HANGZHOU, China, July 21, 2026 — Tuya Smart (NYSE: TUYA, HKEX: 2391), a leading global AI cloud platform service provider, made a strategic investment in Robopoet’s recently closed RMB 100 million pre-A financing round. The round also drew participation from existing backers Sequoia China and GSR Ventures, along with two other new investors. Tuya’s investment signals its accelerating push to close the commercialization loop for physical AI.

Behind the Investment: From AI Development to Global Expansion

Tuya’s strategic investment comes as Robopoet’s debut product Fuzozo has achieved cumulative domestic sales approaching 300,000 units as of June 2026. The two companies’ partnership dates to 2025, when Tuya began providing the underlying global AI cloud platform that helped transform this compact, plush, eye-blinking AI emotional companion into a market sensation.

“2026 marks the critical window for AI hardware to be commercialized at scale. Market-validated, AI-native hardware is entering a phase of explosive growth,” said Alex Yang, Co-founder, COO and CFO of Tuya Smart.

The strategic rationale goes beyond a bet on a single product category. It reflects a broader vision for AI hardware commercialization. As AI advances from models to real-world applications, AI hardware is emerging as a key bridge connecting the technology with consumers. From AI robots and toys to smart home devices, intelligent products are evolving into proactive AI companions. Through its AI+IoT ecosystem, Tuya will continue to drive the convergence of AI and the physical world.

Strong Market Validation of AI Toy Solutions

During the 618 Shopping Festival, China’s largest mid-year online shopping event, Tuya’s empowerment model proved its effectiveness at scale: Fuzozo sold 40,000 units, ranking first in Tmall’s AI toy category, while other Tuya-empowered AI Toy products collectively demonstrated ecosystem-wide momentum: Walulu sold 8,000 units; AOOMII Smart AI Companion Robot, AI Scruffy Cat and Wozzi each reached approximately 5,000 units in sales; and Famue landed on JD.com’s Smart Robot Gold List.

Despite their diverse forms and purposes, these products share a common foundation: Tuya provided critical support in either product innovation or market expansion. On the R&D side, Tuya AI Development Platform helped products rapidly navigate the journey from concept to mass production. On the market side, Tuya opened its localized operational resources and channel access capabilities, paving the way for brands like Fuzozo to enter the global market.

The breakout of these AI hardware products not only confirms that AI hardware is entering the public’s daily life but also validates the maturity and replicability of the AI hardware empowerment model.

Empowering Physical AI Innovation with Full-Stack AI Capability

Underpinning this push is a comprehensive full-stack AI toolkit designed to lower barriers for hardware developers. Tuya has deployed a suite of proprietary technologies including the Personal Voice Activity Detection (PVAD) model, Physical AI Foundation V2.8, WukongAI 3.0, T-RTC real-time communication network, Physical Action Model, and OmniMem V2.0 long-term memory system.

Looking ahead, Tuya will continue to open its global AI cloud platform capabilities and overseas resources to support AI hardware innovators and the emerging “One Person Company” model. Through strategic investments such as Robopoet, Tuya aims to build a new growth model centered on AI platform empowerment, ecosystem collaboration, and global commercialization of AI hardware innovations.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3007018/20260721160654_32_1.jpg

New funding round led by Tiger Global accelerates Augustus’ mission to dollarize the world—giving financial institutions around the world direct, programmable access to dollar accounts and rails through a modern, federally chartered bank

NEW YORK, July 21, 2026 — Augustus, building the Global Dollar Bank, today announced a $180 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation. The round was led by Tiger Global, with participation from Hummingbird, QED, and the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle, and Deel.

This new funding accelerates Augustus’ mission to dollarize the world—giving financial institutions around the world direct access to dollar accounts and rails through a modern, federally chartered bank. Augustus will use the capital to continue to serve leading fintechs and banks in Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Augustus’ API-first platform supports operating and FBO accounts with named virtual accounts. Customers can transact with first and third parties via Swift, ACH, SEPA, and stablecoins. Augustus will continue to invest in its proprietary core banking platform Marble, which enables faster settlement times and 24/7/365 availability by deploying AI across the bank’s back office.

