NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2025 — ExSight Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to investing in transformative ophthalmology innovations, today announced its investment in RevOpsis Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation therapies for retinal diseases.
RevOpsis is developing a novel class of multispecific antibody-based treatments designed to address significant unmet needs in ophthalmology, with an initial focus on wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic eye disease. The company’s proprietary platform integrates advanced protein engineering with validated biological pathways to deliver therapies that aim to improve durability, efficacy, and patient outcomes.
“We are thrilled to support RevOpsis in its mission to bring breakthrough therapies to patients suffering from vision-threatening conditions,” said Firas Rahhal, MD, General Partner at ExSight Ventures and Retina Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Los Angeles. “Our investment reflects our strong belief in both the scientific foundation of RevOpsis’ platform and the experienced leadership team driving its development.”
The funding will enable RevOpsis to accelerate preclinical development of its lead candidate and expand its pipeline of novel ophthalmic assets.
“ExSight Ventures is a leading investor in the ophthalmology space, and their support is a strong validation of our approach,” said Ram Bhandari, MD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of RevOpsis Therapeutics. “This partnership will help us advance our pipeline toward clinical development and bring us closer to providing patients with more effective and longer-lasting treatment options. ExSight Ventures has a proven track record of backing companies developing innovative solutions in eye care, and this investment further demonstrates its commitment to supporting the next wave of therapeutic breakthroughs in ophthalmology.”
About RevOpsis Therapeutics
Founded in 2018, RevOpsis Therapeutics is a privately held, next-generation biopharmaceutical company spearheading innovation in ophthalmic therapies. Guided by a team of leading physicians, scientists, and business leaders, we are dedicated to leveraging our proprietary Rev-Mod Platform to develop and commercialize groundbreaking treatments for chronic multifactorial diseases. With a steadfast commitment to responsibly advancing patient care, we aim to usher in a new era of improved disease management and extended disease remission.
Leveraging the proprietary Rev-Mod platform, RO-104 is RevOpsis’ current lead candidate. Engineered as a first-in-class fully human modular tri-specific biologic designed to address all three clinically validated dominant angiogenic pathways (VEGF-A, VEGF-C, Ang-2) implicated in retinal vascular disease progression, including neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). RO-104 represents a significant innovative advancement in the treatment landscape for retinal vascular diseases. For more information, please visit www.revopsis.com.
About ExSight Ventures
ExSight Ventures (EV) is a venture capital firm built to serve an underserved corner of the innovation economy: early-stage life sciences. With deep clinical expertise and venture discipline, we stand as trusted partners for innovators transforming ophthalmology. Our commitment is to back pioneering teams advancing breakthrough innovations to patients who need them most. www.exsightventures.com
Investment supports market expansion and platform development, enabling PayNearMe’s clients to derive strategic advantage from payment experience
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 16, 2025 — Today, PayNearMe, a leading fintech transforming the payment experience for non-commerce businesses and their customers, announced a $50 million Series E investment from AVP (Atlantic Vantage Point) through its Growth Fund I. The investment will accelerate PayNearMe’s expansion into new markets and fuel ongoing investment in products that simplify the end-to-end payment experience for its clients.
“PayNearMe has redefined what it means to deliver a modern payment experience. The company is uniquely positioned to solve challenges in a space long underserved and overlooked,” said Elizabeth de Saint-Aignan, General Partner and Head of Growth Fund, North America at AVP. “PayNearMe’s vision and proven execution are changing how non-commerce businesses approach payments, and we’re excited to support them in this next stage of growth.”
PayNearMe pioneered Payment Experience Management, a combination of software and money movement services that optimize every touchpoint in the payment journey across customers, support and operations. By accelerating payments and reducing the total cost of acceptance, PayNearMe helps its clients improve cash flow and profitability.
“For too long, payments have been treated only as a cost of doing business,” said Danny Shader, CEO of PayNearMe. “We see improving payments as a powerful opportunity to help businesses differentiate, drive customer satisfaction, and improve business results. AVP’s funding will allow us to deliver the benefits of Payment Experience Management to more clients and in new markets.”
