SINGAPORE, April 28, 2025 — Thunes, the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world, is proud to announce the successful raise of its $150 million Series D, the largest in its history, at a substantial valuation increase over its last round. Amid one of the most challenging capital markets environments of recent times, this milestone was achieved in record time.

Thunes proudly welcomes Apis Partners and Vitruvian Partners, two leading private equity firms, both globally recognized for their deep expertise in financial services and emerging markets.

Now profitable and maintaining strong growth momentum, Thunes plans to leverage this capital to supercharge its expansion in the United States, supported by the recent acquisition of licenses across 50 U.S. States, subject to regulatory approval.

These funds will further strengthen Thunes’ Direct Global Network, which today spans 130+ countries, 80+ currencies and 550+ direct integrations, enabling real-time payments across complex and exotic markets.  As cross-border payments swell towards a $150 trillion market opportunity, Thunes stands well positioned to continue to capture a growing share.

Through cutting-edge technology, industry-leading compliance standards, and a seamless customer experience, Thunes continues to make diverse payment systems, including traditional, digital, and emerging currencies, interoperable. With a vision to include the “next billion end users” in emerging markets, Thunes aims to be the go-to solution for fast, secure, and cost-effective cross-border payments, connecting billions of wallets and thousands of partners worldwide.

Floris de Kort, CEO of Thunes, stated, “Thunes’ latest funding round is a clear validation of our strategy and our commitment to sustainable growth. Our performance, marked by a Revenue run-rate of $150 million and positive EBITDA, demonstrates our ability to balance rapid expansion with financial prudence, even in a tumultuous market. This new capital enables us to extend our Direct Global Network, including in the United States, drive technological innovation, from Artificial Intelligence to digital asset ecosystem interoperability, and deliver superior value to the Members of our proprietary Network. In a challenging funding environment, our progress and resilience set a new industry standard.”

Matteo Stefanel, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Apis Partners, commented, “Thunes has revolutionized global cross-border payments by seamlessly integrating robust technology with a disciplined financial strategy that inspires confidence. The company’s impressive growth record and positive EBITDA performance, even in these unprecedented times, clearly underpin the trust of its Members and their ability to scale effectively. We have been closely monitoring Thunes’ remarkable journey and are consistently impressed by the team’s innovative approach, operational rigor, and strategic foresight. Thunes’ pursuit of excellence redefines industry standards and sets a high bar for reliability and performance in global payments. Lastly, we are especially proud of the work Thunes is doing in accelerating access to affordable financial services across the next billion users in emerging markets, and for Apis to play a small part in continuing this journey.”

Tassilo Arnhold, Partner at Vitruvian Partners, said: “We are proud to partner with the visionary team at Thunes as they build a transformative platform that effectively bridges traditional banking, mobile wallets, and digital assets into one unified solution. At Vitruvian Partners, we value strategic vision, resilience, and commitment to innovation, all of which Thunes exemplifies in every aspect of its operations. They consistently demonstrate the ability to navigate complex market conditions while setting new standards for efficiency and transparency. We are delighted to support Thunes in their mission to continuously set and exceed industry benchmarks, thereby redefining the future of global cross-border payments.”

Thunes’ series D fundraising underscores its financial strength and operational excellence. The company is now set to redefine the standards of global cross-border payments, forging new pathways for growth and innovation in a rapidly evolving fintech landscape.

Proton Partners served as financial advisors on this transaction.

SOURCE Thunes

• $135M Capital Raise, Comprised of Private Placement and In-Kind Contributions, Aims at Increasing iMENA’s Shareholding in Existing Businesses
• Company completes restructuring into a Saudi company, iMENA Holding
• Transformation part of evolution into regional digital powerhouse.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 27, 2025 — iMENA Group (“iMENA”), a regional leader in digital platforms in the MENA region, has raised $135 million from Sanabil Investments, a wholly owned company by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), FJ Labs, a global venture capital firm known for backing category-leading marketplace and network-effect platforms, and Saygin Yalcin, the founder and CEO of SellAnyCar, and a number of other leading Saudi investors.

