Archives

Windmill: $12 Million Raised For AI Platform Building The Context Graph For Workforce Intelligence

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:33 PM

Windmill, an AI company building what it calls the context graph for people, has raised $12 million in a seed round led by Inspired Capital, with participation from Primary Venture Partners, Founder Collective, and Oceans Ventures. The company has grown to more than 100 customers including Kalshi, Rho, and Merge since launching its performance reviews product in November 2025.

Cybord: $7 Million Raised To Accelerate Visual AI Platform For Electronic Component Inspection

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:32 PM

Cybord AI, a Tel Aviv-based provider of Visual AI for electronic component inspection and supply chain resilience, has raised an additional $7 million in an extended Series A round led by Capri Ventures, with participation from new and existing investors. The company also announced the formation of a dedicated U.S. sales management team to deepen engagement with North American and global electronics manufacturers.

Moderne Ventures Selects Eight Companies For Spring 2026 Passport Industry Immersion Program

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:29 PM

Moderne Ventures, a Chicago-based strategic venture capital firm focused on bringing transformative technologies to industries including real estate, finance, and insurance, has announced its Spring 2026 Passport Class, welcoming eight new companies into its intensive six-month industry immersion program. The cohort marks the firm's 27th Passport class and brings the total number of companies guided through the program to more than 160.

Bumble Secures $475 Million Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Led By STORY3 Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:28 PM

STORY3 Capital Partners, alongside certain other lenders, has closed a $475 million senior secured term loan facility for Bumble Inc., the operator of dating and social connection apps including Bumble, Badoo, and BFF. Proceeds from the term loan, combined with balance sheet cash, were used to refinance Bumble's existing term loan.

IC Realtime: $2 Million Series A Raised To Accelerate AI And Software Expansion For Surveillance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:28 PM

IC Realtime, a Pompano Beach, Florida-based provider of professional-grade surveillance and security technology, has secured a $2 million Series A round led by a personal investment from John Hatherly, founder of Wynnchurch Capital, with participation from existing investors. Hatherly will also join IC Realtime's board of directors.

Liquid Instruments: $50 Million Series C Raised For Software-Defined Test Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:27 PM

Liquid Instruments, a San Diego-based pioneer in software-defined test solutions, has closed a $50 million Series C funding round co-led by Keysight Technologies and the Australian Government's National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. In addition to investing, Keysight will enter into a commercial arrangement with Liquid Instruments to accelerate the development of a new class of AI-driven instrumentation.

Clarasight: $11.5 Million Raised For AI Platform Optimizing Enterprise Travel And Expense Spend

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:25 PM

Clarasight, an AI platform for enterprise travel and expense, has raised an $11.5 million Series A led by AlleyCorp, with participation from Rackhouse Venture Capital, Clocktower Ventures, Pulse Fund, Thayer Ventures, Future Back Ventures, Vestigo Ventures, and XYZ Venture Capital. The round follows a year in which recurring revenue grew approximately 10 times and the platform expanded to manage data from programs representing more than $5 billion in enterprise travel and expense spend.

Actively: $45 Million Raised To Scale Intelligence-Led Revenue Platform Powered By Per-Account AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:24 PM

Actively, a New York-based company transforming how enterprise revenue teams operate through AI-driven automation, has raised $45 million in Series B funding, bringing total funding to $68 million. The round was co-led by TCV and First Harmonic, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, First Round Capital, and Alkeon. The company will use the capital to build new products, expand into more enterprises, hire top talent, and open a new San Francisco office.

Neutonic: $6 Million Raised At $60 Million Valuation To Accelerate Global Retail Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:23 PM

Neutonic, a functional drinks and supplements brand built around nootropics and cognitive performance, has raised $6 million at a $60 million valuation to accelerate expansion across the UK, United States, and new international markets. The round includes backing from Alan Barrett, founder of Grenade, alongside investors including Ollie Marchon, Ross Edgley, Dan Martell, Codie Sanchez, and Zach Ranen. Gym King founder Jay Parker joins as a special advisor.

