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rater8 is a leader in healthcare reputation management. Pulse 2.0 interviewed rater8 founder and CEO Evan Steele to learn more about the company.

Early-stage VC firm Mayfield announced AI Garage, a $100 million initiative aimed at ideation-stage founders building AI teammates as digital companions. And the firm has identified teammates as a $6 trillion opportunity that drives in the era of Collaborative Intelligence, where humans work with AI to transform how we work and live.

Wealth Enhancement Group - a national independent wealth management firm with over $90.5 billion in client assets - announced the acquisition of Levy Wealth Management Group, a hybrid RIA located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This team oversees over $1.3 billion in client assets and is led by President, Victor Levy, CFP, Chief Operating Officer & Wealth Advisor, Michael Clatterbuck, CFP, ChFC, and Wealth Advisor, Joseph Robostello, CFP, ChSNC.

Kirk Bell, the Central division director for Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS) has welcomed Garrison Financial Group to the firm, which is operated by financial advisors Craig Garrison, Timothy Hall, CFP, and Matthew Strelau, CFP.

Sensori.AI is the only company that is blending Generative AI, Neuroscience, and ML to help companies change how they innovate products. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Sensori.ai founder and CEO Dr. A.K. Pradeep to learn more about the company.

Habyt, a leading provider of flexible living spaces, announced today €40 million in funding led by Mars Growth Capital (a joint venture of MUFG and Liquidity Group). This new funding round will support Habyt's ambitious expansion strategy, primarily through targeted acquisitions to consolidate its leadership position across critical regions.

Neurovascular innovation company Scientia Vascular announced it raised $14 million in growth funding led by Piper Sandler Merchant Banking. This funding will enable Scientia to continue commercializing the next generation of neurovascular tools, providing new possibilities for treating a variety of neurovascular disease states for patient benefit.

Bambusa Therapeutics - a biotechnology company focused on developing bispecific antibodies for the treatment of immunological and inflammatory (I&I) disorders - announced the closing of its Series Seed financing round at $15 million. 

Candid Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing potentially transformative drugs to address autoimmune diseases, announced it has officially launched today. To drive development and position Candid to become the leader in TCE antibodies for autoimmune diseases, Candid also acquired Vignette Bio and TRC 2004 through a simultaneous three-way merger and multi-step financing. This acquisition integrates two cutting-edge bispecific TCEs. In connection with the merger, Candid has successfully raised over $370 million in capital from an extensive roster of investors, including a recently completed financing co-led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, Fairmount, TCGX, and venBio Partners.

Forum Ventures is the leading early-stage fund, accelerator, and venture studio for B2B SaaS startups. Founded in 2014 and based in New York and Toronto, we’re on a mission to make the B2B SaaS journey easier, more accessible, and successful for early-stage founders. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Forum Ventures CEO and Managing Partner Michael Cardamone to learn more about the firm.

finally, an AI-based all-in-one finance and HR suite, announced it has closed a $50 million Series B from PeakSpan Capital and $150 million credit facility from Encina. This new funding round follows the company’s $95 million Series A in 2022 and additional $10 million capital raised in February of this year, bringing total funds to date to $305 million.

Soluna Holdings, a developer of green data centers for intensive computing applications including Bitcoin mining and AI, announced today that it has entered into a $25 million Standby Equity Purchase Agreement (SEPA) with a fund managed by Yorkville Advisors Global L.P.

CSA Medical, the developer of The RejuvenAir System (a Breakthrough Medical Device advancing the power of liquid nitrogen spray cryotherapy for the treatment of chronic bronchitis), announced the completion of an oversubscribed $53 million Series D preferred stock equity financing. TVM Capital Life Science and Yonjin Ventures co-led the round while also being joined by a syndicate of existing shareholders SV Health Investors, Ascension Ventures, First Analysis, Blue Heron, and Intersouth Partners.

GigaStar is a platform that provides YouTube Creators with an intuitive platform to raise capital from Investors who also benefit from gaining exposure to the Creator Economy. Pulse 2.0 interviewed GigaStar CMO Sarah McNabb to learn more about the company.

