Backed by Pivotal Ventures and other leading LPs, Fund II will invest in AI infrastructure replacing today’s fragmented care systems

LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2026 — Magnify Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on transforming the care economy, today announced the launch of Fund II with $46.6 million closed. The new fund will target category-defining technology companies driving innovation and use of AI in health, wealth and family care, and the systems that support them. Backed by returning investor Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates organization, the fund includes new investors Jordan Park and Unum, with financing from California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), alongside leading foundations, funds of funds, family offices and visionary business leaders.

“Magnify’s investment in the care economy is an investment in one of society’s most pressing issues: family health and well-being,” said Erin Harkless Moore, managing director of Investments at Pivotal Ventures. ”Joanna and Julie understood this early on and had the conviction to take on a sector that has long been under-resourced, despite being a $648 billion market opportunity. They saw that investing in caregiving benefits not only women and families, but also the broader economy. I can’t imagine a stronger team to carry this vision forward.”

A Once‑Overlooked Market Gains Momentum

Magnify Ventures launched Fund I with a thesis that the care economy, long under-built and underinvested, was poised to become a broad, investable ecosystem powered by emerging technologies and poised for transformation. Over the past four years, Magnify Ventures has built a portfolio of breakout companies defining new categories across parenting, aging, household optimization and financial resilience, while convening a growing community of founders, operators and investors around the opportunity.

Venture interest in the care economy has accelerated by 45% in the last four years, with more than $26 billion invested in over 700 companies since 2015, according to The Holding Co. in partnership with Pivotal Ventures. Magnify Ventures invests across the traditional care economy — from pregnancy through to end of life caregiving solutions — and into the healthcare, financial and consumer systems that surround families. As those markets have grown, so has Magnify Ventures’ conviction that its focus on families and caregiving creates a competitive edge well beyond the category’s traditional boundaries.

“IBank’s Venture Capital Program was created to expand access to capital for innovative entrepreneurs and emerging funds driving California’s future economy. Magnify Ventures is identifying founders who are tackling some of the most significant challenges facing families, caregivers, and communities as essential participants in the care economy,” said Andy Nakahata, executive director, California IBank. “As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, the care economy represents a compelling opportunity for innovation and growth. We are excited to support Fund II and the founders developing technologies that will modernize critical infrastructure, create jobs, and provide meaningful benefits to families.”

With Fund II, Magnify Ventures will invest in founders that are moving beyond early-category platforms into applied AI that directly improves how people live, work and care for one another. This includes AI that reduces the invisible labor of running a household, agentic tools that improve quality and reduce cost across health and home systems, and fintech infrastructure that modernizes how families build and protect wealth. The firm will also back founders building the healthcare, home and workplace infrastructure built for the modern family.

“We’re at a real inflection point in some of the world’s largest, most under leveraged markets: care, wealth, aging, and the broader health, consumer and financial systems that shape family life. AI is the key to unlocking new opportunities in markets that have been stagnant for decades, inspiring innovative companies to create generational change,” said Julie Wroblewski, co-founder and managing partner of Magnify Ventures. “With Fund II, we will back the founders defining the next era of the care economy, aging and longevity, and women’s health.”

Building that infrastructure takes more than capital. Magnify Ventures is the founding producer of the Care Summit, which brings together founders, investors and LPs across the care economy. The Care Summit will return to San Francisco February 2, 2027.

Founder Quotes

Alexandra Mysoor, Co-Founder and CEO, Alix

“For most families, settling an estate means navigating hundreds of hours of practical, financial, and administrative work during one of life’s hardest moments. Today, the process takes an average of 900 hours and 18 months to complete. As more than $120 trillion transfers across generations in the largest wealth transfer in history, Alix is applying AI to simplify estate settlement and help families navigate this transition more efficiently. Magnify recognized the scale of that opportunity early on, and their belief in us from day one has been invaluable to our growth.”

Alan Charming Chan, Co-Founder and CEO, Joy Parenting Club

“Joy is built on a simple belief: Every parent deserves access to the kind of expert guidance and support that was once available only to a fortunate few. For the first time, AI makes it possible to bring a family’s trusted experts, personalized guidance and essential resources together in one place, replacing the fragmented experience of juggling dozens of apps, websites and services. Magnify understood that vision because of their depth of knowledge in care, and their network and category expertise have helped us grow.”