As part of its ongoing product evolution and continued investment in Payment Experience Management, PayNearMe has renamed its platform to PayXM™—the industry’s first platform that is purpose-built to dramatically improve the end-to-end payment experience. PayXM enables businesses to manage the entire payment journey, for all major forms of payment and through the most popular channels, with a single platform and integration.
About AVP
AVP is an independent global investment platform dedicated to high-growth, tech (from deep-tech to tech-enabled) companies across Europe and North America. The firm manages more than €2.5 billion in assets across four strategies: venture, early growth, growth, and fund of funds. Its multi-stage platform combines global research with local execution to drive investment. Since its establishment in 2016, AVP has invested in more than 60 technology companies and in over 60 funds through its Fund of Funds strategy. Beyond providing capital, AVP’s dedicated expansion team works closely with founders, offering expertise, connections and resources needed to unlock growth opportunities, and create lasting value through meaningful collaborations. More information at www.avpcap.com.
About PayNearMe
PayNearMe is redefining the way businesses and their customers experience payments. With PayXM™, the industry’s first platform purpose-built for Payment Experience Management, every touchpoint in the payment journey becomes easy— driving customer satisfaction, accelerating payments, and reducing the total cost of acceptance. The platform supports all major payment types and channels, from PayPal, Venmo, Cash App Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, cards and ACH to cash at more than 62,000 U.S. retail locations.
Thousands of businesses across industries, including consumer lending, iGaming and online sports betting, property management, and tolling, rely on PayNearMe to manage the end-to-end payment experience with a single platform and integration.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 16, 2025 — Figure, the AI robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots, today announced it has exceeded more than $1 billion in committed capital through its Series C financing round, at a post-money valuation of $39 billion. The funding will accelerate the company’s efforts to bring general-purpose humanoid robots into real-world environments at scale.
The round was led by Parkway Venture Capital with significant investment from Brookfield Asset Management, NVIDIA, Macquarie Capital, Intel Capital, Align Ventures, Tamarack Global, LG Technology Ventures, Salesforce, T-Mobile Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures.
“This milestone is critical to unlocking the next stage of growth for humanoid robots, scaling out our AI platform Helix and BotQ manufacturing,” said Brett Adcock, Founder and CEO of Figure. “Support from new partners, alongside the continued backing of our existing investors, reflects both Figure’s position as the market leader and a shared belief in a future where this technology becomes a natural part of daily life.”
This capital raise milestone supports Figure’s momentum across three core areas—all designed to unlock the full capabilities of Helix, Figure’s AI system for embodied intelligence:
Scaling humanoid robots into homes and commercial operations. Figure is expanding production manufacturing at BotQ and real-world deployments, enabling robots to assist with household and commercial workforce tasks.
Building next-generation NVIDIA GPU infrastructure to accelerate training and simulation. This compute foundation will power Helix’s core models for perception, reasoning, and control.
Launching advanced data collection efforts. These include data collection of human video and multimodal sensory inputs, to improve how robots understand and operate in complex, dynamic settings. These real-world datasets are essential to scaling Helix’s capabilities.
About Figure
Figure is an AI robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots. The goal of the company is to ship humanoid robots with human level intelligence. Its robots are engineered to perform a variety of tasks in the home and commercial markets. Figure is headquartered in San Jose, CA.
Lauren B. Leichtman, Cindy Gallop, Vlada Bortnik & Andrea Holland to Headline
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2025 — The Stella Foundation’s 12th Annual Women’s Venture Summit (WVS), will return to San Diego, CA from September 23–25, 2025. This year’s theme, Building Boldly, reflects the Summit’s mission: to fuel the growth of women founders, expand the ranks of women investors, and rewrite the future of venture capital.
The Stella Foundation’s 12th Annual Women’s Venture Summit (WVS), will return to San Diego, CA from September 23–25, 2025.