PSG (a leading growth equity firm specializing in partnering with technology-enabled services companies) announced a strategic growth investment today in two software companies serving career, community, trade, and higher education institutions and their students: Verity IQ and Campus Ivy. Verity IQ is a customer relationship management (CRM) and student information system (SIS) provider. And Campus Ivy is a provider of financial aid solutions.

Harmonia Holdings Group - a provider of innovative technology solutions to the U.S. Federal Government - announced today that it has received a strategic growth investment from funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP).

Biotech company ArcanaBio announced it was selected for funding by Denmark’s BioInnovation Institute (BII), supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. ArcanaBio will join BII’s Deep Tech Lab – Quantum program in Copenhagen from September 2024.

Epsilogen - a leader in the development of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer - announced today the completion of a £12.5 million Series B expansion financing, bringing the Series B total to £43.25 million. The funding will accelerate the delivery of clinical Proof of Concept for lead asset MOv18 IgE in a phase Ib trial featuring platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC) and further development of the company’s IgE-based pipeline. The funding was entirely conducted by existing investors, including British Patient Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, Epidarex Capital, 3B Future Health Fund, and ALSA Ventures.

Race Communications - a leading Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) provider in California - announced today that it has secured over $500 million in additional capital to accelerate the expansion of its fiber network across the state. This funding includes $375 million in equity from Oak Hill Capital, the existing majority investor, and its limited partners.

The International House at University of California, Berkeley is an organization that fosters intercultural respect and understanding, lifelong friendships, and leadership skills for a more peaceful world. Pulse 2.0 interviewed UC Berkeley’s International House CEO Shaun Carver to learn more about the organization. 

Oppenheimer & Co - a leading wealth manager, investment bank, and a subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings - announced the appointment of Mark J. Hovanic as Executive Director and Branch Manager. And in this role, he will lead the day-to-day operations of Oppenheimer's Private Client Division offices in Richmond, Va., and Virginia Beach, Virginia. As a 25-year wealth management industry veteran, Hovanic joins Oppenheimer from J.P. Morgan Securities.

Baird - an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets and private equity firm - announced it has added Brad Spencer as Vice President and Financial Advisor to its wealth management office in Minnetonka, Minnesota. And he is joined by Client Assistant and daughter, Jordan L. Spencer.

Sequoia Financial Group (an SEC-registered wealth manager with over $19.3 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024) and Eide Bailly LLP (a top 20 national accounting firm) announced a strategic partnership, with Sequoia Financial acquiring Eide Bailly's wealth management practice and firms collaborating to deliver expanded services to each other's clients.

RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) announced the completion of the second subscription for the RBC Global Infrastructure Fund LP, raising over $850 million in commitments from over 2,100 Canadian individual and institutional investors. And the second subscription followed the fund's successful initial launch in May 2023, bringing the total subscriptions to over $1.5 billion since its inception last year.

Alex David, the Northeast division director for Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS), announced that the firm has welcomed financial advisor Teresa Zipf, CFP to the team.

LPL Financial announced that financial advisor Kelly Compton has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms, aligning with existing firm Client Centric Wealth Management (part of Upstream Investment Partners). And he reported having served about $150 million in advisory and retirement plan assets and joins LPL after owning his RIA, WCM Wealth Management, which custodied with Schwab Advisor Services.

Independent robotics hub MassRobotics announced that its resident startups have raised over $1 billion in VC funding since opening its doors in 2017. This achievement emphasizes the vital role MassRobotics plays in accelerating robotics innovation, commercialization, and adoption of advanced technologies. The one billion dollar total represents funding from nearly 300 institutional investors.

Oyster, a global employment solution for employing, paying, and caring for distributed teams, announced it raised $59 million in Series D funding. Silver Lake Waterman led the round, which included existing investors Emergence Capital, Stripes, Georgian, G2 Venture Partners, and Endeavor Catalyst.