Total funding reaches $17.5M as the company launches Perle Labs, a platform that rewards users for reviewing and contributing accurate data sets to AI systems

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 7, 2025 — Perle, an AI training data platform powered by Web3 that brings human wisdom to AI models, today announced it has closed a $9 million seed round led by Framework Ventures. The round brings Perle’s total funding to $17.5 million across its seed and pre-seed rounds, marking a major milestone in the company’s growth and mission to improve how AI systems are trained and evaluated.

With this new capital, Perle will launch Perle Labs, a crypto-native ecosystem designed to transform how human input powers AI. By integrating blockchain infrastructure and incentive design, Perle Labs will provide transparent payments, on-chain attribution, and verifiable work histories—unlocking global participation and improving data quality at scale.

“As AI models grow more sophisticated, their success hinges on how well they handle the long tail of data inputs—those rare, ambiguous, or context-specific scenarios,” said Ahmed Rashad, CEO of Perle. “In our benchmarking, we’ve seen high-quality human-in-the-loop annotation outperform Amazon Rekognition by over 70%—proving that thoughtful human input is essential to closing critical data gaps. By decentralizing this process, we can unlock global participation, reduce bias, and dramatically improve model performance.”

While today’s AI models are only as good as the data they’re trained on, even the most advanced systems continue to struggle with complex, nuanced tasks. Perle Labs aims to address these limitations by expanding access to high-quality, diverse, and verified data sets, thus rewarding contributors, establishing on-chain proof of work, and empowering a global community to actively participate in shaping AI.

“We believe the pace of AI progress will be driven more by better data than by simply scaling models”, said Vance Spencer, Co-Founder of Framework Ventures. “That’s why we see a natural synergy between Perle’s powerful training platform and the transparent incentive structures enabled by crypto networks – together, they have the potential to kick off a flywheel that unlocks a wave of high-quality, useful data.”

Founded by AI veterans from Scale AI, Meta, MIT, and Berkeley, Perle combines human expertise with adaptive workflows to help teams collect, annotate, and evaluate specialized training data—faster and with higher accuracy. Its self-serve platform supports the full AI development lifecycle, including multimodal data collection (audio, image, video, etc.), reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), and assistant fine-tuning. Perle is already supporting leading companies in scaling agentic training processes across complex use cases.

Perle’s latest funding round was led by Framework Ventures, a major crypto venture capital firm known for its early investments in key AI, DeFi, and blockchain infrastructure projects. Perle’s previous $8.5M seed round in October 2024 was led by CoinFund and included participation from Protagonist, HashKey, and Peer VC. With fresh capital and a growing network of partners, Perle is accelerating its vision to make high-quality human feedback the foundation of next-generation AI. As the boundaries of AI continue to evolve, Perle is committed to building the infrastructure that ensures progress is not just faster—but smarter, safer, and more inclusive.

About Perle
Perle transforms how AI teams access and use training data by combining human expertise with adaptive workflows. Specializing in data acquisition, expert annotation, and model evaluation, Perle delivers faster, more reliable results tailored for generative AI, LLMs, and RLHF. Our approach ensures data quality and context where it matters most-helping teams build smarter, more trustworthy AI. Learn more at Perle.ai.

About Framework Ventures
Framework Ventures is a prominent VC firm in the crypto industry, known for its early investments in several multi-billion dollar protocols across the DeFi and Web3 gaming industries. In 2022, the firm raised $400M for its third fund and has since significantly expanded into additional maturing verticals like Web3 gaming, real-world assets, and social crypto. To learn more, visit https://framework.ventures/.

Disclosures: Information contained herein is accurate as of the date of publication and is subject to change. This release is not investment advice, and readers should not construe the discussion of any particular organization as a recommendation to purchase or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or digital assets related to such organization.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Perle

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 7, 2025 — Vector AIS, the leading fund administrator for closed-end alternative investment funds, is proud to announce the launch of Valence Vero, a transformative solution for investor onboarding and compliance. Purpose-built for the operational demands of private capital, Valence Vero empowers fund managers with modern workflows, embedded KYC/AML, and seamless LP onboarding, all in one unified platform.

