Archives

International Paper: $360 Million Acquisition Of North Pacific Paper Company Expands West Coast Packaging Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:06 PM

International Paper announced that it has completed its $360 million acquisition of North Pacific Paper Company (NORPAC), a producer of lightweight recycled packaging papers based in Longview, Washington. The transaction brings NORPAC, previously a portfolio company of One Rock Capital Partners, into International Paper's growing packaging portfolio as the company continues its strategic transformation and expansion across North America.

Handshake Raises $3.2 Million To Build AI-Powered Retail Agreement Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 12:00 PM

Handshake, a London-based retail technology company, announced it has raised $3.2 million in funding to accelerate the growth of its AI-powered retail agreement platform. The round was led by Triple Point Ventures, with participation from Future Back Ventures by Bain & Company, Octopus Ventures, and other retail technology investors.

Fivetran And dbt Labs Complete Merger To Build Trusted AI Data Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:59 AM

Fivetran announced the completion of its merger with dbt Labs, creating a combined company focused on delivering the data infrastructure needed to support trusted AI agents at scale. The all-stock transaction, which was originally announced in October 2025, brings together two leading data platforms that serve more than 100,000 data teams globally. The combined company will initially operate as Fivetran + dbt Labs, with George Fraser continuing as CEO and Tristan Handy serving as President.

Veolia Completes $3 Billion Clean Earth Acquisition, Doubling U.S. Hazardous Waste Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:58 AM

Veolia announced the completion of its $3 billion acquisition of Clean Earth, significantly expanding its hazardous waste management operations in the United States and strengthening its position as one of the world's leading environmental services providers.

RWT Capital Closes H2Oil Energy Sale To GFL Environmental Services Amid Energy M&A Surge

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:58 AM

RWT Capital Corp., one of Canada's leading boutique M&A advisory firms, announced the successful sale of H2Oil Energy Inc. to GFL Environmental Services Inc. RWT Capital served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to H2Oil Energy throughout the transaction.

Decks & Docks Company Acquires J&W Lumber To Launch West Coast Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:57 AM

Decks & Docks Company, a leading specialty distributor of composite decking and outdoor living building products, has announced the acquisition of J&W Lumber, a Southern California provider of premium outdoor building materials. The transaction marks Decks & Docks’ entry into the West Coast market and expands its geographic footprint through J&W’s six retail locations across Southern California.

ShipStation Global Completes WWEX Group And Auctane Merger To Create AI-Powered Logistics Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:55 AM

WWEX Group and Auctane have completed their merger, creating ShipStation Global, a new logistics company that combines freight, parcel, and shipping technology services into a single platform. Backed by Thoma Bravo, with CVC Funds and other WWEX Group investors retaining a significant minority stake, the combined company aims to provide small and mid-sized businesses with enterprise-level logistics capabilities powered by artificial intelligence.

U.S. Bancorp Completes Acquisition Of BTIG

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:54 AM

U.S. Bancorp announced that it has completed its acquisition of BTIG, LLC, effective June 1, 2026, adding a range of institutional capital markets capabilities that strengthen the company’s offerings for corporate and institutional clients.

26North Re To Acquire Independent Insurance Group, Entering U.S. Insurance Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:52 AM

26North Reinsurance Holding Company announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Independent Insurance Group, LLC, the parent company of Independent Life Insurance Company, the only insurer exclusively focused on issuing structured settlement annuities for personal injury claimants and their families.

Winston Taylor Completes Historic Transatlantic Law Firm Combination

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:51 AM

Winston Taylor announced the completion of the combination between Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing’s U.K.-led business, officially launching as a single transatlantic law firm. The newly combined firm is designed to serve businesses, people, and markets driving capital formation and innovation across major global economies.

NVIDIA Reveals Open Humanoid Robot Platform for Academic Research

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:44 AM

NVIDIA announced the NVIDIA Isaac GR00T Reference Humanoid Robot, describing it as the first open humanoid robot reference design built on NVIDIA Jetson Thor and the NVIDIA Isaac GR00T development platform. The company said the platform is designed to help democratize humanoid robotics research by combining advanced hardware, onboard AI computing, and an open software stack without requiring researchers to rely on proprietary systems.

DEScycle Secures Over €10 Million In Grant Funding To Advance Sustainable Metals Processing Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:44 AM

DEScycle announced that it has secured more than €10 million in grant funding over the past 10 months, including its latest award from the prestigious European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program.

NextEnergy Capital Announces Final Close Of NextPower V At $974 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:43 AM

NextEnergy Capital (NEC), a global renewables investment manager focused on solar and energy storage infrastructure, announced the final close of its NextPower V strategy, bringing total commitments for the strategy and related co-investments to $974 million.

Hexaware Enhances Agentverse To Help Enterprises Scale AI With Governance And Lifecycle Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:41 AM

Hexaware, a global technology and business process services company, announced significant enhancements to Agentverse, its enterprise AI agent platform, adding new governance, development, and lifecycle management capabilities designed to help organizations deploy and scale AI with greater confidence.

FNBO To Acquire $850 Million-Asset Blue Ridge Bank and Trust Co. in Missouri

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:40 AM

First National of Nebraska, through its banking subsidiary FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha), announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Blue Ridge Bancshares, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Blue Ridge Bank and Trust Co., headquartered in Independence, Missouri. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of 2026.

PatientGain Launches HIPAA-Compliant AI Agents For Healthcare Marketing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:39 AM

PatientGain, a healthcare marketing technology company serving medical and dental practices, announced the launch of new HIPAA-compliant healthcare marketing AI agents that use Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) technology. The new AI capabilities are being offered as part of the company’s PLATINUM monthly service at no additional cost.

