Archives

Rossby Financial: Marissa Harris Named Chief Compliance Officer As Firm Expands Leadership Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:32 AM

Rossby Financial, a Melbourne, Florida-based tech-forward, open-architecture enterprise registered investment advisor, has appointed Marissa Harris, CERP, as Chief Compliance Officer. Harris brings nearly 20 years of experience leading business line risk and compliance teams across the financial services industry, and her hire comes as the firm says compliance risks in areas including cybersecurity, AI, and privacy are growing in complexity and regulatory scrutiny.

Harbourfront Wealth Group: Richard McIntyre Named Chief Executive Officer To Lead Next Phase Of Enterprise Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:30 AM

Harbourfront Wealth Group, a Toronto-based independent wealth advisory and investment management firm, has appointed Richard McIntyre as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 20, 2026. The appointment reflects the firm's rapid expansion and the need to scale its leadership structure to support continued enterprise growth.

Cetera: Matt Kwartler Appointed Managing Director And Head Of Strategic Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:24 AM

Cetera Financial Group, a San Diego-based independent broker-dealer and wealth management firm, has appointed Matt Kwartler, CFP, as Managing Director and Head of Strategic Growth. Kwartler joins from Fidelity Investments, where he served as head of Wealth Advisor Solutions, Fidelity's coveted RIA client referral program operated through Fidelity Institutional. In that role, he was responsible for a platform that matches Fidelity clients with third-party independent RIAs for specialized wealth management services, and worked directly with some of the largest RIAs in the country on organic growth strategy and strategic partnerships.

Clearstead: Shaun McCracken Named Executive Managing Director Of Mergers And Acquisitions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:19 AM

Clearstead Advisors, a Cleveland-based financial advisory firm overseeing approximately $62 billion for private clients and institutions, has appointed Shaun McCracken as Executive Managing Director, Mergers and Acquisitions, effective immediately. McCracken will report directly to Bradley Knapp, CEO and President, and will oversee Clearstead's M&A strategy and execution while working closely with leadership to identify and pursue growth opportunities aligned with the firm's long-term vision.

Savvy Wealth: AI-Native RIA Launches Savvy Intelligence To Unify Investments, Tax, And Planning

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:18 AM

Savvy Wealth, a New York-based AI-native registered investment advisor built for independent financial advisors, has unveiled Savvy Intelligence, a new agentic AI product within its vertically integrated platform. The launch comes as the firm reports managing nearly $6 billion in client assets, five times what it managed a year ago, and supports nearly 135 advisors.

Raymond James Investment Management: Kristi Higgins Joins As Head Of ETF Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:17 AM

Raymond James Investment Management, a global asset management company with $115 billion in assets and a wholly owned subsidiary of Raymond James, has appointed Kristi Higgins as Head of ETF Strategy.

Jump Expands Leadership Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:15 AM

Jump, a Salt Lake City-based AI operating system for financial advisors and financial services providers, has announced four senior leadership appointments across product, customer experience, and strategic growth as the company scales its platform across advisory firms and financial institutions. The hires follow Jump's $80 million Series B funding round led by Insight Partners in February, which brought total capital raised to $105 million.

Hightower: Acquisition Of $9.5 Billion Firm The Bahnsen Group Signed To Deepen Strategic Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:10 AM

Hightower, a Chicago-based national wealth management firm, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire The Bahnsen Group, one of its flagship franchise practices, which oversees approximately $9.5 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2025. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Raymond James Adds $225 Million Advisor Team In Colorado To Strengthen Independent Channel

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:06 AM

Raymond James Financial Services announced that financial advisors Jeffrey Gore and Madison Gore have joined its independent advisor channel, bringing more than $225 million in client assets.

U.S. Bank: Former NFL Player Steven Israel Hired As Wealth Management Consultant To Serve Professional Athletes

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:02 AM

U.S. Bank has hired former NFL cornerback and veteran financial services professional Steven Israel as a Wealth Management Consultant, where he will serve as an ambassador for the bank's efforts to support professional athletes' banking and wealth management needs. Israel joins from J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he served as an executive director and banker for approximately three years, advising entrepreneurs, college endowments, and sports and entertainment professionals on investments, lending, estate planning, and philanthropy. He will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Blackstone: President Jon Gray Predicts Major IPO Year Driven By AI As Firm Posts 25% Earnings Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:57 AM

Blackstone president Jon Gray expressed confidence in a strong IPO market for 2026, citing artificial intelligence as the primary driver, according to a Yahoo Finance report. Gray, the expected eventual successor to longtime CEO Stephen Schwarzman, made the comments during the firm's first quarter earnings call.

