Pulse 2.0 | Business news, profiles, and deal flow coverage

Nvidia Acquiring Groq’s Assets In A Reported $20 Billion Deal

ServiceNow To Buy Armis For $7.75 Billion To Expand Cyber Exposure Management

CACI Agrees To Acquire ARKA Group From Blackstone For $2.6 Billion

reAlpha To Buy InstaMortgage For $8.5 Million, Expanding Into Direct Mortgage Lending

Accordion Acquires Pinnacle Healthcare Advisors To Expand Revenue Cycle Management Capabilities

Lucidean: $18 Million Seed Funding Raised To Scale CohZero Data-Center Optics

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:52 PM

Lucidean, a Santa Barbara, California–based AI interconnect company developing coherent optical links for data centers, has raised $18 million in Seed financing and appointed Dr. James Raring as chief executive officer.

Howmet Aerospace To Buy Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing For About $1.8 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:50 PM

Howmet Aerospace said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing (CAM) from Stanley Black & Decker in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $1.8 billion. The acquisition is aimed at expanding Howmet’s aerospace fastening systems business by adding CAM’s portfolio of precision fasteners, fluid fittings, and other highly engineered components used across aerospace and defense platforms.

Clarity Pediatrics: $14.5 Million Series A Raised To Expand Virtual Chronic Care Platform Into Pediatric Obesity Services

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:33 PM

Clarity Pediatrics, a telehealth company focused on virtual specialty care for chronic pediatric conditions, announced it has raised $14.5 million in Series A financing and plans to expand its platform into pediatric obesity care, with an obesity-services launch targeted for early 2026.

Atavistik Bio: $120 Million Series B Raised To Advance Selective Allosteric Small-Molecule Programs In HHT And MPNs

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:27 PM

Atavistik Bio said it raised a $120 million Series B financing to push two selective allosteric small-molecule programs into clinical proof-of-concept studies: an oral, AKT1-selective allosteric inhibitor for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and a JAK2 V617F mutant-selective inhibitor program for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

HBox: Strategic Growth Investment Raised From Charlesbank

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:21 PM

HBox, a virtual care platform focused on specialty medical practices, said it has received a strategic growth investment from Charlesbank Capital Partners’ Technology Opportunities Fund II to support expansion of its AI-powered virtual care capabilities and broader initiatives aimed at high-risk chronic condition management. The transaction closed on December 17, 2025, and was announced December 19.

Coforge To Buy Encora In $2.35 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:07 PM

Coforge announced it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Encora, an AI-native engineering services firm founded in Silicon Valley, in a transaction that the companies said is designed to accelerate Coforge’s ambition to become a leading AI-driven engineering provider.

Accenture To Buy Cabel Industry, Strengthening Financial Services Capabilities in Italy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 11:04 PM

Accenture has agreed to acquire Cabel Industry, an Italian technology company that provides specialized core banking and IT managed services to mid-size financial institutions, from the Fibonacci Group. The transaction is expected to bolster Accenture’s banking and insurance technology offering in Italy by expanding its managed services capabilities and adding sector-specific platform expertise.

Ropes & Gray Names New Leadership for Corporate and Private Capital Transactions Practices

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:54 PM

Ropes & Gray has named a new leadership team across its corporate practices, appointing David Blittner as Corporate Group Leader and selecting Amanda McGrady Morrison and Michael Lee as co-leaders of the firm’s private capital transactions practice. The firm said the appointments are aimed at delivering faster, more integrated support to clients operating in an increasingly dynamic deal environment.

White & Case Adds Veteran Tax Partner Alejandro Santoyo In Mexico City

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:51 PM

White & Case has expanded its Global Tax Practice with the addition of Alejandro Santoyo as a partner in Mexico City, strengthening the firm’s capabilities across Latin America and in cross-border matters involving the US and Mexico.

