—Menlo Ventures leads oversubscribed Series B as Runwise’s platform redefines how buildings cut costs, boost safety, and drive climate impact, proving that smart infrastructure finally pencils—

NEW YORK, June 9, 2025 — Runwise—the leading smart operating system for buildings—today announced a $55M Series B financing round. The round was led by Menlo Ventures—a leading venture capital firm investing at the forefront of AI—with meaningful participation from new investors MassMutual Ventures, Nuveen Real Estate, Multiplier Capital, and Munich Re Ventures, alongside returning backers Soma Capital, Alumni Ventures, Helium-3, Cooley, and Fifth Wall. The fresh capital will support product innovation, team expansion, as well as entry into new core markets. The raise brings Runwise’s total funding to $79M.

“Most buildings—old and new—still run on 1960s technology, wasting billions of dollars, making living and working in cities less safe and comfortable, and generating massive amounts of CO2,” shared Jeff Carleton, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Runwise.”Every building needs to be rebuilt with software, not bricks. That’s what we’re doing at Runwise, transforming outdated infrastructure into intelligent systems that can be installed in a day, paid back in months, and scaled across entire portfolios, said Lee Hoffman, President & Co-Founder, Runwise. “This round gives us the fuel to accelerate that mission and become the global default for the real estate industry,” added Mike Cook, Chief Growth Officer & Co-Founder, Runwise.

This round was twice oversubscribed, underscoring investor confidence in Runwise’s category-defining approach to making buildings smarter, more efficient, and cost-effective. Steve Sloane, Partner at Menlo Ventures, will join Runwise’s Board of Directors as part of this investment.

“Over the next decade, there will only be two types of companies: those that drive AI innovation and those that enable AI to transform the physical world,” said Sloane. “Runwise is perfectly positioned at the intersection of these forces, bridging the critical gap between AI and the built environment. Their platform is fundamentally changing how buildings operate, creating smarter, more sustainable spaces at scale. We’re excited to partner with Runwise as they bring this transformative tech to new heights.”

Runwise is now installed in more than 10,000 buildings across the U.S., serving upwards of 1,000 customers, including major real estate owner-operators like Related, Equity Residential, First Service Residential, MTA, Port Authority, National Grid, Rudin, LeFrak, UDR, Douglas Elliman, and Akam, among others. These assets have collectively saved over $100 million in energy costs to-date.

“Runwise delivers exactly what building operators need: real savings and simplicity,” stated John Skipper, Director of Energy Management at First Service Residential. “More than 150 of our buildings have installed Runwise, and in most buildings we have seen up to 30% in energy savings, while making the buildings more comfortable, and easier to manage. It’s a win for affordability, a win for operations, and a win for the environment.” 

Runwise’s vertically integrated platform combines proprietary hardware, wireless connectivity, and cloud-based software to automate and optimize building operations. With rapid deployment and a typical payback period of under five months, it marks the first time the economics of installing a smart operating system for buildings actually pencil — unlocking true portfolio-wide scale. Since its seed round, the company has grown over 30X and is on track to nearly double again this year, driven by demand for solutions that deliver tangible ROI, operational simplicity, and environmental impact.

Runwise is the most capitalized and widely deployed smart building platform in the U.S., setting a new standard for how smart buildings operate, proving that the future of infrastructure runs on software.

About Runwise
Runwise is the leading smart control platform transforming buildings into software. Installed in over 10,000 buildings across the U.S., Runwise operates key heating, cooling, electric, and water systems more intelligently, helping real estate owners and operators cut energy costs, boost safety, automate management, and reduce emissions at scale. Founded in 2010 by Jeff Carleton, Lee Hoffman, and Michael Cook, Runwise is based in NYC. Its vertically integrated platform combines proprietary wireless technology and hardware, with cloud-based software to automate building operations with rapid deployment and payback in under five months. Runwise has saved customers over $100 million in energy costs to-date and is one of the largest private-sector reducers of carbon emissions in the country. Backed by top investors including Menlo Ventures, Fifth Wall, and Nuveen Real Estate, Runwise is setting a new standard for how smart buildings operate. To learn more, visit www.runwise.com.

About Menlo Ventures
Menlo Ventures, is a leading early-stage venture capital firm investing at the forefront of AI. Our portfolio includes more than 80 public companies and over 165 exits through mergers and acquisitions. Currently managing more than $6 billion in assets, we invest at every stage across Consumer, Enterprise, and Healthcare. Our portfolio companies include Abnormal Security, Anthropic, Benchling, Carta, Chime, Harness, Pinecone, Poshmark, Pillpack, Recursion, Roku, Rover, Siri, Typeface, Uber, and Warby Parker. We strive to have a positive impact on everything we do. When we’re in, we’re ALL IN, and we are ALL IN on AI. To learn more, visit menlovc.com.

SOURCE Runwise

Series A funding to advance MOS118 through Phase 2 clinical trials

Biotech veteran David Weber appointed CEO to drive clinical development

Obstructive sleep apnea affects nearly 1 billion people globally, with the majority undiagnosed and underserved with current treatment options

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 9, 2025 — Mosanna Therapeutics, a biotech company rethinking treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), today announced the close of $80 million in Series A funding. The company is developing an easy-to-use nighttime nasal spray to treat obstructive sleep apnea that will help restore the body’s natural airway control. The financing was led by Pivotal bioVenture Partners and EQT Life Sciences, along with Forbion, Broadview Ventures and Norwest as co-lead investors. Returning investors included founding investor Forty51 Ventures, as well as Supermoon Capital and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF).

