Investment announced alongside Relevance Ventures’ sponsorship and participation
at NAFOA’s 2026 Fall Finance & Tribal Economies Conference

NASHVILLE, Tenn. and SANTA FE, N.M., Sept. 23, 2026 — Relevance Ventures (“Relevance”), one of the nation’s only independently owned Native American venture capital firms, today announced that it has led a multimillion Series B financing in Aqua Medical, Inc. (“Aqua”), a clinical-stage medical technology company with a minimally invasive endoscopic approach to treating Type 2 diabetes. The investment was announced as Relevance participates as a sponsor and exhibitor at the 2026 NAFOA Fall Finance & Tribal Economies Conference in Santa Fe, where Tribal leaders, investors and financial professionals are convening around economic growth, capital access and sovereignty.

“Type 2 diabetes represents exactly the kind of challenge Relevance Ventures exists to combat. This is a significant human need with an opportunity for innovation to materially change outcomes and people’s lives,” said Dean Newton, Chairman and General Partner of Relevance Ventures. “Aqua is pursuing a fundamentally different approach to a disease that affects Native Americans at twice the national average, while claiming hundreds of millions of sufferers globally. We believe that combination of potential impact and scale is where some of the most compelling investment opportunities are created.”

Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 589 million people worldwide, and contributes to more than $1 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures globally, including approximately $327 billion in the United States, according to figures cited by Aqua Medical. To address this, Aqua Medical deploys an investigational Proximal Intestinal Mucosal Ablation (PIMA) procedure using a proprietary radiofrequency vapor ablation platform.

“Rather than relying solely on pharmaceutical management or more invasive surgical interventions, Aqua is building a minimally invasive, device-based approach to addressing metabolic disease,” explained Bob Haggerty, President and CEO of Aqua Medical. “Proceeds from this financing will support the completion of our ongoing U.S. RESTORE-1 pilot study and preparations for a planned U.S. pivotal trial, subject to regulatory authorization.”

The RESTORE-1 study is currently evaluating PIMA at participating U.S. clinical sites under an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption. The product is FDA-cleared for the coagulation and ablation of bleeding and non-bleeding sites in the gastrointestinal tract. Its use for type 2 diabetes is currently under clinical investigation.

“Our investment philosophy is aimed at solving meaningful problems while creating enduring businesses,” said Cameron Newton, Managing Partner of Relevance Ventures. “That means backing companies across personal health, digital health, community health and financial health that address systemic challenges while pursuing market-rate financial outcomes. Aqua fits squarely within that framework.”

It’s fitting that Relevance announced this investment while co-sponsoring and attending NAFOA, highlighting how Native -owned capital can support the development of treatments for Native health challenges. “NAFOA is an important gathering because it brings together leaders thinking seriously about capital, sovereignty and long-term economic strength,” added Kelly Holmes, Venture Partner & Tribal Ambassador of Relevance Ventures. “For us, announcing an investment like Aqua in that environment reinforces that Native participation in the capital markets brings real benefits to Indian Country, while not being limited to one sector or one geography.”

Additionally, as part of the financing deal, Dean Newton has joined Aqua Medical’s Board of Directors. This furthers the confidence and alignment between Relevance Ventures and Aqua Medical, committing to be not just a capital provider, but a true partner for companies creating lasting health outcomes.

About Relevance Ventures

Relevance Ventures is a Native American, privately owned and operated venture capital firm with more than $100 million under management. The firm invests in high-growth companies across personal health, community health, digital health, and financial health. Founded by Cameron and Dean Newton, Relevance is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with an expanding presence in multiple U.S. growth markets. The Newtons are members of the Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia. For more information, visit www.Relevanceventures.com.

About Aqua Medical

Aqua Medical is a clinical-stage medical technology company advancing a minimally invasive, through-the-working-channel-of-the-scope technology to address Type 2 diabetes. Using its proprietary radiofrequency vapor ablation (RFVA) system for the Proximal Intestinal Mucosal Ablation (PIMA) procedure, the company aims to deliver a scalable, device-based approach intended to address mechanisms associated with Type 2 diabetes and potentially improve metabolic outcomes.

