Funding to accelerate continued adoption of Visual AI among leading global electronics OEMs

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 28, 2026 — Cybord AI, a leader in Visual AI for electronic component inspection and supply chain resilience, today announced it has raised an additional $7 million in an extended Series A round. The current round is led by Capri Ventures, with participation from new and existing investors. The company also announced the formation of a dedicated U.S. sales management team, reinforcing its commitment to scaling operations and deepening engagement with North American and global OEMs.

Hardware security risks are becoming more visible and consequential amid growing geopolitical tensions and increasing supply chain complexity. Reports of rogue components discovered in critical infrastructure, such as unauthorized communication devices found in solar inverters, highlight the real-world implications of insufficient component-level verification. These risks are further amplified by ongoing supply chain disruptions, from memory shortages to increased reliance on secondary markets. Together, these trends are pushing OEMs to adopt real-time, data-driven approaches to ensure product integrity at the component level.

Cybord’s Visual AI platform enables manufacturers to inspect, authenticate, and trace every electronic component directly on the production line, using existing SMT equipment. By leveraging AI-driven analysis of component imagery, Cybord’s software empowers leading global OEMS to detect defects, counterfeits, tampering, and unauthorized substitutions before they become costly field failures or large-scale recalls. The new funding will be used to accelerate Cybord’s expansion across key industries where product integrity and supply chain trust are mission-critical, including data center infrastructure, aerospace & defense, automotive, telecom equipment, and medical devices.

Alongside the funding, Cybord is establishing a strengthened U.S. commercial presence with the appointment of a new sales leader:

Tyler York is joining Cybord as Chief Business Officer. Tyler brings extensive leadership experience across go-to-market strategy, enterprise sales, and revenue operations, having led marketing and sales functions for high-growth organizations and managed multimillion-dollar budgets and pipelines. Most recently, he drove 50% annual growth and significant profitability improvements at AdLeg, following senior leadership roles at Altium where he contributed to scaling a $250M annual revenue business.

“Our expansion is being driven by Fortune 500 OEMs who understand that hardware integrity can’t rely on assumptions,” said Oshri Cohen, CEO of Cybord. “These OEMs are flooded with data, but still lack true visibility into what’s actually happening on the production line. Cybord’s visual AI bridges this gap, by transforming data into meaningful insights that enhance product integrity and supply chain resilience.

“We are pleased to welcome Tyler to lead our commercial organization and support our next phase of growth. The expansion of Cybord’s sales organization will focus on building closer relationships with OEM decision-makers across operations, supply chain, engineering, and quality functions, delivering tailored solutions for high-reliability environments.”

About Cybord

Cybord provides a Visual AI platform that ensures the integrity, authenticity, and traceability of every electronic component used in manufacturing. By analyzing components directly on SMT production lines, Cybord’s software enables OEMs to detect defects, prevent counterfeits, and enforce supply chain compliance without adding hardware or slowing production. The company serves leading organizations across industries where reliability and trust are paramount. For more information visit www.cybord.ai.

For more information email [email protected] or visit https://cybord.ai

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SOURCE Cybord

DENVER, April 28, 2026 — Altira Group LLC (“Altira”), a Denver-based venture capital firm investing in breakthrough energy and industrial technology solutions, today congratulated ResFrac Corporation (“ResFrac”) on its platform investment. In connection with the transaction, Altira has fully exited its investment in ResFrac, marking another strong exit for Altira Technology Fund VI LP, further validating Altira’s pioneering strategy of backing differentiated technologies at the intersection of energy, software, and industrial operations to produce top tier returns.

ResFrac has become a leader in physics-based subsurface simulation, helping operators improve how they design, optimize, and execute complex development programs. The company’s platform uniquely integrates hydraulic fracturing and reservoir simulation in a single continuous model, enabling engineers to evaluate completion design, production performance, and subsurface interactions across the life of a well.

