Strategic funding will expand Piranha manufacturing, accelerate flight testing, and support new long-range strike, one-way attack, and ISR platforms.

HERNDON, Va., Oct. 6, 2026 — Aventra Defense Systems, a defense technology company redefining the economics of long-range precision strike, today announced a $17.5 million strategic fundraise led by Konvoy. Existing investor Lavrock Ventures participated alongside new investment from Booz Allen Ventures, Sands Capital, Langford Industries, and a funding facility from Western Alliance Bank. The round will accelerate production of Piranha, Aventra’s low-cost, balloon-deployed autonomous precision payload system, while expanding the company’s product roadmap with new platform offerings across long-range strike, one-way attack, and ISR markets.

Since its founding in 2025, Aventra has put Piranha, the firm’s inaugural platform, directly into operator hands during the U.S. Army’s Arcane Thunder 26 exercise and an aggressive series of closed evaluations, exercises, and combat tests with additional U.S., allied, and partner military units. The system demonstrated autonomous stratospheric reentry, long-range glide, and precision kinetic and ISR effects delivery under realistic conditions across 400 flights.

“In under a year and with a lean capital investment, we took Piranha from concept to field deployment overseas, secured our first series of delivery contracts, and matured the system into a fully integrated platform. Today’s conflicts and the wars of the future will be won with volume, persistence, and affordability, which is why we’re working so hard to deliver more range and more kinetic effect. By using high-altitude balloons and stratospheric air currents to carry mass downrange without burning fuel, our approach delivers effects at greater distances, from higher altitudes, and at a fraction of the cost of conventional standoff munitions. We are leveraging physics to reshape economics and put cost-effective tools in the hands of the warfighter,” said Michael Weigand, co-founder and CEO of Aventra Defense Systems.

Aventra will use the new capital to advance five priorities:

• Scale Piranha manufacturing from field-evaluation quantities into low-rate initial production, expanding capacity at the company’s Herndon production facility.
• Expand flight test and demonstration campaigns with additional services, combatant commands, and allied partners.
• Qualify new payload and communications configurations across ISR, electronic warfare, and kinetic mission sets.
• Grow Aventra’s engineering and production teams with proven aerospace and UAS talent, backed by expanded operations and program support.
• Kick off development of a new, unannounced platform, extending Aventra’s approach to reshaping the economics of deep strike into new frontiers.

“Affordable mass is ultimately a manufacturing problem. The Pentagon needs low-cost autonomous systems in volumes the traditional industrial base was never built to deliver. Aventra pairs a design that is inherently inexpensive to produce with a team that has already put hardware in operators’ hands at breakneck speed. That combination of resilient supply, scalable production, and proven field performance is exactly what our critical industries thesis is built around,” said Jason Chapman, general partner at Konvoy.

“When we first backed Aventra, Piranha was a concept and a team with a sharp view of the problem. A year later, it has flown in several major Army exercises and is under multiple contracts. We’ve seen what happens when a team brings commercial speed and manufacturing discipline to a munitions category the Pentagon has long overpaid for, and Aventra is on that path. We’re proud to keep backing a team that treats affordability and producibility as design requirements from day one,” said Alex Poulin, partner at Lavrock Ventures.

“Aventra is demonstrating how innovative, cost-effective systems can deliver meaningful results at the speed and scale of today’s missions. The company’s rapid progress in bringing its technology from concept into the hands of warfighters reflects a team with the vision and urgency to turn information into action. We’re proud to support Aventra, whose progress reflects Booz Allen Ventures’ commitment to helping companies turn innovative technologies into real-world capabilities for our nation’s most critical missions,” said Travis Bales, managing director of Booz Allen Ventures.

The announcement comes in a year marked by record investment in alternative defense technologies and a sustained Pentagon focus on affordable mass, following directives to rapidly scale domestic production of low-cost autonomous systems and close the gap with the manufacturing capacity of near-peer adversaries. Aventra’s mission fits squarely inside this mandate: giving American and allied operators the volume of precision fires that modern conflict demands, at a cost that makes sustained employment possible.