The financing follows Augustus’ conditional approval for a U.S. national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in May, making Augustus the eighth bank to receive conditional approval since 2010. The conditional approval established Augustus as one of the few technology companies authorized to build federally regulated banking infrastructure in the U.S. from the ground up, enabling the company to provide customers with direct access to dollars, rather than relying on layers of intermediary banks and fintechs.

“We started Augustus with a simple thesis: the Dollar is the greatest product in the world but its distribution is fundamentally broken,” said Ferdinand Dabitz, CEO and Co-Founder of Augustus. “This financing lets us execute on our mission to provide high-quality dollar access to international fintechs and banks. It’s time to dollarize the world.”

“After three decades in banking, I’ll say it plainly: you don’t get meaningful innovation by patching legacy infrastructure. You build something new from the foundation up,” said Greg Quarles, President of Augustus. “That’s what Augustus is: modern, proprietary technology fused with the full capabilities of a federally chartered bank into a single integrated platform. In my entire career, I have not seen anything like it.”

“Correspondent banking is the last remaining part of the bank stack that hasn’t been challenged yet by fintechs. Global fintechs and banks have been left either with slow, low-tech incumbent correspondent banks, or middleware fintech providers,” said Nigel Morris, Co-Founder of Capital One and Managing Partner at QED Investors. “Augustus solves this by combining cutting-edge technology with a real bank charter, providing international financial institutions with a modern, direct dollar clearing platform.”

Augustus is built at a time when Western currency dominance is being challenged. China has recently launched the Digital Yuan, and Russia is proposing BRICS Pay as an alternative clearing system. By providing a distinctly Western alternative to these ideas, Augustus hopes to help secure and advance Dollar and Euro dominance for the decades to come.

The round also received backing from leading fintech and AI founders, including David Velez (Nubank), Karim Atiyeh (Ramp), Sean Neville (Circle), Alex Bouaziz (Deel), Victor Cardenas (Slash), Alan Chang (CRO Revolut), Balaji Srinivasan (CTO Coinbase), Farooq Malik (Rain), Gavin Uberti (Etched), Victor Riparbelli (Synthesia), Alexander Rinke (Celonis), Jamie Cox (Fluidstack), and Jan Oberhauser (n8n). Additional investors include Soma Capital, Road Capital Management, CMT Digital, Brevan Howard Digital, and Variant.

Augustus is led by a team of banking, payments, and regulatory veterans with decades of experience building, supervising, and operating financial institutions. Its leadership includes Greg Quarles, former bank CEO and senior regulator at the OCC; Benjamin Alexander, former Chief Compliance Officer at Column and executive at JPMorgan and HSBC; and senior leaders whose backgrounds span banking regulation, payments infrastructure, compliance, and global financial services.

About Augustus
Augustus is building the Global Dollar Bank—a modern clearing bank built to provide dollar access to international fintechs and banks. Augustus is already processing billions for market leaders like Kraken today. Augustus was founded in 2022 by Ferdinand Dabitz, Joshua Becker, Simon Wimmer, and Peter Lieck, and has raised $210 million. Augustus is backed by Tiger Global, Hummingbird, QED, and the founders of companies like Ramp, Nubank, Deel, and Circle.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Augustus

Investment accelerates the next generation of physical security by combining AI Operators, embedded AI video intelligence and existing security infrastructure into one intelligent operating experience.

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., July 21, 2026 — Alocity today announced the successful completion of its Series A Round, led by a private investor group alongside its founder Marco Quintero. The investment will accelerate product innovation, expand the company’s engineering, sales and marketing organizations, and scale its growing network of security integration partners.

The capital raise comes at a defining moment for enterprise software. As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday work, users no longer expect to learn increasingly complex applications—they expect technology to understand them. Alocity believes that the same transformation is now coming to physical security.

At the center of the platform is Aimee, Alocity’s AI Operator for Physical Spaces. Rather than navigating multiple applications, operators simply describe what they want to accomplish. Aimee understands intent, reasons across connected systems, executes authorized actions and maintains a complete audit trail. Access control, AI video intelligence, visitor management, intercom communications and intelligent workflows become one seamless operating experience instead of a collection of disconnected applications.

