• Coworker, a “Manus for Companies,” is an autonomous AI agent that gives answers and completes complex work based on a deep understanding of a company’s internal data and knowledge – see it here
• Powered by Organizational Memory (OM1), a proprietary memory architecture that acts like a company’s brain, Coworker retains accurate information across 120+ business parameters, providing the critical context that is missing from other AI tools

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, 2025 — Coworker.ai has today announced the launch of the world’s first AI agent that can independently research, plan, and execute complex work just like an experienced colleague. The company’s AI agent can answer, create plans, and execute complex, multi-step tasks across 25+ enterprise tools (like Jira, Slack, GitHub, and Salesforce), working as a reliable teammate that stays in sync with your team.

This is possible because Coworker is powered by OM1 – a proprietary memory architecture that tracks 120+ business dimensions like projects, teams, meetings, and documents and how they change, giving it full context of a company’s data, culture, and knowledge.

The launch is backed by a $13M seed round led by Jeff Huber, former SVP of Google Ads, Maps, and Workspace, now at Triatomic Capital. Other investors include Ramtin Naimi (Abstract Ventures), Mallun Yen (Operator Collective), Tim Young (Eniac Ventures), and Clark Golestani, Ken Hausman, and Jack Greenfield (K2 Access Fund). They join pre-seed investors Soma Capital, Focal VC, Mischief, and Karman Ventures, taking the total amount raised to-date to $16.5M.

Current AI tools lack context and understanding of a company’s internal knowledge

Despite the hype, AI tools haven’t lived up to the promise of making teams more productive. General-purpose LLMs are great at producing content based on public, internet-based information, but fail when internal company context is required. Specialized AI agents handle narrow tasks well, but can’t collaborate across teams or cross-department projects, leaving workflows fragmented and incomplete.

The result is that people waste hours re-prompting AI chats, uploading files and additional context, or correcting AI mistakes instead of doing meaningful work. Coworker acts like an AI teammate that deeply understands complex, cross-department work and can collaborate across the organization, turning one person into a team of tens, hundreds, or more.

“While there’s been a lot of progress in foundational model development and growing consumer AI applications, the open secret is that AI hasn’t had any real productivity impact inside companies yet,” said Alex Calder, Coworker.ai’s co-founder and CEO.

“That’s because so far AI has had very limited context on your company and work, which means it’s often unreliable and inaccurate, and ultimately difficult to trust with tasks.”

Coworker empowers teams throughout an organization:

• Sales – analyzes sales calls, creates proposals, drafts follow-up emails, helping close deals more quickly
• Engineering & Product – writes code, creates and reviews pull requests, automates release notes and tech docs, keeping developers focused on shipping new features
• Customer Success – tracks feedback, analyzes health metrics, flags emerging risks, ensuring customers are addressed proactively
• Leadership – generates real-time updates on team priorities, major issues and blockers, and company-wide trends, giving leaders a bird’s-eye view of top priorities

“We were blown away by Coworker’s architecture,” said Jeff Huber, Managing Director at Triatomic Capital. “The deep organizational context means it’s able to go far beyond surface-level answers to make it much more of an active teammate than an assistant. OM1 lays the groundwork for a whole new category of enterprise software.”

“One customer asked Coworker to help bring an engineering sprint back on track,” said Bradford Church, Coworker.ai’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “Coworker scanned Jira, Slack, and GitHub, noticed a lagging feature build, created a new ticket, and drafted the code. That’s a huge shift from what AI assistants can do.”

Since Coworker handles sensitive and complex information, it is built from the ground up with security, privacy, source accuracy, and data permissions in mind. This is backed by compliance with leading standards like SOC 2, GDPR, and CASA Tier 2.

“Coworker has helped me tremendously by allowing me to spend less time manually tracking and searching for information that is important to me. I’m constantly surprised by the insights I get from asking it questions. It is an important part of my daily workflow,” said Noah Tutak, CPO at Curri.

About Coworker.ai
Coworker is the world’s first general-purpose AI teammate that can research, plan, and execute complex work like an experienced colleague. Powered by a revolutionary memory architecture (OM1), Coworker helps teams focus on the most impactful and engaging work that really matters by automating the rest. Founded by former Uber executives, Alex Calder and Bradford Church, Coworker.ai is backed by leading Silicon Valley investors. https://coworker.ai/

Media Contact:
Nick Morris
+447775531593
[email protected] 

SOURCE Coworker.ai

• The US demand for produce is approximately US$100bn and the US imports a substantial portion of its supply.
• Blooms uses AI to provide customized trade solutions to LatAm produce exporters that ship to the US and Canada and who offer sustainably grown fruits and vegetables and a path to lower the US´s food prices.