About Aventra

Founded by multi-time venture-backed founders and former Army officers Michael Weigand, Brian Retherford, and Jessup Meng, Aventra Defense Systems is a defense technology company building autonomous stratospheric and ultra-long-range ISR and precision effects platforms. The company’s Piranha platform is an autonomous precision payload system designed for rapid fielding and employment across ISR, electronic warfare, and kinetic mission sets from stratospheric altitudes. Aventra works directly with operators and evaluators to ensure its systems are shaped by the realities of the field.

About Konvoy Ventures

Konvoy is a thesis-driven investment firm, investing in the deep tech and critical technologies. Based in Denver, Konvoy has a portfolio of more than 60 investments. The firm is actively making new investments out of its $150 million Fund III.

Media Contact
Aventra Defense Systems
[email protected] 

SOURCE Aventra Defense Systems Inc.

The company launches with an $8 million pre-seed round of financing led by Upfront Ventures, with participation from Unlock Venture Partners, Mucker Capital, and Genius Ventures. Outer Spaces was founded by serial entrepreneur Jiake Liu, designer Terry Lin, and CTO Robin Liao, the creators behind the direct-to-consumer outdoor living brand Outer. Together, they bring a combined background in engineering, product design, and consumer brand-building to residential energy.

Invisibly Powerful. Beautifully Structural.

With integrated solar, invisible battery storage, and multiple configurations, OS1 creates endless possibilities for gathering, working, cooking or recharging outside, all while powering the home. Its solar pavilion generates energy overhead, while the power deck houses ultra-thin battery storage beneath a finished outdoor deck. Together, they create an outdoor structure that produces power through the day and can provide backup power.

Until now, residential solar has been designed as industrial equipment: panels attached to the roof, exposed batteries occupying space in a garage or along an exterior wall. The technology has advanced considerably but the way it looks and the way it fits into people’s lives has not. Thoughtful design is what’s been missing.

“The land and sunlight outside our homes are two of our most valuable, yet underutilized resources. At the same time, the technology needed to generate and store energy at homes already exists,” said Jiake Liu, co-founder and CEO of Outer Spaces. “We believe power should do more than run a house. It should expand how you live in it. Rather than asking homeowners to compromise the appearance and safety of their homes, we’re giving them more livable space that also powers it.”

The first Outer Spaces systems will be available beginning in 2027, starting in Southern California and select markets. Homeowners will configure and order their system online, and the company will also sell through solar installers, builders, landscapers, developers and designers. Pricing will be announced in early 2027.

Homeowners can register today at www.outerspaces.co to receive updates on launch pricing and request priority scheduling in the initial installation markets, ahead of general availability. Installers, builders, developers, and designers interested in carrying the system can apply to the company’s partner program at the same address.

The first product will be offered in two sizes, 12 feet by 12 feet and 12 feet by 24 feet, adding 144 or 288 square feet of finished outdoor living space that can be used in multiple ways: as an outdoor living room, dining area, kitchen, office, gym or wellness space. Configurations will offer 2.4 TO 5.3 kilowatts of solar generation and between 15 and 60 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, enough to offset a meaningful share of a household’s daily electricity use and to keep the home running through an outage.

Configure Online. Assemble on Site.

Designed as a modular product that is simple, precise and predictable to install – rather than a custom construction project – the system requires minimal to no excavation. Designed for rapid on-site assembly, OS1’s innovative architecture significantly reduces installation complexity compared to traditional outdoor construction, with no concrete pouring or lumber cutting, and minimal noise, after which a licensed electrician connects the energy system to the home.

Built like Infrastructure. Feels Like Home.

“People care how their homes look, yet the solar industry has asked them to stop caring,” said Terry Lin, co-founder and chief design officer of Outer Spaces. “We approached residential energy as an architectural and consumer-design challenge to create a space people would want in their backyard.”

“Having personally gone through a painfully slow and expensive backyard deck construction project and solar installation, I wish Outer Spaces had existed,” said Kevin Zhang, General Partner, Upfront Ventures. “Thrilled to back Jiake and Terry again in this new vision: they have invented a beautiful, flexible backyard space that provides seamless home energy independence, and the best part is it doesn’t require full construction crews and lengthy permitting.”

Outer Spaces will use the funding to build the team and pursue channel partnerships. 

