Archives

Scout AI Raises $100 Million Series A To Develop Foundation Model For Unmanned Warfare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Scout AI, a Sunnyvale-based defense AI company, has raised an oversubscribed $100 million Series A round, co-led by Align Ventures and Draper Associates, to accelerate development of Fury, its foundation model for unmanned warfare. The company describes the raise as the largest defense-tech Series A in U.S. history. Additional participants include Decisive Point, Booz Allen Ventures, BVVC, Neman Ventures, Evolution VC Partners, Heraclitus Capital Management, Sigmas Group, Disruptive Founders Fund, and Vaughn Capital Partners.

Keystone Acquires Titan Risk Solutions To Anchor National Transportation Insurance Vertical

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Keystone, a Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based insurance broker, has acquired Titan Risk Solutions, a premier trucking insurance broker headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Titan will serve as the anchor of Keystone's newly established Trucking Vertical, expanding the platform's capacity, market access, and technical expertise for transportation risks. Titan will rebrand as Keystone Trucking Solutions later this year.

Blackstone Infrastructure To Invest Up To €2 Billion In European Renewables Developer Eurowind Energy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Blackstone Infrastructure has entered into a definitive agreement to invest up to €2 billion in Eurowind Energy, a pan-European renewables developer and independent power producer headquartered in Hobro, Denmark. The investment will accelerate Eurowind's development activities as European power demand enters an inflection point driven by electrification, AI, re-industrialization, and energy security needs, with annual demand growth expected to exceed 3% through 2040. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to customary conditions.

Dentons Promotes Gertrude Tamade To Litigation Partner In Papua New Guinea

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Dentons has promoted Gertrude Tamade to Litigation Partner in its Papua New Guinea office, strengthening the firm's disputes capability across Australasia. Tamade brings more than twenty years of experience advising on complex commercial and civil matters across the region.

MoonPay Acquires Sodot And Launches MoonPay Institutional To Serve Financial Institutions In Digital Assets

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

MoonPay, a global crypto payments network founded in 2019, has acquired Sodot, a crypto key management infrastructure company, and used the acquisition as the foundation for MoonPay Institutional, a new business serving financial institutions, asset managers, trading firms, and exchanges entering digital asset markets. Caroline D. Pham, former acting Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will lead MoonPay Institutional as CEO of Moon Global Markets. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Aligned Fitness Expands Into Ohio With Acquisition Of Six Club Pilates Studios

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Aligned Fitness Holdings, a leading Club Pilates franchisee, has acquired CAM Pilates, a Columbus, Ohio-based franchisee operating six top-performing studios, bringing Aligned Fitness' total footprint to 55 studios. The transaction marks the company's first expansion beyond its established base in the Southeastern United States, where it operates locations across North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Arlington Capital Partners Acquires ENERCON And Merges With POND To Create Power Engineering Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Arlington Capital Partners, a Washington D.C.-area private investment firm, has acquired ENERCON, a specialized nuclear and power engineering firm, from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, and simultaneously merged it with its existing portfolio company Pond & Company. The combined company will operate under the ENERCON name, headquartered in the Atlanta area, with more than 2,700 professionals and leadership retained from both organizations. Arlington describes the transaction as its largest ever platform build, with additional add-on acquisitions planned.

Malar Group Closes Attaboy Labs Friends And Family Round As Strategic Partner For Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Malar Group, an investment firm founded and led by Sayan Navaratnam, has closed the Friends and Family round of Attaboy Labs, the wellness brand behind clinically-dosed daily supplement Every Damn Day. The investment combines capital with a long-term strategic partnership focused on scaling Attaboy into a global consumer brand, with Canadian market entry as the immediate next step followed by broader international expansion.

TotalEnergies Finalizes Acquisition Of 50% Of EPH’s European Flexible Power Generation Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

TotalEnergies has completed its acquisition of a 50% stake in EPH's flexible power generation platform in Western Europe, creating TTEP, the second-largest flexible generation player in Europe. The transaction, originally agreed on November 16, 2025, became effective April 29, 2026, and has been approved by all relevant regulatory authorities and the boards of both companies. TTEP is headquartered in Amsterdam.

