ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, Feb. 28, 2025 — TBen Limited, an IT company based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), has announced that its next-generation blockchain platform, ShowPlus Chain (Layer 1), is in its final development phase, with an official launch scheduled for Q4 2025. ShowPlus Chain is set to become the core infrastructure of the ShowPlus Ecosystem, which spans multiple industries, including entertainment, commerce, leisure, banking, F&B, finance, investment, and AI.

Unmatched Technical Competitiveness & Scalability

The ShowPlus Chain mainnet aims to process over 200,000 transactions per second (TPS), making it at least 100 times faster than major existing blockchains. It incorporates scalable sharding technology to distribute network load efficiently and features a proprietary virtual machine (VM) designed to maximize smart contract execution efficiency.

TBen’s CTO, Sebastian emphasized:
“ShowPlus Chain will maintain the core philosophy of decentralization while offering a practical blockchain solution that businesses can seamlessly integrate. Low transaction fees and industry-specific customized protocols will be our key competitive advantages.”

Expanding Collaboration with Global Blockchain Enterprises

TBen has secured partnerships with major blockchain projects such as Avalanche, Polkadot, and Zilliqa, working on cross-chain compatibility solutions. Additionally, collaboration with MetaMask will enable global wallet integration, significantly improving accessibility to the ShowPlus Chain ecosystem.

Furthermore, TBen has formed strategic partnerships with ShinLee Corporation (South Korea) and Rishare Group (Singapore) to drive the expansion of the ShowPlus Chain ecosystem across Asia. As part of this collaboration, ShinLee Corporation plans to upgrade its existing entertainment, commerce, and travel platforms onto the ShowPlus Chain, while progressively building an integrated ecosystem that includes financial services and various lifestyle sectors. This will allow users to seamlessly access all ShinLee services with a single unified ID.

Successful Funding from Global Venture Capital Firms

Recognizing ShowPlus Chain’s technological innovation and business potential, multiple top-tier venture capital firms have participated in TBen’s Series A funding round. The secured funds will be allocated toward completing the ShowPlus Chain mainnet development and expanding its ecosystem.

TBen’s CEO, Thiam stated:
“This investment validates ShowPlus Chain’s technological capabilities and vision on a global scale. The planned launch of the ‘SHOW’ mainnet in Q4 2025 will introduce a new paradigm in the blockchain industry.”

Expanding the ShowPlus Ecosystem

Beyond a typical blockchain platform, ShowPlus Chain is evolving into the central hub of the ShowPlus Ecosystem, connecting various industries:

• Entertainment → NFT-based digital content ownership solutions
• Commerce → Transparent supply chain management system
• Finance → Decentralized Finance (DeFi) services

Recently, TBen announced its ShowPlus AI initiative, integrating AI with blockchain to establish transparent verification and reward systems for generative AI models and their learning datasets.

Mainnet Launch Roadmap – Q4 2025

TBen is currently operating a testnet for the upcoming ‘SHOW’ mainnet and running various incentive programs to encourage developer participation. Leading up to the Q4 2025 launch, TBen plans to host a large-scale hackathon starting in June, aiming to discover and support innovative DApps for the ShowPlus ecosystem.

Additionally, TBen is collaborating with top universities and research institutions to nurture blockchain talent and promote the technical excellence of ShowPlus Chain worldwide.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2630530/TBen_Limited_ShowPlus_Chain_Mainnet.jpg

SOURCE TBen Limited

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2025 — Ethos, the modern model risk management platform, announced today a seed investment of $6M to become the gold-standard platform enabling financial institutions and fintechs to manage model risk with confidence. The funding round was led by Canapi Ventures, with participation from Capital One Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures.

Financial institutions today rely extensively on AI, machine learning, and other data-driven models to make critical decisions – from lending and loss forecasting to fraud detection and anti-money laundering efforts. The acceleration of GenAI adoption and sophisticated modeling techniques create both challenges and opportunities across the industry. A recent survey by the Risk Management Association highlights how financial institutions are seeking new solutions to enhance their model risk management capabilities in response to increasing costs, talent gaps, and technology limitations.