The company will show the system publicly for the first time at RE+ 2026, November 16–19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall — Booth #W17153.

About Outer Spaces

Outer Spaces imagines a future where every backyard powers better living.  We are creating a new category beyond the walls of home: residential solar and battery storage built into the structure of an outdoor living space. OS1, our solar pavilion and power deck system, pairs on-site solar generation with invisible battery storage and multiple configurations, creating endless possibilities for gathering, working, cooking, training, or recharging outside – all while powering the home. Designed for rapid on-site assembly, OS1’s innovative architecture significantly reduces installation complexity compared to traditional outdoor construction, giving installers, developers, and designers an alternative to conventional rooftop arrays and wall-mounted battery packs. Outer Spaces was founded in 2025 by Jiake Liu, Terry Lin, and Robin Liao, the founders of outdoor living brand Outer, and is based in El Segundo, Calif. Learn more at www.outerspaces.co.

Media Contact: 
Tim Turpin, CodePR
[email protected]

SOURCE Outer Spaces

Venture investor, operator and founder coach joins the AI-native startup to scale partnerships and operations, and brings Cofounder.AI to every Good Trouble Ventures portfolio founder

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2026 — Cofounder.AI, the venture-backed, AI-native startup leveling the playing field for small business owners and entrepreneurs, today announced that AJ Thomas has joined as Chief Operating Officer. Thomas will lead Partnerships and oversee Finance, Legal and HR alongside CEO Clarence Wooten, her former colleague at Google X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory. At Google X, she served as Global Head of Talent & People Products. She is also cofounder of Troublemaker Ventures, home to the venture fund Good Trouble Ventures and the growth advisory firm The Troublemaker Lab.

The appointment brings Thomas’s work full circle. After years of investing in, coaching and championing founders, she will now help build technology that puts that same support in the hands of entrepreneurs everywhere.

“Most small business owners are building alone, without a cofounder, operating leverage or a board to lean on,” said Clarence Wooten, Founder and CEO of Cofounder.AI. “AJ has spent her career giving founders exactly that kind of support, at Google X, as an investor, and as an operator and leadership coach. She knows what it takes to build teams and companies that last, and she’s the right person to scale Cofounder.AI’s partnerships and operations.”

“I’ve sat on every side of the table: operator, investor and leadership coach. The pattern is the same everywhere. Talent is evenly distributed, but support is not,” said Thomas. “Cofounder.AI gives every entrepreneur the operating leverage that used to be reserved for founders with the right network. My job is to make sure humanity and technology get equal weight as we build it, so we can deliver on our mission for the entrepreneurs and small business owners who are the heartbeat of our economy.”

Capital, culture and community

Thomas brings more than 15 years of experience across venture capital, talent and company building. Her work at Troublemaker Ventures, which backs founders and their teams with both capital and hands-on support, runs on three levers:

Capital. As General Partner of Good Trouble Ventures, she invests in founders who challenge the status quo.

Culture. As Managing Partner of The Troublemaker Lab, she coaches founders and enterprise teams on growth strategy, go-to-market, operational rigor and building cultures that hold up under pressure, including adopting AI in ways that sharpen teams rather than replace them.

Community. She connects founders, investors, operators and technologists across AI, emerging tech and venture capital, widening access to the rooms and resources that shape innovation.

At Cofounder.AI, Thomas’s early priorities include expanding university and ecosystem partnerships that bring the platform to student and early-stage founders. She is also a sought-after voice on how AI is reshaping funding, teams and communities; an executive coach and advisor to multiple startups; and a bestselling children’s book author.

Alliance with Good Trouble Ventures

Alongside the appointment, Cofounder.AI and Good Trouble Ventures are forming an alliance partnership. Every current and future Good Trouble Ventures portfolio founder will receive a free one-year Cofounder.AI license, giving them an AI cofounder for fundraising readiness, diligence and day-to-day operations from day one.

“Capital alone doesn’t build a company. Operating leverage does,” said Kat Steinmetz, Cofounder and General Partner of Good Trouble Ventures. “Putting Cofounder.AI in every founder’s hands means our support doesn’t stop when the meeting ends.”