The 2025 keynote lineup brings together trailblazers across finance, tech, culture, and leadership. Lauren B. Leichtman, Co-Founder of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners and Chairwoman of San Diego Wave FC, recently recognized by Forbes as the world’s first woman private equity billionaire, will share her journey scaling capital and impact. Cindy Gallop, fearless entrepreneur and founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, will take the stage with her unapologetic message on equity and inclusion. Vlada Bortnik, CEO & Co-Founder of Marco Polo, will discuss building technology with purpose at scale, and Andrea Holland, award-winning executive coach, will bring insight on leading with bold strategy in high-stakes moments.
Far more than a speaker series, the three-day event features transformative workshops, fireside chats, and interactive sessions designed to close the funding gap. Attendees will dive into sessions on Alternative Capital Pathways for Founders, Personal Finance Best Practices for Investors, Structuring Funds and Syndicates, and Breaking Into VC & Angel Investing, and many more. Networking lounges and curated meetups provide rare access for emerging investors to connect directly with fund managers, and for founders to build relationships with active capital providers.
At the heart of the summit is the Women’s Fast Pitch SemiFinals, where six women founders, selected from regional competitions across the U.S., will compete live for more than $50,000 in grants, investments, and in-kind support. The pitch competition has become a signature feature of WVS, with past participants going on to secure venture funding, national media coverage, and acquisition opportunities.
“In a year where political and economic headwinds are dismantling resources, funding, and programs for women, we’re choosing to do the opposite,” said Flossie Hall, CEO of the Stella Foundation. “Women’s Venture Summit doubles down on women, providing the capital, connections, and knowledge they need to get funded. This summit isn’t just an event, it’s a bold response to the moment we’re in – and a launchpad for the companies and funds that will define our future economy.”
Dr. Silvia Mah, Founder & Chair of the Board of the Stella Foundation, added: “When women invest in women, we create exponential impact. WVS is the catalyst where innovation, capital, and purpose intersect – and where the cycle of empowerment truly accelerates.”
Since its inception, WVS has facilitated more than $250 million in capital for women-led ventures. The 2025 summit is supported by sponsors includingThe Impact Seat Foundation, Comcast Lift Labs, Cooley LLP, Holland & Knight LLP, She Invests, and a growing coalition of partners committed to equity in venture.
The Women’s Venture Summit is a national gathering that builds bridges between female founders and investors. Designed for aspiring investors, seasoned entrepreneurs, and community partners, the Summit combines education, connection, and capital to increase funding for women-led businesses and grow the number of women writing checks.
About the Stella Foundation
Founded in 2012, the Stella Foundation connects women founders and investors to the right resource at the right time. With a community of more than 10,000 women served annually and over $250 million in facilitated funding, Stella offers curriculum, advisory, capital access, and convening events—including Women’s Fast Pitch and Women’s Venture Summit—to drive equality in venture. Learn more at stella.co.
Media Contact Laura Henson HVM Communications [email protected] 917-539-7812
Crave is helping early-stage founders win shelf space, drive demand and raise capital.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 16, 2025 — Crave Ventures today announced its official launch as a service-for-equity, brokerage-backed growth partner for emerging consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands.
The launch comes after a successful multi-month pilot period in which the firm onboarded a small group of hand-selected portfolio brands and pressure-tested its model.
The Team At Crave Ventures
“We aren’t building another accelerator or passive investment firm,” said Katie Hotze, President of Crave Ventures. “By using advanced techniques, we’re expediting the growth of our portfolio brands and bridging the gap between advice and outcomes.”
Crave is built like an agency and backed like a VC, surrounding founders with a marketing and creative studio, retail placement experts, a PR team and strategic advisers. At Crave, there are no classes, cohorts or curriculums.
Crave Labs, Crave’s in-house agency, amplifies discovery, content and third-party endorsements while partner Alliance Sales & Marketing, the largest natural food brokerage in the U.S., opens doors to retail opportunities typically out of reach for early-stage brands.
