The Company Now Sets Out to Fuel Accelerated Growth and Market Expansion

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, July 17, 2025 — AWAKE Chocolate, the maker of delicious, functional, caffeinated chocolate bites and bars, today announced the successful close of an $8 million CAD investment round. The funding comprises a significant contribution of $5 million CAD from Btomorrow Ventures (BTV), the corporate venturing arm of British American Tobacco (BAT), and an additional $3 million CAD from the BDC Capital (BDC). This latest investment brings AWAKE Chocolate’s total funding to date to an impressive $15.5 million CAD, underscoring strong investor confidence in the brand’s rapid growth and innovative product offerings.

AWAKE offers delicious, functional bites and bars crafted with Fairtrade chocolate and caffeine, offering a perfect boost without the need for coffee or energy drinks. AWAKE has experienced a remarkable trajectory, growing more than 10x since its inception and approaching $30 million in sales this year. The brand’s chocolate is now available in more than 3,000 locations across Canada, including major retailers like Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Bulk Barn, Shell, and Costco. In the United States, AWAKE is sold in 15,000 food service and vending locations, with a growing presence in retailers such as The Fresh Market, Meijer, and Big Y.

“We are thrilled to close this latest funding round with the continued support of Btomorrow Ventures and a new partnership with BDC,” said Adam Deremo, CEO and Founder of AWAKE Chocolate. “This investment is a testament to the incredible growth we’ve achieved and the strong demand for our functional and delicious chocolates. With this infusion, we’re focused on further scaling our operations, innovating our product line, and reaching even more consumers across North America.”

The new capital will be strategically deployed to support key initiatives designed to position AWAKE for long-term growth and market leadership. A significant portion of the investment will enhance supply chain efficiency through expanded co-manufacturing partnerships and new supplier relationships, ensuring the brand can meet escalating consumer demand. The company will dive deeper into research and development to foster new product innovation and continue to expand its internal team to support its ambitious growth trajectory. AWAKE will also heavily focus on robust marketing efforts; this includes impactful influencer partnerships, engaging ambassador programs, participation in key industry events, and expanded sampling initiatives, all aimed at driving brand awareness and reaching new customer segments.

“Our continued investment in AWAKE reflects our strong belief in its performance and the depth of the management team,” said Lukasz Garbowski, BTV’s Chief Investment Officer “As consumers increasingly look for more from their food, the ‘wellness and stimulation’ sector, particularly functional food and beverages, is a key focus area for BTV to deliver on BAT’s mission to create A Better Tomorrow™.” BTV’s investment portfolio includes additional innovative CPG companies such as HOPWTR, Tru, Moment, Mais Mu, and More Labs.

With a variety of flavor offerings such as Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, and Salted Almond, as well as Dark and Milk Chocolate, AWAKE has a solution for every taste bud. To learn more about AWAKE and explore its full product portfolio, please visit https://awakechocolate.com/.

About AWAKE

Founded in 2012 by Canadians Adam Deremo, Matt Schnarr, and Dan Tzotzis, AWAKE Chocolate offers a delicious, convenient, and effective caffeine alternative providing focus and energy. As the first functional chocolate brand, AWAKE emphasizes great taste and simple ingredients, with a commitment to making customers smile.

AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate has a wide product offering, ranging from bites (60 to 90 calories per bite) to bars, all made with simple ingredients. All products are free from artificial colors or flavors, certified gluten-free, and kosher. Dark chocolate varieties are also Non-GMO Project Verified and vegan friendly. Stay connected with AWAKE Chocolate by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @AwakeChocolate, or by visiting awakechocolate.com.

Contact: Danielle Mazen
Rachel Kay Public Relations, 
A FINN Partners Company
516-306-0094
[email protected]

SOURCE AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate

Ex-Kenna Security founders and Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) pioneers the future of data-centric, customized cybersecurity defenses

CHICAGO, July 17, 2025 — Empirical Security, the cybersecurity company enabling organizations with Custom AI models, today announced $12 million in seed funding. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures with participation from DNX Ventures, Sixty Degree Capital, HPA, and strategic investors Jonathan Cran, founder of Intrigue (acquired by Google/Mandiant), Wade Baker, creator of the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report and founder of The Cyentia Institute, and Gerhard Eschelbeck, former CTO of Qualys and CISO of Google.