“ResFrac is exactly the type of company Altira was built to support,” said Dirk McDermott, Founder and Managing Partner of Altira. “When we first invested, the technical foundation was already exceptional. The opportunity was to help translate that capability into a scalable, mission-critical software platform embedded in how oil and gas operators make subsurface decisions. The founding team was also exceptional. Mark McClure and the ResFrac team have executed on that vision, and this transaction reflects the strength of the platform and the business they have built.”

Altira identified ResFrac as a differentiated technical asset with the potential to become foundational to subsurface decision-making. Over the course of its investment, the company evolved from a high-fidelity simulation engine into a broader subsurface platform, expanding its capabilities to include automated history matching, optimization, interference analysis, DFIT interpretation, and a growing suite of applications designed for everyday engineering workflows.

“ResFrac is a good example of how technical differentiation alone isn’t enough—you have to translate it into how operators actually work,” said Sean Ebert, Senior Partner at Altira. “From early on, our oil and gas operating partners helped pressure-test the product in real field development decisions, refine workflows, and accelerate adoption. That’s what ultimately drove the shift from a highly capable simulation tool to software that engineers rely on day-to-day.”

He added, “ResFrac has already proven the core technology and its relevance in the field. Their new investor partnership positions the company to scale commercialization, deepen account penetration, and extend the platform into adjacent subsurface workflows and energy applications. We’re very happy to have had the opportunity to work in partnership with Mark and the team and excited to see what comes next!”

ResFrac is trusted by energy operators globally, from independents to supermajors and national oil companies. The platform is deployed across major unconventional basins and is increasingly being adopted for enhanced geothermal systems and other subsurface applications, expanding its addressable market and reinforcing the importance of advanced simulation in the future of energy development.

This exit reinforces Altira’s ability to identify and scale deeply technical, energy-native software businesses that become strategic assets within their industries. ResFrac represents another example of technology developed within the oil and gas ecosystem evolving into critical infrastructure for operators and investors alike.

About ResFrac
ResFrac Corporation provides a fully integrated hydraulic fracturing and reservoir simulation platform purpose-built for complex unconventional reservoir development, enhanced geothermal systems, and conventional oil and gas applications. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, ResFrac is trusted by operators across major unconventional regions in North and South America, the Middle East and a growing number globally.

About Altira®
Altira Group is a Denver-based venture capital firm that has invested in advanced technology solutions across the energy and industrial value chain for more than 28 years. In partnership with its oil and gas company strategic limited partners, Altira enables the next generation of industrial technologies, driving innovation across digital, automation, and core energy operations.

Beyond capital, Altira actively partners with entrepreneurs to scale their businesses, providing direct customer access, real-world validation, strategic guidance, and collaborative go-to-market support in partnership with its strategic industry investors and other relationships.

For more information, visit www.altiragroup.com.

Media Contact
Purcell Parker
[email protected]
(303) 592-5500

SOURCE Altira

As venture capital rebounds with greater discipline, investors are prioritizing efficiency and scalability. Startups are rethinking workforce structures to support faster execution while controlling costs, with distributed talent models emerging as a key strategy to scale operations without increasing fixed overhead or slowing growth.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., April 28, 2026 — Global venture capital investment reached $120.7 billion in the third quarter of 2025, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of strong funding activity, according to the KPMG Venture Pulse Report. As capital returns to the market, investors are placing greater emphasis on how companies deploy that capital. 1840 & Company, a global staffing and business process outsourcing provider, is helping venture-backed and growth-stage firms build distributed workforce models that support rapid scaling without increasing fixed overhead.

As venture markets stabilize, companies are facing increased pressure to translate funding into execution efficiently. Investors are no longer focused solely on growth targets. They are asking how companies can scale output while maintaining discipline around cost structure and operational efficiency.

