Walden Catalyst Ventures and NGP Capital Lead Investment to Fuel Ati Motors Global Expansion Across North America and APAC.

SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALURU, India, Jan. 23, 2025 — Ati Motors, a leader in AI and autonomous robotics, today announced a $20 million Series B investment led by Walden Catalyst Ventures (WCV) and NGP Capital (NGP) with participation from current investors including True Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Athera Venture Partners and Blume Ventures. The funding comes on the heels of Ati Motors exceptional performance, marked by a tripled order book in Q4 2024 and the addition of nine industry leading clients.

Ati Motors expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing, is revolutionizing how the industrial sector approaches automation. It has deployed hundreds of its Sherpa robots across 40 leading manufacturers (30% Fortune 500), including Forvia and Hyundai with multiple scaled deployments in North America.

The capital will enable the company to accelerate the development and deployment of its robotic workforce, which leverages one of the largest and most diverse factory datasets for autonomous movement. Ati Motors autonomous robots have been deployed globally in dynamic and complex manufacturing environments, delivering industry-leading uptime and helping customers achieve exceptional productivity gains.

Manufacturers around the world are keen to adopt robots as part of their workforce given that people no longer want to put up with dull, dirty and dangerous tasks. However, the adoption has been constrained by availability of robots that perform as well as people in real world scenarios. Solving this gap has been Ati Motors’ success.

“Since our founding, Ati Motors mission has been to create advanced, reliable products that enhance both productivity and efficiency in industrial settings,” said Saurabh Chandra, Founder and CEO of Ati Motors. “This funding will accelerate our ability to leverage our extensive real-world dataset to develop next-generation AI models and further advance our industrial autonomy platform. The rapid growth we’re experiencing validates our approach of focusing on manufacturing as a vertical and conceptualising these robots as purpose-built self-driving vehicles.”

“Ati Motors represents the future of industrial automation,” said Shankar Chandran, Partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures. “Their unique combination of advanced AI capabilities and robotics, along with a deep understanding of manufacturing environments, positions them perfectly to lead the next wave of industrial automation. The impressive growth they’ve achieved validates their approach and demonstrates the strong market demand for their solutions.”

“We’re excited to co-lead this investment in Ati Motors,” said Upal Basu at NGP Capital. “The company’s ability to successfully deploy fully autonomous mobile robots across diverse industrial environments, combined with their rapidly growing customer base, makes them a standout in the industrial automation space. We believe their unique approach to combining Edge AI, LIDAR, and robotics will help address a critical need in the manufacturing sector.”

The funding will be used to accelerate product development, expand Ati Motors market presence both in North America and APAC, and strengthen its position as a leading provider of industrial automation solutions at the intersection of AI and robotics. The company recently established operations in Mexico and has strengthened its presence across US, India and Southeast Asia. The company is currently expanding its North America headquarters in Detroit, MI.

Media kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UUxwax7T_c5eN6BOaAawJ_A4Fqz_1Mw9

YouTube link: Ati Motors – Sherpa Product Portfolio

Recommended press release photo: Ati Product Portfolio.jpg

Or Ati Product Portfolio Transparent.png

About Ati Motors

Ati Motors is a leading autonomous mobile robot manufacturer, revolutionizing industries with AI-powered robotics inspired by self-driving cars. Specializing in manufacturing facilities, Ati’s product range includes Tugs, Bin Movers, Pallet Movers, and Lifting Platforms. Their flagship Sherpa Tug, featuring 3D navigation and outdoor capabilities, has logged over 500,000 kilometers across 50+ factories. Serving global leaders in automotive, appliances, aerospace, and electronics sectors, Ati Motors has secured over $37M in funding.

About Walden Catalyst Ventures

Walden Catalyst is a venture capital firm helping early-stage companies in the U.S., Europe, and Israel build the next generation of category-defining businesses in deep-tech. The firm is led by Young Sohn and Lip-Bu Tan, deep-tech industry pioneers who between them have invested in more than 600 startups across the globe, of which 138 have gone on to IPO. Walden Catalyst is focused on deep-tech investments and their team of innovators and entrepreneurs are passionate about disruptive technologies and committed to excellence. This translates into unparalleled access to operational expertise, global reach, and a network of industry captains eager to help build and scale the companies of the future.