At the heart of Valence Vero is an integration with Passthrough, the industry’s gold standard in KYC/AML automation and investor onboarding management. This partnership enables daily sanctions screenings, streamlined document collection, and fully customizable workflows for even the most complex fund structures.

“From a few early adopters to dozens of shared clients in five years, our partnership with Vector has been about one thing: delivering real value to GPs and investors through focused tech and process,” said Ben Doran, Co-Founder of Passthrough. “We’re excited to take the next step together with Vector’s best-in-class service and Passthrough’s investor onboarding solution.” 

“Valence Vero reflects our belief that the investor onboarding process shouldn’t be a barrier to launch,” said Molly Yakubian, CEO of Vector. “By combining Passthrough’s trusted infrastructure with our proprietary Valence platform, we’re removing friction from day one and giving fund managers and LPs the experience they deserve.”

Key Features of Valence Vero:

• Embedded KYC/AML: Daily screening against global sanctions lists, PEP, and criminal watchlists with zero lift from the manager.
• Workflow Automation: From entity structure to beneficial ownership, onboard any investor, anywhere without the back-and-forth.
• Single Source of Truth: Centralize investor records across vehicles and vintages, enabling faster closings and greater oversight.
• Fund Administrator-Ready: Built to connect directly into the Vector back office for seamless fund operations and reporting.

The release of Valence Vero marks another milestone in Vector’s mission to modernize the operational core of private capital. Designed by fund professionals, for fund professionals, Valence Vero is now available to all Vector clients.

About Vector

Vector is the new wave of fund administration.

With a commitment to building the next generation of fund administration, Vector offers closed-end, alternative investment fund managers top-tier talent, innovative workflows, and a comprehensive suite of integrated fund services, enhanced by our proprietary Valence platform. To learn more, reach out to [email protected] or visit www.vectorais.com/valence-vero.

SOURCE Vector AIS

Current investors Cornerstone Investment Capital and Canaan Partners lead financing with participation by SimCorp and Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures; Bob Greifeld joins Alkymi Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2025 — Alkymi, the leading AI-powered data workflow platform for financial services, today announced a strategic financing round led by Cornerstone Investment Capital and Canaan Partners, with participation by industry leaders SimCorp and Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures. The capital will be used to accelerate Alkymi’s growth and innovation as it continues to modernize data management in private markets.

Alkymi’s platform empowers clients to validate, integrate, and analyze complex data sets such as transaction notices, quarterly reports, loan agent notices, and financial statements, with speed and accuracy. Leveraging AI engineered for investment workflows, including machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and agentic AI, Alkymi helps firms automate operations, streamline valuations, reduce risk, and accelerate investment decision-making.

“We invested in Alkymi after using the technology, and continue to experience its impact,” said Craig Schedler, Managing Director at Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures. “Their team is helping solve complex data challenges, and delivering real innovation for our business.”

The company also announced that Bob Greifeld, Co-Founder at Cornerstone Investment Capital and former Chairman and CEO of Nasdaq, has joined Alkymi’s Board of Directors. Greifeld brings extensive expertise in capital markets and financial technology, further strengthening Alkymi’s strategic position as it scales. In addition, Thomas Mosimann, Director at Cornerstone, joins the Board as Chairman, and other new board members include Bob Ward, CEO of QUODD, and Robert Greifeld Jr., Director at Cornerstone.

“Private markets are experiencing unprecedented growth and transformation, and Alkymi is uniquely positioned to lead it,” said Bob Greifeld. “Their ability to automate and structure complex data sets gives firms a real competitive advantage. I’m excited to join the board and help Alkymi scale its impact across the financial services industry.”