“In prior cycles, hiring was often tied to growth targets without as much scrutiny on structure,” said Bryan DiGiorgio, Founder and CEO of 1840 & Company. “Now, investors are pushing for efficiency at the unit economics level, and that naturally forces companies to rethink how they build teams. It’s less about reducing headcount and more about redesigning how work gets done.” 

Efficiency Pressures Are Reshaping How Companies Scale

As venture funding becomes more concentrated, companies are under greater scrutiny to demonstrate operational performance. Investors are prioritizing sustainable growth, and that is changing how organizations approach hiring, cost structure, and execution.

While capital remains available, it is being deployed more selectively. Companies are expected to move quickly after funding, but traditional hiring processes can slow that momentum.

“Capital doesn’t translate into growth unless a company can deploy it quickly into execution,” DiGiorgio said. “Traditional hiring processes, especially in competitive local markets, can slow that down significantly.”

This shift is making workforce strategy a central consideration in how companies scale. Organizations are increasingly looking for ways to expand capacity without adding long-term infrastructure or overhead.

Distributed Workforce Models Enable Faster Execution

To meet these demands, companies are turning to distributed workforce models that provide access to global talent and reduce dependency on local hiring markets.

These models are helping organizations accelerate hiring timelines and improve operational flexibility:

• Faster deployment of talent: Teams can be built in weeks instead of months, allowing companies to act quickly after funding.
• Reduced fixed costs: Distributed teams eliminate the need for large office spaces, facilities, and international subsidiaries.
• Expanded talent access: Companies can tap into specialized skills globally rather than competing in constrained local markets.
• Flexible scaling: Workforce size can be adjusted based on business needs without long-term commitments.

“They do, but only when implemented correctly,” DiGiorgio said, referring to whether distributed teams improve operational attractiveness. “A distributed model signals that a company is thinking intentionally about cost structure, scalability, and access to talent.”

He added, “Not all distributed models are equal. Shared or fragmented outsourcing structures can introduce inefficiencies and turnover. The companies that stand out are the ones building dedicated, fully integrated global teams that operate as an extension of their core business.”

Workforce Strategy Becomes Core Infrastructure for Modern Companies

As companies evolve, workforce strategy is becoming part of the foundational infrastructure that supports growth. In the first half of 2025, approximately 9.7 percent of global venture capital funding went to workforce and staffing-related companies, reflecting growing interest in scalable talent solutions.

“It signals that workforce infrastructure is becoming a core part of how modern companies are built,” said DiGiorgio. “For a long time, hiring was treated as a function, not as infrastructure. Now investors are recognizing that access to talent, and how that talent is deployed, directly impacts growth, efficiency, and ultimately valuation.”

This shift reflects a broader change in how organizations are structured.

“We’re moving from location-based companies to capability-based companies,” DiGiorgio said. “Instead of building teams around a single office or region, companies are building around access to the best talent for each function, regardless of geography.”

1840 & Company supports this transition by helping organizations design and implement distributed workforce strategies. Operating in more than 150 countries, the firm provides access to experienced global professionals while managing compliance, payroll, and workforce operations.

“The companies that succeed approach global hiring as an operational strategy, not a cost decision,” DiGiorgio concluded. “When done correctly, global hiring isn’t just cheaper. It becomes a structural advantage in how the business operates and scales.”

About 1840 & Company

Bryan DiGiorgio is the Founder and CEO of 1840 & Company, a global staffing and business process outsourcing provider headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.  Transitioning between industrial revolutions, the year 1840 inspired the company’s focus on helping businesses excel between their different phases of growth. Today, he leads 1840 & Company in helping businesses scale with flexible talent solutions, from nearshore/offshore staffing to complete business process outsourcing solutions. With a proprietary Agentic AI global talent cloud, 1840 & Company sources, contracts, compensates and operates in 150+ countries delivering workforce solutions that reduce costs, ensure compliance, and accelerate growth.

For more information, visit 1840 & Company. 