Waterland Private Equity: €4 Billion Raised Across Two New Funds In Four Months

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:52 AM

Waterland Private Equity Investments has announced the closing of two new funds, raising a combined €4 billion in capital in just four months. The firm's ninth institutional flagship fund, Waterland Private Equity Fund IX, closed at its hard cap of €3.5 billion, while the newly launched Waterland Partnership Fund I closed at its hard cap of €500 million. Both funds were oversubscribed, with demand significantly exceeding their respective fundraising targets.

Project Prometheus Reportedly Closes $10 Billion Funding Round At $38 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:51 AM

Project Prometheus, the physical AI laboratory co-led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Google X scientist Vikram Bajaj, has closed a $10 billion funding round valuing the company at roughly $38 billion, according to a Bloomberg report. JPMorgan and BlackRock are among the firms participating in the round, which has no lead investor. The company may announce the full investor list in the coming months.

Cognition: AI Coding Startup In Funding Talks At $25 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:45 AM

Cognition, the San Francisco-based AI coding startup behind autonomous software engineer Devin, is in early talks to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in a new funding round that would value the company at $25 billion, according to a Bloomberg report. The discussions are ongoing and terms could change, but the round would more than double the company's current valuation of $10.2 billion, set just months ago.

Verda: $117 Million Raised To Scale AI Cloud Infrastructure Across Europe, The US, And Asia

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:43 AM

Verda, a Helsinki-based AI cloud infrastructure company formerly known as DataCrunch, has raised $117 million in new funding to accelerate product development and expand internationally. The round comprises equity funding led by Lifeline Ventures with participation from byFounders, Tesi, and Varma, alongside debt financing from a group of Nordic financial institutions. The company plans to hire more than 100 new employees and launch in the UK, the United States, and Asia this year.

Microsoft: A$25 Billion Investment In Australia To Expand AI Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, And Workforce Skills

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:41 AM

Microsoft has announced its largest-ever investment in Australia, committing A$25 billion (approximately USD 18 billion) in digital infrastructure, national cyber defense capability, and workforce skilling programs by the end of 2029. The announcement was made by Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Sydney stop of Microsoft's global AI Tour.

Kurma Partners: €215 Million Biofund IV Closes As Total AUM Reach €1 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:37 AM

Kurma Partners, a Paris-based European healthcare venture capital firm and Eurazeo group company, has announced the final closing of Biofund IV at €215 million, bringing total assets under management across all Kurma Partners franchises to €1 billion. The fund is backed by cornerstone investors CSL, the European Investment Fund, and Bpifrance, alongside other European institutional investors and family offices. Parent company Eurazeo is also an investor in the fund.

Anthropic: Implied Valuation Reaches $1 Trillion On Secondary Markets, Surpassing OpenAI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:33 AM

Anthropic, the AI safety company and maker of the Claude family of AI models, has reached an implied valuation of roughly $1 trillion on Forge Global, a private share marketplace, according to the platform's CEO Kelly Rodriques, putting it ahead of OpenAI, which trades at an implied $880 billion on the same platform.

Cyera Acquires Ryft To Extend Agentic AI Security Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:30 AM

Cyera, a New York-based AI security platform valued at $9 billion, has acquired Ryft, a secure and automated data lake built for AI agents, in its fourth acquisition in five years. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is designed to accelerate Cyera's roadmap for providing instantly traceable, secure data access for agentic AI at scale.

Northern Gritstone: £20 Million Rolling Close Anchored By British Business Bank

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:29 AM

Northern Gritstone, a Leeds-based deeptech and life sciences venture capital firm, has announced a £20 million rolling close of additional ordinary share commitments, bringing its total permanent capital to £382 million. The close was anchored by a £10 million cornerstone investment from the British Business Bank, which increases its total commitment to Northern Gritstone to £40 million. Additional investment came from existing shareholders, including Andrew Law, chief executive of hedge fund Caxton Associates.

