SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 16, 2026 — Lincoln Avenue Communities (“LAC”), one of the nation’s largest owners, private investors, and developers of affordable housing, today announced the launch of the ~$260 million Wilshire Core Plus Housing Impact Fund LP (the “Fund”). The national fund will be managed by an affiliate of Lincoln Avenue Communities and has received an anchor investment from Morgan Stanley.

“The launch of the Wilshire Core Plus Housing Impact Fund supports our long-term strategic vision for impact investing across multiple platforms with the broader ambition of addressing affordable housing needs across the country,” said Co-Founder and CEO Jeremy Bronfman. “For more than a decade, LAC has worked to deliver high-quality, affordable homes in communities that have been impacted by the nationwide housing crisis. This Fund allows us to scale that work in a meaningful way, creating lasting returns for residents, neighborhoods and investors alike.”

As the Fund’s investment manager, LAC will draw on its years of experience developing, rehabilitating and operating affordable housing communities across the country. LAC currently owns affordable housing assets with a total value of more than $7 billion across 33 states and has been recognized as the nation’s leading developer of affordable housing for the past two years in a row by Affordable Housing Finance. As the Fund’s anchor investor, Morgan Stanley is continuing its commitment to help drive meaningful impact in underserved communities nationwide.

The Wilshire Core Plus Housing Impact Fund will leverage LAC’s institutional approach toward impact investing, drawing on industry knowledge, relationships and scale to purchase income restricted multifamily communities nationwide. By preserving the affordability of existing homes and improving the quality of housing in underserved neighborhoods, the Fund aims to provide lasting benefit to the residents and communities it serves.

The Fund further builds on LAC and Morgan Stanley’s long-term partnership to invest in and strengthen communities. For the past six years, LAC and Morgan Stanley have collaborated with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on a landmark multi-year educational outreach program, hosting after-school programs using award-winning Hall of Fame curriculum for students living in LAC affordable housing communities.

“Together with LAC we are working to generate much needed quality affordable housing in this country,” said Mike Mantle, Head of Community Development Finance, Morgan Stanley. “This fund will also support residents through programs such as educational outreach in collaboration with the Baseball Hall of Fame, furthering our broad efforts to help communities thrive.”

Together, LAC and Morgan Stanley are committed to addressing the nation’s housing crisis by investing in communities and supporting the residents who call our properties home. The Wilshire Core Plus Housing Impact Fund will expand that reach, delivering quality, affordable homes to thousands of families, seniors and individuals nationwide.

About LAC: Lincoln Avenue Communities (LAC) is one of the nation’s leading developers, investors, and operators of affordable and workforce housing, providing high-quality, sustainable homes for lower- and moderate-income individuals, seniors, and families nationwide. LAC is a mission-driven organization with a presence in 33 states and a portfolio of 200+ properties comprising 35,000+ units housing over 100,000 residents.

SOURCE Lincoln Avenue Communities

With $5 million in seed funding from True Ventures, Wicklow Capital, and angels, the voice-first tutoring platform serves students ages 13–18.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16, 2026 — Aristotle, a voice-first AI tutoring platform, today announced $5 million in seed funding. The round was led by True Ventures with participation from Wicklow Capital and angel investors from Anthropic, OpenAI, Sierra, Ramp, Cognition, and others to build the tutoring product that actually helps students learn.

The company is launching nationwide after a closed beta in which over 1,000 students completed over 1,500 hours of one-on-one tutoring.

Aristotle grew out of its founders’ own tutoring practice. Shan Reddy, Jaiden Reddy, and Vivek Vajipey — all Stanford alumni — spent nearly a decade tutoring students on platforms like Wyzant and Varsity Tutors. Shan and Jaiden grew up in Clark County, Nevada, a district that ranked among the lowest in the nation for per-student funding; they taught themselves through Khan Academy and continued that pattern through college and into their careers.