Patrick Coughlin, Co-Founder and CEO, Savi Security

“Savi Security is building a seamless protection platform for families at a time when digital fraud is not just the fastest-growing crime in the country, but also the most financially damaging, costing Americans over $100 billion annually. Magnify’s unique domain expertise in families’ health and financial well-being has brought immediate market insights and an invaluable partner ecosystem to accelerate company growth.”

About Magnify Ventures

Magnify Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in category-defining companies at the intersection of care, technology and infrastructure. Founded by Julie Wroblewski and Joanna Drake, Magnify leads the new care economy by investing where others don’t yet see the opportunity, and building the ecosystem the category needs to grow. Magnify Ventures is anchored by Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates organization, and other leading foundations, funds of funds, family offices and visionary business leaders. For more information, visit www.magnify.vc.

SOURCE Magnify Ventures

• Co-led by DSC Investment and LB Investment, with full follow-on participation from all seed investors
• Validates market readiness by shifting from lab research to immediate factory-floor deployment and revenue generation
• Capital earmarked for aggressive talent acquisition, infrastructure scaling, and global market expansion

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2026 — CarbonSix,Inc., a pioneer in Physical AI for the manufacturing sector, announced today that it has raised $40 million (approx. KRW 60 billion) in a Series A funding round from a syndicate of premier U.S. and South Korean venture capital firms.

The round was co-led by DSC Investment and LB Investment. New investors joining the round include IMM Investment, Korea Development Bank (KDB), SV Investment, Cortentia (U.S.), and ASQ (A Squared, U.S.). Demonstrating strong continued confidence in CarbonSix’s technology and scalability, all existing seed-round investors—Foothill Ventures, Storm Ventures, Zeitgeist Capital, Xquared and CarbonBlack Fund—fully participated with follow-on investments.

While much of the robotics AI sector remains capped at lab demos and pilot stages, CarbonSix distinguishes itself by developing deploy-ready robotic intelligence software and hardware (robotic hands/manipulators) engineered for immediate integration into real-world manufacturing lines. From day one, the company has prioritized field reliability, seamless adaptability, and clear return on investment (ROI) for its clients—a strategy that has already translated into commercial contracts and scaling revenue.

At the core of CarbonSix’s competitive edge is its proprietary “data flywheel” business model. Instead of dumping massive, generalized datasets into abstract foundation models, CarbonSix provides practical automation tools that factories can use immediately. As clients operate these tools, high-quality, task-specific data is naturally captured and fed back into the system. This creates a powerful compounding loop: tool usage drives data accumulation, which refines the AI models, ultimately delivering even smarter automation tools back to the factory floor.

The company’s rapid commercial traction is anchored by the deep domain expertise of its founding team. CEO Tae-yeon Terry Moon previously co-founded SuaLab, an industrial AI vision powerhouse acquired by Cognex. CTO H.J. Terry Suh, a Ph.D. graduate from MIT, drives the company’s robotic intelligence framework, while CHO (Chief Hardware Officer) Je-hyeok Kim, a former Yale postdoc, specializes in state-of-the-art robotic hand and manipulator design.

“From the very beginning, our goal has never been about building technology for technology’s sake—it has been about creating practical, field-ready Physical AI that drives measurable bottom-line results for manufacturers,” said Tae-yeon Terry Moon, CEO of CarbonSix. “This funding validates our deployment-first, revenue-backed approach. We will aggressively invest in top-tier talent and infrastructure to accelerate the Physical AI transition for factories worldwide.”

“CarbonSix is a rare gem in the robotics AI landscape because they have bridged the gap between technical demos and actual factory-floor monetization,” said Seongmin Kang, Director at DSC Investment. “We were highly impressed by the scalability of their data flywheel model, where immediate utility and continuous data accumulation reinforce each other to build an unassailable competitive moat.”

“As the Physical AI market enters a hyper-growth phase, CarbonSix stands out by already proving its commercial value and operational reliability in production environments,” added Matthew Sungwook Jung, Senior Investment Manager, at LB Investment. “We are thrilled to partner with a team that possesses both world-class academic pedigree and deep operational empathy for the manufacturing sector as they scale into a global leader.”

About CarbonSix, Inc.

CarbonSix is a Physical AI company developing deployment-ready robotic intelligence and automation solutions for manufacturing. Its technologies help manufacturers automate complex, variable tasks while improving performance through real-world operational data. Led by experts in industrial AI, robotics and hardware engineering, CarbonSix is focused on delivering measurable ROI and accelerating the adoption of Physical AI across global manufacturing.