The RFVA system is FDA-cleared for marketing for its indicated use in the gastrointestinal tract. Use of the RFVA system for the PIMA procedure is investigational. The safety and effectiveness of the RFVA system for the PIMA procedure have not yet been established.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Aqua Medical’s investigational technology, clinical development activities, and future expectations. Actual results may differ materially. Aqua Medical encourages patients to reach out to the company or their physician to explore the opportunity to be treated with this new technology.

SOURCE Relevance Ventures

Selected from 158 applicants, ORION Security is recognized as a cybersecurity innovator shaping what comes next

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2026 — ORION Security, the agentic data loss prevention (DLP) platform, today announced it has been named a 2026 SINET16 Honoree, one of just 16 companies selected from 158 applicants across 10 countries.

The 2026 SINET16 were chosen through a fiercely competitive selection process led by more than 100 industry experts, including CISOs from industry-leading enterprises. In announcing this year’s honorees, SINET called them “the most promising early-stage and emerging cybersecurity companies shaping what comes next.”

SINET connects CISOs, risk executives, and investors with early-stage companies driving cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. Its annual SINET16 program recognizes companies developing innovative approaches to some of cybersecurity’s most pressing challenges.

Leading those challenges, the explosion of AI, SaaS, and cloud applications has changed how sensitive data moves through the enterprise, exposing the limits of legacy DLP tooling built around predefined rules and individual control points. ORION Security takes a fundamentally different approach and is built around data movement, context, and user intent.

“Being named a SINET16 Honoree is especially meaningful, with votes coming from cyber professionals and ORION Security customers who understand what enterprise security teams are up against,” said Nitay Milner, Co-Founder and CEO of ORION Security. “Data security is at the forefront of this change, with companies requiring visibility and control of data in motion. Data loss prevention is undergoing a renaissance, and ORION Security is leading the charge.”

The ORION agentic DLP platform brings together continuous data lineage, context-aware classification, identity, environment, and user intent across endpoints, browsers, AI tools, SaaS, and email. Where some DLP tools use AI only to classify data or triage alerts, ORION uses AI to reason over the risk of the movement itself, detecting threats without requiring security teams to anticipate every threat.

The SINET16 recognition follows a period of rapid growth for ORION. In February 2026, the company raised a $32 million Series A led by Norwest Venture Partners, with participation from IBM Ventures and existing investors, bringing total funding to $38 million.

ORION Security will be recognized as a SINET16 Honoree at SINETNew York on October 8. Contact us to request an in-person meeting with ORION Security executives in attendance.

About ORION Security

ORION Security is the agentic data loss prevention platform. Using proprietary AI agents that analyze data in motion and detect real indicators of data loss risk, ORION Security delivers context-aware verdicts across every channel, including endpoints, browsers, SaaS, email, and agentic AI workflows, without rules, policies, or manual tuning. The result is dramatically reduced overhead and real incidents stopped before they become data leaks.

Enterprise information security teams get total visibility and control, answers instead of false positives, and data loss prevention (DLP) that continuously learns and evolves with the business. For more information about ORION Security, visit orionsec.io.

About SINET

SINET’s mission is to advance innovation to defeat global cybersecurity threats. The organization connects CISOs, risk executives, and investors with early-stage and emerging companies driving cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. By facilitating transparent dialogue, earning trust, and building relationships, SINET empowers its network to build a safer, more resilient digital future.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE ORION Security

Two GenesisL1 Insights publications pair a Renaissance-scale case for public scientific memory with block-pinned stake evidence at block 13,690,968.

SHERIDAN, Wyo., Sept. 23, 2026 — GenesisL1, a Layer 1 for decentralized science and verifiable AI, today announced two Insights publications and invited universities, biobanks, research hospitals, biotechnology companies and public agencies to help operate public scientific infrastructure.

GenesisL1 launched with no token sale, private round, insider allocation or private unlock schedule; the bootstrap distributor retained nothing after the public one-to-one transition. That alone does not prove decentralization, but it removes insider vesting and reserved claims from the protocol’s origin. Public patronage runs through the community pool and on-chain governance, not a founding cap table.

