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Mister Car Wash To Be Taken Private By Leonard Green & Partners In $3.1 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Mister Car Wash has agreed to be taken private by investment funds managed by Leonard Green & Partners in an all-cash transaction valued at an implied enterprise value of $3.1 billion.

Cerberus Completes Full Acquisition Of Aerospace Systems Company Vivace International

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Vivace International, a leader in mission-critical propulsion tanks and aerospace systems, announced that an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, a global alternative investment firm, has completed the full acquisition of the company.

Ares Prices European Direct Lending CLO II At Over €300 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Ares Management announced it has priced its second European Direct Lending Collateralized Loan Obligation, Ares European Direct Lending CLO II, at more than €300 million.

SmartStop Self Storage REIT Recasts $500 Million Multi-Currency Credit Facility To Support North American Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

SmartStop Self Storage REIT has completed an amended and restated senior unsecured credit facility for an initial amount of $500 million, enhancing its financial flexibility as it continues to expand across the United States and Canada.

Ground Control Acquires Music-Focused Firm Wiles + Taylor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Wealthspire, an independent wealth management, retirement advisory, and business management firm, announced that its Ground Control Business Management unit has acquired Nashville-based Wiles + Taylor & Co., a music-focused business management and tax consulting firm serving touring artists, songwriters, and industry executives.

Bogart Wealth Closes Minority Investment From Constellation Wealth Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Bogart Wealth, an independent, fee-only wealth management firm and registered investment adviser, has closed on a minority, long-duration investment from Constellation Wealth Capital, a strategic investor focused exclusively on wealth management businesses and multi-family offices.

Star Mountain Capital Closes Oversubscribed $286 Million Second SBIC Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Star Mountain Capital, an employee-owned U.S. lower middle-market investment firm with approximately $4.5 billion in assets under management, announced the final close of its second Small Business Investment Company fund at $286 million in investible capital, exceeding its target. The fund size was structured to optimize access to the maximum amount of U.S. Small Business Administration debentures available under the SBIC program.

Integrated Pension Services Acquires BDS Consulting To Expand National Capabilities

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Integrated Pension Services, a retirement planning services firm supporting more than 500 companies, announced that it has acquired BDS Consulting Group, a specialized retirement plan consulting firm serving more than 260 retirement plan clients nationwide.

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Receives $10 Million Gift To Expand OCD Research, Education And Treatment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has received a $10 million transformational gift from Brian Reeve and his family to expand care, research, and education for obsessive-compulsive disorder through its Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre.

Leo Expands With Investments In Bevara Building Services And Blackfin

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Leo, a network of expert facilities maintenance service providers, has partnered with Bevara Building Services and Blackfin, two providers of dedicated on-site building engineers, as part of its strategy to build a national facility services business. The announcement marks another step in Leo’s effort to expand its capabilities by aligning with established operators and providing them with resources to accelerate growth.

Spur Ridge Capital Invests In Spinal Implant Distributor Axis Medical

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Spur Ridge Capital, a Colorado-based independent sponsor investment firm, announced it has completed an investment in Axis Medical, a Denver-headquartered distributor of spinal implant and orthobiologic technologies serving surgeons and healthcare systems across Colorado and surrounding states.

Harbor Compliance Secures Majority Growth Investment And Appoints New CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Harbor Compliance, a provider of entity compliance solutions for nonprofit and mid-market corporate customers, announced it has secured a majority growth investment from Bregal Sagemount, a growth-focused private equity firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

AEA Elevate Expands Operating Team With Two Senior Hires

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

AEA Elevate, the professional services-focused growth buyout investment strategy of AEA Investors, announced the expansion of its operating team with the appointments of Preston Hayes as Head of Portfolio M&A and Capital Markets and Kirk Goodman as Head of Portfolio Go-To-Market.

Janus Henderson Launches AA-A CLO ETF Backed By $100 Million Seed Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Janus Henderson Investors has launched the Janus Henderson AA-A CLO ETF, expanding its active fixed-income ETF lineup in the securitized markets segment. The new fund debuted with $100 million in seed capital from The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America as part of the companies’ previously announced strategic partnership.

Jolt Capital Appoints Reza Zadno As Operating Partner In San Francisco

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Jolt Capital, a growth-focused private equity firm specializing in European technology companies, announced that Reza Zadno has joined the firm as an Operating Partner based in San Francisco.

PPG And PPG Foundation Invest $18.1 Million In Communities Worldwide In 2025

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

PPG and the PPG Foundation announced they invested $18.1 million in communities worldwide in 2025, supporting more than 400 community partners and programs focused on advancing education, promoting community sustainability, and encouraging employee volunteerism.

Palm Peak Capital Closes Oversubscribed $374 Million Debut Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Palm Peak Capital, a private equity firm investing in lower-middle-market industrial and services companies across North America, has closed its inaugural fund, raising $374 million in total committed capital.