About NGP Capital

NGP Capital backs early-stage B2B companies from Series A onwards in the U.S., and Europe,  within enterprise software, industrial tech, cybersecurity, and infrastructure. Through its $400m fifth fund launched in 2022, NGP Capital invests in companies driving the convergence of the physical and virtual. Founded in 2005, NGP Capital has over $1.6B in AUM and has invested in over 100 companies of which 18 became unicorns and 11 went on to IPO.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2603744/Saurabh_Chandra_Founder_CEO__Ati_Motors.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2603776/Ati_Motors_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Ati Motors

Brings total raised in round to $45 million

Funding will advance company’s first test addressing unmet diagnostic needs in gynecologic cancer

DALY CITY, Calif., Jan. 23, 2025 — PinkDx, Inc., an early-stage company focused on positively impacting the health of women throughout their life journey, today announced that it has completed a second close of its previously announced Series A financing, raising an additional $5 million, including from new investors Blue Venture Fund, Sandbox Clinical Ventures and BEVC. This brings the total raised in the upsized round to $45 million. The funding will help PinkDx further advance its first test, which is intended to clarify diagnosis for women presenting with a potential gynecologic cancer.

The Series A financing was led by Catalio Capital Management, LP, The Production Board and Mountain Group Partners, with participation by Byers Capital, Mayo Clinic and new investors Blue Venture Fund, Sandbox Clinical Ventures and BEVC, founded by Risa Stack, Ph.D., and other industry-investment veterans.

“We are delighted to welcome these new investors as they each offer strategic value that will be helpful as we develop and advance our first test toward commercialization,” said Bonnie Anderson, PinkDx’s cofounder, chairwoman and chief executive officer. “We are making great progress in the discovery and development of our first test and this additional funding will help accelerate that process through the test’s clinical validation.”

“PinkDx’s use of cutting-edge science and technology to deliver better answers for women and their physicians aligns with our mission to change the healthcare system and positively impact people’s lives,” said Tom Hawes, M.D., partner at Sandbox Clinical Ventures. “We believe PinkDx’s first test will fundamentally change care for women being evaluated for a potential gynecologic cancer, enabling them to avoid unnecessary office visits and procedures or receive better, faster treatment when needed. Moreover, this will help women, physicians and the healthcare system overall.”

“Women’s medical needs have been vastly under-served to date,” said Risa Stack, Ph.D., founding partner of BEVC and PinkDx board member. “We believe PinkDx is going to fundamentally change this with its comprehensive approach to applying advanced technology to specific unmet needs and through its team’s proven ability to bring clinically meaningful tests to market.” As part of BEVC’s investment, PinkDx is now a member of Bakar Labs, a state-of-the-art and globally one of the largest university-linked life science incubators, operated by the University of California, Berkeley.

BEVC invests at the intersection of science, computation, and engineering to drive innovations that advance human and planetary health. Through its partnership with the Bakar Ecosystem at the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and San Francisco (UCSF) – institutions renowned for research excellence and entrepreneurship – BEVC is uniquely positioned to support pioneers transforming groundbreaking science into disruptive companies.

PinkDx will initially focus on improving the diagnostic outcomes for women who have vague symptoms that may signal a gynecological cancer. Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.5 million women^1-3 present with general symptoms including bloating, pelvic pain and abnormal bleeding, for which the cause is not clear. Over 100,000 women in the U.S. are ultimately diagnosed with a gynecological cancer each year.⁴ PinkDx will develop solutions to replace invasive and painful diagnostic procedures and mitigate the significant delays women and their doctors often face in obtaining answers. 

About PinkDx
PinkDx is an early-stage company focused on addressing the medical problems that women uniquely face by applying sophisticated scientific approaches to resolve them and providing answers that have an immediate, positive impact on their lives. The company’s first indication will focus on overcoming diagnostic challenges for women who present with general symptoms that could signal a gynecological cancer. PinkDx is privately held, with Series A funding from prominent biotechnology investors, including Catalio Capital Management, The Production Board, Mountain Group Partners, Byers Capital, Mayo Clinic, Blue Venture Fund, Sandbox Clinical Ventures and BEVC. The company’s operations are in Daly City, California. For more information, please visit www.pinkdx.com or follow the company on LinkedIn or X (@Pinkdxinc).

Media Contact:

Tracy Morris
[email protected]
650-380-4413

¹    Chelmow, D. et al. Executive Summary of the Uterine Cancer Evidence Review Conference. Obstetrics and Gynecology vol. 139 626–643 Preprint at hFps://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000004711 (2022).
²    Clarke, M. A. et al. Association of endometrial cancer risk with postmenopausal bleeding in women a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med 178, 1201–1208 (2018).
³    Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D. & Jemal, A. Cancer statistics, 2020. CA Cancer J Clin 70, 7–30 (2020).
⁴    American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2025. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2025.