“GenesisL1 and the Next Verifiable Renaissance” argues that presses, libraries, universities and scientific societies transformed discovery by letting knowledge outlive its author, patron or institution. As AI makes science machine-executable, GenesisL1 proposes a public layer preserving the identity, provenance, authorization and computational history of scientific objects while protected data stays local.

The companion analysis, “GenesisL1 Stake Distribution and Decentralization,” tests whether distributed stewardship can be measured rather than asserted. It preserves raw responses, tables and 158 SHA-256-listed files. GenesisL1 recorded 33 active validators, 25,555,236.79 L1 bonded and 1,402 delegator addresses; the largest validator held 9.27% of voting power and the top five 27.38%. Since July the active set has grown from 20 to 33, top-five share has fallen from 51.07% and the two-thirds coefficient has widened from eight to 18. The newest interval is reported without selective framing: HHI improved while the largest-validator share rose from its previous low.

“Scientific infrastructure should not ask institutions to rent access to their own memory,” said Mikhail Fedorov, founder of GenesisL1. “Run a validator, preserve an archive node, reproduce the evidence, or define one bounded workflow another institution can inspect.”

L1 coin is the native resource for fees, staking, governance and settlement, not equity, a revenue claim or a promise of return.

Renaissance article: https://genesisl1.com/insights/genesisl1-decentralization-scientific-renaissance.html
Technical analysis: https://genesisl1.com/insights/genesisl1-stake-distribution-decentralization-evidence.html
Evidence: https://genesisl1.com/evidence/stake-distribution/

About GenesisL1
GenesisL1 is a public, permissionless EVM-compatible Layer 1 for scientific data, deterministic models, programmable rights and community governance. Ledger verification establishes provenance and authorization, not biomedical validity or clinical safety. Decentralized Science Labs LLC and Bioinformatics LLC contribute research and software but do not own or control the network.

Media Contact
Mikhail Fedorov, Founder, GenesisL1
+1 207-987-0880
[email protected]

SOURCE GenesisL1

Digital learning platform combining social and emotional learning (SEL), character development, executive functioning, life skills and academic support for children ages 3–12.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 23, 2026 — As digital education becomes increasingly focused on academic practice and subject mastery, Edufrienz 99 is introducing U.S. families and educators to a broader approach to learning that supports both knowledge and personal growth.

Designed for children ages 3 to 12, Edufrienz 99 brings together social and emotional learning (SEL), character development, executive functioning, life skills, 21st-century competencies and academic support within one ecosystem.

Its library includes more than 1,800 learning resources across over 40 categories, including digital storybooks, educational games, videos, worksheets, workbooks, lesson plans, teacher guides and printable activities for both home and school use.

Rather than treating academic learning, social-emotional development and character education as separate experiences, Edufrienz 99 brings them together within one accessible learning environment.

At the heart of Edufrienz 99 is a simple idea: a child’s development should not be measured by academic achievement alone. Children also need to understand their emotions, build confidence, develop positive habits, communicate effectively and make responsible decisions.

“Academic knowledge will always matter, but as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, the skills that make us human may become even more important,” said Jamus Goh, Business Director of Edufrienz 99. “Our goal is to make these essential human skills easier to teach, engaging for children and accessible to more families and schools.”

Annual subscriptions start at US$29.99, providing families with affordable access to a broad range of structured whole-child learning resources.

Learning On-Screen and Off-Screen

Edufrienz 99 is designed to balance digital engagement with hands-on learning. Children can move between interactive games, animated content and digital stories, as well as printable worksheets, workbooks, writing activities and classroom resources.

Across the platform, children can explore more than 66 SEL, character and life-skill topics, including empathy, gratitude, confidence, patience, teamwork, emotional regulation, communication and responsible decision-making.

This combination gives parents and educators greater flexibility to reinforce important skills without relying entirely on screen-based learning.

Introducing Lumi Frienz

Edufrienz 99 is also expanding its original character universe with Lumi Frienz, created for younger learners.

Through playful characters, comics, stories, games and animated content, Lumi Frienz introduces positive habits and everyday behaviours such as listening, patience, caring, curiosity and responsibility through relatable adventures rather than formal lessons.

The character universe forms part of Edufrienz 99’s broader effort to make character development engaging and memorable from an early age.