Shan, previously was an early product hire at Cometeer and early-stage investor at True Ventures, then went on to watch edtech underwhelm for years — a category with outsized importance but historically meager outcomes. Tutoring in particular remained a services business that technology had barely touched. He saw AI as the first real opportunity to change that: not another chatbot, but a product that could actually replicate and ultimately surpass what a great human tutor does.

“A tutor for every child in the world is one of the holy grails of AI,” said Mike Montano, partner at True Ventures. “When Shan first walked me through the idea, the framing was simple: we’re not reinventing learning, we’re putting great teachers into software and giving one to every kid.”

When LLMs went mainstream, the founders encouraged their students to try them. The results were consistent: students got answers, but they didn’t learn. Vivek, who had been researching LLM reasoning at Noah Goodman’s Computation and Cognition Lab at Stanford, recognized the pattern from a different angle: the models were optimized to resolve questions, not to hold students in the productive struggle where learning actually happens.

“Learning happens when you’re held right at the edge of your understanding – struggling, but not stuck,” said Shan Reddy, co-founder and CEO. “Great tutors allow you to sit in that discomfort and guide where most helpful. Even best-in-class LLMs today are incapable of doing this.”

Aristotle’s voice-first experience is designed to feel like a Zoom call with a tutor who remembers past sessions, adapts to each student’s learning style, and knows when to push and when to wait.

“My son told me yesterday that we should cancel his human tutor, because Aristotle is doing a better job,” said Kim L., a parent in Milwaukee whose son Andy, 13, has used Aristotle since May. “The human tutor was $250/hour.”

The funding will be used to expand the product, grow the team, and bring Aristotle to general availability.

About Aristotle

Aristotle (heyaristotle.com) is a voice-first AI tutoring platform that delivers the high-quality caliber of a premium human tutor to students ages 13–18. Founded in 2025 by Stanford alumni Shan Reddy, Jaiden Reddy, and Vivek Vajipey, Aristotle serves families across STEM, standardized testing, language learning, and more. The company is based in San Francisco, CA.

About True Ventures

Founded in 2005, True Ventures manages $4 billion in committed capital across over 450 teams spanning AI, software, hardware, and more. Notable investments include Veza, Enveda, Iceye, Handshake, Peloton, Duo Security, and HashiCorp. Learn more at trueventures.com.

Full Angel Investor List

Puneet Agarwal — GP, True Ventures
Mike Montano — Partner, True Ventures
Rohit Sharma — Partner, True Ventures
Dan Tierney — Founder, Wicklow Capital
Tom Duterme — GP, Wicklow Capital
Kian Katanforoosh — CEO/Founder, Workera; Adjunct Lecturer, Stanford
Ben Broca — CEO/Founder, Polsia.ai
Andy Wang — Head of Network, World
Armaan Goel — Agents, Anthropic
Angela Winegar — SVP of Marketing, Invisible
Mayank Mehta — CEO/Co-founder, BeHeard Labs
Marco Lorenzon — VP, Stripes Growth
Justin Quan — CEO/Co-founder, Tomo.ai
Theo Strauss — Incubations, BCV
Advait Marathe — Agent Engineer, Sierra
Brandon Gell — COO, Every
Santiago Hernandez — Research, OpenAI
Veeral Patel — Founding Engineer, Ramp
Bryce Hunt — Founding GTM, Cognition
Anant Gupta — CTO, Mixpanel
Michelle Qin — Product, OpenAI
Miles McCain — Impacts, Anthropic
Austin Petersmith — CEO/Co-founder, Howie
Kush Pandey — Head of Ops, Crosby.ai
Drew Wadsworth — Research, Together AI
Chetan Patil — Data Engineering, Roku
John O’Connell — Investor, Proof Group
Advay Pal – Engineering, Modal Labs
Max Digiacomo-Castillo – Engineering, Latent Health
Takao Yatagai – Engineering, Crusoe
Mani Vajipeyajula – Founder, Banyan Nation

SOURCE Aristotle

BlockTower, Centrifuge, and J.P. Morgan executives raise from Blockchain Capital, Janus Henderson, and Apollo to transform the process of loan creation and distribution

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2026 — Tare announced today the completion of $13.25 million in seed financing to launch a unified system for originating, managing, and financing credit assets.