This evolving landscape inspired Ethos CEO and co-founder Jett Oristaglio during his tenure as Product and Data Science Lead of Trusted AI at DataRobot. Working closely with financial services customers, Oristaglio recognized the opportunity to build technology that could help institutions of all sizes to scale their model risk management capabilities while maintaining the highest standards of governance.

“At Ethos, we’re committed to empowering financial institutions to shape the future of the industry,” said Jett Oristaglio, CEO and co-founder of Ethos. “We believe model risk management should be a driver of innovation, not a barrier. Our platform enables organizations to deploy AI and other models with the speed and confidence needed in today’s dynamic environment.”

Ethos’s platform is purpose-built for financial institutions, designed to enhance risk management practices while providing the agility and efficiency needed to scale. The platform allows organizations to accelerate the deployment of new models and products while maintaining rigorous risk management standards.

Co-founder and CTO Mike Fotinakis brings over 20 years of experience building software teams and enterprise platforms to the company’s technical vision. “We have engineered Ethos from the ground up to tackle the unique technological, operational and regulatory needs of financial institutions,” said Fotinakis. “Our goal is to help customers turn robust risk management into a competitive advantage.”

Kristen Fisher, Head of Risk Innovation at Ethos, brings over 10 years of experience leading model risk functions in financial institutions to the platform. “Effective risk management is more than just a regulatory checkbox—it’s the backbone of profitability. If you don’t understand your risks, how can you understand your business?” said Fisher. “We are intimately familiar with the challenges faced by model risk management teams and regulators, and excited to build the solution that helps risk teams become strategic partners in their institution’s success.”

Ethos is currently working with one of the largest U.S. financial institutions and aims to serve banks, credit unions, and fintechs of all sizes. Better Tomorrow Ventures, an early investor, remains confident in Ethos’s potential.

“When we met Jett and Mike through our accelerator program in 2023, we knew they had uncovered a critical need in the banking system,” said Sheel Mohnot, co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures. “We’re looking forward to working with the team to build a product that will become a staple across all financial institutions and fintechs.”

Leading the seed round, Canapi Ventures also sees a strong future for Ethos. “Given Canapi’s proximity to the banking system, we deeply appreciate how model risk management (MRM) processes govern the deployment and utilization of models. For banks and other financial institutions to adopt GenAI and expand their use of decisioning models, existing systems for handling MRM will not suffice,” said Jeffrey Reitman, General Partner at Canapi Ventures. “This is what initially drew us to Ethos and sparked our enthusiasm to invest right away. We believe Ethos will enable banks of all sizes to maintain robust MRM programs, allowing them to safely and swiftly deploy new technologies like GenAI and serve as an accelerator for forward-thinking enterprises.”

Phil Kim, Partner at Capital One Ventures, adds: “There is an enormous opportunity for financial institutions to continue to innovate responsibly in service to customers,” said Kim. “We’re excited about Ethos’s vision to modernize model risk management and help the industry stay both resilient and forward-thinking long into the future.”

With the new funding, Ethos plans to expand its engineering team and strengthen its go-to-market efforts—ensuring the platform meets the evolving needs of risk professionals and empowers financial institutions to navigate future challenges and opportunities with confidence.

About Ethos

Ethos is revolutionizing model risk management for the financial sector through its modern, purpose-built platform. Founded in 2023 by tech veterans Jett Oristaglio and Mike Fotinakis, the New York-based company helps banks and fintechs deploy models that make critical decisions while effectively mitigating risk and maintaining regulatory compliance. Ethos has obtained SOC 2 certification, showcasing their commitment to security and compliance.

For more information, visitwww.ethosai.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE Ethos

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 27, 2025 – Nexera Robotics, a pioneer in advanced robotic grasping, today announced the completion of its latest investment round of $4.5M , which includes high-caliber investors including BDC’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund. This investment round marks a significant milestone in Nexera’s mission to revolutionize robotic automation across industries through its innovative grasping technologies.