OpenGate Capital Acquires Total Safety’s Europe And Middle East Division In Carve-Out Transaction

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

OpenGate Capital, a global private equity firm headquartered in New York and Paris, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the European and Middle Eastern division of Total Safety, a portfolio company of Littlejohn & Co. The carve-out separates Total Safety EMEA into a standalone platform focused on mission-critical safety and compliance solutions for petrochemical and oil and gas customers across the region. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Quinbrook Closes £156 Million Financing And Completes UK’s Largest Synchronous Condenser Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Quinbrook, a specialist energy transition infrastructure investment manager, has closed a £156 million debt financing package for its Severn synchronous condenser portfolio and achieved commercial operations at its Neilston project in West Central Scotland, completing its four-asset Scottish portfolio. The two milestones advance Quinbrook's position as the largest private owner of synchronous condensers in the United Kingdom.

Illumia Invests In Chennai Global Capability Center To Drive Technology And Product Innovation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Illumia, formerly known as Transact + CBORD and a business unit of Roper Technologies, has formally inaugurated a new office for its Chennai Global Capability Center at the International Tech Park in Chennai, India. The opening reinforces the company's investment in India as a strategic hub for its global technology and product organization, building on nearly fourteen years of presence in the city.

Firestorm Labs Raises $82 Million Series B To Scale Expeditionary Defense Manufacturing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Firestorm Labs, a San Diego-based defense technology company, has raised $82 million in Series B funding, bringing total capital raised to $153 million. The round was led by Washington Harbour Partners with participation from NEA, Ondas, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, Geodesic, Motley Fool Ventures, and others.

Roadzen’s DrivebuddyAI Wins $2.5 Million Contract To Deploy AI Safety Platform Across 3,000-Truck Fleet

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Roadzen's drivebuddyAI driver safety platform has been awarded a contract to deploy its six-camera advanced driver assistance system across a fleet of 3,000 heavy-duty trucks operated by one of India's fastest-growing fleet operators, with expansion potential to 10,000 vehicles over five years.

SLAM Exploration Hires John Dinan As Exploration Manager To Advance Gold And Critical Minerals Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

SLAM Exploration, a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, has hired John Dinan, P.Geo., as Exploration Manager to strengthen its exploration team in New Brunswick. Dinan will support the company's search for copper, nickel, cobalt, antimony, and gold across its 56,000-hectare portfolio of mineral claims in the province.

CC Capital And OneIM Complete A$3.9 Billion Acquisition Of Insignia Financial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

CC Capital, a New York-based private investment firm, and One Investment Management, a global alternative investment manager, have completed the acquisition of Insignia Financial, Australia's leading diversified wealth management group. The companies acquired 100% of Insignia for A$4.80 per share in cash via a scheme of arrangement, representing an enterprise value of approximately A$3.9 billion, or US$2.5 billion. Insignia will be formally de-listed from the Australian Securities Exchange as of April 29, 2026.

Cognizant To Acquire Astreya To Deepen AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Cognizant, a Teaneck, New Jersey-based AI and technology services company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Astreya, a San Jose-based AI-first IT managed services and solutions provider. The transaction is expected to expand Cognizant's AI infrastructure capabilities and production-grade AI operations platform as enterprises accelerate spending on data center infrastructure. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.

CoreGo: Majority Growth Investment From Bregal Milestone To Expand European Event Payment Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Bregal Milestone, a European software growth private equity firm, has made a majority strategic growth investment in CoreGo, a Helsinki-founded provider of open-loop payments and integrated technology solutions for festivals, sports events, and venues across Europe. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Babcock & Wilcox Secures $21 Million In Fuel Switching Technology Awards Amid Rising Baseload Demand

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Babcock & Wilcox, an Akron, Ohio-based energy and environmental products and services company, has secured more than 21 million dollars in awards for fuel switching technologies across the United States, reflecting increased utilization of coal and natural gas power plants. The awards, which include engineering and material supply, come alongside continued strong performance in the company's parts and services business driven by elevated baseload generation demand.

Hightouch: $150 Million Series D At $2.75 Billion Valuation Raised To Power Agentic Marketing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Hightouch, a San Francisco-based data and AI marketing platform, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Bain Capital Ventures, valuing the company at 2.75 billion dollars. Additional participants include Iconiq Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Amplify Partners, Y Combinator, and TD7, the venture capital arm of The Trade Desk. The company has grown more than 100% in each of the past two years.