A Broader Approach to Learning

Children are growing up in a world shaped by rapid technological change, artificial intelligence and new ways of learning. Alongside literacy, mathematics and subject knowledge, they will continue to need distinctly human capabilities such as empathy, adaptability, communication, confidence and sound judgment.

Edufrienz 99 aims to make these capabilities a more natural part of everyday learning.

The company is also seeking partnerships with U.S. education companies, schools, school networks, distributors and organizations interested in whole-child development, SEL and future-ready skills.

For families and educators looking beyond traditional academic platforms, Edufrienz 99 offers a broader starting point — one ecosystem designed to help children develop the academic, social, emotional and practical skills they need to learn, grow and thrive.

To learn more, visit www.edufrienz.com.

About Edufrienz 99

Edufrienz 99 is a Singapore-based education company focused on whole-child development for children ages 3 to 12. Its digital learning ecosystem combines social and emotional learning, character development, executive functioning, life skills, 21st-century competencies and academic support, with more than 1,800 resources across over 40 categories. Edufrienz 99 also develops original children’s character IP, including Lumi Frienz.

Media Contact

Jamus Goh
Business Director
Edufrienz 99 Pte. Ltd.
+65 88758898
[email protected] 

SOURCE Edufrienz 99 Pte. Ltd

Funding From Boston Seed Capital, The Raine Group, and Bullpen Capital Brings Topdog’s Total Capital Raised to $4.1 Million

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2026 — Topdog, a real money skill-gaming company featuring real time multiplayer games for sports fans and gamers, announced it has raised $2.5 million in seed funding to accelerate growth of its app and expand its portfolio of multiplayer sports, card, and strategy games.

The round, led by Boston Seed Capital, includes participation from The Raine Group, Bullpen Capital, Versus Ventures, Spoondrift Capital, and Permit Ventures. Topdog previously raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, bringing the company’s total funding to $4.1 million.

The company is backed by several prominent gaming entrepreneurs and industry leaders, including FanDuel co-founder Nigel Eccles, Revenant VC Founder Ryan Moore, and gaming industry consultant Dustin Gouker, among others. Topdog has also assembled early DraftKings and FanDuel investors including Boston Seed, The Raine Group, and Bullpen Capital, bringing together influential leaders in modern sports betting behind the company’s vision for real time multiplayer gaming.

Topdog will use the new funding to accelerate user acquisition and introduce more real time multiplayer games built around sports.

“Sports fans spend countless hours thinking about lineups, matchups, strategy, and what is going to happen next, yet most gaming products only give them something to do for a short time period, while a game is actually being played,” said Aman Agarwal, co-founder of Topdog. “We see a much bigger opportunity here. Topdog is building real time multiplayer sports skill games that let fans compete directly against each other and stay engaged with the sports they love even during off-peak hours. We believe real-time multiplayer can redefine what sports gaming looks like.”

Instead of competing against a house or playing an asynchronous game based largely on individual scores, Topdog games are designed around live interaction, strategy, and adaptation to an opponent. The approach is central to Topdog’s broader thesis that the next generation of real money skill gaming will become increasingly multiplayer and real time.

Topdog has developed a portfolio of strategy based games, including Basketball Hustle, a multiplayer basketball game in which players draft teams and make strategic decisions throughout a match, along with 21 Hustle, Tilt, Pinfall and other titles. The company is continuing to build sports games designed to give fans new ways to compete outside the traditional windows of live sporting events.

“Topdog is attacking an arena of gaming that has enormous potential but has historically been difficult to execute,” said Peter Blacklow, Managing Director at Boston Seed Capital. “Aman, Jatin and the team have built technology that makes real time multiplayer gaming scalable while pairing it with games that are intuitive, competitive and designed specifically for real-money audiences. In doing so, they have cracked several codes that we were unable to when I was leading WorldWinner’s skill games business. We believe they have an opportunity to build an important new category.”

Topdog’s technology was built to address one of the longstanding challenges of multiplayer gaming: ensuring that players can consistently find well matched opponents. Its infrastructure supports synchronous gameplay, player matchmaking, liquidity, payments, fraud detection, and live operations.