Nexera’s proprietary grasping solution, NeuraGrasp, addresses one of the most pressing challenges in automation: the reliable handling of diverse items in dynamic environments. The company’s technology combines proprietary compliant grasping methods, coupled with sophisticated perception and AI, enabling robots to handle a wide range of objects with unprecedented precision and adaptability.

“The robotics industry is at a critical inflection point, where the demand for flexible automation solutions has never been greater,” said Roy Belak, CEO of Nexera Robotics. “We believe the developing commercial relationship with global System Integrators validates our technology’s potential and will accelerate our ability to bring transformative solutions to the global market. We’re committed to maintaining our open collaboration model, working with diverse integration partners to serve the broader automation ecosystem.”

“Nexera’s innovative approach to robotic grasping represents a significant leap forward in automation capabilities and exactly the kind of transformative technology we seek to support through BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund,” said Aditya Aggarwal, Managing Partner of the Industrial Innovation Venture Fund at BDC. “”Their technology aligns perfectly with the future of pick & place robots, and we believe it has the potential to transform how many industries will approach robotic handling challenges.”

The proceeds from the investment round will fuel Nexera’s ambitious growth strategy, including accelerated R&D initiatives and market expansion. The company continues to strengthen its collaborations with leading system integrators and robotic picking solutions providers worldwide, reinforcing its position as a key enabler in the automation industry.

Nexera Robotics has established itself as a trusted technology partner for numerous global automation companies, demonstrating the versatility and reliability of its gripping solutions across various applications and industries.

About Nexera Robotics

Nexera Robotics patented NeuraGrasp technology enables unprecedented flexibility and reliability in robotic pick and place applications. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the company works with leading automation providers worldwide to advance the capabilities of robotic systems across industries.

SOURCE Nexera Robotics

Clients Worldwide to Benefit from Streamlined Cross-Border Money Transfers

MIAMI, Feb. 26, 2025 — Leap Financial, a leading digital remittance company, announced its collaboration with Visa, a global leader in digital payments, to integrate Visa Direct, a global money movement solution, into Leap’s white label digital remittances platform.

This partnership aims to streamline the direct delivery of funds to eligible cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets worldwide, enhancing the efficiency and security of cross-border remittances.

By leveraging Visa Direct, Leap Financial will enable financial and non-financial institutions to offer seamless cross-border remittances without the complexities associated with cash transactions. This collaboration will initially focus on the US and Latin America (LAC) markets, addressing the escalating demand for efficient cross-border money transfers within the $64 billion US-Latin America corridor¹.

Lionel Carrasco, CEO of Leap Financial, explained: “From our research, traditional money transmitters charge around 6% in remittance fees due to outdated processes and multiple intermediaries². With advanced technology, Leap reduces this cost to under 1%, streamlining remittance flows and eliminating inefficiencies. Our collaboration with Visa Direct will further enhance our ability to provide faster, more secure transactions, enabling our partners to offer competitive pricing and direct more funds to recipients.”

Leap Financial’s platform works with federal banks to originate remittances via embeddable solutions, allowing remitters to pay digitally and deliver money to cards and wallets in real-time*. This process offers full know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) traceability, creating cost efficiencies and enhancing AML controls for maximum compliance without friction.

To further strengthen their technology stack and enhance the adoption of their solutions, Leap recently introduced Lola, an AI-powered ‘Transactional AI Agent’. Lola is designed to deliver seamless cross-border payment services and provides instant assistance through widely used platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram, leveraging instant messaging and voice interactions for accessibility and convenience.

According to Leap’s Insight Team, there will be a 40% global decline in cash usage by 2025³, driven by the widespread adoption of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and digital wallets. This shift underscores the importance of digital remittance solutions in fostering financial inclusion and maximizing the impact of each remittance.

About Leap Financial

Leap Financial pioneers the fusion of fintech and transactional AI, enabling businesses to reshape money flows and enhance value for end users through embeddable instant domestic and cross-border payments, transactional AI agents, and co-branded banking services. Committed to fostering inclusivity, their mission is to enable companies to “Leap” forward in today’s dynamic landscape. Take the leap at leapfinancial.com.