OSA is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, affecting an estimated 1 billion people globally. Left untreated, OSA is linked to serious health risks including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression and excessive daytime sleepiness – contributing to workplace and car accidents. Despite OSA’s prevalence, treatment has largely focused on mechanical solutions that are often uncomfortable and disruptive.

Mosanna is pioneering a pharmaceutical solution for sleep apnea patients with MOS118, a nasal spray administered at bedtime that helps restore the body’s natural airway reflex. MOS118 targets the upper airway muscles that are responsible for maintaining airway patency. Research has shown that, for reasons yet unknown, the natural airway reflex in OSA patients exhibits decreased activity during sleep resulting in loss of airway patency and apnea. The new funding will support the advancement of MOS118 through Phase 2 development while also supporting expansion of Mosanna’s pipeline.

Mosanna also appointed veteran biotech leader David Weber, Ph.D., as President and Chief Executive Officer to guide Mosanna’s next stage of growth. With more than 30 years of experience spanning drug development, capital formation and corporate strategy, Dr. Weber has led teams across both public and private life sciences companies. Dr. Weber was also appointed to Mosanna’s Board of Directors.

“What sets Mosanna apart is its fundamentally different approach to sleep apnea, treating it as a neurological and muscular dysfunction rather than a purely mechanical issue,” said Daniela Begolo, Ph.D., Managing Director with EQT Life Sciences. “MOS118 is the first therapy with the potential to restore the body’s natural airway reflex with the simplicity of a nasal spray. MOS118 has the potential to dramatically improve adherence and outcomes in a patient population that has long been underserved.”

“With his deep expertise in biotech innovation and patient-centric therapies, Dr. Weber was the ideal choice to lead Mosanna into the next chapter,” said Jeni Lee, Ph.D., Partner with Pivotal bioVenture Partners. “We look forward to partnering with him and the Mosanna team to deliver on the promise of this life-changing sleep apnea treatment.”

“Mosanna is taking a truly transformational approach to sleep apnea treatment – offering a non-invasive, non-mechanical solution designed to seamlessly fit into daily life,” said Dr. Weber. “No one has sleep apnea while awake, because our bodies instinctively keep the airway open. Mosanna simply helps to restore this natural reflex during sleep – delivering a nasal spray alternative to invasive mechanical workarounds. With this funding, we’re accelerating development to bring this groundbreaking treatment to patients who desperately need better options.”

With this funding, Drs. Begolo and Lee joined the Board of Directors alongside Dmitrij Hristodorov, Ph.D., General Partner at Forbion; Hewmun Lau, M.B.A., Principal at Broadview Ventures; and Tiba Aynechi, Ph.D., General Partner at Norwest. They join existing board directors Sascha Oliver Bucher, M.B.A., CEFA, co-founder and Partner at Forty51 Ventures; and veteran biotech CEO Ben Machielse, who also serves as board chair.

About Mosanna Therapeutics
Mosanna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering a novel pharmaceutical approach to treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with an easily administered nasal spray. Designed to help restore the body’s natural airway control during sleep, Mosanna’s lead therapy, MOS118, offers a drug-based alternative to traditional mechanical treatments and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Founded in 2022, the company has raised more than $80 million from investors including Pivotal bioVenture Partners, EQT Life Sciences, Forbion, Norwest, Broadview Ventures, Forty51 Ventures, Supermoon Capital and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). Mosanna has offices in Redwood City, California and Basel, Switzerland. For more information, visit mosanna.com.

SOURCE Mosanna Therapeutics

The Innovative Ventures in Early-Stage Technologies Program Provides Damon Runyon Alumni Scientists with Their First Seed Check to Help Fill the Growing Funding Gap in Biotech

NEW YORK, June 9, 2025 — The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation today announced the launch of the Innovative Ventures in Early-Stage Technologies (InVEST) Program. This unique initiative will automatically provide the first seed check to biotech startups founded by Damon Runyon alumni scientists. The goal of the program is to catalyze billions of dollars in commercial funding for scientific discovery while generating long-term, sustainable support for future cancer research breakthroughs.

The InVEST Program will deploy $1 million annually to help Damon Runyon alumni scientists secure their first round of startup funding, often the most difficult capital to raise. These early investments will serve as a launchpad, enabling companies to attract substantial follow-on funding from top-tier venture firms.

“At a time when federal funding for biomedical research is increasingly constrained, scientists are turning to commercial partners to bring their discoveries to life,” said Yung S. Lie, PhD, President and CEO of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. “InVEST ensures our alumni can clear a critical hurdle—getting their first check—and accelerate their innovations toward impact.”

Damon Runyon alumni scientists currently found 10 to 20 startups annually. Many have created transformative companies, including Arbor Biotechnologies, Beam Therapeutics, Juno Therapeutics, Moderna Therapeutics and Scorpion Therapeutics. While Damon Runyon grants represent only 0.3% of total cancer research funding in the U.S., the scientists they support have contributed to the vast majority of the field’s most significant breakthroughs.