The financing was led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from Strobe Ventures, Janus Henderson, Apollo Global Management, The Venture Dept, Neoclassic Capital, and the Avalanche Foundation. Additional support came from Stani Kulechov, CEO of Aave; Phil Potter, co-founder of Tether; Henri Stern, CEO of Privy; Nik Milanovic, CEO of This Week in Fintech and Stablecon; and Mark Phillips, co-founder of Steakhouse Financial, among others.

Asset Backed Finance (ABF) is a pillar of private credit portfolios, with the U.S. TAM (total addressable market) alone estimated at between $6 to $8 trillion dollars. Investors rely on timely and accurate data to manage risk, yet recent AIMA studies found that 69% of asset managers lack sufficient data management capabilities. The result is slower execution and higher operating costs, limiting how efficiently capital can move through the credit market.

Tare connects asset originators and investors through a shared asset ledger, enabling buyers and sellers to source opportunities and transact with greater control and trust. Built on Avalanche, the Tare network is managed through three vertically-integrated applications:

• Loan Origination System, a modern decisioning engine that writes standardized loan data into the shared asset registry
• Loan Management System, an end-to-end servicing and securitization engine to allocate and settle funds on an ongoing basis, and
• Digital Investor Hub, a first-of-its-kind platform for investors to source, analyze, purchase, monitor, and sell credit assets

“Credit is one of the largest markets in the world, yet the infrastructure supporting it remains fragmented and inefficient,” said Kevin Miao, CEO of Tare. “Tare closes that gap by bringing origination, servicing, and capital markets into one unified system. Credit can move faster and with less friction when lenders and investors work from the same information, reducing the layers between the asset and the capital financing it.”

Designed to be a developer-friendly, self-serve experience for capital markets participants, Tare’s platform aims to drive operational efficiencies that lower costs and fees for borrowers. Tare is also putting the platform to work in its own business: Tare Credit LLC, a licensed consumer lending subsidiary that will begin originating unsecured personal loans to U.S. borrowers this month.

“Private credit has grown enormously, but the data and settlement infrastructure behind it hasn’t kept up,” said Nick Cherney, Head of Innovation at Janus Henderson. “Currently, investors are paying the price in terms of complexity, lack of transparency, and lower yields. We invested in Tare because the team deeply understands the problems in the existing markets, how to solve those problems with superior technology, and has a track record of execution from global financial institutions to cutting-edge blockchain innovation. We believe Tare can finally implement the promise of blockchains to drive better outcomes for all borrowers, originators, and investors”

Tare was founded by Kevin Miao, Keerthi Moudgal, and Lucas Vogelsang, who bring experience across private credit, financial infrastructure, and digital assets. Miao previously ran a $2 billion private credit portfolio at BlockTower, Moudgal led product development at J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys, and Vogelsang founded Centrifuge, the pioneer of tokenized securitizations.

“Tare is going after a generational opportunity to modernize how loan originators and investors connect, automating complex capital markets around a single source of truth,” said Aleks Larsen, General Partner at Blockchain Capital. “With deep experience tackling hard problems both in private credit and onchain finance, the Tare team is uniquely suited for this mission, and we’re thrilled to work closely with them as they drive towards a far more efficient and transparent credit system.”

The new capital will support Tare’s continued product development and hiring, as the company expands the platform to more lenders and institutional investors.

Lenders and investors interested in originating, financing, or managing credit through Tare can contact [email protected].

Open positions are listed at tare.ai/careers.

About Tare
Tare connects loan originators and investors through an end-to-end suite of tokenization applications, dramatically lowering the cost and complexity for credit capital markets operations. Tare’s Loan Origination System, Loan Management System, and Investor Hub connect stakeholders across the entire loan lifecycle. Tare’s infrastructure is being proven in regulated financial markets through its subsidiary, Tare Credit LLC, a licensed U.S. lender that originates unsecured personal loans. Tare’s vision is to build the next-generation credit exchange, returning value to borrowers and investors alike through lower costs and higher risk-adjusted returns.