*Actual fund availability depends on receiving financial institution and region

1. Driving-Growth-In-A-Cashless-Future-The-Business-Opportunity-Of-Digital-Remittances – Leap Financial Insights
2. Migration-Remittances-A-Powerhouse-For-Us-Growth – Leap Financial Insights
3. Global Change Datalab – Leap Financial Insights

SOURCE Leap Financial

Humanitru’s Investment Funds Innovation for Nonprofit Growth and Fundraising During Period of Economic Uncertainty

RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 26, 2025 — Humanitru, a leading data-driven strategy and engagement platform for mid to enterprise level nonprofits, has successfully closed a $3 million fundraising round to accelerate product development, expand its team, and extend its impact to additional mission-driven organizations. This funding was led by Dogwood Ventures with participation from Meeting Street Capital, the 98, I2BF, Front Porch Venture Partners, and Team Ignite Ventures.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Humanitru team as they deliver world class technology to mission driven organizations. Humanitru’s unique data driven approach provides nonprofit leaders with advanced tools to strengthen donor engagement,” said Aaron Hurst, Founding Partner of Dogwood Ventures.

The investment comes at a pivotal time for Humanitru, which was recently named one of the top 25 fastest growing companies in the Southeast region in 2024. This latest investment builds on that momentum, allowing the company to further enhance its platform’s capabilities, introduce new features to better serve nonprofits, accelerate the expansion of AI-driven engagement tools, and grow its team to support increasing demand while continuing to provide a stellar customer experience.

“Nonprofits rely on us to help them centralize data, deepen supporter relationships, and drive greater impact,” said Alan Wei, Humanitru CEO and Co-Founder. “With this funding, we’re not only strengthening our platform but also scaling our operations to ensure more organizations can leverage the power of data to advance their missions.”

Investing in Innovation & Growth
With this new capital, Humanitru will focus on:

• Enhancing AI-driven engagement tools to help nonprofits personalize donor outreach and retention strategies.
• Expanding platform capabilities with new features and integrations that streamline nonprofit fundraising, stewardship, and operations.
• Growing the Humanitru team with top talent across technology, customer success, and partnerships to enhance service and support.
• Scaling outreach & impact to bring these tools to more nonprofits across sectors.

Help for Organizations Navigating an Uncertain Funding Landscape
With government grants and funding sources facing increasing unpredictability due to shifting policies and economic conditions, many nonprofits must find new ways to secure sustainable revenue. Humanitru’s continued investment in AI-driven engagement and fundraising tools enables organizations to make smarter use of the donor data already in their system to drive more strategic and effective fundraising. By identifying high-potential donors, personalizing outreach, and optimizing retention efforts, nonprofits can maximize giving opportunities within their existing supporter base. Combined with Humanitru’s seamless integrations, these tools further empower organizations to reduce reliance on uncertain grant funding and build stronger, data-driven donor relationships that fuel long-term mission success.

Building the Future of Nonprofit Engagement
Since its founding, Humanitru has transformed the way nonprofits engage with donors, volunteers, and members. By consolidating data using its flexible integrations-first model and then delivering strategic insights, Humanitru’s platform empowers organizations to fundraise more effectively, increase donor retention, and optimize supporter engagement strategies.

“This investment strengthens our commitment to nonprofit growth and innovation,” added Wei. “We’re excited for the next phase of Humanitru and the valuable enhancements we’ll bring to the nonprofit sector.”

For more information about Humanitru and its nonprofit supporter engagement platform, visit www.Humanitru.com.

About Humanitru
Humanitru is a nonprofit fundraising and engagement platform that helps mid to enterprise level mission-driven organizations centralize data, save time with powerful automations, and strengthen supporter relationships using AI-driven insights. Designed for modern nonprofits, Humanitru’s platform provides powerful tools for donor management, supporter engagement, and fundraising success. 