The capital raise is compromised of a private placement and in-kind contributions and is the first tranche of a pre-IPO funding round. The new funding round will be used to increase iMENA’s shareholding in its three high-performing businesses: OpenSooq, SellAnyCar, and Jeeny; to drive vertical and geographic expansion; and to improve synergies across its platforms.

iMENA confirmed that it has now restructured into a Saudi Closed Joint Stock Company (CJSC) under the name of iMENA Holding. This transformation marks a major milestone in the company’s evolution into a regional digital powerhouse, ahead of a potential public listing. Furthermore Saygin Yalcin will also join iMENA’s Board of Directors and management committee to help drive strategic direction for the company.

Nasir Alsharif, Chairman of iMENA Holding said: “This transaction marks an important inflection point for iMENA in its journey to IPO-readiness by taking advantage of the great opportunities provided by the Kingdom’s Vision (2030) and in cooperation with the largest investment entities. We are shaping the future of the region’s digital economy as a platform of internet marketplaces driving innovation at pace and at scale. The high growth and profitability of our businesses, in sectors and markets within which we have high conviction, provides material value creation opportunities and an exciting pathway for us to accelerate forward.“ 

A spokesperson at Sanabil Investments added: “We are excited to invest in iMENA Holding, a digital platform with proven scalability and profitability. Leveraging our own experience in internet marketplaces, we understand their unique strategy and are committed to bringing our expertise to support their growth and future IPO aspirations on the Saudi Exchange.“

Acting as financial advisor to iMENA Holding on the private placement, Hossam AlBasrawi, CEO of Al Rajhi Capital commented “Al Rajhi Capital is proud to support iMENA’s transformation and potential IPO journey. The group’s integrated model and strategic vision make it a standout in the region’s digital landscape“.

Closing of the capital raise remains subject to standard closing conditions and the approval of the authorities in Saudi Arabia.

iMENA Holding’s new Board of Directors will comprise the following regional leaders and sector veterans:

• Nasir Alsharif, Chairman of iMENA, Board Member at AWJ Holding Company and Executive Chairman of Sackville Capital
• Khaldoon Tabaza, Co-founder & Managing Director of iMENA
• Adey Salamin, Co-founder of iMENA and CEO of OpenSooq
• Saygin Yalcin, Founder & CEO of SellAnyCar
• Mazin AlDawood, CEO of Osool & Bakheet Investment
• Usman Sikandar, Head of Investment Banking at Al Rajhi Capital
• Marco Somalvico, Vice President M&A of E&

Sanabil Investments will also appoint a member to the Board of Directors of iMENA Holding in due course.

iMENA’s businesses, OpenSooq, SellAnyCar, and Jeeny, are regional leaders in horizontal and vertical marketplaces across the largest sectors in the region, including real estate, automotive, and mobility, with operations in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, and the broader Middle East region. iMENA’s businesses are profitable and growing rapidly, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 55%. Almost 40% of the aggregate revenues of iMENA’s businesses come from Saudi Arabia, with another 40% from the UAE, making them iMENA’s two core strategic markets. iMENA’s businesses aim to serve as a compelling proxy for the digital economy in the Middle East and North Africa region, giving investors direct exposure to the region’s fastest-growing online sectors.

About iMENA Holding:

iMENA was founded in 2012, and has evolved into a regional internet champion, building and scaling high-growth internet businesses across the Middle East and North Africa region. The company was co-founded by Nasir Alsharif, Khaldoon Tabaza, and Adey Salamin,  joined as part of this restructuring by Saygin Yalcin, plan to leverage their expertise in technology and investment to continue building and operating digital marketplaces. Over the years, iMENA has launched, acquired, scaled, and successfully exited from a number of successful regional platforms, thereby becoming a strategic consolidator in the digital economy.

• Nasir Alsharif, iMENA’s Chairman, is an experienced investor and builder of investment businesses across venture capital, technology and broader private markets, with current roles including Board Member at AWJ Holding Company and Executive Chairman of Sackville Capital.
• Khaldoon Tabaza, Managing Director of iMENA Holding and Chairman of Opensooq, is a pioneer in the region’s technology and venture capital ecosystem with more than 30 years of experience in building and investing in digital ventures across MENA, including founding the first venture-backed online business in the MENA region more than 25 years ago.
• Adey Salamin is a marketplace expert and the CEO of OpenSooq, known for scaling the platform into one of the region’s most visited websites and mobile applications. Adey has over 20 years of experience as a founder, operator, investor, and advisor of growth businesses.
• Saygin Yalcin is a serial entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of SellAnyCar, one of the most prominent digital automotive brands in the Middle East. Previously, he was Founder and CEO of Sukar.com and Vice President of Souq.com following a merger forming the Middle East’s largest E-commerce group that was later acquired by Amazon.