Unlike many traditional skill-games, in which players compete separately and compare scores afterward, Topdog’s titles are turn-by-turn experiences in which participants play simultaneously and adjust their decisions based on their opponents. That structure is designed to create faster, more interactive games while reducing the opportunity for a single dominant strategy or automated play to determine outcomes.

“Consumers already expect multiplayer competition everywhere else in gaming,” Agarwal added. “Real money skill-gaming should be no different. We want Topdog to become the place where sports fans and gamers can compete against each other, in real time, whenever they want to play.”

ABOUT TOPDOG
Topdog is a real-money skill-gaming company that builds and operates strategy-driven multiplayer games. Its games allow players to compete against real opponents in real time. Topdog has built its own end-to-end technology stack that includes matchmaking, player liquidity, payments, fraud detection, and live operations, enabling the company to quickly launch and scale multiplayer gaming experiences.

Topdog was founded by Aman Agarwal and Jatin Narang, who have more than a decade of combined experience in skill gaming. For more information, visit topdog.games.

Media Contact:
Joshua Milne
617-501-1620
[email protected] 

SOURCE Topdog

Industry experts discuss supply chain shifts, working capital pressures, and the strategic role of non-recourse export factoring

SHANGHAI, Sept. 23, 2026 — Tradewind Finance, a global trade finance provider, brought together four regional leaders on September 9 for a webinar on how geopolitical shifts, changing sourcing patterns and tighter working capital are redrawing global trade. The session, “Beyond the Horizon: Rethinking Trade Routes from Far East to Americas,” was moderated by Cole Thompson, vice president of sales at Tradewind Finance.

He was joined by Chris Chang, regional commercial director for the Far East; Brian Dowd, senior vice president of sales for the Americas; and Christopher Algarin, international factoring consultant.

Cash is taking longer to come back, and Asia waits longest

Companies worldwide now take 67 days on average to turn a unit of cash spent on operations into cash collected from customers, according to Allianz Trade’s annual DSO and Cash Conversion Cycle report, published in July 2026. The cycle lengthened by half a day in 2025 and now sits three days above its ten-year average. Inventory is what holds the cash. Stock accounts for close to 80% of the cycle as companies move away from just-in-time buying toward keeping more in reserve. Payment terms are not the global pressure point: days sales outstanding stands at 56.5 days and has been broadly flat since 2022.

Asia is the outlier. Its cycle reached 70 days in 2025, the longest of any region and a record five days above the pre-2020 average, with Allianz forecasting 72 days in 2026. The reason is unusual. Asian companies are paying their own suppliers faster, cutting days payable outstanding by 1.4 days to 44, while collecting no sooner from their own customers. Days sales outstanding held at 59 days, the longest customer payment terms in the world. Cash leaves earlier and arrives no faster.

Atradius found the same pressure in receivables. Its 2026 Payment Practices Barometer for Asia, published in July, reports that more than 80% of suppliers are paid late and that overdue invoices tie up close to a third of B2B receivables. In Western Europe, nearly four in five companies say business customers pay late, and roughly a quarter of invoices are settled after the due date.

Atradius also points to a structural shift behind those numbers. As bank finance has tightened, more Western European sales have moved onto credit terms, now around 52% of B2B transactions, which leaves suppliers carrying more of the payment risk. That was the backdrop for the panel’s discussion of non-recourse factoring.

Sources: Allianz Trade, Days Sales Outstanding and Cash Conversion Cycle report, July 2026; Atradius Payment Practices Barometer, Asia (July 2026) and Western Europe (May 2026).

Supply chain diversification is now permanent

Chang said Chinese supply chains have been moving to new manufacturing hubs over the past two years, among them Morocco, Costa Rica and Vietnam. Dowd said the shift has outlasted the event that triggered it. “It seemed like a trend during COVID, but that was just a catalyst. A lot of companies, especially in the West, are rethinking their supply chains and how to diversify where they import from.”

Algarin pointed to Mexico as a clear beneficiary, citing the USMCA trade agreement, competitive labor costs and mature industrial clusters. “Chinese companies are establishing factories in Mexico and partnering with local manufacturers. We are convinced that this phenomenon of relocation to Mexico and Southeast Asia is here to stay.”