“The last year marked a fundamental shift,” said Marco Quintero, Founder and CEO of Alocity. “Artificial intelligence has become part of people’s everyday lives, fundamentally changing what users expect from enterprise software. For decades, people had to understand how their software worked. The next generation of software understands how people work. AI isn’t changing what buildings or enterprises do—it’s changing how people interact and operate within them. We believe the future isn’t another dashboard. It’s an intelligent operator that understands intent, reasons across connected systems, and performs work on your behalf. That’s the future we built Aimee to deliver.”

Unlike traditional platforms that require organizations to replace existing infrastructure before they can modernize, Alocity was designed to unlock the value of what customers already own. Deep integration with Mercury Security controllers preserves the industry’s most trusted access control infrastructure, while the NVidia powered AiVR (Alocity’s AI embedded Digital Video Recorder) brings embedded AI intelligence to existing camera systems through secure local network processing. Together, they enable organizations to modernize both access control and video while protecting their existing investment in controllers, cameras and infrastructure.

By extending, not replacing existing security environments, Alocity lowers the cost and complexity of AI adoption while giving customers a practical path to modern physical security.

The Series A investment reflects growing confidence that artificial intelligence will reshape how organizations secure, manage and interact with their buildings. As enterprises move beyond disconnected products toward intelligent operating experiences, Alocity is uniquely positioned to bridge proven security infrastructure with the next generation of AI-powered operations.

“Physical security has spent decades adding products, features and dashboards,” said DJ Atkins, Chief Revenue Officer of Alocity. “The result has been more complexity for both integrators and their customers. We believe the next wave of innovation isn’t another product—it’s a completely different experience. One Platform. Every Space. One Intelligent Experience. That’s the future we’re building alongside our partners.”

The new capital will accelerate development of Alocity’s AI platform, expand enterprise capabilities, deepen strategic technology partnerships, support continued growth across engineering, customer success, sales and marketing.

As artificial intelligence reshapes enterprise software, Alocity is bringing that transformation to the physical world, creating a simpler, more intelligent way for people to secure, manage and interact with every space.

About Alocity
Alocity is the company behind the AI Operating System for Physical Spaces. Our platform unifies your access control, embedded AI video intelligence, visitor management, intercom communications and intelligent workflow automation into a single conversational experience powered by our AI Operator, Aimee. Built around open architecture and deep integration with Mercury/HID Security infrastructure, Alocity enables organizations to modernize physical security environments without replacing the investments they already own.

One Platform. Every Space. One Intelligent Experience.

www.alocity.com

SOURCE Alocity

With 90% Market Engagement and Key Technical Milestones, Sofab Inks Accelerates High-Velocity Manufacturing into New Markets: Automotive, Space, and IoT Markets

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 21, 2026 — Sofab Inks, the leader in specialty materials for perovskite solar, today announced it has raised $6 million in seed funding. The round was led by strategic investor Cloudberry Ventures.

Solving the 10-Year Reliability Barrier

The funding arrives as Sofab Inks announces a major manufacturing reliability breakthrough, solving the single biggest obstacle standing between Perovskite solar and mass-market adoption: reliability at scale.

“Perovskites are the first materials class that brings tandem solar into range for utility-scale deployment, the segment behind almost all of the roughly 2,800 gigawatts installed worldwide,” said Blake Martin, co-founder and CEO of Sofab Inks. “A perovskite cell is only as good as its weakest layer, and the industry has been stuck with C60, a fullerene. It’s the largest source of voltage loss in the device and the point where fielded modules crack first. That’s the layer we replace. Our metal-oxide nanoparticles bond six to ten times more strongly than C60 and hold up at real sizes, running at 22.3% on 30-centimeter single junction modules. This funding moves us into high-velocity production as we triple our engineering team to manage the 1x to 100x scale-up for 1×2 meter commercial specs.” 