About Cofounder.AI

Cofounder.AI is a venture-backed, AI-native startup leveling the playing field for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Founded by Clarence Wooten, a two-time exited founder and former Executive Entrepreneur in Residence at Google X, Cofounder.AI gives every entrepreneur an AI cofounder to help them plan, fund and run their business.

About Troublemaker Ventures

Troublemaker Ventures is a holding company that backs founders with both capital and hands-on support. It operates through two businesses: Good Trouble Ventures, an early-stage fund investing in category-creating founders, and The Troublemaker Lab, an advisory firm that coaches founders and enterprise teams on growth strategy, financial and operational rigor, and culture.

Media Contact
[email protected] • 310.400.2434

SOURCE CoFounder.AI

The round is led by Duration Ventures, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Draper Associates, the GTMfund, Alumni Ventures, and strategic investment from Zoom. Avarra’s AI Avatar platform helps humans master and scalably execute complex sales processes 50% faster than traditional approaches. Accelerating both revenue and customer satisfaction.

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 6, 2026 — Avarra today announced a $17 million Series A following a year in which the company grew ARR more than 400% YOY and expanded from sales training simulations into a full avatar platform for go-to-market teams.

Most AI companies selling into revenue organizations are betting that automating routine processes will increase sales productivity. Avarra is betting on the opposite. Durable competitive advantage in GTM doesn’t come from completing routine tasks quickly, it comes from reliably and scalability executing complex sales processes involving sophisticated products and deep industry knowledge. The Avarra platform captures the expertise required to effectively run these complex processes from leaders and experts and then upskills GTM teams by deploying AI avatars that use this expertise to develop every team-member, accelerate every deal and amplify coverage to every customer.

Avatars prep reps before calls, join live deals to answer questions a rep can’t, and meet buyers on the website at 2am. Because the same avatars handle both the internal and the customer-facing work, people and avatars are running one playbook. Change the play and it updates universally.

Customers like Elastic, Masimo, Proofpoint, Netskope, and Owner.com report ramp time cut roughly in half, meaningful lifts in win rate, and, with this new release, expert coverage will extend across accounts that previously had none. Multiple enterprise customers have deployed Avarra to scale their sales playbook to more than a thousand GTM professionals at their company.

The loop then closes on the other end. Every session, practice run and live call feeds signal back to leadership, showing which behaviors are landing with buyers and which are not. For most revenue leaders, that answers a question they have never been able to answer: when the number misses, was the play wrong, or did the team simply not run it properly?

Avarra runs natively on Zoom and Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom had this to say, “Revenue teams are the engine that drives businesses forward, and Avarra has built a distinctive platform that combines the power of AI with the unique human touch critical to what they do. Zoom Ventures seeks to support AI-native companies that strategically align with our goals of driving important innovation forward. We are delighted to be part of their next chapter of growth.”

Blake P. Sallé, the Chief Revenue Officer at Proofpoint had this to say. “As Proofpoint has accelerated our growth in data security and AI, we needed a way to get every seller confident talking about all our new capabilities. Avarra gives our reps a place to practice those conversations and get coached until they’ve nailed it. We’ve seen sellers improve 33% from their first attempt to their final one, with better objection handling, value narrative and discovery after coaching.”

Alongside this groundswell of support for the platform, contracted ARR from mid-market and enterprise customers grew 698% year over year, and sales teams now complete more than 10,000 AI coaching and role-play sessions on Avarra each week.

“I backed the Avarra team at seed, and the past year has proved the thesis” says Arif Janmohamed, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Duration Ventures. “AI avatars working collaboratively with humans can dramatically scale GTM team productivity driving both revenue growth and customer satisfaction. When we started Duration Ventures, leading this round was one of the first things we wanted to do because we believe Avarra is defining the future of work.” 

“The ability for AI to automate mundane tasks is well documented, but we see the real power of AI in upskilling how people execute complex, collaborative, high-value processes,” says Avarra CEO, David Knight. “Every sales leader wants their team to sell the way they would. We capture how teams actually win. Then every rep, CSM and line leader gets their own avatar coach on their own schedule, and an avatar expert sitting next to them on every live deal. The companies winning with AI aren’t replacing their people. They’re investing to make their people irreplaceable.”

