Venture Capital

Kinderhook Industries: $1 Billion Solid Waste Services Combination Closed, Forming Ecowaste Solutions With Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Apollo

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Kinderhook Industries said it has closed a $1 billion single-asset continuation vehicle transaction for Ecowaste Solutions, a newly formed waste services provider created through the combination of Live Oak Environmental and CARDS Recycling. The transaction provides optional liquidity for certain Kinderhook limited partners while securing more than $400 million of new equity capital to fund organic growth and an active pipeline of acquisitions.

Cytotheryx: $60 Million Series A Closed To Advance Cell Therapy Platform For Liver Disease

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Ouroboros Family Founders Fund I has agreed to lead a $60 million Series A financing for Cytotheryx, a Mayo Clinic spinout developing a preclinical cell therapy platform to treat liver disease, with the deal unveiled during the 2026 Biotech Showcase in San Francisco. The company said the raise will fund the advancement of multiple programs toward the clinic, expand manufacturing infrastructure and GMP capacity, and support regulatory planning, alongside separate debt financing intended to grow its real estate footprint and enable additional manufacturing buildout.

Sandglass Capital: $300 Million Commitment Secured From Moody Aldrich Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Moody Aldrich Partners has committed $300 million to funds managed by Sandglass Capital, providing anchor capital to support Sandglass’ emerging-market, event-driven strategy focused on sovereign and corporate special situations across Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia.

Fleetzero: $43 Million Series A Raised To Scale Electric And Hybrid Propulsion Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2026

Fleetzero, a marine technology company developing hybrid and electric propulsion systems for commercial vessels, has raised a $43 million Series A round led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Maersk Growth, 8090 Industries, and existing backers including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Y Combinator, Benson Capital, Shorewind, and others. The company also announced the opening of a new manufacturing and research-and-development facility in Houston, Texas, intended to serve as its headquarters and production hub.

ATW Partners Plans Up To $50 Million Deployment Into Frax’s frxUSD Stablecoin With BitGo Custody

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

ATW Partners, Frax, and BitGo Bank & Trust said they have launched a joint initiative in which ATW, through affiliates and portfolio companies, expects to deploy up to $50 million into Frax’s frxUSD stablecoin, with BitGo providing qualified custody for the position.

EverGen Infrastructure Announces Closing of New FCC Credit Facility

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

EverGen Infrastructure announced it has completed a package of refinancing transactions that includes a new $13 million asset-level credit facility with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) at its wholly owned subsidiary Fraser Valley Biogas Ltd. (FVB), repayment of most of its corporate-level debt, and the closing of a second tranche of a previously announced non-brokered private placement for approximately $1.9 million in gross proceeds.

PolyML Announces Strategic Investment From Martinrea International

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

PolyML announced it has secured a strategic minority investment from Martinrea International Inc., a global automotive supplier, alongside a multi-year services and collaboration agreement to deploy PolyML’s machine-learning technology across automotive manufacturing operations.

I Squared Capital Launches ANZA Power With $300 Million Commitment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

I Squared Capital has launched ANZA Power, a next-generation independent power producer established to deliver reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Australia and New Zealand. Backed by a USD $300 million commitment from I Squared’s ISQ Growth Markets Infrastructure Fund II, the new platform is designed to provide clean, dispatchable power for commercial and industrial customers while supporting grid resilience and long-term reliability.

Pelthos Therapeutics: Up To $50 Million Venture Loan Facility Secured From Horizon Technology Finance

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Horizon Technology Finance Corporation, a venture lending firm focused on secured loans to venture- and private equity-backed companies, said it has provided a venture loan facility of up to $50 million to Pelthos Therapeutics, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on commercial-stage dermatology products.

Merge Labs: $252 Million Raised For Targeting High-Bandwidth And Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Merge Labs, a newly launched research lab, announced it is pursuing a long-term mission to bridge biological and artificial intelligence in order to “maximize human ability, agency, and experience.” The group describes its focus as developing fundamentally new brain-computer interface (BCI) approaches that interact with the brain at high bandwidth, integrate with advanced AI, and ultimately be safe and accessible for broad use. The company has raised $252 million in a seed round from OpenAI, Bain Capital, Gabe Newell, and several others.

Mangrove Lithium: Up To $85 Million Raised For Refining Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Canada Growth Fund and Mangrove Water Technologies, operating as Mangrove Lithium, announced they have closed an up to US$85 million structured financing package designed to accelerate the commercialization of the company’s lithium refining technology in Canada and international markets. The transaction pairs up to US$65 million expected from Canada Growth Fund (CGF) with additional participation from existing backers, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and BMW i Ventures, as Mangrove Lithium moves from technology validation toward scaled deployment.

Transition Metal Solutions: $6 Million Seed Funding Raised To Reinvent Bio-Based Copper Recovery

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Transition Metal Solutions has closed an oversubscribed $6 million seed round to commercialize a bio-enabled approach aimed at boosting copper recovery from existing mines and waste streams, as copper demand continues to climb faster than new supply can be brought online.

SDR Ventures: Investment Banking Veteran Matt Huebner Joins

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

SDR Ventures has added investment banking veteran Matt Huebner as a partner, bringing more than 20 years of experience spanning mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, business valuations, and strategic consulting as the Denver-based firm looks to expand its advisory platform and accelerate business development.