SOURCE PinkDx

In addition to the new funding, Teal launches new AI Interview Coach and Salary Negotiation solutions and appoints new CTO to build its tech stack and AI capabilities

MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2025 — Teal, the AI-powered career platform, announced it raised $7.5 million in Series A funding, bringing the company’s total capital to $19 million. The new financing, co-led by CityLight Capital and Flybridge, with participation from Rethink Capital Partners and Lerer Hippeau, will support product development to expand the Teal platform and its growing portfolio of advanced AI capabilities to help consumers navigate the increasingly complex job landscape.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Data, job seekers on average take 20.6 weeks to land a job in today’s increasingly complex jobs market. Job seekers need tools and technology to reduce the time it takes to find and land jobs, as well as advance to new roles and salary brackets. Teal’s suite of job search tools including AI Resume Builder, Job Tracker, Job Search Board, and Chrome Extension reinvent the way people approach their career journeys and counterbalance the massive infrastructural disparity between the HR resources available to companies and those available to employees.

“In today’s macroeconomic environment, the process of finding a job can be cumbersome – and time-consuming. From rapid advancements in AI, increased competition, and the limited time consumers have, they need simple solutions to help them stand out. Unlike traditional job boards, Teal puts the job seeker in the driver’s seat and is the career companion to hundreds of millions of people from the day they start working to the day they retire,” said David Fano, founder and CEO of Teal. “Teal’s AI-powered career platform automates the process of finding, applying for, and landing jobs. It also helps members prepare for interviews and negotiate salaries, no matter the career or industry they may be in – with thousands of members successfully landing interviews and offers. With our new financing, we will accelerate product development and scale our platform globally.”

In conjunction with the funding, Teal unveiled its new AI Interview Coach, a tool that helps job seekers prepare for interviews tailored to specific roles. By simulating a two-way conversation with an AI agent, the coach delivers role-specific question prompts and provides real-time feedback to refine responses. This dynamic practice helps candidates speak more confidently, articulate their skills and experiences effectively, and present themselves naturally during real interviews.

Teal also unveiled new AI-powered Offer Evaluation and Negotiation Support Tools that help professionals understand and advocate for their worth. The Offer Evaluation Tool provides a real-time, personalized analysis of any job offer by synthesizing data from similar roles and current market trends. The Negotiation Support Tool offers expert-crafted templates, email scripts, and guided support—equipping professionals with the confidence to secure a new offer or negotiate a raise with clarity and precision.

Over the past year, Teal has demonstrated consistent momentum and continued to grow in the following areas:

• Attracting more than two million members across its free and paid offerings, presenting millions of open positions to its customers.
• Helping job seekers save over 7 million jobs and land nearly 400,000 interviews to date.
• Enabling a 97% reduction in application preparation time—transforming an eight-hour task into one that takes just minutes, giving candidates valuable time back in their lives.
• Appointing its new Chief Technology Officer, Sumit Gupta, who brings over 20 years of experience building AI, voice, and fintech products at IBM and Oracle.

“Teal is designed to give people the tools to take ownership of their career, whether they’re just starting out in the workforce or looking to level up their salary,” said Jeff Rinehart, Partner at City Light Capital. “As an investor in Teal, we strongly support its mission and ability to put world-class products into the hands of consumers so they’re empowered to make informed, guided choices about what they see for their future.”

“At Flybridge, we invest in companies that have a shared ambition of building what matters and bringing value to the world around us,” said Jesse Middleton, General Partner at Flybridge. “Teal has experienced rapid growth since launching just five years ago, and we are excited to be on the sidelines as they continue to redefine the jobs market through industry-leading technology.”

To learn more, visit Tealhq.com and sign up with Teal here to get started.

About Teal:
Teal is on a mission to help people find and land jobs they love. By empowering every professional with the tools, insights, and guidance they need to navigate their career, Teal makes the path to success clearer and more accessible. Through its suite of job search tools such as an AI Resume Builder, Job Tracker, Job Search Board, and Chrome extension, Teal is poised to change the way people approach their career journeys and, ultimately, to counterbalance the massive infrastructural disparity between the HR resources available to companies and those available to employees. Teal is backed by Flybridge Capital, Lerer Hippeau, Corigin Ventures, Aleph, Oceans Ventures, High Output, AVG Basecamp, and Kairos Angels, and is headquartered in Miami, Florida. To learn more, visit www.tealhq.com. 