About Dogwood Ventures
Dogwood Ventures is a B2B focused venture capital firm that helps outlier founders build enduring companies. Dogwood invests at the early growth stage and provides a unique founder-centric network of successful B2B entrepreneurs to help companies scale more effectively.

SOURCE Humanitru

BOSTON, Feb. 26, 2025 — VerAI Discoveries (VerAI), a pioneering AI-driven mineral asset company, is pleased to announce a $24 million first closing of its Series B round. The investment was led by Insight Partners, a global software investor specializing in high-growth technology and software investments, with continued support from existing investors Blumberg Capital, Chrysalix Venture Capital, and Orion Industrial Ventures. The new capital will help accelerate the testing and economic development of VerAI’s 60+ mineral projects with its exploration and development partners, while expanding the company’s portfolio and continuing to refine and advance its platform.

“This is a pivotal moment for VerAI,” said Yair Frastai, CEO and Co-Founder of VerAI Discoveries. “This new round of funding endorses our proprietary and validated AI-driven discovery platform that has generated a portfolio of high-probability mineral projects in underexplored covered terrains, while unlocking substantial value in resource development in an industry that has long relied on traditional exploration methods. We welcome Insight Partners’ support and the continued support of our existing investors, which allows us to drive innovation and develop our asset portfolio to meet the global demand for critical minerals.”

VerAI’s proprietary AI Discovery Platform is engineered to identify concealed deposits of critical minerals with high levels of accuracy. Unlike conventional exploration methods, VerAI technology detects hidden mineralization beneath covered terrains, including dense forests, ice sheets, gravel layers, and young rock formations – reducing risk and cost while increasing the likelihood of discovery.

Jeff Horing, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Insight Partners, will be joining VerAI’s Board of Directors. “VerAI Discoveries is helping unlock value in the mineral exploration sector, an area where innovation has traditionally lagged,” said Horing. “Their AI platform can transform how the world discovers and develops critical mineral resources essential for global economic growth, energy independence, and advanced defense solutions. We are excited to partner with VerAI’s strong leadership team as they scale their technology.”

About VerAI Discoveries, Inc.
VerAI Discoveries (VerAI) is an AI-driven mineral asset company that leverages its proprietary AI Discovery Platform to systematically identify and build an asset portfolio of high-probability locations of concealed mineral deposits. The company owns a rapidly growing portfolio of over sixty mineral projects and multiple royalties across North America and South America. By focusing on underexplored covered terrain within prime mining jurisdictions, VerAI dramatically increases the probability of discovering substantial deposits while mitigating economic risk. The company partners with leading industry investors and explorers to develop its global asset portfolio of base and precious metals targets, unlocking value and contributing to the global supply of critical minerals. For more information, visit https://ver-ai.com/.

About Insight Partners
Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of September 30, 2024, the firm has over $90B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 800 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and the Bay Area. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with tailored, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on X @insightpartners.

Media Contact:
Amie Cavarra
303-358-5452
[email protected]

SOURCE VerAI Discoveries, Inc.

With 300% YoY ARR growth, Regie.ai is launching RegieOne—an all-in-one AI platform that makes prospecting easier for reps, cuts costs for businesses and creates a better, more engaging experience for buyers

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26, 2025 — Regie.ai, the platform transforming sales prospecting in the age of AI has raised a $30 million Series B co-led by Scale Venture Partners and Foundation Capital, with participation from Khosla Ventures, StepStone Group, TriplePoint Capital, and South Park Commons. With 300% YoY ARR growth, Regie.ai makes sales engagement more efficient for B2B enterprise sales teams. The company is also launching RegieOne, an AI-powered all-in-one prospecting platform that helps go-to-market teams expand their total addressable market (TAM) and slash technology costs.

As businesses prepare for an intensely competitive 2025, effective high-performing sales teams remain the backbone of enterprise growth. Yet prospecting remains a major roadblock for most salespeople, forcing teams to juggle a maze of disconnected tools, add headcount, or overburden existing reps just to keep up. 40% percent of salespeople say prospecting is the hardest part of their job and 71.4% report that fewer than half of their initial prospects are a good fit. This translates to wasted time and wasted effort. 