For scientists-turned-founders, early capital can be the make-or-break moment.

“Getting that first check is everything,” said Dr. Liron Bar-Peled, PhD, former Damon Runyon Fellow and co-founder of Scorpion Therapeutics. “Plenty of brilliant ideas are stuck in labs because no one wants to be the first to fund them. A program like InVEST tells the market: this is a founder worth backing.”

“Early funding can provide critical validation that provides momentum to turn a great idea into a viable company,” said Dr. Marcela Maus, a former Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator in the earliest stages of founding a biotech startup.

The program was conceived by Damon Runyon Board Chair Andy Rachleff, co-founder of Benchmark Capital, one of Silicon Valley’s most successful venture firms. Rachleff was inspired by a program he helped lead at Stanford Graduate School of Business, which allowed the school to invest in startups from the portfolios of five elite VC firms. Those small early investments generated hundreds of millions in returns for Stanford. Damon Runyon’s model follows the same logic. By backing scientists who have already passed the organization’s rigorous selection process, they are investing in some of the most promising minds in science.

“InVEST leverages what Damon Runyon does best, identifying scientific brilliance early, and giving those researchers the resources to translate their discoveries into real-world impact,” said Rachleff. “When we provide that crucial first check, we’re not just backing companies, we’re ensuring bold science continues to thrive.”

All returns from InVEST will be reinvested directly into Damon Runyon’s core mission: funding early-career cancer researchers. The program creates a powerful flywheel, catalyzing new scientific ventures while sustainably funding the next generation of research. In a time of uncertainty for science funding, InVEST represents a bold new path forward that brings together philanthropy, venture capital, and scientific discovery to drive life-saving innovation.

About the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation identifies and enables young scientists with the highest potential to make breakthroughs in cancer research, revolutionizing how we prevent, diagnose, and treat all forms of cancer. Since 1946, Damon Runyon has invested over $430 million and funded over 4,000 scientists. Thirteen Damon Runyon scientists have received the Nobel Prize, and many have gone on to lead field-defining discoveries, from identifying the first cancer-causing gene to developing immunotherapies and advancing technologies like CRISPR and single-cell analysis. Learn more at damonrunyon.org.

Media Contact:
Kate Wauck
[email protected]

SOURCE Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Funds from new and existing investors bring Beewise’s total financing to nearly $170M, further fueling Beewise’s AI and robotics-powered BeeHome™

SAN RAMON, Calif., June 9, 2025 — Beewise, Inc., the climate tech company behind the AI-powered BeeHome™, today announced the closing of a $50 million Series D growth investment, with participation from Fortissimo Capital, Insight Partners, APG Asset Management, lool Ventures, Badiya Capital, Marav Mazon Group, and Austin Hearst (Tom Horne). The new capital brings the company’s total raised to nearly $170 million and will accelerate Beewise’s technological innovation, market expansion, and research—all in service of its mission to save bees in order to secure the global food supply.

Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about one-third of food crops, including many nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, and nuts, depend on bee pollination. However, bees have been dying at rates that jeopardize our global food security: 62%+ of colonies in the US died last year alone. Climate change’s extreme weather, as well as monoculture-related health threats such as pesticides and pathogens, are devastating our pollinators. Furthermore, commercial beekeepers are not well positioned to help their colonies face these challenges: apiary locations can be hundreds of miles apart, skilled labor is scarce, and a given hive only receives a visit every few weeks.

In response to these global challenges, Beewise developed the BeeHome™, which uses AI and precision robotics, powered with solar energy, to offer bees “active” real-time autonomous treatment, rather than the passive monitoring that previous generations of hive sensor technology offer. All of the 1,240 BeeHomes currently in operation use machine learning to continuously monitor and assess hive health, supported by skilled beekeepers. For beekeepers and growers who still want to make decisions for their hive, the BeeHome’s proprietary software conveniently enables them to take remote action from a desk or mobile device, protecting bees from threats and optimizing hive strength. The end result is healthier colonies, improved crop yields, and enhanced biodiversity.

Beewise CEO and Co-Founder Saar Safra explains, “We are very pleased with the results of our fundraising efforts. This financing round is a testament to our business momentum and validates our position as a global leader using AI to tackle one of humanity’s most pressing issues: declined pollination due to the global collapse of bee colonies.”

Yoav Hineman, Partner at Fortissimo Capital and Beewise board member, explains, “Beewise captured our attention early on with a bold vision and the technology to support it. Since then, the company has made exceptional progress, evolving from product innovation to achieving market leadership. Their continued success has only strengthened our confidence in both the leadership team and the long-term potential of the company. We are proud to participate in this latest round and support Beewise as they continue to scale their impact worldwide.”

Daniel Aronovitz, Managing Director at Insight Partners and another Beewise board member, added: “Since participating in Beewise’s Series C round, we have had a front-row seat to their healthy growth and progress towards their urgent mission of saving bees at scale. What Saar and the Beewise team are building has global implications for the environment, food chain, and so much more, and Insight is proud to continue our partnership with them in this next chapter.”