WILMINGTON, Del., May 20, 2025 — Blooms (www.bloomscapital.com), a fintech innovator focused on AI-driven trade finance, payments, and FX solutions for Latin American produce exporters supplying the US and Canadian markets, announced today that it has raised $2.6 million in seed funding. The round was led by SP Ventures, a leading VC specialized in agritech, with participation from Angel Ventures, The Yield Lab Latam, Eqwow Ventures, Glocal Managers, Mercy Corps Ventures, and others.

The funding will accelerate Blooms’ mission to solve liquidity challenges in Latin America’s agricultural sector. By equipping exporters with smarter financial tools, Blooms aims to strengthen the produce supply chain, reduce food waste, and contribute to more stable—and potentially lower—food prices in North America.

“For too long, Latin American exporters have faced funding barriers that limit growth,” said Francisco Mere, a serial tech entrepreneur and founder of Blooms. “This investment validates our vision to provide seamless, intelligent financial solutions that reduce waste, support sustainability, and deliver fresher, more affordable produce to North American consumers.”

Blooms leverages AI to offer fast access to working capital, simplify cross-border transactions, and provide tailored FX solutions. Its platform was built by experts in fintech, agtech, and data science, designed to improve cash flow, reduce inefficiencies, and enable growers to invest in sustainable farming and expansion.

“Blooms is solving a core bottleneck in Latin America’s ag value chain—access to agile, fair financial tools,” said Ariadne Caballero, Partner at SP Ventures. “Their AI-powered approach enhances exporter resilience, improves sustainability, and reduces food waste. This investment fits perfectly with our mission to back ag-tech companies advancing food security and climate-smart agriculture.”

Under the current uncertain and volatile environment, the investor coalition reflects broad support  for Blooms’ potential to drive sustainability, and regional economic growth

About Blooms:
Blooms (www.bloomscapital.com) delivers AI-driven trade finance, FX, and payment solutions for Latin American produce exporters. Its mission is to create a resilient, sustainable supply chain that reduces food waste and improves value for North American consumers.

About SP Ventures:
SP Ventures (www.spventures.com) is a leading Latin American VC firm investing in agri-food tech startups solving key challenges across the agrifood value chain.

Contact:
Anissa Roberts
[email protected]

SOURCE Blooms Trade Inc

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, 2025 — Rad AI today announced an additional $8 million strategic investment to its latest funding round, led by four of the nation’s most respected health systems — Advocate Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, Corewell Health, and Atlantic Health System. The additional investment brings Rad AI’s total Series C funding to $68 million. These partnerships reflect a shared commitment to transform care delivery for millions of patients nationwide and to scale the use of generative AI across hospitals and clinics.

A Shared Commitment to Innovation and Scale

Advocate Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, Corewell Health, and Atlantic Health System are not just investors — they are partners shaping how generative AI is applied across complex clinical environments. Rad AI’s success has always come from understanding and solving real clinical challenges with measurable impact. As the first generative AI company to achieve widespread adoption in radiology — and trusted by thousands of U.S. radiologists — Rad AI builds practical solutions that improve workflow, care quality, and patient outcomes. This partnership brings critical insight from leading health systems to accelerate the next wave of AI-driven innovation in healthcare.

“The impact of AI in healthcare is no longer theoretical — it’s happening right now at scale,” said Doktor Gurson, co-founder and CEO of Rad AI. “It’s an honor to collaborate with these leading health systems to expand that impact even further, building solutions that improve care for millions of patients.”

“Advocate Health’s investment in AI solutions reflects our dedication to innovation and our belief that responsibly deployed AI tools can improve the lives of both our health care providers and our patients,” said Andy Crowder, Chief Digital and AI Officer at Advocate Health. “By integrating AI solutions directly into our radiologists’ workflows across our enterprise, while maintaining radiologist oversight, we expect to realize improved reporting efficiency, accuracy and quality, all while reducing burnout for our radiologists.”