Media Contact
Sophie Park ([email protected])

SOURCE CarbonSix

From Enterprise to Bespoke Disrupters, The AI Awards Sets to Evaluate Full Spectrum of AI Innovation ahead of July 24 deadline

LONDON and NEW YORK, July 1, 2026 — The AI Awards program is hunting for highly customized, niche solutions alongside massive foundational breakthroughs as it prepares for the 2026 deadline.

The AI Awards, from The Cloud Awards, is the definitive benchmark for commercial AI, with the final July 24 entry window rapidly closing.

The Cloud Awards CEO James Williams said: “Our judging panel lives and breathes technology. Two things that excite them most are solid innovations from names we know – and less-familiar, even highly esoteric approaches from smaller, rising figures in the industry.

“Of course, there’s a tendency for people to get too hung up on the gargantuan players in this area, and broad, Swiss-Army Knife large-language models. We see them, we use them, and we’re thrilled whenever someone applies them to a real-world problem.

“As well as these, any functional, niche AI implementation in healthcare or supply chain logistics carries just as much weight with the judging panel as a global platform deployment.

“With less than a month to go, we’re eager to see just how far teams worldwide have pushed the boundaries of this cluster of technologies.”

The Cloud Awards CTO Annabelle Whittall said: “The AI landscape isn’t just being reshaped by massive, sweeping models. It’s being transformed by quietly brilliant, highly specialized tools solving precise pain-points.

“Whether you’re a three-person startup with a highly specialized NLP tool, or an enterprise giant re-engineering entire business workflows, there is a dedicated category, and a global spotlight, waiting for you before July 24.”

The AI Awards features a comprehensive lineup of categories structured across four core pillars to honor excellence across the entire artificial intelligence landscape.

To ensure a level playing field for both massive industry leaps and brilliant niche innovations, the program is categorized into four distinct pillars. General AI Excellence captures everything from foundational AI Platforms to highly specific benchmarks for Ethics and Governance. AI for Business Operations looks at practical utility across the corporate ecosystem, balancing major Sales & Marketing tools with targeted HR solutions. Technology Excellence focuses on pure technical execution, recognizing that a precise DevOps or Automation integration can be just as impactful as a massive AI Implementation. Rounding out the program, Vertical / Industry AI Applications celebrates tailored, real-world case studies solving distinct problems in fields ranging from Manufacturing and Logistics to Creative Industries.

The AI Awards program is a global recognition platform spanning the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and APAC. From disruptive startups to enterprise giants, The AI Awards is a global stage for organizations to demonstrate how they are translating AI potential into measurable impact.

Successful applicants to The AI Awards program receive international recognition, a marketing toolkit, and opportunities to further amplify their thought-leadership. Submissions made through the ‘Success Suite’ tier also receive expert judges’ feedback on their innovations.

The entry deadline is Friday 24 July 2026.

Contact details   

The AI Awards, an awards program from The Cloud Awards   
Matthew Gregory – Head of Marketing
https://www.cloud-awards.com/   
[email protected]
(212) 574-8117

About The AI Awards, an awards program from The Cloud Awards
The AI Awards is a pre-eminent artificial intelligence awards program from The Cloud Awards. This international awarding body has been recognizing and honoring industry leaders, innovators and organizational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The Cloud Awards comprises five awards programs, each uniquely celebrating success across cloud computing, software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud security, artificial intelligence (AI), and financial technologies (FinTech).

Winners are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about The AI Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/ai-awards/.

SOURCE The AI Awards

PRAGUE, July 1, 2026 — Wultra, a European provider of post-quantum authentication and digital identity solutions for banks and fintechs, announced the completion of a €6.8 million Series A funding round. The investment round was backed by lead investor Seventure Partners, followed by ARIADNEXT founders Marc Norlain and Guillaume Despagne and existing investors J&T Ventures and Elevator Ventures. Wultra helps financial institutions replace legacy authentication methods with phishing-resistant, post-quantum technologies that improve security and user experience. Having established its regional hub in Singapore, Wultra now plans to expand its operations into the Middle East and the United States.

The investment round underscores strong investor confidence in Wultra’s vision. The proceeds will be used to scale Wultra’s digital identity platform and accelerate the company’s next phase of growth. The funding will also support team growth, enable a stronger focus on large strategic customers, and support the company’s long-term strategic objectives.