For more information on OpenSooq, please visit: www.opensooq.com

For more information on SellAnyCar, please visit: www.sellanycar.com

For more information on Jeeny, please visit: www.jeeny.me

Contact:

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2673526/iMENA_Holding_Logo.jpg

SOURCE iMENA Holding

TAMPA, Fla., April 24, 2025 — EC-Council, a global leader in cybersecurity education and training, and the creators of world-renowned Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)  credential, is taking a transformative step to reshape the future of digital security. EC-Council has announced the launch of a $100 million investment to drive the development of next-gen technologies aimed to accelerate cybersecurity breakthroughs and strengthen global digital defense.

The investment coupled with EC-Council’s platform support, will boost the next generation of cybersecurity innovation which will redefine the cybersecurity paradigm worldwide. Strategic deployment of the investment will prioritize companies with high growth potential, and which demonstrate exceptional technical innovation, problem-solving capabilities, and tangible impact in strengthening Cybersecurity Defense.

Companies led by EC-Council certified cybersecurity professionals or those that employ EC-Council certified cybersecurity professionals in key technical and leadership roles will be given priority, aligning with EC-Council’s commitment to expertise-driven cybersecurity innovation.

“Our industry stands at a pivotal moment, requiring visionary leadership to counteract an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape,” said Jay Bavisi, Group President, EC-Council. “This initiative is designed to provide not just financial backing but also mentorship, strategic guidance, and global exposure to help these companies create effective security solutions. As a globally trusted cybersecurity brand, we are investing in the future by equipping those who are committed to driving impactful change.”

This initiative builds on EC-Council’s two-decade legacy of shaping the global cybersecurity workforce through education, training, and innovation. Its industry-relevant programs; such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) , Certified Network Defender (CND), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) have become gold standards in the field. Supporting this commitment to continuous learning is EC-Council Learning , the World’s Largest Online Cybersecurity Course Library, which offers professionals and institutions access to thousands of curated resources that evolve with the threat landscape.

Further product innovations include CEH powered with AI capabilities,  CPENT AI  an advanced offensive security program featuring real-time AI-driven test environments and The Hackerverse CTF, EC-Council’s immersive cyber range platform that simulates real-world attack scenarios to prepare professionals for live threats.

The goal of EC-Council’s $100 million investment is to ensure that companies in the cybersecurity space with strong technical capabilities and market potential can access capital and resources to accelerate their growth. Companies from any region are encouraged to apply, as EC-Council is committed to creating a global ecosystem of cybersecurity innovation.

With cyberattacks becoming increasingly sophisticated, businesses, governments, and individuals face growing risks. EC-Council’s investment initiative is designed to ensure the companies with best-in-class products, service offerings and capabilities have the resources and platform to reach the users and enterprises who could benefit the most from their solutions.

Bavisi further highlighted the importance of empowering emerging companies, stating: “Innovation is not limited to large global corporations or major tech hubs. With the power of today’s technology, infrastructure and AI, some of the most disruptive cybersecurity solutions are emerging in recent times by highly specialized companies, with the potential to transform the sector and lead to new business models. Our goal is to ensure these companies have the support they need to thrive, regardless of their size or location.”

For more information on how to apply, visit EC-Council’s official website:
https://www.eccouncil.org/supporting-cybersecurity-initiatives/

About EC-Council: 

EC-Council is the creator of the world-renowned Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) program and a leader in cybersecurity education. Founded in 2001, EC-Council’s mission is to provide high-quality training and certifications for cybersecurity professionals to keep organizations safe from cyber threats. EC-Council offers over 200 certifications and degrees in various cybersecurity domains, including forensics, security analysis, threat intelligence, and information security.    

An ISO/IEC 17024 accredited organization, EC-Council has certified over 350,000 professionals worldwide, with clients ranging from government agencies to Fortune 100 companies. EC-Council is the gold standard in cybersecurity certification, trusted by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and leading global corporations.    

