Archives

Momentick is an emissions intelligence company that has developed advanced algorithms, which unlock the power of multi-satellite imagery to detect, quantify, and monitor methane and other greenhouse gas emissions across the planet. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Momentick CEO and co-founder Daniel Kashmir to learn more about the company.

DeepKeep is a company that developed AI security, which promotes unbiased, error-free, and secure solutions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed DeepKeep CEO and founder Rony Ohayon to learn more about the company.

Prismatic is a versatile embedded iPaaS that helps B2B SaaS teams launch powerful product integrations up to 8x faster. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Prismatic CEO Michael Zuercher to learn more about the company. 

Secureframe is an automated compliance platform built by experts in the field. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Secureframe founder and CEO Shrav Mehta to learn more about the company.

J2 Ventures, a deep tech venture capital fund focused on new technologies that are critical for the private sector and national security interests of the U.S. and its allies, announced it has raised $150 million for its new Argonne Fund. This oversubscribed fund, majority veteran-owned and led, is more than double its last fund size with support from some of the largest financial institutions in the world, including JP Morgan, MetLife, and the New Mexico State Investment Council.

Foray Bioscience, a company sowing the seeds for plantless plant products, announced it has raised $3 million in seed funding led by ReGen Ventures. And additional investors include The Engine Ventures, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments, Understorey Ventures, Superorganism, and others.

Formic, a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) automation company, announced it has raised another $27.4 million in Series A financing led by Blackhorn Ventures with participation from Mitsubishi HC Capital America, NEC and Translink Orchestrating Future Fund, Alumni Ventures, FJ Labs, Lux Capital, Initialized Capital and Lorimer Ventures. This new funding round brings the total Series A round to more than $52 million since January 2022.

LiveEO – a company that uses high-resolution satellite data and AI to transform raw satellite data into automated actionable insights to help companies manage their climate risks and resilience – announced it has raised €25 million in a Series B funding round led by NordicNinja and DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF). This funding round will accelerate the development of LiveEO's solutions, while expanding its team and capabilities.

Knowledge management solutions provider Upword announced the launch of its AI-powered research companion tool and the completion of a $3 million pre-seed funding round.

COMPREDICT, an AI-based company for software-defined vehicles, announced a $15 million Series B funding round led by Woven Capital (Toyota's growth fund), with continued support from existing investor Shift4Good.

Allora Labs (previously known as Upshot), the contributors to the Allora Network, recently closed a strategic funding round, bringing the total company funding to $35 million. Allora Labs’ investors include Polychain, Framework Ventures, CoinFund, Blockchain Capital, Archetype, Slow Ventures, Mechanism Capital, Delphi Digital, and others.

Columna Capital announced it has successfully closed Columna Capital Fund III. This marks the third and largest fund capital raise since Columna Capital’s maiden fund launched in 2016.

D2 Solutions (a company whose software solutions and consulting expertise help healthcare providers provide better experiences across the prescription journey) announced it acquired a seven-figure growth funding package from Decathlon Capital Partners to support its growth initiatives. The details of the revenue-based financing were not disclosed.

Naomi Watts (actress and women’s health advocate) and L Catterton (a leading consumer-focused investment firm) announced a partnership in the acquisition of Stripes Beauty. Launched in 2022, Stripes Beauty was founded by actress Naomi Watts with the goal of normalizing conversations about menopause and other symptoms associated with natural hormonal changes.

Deskpro announced the closing of a $25 million Series A funding round led by Elsewhere Partners to meet the demand for its comprehensive suite of proven help desk solutions. And Deskpro will use the growth funding to strengthen its customer experience team, expand its AI-powered help desk solutions and penetrate more key markets, with a focus on expansion in the US. Deskpro also announced the appointment of software industry leader Brad Murdoch as CEO and established a new global headquarters in Austin, Texas.

opus1.io, an end-to-end practice management platform for lesson and class-based performing arts businesses, announced a strategic investment from Five Elms Capital, a leading software investment firm. This funding will support further investment in opus1.io's platform, which helps performing arts professionals operate and grow their businesses more efficiently.

Dentons announced it has welcomed Kate Stevens as a partner in the Corporate group in Calgary. Stevens has over a decade of experience in providing legal services to public issuers and private companies in various transactions, including equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions and corporate reorganizations. Her experience also extends to corporate governance, regulatory compliance, continuous disclosure, and other corporate matters.

k-ID, a cross-platform and instant sign-on solution for kids and teens built as an all-in-one answer for solving the complex issue of privacy and online safety worldwide, announced a $45 million Series A funding round. This latest of three funding rounds in less than nine months comes due to unprecedented traction from major publishers.