SOURCE Tare

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 16, 2026 — CGF Holdings announced a strategic investment in MediPro Direct, a nationwide provider of mobile diagnostics services. The partnership brings the Grant family back into the diagnostics services space, an industry in which the family has deep historical roots, and positions MediPro Direct for its next phase of growth.

Founded in 2006, MediPro Direct connects clinical trial sponsors, life insurers, pharmaceutical companies, specialty labs, senior care, and healthcare organizations with a nationwide network of more than 15,000 background-checked, experienced mobile medical providers. Through its proprietary Quality First rating system and innovative case management software, MediPro Direct coordinates specimen collection, health screenings, paramedical examinations, and related services across all 50 states, with a focus on reliability, professionalism, and exceptional patient experience. The company’s stated mission centers on connecting essential medical and genetic services with the most efficient, professional delivery network in the industry, in service of improving outcomes for the millions of patients and organizations it touches.

“We’re excited to be back in the diagnostics services space,” said Joey Grant, Managing Partner of CGF Holdings. “Our family has a long history in this industry, and MediPro Direct’s team, network, technology, and reputation for exceptional quality make it exactly the kind of platform we want to partner with.”

“The CGF team brings operating experience and a strategic understanding of this industry to the table,” said Ryan Janeway, CEO of MediPro Direct. “With the rising demand for home-based services, the mobile market is growing rapidly. This partnership will help MediPro expand its provider network, enhance its technology platform, and pursue new partnerships across the clinical trial, life insurance, specialty lab, senior care, and wellness markets it serves today.”

www.cgfholdingsco.com

Media Contact:
Kendall Thurlow
[email protected]

SOURCE CGF Holdings

Financing supports Lioness’s growth while advancing a commitment to women-led, better-for-you CPG companies

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2026 — JPalmer Collective (JPC), an asset-based lending (ABL) firm focused on women-led and high-growth consumer brands, today announced the closing of a $1 million asset-based line of credit line – expandable up to $5 million – to Lioness, the first functional fruit snack made specifically for women, with functional ingredients designed to support every part of her day. The partnership brings together two women-led companies, and both leaders point to that shared perspective as central to why the deal came together. The facility funds working capital, debt reduction and growth initiatives.

Transaction at a Glance

• Borrower: Lioness
• Lender: JPalmer Collective
• Facility: $1 million asset-based line of credit, expandable up to $5 million
• Use of proceeds: Working capital, debt reduction and growth initiatives
• Sector: Food and beverage
• Strategic focus: Women-led, better-for-you CPG
• Leadership: Jennifer Palmer, founder and CEO of JPalmer Collective, and Nicky Jackson, founder and CEO of Lioness

Now in Target and Sprouts Stores

Lioness was founded by Nicky Jackson, a former senior executive at Kellogg’s and PepsiCo and founder of RangeMe, the platform that transformed how CPG brands are discovered by retailers across the U.S. Lioness launched in June 2026, in more than 1,900 Target locations and online at Target.com, Amazon, and TikTok Shop, and launched in 330 Sprouts stores in August. The single-serve functional fruit snacks include Energy, PickMeUp, and Calm, designed to serve specific moments in a woman’s typical day.

Why JPC Backed Lioness

“Our business is deeply relationship focused. Yes, we look at balance sheets and projections, but just as important, we have to believe in the team and genuinely want to work alongside them. Nicky is a rock star, an experienced entrepreneur who knows how to build a brand, a woman and mom passionate about creating something women need, and a founder who saw a gap in the market and is solving it,” said Jennifer Palmer, founder and CEO of JPalmer Collective. “We got in early with Lioness, right as it was hitting shelves, and we broke a few of our own rules to make it happen. This deal didn’t fit into our traditional box. But when we see something special, we trust our gut and figure out how to make it happen. Having spent years working with female founders and CPG companies, I knew immediately Lioness was one of those moments, and we got creative so we could be the partner that helps Nicky take the brand as far as it can go.”

