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CVC Credit - a $43 billion dedicated credit strategy of CVC - announced that it has successfully priced Apidos XLVII (47), a $507 million (c.€471 million) Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO). And BNP Paribas acted as the lead arranger.

The University of Maryland (UMD) has selected the HPE Aruba Networking ESP (Edge Services Platform) networking solution by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. And the campus-wide deployment includes Wi-Fi 6E wireless access points (APs) and CX wired switches (powered end-to-end by AI insights).

Salesloft (a provider of one of the first AI-powered Revenue Orchestration Platforms) announced the acquisition of Drift, the buyer experience and Conversational AI company. And the combination of Salesloft and Drift enables companies to orchestrate a personalized, omnichannel buyer journey powered by AI, providing an optimal buying experience that drives higher quality pipeline and revenue outcomes.

Slack announced it has started to roll out Slack AI, which is a secure and intuitive AI experience that will put you a step ahead during your workday. And the company is starting with a set of initial generative capabilities.

Artie announced it had closed a seed round of $3.3 million to make database replication real-time, reliable, and cost-effective. Exponent Founders Capital led the funding round with participation from General Catalyst, Y Combinator, and angel investors, including Benn Stancil, Lenny Rachitsky, and Arash Ferdowsi.

Google and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have announced a partnership that would expose sources of climate-warming emissions from oil and gas operations that would be detected from space by a new satellite. The project – which is called MethaneSAT - will launch next month. It is one of several satellites that will be deployed to monitor methane emissions worldwide for pinpointing major sources of potent greenhouse gases.

Last year, Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science established the NextG Initiative to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and increase the flow of innovation across various topics, including cloud and edge networks, intelligent sensing, and network resilience. Recently, the NextG Initiative launched a corporate affiliates program to champion for these technological advancements and encourage cooperation between academia, industry leaders and policymakers. And now Samsung Research America will work closely with Princeton University to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world applications along with fellow corporate affiliates including Ericsson, Intel, MediaTek, Nokia Bell Labs, Qualcomm Technologies and Vodafone.

WIT – a digital activation platform across sports and entertainment - announced that it had closed a round of funding led by McCarthy Capital out of their Emerging Growth strategy. Vaidhy Murti launched WIT in 2021 as a platform for sports teams to create immersive fan experiences to engage with fans digitally.

Parlay – a first-of-its-kind small business loan readiness platform - announced the closing of $1.3 million in pre-seed financing led by Fenway Summer. And other firms investing in the round include Hivers and Strivers Capital, Service Provider Capital, Capacity Capital, and Alumni Ventures, together with a follow-on investment from Techstars.

Refine Intelligence is a company that has developed a novel, AI-based approach for banks to fight money laundering and reduce the growing operational costs of financial crime. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Refine Intelligence CEO and co-founder Uri Rivner to learn more about the company.

Voiijer (pronounced ‘voyager’) is a new social media platform for people to experience, be inspired, and participate in the natural world. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Voiijer chief product officer Michelle Excell to learn more about the company.

Dakota Lithium is a company that creates practical sustainable energy products to help people across the planet with affordable transportation and long-lasting energy storage. And Dakota Lithium batteries use a lithium iron phosphate chemistry which is extremely stable and not prone to thermal runaway. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Dr. Yong Hou, vice president of research and development at Dakota Lithium to learn more about the company. 

As part of a new consortium, the University of Notre Dame researchers will help establish the advanced measurement techniques required to identify the risks associated with current AI systems and to develop new systems that are safer and more trustworthy.

Renesas Electronics (a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions) and Altium Limited (a global leader in electronics design systems) announced they have entered into a Scheme Implementation Agreement (SIA) for Renesas to acquire Altium by way of a Scheme of Arrangement under Australian law.

H1 is a company focused on creating a healthier future worldwide by unlocking and democratizing global access to critical expertise, HCP information, claims data, research and discoveries, and connected insights for all: pharma and life sciences companies, academic medical centers, insurance companies, researchers, doctors, and patients – bringing everyone closer together to advance medicine and clinical outcomes. Pulse 2.0 interviewed H1 CEO and co-founder Ariel Katz to learn more about the company.