“Sofab Inks is redefining the ROI of climate investment by making solar panels significantly more efficient than anything available today. The demand for high-performance renewables is skyrocketing in the U.S., fueled by the massive energy requirements of new data centers and the AI infrastructure build-out,” said Mahir Sahin, founder and general partner of Cloudberry Ventures. “Our investment reflects our confidence in Sofab’s trajectory as they solve a critical technical bottleneck and scale production to meet the global demand for innovative materials for next-generation solar.”  

Why Perovskite Solar Matters Now

Electrification is the direction the entire energy system is moving: transport, industry, heating, and the data centers behind AI are all shifting onto the grid at once. Solar is already the cheapest source of new power on Earth, which makes it the default answer to most of that demand.

Perovskite makes utility-scale tandems work, but the technology’s reach goes wider, into places silicon isn’t positioned to serve. Perovskite films are roughly 100 times thinner than silicon and can be made at far lower temperatures, so they can be fabricated onto flexible, lightweight, and heat-sensitive surfaces like plastics. That opens solar to curved and weight-limited applications on vehicles, lightweight arrays for satellites and space, and small-format power for the growing universe of connected devices.

Reaching those markets needs cells that last, and that has been perovskite’s hardest problem. It’s the bottleneck Sofab was built to clear: replacing the fragile fullerene layer the industry settled for with nanostructured materials engineered for durability at manufacturable scale.

Market Momentum and Customer Validation

Sofab Inks is already commercially engaged or in late-stage discussions with approximately 90% of the perovskite industry, including major players such as APS, ASU, Energy Materials Corporation (EMC), Halocell and SunXT.  

APS has had the opportunity to work with Sofab for nearly two years. During this period, through use of our slot die coating technology and Perovskite PV development platform, we have witnessed Sofab make substantial progress in transforming its ink into a commercially viable material and achieving record efficiencies.  Sofab TinFab material addresses a critical challenge in perovskite solar cell manufacturing, and we are excited about the potential impact it could have in reducing production costs. APS looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Sofab, with the objective of providing customers with a total solution that integrates Sofab Tinfab materials deposited with APS slot die coating and drying systems. Miguel Friedrich, CEO at Alpha Precision Systems

“Our research group has used Tinfab extensively as a fullerene replacement and a pathway to more mechanically and operationally stable perovskite photovoltaic devices.  We have observed that fullerene-based materials are the mechanical weak link in terms of extremely low fracture energies that trigger delamination and restrict the commercial viability of perovskite-based technology. The use of Tinfab has completely overcome these challenges by providing a more mechanically robust interface (increasing fracture energy by a factor of ~5X) and a corresponding increase in durability. I see Tinfab as a necessary component for the commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics and look forward to continuing to work with Sofab on important questions related to validating long-term stability.” Dr. Nick Rolston, leader of the Renewable Energy Materials and Devices Lab at ASU

“Sofab has been an important nanoparticle ink partner during our development of high-performance Perovskite solar cells using high-speed, roll-to-roll equipment. We look forward to working with Sofab as we move toward commercialization.” Tom Tombs, CTO at Energy Materials Corporation. 

“Choosing the right materials partners is one of the most consequential decisions in next-generation solar development. Sofab Inks stood out for their deep expertise in nanoparticle inks and their commitment to enabling low-cost, scalable perovskite photovoltaics. This funding milestone is well-earned, and we’re proud to be collaborating with them as both companies grow.” Paul Moonie, CEO, Halocell Energy Ltd

“Working alongside Sofab Ink has been an outstanding and effective partnership for SunXT. Their advanced materials were instrumental in achieving remarkable stability in our fullerene-free perovskite modules for 4T tandem applications. As we launch our new R&D pilot line in Rome in 2026, we are eager to scale the use of Sofab-based modules. We believe they will accelerate the timeline for manufacturing cost-effective perovskite modules.” Francesco Di Giacomo, CTO and Co-founder of SunXT 

About Sofab Inks

Sofab Inks is a leader in novel and nanostructured materials for the solar industry. The company was spun out of the University of Louisville, Conn Center for Renewable Energy, with support from the US DoE. By focusing on high-performance electron transport layers and specialized inks, Sofab Inks is enabling the transition to mass-market production of perovskite solar applications across multiple markets and applications. For more information, visit https://www.sofabinks.com/

