Venture Capital

Atlantic Alumina Lands $450 Million U.S.-Backed Deal To Secure Domestic Alumina Supply

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Atlantic Alumina Company LLC (ATALCO), the only operating alumina refinery in the United States, said it has entered a $450 million strategic partnership with the U.S. Department of War and Concord Resources Holdings Limited aimed at sustaining and expanding U.S. alumina production while establishing what the company described as America’s first large-scale primary gallium production circuit.

BrowserStack Launches $125 Million ESOP And Share Buyback Program For Employees and Early Investors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

BrowserStack announced a $125 million employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and share buyback program that will provide liquidity to more than 500 current and former employees as well as early investors. The transaction marks the company’s third buyback and brings BrowserStack’s cumulative buyback total to more than $275 million across the three programs.

Nanochon: $4.1 Million Seed Prime II Round Raised To Advance Knee Cartilage Implant Into First-in-Human Study

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Nanochon, a Washington, D.C.-based orthopedic device company developing an implant to treat articular cartilage defects in the knee, said it has secured commitments to close an oversubscribed $4.1 million Seed Prime II financing, bringing total capital raised to date to $11.3 million. The round was led by cultivate(MD), with participation from the University of Virginia UVA Seed Fund, WSGR, Wealthing VC Fund, and other investors. Nanochon said the majority of the financing came from existing backers, while also adding new individuals and funds to its investor base.

Guggenheim Investments Closes $250 Million New Private Debt Vehicle Backed by LGT Capital Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Guggenheim Investments said it has closed a $250 million vehicle that will invest in the firm’s private debt strategy, backing an existing portfolio of loans while supporting continued expansion of the platform. The transaction was led by LGT Capital Partners, alongside additional limited partners.

Elbit Wins $275 Million Deal To Add EW And Laser Missile Defense To Asia-Pacific Helicopters

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Elbit Systems announced it has been awarded contracts worth about $275 million to supply an Asia-Pacific customer with an advanced airborne self-protection package for a helicopter platform, including an electronic warfare (EW) suite and the company’s Mini-MUSIC direct infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) system. The work is scheduled to be carried out over five years.

PhotonPay: Series B Closed To Pioneer Stablecoin-Centric Financial Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

PhotonPay announced it has raised “tens of millions of U.S. dollars” in a Series B funding round to expand what it describes as a stablecoin-native global financial infrastructure platform for cross-border payments, treasury, and embedded finance.

Cloudforce: $10 Million Series A Raised To Advance International Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Cloudforce, a Maryland-based AI company focused on regulated industries, has closed a $10 million Series A funding round led by Owl Ventures, with strategic participation from M12, Microsoft’s venture fund. The company said the investment deepens its go-to-market alignment with Microsoft, including access to Microsoft’s enterprise sales organization and product teams, as Cloudforce expands deployment of its nebulaONE platform.

Idea Financial Lands $20 Million Term Loan From EverBank To Expand Small Business And Legal Lending

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Idea Financial has secured a $20 million corporate term loan from EverBank, adding capital to accelerate growth across its small business lending and legal financing businesses.

Eir Partners Closes Oversubscribed Fund III At $1 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Eir Partners Capital, LP announced it has closed its third private equity fund with $1 billion in total commitments, exceeding an initial target of $800 million and doubling the size of its prior fund.

Ventaris Surgical: $30 Million Series A Raised To Develop Next-Generation Kidney Stone Treatment System

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Ventaris Surgical, a San Carlos, California-based medical device company, has raised $30 million in a Series A financing to advance a new ureteroscopic system designed to improve stone clearance during kidney stone procedures.

Platinum Equity Invests In Norton Packaging

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Platinum Equity has made a significant investment in Norton Packaging, a maker of plastic pails and other rigid packaging products used across industrial and consumer end markets.

Meta Lines Up Nuclear Energy Deals Targeting Up To 6.6 GW To Support US AI Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Meta announced it has reached agreements with Oklo, TerraPower, and Vistra to support a mix of new and existing nuclear generation that could total up to 6.6 gigawatts by 2035, positioning nuclear power as a key pillar in the company’s growing electricity strategy for data centers and AI workloads.

Good Culture Announces Majority Investment From L Catterton

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Good Culture announced L Catterton has entered into a definitive agreement to make a majority investment in the Austin, Texas-based clean-label cultured dairy brand, positioning the company for expanded production capacity, broader distribution, and faster product innovation as demand for high-protein, clean-label foods continues to climb. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Barclays Backs Ubyx To Expand Connectivity For Tokenized Deposits And Stablecoins

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Barclays has made a strategic investment in Ubyx, a U.S.-based clearing system designed to support new forms of digital money, including tokenized deposits and regulated stablecoins.

Heartland Renaissance Fund Wins $85 Million New Markets Tax Credits Allocation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Heartland Renaissance Fund, an affiliate of ACC Capital, announced it has received an $85 million New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) allocation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, positioning the organization to attract private capital for manufacturing and small-business projects across a seven-state footprint in the central U.S.

Torq: $140 Million Series D At $1.2 Billion Valuation Raised For Agentic AI-Focused Security Operations Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Torq, an agentic AI-focused security operations company, said it has raised $140 million in a Series D financing at a $1.2 billion valuation, bringing its total funding to $332 million. The round was led by Merlin Ventures with participation from existing investors Evolution Equity Partners, Notable Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Insight Ventures Partners and Greenfield Partners.