References

• KPMG Private Enterprise. (2025). Q3 2025 Venture Pulse Report — Global venture capital trends. KPMG. kpmg.com
• Crunchbase. (2025). Global venture funding reaches $425 billion in 2025. news.crunchbase.com
• Staffing Industry Analysts. (2025). Venture capital investments in staffing and workforce companies reach record levels. staffingindustry.com

Media Inquiries:
Karla Jo Helms
JOTO PR™
727-777-4629
Jotopr.com

SOURCE 1840 & Company

Inspired Capital leads the seed round for the company building the context graph for your people — an AI-native system built on a simple bet: the biggest workforce transformation in a generation is a people problem, and HR is the function best equipped to lead it.

NEW YORK, April 28, 2026 — While the AI industry is racing to replace people, Windmill is building the technology to make them irreplaceable.

Windmill, the context graph for your people, today announced an $12M fundraise led by Inspired Capital, with participation from Primary Venture Partners, Founder Collective, and Oceans Ventures. The company has grown to over 100 customers including Kalshi, Rho and Merge, since launching their performance reviews product in November 2025.

“There’s no question that AI tools will transform how we all work,” said Max Shaw, CEO and co-founder at Windmill. “We’re building the infrastructure to make sure that the people don’t get left behind, by giving companies tools to support their people, not replace them”

Why People Matter More, Not Less in the Age of AI

Every company in the world is being restructured around AI. Management layers are disappearing, roles are merging, and entire functions are being redefined by what AI can now do.

As AI gives individuals leverage that used to require entire teams, the value of each person is going up. Every employee is doing more complex, creative, higher-judgment work. Companies are now tasked with managing capability, potential, and the uniquely human skills that AI makes more important by the day.

“I’ve had upwards of 10,000 people come through companies I’ve run,” said Brian Distelburger, co-founder at Windmill. “Talk to any executive and they’ll talk about how important people are. When you drill down a few levels into what they’re doing to make sure they have the right people, in the right roles, working on the right things, there’s not much depth there.”

But most companies have no system for understanding any of it. The knowledge of who’s doing what, who’s growing, who’s underutilized, who elevates the people around them — that lives in the heads of a handful of managers and nowhere else. It’s lossy, biased, and impossible to act on at scale. You can’t ask an AI agent to identify your highest-performing teams, surface bottlenecks, or help you staff the right people on a critical project, because the context doesn’t exist. Companies have a system of record for every asset except the one that matters most.

“Every headline right now is about AI replacing workers. We think that’s the wrong bet. The best organizations of the next decade won’t be the ones that eliminate the most headcount. They’ll be the ones that use AI to build workforces that are continuously supported and developed. Doing so requires new infrastructure, and that’s exactly what Windmill is building. Max, Brian, and Mark have the conviction and the depth to go after this problem the right way, and we’re proud to be on the journey with them.”

— Alexa von Tobel, Managing Partner, Inspired Capital

HR’s Moment

There’s a function that understands org design, talent development, change management, and culture better than anyone else in the building. The AI transformation just handed HR the most strategic mandate in the company: lead the people side of the biggest workforce shift in a generation.

As organizations get flatter and faster, the strategic adjustments companies used to make annually now need to happen more frequently. That means having the right people in the right roles, operating effectively in your specific environment, has never mattered more, and has never been harder to get right.

But you can’t lead a transformation like this with annual surveys and spreadsheets. You need to actually know what’s happening with your people in real time.

What Windmill Is Building

Windmill started with one of the most broken processes in the workplace: performance reviews. It rebuilt the review process to match how modern companies actually work. The platform integrates with Slack, GitHub, Google Workspace, and 30+ other tools where work already happens, so reviews never start from a blank page and are completed 90% faster with 93% employee satisfaction.