The investment comes as organizations worldwide modernize their digital identity systems to address AI-enabled identity fraud, including deepfakes. They also accelerate their transition to post-quantum security following the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) publication of post-quantum cryptography standards and ongoing industry-wide efforts to meet emerging migration timelines established by governments and industry bodies. With governments, regulators, and financial institutions increasingly planning for long-term cryptographic resilience, demand for practical post-quantum-ready authentication and digital identity solutions continues to grow.

Funding Follows a Strong Year of Strategic Expansion

The new investment round follows a strong year for the company. In August 2025, Wultra was named as the only Sample Vendor for Post-Quantum Authentication in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Digital Identity, 2025, highlighting the company’s early recognition in this emerging category. In 2025, Wultra further expanded its global footprint by opening an office in Singapore, one of Asia’s leading fintech hubs, to meet growing demand for digital identity solutions across ASEAN.

“Last year was a highly dynamic period for Wultra. We expanded our product portfolio beyond authentication to cover the broader digital identity journey, from onboarding and identity proofing to user authentication, transaction authorization, and electronic signatures. We grew our team by nearly 50%, established a presence in Singapore, and now support more than 70 clients across 25 countries worldwide,” said Petr Dvorak, Founder & CEO of Wultra. 

For more information, visit www.wultra.com

SOURCE Wultra

Charles Huang, founder and CEO of Pasaca Capital Inc., shares his perspective on business success and philanthropy.

PASADENA, Calif., July 1, 2026 — The true meaning of wealth is not how much you keep, but how many opportunities you create for others.

With the recent opening of the Charles Huang Outpatient Tower at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, together with the foundation’s earlier philanthropic support for USC Arcadia Hospital, the Charles Huang Foundation has invested nearly $15 million in healthcare initiatives across Northern and Southern California in recent years.

For Charles Huang, philanthropy has never been an afterthought or a reward for business success. Rather, it has been an integral part of his vision since the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

In an exclusive interview, Huang explained that the purpose of a business extends far beyond generating profits. Companies, he believes, should improve society through investments in education, healthcare, and technological innovation—a philosophy deeply rooted in his own professional experiences.

From Equity Research to Global Investing

Huang arrived in the United States in October 2002 after spending six years as a leading China equity research analyst in Hong Kong’s investment banking industry. During a period of rapid growth in Chinese companies listing in Hong Kong, his disciplined fundamental analysis and industry research earned him widespread recognition. He pioneered several new approaches to China equity research and became known in financial circles as the “Golden Finger of the Hong Kong Stock Market” for producing influential research reports that shaped investor perspectives.

“Stock prices ultimately reflect business fundamentals—not market emotions. The responsibility of an analyst is to identify long-term enterprise value rather than chase short-term market fluctuations.”

Looking back on that period, Huang says the industry recognition was meaningful, but helping investors understand the intrinsic value of companies was always the greater accomplishment.

A Global Perspective

Huang graduated from Wuhan University before continuing his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned his doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

“Globalization is not simply moving a company overseas. It is the ability to integrate resources from around the world.”

He credits his educational experiences in both China and the United Kingdom for developing a global mindset and a deep appreciation for different economic systems, business cultures, and models of industrial development.

Lessons in Strategy

After leaving investment banking, Huang participated in several international strategic partnerships involving major Chinese private enterprises, including efforts to facilitate collaboration with the UK’s MG Rover Group. Although the transaction ultimately did not conclude because of changes in corporate ownership, the experience reinforced his belief that sustainable competitive advantage is built through long-term strategy rather than short-term opportunities.

Navigating Crisis

In 2007, Huang returned to Hong Kong’s financial markets, joining BNP Paribas Securities as Head of China and Hong Kong Small & Mid-Cap Research. There, he experienced the 2008 global financial crisis firsthand.

“The greatest challenge in investing is not predicting whether markets will rise or fall. It is maintaining independent judgment when market sentiment becomes most extreme.”

According to Huang, the financial crisis reaffirmed one enduring principle: every market eventually returns to fundamentals.

Building Companies That Matter

Following the crisis, Huang shifted his focus from public market research to private equity and industrial investment. In 2016, he founded Pasaca Capital in Southern California, concentrating on high-impact sectors including: Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Medical Technology, Clean Energy, Robotics, Industrial Automation, Advanced Materials.