Clifford Chance Re-Elects Charles Adams As Global Managing Partner For Second Term

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:49 PM

Clifford Chance announced it has re-elected Charles Adams as its Global Managing Partner, extending his leadership for a second four-year term that will begin on May 1, 2026. The announcement reflects partner support for Adams’ continued stewardship of the firm’s global strategy and operations as it focuses on growth, client service, and execution across its international platform.

TMTG Merge With TAE Technologies In All-Stock Deal Valued Above $6 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:44 PM

Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement to combine with fusion-energy developer TAE Technologies in an all-stock transaction valued at more than $6 billion, a deal the companies say would create one of the world’s first publicly traded fusion companies.

Harbour Energy To Buy LLOG Exploration For $3.2 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:29 PM

Harbour Energy announced it has agreed to acquire privately held LLOG Exploration Company LLC for $3.2 billion, marking Harbour’s strategic entry into the deepwater U.S. Gulf of America and adding a new core operating region alongside its existing positions in Norway, the UK, Argentina and Mexico.

Saipem Wins $3.1 Billion Share Of QatarEnergy LNG Offshore EPCI Award

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:25 PM

Saipem announced it has been awarded an offshore engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract in Qatar as part of the North Field Production Sustainability (NFPS) Offshore Compression Complexes project, with the company’s share valued at approximately $3.1 billion.

Radiant Raises Over $300 Million To Scale Mass-Production Of Portable Nuclear Microreactors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:18 PM

Radiant, a company developing factory-built, transportable nuclear microreactors, has raised more than $300 million in a new funding round to expand commercialization efforts and support construction of its planned R-50 manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The company said the raise was completed just six months after its Series C and was assembled in a matter of weeks.

Addition Therapeutics: $100 Million Funding Raised To Advance All-RNA PRINT Platform For One-Time Genomic Medicines

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 10:03 PM

Addition Therapeutics announced it has raised $100 million in financing to date, highlighting progress toward developing one-time genomic medicines for chronic and rare diseases. Based in South San Francisco, the company is building around an all-RNA, non-viral approach that uses lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver its PRINT platform, short for Precise RNA-Mediated Insertion of Transgenes.

DUX: $9 Million Seed Funding Closed To Bring Agentic Exposure Management To Modern Cyber Defense

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:43 PM

Dux, an agentic exposure management platform designed to keep pace with AI-driven cyberattacks, has emerged from stealth with a $9 million seed financing round led by Redpoint, TLV Partners, and Maple Capital. The company said the round also included participation from cybersecurity executives from CrowdStrike, Okta, and Armis.

Aeovian Pharmaceuticals: $55 Million Series B Raised To Advance AV078 For Tuberous Sclerosis Complex-Related Refractory Epilepsy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 9:26 PM

Aeovian Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Berkeley, California, has closed an oversubscribed $55 million Series B financing to support completion of a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study for its lead candidate, AV078, in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-related refractory epilepsy.

Cetera Onboards $250 Million Firm Guided Financial Strategies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:38 PM

Guided Financial Strategies, a San Diego-based advisory firm overseeing about $250 million in assets under administration, has transitioned to Cetera Financial Group after more than two decades affiliated with LPL, according to an announcement from Cetera. The practice is led by veteran advisors Rick Dickinson and founder Alan Hughes and will join Cetera’s Summit Financial Networks community, which the firm said will support its next phase of expansion through both organic growth and advisor recruiting.

OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners Reports 2025 Growth Milestones, Expands Leadership Team and National Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:22 PM

OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners announced it delivered a year of accelerated growth and organizational change in 2025, highlighted by a major increase in assets under management, a firmwide rebrand, leadership additions, acquisitions, and continued geographic expansion.

Sanofi To Buy Dynavax In $2.2 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:06 PM

Sanofi has agreed to acquire Dynavax Technologies in an all-cash transaction that would add the U.S.-marketed adult hepatitis B vaccine HEPLISAV-B and a Phase 1/2 shingles vaccine candidate to Sanofi’s vaccines portfolio.

