New infusion of capital will be used to meet the funding needs of graduate schools and their students

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 19, 2026 — Ascent, a leading provider of innovative financial products and student support services, today announced the successful close of its Series C funding round. Federal policy shifts that cap the amount of federal loans available for education are driving more students toward private lenders to help cover their tuition bills. The private student loan need is projected to double to $26B over the next three years, and Ascent is positioned to support these students looking to pursue their educational goals. The round was led by a global asset manager and provides the capital Ascent needs to grow its leadership team, scale its unique education financing platform and expand into critical new education verticals.

Ascent has built significant momentum to meet this demand, establishing partnerships with more than 2,300 institutions and training providers, resulting in a 30% increase in loan originations year over year. Over the last decade, Ascent has disbursed over $1.5 billion in education loans to more than 168,000 families through its diverse suite of traditional college loans, including cosigned and non-cosigned options, and its industry-leading outcomes-based financing.

“At Ascent, we’ve always believed that a student’s potential shouldn’t be limited by their current financial circumstances, but rather fueled by their future success,” said Ken Ruggiero, Co-Founder and CEO of Ascent Funding. “As federal policies shift and traditional funding gaps widen, our mission to offer financing for traditionally overlooked and underserved individuals and families so they can gain access to post-secondary education and build a foundation for durable economic mobility has never been more important. This new capital will allow us to double down on our goals, providing students with the funding they need to invest in their future.”

Ascent is grounded in delivering innovative financing alongside a culture of respect, dignity, and personalized financial education and support, equipping students with the tools and confidence to succeed. This funding allows Ascent to continue to bring innovative products to students:

• Graduate Outcomes Based Loan Product — As federal policy shifts make graduate school harder to access, many qualified learners are at risk of being left behind. Ascent is committed to changing that through its continued focus on Outcomes Based Lending and bringing this solution to graduate students by evaluating each student’s expected post-graduation earning potential, not just their current credit profile, to offer loans that they can afford to pay back post-graduation.
• Aviation Loan Program — Flight training tuition and expenses often exceeds $100,000 and are frequently ineligible for federal aid, leaving aspiring pilots with limited financing options. Ascent’s Aviation Loan program is designed around early-career aviation pathways, evaluating students based on expected starting income rather than current credit history or cosigner access. The initiative builds on Ascent’s established track record supporting skilled trades such as electrical lineworkers, welders, and healthcare professionals.
• Grad School Loan Calculator — A proprietary interactive digital tool that provides immediate clarity on the cost of advanced degrees. The calculator allows students and financial aid officers to model the total cost of attendance and the need for private student loans vs. federal loans, helping borrowers assess funding needs against future earning potential rather than traditional credit constraints.

Ascent’s growth is anchored by a team that understands both the complexity of student financing and the real lives behind every application. With this new funding, Ascent is announcing several leadership appointments to support its next phase of growth: 

• Ryan Gray, has been appointed Co-President and will oversee Finance, Capital Markets, Credit & Analytics, Technology, Operations and Human Resources.
• Tristan Fleming, has been appointed Co-President and will lead Sales & Marketing, Product, Impact, and Legal & Compliance.

“Ryan Gray and Tristan Fleming have been instrumental to Ascent’s growth for the last 10+ years and are widely respected leaders in education finance,” said Ruggiero. “Their new roles position Ascent to accelerate innovation, bring new products to market faster, and respond to the evolving needs of students and schools.”

Along with a strong team of more than 120 professionals headquartered in San Diego, Ascent will continue to differentiate itself from traditional lenders by partnering closely with institutions and families, combining flexible financing with practical financial wellness support. This relationship-driven approach enables Ascent to scale across diverse markets while advancing our mission to increase borrower income by $10 billion by 2028, as well as remain focused on serving credit-invisible borrowers who are often overlooked by traditional credit models.

TD Securities served as exclusive placement agent for Ascent on the Series C financing, and Cooley served as legal advisor to Ascent. For more information about Ascent’s innovative financing and student success initiatives, visit ascentfunding.com.

ABOUT ASCENT
Ascent is a leading provider of innovative financial products and wrap-around student support services that enable more students to access education and achieve academic and economic success. Everything Ascent offers is designed by leading industry professionals and with advanced technology and innovation to increase every student’s ability to plan, pay, and succeed. Ascent’s rare Outcomes-Based Loan provides funding to credit-invisible borrowers who generally do not benefit from traditional credit. Ascent products also include: Cosigned Loans, Solo Loans, Career Loans, Parent Loans, Graduate Loans, Access Loans, Enterprise Loans and Impact Loans.  For more information, visit www.ascentfunding.com.

SOURCE Ascent

Tim Draper and family bring worldwide attention to founders from Hawaii’s startup ecosystem and the Asia Pacific region at EMW 2026.

HONOLULU, Feb. 19, 2026 — Blue Startups announced that Meet The Drapers, the globally recognized startup pitch show, will film a live episode at East Meets West 2026, taking place April 8 to 9, 2026 on Oahu, Hawaii. The live filming will feature founders pitching directly to the Draper family, bringing unprecedented global visibility to Hawaii and the Asia Pacific innovation ecosystem.