This announcement extends Rad AI’s $60 million Series C financing round and marks a significant step forward in bringing AI innovation to healthcare providers. Collectively, these organizations operate over 100 hospitals and serve millions of patients across the U.S. Their partnership with Rad AI is already enabling system-wide adoption of advanced radiology and follow-up solutions — accelerating progress in areas where health systems face the greatest clinical and operational pressure.

Rad AI is one of the few AI companies solving end-to-end challenges for health systems—streamlining workflows and ensuring patients receive timely follow-up care. Its solutions support providers responsible for nearly half of all imaging volume in the U.S., helping radiologists work faster, reduce dictation load, and improve care quality.

“Memorial Hermann invests in AI not just to adapt to technology, but to transform patient care and improve workflows,” said Feby Abraham, PhD, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Memorial Hermann. “We are always seeking partners who can deliver measurable impact on outcomes, efficiency and improving the patient experience and Rad AI checks all those boxes.”

Rather than offering standalone tools, Rad AI delivers an integrated solution to multifaceted clinical challenges:

• Rad AI Impressions — the first generative AI application widely adopted in radiology — automates the impression section of reports, saving radiologists more than an hour per shift on average so they can focus their time where it matters most.
• Rad AI Reporting enhances the full radiology workflow with features like Omni Unchanged, which pulls stable findings from prior reports with one phrase and cuts follow-up dictation time by 50% and spoken words by 90%. Omni Report enables radiologists to dictate naturally and auto-fills structured templates, up to doubling reporting speed and easing cognitive load.
• Rad AI Continuity closes the loop on incidental findings by automatically tracking and coordinating follow-up care. Health systems using Continuity have improved follow-up exam completion rates from approximately 30% to over 75%, helping ensure critical findings don’t fall through the cracks.

Together, these tools enable a seamless path from diagnosis to action—supporting clinicians in delivering timely and coordinated care.

Millions of patients stand to benefit as Rad AI’s platform scales — through faster reporting, coordinated follow-up, and reduced delays in care. These health systems are accelerating that impact by embedding AI into core workflows, not as a future vision but as a present-day priority.

“We are pleased to invest in a company that is at the forefront of developing technology to make the jobs of physicians more convenient and efficient,” said Christian Rische, vice president and managing director, Corewell Health Ventures. “The products of Rad AI will help lead to a reduced workload for providers and, most importantly, potential improvements in patient care.”

Building on Momentum

This investment from some of the most innovative and well-known health systems represents strong alignment with Rad AI’s role as a trusted AI partner. It builds on Rad AI’s momentum as the category-defining leader in generative AI for healthcare — trusted by many of the nation’s largest health systems and recognized by Deloitte, CB Insights, AuntMinnie, and Accenture.

“The Atlantic Venture Studio, part of Atlantic Health System, is committed to investing in and supporting solutions to health care’s biggest challenges,” said Doug Hayes, Executive Director, Atlantic Venture Studio. “Our investment in AI applications like Rad AI are focused on transforming care by reducing the burden on physicians, improving the quality of care and building healthier communities.”

About Rad AI

Rad AI is an industry leader in generative AI solutions for radiology, transforming the way radiologists work and improving patient care. The company’s flagship product, Rad AI Reporting, streamlines radiology reporting with AI-driven technology and empowers radiologists to achieve greater efficiency, accuracy, and satisfaction. Rad AI Impressions, the company’s pioneering product, established Rad AI as an innovator in generative AI for radiology; as the first generative AI application to achieve widespread adoption in radiology, it is now trusted by thousands of US radiologists. Rad AI Continuity, the most comprehensive solution of its kind, uses AI to help ensure patient follow-up for potential new cancers.

The company has been recognized as one of the most promising healthcare AI companies by CB Insights (Digital Health 50, AI 100) and AuntMinnie (Best New Radiology Software 2023, Best New Radiology Vendor 2021). In November of 2024, Rad AI was named the 19th fastest-growing company in North America on the Deloitte Fast 500.

Learn more about Rad AI at www.radai.com or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/radai/

PR Contact: Wei Ting Hsieh, Rad AI, +1 ‪(302) 387-3622, [email protected]

SOURCE Rad AI

Sequoia Managing Partner Roelof Botha Joins Blues Board of Directors

BOSTON, May 20, 2025 — Blues, a leader in Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity solutions, today announced the successful closing of its latest $25 million funding round, led by Sequoia Capital, and that Sequoia Managing Partner Roelof Botha has joined its board of directors.

