Venture Capital

Morgan Stanley Capital Partners Takes Majority Stake in Engineering Firm Olsson

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP) have made a majority investment in Olsson, Inc., an employee-owned engineering and design firm, in a transaction that also includes significant re-investment by Olsson employees.

Axol Bioscience: $2.8 Million Raised To Accelerate US Expansion And Scale iPSC Cell Manufacturing

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Axol Bioscience announced it has raised $2.8 million (£2.1 million) in funding to expand its US operations, advance product development, and scale cell manufacturing capacity. The financing was led by US life sciences investor BroadOak Capital Partners, with participation from Axol’s founding investor, the Roslin Foundation. Axol said the capital will support growth of its commercial presence in the US while also enabling development of enhanced induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models in neuroscience, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular disease.

Flip: $20 Million Series A Raised After Handling 300 Million Automated Customer Service Calls

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Flip, an AI platform that automates customer service phone calls for enterprise brands, has raised $20 million in a Series A round as it reported surpassing 300 million calls handled across hundreds of brands. The financing was co-led by Next Coast Ventures and Ridge Ventures, with participation from Data Point Capital, ScOp Venture Capital, Bullpen Capital, Forum Ventures, and angel investors. The round brings Flip’s total funding to $31 million.

National New Markets Fund Wins $95 Million New Markets Tax Credit Allocation From U.S. Treasury

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

National New Markets Fund (NNMF), an affiliate of Los Angeles-based impact investor SDS Capital Group, has been awarded a $95 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The allocation is part of the CDFI Fund’s $10 billion 2024–2025 NMTC round, which the group described as the largest in the program’s history.

Bain Capital Real Estate Raises $5 Billion in New Capital And Closes $3.4 Billion Real Estate Fund III

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Bain Capital Real Estate announced it has closed more than $5 billion in new capital across its real estate strategies, including the final fundraising close for Bain Capital Real Estate Fund III with approximately $3.4 billion in total commitments.

StarLIMS Announces Strategic Investment By Turn/River Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

StarLIMS, an enterprise informatics software provider for laboratories, said it has secured a strategic investment from Turn/River Capital, with existing sponsor Francisco Partners exiting its position as part of the transaction.

RISA Labs: $11.1 Million Series A Raised To Scale AI Operating System For Oncology Workflows Nationwide

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

RISA Labs, a company developing an AI-driven operating system for oncology, said it has closed an $11.1 million Series A financing to expand deployments across cancer clinics, health systems, specialty pharmacies and infusion networks in the U.S.

Diffraqtion: $4.2 Million Pre-Seed Closed To Build Quantum Camera Imaging Constellations For Space and Earth Observation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Diffraqtion, an MIT and University of Maryland spinout developing satellite and telescope systems powered by a quantum camera, has closed a pre-seed financing round totaling $4.2 million, combining both dilutive and non-dilutive capital. The round was led by QDNL Participations, with participation from milemark•capital, Aether VC, ADIN, and Offline Ventures. In addition to the equity financing, the company also secured non-dilutive support through a DARPA SBIR Direct-to-Phase 2 contract tied to space situational awareness capabilities.

Enspire DBS Therapy Secured $10.3 Million Series B1 To Advance DBS-Enabled Stroke Rehabilitation Trial

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Enspire DBS Therapy, a Cleveland-based clinical-stage medical device company developing an implantable neuromodulation approach for post-stroke recovery, has raised $10.3 million in a Series B1 financing to support pivotal clinical development of its deep brain stimulation-enabled rehabilitation program. The round was led by Genesys Capital, which joined as a new investor, with participation from existing backers Cleveland Clinic and JobsOhio Ventures. As part of the financing, Genesys Capital Managing Partner Jamie Stiff will join Enspire’s board of directors.

WitnessAI: $58 Million Raised To Expand Globally And Roll Out New Security Controls For AI Agents

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

WitnessAI, an enterprise AI security and governance vendor, said it has raised $58 million in a strategic funding round to accelerate global go-to-market efforts and broaden its product portfolio as more companies deploy autonomous, agent-based AI systems. The round was led by Sound Ventures, with participation from Fin Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and Forgepoint Capital Partners, according to the company. WitnessAI said the capital will be used to expand internationally and scale product development focused on securing AI agents alongside traditional large-language-model usage.

The 33rd Team Raises Eight-Figure Series B As It Shifts From Media To Football Analytics Technology

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

The 33rd Team, a football intelligence and technology company founded by veteran NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum, has closed an eight-figure Series B funding round as it accelerates its push to become a data and technology provider for pro and collegiate football organizations. The round was led by a consortium of strategic SME-focused investors and included Liberty Media, FORTA Advisors, Autumn Road, Dan Senor, Nick Gross, Gary Vaynerchuk, Ryan Moore, Greg Ciongoli, George Pyne, John Low, and Silver Falcon Capital, the family office of former NASCAR CEO Brian France. The company said it also added football industry participants to its cap table, including NFL alumnus Justin Pugh and former head coach Matt Patricia.

American Resources Secures $200 Million Equity Facility to Scale U.S. Critical Minerals Refining

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

American Resources announced ReElement Technologies has closed a $200 million strategic equity facility from Transition Equity Partners that the companies plan to use to scale U.S.-based critical mineral and rare earth refining capacity, starting with an expansion of ReElement’s Marion, Indiana operations.

Nuclera Extends Series C Funding To $87 Million To Advance Antibody Engineering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Nuclera, a biotech company developing a benchtop platform for rapid access to functional proteins, has raised a $12 million extension to its Series C financing, bringing total Series C funding to $87 million.