“This strategic financing comes at a pivotal moment for Alkymi,” said Harald Collet, CEO and Co-Founder of Alkymi. “The continued support from our world-class investors and clients, including Cornerstone, Canaan, SimCorp, and Northwestern Mutual, validates our mission to transform how capital markets teams operate in a data-driven world. We are excited to welcome Bob Greifeld to our Board. His deep expertise in capital markets and experience scaling fintech platforms will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth. We’re also pleased to welcome Bob Ward, Thomas Mosimann, and Robert Greifeld Jr. and look forward to their contributions as we continue to scale Alkymi.“

With several recent client wins, Alkymi has seen rapid adoption among investment managers representing over $20 trillion in AUM, including top pension funds, leading global banks, major hedge funds, and prominent sovereign wealth funds. The company has also received recognition through multiple industry awards in 2025.

About Alkymi
Alkymi is the leading AI-powered data workflow platform for financial services, unlocking 100% of the investment and client data trapped in unstructured documents. Alkymi transforms this data into standardized, interactive datasets that integrate seamlessly with clients’ core business processes. The platform empowers institutional investors, wealth managers, asset owners, and asset servicing firms such as Northwestern Mutual, PGGM, Strategic Investment Group, and SimCorp to scale their investments, serve more clients, and respond faster to changing market conditions. To learn more about how Alkymi is transforming data management, visit www.alkymi.io.

Media Contact:

Maria Orlova

Head of Marketing

[email protected]

SOURCE Alkymi

Capacity Acquires Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies to Expand Speech Analytics, Voice Automation and QA Capabilities

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 7, 2025 — Capacity, the AI-powered support automation platform for Contact Centers, has announced more than $92 million in investments to fuel its expansion. Additionally, the support automation platform is accelerating its leadership in Contact Center technology with the acquisitions of Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies. These strategic acquisitions expand Capacity’s capabilities in voice AI, quality assurance (QA) automation and speech analytics.

The new investments in Capacity include $50 million from Chicago Atlantic, a private markets investment firm, and a Series D round close at $42.6 million. The company previously announced an initial $26 million fundraise in its Series D round, which was oversubscribed. Capacity will use the Series D proceeds to continue growth and product innovation as part of a compound startup strategy.

“Support is more important than ever for brands across industries, but point solutions can’t effectively solve complex issues,” said David Karandish, CEO, Capacity. “New funding is enabling us to bring together the best technologies in our industry to build a complete, AI-powered support automation platform that helps Contact Centers operate across channels using shared knowledge.”

More than 20,000 businesses rely on Capacity’s AI support automation platform to grow revenue, cut costs and improve customer satisfaction across channels. Capacity has deep experience in knowledge management and Contact Center automation. The acquisitions of Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies signal a significant commitment to delivering the fully integrated tech stack large-scale organizations need to provide superior support.

“Companies are under pressure to improve customer experiences while cutting costs. With Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies, we’re strengthening our platform to deliver faster, more personalized and fully automated support,” said Karandish.

Elevating Agent Performance with Call Criteria
Call Criteria offers QA automation tools that analyze Contact Center interactions using speech analytics and generative AI, helping businesses identify coaching opportunities, improve compliance and elevate agent performance.

“Traditional QA is slow and subjective,” said Ryan Stomel, CEO of Call Criteria. “Together with Capacity, we’re automating QA to drive meaningful improvements in every customer interaction.”

Stomel will join Capacity following the acquisition.

“Call Criteria has built strong speech analytics and generative AI technologies that help call centers create a clear path to improving agent performance. When Call Criteria’s tools are fully integrated into our platform, Capacity customers will have access to enhanced agent support capabilities that will reduce costs, increase compliance and importantly – improve customer satisfaction,” said Karandish.

Scaling Enterprise Voice AI with Verbio Technologies
Verbio Technologies, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, helps enterprises transform customer engagement with Intelligent Voice Virtual Agents. Designed to deliver natural, personalized conversations, these Virtual Agents manage customer interactions, resolve issues and reduce the need for live agent intervention – enhancing both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

“Voice remains the most critical channel for customer experience and loyalty,” said Alejandro Terradas, co-CEO of Verbio Technologies. “Integrating our voice capabilities with Capacity’s platform unlocks next-level customer engagement.”