Meet The Drapers is watched by millions worldwide and is known for launching early-stage companies onto the global stage. Its inclusion at East Meets West marks a milestone moment for Hawaii’s tech community, positioning the islands as a true bridge between East and West for entrepreneurship, capital, and innovation.

“We are proud to bring Meet The Drapers to East Meets West,” said Chenoa Farnsworth, Managing Director of Blue Startups. “Filming Meet The Drapers in Hawaii highlights the powerful innovation coming out of this region. This is more than a show. It is a platform that elevates founders, attracts global capital, and puts Hawaii’s startup ecosystem on the world stage.”

The live filming will be joined by Tim Draper, founder of Draper Associates and the Draper Venture Network, who will also serve as a keynote speaker at EMW 2026. Draper is one of the most influential venture capitalists globally, with early investments in Tesla, SpaceX, Coinbase, Skype, and Robinhood.

Founded in 2014, East Meets West is Hawaii’s premier tech conference retreat and is now entering its 12th year. The event has connected more than 4,500 attendees, 750 startups, 450 speakers, and 150 venture capitalists across Asia, Hawaii, and the mainland U.S. EMW 2026 will feature two days of programming, with the Summit at Ko’olau Ballrooms and the Conference at the Sheraton Waikiki.

Founders selected to pitch during the live Meet The Drapers filming will gain direct access to top tier investors and global exposure rarely available outside major tech hubs. This opportunity reinforces EMW’s mission to create meaningful connections and long-term impact across borders and generations.

Early Bird tickets for East Meets West 2026 are now on sale at emwhawaii.com.

About East Meets West

East Meets West is Hawaii’s premier tech conference retreat, hosted by Blue Startups since 2014. Each year, EMW connects entrepreneurs, investors, and global thought leaders on the island of Oahu to network, get inspired, and build collaborations across the Pacific. https://www.emwhawaii.com/.

About Blue Startups

Blue Startups is a nationally recognized venture accelerator ranked as a Top 20 U.S. program by TechCrunch. With deep expertise in tech and an extensive network across Asia and North America, Blue Startups serves as a central hub for Hawaii’s innovation ecosystem. https://www.bluestartups.com/.

Media Contact

David Holt
[email protected]
(808) 551-1346

SOURCE Blue Startups

— Chugai Venture Fund and the Gates Foundation join new wave of institutional backing for breakthrough BEYOND discovery platform —

— BEYOND, an AI-driven drug discovery platform, aims to achieve drug-discovery superintelligence by simulating trillions of potential drugs per protein with an accuracy nearing laboratory experiments —

— Ten63, with support from the Gates Foundation, will develop affordable small molecules to address the global HPV pandemic by pursuing previously undruggable viral targets — 

DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 19, 2026 — Ten63 Therapeutics, an advanced AI drug-discovery company, today announced that it added strategic investment from new investors Chugai Venture Fund and the Gates Foundation, bringing the Company’s total funding to over $45M.

“We are very impressed with Ten63’s AI drug discovery platform and its ability to quickly and accurately simulate trillions of potential drugs,” said John Gustofson, President and Head of Chugai Venture Fund. “However, this is not just about making drug discovery faster. It’s about creating medicines for targets no one else can and designing better alternatives where existing drugs deliver inadequate results.”

The increased funding will fuel the advancement of Ten63’s proprietary computational drug discovery platform, BEYOND.  BEYOND is the world’s first Large Quantum Chemistry Model (LQCM), delivering precise quantum-mechanics level simulations that are orders of magnitude faster than other cutting-edge computational approaches. The company says BEYOND enables the pursuit of previously undruggable targets, which correspond to 80% of all proteins in the human body. Ten63 has multiple programs showing its platform can overcome previously intractable problems. One such program focuses on Myc, one of the most-studied oncogenes, which has long been considered undruggable and is believed to drive 70% of all cancers. Despite hundreds of attempts spanning 40 years, it remains elusive. With the mathematical breakthroughs behind BEYOND, Ten63 has Myc-targeting therapeutics in active development that surpass all previous attempts at Myc inhibition.

“AI not only accelerates drug discovery; it enables us to pursue high-impact targets in ways that were previously impossible. Many of the most important targets across multiple diseases are considered undruggable. These critical targets are data-poor and difficult to reach experimentally. Making them exceptionally difficult for traditional experimental screening and current AI techniques. They require a new approach,” said Marcel Frenkel, PhD, CEO of Ten63 Therapeutics.

Powered by BEYOND, the company is pursuing a pipeline of first- and best-in-class small molecules against some of the most impactful oncology targets. The company is focused on high-impact, but thus far undruggable or underdrugged disease targets.   

Frenkel continued, “By perfecting a simulation environment that enables AI to explore and learn from trillions of molecular possibilities, millions of times faster than physical methods, while retaining experimental-level accuracy, we are advancing towards superintelligence for drug discovery. At that point, we believe little will remain undruggable.”

New investors, the Gates Foundation and Chugai Venture Fund, RYSE, K5 Global, SF Holdings, Duke Capital Partners, Cape Fear BioCapital, Black Opal Ventures, and Panorama, joined Ten63’s existing syndicate, including Hatteras Venture Partners, Yosemite, Morpheus Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, and Draper Associates, in the latest funding round.

In connection with the financing, Mike Dial, Ph.D., Managing Director of Chugai Venture Fund, joined Ten63’s board of directors.