For more information, visit: www.eccouncil.org 

SOURCE EC-Council

SINGAPORE, April 24, 2025 — MagicBlock, a real-time engine for decentralised games and applications on Solana, has raised a $7.5 million Seed round. The round was led by Lightspeed Faction, with participation from Maven11, Delphi Digital, Robot Ventures, Mechanism Capital, Equilibrium, Pivot Global, and notable angels including Anatoly Yakovenko, Mert Mumtaz, and Tristan Yver. This investment fuels MagicBlock’s mission to power real-time, fully onchain games and applications built natively on Solana, ensuring that developers can build decentralized experiences with ultra-low latency and full composability – without the tradeoffs of an L2.

Following a $3 million investment led by a16z CSX in September 2024, this latest raise further accelerates MagicBlock’s momentum as it blurs the boundaries between blockchain and traditional servers. While traditional appchains force developers to choose between fragmented liquidity and app-specific customizations, MagicBlock delivers ultra-low latency and elastic throughput while maintaining full access to Solana‘s liquidity and composable ecosystem. With MagicBlock’s Ephemeral Rollups, developers can build natively on Solana and access app-specific extensions, or plugins, like real-time pricing feeds, custom sequencing, or institutional-grade permissioned environment..

MagicBlock’s ephemeral rollup technology, pioneered by co-founders Andrea Fortugno and Gabriele Picco, is a breakthrough in real-time blockchain execution. Unlike traditional L2s and rollups that require bridging, this innovation enhances Solana‘s performance without sacrificing native composability. MagicBlock ensures that developers can harness high-speed infrastructure with seamless interoperability across DeFi, gaming, and high-performance dApps.

As part of this growth phase, MagicBlock has partnered with Flash Trade, Supersize, Pyth, Jito, and dTelecom, leading projects in the Solana ecosystem that share its vision for fully onchain, high-performance applications.

• Flash Trade, a decentralized derivative exchange, leverages MagicBlock’s ephemeral rollups to execute real-time, gas-efficient trades with minimal latency.
• Supersize, a real-time multiplayer game built fully onchain for maximum composability and verifiability
• dTelecom, a decentralized real-time communication network running ephemeral rollup technology to deliver a low latency experience with ultra-cheap fees.
• Pyth Lazer, for a 1ms price stream running in Ephemeral Rollups
• Jito, a leader in Solana‘s validator ecosystem, collaborates with MagicBlock to enhance security with restaking and reducing execution time

These partnerships reinforce MagicBlock’s commitment to providing the fastest, most scalable infrastructure for developers building high-frequency trading platforms, real-time gaming, and next-generation onchain applications.

“Every application developer wants to build on the fastest chain with the deepest liquidity — that’s Solana. But they also want the customizability and real-time performance of a Web2 server. With MagicBlock, they don’t have to choose. [MagicBlock Co-Founder Andrea Fortugno].

With this funding, MagicBlock will expand its engineering team, scale its developer ecosystem, and continue optimizing its ephemeral rollup technology. As demand for real-time onchain applications grows, MagicBlock is positioning itself as the go-to execution layer for Web3 builders looking to harness Solana‘s speed and composability.

About MagicBlock

MagicBlock is a real-time engine seamlessly integrated with Solana. It provides ultra-low latency, on-demand runtimes, and elastic scalability for fully onchain applications. Built for developers, MagicBlock delivers an unmatched combination of speed, composability, and scalability, ensuring that decentralized applications can achieve Web2-level performance without sacrificing the benefits of Web3. With cutting-edge ephemeral rollup technology, MagicBlock enables congestion-free, high-throughput transactions, empowering builders to create the next generation of onchain experiences across gaming, DeFi, and beyond.

Developers interested in leveraging MagicBlock’s technology can explore our documentation and start building today.

For more information, visit https://www.magicblock.xyz/ or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE MagicBlock

NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 — As the global investment landscape shifts in response to AI breakthroughs, geopolitical flux, and a generational wealth transfer, one firm is emerging as a powerful force redefining what it means to lead with conviction: Beyond Alpha Ventures (BAV). Under the visionary leadership of Jacob Kobe Frankel, BAV has established itself as a multi-strategy family office and hedge fund with an eye on the future—and the world is taking notice.