Terradas will join Capacity following the acquisition.

“Verbio Technologies has not only built a voice solution with unparalleled conversational capabilities, it is created to scale for enterprise. Together, the Capacity platform will be optimized with greater voice AI technology that personalizes and automates,” said Karandish.

Capacity Becomes Profitable
Capacity has marked significant growth in 2025 and is now profitable with $60 million of annual recurring revenue.

Capacity has raised more than $155 million in both equity and debt across multiple funding rounds and other investments. In addition to investment from Chicago Atlantic, the Series D round of funding included investments from TVC Capital and Toloka.vc., among others.

Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies are Capacity’s 10th and 11th acquisitions in recent years. Talent from both companies will join the Capacity team with nearly 250 team members combined around the world.

The terms of the Call Criteria and Verbio Technologies transactions are confidential.

Capacity is led by David Karandish, who co-founded the company and has served as the CEO since inception.

For more information on how Capacity’s AI-powered support automation platform helps teams do their best work, visit Capacity.com.

About Capacity
Founded in 2017, Capacity is an all-in-one, AI-powered support automation platform that uses practical and generative AI to deflect tickets, emails and phone calls—so your team can do their best work. More than 20,000 companies across industries use Capacity for external customer support and internal employee enablement. Today, Capacity offers support over web, SMS, email, voice, social, Slack, MS Teams, helpdesks and more. To learn more about Capacity, visit Capacity.com.

About Chicago Atlantic
Chicago Atlantic is a private markets alternative investment manager focused on industries and companies where demand for capital exceeds traditional supply. The firm’s investment strategies include opportunistic private credit and equity with focuses on loans to esoteric industries, specialty asset-based loans, liquidity solutions and growth & technology finance. Chicago Atlantic has closed over $2.8 billion in credit facilities. Chicago Atlantic’s team of over 95 professionals has offices in Chicago, Miami, New York and London. For more information on Chicago Atlantic’s investment opportunities and financing products, visit chicagoatlantic.com.

Media Contact:
Capacity
Carey Uxa Morgan
[email protected]

Investor Contact:
Capacity
Marcus Alexander, CFO
[email protected]

SOURCE Capacity

Series B expansion fuels innovation in safety for robotics and physical AI

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 7, 2025 — FORT Robotics, a leader in safety and security solutions for intelligent machines, today announced the successful close of an additional $18.9 million for its Series B funding round. This capital raises the company’s total funding to $60.5 million to date. The round was led by Tiger Global, with strong participation from both new and returning investors, underscoring confidence in FORT’s crucial role in the rapidly evolving robotics and physical AI landscape.

FORT’s growth is fueled by the robotics industry hitting a critical inflection point. As autonomous systems see large-scale deployments in sectors like autonomous vehicles, agriculture, construction, defense, factory automation, and humanoid robotics, they are increasingly relying on FORT’s solutions. This new capital will accelerate FORT’s goal of empowering machine builders and users with safe, secure, and dynamic control, particularly as autonomous systems become increasingly prevalent across global work sites.

“Robotics and physical AI are quickly transforming every worksite globally,” said Samuel Reeves, CEO of FORT Robotics. “As robot fleets grow and work alongside people, the need for robust functional safety becomes even more vital. We’re seeing sharp acceleration in new customers and growth from long-time users of the FORT platform. We’re excited to welcome new investors who share our vision for the changing worksite, and we’re deeply appreciative of the ongoing investment from long-time partners like Tiger Global.”

New Board Members Join to Steer Strategic Growth

Further bolstering its leadership and strategic direction, FORT Robotics is pleased to announce the appointment of three new board members: Kirk D. Brown, COO and CFO of SportsMedia Technology and former COO of Overwatch Geospatial, acquired by Textron; Jorge Heraud, CEO of TerraBlaster, former CEO of Blue River Technology and VP of Automation at John Deere; and Benjamin G. Wolff, President and CEO of Palladyne AI and co-founder and CEO of Clearwire Corporation, which was acquired by Sprint. Their deep experience in entrepreneurial ventures, robotics, and technology will be instrumental as FORT enters its next phase of expansion. 

