Venture Capital

Kraken Resources Closes $400 Million Senior Notes And Acquires Zavanna Energy In Williston Basin Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 12, 2026

Kraken Resources has announced the closing of a $400 million private offering of 7.125% senior unsecured notes due 2031 through its subsidiary Kraken Oil & Gas Partners, alongside the completed acquisition of Zavanna Energy Operating, LLC. The notes were issued at par on May 11, 2026, with proceeds used to repay a portion of outstanding borrowings under the company's revolving credit facility.

Paymentology Raises $175 Million To Accelerate Global Issuer Processing Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 12, 2026

Paymentology, the London-based global issuer-processor, has raised $175 million in a funding round co-led by Apis Partners, a private equity firm specializing in financial infrastructure and services, and Aspirity Partners, a pan-European private equity firm focused on financial technology and services. The investment will support Paymentology's continued global expansion, product development, and team growth as the company builds on strong demand for modern issuer processing at scale.

Telekom Srbija Raises €1.95 Billion Through Eurobond Transaction

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 12, 2026

Telekom Srbija has successfully completed its second international corporate bond issuance, raising approximately €1.95 billion through a multi-tranche offering of senior unsecured notes denominated in U.S. dollars and euros. The transaction generated a total demand of $13.87 billion from approximately 300 leading international institutional investors, making it the largest corporate bond issuance ever executed in the Southeast and Central and Eastern Europe region, as well as one of the most heavily oversubscribed corporate transactions across emerging markets globally during 2025 and 2026.

AMP IT Closes New Funding Round To Scale Private EV Charging Platform Across Switzerland And Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 12, 2026

AMP IT, a Geneva-based energy and mobility company, has completed a new funding round supported notably by the Swiss Technology Fund, bringing the company's total funding to €7 million since its founding in 2021. The capital will support operational scaling, further development of its proprietary software platform, and expansion into selected European markets beyond its core Swiss market.

OpenAI Confirms Deployment Company Launch With More Than $4 Billion Backing, Acquires AI Consulting Firm Tomoro

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

OpenAI has confirmed the launch of the OpenAI Deployment Company, a new business unit designed to help organizations build and deploy AI systems across their most critical workflows, backed by more than $4 billion in initial investment. The venture is a committed partnership between OpenAI and 19 leading global investment firms, consultancies, and system integrators, led by TPG with Advent, Bain Capital, and Brookfield as co-lead founding partners. Additional founding partners include B Capital, BBVA, Emergence Capital, Goanna, Goldman Sachs, SoftBank Corp., Warburg Pincus, and WCAS, alongside consulting and systems integration firms Bain & Company, Capgemini, and McKinsey & Company.

Abry Private Debt Acquires $330 Million Private Credit Portfolio In Partnership With Coller Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Abry Private Debt, the private credit strategy of Abry Partners, has announced the closing of its acquisition of a $330 million diversified private credit portfolio, completed in partnership with Coller Capital, a leading secondaries platform. The portfolio is highly diversified, consisting primarily of first-lien, senior-secured loans across commercial and professional services, healthcare, and consumer discretionary, with all underlying investments backed by established private equity sponsors. Abry will assume an active management role, working directly with sponsors, lenders, and management teams throughout its hold period.

Meatly Raises £10.4 Million Series A To Build Europe’s Largest Cultivated Meat Facility

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Meatly, Europe's first company to sell cultivated meat, has raised £10.4 million in Series A funding to build Europe's largest cultivated meat production facility. The round was led by three European VC funds — Oyster Bay Venture Capital, Clean Growth Fund and JamJar Investments — joining existing investors Agronomics and Pets at Home. The latest raise brings Meatly's total funding to date to £17.4 million, building on £7 million in seed funding from founding investor Agronomics.

Lyrie Completes $2 Million Pre-Seed Round To Build Security Layer For The AI Agent Era

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Lyrie.ai, the autonomous cybersecurity platform developed by OTT Cybersecurity LLC, has completed a $2 million pre-seed funding round and officially exited stealth. The raise will support continued platform development, security research team expansion, and the operationalization of the Agent Trust Protocol across Lyrie's platform and partner ecosystem. The company is headquartered in Dubai, UAE, and is already preparing a Series A round to scale deployment across enterprise and government markets.

Antier Solutions Secures $3 Million To Scale Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Antier Solutions, an enterprise blockchain engineering firm headquartered in Mohali, India, has secured $3 million in its first institutional funding round, led by GVFL, India's pioneer venture capital firm.

