Sports technology startup raises seed round led by Parlay Capital to build the real-time market engine that turns live game moments into tradable markets

NEW YORK, June 1, 2026 — SpeedLabs, the real-time market engine for sports, today announced a $6.5 million seed round led by Parlay Capital, with participation from Bullpen Capital, TA Ventures, EdgeEquity, and additional investors with deep experience across sports, gaming, and consumer technology. The company will use the funding to scale its team as they launch Momentum Markets in summer 2026.

Momentum Markets are designed to capture the moments fans actually care about – the injury that swings a game, the run that flips the score, the big play that changes everything. A sportsbook’s answer to a momentum swing is a new price on an old market. SpeedLabs’ answer is a new market entirely – created in response to what just happened and priced instantly, instead of an outcome a sportsbook decided to offer hours earlier.

SpeedLabs is building the first market layer designed for what is actually happening on the field. Powered by foundation models purpose-built for sports, the SpeedLabs engine reads the flow of a live game, then creates and prices new markets instantly. The result: live, in-game markets that let fans take a side on whether the game’s momentum continues.

The category is already proving itself in adjacent verticals. On Polymarket, five-minute Bitcoin price markets have generated more than $4 billion in total trading volume, with $153 million in a single day. The lesson, according to SpeedLabs, is that short-duration markets capture demand no existing instrument has captured before. Sports is already the dominant category on US prediction markets, accounting for roughly 90% of activity on Kalshi. SpeedLabs is building the engine to power what comes next.

“Sports betting is getting lapped,” said Nick Meader, CEO of SpeedLabs. “Prediction markets are minting new categories every week. Meanwhile sportsbooks are stuck on the same pre-set markets and bet types. The market for trading on what is happening right now is enormous, and sports – the most-watched, most-discussed, most-emotional category on the planet – is the one place where you still can’t really do it. SpeedLabs is building the engine that fixes that.”

“SpeedLabs is doing something we have not seen before: using AI to create the market itself, not just price markets that already exist,” said Greg Buonocore, CEO and Managing Partner at Parlay Capital Holdings. “Every other company in this space is building incremental improvements to a category that has been structurally unchanged for decades. Nick and the SpeedLabs team are building the layer that the next generation of sportsbooks and prediction markets will run on. We are thrilled to lead this round.”

The $6.5 million round will fund SpeedLabs’ build-out ahead of its summer 2026 launch. The company is hiring across C-level leadership, engineering, machine learning, trading and sports betting expertise, and growth.

About SpeedLabs

SpeedLabs is the real-time market engine for sports, pioneering Momentum Markets – live, in-game markets that let fans take a side on whether the game’s momentum continues. Built on foundation models purpose-built for sports, SpeedLabs reads the flow of a game, then creates and prices new markets in seconds, replacing the pre-set offerings the rest of the industry still relies on. SpeedLabs partners with sportsbooks, prediction markets, and the platforms where fans trade on sports. Learn more at speedlabs.dev

SOURCE SpeedLabs

COSTA MESA, Calif., June 1, 2026 — Veritas Aortic Solutions, the latest company to spin out of inQB8 Medical Technologies, is pleased to announce the closing of $12M in Seed financing to advance innovative solutions for the treatment of Root and Ascending Aortic Diseases. The funding round was led by a group of experienced MedTech angel investors with strong participation from Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company along with inQB8’s existing investors. The funds will support the continued development of the Veritas Transcatheter Valved Aortic Root Conduit (TVARC) through First-in-Human clinical use. The Veritas TVARC is designed to offer a comprehensive, interventional, non-surgical treatment for high-risk Root and Ascending Aortic Diseases, including Dissections, Aneurysms, and other pathologies that specifically involve the aortic root, coronary ostia, and/or the ascending aorta.

As part of the financing, Chad Martinson (former Medtronic CoreValve executive and former CEO of ACOVA Integrated Health), Judd Nordquist (CEO of Ibis Scientific), and Nirdesh Gupta PhD (Managing Partner of Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company (CSIPCo)), joined Veritas and inQB8 co-founders, Arshad Quadri, MD and J. Brent Ratz, on the company’s Board of Directors.

