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BioIntelligence Technologies announced it has developed an AI-powered solution to eliminate losses in products and to reduce the consumption of water and energy and the emission of carbon dioxide in industrial bioprocesses using fermentation; announced the recent closing of $5 million in funding led by Amplify Capital and joined by Investissement Québec, Real Ventures, Anges Québec and AQC Capital, and by Innospark Ventures.

PCF Insurance Services, a top 20 U.S. insurance brokerage, announced it had closed $400 million in incremental debt financing led by Blue Owl. This global alternative asset manager acted as lead arranger and administrative agent.

Raymond James’ Southeast division director for Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS) Todd Gartrell announced financial advisor Sloane Fox has joined Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS) – which is the firm’s independent advisor channel.

The Huntington National Bank announced the appointment of Melissa Holding as Director of Wealth Management. Holding will oversee the Wealth Management business, including private banking, wealth management, and legacy planning via investment and portfolio management, fiduciary administration and trust services, institutional custody services, and full-service retail brokerage investments. And Holding will focus on growing Huntington's wealth segment momentum and report to Consumer & Regional Banking President Brant Standridge.

Palistar Capital LP, an alternative asset manager focused on mission-critical communications and digital infrastructure, announced the appointment of Brittenay Banh as Principal, Head of Investor Relations & Capital Formation.

Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital announced it welcomed Amy Wesley as Global Head of Investor Relations. Wesley will oversee capital formation, product development and investor communication. And as a leader with deep experience in Investor Relations disciplines for over half of her career, she has a demonstrated track record of success in fundraising in diverse situations.

Blackstone announced the appointment of Dan Leiter as Head of International for Blackstone Credit & Insurance (BXCI). In this role, reporting to Gilles Dellaert (Global Head of BXCI), Leiter will lead the activity and expansion of BXCI in EMEA and APAC. And Michael Carruthers is appointed as European Head of Private Credit, reporting to Leiter.

Granite Creek Capital Partners (in partnership with Boathouse Capital) announced an investment in The District Communications Group (DCG), a full-service communications firm that provides comprehensive market research and strategic communications services, primarily to federal government clients.

LPL Financial announced that financial advisor Justin Souma, CFP, AAMS, returned to LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. He reported serving about $190 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets and joins LPL from Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.

Shinkei – a company pioneering a commercial fish processing technology - announced $6 million in new seed funding to launch its modern system that merges machine learning, robotics, and centuries-old fish harvesting techniques. This funding round was led by Cantos, with additional participation by 8VC, Impatient Ventures, Susa/Humba Ventures, Carya Venture Partners, Ravelin Capital, Red & Blue Ventures, Undeterred Capital, and others joining existing investors.

Focus Financial Partners, a leading partnership of fiduciary wealth management and related financial services firms, announced that Michael Nathanson (President of Focus) has been appointed the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Dan Glaser, Chairman of Focus’ Board of Directors and Operating Partner at Focus’ majority investment partner, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) - who had been serving as Interim CEO - has been named Executive Chairman.

Heartwood Partners, a middle-market private equity firm founded in 1982, announced the promotions of Demetrios Dounis, James Sidwa, and Edwin (Ed) Tan to Managing Partners. They will continue to serve on Heartwood's Management Committee alongside Rob Tucker and Mark Allsteadt.

Deloitte announced it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Gryphon Scientific, a leader in biosafety, biosecurity, and all-hazards preparedness and response, with experience in using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance security and safety.

British law firm Clifford Chance has announced it has promoted 29 lawyers to partnership. These new partners highlight the strength and diversity of top talent available to clients across international markets, products, and sectors aligned with the firm's global growth strategy.

Global law firm Goodwin announced that Ian Keefe and George Weavil will join the firm’s Private Equity practice as partners for the London office. Keefe focuses on pan-European and international private equity and M&A transactions. And his clients include corporations, institutional investors, alternative asset managers, founders, senior management teams, and portfolio companies.

LPL Financial announced that financial advisors Chris Mukoda, Brad Travis, Jr., CFP, and David Crouse joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA, and custodial platforms by aligning with Momentum Wealth Partners, an existing firm supporting LPL-affiliated advisors. They reported serving about $415 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets and joined LPL from PNC Investments.