Launched with a long-term thesis and institutional discipline, BAV has quietly built a portfolio that reads like a blueprint of the next decade’s technological infrastructure. The firm holds stakes in industry-defining companies such as SpaceX, Palantir, and X.AI, placing it at the core of frontier innovation—from space commercialization and AI governance to national security technology and large language model development.

“We don’t just invest in companies—we invest in the architecture of tomorrow’s society,” says Frankel. “At BAV, capital is not just fuel. It’s strategy, insight, and commitment to long-term impact.”

A Visionary at the Helm

At just 32, Jacob Kobe Frankel has emerged as one of the most compelling young voices in venture capital and asset management. Frankel combines technical fluency with macroeconomic insight, bringing a rare dual-lens perspective to capital allocation. His strategic thinking has led to early and bold moves into sectors now considered essential.

What sets Frankel apart is not just his eye for high-growth assets—but his deep belief that venture capital has a responsibility beyond returns. Under his leadership, BAV has championed an investment model that actively integrates ethical foresight, systems thinking, and technical diligence. The result: a firm with both impressive returns and a growing reputation for shaping purposeful innovation.

A Distinct Investment Strategy

BAV’s edge lies in its multi-strategy approach, balancing late-stage private equity, secondary market opportunities, and algorithmic public market strategies. The firm operates with the agility of a startup and the rigor of an institutional fund, using proprietary AI-assisted research tools to enhance due diligence, monitor portfolio performance, and uncover high-potential market inefficiencies before they become mainstream.

Frankel’s belief in precision capital is evident in the firm’s track record. By backing technologies with proven traction and transformative potential, BAV has aligned itself with ventures that are not only scalable, but foundational—positioning itself as a core player in the next wave of technological consolidation.

A Global Perspective with Long-Term Discipline

Beyond Alpha Ventures has been featured in discussions at the Nasdaq Innovation Series, the Mastercard AI Summit, and global finance panels where Frankel has been praised for his pragmatic vision of AI’s role in society. Unlike many firms chasing hype cycles, BAV invests with a generational lens—focusing on technologies that can enhance resilience, transparency, and societal scalability.

“AI is no longer a vertical—it’s the operating system of modern civilization,” Frankel stated at a recent investor conference. “At BAV, our role is to back the builders of that system—with capital, conviction, and long-term partnership.”

Poised for a Breakout Year

As 2025 unfolds, industry insiders and LPs alike are calling Beyond Alpha Ventures one of the most promising hybrid investment vehicles on the market. With a robust pipeline, a world-class portfolio, and a CEO whose clarity and courage continue to define the firm’s trajectory, BAV is not just a hedge fund to watch—it’s a blueprint for the next era of capital innovation.

Contact: Abigail Lincoln, +44 7856 126 983

SOURCE Beyond Alpha Ventures

Founded by ex-Optiver and IMC quants, the platform is backed by angels from Citadel, Jane Street, and JPMorgan

NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 — Theo, a novel network connecting onchain capital to global markets via institutional-grade trading infrastructure, today announced it has raised $20 million in funding. The round was jointly led by Hack VC and Anthos Capital, with participation from numerous other venture capital firms, including Manifold Trading, Mirana Ventures, Metalayer Ventures, Flowdesk, SCB, MEXC, Amber Group, and Selini Capital, as well as angels from a range of leading TradFi trading firms including Citadel, Jane Street, HRT, Optiver, IMC, 5 Rings, and JPMorgan. 

Founded by former quant traders; Abhi Pingle, Arijit Pingle, and TK Kwon who honed their expertise at elite trading firms Optiver and IMC Trading, Theo was born from a recognition: while onchain capital is growing exponentially, access to traditional and institutional-grade strategies remain out of reach for everyday users. Theo aims to bridge this gap – delivering the sophistication of Wall Street to the retail investor.

Theo’s platform provides access to institutional-grade trading infrastructure that supports a wide range of strategies traditionally reserved for hedge funds and proprietary trading firms. At its core, Theo operates a custom low-latency validator set that ensures custodial guarantees for users, while enforcing rule-based access for institutional counterparties like market makers and trading firms.