“The true value of a company is not whether it goes public or how high its valuation becomes. It is whether it continues solving real industry problems and creating sustainable long-term value.”

Rather than pursuing short-term capital market trends, Huang evaluates businesses based on their technological innovation, operational excellence, sustainable cash flow, and lasting societal impact.

The Future of Innovation

Asked about the extraordinary global attention surrounding SpaceX, Huang described Elon Musk as one of the defining entrepreneurs of the modern era.

He believes investors’ willingness to assign premium valuations to companies like SpaceX reflects confidence in visionary leadership and exceptional execution.

“Vision can create extraordinary valuations, but only sustainable profitability can support them over time.”

Drawing on decades of investment experience, Huang cautions that every company must ultimately be measured by the strength of its business model, cash flow, and earnings. Following more than a decade of bull markets after the 2008 financial crisis, many investors have never experienced a prolonged bear market, making it easy to become overly optimistic about high-growth companies.

“When market conditions change, every business eventually returns to fundamentals.”

Confidence in California’s Future

Looking ahead, Huang believes demographic shifts and an aging population will become increasingly important drivers of China’s long-term economic outlook.

At the same time, he remains highly optimistic about California’s future.

According to Huang, California’s greatest competitive advantage extends well beyond Silicon Valley. The state’s world-class universities, mature venture capital ecosystem, cultural diversity, and continued ability to attract global talent position it as one of the world’s leading centers of innovation.

“The United States has always been a nation driven by immigrants and innovation, and California remains one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems.”

He points to technology, biotechnology, entertainment, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing as the industries that collectively underpin California’s long-term economic strength.

Success Measured by Impact

For Huang, business success is never the destination.

“Success in business is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a greater responsibility to society.”

In addition to building global businesses, Huang has remained deeply committed to philanthropy for many years. Through the Charles Huang Foundation, significant contributions have supported major California healthcare institutions, including Chinese Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital, helping expand access to quality medical care for communities throughout the state.

From respected equity analyst to global investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Charles Huang has consistently believed that the role of business extends beyond wealth creation. Through capital investment, technological innovation, and charitable giving, he continues to pursue a vision of creating lasting opportunities and meaningful impact for future generations.

Media Contact:
Weining (Chris) Mao
T: (626) 657-6573 | C: (623) 666-2456
E-mail: [email protected] 
Web: pasacacapital.com 

SOURCE Pasaca Capital Inc.

Successful fundraising in challenging environment demonstrates enthusiasm for firm’s core focus on real assets globally, extensive team experience and expertise across asset classes and geographies

MIAMI, July 1, 2026 — Starwood Capital Group (“Starwood Capital”), a leading global private investment firm, today announced the successful final closing of its latest opportunistic real estate fund, Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund XIII (“SOF XIII”), with capital commitments in excess of $10.2 billion. Together with existing commitments to Starwood Capital’s other investment vehicles, the firm’s assets under management now total approximately $130 billion.

SOF XIII will continue to focus on real assets globally, with the flexibility to shift between asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack. SOF XIII will primarily target transactions across the United States and Europe, with selective opportunities in Asia Pacific, and a focus on a strategic mix of residential, data center, industrial and hospitality assets.

SOF XIII was supported by more than 300 new and existing investors across approximately 20 countries, demonstrating broad enthusiasm for Starwood Capital’s future and its extensive investment capabilities. This diverse and sophisticated investor base includes pensions, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments, wealth managers, family offices and high net worth investors. In addition, Starwood Capital Group and related parties have committed $100 million to SOF XIII.

“We are very grateful for our investors’ continued strong support. This is a testament to the strength of our team and the trust our LPs place in us,” said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital. “We are excited about the opportunities we have already sourced for this fund and are proud of our track record of delivering results for our investors through market cycles. With our scale, resources and breadth of talent, we are well-positioned to execute on opportunities in this compelling environment for real estate.”

“We could not be more proud of our brand, our strategy and our team’s capabilities, and of the results we have consistently delivered for our investors,” said Jonathan Pollack, President of Starwood Capital. “With a growing team of more than 350 investment professionals and an expanding global footprint, we have the talent, scale and conviction to continue delivering great performance. We are seeing strong tailwinds driven by slowing supply in traditional real estate asset classes and tremendous growth in technology and manufacturing – this is an exciting time to be investing in real estate.”