SOURCE Teal

MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2025 — Today, ASM Capital Group, a trailblazing, new spirits investment fund elevating the newly commissioned American Single Malt Whiskey (ASM) category on a global scale, marks the official category designation from The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) with the announcement of the ASM Capital Whiskey Fund. The only fund 100% dedicated to the growth of the American Single Malt Whiskey category, the ASM Capital Whiskey Fund is on the ground floor with a strategic and proven whiskey barrel investing model.

Inspired by the craft renaissance, ASM Capital Group is led by exceptional talent from across the spirits and investment industries. Including, father-son duo, Rob and Hunter Robillard, Scott Sciberras, Ross Duignan and Ryan La Valle. With over 75+ years combined experience in the whiskey space and extensive background in both whiskey investing and asset management, the team has come together to launch the ASM Capital Whiskey Fund. The fund strives to elevate the newly recognized American Single Malt category amidst a consumer push towards premium spirits and provide an uncorrelated, diversification exposure within investment portfolios.

Rob, a New Hampshire native, picked up home distilling as a hobby to fill the gap in maple-flavored spirits. The result, Cabin Fever Maple Whiskey, became the first-ever TTB-registered flavored whiskey and sold to Diageo, the world’s largest spirits company. With ASM Capital Group, Rob looks to be at the forefront of another newly designated category – the fund raised nearly $10M at the close of 2024 and a target raise goal of $250M by 2026 to continue purchasing barrels as the ASM category explodes.

“I like to say I prefer the road less traveled,” said Rob Robillard, Founder and Manager of ASM Capital Group. “In the early 2000s, when new beer and wine brands were popping up left and right, I created flavored whiskey. I went from making Moonshine in my backyard from a couple of lobster pots welded together with a copper pipe stuffed with stainless-steel wool, to partnering with Diageo. Now, I’m looking to disrupt yet another new space with ASM Capital Group, leading the newly designated ASM category.”

ASM Capital Group offers the opportunity to boost the allure and export appeal of the category worldwide. In its infancy stage, ASM is set to take market share from Scotch, bourbon and rye. The fund supports the newly defined category to compete with imports such as Scotch and Irish Whiskey as a premium, celebratory distillate.

“At ASM Capital Group, we bridge the gap between spirits brands, distilleries, exporters and forward-thinking investors to fuel growth and innovation in the American Single Malt category,” said Hunter Robillard, Founder and Managing Partner of ASM Capital Group. “By investing in aged distillate, the one commodity that connects the industry, the fund is well-positioned to leverage the growing demand for mature returns.”

The venture’s barrel investing model is designed to meet and support the growing needs of homegrown brands seeking aged whiskey products in the global market in two to five years. Aged, quality whiskey fetches an impressive premium, though brands do not have the financial means to keep the barrels on their books during the multi-year aging process. This is where ASM Capital Group comes in. The group invests in barrels of American Single Malt Whiskey, storing and insuring them through the aging process, resulting in a valuable finished asset. For investors, this physical commodity is a low-risk asset filling distillation and production gap market needs – something that will continue to increase as the category booms. With a strong international partner network overcoming the usual barriers to whiskey investing, ASM Capital Group aims to level the supply imbalance and lead the marketplace with 60% ASM category ownership.

For more information on ASM Capital Group, visit their website at www.asm.capital.

PR Contact: KLG Public Relations | [email protected]

About ASM Capital Group
ASM Capital Group is a trailblazing, new spirits investment fund elevating the newly commissioned American Single Malt Whiskey category on a global scale. Led by father-son duo, Rob and Hunter Robillard, alongside exceptional talent in the spirits and investment space, it is the only fund 100% dedicated to the growth of the American Single Malt Whiskey category. Bridging the gap between spirits brands, distilleries, exporters and forward-thinking investors, the fund is designed to meet and support the growing needs of home-grown brands seeking aged whiskey products in the global market. By providing unique inventory capital solutions for distilleries and brands, ASM Capital Group is positioned to be the leading supplier of matured American Single Malt inventory worldwide. Additional information on ASM Capital Group can be found on their website at www.asm.capital.