Beewise has achieved key milestones since its 2022 Series C financing, including:

• Developing into the leading provider of pollination services globally, supported by thousands of AI-powered robotic beehives in the field and pollinating 300K+ acres annually for hundreds of growers, including Nuveen Natural Capital (part of TIAA Investments), Agriland, Olam Food Ingredients, and more.
• Implementing AI agents using novel models to mitigate climate risk in the agriculture market.
• Proving out a real-world use case of an adaptive, autonomous robot.
• Building out a world-class AI team delivering the first-of-its-kind autonomous beekeeper model, deploying RNNs, machine learning, and reinforcement learning methods.
• Launching the fourth generation of BeeHome™, known as the BeeHome™ 4, which includes the Beewise Heat Chamber Technology, a device that eliminates 99% of lethal Varroa mites, all without exposing bees to harmful chemicals.

About Beewise

Beewise is the leading global solution provider for pollination services, on a mission to save bees in order to secure the global food supply. Bees pollinate 75% of the crops we eat, yet bees are dying at a rate that jeopardizes our food security: more than 62% of US bee colonies died in 2024. We have created the BeeHome™, an AI-powered robotic beehive, as a climate adaptation solution to protect bees. The device’s AI, precision robotics, and software, enable growers and beekeepers to remotely treat their bees in real-time, resulting in healthier colonies, improved crop yields, and enhanced biodiversity. Learn More About Beewise

Media Contact:
Tai Nicolopoulos
[email protected]
1 (844) 352-2337

SOURCE Beewise, Inc.

Backed by EVP, the investment fuels Modii’s expansion in the digital transformation of parking and mobility infrastructure.

DENVER, June 9, 2025 — Modii Inc., a U.S. based smart mobility software company, today announced the successful close of its seed round, led by Australia-based venture firm EVP. The raise comes amid rapid adoption of Modii’s SaaS-based cloud platform by major cities, universities and parking operators, guiding the digitization and optimization of their transportation infrastructure.

About Modii’s Platform
Modii provides a centralized platform for the analysis and optimization of parking and mobility infrastructure. The cloud-based platform aggregates real-time data on the utilization and revenue of existing parking assets and leverages AI-driven analytics to predict future demand, enabling operators to improve user experience, asset efficiency, and operational decision-making.

In the US, the company now manages over a million parking spaces for customers including multiple 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities and several of the most visited cities in the US. University clients include half of the ten largest universities by daily attendance in the US. Modii’s live environments can be explored at https://www.modii.co/spaces.

Use of Funds
With this investment, Modii plans to expand operations, enhance its engineering and product capabilities, and grow customer delivery and success teams in key U.S. markets.

“This capital raise validates both our vision and our execution,” said Mark Frumar, CEO of Modii. “We’re now positioned to scale innovation that directly improves daily mobility experiences and infrastructure for communities across the U.S.”

With the investment, EVP Principal, Mark Velik will join the Board of Modii.

“Modii has built a world-class product with clear customer demand,” said Mark Velik, Principal at EVP. “We’re excited to support their continued innovation in this long overlooked but essential sector.”

About Modii
Modii is guiding the shift towards smart parking and mobility solutions to help create smarter, greener, and safer cities, universities, and communities around the world. Modii provides customers with real data on the usage of their parking infrastructure to enable data-led decision-making. The foundation data helps communities achieve increased accessibility and connectivity, the reduction of congestion, emissions, and improved asset management.

Modii recently completed a 2-year research study in partnership with the Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington to test the impact and effectiveness of Modii’s platform and parking guidance solution. Grant-funded by the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the study found Modii’s Platform provides the following improvements to parking operations:

• Increased revenue by an average of 8.5% in monitored parking zones.
• Reduced parking violations by up to 60%, improved driver behavior and promoted self-regulation by drivers.
• Lowered enforcement costs through the analysis of parking trends aiding focused patrols.
• Guided strategic refinements to parking policy, parking operations and enforcement with the help of measured evidence.

Website: Modii.co
Press contact: [email protected]

About EVP
EVP is an early stage venture capital firm focused on B2B software companies. EVP currently has over $250m under management across a portfolio of over 40 software companies. Based in Sydney, Australia, EVP invests entirely in B2B SaaS and marketplace companies across a broad range of industries. Companies include the likes of Ignition, Deputy, Shippit, Lumary, Hnry and Mutinex.

Website: evp.com.au

SOURCE Modii Inc.

CRYSTAL CITY, Va., June 9, 2025 — Nooks, the company redefining classified workspaces through its Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) model, is excited to announce the successful closing of its $25M Series A funding round. This investment brings together an extraordinary team of partners, including Zigg Capital, Upper90, SAIC, and Lockheed Martin, to propel Nooks into its next phase of growth and innovation.

As secure collaboration becomes a growing priority for government and industry, this round’s backers represent a blend of investment expertise, defense leadership, and cutting-edge technology know-how. Building on Nooks’ success in key initial markets – Arlington, VA, Colorado Springs, CO, and El Segundo, CA – these partners are helping position Nooks as the go-to provider for flexible and scalable solutions for classified infrastructure needs.

“The Defense Industrial Base needs Nooks to be successful if our country is going to be competitive in the 21st century. The National Security community is spending far too much time and too much cost on bespoke and specialized secure infrastructure – there is a way to dramatically increase speed and efficiency for everyone that Nooks is aggressively pursuing.” states Sean Blackman, CEO of Nooks.