Kenna Security co-founder Ed Bellis also joins Empirical Security as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), reuniting with Empirical Security’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Michael Roytman and co-founder and Chief Data Scientist, Jay Jacobs.

Companies regularly use generic, global models to prioritize which of the hundreds of daily threats to pay attention to. But every company has its own unique combination of data, systems and technical stack. Empirical uses that data to build and train custom ‘local models’ that make more accurate predictions about the most critical threats.

“Today’s cyber attacks are custom-built using AI and your own infrastructure against you,” said Michael Roytman, Co-founder and CTO of Empirical Security. “Defending with generic, one-size-fits-all models is a start, but only custom, localized models – trained on your data and environment – can close that gap.”

Empirical Security’s dual model architecture allows security teams to leverage the best of both global and local models:

• Global models trained on nearly 2 million daily exploitation events mined from internet-scale datasets to detect and anticipate the latest attacks.
• Local models trained to adapt the intelligence to each customer’s unique infrastructure, operations, and threat profile.

This approach delivers precise, measurable predictions and decision support, empowering CISOs to act confidently and justify cybersecurity decisions with evidence-based risk analysis.

“We backed Ed, Michael, and Jay at Kenna, where they pioneered the risk-based vulnerability management movement,” said John Cowgill, General Partner at Costanoa Ventures. “With Empirical, they’re doing it again—but replacing generic risk scores with local AI models that tailor scores to each enterprise. We’re thrilled to partner with them on what we believe is a 10x bigger opportunity to transform how security teams prioritize and act on risk.”

To learn more about Empirical Security, please visit here.

About Empirical Security
Empirical Security is a cybersecurity intelligence company specializing in building AI and machine learning models that empower data-driven security decisions. Their state-of-the-art models are designed for rapid fine-tuning in each customer deployment, leveraging curated, AI-mined, and customer-provided data. This approach delivers localized models offering advanced decision support tailored to each organization’s environment, risk threshold, and specific needs.

About Costanoa Ventures
Founded in 2012, Costanoa Ventures partners with builders as early as company formation, with a focus on apps and infrastructure in data, dev, security and fintech. Costanoa is a long-term, boutique partner to entrepreneurs from the earliest stages of company building with expertise from its BuilderOps team. For more information, please visit www.costanoa.vc.

SOURCE Empirical Security, Inc.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. and NEW YORK, July 17, 2025 — BQP, a dual-use quantum-accelerated simulation software company, has raised an oversubscribed $4.9 million seed round to expand its unified digital twin platform, BQPhy®, for mission-critical industries, including aerospace, defense (A&D), and semiconductor. The raise follows a strategic collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ) under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to accelerate mission-critical modeling and simulation capabilities with quantum computing.

“Our quantum-inspired solvers are setting a new benchmark in simulation technology, bridging today’s computational limits and the quantum-ready future,” said Abhishek Chopra, BQP’s Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer. “The traction we’re experiencing from AFRL/RQ and industry-leading design partners validates the immediate impact and substantial ROI our platform delivers today. We’re also making significant R&D progress in quantum-native solvers for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Machine Learning (ML), paving the way for future simulation workload for the next generation of data centers where HPC and quantum computers operate side by side.”

The round was led by Monta Vista Capital, with participation from Empire State Development’s New York Ventures, New York State’s venture capital arm,  Arc Ventures, Armory Square Ventures, Emergent Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Arka Venture Labs, Transpose Platform, Gainangels, and Pranatech Venture Capital. The round also saw participation from key angel investors and existing investors, including Paradigm Shift Capital and Griffiss Institute, as part of the Mojave Aerospace Accelerator Fund. Chopra added, “We’re grateful to those who believed in us and our vision! This funding enables us to accelerate the development of our quantum-powered digital twin framework with these design partners and further expand our footprint in A&D and semiconductor industries.”