“Crave is the continuum I wish had existed for so many breakout products that crossed my desk over the past 20 years at Alliance,” said Scott Anderson, founder and CEO of Alliance Sales and Marketing and lead adviser to Crave Ventures. “The CPG playbook has changed, and early-stage founders need an operator partner with skin in the game and a team that has built and led brands to exit.”
Crave offers the following program benefits to its portfolio founders:
Scaling from the inside out. Crave’s senior team plans, builds and runs brand, growth and retail programs alongside its portfolio founders.
Retail access that wins. With Alliance Sales & Marketing, Crave establishes trusted buyer relationships and velocity-minded retail activation.
AI-driven growth. Crave delivers access to industry-leading tools in retail discovery, reviews, creators, media and sampling.
Warm investor pathways. Crave accelerates capital readiness and facilitates introductions that convert traction into funding.
Storytelling that drives behavior change. Crave Labs delivers marketing, branding, creative, media and PR strategies that grow brand equity and market share.
Crave partners with pre-seed and seed-stage CPG brands and co-builds with founders through exit. Applicants are pre-screened for growth potential and vetted via a thorough interview and selection process. The firm accepts applications on a rolling basis.
About Crave Ventures Crave Ventures is a first-of-its-kind execution and growth partner for early-stage CPG founders. Through its continuum model, the firm invests services for equity in pre-seed and seed-stage brands, unlocking access to world-class marketing, PR, retail, technology and investor networks. Crave meets founders where they are and co-builds with them through exit. Crave is backed by Alliance Sales & Marketing and is advised by industry veteran Scott Anderson.
– Current CEO and Co-founder Nancy Briefs Transitions to Executive Chair of the Board –
– Financing and Leadership Transition Strengthen Momentum Toward First Clinical Trial of AJN 003 for Type 2 Diabetes –
LOWELL, Mass., Sept. 16, 2025 — AltrixBio, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering treatments for cardiometabolic diseases, announced the closing of an initial $5 million Series A financing. The funding will accelerate the clinical entry of AJN 003 (LuCI™ – Luminal Coating of the Intestine), a first-in-class oral therapy designed to transform the treatment of type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases.
David Pass
In addition, the company has appointed David Pass, PharmD, as president andchief executive officer. Dr. Pass brings decades of leadership experience across the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device sectors with a proven record of scaling programs from concept to more than $1 billion in sales. He succeeds AltrixBio Co-founder and CEO Nancy Briefs, who successfully guided the company from inception, and will now serve as executive chair of the board.
“It is an honor to join AltrixBio at such a pivotal moment,” said Dr. Pass. “I am inspired by the potential of AJN 003 both to change the way we think about the science of type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders, and to bring the often life-changing benefits of bariatric surgery into a pill.”
New investment driven by AJN 003 transformational approach
AltrixBio is developing AJN 003 (LuCI™), a once-daily oral pill that temporarily coats the stomach, duodenum and jejunum to mimic the powerful metabolic effects of bariatric surgery without the associated risks. Bariatric surgery has demonstrated rapid improvements in glucose control with diabetes remission in most patients, along with significant weight loss. Preclinical studies of AJN 003 have shown similar gut hormone and metabolic responses, while avoiding systemic drug exposure and associated safety concerns.
The Series A financing will support AltrixBio in advancing AJN 003 into human clinical studies, aiming to provide an oral therapy for type 2 diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases. This novel treatment approach offers an enormous global commercial opportunity.
Leadership transition marks next phase
The appointment of Dr. Pass as CEO marks a new chapter for AltrixBio as the company prepares to bring its lead candidate, AJN 003, into the clinic. Dr. Pass joins AltrixBio after successfully building and leading the Diabetes Franchise with the alliances between Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim and, most recently, serving as president of Life Sciences at Glooko.
“I am confident that David will successfully lead the company into its next era of clinical and commercial activities,” said Briefs. “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together and am excited to continue supporting the company as executive chair of the board.”