Coordinated Global Effort
In connection with the investment, Ten63 also received a grant from the Gates Foundation to support a global strategy to address one of the deadliest cancers worldwide: cervical cancer.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. Some strains of HPV are high-risk and can lead to cancers, like cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers. Each year, HPV causes cancer in more than 650,000 women and men. Early detection and treatment of precancerous cells can prevent this from happening. Ten63’s BEYOND platform is being used to develop cost-effective and safe treatments for HPV lesions worldwide by tackling the viral proteins that lead to cancer and have so far been undruggable.   

“The enthusiasm and momentum behind this new funding validates what we’ve believed from the beginning,” says Clay Thorp, Ten63 Chairman of the Board and General Partner at Hatteras Venture Partners “Ten63’s approach has the potential to transform not just cancer treatment, but the entire spectrum of drug discovery.”

About Ten63 Therapeutics
Ten63 is an advanced AI drug-discovery company that was a Duke and TTIC spin-out, headquartered in the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Ten63 is leveraging its BEYOND computational platform for generative chemistry to develop first- and best-in-class therapeutics. The company is advancing an internal oncology pipeline while pursuing select, strategic partnerships across multiple indications. For more information, visit https://www.ten63tx.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Chugai Venture Foundation
Chugai Venture Fund (CVF) is an investment firm dedicated to advancing transformative medicines in the life sciences industry. As a subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., CVF utilizes its parent company’s extensive expertise and global reach to assist in evaluating cutting-edge technologies. The CVF team searches for promising management teams and innovative medicines that can help patients feel better. The CVF mission is to assist entrepreneurs and teams in realizing their novel ideas, ultimately contributing to improving healthcare and society. By providing funding and access to valuable resources, CVF aims to foster a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates the development and commercialization of pioneering therapies and medical solutions.

SOURCE Ten63 Therapeutics

Managing Partner of Gatemore, Liad Meidar, appointed as Chair of the Board of the AI-powered codebase intelligence technology company

SEATTLE and NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2026 — Adronite (the “Company”), a provider of full-system, AI-powered, codebase intelligence technology, today announced completion of a $5 million Series A funding round, led by Gatemore Capital Management (“Gatemore”). Liad Meidar, Managing Partner of Gatemore, has been appointed Chair of Adronite’s Board of Directors.

Technically differentiated and readily deployable, Adronite’s AI-powered platform is the only solution in the market that can ingest a codebase of any size into its context understanding engine. Unlike conventional developer tools that operate on individual files, snippets, or isolated vulnerabilities, Adronite analyzes entire codebases end-to-end, allowing customers to reason over millions of lines of code across modern and legacy environments in a single, unified view. At its current iteration, the Adronite platform supports more than 20 programming languages and is not constrained by traditional context-window limitations. The system also produces deterministic, explainable outputs, enabling teams to improve software at scale.

The Adronite platform combines deep structural understanding of entire codebases with a strong emphasis on data security, privacy, and deployment in regulated environments. It includes fully on-premises, private cloud and air-gapped private network settings, ensuring that proprietary and classified code never leaves the organization’s control. The platform is LLM-agnostic, language-agnostic, and deployment-agnostic, allowing customers to operate locally and securely without data exfiltration.

This combination of full-system understanding, scalability, and security positions Adronite to support organizations in analyzing and improving even their most complex and sensitive software systems.

The current investment will support continued product development and commercial expansion as the Company scales deployments across regulated and complex enterprise environments.

“Software systems at large organizations are expanding rapidly in both scale and complexity, making a full-system view difficult to attain—let alone to implement changes safely and effectively,” said Edward Rothschild, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Adronite. “Adronite gives teams true visibility into how their software actually works as a system, so they can secure, modernize, and evolve it without introducing unacceptable risk. With the new investment, we are excited to accelerate product development and commercialization.”

Adronite also announced the appointment of Liad Meidar as Chair of the Board, effective immediately. Liad is an experienced chair and non-executive director with a proven track record of supporting growth companies through periods of scale and transformation. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Gatemore Capital Management, a principal investor with a highly engaged and concentrated approach across public and private markets. Notably, Gatemore is a lead investor in Factorial, a leader in solid-state battery technology, where Liad Meidar has served on the board since 2021.

Since founding Gatemore in 2005, Liad has led investments across multiple sectors and currently serves on the boards of several portfolio companies, including GSE Worldwide (Chairman), Factorial Energy, Malibu Life Holdings (LSE: MLHL), and SurvivorNet.

“Adronite’s codebase-level intelligence, combined with its security-first deployment model, positions the Company to become foundational infrastructure for some of the world’s largest and most complex software environments. Since its founding in 2023, Adronite has gained meaningful commercial traction and is actively engaged with large-scale, global enterprises, with purchase orders secured and initial commercial deployments expected to commence in Q1 2026,” said Liad Meidar, Chair of the Board of Adronite. “We have played leading roles in a number of growth companies and strongly believe Adronite has the potential to be a category winner in a very large addressable market.”

