk announced it has appointed Alexander R. Bradley to its board of directors and named him to the board’s audit committee, expanding the company’s independent oversight as it positions itself for long-term growth in the memory and flash solutions market.

Bain Capital Launches $344 Million Bid For South Korea-Based Echo Marketing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Bain Capital has agreed to acquire South Korea-based Echo Marketing in a transaction valued at roughly $344 million, combining a negotiated purchase of a controlling stake with a tender offer for the remaining shares as revealed in a DART filing.

Technip Energies Completes $556 Million Acquisition Of Ecovyst’s Advanced Materials & Catalysts Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Technip Energies has completed its acquisition of Ecovyst’s Advanced Materials & Catalysts (AM&C) business, adding a specialty catalysts and advanced materials platform that the company says will expand its capabilities in advanced catalysts and support growth in sustainable fuels, circular chemistry, and carbon capture.

Pinnacle And Synovus Complete Merger To Form $117 Billion Regional Bank

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Pinnacle Financial Partners (now trading on the New York Stock Exchange under “PNFP”) has completed its previously announced merger with Synovus Financial, creating a combined regional banking company with an estimated $117.2 billion in assets as of September 30, 2025. The combined organization is operating as a single bank holding company under the name Pinnacle Financial Partners, marking the close of a transaction the companies first announced on July 24, 2025.

Ooma Completes Acquisition of Phone.com For About $23.2 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Ooma, which provides a smart communications platform for businesses and consumers, said it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Phone.com, a cloud-based business communications provider focused on small and mid-sized organizations. The deal closed for approximately $23.2 million in cash, subject to customary working capital adjustments.

Lee Enterprises Announces $50 Million Strategic Equity Investment, Board Transition, And CEO Retirement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Lee Enterprises announced it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement for a $50 million strategic equity investment in its common stock, a transaction the company framed as a board-directed effort to strengthen its balance sheet, improve its capital structure, and reset leadership and governance as it moves into what it called its next phase.

NeoGenomics Adds Diagnostics Executive Jack Kenny To Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

NeoGenomics has appointed diagnostics and laboratory services veteran John P. “Jack” Kenny to its Board of Directors, adding a senior commercial and operating leader as the company positions itself for what it describes as emerging opportunities in next-generation cancer testing. Kenny fills a seat vacated by Alison Hannah, MD, who is rotating off the board after more than a decade of service.

SoftBank Completes Additional $22.5 Billion Investment In OpenAI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

SoftBank Group announced it has completed an additional $22.5 billion investment in OpenAI, marking the second closing of its previously announced commitment to invest up to $40 billion and bringing the company’s total SoftBank-backed investment in the AI company to $30 billion. The second closing happened on December 26, 2025.

Berkshire Hathaway Completes $9.7 Billion Acquisition Of OxyChem From Occidental

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2026

Berkshire Hathaway announced it has completed its acquisition of OxyChem from Occidental for $9.7 billion, subject to customary post-closing purchase price adjustments, bringing a large-scale U.S.-based chemical producer into Berkshire’s group of operating businesses.

Leon Capital Group Launches Transaction Advisory Services Practice And Names Kevin Muskat to Lead

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 2, 2026

Leon Capital Group, a diversified holding company for a privately owned group of entities, has launched a new Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) practice and appointed industry veteran Kevin Muskat to lead the effort from Dallas.

Cleary Gottlieb Names Sebastian Alsheimer To Lead Shareholder Engagement And Activism Defense Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 2, 2026

Cleary Gottlieb announced Sebastian Alsheimer will join the firm as a partner and head of its Shareholder Engagement and Activism Defense practice, based in New York, as the firm continues to expand its public company platform.

Hyatt Completes $2 Billion Sale Of Playa-Owned Resort Real Estate To Tortuga

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 2, 2026

Hyatt Hotels announced it has closed the sale of the owned real estate portfolio it previously acquired from Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. to Tortuga Resorts for approximately $2.0 billion, completing what the company described as a fully asset-light transaction for the Playa portfolio.

Moto Finance Raises $1.8 Million Pre-Seed To Develop Blockchain-Powered Savings Account And Visa Infinite Credit Card

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 2, 2026

Moto Finance, a New York-based fintech startup, has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding from Cyber Fund and Eterna Capital to develop a blockchain-powered platform that combines a high-interest savings account with a premium credit card offering.

Credicorp’s BCP To Acquire Helm Bank USA For $180 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 2, 2026

Credicorp announced its Peruvian banking subsidiary, Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP), has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Helm Bank USA for $180 million, subject to customary price adjustments at closing. The transaction is intended to expand Credicorp’s cross-border banking capabilities for clients with financial needs spanning Latin America and the United States.

OceanFirst To Acquire Flushing Financial In $579 Million All-Stock Merger

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 2, 2026

OceanFirst Financial and Flushing Financial Corporation have agreed to combine in an all-stock merger that would create a regional bank with approximately $23 billion in assets across New Jersey, Long Island, and the New York City metro area, while also bringing in a $225 million strategic equity investment from Warburg Pincus.