Nicole Conley, Tanis Communications, [email protected]

SOURCE Sofab Inks

Aims to Raise Capital to Fund Global Clinical Studies for LNP7457 (PRMT5) & LNP8701 (SOS1)

MUMBAI, India and NAPLES, Fla., July 21, 2026 — Global pharmaceutical leader Lupin Limited (Lupin) (BSE: 500257) (NSE: LUPIN) (REUTERS: LUPIN.BO) (BLOOMBERG: LPCIN) today announced the strategic spin-out of two oncology programs – LNP7457 (PRMT5) and LNP8701 (SOS1), through its wholly owned subsidiary, Lupin Inc., into Kaveri Therapeutics Inc. (Kaveri), a U.S.-based clinical-stage oncology company. Kaveri will advance these programs through global clinical trials.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lupin Inc. will have a significant equity stake in Kaveri, provide seed funding, and grant them exclusive rights to the programs.

Kaveri will operate as an independent entity under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Kristi Jones, a seasoned biopharmaceutical leader with a strong track record of building and advancing innovative companies, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Pierce, who brings deep clinical expertise and will lead the company’s clinical development strategy. 

Kaveri will seek to raise additional capital to fund its clinical development efforts. Notably, both programs have demonstrated encouraging clinical progress, with LNP7457 (PRMT5) and LNP8701 (SOS1) each reporting positive data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

“We are proud to have pioneered these oncology assets and look forward to advancing them through Kaveri Therapeutics,” said Vinita Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Lupin. “The strength of these assets, combined with Kaveri’s seasoned leadership team, positions us to accelerate the development of targeted oncology therapies with the goal of bringing meaningful innovation to patients.”

About Lupin

Lupin Limited is a global pharmaceutical leader headquartered in Mumbai, India, with products distributed in over 100 markets. Lupin specializes in pharmaceutical products, including branded and generic formulations, complex generics, biotechnology products, and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Trusted by healthcare professionals and consumers globally, the company enjoys a strong position in India and the U.S. across multiple therapy areas, including respiratory, cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, anti-infective, gastrointestinal, central nervous system, and women’s health. Lupin has 15 state-of-the-art manufacturing sites and 7 research centers globally, along with a dedicated workforce of over 26,000 professionals. Lupin is committed to improving patient health outcomes through its subsidiaries – Lupin Diagnostics, Lupin Digital Health, and Lupin Manufacturing Solutions.

To learn more, visit www.lupin.com or follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/lupin

About Kaveri Therapeutics

Kaveri Therapeutics, Inc. (Kaveri) is a clinical stage oncology company advancing differentiated small-molecule therapies for hard-to-treat cancers. The company’s pipeline includes programs targeting PRMT5 and SOS1/RAS-pathway biology, with an initial development focus in solid tumors including lung, pancreatic, ovarian, and CNS-relevant cancers. Kaveri is focused on biomarker-driven clinical development, regulatory execution, rational combination strategies, and advancing cancer therapeutics for patients with limited treatment options.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2461104/5994298/Lupin_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Financing will support development of RN-014 and RN-032 and continued expansion of the company’s kidney disease pipeline

KYOTO, Japan, July 21, 2026 — Rege Nephro Co., Ltd. (“Rege Nephro”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on iPS cell-based kidney regenerative medicine and drug discovery, today announced the closing of a financing round totaling approximately US$10.6 million through the issuance of J-KISS (Japan-Keep It Simple Security) share acquisition rights. The proceeds are expected to support commercialization activities for RN-014, the company’s lead candidate for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), advance its iPS cell-derived regenerative medicine program RN-032, and fund continued research and development activities. The financing is intended to support the company’s growth through its anticipated Series C financing and beyond.

• Background of the Funding

Rege Nephro is dedicated to developing innovative therapies and medical technologies for patients with kidney diseases who currently have limited treatment options.

The company’s lead program, RN-014, recently reached LPLV (Last Patient Last Visit) in its Phase 2a clinical trial, marking an important milestone. RN-014 is a small-molecule therapeutic candidate identified through screening using an iPS cell-derived ADPKD disease model, and analysis of Phase 2a clinical trial data is currently underway.