“I am incredibly proud of the investment team we have brought together that are so passionate about solving this problem through a (long overdue) shared access model for classified infrastructure. We’ve put together a truly winning lineup of talent, capital, and government support to get this done.”

Nooks is focused on creating secure, modern, and affordable access to classified facilities for government agencies, contractors, and industry innovators. As a further testament to this pursuit, Nooks has begun integrating advanced technologies and process streamlining in classified workspaces through the Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program and the DARPA Prospero contract. With this new round of funding, Nooks is accelerating its ability to bridge gaps in infrastructure to enable faster collaboration and drive mission success for their customers.

Dave Eisenberg, Founder and Managing Director of Zigg Capital, explains that “Nooks is capitalizing on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve urgent critical infrastructure needs for Defense technology startups, Defense Primes and Government agencies. Zigg is excited to bring our commercial real estate expertise to the company to help it grow in an asset-light fashion. In the years ahead, we will build a portfolio of millions of square feet of modern SCIF infrastructure and re-activate underutilized office buildings across the country.”

Nooks and Zigg Capital aren’t alone in recognizing the impact that CIaaS will have on an increasingly remote and distributed workforce. Both Lockheed Martin Ventures and SAIC Ventures have made strategic investment in Nooks to accelerate their company’s efforts.

“At Lockheed Martin Ventures, our mission is to invest in and partner with companies that can help unlock cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to support our customers’ most pressing challenges,” said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures. “Nooks’ approach to providing classified environments and secure infrastructure is a great example of the kind of innovative thinking that aligns with our mission, and we’re excited to support their efforts to transform the national security ecosystem.”

“SAIC’s investment in Nooks helps meet our customers’ mission requirements and brings flexible access to classified infrastructure across government, startups and companies like SAIC too,” said Michael Hauser, Managing Partner of SAIC Ventures. “We have entered into this innovative partnership to support Nooks’ vision and serve as a channel to advanced technology solutions, a talented workforce and government-ready secure infrastructure.”

To find out more about Nooks and how they’re transforming classified infrastructure, visit www.nooks.works.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jade French
Marketing and Client Engagement Manager
[email protected] 

About Nooks:

Nooks is a veteran-owned company dedicated to transforming access to classified infrastructure. Specializing in Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS), Nooks has  pioneered ready-to-use spaces and services that bring together industry leaders, academic minds, and defense experts. This approach democratizes access, inviting diverse and groundbreaking solutions for the U.S. government and the supporting industrial community. Learn more at www.nooks.works

SOURCE Nooks

Launching in Philadelphia in July, Followed by Boston and Miami, Ballers is the Brainchild of Equinox Veterans and Fitler Club Founders, David Gutstadt and Amanda Potter

$20mm Series A Round Led by Sharp Alpha, RHC Group and Backed by Celebrities and Pro Athletes, the Venues Will Feature Pickleball, Padel Courts and More, Dedicated Recovery Spaces and Elevated Dining Concepts

ballers-us.com // @ballers.social.sports

PHILADELPHIA, June 9, 2025 — Ballers, a first-of-its-kind hospitality-driven social sports venue, is set to redefine how people connect through athletics as it brings its concept nationwide – starting with the Philadelphia flagship opening in July. Conceived by Good City Studio and Vero Capital, Ballers combines elevated design, world-class sports facilities, dedicated recovery spaces and unique dining concepts to create dynamic social hubs for sports enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels. The team is further capitalizing on the ever-growing popularity of racquet sports with a $30M launch pipeline including openings in Boston’s Seaport and Miami by 2026.

Created by business (and life) partners David Gutstadt and Amanda Potter – who got their start in the wellness space with world-renowned lifestyle brand Equinox and its hospitality arm, Equinox Hotels – Ballers was developed in partnership with Daniel Bassichis of Vero Capital to be a vibrant third space where people can play, socialize and build community both on and off the court. The $20mm Series A round was led by two leading sports & consumer investment firms – Sharp Alpha and RHC Group – and is further backed by a high profile group of investors, celebrities and pro athletes that includes tennis icons Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters and Sloane Stephens; the World No. 3 singles pickleball player, Connor Garnett; MLS star and padel aficionado Maarten Paes; and Philadelphia 76ers owner David Blitzer. With this powerful group behind the concept, the Ballers team has an ambitious plan to open 50+ locations in the next 7-10 years, expanding to key markets including Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Connecticut and Toronto.

The rising popularity of fitness activities coupled with consumer desire for social interaction only continues to fuel the demand for racquet sports. Recent research by RacquetX, the leading research group for the racquet sports industry, revealed the emergence of a ‘cross-court consumer,’ with 43% of responders playing more than one racquet sport in the last year or intending to diversify their play. The research also noted tremendous growth potential in public courts and clubs opening up access for sports across the category – pickleball, padel, tennis, etc.

“Having played tennis in college, racquet sports have always been a passion of mine. So when we saw the opportunity to marry the powerful trend and innovations in urban social sports including pickleball, padel and golf with our unique expertise in design and community-building, we went all in on Ballers,” says David Gutstadt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ballers. “The incredible response to our Philadelphia pop-up last year showed us that people are craving this connection through sports, and we’re excited to show that when paired with unparalleled hospitality, athletics can go beyond just leagues, lessons or court time.”