About Adronite

Founded in 2023, Adronite is a full-system, AI-powered platform with codebase intelligence technology that enables organizations to understand, secure, and safely evolve large, complex software systems. With no context-window limitations, the platform is LLM-agnostic, language-agnostic, and deployment-agnostic, producing deterministic, explainable outputs that support security analysis, modernization, and active remediation at scale. Adronite’s platform has a strong emphasis on security, privacy, and deployment in regulated environments, including fully on-premises, private cloud and air-gapped private network settings.

https://adronite.com

About Gatemore Capital Management

With offices in New York and London, Gatemore Capital Management is a principal investor with a highly engaged and flexible approach across public and private markets, focused on special situations and growth opportunities. Founded in 2005 by Managing Partner Liad Meidar, Gatemore maintains a deliberately concentrated portfolio, committing capital and attention to a select number of targeted opportunities where close partnership with management teams and stakeholders can deliver substantial value for businesses as well as investors.

https://gatemore.com

Contact:
Greenbrook
[email protected] 
+44 207 952 2000

SOURCE Gatemore Capital Management; Adronite

World-renowned immunologist strengthens scientific leadership and translational focus

BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2026 — Vie Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm focused on autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases, today announced that Jeff Bluestone, PhD, has been named Managing Director, joining founders Steven St. Peter, MD, and Luke Evnin, PhD, who also serve as Managing Directors. Together with Lou DeGennaro, PhD, Senior Advisor, Vie’s leadership brings complementary expertise spanning venture capital, immunology, biotech company building, and patient-focused philanthropy.

Dr. Bluestone is a world-renowned immunologist and biotech leader whose work has helped define modern understanding of immune regulation, tolerance, and translational immunology. His career spans seminal academic discoveries, leadership of major translational research networks, and company building at the forefront of immune-based therapies.

Over several decades, Dr. Bluestone has played a central role in translating foundational immunology into approved medicines. Among his accomplishments, Dr. Bluestone defined key aspects of CD3 signaling and immune modulation, created teplizumab, the first FDA-approved therapy shown to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, and informed therapies targeting T-cell co-stimulation and immune checkpoints. He previously served as founding Director of the Immune Tolerance Network, founding CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and most recently co-founded and led Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a company focused on engineered regulatory T-cell therapies. Dr. Bluestone has also held senior leadership roles at the University of California, San Francisco, including Diabetes Center Director and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“Jeff is a rare combination of scientific rigor, a translational medicine focus, and collaborative leadership,” said Steven St. Peter, MD, Founder and Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “Luke and I have each worked with Jeff in different professional contexts over many years, and we have tremendous respect for how he thinks about biology, patients, and risk. His decision to join Vie reflects a shared belief that the next generation of autoimmune therapies will require tighter integration between science, capital, and patient communities.”

“I have spent my career working at the intersection of discovery science, clinical translation, and patient need,” said Dr. Bluestone. “Vie Ventures brings those elements together in a way that is both scientifically ambitious and operationally disciplined. I am excited to join Steven and Luke in advancing a model designed to accelerate the development of innovative therapies by leveraging shared biology and collaborative insight.”

“Jeff’s career has been defined by translating deep immunology insights into real therapies for patients,” said Luke Evnin, PhD, Founder and Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “His experience building scientific organizations and guiding translational strategy strengthens Vie Ventures’ ability to identify and support companies that can make meaningful impact across multiple autoimmune conditions, particularly by focusing on shared biological drivers across indications.” Dr. Evnin concurrently serves as Chair of the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF), where he has been a member of the Board of Directors for more than 25 years. Dr. Bluestone served on the SRF scientific advisory board for many years.

Vie Ventures works closely with a growing network of Strategic Collaborators—disease-focused nonprofit organizations that contribute scientific insight, patient perspective, and development expertise to help inform investment decisions and accelerate the path from discovery to patients—including the American Diabetes Association, Arthritis Foundation, Beyond Celiac, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Food Allergy Fund, Immune Boost Capital / Arthritis National Research Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Psoriasis Foundation, Scleroderma Research Foundation, and the Sjögren’s Foundation.

About Vie Ventures
Vie Ventures is a life sciences investment firm operating at the intersection of venture capital and disease philanthropy. Vie Ventures invests alongside other leading venture capital investors and strategic partners in private biotech companies focused on advancing novel therapeutics for autoimmune disease and other disorders of the immune system, an area of significant unmet medical need. Our team leverages decades of experience, a proven track record in life sciences venture capital, a returns-oriented approach, and a network of strategic collaborators from across the biotech and disease philanthropy ecosystems to advance life-changing therapies and cures for patients. To learn more, visit vieventures.com

Media Contact
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.
Casey McDonald
[email protected]
(646) 577-8520 

Eric Reiss
[email protected]
(732) 607-8582

SOURCE Vie Ventures

-Financing led by Forbion, joined by Sanofi and existing investors Medicxi, Pitango, and Atlantic Partners-

-Proceeds to advance vapendavir, a first-in-class therapeutic for the treatment of rhinovirus, the predominant cause of respiratory exacerbations in millions with COPD and other chronic lung diseases-

-Funds will allow initiation of the Phase 2b CARDINAL study evaluating the safety and efficacy of vapendavir in participants with COPD and rhinovirus infection in Q2 2026-

ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2026 — Altesa BioSciences, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of people with chronic lung diseases including COPD and asthma, today announced a $75 million oversubscribed Series B funding round led by Forbion, with participation from Sanofi and Altesa’s existing investors, including Medicxi, Pitango, and Atlantic Partners.