In addition, RN-032, an iPS cell-derived regenerative medicine program based on renal nephron progenitor cells, has completed process development in preparation for nonclinical studies and is progressing to the next stage.

The financing will support continued advancement of these core programs while strengthening the company’s long-term growth strategy.

• Future Strategy and Use of Proceeds

The capital raised will be allocated across four key priorities:

1. RN-014 Commercialization and Global Licensing Activities

Building on insights generated from the Phase 2a clinical trial, Rege Nephro plans to pursue global licensing and partnering opportunities for RN-014 while continuing development activities aimed at further evaluating the program’s therapeutic potential.

2. Supporting Nonclinical Development of RN-032

Following the completion of process development for RN-032, the company will advance RN-032 into nonclinical studies to establish the foundation for future clinical trials.

3. Expanding Discovery Research and Kidney Regeneration Programs

The company will continue to invest in discovery and translational research, including next-generation kidney regeneration technologies and future pipeline candidates. Rege Nephro ultimately aims to develop therapies that improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with kidney disease while reducing progression to kidney failure.

4. Strengthening Organizational Capabilities

To support continued growth, Rege Nephro plans to expand its team by recruiting scientific, clinical development, and business development professionals with specialized expertise.

Through this financing, Rege Nephro seeks to advance its pipeline while strengthening the operational foundation required to support future growth and long-term value creation.

• List of the investors (In alphabetical order)

Arcus South East Asia
BA7 Venture Capital CORP
Chushin Venture Capital Co., Ltd.
DCI Partners Co., Ltd.
JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.
JIC Venture Growth Investments Co., Ltd.
Kyoshin Social Capital Co., Ltd.
Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.
RAP-HI Co., Ltd.
SPARX Asset Management Co., Ltd.
TaiAn Technologies Corp.
TOHO HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

• Comment from Akifumi Morinaka, Representative Director and CEO of Rege Nephro:

“This funding round marks an important milestone as we advance RN-014 toward commercialization and accelerate development of RN-032,” said Akifumi Morinaka, Representative Director and CEO of Rege Nephro. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our investors for their support and confidence in our vision and progress. With RN-014 having completed its Phase 2a clinical trial and RN-032 advancing toward its next stage of development, we believe the company is well positioned for continued growth. We remain committed to addressing unmet medical needs in kidney disease through innovative medicines and regenerative therapies based on iPS cell technology.”

• About Rege Nephro Co., Ltd.

Rege Nephro Co., Ltd. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that leverages scientific discoveries originating from the research of Professor Kenji Osafune at Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA).

The company is developing innovative therapies for kidney diseases based on iPS cell technology, with the goal of expanding treatment options for patients with serious and difficult-to-treat conditions.

URL: https://www.regenephro.co.jp/en

SOURCE Rege Nephro Co., Ltd.

The investment follows Twenty’s $100M Accel-led Series B and further cements Twenty as the definitive offensive cyber company industrializing capabilities for the United States and its allies.

ARLINGTON, Va., July 20, 2026 — Twenty, America’s first VC-backed cyber warfare startup, today announced an additional $30 million investment from Khosla Ventures at a $1.2 billion valuation. The investment follows Twenty’s recently announced $100 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation led by Accel.

With this investment, Twenty has now raised $168 million from many of the world’s foremost technology and national security investors, including Khosla Ventures, Accel, Friends & Family Capital, Point72 Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and In-Q-Tel.

Founded in 2024, Twenty is industrializing offensive cyber warfare for the United States and its allies. The company builds AI-enabled, end-to-end systems for the U.S. military and Intelligence Community, giving warfighters the speed and scale required to deter and defeat adversaries in cyberspace. Twenty’s systems are designed to keep human judgment at the center, pairing advanced AI and automation with rigorous evaluation, controlled deployment, and mission alignment.

The investment follows unprecedented government demand for offensive cyber capabilities built at commercial speed. This Administration has brought renewed leadership to offensive cyber, calling for the United States to use the full suite of offensive cyber operations to disrupt adversary networks and raise the costs of aggression on those who threaten American interests.