Starwood Capital has already closed or committed to 20 transactions to date in SOF XIII, committing more than $3 billion of equity. This initial portfolio highlights the firm’s breadth and global footprint, with significant investments in housing, industrial and data centers in each of the United States, Europe and Asia.

About Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with a core focus on real assets globally. Since its inception in 1991, Starwood Capital Group has raised over $95 billion of capital and currently has ~$130 billion of assets under management. Through a series of comingled opportunity funds and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (SREIT), a non-listed REIT, the Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk/reward dynamics to be evolving.

Starwood Capital also manages Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States, which has successfully deployed over $117 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $31 billion across debt and equity investments. Alongside Starwood Property Trust, Starwood Capital manages over $6 billion in several private debt funds investing across the globe.

Starwood Capital’s other affiliates include: Highmark Residential, a property management company; Starwood Digital Ventures, a platform dedicated to the firm’s data center investment strategy; Starwood Hotels, a hotel brand management team; Essex Title, a title agent for one or more underwriters in issuing title policies and/or providing support services; and Starwood Oil & Gas, which seeks to capitalize on conventional and unconventional North American assets.

Additional information can be found at www.starwoodcapital.com, www.starwoodnav.reit, www.starwoodpropertytrust.com and www.starwoodhotels.com.

Media Contacts:

Dana Gorman / Mallory Griffin
H/Advisors – U.S.
[email protected] / [email protected]
212.371.5999

SOURCE Starwood Capital Group

ESPN, Glen Powell, and Rob Mac also invest as PLL and WLL accelerate toward LA28 and the next phase of growth

NEW YORK, June 30, 2026 — The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) today announced the closing of a $100 million Series E financing round led by Ares and Joe Tsai, representing the largest capital raise in the history of professional lacrosse.

The round also includes a subsequent minority equity investment from ESPN, along with investments from actor, writer and producer Glen Powell, Co-chairman of Wrexham A.F.C, actor and producer Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney), country music singer and songwriter Warren Zeiders, and actor Tony Cavalero. As part of the financing, Co-Head of Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment, Jim Miller, will join the PLL’s Board of Directors. Glen Powell will join the PLL as a Creative Advisor and will work alongside founders Paul and Mike Rabil to help bring the first PLL and WLL teams to Texas. The Raine Group served as financial advisor to the PLL on the transaction.

Proceeds from the financing will be directed across four priorities: expanding media distribution and original storytelling; growing sponsorship and commercial partnerships; deepening investment in the Women’s Lacrosse League; and broadening access to youth lacrosse to make the game more affordable and available. The investment is designed to accelerate the league’s growth ahead of lacrosse’s return to the Olympic stage at LA28.

“Lacrosse is entering one of the most important periods in its history. With the Olympics on the horizon, we have an opportunity to introduce the sport to a new generation of fans and athletes around the world,” said Mike Rabil, Co-Founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League. “Our focus is on building the infrastructure to support that growth through elite competition, broader distribution, youth participation, and a stronger professional ecosystem.”

Additional investors include Creator Sports Capital, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett’s Next 3, FirstTracks Sports Ventures, Jed Hart, West End Investment Management, James Young, Bolt Ventures (the private investment platform of David Blitzer), Chris Shumway, and others.

“The PLL is one of the most exciting growth-stage scaling stories I’ve seen. Mike and Paul have built a business with incredible trajectory, from accelerating media reach to a credible sponsorship platform to exponential fan engagement. The story of lacrosse as the fastest sport on two feet is finally being told around players who bring grit, skill and flair to the field,” said Joe Tsai, an original investor in the league. “The PLL has built a forward-looking model that resonates with both fans and partners. I’m excited to continue my support for this extraordinary founders-led enterprise.”

“We’re thrilled to invest in the PLL at a defining moment for the league and the sport,” said Jim Miller. “Lacrosse has tremendous momentum, world-class athletes and a deeply engaged fanbase, creating exciting opportunities across media rights, live events and broader fan engagement. We look forward to supporting Mike, Paul and the entire team with scaled institutional capital to help advance the league’s next chapter of growth and innovation.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Ares, Joe Tsai, and this suite of strategic and passionate investors,” said Paul Rabil, Co-Founder, President and Chief Creative Officer of the Premier Lacrosse League. “It’s a powerful signal when the most respected investors in sports believe not only in where lacrosse is today, but in where it’s going. And to bring a former player now transcendent actor like Glen Powell onto our ownership group, paired with Wrexham owner, actor and producer, Rob McElhenney – among other entertainers – will make a big difference in our brand and storytelling efforts.”