OTTO SPORT AI: $16.5 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build AI-Powered Operating System For Youth Sports

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

OTTO SPORT AI has raised $16.5 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its youth sports technology platform and expand its AI “Athlete Intelligence” Lab, as the company targets a market where organizers and families still contend with legacy software and manual workflows despite booming participation and spending.

HOLYWATER Raises $22 Million to Turn Microdramas Into Mainstream Entertainment In The U.S.

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

HOLYWATER, an entertainment technology company behind the vertical-series app My Drama and a suite of AI-enabled content products, has closed a $22 million financing round as it pushes to build what it describes as a mobile-first “Netflix” for vertical video in the U.S. and other Western markets.

Coxwave: $5 Million Pre-Series A Closed To Expand AI Reliability And Governance Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Coxwave, the company behind Coxwave Align, announced it has closed $5 million in Pre-Series A funding to accelerate development of reliability and governance capabilities for AI systems as enterprises push more agentic tools into high-stakes workflows.

Cyb3r Operations Raises £4 Million Seed Round

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Cyb3r Operations said it has raised £4 million in seed funding in a round led by Octopus Ventures, with follow-on investment from Pi Labs, as the company looks to accelerate product development and expand its team.

Avalon Healthcare Solutions Lands Majority Investment From WindRose

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Avalon Healthcare Solutions announced it has secured a new majority investment from WindRose Health Investors, a transaction the company plans to use to accelerate product development and broaden its reach across the payer ecosystem. Existing backer Francisco Partners will continue to support the business through a reinvestment, positioning the company for the next phase of growth in diagnostic intelligence. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Novo Nordisk Foundation Commits €736 Million To BioInnovation Institute to Scale Innovation Across Denmark And Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is allocating up to DKK 5.5 billion (about EUR 736 million) to Copenhagen-based BioInnovation Institute (BII) in a long-term funding framework running from 2026 through 2035, aiming to expand Denmark’s life science and deep tech commercialization engine and extend its reach across Europe.

Tulip: $120 Million Series D At $1.3B Valuation Closed For Frontline Operations Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Tulip, a frontline operations software company focused on manufacturing and industrial environments, said Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has invested in the company and signed a strategic alliance agreement aimed at accelerating digital transformation initiatives on factory floors.

Unifyr: $20 MIllion Raised To Scale AI-Driven Partner Experience Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Unifyr announced it has raised a $20 million strategic growth investment led by Investcorp, which is backing the company through Investcorp Technology Partners Fund V. The funding is intended to accelerate Unifyr’s international expansion while advancing product development tied to its AI-driven partner ecosystem platform.

Barings Commits Up To $133.4 Million In Forward Permanent Financing For Newark Mixed-Income Tower

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Barings announced it has provided a forward permanent loan commitment of up to $133.4 million to finance the development of 22 Fulton, a planned 396-unit mixed-income multifamily property in downtown Newark, New Jersey.

New Mountain Capital Raises $1.2 Billion For Strategic Equity Fund II

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

New Mountain Capital announced it has closed its second non-control private equity vehicle, New Mountain Strategic Equity Fund II, at $1.2 billion, exceeding the fund’s $1 billion “hard cap” after limited partners agreed to allow additional commitments.

RouteSense: $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Raised To Bring Predictive Analytics And MID Health Intelligence To Payments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

RouteSense, a payments-focused data analytics company, launched publicly alongside an approximately $2 million pre-seed round led by Redbud VC with participation from FOVC, Cultivation Capital, Service Provider Capital, and the University of Missouri AACE Fund.

Olelo Intelligence: $1 Million Angel Round Closed To Scale AI Sales Coaching For Auto Repair Shops

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Olelo Intelligence, a Honolulu-based startup building an AI sales coaching platform for high-volume automotive repair shops, has raised a $1 million angel round to expand its product and scale deployments across North America.

Mytra: $120 Million Series C Raised To Scale Operating System For Supply Chain

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Mytra, a Brisbane, California-based industrial robotics startup positioning itself as an “operating system for supply chains,” has raised $120 million in a Series C financing led by Avenir Growth, pushing the four-year-old company to more than $200 million in total funding.

TDK Ventures Backs Ethereal Exploration Guild Series A To Advance Fully Reusable Medium-Lift Rocket And Rocket Cargo Vision

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

TDK announced its corporate venture capital arm, TDK Ventures, will invest up to $5 million in the Series A round for Ethereal Exploration Guild, a Bengaluru-based space technology startup developing a fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle called Razor Crest Mk-1.

Lime Rock Partners Commits Equity To Athena Energy For Eagle Ford Acquisitions And Development

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Lime Rock Partners has closed an equity commitment to Athena Energy Partners, a Houston-based upstream oil and gas company targeting acquisitions and development opportunities along the Gulf Coast, with an initial focus on South Texas and the Eagle Ford Shale.

Playlist And EGYM Agree To Merge In $7.5 Billion Deal With $785 Million In New Equity

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Playlist, the newly launched parent brand that houses Mindbody, Booker and ClassPass, and EGYM, a provider of smart fitness equipment, AI-enabled training programs and corporate wellness solutions, said they have signed a definitive agreement to merge in a transaction that includes $785 million in new equity investments and values the combined enterprise at $7.5 billion.

Access Point Financial Closes And Invests In Approximately $1.6 Billion Of Hotel Financings During 2025

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2026

Access Point Financial announced it closed and invested in approximately $1.6 billion of hotel financings in 2025, spanning refinancings, acquisitions, construction loans, mezzanine financings, and select hospitality CMBS investments.