SOURCE ASM Capital Group

Data intelligence leader completes $10B Series J and closes additional $5.25B debt financing 

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22, 2025 — Databricks, the Data and AI company, today announced the final closing of its Series J funding. Existing investor QIA, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, along with new investors including Temasek and entities administered by Macquarie Capital, participated in the funding round, which values the company at $62 billion. In addition, Meta has joined as a new strategic investor. Databricks plans to invest this capital toward new AI products, acquisitions, and expansion of its international go-to-market operations. This capital is also expected to be used toward providing liquidity for current and former employees and paying related taxes.

In addition to raising the $10 billion equity financing from some of the most well-known investors, Databricks closed a $5.25 billion credit facility led by JPMorgan Chase alongside Barclays, Citi, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, with participation from other leading financial institutions and alternative asset managers. The credit facility includes a $2.5 billion unfunded revolver and a $2.75 billion term loan.

“We received overwhelming interest in this round from both new and existing investors and strategic partners who believe in our vision and market impact. These partners are focused on the long-term success of Databricks and our rapidly growing customer base,” said Ali Ghodsi, Co-Founder and CEO of Databricks. “Organizations are modernizing their data and AI infrastructure because they recognize the immense potential of generative AI. Data intelligence is critical to both unlocking this potential and to helping enterprises reach their business goals.”

The Databricks Data Intelligence Platform democratizes access to data and AI, making it easier for organizations to harness the power of their data for analytics, machine learning, and AI applications. Built on an open source foundation, the platform enables organizations to drive innovation to increase revenue, lower costs, and reduce risk. Customers use the Data Intelligence Platform to find and treat diseases and cancer earlier, identify new ways to combat climate change, detect financial fraud, develop pharmaceuticals faster, reduce time to mental health intervention, decrease local financial inequality and much more.

“We are excited to deepen our commitment to Databricks through this follow-on investment, underscoring our strong conviction in the company’s leadership and strategic positioning,” said Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, CEO of QIA. “At QIA, we are expanding our exposure across the AI ecosystem and believe Databricks has become the leading platform within the AI infrastructure software space.”

About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Block, Comcast, Condé Nast, Rivian, Shell and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to take control of their data and put it to work with AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Databricks

Investments from Riverside Acceleration Capital, Evoce Capital, Mark Cuban, and others finance “Shark Tank” edtech company

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 22, 2025 — Today, Beanstack announces they have raised $1.5 million in capital led by Riverside Acceleration Capital and Evoce Capital with additional investment from Mark Cuban, Kapor Capital, Militello Capital, and the founders and their family as a strategic raise. The former “Shark Tank” company will use the funds to accelerate its repeatable growth model and to further invest in its “Reading Culture Trailblazer” client marketing program. It is seeking to raise an additional $500K under the same convertible note terms through March 31st.

Beanstack was originally created as a book-of-the-month business focusing on non-traditional genres and interests and quickly found many supportive and enthusiastic backers—including Mark Cuban after a “Shark Tank” appearance. Not long after, they reimagined their business model as a platform to empower libraries and schools to build a culture of reading through reading challenges and motivation tools for readers of all ages. The product featured on “Shark Tank” is very different from what Beanstack offers today but their mission, purpose, and goals remain the same. Beanstack for Schools uses proven gamification principles to motivate students to read, without relying on quizzes. The product is licensed by over 15,000 libraries and schools worldwide. Collectively, Beanstack readers have logged over seven billion minutes of reading.

Beanstack was founded by husband-and-wife team Felix Brandon Lloyd, a former Washington, D.C. “Teacher of the Year” and Jordan Lloyd Bookey, Google’s previous head of K-12 education outreach. In 2014, the couple received a $250,000 investment from Mark Cuban during the fifth season of “Shark Tank.” Now, the edtech company is growing significantly year over year and has received additional funding from Cuban as part of this ongoing fundraising round, as well as from Riverside Acceleration Capital, Kapor Center Investments, Evoce Capital, and Miltello Capital.

To learn more, visit: https://www.beanstack.com.

SOURCE Beanstack

With an estimated $10 trillion in small business assets expected to change hands over the next decade, Baton revolutionizes how small business owners and buyers achieve success

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2025 — Baton, the leading marketplace for small and medium-sized business acquisitions, today announced its Series A raise of $10 million, led by Obvious Ventures with participation from Burst Capital, FJ Labs, Fluent Ventures, and Spencer Rascoff (co-founder and former CEO of Zillow) via 75 & Sunny. Previous investors Divergent Capital, Bloomberg Beta, and Zeno Ventures also participated in this round. The new funding, which brings Baton’s total raised to $15.5 million after a seed round led by Giant Ventures, will accelerate the growth of Baton’s marketplace to support even more small business owners. Baton’s success rate with owners who are selling their business is 10 times higher than current market solutions, with 70% successfully closing through Baton.