While at Owner.com, their CRO Kyle Norton built and deployed over 100 custom sims using Avarra, “The biggest behavior change Avarra has unlocked is for sales reps to own their own development more. They’re no longer reliant on just their sales manager as their source of practice.”

This message is mirrored by other customers like Darrel Mitchell who is the Director of WW Field Enablement at Netskope. “With Avarra, our sellers practice high-stakes conversations before they’re in front of a customer. They rehearse with realistic AI buyers, get scored feedback right away and improve with each attempt, while managers coach to what the transcripts show.”

“Every enterprise is now figuring out how its people and its AI learn from each other. The core idea behind Avarra is to capture the expertise that lives inside a company and put it to work across the whole team, human or AI.” says Guru Chahal, Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. “We backed David and the team at seed, and since then Avarra has seen strong enterprise traction. We believe this is a category-defining platform in the making, and we’re delighted to double down.“

“AI’s real power isn’t replacing people, it’s helping them scale their impact“, says Andy Tang, Partner at Draper Associates. “Nowhere is that clearer than in institutional knowledge and training.

The funding will go toward engineering and go-to-market hiring, and toward expanding the customer-facing side of the platform.

Avarra is available today at avarra.ai, where visitors can talk to an expert avatar in real time.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Avarra.ai

New capability enables marketers to extend existing paid media investment across Connected TV, online video, audio, and SmartMail

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 6, 2026 — fullthrottle.ai^®, a pioneer in first-party data media solutions and AdTech operating systems, today announced the launch of Last Mile Audiences, a new capability that enables marketers to identify households that have already engaged with paid social, paid search, and other supported signals and activate those audiences across additional media channels.

Paid search and paid social are widely regarded as performance marketing tactics, yet they don’t always bring the outcome home. These campaigns generate valuable signals of consumer interest, but when an engaged consumer does not immediately convert, much of that opportunity can remain within the platform where the interaction originated. With Last Mile Audiences, fullthrottle.ai^® now allows marketers to create outcomes from the interest generated in those channels. Last Mile Audiences enables marketers to build on that initial investment by transforming engagement signals into first-party addressable household audiences available for activation within the fullthrottle.ai^® platform.

Marketers can then reach those same households across CTV, online video, audio, and direct mail, extending the customer journey beyond the original search or social interaction without rebuilding audiences across multiple platforms.

“Search and social are incredibly effective at generating intent, but a click or engagement doesn’t necessarily mean someone is ready to buy at that moment,” said Amol Waishampayan, co-founder of fullthrottle.ai^®. “Last Mile Audiences give marketers a way to capitalize on the investment they’ve already made by identifying those engaged households and continuing the conversation across additional channels. Instead of starting over with a new audience, marketers can use that existing intent to help move consumers closer to conversion.”

Last Mile Audiences will now be automatically surfaced within the fullthrottle.ai^® Audience Library and can also be recommended by the company’s AI Media Agent as marketers build campaigns, eliminating the need for a separate audience-building process.

Additionally, the launch introduces rolling household windows, giving marketers greater control over when they reach their desired audiences. Households are segmented into four discrete windows based on their most recent activity: 0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, and 91–120 days. Marketers can select or combine windows based on the typical consideration period for a particular product or service, enabling media strategy and messaging to better reflect where consumers may be in the buying cycle.

For example, an advertiser in home services may prioritize households that demonstrated interest within the past 30 days, while an advertiser selling a product with a longer consideration cycle may activate audiences across several windows. The discrete windows also enable marketers to differentiate audiences based on recency and tailor their media strategy accordingly.

Last Mile Audiences is available now within the fullthrottle.ai^® platform.

About fullthrottle.ai^®

fullthrottle.ai^® is the AdTech Easy Button for the mid-market, combining AI-enabled identity resolution, omnichannel campaign automation, and outcome-based measurement into one seamless platform. With no reliance on cookies, the platform delivers 85%+ audience match rates and SafeMatch^® attribution, paired with an intuitive platform interface. fullthrottle.ai^® empowers agencies, media companies, brands, and publishers by transforming website visitors into addressable households and activating first-party audiences across channels like CTV, video, audio, display, and direct mail. Trusted by more than 6,000 businesses nationwide, fullthrottle.ai^® helps marketers simplify AdTech and turn data into tangible growth. For more information, visit www.fullthrottle.ai.