The investment round will support the company’s growth, fuel further product innovation, and enable Blues to deliver on its mission to help the world’s physical product makers transform their offerings into data-driven intelligent services.

Blues solves the biggest challenges associated with IoT connectivity, making it easy to securely cloud-connect any physical product. Companies of all sizes, from established enterprises to emerging startups, are counting on Blues as a key partner in transforming their businesses.

• Refrigeration manufacturers are adding connectivity and intelligence to track temperature compliance, reduce product loss, and deliver a fully managed service. 
• Logistics providers are connecting forklifts, pallets, and products across warehouses to optimize placement, retrieval, and operational safety. 
• Automotive battery vendors are improving battery life and enabling remote monitoring to reduce long-haul truck idle time, lower diesel consumption, and cut emissions. 
• One of the world’s largest suppliers of power grid components is enabling remote control of customer equipment to reduce electric demand during peak energy days and weather events. 

Customers are leveraging Blues’ extensive experience to accelerate the launch of new products and services from idea to impact, with Blues helping them to identify and address the full suite of business challenges involved in transforming their physical products into intelligent services.

With Blues’ integrated hardware, software, and cloud technologies, companies can easily connect and manage their products wirelessly, unlocking real-time data to improve operations. Blues stands alone as the only IoT provider to support all major wireless standards (2G/3G/4G/5G cellular, Wi-Fi, LoRa, and Satellite) in a single, plug-and-play format with one simple Application Programming Interface (API). Whether enabling seamless fallback across networks or future-proofing devices against sunsets, Blues makes secure, reliable connectivity effortless so that businesses can focus on the value of the insights their devices deliver. With Blues,’ companies can easily connect and manage their products wirelessly, and unlock real-time data to improve operations.

“We’re in an age of intelligent machines. The opportunity to reimagine every physical product around the data they produce, and to improve life and the environment, is staggering,” said Ray Ozzie, founder of Blues. “For years we’ve been working with visionary enterprises looking to transform their businesses toward service delivery. This funding will help us to accelerate our growth so we may address the breadth of this opportunity.”

Sequoia Capital, known for backing category-defining companies, is excited to deepen their partnership with Blues, which is known for its industry-leading approach to embedded machine intelligence.

“Blues enables companies to transform physical products into intelligent, cloud-connected systems that drive operational efficiency and unlock new revenue streams,” said Sequoia’s Botha. “The team’s technical prowess and developer focus, along with a fundamentally lower cost solution, positions Blues at the vanguard of the embedded intelligence revolution.”

Blues has previously raised $66 million in funding.

About Roelof Botha
Roelof is Managing Partner and Steward of Sequoia Capital. He has spent over 20 years building companies in Silicon Valley. He began within the walls of nascent PayPal, where he joined in March 2000 while completing his MBA at Stanford. He became CFO in 2001 and led the company through both its IPO in early 2002 and the subsequent acquisition by eBay. Roelof joined Sequoia in 2003 to help founders build enduring businesses. In 2017, he assumed leadership of Sequoia Capital’s US/Europe business and became a Steward of the Sequoia Partnership. Roelof is a Director of Block, Ethos, MongoDB, Natera, Pendulum Therapeutics, and Unity Technologies, among others. Previously, he was a Director of companies that include YouTube, Tumblr, Xoom, Eventbrite, and Evernote. He also led Sequoia’s investment in Instagram.

About Blues  
Blues is a leader in secure wireless connectivity, helping organizations to transform their physical products and businesses to be centered on data and the delivery of data-fueled intelligent services. With customers across transportation, health care, energy, and logistics in North America, Central America and Europe, Blues is on a mission to empower innovation by making cloud-connected machine intelligence possible for organizations of any size.

With Blues, customers can easily and securely provision and communicate with any physical product, anywhere, enabling new sources of revenue and new customer experiences while also reducing costs. Blues solves the biggest challenges associated with wireless connectivity, making it easy to securely cloud-connect any physical product at scale.

Thousands of organizations worldwide, from non-profits to startups to enterprises, connect their devices with Blues integrated hardware, software, and cloud services. For more information about Blues and its wireless connectivity solutions, visit blues.com, and follow Blues on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and X.