“Our thesis here is simple. AI is reshaping the world and the US and its allies need an AI-native cyberwarfare prime capable of protecting our most critical interests. That prime is Twenty,” said Jon Chu, the Partner at Khosla Ventures who led the investment. “Every major national security domain needs a prime that can operate at the speed of AI while delivering commercial grade execution and earning mission level trust. I’ve searched for a company that fits this thesis for years, but have never found a team with the necessary depth across AI, cyber, and defense until now. Twenty brings together the talent, product velocity, customer pull, and mission relevance required to define this category.”

“Khosla’s investment is further validation that Twenty is the definitive company industrializing cyber warfare for the United States and its allies,” said Joe Lin, Co-founder and CEO of Twenty. “We are building the industrial base for American cyber power: the AI-enabled capabilities our warfighters need to disrupt threats at their origin. We are grateful to partner with Jon and the Khosla team as we continue pouring capital directly into research and engineering.”

“AI is changing cyber warfare. Now it happens faster, at greater scale, and most defense contractors are still building for the old world,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. “The country that moves fastest on AI-native cyber warfare will have the advantage for the next decade. Joe and the Twenty team have the technical depth and operational credibility to industrialize offensive cyber capability at exactly the moment it matters most.”

Twenty will invest this capital directly into research and engineering, expanding the technical team and accelerating development of the offensive cyber capabilities America’s warfighters need to win against determined adversaries.

About Twenty

Twenty is America’s first VC-backed cyber warfare startup. Founded in 2024, Twenty is industrializing cyber warfare for the United States and its allies. The company builds AI-enabled, end-to-end systems for the U.S. military and Intelligence Community, giving warfighters the speed and scale required to impose costs on adversaries in cyberspace. Twenty’s systems are designed to keep human judgment at the center, pairing advanced AI and automation with rigorous evaluation, controlled deployment, and mission alignment.

SOURCE Twenty

SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2026 — Natural today announced that it has raised a $30 million Series A led by Kirsten Green at Forerunner, with continued participation from all major investors. The round was raised when the company was 193 days old and brings Natural’s total funding to more than $40 million.

The round was supported by Aarmaan Ali and Baris Akis, Founders of Human Capital; Ramtin Naimi, Founder of Abstract; Nichole Wischoff, Founder of Wischoff Ventures; Darragh Buckley, CEO of Increase; Pablo Palafox, CEO of HappyRobot; Paul Klein IV, CEO of Browserbase; Akshay Kothari, Co-founder of Notion; Henri Stern and Max Segall, CEO and COO of Privy; Pete Koomen, GP of Y Combinator; Dylan Babbs, CTO of Profound; Art Levy, CBO of Brex; Jake and Logan Paul, GPs of Antifund; and others.

Natural is building the foundational payments stack for AI agents.¹

Agents are becoming financial actors. They will hold and move money, request and accept payments, make purchases, pay invoices, charge for work, and transact across currencies, banks, networks, and payment rails. They need a financial stack built specifically for how they operate.

“Agents are going to become one of the most, if not the most, important financial actors in the global economy,” said Kahlil Lalji, CEO and Co-founder of Natural. “The question is not whether agents will move money. The question is who builds the infrastructure that makes agentic payments safe, reliable, compliant, and useful at scale. That is what we are building at Natural.”

Natural is building 13 products. Today, six hit general availability. Available now:

Wallets — FDIC-insured wallets for agents ²
Vaults — One-way accounts. Agents move money in, never out
Pay — Send money to an agent, business, or consumer
Request — Collect money from an agent, business, or consumer
Transfer — Move funds between internal and external accounts
Connect — Build platforms and marketplaces on Natural

Natural is also rolling out Voice, Accept, and Cards over the coming months. Voice will allow agents to collect PCI information, including card details, over the phone. Accept will allow companies to turn agents into merchants. Cards will allow companies to issue debit and charge cards for agents.

In Q4, the company plans to launch Charge, Credit, Direct, and Billing. Charge will support per-API-call billing on top of Natural wallets. Credit will allow companies to issue lines of credit for agents. Direct will allow agents to call specific payment rails at runtime. Billing will support success-based billing for agents.