Jai Journay, VP of Marketing, [email protected]

SOURCE FullThrottle Technologies

Extends Firm’s Trade Services Platform

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Oct. 6, 2026 — Bertram Capital (“Bertram”) announced today its investment in Percopo Coatings Company, LLC (“PCC” or the “Company”), a leading provider of coatings and restoration services for commercial, industrial, and institutional structures across the Southeastern United States. PCC represents the fifth platform investment in Bertram’s Ignite fund. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PCC was founded in 2003 by Mike and Victoria Percopo and is headquartered in Longwood, FL. The Company has built a reputation among general contractors, developers, and facility owners for quality and speed to self-perform across multiple trades, eliminating the need for clients to manage multiple contractors.

 “We are proud to partner with Bertram to accelerate our next phase of growth and continue building on more than two decades of expertise, craftsmanship, and client relationships,” said Mike Percopo, Founder and CEO of PCC. “The team at Bertram demonstrated a clear understanding of our business, our people, and the standards we hold ourselves to. With the added digital capabilities of Bertram Labs, we believe we can further strengthen our operations and better serve our clients across the South.”

PCC delivers painting, coatings and restoration solutions for commercial, institutional, hospitality, aviation, education, and government customers, with recognized project work spanning airports, resorts, theme parks, schools, and federal buildings.

“As backers of several scaled platforms across the trades, we appreciate the deep industry knowledge, relationships, entrepreneurial spirit, and grit required to operate a successful business in these categories,” said Zack Bassi, Vice President at Bertram Capital. “Mike and Victoria have worked tirelessly to establish PCC as a household name in painting and specialty coatings with discerning GCs, developers and facility managers. We look forward to supporting PCC’s next phase of growth with the assistance of Bertram Labs, our in-house technology team.”

Bertram would like to recognize the teams at Cook M&A, led by Arnis Kins, and Ashurst Perkins Coie, led by Blake Schell, for their efforts in making this partnership possible. PCC is actively pursuing acquisition and partnership opportunities that expand the Company’s geographic footprint and bring additional high-quality operators into the platform. Interested business owners may contact our partnerships team directly at [email protected].

Percopo Coatings Company, LLC

Founded in 2003 and based in Longwood, FL, Percopo Coatings Company (PCC) specializes in interior and exterior painting, coatings, waterproofing, seamless flooring, sandblasting, fireproofing/intumescent coatings, and restoration services for industrial, commercial, and institutional structures. PCC is trusted by clients including major airports, resort and hospitality operators, school districts, and federal agencies across the Southeastern United States. For more information, visit www.pccusa.com.

About Bertram Capital

Bertram Capital is a private equity firm targeting investments in lower middle-market companies. Since its inception in 2006, the firm has raised over $4.0 billion in capital commitments. In addition to providing strategic growth capital, Bertram Capital seeks to leverage proprietary processes and services, Bertram High-5℠ and Bertram Labs, to empower its portfolio companies to unlock their full potential.

Bertram High-5℠ is an operationally focused value-creation strategy that includes management augmentation, operational initiatives, complementary acquisitions, sales and marketing improvements, and technology integration. The cornerstone of this strategy is Bertram Labs, its in-house technology team, which drives growth through digital marketing, e-commerce, big data and analytics, application development, and platform optimization.

Bertram Capital V focuses on control investments in business services, consumer, and industrial sectors with EBITDA above $7.5 million. Bertram Ignite I focuses on both control and non-control investments in similar sectors, with a minimum EBITDA of $3 million.

For more information, visit www.bcap.com.

Media Contact
David Hellier
[email protected]

SOURCE Bertram Capital

First Projects Announced: ‘The Plug’ and Season Two of ‘self!’ as IWP prepares to open in early 2027

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2026 — Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP), the agentic financing platform for creator-led projects, and VYRE Network are kicking off their partnership with the launch of content created exclusively for VYRE Business News Global (VBNGtv), VYRE’s free streaming business channel.