AI Performance reviews are just the first proof point. Underneath them is what Windmill calls the context graph — a continuously updated, cited understanding of the workforce:

1. People — who they are and how they connect
2. Evidence — what actually happened
3. Expectations — what good looks like
4. Perspectives — what people think

Every insight traces back to a specific Slack thread, pull request, or piece of documentation. “At most companies, the most important context about work and people isn’t captured in one place,” said Shaw. “It’s scattered across apps, notes, conversations, and in the minds of managers. That makes important decisions about people far too dependent on memory and intuition alone. And if you want agents anywhere near those decisions, you first need a systematic way to organize the underlying context. We’re building that layer.”

The context graph is accessible through Windy, Windmill’s AI agent, the Windmill web app, and full MCP and API support, making context about your people available wherever a company needs it.

About Windmill

Windmill is the context graph for your people. A continuous, cited understanding of your workforce that enables HR to lead strategically, managers to see their teams clearly, and every person’s work to speak for itself. It starts with performance reviews that write themselves. Free for up to 10 users. Learn more at gowindmill.com.

SOURCE Windmill

La plataforma surgió con la unión de Scruggs y Neil Technical Services (NTS); el equipo de dirección se mantendrá con los nuevos propietarios

AUSTIN, Texas, 28 de abril de 2026 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Rox Capital Partners (“Rox”), empresa de capital privado con sede en Texas, anunció hoy la venta exitosa de The Scruggs Companies (“Scruggs”) a The Sterling Group (“Sterling”). La empresa fue creada mediante la unión de Scruggs y Neil Technical Services (“NTS”) y es una de las principales proveedoras a nivel regional de soluciones de infraestructura hídrica en el municipio.

Con sede central en Houston, Texas, Scruggs ofrece productos de control de flujo y servicios de mantenimiento que contribuyen a los sistemas municipales hídricos y de aguas residuales en la región sur y el medio oeste de Estados Unidos.

Rox se asoció al equipo de dirección para implementar una estrategia de crecimiento enfocada. Entre las iniciativas se encuentran la ampliación de la oferta de productos de la empresa, el aumento de las capacidades de servicio y la expansión de las operaciones hacia los principales mercados, como los de integración y crecimiento de NTS. Durante el tiempo que fue propiedad de Rox, Scruggs consolidó su posición con clientes municipales y creó una plataforma para un crecimiento continuo.

El actual equipo de dirección, que incluye a miembros importantes de la antigua gerencia de Scruggs y NTS, continuará al frente de la empresa en colaboración con Sterling.

“Nos sentimos orgullosos de lo que han logrado los equipos de Scruggs y NTS, y agradecemos nuestra asociación con la gerencia”, expresó Al Cameron, socio director de Rox Capital Partners. “Esta inversión refleja nuestra estrategia de asociarnos con operadores consolidados con el objetivo de crear empresas líderes en sectores de servicios esenciales. Creemos que la empresa está muy bien posicionada para continuar con el éxito en su próxima etapa con Sterling”.

No se han dado a conocer los términos de la transacción.

Acerca de Rox Capital Partners
Rox Capital Partners es una empresa de capital privado con sede en Texas, centrada en la creación y ampliación de empresas de mercado medio-bajo. Rox colabora con equipos de dirección para impulsar mejoras operativas, acelerar el crecimiento y crear valor a largo plazo en toda su cartera. Para obtener más información, visite www.roxcp.com.

FUENTE Rox Capital Partners

NOVATO, Calif., April 28, 2026 — Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small-molecule therapies for neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases, today announced the closing of a $12 million Series A financing led by Double Point Ventures, with participation from both new and existing investors.

Proceeds from the financing will support advancement of Lighthouse’s lead program, LHP588, and continued pipeline expansion. Lighthouse is currently conducting the SPRING clinical trial, a Phase 2 study evaluating LHP588 in patients with P. gingivalis-positive mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The trial is also supported by a $49.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“Lighthouse is advancing a differentiated approach based on compelling scientific and clinical data. This financing, together with the support from the NIA, gives Lighthouse the resources to efficiently execute the SPRING trial and advance LHP588 toward late-stage development,” said Casey Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals. “By targeting a defined subset of Alzheimer’s disease, we aim to bring a more precise and effective therapeutic approach to patients.”