Amazec Photonics - a photonics-based medical technology company - announced it has secured a €1.5 million seed round of funding to develop its pioneering minimally invasive diagnosis devices. The funding round was led by PhotonDelta (a cross-border growth accelerator and ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations) with a number of private investors also contributing. The funding round will be used to develop devices for clinical trials.

Innsena - a health tech consultancy focused on improving care outcomes for underserved communities - announced a partnership with CancerX, a public-private partnership by The White House as a national accelerator to boost digital innovation in the fight against cancer as part of the reignited Cancer Moonshot. Innsena joins the initiative as its first Impact Supporter.

Medivant Healthcare is a pioneer in the pharmaceutical industry that provides high-quality products reliably, efficiently, affordably, and at scale for hospitals, healthcare providers, and their patients. Launched in 2015 and based in Phoenix, Arizona, Medivant Healthcare operates two fully automated Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) FDA-registered facilities in Arizona that produce single-dose liquid injectable vials and pre-filled syringes. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Medivant Healthcare CEO Viraj Gandhi to learn more.

Cambridge Mechatronics Limited (CML) – a world leader in the design and control of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators – announced the closing of a funding round totaling over $40 million to enable rapid expansion of its actuator and controller IC product portfolios. 

ProfoundBio - a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics for patients with cancer - announced an oversubscribed $112 million Series B financing supported by a syndicate of top healthcare dedicated and mutual fund institutional investors. The funding round was led by Ally Bridge Group, with substantial contributions from new investors including Nextech Invest, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Janus Henderson Investors, RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Medicxi, Logos Capital, Octagon Capital, Piper Heartland Healthcare Capital and LifeSci Venture Partners, as well as continued support from existing investors Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV) and LYFE Capital. 

CDPQ announced an investment of C$125 million to support the acquisition strategy of Levio, which is a leading consulting firm that leverages its expertise to achieve digital transformations, tailoring new technologies to ever-changing business realities.

Camus Energy – a grid orchestration platform for a 100% electrified future - announced it has surpassed $25 million in Series A funding after closing its $10 million extension. These are the details.

Coretrax has marked the latest phase of its ambitious growth strategy by entering an agreement for Expro to acquire the business in a multi-million-dollar deal. This acquisition will accelerate the availability of Coretrax’s innovative, high-value-adding tools by utilizing Expro’s global operating footprint. The total consideration to be paid at closing is approximately $210 million. 

Meter – a company that builds internet infrastructure for businesses - announced $35 million in funding that will be used to propel growth and development across the company. And Sam Altman and Lachy Groom led the new funding round. The existing investors include industry leaders like Sequoia, Meraki co-founders John Bicket and Sanjit Biswas, and VMware founder Diane Greene. 

Eden (a leader in sustainable natural resource recovery) announced that it has been selected to receive $1.4 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) for two projects titled “Electric-based Mechanical and Thermal Stimulation to Increase Geologic Hydrogen Reaction Rates in the Samail Ophiolite in Oman” and “Engineered Geologic Hydrogen Battery for Long-Term Energy Storage.” 

Five years after its launch, venture capital firm Wingman Ventures has rebranded as Founderful and is announcing it has quickly raised $85 million for its new fund, aiming to reach a final close at $120 million in the coming months. 

PingSafe is a company that has built a unified platform and has advanced components to safeguard your multi-cloud environment. Earlier this month, SentinelOne completed the acquisition of PingSafe. Pulse 2.0 interviewed PingSafe founder and CEO Anand Prakash to learn more.

PatientFi - a company offering medical practices a comprehensive technology suite of payment and subscription solutions to help patients pay for elective procedures - announced the closing of a significant growth equity financing led by new investor Questa Capital (a venture growth equity firm focused on expansion-stage healthcare companies), with participation from the company’s existing investors.  

Seal Security announced it has emerged from stealth with a $7.4 million seed funding round led by Vertex Ventures Israel, with participation from Crew Capital, PayPal Alumni Fund, and Cyber Club London.

HiBob (the company behind Bob, the modern HR platform for midsized multinationals) announced the acquisition of the cloud-based UK payroll automation platform Pento, subject to closing conditions.