Lacrosse has the ingredients to become one of the most exciting growth stories in sports,” said Glen Powell, who will be collaborating on storytelling, brand strategy, and creative development with the company. “I’m thrilled to invest in the PLL and WLL and help bring professional lacrosse to the forefront of culture. Starting with my home state of Texas.”

As both the league’s media rights partner and now an equity investor, ESPN deepens an alignment that already spans live game distribution and original storytelling across the PLL and WLL.

Youth participation remains central to the league’s long-term strategy, as both the sport’s key access point and the engine of future fandom. The PLL and WLL will keep lowering barriers to entry, connecting the recreational and professional games, and making lacrosse more accessible to all.

Fans can watch both leagues now. The 2026 PLL and WLL seasons are airing on ESPN platforms and ABC, bringing the fastest game on two feet to screens across the country as lacrosse builds toward its Olympic return at LA28.

About the Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2023 Best Place to Work in Sports, and 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).

SOURCE Premier Lacrosse League

Investment brings Pictor’s total capital raised to approximately $30 million, supporting expanded U.S. and international commercialization efforts

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 30, 2026 — Pictor Holdings Inc., a global targeted proteomic platform company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, today announced the closing of a $7.5 million bridge round of growth capital. The financing was supported by existing investors and will be used to expand commercial partnerships, scale platform development and manufacturing capabilities, and support translational studies across key human and animal health markets.

The bridge round brings Pictor’s total capital raised to approximately $30 million. The investment builds on the company’s commercial momentum following a strong first year at its U.S. headquarters, Pictor has launched seven commercial products, secured four strategic partnerships, and expanded its leadership team with the appointments of Terry Kelly, PhD, as Chief Operating Officer and Tim Shannon as Chief Financial Officer.

Pictor’s targeted proteomic platform — comprising PictArray^®, PictImager^®, and Pictorial^© software — enables laboratories to analyze up to 20 protein targets from a single sample in under two hours. Designed to reduce cost and workflow complexity, the system delivers results at lower per-sample economics across pharma, reference laboratory, and animal health markets.

“Proteomic assays should not be limited to the largest, most specialized settings. Pictor’s platform is designed to make protein insights more accessible, practical, and economical, so more partners can use them to improve health and wellness across people and animals. By helping labs generate more information from a single sample with fewer consumables, we also see an opportunity to support One Health and sustainability goals as adoption scales.”
— Jamie Platt, PhD, CEO and Co-founder, Pictor Holdings Inc.

Proceeds from the bridge round will support the scaling of platform development and manufacturing capabilities, continued expansion of the company’s partner network, and advancement of large-scale translational studies across priority markets. Pictor expects to enter licensing stages with multiple partners within the next 12 to 18 months.

Pictor is evaluating a U.S.-based Series A financing to support the next phase of growth, with plans to further expand commercial operations, platform development, and strategic partnerships. The bridge round strengthens the company’s commercial position as it advances toward that milestone.

“The continued support of our existing investors reflects confidence in both the platform and the commercial model we’ve built around it. This capital positions Pictor to accelerate partnerships and scale operations as we advance toward our Series A.”
— Tim Shannon, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Pictor Holdings Inc.

For more information or partnership inquiries, contact [email protected] or visit www.pictorproteomics.com.

About Pictor Holdings Inc.

Pictor Holdings Inc. is a global targeted proteomic platform company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with laboratory and commercial operations in New Zealand, Australia, and India. The company develops multi-analyte proteomic assay solutions for human and animal health research environments, enabling laboratories and biopharma partners to run more analytes, faster, at lower cost. Pictor’s IP portfolio includes 16 patents, five pending, and seven registered trademarks. For more information, visit www.pictorproteomics.com.

Media Contact
Kelly Krueger
Audacity Health on behalf of Pictor Holdings Inc.
415-235-5031
[email protected]
www.pictorproteomics.com

SOURCE Pictor Holdings Inc.