Manifest OS: $60 Million Raised At $750 Million Valuation To Scale AI-Native Law Firm Model

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:08 AM

Manifest OS, a company powering a new generation of AI-native law firms built on fixed-fee and outcomes-based pricing, has raised $60 million in a Series A round at a $750 million valuation, which the company describes as the largest Series A in legal technology history. The round was led by Menlo Ventures alongside Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital, and Quiet Capital.

Clifford Chance Appoints Marc Mehlen As Managing Partner In Luxembourg

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:48 AM

Clifford Chance has appointed Marc Mehlen as Managing Partner of its Luxembourg office, effective May 1, 2026. Mehlen succeeds Katia Gauzès, whose tenure strengthened client engagement and reinforced the office's strategic global relationships.

Paul Hastings Adds Amanda Persaud As Partner And Co-Chair Of Investment Funds And Private Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:44 AM

Paul Hastings has added Amanda Persaud as a partner and co-chair of Investment Funds and Private Capital in New York, further strengthening the firm's global funds platform. Persaud joins from Ropes & Gray, where she was part of its Band 1-ranked funds practice, and is recognized by Chambers as among the top practitioners of her generation in the field.

White & Case Adds Nuclear Energy Partner Simon Stuttaford In London

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:39 AM

White & Case has expanded its Global Project Development and Finance Practice and Global Energy Industry Group with the addition of Simon Stuttaford as a partner in London. Stuttaford brings nearly 20 years of experience focused on energy and infrastructure, with a specialization in the nuclear sector.

Osaic Onboards $107 Million Advisor Geraldine Spinella Through New York Financial Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:29 AM

Geraldine Spinella has joined Osaic, one of the nation's largest providers of wealth management strategies, through its office of supervisory jurisdiction New York Financial Partners, bringing approximately $107 million in client assets from Raymond James. Spinella is based in Garden City, New York, and focuses on helping individuals and families navigate financial change through personalized investment strategies tailored to their unique circumstances.

Appian Unveils Agentic Automation And AI-Assisted Development Capabilities For Enterprise Process Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:25 AM

Appian, a process automation technology company listed on Nasdaq, has announced a series of platform enhancements designed to embed AI more deeply into enterprise workflows, including AI-assisted spec-driven development and Model Context Protocol integration for AI agents. The advancements were unveiled at Appian World 2026 and will be available in the coming releases.

Dentons Promotes Four Partners Across UK, Ireland And Middle East Region

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:24 AM

Dentons, the world's largest global law firm, has announced the promotion of four new partners across its UK, Ireland, and Middle East region, effective May 1, 2026. The promotions follow the recruitment of 14 new partners in 2025 and three additional lateral hires already completed in 2026.

Adobe Completes Acquisition Of Semrush, Expanding Brand Visibility And AI Search Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:20 AM

Adobe has completed its acquisition of Semrush Holdings, a leading brand visibility platform, adding search engine optimization, generative engine optimization, and agentic search optimization capabilities to its growing customer experience portfolio. The transaction strengthens Adobe's recently introduced CX Enterprise platform, an end-to-end agentic AI system designed to help businesses manage content supply chain, customer engagement, and brand visibility at scale.

Kirkland & Ellis Welcomes Wilfred Ho As Partner In Hong Kong

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:19 AM

Kirkland & Ellis has added Wilfred Ho as a partner in its Hong Kong office, strengthening the firm's restructuring, litigation, and arbitration practice across the Asia-Pacific region. Ho brings more than 15 years of experience at leading international law firms, with a track record of handling some of the most complex and high-value disputes in the region.

Atari Acquires Implicit Conversions To Expand Retro Game Preservation And Modern Console Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:16 AM

Atari has acquired Implicit Conversions, a game development studio specializing in bringing retro games to modern consoles, adding the team to a growing family of studios that includes Digital Eclipse and Nightdive Studios. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

EssilorLuxottica Acquires Faro, An Italian High-Precision CNC Machinery Maker For Eyewear Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:14 AM

EssilorLuxottica has acquired Faro, an Italian company with more than 20 years of expertise in the design, manufacture, and distribution of high-precision CNC machinery for milling and diamond cutting, serving the jewelry and eyewear industries. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Stem Acquires Raicoon To Expand Automated Fault Detection Capabilities Within PowerTrack Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:07 AM