Why Lioness Chose an Asset-Based Line of Credit

Launching in 1,900+ Target stores and 330 Sprouts locations demonstrates the product’s viability and demand, but it also increases the need for working capital to fulfil orders.

“While the amount of venture capital you can raise can seem tantalizing, there are trade-offs: the time it takes, the control you give up, and even the risk of raising more than you need. I knew I wanted to retain control of Lioness and have access to flexible financing that would support our growth and scale with us,” said Nicky Jackson, founder and CEO. “JPC’s focus on supporting women founders paired with their deep knowledge of the better-for-you CPG space sealed the deal. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jenn and I were connected three separate times by people in our network who all suggested we had similar philosophies and should work together.”

JPC’s Commitment to Women-Led CPG Brands

Since inception, JPC has committed to at least 50% of its portfolio being women-owned and -led businesses. The firm has a specific focus on natural products and CPG companies.

About JPalmer Collective

JPalmer Collective is a specialty asset-based lending (ABL) firm providing customized commercial finance solutions to high-growth companies that fall outside traditional lender criteria. Founded in 2023 by Jennifer Palmer, a commercial finance veteran, former president of the Secured Finance Network (SFNet), and an honoree on Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500 list, JPC delivers white-glove service and a consultative approach to women-led businesses, high-growth consumer brands, and companies focused on conscious consumers, sustainability, and inclusivity. The firm is a leading voice on women’s access to capital and on financing strategies for emerging consumer, food, and beverage brands.

Learn more at jpalmercollective.com.

About Lioness

Lioness™ is the first functional fruit snack made for women, with functional ingredients designed to support every part of her day.

Learn more at dailylioness.com.

SOURCE JPalmer Collective

–A Chinese Startup Enters the Global RSI Race.

BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2026 — Apex Intelligence has completed its angel and angel-plus funding rounds, raising nearly US$50 Million in total. The angel round was co-led by IDG Capital,LinkX Capital and XtalPi, with participation from Decent Capital, SEE Fund, Monad Ventures, and Winsoul Capital. The angel-plus round was co-led by Zhongguancun Science City Fund, SCGC, and Shanghai Engine Fund.

Founded in June 2026, Apex Intelligence is building the next generation of self-evolving foundation models. Self-evolution refers to Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI), or models improving themselves. With a focus on scientific research and discovery, the company aims to move AI from an assistive tool to a co-researcher, and from accelerating what is known to discovering what is unknown.

Apex Intelligence will also visit leading North American universities—including Harvard University, MIT, Yale University, and Boston University—from September 17 to September 23 to meet with students, researchers, and academic research groups for talent recruitment and research collaboration.

AI’s Next Frontier Is Research

Centuries of technological progress have unfolded through successive S-curves opened up by scientific breakthroughs. Each S-curve spans three stages: scientific breakthroughs, research discoveries, and engineering implementation. Most AI today remains focused on engineering and execution, while the scarce breakthroughs in science and research still depend heavily on humans.

Apex Intelligence believes the next technological revolution will center on AI becoming a co-researcher and a native research engine—one that goes beyond accelerating familiar work to actively discovering unexplored directions. Research is the core driving force behind RSI.

Building AI Researchers, Not Just AI Assistants

Apex Intelligence believes that advancing AI’s general intelligence in R&D requires model training. Specifically, through mid-training and post-training, the company guides models to generate creative ideas and autonomously carry out the entire cycle of self-improvement: hypothesis, experimentation, validation, and iteration.

Over the long term, Apex Intelligence aims to build self-evolving foundation models whose collective research capabilities match, and progressively surpass, those of 100,000 top-tier AI scientists spanning disciplines, forming a scalable network of AI researchers. This is a long-term vision and goal, and the company is working toward it step by step. It represents a fundamental shift in the R&D paradigm, rather than an incremental improvement in efficiency. Potential applications span any field where R&D workflows can be structured and outcomes measured, including chip design and simulation, molecular R&D, and quantitative strategy iteration. These fields share three characteristics: high value, intensive demands on human expertise, and costly trial and error.