“With combined mortality and morbidity rates as high as 65%, it is hard to overstate the risk associated with current surgical treatments for acute conditions of the ascending aorta,” said Arshad Quadri MD, Co-Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Medical Officer of Veritas Aortic Solutions. “As a cardiac surgeon myself, I have performed these procedures numerous times. They are complex, challenging, and highly invasive. Endovascular options for the descending aorta and the arch have been available for a long time, but open-heart surgery remains the only approved option for patients with root and ascending aortic pathologies. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to offer these patients a faster, safer, less-invasive option, and today we are one step closer to making that a reality.”

The Veritas TVARC system is a single permanent implant that combines a bioprosthetic aortic valve, ascending aortic graft, and the company’s proprietary Chameleon Eye™ coronary perfusion ports and is designed to seal-off the diseased or damaged part of the aorta and restore healthy blood flow to the coronaries and the rest of the body. The system includes a custom transfemoral delivery catheter that is intended to eliminate the need for open-heart surgery and allow for precise positioning and controlled deployment of the implant.

“The Veritas TVARC system represents the type of patient-centered innovation we seek to support at Cedars-Sinai,” said Nirdesh Gupta, PhD, Managing Partner of Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company. “We are pleased to participate in this financing to help advance a novel endovascular approach to Aortic Root and Ascending Aortic Disease—an area where treatment options have remained largely unchanged for years despite significant patient risk. We believe this technology has the potential to meaningfully improve outcomes for patients facing life-threatening cardiovascular disease.”

“After establishing the Veritas program within inQB8 Medical Technologies and rapidly advancing it through prototyping, bench testing, and successful chronic animal studies, we are honored to have the support of seasoned MedTech investors, leading physicians, and a world-class healthcare organization like Cedars-Sinai to accelerate our development and bring this technology towards its first clinical application,” added J. Brent Ratz, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Veritas Aortic Solutions. “In our 20+ year partnership, Dr. Quadri and I have collaborated to create solutions for several cardiovascular issues. Given the complexity of Root and Ascending Aortic Diseases and the dire need for an interventional solution, I believe Veritas is poised to be the most meaningful of all in terms of patient impact.”

About Veritas Aortic Solutions
Veritas Aortic Solutions is a privately held medical device company committed to improving outcomes for patients with Aortic Disease. The company’s flagship technology, the Veritas Transcatheter Valved Aortic Root Conduit (TVARC) is a single permanent implant that combines a bioprosthetic aortic valve, ascending aortic graft, and the company’s proprietary Chameleon Eye™ coronary perfusion ports and is designed to seal-off the diseased or damaged part of the aorta and restore healthy blood flow to the coronaries and the rest of the body. Veritas was founded and incubated within inQB8 Medical Technologies, LLC and spun-out as a standalone company in late 2025 to provide a comprehensive solution to pathologies affecting the most critical areas of the heart, including the aortic root, coronaries and ascending aorta. www.veritasaortic.com

About Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company (CSIPCo)
Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company is the investment arm of Cedars-Sinai, focused on healthcare and life sciences startups across med tech (devices & diagnostics), biotech (drug discovery programs) and health tech (regulated digital health). CSIPCo invests in companies that strongly align with Cedars-Sinai Health System’s mission of advancing healthcare and improving patient outcomes.

About inQB8 Medical Technologies LLC
inQB8 Medical Technologies is a privately held medical device incubator with offices in Massachusetts and California co-founded by Dr. Arshad Quadri, MD, and J. Brent Ratz, MBA. inQB8 specializes in developing cutting-edge interventional solutions for major cardiovascular diseases, accelerating projects through prototyping, bench, and pre-clinical testing. Veritas is the fourth program to come out of the inQB8 team. Previous successes include CardiAQ Valve Technologies (Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement, acquired by Edwards Lifesciences in 2015), MonarQ (Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement, acquired by Peijia Medical in 2021), and Relief Cardiovascular (interventional Heart Failure management, formed in 2024 with Series A and FIH completed in 2025).

