Venture Capital

Photonic Raises C$180 Million First Close To Push Distributed Quantum Toward Commercialization

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Photonic, a Vancouver-based quantum technology company focused on distributed quantum computing and quantum networking, said it has raised $180 million CAD (about $130 million USD) in the first close of its latest financing round. The raise was led by Planet First Partners, with new participation from Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), TELUS, and other investors, while existing backers including BCI and Microsoft also returned.

Russell Investments Secures $1.225 Billion Apollo Financing To Refinance Debt And Support Long-Term Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Russell Investments announced it has completed a $1.225 billion strategic financing provided by funds and affiliates managed by Apollo that are associated with Apollo’s hybrid and credit strategies. The firm said the transaction is designed to provide long-term capital and greater balance sheet flexibility as it continues to execute its growth strategy.

DayOne Data Centers Secures Over $2 Billion Series C To Advance Hyperscale Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

DayOne Data Centers Limited announced it has entered into definitive agreements for more than $2.0 billion in Series C equity financing, a fundraising total the company described as one of the largest private capital raises in the data center sector. The Singapore-headquartered platform said the new capital is intended to accelerate development of next-generation, AI-ready digital infrastructure across key markets in Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Orano Secures $900 Million DOE Funding For Planned U.S. Uranium Enrichment Plant in Tennessee

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

Orano announced it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive $900 million in funding to help build a new enriched uranium production facility in the United States, a project the company estimates will cost nearly $5 billion in total.

The AmeriFlex Group Secures Strategic Minority Investment From Cambridge

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 7, 2026

The AmeriFlex Group, an advisor-owned hybrid RIA based in Las Vegas, said Cambridge Investment Research has made a strategic minority investment in the firm to accelerate the national expansion of its SuccessionFully platform.

Pluto Raises $8.6 Million And Launches AI-Powered Lending Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Pluto Financial Technologies has launched what it describes as the first AI-powered lending platform purpose-built for private markets, aiming to help investors access liquidity without selling private fund positions. The New York-based company said it is backed by Motive Ventures, Portage, Apollo Global Management, Hamilton Lane, Tectonic Ventures, and Broadhaven Ventures, and has raised $8.6 million in equity alongside securing “hundreds of millions” in lending capacity.

TPG To Manage At Least $12 Billion for Jackson Financial And Takes $500 Million Minority Stake

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

TPG and Jackson Financial said they have formed a long-term strategic investment-management partnership designed to expand Jackson’s access to credit strategies while supporting TPG’s growing insurance-capital platform.

Qualinx: €20 Million Raised To Scale Ultra-Low-Power GNSS Chip For The Connected Edge

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Qualinx, a Delft-based European fabless semiconductor company, raised €20 million in funding led by Invest-NL, with participation from existing investors FORWARD.one, InnovationQuarter Capital and Waterman Ventures. The round brings Qualinx’s total funding to date to €40 million.

Lindsay Goldberg: Oversubscribed $4.9 Billion Fund VI Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Lindsay Goldberg has raised $4.9 billion for its sixth flagship fund, an oversubscribed close that exceeded the firm’s $4.0 billion target and marked a step-up in scale versus its prior vehicle. The fund, Lindsay Goldberg VI L.P. and related vehicles (collectively Fund VI), closed more than 40% larger than Fund V, underscoring continued limited partner demand for the firm’s focused, relationship-driven approach to private equity investing.

Excel Engineering Announces Strategic Investment And Partnership With Fusion Capital Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Excel Engineering, a Diagonal, Iowa-based testing and certification firm serving North American original equipment manufacturers, has secured a strategic investment from Fusion Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on engineered products and services in the industrial sector. The partnership is intended to help Excel scale its business and broaden its technical capabilities as OEMs and industrial customers navigate increasingly complex regulatory requirements and the continued evolution of powertrain and battery technologies.

Main Capital Partners Acquires Majority Stake In IQ Messenger

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Main Capital Partners announced it has acquired a majority stake in IQ Messenger (IQM), a provider of vendor-neutral critical communication software used by healthcare institutions, as the firm looks to back product innovation and accelerate the company’s international growth.

AB InBev To Reacquire Minority Stake in U.S. Metal Container Plants For About $3 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Anheuser-Busch InBev said it has exercised its right to reacquire the 49.9% minority stake in its U.S.-based metal container plants from a consortium of institutional investors led and/or advised by affiliates of Apollo Global Management for an estimated purchase price of approximately $3 billion.

Lupus Research Alliance Launches Lupus Ventures Philanthropic Fund To Back New SLE Therapies And Diagnostics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

The Lupus Research Alliance, the largest private funder of lupus research, said it has formed a philanthropic venture fund called Lupus Ventures to help advance treatments and diagnostics for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), its manifestations, and related autoimmune conditions.

xAI Raises $20 Billion Series E

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

xAI announced it has closed an upsized Series E funding round totaling $20 billion, surpassing its previously targeted $15 billion raise, as the company accelerates development of its AI models and the infrastructure behind them. The company said the financing included participation from Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among other investors. And xAI added that NVIDIA and Cisco Investments joined as strategic investors, backing efforts to scale compute capacity and expand what it described as some of the world’s largest GPU clusters.