Stem, a global leader in AI-enabled clean energy software and services, has acquired the software assets of raicoon GmbH, a Vienna-based provider of automated fault detection and event management for solar asset performance. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

BMG And Concord Combine To Create The World’s Leading Independent Music Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:01 AM

BMG and Concord have announced a definitive agreement to merge their businesses, forming the world's leading independent music company. The combined entity will operate under the BMG name, with divisions called BMG Publishing and Concord Records. Global headquarters will be established in Nashville, with Berlin serving as the European headquarters.

Waverly Advisors Acquires $3.1 Billion Louisiana Firm TruWealth Advisors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:59 AM

Waverly Advisors, a Birmingham, Alabama-based registered investment advisor, has acquired TruWealth Advisors, a $3.1 billion wealth management firm headquartered in the greater New Orleans area with offices in Mandeville and Metairie, Louisiana. The transaction, which closed on April 24, 2026, establishes Waverly's first presence in Louisiana and marks the firm's 32nd acquisition since accepting a private equity investment in December 2021. Waverly's total assets under management now stand at approximately $34.2 billion.

RFG Advisory Appoints Two Board Members And Makes Strategic Investment In AI Workflow Platform Zocks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:57 AM

RFG Advisory, a wealth management firm focused on supporting independent financial advisors, has appointed Mark Gilbert and Jim Patrick to its board of directors and announced a strategic investment in Zocks Communications, an AI-driven workflow automation and business intelligence platform for financial advisors. RFG participated in Zocks' Series B round, co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and QED Investors, alongside other new and existing investors.

Fusion Capital Partners Acquires AQUALIS, A Leading Sustainable Water Management Services Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:55 AM

AQUALIS, a Morrisville, North Carolina-based provider of sustainable water management, engineering, and compliance services, has been acquired by Fusion Capital Partners from DFW Capital Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition represents Fusion's fourth platform investment overall and its first in 2026.

I Squared Capital Acquires Oriden With $300 Million Committed To Build U.S. Renewable Energy Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:52 AM

Oriden, a Pittsburgh-based renewable energy developer with a pipeline of more than 5 gigawatts of solar and battery storage projects across the United States, has been acquired by I Squared Capital's Energy Transition Fund from Mitsubishi Power Americas. I Squared plans to invest approximately $300 million to support Oriden's next phase of growth.

OpenLight: $50 Million Raised For Next-Generation Photonics Platform Serving AI Data Centers And Beyond

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:51 AM

OpenLight, a Santa Barbara-based photonics company and developer of custom Photonic Application-Specific Integrated Circuits, has raised $50 million in a Series A-1 round, bringing its total funding to $84 million. The oversubscribed round was led by Matter Venture Partners, with participation from new investors Acclimate Ventures and Catapult Ventures, alongside existing backers Xora Innovation, Capricorn Investment Group, Mayfield, and New Legacy.

Marloo: $10 Million Raised For AI Platform Built For Financial Advisers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:49 AM

Marloo, an AI platform designed to handle the administrative and operational work surrounding financial advice, has raised $10 million in a seed round led by Blackbird, the venture firm known as an early backer of Canva. The round follows Blackbird's $2.7 million pre-seed investment six months ago, representing a continued and deepened commitment to the company.

Swanky: £7.6 Million Raised For Shopify Plus Agency To Scale E-Commerce Operations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:46 AM

Swanky, a full-service Shopify Platinum agency headquartered in Exeter, has secured £7.6 million in investment from YFM Equity Partners' Buyout Funds. The capital will support continued growth in talent and service capability, as well as selective mergers and acquisitions.

Adswerve: Interview With CEO Tom Zawacki About The Media Consultancy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:30 AM

Adswerve is a premier data, media, and technology consultancy that operates at the intersection of adtech and martech. It leverages its agnostic expertise as a leading partner with Google Marketing Platform, Google Cloud, Adobe and many other respected solution providers to help brands and agencies maximize the ROI of their digital marketing. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Adswerve CEO Tom Zawacki to learn more.