These validators facilitate real-time execution across centralized exchanges (CEXes) and decentralized protocols (DeFi), while enforcing margin requirements and maintaining system-wide overcollateralization. Retail users can access these strategies via a simple deposit into strategy-specific vaults—without the complexity of multiple exchange accounts or algorithmic trading knowledge.

“Today’s crypto markets are fragmented and inefficient, preventing institutions and everyday users alike from accessing the full promise of global, permissionless finance,” says Abhi Pingle, co-founder of Theo. “Theo solves this by delivering robust, scalable infrastructure that seamlessly connects large traditional players and retail participants on-chain—unlocking new levels of capital efficiency.”

Theo strategies allow anyone to passively access professional trading strategies by simply depositing assets, with the platform handling execution, risk, and dynamic capital allocation across approaches like high-frequency arbitrage, cross-chain funding rate optimization, and advanced hedging.

As market conditions shift, Theo’s infrastructure dynamically reallocates capital to maintain performance, where single-strategy platforms often see returns diminish. This flexibility ensures greater stability and performance for retail participants.

For trading firms, Theo enables superior capital efficiency. By leveraging user capital through vault participation, firms can cross-margin strategy positions against their proprietary trades—unlocking alpha while users share in the upside. This creates a mutually beneficial ecosystem: institutional-grade strategies, retail accessibility, and shared value creation.

Theo’s architecture is uniquely positioned to connect traditional and crypto-native financial venues. As the industry evolves, Theo’s role as an infrastructure layer will be instrumental in bridging legacy markets and the onchain economy—democratizing access to advanced financial tools worldwide.

About Theo

Theo is an institutional-grade trading infrastructure platform founded by former quant traders from IMC Trading and Optiver. The platform enables retail users to access sophisticated high-frequency trading and market-making strategies previously available only to Wall Street firms, while providing trading firms with new opportunities to capture alpha through their market expertise with superior capital efficiency. Learn more at theo.xyz

SOURCE Theo Network

HACKENSACK, N.J., April 24, 2025 — MAX Surgical Specialty Management (“MAX” or the “Company”), the premier surgeon-led provider of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS), announced today that it has closed on a $77 million senior credit facility provided by Freeport Financial Partners, LLC (“Freeport“). The financing will support the next phase of the company’s strategic growth, with a focus on forming new partnerships with leading OMS practices across the Northeast.

“Staying close to the communities we serve is at the heart of our partnership strategy,” said Mark Censoprano, Co-CEO of MAX. “This capital allows us to expand strategically throughout the region, building relationships where they matter most. Each new partnership reinforces our position as the premier OMS support platform in the Northeast.”

In conjunction with the financing, MAX has partnered with Rothman and Kim Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (“RKOMS”), a leading provider in the Philadelphia market with a second location in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. For over 25 years, Marc Rothman, DMD, M. David Kim, DMD, and their team have delivered exceptional patient care throughout the region. RKOMS marks MAX’s second partnership in Pennsylvania.

The RKOMS partnership follows the recent addition of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Westfield to MAX’s network. Under the leadership of Ronen Gold, DDS, the practice has established a strong reputation in Westfield, New Jersey, for clinical excellence and a patient-first approach. This collaboration further strengthens MAX’s growing network and solidifies its leadership position throughout New Jersey.

“MAX is assembling a network of elite oral and maxillofacial surgeons who share a vision of advancing excellence in patient care,” said Dr. Jason M. Auerbach, Founder and Co-CEO of MAX. “Drs. Rothman, Kim and Gold have spent decades building outstanding reputations in their markets. With MAX’s operational support and access to capital, they are now positioned to grow even further and continue leading innovation in the specialty.”

Since January 2024, MAX has added 14 practice locations and 17 surgeons to its network across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Connecticut. The company’s total headcount has nearly doubled to over 300 in the last 15 months, driven by rapid expansion into new markets and investments in clinical and operational talent.

“This investment in MAX reflects deep confidence in the platform’s outstanding performance, disciplined execution and leadership team,” said Matt Gerdes, Managing Director of Freeport Financial Partners. “MAX’s strong fundamentals and long-term value creation potential presented a compelling opportunity.”

MAX’s concentrated network of OMS practices in the Northeast offers strategic advantages in regional insights, established relationships and contracting leverage.

