PRAGUE, July 1, 2026 — Wultra, a European provider of post-quantum authentication and digital identity solutions for banks and fintechs, announced the completion of a €6.8 million Series A funding round. The investment round was backed by lead investor Seventure Partners, followed by ARIADNEXT founders Marc Norlain and Guillaume Despagne and existing investors J&T Ventures and Elevator Ventures. Wultra helps financial institutions replace legacy authentication methods with phishing-resistant, post-quantum technologies that improve security and user experience. Having established its regional hub in Singapore, Wultra now plans to expand its operations into the Middle East and the United States.
The investment round underscores strong investor confidence in Wultra’s vision. The proceeds will be used to scale Wultra’s digital identity platform and accelerate the company’s next phase of growth. The funding will also support team growth, enable a stronger focus on large strategic customers, and support the company’s long-term strategic objectives.
The investment comes as organizations worldwide modernize their digital identity systems to address AI-enabled identity fraud, including deepfakes. They also accelerate their transition to post-quantum security following the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) publication of post-quantum cryptography standards and ongoing industry-wide efforts to meet emerging migration timelines established by governments and industry bodies. With governments, regulators, and financial institutions increasingly planning for long-term cryptographic resilience, demand for practical post-quantum-ready authentication and digital identity solutions continues to grow.
Funding Follows a Strong Year of Strategic Expansion
The new investment round follows a strong year for the company. In August 2025, Wultra was named as the only Sample Vendor for Post-Quantum Authentication in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Digital Identity, 2025, highlighting the company’s early recognition in this emerging category. In 2025, Wultra further expanded its global footprint by opening an office in Singapore, one of Asia’s leading fintech hubs, to meet growing demand for digital identity solutions across ASEAN.
“Last year was a highly dynamic period for Wultra. We expanded our product portfolio beyond authentication to cover the broader digital identity journey, from onboarding and identity proofing to user authentication, transaction authorization, and electronic signatures. We grew our team by nearly 50%, established a presence in Singapore, and now support more than 70 clients across 25 countries worldwide,” said Petr Dvorak, Founder & CEO of Wultra.
Charles Huang, founder and CEO of Pasaca Capital Inc., shares his perspective on business success and philanthropy.
PASADENA, Calif., July 1, 2026 — The true meaning of wealth is not how much you keep, but how many opportunities you create for others.
With the recent opening of the Charles Huang Outpatient Tower at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, together with the foundation’s earlier philanthropic support for USC Arcadia Hospital, the Charles Huang Foundation has invested nearly $15 million in healthcare initiatives across Northern and Southern California in recent years.
Dr. Charles Huang speaks during an interview.
From left: Ikenna Mmeje, Dr. Charles Huang, Sandra Chen Lau, and Lina Tullberg representing USC Arcadia Hospital and the Charles Huang Foundation at a donation event.
For Charles Huang, philanthropy has never been an afterthought or a reward for business success. Rather, it has been an integral part of his vision since the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.
In an exclusive interview, Huang explained that the purpose of a business extends far beyond generating profits. Companies, he believes, should improve society through investments in education, healthcare, and technological innovation—a philosophy deeply rooted in his own professional experiences.
From Equity Research to Global Investing
Huang arrived in the United States in October 2002 after spending six years as a leading China equity research analyst in Hong Kong’s investment banking industry. During a period of rapid growth in Chinese companies listing in Hong Kong, his disciplined fundamental analysis and industry research earned him widespread recognition. He pioneered several new approaches to China equity research and became known in financial circles as the “Golden Finger of the Hong Kong Stock Market” for producing influential research reports that shaped investor perspectives.
“Stock prices ultimately reflect business fundamentals—not market emotions. The responsibility of an analyst is to identify long-term enterprise value rather than chase short-term market fluctuations.”
Looking back on that period, Huang says the industry recognition was meaningful, but helping investors understand the intrinsic value of companies was always the greater accomplishment.
A Global Perspective
Huang graduated from Wuhan University before continuing his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned his doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
“Globalization is not simply moving a company overseas. It is the ability to integrate resources from around the world.”
He credits his educational experiences in both China and the United Kingdom for developing a global mindset and a deep appreciation for different economic systems, business cultures, and models of industrial development.
Lessons in Strategy
After leaving investment banking, Huang participated in several international strategic partnerships involving major Chinese private enterprises, including efforts to facilitate collaboration with the UK’s MG Rover Group. Although the transaction ultimately did not conclude because of changes in corporate ownership, the experience reinforced his belief that sustainable competitive advantage is built through long-term strategy rather than short-term opportunities.
Navigating Crisis
In 2007, Huang returned to Hong Kong’s financial markets, joining BNP Paribas Securities as Head of China and Hong Kong Small & Mid-Cap Research. There, he experienced the 2008 global financial crisis firsthand.
“The greatest challenge in investing is not predicting whether markets will rise or fall. It is maintaining independent judgment when market sentiment becomes most extreme.”
According to Huang, the financial crisis reaffirmed one enduring principle: every market eventually returns to fundamentals.
Building Companies That Matter
Following the crisis, Huang shifted his focus from public market research to private equity and industrial investment. In 2016, he founded Pasaca Capital in Southern California, concentrating on high-impact sectors including: Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Medical Technology, Clean Energy, Robotics, Industrial Automation, Advanced Materials.