NexTel Medical Acquires JumpstartRx And NueVistraMed To Expand Telehealth Platform And Accelerate Maxasome Commercialization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:37 AM

NexTel Medical Corp. (formerly Exousia Pro, Inc.) announced that it has executed definitive purchase agreements to acquire telehealth and clinical solutions companies JumpstartRx and NueVistraMed. The transactions represent a significant step in NexTel’s growth strategy as the company seeks to expand its healthcare services footprint while creating a broader commercialization pathway for its proprietary exosome-based technologies.

XFolio AI Acquires Absolute Payment Solutions To Unify Treasury and Payments for UK Corporates

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:35 AM

Paris-based treasury and cash management technology company XFolio AI announced the acquisition of Absolute Payment Solutions (APS), a Pay.UK-accredited Bacs service provider in the United Kingdom. The deal creates an integrated platform that combines treasury management, Bacs processing, open banking, risk management, and multi-rail payments capabilities for businesses across the UK.

Centrical Raises $39 Million To Advance Performance Intelligence For The AI Era Workforce

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:33 AM

Centrical, a provider of frontline workforce performance solutions, announced a $39 million Series D funding round led by Leeds Illuminate and Kingfisher Investment, with participation from existing investors including JVP. The funding will support the company’s global expansion and accelerate the development of AI-powered tools designed to help enterprises manage and optimize performance across both human employees and digital workers.

OpenAI: Codex Introduces Role-Specific Plugins, Sites, And Annotations To Expand Beyond Software Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:32 AM

OpenAI announced a major expansion of Codex, introducing role-specific plugins, interactive Sites, and annotations aimed at making the platform more useful for a broader range of professionals beyond software developers. The company said more than 5 million people now use Codex weekly, with non-developers including analysts, marketers, operators, designers, researchers, investors, and bankers accounting for about 20% of users and growing more than three times faster than developers.

Cove Capital Investments Acquires Grocery-Anchored Shopping Center In Kentucky

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:10 AM

Cove Capital Investments announced the acquisition of a grocery-anchored retail shopping center in Princeton, Kentucky, expanding its portfolio of debt-free real estate investments. The property, located at 500 US Highway 62, encompasses approximately 72,013 square feet and is fully leased to a roster of nationally recognized tenants.

Micro Imaging Technology Acquires Cellmyx To Expand Regenerative Medicine And Medical Aesthetics Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:05 AM

Micro Imaging Technology (MIT), a California-based public company trading under the symbol MMTC, announced the acquisition of Cellmyx, a company focused on regenerative medicine, cosmetic surgery, and adipose tissue transfer technologies. The transaction marks MIT’s latest move to build a broader platform in the aesthetics, cosmetic surgery, and regenerative medicine markets.

Jobsity Acquires Eureka Labs To Expand Nearshore Talent Network And AI Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:04 AM

Jobsity, a nearshore staffing and technology solutions company serving the U.S. market, announced the strategic acquisition of Eureka Labs, an Argentina-based AI-driven staff augmentation firm. The transaction expands Jobsity’s operational scale, client reach, and talent capabilities across Latin America while strengthening its position as a leading nearshore talent partner for U.S. businesses.

Huntsman Sells €42.5 Million Italian Automotive Aftermarket Business To Trelleborg Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:02 AM

Huntsman Corporation announced the sale of Huntsman Gomet, its Italy-based automotive aftermarket business, to Trelleborg Group for €42.5 million, approximately $50 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. The transaction represents another step in Huntsman's ongoing efforts to streamline its portfolio and strengthen its balance sheet.

Everything Branding Acquires Darlington Marketing Co.

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:01 AM

Everything Branding, an award-winning public relations and performance marketing agency, announced the acquisition of Darlington Marketing Co. (DMC), a Southern California-based marketing agency specializing in the food, grocery, restaurant, retail, and consumer packaged goods sectors.

Backswing Ventures: Fund II Surpasses 1.0x DPI In Just Over Three Years

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:01 AM

Backswing Ventures announced that its Fund II, a 2023 vintage fund, has surpassed 1.0x Distributed to Paid-In Capital (DPI), returning more capital to investors than was originally contributed in slightly more than three years since inception.

ZeroDrift Raises $10 Million Seed Round To Build Compliance Infrastructure For AI Communications

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:59 AM

ZeroDrift announced that it has raised an oversubscribed $10 million seed round just three months after emerging from stealth. The company is focused on enforcing compliance on AI-generated communications before they are delivered, positioning itself as a compliance layer for organizations deploying AI agents and automated systems.

Findigs Raises $32 Million Series C Funding To Expand AI-Native Leasing Decisioning Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:58 AM

Findigs, an AI-native leasing decisioning platform for residential property operators, announced it has raised $32 million in Series C funding. The round was led by RPM Ventures Managing Director Marc Weiser, with participation from existing investors Nyca Partners, Frontier Venture Capital, and Western Technology Investment.

Allen Control Systems Raises $200 Million Series B At $2.2 Billion Valuation To Scale Bullfrog Autonomous Weapon Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:58 AM

Allen Control Systems (ACS), a defense technology company focused on autonomous precision robotics, announced the completion of a $200 million Series B funding round at a $2.2 billion post-money valuation. The round was led by Smash Capital, with participation from existing investors including Craft Ventures, Rally Ventures, Inspired Capital, and others.

AI Clear: Interview With Founder Eduardo Samayoa About The AI Transparency Rating Agency

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:56 AM

AI Clear is known as an independent AI transparency rating agency, and it operates a public registry that scores companies on how transparently they disclose their use of AI, particularly in regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, and insurance. According to the site, companies are graded using a published methodology rather than self-reported surveys. Pulse 2.0 interviewed AI Clear founder Eduardo Samayoa to learn more.