About MAX Surgical Specialty Management
Established in September 2022 as the Northeast region’s premier oral and maxillofacial surgery platform, MAX Surgical Specialty Management is a surgeon-led management services organization developed with clinical and surgeon autonomy at its core. Today, MAX supports surgeons across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Connecticut, enabling practices to channel resources, skills and knowledge within the oral surgery specialty, leading industry advancements and delivering the highest standard of patient care. Surgeons have access to a curated network that allows them to collaborate with and work alongside a diverse pool of highly skilled peers who are leaders in their specialty. MAX safeguards surgeons’ independence while offering robust support systems, access to advanced technology and opportunities for financial growth.

MAX is backed by MedEquity Capital, RF Investment Partners and Kian Capital. Visit max-ssm.com for more information.

About MedEquity Capital
Headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts, MedEquity Capital is a health care private equity firm that focuses on investing in profitable health care services businesses, most often in the lower-middle market. Since its founding over 20 years ago, MedEquity has invested over $400 million of equity capital, with top decile returns for its investors. Further information is available at www.medequity.com

About RF Investment Partners
RF Investment Partners (“RF”), a relationship-first, lower-middle-market private capital firm, provides innovative and flexible capital primarily for family- and founder-owned businesses. We structure each investment to align our shared goals and interests with each company’s management team, while providing less dilutive capital. RF brings operational and deep sector-based expertise to support our portfolio companies across the healthcare services, software, and business services sectors. RF manages approximately $700 million and has the capabilities to provide equity and debt capital to support strategic initiatives such as acquisition financing, growth capital investments, recapitalizations, refinancings, and management buyouts. To learn more, please visit www.rf-partners.com

About Kian Capital Partners
At Kian, we forge partnerships to ignite growth and build enduring value. Our goal is to provide flexible financial resources and additional operational horsepower to scale lower-middle-market businesses, realize aspirations and deliver long-term investment returns through genuine partnership. Proud to be recognized on Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors list for five consecutive years, Kian is a private investment firm with over $1 billion of capital under management and a focus on four core industry sectors: services, value-added distribution, consumer and specialty manufacturing. Our team of seasoned investors has over 100 years of collective experience providing transformational capital solutions and board-level strategic and operational guidance to founder/owner-operated businesses. To learn more, visit www.kiancapital.com

About Freeport Financial
Freeport has the industry expertise, product knowledge and flexibility to serve the financing needs of private equity investors and the management teams with whom they invest. Freeport’s principals have invested together since 2005 and have provided $10 billion in loan commitments to more than 600 companies. Freeport became part of Moelis Asset Management LP in 2012 and is committed to providing highly competitive financing solutions to lower-middle-market companies. To learn more, visit www.freeportfinancialpartners.com

SOURCE MAX Surgical Specialty Management

Sevii Unveils Revolutionary Autonomous AI Agents that Empower CISOs and Security Teams to Stay Ahead of Modern Cyber Threats.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 24, 2025 — Sevii, a cybersecurity innovator building a next-generation autonomous agentic AI defense platform, today announced the successful closure of its pre-seed funding round. The round was led by Overline, with participation from 10VC and SaaS Ventures.

Sevii is pioneering an Autonomous Defense and Remediation (ADR) platform that deploys an agentic ‘army’ of AI cyber warriors to actively manage detections at the edge while triaging and remediating cyber threats at machine speed. By seamlessly integrating with a customer’s existing security tools, Sevii dramatically reduces mean time to triage and remediate (MTTR) and significantly lessens the operational burden on security teams across all layers of a customer’s cyber defense controls.

“Our mission at Sevii is simple: outpace adversaries by empowering defenders with autonomous cyber agents that act, adapt, and remediate in real time,” said Curt Aubley, CEO and Co-founder of Sevii. “Today’s security teams face significant challenges from the rapid evolution of AI-enhanced adversaries that are faster and more aggressive than ever. Sevii offers intelligent agentic AI technology that goes beyond traditional SOC co-pilot productivity tools. Our platform is always active and continuously evolving, with built-in AI guardrails that ensure all remediation actions occur as close to the edge as possible while remaining under the customer’s control.”