Credit risk now drives payment risk

The leading causes of payment disruption have changed, Dowd said. Large fraud cases and logistics delays now do more damage than traditional buyer insolvency. “There have been some large fraud cases that had ripple effects across the entire supply chain, including the financial services industry. Many suppliers lost the financial facilities they had in place.”

Chang described a furniture trade show in Shanghai where a major U.S. buyer’s bankruptcy hit the industry hard. “Credit insurance only protects against insolvency. The trade finance component, along with collections, is something very unique and highly sought after.” Big bankruptcies and fraud events, he added, typically push more SMEs toward non-recourse invoice finance.

Working capital: non-recourse factoring as a strategic tool

With payment terms running from 30 to 90 days and beyond, Algarin said the usual fixes do not hold up over time: larger bank facilities, shareholder contributions, supplier credit. “This is precisely when having a non-recourse factoring facility becomes so important. The more you sell, the greater your access to cash, and best of all, it is achieved without incurring additional debt.”

Dowd said the structure underwrites the buyer’s credit risk rather than the seller’s balance sheet. “You could be a one-year-old company with very low sales, but if you get a $1 million order from Amazon, we are happy to finance that business based on Amazon. It is not a loan, you do not have to pay it back.”

He drew a line between the two models. Recourse factoring works like a loan secured on the seller’s balance sheet. Non-recourse factoring is an outright purchase of the invoice, and once it is sold the credit and collection risk sits with the factor, not the exporter.

Compliance and verification: the value of local presence

Algarin pointed to a common mistake among exporters: extending terms on the strength of an unpolished website or a friend’s recommendation instead of proper diligence. “A third party fully committed to preserving its own capital will diligently verify the buyer’s reputation, payment history, size, and market potential.”

Chang said Tradewind’s 14 offices across 12 countries let the company verify buyers directly. “We have people in the most important markets to explain, work with, and verify buyers. This is a very important value adder that Tradewind offers.”

About Tradewind Finance

Founded in 2000, Tradewind Finance is a global trade finance provider helping importers and exporters improve cash flow, accelerate payments and manage risk. With over 25 years of experience and 14 offices across 12 countries, Tradewind delivers funding solutions to businesses worldwide. The company specializes in non-recourse export factoring, purchasing eligible invoices after goods have shipped and collecting payment directly from customers, thereby assuming the credit and collection risk on those receivables.

SOURCE Tradewind Finance

CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2026 — May River Capital today announced that its portfolio company Dickson has been acquired by Copeland, a portfolio company of Blackstone. Copeland is a global leader in compression technologies and controls solutions, with over 100 years of expertise and approximately 18,000 colleagues across more than 40 countries.

May River acquired Dickson in April 2018. Since then, May River and Dickson’s management team have transformed the business from a family-owned, single-site operation into a global environmental monitoring platform serving customers in more than 50 countries from its operations in Addison, Illinois, Montpellier, France and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The team strengthened Dickson’s commercial capabilities, invested in next-generation sensing and cloud-based monitoring solutions, and positioned the business to serve highly regulated life sciences and pharmaceutical applications. The successful take-private acquisition of Oceasoft, a publicly traded French environmental monitoring company, further expanded the Company’s technology portfolio and international presence.

Rick Weiler, President and CEO of Dickson, commented, “With May River’s support, we have invested in our people and expanded our product and technology capabilities, enhancing Dickson’s ability to support the critical environmental monitoring needs of life sciences customers around the world. Joining Copeland marks an exciting next chapter for Dickson, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead within its broader global platform.”

Steve Griesemer, Partner at May River Capital, commented, “Rick and the Dickson team have been outstanding partners, and the strength of the organization today is a testament to their leadership and dedication. Through our partnership with management, we have transformed Dickson into a global leader in its industry and positioned it for further growth. We believe Copeland is an ideal partner for Dickson’s next chapter and will help the Company extend its capabilities to an even broader customer base.”

Houlihan Lokey served as lead financial advisor with William Blair & Company L.L.C. as co-financial advisor to May River and Dickson. Paul Hastings LLP served as legal counsel.