“This transition reflects our ongoing commitment to leadership excellence and long-term value creation,” said Ali Tavakkoli, MD, co-founder and board member. “We are grateful to Nancy for her visionary leadership and are thrilled to welcome David as our new CEO. His expertise and passion for our mission will be instrumental as we continue to deliver on our vision of ‘Surgery in a Pill®'”.
About AJN003 (LuCI™)
AJN 003 (LuCI™ – Luminal Coating of the Intestine) is a once-daily oral therapy that forms a temporary barrier in the stomach, duodenum and jejunum to replicate the metabolic benefits of bariatric bypass surgery. Preclinical data show that AJN 003 alters nutrient sensing in this region of the gut, and triggers the same hormone and metabolic responses associated with bariatric surgery. AJN 003 is a small molecule with no systemic exposure, providing a novel and patent-protected approach to treating type 2 diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases.
About AltrixBio Founded in 2019, AltrixBio builds on research from Jeff Karp, PhD, and Ali Tavakkoli, MD, of Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School. Their work was inspired by the rapid resolution of type 2 diabetes often observed in patients following bariatric surgery. They hypothesized that sucralfate, an established therapy with over 40 years of clinical use, could be modified to replicate these metabolic benefits. This research led to the development of AJN 003 (LuCI™ – Luminal Coating of the Intestine), a proprietary, bio-engineered form of sucralfate developed as a once-daily oral therapy. The AltrixBio team comprises scientists, clinicians and industry business leaders with deep scientific, operational and commercial expertise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the leadership transition and future plans of AltrixBio. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in these statements. For more information, please refer to the company’s filings with the relevant securities authorities.
For further updates and information, please visit AltrixBio.com
Breakthrough investment showcases momentum of virtual fencing technology, as Nofence advances scalable, tech-driven grazing solutions for livestock management
ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 16, 2025 — Nofence, the leading innovator in virtual fencing technology, announced today that it has raised over $35 million (€30 million) after the successful close of its Series B funding, which concluded in July. As Europe’s largest agtech funding round of 2025, this investment signals investor confidence in Nofence’s market traction, product innovation, and long-term potential to transform livestock management in the U.S. and worldwide.
The new capital is announced on the heels of the company’s recent hirings of Alex Bell as managing director in the U.S. and Eric Yates as national sales director. These investments were led by international firms with deep expertise in climate tech, agtech, and sustainable systems, including the lead investor European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, along with Capagro, Nysnø Climate Investments, Climate Innovation Capital, and Speedinvest – while existing investors Sandwater, Momentum, and Ferd are also continuing their commitment, reflecting strong support for Nofence’s role in providing more sustainable and efficient grazing solutions for cattle, sheep, and goat farmers alike.
As the pioneer of virtual fencing and the company with the longest experience in the field, the new funding will enable Nofence to accelerate its worldwide expansion in key North American and European markets. It underscores the company’s continued momentum in advancing its technology through further product development, strengthening service to its growing customer base, and reinforcing its position in core markets, including in the U.S. and E.U. Nofence recognizes the trust and support farmers and ranchers placed in its technology and is committed to using the new capital to further invest in enhancing its ability to serve them and deliver greater value. Nofence’s solar-powered, GPS-enabled collars managed via its easy-to-use mobile app are already helping thousands of farmers and ranchers improve land stewardship and reduce labor and production costs.
“Nofence’s virtual fencing is transforming the way livestock producers manage their herds by enabling rotational grazing – an effective climate measure in agriculture – while also offering more efficient solutions to better monitor and enhance the welfare of livestock, reduce costs, and provide peace of mind,” said Joachim Kähler, CEO of Nofence. “This Series B funding is more than a financial milestone; it further validates our vision and the real-world results we’ve delivered to farmers across the globe. This raise reflects the strength of our team, the loyalty of our customers, and the urgency of the challenges we’re helping to solve, positioning us to make virtual fencing the standard for livestock management globally.”