Millions of small business owners are expected to exit within the next 5-10 years as baby boomers prepare to retire, triggering an unprecedented $10 trillion wealth transfer, often referred to as “the Silver Tsunami”. At the same time, a generation of young buyers aspire to embark on their entrepreneurial journey, motivated by changes in work culture stemming from COVID-19 and the acceleration of technology to better operate small businesses. However, current listing sites  are filled with low-quality entries with incomplete or inaccurate information, a lack of verified data to help buyers underwrite a deal quickly, and little to no support after the initial connection is made. Not only does Baton hold a significantly higher close rate, but its use of technology enables  a 50% cost savings compared to traditional solutions.

“The sale of a business can seem daunting — our team comes from a background of family business owners and we have seen it firsthand,” said Chat Joglekar, CEO and co-founder of Baton. “Not only is our team dedicated to ensuring business ownership is attainable for anyone, we deeply care about small business owners and support them through each and every step of this process.”

Baton empowers small business owners with the data to make the right decisions and navigate the sale process with clarity and certainty. For owners, Baton starts with a free valuation that analyzes their financials, market trends, and industry benchmarks, and offers a free Private Listing, which allows an owner to gauge buyer interest without any monetary commitment. On a paid plan, Baton creates a class-leading listing with reconciled financials and native data room, and helps guide the owner through buyer interest, negotiations, and closing in half of the time as a traditional sale process. Browsing available listings in all 50 states, buyers love the listing quality, the ability to underwrite a deal quickly, and move to negotiations. Baton partners with dozens of lenders, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals to streamline each stage of the transaction. These partnerships provide sellers and buyers with the tailored expertise they need for a smooth and successful sale process.

“We studied the category and identified Baton as the leading marketplace for business ownership transfer,” said James Joaquin, Co-founder of Obvious Ventures. “Small businesses are the backbone of the US economy, and we’re excited about how the Baton team is making small business ownership attainable for everyone.”

“Baton allowed me to pass my dream business since childhood into the right hands with confidence and ease,” said Gus Reckel, founder of L’imprimerie, a French bakery and cafe in New York City. “I’m incredibly grateful to the team at Baton for making me feel like getting the best possible experience in selling my business was their top priority, and because of that, my dream will live on for the years I enjoy my retirement and beyond.”

To learn more about Baton and start selling or buying your next business, visit https://www.batonmarket.com/.

About Baton:
Baton is the leading marketplace for SMB acquisitions. With a 10X higher success rate than previous top solutions and a 70% close rate, Baton is the best place for sellers to navigate the sale of their small business, and for buyers to start their entrepreneurial journey.

SOURCE Baton

The company stops security risk from entering the code base, uses Artificial Intelligence and Language Learning Models to provide insights and policy questions for tens of thousands of code changes every week

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 22, 2025 — DryRun Security, the AI-native company delivering application security (AppSec) for development and security teams, today announced its $8.7 million seed funding round from lead investors LiveOak Ventures and Work-Bench as well as participation from Cannage Capital. The company is also introducing Natural Language Code Policies (NLCP), a game-changing feature that frees AppSec teams from the painstaking work of building and maintaining scripted policy rules. By allowing them to define their security policy in an intuitive, domain-focused way, NLCP cuts the overhead of custom rule writing and helps teams get coverage across all of their code bases without worrying about the language or framework.

Every company today is managing more code than ever before, and AppSec professionals are challenged to identify the needle in the haystack of code changes that deserve further review. Security issues backlogs are growing while developers fumble through confusing results from code scanning tools that can’t support new technologies fast enough. All of this is creating a system where developers often bypass (or ignore) security review and the security team is left to retrofit old tools by writing new rules that aren’t easy to maintain and result in growing technical debt.

DryRun Security is going beyond AI and LLM’s early automation capabilities to build what it calls Contextual Security Analysis (CSA). This approach both identifies security risks and seamlessly integrates mitigation into developers’ workflows. CSA layers static context, change context and application context to make contextually aware assertions in near real-time and is ideal for distributed, modern applications and teams. It fits naturally in an organization practicing DevOps, prioritizes reducing security tool pressure on developers and makes it easy for developers to reason about security.