RegieOne reduces this friction for organizations by simplifying the sales and marketing process during prospecting, supplying all the tools the team needs into one place. It leverages the three key outreach channels for reps – phone, email, and social – while being the only sales engagement platform on the market to offer a built-in parallel dialer. Furthermore, built-in AI Agents execute repetitive tasks such as contact sourcing, data enrichment, and personalized email writing, while generating high-value tasks like strategic follow-up calls for sales reps to execute.

Regie.ai was built to address the inefficiencies of traditional prospecting tools. It was co-founded by AI scientist Srinath Sridhar—who brings over 15 years of AI experience, a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon, and early engineering roles at Google and Facebook—and veteran sales leader Matt Millen, who scaled best-in-class sales teams at Outreach.io, T-Mobile, and Gateway. As an early OpenAI beta user, they were among the first to harness GPT models to develop AI-powered sales language, setting the foundation for the next generation of sales automation.

“From the start, the team at Regie has been forward-thinking in adopting new models and evolving their AI solutions—not just to meet customer needs today, but to anticipate what will serve them in the future. We’re excited to see how they continue pushing their product forward as this technology advances,” said Marc Manara, Head of Startups at OpenAI.

“We knew that AI could fundamentally change sales workflows, but only if it was designed to support more human connection rather than replace it,” said Srinath Sridhar, CEO and co-founder of Regie.ai. “Sales reps today are drowning in tech bloat—too many tools, too many tasks, and not enough time for real conversations. RegieOne changes that by providing a single platform to execute a coordinated prospecting motion through, leveraging AI Agents to automate lower-value tasks while giving reps more capacity to execute calls using our built-in parallel dialer. Our goal is to give reps more time for building relationships and connecting with customers.”

Key benefits of RegieOne for modern prospecting teams:

• Native parallel dialer – RegieOne is the only sales engagement platform with a parallel dialer built-in, dialing up to 9 numbers at once and boosting connect rates by 5X for reps.
• One unified prospecting platform – Combines phone, email, and social connection workflows into a single system, reducing tech complexity and saving $10K per rep annually.
• AI-powered prospecting agents that work alongside reps – Automates tasks like list building, lead enrichment, and personalized email composition, giving reps back time to focus on high-value interactions.
• Greater TAM coverage – Every lead is matched to the right level of engagement—from high-converting inbounds that get a personal, rep-driven approach, to lower-tier audiences that receive thoughtful, Agent-led outreach until sales ready.

The Series B funding will accelerate the launch of RegieOne, fuel engineering expansion, and support rapid customer growth—positioning Regie.ai to redefine top-of-funnel prospecting in the age of AI. 

About Regie.ai

Founded in 2020, Regie.ai is the leading AI-native sales engagement platform, designed to help businesses scale by automating the most time-consuming parts of outbound sales. Built by AI scientist, Dr. Srinath Sridhar, and veteran sales leader, Matt Millen, Regie.ai streamlines prospecting by combining AI-powered automation with human-driven outreach, making sales workflows more efficient. Backed by Scale Venture Partners, Foundation Capital, Khosla Ventures, StepStone Group, TriplePoint Capital, South Park Commons, and Day One Ventures, Regie.ai has achieved 300% year-over-year ARR growth and is trusted by B2B brands like Copado, Crunchbase, and more. With its newest solution, RegieOne, the company is redefining sales prospecting by unifying email, social outreach, and parallel dialing into a single AI-powered platform. Headquartered in San Francisco, Regie.ai operates with a global team.

For more information, visit www.regie.ai.

SOURCE Regie.ai

Strategic Funding Round Was Led by Haun Ventures as the Company Seeks to Revolutionize Consumer Engagement and Drive Innovation in the Multi-Trillion Dollar Gift Card Industry

MIAMI, Feb. 26, 2025 — Raise, a leader in the global gift market and pioneer in blockchain-powered payments and loyalty, today announced the successful close of a $63 million funding round. Led by Haun Ventures, the round included participation from Amber Group, Anagram, Blackpine, Borderless Capital, GSR, Karatage, Paper Ventures, Pharsalus Capital, Selini Capital, Sonic Boom Ventures, the Web3 Foundation, and notable angels Tekin Salimi, Raj Gokal, Teddy Gorisse among others. This latest round brings Raise’s total funding to over $220 million, building on prior investments from Accel, Paypal, and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). 