Apex Intelligence’s Self-Evolving AI System Approaches Capabilities of Leading Human Researchers

Apex Intelligence’s self-evolving AI system has delivered encouraging results in both AI for AI and AI for Math.

AI for AI

The system has autonomously produced research of a standard suitable for acceptance at leading AI conferences, demonstrating capabilities comparable to those of an AI PhD student. It has also autonomously achieved more accurate decisions before training, better strategies during training, and optimizations to the underlying GPU kernels. Across SimpleTES, NanoChat Autoresearch, GPUMode TriMul, and MLS-Bench, it has set new records or approached the best publicly reported results, outperforming solutions developed by or with contributions from Recursive Superintelligence, Tencent Hunyuan, Stanford, NVIDIA, and other organizations.

AI for Math

The AI system has produced a complete proof of the majorization conjecture, which had remained open for more than three decades, and achieved multiple breakthroughs in optimization theory, geometric topology, and other areas.

Apex Intelligence was founded by Yongchao Chen, an assistant professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Artificial Intelligence. His undergraduate and graduate education spans the University of Science and Technology of China and a joint Harvard–MIT training program. He has conducted research at Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and the MIT–IBM Watson AI Lab. The core team comes from leading universities including Tsinghua, Peking University, Harvard, and MIT.

Looking ahead, Apex Intelligence will continue investing in foundation models and compute, advance the training and iteration of recursively self-improving foundation models, build a high-quality research trajectory data infrastructure, and attract top talent from around the world. Guided by its founding mission to “Unlock Undiscovered Discovery,” the company is working to move AI from reproducing existing knowledge to autonomous scientific discovery.

Founder Quotes

“I have always believed that models taught by humans are ultimately limited by humans themselves. When we align them to human preferences, we lock their intelligence ceiling at our own level. No matter how much compute and data we add, we are only making them better at retaining existing knowledge. The limits of true intelligence can only be defined by the objective world. The first generation of large models replaces white-collar workers; embodied AI replaces blue-collar workers; and ASI will replace humanity’s most accomplished scientists. That moment will come sooner or later. Our job is to bring it closer.”

— Yongchao Chen, Founder of Apex Intelligence

About Apex Intelligence

Founded in June 2026, Apex Intelligence is a Beijing, China-based self-evolving foundation model company focused on next-generation industrial intelligence through recursive self-improvement.

For more information, please visit: https://apexin.ai/

SOURCE Apex Intelligence

Transaction Marks RLH’s Second Investment in its Fifth Institutional Fund and Continues a Longstanding Strategy of Partnering with Specialized Services Firms Built Around Leading Technology Platforms

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2026 — RLH Equity Partners announced today its investment in Climb, a Databricks-native data and AI consultancy helping enterprise clients build, migrate and scale data and artificial intelligence solutions on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.

Founded by technology services entrepreneur JP La Torre, Climb was purpose-built for the rapidly evolving enterprise AI landscape and is focused on the Databricks ecosystem. The company helps enterprise clients establish the modern data foundations required to move AI initiatives from experimentation into production, combining deep Databricks expertise with senior-led delivery teams, vertically oriented intellectual property and an outcome-based approach to client engagements.

Climb serves enterprise clients across a range of industries, including healthcare and life sciences and banking, financial services and insurance. The company’s capabilities span data engineering, Databricks migration and modernization, analytics, and the deployment of production-grade AI solutions.

La Torre previously founded Caylent, a leading cloud-native services firm focused on the AWS ecosystem, and brings significant experience building and scaling high-growth technology services organizations. At Climb, he has assembled an experienced team of data, AI and technology services professionals focused on building a next-generation consultancy for the AI era.

“We built Climb around Databricks because enterprises need a unified foundation for data, governance and AI, along with a partner focused on turning that foundation into business results,” said JP La Torre, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Climb. “RLH understands how to scale pure-play services firms and shares our belief that investing in people is essential to delivering strong client outcomes. With its support, we can build on the progress we have made since launching earlier this year and accelerate our next phase of growth.”