“There is nothing ‘common’ about the common cold for people with chronic lung disease,” said Altesa CEO Brett P. Giroir, M.D., former Assistant Secretary of Health and Acting FDA Commissioner. “This financing supports advancing clinical development of vapendavir for the treatment of rhinovirus infections, the leading cause of respiratory exacerbations in COPD and other chronic lung conditions. Vapendavir targets the cause of inflammation and exacerbations – the virus itself.”

The current Series B financing will support the CARDINAL study, a Phase 2b multinational randomized placebo-controlled trial that will enroll 900 COPD patients in the US and UK, following them and randomizing when they experience a rhinovirus infection. Dr. Katharine Knobil, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Altesa, and former CMO of GSK, will lead the investigation, expected to commence in Q2 2026. The CARDINAL study builds on Altesa’s recently completed rhinovirus Challenge Study in COPD patients, in which vapendavir improved upper and lower airway symptoms, reduced illness durations and inflammatory markers, and better maintained small airways lung function compared to placebo.

“Our trial’s objective is to demonstrate that treatment of rhinovirus respiratory infections can improve symptoms, hasten resolution of illness, and maintain quality of life, while potentially avoiding advanced medical interventions,” said Dr. Knobil. “For many COPD patients, even a simple cold can lead to an exacerbation, hospitalization, and worsening quality of life – vapendavir has the potential to change that trajectory.”

While the immediate focus is on COPD, vapendavir has potential for broader application in other high-risk respiratory populations, including people with asthma.

“We are honored to have Forbion as our lead investor, a global leader with an unmatched track record for developing companies and products across multiple therapeutic areas. In addition, Altesa will benefit greatly from the participation of Sanofi, given its ongoing expertise in COPD therapeutics,” said Dr. Giroir. “By focusing on the true medical need – patients most at risk for hospitalization, death, and long-term decline – we hope to radically improve outcomes and reduce overall healthcare burden.” 

“Rhinovirus-driven exacerbations represent one of the most significant and underserved drivers of morbidity in COPD and other chronic lung diseases,” said Jon Edwards, PhD, Forbion Partner. “Altesa’s vapendavir is a first-in-class approach that targets the underlying viral cause of these events, with the potential to meaningfully improve outcomes and reduce healthcare burden for millions of patients. We are proud to lead this financing and support the world class team Altesa has assembled as they advance vapendavir into the Phase 2b CARDINAL study.”

In connection with the financing Jon Edwards, Ph.D., will join the board and Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D., will transition from Board Member to Chair of Altesa’s Board of Directors, strengthening the company’s leadership as it advances vapendavir into late-stage clinical development.

About Vapendavir

Vapendavir is an oral medicine in development by Altesa BioSciences. Recently, Altesa announced that vapendavir improved symptoms, reduced duration of illness and viral load, and maintained small airway function in COPD patients experimentally challenged with rhinovirus. Vapendavir is now in late-stage clinical development, and if approved, has the potential to prevent up to 50% of COPD exacerbations, improve quality of life, and potentially save significant healthcare costs.

About the CARDINAL Study

The CARDINAL clinical trial is a Phase 2b multinational randomized placebo-controlled study in COPD patients experiencing rhinovirus infections that will enroll 900 people with COPD in the US and UK. The trial was designed to reflect real-world care models, proactively identifying and supporting those at greatest risk. Participants will be closely monitored over time and, upon development of rhinovirus infection, will be randomized to receive one of two doses of vapendavir or placebo. The trial’s primary objective is to assess improvement in respiratory symptoms using established patient-reported outcomes, with additional endpoints evaluating time to symptom resolution, quality of life, healthcare resource utilization, and lung function.

About Altesa BioSciences, Inc.

Altesa BioSciences is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, led by global experts in respiratory medicine and infectious diseases. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people with chronic lung diseases, like COPD and asthma, by treating the principal cause of exacerbations and pathological inflammation – viral respiratory infections. In addition to advancing vapendavir, our lead medicine, we advocate for improved access to modern respiratory diagnostics and therapeutics in underserved communities. www.altesa.com

Media Contact: Peg Rusconi

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Altesa Biosciences Inc.

• HUMAIN investierte 3 Milliarden US-Dollar in die Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E von xAI kurz vor dessen Übernahme durch SpaceX und positionierte sich damit in einem entscheidenden Moment einer plattformweiten Expansion und Integration
• Infolge der Transaktion wurde HUMAIN zu einem bedeutenden Minderheitsaktionär, wobei seine xAI-Beteiligungen in SpaceX-Aktien umgewandelt wurden
• Die Investition baut auf der 500-MW-KI-Infrastrukturpartnerschaft von HUMAIN und xAI in Saudi-Arabien auf und stärkt die Rolle von HUMAIN sowohl als strategischer Entwicklungspartner als auch als führender globaler Investor in Frontier-KI-Technologien

RIYADH, Saudi-Arabien, 18. Februar 2026 — HUMAIN, ein Unternehmen des PIF, das weltweit Full-Stack-Fähigkeiten im Bereich künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) bereitstellt, gab heute eine strategische Investition in Höhe von 3 Milliarden US-Dollar in xAI im Rahmen der Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E des Unternehmens bekannt. Die Transaktion stellt für HUMAIN einen bedeutenden, durchgängigen Kapitaleinsatz dar und spiegelt die anhaltende Dynamik seiner langfristigen Investitionsstrategie wider, die auf branchenprägende Technologieplattformen ausgerichtet ist.