“Raise has redefined how consumers interact with and value gift cards – it’s about loyalty and share of wallet, not just gift-giving,” said George Bousis, Founder and CEO of Raise. “For over a decade, we’ve invested tens of millions of dollars in bringing gift cards and loyalty programs on-chain. Now, we’re making a nin-figure commitment over the next several years to fully realize this vision. Having been involved in blockchain and crypto since its early days, we waited for the right regulatory framework and the technological maturity to support a fully reconfigured, on-chain gift card industry. That time is now – the barriers that once existed are no longer obstacles.”

Raise will use the funding to further develop its proprietary blockchain-backed gift card program, Smart Cards, and expand the Retail Alliance Foundation, its non-profit coalition dedicated to uniting global retailers and brands to create a more secure, interoperable, and fraud-resistant gift card network. Raise has seeded the Alliance and the Raise blockchain network with its intellectual property in partnership with BFG Labs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Raise Holdings Ltd. Raise’s mission is to redefine gift cards as a secure, fully programable retail currency that strengthen trust and fosters deeper engagement between brands and their customers.

Diogo Monica, General Partner at Haun Ventures, commented, “Raise is seizing a massive, outdated market with the right mix of experience, infrastructure, and blockchain expertise. With deep industry ties and a real plan for adoption, this isn’t just a bet on the future of gift cards—it’s an investment in a proven team solving a trillion-dollar problem.”

Raise’s blockchain initiatives kicked off earlier this year with the upcoming integration of DOT Wallet through a partnership with the Polkadot Community Foundation, enabling seamless transactions within their application. Additionally, Raise partnered with WalletConnect to integrate the Raise app with leading digital wallets like Coinbase, MetaMask, Phantom, Trust, and other prominent ecosystems, which will be announced soon. Raise is rapidly expanding its B2B partnerships, engaging with major financial institutions and loyalty programs, including  Citi Bank and BILT Rewards.

In conjunction with the funding round, Raise has also announced the appointment of a new Board of Directors featuring former CLO at Kraken and former President of Blockchain.com, Marco Santori, former co-founder and CEO of Honey, George Ruan, former founder and CEO of GrubHub, Matt Maloney, and Bjorn Wagner, CEO of Parity Technologies. With their expertise and support, Raise is well-positioned to execute its mission to redefine the future of gift cards and drive innovation in consumer loyalty.

With global sales projected to exceed $2.3 trillion by 2030, gift cards have evolved beyond simple transactional tools to become an integral component of the modern retail ecosystem. Since its founding, Raise has facilitated over $5 billion in transactions for its nearly 7 million users and 1,000+ retail partnerships, consistently driving innovation in the industry. The introduction of blockchain-powered gift cards marks the culmination of over a decade of work to reshape how consumers value, use and trust gift cards. 

For more information, please visit: https://www.raise.com/

About Raise
Raise, a renowned pioneer in the gift card industry, has been at the forefront of innovation since its inception in 2013. The company has facilitated over $5 billion in transactions through its Raise consumer app, exchange (GCX), and B2B (Raise for Business) operations. With over 1,000+ brand partnerships, Raise offers activation and real-time redemption capabilities across a network of over one million stores, websites, and applications. For more information, please visit https://www.raise.com/.

About the Retail Alliance Foundation
The Retail Alliance Foundation is a non-profit coalition committed to revolutionizing the global loyalty economy. The Retail Alliance Foundation strives to create a secure, innovative, and inclusive gift card ecosystem by promoting transparency, advancing technology, and uniting industry stakeholders. Guided by industry leaders, we provide critical funding and resources to initiatives that empower stakeholders and ensure the long-term sustainability of the global gift card industry. Through collaboration and community-driven governance, we’re setting new standards for loyalty while promoting happiness and trust.