The investment in Climb continues RLH’s multi-decade focus on partnering with founder-led, knowledge-based services firms benefiting from technology-driven change. Over its history, RLH has invested in specialized services businesses working across many of the world’s leading enterprise technology ecosystems, including Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP and Workday. Climb extends this investment strategy into the rapidly growing Databricks ecosystem at a time when enterprises are increasingly seeking to unify their data, analytics and AI infrastructure and translate significant investment in artificial intelligence into measurable business outcomes.

RLH’s relationship with La Torre predates the investment. Over the past year, the RLH team had the opportunity to work closely with him in evaluating other investment opportunities, developing a shared perspective on what it takes to build enduring technology services businesses.

Mark Gartner, Managing Director at RLH Equity Partners, commented on the partnership: “Our partnership with JP was a natural extension of a relationship we had developed over the past year. As a result of the time we spent together, we came to appreciate not only his track record as a technology services entrepreneur, but also his passion for building a differentiated, client-centric firm around one of the most important enterprise technology ecosystems today.”

Gartner continued, “We have also been incredibly impressed by the caliber of the team JP has assembled and by the firm’s ambition to rethink how data and AI services are delivered. We believe Climb has the ingredients to become a defining services firm in the Databricks ecosystem, and we are excited to support JP and the broader Climb team in the journey ahead.”

About RLH Equity Partners

RLH Equity Partners invests behind passionate entrepreneurs in uniquely positioned, high-growth, knowledge-led B2B enterprises driven by macro changes in technology, healthcare, and regulatory environments. The RLH investment team strives to deliver strategic and operational guidance to its portfolio companies in navigating the opportunities and challenges of scale and rapid growth. RLH’s insights and processes to support entrepreneurs in building market-leading enterprises have been honed over RLH’s more than 40-year history of successful investing. RLH currently manages over $1 billion of assets and is actively seeking new portfolio company investments.

Important Disclosures
This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice, a recommendation, or an offer to sell or solicit any security or financial product. Inherent in any investment is the risk of loss.

For more information, please contact:

Jessica Bramwell
Director of Communications
RLH Equity Partners
949-428-2205
[email protected]

SOURCE RLH Equity Partners

Investment supports expansion of in-country clinical research staffing, patient recruitment and hybrid delivery capacity for sponsors and CROs across Latin America.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 16, 2026 — H Clinical today announced a partnership with Emerald Square Ventures (ESV), which made a majority investment in H Clinical, Inc. Mitchell Parrish continues as Chief Executive Officer.

“What we have spent six years building is difficult to build and impossible to shortcut — people in the communities where trials run, their relationships with sites, and the infrastructure behind them,” said Mitchell Parrish, CEO of H Clinical. “This investment puts more of it in front of clients.”

H Clinical has also added two executives to its leadership team. Ben Joers joins as Chief Financial Officer, leading financial strategy, planning and infrastructure. Eddie Hannush joins as Chief Commercial Officer, leading commercial strategy and the growth of client partnerships and service offerings.

“We work with sponsors, CROs, and sites in whatever combination a study needs,” said Eddie Hannush, Chief Commercial Officer. “When staffing, recruitment, home visits and logistics run off one local platform, the study moves faster and the patient has a better experience.”

The investment supports the services clients are asking H Clinical to expand, and the in-country teams behind them:

• Site solutions and project staffing. Clinical research coordinators, nurses and study personnel sourced, trained and managed by H Clinical for sites region-wide — on site, remote or hybrid.
• Community-based patient recruitment. Patient engagement teams working through referring physicians, health centers, patient associations and community events.
• In-home and hybrid trial support. Study visits in patients’ homes, with sample collection, shipments and in-country regulatory work.
• Procurement and logistics. Regional depots, local sourcing, equipment rental and courier networks.

Please reach out to discuss trial support opportunities.