Ballers will offer membership tiers ranging from $99–$499 per month, including perks such as luxury locker rooms and access to dedicated fitness and recovery spaces with treatments such as saunas, cold plunges and compression therapy, as well as incentives like wider booking windows for courts, special programming, exclusive events with partner athletes and more. Non-members are also welcome to enjoy Ballers’ social spaces, book court time and host events.

“Ballers is more than a sports facility – we’re merging sport and culture, creating a social hub for fashion, art and community,” said Amanda Potter, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Ballers. “We believe that by tapping local tastemakers in every Ballers city and infusing each space with our own personal touches, we can craft experiences that feel truly one-of-a-kind.”

Each Ballers venue will be housed in unique locations that are part of the city’s historic fabric, transforming them into high-design wellness spaces that honor the former life of the structure with an industrial urban-chic aesthetic. Rooted in the brand pillars of high-touch hospitality and luxury amenities, every Ballers will also be outfitted in top-of-the-line equipment from renowned sports brands like Babolat and JOOLA and will host community events and workshops with athletes and tastemakers. Ballers has engaged award-winning Chef Mitch Prensky [Supper Philly, L’Ecole, Lutece] to develop its elevated dining offerings with local specials for each venue. 

“Consumers are prioritizing meaningful shared experiences and lasting connections,” said Lloyd Danzig, Managing Partner, Sharp Alpha. “Competition is the fastest-growing centerpiece for socialization. Modern urban country clubs sit right at the intersection of these trends. We are excited to back the veteran team behind Ballers at this important inflection point.”

“Ballers is an innovative brand reshaping how the public sees sports, entertainment and community,” said Richard Hsiao, Founder, RHC Group. “This isn’t just an investment in racquet sports, it is an investment in a new business model that seeks to channel how active consumers want to play and be entertained, all while keeping true to the cities and neighborhoods that make their experiences unique.”

By 2026, Ballers will be welcoming players to hit the courts in the following cities:

Ballers Philadelphia – July 2025
1325 N Beach Street
Following a popular pop-up experience at The Battery last summer, Ballers Philadelphia will have its grand opening in July. Housed inside the iconic Turbine Hall, spanning 55,000 sq ft of unobstructed, column-free space with ceilings up to 75 feet, Ballers Philadelphia will debut with six championship-style pickleball courts, three premium padel courts, two squash courts, a multipurpose 95 x 45 ft turf field, four Golfzon simulators and a full-sized contoured putting green with real sand bunkers. Ballers Philadelphia members can enjoy exclusive access to a fully equipped gym with state-of-the-art fitness equipment and a luxe recovery lounge and wellness space.

Having gained a loyal Philly following from his time at Supper, Chef Mitch has worked with the Ballers team to put a new spin on the bar, restaurant and lounge offerings. On the ground floor, with prime views of the turf field, Ballers’ elevated sports bar and grill will serve creative twists on pub classics with a bar program centered around classic cocktails featuring premium spirits, including Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey. The restaurant space will also play host to community events and programming, including guest chef series, DJ nights, live music and athlete meet-and-greets. The second-floor will feature an additional bar that will serve a selection of healthy options by day and cocktails, beer and wine in the evenings. The field, courts and dining spaces will serve as anchor points for social and corporate events at Ballers, with configurable spaces that can accommodate anywhere from 10 to 500 people.

Ballers Boston – August 2025
25 Pier 4 Boulevard
Ballers Boston will open at Boston’s Seaport this August, bringing three padel courts – the first in the city, designed for year-round play – and five pickleball courts. The expansive 30,000 sq ft outdoor location will also feature a golf simulator, a full-service bar and café and multiple areas for private events and community programming. In the winter, the pickleball courts will be transformed into a lively ice rink, with the café serving festive favorites like hot chocolate and s’mores, making Ballers Boston a go-to destination for sports lovers and social seekers in every season. 

Ballers Miami – Q4 2025/Q1 2026
Ballers Miami is set to debut near downtown in early 2026. In true Ballers fashion, this venue will offer championship-style pickleball and padel courts and soccer as well as the brand’s signature sports bar and vibrant community spaces for both recreation and relaxation, creating a dynamic hub for sports lovers in Miami.

For more information, please visit ballers-us.com.

About Ballers
Ballers is a first-of-its-kind hospitality-driven social sports venue created by Good City Studio – the team behind Philadelphia’s Fitler Club – and Vero Capital. With its flagship location in Philadelphia and future locations coming soon to Boston and Miami, Ballers blends high-level design, world-class sports facilities, dedicated recovery spaces and elevated dining concepts to create dynamic social hubs for sports enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels – no membership required. Backed by an impressive roster of celebrity investors and pro athletes – including tennis icons Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters and Sloane Stephens; the World No. 3 singles pickleball player, Connor Garnett; MLS star and padel aficionado Maarten Paes; current and former NFL, NBA and MLB athletes; and Philadelphia 76ers owner David Blitzer – Ballers is reshaping the social sports landscape. For more information, visit ballers-us.com or follow @ballers.social.sports.

About Sharp Alpha
Sharp Alpha is a New York-based investment firm specializing in sports, gaming, and entertainment.

About RHC Group
RHC Group is a New York-based family office investing in professional sports, entertainment, and complementary assets.