Total funding raised by the company now stands at $6.6 million. “BQP directly tackles critical bottlenecks in the rapidly evolving $22 billion simulation industry, where conventional technologies have struggled to keep pace with innovation demands in sectors like Aerospace & Defense, Semiconductor, and Energy,” said Roger Krakoff, Partner at Monta Vista Capital. “Their quantum-powered framework is positioned to become foundational infrastructure in the simulation ecosystem.”

Built for hybrid architectures – CPUs, GPUs, and quantum computers – BQPhy’s current version relies on quantum-inspired solvers, enabling a 10X performance boost today on existing CPU/GPU. With their future quantum-native solvers, the customers can experience up to 1000X gains on forthcoming quantum computers.

In addition to the AFRL/RQ, BQP’s design partners include three major Aerospace and Defense companies, including the largest Tier-I Aerospace manufacturer, the Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries, ABB, and major aerospace players.

BQP’s solvers can be utilized independently or in a unification as a Digital Twin framework as part of its platform. BQP’s overarching vision is to make BQPhy “the BlackRock of the simulation world,” acting as the backend platform that seamlessly integrates into existing simulation workflows and software, as well as optimized for the hybrid computing architectures—CPUs, GPUs, and Quantum Computers—that define the future of data centers.

BQP is actively working with leading quantum ecosystem partners, including Intel, IBM, Classiq, Strangeworks, and members of the NORDTECH Hub. The company will also appear at AIAA Aviation in Las Vegas and ASME Fluids Engineering in July, where Chopra will speak on quantum applications in simulation.

To explore BQP’s quantum-accelerated Digital Twin platform or request a demo, visit bqpsim.com.

ABOUT BQP

BQP (BosonQ Psi) is a quantum-first simulation company building the next generation of digital twin platforms for mission-critical applications. Headquartered in Syracuse, NY, with a technology hub in Bangalore, India, BQP supports faster, more efficient engineering decisions across aerospace, defense, semiconductors, and energy.

Its core platform, BQPhy, integrates into existing engineering workflows and runs on today’s infrastructure – no quantum hardware required. By combining probabilistic algorithms from quantum information science with proprietary solvers, BQPhy enables breakthroughs in optimization, machine learning, and physics-based (CFD) simulations.

BQP works closely with leading partners, including the Department of Defense, Air Force Research Laboratory, IBM, Intel, Moog, and IAI North America.

Learn more at https://www.bqpsim.com 

Media Contact:
Ludington Media
New York, NY
[email protected]
551 795 5950

SOURCE BQP

NEW YORK, July 17, 2025 — Oh Norman!, the pet wellness brand co-founded by actress and animal advocate Kaley Cuoco, announced today that it has raised $2.08 million in its latest round of funding, bringing the brand’s total funding to over $5 million.

Originally targeting $1.5 million, the raise was oversubscribed by 39%, attracting notable backers across consumer wellness, pet care, venture capital, and entertainment.

New investors include Brown University, Mars Petcare’s Leap Venture Studio, Incuvate/NQV8, Golden Seeds, and1731 MGMT. Notable individuals such as Oh! Norman co-founders Kaley Cuoco and Katie Hunt, as well as Tractive founder Michael Hurnaus and returning institutional investors also participated in the round.

“At 1731 MGMT, we believe the best brands are built by passionate founders who are driven to make a positive impact,” said Dace Graham, Managing Partner of 1731 MGMT. “Oh Norman! embodies that spirit with a strong commitment to the well-being of pets and their owners. We’re excited to partner with Oh Norman! as they continue to innovate and elevate the pet wellness industry.”

Launched in 2023 with a mission to modernize how pet parents support their dogs’ emotional and physical health, Oh Norman! quickly gained traction with its best-selling calming supplement, Calm the Eff Down! The brand’s rapid rise reflected a growing demand for effective, approachable pet wellness solutions. In April of 2025, the company announced a partnership with Chewy, to increase product accessibility and expand their reach to a broader customer base.

“With support from our most recent investors, we’re well-positioned to accelerate our mission of delivering science-backed pet wellness products while championing ethical and eco-conscious practices. Together, we’ll further improve the lives of the animals we love while giving back to the ones in need,” said Hunt.