In connection with the financing, Campbell Murray, M.D., partner at Double Point Ventures, will join Lighthouse’s Board of Directors. Dr. Murray brings deep experience in life sciences investing, company building, and clinical-stage development strategy.

“Lighthouse is pursuing a distinctive and focused approach in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Campbell Murray. “With LHP588, the company is targeting an important and underexplored biological driver in a defined patient population. We believe the SPRING trial has the potential to generate clinically meaningful data and to further establish Lighthouse as an innovative company in neurodegeneration.”

The SPRING trial is a double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluating LHP588, an oral, once-daily small-molecule therapy targeting P. gingivalis, a bacterium associated with periodontal disease and increasingly implicated in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis and progression. The trial is currently enrolling participants across the United States. Additional information is available at www.springclinicaltrial.com.

About Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals

Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small-molecule therapeutics for chronic neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases. The company’s lead clinical program is focused on Alzheimer’s disease, including the ongoing SPRING clinical trial. For more information, visit www.lighthousepharma.com.

Research reported in this release is supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AG088524. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals

MILWAUKEE, April 27, 2026 — Northwestern Mutual is taking another significant step to drive innovation in the financial services industry, announcing a new $150 million investment to support promising startups across the fintech and insurtech landscape. Awarded through Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures (NMFV), the funds will expand the company’s total venture capital allocation to $350 million – deepening its commitment to elevating the experience for clients and the advisors who guide them.

“This renewed commitment reinforces our belief in the power of innovation, and the exciting startups helping to transform how Americans achieve financial security,” said Michael Sias, vice president – corporate development and venture, Northwestern Mutual. “The funds expand our ability to partner with high-growth companies, delivering technology, collaboration, and value to our more than five million clients and our nationwide network of trusted financial professionals.”

The $150 million infusion to NMFV – known as Fund III – will target emerging and growth-stage firms in the fintech and insurtech space. The investments will enable Northwestern Mutual to forge new partnerships that enhance technology capabilities designed to strengthen client and advisor relationships. Fund III will also provide follow-on capital to propel portfolio companies through scaling and marketing expansion.

Since its inception in 2017 with a $50 million Fund I, NMFV has invested in more than 50 companies. In 2019, it launched Fund II, a $150 million vehicle with additional reserve capital, to enable strategic follow‑on support. NMFV pairs capital with strategic partnership, accelerating portfolio growth and, in some cases, enabling pilots and deployments of innovative solutions within Northwestern Mutual.

A standout from NMFV’s portfolio is fintech company Chime, which celebrated its landmark IPO in June 2025.

Among NMFV’s newest strategic partners is Levitate, an AI-driven relationship-marketing platform led by Jesse Lipson, founder of ShareFile (acquired by Citrix in 2011). Levitate is designed to seamlessly integrate with email, survey, and CRM workflows, automating routine tasks to boost operational efficiency and free teams to focus on strategic priorities.

For more information, visit www.nmfutureventures.com.

About Northwestern Mutual  

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With more than $780 billion of total assets¹ managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $40 billion in revenues, and $2.5 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life insurance, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 109 on the 2025 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2026.   

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

¹ Includes investments and separate account assets of Northwestern Mutual as well as retail investment assets held or managed for clients.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual

Minority investment with path to full ownership underscores strong conviction in one of the category’s largest segments

LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2026 — Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH) today announced a $100 million investment in Sniffies, a cruising map and fast-growing platform serving non-heterosexual men. The investment represents a significant minority ownership stake and includes the option to acquire the remaining equity in the future.

