Archives

Culmination Bio: Interview With CEO Lincoln Nadauld About The Precision Medicine Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Culmination Bio is a company changing the world by discovering better health. It provides unparalleled value to healthcare organizations by unlocking biological data and enriching it with clinical, claims, and genomic data. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Culmination Bio CEO Lincoln Nadauld to learn more about the company.

The Celestia Foundation Raises $100 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

The Celestia Foundation announced it has raised $100 million in support led by Bain Capital Crypto, with participation from Syncracy Capital, 1kx, Robot Ventures, Placeholder, etc. And this brings the project’s total amount raised to $155 million.

Equitable Brings In $500+ Million Traverse City-Based Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Equitable, a leading financial services organization and principal franchise of Equitable Holdings announced that Mark and Jeff Spencer, a father-son team, Jerome Hartl, CMT, and Kirt Kilbourne have joined its wealth management business, Equitable Advisors. This group of experienced advisors moved their practices from Wedbush Securities, where they managed more than $500 million in combined client assets. Based out of Traverse City, Michigan, the advisors were drawn to Equitable Advisors for its independence model and technology capabilities that enhance the client experience.

Summit Financial Onboards Teams Representing $470 Million In Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Summit Financial - an investment advisory firm with over 40 years of experience offering market-leading, multi-family office services that empower financial advisors to accelerate growth, announced that advisors from two firms, BFG Wealth and Canon Capital Wealth Management have joined Summit.

AT&T Selling Stake In DIRECTV To TPG For $7.6 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

AT&T announced that it will be selling its 70% stake in DIRECTV to private equity firm to TPG for $7.6 billion. AT&T bought DIRECTV in 2015 and signed a joint venture agreement with TPG a few years ago. TPG paid about $1.8 billion in cash for a 30% stake in DIRECTV when the valuation of the satellite TV company was around $16 billion.

LPL Financial Brings In $400 Million 57th Street Wealth Advisors Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

LPL Financial announced that financial advisors Ken Hutkin and Ron Winkler have joined LPL’s employee advisor channel, Linsco by LPL Financial, to launch 57th Street Wealth Advisors. And they reported serving approximately $400 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets* and join LPL from Wedbush Securities. They will operate the first Linsco office in New York City.

The Retirement Planning Group Brings In $185 Million Parrott Wealth Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Cetera Holdings, the parent company of Cetera Financial Group (the premier financial advisor Wealth Hub), announced that Cetera's employee-based RIA, The Retirement Planning Group (TRPG), has acquired Parrott Wealth Management.

LPL Financial Onboards $150 Million GreenPoint Wealth Management Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

LPL Financial announced that financial advisors Jeff Minucci, CFP, and David Ryzman, CFP, have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. They reported having served approximately $150 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets and joined LPL from Osaic.

Mark Cuban Foundation And Northeastern University Partner To Bring AI Bootcamp To Miami Teens

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

The Mark Cuban Foundation, which is in partnership with Northeastern University, is bringing the only AI camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in Miami. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire, and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.

John Paul DeJoria Acquires Waterloo GIn

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Passionate entrepreneur and philanthropist John Paul DeJoria - a self-made billionaire founder of Patrón Tequila and Paul Mitchell hair care - announced the purchase of Waterloo Gin, the first gin brand distilled in Texas. Developed by Treaty Oak Distilling in Dripping Springs, Texas, near Austin, Waterloo Gin launched in 2009 (named after Austin's original name Waterloo) before the city was rechristened in the 1830s for Texas pioneer Stephen F. Austin.

Aegis Consulting Onboards $600 Million Commonwealth Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Commonwealth Financial Network, a national firm dedicated in providing financial advisors with integrated business solutions has welcomed Jacksonville, Florida-based Aegis Consulting to its network of affiliated advisors in 2023. And 18 months later, Aegis nearly doubled its client assets to nearly $2 billion and has grown its advisor team from 9 to 17, including its newest additions, Mark O’Sickey and Paul Solorzano, CFP.

Clifford Chance: Kolja von Bismarck Named As Partner In Restructuring & Insolvency Law Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Global law firm Clifford Chance is expanding its global Restructuring & Insolvency law practice with the hiring of another leading and highly experienced partner in Germany: Kolja von Bismarck will join the partnership with effect from October 1, 2024. And he is the third prominent new addition to the German practice group led by Managing Partner Stefan Sax this year.

Miller & Chevalier: Brian Gleicher Named As Member In Tax Controversy and Litigation Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Miller & Chevalier Chartered announced Brian Gleicher has joined the firm as a Member in the Tax Controversy and Litigation practice. Gleicher brings decades of experience in guiding multinational corporations through complex tax issues.

Linklaters: Insolvency Expert Mark Fairbairn Joins

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Linklaters announced the hiring of Mark Fairbairn as a Senior Consultant in the Asia Restructuring & Insolvency team. Fairbairn will be primarily based in Hong Kong SAR and brings with him significant experience garnered over three decades.

GolfLync: $3.5 Million Raised To Enhance Golfing Experiences

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

GolfLync, a platform designed to enhance the golfing experience, announced that it has successfully secured $3.5 million in initial funding - which was completed in the second quarter of 2024. This investment marks a major milestone for the company, enabling it to build its app, achieve 150,000 downloads, and lay the groundwork for a robust revenue model set to be implemented over the next 12 months. With this $3.5 million committed, the company is now entering the crowdfunding stage.

Mindpeak: AI-Based Pathological Solutions Secures $15.3 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Mindpeak, a leader in AI-powered pathological solutions, announced it has raised $15.3 million in a Series A funding round. This funding round was led by ZEISS Ventures and InnoVentureFund, with participation from AI.FUND, the European Innovation Council Fund, etc. Even though Mindpeak has a cash-flow-positive core business, this new investment will enable the company to further expand the commercialization of its pioneering technologies across several geographies.