Strategic Impact & Use of Funds

This funding is a strong vote of confidence in FORT’s role in providing safety for the emerging robotics ecosystem, recognized as a key enabler for the industry’s scale. The investment will be used to:

• Enhance Existing Products: Increase versatility with new communication protocols, API integrations, and expanded international compliance.
• Develop Next-Generation Safety: Expand FORT’s platform by building out critical data analytics and comprehensive safety solutions designed to displace traditional methods and address the unique challenges of physical AI.
• Accelerate Growth: Accelerate the development and implementation of FORT’s technology to empower safe, secure, dynamic control for machine builders and users.

Investor Confidence

The Series B expansion saw continued support from returning investors, including Tiger Global, Prime Movers Lab, Mark Cuban, FundersClub, Creative Ventures, GRIDS Capital, and Ahoy Capital. New investors include Neman Ventures, Mana Ventures, Gaingels, and Ryuu Co. of Japan.

“At Neman Ventures, we strategically invest in companies at the forefront of transformative technologies. FORT Robotics’ commitment to safety for physical AI and intelligent machines directly aligns with our vision for the future of work and advanced automation,” said Shane Neman, CIO and General Partner of Neman Ventures. “Their platform is a crucial enabler for the next generation of robotics, including emerging areas like humanoids. We are excited to support FORT as they expand their comprehensive safety solutions.”

About FORT Robotics

FORT Robotics provides a first-of-its-kind Robotics Control Platform, empowering machine builders and users with safe, secure, dynamic control. Founded in 2018, FORT serves over five hundred customers, with an estimated 12,000 units deployed and 27 patents earned. They help maximize human-machine collaboration while reducing risk, ensuring people, assets, and data are protected and productive across various industries, including warehousing, agriculture, and construction. More information at fortrobotics.com.

Media Contact:
Milica Tallier, [email protected]

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2745571/FORT_Robotics_Logo.jpg 

The first AI-powered operating system to streamline event and guest management announces venture funding by industry-leading investors across media, entertainment, sports and consumer innovation. 

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2025 — VOW, the first AI-supported Operating System purpose-built for the $2 Trillion+ Live Experience Economy, has closed the first tranche of its Seed round to reimagine live event planning, operations, and experience. Powered by leading investors across SaaS, media, entertainment, sports, and consumer innovation, the round was led by KB Partners with participation from Capitalize VC, Jim Kaplan of Chasella Capital & Two Kap Ventures, Elizabeth Brooks as lead for Better Angels Ventures, and Alumni Ventures Sports Fund. Prior pre-seed investors include Techstars Sports, Everywhere Ventures / The Fund XX, Chloe Capital, and Blue Falcon.

Founded by veteran event producer Jennifer Brisman, VOW consolidates the fragmented landscape of planning tools, communications, seating, and guest coordination into one seamless and intelligent solution. VOW is already trusted by iconic brands, including NBC’s Saturday Night Live, PFL-MMA, and GLAAD Media. In the future, event professionals will be supported by a digital event team in the cloud and, guests, a real-time concierge, all with a simple “Hey VOW.” As VOW redefines what event management looks like, stakeholders experience unmatched personalization, efficiency, and revenue potential.

“Today, event pros use 10+ disconnected tools just to plan a single event,” says VOW founder and CEO, Jennifer Brisman. “With VOW, we collapse the chaos—giving them one seamless command center, supported by an intelligent co-pilot that thinks and works like their best team.”