“We started Oh Norman! because of one simple truth – I just love dogs and believe they deserve to live the healthiest life possible,” said Cuoco. “My goal was to create high-quality products that dogs and their people would love. Everyone on the Oh Norman! team, including our investors, share that same passion, and it drives everything we do. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built so far and how we’ve been able to make a difference in the lives of dogs and their owners!”

The six-person, all-female team includes Chief Operating Officer Danielle Birkenfeld, former director of operations for Coach, Vice President of Product Kate Onorato, an early employee of Bark Box and the former head of product for Wild One and Vice President of Creative Nat Girsberger, a published author and artist who has grown Oh Norman’s social media following to over 250K followers. CEO and Co-founder Katie Hunt was also the third employee of Warby Parker and the Chief Brand Officer of the dating app Hinge.

Oh Norman! is part of a fast-growing movement that blends high-quality ingredients and data-driven outcomes to meet the demands of a new generation of pet parents – one that wants transparency, efficacy, and personality in equal measure. Now, with this latest funding, Oh Norman! will continue to revolutionize the pet wellness industry and drive business growth.

About Oh Norman!
Co-founded by Kaley Cuoco, Oh Norman! is a pet care brand on a mission to make joyful, cutting-edge products that improve the lives of the animals we love. The brand is a trusted place for pet parents, offering healthy, well-designed products for pets and the people who effing love them. To learn more about Oh Norman! visit at ohnorman.com or follow on Instagram at @ohnorman.

Media contact: [email protected] 

SOURCE Oh Norman!

First-of-its-kind platform untangles marketing measurement chaos, unlocks clarity and high-ROI marketing spend for brands

CHICAGO, July 17, 2025 — Bonsai, the first-party marketing intelligence platform that automates profitable growth, today announced an investment of $1.8 million to accelerate go-to-market efforts and further development of the company’s platform. The investment was made by Mairs & Power Venture Capital, TAWANI Ventures, Bridge Venture Fund, Chicago Early, and Service Provider Capital alongside individual investors Daren Cotter and Sheetal Jain.

“Consumer-facing brands waste billions of dollars each year because they make decisions with inaccurate, biased marketing conversion data,” said Matt Butler, CEO and co-founder at Bonsai. “Our platform ingests and analyzes a brand’s first-party data to give them extreme clarity on their marketing spend, allowing them to focus on high-ROI marketing efforts and truly grow.”

Bonsai is already trusted by established brands — including 1-800-Flowers, Aspen Dental, Camping World, JSX, Gabb Wireless, and others — looking to optimize the ROI on their marketing spend in an increasingly challenging omnichannel marketing environment.

“Bonsai has been instrumental in refining JSX’s data analytics, transforming how we measure marketing impact and optimize strategy,” said Ariana Diaz, senior director of marketing at JSX. “We can now assess marketing effectiveness with precision, ensuring every investment is strategically aligned with growth objectives.”

Bonsai integrates with more than 80 platforms, allowing brands to onboard their entire business and marketing tech stack in minutes without requiring data engineering or the installation of tracking cookies, pixels, or custom code.

Bonsai combines business reporting, multi-touch attribution, marketing mix modeling, incrementality testing, budget forecasting, automated buying algorithms, and audience analytics into one seamless platform, giving brands a highly-accurate view of their marketing efforts and complete control to automate incremental, profitable growth.

To learn more, visit www.bonsaidata.io.

About Bonsai
Bonsai is the first-party marketing intelligence platform that automates profitable growth. Our first-of-its-kind platform provides modern brands with extreme clarity on their marketing spend ROI without requiring data engineering or the installation of tracking cookies, pixels, or custom code. Learn more at www.bonsaidata.io.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these statements due to various factors beyond our control. Bonsai undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Media Contact
Matt Lush
Marketing
Bonsai
[email protected]
775-204-2877

SOURCE Bonsai

NextLadder Ventures launches with over $1 billion to empower low-income Americans through personalized, tech-driven solutions

NEW YORK, July 17, 2025 — Today, a coalition of foundations and philanthropists — Ballmer Group, Gates Foundation, Stand Together, Valhalla Foundation and John Overdeck — announced NextLadder Ventures. This over $1 billion initiative is grounded in the belief that every American has the potential to achieve economic prosperity and focuses on fostering technology and tools to expand economic opportunity for low-income Americans.