“The true value of a company is not whether it goes public or how high its valuation becomes. It is whether it continues solving real industry problems and creating sustainable long-term value.”
Rather than pursuing short-term capital market trends, Huang evaluates businesses based on their technological innovation, operational excellence, sustainable cash flow, and lasting societal impact.
The Future of Innovation
Asked about the extraordinary global attention surrounding SpaceX, Huang described Elon Musk as one of the defining entrepreneurs of the modern era.
He believes investors’ willingness to assign premium valuations to companies like SpaceX reflects confidence in visionary leadership and exceptional execution.
“Vision can create extraordinary valuations, but only sustainable profitability can support them over time.”
Drawing on decades of investment experience, Huang cautions that every company must ultimately be measured by the strength of its business model, cash flow, and earnings. Following more than a decade of bull markets after the 2008 financial crisis, many investors have never experienced a prolonged bear market, making it easy to become overly optimistic about high-growth companies.
“When market conditions change, every business eventually returns to fundamentals.”
Confidence in California’s Future
Looking ahead, Huang believes demographic shifts and an aging population will become increasingly important drivers of China’s long-term economic outlook.
At the same time, he remains highly optimistic about California’s future.
According to Huang, California’s greatest competitive advantage extends well beyond Silicon Valley. The state’s world-class universities, mature venture capital ecosystem, cultural diversity, and continued ability to attract global talent position it as one of the world’s leading centers of innovation.
“The United States has always been a nation driven by immigrants and innovation, and California remains one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems.”
He points to technology, biotechnology, entertainment, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing as the industries that collectively underpin California’s long-term economic strength.
Success Measured by Impact
For Huang, business success is never the destination.
“Success in business is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a greater responsibility to society.”
In addition to building global businesses, Huang has remained deeply committed to philanthropy for many years. Through the Charles Huang Foundation, significant contributions have supported major California healthcare institutions, including Chinese Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital, helping expand access to quality medical care for communities throughout the state.
From respected equity analyst to global investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Charles Huang has consistently believed that the role of business extends beyond wealth creation. Through capital investment, technological innovation, and charitable giving, he continues to pursue a vision of creating lasting opportunities and meaningful impact for future generations.
Successful fundraising in challenging environment demonstrates enthusiasm for firm’s core focus on real assets globally, extensive team experience and expertise across asset classes and geographies
MIAMI, July 1, 2026 — Starwood Capital Group (“Starwood Capital”), a leading global private investment firm, today announced the successful final closing of its latest opportunistic real estate fund, Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund XIII (“SOF XIII”), with capital commitments in excess of $10.2 billion. Together with existing commitments to Starwood Capital’s other investment vehicles, the firm’s assets under management now total approximately $130 billion.
SOF XIII will continue to focus on real assets globally, with the flexibility to shift between asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack. SOF XIII will primarily target transactions across the United States and Europe, with selective opportunities in Asia Pacific, and a focus on a strategic mix of residential, data center, industrial and hospitality assets.
SOF XIII was supported by more than 300 new and existing investors across approximately 20 countries, demonstrating broad enthusiasm for Starwood Capital’s future and its extensive investment capabilities. This diverse and sophisticated investor base includes pensions, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments, wealth managers, family offices and high net worth investors. In addition, Starwood Capital Group and related parties have committed $100 million to SOF XIII.
“We are very grateful for our investors’ continued strong support. This is a testament to the strength of our team and the trust our LPs place in us,” said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital. “We are excited about the opportunities we have already sourced for this fund and are proud of our track record of delivering results for our investors through market cycles. With our scale, resources and breadth of talent, we are well-positioned to execute on opportunities in this compelling environment for real estate.”
“We could not be more proud of our brand, our strategy and our team’s capabilities, and of the results we have consistently delivered for our investors,” said Jonathan Pollack, President of Starwood Capital. “With a growing team of more than 350 investment professionals and an expanding global footprint, we have the talent, scale and conviction to continue delivering great performance. We are seeing strong tailwinds driven by slowing supply in traditional real estate asset classes and tremendous growth in technology and manufacturing – this is an exciting time to be investing in real estate.”
Starwood Capital has already closed or committed to 20 transactions to date in SOF XIII, committing more than $3 billion of equity. This initial portfolio highlights the firm’s breadth and global footprint, with significant investments in housing, industrial and data centers in each of the United States, Europe and Asia.
About Starwood Capital Group
Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with a core focus on real assets globally. Since its inception in 1991, Starwood Capital Group has raised over $95 billion of capital and currently has ~$130 billion of assets under management. Through a series of comingled opportunity funds and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (SREIT), a non-listed REIT, the Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk/reward dynamics to be evolving.
Starwood Capital also manages Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States, which has successfully deployed over $117 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $31 billion across debt and equity investments. Alongside Starwood Property Trust, Starwood Capital manages over $6 billion in several private debt funds investing across the globe.
Starwood Capital’s other affiliates include: Highmark Residential, a property management company; Starwood Digital Ventures, a platform dedicated to the firm’s data center investment strategy; Starwood Hotels, a hotel brand management team; Essex Title, a title agent for one or more underwriters in issuing title policies and/or providing support services; and Starwood Oil & Gas, which seeks to capitalize on conventional and unconventional North American assets.
