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Timoneer Strategic Partners (a private equity firm based in Los Angeles and Charlotte) announced it has acquired a majority ownership stake in Solid Restoration. Solid Restoration – which was founded by Brett Soliday in 1996 and headquartered in Escondido, CA - is a leading restoration service provider focused on insurance-based residential and commercial water and fire damage mitigation, restoration and repair, mold remediation, and other related services.

Vimly Benefit Solutions (a leader in the benefits administration space) announced it has secured a strategic majority investment from Rubicon Technology Partners, a private equity firm based in Boulder, Colorado that is focused exclusively on investing in and growing software companies.

Bold (a financial technology company enabling access to electronic payments in Colombia) announced that it had raised $50 million in Series C funding led by existing investor General Atlantic, with participation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. And existing investors InQLab and Amador also participated in the round. With this new funding, Bold plans to bolster its product roadmap and offerings and continue its focus on business expansion while deepening its position as a leading merchant acquirer in Colombia.

Launched by a team of AI and finance experts, Sibli's unique IP, built using cutting-edge generative AI and utilizing large language models (LLMs), enables asset managers to gain an information advantage over their peers, and transforms their investment research processes, and improve performance.

Skylo Technologies – a leading direct-to-device satellite connectivity service provider - announced that it has secured $37 million in funding co-led by Intel Capital and Innovation Endeavors. The company’s new investors include BMW i Ventures, Next47, Samsung Catalyst Fund and Seraphim Space. And David Johnson of Intel Capital joins the board, bringing a wealth of experience and insight to fortify Skylo's leadership team.

Perigon Wealth Management (a rapidly growing independent wealth management firm with offices across the country and approximately $6.9 billion as of January 31, 2024 in client assets) announced the acquisition of Prudeo Partners (a wealth management firm with offices in Reading, Pennsylvania and West Columbia, South Carolina with approximately $425 million in total client assets). The terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Bain Capital Credit, L.P. (a leading global credit specialist) announced that the firm’s Private Credit Group invested about $2 billion to support the growth of middle market and private equity-backed companies last year. Bain Capital Credit’s Private Credit Group invested in 58 businesses across 34 industries last year, supporting the refinancing, leveraged buyout, and add-on acquisition activity of both new and existing portfolio companies. With experience investing in middle-market private debt dating back to 1998, the Private Credit Group has invested over $22 billion across more than 475 portfolio companies since its inception.

Blackstone announced that Blackstone Growth and affiliated funds have made a growth equity investment in 7 Brew Coffee, the next-generation drive-thru beverage business. And Blackstone’s investment seeks to help enable 7 Brew to accelerate its already-rapid expansion across the U.S., in collaboration with its premier franchise partners.

The Open6G Open Testing and Integration Center (OTIC) at the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things (WIoT) at Northeastern University will partner with AT&T and Verizon as a neutral testing facility in the Acceleration of Compatibility and Commercialization for Open RAN Deployments Consortium (ACCoRD) framework. ACCoRD was selected to receive $42.3 million in funding from the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the Public Wireless Innovation Fund.

cPacket Networks announced the successful completion of a $67 million transaction, including a primary and secondary equity investment by funds managed by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and a debt refinancing by Trinity Capital. The involvement of these investors in this difficult market reflects positively on the company’s performance, strategic positioning, and exciting market opportunity.

Perforce Software (a provider of solutions to enterprise teams requiring productivity, visibility, and scale along the development lifecycle backed by Francisco Partners and Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Delphix. The financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Dechert LLP announced the addition of Eliot L. Relles as a partner in its corporate and securities practice group, enhancing the firm’s capabilities in leveraged finance and private credit. Relles will be based in the firm’s New York office.

Värde Partners (a leading global alternative investment firm specializing in credit and credit-related assets) announced that it committed $1.3 billion across its asset-based lending and diversified private credit platform in 2023. And these investments facilitated approximately $9 billion of commercial and consumer loans in North America and Europe.

Motorola Solutions announced it has acquired Silent Sentinel, a provider of specialized, long-range cameras based in Ware, United Kingdom.

Cotiviti (a leading healthcare data and technology business) announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to recapitalize the business with affiliates of its long-standing partner Veritas Capital, a leading investor at the intersection of technology and government, and investment funds managed by KKR, a leading global investment firm.

Tulane University has signed a strategic partnership with Archer Education to bolster online growth enablement. This collaboration will concentrate on advancing Tulane's internal marketing, enrollment, and retention capabilities, aiming to centralize and strengthen its online operations in-house.

Tuckahoe Holdings (a family-run diversified holding company) announced the acquisition of Gateway Dealer Network (GDN), a prominent provider of industrial equipment, from Brightstar Capital Partners (a middle-market private equity firm). And GDN CEO John Hopper and the senior management team are expected to continue to lead the company moving forward. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Sapience Analytics (a global leader helping enterprises optimize capacity management with automated workforce analytics) announced a large new growth investment from Kayne Anderson Growth Capital. The demand for workforce data that is automated, unbiased, and accurate is key for companies to operate efficiently and cost-effectively in a post-pandemic world.

Blue Alliance (a fast-growing, operator-led MSP collective) announced that it had completed a growth recapitalization transaction with Prairie Capital, a proven firm in scaling companies across various industries. And Prairie Capital's investment will enable Blue Alliance to accelerate its growth strategy and offer more MSP owners an alternative to the standard agreement and the opportunity to be part of a strong, supportive community focused on scaling and shared success. Blue Alliance will continue operating independently within the Prairie portfolio.

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.