SOURCE Blues

Barndoor provides a single platform to control access, enforce policy, and monitor the activity of AI agents across organizations.

NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 — Today, Barndoor AI launched as the first control plane to allow enterprises to take control of their AI workforce and announced its seed funding of $13.6M, led by Crosslink Capital, with participation by Preface Ventures, Precursor Ventures, Gaingels, Rob Hayes, Natalie Diggins, Scott & Cyan Banister, and more. Barndoor is the first and only centralized platform to govern and manage AI access, policy, and visibility across enterprises — giving IT and security teams the control they need, and business teams the freedom to move fast.

“Across any organization, dozens of autonomous agents are handling sensitive data, making changes, and introducing real risk,” said Oren Michels, founder and CEO of Barndoor AI. “To manage this new AI workforce, IT teams must understand the full context — who’s operating an agent, what their role is, what service they’re accessing, and what action they’re taking. Barndoor sits at that intersection, evaluating every request in context to ensure enterprises stay secure, compliant, and in control.”

With Barndoor AI, enterprises can gain:

• Granular Agent Access Controls: Control what each agent can see and do based on specific context – the user operating it, their role in the organization, the service they are accessing, and the specific action they are attempting to take.
• Visibility: Get complete telemetry, audit trails, and real-time alerts to surface anomalies, monitor risk and prove compliance. Track agent usage, understand where value is created or where agents are being blocked, and adapt policies to safely scale AI across the enterprise.
• Policy Enforcement: Barndoor acts as a policy enforcement layer, inspecting and authorizing every AI agent request before it reaches your systems or alters your data.
• Secure Management for Any AI Agent: Manage every agent in one place — no matter where it runs or how it’s built allowing enterprises to stay flexible as new AI tools and platforms develop.

Recently at the Hill and Valley Forum, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, addressed the growth of AI within the enterprise landscape, noting “These agentic AIs are essentially robots — your digital workforce. HR will manage the biological workforce, and IT will become HR for agentic AI.” Barndoor is addressing the workforce transformation by empowering enterprises to take control of their agentic workforce.

“There’s no question that AI can unlock massive potential — but enterprises are struggling to stay in control as agents proliferate across teams and tools,” said Eric Chin, Partner at Crosslink Capital. “Barndoor is solving this real and urgent challenge by giving companies the context-aware controls they need to manage AI safely and effectively. Oren and his team pioneered the API management category during the rise of mobile apps — giving enterprises control over how data moved between systems. Barndoor applies that same disciplined approach to AI, and we’re thrilled to support them as they take on one of the most important challenges of the AI era.”

ABOUT BARNDOOR AI
Founded in 2024, Barndoor AI is the first and only Control Plane for the agentic enterprise, giving IT and security the guardrails they need, and business teams the freedom to move fast without the risk. For more information, visit barndoor.ai.

SOURCE Barndoor AI

• Largest Series A financing round in Asia’s diagnostic technology sector since 2019 underscores strong investor confidence in PHASE Scientific’s breakthrough diagnostic technology and growth vision.
• Investment to accelerate R&D and commercialization of cutting-edge early disease detection technology for multiple cancers, women’s health issues, and infectious diseases.

HONG KONG, May 19, 2025 — PHASE Scientific International Limited (“PHASE Scientific”), a pioneering biotechnology company revolutionizing early disease detection through proprietary urine-based diagnostics, today announced the successful completion of a US$34 million Series A funding round. This represents the largest Series A raise in Asia’s diagnostic technology sector since 2019, reflecting robust investor conviction in PHASE Scientific’s innovative PHASIFY™ technology and ambitious growth strategy. The funding round is led by a private equity fund managed by Value Partners Group (HKEX: 0806), one of Asia’s largest independent asset management firms, with significant backing from new healthcare-focused investors and continued support from existing global backers.

Building on its patented PHASIFY™ urine concentration technology—which captures over ten times more biomarkers than current industry gold standards—PHASE Scientific is the only player advancing a pipeline of urine-based liquid biopsy diagnostics. The company is developing a comprehensive suite of non-invasive tests for early detection of cancers, women’s health conditions, and infectious diseases. Unlike traditional invasive screening methods, PHASIFY™ enables convenient, at-home sample collection, empowering proactive health management and preventive care.