Die Investition erfolgt zu einem äußerst wichtigen Zeitpunkt für xAI und geht der Übernahme durch SpaceX Anfang Februar voraus. Die Kombination der fortschrittlichen Fähigkeiten von xAI im Bereich der künstlichen Intelligenz mit der Größe, der Infrastruktur und dem missionsorientierten Engineering von SpaceX schafft eine einzigartig positionierte Plattform für beschleunigtes Wachstum, tiefgreifende technologische Integration und langfristige Wertschöpfung.

Infolge der Transaktion im Zusammenhang mit der Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E wurde HUMAIN zu einem bedeutenden Minderheitsaktionär von xAI, wobei seine Beteiligung anschließend in Aktien von SpaceX umgewandelt wurde. Die Transaktion schafft eine solide Grundlage für HUMAINs Beteiligung am langfristigen Wertsteigerungspotenzial und spiegelt die Teilnahme an der letzten Finanzierungsrunde von xAI vor dem Zusammenschluss wider.

„Diese Investition spiegelt HUMAINs Überzeugung in transformative KI sowie unsere Fähigkeit wider, substanzielles Kapital hinter außergewöhnlichen Chancen einzusetzen, bei denen langfristige Vision, technische Exzellenz und Umsetzung zusammenkommen”, sagte Tareq Amin, Geschäftsführer von HUMAIN. „Die Entwicklung von xAI, zusätzlich gestärkt durch die Übernahme durch SpaceX, eine der größten Technologiefusionen, die je verzeichnet wurden, steht für die Art von High-Impact-Plattform, die wir mit erheblichem Kapital unterstützen möchten.”

Die Beteiligung von HUMAIN an der Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E stärkt seine Rolle als skalierbarer, langfristig ausgerichteter strategischer Investor, der Unternehmen über mehrere Wachstumsphasen hinweg unterstützen kann, und zugleich Full-Stack-KI-Fähigkeiten in vier Kernbereichen bereitstellt: Rechenzentren der nächsten Generation; Hochleistungsinfrastruktur und Cloudplattformen; fortschrittliche KI-Modelle; sowie transformative KI-Lösungen.

Die Investition baut auf der groß angelegten Partnerschaft auf, die im November 2025 auf dem U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum angekündigt wurde und im Rahmen dieser HUMAIN und xAI sich verpflichtet haben, gemeinsam mehr als 500 MW KI-Rechenzentrums- und Recheninfrastruktur der nächsten Generation zu entwickeln und die Grok-Modelle von xAI in Saudi-Arabien einzusetzen. Gemeinsam vertiefen diese Initiativen die langfristige Abstimmung und erweitern HUMAINs Rolle vom strategischen Partner zu einem führenden globalen Anteilseigner an xAI.

Mit Blick auf die Zukunft sieht die Strategie von HUMAIN weitere Investitionen in den Bereichen künstliche Intelligenz, Spitzentechnologien und kritische Infrastrukturen vor.

Informationen zu HUMAIN

HUMAIN, ein Unternehmen des PIF, ist ein globales Unternehmen für künstliche Intelligenz, das Full-Stack-KI-Fähigkeiten in vier Kernbereichen bereitstellt: Rechenzentren der nächsten Generation, Hochleistungsinfrastruktur und Cloudplattformen, fortschrittliche KI-Modelle, darunter einige der weltweit fortschrittlichsten arabischen Sprachmodelle, die in der arabischen Welt entwickelt wurden, sowie transformative KI-Lösungen, die tiefe Branchenkenntnisse mit der Umsetzung in der Praxis verbinden.

Das End-to-End-Modell von HUMAIN bedient sowohl Organisationen des öffentlichen als auch des privaten Sektors, erschließt Werte in verschiedenen Branchen, treibt die digitale Transformation voran und stärkt die Fähigkeiten durch die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Mensch und KI. Mit einem wachsenden Portfolio branchenspezifischer KI-Produkte und einer Kernmission, die auf die Entwicklung geistigen Eigentums sowie eine globale Führungsrolle bei Talenten ausgerichtet ist, ist HUMAIN auf internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und technologische Exzellenz ausgelegt.

Zukunftsgerichtete Aussagen:

Diese Pressemitteilung kann zukunftsgerichtete Aussagen enthalten, die auf aktuellen Erwartungen und Annahmen beruhen. Tatsächliche Ergebnisse können aufgrund verschiedener Risiken und Unsicherheiten wesentlich abweichen. HUMAIN übernimmt keine Verpflichtung, diese Aussagen zu aktualisieren.