For media inquiries, please contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Raise

Vayu’s proprietary data metering technology processes tens of millions of events daily, empowering B2B companies to easily transition from usage-based pricing only to hyper-dynamic pricing, taking into account unlimited variables. Clients experience 75% faster time-to-bill, 80% faster reporting, 65% faster revenue visibility, and many other benefits.

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 26, 2025 — Vayu, the platform transforming billing and revenue management for B2B tech companies, has raised $7 million in seed funding round co-led by Flint Capital and The Garage, with participation from previous investors Fresh.Fund, Secret Chord Ventures, and angel investors including former Melio and Softbank executives. This funding will accelerate the development of Vayu’s platform and expand its reach into the global markets.

As B2B companies embrace complex pricing structures in the GenAI and API-driven era, traditional billing systems struggle to keep pace. Hybrid pricing models – blending usage-based, subscription tiers, and outcome-based pricing – are now the norm, with 46% of SaaS companies adopting them. By 2027, Gartner predicts 75% of application providers will revamp pricing models to support API-based consumption, up from 25% today. Yet, many companies report challenges balancing simplicity and predictability, turning revenue management into a critical bottleneck that slows growth and erodes efficiency.

Vayu, founded by fintech and data veterans Erez Agmon, Shenhav Avidar, and Shai Gross who bring experience from PayPal, Melio, and WSC Sports, combines deep expertise in data, finance, and enterprise software to redefine what’s possible for revenue management. Vayu’s no-code platform automates billing, aligns pricing with value, and provides real-time revenue insights. Its proprietary data metering technology processes tens of millions of events daily, converting raw data into precise, real-time billing rules. Already trusted by a rapidly expanding client base and leading organizations such as Au10tix, Mesh Payments, and Vi, Vayu enables businesses to eliminate inefficiencies that slow growth.

“Pricing in today’s GenAI-driven economy must go beyond just consumption or tiers to reflect relationships and outcomes,” said Erez Agmon, CEO and Co-Founder at Vayu. “In a reality where pricing models have countless variations and each contract has its unique fingerprint, finance teams need full control of their revenue processes. At Vayu, we enable them to adopt any pricing model, launch new offerings, and seamlessly iterate on pricing—without relying on engineering resources.”

“We’re seeing a growing demand for smarter, more flexible billing and end-to-end revenue solutions that can keep up with the rapid advancements in AI and data,” said Yoram Tietz, former EY Managing Partner and advisor to General Atlantic, now a member of Vayu’s board. “Vayu is addressing this need with a fresh approach to pricing as a key part of billing and revenue management. Their solution not only meets today’s challenges but also sets a new standard for how businesses manage revenue moving forward”.

David Feldman, Principal at Flint Capital, added, “At Flint Capital, we’re thrilled to support Vayu’s visionary team, which harnessed their domain expertise to create a transformative platform that stands apart in the billing and revenue management industry. By enabling businesses to seamlessly manage flexible contracts and automate the cumbersome billing processes, Vayu provides finance teams with the tools they need to scale efficiently without technical constraints.”

“Vayu enables the pricing flexibility we need, as our products require multi-layered pricing methods, from annual commitments to usage-based models,” said Erez Hershkowitz,CFO at Au10tix. “We chose Vayu because it combines financial expertise with the agility to address our specific challenges quickly, and its no-code automation eliminates the need to allocate engineering resources.”

About Vayu
Vayu is a cutting-edge platform transforming billing and revenue management for B2B companies. Its mission is to empower finance teams with unparalleled autonomy, enabling them to streamline operations and maximize revenue potential efficiently. Bridging the gap between finance, product, and R&D teams, Vayu enhances collaboration and operational efficiency across departments. With innovative solutions that adapt to usage-based and dynamic pricing models, our solution helps companies not only keep pace with market changes but stay ahead of them.

For more information go to: www.withvayu.com

Press contact:
Joel Strauss
Strauss Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE Vayu