Over the next 15 years, NextLadder Ventures will invest in entrepreneurs who are developing personalized solutions that help individuals and families navigate critical moments — like job loss, housing instability or health crises. These approaches will be designed with and for the people who need them most. The initiative will offer a mix of grants, equity and revenue-based financing to back both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Anthropic joins as the inaugural AI partner, providing expertise and technology to support the organizations that NextLadder Ventures will fund.

NextLadder Ventures addresses a major national challenge: While innovative ideas exist to help low-income Americans overcome obstacles and pursue prosperity, there is insufficient capital available to those serving these populations. The founding group is combining efforts to catalyze a thriving market that can attract ongoing investment in tools that ensure that life’s pivotal moments don’t become permanent barriers to upward mobility. This work will stand alongside, support and extend the reach of many who are already devoting their careers and resources to dramatically increasing opportunity in the U.S.

“The future depends on empowering every person to realize their potential. But today, millions of Americans face barriers to economic opportunity,” said Brian Hooks, CEO of Stand Together. “We believe the best solutions come alongside people and empower them to pursue the paths to success that are right for them as they build the futures they want for themselves and their families. New technology lets us do that.”

NextLadder Ventures is focused on the more than 90 million people in the U.S. striving to get ahead but facing barriers as well as the more than 1.6 million helpers like social workers, legal aid attorneys and other frontline professionals who guide people through critical life moments. By equipping these professionals, many of whom are managing caseloads significantly above capacity, with scalable tools, this initiative will help them reach more people, reduce administrative burdens and provide more personalized support.

“Technology can be an accelerator of tremendous social progress when harnessed for good, but right now that market is undercapitalized,” said Kevin Bromer, executive director, head of data & tech strategy at Ballmer Group. “This initiative is designed to catalyze existing great work and ideas as well as support an emerging generation of entrepreneurs, ensuring they have the resources necessary to create, innovate, and iterate on tools that can make a real difference in more people’s lives.”

NextLadder Ventures makes it possible for entrepreneurs to build tools designed with safety, privacy and community input at the center — ensuring that the people who need these tools most have a voice in shaping them. Success will be measured by how much people’s lives improve — higher incomes, stronger support systems, greater opportunity and the dignity that comes with achieving success.

“In the U.S., the Gates Foundation is focused on lifting millions of people out of poverty and onto a path to prosperity. With rapid advancements in technology, especially in artificial intelligence, we have incredible opportunities to help people live healthier, more prosperous lives,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “NextLadder Ventures brings together the vision, resources and community connections needed to create solutions for millions of Americans and the frontline workers who serve them, opening up more paths to economic opportunity and making upward mobility more possible.”

“NextLadder Ventures will back leaders building practical solutions that work on the ground to help low-income Americans grow their incomes and achieve greater well-being — which can compound into lasting gains for millions of children,” said Sara Allan, president of Valhalla Foundation. 

To lead this effort, Ryan Rippel — whose career has focused on addressing poverty in America and whose values were shaped by being raised by a single mother in central Missouri — will serve as CEO of NextLadder Ventures. “For too long, we have relied on a one-size-fits-all approach to support people facing economic challenges,” said Rippel. “To better serve those in need, we need new, practical pathways to opportunity that help the helpers and the people they serve. Technology alone isn’t the answer. But when it’s built with the needs of people facing economic challenges in mind and paired with the extraordinary work of philanthropists strengthening communities and scaling promising strategies, it becomes a powerful force for change.” 

John Overdeck, philanthropist and business leader, has also pledged significant funding support to NextLadder Ventures. Overdeck’s commitment stems from his strong belief in the importance of social mobility and the transformative potential of new technologies.

As part of this partnership, Anthropic will provide comprehensive support to NextLadder grantees. “Core to our mission is helping AI benefit humanity,” said Elizabeth Kelly, head of beneficial deployments at Anthropic. “As the inaugural AI partner, we’re providing Claude credits and hours of time with our in-house Claude experts. This is exactly the kind of real-world impact we want to see — AI making essential services work better for the people who need them most.”