Key features and benefits of VOW:

• End-to-End Guest Management: An all-in-one solution that integrates guest lists, RSVP tracking, and communications for a streamlined experience.
• Real-Time Collaboration and Automated Workflows: ‘Multiplayer’ collaboration that boosts productivity and streamlines workflows across teams, stakeholders, and guests, optimizing task management.
• 24-hour High-Touch Guest Assistance and White-Glove Professional Support: Seamless guest assistance via chat and email for an elevated event experience.
• Tailored Solutions with Rapid Feature Development: Customizable solutions to meet specific client needs, ensuring exceptional event management experiences.
• Guest-Facing Mobile App: Clients can deploy a white-labeled app in minutes, providing guests with an event assistant at their fingertips.

Keith Bank, Managing Partner at KB Partners, the lead investor of the funding round, believes VOW is a breakthrough in the space. “Throughout the past decade, we’ve seen dozens of solutions promise to fix live event operations—but VOW is the first platform we’ve encountered that truly unifies B2B and B2C experiences in a highly scalable way,” says Bank. “With its future AI-driven orchestration layer for professionals combined with deep personalization across guests, attendees and fans, VOW is poised to become the infrastructure for live experiences across entertainment, corporate and sports.”

By streamlining event and guest management in one unified operating system, VOW empowers event organizers to provide a personalized experience at scale while treating guests like gold.

“Jennifer and her team have created something rare—technology that doesn’t just digitize an old process, but reimagines the event journey for organizers, sponsors, brand partners and attendees,” states Tessa Flippin, Founder and Managing Partner at Capitalize VC. “As a women-led firm backing the future of commerce-enablement, we see VOW as foundational infrastructure for how brands, retailers, entertainers and creators collaborate at scale.”

VOW is currently extending an opportunity to activate a complimentary pilot program for new clients with 500 to 5,000 guests, enabling them to experience how VOW elevates the live event experience.

About VOW
Based in New York, NY, VOW is the first all-in-one AI-supported Operating System unifying event and guest management, ticketing and communications across premium live experiences. Founded by Jennifer Brisman, a 20-year event industry expert, VOW addresses the inefficiencies and fragmentation within the live event landscape. Brisman has produced hundreds of live events, touching nearly $60M in contracts, and has been recognized for her innovation in the field with features in CNN, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and more. Under her leadership, VOW has become a trusted technology partner for professionals in media, entertainment, corporate and sports sectors, having touched thousands of events, over 6,000 corporate groups and 60,000 guests across iconic brands and venues. Since its Spring 2023 launch, VOW has been engaged by major clients like The Tony Awards, PFL-MMA, NBC’S Saturday Night Live, GLAAD Media, NYU, and many others. To learn more, visit www.vow.app.

SOURCE VOW

Six Women-Led Startups to Compete Live at Women’s Venture Summit 2025 for $50K+ in Prizes

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 7, 2025 — The Stella Foundation has announced the semifinalists for its 12th Annual Women’s Fast Pitch, a national pitch competition that champions visionary women founders across the country. Five regional winners and one wildcard will take the stage at Women’s Venture Summit 2025 (WVS), taking place September 23–25, 2025 in San Diego, to compete for more than $50,000 in cash, investment and in-kind support.

The 2025 semifinalists, each selected for their innovative solutions and bold leadership, will present live at WVS to a room of active funders and supporters. The pitch competition has become a signature event at the Summit, helping increase visibility, funding and opportunity for female founders. Since its inception, WVS has helped facilitate over $200 million in funding to women-led ventures.

This year’s prize package includes a minimum of $50K in grants, investment and services:

• A $5,000 minimum grant from Stella Foundation
• A $10,000 minimum investment from She Invests
• $25,000 in in-kind legal services from Holland & Knight LLP
• More than $10,000 in founder support services (tech, design, ops, media, and more)

The 2025 Women’s Fast Pitch semifinalists are:

Northeast: LymeAlert | Cambridge, MA
Founder: Erin Dawmicki
LymeAlert is the first at-home tick testing kit that delivers results in under 20 minutes—no more mailing ticks to labs or relying on inaccurate blood tests. It empowers immediate, informed decisions about Lyme exposure, especially for pet owners and outdoor enthusiasts.