Ciridae Raises $20 Million Seed Round Led By Accel To Bring AI Transformation To Real Economy Businesses

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Ciridae, an AI transformation firm building operating systems for real economy businesses, has raised $20 million in seed funding led by Accel, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Sunflower Capital, and Backcountry Ventures. The company was founded by CEO Jack Soslow, a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz and data scientist at Meta, and CTO Jack Weissenberger, a former engineering leader at Salesforce and Head of ML at Teneyx. Ciridae will use the new capital to expand its engineering team and advance its mission of bringing AI transformation to mid-market companies that have largely been left behind by the broader AI boom.

Ripple Prime Secures $200 Million Debt Facility From Neuberger Specialty Finance To Expand Institutional Capacity

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Ripple, the blockchain-based enterprise solutions provider, has closed a $200 million debt facility from funds managed by Neuberger Specialty Finance, the asset-based investment team within Neuberger, a global investment management firm. The facility will support the continued growth of Ripple Prime, Ripple's multi-asset prime brokerage platform, amid rising client demand for institutional-grade prime services and margin financing solutions.

Cowboy Space Corporation Raises $275 Million Series B At $2 Billion Valuation To Build Orbital Data Centers and Rockets

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Cowboy Space Corporation, the orbital infrastructure company founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, has raised $275 million in Series B financing at a $2 billion valuation. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from new investors IVP, Blossom Capital and SAIC, alongside existing backers Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Construct Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, Interlagos and Bhatt himself. The company, which operated under the name Aetherflux since its founding in 2024, also unveiled a new name and brand alongside the funding announcement.

Driive Raises Pre-Seed Round To Build AI Scheduling Platform For Home Service Trades

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Driive, the Lincoln, Nebraska-based AI-native booking and scheduling platform built for the home service trades, has closed a pre-seed funding round with investment from Nebraska Angels, Nelnet, Move Venture Capital, and Luke Hansen, founder and CEO of CompanyCam. The company is building what it describes as the scheduling layer for the trillion-dollar U.S. home services industry, targeting HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, and other home service contractors.

Grand Games Raises $70 Million Series B To Scale Hybrid Casual Mobile Gaming Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Grand Games, the Istanbul-based mobile gaming company, has raised a $70 million Series B funding round, bringing total funding raised to $103 million. The round was led by Balderton's Growth Fund, which doubled down on its Series A investment from January of last year. Existing investors Bek Ventures and Laton Ventures also followed on, alongside mobile gaming serial entrepreneur and exited founder Mert Gür as an angel investor. The company's valuation has increased approximately 6x since its previous round just over 12 months ago, with only single-digit dilution, putting it within reach of unicorn status.

Cellply Secures €7.15 Million In Funding To Accelerate Global Expansion Of Cell Therapy Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Cellply, a Bologna-based deep tech company developing analytical tools for cell therapy and regenerative medicine, has secured €7.15 million in funding and opened a round extension to support its international growth plans. The round was led by Enea Tech and Biomedical Foundation, with participation from CDP Venture Capital and existing investors. The company is developing tools to characterize immunotherapies and cell-based therapies at single-cell resolution, with its flagship VivaCyte platform at the center of its commercial strategy.

CMI Financial Group Secures Senior Financing Facility From Royal London Asset Management

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

CMI Financial Group, a leading Canadian alternative mortgage lender and financial services platform, has closed a senior financing facility with Royal London Asset Management, expanding its origination capacity in the Canadian residential mortgage market. RLAM, which manages approximately £199 billion in assets, is one of the United Kingdom's largest asset managers, and the transaction signals positive institutional sentiment toward the Canadian residential lending sector and real estate environment.

Verdane Closes €635 Million Continuation Vehicle Anchored By Arrive Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Verdane, the European specialist growth buyout investment firm, has closed a €635 million multi-asset continuation vehicle anchored by Arrive Group, alongside Talentech and Pet Media Group. Coller Capital served as the sole lead investor in the transaction, with StepStone acting as co-underwriter. The vehicle was significantly oversubscribed, reflecting strong interest from high-quality institutional investors.

Restive Ventures Closes $45 Million Fund III To Back AI-Native Financial Services Startups

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Restive Ventures, the early-stage venture firm, has closed its third fund with $45 million in committed capital, targeting what the firm projects will be a $1 trillion market opportunity in AI-native financial services. Fund III attracted a mix of returning limited partners and new institutional investors, including endowments and global asset managers, as well as strategic partners across banking, insurance, payments, and technology.