Gambit Cyber: $3.4 Million Seed Funding Raised To Scale Agentic AI-Driven CTEM Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 7:04 PM

Gambit Cyber, a Leiden, Netherlands-based startup focused on AI-native preemptive cybersecurity, has raised $3.4 million in seed funding to expand its KnightGuard continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) platform. The round was led by Expeditions, with participation from Bitdefender Voyager Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of cybersecurity company Bitdefender.

Penn Launches $10 Million StartUP Fund To Back Faculty-Founded Companies

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 6:58 PM

The University of Pennsylvania’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research has launched the Penn StartUP Fund, an internal early-stage investment vehicle designed to support startup companies founded by Penn faculty and researchers and based on Penn-developed innovation.

UTulsa’s Hurricane Ventures Backs Electrolysis Startup Tobe Energy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 6:54 PM

The University of Tulsa and its venture fund, Hurricane Ventures, have invested in Tobe Energy, an electrolyzer startup co-founded by UTulsa alumni Colby DeWeese and Caleb Lareau. The funding will support Tobe Energy’s efforts to make clean hydrogen production more cost-effective and efficient, with the broader goal of expanding access to low-emissions hydrogen as part of the transition to a lower-carbon economy.

Stereotaxis: Interview With Chairman & CEO David Fischel About The Robotic Magnetic Navigation Systems Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:00 AM

Stereotaxis develops robotic magnetic navigation systems and related devices that let physicians remotely steer catheters during minimally invasive procedures, especially cardiac ablation to treat heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias). Pulse 2.0 interviewed Stereotaxis Chairman and CEO David Fischel to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

MetalBear: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Aviram Hassan on Reinventing Developer Experience in Kubernetes

By Amit Chowdhry ● Yesterday at 8:00 AM

MetalBear builds mirrord, a developer tool that lets engineers run services locally while seamlessly connecting to real cloud environments to speed up development, improve debugging, and reduce cloud costs. Pulse 2.0 interviewed MetalBear co-founder and CEO Aviram Hassan to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

bp To Sell 65% Of Castrol To Stonepeak In $10.1 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 25, 2025

bp has agreed to sell a 65% shareholding in Castrol to investment firm Stonepeak in a deal that values the lubricants business at an enterprise value of $10.1 billion. The company said the valuation implies an EV/LTM EBITDA multiple of about 8.6x and follows a strategic review that attracted broad interest.

Janus Henderson To Be Acquired By Trian And General Catalyst In $7.4 Billion Take-Private Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 25, 2025

Janus Henderson Group plc said it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $7.4 billion.

Imprint: $150 Million Series D At $1.2 Billion Valuation Raised To Expand Co-Brand Cards Into A Full Loyalty Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Imprint, a New York-based financial technology company focused on co-brand card programs, has raised $150 million in Series D financing at a $1.2 billion valuation. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Thrive Capital, Ribbit Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Hedosophia, Spice Capital, Timeless, and meaningful participation from existing backers.

NextFoods: $10 Million Series 3 Raised To Expand Science-Backed Functional Wellness Portfolio

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

NextFoods, the parent company of functional nutrition brands Cheribundi and GoodBelly, has closed a $10 million Series 3 funding round led by ECP Growth. The company said the financing will support product innovation, brand expansion, and deeper retail partnerships as demand rises for everyday wellness solutions spanning gut health, muscle recovery, and sleep.

Manifold: $18 Million Series B Raised To Expand Vertical AI Platform For Life Sciences

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 23, 2025

Manifold, an AI platform focused on life sciences workflows from discovery through clinical and precision care, has raised $18 million in a Series B financing led by Reach Capital, with participation from SilverArc Capital, Industry Ventures, and existing investors TQ Ventures and Calibrate Ventures. The round brings Manifold’s total capital raised to $40 million as the company positions itself as a category player in “vertical AI” for the life sciences market.