With IWP officially opening for business in the first quarter of 2027, they are inviting creators, investors, lenders, vendors and apprentices to get a headstart where projects meet capital right now. Join their “Reserve Your Spot Today!” campaign today and Plug In to gain first access to funding.

“When we announced this partnership, the goal was to bring capital and content together on one network. Today that becomes real,” said David Hill, CEO of VYRE Network. “VBNGtv viewers get exclusive programming about business and capital, and creators get a direct line to IWP’s financing platform.”

‘The Plug’: First Proven Project

Debuting this fall, ‘The Plug’ is a video podcast series hosted by Grammy Award-winning producer Bruce Waynne, Founder and CEO of IWP, and Itibari Zulu, President of IWP and Chief Investment Officer of VYRE. It features long-form conversations with entrepreneurs, financiers, investors and entertainers about access to capital, ownership and building a company.

Named after PLUG, IWP’s dedicated funding agent, the series puts IWP’s model in front of the audience it serves: creators seeking funding, investors and lenders seeking vetted deals, and vendors and apprentices seeking funded work.

‘The Plug’ is also the first project financed under IWP’s model and serves as its proof of concept. The model layers risk protection with identifiable repayment sources; depending on the transaction, up to 80% of financing may be supported by insurance-backed credit enhancements, government incentives, tax credits, minimum guarantees, presales and distribution commitments.

‘self!’: IWP Helps Fund Second Season

IWP is contributing funding for Season Two of the successful VBNGtv original series, ‘self!‘ which stands for Self-Empowerment Lessons Flourished. The recorded presentation-style talks provide an open-door look at how influential business leaders have elevated their companies to the next level.

The highest viewed episode from the first season featured a candid account from Itibari Zulu, who reveals how he found motivation and transformed it into a successful career in the financial services industry for over two decades. Watch this ‘self!’ episode now: ‘Itibari Zulu – Understanding the 4 Phases in Business’ 

“‘self!’ gave me the chance to share my story,” adds Zulu. “Season Two is about helping more people tell theirs, and that’s what IWP was built to do: put capital behind the people doing the work.”

Both ‘The Plug’ and ‘self!’ can be streamed for free at VBNGtv.com, the VYRE app, and on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung and LG Smart TVs, iOS and Android.

About IWP
IWP is an agentic financing platform that provides the infrastructure layer for entrepreneurs, powered by PLUG, its dedicated funding agent. www.iwp.fund

About VBNGtv
VBNGtv is a capital markets media engine and global streaming business channel showcasing small-cap and micro-cap companies, business leaders and brand partners.

About VYRE Network
VYRE is a vertically integrated media and entertainment technology company that helps creators, studios and brands distribute, finance, market and monetize premium content worldwide.

Media Contact:
Tammy Lynn, Spotlight PR Company
310-867-1952 / [email protected] 

SOURCE Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP)

BOSTON, Oct. 6, 2026 — Second Avenue Capital Partners (SACP), a Schottenstein affiliate and leading provider of asset-based loans and structured financing solutions, announced today that it has provided an $8,000,000 Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility to IT’SUGAR, one of the world’s largest specialty candy retailers. The new facility supports IT’SUGAR’s working capital needs and provides incremental liquidity to drive growth.

Founded in 2006, IT’SUGAR operates over 100 locations throughout the United States and Canada. With one of the most expansive confectionery assortments in specialty candy retail, the company offers an immersive shopping experience through a curated product mix and an entertainment-first approach. In addition to its established store and e-commerce channels, IT’SUGAR recently launched a wholesale business that expands the distribution of its branded and differentiated merchandise.    

“IT’SUGAR was created to satisfy a universal sweet tooth through a variety of bold and iconic merchandise you can’t find anywhere else,” said Ryan Nelson, CEO of IT’SUGAR. “As we pursue growth across both new and existing channels, it is essential to have a financing partner that understands merchandising, execution, and our broader strategic priorities, and SACP was the clear choice when we decided to establish a new lending relationship.”

“IT’SUGAR has done a remarkable job building brand awareness through distinctive product lines and engaging customer experiences,” said Andrew Prunier, Founding Member and Head of the Portfolio Team at SACP. “The leadership team has a strong track record of creating dynamic shopping environments, capitalizing on trends, and leveraging partnerships with leading brands to offer differentiated products. Our partnership provides IT’SUGAR with greater flexibility to invest in productive inventory and execute strategic initiatives.”