4P-Pharma, a Lille-based clinical-stage startup studio focused on developing curative therapies for untreated serious diseases, announced that it has successfully secured €15 million in its second closing with participation from private investors.

Global investment bank Houlihan Lokey announced that Ryan Lund has joined the firm’s global Technology Group as a Managing Director. Lund is based in Miami and has been appointed Co-Head of U.S. Technology alongside John Lambros and Jason Hill and Global Co-Head of Software with Sascha Pfeiffer. 

Shoreline Equity Partners, a lower-middle market private equity firm, has partnered with Prime Meats. Based in Duluth, Georgia, Prime Meats is a leading value-added protein processor and distributor offering beef, poultry, pork, dairy, seafood, and specialty products to independent restaurants, grocery stores, and butcher shops. The company focuses on Hispanic and traditional markets across 15 states.

Swap, an e-commerce operating system that manages all operations for direct-to-consumer brands, announced a $9 million Series A led by QED Investors, with participation from Cherry Ventures, 9900 Capital, 2100 Ventures, and Ed Hallen (Co-Founder of Klaviyo).

Piva Capital is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm investing in disruptive energy and industrial companies across North America and Europe. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Piva Capital investors Claire Yun and Jillian Noel to learn more about the firm.

NextEnergy Capital (NEC), a leading global renewables manager specializing in the solar+ infrastructure sector, announced the conclusion of its second close of $265 million for its fifth strategy, NextPower V ESG (NPV ESG). NPV ESG is an OECD-focused solar and battery storage strategy targeting $1.5 billion with a $2 billion hard cap that has secured $745 million in total commitments so far.

Deduce is a company that mitigates SuperSynthetic identities, which are AI-generated identities that can pass automated fraud controls, manual reviews, and other identity verification. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Deduce Vice President of Marketing Andy Sheldon to learn more about the company.

Amplifier Security announced it emerged from stealth to bridge the divide between the workforce and security with AI copilot and human-in-the-loop automation. The company also raised $3.3 million to address the last-mile security challenge with a self-healing approach that transforms how employees interact with corporate security tools. Cota Capital led this pre-seed funding round with participation from WestWave Capital and Shift Left Ventures. It also included angel investments from renowned entrepreneurs and executives.

Littlejohn Capital, a lower middle market investor and the family office of Angus C. Littlejohn Jr., announced the promotion of Carl R. Schlotman IV to Principal. Schlotman joined Littlejohn Capital in 2018 as a Senior Associate and was named Vice President in 2021.

Nagomi Security (formerly known as Vena Security), a leader in proactive security and threat exposure management, emerged from stealth with $30 million in funding to fundamentally redefine how security teams optimize effectiveness and drive efficiency from their existing security tools. The company operated in stealth mode with a seed funding round from Team8 and the recent round was led by TCV, with participation from CrowdStrike Falcon Fund and Okta Ventures. Nagomi is also backed by leading angel investors, including Shlomo Kramer (founder of Check Point, Imperva, and Cato Networks), Nir Polak (founder of Exabeam), Guy Podjarny (founder of Snyk), and Galina Antova (founder of Claroty). This funding round will accelerate go-to-market and R&D efforts to meet the increasing global demand for proactive security and threat exposure management.

FinQuery (formerly LeaseQuery), a provider of AI-powered solutions built to efficiently manage companies’ largest areas of spending, announced a $25 million minority investment led by Periphas Capital and supported by Lavelle Capital. This funding will accelerate product innovation and support strategic M&A.

Godspeed Capital Management LP, a lower middle-market Defense and government services, solutions, and technology-focused private equity firm, announced the acquisition of Willbrook Solutions by SAS, its recently launched space engineering, defense, and communications technology solutions platform. The deal marks the first addition to the growing SAS platform, expanding its capabilities in the missile defense industry.

Edmunds GovTech (EGT), a leading provider of ERP software solutions to local government, announced a significant growth investment from TA Associates (a leading global private equity firm). LLR Partners, which originally partnered with EGT in 2018, will continue to invest in the company.