PHASE Scientific has demonstrated strong market traction with the successful launch and commercialization of over 30 innovative diagnostic products across multiple health categories, including respiratory, gastrointestinal, women’s, sexual, pediatric health, and oncology. To date, the company has distributed more than 100 million tests in over 30 countries and conducted over 8 million laboratory tests worldwide. Building on this commercial success, PHASE Scientific has developed the world’s first urine-based HPV test—a major breakthrough that has achieved significant clinical validation and global recognition. In a recent clinical study with Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, the test demonstrated 93.4% sensitivity in detecting CIN2+ lesions—including cervical precancer and cancer—and over 97% concordance with gold-standard physician-collected testing (Roche’s Cobas 4800) for HPV types 16 and 18. The innovation earned the Thomas V. Sedlacek, MD, Prize for Best Clinical Research Abstract at the 2025 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Annual Scientific Meeting and was featured at the Chinese Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (CSCCP) Conference, reflecting growing international interest and recognition. These results underscore PHASiFY™’s potential to make cervical cancer screening more accessible, comfortable, and user-friendly.

“The successful close of this landmark Series A financing validates the transformative potential of our technology and the growing global demand for accessible, accurate early disease detection,” said Dr. Ricky Chiu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of PHASE Scientific. “With this capital, we will accelerate R&D and commercialization efforts to bring a comprehensive suite of next-generation urine-based diagnostics to market. Our mission is to empower millions worldwide with non-invasive, user-friendly testing that can save lives through earlier intervention.”

“We are delighted to become a partner of PHASE Scientific as it rapidly grows and addresses critical unmet needs in early disease detection. Its innovative technology represents a paradigm shift, offering an unparalleled combination of clinical precision and patient-centric solutions that accelerates the development of early disease detection. This aligns with our strategy to back category-defining leader with strong management, clear strategic differentiation, and best-in-class healthcare technologies that deliver both societal impact and scalable commercial potential,” said Dr. Chuen Yan Leung, Partner (Healthcare Investments) of Value Partners Group.

Founded in 2015, the company is headquartered in Hong Kong SAR with cross-border setup in Southern California, U.S.A. and China’s Greater Bay Area, which allows it to leverage the strengths of each region for research, development, and commercialization, positioning PHASE Scientific at the nexus for healthcare innovation on a global stage.

Note to Editor: The global liquid biopsy market, fueled by the demand for non-invasive cancer diagnostics, is forecasted to reach around US$22.69 billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 13.91% from US$7.05 billion in 2025, according to Precedence Research.

About PHASE Scientific

PHASE Scientific is a fast-growing biotechnology company with a mission to inspire a new state of health through innovative diagnostics and healthcare solutions. With operations in the U.S., mainland China, and Hong Kong SAR, PHASE delivers novel diagnostic tools and services for cancer and infectious diseases using proprietary technologies, empowering better disease detection, diagnosis, and management.

Since its founding, the company has been supported by Gates Foundation, US governmental agencies National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Hong Kong Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks. For more information, please visit phasescientific.com. 

About PHASIFY™

PHASIFY™ is the world’s first urine concentration technology designed for molecular diagnostics, setting a new industry benchmark by capturing approximately 10 times more target analytes from urine specimens compared to the current gold standard. This advanced mechanism enables the concentration and purification of unlimited volumes of urine, dramatically increasing the sensitivity and accuracy of disease detection.

This proprietary innovation uniquely positions PHASE Scientific as the only player in the urine-based liquid biopsy diagnostics field, with proven clinical performance for multi-cancer detection. With a non-invasive and painless approach, PHASIFY™ empowers convenient sample collection, unlocking new possibilities for early, accessible, and comprehensive disease screening and diagnosis.

About Value Partners Group Limited

Value Partners, one of Asia’s leading independent asset management firms, seeks to offer world-class investment services and products. Since its establishment in 1993, the Company has been a dedicated, specialist value investor in Greater China and Asia. In November 2007, Value Partners Group became the first asset management firm to be listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock code: 806 HK). In addition to its Hong Kong headquarters, the firm operates in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore and London. Value Partners’ investment strategies cover equities, fixed income, multi-asset, alternatives, real estate and quantitative investment solutions, for institutional and individual clients in Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. For more information, please visit www.valuepartners-group.com.