Algorithmiq Closes €18 Million Funding Round And Moves Global HQ To Milan

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Algorithmiq, a quantum computing software company, has closed an €18 million strategic funding round and relocated its global headquarters to Milan, Italy. The round was led by United Ventures, with participation from Inventure VC, and marks the largest venture capital investment into an Italian quantum startup to date.

Eyeo Raises $40 Million Series A To Bring Light-Capturing Nanophotonic Sensor Technology To Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

Eyeo has announced a $40 million Series A funding round, bringing the Eindhoven, Netherlands-based company's total funding to $55 million. The round is led by Innovation Industries, with participation from existing investors imec.xpand, Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund, QBIC fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and Brabant Development Agency. The capital will fund eyeo's drive to bring seven years of proven nanophotonic science to market as production-ready color-splitting sensors.

NanoStruct Raises €2.6 Million To Accelerate Same-Day Food Safety Pathogen Detection

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 11, 2026

NanoStruct GmbH has announced the completion of a €2.6 million financing round led by HTGF High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital, and the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund. The German deep-tech startup is developing a rapid pathogen detection solution for the food industry that combines nanotechnology, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence to dramatically compress the time required to identify dangerous bacteria such as Listeria and Salmonella.

VoLo Earth Ventures: Interview With Co-Founder & Managing Director Kareem Dabbagh About The Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

VoLo Earth is a venture capital firm that backs early-stage companies in the backbone sectors of the economy: energy, grids, materials, industrial systems, and manufacturing. The firm writes first-in checks and takes active board seats, focused on solutions where winning economics and decarbonization outcomes move together. Pulse 2.0 interviewed VoLo Earth Ventures co-founder and managing director Kareem Dabbagh to learn more.

Dishio: $2.5 Million Seed Funding Raised At $20 Million Valuation To Help Restaurants Turn Guest Data Into Repeat Revenue

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 10, 2026

Dishio, an AI growth engine for restaurants, has announced a $2.5 million seed round at a $20 million valuation. The Miami-based company said the funding will support expansion of its platform, which helps restaurant operators capture, own, and activate guest data across the entire customer journey by unifying the fragmented restaurant tech stack into a single customer intelligence and growth layer.

The Black Box Announces Project Pipeline Exceeding $10 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2026

The Black Box, a UAE-based technology and manufacturing company, has announced an estimated project pipeline exceeding $10 million following its first participation at Make it in the Emirates 2026, one of the country's leading industrial and innovation exhibitions. The milestone marks a significant moment for the six-year-old company as it expands its presence across advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, enterprise technologies, and immersive training solutions.

Dandelion Health: $14 Million Series A Raised To Scale Multimodal Clinical AI Platform For Life Sciences

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 9, 2026

Dandelion Health, the clinical intelligence platform for life sciences, has raised a $14 million Series A funding round led by Healthier Capital, with participation from Colle Capital and existing investors Primary Venture Partners, Moxxie Ventures, and Convergent Ventures. The investment will accelerate Dandelion's growth across pharmaceutical drug development, deepening its data infrastructure, expanding pharma partnerships, and bringing its platform to more research and commercial teams across the industry.

Cabinetworks Group Completes $100 Million Financing And Extends Debt Maturities

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2026

Cabinetworks Group announced the successful closing of multiple financing transactions that provide approximately $100 million of additional liquidity while extending existing debt maturities with support from the vast majority of the company’s creditors.

Six One Commodities Closes $800 Million Global Borrowing Base Facility To Support Energy Merchant Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2026

Six One Commodities Global announced the closing of an $800 million, two-year global borrowing base facility designed to support the company’s integrated global merchant operations.

Antier Solutions Raises $3 Million To Expand Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2026

Antier Solutions announced that it has raised $3 million in funding led by venture capital firm GVFL as the company expands its enterprise blockchain infrastructure offerings for government, financial services, and institutional markets. The investment marks the company’s first institutional financing after more than a decade of operating as a bootstrapped business.

Basata Raises $21 Million Series A To Automate Healthcare Administrative Workflows With AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2026

Basata announced that it has raised $21 million in Series A funding led by Basis Set Ventures, with participation from Cowboy Ventures, PHX Ventures, Zenda Capital, and Victoria Treyger. The financing brings the company’s total funding to $24.5 million.

Fazeshift Raises $17 Million Series A To Automate Accounts Receivable Workflows With AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 8, 2026

Fazeshift announced that it has raised $17 million in Series A funding led by F-Prime, bringing the company’s total funding to $22 million. Investors in the round also included Gradient, Y Combinator, Wayfinder, Pioneer Fund, Ritual Capital, and additional angel investors.