Klearly: €12 Million Series A Raised To Expand Restaurant Payments Across Europe

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Klearly, an Amsterdam-based payments platform built for restaurants, bars, and clubs, announced in a LinkedIn post that it has raised a €12 million Series A round led by PayPal Ventures as it pushes beyond the Netherlands into new European markets. The funding included participation from Italian Founders Fund alongside existing backers Global PayTech Ventures, Antler Elevate and Shapers.

Zepo Intelligence: $15 Million Seed Round Raised To Protect Workspaces From AI-Driven Social Engineering

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Zepo Intelligence, a human-centric cybersecurity startup focused on defending employees against AI-powered manipulation, has raised a $15 million seed round backed by European investors Kibo Ventures, eCAPITAL, and TIN Capital.

Verna: $4 Million Raised To Help Organizations Deliver Nature Recovery Projects

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Verna announced it has raised $4 million to meet growing demand for software that helps organizations take verifiable action on nature recovery, as companies and public bodies move from nature risk reporting toward long-term delivery on the ground.

CACI Wins Up To $416 Million Navy Task Order To Sustain And Modernize NAVSEA Maintenance Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

CACI International announced it has been awarded a five-year, single-award task order valued at up to $416 million to support the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Navy Maritime Maintenance Enterprise Solution (NMMES) program.

X Square Robot Raises $140 Million in Series A++ Funding To Scale Embodied AI Models And Robot Deployment

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

X Square Robot, a China-based developer of general-purpose embodied artificial intelligence, said January 12, 2026 that it has completed a Series A++ funding round of about $140 million, or roughly RMB 1 billion, as it accelerates development of what it calls a “robot brain” foundation model for the physical world and expands commercialization across logistics, manufacturing and healthcare use cases.

Aquilance: $16 Million Strategic Growth Raised To Expand Delivery Of Unbundled Family Office Solutions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Aquilance, a technology-enabled provider of personal financial administration services for wealthy families and their advisors, has secured a $16 million strategic growth investment led by Ten Coves Capital as it looks to scale demand for “unbundled” family office-style services across wealth management firms, RIAs, and trust companies.

Department Of War Commits $1 Billion Direct-To-Supplier Investment With L3Harris

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

The Department of War (DoW), working in partnership with L3Harris Technologies, said it has signed a letter of intent laying out investment terms aimed at expanding U.S. production capacity for solid rocket motors—an input the Department described as a critical node in the munitions supply chain.

CIM Group Closes $167.67 Million Loan To Recapitalize 15-Property WoodSpring Suites Extended-Stay Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

CIM Group announced it has closed a $167.67 million loan package to affiliates of Concord Hospitality and Whitman Peterson to recapitalize a 15-property WoodSpring Suites extended-stay hotel portfolio spanning Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

NGP VAN Launches API And Data Products Team With Seven-Figure Investment To Modernize Integrations

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

NGP VAN announced it has formed its first dedicated API and Data Products Team and committed a seven-figure investment to modernize and expand the company’s APIs, a move aimed at strengthening the integration infrastructure used across the progressive technology ecosystem.

bricks.sh Raises €1.6 Million Pre-Seed And Launches Public Beta For Internal Tools Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

bricks.sh announced it has closed a €1.6 million oversubscribed pre-seed round and opened a public beta of its platform designed to help companies build internal tools faster while preserving customization.

HPS/PayMedix Secures $33 Million Investment To Expand Healthcare Financing Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

HPS/PayMedix announced it has closed $33 million in combined equity and debt financing to accelerate national growth of PayMedix, its healthcare financing and payments platform designed to simplify how consumers and providers manage medical bills.

Mevaldi: New Investment Secured To Speed Industrial Scale-Up

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Mevaldi announced it has raised new investment from ICOS Capital, with High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and ICIG Ventures also participating, as the company looks to accelerate the industrial scale-up of its technology and expand the market reach of its bio-based chemical building blocks.

Deepgram: $130 Million Series C At $1.3 Billion Valuation Raised And OfOne Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Deepgram announced it raised $130 million in Series C funding at a $1.3 billion valuation to accelerate development of its real-time voice AI API platform and support new product and ecosystem initiatives, including an acquisition, expanded intellectual property efforts, and a new collaboration space in San Francisco.

SK Hynix To Invest $13 Billion In New Cheongju Plant

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

SK Hynix will invest 19 trillion Korean won (about $12.9 billion) to build a new advanced packaging plant in South Korea as the memory maker races to expand output for artificial intelligence-related demand, according to CNBC.

AbbVie And Trump Administration Strike $100 Billion Deal Tied To Medicaid Prices, Direct-To-Patient Drug Access, And U.S. Investment Plan

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

AbbVie announced it has reached a voluntary, three-year agreement with the Trump administration aimed at expanding access to medicines and lowering costs for Americans, while the company commits to a decade-long investment push in U.S. research, development, and manufacturing.

AI4Eyes: C$6.5 Million Raised To Advance AI-Powered Eye Care Products

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

AI4Eyes Medical Technologies has secured a combined C$6.5 million in new capital to support the development and commercialization of regulated, AI-powered eye care solutions, the company said.

Bansk Group Closes $1.45 Billion Fund II

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Bansk Group, a New York-based consumer-focused private investment firm, said it has reached a final close on its second fund with $1.45 billion in total commitments, exceeding its $1 billion target. The firm said Fund II closed in December 2025 and drew strong participation from existing limited partners alongside a “diverse group” of new global investors.