Media Contact:
GO PR
[email protected]

SOURCE Ballers

DUBAI, UAE, June 9, 2025 — Global healthcare technology company CorroHealth has made a strategic investment into Dubai based pioneering revenue cycle management (RCM) intelligent technology solutions provider SANTECHTURE.

The deal brings together the industry-leading AI capabilities of CorroHealth with the advanced RCM solutions of SANTECHTURE, equipping SANTECHTURE healthcare clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region with powerful new technology to maximize ROI.

The investment formalizes what has been a productive working relationship between the two companies. Over the past two years, CorroHealth and SANTECHTURE have successfully completed multiple proofs of concept for SANTCEHTURE clients. In January, SANTECHTURE and CorroHealth jointly hosted the Arab Health reception focused on AI and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Innovation.

SANTECHTURE, which is backed by leading institutional investors Gulf Capital and Shorooq Partners, has seen a phenomenal increase in demand for its advanced deep tech RCM solutions in the GGC and across regional markets, and this partnership will support yet another leap ahead in advancing innovation and value creation.

CorroHealth CEO Pat Leonard said, “This is an exciting step forward for CorroHealth, as we combine our technological capabilities with a local company based in the GCC region. CorroHealth joining forces with SANTECHTURE brings the best of both worlds to provide clients in the region with unsurpassed RCM capabilities to protect hospitals’ bottom lines and help to ensure their financial future.”

SANTECHTURE Founder and CEO Anas Batikhi said, “The pairing of SANTECHTURE’s unique leading-edge solutions with CorroHealth’s AI driven innovations in the RCM technology space is truly unrivalled. We are especially thrilled to be cementing further our working relationship with CorroHealth and leading the intelligent automation drive to support our clients and partners with their RCM digital transformation journey, delivering on cost reduction and improved revenue outcomes.”

Gulf Capital Managing Director Mohammad Madani added, “We are proud to have been early backers of SANTECHTURE and to now support this landmark partnership between SANTECHTURE’s and CorroHealth. This strategic investment is a strong validation of SANTECHTURE’s leadership in intelligent RCM solutions across the GCC and marks a pivotal milestone in its growth journey. We are confident this collaboration will unlock significant value for healthcare providers in the region.”

Bilal Mushtaq, MD, CorroHealth’s Executive Vice President of Global Growth and Strategy for GCC market expansion said “This strategic investment and partnership marks a pivotal step forward in our growth strategy, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and delivering greater value to a new market. This is not just a collaboration but a shared vision to forge a new path towards providing excellence in revenue cycle management.”

About CorroHealth
CorroHealth is a leading provider of clinically led healthcare analytics and technology-driven solutions, dedicated to positively impacting financial performance for physicians, hospitals, and health plans. CorroHealth offers integrated solutions, proven expertise, intelligent technology, and scalability to address needs across the entire revenue cycle. The company’s global presence extends over 10 locations, including the United States, India, and the United Kingdom. CorroHealth was recently named one of the “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare in 2025” by Becker’s Healthcare and a Great Place To Work^® Certified^™ in India for the second time in two years. Further information is available at corrohealth.com.

About SANTECHTURE
SANTECHTURE is a leading provider of innovative revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions tailored for the rapidly evolving healthcare sector. With a deep understanding of market challenges and growing demand for intelligent technology-driven solutions, we have successfully established ourselves as pioneers in the healthcare RCM-tech industry. Since 2009, we have been instrumental in transforming RCM practices in both the private and public healthcare sectors across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Our expertise allows us to fully support US, Australian, and Saudi Arabian billing and coding systems in order to provide healthcare providers with the tools they need to thrive in today’s digitized markets. santechture.com

About Gulf Capital
Gulf Capital is an operationally focused private equity firm with over 19 years of investment experience from the GCC to the rest of Asia, one of the fastest growing investment corridors in the world today. Gulf Capital partners with dynamic entrepreneurs and exceptional management teams to provide them with growth capital, strategic advice, and operational expertise to build market leading global businesses. The Firm has a long and proven track record of investing in Growth Markets, having closed 45 investments since 2006. It currently manages over $2.4 billion in assets across seven funds and investment vehicles. As a thematic investor, Gulf Capital focuses on resilient, forward-looking sectors such as Technology and Fintech, Healthcare, Business Services, Consumer, and Sustainability. Its mission is to build value with world-class governance and ESG best practices, deep focus on operational improvements and sectoral expertise to generate sustainable and superior performance for its key stakeholders. Gulf Capital has deep Revenue Cycle Management expertise and was a pioneering investor in this space, having closed 6 acquisitions in this sector to date. For more information, please visit www.gulfcapital.com or linkedin.com/company/gulf-capital

Media Contacts:
For CorroHealth
Mellissa Gardner, Senior Vice President of Marketing
[email protected]

For SANTECHTURE
Najati Hassan, Senior Director of Business Development
[email protected]

SOURCE CorroHealth

Hirundo’s world-first technology empowers enterprises to make AI models “forget” problematic data and behavior, resulting in up to 55% less hallucinations and 70% reduction in AI bias when deployed, creating a more reliable and trustworthy AI ecosystem

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 9, 2025 — Hirundo – specialists in machine unlearning, has raised an $8M seed funding round, led by Maverick Ventures Israel, with participation from SuperSeed, Alpha Intelligence Capital, Tachles VC, AI.FUND and Plug and Play Tech Center. The company is developing industry-first solutions to “make AI forget” poisoned, malicious and confidential data from trained AI models, biases as well as hallucinations — the problem of AI models generating misleading or inaccurate information that appears factual. Hirundo achieves this without needing to retrain models from scratch and without degrading model performance, thereby de-risking AI adoption.