SOURCE Veritas Aortic Solutions

The Richmond office opens June 1, followed by a Chesapeake office July 1. Together, the locations establish Insurcomm’s footprint in Virginia and extend its 24/7 emergency response across both the Richmond metro and Hampton Roads. Customers can rely on Insurcomm for emergency response, remediation, reconstruction, and environmental services—all handled by one team that sees the job from start to finish.

“Virginia property owners and the carriers who serve them deserve a team they can count on when things don’t go as planned,” said Kelly Brewer, CEO of Insurcomm Restoration and Fortify Companies. “Opening in Richmond and Chesapeake lets us be closer, respond faster, and deliver the full set of capabilities people need—whether it’s a single property loss or a larger, more complex event. That’s what everything going right looks like.” 

Strengthening Regional Response and Support

Virginia properties face year-round risk, from Atlantic hurricanes and coastal storms to water intrusion, fire and smoke damage, and mold. With local teams now on the ground backed by national resources, Insurcomm can respond quickly, manage every stage of recovery under one roof, and maintain consistent service across the region when demand surges. Clients work with a single accountable team and a single point of contact from first notice of loss through final walkthrough, eliminating the handoffs and delays that characterize a typical restoration claim.

A Growing National Network

The Virginia offices are part of a broader, coordinated network built through Fortify Companies, bringing together local response capabilities with national scale. As part of the Fortify platform, Insurcomm connects prevention, emergency response, and reconstruction under one roof—helping reduce delays, improve visibility, and deliver a more seamless recovery experience from initial loss through long-term property care.

Need Emergency Restoration in Virginia?

For more information or to request emergency service, visit www.insurcomm.com or call (844) 424-9283.

About Insurcomm

Insurcomm delivers full-service restoration and emergency response you can count on when everything needs to go right across residential, commercial, and catastrophe response. For more than 30 years, we’ve helped property owners, facility teams, and communities recover from water, fire, mold, storm events, and environmental hazards.

We believe people deserve to know what’s happening, who’s handling it, and when it will be done, without surprises and without delays. From the first call to the final walkthrough, our mission is simple: You deserve everything going right, so we built a company that makes it happen.

To learn more about Insurcomm, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.

About Fortify Companies 

Fortify Companies is building the nation’s most trusted property protection platform by uniting exceptional local teams across restoration, property services, and loss prevention under one operating standard. Faster response. Better outcomes. More resilient properties and communities. Learn more at fortifycompanies.com.

SOURCE Insurcomm Restoration

Capital Used to Finance Battery Storage and Solar Power Projects

SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2026 — Maxwell Power (“Maxwell”), formerly known as HDM Renewable Finance, today announced the successful closing of an investment commitment of $750 million from Fairtide Partners to finance battery storage and solar power projects. This investment increases Fairtide’s total commitment to more than $1 billion for projects developed by Maxwell.

Maxwell will use the investment to strengthen its position as a trusted partner to sales and installation companies that help consumers save money with advanced energy technologies. The capital also allows the Company to expand into new state markets where consumers experience structurally-high and rising energy costs. Retail electricity prices in Mid Atlantic, New England, and Pacific states increased 19% or more between 2022 and 2025, according to the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.

“Skyrocketing utility and gasoline costs are pinching everyone’s pocketbook,” said Dustin Dunaway, Maxwell’s Chief Revenue Officer. “Fairtide’s $1 billion commitment allows us to help more homeowners and businesses get affordable energy they can count on.”

Fairtide Partners cited Maxwell’s origination, underwriting, and management track record as the key catalysts for this additional capital commitment.

“We have worked with the Company’s leaders since 2010 and partnered with Maxwell since its founding in 2018,” said Nat Kreamer, Fairtide’s founder and lifetime chairman emeritus of the Solar Energy Industries Association (“SEIA”). “Maxwell has a great track record of delivering high-quality assets that create value for consumers and investors.”