Andreessen Horowitz Raises Over $15 Billion Across New Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Andreessen Horowitz announced it has raised more than $15 billion in new capital, with co-founder Ben Horowitz framing the fundraise as part of the firm’s mission to help the United States maintain technological leadership in an increasingly competitive global environment.

Equitable Earth: €12.6 Million Raised To Advance Certification Of Nature-Based Climate Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Equitable Earth has raised €12.6 million to expand its certification programme for nature-based carbon projects and invest further in data, technology and methodologies aimed at increasing trust and scalability in the voluntary carbon market.

Medipost Closes In $140 Million Funding To Back Planned U.S. Phase III Trial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

MEDIPOST, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company developing allogeneic, umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell therapies, said its parent company, MEDIPOST Co., Ltd., has closed $140 million in funding to accelerate late-stage clinical development and expand manufacturing and operational infrastructure.

AirNexis Therapeutics Launches With $200 Million Series A To Advance Phase 2 Dual PDE3/4 Inhibitor AN01 For COPD

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

AirNexis Therapeutics has launched as a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on pulmonary diseases, closing a $200 million Series A financing and securing an in-license to a Phase 2 dual PDE3/4 inhibitor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from Haisco Pharmaceutical Group.

FineHeart: €83 Million Secured To Develop Implantable Solutions For Cardiology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

FineHeart, a clinical-stage medical technology company developing implantable solutions for cardiology, has secured a total of €83 million in financing that blends private capital with non-dilutive European public funding to advance its FlowMaker device and accelerate the company’s path toward industrialization and clinical development.

MagicCube: $10 Million Raised To Expand Beyond Tap-to-Phone

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

MagicCube, a provider of software-based security for payments and device integrity, said it has raised $10 million in new committed funding as it expands beyond tap-to-phone into biometrics, identity verification, and AI-driven device security.

Orca Bio: $250 Million Funding Raised For Orca-T Launch Readiness Ahead Of April PDUFA Date

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Orca Bio announced it has raised $250 million in new equity financing and expanded access to debt capital as the late-stage biotech prepares for a potential U.S. commercialization of its lead cell therapy candidate, Orca-T, with an FDA action date set for April 6, 2026.

Diagonal Therapeutics: $125 Million Series B Raised To Advance DIAG723 Clustering Antibody Into the Clinic

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Diagonal Therapeutics announced it has raised $125 million in an oversubscribed Series B financing to advance its lead program, DIAG723, a first-in-class “clustering antibody” designed to correct dysregulated receptor signaling implicated in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The Watertown, Massachusetts-based biotech said the round was co-led by Sanofi Ventures and Janus Henderson Investors and will also support expansion of its broader clustering-antibody pipeline.

Unusual: $3.6 Million Raised To Help Brands Shape How AI Describes Them

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Unusual, a startup that says it helps brands understand and influence how large language models describe their products and services, has raised $3.6 million in new funding as companies increasingly worry that AI chatbots can sway customer perception during the buying process.

Canopy: $22 Million Series B Raised To Expand Connected Safety And Location Intelligence Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Canopy, which provides connected safety platforms for U.S. health systems, has closed a $22 million Series B financing to accelerate growth of its location-based safety and operational tools. The round was led by 111° West Capital and ACME Capital, with participation from existing investors, as the company positions itself as a foundational alternative to what it describes as fragmented point solutions across hospital campuses.

Apella: $80 Million Raised To Bring Ambient AI And Computer Vision Into the Operating Room

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Apella, a health technology company focused on operating room operations, announced it has raised $80 million in Series B financing, combining equity and venture debt, as it scales an ambient AI platform that uses computer vision to automate key surgical workflow data and feed it back into hospital systems. The round was led by HighlandX and included returning investors Vensana Capital, Casdin Capital, PFM Health Sciences, Upside Partnership, and Operator Partners. New investors in the financing included K2 HealthVentures, OpAmp Capital and Houston Methodist, which is also one of Apella’s health system customers. As part of the round, HighlandX partner Corey Mulloy joined Apella’s board.

Onsetto: $2.2 Million Seed Raised To Speed Product Development And Expand Go-To-Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Onsetto, a Minneapolis-based fintech building a white-label platform to help banks and credit unions capture and retain primary business banking relationships, has raised $2.2 million in a Series Seed financing. The round was led by EJF Ventures, the early-stage fintech investing platform of EJF Capital. Additional participants included Idea Fund of La Crosse, The Perch Fund, and Minneapolis-based angel investors Daren Cotter and Bobby Astrup.

Blackbird.AI: $28 Million Raised As ARR Jumps 118% On Growing Demand To Counter Narrative Attacks

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Blackbird.AI announced it has secured $28 million in new strategic funding as the company reported accelerating growth tied to rising demand from enterprises and national security organizations for tools to detect and counter narrative-based disinformation, misinformation, and deepfake-driven campaigns.

Corgi: $108 Million Raised And Regulatory Approval Won To Launch AI-Native Insurance Carrier For Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Corgi announced it has raised $108 million and recently secured regulatory approval to operate as a licensed, full-stack insurance carrier built specifically for startups, positioning the company to offer end-to-end coverage spanning underwriting, policy administration, and claims. Investors participating in the funding include Y Combinator, Kindred Ventures, Contrary, Oliver Jung, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Seven Stars, Leblon Capital (Andrej Henkler, Fadwa Ouardani), Fellows Fund, Alumni Ventures, Quadri Ventures, Vocal Ventures, Phosphor Capital and SV Angel, among others.