Sevii’s ADR platform is designed to enable customers to swiftly counter adversarial threats, significantly reducing the time to achieve their objectives. By rapidly triaging and remediating threats at the edge, Sevii minimizes potential damage from intrusions and lowers risk for customers, while alleviating the workload of already strained security teams. As attack volume rises, Sevii scales its agentic ‘army’ to match increased threats, eliminating the need for customers to expand headcount or rely on outsourcing. The Sevii platform seamlessly integrates with existing security tools and AI co-pilots, maximizing a customer’s current investments while delivering enhanced protection at a fraction of the cost of additional staffing or outsourcing contracts.

“This isn’t just automation or an AI SOC productivity tool—it’s a reimagining of the entire security operations model,” said Michael Cohn, Managing Partner at Overline. “Sevii’s platform provides security teams with a force multiplier that can proactively defend and autonomously remediate, unlocking a new era of cost-effective, agentic AI-powered defense.”

The funding will accelerate platform development, go-to-market execution, and expansion of Sevii’s growing team of AI engineers and cybersecurity veterans.

To learn more or request early access, visit https://sevii.ai.

About Sevii

Sevii is a pioneering cybersecurity company focused on delivering next-generation Autonomous Defense and Remediation (ADR) solutions powered by agentic AI. The company’s innovative ADR platform utilizes a ‘cyber army’ of autonomous AI agents that operate at machine speeds to proactively detect, triage, and remediate threats in real-time. Sevii’s platform seamlessly integrates with customers’ existing security tools, platforms, and AI Co-Pilots, dramatically reducing the time to respond to cyber threats while lowering costs and operational burdens. Designed for scale, Sevii empowers security teams to meet the evolving challenges of modern cybersecurity without the need for additional headcount or reliance on outsourcing. For more information, contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Sevii

Backed by MissionOG and Third Prime, funding will accelerate automation and global expansion in overlooked B2B sectors

NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 — Alternative Payments, a leading fully-integrated B2B payments and checkout infrastructure provider, today announced that they have closed on $22 million in total funding, with rounds led by MissionOG and Third Prime, respectively. The investments will advance the company’s mission to digitize and automate B2B payment workflows for industries historically overlooked by fintech innovation.

The capital will accelerate the development of mission-critical, autonomous payment solutions and scale the company’s go-to-market team. Alternative Payments is focused on digitally transforming underserved industries, such as IT service providers, managed services providers, and blue-collar industries — sectors that have long relied on outdated systems to manage accounts receivable and payable, to access merchant services, and to offer client-facing financing. Its turnkey, automated platform delivers a modern, streamlined alternative to legacy payments and financing providers.

With deep expertise in system integrations, Alternative Payments is addressing longstanding B2B payment challenges, such as delayed invoice processing, poor invoice deliverability, reliance on paper-based systems, and cross-border friction. The company has been able to reduce days sales outstanding by 40-50% for its customer base, by empowering businesses to confidently automate historically manual workstreams and prioritize faster settlement and global accessibility. Since 2024, Alternative Payments has grown its total processing volume by nearly 5.0x.

“Innovation in payments is a powerful catalyst for growth, especially in these uncertain times,” said Baxter Lanius, CEO of Alternative Payments. “By accelerating how and when businesses get paid, we’re not just improving cash flow—we’re unlocking greater efficiency, stability, and confidence for companies around the world. This raise marks an exciting new chapter for Alternative Payments, allowing us to scale our impact, expand globally, and continue building the infrastructure that will define the future of seamless, secure payments for underserved industries.”  

“We’re excited to partner with the Alternative Payments team as they bring modern, autonomous payment solutions to B2B sectors often ignored by legacy providers. Their focus on automation, ease of use, and advanced analytics positions them to lead the transformation in how businesses manage payments and cash flow,” said Rob Metzger, MissionOG General Partner.

To learn more about Alternative Payments, visit the website.

About Alternative Payments

Alternative Payments is a B2B payments and checkout infrastructure company. Alternative Payments’ end-to-end payment platform provides immediate access to merchant services, including credit card, ACH bank transfer, and client-facing financing (B2B buy now pay later). Its software fully integrates with a company’s ERP and/or accounting software, tracking all accounts receivable, reconciling all payments, and accelerating a client’s time-to-pay. On average, Alternative Payments customers are paid 40-50% faster driven by automated workflows.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Alternative Payments