“We made a bet on agentic payments a year ago, when no one was talking about it,” Lalji said. “We knew that we needed to own that entire stack. Natural builds and operates the primitives directly: ledgering, money movement, multi-bank settlement, multi-currency, fraud & compliance, agent identity & observability, and more.”

The company noted that it has built its banking and payments infrastructure with significant direct ownership in less than a year since founding. Natural was started by Lalji and co-founders Eric Wang and Walt Leung 342 days ago. The company now has a team of 17 and is hiring aggressively across every function.

“We are moving with an unbelievable level of intensity because the market is moving extremely quickly,” Lalji said. “The shift from human-executed payments to agent-executed payments is already underway, and Natural is building the infrastructure required to support that shift.”

About Natural
Natural (www.natural.com) is building payments infrastructure for AI agents. The company has raised more than $40 million from investors including Forerunner, Human Capital, Abstract, Bridge, Brex, Mercury, Privy, Vercel, Notion, Increase, Unit, Figure, and so many others.

¹ Natural is a financial technology company, not a bank. Wallet Account and banking services are provided by Column N.A., Member FDIC.

² Natural is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured depository institution. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured depository institution. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through FDIC insurance to apply. Deposits in Wallet accounts are FDIC-insured through Column N.A., Member FDIC, and Column’s Sweep Program Network Banks.

SOURCE Natural AI, Inc.

Walthour recognized among national leaders expanding access to capital, investment expertise, and long-term wealth-building opportunities

NEW YORK, July 20, 2026 — Jacob Walthour Jr., founder and CEO of Blueprint Capital Advisors, has been named a 2026 Melanin Money 100 Honoree in the Capital, Investment & Wealth Management category, recognizing his leadership in expanding access, opportunity, and participation across the financial industry.

The Melanin Money 100 recognizes builders, educators, founders, executives, creators, investors, and changemakers whose work is broadening the definition of wealth and creating pathways for others to move forward. Walthour was honored alongside nationally recognized leaders, including John Hope Bryant and Dr. Paul Judge.

The 2026 MM100 encompasses a number of industry leaders, including John Hope Bryant, Dr. Paul Judge, Ben Crump, Morgan DeBaun, George Acheampong, Carter Cofield, Dominique Broadway, Terrence J, Onyeka Odunukwe, Chris Sain, Imani Ellis of CultureCon, Detavio Samuels of REVOLT, KevOnStage, and other founders, investors, executives, and entrepreneurs.

Together, the broader honoree class reflects the intersection of business, finance, entrepreneurship, media, and culture. The inclusion of leaders such as Ellis, Samuels, and KevOnStage created additional opportunities to build relationships across industries and engage influential voices shaping contemporary conversations about ownership, access, and wealth creation.

Walthour’s work spans institutional investing, capital markets, economic development, and community impact. Through Blueprint Capital Advisors, he has advocated for a more inclusive investment ecosystem that recognizes the potential of historically overlooked firms, strengthens emerging financial talent, and connects underrepresented businesses with the capital, relationships, and institutional resources required to grow.

The recognition reflects Walthour’s continued work to:

• Expand access to institutional capital and investment opportunities
• Support underrepresented and emerging investment managers
• Develop the next generation of financial professionals and business leaders
• Connect entrepreneurs and firms with the networks that enable sustainable growth
• Advance pathways toward ownership, economic mobility, and generational wealth

Founded by wealth manager George Acheampong and CPA and tax strategist Carter Cofield, Melanin Money is one of the nation’s leading financial education platforms focused on entrepreneurship, investing, tax strategy, and generational wealth. Its educational programming, live events, digital content, and Melanin Money Podcast reach a national audience of entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and wealth builders.

Melanin Money Wealth Weekend was held July 17–18 in downtown Atlanta and convened more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and business leaders for programming focused on ownership, investment, business growth, tax strategy, and long-term wealth creation.

About Blueprint Capital Advisors

Blueprint Capital Advisors is a strategic advisory and investment firm dedicated to connecting capital with opportunity across venture capital, private markets, and emerging investment platforms.

SOURCE Blueprint Capital Advisors