Southeast: CurieDx | Baltimore, MD
Founder: Therese Canares
CurieDx turns your smartphone into a diagnostic tool for conditions like strep throat and pink eye using AI and computer vision. By keeping patients home and reducing unnecessary antibiotics, it enhances telehealth and improves outcomes for families and providers.

Midwest: Impacks | St. Cloud, MN
Founder: Clare Richards
Impacks simplifies back-to-school shopping with customizable supply kits delivered to schools or homes. With over 275 school partnerships and more than 30,000 kits distributed, Impacks is transforming how families and schools handle supplies, while giving back to communities.

Northwest: Rely | Berkeley, CA
Founder: Ashley Keyes
Rely is reinventing the rental process with a digital “renter passport” and AI-powered tools for property managers. Their embedded leasing infrastructure improves transparency, reduces evictions and fraud, and saves renters and landlords both time and money.

Southwest: PureWild Co. |Ojai, CA
Founder: Cindy Convery
PureWild Co. is a life science nutrition company focused on healthy aging through high-quality marine collagen products. Targeting women over 40 and adults 50+, PureWild addresses the widespread loss of natural collagen with clinically supported solutions that improve joint function, bone density and recovery from illness-related treatments.

Wildcard: MVI Medical | San Diego, CA
Founder: Andrea Munoz
MVI Medical is redefining pelvic exams for improved healthcare with the Rosa Spec™,  a patented, single-use pelvic exam device designed by a female physician to improve patient comfort and visualization. With soft, circumferential retraction, it reduces pain, trauma and exam time, modernizing a critical but outdated tool in women’s healthcare.

“The women selected for this year’s Fast Pitch are pushing boundaries and solving real-world problems with vision, grit and innovation,” said Flossie Hall, CEO of the Stella Foundation. “We’re honored to give them this platform and excited to see how they continue to grow, lead and inspire.”

About Women’s Venture Summit
Now in its 12th year, the Women’s Venture Summit is a national event that bridges the gap between female founders and investors. Through immersive workshops, expert panels and the high-stakes pitch competition, WVS helps more women get funded and more women become investors. Learn more and get tickets at: www.womensventuresummit.org.

About Stella Foundation
Since 2012, the Stella Foundation has been connecting women entrepreneurs and investors through community, curriculum and capital. From idea to exit, Stella supports women founders at every stage of the journey. Learn more at https://stella.co.

Media Contact:

Laura Henson

9175397812

[email protected] 

SOURCE Stella Foundation

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7, 2025 — Samyr Laine, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Freedom Trail Capital, has been named a 2025 Leader of Influence: Banking & Finance by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The annual list honors professionals across the region who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, deep sector expertise, and an impact on the Los Angeles business community. Freedom Trail Capital is a Los Angeles– and London-based venture firm investing in early-stage, consumer and tech startups around the globe.

This recognition comes shortly after Samyr’s guest appearance at UCLA, where he spoke with students about the power of entrepreneurship and mission-led businesses.

“At Freedom Trail, we believe in backing bold ideas and building with intention,” added Ayanna Alexander-Laine, Olympian, Co-Founder of Freedom Trail Capital and PhD Candidate in Business Administration “This honor is a reflection of the trust founders place in us and our shared ambition to reimagine what success looks like in consumer venture.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized, but what excites me most is the momentum we’re building at Freedom Trail,” said Samyr Laine, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Freedom Trail Capital. “We’re drawn to brands that do more than sell great products – they shift culture, challenge norms, and reimagine what their category can be. It’s a privilege to work alongside founders who think that boldly and build with that kind of long-term vision.”

The firm focuses on brands that have proven to have a sustainable growth model and authentically associated with A-list talent and influential cultural figures – helping these businesses grow into category-defining companies through strategic capital and hands-on operational support. Since launching, their team has helped shape a growing portfolio of consumer brands that pair strong product-market fit with cultural relevance.