QDNL Participations Rebrands As Ground State Ventures And Announces $88 Million Fund Near Final Close

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Ground State Ventures, formerly known as QDNL Participations, has rebranded and announced that its early-stage quantum technology fund has reached $88 million in commitments, surpassing its original target of $70 million as it approaches final close. The new name and identity reflect the firm's expansion well beyond its original focus on Netherlands-based quantum startups to a broader international investment platform spanning the United States, Europe, and beyond.

Illuminate Financial Closes $135 Million Early Growth Fund Backed By Eight Major Financial Institutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Illuminate Financial, a London-based specialist venture capital firm focused on technology for financial services, has closed its fourth fund at $135 million. The Early Growth Fund was raised from eight of the world's leading financial institutions, including BNP Paribas, Citi, Deutsche Börse, HSBC, Jefferies, RBC, S&P Global, and TD Securities. The fund targets Series B and later Enterprise AI and fintech companies at the inflection point between proven technology and institutional scale.

Dawson Partners Opens Hong Kong Office And Appoints APAC Head To Expand Global Capital Raising Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Dawson Partners, a Toronto-based global alternative asset manager focused on structured solutions for private markets, has opened its first Asia office in Hong Kong and appointed Rachel Guan as Senior Principal and Head of Asia Institutional. The expansion marks the firm's entry into the Asia-Pacific region as it builds out its global capital-raising platform, following its existing offices in Toronto, New York, and London.

Happy V: Interview With Founder & CEO Daniella Levy About The Women’s Wellness Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Happy V is a women’s wellness company that develops science-backed, transparently formulated supplements and probiotics designed to balance vaginal pH, support gut health, and manage common health issues like UTIs and hormonal imbalances. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Happy V founder and CEO Daniella Levy to learn more.

Aliya: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO S. P. “Wije” Wijegoonaratna About The Operational Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Aliya is a company that builds AI-powered operational intelligence software and infrastructure for banks. Their aliyaOS™ platform enables financial institutions to modernize lending workflows, optimize risk management, and increase revenue through autonomous, data-driven decisioning. Their technology helps banks move from manual processes to real-time, governed, and scalable lending operations. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Aliya co-founder and CEO Wije S. P. "Wije" Wijegoonaratna to learn more.

Fooda: Interview With Founder & CEO Orazio Buzza About The Leading Workplace Food Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Fooda is a workplace food platform that partners with both national and local restaurants to bring diverse, daily meal options to corporate offices, hospitals, government buildings and schools. Fooda has built its own proprietary technology experience – Fooda OS – that is supported by AI and enables data-driven scheduling, demand forecasting, and concept rotating. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Fooda founder and CEO Orazio Buzza to learn more.

Parallel Web Systems: $100 Million Series B At $2 Billion Valuation Raised To Scale AI Agent Web Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 29, 2026

Parallel Web Systems, a Palo Alto-based web infrastructure company powering how AI agents access the open web, has raised a 100 million dollar Series B round at a 2 billion dollar valuation, led by Sequoia Capital. The round more than doubles Parallel's Series A valuation from five months ago and brings total capital raised to 230 million dollars. Existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Spark Capital, Terrain Capital, and Abstract Ventures all increased their participation. Andrew Reed, Partner at Sequoia Capital, will join Parallel's board of directors.

Sage Acquires Doyen AI To Accelerate Customer Migrations And AI-Powered Implementations For SMBs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Sage, a London-listed leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses, has acquired Doyen AI, an AI-powered implementation company founded in 2024. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition strengthens Sage's ability to help customers migrate from legacy systems to modern Sage solutions faster and more accurately.

DoubleU Games Proposes $184 Million Buyout Of Remaining DoubleDown Interactive Shares

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

DoubleU Games, a Seoul-based mobile social casino game developer listed on the Korea Exchange, has submitted a formal proposal to the board of DoubleDown Interactive to acquire all outstanding American Depositary Shares of DDI not currently held by DoubleU Games at $11.25 per ADS in an all-cash transaction, representing an aggregate value of approximately $184 million. The offer price equals DDI's 52-week high on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and represents a premium of approximately 22.4% over DDI's closing price on April 27, 2026.

Protective Life Acquires Obsidian Insurance Holdings From Genstar Capital To Enter Specialty Property And Casualty Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Apr 28, 2026

Protective Life Corporation, a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Daiichi Life Group, has entered into an agreement to acquire Obsidian Insurance Holdings from Genstar Capital, establishing a new specialty property and casualty business line for Protective. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, pending regulatory approvals.