About May River
May River Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on investing in lower middle-market industrial growth companies. May River invests in high-quality industrial growth businesses, including advanced manufacturing, engineered products and instrumentation, specialized industrial services, and value-added industrial distribution services. For more information, please visit www.mayrivercapital.com 

About Dickson
Founded in 1923 and based in Addison, Illinois, Dickson provides environmental monitoring solutions, including software, connected monitoring devices, sensors and services, for regulated applications. The Company serves customers in more than 50 countries, with a focus on life sciences, pharmaceutical, healthcare, medical device and other compliance-driven markets. For more information, please visit www.dicksondata.com 

CHICAGO, 23 septembre 2026 — May River Capital a annoncé aujourd’hui que l’une des sociétés de son portefeuille, Dickson, a été rachetée par Copeland, une société du portefeuille de Blackstone. Copeland est un leader mondial dans le domaine des technologies de compression et des solutions de contrôle, fort de plus de 100 ans d’expertise et comptant environ 18 000 collaborateurs répartis dans plus de 40 pays.

May River a racheté Dickson en avril 2018. Depuis lors, l’équipe de direction de May River et Dickson a transformé l’entreprise, qui était à l’origine une société familiale exploitant un seul site, en une plateforme mondiale de surveillance environnementale au service de clients dans plus de 50 pays, depuis ses sites d’Addison (Illinois), de Montpellier (France) et de Kuala Lumpur (Malaisie). L’équipe a renforcé les capacités commerciales de Dickson, a investi dans des solutions de détection de nouvelle génération et de surveillance dans le cloud, et a positionné l’entreprise pour répondre aux besoins des secteurs hautement réglementés des sciences de la vie et de l’industrie pharmaceutique. Le rachat réussi d’Oceasoft, une société française cotée en bourse spécialisée dans la surveillance environnementale, a permis d’élargir encore davantage le portefeuille technologique et la présence internationale de la Société.

Rick Weiler, président-directeur général de Dickson, a déclaré : « Grâce au soutien de May River, nous avons investi dans notre personnel et élargi nos capacités en matière de produits et de technologies, renforçant ainsi la capacité de Dickson à répondre aux besoins essentiels de ses clients du secteur des sciences de la vie en matière de surveillance environnementale à travers le monde. » « L’arrivée de Dickson chez Copeland marque le début d’un nouveau chapitre passionnant, et nous nous réjouissons à l’idée des opportunités qui s’offriront à nous au sein de cette plateforme mondiale plus vaste. »

Steve Griesemer, associé chez May River Capital, a déclaré : « Rick et l’équipe de Dickson ont été des partenaires exceptionnels, et la solidité actuelle de l’entreprise témoigne de leur leadership et de leur dévouement. Grâce à notre partenariat avec la direction, nous avons fait de Dickson un leader mondial dans son secteur et l’avons mis sur la voie d’une croissance durable. Nous sommes convaincus que Copeland est le partenaire idéal pour accompagner Dickson dans cette nouvelle étape et qu’il aidera l’entreprise à étendre ses capacités à une clientèle encore plus large. »

Houlihan Lokey a agi en tant que conseiller financier principal, tandis que William Blair & Company L.L.C. a joué le rôle de co-conseiller financier auprès de May River et Dickson. Le cabinet Paul Hastings LLP a assuré le conseil juridique.

À propos de May River
May River Capital est une société de capital-investissement basée à Chicago, spécialisée dans l’investissement dans des entreprises industrielles en croissance appartenant au segment inférieur du marché intermédiaire. May River investit dans des entreprises industrielles en pleine croissance et de grande qualité, notamment dans les secteurs de la fabrication de pointe, des produits techniques et de l’instrumentation, des services industriels spécialisés et des services de distribution industrielle à valeur ajoutée. Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur www.mayrivercapital.com 

À propos de Dickson
Fondée en 1923 et basée à Addison, dans l’Illinois, la société Dickson propose des solutions de surveillance environnementale, notamment des logiciels, des appareils de surveillance connectés, des capteurs et des services, destinés à des applications soumises à une réglementation. La société accompagne des clients dans plus de 50 pays, en se concentrant notamment sur les secteurs des sciences de la vie, de l’industrie pharmaceutique, de la santé, des dispositifs médicaux et d’autres marchés soumis à des exigences réglementaires strictes. Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur www.dicksondata.com 

CHICAGO, 23. September 2026 — May River Capital gab heute bekannt, dass sein Portfoliounternehmen Dickson von Copeland, einem Portfoliounternehmen von Blackstone, übernommen wurde. Copeland ist ein weltweit führender Anbieter von Kompressionstechnologien und Steuerungslösungen mit über 100 Jahren Erfahrung und rund 18.000 Mitarbeitern in mehr als 40 Ländern.