Select portfolio companies include:

• A-Frame Brands – Backed by John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Naomi Osaka, and more
• Berri Organics – Maker of the world’s first plant-based organic electrolyte drink
• Jiant – Backed by Chace Crawford, offering fresh-brewed hard tea, kombucha, and cocktail-inspired drinks
• Kudos Diapers – investors include Mark Cuban and Gwyneth Paltrow
• Oh Norman! – led by Kaley Cuoco
• Renais Gin – led by Alex and Emma Watson
• Sienna Naturals – co-founded by Issa Rae
• Ten to One Rum, co-owned by Ciara

For more information on Freedom Trail Capital and its portfolio, visit freedomtrail.capital.

About Freedom Trail Capital

Freedom Trail Capital is a consumer fund investing at the intersection of culture, lifestyle, and influence. The firm backs consumer goods and technology companies that are either founded by (or authentically partnered with) public figures or celebrities, and that offer a fresh take on their category with clear product-market fit. When a standout brand doesn’t yet have a talent partner, Freedom Trail can help identify and connect with someone who brings genuine alignment and strategic value.

Through deep operational experience, we’ve seen that in consumer, a standout product and well-crafted brand, paired with the right talent partner, has the potential to result in an extremely successful business. More than just capital, Freedom Trail offers strategic partnership for brands, adding value in ways few firms can thanks to our unique positioning and understanding of culture and influence.

Media Contact:
Ludington Media on behalf of Freedom Trail Capital
New York, NY
[email protected]
551 795 5950

SOURCE Freedom Trail Capital

Funding will support Swing Education’s nationwide expansion and help meet continued demand for qualified substitute teachers.

MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 7, 2025 — Runway Growth Capital LLC (“Runway”), a leading provider of growth loans to both venture and non-venture-backed companies seeking an alternative to raising equity, today announced a $20 million commitment to Swing Education, a leading online marketplace that connects schools with qualified substitute teachers. The commitment is comprised of a first lien term loan and a revolving credit line.

Founded in 2015 and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Swing Education partners with school districts across California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. By streamlining the substitute teacher hiring and placement processes through technology and support services, Swing addresses one of the most urgent challenges in K–12 education: the acute shortage of substitute teachers.

“Swing Education plays a critical role in addressing the persistent shortage of classroom educators by making it easier for schools to connect with high-quality substitute teachers,” said Greg Greifeld, Chief Investment Officer at Runway. “We’re proud to support a company that is not only scaling quickly but also delivering real impact across the education system. We worked hard to provide them with a flexible financing solution, via a first lien and a revolver, to ensure they have access to capital when needed, given the seasonal nature of the education sector.”

“This new investment from Runway Growth Capital comes at a pivotal moment for Swing as we continue expanding our reach to address nationwide teacher shortages,” said Asha Visweswaran, CEO of Swing Education. “We appreciate Runway’s support and confidence in our mission to ensure every classroom has a teacher and every student gets the opportunity to learn.”

Runway’s investment reflects its dedication to help growth-stage companies achieve their objectives through non-dilutive capital that aligns with long-term strategic goals.

About Runway Growth Capital LLC
Runway Growth Capital LLC is the investment advisor to investment funds, including Runway Growth Finance Corp. (Nasdaq: RWAY), a business development company, and other private funds, which are lenders of growth capital to companies seeking an alternative to raising equity. Led by industry veteran David Spreng, these funds provide senior term loans of a target of $20 million to $150 million to fast-growing companies based in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.runwaygrowth.com.

About Swing Education
Swing Education is an online staffing marketplace that connects substitute teachers with schools. Founded in 2015 by former K-12 educators and administrators, Swing makes it easier for schools and districts to find reliable, qualified substitute teachers when they need them most. With millions of absence days filled to date, Swing is dedicated to improving the experience of finding substitute teachers, becoming a sub, and keeping student learning on track. Swing serves thousands of school districts across California, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, New York, and Washington D.C. To learn more about Swing Education, visit www.SwingEducation.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements included herein may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance, condition, or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made by Runway and Runway’s affiliated funds. Neither Runway nor Runway’s affiliated funds undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

SOURCE Runway Growth Capital LLC