NextLadder Ventures envisions a future where everyone has the opportunity and community support needed to thrive.

About NextLadder Ventures
NextLadder Ventures backs people with bold ideas for removing barriers to economic opportunity. This over $1 billion initiative brings together leading philanthropic funders to invest in entrepreneurs and emerging technologies that help individuals and families in the U.S. turn everyday challenges into personal pathways to success. By supporting personalized, tech-enabled solutions, NextLadder Ventures aims to make it easier for Americans to chart their own paths to prosperity.

About the Ballmer Group
Ballmer Group is committed to improving economic mobility for children and families in the United States by funding leaders and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to reshape opportunity and reduce systemic inequities. The group’s grants focus on direct services that strengthen communities for today and levers of change that transform systems for tomorrow. Learn more at ballmergroup.org.

About the Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, the foundation works with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, it aims to ensure that everyone — especially those with the fewest resources — has access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman under the direction of Bill Gates and the governing board. Learn more at gatesfoundation.org.

About Stand Together
Stand Together is a philanthropic community that tackles the root causes of our country’s biggest problems. It partners with the country’s boldest change-makers to drive solutions that help define the American Dream with a focus on education, economic opportunity, strong and safe communities, bridging divides and other pressing issues. Learn more at standtogether.org.

About the Valhalla Foundation
Valhalla Foundation aims to drive measurable and meaningful improvement in the lives of children and families and the health of our planet through investments in six program areas: Early Childhood Development, K-12 Education, Data Science Education, Medical Research & Talent, Environmental Innovation and Collaborative Philanthropy. The foundation invests in ideas backed by robust evidence of impact and rooted in deep understanding of the needs of the communities it seeks to serve. Across its program areas, the foundation prioritizes working collaboratively with other funders to expand available resources for compelling ideas, build strong evidence of impact and improve the effectiveness of philanthropy. Learn more at valhalla.org.

About John Overdeck
John Overdeck is president of Overdeck Family Foundation and executive manager and co-chair of Two Sigma, a financial sciences firm. He is chair of the Institute for Advanced Study and the National Museum of Mathematics, and he serves as a trustee of the Robin Hood Foundation.

About Anthropic
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that creates reliable, interpretable and steerable AI systems. Anthropic’s flagship product is Claude, a large language model trusted by millions of users worldwide. Learn more about Anthropic and Claude at anthropic.com.

SOURCE NextLadder Ventures

NEW YORK, July 17, 2025 — When traditional assets become volatile or uncertain, the world’s wealthiest investors quietly turn to something surprisingly simple — high-end liquor. From whiskies to wines and collectible baijiu, these seemingly everyday goods are proving to be some of the most resilient and rewarding long-term stores of wealth.

But why liquor? According to AIFIAN, a global retail platform for real asset ownership, the answer lies in a mix of transparency, accessibility, and consistent global demand.

When it comes to investing in tangible assets, not all options offer the same level of accessibility, transparency, or stability. Real estate often requires significant upfront capital and comes with low liquidity and exposure to market cycles. Fine art can be difficult to appraise, with opaque pricing and high transaction fees limiting its appeal beyond elite collectors. Gold and other precious metals, while widely traded, are heavily influenced by monetary policy and can be subject to short-term volatility. In contrast, liquor — including everyday categories such as baijiu, whisky, and wine — presents a compelling alternative: it benefits from transparent market pricing, low holding costs, consistent global demand, and an active resale ecosystem. These features make liquor a practical, inflation-resistant asset that everyday investors can understand, access, and rely on.

Recent data from Sotheby’s and Christie’s shows that the global market for liquor and wine has consistently outperformed traditional asset classes like gold and fine art over the past decade.

Over the last ten years, liquor has delivered annual returns of 12% to 15%, making it one of the most reliable categories of physical asset appreciation. Many high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are now allocating between 5% and 10% of their portfolios to collectible spirits and vintage wines — not only as inflation hedges, but as assets with strong resale value.

Bottles of everyday liquor are regularly setting new benchmarks at auctions around the world — reinforcing liquor’s position as a credible, appreciating asset that combines accessibility, cultural relevance, and strong financial performance.