LMArena: $150 Million At $1.7 Billion Valuation Raised To Expand Real-World AI Evaluation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

LMArena announced it has raised $150 million in new financing to expand its community-driven platform for evaluating frontier AI models, valuing the company at $1.7 billion post-money. The round was led by Felicis and UC Investments, the University of California’s investment office, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, The House Fund, LDVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Laude Ventures.

Waiākea Adds Tetairoa McMillan, Devin Williams, Jerami Grant As Athlete Investors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages announced it has added three new athlete investors and “impact partners” as it continues to expand its roster of sports figures backing the Hawai‘i-based brand.

GSME: $35M Series B Raised To Expand Semiconductor Services Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

GS Microelectronics U.S. (GSME) announced it has raised $35 million in a Series B round led by Maverick Silicon, funding the company plans to use to expand its semiconductor services platform across advanced packaging, design enablement, and supply chain visibility.

HabitTrade: Nearly $10 Million Series A Raised To Accelerate Global Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

HabitTrade has closed a Series A funding round of nearly $10 million to expand its global brokerage footprint and deepen its compliance and risk-control capabilities, the company said. The round was led by Newborn Town Inc., with participation from Bright Venture Capital, StableStock, and other investors.

Tesoro XP: $5.4 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build Retail-Funded Rewards Platform For Free-To-Play Games

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Tesoro XP, a new rewards platform designed to let retailers fund in-game currency for gamers, has raised $5.4 million in seed financing ahead of a planned 2026 rollout. The round was co-led by Treasury, a New York-based fintech fund, and TK MediaTech Ventures, a venture firm focused on next-generation media technologies.

Equify Financial Lands $100 Million JPMorgan Facility To Scale Middle-Market Commercial Lending

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Equify Financial has secured a $100 million capital facility from JPMorgan Chase & Co., a financing arrangement the Fort Worth, Texas-based lender said will strengthen its balance sheet and expand its ability to serve middle-market companies across the United States.

Array Labs: $20 Million Series A Raised To Scale Radar Manufacturing Ahead of Formation-Flying Launch

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Array Labs announced it raised a $20 million Series A round to expand manufacturing capacity for its space-based radar systems and move toward the launch of what it describes as the world’s first formation-flying radar satellite cluster. The funding was led by Catapult Ventures, with participation from Washington Harbour Partners and Kompas VC, alongside new and existing investors including Y Combinator, Maiora Capital, Animal Capital, Aera VC, Cultivation Capital, and Clearance Ventures.

MidEuropa To Buy Majority Stake In Romanian Business Consult

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

MidEuropa announced it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Romanian Business Consult (RBC), a Romania-based IT system integrator focused on the retail, banking, and industrials sectors. Founder and CEO Andrei Bojiță will retain a significant minority stake and continue to lead the business, according to the announcement.

Azimuth AI Raises New Funding As Smart-Utility Edge-AI Chip Moves Toward Production

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 6, 2026

Azimuth AI, a semiconductor company building custom edge-AI system-on-chips for smart utilities, energy, and industrial infrastructure, said it has closed a new funding round led by Jetha Global, with participation from existing investors Moneta Ventures and AUM Ventures as well as additional new investors.

Lassen Peak: Over $10 Million Raised To Bring Handheld Concealed-Weapons Detection Radar To Market

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Lassen Peak announced it has completed a mix of debt and equity financings totaling more than $10 million to fund completion and market introduction of what it describes as the world’s first fully integrated handheld radar system for concealed weapon detection.

Lyte Emerges From Stealth With $107 Million To Build Perception Platform for Physical AI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Lyte, a company developing an integrated perception stack for robotics and “Physical AI,” said it has emerged from stealth with $107 million in aggregate funding to build hardware and software systems that help autonomous machines see, understand, and operate safely in real-world environments.

Center Capital Partners Raises $125 Million For Terminal Logistics IOS Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Center Capital Partners has closed its second fund focused on industrial outdoor storage, raising $125 million in combined equity across Terminal Logistics Fund II and a joint-venture partnership that the firm says will enable more than $350 million in gross acquisition capacity.

TPG’s Rise Funds Acquires Majority Stake In Trustwell

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

TPG announced The Rise Funds, the multi-sector strategy within its global impact investing platform, has made a majority investment in Trustwell, a provider of SaaS-based regulatory, compliance, and traceability software for the food industry.

Cambium: $100 Million Series B Raised To Scale AI-Driven Advanced Materials Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Cambium, an advanced materials company focused on defense, aerospace, and other high-performance markets, announced it raised a $100 million in Series B financing to accelerate product development and expand manufacturing across the U.S. and Europe.

Anchor Health Properties Buys Majority Stake In Chestnut Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

Anchor Health Properties has acquired a majority interest in Chestnut Funds, a longtime investment partner, in a transaction aimed at expanding Anchor’s investment management capabilities and increasing capital flexibility across its healthcare real estate platform.

AMERMIN Wins $11.5 Million DOE Grant To Expand U.S. Critical Materials Production

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 5, 2026

AMERMIN has been awarded an $11.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management to scale sustainable domestic production of critical materials and minerals, with an initial focus on tungsten carbide.