Media Contact

PHASE Scientific
[email protected]

FGS Global
[email protected]

SOURCE PHASE Scientific

IFC investment supports VUZ’s international expansion, following precedent in scaling telecom and media ventures across the world.

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2025 — VUZ, the world’s leading immersive media company, has secured the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to invest in its $12M Pre-Series C funding round. This strategic investment positions VUZ for accelerated global growth in immersive live streaming and content, AI-driven streaming technologies, and live spatial experiences, building on the next generation of media, the creator economy, sports, and entertainment.

The IFC and the World Bank Group collectively manage over $1 trillion in global assets and investment commitments, operating in more than 100 countries. In fiscal year 2024, IFC committed a record of over $56 billion to private companies and financial institutions to drive sustainable development through the private sector.

This round also includes participation from Al Jazira Capital, Crosswork VC Success fund (a pre-IPO venture capital fund), multiple existing investors, and several high-profile Saudi family offices, bolstering VUZ’s presence in key markets across the world.

IFC’s Strategic Role in Telecom and Media Expansion

The investment marks a pivotal collaboration between VUZ and IFC, which is known for its selective backing of global winners, including Souq.com (acquired by Amazon). With over 100 investments in telecom and communications companies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, IFC brings unmatched expertise in market entry and infrastructure scaling across frontier economies.

Through this partnership, VUZ will scale further in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and accelerate expansion, particularly in Africa, the USA, and Asia, where demand for immersive experiences and next-generation media is rising rapidly. The move aligns with IFC’s mission to advance digital inclusion and economic growth through media innovation and connectivity.

A Profitable, Scalable Media Powerhouse

In 2024, VUZ achieved EBITDA profitability, with 80% year-over-year gross profit growth, a significant milestone for a tech streaming scale-up. The company’s platform — home to 30,000+ hours of premium immersive exclusive content — blends XR, VR, AR, and AI-powered media across sports, entertainment, and creator ecosystems. VUZ has a pipeline of partnerships with some of the largest football clubs, giga projects, and global athletes, as well as A-list artists, creators, and ambassadors.

“We are honored to welcome IFC as a strategic investor, said Khaled Zaatarah, Founder of VUZ. With IFC and the World Bank Group’s track record in scaling telecom and digital media companies globally, and over $1 trillion in assets under management, this partnership sets the stage for massive global scale. Together, we’ll bring immersive media to the world’s fastest-growing markets.”

Key highlights:

• 3 billion+ screen views to date; targeting over 5 billion by 2026
• Exclusive immersive content partnerships with LaLiga, Serie A, PFL, and more
• The largest exclusively owned immersive premium content library of over 30,000 hours
• Over 40 global telecom integrations, with 20+ in progress
• Strategic launches across TV Devices, Apple Vision Pro, Oculus, and VUZGo, a new web-embedded immersive tech layer
• 4 global patents powering proprietary streaming technologies

“This investment reflects IFC’s commitment to creative industries as a driver of jobs and income in emerging markets. VUZ’s tech edge and global reach align well with our mandate to support scalable platforms that empower creators”, said Farid Fezoua, IFC Global Director for Disruptive Technologies, Services, and Funds.

A Magnet for Global Creators and Partners

VUZ empowers a creator network with a combined global reach exceeding 100 million, offering monetization tools, immersive production capabilities, and a deeply engaging fan experience. Its technology now sits at the center of conversations with device manufacturers, sports federations, and media conglomerates seeking to deliver content that transcends physical limitations.

“This is the scale-up stage we’ve been building toward for years,” Zaatarah added. “With a solid foundation, patented tech, and profitability achieved, we are ready to scale globally and define the future of media.”

World-Class Investor Backing

In addition to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and other recent strategic investors, VUZ is backed by a distinguished and globally diverse group of institutional partners. These include e& capital, KBW Ventures, Al Jazira Capital, DFDF, SRMG Ventures, Caruso Ventures, Shorooq Partners, Plug and Play Ventures, Hala Ventures, Vision Fund, Knollwood Investment Advisory, Panthera Capital, Faith Capital, WIN, Elbert Capital, Yasta Partners, AlTouq Group, Impact46, Media Visions, 500 Startups, DAI, Al Falaj, and DTEC Ventures (Oraseya Capital), along with notable tech leaders including Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, and Jonathan Labin — reflecting strong international conviction in VUZ’s vision, performance, and global growth potential. 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2690932/VUZ.jpg

SOURCE VUZ

LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2025 — St. Cloud Capital is pleased to announce a recent strategic financing of Santa Monica Amusements, the company that operates Pacific Park, an iconic beachfront amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Park is a cultural institution and hub for entertainment, offering a family-friendly experience through a diverse range of attractions and activities. The park draws more than 10 million local, domestic, and international visitors annually and is one of the most iconic destinations in California. This is an investment out of St. Cloud’s fourth fund, which has committed capital of $236 million.