Dwight Capital And Dwight Mortgage Trust Close Over $350 Million In January Financings

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Dwight Capital and its affiliate REIT, Dwight Mortgage Trust, closed more than $350 million in real estate transactions in January 2026, underscoring continued momentum across multifamily refinance and ground-up development projects nationwide.

Infinity Natural Resources Increases Antero Ohio Stake With $350 Million Strategic Equity Investment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Infinity Natural Resources announced that it has agreed to increase its ownership interest in the $1.2 billion Antero Ohio Utica Shale acquisition from 51% to 60%, funded in part by a $350 million strategic equity investment from energy-focused private capital firms Quantum Capital Group and Carnelian Energy Capital Management, L.P.

Phoenix Tailings: $40.2 Million Raised For Accelerating U.S. Production Of Rare Earth Metals

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Phoenix Tailings has closed a $40.2 million oversubscribed B-3 amplification round, bringing its total Series B funding to $116.6 million as the company accelerates the expansion of domestic rare earth metals production.

Yendo: $200 Million Commitment Secured From i80 For Scaling AI-Enabled Asset-Backed Credit Cards

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Yendo announced it has secured a $200 million funding commitment from i80 Group to accelerate the growth of its AI-enabled credit card products. The new capital will support up to $200 million in additional credit card originations, allowing the company to expand its customer base nationwide and continue delivering asset-backed credit solutions to consumers.

Pepper: $50 Million Series C Raised For Expanding Food Distribution Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Pepper, an end-to-end technology platform serving independent food distributors, has raised $50 million in Series C funding to expand its product innovation, deepen AI-enabled capabilities, and accelerate adoption across the food distribution ecosystem. The round was led by Lead Edge Capital, with participation from existing investors including ICONIQ, Index Ventures, Greylock, Harmony Partners, and Interplay.

MixRift: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Bobby Voicu About The Mixed Reality Gaming Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

MixRift is a gaming studio that develops mixed-reality games—primarily for platforms like Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro—that blend the physical and digital worlds into immersive, easy-to-pick-up experiences. Pulse 2.0 interviewed MixRift co-founder and CEO Bobby Voicu to learn more.

Eagle Wireless: $30 Million Series B Raised For Expanding 5G R&D And Domestic Device Production

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Eagle Wireless, a U.S.-based cellular module manufacturer serving the IoT and automotive markets, announced it has raised $30 million in a Series B financing round co-led by Asymmetric Capital Partners and The O.H.I.O. Fund. The new funding brings Eagle Wireless’ total capital raised to $44 million and positions the company to expand its role as the global connectivity ecosystem transitions from 4G to 5G.

ElevenEs Secures Series B First Closing For Advancing 1GWh LFP Mega Factory In Serbia

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

ElevenEs announced it has completed the first closing of its Series B investment round, backed by Caterpillar Venture Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.. An affiliate of BST (HK) Ltd., a Hong Kong-based commodity trading house, also participated in the round.

Rizon: $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Closed To Bring Digital Dollars To Global Users

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Delaware-based fintech startup Rizon has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding as it aims to make digital dollars accessible and spendable for people around the world, no matter where they live. The funding round was led by Market One Capital and marks an early milestone in the company’s growth since its launch just five months ago.

Ubyx Raises Funding From Arab Bank Fintech Accelerator AB Xelerate

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

AB Xelerate, the fintech accelerator of Arab Bank, has made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a provider of clearing and acceptance infrastructure for tokenised deposits and regulated stablecoins, as regulated digital money moves from pilot initiatives to broader execution across global financial markets.

Badge: $17.1 Million Series A Raised For Wallet Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Badge, an operating platform for Apple and Google Wallets, has raised $17.1 million in funding to help businesses build and scale wallet-based customer experiences. The financing includes a $13.8 million Series A round led by TTV Capital with participation from Stripe, Synchrony Ventures, and Infinity Ventures, along with a previously unannounced $3.3 million seed round from QED Investors and Infinity Ventures. As part of the Series A investment, Lynne Laube, Venture Partner at TTV Capital and co-founder and former CEO of Cardlytics, has joined Badge’s board of directors.

Step Pharma Secures €2.5 Million EIC Grant To Advance Dencatistat In CTPS2 Null Gynaecological Cancers

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Step Pharma has secured a €2.5 million blended finance grant from the European Innovation Council under the EIC Accelerator programme, with the award also including the potential for up to €10 million in equity investment. The funding will support the continued development of the company’s lead product, dencatistat, a first-in-class, highly selective, orally bioavailable CTPS1 inhibitor, for CTPS2 null ovarian and endometrial cancers.

Qumis: $4.3 Million Seed Funding Closed For Attorney-Trained AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 22, 2026

Qumis, an attorney-trained AI platform focused on commercial insurance coverage intelligence, has raised $4.3 million in an oversubscribed seed round, bringing its total funding to $6.75 million. The round was led by MTech Capital, with new strategic investor American Family Ventures and participation from all prior investors.