May River hat Dickson im April 2018 übernommen. Seitdem haben May River und das Managementteam von Dickson das Unternehmen von einem familiengeführten Betrieb mit einem einzigen Standort zu einer globalen Plattform für Umweltüberwachung umgestaltet, die von ihren Standorten in Addison (Illinois), Montpellier (Frankreich) und Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) aus Kunden in mehr als 50 Ländern betreut. Das Team stärkte die kommerziellen Kompetenzen von Dickson, investierte in Sensortechnologie der nächsten Generation und cloudbasierte Überwachungslösungen und positionierte das Unternehmen so, dass es stark regulierte Anwendungen in den Bereichen Life Sciences und Pharmazie bedienen kann. Die erfolgreiche Übernahme von Oceasoft, einem börsennotierten französischen Unternehmen im Bereich Umweltüberwachung, im Rahmen einer Privatisierung hat das Technologieportfolio und die internationale Präsenz des Unternehmens weiter ausgebaut.

Rick Weiler, Präsident und CEO von Dickson, erklärte: „Mit der Unterstützung von May River haben wir in unsere Mitarbeiter investiert und unsere Produkt- und Technologiekompetenzen ausgebaut, wodurch Dickson nun noch besser in der Lage ist, die entscheidenden Anforderungen unserer Kunden aus dem Bereich der Biowissenschaften weltweit an die Umweltüberwachung zu erfüllen. Der Wechsel zu Copeland läutet für Dickson ein spannendes neues Kapitel ein, und wir freuen uns auf die Chancen, die sich ihm auf dieser breiter aufgestellten globalen Plattform bieten werden.”

Steve Griesemer, Partner bei May River Capital, erklärte: „Rick und das Dickson-Team waren hervorragende Partner, und die heutige Stärke des Unternehmens ist ein Beweis für ihre Führungsqualitäten und ihr Engagement. Durch unsere Zusammenarbeit mit der Unternehmensleitung haben wir Dickson zu einem weltweit führenden Unternehmen seiner Branche gemacht und es für weiteres Wachstum aufgestellt. Wir sind davon überzeugt, dass Copeland der ideale Partner für das nächste Kapitel von Dickson ist und dem Unternehmen dabei helfen wird, seine Kompetenzen auf einen noch breiteren Kundenstamm auszuweiten.”

Houlihan Lokey fungierte als leitender Finanzberater, während William Blair & Company L.L.C. als Mitfinanzberater für May River und Dickson tätig war. Paul Hastings LLP fungierte als Rechtsberater.

Über May River
May River Capital ist eine in Chicago ansässige Private-Equity-Gesellschaft, die sich auf Investitionen in wachsende Industrieunternehmen im unteren Mittelstand konzentriert. May River investiert in hochwertige, wachstumsstarke Industrieunternehmen, darunter in den Bereichen fortschrittliche Fertigung, technische Produkte und Messtechnik, spezialisierte Industriedienstleistungen sowie wertschöpfende industrielle Vertriebsdienstleistungen. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter www.mayrivercapital.com 

Über Dickson
Das 1923 gegründete Unternehmen Dickson mit Sitz in Addison, Illinois, bietet Lösungen zur Umweltüberwachung für regulierte Anwendungen an, darunter Software, vernetzte Überwachungsgeräte, Sensoren und Dienstleistungen. Das Unternehmen bedient Kunden in mehr als 50 Ländern, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf den Bereichen Life Sciences, Pharmazie, Gesundheitswesen, Medizinprodukte und anderen regulierungsintensiven Märkten liegt. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter www.dicksondata.com