“DryRun Security is a true leap forward in application security, enabling application security teams to identify code risk in a way that previously wasn’t possible,” said Creighton Hicks, Partner at LiveOak Ventures. “The current generation of pattern-matching tools strictly looks at the literal syntax of code. DryRun Security is built from the ground up to leverage the latest in AI technology. This not only eliminates the need to write complicated pattern-matching rules but also goes beyond the literal syntax to understand risk based on code context and behavior.  For the first time, DryRun Security enables the left hand of application security to know the security implications from what the right hand of development is doing, even if there’s not technically an insecure line of code.”

The DryRun Security CSA approach enables AppSec professionals to execute GitHub native security analysis in seconds to gain awareness across both development and security teams. The company is also introducing with today’s announcement its Natural Language Code Policies Feature Set, a groundbreaking tool that enables development teams to define and enforce security policies using plain, conversational language. It helps teams understand which code changes are the riskiest, a task that is often so overwhelming it’s skipped all together. The Natural Language Code Policies transform the traditionally complex process of creating code policies and integrate seamlessly into developers’ workflows, allowing for real-time security policy enforcement and compliance monitoring. This reduces vulnerabilities earlier in the software development lifecycle, saving teams time and resources while delivering more secure applications. For more information, please visit www.dryrun.security/blog/announcing-natural-language-code-policies.

“We know how frustrating it is when risky code slips in unnoticed—especially for AppSec teams who want to stay on top of every critical change,” said James Wickett, co-founder and CEO of DryRun Security. “That’s why we built DryRun to find the ‘needle in the haystack’ of code changes, so teams can spot unknown risks before they start—without slowing developers down. Our early customers are already seeing tangible, day-one improvements in their security posture, validating that modern, AI-native application security tools can finally keep up with the code velocity of today’s software development teams.”

“With DryRun Security, we’ve transformed how we manage application security across our global development team. The GitHub integration ensures that our developers get precise and instant feedback directly in their workflow, enabling them to fix security issues without skipping a beat. The tool has not only helped us catch risks like hardcoded credentials early but has also fostered a culture of security among our developers. DryRun Security is an indispensable part of our AppSec toolkit,” said Gary Gonzalez, CTO at PlanetArt.

“DryRun Security is a step function in application security for the enterprise. They enable organizations to weave security seamlessly into the SDLC process with modern AI-driven solutions, and we’re excited to support their vision of transforming how enterprises address security at scale,” said Kelley Mak, General Partner at Work-Bench

DryRun Security was co-founded in 2023 by two application security luminaries, James Wickett and Ken Johnson. Having worked in the AppSec space for years, the founders shared a vision for empowering development teams to build secure software without disrupting their workflows. With this new funding and product launch, the company is poised to change the way teams approach application security. DryRun Security will use the investment to increase its engineering hires and grow its Go To Market (GTM) function.

About DryRun Security
DryRun Security (based in Austin, TX) finds the needle in the haystack of code changes so Application Security (AppSec) teams spot unknown risks before they start. The company was honored as a finalist in the BlackHat 2024 Startup Spotlight Competition and runs more than 15,000 code reviews every week for its customers, which include BrightHR, Gusto, PlanetArt, The Modern Groom, SimpleRose, RAD Security, and Rollbar among others. DryRun Security was founded by AppSec and DevOps veterans James Wickett and Ken Johnson who have empowered more than 10,000 developers with secure code review training. Its lead investors are LiveOak Ventures and Work-Bench with participation from Cannage Capital. For more information, please visit https://www.dryrun.security/

Media Contact for DryRun Security 
Ray George
650-922-3825
[email protected]

SOURCE DryRun Security

MLB Becomes Equity Partner as Part of Expanded Relationship 

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jan. 22, 2025 — Cast Iron Media, a technology-driven sports media company, today announced the completion of a five-year extension of its media rights partnership with Major League Baseball (“MLB”). Additionally, Cast Iron Media has secured strategic investments from Orkila Capital and David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures as new equity partners, with MLB also joining as an equity partner as part of the expanded relationship. The terms of the transactions are not disclosed. 

These developments enable Cast Iron Media to increase its marketable inventory and accelerate innovation through its proprietary ad-tech platform, The Foundry. With an unmatched ability to deliver targeted, high-volume advertising on Connected TV and other OTT platforms, Cast Iron Media continues to unlock value for leagues, rights holders, and advertisers in an era of surging sports streaming viewership.

“This is a transformative leap forward for Cast Iron Media,” said Kent Heyman, CEO of Cast Iron Media. “With the support of MLB, Orkila and Bolt Ventures, we will continue to innovate, empowering our league, team, and rights partners to maximize the value of their sports streaming rights, while delivering even greater value to our media clients. These investments position us to set a new standard in live sports media, benefiting rights holders and advertisers.”