Palantir: $300 Million USDA Contract Signed To Modernize Technology Infrastructure And Support American Farmers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:28 AM

Palantir Technologies has signed a $300 million Blanket Purchase Agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the National Farm Security Action Plan and modernize how the agency delivers services to American farmers. The agreement advances two priorities: strengthening farm security as a national security imperative and accelerating program delivery across USDA's Farm Production and Conservation mission areas.

TheStorage: €3.6 Million In Seed Funding Raised To Commercialize Sand-Based Renewable Heat Storage For Industry

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:23 AM

TheStorage, a company developing sand-based thermal energy storage for industrial heat applications, has raised €3.6 million in seed funding to accelerate commercialization and expand its team. The round was led by Voima Ventures, with participation from Superhero Capital, 2C Ventures, and Momentum.

UNIVITY: €27 Million Raised To Build High-Speed Space-Based Internet Infrastructure For Telecom Operators

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:21 AM

UNIVITY, a Paris-based operator of space-based connectivity services, has raised €27 million in a Series A funding round to complete its VLEO 5G demonstration program, develop its product offering for telecom operators, and prepare for industrial and commercial scale-up from 2028. The round was backed by Blast, Expansion, and the Deeptech 2030 fund managed on behalf of the French State by Bpifrance as part of the France 2030 investment plan, alongside two family offices.

Clough Capital: Actively Managed ETF Platform Surpasses $100 Million In Assets Under Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:17 AM

Clough Capital Partners L.P. announced that its actively managed ETF platform has surpassed $100 million in assets under management, reflecting growing investor demand for research-driven, active equity strategies.

908 Devices: Appoints Kola Otitoju As Chief Business & Strategy Officer And Grants Inducement Equity Awards

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:16 AM

908 Devices announced the appointment of Kola Otitoju as Chief Business & Strategy Officer, a newly created executive role aimed at accelerating the company’s next phase of growth. In this position, Otitoju will lead product and corporate strategy, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and partnership initiatives as the company expands across public health, safety, and defense technology markets.

NeoCognition: $40 Million Raised For Specialized AI Agent Platform Advancing Expert Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:14 AM

NeoCognition, a research lab focused on building self-learning AI agents, has emerged from stealth with a $40 million seed funding round to advance specialized intelligence and expert-level automation. The oversubscribed round was co-led by Cambium Capital and Walden Catalyst Ventures, with participation from Vista Equity Partners and several other investors. Notable angel investors and advisors include Lip-Bu Tan, Ion Stoica, and leading AI researchers such as Dawn Song, Ruslan Salakhutdinov, and Luke Zettlemoyer.

OpenAI: $1.5 Billion Reportedly Committed To Private Equity Joint Venture To Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:11 AM

OpenAI is set to commit up to $1.5 billion to a new joint venture with private equity firms designed to accelerate the adoption of its workplace and business-focused AI tools, according to a Reuters report. The venture, known internally as DeployCo and structured as a Delaware-based limited liability company, is expected to be valued at $10 billion in a funding round anticipated to close in early May.

Decade Energy: €22 Million Raised To Scale Depot Power Infrastructure For European Truck Electrification

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:08 AM

Decade Energy, a Paris-based company building power infrastructure at logistics depots, has raised €22 million to scale deployment across France, expand its product offering, and enter new international markets. The round was led by Eiffel Investment Group and SET Ventures, with continued backing from existing investors Ananda Impact Ventures and Contrarian Ventures.

Gold Telegraph: Interview With Founder And Publisher Alex Deluce On The Making Of Judy Shelton Documentary

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:00 AM

Gold Telegraph is one of North America's fastest-growing platforms focused on gold, global macroeconomics, and the evolving monetary system. Deluce recently sat down with Dr. Judy Shelton, a conservative economist, former Trump advisor, and occasional WSJ contributor known for her advocacy to return to the gold standard. To learn more, Pulse 2.0 interviewed Alex Deluce, the founder, publisher, and lead voice behind Gold Telegraph.

Harbinger Sports Partners: $450 Million Raised In Initial Closing Of Fund I Strategy For Professional Sports Ownership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:14 AM

Harbinger Sports Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm focused exclusively on minority stake investments in professional sports franchises, has secured over $450 million in assets under management following the initial closing of its Fund I strategy. The closing was anchored by leading private wealth platforms, alongside family offices and institutional capital investors seeking long-term exposure to professional sports ownership.