“We look forward to our alliance with St. Cloud given their long-standing tenure in Los Angeles and history of serving as a partner to growing businesses in Southern California,” said Daniel Haimovic, Managing Partner at SC Holdings, which purchased the amusement park operator in 2024.

Pacific Park’s CEO, Jeff Klocke, added that “Pacific Park is a cherished cornerstone of Los Angeles. We are thrilled to have St. Cloud involved as we realize our strategic plans for this iconic amusement landmark.”

Kacy Rozelle, Managing Partner at St. Cloud Capital, commented, “Pacific Park is a one-of-a-kind, internationally-regarded asset with deep cultural significance as a top tourist and locals’ destination in Southern California. We are excited to partner with SC Holdings and management.”

Global law firm, K&L Gates LLP, served as counsel to St. Cloud Capital. For more information about Pacific Park, please visit: www.pacpark.com

About St. Cloud Capital

St. Cloud Capital is a Los Angeles-based private investment firm founded in 2001 that provides debt and equity growth capital to the lower middle market (companies with annual revenues generally between $10 million and $150 million). St. Cloud has managed over $700 million and invested in over 80 portfolio companies. Investments have been made in a wide range of industries and in every layer of the capital structure, including senior secured debt, subordinated debt, and preferred and common stock. St. Cloud typically invests in non-control situations, acting as both a financial and strategic partner to successful and experienced ownership entities, management teams and industry entrepreneurs in fulfilling their long-term growth plans. For more information about St. Cloud Capital, please visit: www.stcloudcapital.com

Media Contact: Sheila Emami, [email protected]

SOURCE St. Cloud Capital

ATLANTA, May 19, 2025 — Atlanta-based private equity firm Eagle Merchant Partners (“Eagle” or the “Firm”) has closed its second fund, Eagle Merchant Partners Fund II, with $415 million in capital commitments. The fund was oversubscribed and closed above its original hard cap in seven months, attracting strong support from institutional investors, family offices, high net worth individuals, and members of Eagle’s team.

Fund II continues Eagle’s strategy of making control investments in founder-owned companies across the Southeastern United States, with a focus on the franchise, multi-unit and commercial services sectors. Developed over two decades, the Firm’s deep networks and extensive presence in the Southeast position Eagle to partner with business owners seeking their first institutional capital to accelerate growth.

“The Southeast remains one of the most attractive economic regions in the country, with strong demographics, a healthy business climate and a fragmented lower middle market,” said Stockton Croft, Partner and co-founder. “We are grateful for the support of our limited partners and believe this reflects the investment community’s confidence in our investment strategy and operating approach.”

Partner and co-founder Bill Lundstrom added, “Owners continue to respond to our experience, sector expertise and ability to help transform companies into market leaders. Fund II gives us the capital and resources to invest in more high-quality companies across the region.”

The fund will target opportunities where Eagle can serve as a company’s first institutional partner, providing not only capital but operational support through its established playbook. This includes investing in leadership and infrastructure, driving organic growth through geographic expansion and executing strategic add-on acquisitions. Eagle’s emphasis on team building and execution has resulted in successful value creation across multiple platforms.

Eagle’s inaugural $266 million fund closed in July 2023 and is fully deployed across eight platform investments. The Piper Sandler & Co. private capital advisory group, Aviditi Advisors, served as exclusive global placement agent for Fund II. Legal counsel was provided by Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

About Eagle
Eagle Merchant Partners is a private equity firm focused on control investments in founder-owned, lower middle-market companies in the Southeastern United States. The Firm specializes in the franchise, multi-unit and commercial services sectors and works closely with management teams to scale operations and build enduring value. For more information visit eaglemerchantpartners.com.

Thornton Kennedy
[email protected]

SOURCE Eagle Merchant Partners