Major League Baseball

Expanding on a successful relationship that began in 2021, this new strategic partnership agreement extends Cast Iron’s media rights to manage local inventory on MLB’s digital platform. In addition, Major League Baseball’s minority equity stake deepens the collaboration between the two organizations and aligns their shared vision for advancing the sports streaming experience for fans and advertisers. During the 2024 season, MLB.TV set a new high of 14.5 billion minutes watched, a jump of +14% over last year’s previous high mark of 12.7 billion minutes watched. The 28 most-watched days in MLB.TV history have occurred in the last two seasons since the implementation of the new rules with 19 of those days taking place in 2024. 

“We’ve worked closely with Cast Iron Media for many years as the sports media landscape has evolved to accommodate developments in streaming platforms and access,” said Noah Garden, Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media, MLB. “Cast Iron shares our commitment to delivering exceptional value for advertisers in this dynamic landscape.”

Orkila Capital

Orkila Capital, founded in 2013 by Jesse Du Bey and Taylor Storms, brings decades of experience in media, entertainment, and sports investments. With a portfolio that includes IRONMAN, Club Brugge, and Auto-Tune, Orkila specializes in supporting high-growth companies with strategic expertise and long-term capital.

“Cast Iron Media is setting a new standard for innovation and precision in sports streaming ad placement,” said Jesse Du Bey, Managing Partner of Orkila Capital. “They have demonstrated their unique ability to enhance the value of local live sports for rights holders and advertisers on connected devices.  We’re proud to partner with Kent and the Cast Iron Media team to support their vision and help accelerate their growth and impact on the industry.”

Bolt Ventures

Bolt Ventures, the single-family office of David Blitzer, adds another layer of strategic expertise. The firm focuses on scaling innovative companies through active investment and entrepreneurial guidance.

“We are impressed by Cast Iron Media’s forward-thinking approach and commitment to reshaping the live sports streaming experience,” said David Blitzer. “Kent and his team have built an exceptional platform that combines cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of the sports media landscape. We are thrilled to partner with Cast Iron, Orkila and MLB to support the next phase of the company’s growth and innovation.”

Jefferies LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Cast Iron Media. 

About Cast Iron Media
Cast Iron Media is a leading sports streaming and advertising company that specializes in delivering targeted ads with precision through its advanced technology platform, The Foundry.  Through established partnerships with major leagues, teams, and Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (vMVPDs), Cast Iron Media manages expanded commercial inventory across live MLB, NBA, NHL, and NCAA games. The company’s advanced platform delivers targeted ads with unmatched precision to over 5,000 live games annually.

 For more information, visit www.castiron.media.

About Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB has achieved back-to-back attendance gains for the first time in 12 years with an overall increase of +11% and 80% of Clubs welcoming more fans over the last two seasons following extensive rule changes that have improved the quality of play on the field. With the 2024 season featuring the best time of game in 40 years and the most stolen bases in 109 years, MLB viewership increased across all its national media partners, grew international viewership by +18%, set another record for MLB.TV streaming with more than 14 billion minutes watched and earned League of the Year honors from Sports Business Journal and the CLIOS.  As the league increased its marketing efforts and promotion of star players like 2024 NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and 2024 AL MVP Aaron Judge, MLB has significantly increased its younger fan base as evidenced through viewership, social media, ticket purchasing, and participation metrics.  Through its MLB Together social responsibility efforts, MLB remains committed to making a positive impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world.  With the continued success of MLB Network, MLB digital platforms and local media production and distribution, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America’s National Pastime and a truly global game. To learn more about MLB, please visit www.mlb.com.

About Orkila Capital 
Founded in 2013, by Jesse Du Bey and Taylor Storms, Orkila Capital makes proprietary investments in the Consumer, Media, Sports and Entertainment sectors. Orkila has built deep expertise in the sports media sector globally, with current and recent investments in IRONMAN, Club Brugge, Bellator and numerous other platforms targeting passionate communities. Orkila manages approximately $1B of deployed capital across multiple private equity funds and Special Purpose Vehicles. For more information visit www.orkilacapital.com.

About Bolt Ventures
Bolt Ventures is the single-family office of David Blitzer. Bolt Ventures focuses on providing capital and strategic expertise to emergent and scaled opportunities at the forefront of Sports, Technology, Media, and Entertainment. 

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SOURCE Cast Iron Media