As generative AI evolves from experimentation to enterprise infrastructure, critical flaws start to appear, and once a model is trained, fine-tuned or deployed, its mistakes are nearly impossible to fix. Researchers have found almost 40% of ‘facts’ used by AI contain bias, while half of US employees cite inaccuracy as a major concern associated with generative AI. As AI becomes more pervasive and more powerful, the more hallucinations and biases are uncovered, with hallucinations worse now more than ever before, leading to legal, reputational and operational risks for businesses relying on it. Hirundo is addressing the flaws in AI from an entirely unique starting position – after a model is already trained. By retroactively removing undesired behaviors and inaccuracies from AI models without impeding the model’s capabilities or needing to retrain it – a time-consuming and multi-million dollar exercise – Hirundo improves AI performance and reliability, empowering businesses to deploy AI with confidence.

Techniques to remediate issues in AI models are varied and span the entire AI development lifecycle, but these still do not prevent hallucinations or biases from leaking into final AI projects. Conventional solutions like guardrails or fine-tuning are insufficient – they simply mask and filter bad data or behaviors while the root cause in the model itself remains untouched. Hirundo looks at jailbreaks from a behavioral point of view – using its machine unlearning approach, the company locates the directions in the model that are most prone to adversarial manipulations, and removes them. This aims to future-proof AI models to attacks.

“Broader adoption of AI is limited by hallucinations and undesired behaviors which make models too risky to deploy in enterprise-level applications. With Hirundo, models can be remediated instantly at their core, working towards fairer and more accurate outputs,” said Ben Luria CEO & Co-Founder of Hirundo. “Hirundo’s solution operates like a form of AI model “neurosurgery,” pinpointing where in a model’s billions of parameters hallucinations originate or toxic knowledge encoded, and precisely removing it. We ensure data is reliably deleted, model accuracy is assured, and the process is scalable and repeatable. We welcome this latest funding which will enable us to enhance our technology and with it, support the broader adoption of AI.”

“Without removing hallucinations or biased intelligence from AI, we end up distorting outcomes and encouraging mistrust – for organizations and enterprises this means legal, financial and real-world consequences. A majority of businesses suffer from AI built with bias, but most cannot address it sufficiently. Hirundo offers a type of AI triage; removing untruths or data built on discriminatory sources and completely transforming the possibilities of AI. We are delighted to invest and support their onward journey,” said Yaron Carni, Founder at Maverick Ventures Israel, which led this funding round.

Mads Jensen, Managing Partner of SuperSeed commented; “We invest in exceptional AI companies transforming industry verticals, but this transformation is only as powerful as the models themselves are trustworthy. Hirundo’s technology is groundbreaking in addressing the hallucination and bias problems that plague even the most advanced models today. Their approach to machine unlearning addresses a critical gap in the AI development lifecycle.”

Hirundo identifies how a particular behavior presents in the model, utilizing industry accepted benchmarks and outlines any undesirable behavioral traits, followed by steering the model away from them. That approach works both for open-source models (like Llama, Mistral, Gemma, etc.) and soon, gated models (like ChatGPT, Claude, etc.). When deployed, Hirundo’s solution has led to the removal of up to 70% of biases – as demonstrated in their work on DeepSeek-R1, as well as up to 55% reduction of hallucinations and 85% decrease in successful prompt injections, showcased with the company’s work on Llama.

The first-choice solution for mission-critical AI deployments in industries such as finance, healthcare, and other consumer-facing industries, as well as high-risk enterprise and defense applications, Hirundo is already piloting with a variety of multinational corporations and government agencies. Hirundo’s platform supports both generative models (like large language models) and non-generative systems used in areas such as computer vision, radar, LiDAR, NLP, and more.

Founded in 2023 by Emeritus Professor Oded Shmueli, former Dean of Computer Science and EVP at Israel’s Technion, alongside Ben Luria, serial entrepreneur and Rhodes Scholar, and Michael Leybovich, an expert in the field of data lineage, Hirundo is the first startup in the world to offer an unlearning solution, pioneering the concept of “making AI forget.”

To book a demo or to find out more about Hirundo visit: https://www.hirundo.io/contact

About Hirundo

Founded in 2023 by serial entrepreneur and Rhodes Scholar, Ben Luria alongside award-winning researcher Michael Leybovich and Emer. Professor Oded Shmueli, former Dean of Computer Science at Israel’s Technion, Hirundo is the first startup in the world to offer an unlearning solution, pioneering the concept of “making AI forget.”

Hirundo’s technology enables AI models to remove unwanted data or behaviors they have previously learned, ensuring that biases, sensitive information, or inaccuracies can be effectively remediated. By leveraging patent-pending technologies, Hirundo is dedicated to making AI more safe, trustworthy and accurate. Its solutions empower enterprises to deploy AI with confidence, ensuring responsible AI adoption while providing mission-critical accuracy.

Media Contact

Gavin Horwich
[email protected] 

SOURCE Hirundo