Rackhouse Venture Capital (Rackhouse Ventures), a San Francisco-based early-stage AI-focused venture capital firm, announced the final closing of Rackhouse Ventures Fund II, with $45 million in closed capital and commitments. Fund II will facilitate the firm’s commitment to partnering with companies and founders that have achieved product-market fit in overlooked niches and features a clear and obsessive customer focus.

Create Music Group, a fast-growing music and entertainment company, announced a $165 million investment led by private equity investment firm Flexpoint Ford.

Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in North America, and early-stage climatetech investment fund Prithvi Ventures announced a first-of-its-kind partnership in the spirit of accelerating climate impact and filling a capital gap among climate startup support organizations.

Rick Sanchez, West Coast regional director for Raymond James & Associates (RJA), announced that the firm has brought in a team of seven financial advisors to the firm in Las Vegas. This team includes financial advisors Nick Takahashi, CRPC, James Zapotocky, Joshua Yocam, Luka Vasiljevic, Michael Ortega, Stephen Ellingsen and Sean Tsaconas, and senior client service associate Yalda Momeni.

Function is a first-of-its-kind platform transforming how people manage their lifelong health starting with providing the deepest possible understanding of their body and what they should do to improve their health. Function also revealed the closing of its Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Bio + Health with support from the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund, bringing its total funds to $53 million. And additional investors include Wisdom.vc, Draft Ventures, K5, G9 Ventures, 53 Stations, Matt Damon (Actor), Ari Emanuel (CEO of Endeavor), Kevin Hart (Comedian and actor), Joel Embiid's (NBA's 2023 MVP) Embiid Ventures, Jay Shetty (award-winning podcast host), Blake Griffin (former NBA), Zac Efron (Actor), Jimmy Rollins (former MLB), Colin Kaepernick (former NFL), Dr. Casey Means, Pedro Pascal (Actor), Ara Katz (Co-founder of Seed), Harvey Spevak (Equinox's Chairman), Harpreet Singh Rai (Former CEO of Oura), Jeff Dean, and others.

Exsilio Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing genomic medicines for a broad range of diseases, announced its emergence from stealth with $82 million in Series A financing. This funding round was co-led by Novartis Venture Fund and Delos Capital, with participation from OrbiMed, Insight Partners, J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital, CRISPR Therapeutics, Innovation Endeavors, Invus, Arc Ventures, and Deep Insight. Exsilio was seed funded by OrbiMed.

Sift, the first unified observability platform for hardware sensor data, announced it had raised $17.5 million in Series A funding led by GV (Google Ventures). This funding round brings Sift's total funding to $25 million.

Next-generation sales tax solution CereTax announced a $9 million financing led by S3 Ventures, with participation from Wild Basin Investments and Leaders Fund.

Endogenex, a clinical-stage medical device company dedicated to improving outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes, announced it closed an oversubscribed Series C financing totaling $88 million.

Elsewhere Partners announced the closing of Elsewhere Partners III, L.P. (EP Fund III), with $285 million in additional capital focused on majority investments in growth-ready B2B software companies.

Stonebriar Commercial Finance announced the closing of a seven-year CAD$130 million term loan for a leading provider of specialty industrial and environmental services to oil and gas, chemical, and manufacturing end markets. This loan, part of a leveraged buyout, is secured by all fixed assets of the company. This is the second deal closed with the company’s sponsor in the last 12 months, totaling CAD$186 million.Stonebriar Commercial Finance announced the closing of a seven-year CAD$130 million term loan for a leading provider of specialty industrial and environmental services to oil and gas, chemical, and manufacturing end markets. This loan, part of a leveraged buyout, is secured by all fixed assets of the company. This is the second deal closed with the company’s sponsor in the last 12 months, totaling CAD$186 million.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a $50 million commitment to help mobilize $1 billion for the BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group’s (TIG) Latin American reforestation strategy. This announcement was made in Oslo, Norway, on the margins of the Tropical Forest Forum, at a signing ceremony attended by White House Senior Advisor John Podesta, DFC Chief Climate Officer Jake Levine, and TIG Chief Sustainability Officer Mark Wishnie.