Foto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915934/HUMAIN.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915933/HUMAIN_Logo.jpg

Medienanfragen:
Weitere Informationen zu HUMAIN finden Sie auf humain.com.
Für Medienanfragen wenden Sie sich bitte an:
Hana Nemec, Leiterin der Abteilung Kommunikation und PR
[email protected]
Folgen Sie HUMAIN auf: X | LinkedIn

–  HUMAIN respalda a xAI con una inversión de Serie E de 3.000 millones de dólares antes de la histórica fusión con SpaceX

• HUMAIN invirtió 3.000 millones de dólares en la ronda de financiación Serie E de xAI justo antes de su adquisición por SpaceX, posicionándose en un momento crucial para la expansión e integración a escala de plataforma.
• Como resultado de la transacción, HUMAIN se convirtió en un accionista minoritario significativo, y sus participaciones en xAI se convirtieron en acciones de SpaceX.
• La inversión se basa en la colaboración entre HUMAIN y xAI para la creación de infraestructura de IA de 500 MW en Arabia Saudí, lo que refuerza el papel de HUMAIN como socio estratégico de desarrollo e inversor global líder en tecnologías de IA de vanguardia.

RIAD, Arabia Saudita, 18 de febrero de 2026 — HUMAIN, empresa PIF que ofrece capacidades integrales de inteligencia artificial a nivel mundial, anunció hoy una inversión estratégica de 3.000 millones de dólares en xAI como parte de su ronda de financiación Serie E. La transacción representa una inversión de capital significativa e integral para HUMAIN, lo que refleja el continuo impulso de su estrategia de inversión a largo plazo, centrada en plataformas tecnológicas que definen categorías.

La inversión llega en un momento clave para xAI, previo a su adquisición por SpaceX a principios de febrero. La combinación de las avanzadas capacidades de inteligencia artificial de xAI con la escala, la infraestructura y la ingeniería orientada a misiones de SpaceX crea una plataforma estratégicamente posicionada para un crecimiento acelerado, una profunda integración tecnológica y la creación de valor a largo plazo.

Como resultado de la transacción de la Serie E, HUMAIN se convirtió en un accionista minoritario significativo de xAI, cuyas participaciones se convirtieron posteriormente en acciones de SpaceX. La transacción crea una sólida plataforma para la exposición de HUMAIN al potencial de crecimiento a largo plazo de la renta variable, lo que refleja su participación en la última ronda de financiación de xAI antes de la fusión.

“Esta inversión refleja la convicción de HUMAIN en la IA transformacional y nuestra capacidad para invertir capital significativo en oportunidades excepcionales donde convergen la visión a largo plazo, la excelencia técnica y la ejecución”, afirmó Tareq Amin, consejero delegado de HUMAIN. “La trayectoria de xAI, reforzada por su adquisición por SpaceX, una de las mayores fusiones tecnológicas de la historia, representa el tipo de plataforma de alto impacto que buscamos respaldar con un capital significativo”.

La participación de HUMAIN en la ronda de la Serie E refuerza su papel como inversor estratégico a gran escala y a largo plazo capaz de apoyar a las empresas en múltiples etapas de crecimiento, al tiempo que ofrece capacidades de IA integrales en cuatro áreas principales: centros de datos de próxima generación; infraestructura de alto rendimiento y plataformas en la nube; modelos de IA avanzados; y soluciones de IA transformadoras.

La inversión se basa en la alianza a gran escala anunciada en noviembre de 2025 en el Foro de Inversión EE.UU.-Arabia Saudita, en virtud de la cual HUMAIN y xAI se comprometieron a desarrollar conjuntamente más de 500 MW de centros de datos de IA de última generación e infraestructura de computación, así como a implementar los modelos Grok de xAI en Arabia Saudita. Juntas, estas iniciativas profundizan la alineación a largo plazo y amplían el rol de HUMAIN, que ha pasado de ser socio estratégico a ser accionista líder global de xAI.

De cara al futuro, la estrategia de HUMAIN incluye la búsqueda de inversiones adicionales en inteligencia artificial, tecnologías de vanguardia e infraestructura crítica.

Acerca de HUMAIN

HUMAIN, una empresa de PIF, es una empresa global de inteligencia artificial que ofrece capacidades de IA integrales en cuatro áreas principales: centros de datos de próxima generación; infraestructura de hiperrendimiento y plataformas en la nube; modelos de IA avanzados, incluidos algunos de los modelos de idioma árabe grande más avanzados del mundo desarrollados en el mundo árabe; y soluciones de IA transformadoras que combinan un profundo conocimiento del sector con la ejecución en el mundo real.

El modelo integral de HUMAIN presta servicios tanto a organizaciones del sector público como del privado, generando valor en todos los sectores, impulsando la transformación digital y fortaleciendo las capacidades mediante la colaboración entre humanos e IA. Con una cartera creciente de productos de IA específicos para cada sector y una misión central centrada en el desarrollo de la propiedad intelectual y el liderazgo global del talento, HUMAIN está diseñada para la competitividad internacional y la excelencia tecnológica.

Declaraciones prospectivas:

Este comunicado de prensa puede contener declaraciones prospectivas basadas en expectativas y suposiciones actuales. Los resultados reales pueden variar significativamente debido a diversos riesgos e incertidumbres. HUMAIN no asume ninguna obligación de actualizar estas declaraciones.