About Maxwell Power

Homeowners and businesses are Powered for Life™ when they work with Maxwell. We are the power company that guarantees energy and savings to homeowners and small commercial customers. We deploy solar and battery storage systems to customers’ homes, monitor and maintain those systems, and ensure they deliver power. Our customers purchase power on long-term contracts that lock in savings. Since 2018, Maxwell has invested over $1 billion to help customers save an estimated $200 million. For more information about us please visit maxwellpower.com

About Fairtide Partners

Fairtide Partners makes infrastructure, tax equity, and private equity investments. The Firm has facilitated the financing of more than $1 billion battery storage and solar energy projects since 2018. Its private equity portfolio includes category-defining companies such as AMP for the waste industry and Highland for fleet vehicle electrification. Fairtide’s managing partners have over 40 years of combined experience as entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and industry-leading policy advocates. For more information about Fairtide please visit fairtidepartners.com

SOURCE Maxwell Power

And while technology has transformed nearly every aspect of retail, the commercial agreements that underpin the $18.8 trillion industry still rely heavily on spreadsheets, email chains, siloed systems, and informal ‘handshake’ agreements. 

Today, fewer than 50% of suppliers have written agreements with the retailers they sell to.

Handshake’s AI-powered platform gives retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers a single transparent system to make, track, and execute commercial agreements, replacing fragmented processes with a faster, more accountable, and data-driven way to manage deals.

The retail industry is already under immense pressure from inflation and cost volatility. Coupled with tighter margins, more complex supplier relationships, and increasingly scrutinised compliance, the need for efficient, scalable deal-making has never been greater.

By seamlessly unifying all commercial agreements in one platform, Handshake strengthens partnerships and empowers retail leaders to drive more effective change across their large trading teams.

Victor Angline, Director of Merchandising Strategy and Supplier Relations at Gopuff, says: “At Gopuff, our merchandising teams oversee hundreds of supplier partnerships across multiple categories, so it’s important we have the right tools to manage all the details. We chose Handshake to empower our merchants with a platform that enables seamless management of contracts, agreements, and joint business plans. They have been amazing partners, and we look forward to continued collaboration.” 

“Technology has transformed almost every corner of retail over the past decade, but retail buying still runs largely on spreadsheets, disconnected systems, and anecdotal memory,” says Alex Lindsay, co-founder and CEO of Handshake.

“That creates enormous operational complexity in an industry where margins are tight and every commercial decision matters. We believe there’s a huge opportunity to build the AI-native operating system for retail buying, one that gives retailers and suppliers the visibility, structure, and accountability they need to work better together.”

This funding will accelerate Handshake’s product development, expand its engineering and customer success teams, and support deeper partnerships with leading retailers and suppliers.

Peter Welch, co-founder and CTO of Handshake, adds: “Retail buying is a brutally tough job, and the sector faces structural headwinds that show no signs of easing. The commercial teams at the heart of it deserve better tools, visibility, and outcomes, which is why we built Handshake.

Handshake is a fundamental reimagining of how retailers and suppliers work together, and there’s never been a better moment to bring this to the sector. We believe this category is one of the largest untapped opportunities in retail.”

Delivering on this vision requires more than modern software. It requires deep retail expertise combined with world-class AI and product engineering. Handshake’s team brings together experience across retail operations, enterprise technology, and AI product development to build an operating system designed specifically for the realities of modern commerce.

And if Handshake gets this right, it won’t just modernise retail buying, it will help the entire industry deliver better value to millions of customers.

“Handshake is transforming how retailers and suppliers work together, and its team combines the technical depth and category expertise this problem demands. This is a category ripe for disruption in the age of AI,” says Cameron Ramsay, Director at Future Back Ventures by Bain & Company.

“Handshake’s platform offers a genuinely credible path forward on a problem the entire sector has wrestled with for years. And our Bain experience only reinforced our conviction in both the team and opportunity. Its potential to unlock value across retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers is substantial.” 

To learn more about Handshake, visit handshake-solutions.com or reach out to [email protected]. 

About Handshake

Handshake is the first AI-powered agreement platform built for retail. Designed to help retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers make, track, and execute commercial agreements in one transparent system, Handshake reduces operational complexity, improves commercial decision-making, and empowers leaders to drive effective change.

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in London, Handshake is backed by Triple Point Ventures, Future Back Ventures by Bain & Company, and Octopus Ventures. To learn more, visit handshake-solutions.com.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2990950/Handshake.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2990949/5994520/Handshake_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Handshake Solutions Ltd