Omen AI’s spectroscopic sensors are already deployed across data center customers managing 10–14 GW of capacity and industrial fleets generating over $150B in revenue

SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2026 — Omen AI, the continuous fluid analysis company, today announced a $31 million Series A led by Nava Ventures, bringing the company’s total funding to $41.5 million. The new round includes participation from CRV, Sheryl Sandberg, Mike Mattacola, Vanderbilt University, LMNT Ventures, Mann+Hummel, Borusan Ventures, Starhill Holdings, Hard Launch Capital, and executives from Bridgestone, GM, Johnson Controls, and TensorWave.

Omen AI uses fluid analysis to read the health of equipment such as servers in data centers and industrial machines, so companies know what’s failing before it fails, without waiting on quarterly lab tests. The company’s sensors attach directly to a machine’s fluid system (oil, coolant, or water) and deliver continuous, real-time analysis of metal content, bio-contaminants, wear patterns, and fluid degradation. For data center and industrial machine operators, every second counts. ITIC’s 2024 Hourly Cost of Downtime Survey found that over 90% of midsize and large enterprises report a single hour of unplanned downtime costs more than $300,000.

“At TensorWave, we are building among the most advanced AI compute clusters in the world,” said Piotr Tomasik, Co-Founder and President at TensorWave. “The fluid running through these massive systems is a critical variable that most of the industry is flying blind on. Omen is changing the game. They see the future of infrastructure exactly the way we do, better monitoring to optimally support compute customers. Excited to support their vision!”

“I started working with heavy equipment manufacturers as a teenager and watched machines fail because of the antiquated methods the industry uses for monitoring fluid health. Taking a sample, shipping it to a lab, and waiting days for results is dangerously inadequate when you’re protecting billions in GPU infrastructure and operating industrial machines,” said Zach Laberge, Founder and CEO of Omen AI. “Omen AI was built to prevent catastrophic failure. We help data centers push their hardware to the absolute limit, unlocking compute performance operators didn’t know they had, and enabling industrial machine operators to prevent costly failure.”

How It Works

The AI boom is pushing data centers into liquid cooling at an unprecedented scale. Global data center capacity is expected to nearly double to 200 GW by 2030, according to McKinsey, and liquid cooling is becoming the default for new construction. As liquid-cooled infrastructure scales, the cooling fluid itself becomes a massive, unmonitored point of failure. Protecting billions in GPUs today still means mailing fluid samples to a lab and waiting days for results. Omen AI eliminates the waiting time with continuous monitoring.

Omen AI ships in two configurations:

• Permanent sensor: Connects directly to the machine’s fluid system with a one-time, non-invasive installation. Continuously tracks metal content, bio contamination, and wear patterns, building a health trajectory over time.
• Portable diagnostic unit: Delivers the same spectroscopic precision in a unit technicians can bring to any machine, on-site or in the field, for an immediate diagnosis.

Both form factors analyze 21+ elemental signatures simultaneously, replacing the sample-and-wait model with continuous, real-time data.

Deployed at Scale

Omen AI’s customers include:

• Data centers representing $200B in assets operating 10–14 GW of capacity, where Omen AI monitors coolant health in real time
• Industrial fleet operators including Carolina CAT and dealerships across the US and Canada

Together, those customers generate over $150 billion in revenue and operate more than 2 million machines.

“Whether it’s a liquid-cooled AI infrastructure or a fleet of industrial machines, the cost of an unplanned failure is staggering. Despite the high stakes, these systems are still monitored with lab tests that take days. Omen AI built the solution: continuous, real-time visibility into the health of the machines doing the world’s most critical work. Zach and his team aren’t just building a better sensor; they’re building the nervous system for the machines powering the modern world,” said Cory Rellas of Nava Ventures.

About Omen AI

Omen AI builds continuous fluid analysis sensors for the machines the world depends on. Its spectroscopic sensors attach directly to a machine’s fluid system and continuously analyze metal content, bio-contaminants, wear patterns, and fluid degradation, giving operators advance warning of failures that traditional quarterly testing would miss. Omen AI is deployed in data centers managing 10–14 GW of capacity and industrial fleets across North America.

Founded in 2024 by 20-year-old CEO Zach Laberge and based in San Francisco, Omen AI has raised $41.5 million in total funding. The company is backed by Nava Ventures, CRV, Sheryl Sandberg, Mann+Hummel, Caffeinated Capital, Vanderbilt, Genius Ventures, LMNT Ventures and a network of strategic operators from across the AI infrastructure ecosystem.

Media Contact
Mary Devincenzi
[email protected]
408-761-4285

SOURCE Omen AI