This transaction highlights SACP’s expertise in providing tailored financing solutions to consumer-facing brands navigating an evolving marketplace. By leveraging extensive industry expertise and a collaborative approach, SACP helps clients achieve their immediate goals while laying a strong foundation for sustained, long-term success.

About Second Avenue Capital Partners – Second Avenue Capital Partners, LLC, a Schottenstein affiliate, specializes in asset-based loans for the broader retail and consumer products industry. Serving middle-market companies, SACP leverages the experience of retail operators, product merchants, and lenders to deliver customized capital solutions. A unique merchant perspective allows SACP to recognize and unlock value in assets that other capital providers often overlook or do not understand. The firm’s tailored financial solutions are a vital resource for clients seeking capital to effectuate strategy and achieve financial objectives. Learn more at sacp.com.

About IT’SUGAR – IT’SUGAR is one of the largest specialty candy retailers, with over 100 locations in North America. IT’SUGAR provides a sweet & humorous escape from everyday life. Known for its absurd sugar innovations that celebrate lighthearted rebellion, IT’SUGAR aspires to a future where everyone has access to the pure joy that comes from indulging in a world with fewer restrictions and more SUGAR. For more information, please visit www.itsugar.com.

SOURCE Second Avenue Capital Partners, LLC

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 6, 2026 — Benchmark Energy II, LLC (“Benchmark” or the “Company”) announced today the closing of a senior secured financing providing for up to $47.5 million with Cibolo Energy Partners, LLC (“Cibolo”). Proceeds are dedicated to an operated, multi-well development program across Benchmark’s liquids-rich, oil-weighted Western Anadarko Basin position. Benchmark is majority owned by Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTG) and is a joint venture with McArron Partners and members of management.

“This financing enables us to accelerate development across our operated acreage footprint,” said Kirk Goehring, Chief Executive Officer of Benchmark Energy II. “Rig activity in the Western Anadarko is up sharply, led almost entirely by private operators. Well-level results today are much improved from a decade ago, driven by focus on the best rock, conservative spacing, and modern completions. This is our second transaction with the Cibolo team. They understand the basin and have been a strong partner across both, which made this a straightforward process.”

TenOaks Energy Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Benchmark in connection with the financing.

About Benchmark Energy

Benchmark Energy II, LLC is a private oil and gas company focused on acquiring, producing, and developing operated assets in the Anadarko Basin. Benchmark and its affiliates operate over 150,000 net acres producing more than 8,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day across Western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. The Company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is capitalized by Acacia Research Corporation, McArron Partners, L.P., and members of management.

www.benchmark-energy.com

About Cibolo Energy Partners

Cibolo Energy Partners, LLC is a private investment group specializing in alternative credit opportunities within the North American energy sector. Founded in 2016, Cibolo has built a strong reputation for successfully financing upstream and midstream companies. Focusing primarily on privately-negotiated investments in the lower-middle market, Cibolo’s team of investment professionals brings extensive expertise in both the financial and technical domains. Cibolo is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and is a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

www.ciboloenergy.com

About Acacia Research Corporation

Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTG) is a value-oriented acquirer and operator of businesses across public and private markets and industries including the industrial, energy and technology sectors where it believes it can leverage its expertise, significant capital base, and deep industry relationships to drive value. Acacia evaluates opportunities based on the attractiveness of the underlying cash flows, without regard to a specific investment horizon. Acacia operates its businesses based on three key principles of people, process and performance and has built a management team with demonstrated expertise in research, transactions and execution, and operations and management. Additional information about Acacia and its subsidiaries is available at www.acaciaresearch.com.

About McArron Partners

McArron Partners is the investment arm of the Jones family of Albany, Texas. McArron’s Chief Executive Officer is Jonny Jones, founder of Jones Energy and former Chairman of the Texas Oil & Gas Association and U.S. Oil & Gas Association. McArron deploys its capital in a mix of global public and private investments. The Jones family has supported energy entrepreneurs for more than five decades.

SOURCE Benchmark Energy