Foto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915934/HUMAIN.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915933/HUMAIN_Logo.jpg

Consultas de medios:
Para más información sobre HUMAIN, visite humain.com.
Para consultas de medios, contacte con:
Hana Nemec, directora de Comunicación y RR.PP. 
[email protected]
Siga a HUMAIN en: X | LinkedIn

• HUMAIN a investi 3 milliards de dollars dans la série E de xAI juste avant son acquisition par SpaceX, se positionnant ainsi à un moment charnière de l’expansion et de l’intégration à l’échelle de la plateforme
• À la suite de la transaction, HUMAIN est devenue un actionnaire très minoritaire, ses actions xAI ayant été converties en actions SpaceX.
•  Cet investissement s’inscrit dans le prolongement du partenariat entre HUMAIN et xAI pour une infrastructure d’IA de 500 MW en Arabie saoudite, confirmant ainsi le rôle de HUMAIN en tant que partenaire de développement stratégique et investisseur mondial de premier plan dans les technologies d’IA d’avant-garde.

RIYADH, Arabie Saoudite, 18 février 2026 — HUMAIN, une société PIF offrant des capacités d’intelligence artificielle complètes à l’échelle mondiale, a annoncé aujourd’hui un investissement stratégique de 3 milliards de dollars dans xAI dans le cadre du cycle de financement de série E de la société. La transaction représente un déploiement de capital important et complet pour HUMAIN, reflétant la poursuite de sa stratégie d’investissement à long terme axée sur les plates-formes technologiques qui définissent des catégories.

Cet investissement intervient à un moment crucial pour xAI, avant son acquisition par SpaceX au début du mois de février. La combinaison des capacités avancées d’intelligence artificielle de xAI avec la taille, l’infrastructure et l’ingénierie de SpaceX crée une plateforme unique pour une croissance accélérée, une intégration technologique profonde et une création de valeur à long terme.

À la suite de la transaction de série E, HUMAIN est devenue un actionnaire très minoritaire de xAI, dont les parts ont ensuite été converties en actions de SpaceX. La transaction crée une plate-forme solide pour l’exposition de HUMAIN à la hausse des capitaux propres à long terme, reflétant la participation au dernier tour de financement de xAI avant la fusion.

« Cet investissement reflète la conviction de HUMAIN dans l’IA transformationnelle et notre capacité à déployer des capitaux importants derrière des opportunités exceptionnelles où convergent vision à long terme, excellence technique et exécution », a déclaré Tareq Amin, PDG de HUMAIN. « La trajectoire de xAI, renforcée par son acquisition par SpaceX, l’une des plus grandes fusions technologiques jamais enregistrées, représente le type de plateforme à fort impact que nous cherchons à soutenir avec des capitaux importants. »

La participation de HUMAIN à la série E renforce son rôle d’investisseur stratégique à long terme, capable de soutenir des entreprises à différents stades de croissance, tout en fournissant des capacités d’IA complètes dans quatre domaines clés : des centres de données de nouvelle génération ; des infrastructures et des plateformes cloud performantes ; des modèles d’IA avancés ; et des solutions d’IA révolutionnaires.

Cet investissement s’appuie sur le partenariat à grande échelle annoncé en novembre 2025 lors du Forum d’investissement américano-saoudien, dans le cadre duquel HUMAIN et xAI se sont engagés à développer conjointement plus de 500 MW de centres de données et d’infrastructures de calcul d’IA de nouvelle génération et à déployer les modèles Grok de xAI en Arabie saoudite. Ensemble, ces initiatives renforcent l’alignement à long terme et étendent le rôle de HUMAIN, qui passe de partenaire stratégique à actionnaire mondial de premier plan dans xAI.

Pour l’avenir, la stratégie de HUMAIN comprend la poursuite d’investissements supplémentaires dans l’intelligence artificielle, les technologies d’avant-garde et les infrastructures critiques.

À propos d’HUMAIN

HUMAIN, une société du FIP, est une entreprise internationale d’intelligence artificielle qui offre des capacités d’IA complètes dans quatre domaines principaux : des centres de données de nouvelle génération ; des infrastructures et des plateformes cloud hyperperformantes ; des modèles d’IA avancés, y compris certains des modèles de langue arabe les plus avancés au monde, développés dans le monde arabe ; et des solutions d’IA révolutionnaires qui combinent une connaissance approfondie du secteur avec une exécution dans le monde réel.

Le modèle de bout en bout de HUMAIN sert les organisations des secteurs public et privé, libérant de la valeur dans tous les secteurs, favorisant la transformation numérique et renforçant les capacités par le biais de la collaboration entre l’homme et l’IA. Avec un portefeuille croissant de produits d’IA spécifiques à certains secteurs et une mission centrale axée sur le développement de la propriété intellectuelle et le leadership mondial en matière de talents, HUMAIN est conçu pour la compétitivité internationale et l’excellence technologique.

Déclaration prospective :

Le présent communiqué de presse peut contenir des déclarations prospectives fondées sur des attentes et des hypothèses actuelles. Les résultats réels pourraient différer matériellement en raison de divers risques et incertitudes. HUMAIN ne s’engage pas à mettre à jour ces déclarations.

Photo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915934/HUMAIN.jpg
Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915933/HUMAIN_Logo.jpg

Relations avec les médias :
Pour plus d’informations sur HUMAIN, veuillez consulter le site humain.com.
Pour les demandes de renseignements des médias, veuillez contacter
Hana Nemec, responsable de la communication et des relations publiques
[email protected]
Suivez HUMAIN sur : X | LinkedIn