This reflects Match Group’s focus on backing platforms with strong product-market fit that are authentic to their audience. The company has applied this approach in prior investments, including Hinge, where it first invested in 2017 before acquiring the business in late 2018, and now with its investment in Sniffies. Sniffies will continue to operate independently and remain founder-led, with Match Group supporting the team’s vision and growth.

“From the first time I met the Sniffies team a year ago, it was clear they had a deep understanding of their users and a strong point of view on how its community actually connects – in a way that’s honest and unapologetic,” said Spencer Rascoff, Chief Executive Officer of Match Group. “That conviction has only strengthened over time as we’ve seen how thoughtfully they’ve built the product. There’s also clear and growing demand in this space, and Sniffies feels genuinely different and authentic to its audience. We’re excited to support the founders as they continue to build on their vision.”

Sniffies has grown to an estimated 3 million monthly active users globally, with over 20 million messages sent daily. Its real-time, map-based experience offers a more dynamic way for men to discover and connect with other men, reflecting evolving user behavior and a growing demand for more flexible, low-pressure interactions.

“This investment allows us to keep building for our community while staying true to what makes Sniffies unique,” said Blake Gallagher, Founder and CEO of Sniffies. “From day one, our focus has been on creating a product that reflects what our users are looking for, and that won’t change. With Match Group’s support, we can move faster on improving the product and expanding our network, while continuing to invest in Trust & Safety and giving our users more of what they’re looking for.”

About Match Group
Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH), through its portfolio companies, is a leading provider of digital technologies designed to help people make meaningful connections. Our global portfolio of brands includes Tinder^®, Hinge^®, Match^®, Meetic^®, OkCupid^®, Pairs™, PlentyOfFish^®, Azar^®, BLK^®, HER^®, and more, each built to increase our users’ likelihood of connecting with others. Through our trusted brands, we provide tailored services to meet the varying preferences of our users. Our services are available in over 40 languages to our users all over the world.

About Sniffies
Sniffies is a map-based cruising platform that brings the spontaneous energy of queer meetup culture into the digital age. Built for immediacy, Sniffies connects you instantly with what you want, when you want it. The interactive map turns cruising into a real-time experience by prioritizing proximity and intent, helping cruisers scroll less and connect more. Beyond the platform, Sniffies has grown into a cultural movement, spanning sought-after apparel, global events, and original content like the award-winning Cruising Confessions podcast.

Wolfson Partners LLC served as the financial advisor to Sniffies.

SOURCE Match Group

Platform formed through the combination of Scruggs and Neil Technical Services (NTS); management team to continue under new ownership

AUSTIN, Texas, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Rox Capital Partners (“Rox”), a Texas-based private equity firm, today announced the successful sale of The Scruggs Companies (“Scruggs”) to The Sterling Group (“Sterling”). The company was formed through the combination of Scruggs and Neil Technical Services (“NTS”) and is a leading regional provider of municipal water infrastructure solutions.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Scruggs provides flow control products and maintenance services that support municipal water and wastewater systems across the Southern and Midwestern United States.

Rox partnered with management to execute a focused growth strategy. Initiatives included expanding the company’s product offering, enhancing service capabilities, and scaling operations across core markets, including the integration and growth of NTS. During Rox’s ownership, Scruggs strengthened its position with municipal customers and built a platform for continued growth.

The existing leadership team, including key members of legacy Scruggs and NTS management, will continue to lead the business in partnership with Sterling.

“We are proud of what the Scruggs and NTS teams have accomplished and grateful for our partnership with management,” said Al Cameron, Managing Partner at Rox Capital Partners. “This investment reflects our strategy of partnering with strong operators to build leading businesses in essential service sectors. We believe the company is well positioned for continued success in its next chapter with Sterling.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Rox Capital Partners
Rox Capital Partners is a Texas-based private equity firm focused on building and scaling lower middle market businesses. Rox partners with management teams to drive operational improvements, accelerate growth, and create long-term value across its portfolio. For more information, please visit www.roxcp.com.

SOURCE Rox Capital Partners