SK pharmteco: Global Contract Development Company Raises $260 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

SK pharmteco, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced a major expansion of its small molecule and peptide production capabilities with a $260 million investment to construct a new state-of-the-art facility in Sejong, South Korea. Scheduled to start operations in late 2026, this new facility will be the fifth plant the company opens in South Korea and will be a cornerstone of SK pharmteco's global manufacturing network.

Sequentia Biotech: Bioinformatics Company Raises €10 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 30, 2024

Sequentia Biotech, a leading bioinformatics company focused on the analysis and application of omics data, announced a €10 million Series A, led by Seventure Partners, a French Venture Capital & Growth investment company with an extensive experience in Life Sciences. The Series A funding round was co-invested by the EIC Fund, the European Commission initiative dedicated to accelerating innovative start-ups across the European Union.

AmpUp: EV Charging Platform Company Raises $15 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

AmpUp, a leading electric vehicle (EV) charging platform company, announced the closing of its Series A round at $15 million. This funding will fuel AmpUp's aggressive U.S. market expansion and drive continued innovation in energy management solutions for the EV charging sector. Touchdown Ventures led the latest funding round and additional new investors included Autotech Ventures (Autotech), MUUS Climate Partners (MUUS), with participation from Holman, Goodyear, Foothill Ventures, WEX Venture Capital, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Powerhouse Ventures, and Connecticut Innovations, and others.

University Of Ottawa And Cisco Partnering To Help Students With Cybersecurity Skills

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Cisco, a leader in networking and security, and the University of Ottawa have announced a partnership to better prepare students for careers in the technology industry. Funded through Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, Cisco will integrate industry-recognized Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification into the university’s Computer and Software Engineering curriculum. The CCNA certification validates a broad range of fundamentals for all IT careers - from networking technologies to security to software development - proving that the holder has the skills businesses want and candidates need to meet market demands.

eToro Buying Spaceship In Deal Valued Up To A$80 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Trading and investing platform company eToro has agreed to acquire the Australian investing app Spaceship in a deal worth up to A$80 million. This deal will strengthen eToro’s footprint in a major market while widening its product offering as the company expands its long-term savings proposition globally.

Diageo Acquires Ritual Zero Proof

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Diageo North America has acquired Ritual Zero Proof Non-Alcoholic Spirits (Ritual). Since its launch in Chicago, Illinois, in 2019, Ritual has grown rapidly and is now the number one non-alc spirit brand in the United States. This transaction aligns with Diageo’s Growth Ambition to deliver the company’s next phase of sustainable growth.

Amazon: 11 Businesses Receive Funding For Addressing Complex Environmental Challenges

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

After winning funding in this year's Amazon Sustainability Accelerator, startups addressing some of the world’s biggest sustainability challenges will trial the technology with Amazon across Europe. Eleven startups have been awarded the opportunity to test their pioneering innovations within Amazon operations with a potential investment of up to £2 million.

Kingswood U.S. Onboards $1 Billion Advisory Firm Eudaimonia And 17 Advisors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Kingswood U.S., part of a network of independent wealth management firms that oversees more than $15 billion in client assets globally, announced the acquisition of Nashville, Tennessee-based Eudaimonia Partners and Eudaimonia Advisors. It also entered a strategic alliance with Eudaimonia Asset Management, a turnkey asset management-based RIA. The three RIAs under the Eudaimonia Group collectively represent more than $1 billion in total client assets.

HarbourVest Partners Names TJ Halbertsma As Managing Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Global private markets investment specialist HarbourVest Partners announced the appointment of Tjalling (TJ) Halbertsma as managing director and Head of EMEA Investor Relations.

C2N Raising Up To $7.025 Million From The ADDF Diagnostics Accelerator

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

C2N Diagnostics, an international leader with its Precivity blood tests to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, aims to create a fully automated, standardized, high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform to enable the local deployment of the precise innovation at the core of its clinical and research biomarkers in clinical labs around the world. C2N has received an investment of up to $7.025 million from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s (ADDF) Diagnostics Accelerator initiative - which is focused on efforts to develop biomarkers and novel diagnostic technologies that aid in the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and clinical trial design.

Heritage Holding: Inaugural Fund Closed With $220 Million In Committed Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Heritage Holding—a Boston-based private equity firm focused on advancing its successful record of partnering with small business owners and founders—announced the successful closing of its first institutionally backed Fund I, which had a total committed capital of $220 million. The funding was completed in four months and was oversubscribed with commitments from leading institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, and existing investors.

Pictet: Over $200 Million Raised For Thematic Private Equity Technology Fund II

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Pictet Alternative Advisors (PAA) announced the final closing of the second vintage of its technology-focused thematic private equity fund at over $200 million.

BlackRock And Santander: Partnership Expanded For Private Asset Financing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

BlackRock and Santander announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which BlackRock's funds and accounts will invest up to $1 billion per year in select project finance, energy finance, and infrastructure debt investment opportunities with Santander through structured transaction formats.

Carson Wealth Expands Presence In Montana Through Partnership With True North Financial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Sep 29, 2024

Carson Wealth has announced the expansion of its Montana presence through a strategic partnership with Billings-based True North Financial (now known as Carson Wealth | True North Financial). This collaboration establishes Carson's second Billings location. This six-person team, led by managing partner and wealth advisor Ty Vogele, and wealth advisors David Guenthner, CEPA and Ryan Wittman, AIF, manages $400+ million in assets.