Historically, investing in liquor required deep expertise, significant capital, and access to exclusive networks — often making it inaccessible to the average investor. AIFIAN is transforming this landscape by offering a fully digital platform that simplifies and democratizes liquor investment. Through AIFIAN, users can purchase bottles individually with no minimum buy-in, eliminating traditional barriers to entry. The platform partners with trusted logistics providers to ensure climate-controlled, professional storage that preserves both product quality and long-term value. Most importantly, AIFIAN offers a built-in resale marketplace that allows users to hold or exit their positions with ease, making liquor not just a passive asset, but a liquid and dynamic one.

Once seen purely as a symbol of status and refinement, liquor is now emerging as a legitimate asset class — measurable, tradeable, and resilient against inflation. This shift reflects a broader transformation in how people think about wealth: from abstract numbers to tangible, culturally resonant value.

“At AIFIAN, we believe true assets shouldn’t just belong to the elite. Anyone should be able to access and benefit from real-world value,” said Yen Chang, Director of Public Relations, Asia-Pacific at AIFIAN.

While traditional physical assets like real estate and art remain out of reach for many, platforms like AIFIAN are democratizing access to tangible investments. By lowering entry barriers and digitizing the process, AIFIAN allows users — often starting with just a few dozen dollars and a smartphone — to invest in real goods with real utility.

About AIFIAN

AIFIAN is a U.S.-based retail platform helping over 800,000 users worldwide purchase, store, and manage essential physical goods—such as alcohol, agricultural commodities, and long-term consumables—from trusted sources in primary industries. AIFIAN aims to redefine asset ownership by making tangible investment easy, secure, and inclusive.

SOURCE AIFIAN LIMITED

HONG KONG, July 17, 2025 — KUN, Asia’s leading stablecoin-based payment and embedded finance platform, has successfully completed its Series A funding round with significant oversubscription. Existing investors BAI Capital and GSR Ventures doubled down on their commitments, and two new strategic investors— a Hong Kong-listed conglomerate and Eternium Global—joined the round. Since its inception 20 months ago, KUN has raised over USD 50 million in total, reinforcing its early-mover advantage and leadership position in the industry.

This financing marks a key milestone in KUN’s ongoing efforts to build a global infrastructure for stablecoin cross-border payments and financial services, while empowering real economies’ international expansion with compliant, secure, and efficient solutions.

Through its compliance-first approach and tech-driven solutions, KUN has sustained hypergrowth with a 200% MoM transaction surge over the past 12 months, serving thousands of enterprise and institutional clients. With its strong security, reliability, and seamless transaction experience, KUN has become the go-to stablecoin payment and settlement platform for cross-border businesses.

Meanwhile, KUN is making steady progress in expanding its ecosystem. In June 2025, KUN signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with TradeGo, a digital services platform for global commodity trade. The partnership will focus on integrating blockchain-based electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) technology, cross-border compliance capabilities, and stablecoin settlement infrastructure to jointly deliver a “three -in-one” solution—uniting logistics, information, and capital—to enhance the efficiency and compliance of large-scale trade transactions.

Eternium Global, with diversified assets across logistics, insurance, commodities, energy, and healthcare, will partner with KUN to build a Web3-powered payment ecosystem for cross-sector global applications.

Kent Cai, CEO and CIO of Eternium Global, commented:
“We look forward to unlocking synergistic flywheel effects through this collaboration with KUN. We will bring stablecoin-based payment solutions that are more efficient, transparent, and compliant to our existing global business network, especially in markets with explosive growth potential (Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa). We believe that cross-border payments is the current killer application of Web3 and blockchain technology. We are fully onboard with KUN’s long-term vision and are excited to build a sustainable Web3 ecosystem together.”

William Zhao, Partner at BAI Capital, remarked:
“What we predicted last year—the transition from SWIFT to stablecoin-based cross-border transfers powered by real-time blockchain clearing—is becoming reality. As the first-mover advantage of licensed stablecoin issuers gradually diminishes, the real opportunity lies in building decentralized financial infrastructure and digital FX circulation networks. KUN is leading the way in Asia, innovating at the intersection of blockchain settlement, e-BL, and stablecoin payments for commodity trade. This will fundamentally reshape the future of global trade and payments.”