About H Clinical

H Clinical is the leading clinical research operating platform in Latin America, working through its own in-country teams across 22 countries. It supports sponsors, contract research organizations and research sites with clinical research staffing, in-home trial support, community-based patient recruitment, and procurement logistics. H Clinical empowers sponsors to reach patients that usual channels miss. The company operates the largest in-home trial, mobile site, logistics and depot network in the region.

About Emerald Square Ventures

Emerald Square Ventures is an operator-led investment platform that acquires and operates clinical research and life sciences businesses.

Media Contact

Media Relations

[email protected] | 727-201-1153

SOURCE H Clinical

Growth investment will expand Climb’s Databricks partnership, advance healthcare, life sciences and financial services solutions, and accelerate its agentic delivery operations framework.

DALLAS, Sept. 16, 2026 — Climb, a Databricks-native data and AI consultancy, today announced a growth investment from RLH Equity Partners, a Los Angeles-based investment firm focused on founder-led, technology-driven businesses.

Founded in 2026, Climb has already assembled a team of senior data and AI practitioners, begun serving enterprise clients, and introduced solutions built specifically for the Databricks ecosystem.

The capital will support the expansion of Climb’s Databricks partner relationship, continued investment in solutions for healthcare and life sciences and financial services, and the acceleration of its agentic delivery operations framework.

Building the Foundations for Enterprise AI
Climb helps enterprises move AI initiatives from experimentation into production by strengthening the data and governance foundations those systems depend on. Its work brings consistent data definitions, lineage and access controls together on Databricks so clients can deploy AI with greater confidence.

Climb was co-founded by JP La Torre, who previously founded Caylent, a leading cloud-native services firm focused on the AWS ecosystem. He brings experience building and scaling specialized technology services businesses.

“We founded Climb to help enterprises turn data and AI investment into measurable business outcomes,” said JP La Torre, Co-founder and CEO of Climb. “The progress our team has made in our first year gives us a strong foundation to build on. RLH understands how to scale specialized services firms, and its investment will help us deepen our Databricks partnership, advance our industry solutions and accelerate the way we deliver for clients.”

Climb combines senior-led teams with engagements designed around defined business outcomes. Its Basecamps provide fixed-scope engagements built on repeatable patterns, while bespoke engagements address more ambitious programs. Both draw on expertise across data architecture, engineering, AI and governance.

Early Momentum in 2026
Climb’s delivery team already holds more than 50 Databricks certifications. Since launch, the company has begun supporting healthcare and financial services enterprises, modernizing data estates and improving access to clinical and operational data.

Climb Labs has launched its MCP Service for HLS, developed in collaboration with the Databricks Healthcare and Life Sciences team. The service connects research and analysis agents to 10 public biomedical and regulatory data sources. Climb has also published its AI Maturity Framework to help enterprises build and operate AI systems with human oversight and accountability.

Investing in Delivery and Industry Expertise
Climb will accelerate its agentic delivery operations framework, its internal platform of accelerators, evaluation frameworks and implementation patterns. This work is designed to make delivery more repeatable, shorten implementation timelines and strengthen quality.

The company will continue developing data and AI solutions for healthcare and life sciences and financial services, with an emphasis on the governance requirements, sensitive data and specialized workflows of those industries.

Climb will also expand its Databricks practice through certified expertise, joint solution development and co-selling.

A Partnership for Growth
RLH brings more than 40 years of experience investing in specialized, knowledge-led businesses. The partnership will support Climb as it scales its team, capabilities and presence in the Databricks ecosystem.

“We believe Climb has the ingredients to become a defining services firm in the Databricks ecosystem, and we are excited to support JP and the broader Climb team in the journey ahead,” said Mark Gartner, Managing Director at RLH Equity Partners.

About Climb
Climb is a Databricks-native data and AI consultancy headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 2026, the company helps enterprises build modern data foundations and put AI into production through senior-led teams, outcome-based engagements and industry-specific solutions. Its capabilities span data engineering, migration and modernization, analytics, AI and governance. Climb serves organizations across healthcare and life sciences, banking, insurance, capital markets, and Private Equity. Learn more at climb.ai.

SOURCE Climb Group Inc.