Jefferson, Partner at GSR Ventures, emphasized:
“KUN’s foresight in compliance and its obsessive focus on product experience are redefining how stablecoins can be used in cross-border transactions. We believe KUN has the potential to become Asia’s Bridge—a foundational layer in the global stablecoin settlement and payment network.”

Chen Yu, Co-Founder of YeePay and Chief Advisor of KUN, stated:
“KUN is building next-generation digital financial infrastructure anchored in stablecoins. By reconstructing the cross-border payment stack and trust mechanism, KUN is paving the way for emerging markets and global enterprises to scale. This funding marks another milestone in KUN’s journey toward globally compliant, intelligent, and unified financial solutions..”

Louis Liu, Founder and CEO of KUN, said:
“KUN will leverage the proceeds from this round to deepen R&D investments in cross-border transaction security, underlying blockchain infrastructure, and wallet technologies, while accelerating upgrades of AI-driven intelligent risk control systems and compliance stacks (KYC/AML/KYT). 

Simultaneously, we will synergize our existing Hong Kong and Singapore licensing frameworks with global regulatory applications and institution network expansions. By collaborating with ecosystem partners worldwide, KUN aims to build a seamless Web2-Web3 hybrid digital payment network, strengthening its global operational foundation. We will also continue expanding our team globally to support this ambitious growth.”

About KUN

KUN is an innovative technology company focused on stablecoin-based payments and financial services. Built on a compliance system with licenses in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Europe, KUN primarily serves emerging markets, including the Greater Bay Area, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

KUN has established three core business lines — Payments, Asset Management, and Card Issuing — offering a comprehensive range of products, including enterprise accounts, asset management, on/off-ramp solutions, and card issuing solutions. It provides secure, convenient, and efficient one-stop cross-border payment, remittance, and financial services for B2B cross-border e-commerce, commodity trade, entertainment, advertising, Web3 enterprises. KUN is building the next-generation global digital payment network to accelerate cross-border transactions.

Learn more at: https://www.kun.global/

SOURCE KUN

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., July 16, 2025 — Kilsar, a dual-use AI software company specializing in tribal knowledge capture and maintenance training, today announced the close of a $3.7 million Seed round led by Lightbank and Cotulla Capital, with participation from Techstars and Scalewolf. The company also unveiled a new strategic partnership with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) to help address the growing crisis in aviation maintenance training and workforce readiness.

The aviation maintenance industry—and the broader skilled trades sector—is in urgent need of revitalization. With experienced technicians aging out of the workforce and student interest in trades declining, technical schools and MROs face unprecedented knowledge loss. Across the country, organizations are seeing their most valuable asset—tribal knowledge—retire without a replacement.

Kilsar’s AI-powered Orion platform helps bridge that gap by capturing expert insights from veteran technicians and transforming complex maintenance procedures into interactive, step-by-step digital workflows. The platform empowers both new learners and active maintainers to upskill faster, reduce time-to-diagnose, and operate with greater confidence and precision.

“Our mission is to preserve and scale what’s been traditionally trapped in the heads of retiring maintainers,” said Brendan Lawlor, CEO of Kilsar. “We’re proud to partner with AIM, one of the nation’s largest aviation training institutions, to modernize the training pipeline and ensure the next generation of technicians is prepared for the evolving demands of the industry.”

The funding will be used to expand Kilsar’s engineering and deployment teams, accelerate onboarding across defense and commercial maintenance organizations, and further develop Orion’s real-time AI assistant that replaces static manuals with searchable, enriched content—from videos to pro-tips to annotated diagrams.

With mounting demand across defense, aerospace, infrastructure, and industrial sectors, Kilsar is positioning itself as a critical enabler of workforce transformation. The company’s unique approach integrates legacy data, technician wisdom, and next-generation AI to deliver tools that scale with both complexity and need.

www.kilsar.com

Contact:
Brendan Lawlor
[email protected]

SOURCE Kilsar, Inc.