“Farmers and ranchers are looking for tools that give them greater flexibility and insight in how they manage their land and livestock, and Nofence’s virtual fencing technology is delivering for those needs,” said Alex Bell, U.S. Managing Director for Nofence.“With Nofence, our customers are able to work more efficiently and steward their land more sustainably. These investments mark a major step forward for Nofence in the U.S., expanding our reach and accelerating our ability to deliver even more value to our customers.”
“We are incredibly proud to announce our Series B funding round. This investment is a testament to the hard work of the entire Nofence team and the strength of our technology,” said Stefanie Witte, Chair of Nofence’s Board of Directors. “What’s particularly exciting for us is not just the capital, but the calibre and international breadth of our investors. They bring a range of expertise from across Europe and North America – perfectly aligned with Nofence’s own international expansion, and their experience will be an invaluable asset as Nofence continues to grow and innovate.”
“At ECBF, we back companies that scale commercially while driving sustainable, resource-efficient systems. Nofence is transforming livestock management with a solution that improves efficiency, lowers costs, while restoring soil and biodiversity,” highlighted Isabelle Laurencin, Partner at ECBF. “With strong traction in Europe and clear U.S. growth prospects, we are proud to back this ambitious team as they set a new standard for sustainable agriculture.”
“Nofence is addressing one of the most urgent needs in agriculture: making livestock management more efficient and climate-friendly. The company’s rapid adoption across multiple markets demonstrates both the strength of its technology and the depth of demand from farmers. Having backed Nofence since the Series A, Sandwater is proud to continue this partnership and build on the strong foundation already in place,” says Torkel Engeness, Partner at Sandwater.
“We have known Nofence for a long time and continue to be impressed by their execution across markets. With farm digitization still in its early stages, Nofence stands out as a key enabler, creating a strong platform for new products beyond virtual fencing,” emphasized Wissam Nasreddine, Principal at Speedinvest.
Since entering the U.S. market in 2025, Nofence has seen surging demand among American producers eager to improve grazing management without the constraints of physical fencing. As the world’s only provider of virtual fencing for both cattle and small ruminants, Nofence technology is helping American producers in 48 states manage their livestock more efficiently, all while saving time and money.
About Nofence and the technology Founded in Norway in 2011 by goat farmer Oscar Hovde at Batnfjordsøra, Nofence is the world’s pioneer commercial virtual fencing system for livestock, serving as a sustainable alternative to physical fencing. The animals’ grazing areas are managed using a GPS collar, which communicates with an app using a mobile network. When the animals cross the virtual boundary, an escalating acoustic warning is played. If they ignore the sound, they will get a mild but effective electrical pulse. The animals learn this quickly in their training period of up to a week, depending on variables like the breed and the age of the animal. The collars can be bought online at nofence.co/us.
The company’s virtual fences have increased in popularity since its pilot customers first began using it in Norway in 2016, with the company surpassing 150,000 collars sold – a strong testament to the success of the new technology. Nofence has 90 employees worldwide, distributed between Norway, the UK, Ireland, Spain, and the United States.
About the Investors Capagro is Europe’s first independent venture capital fund dedicated to AgTech and FoodTech innovation. With approximately €240 million under management and backing from leading agrobusinesses and institutional LPs, Capagro supports startups across the entire agri-food value chain, accelerating the adoption of impactful technologies, from smart agriculture to sustainable food solutions.
Climate Innovation Capital (CIC) is a growth equity fund investing in mid-stage climate technology companies that deliver measurable decarbonization and strong financial performance. With deep operational and investment expertise, CIC targets solutions across key sectors like energy, buildings, transportation, and food systems. Its portfolio companies are reshaping industries by turning climate innovations into scalable, cost-competitive businesses.
European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) is the leading venture capital impact fund exclusively focused on the circular bioeconomy. With $350 million (€300 million) AUM, ECBF invests $2.3-11.6 million (€2–10 million) in high-potential growth-stage companies across sectors like agtech, food, industrial biotech, and biomaterials. The fund aims to help Europe transition to a climate-neutral, nature-aligned economy by 2050, in line with the European Environmental Goals.
Nysnø Climate Investments is a state-owned investment company that invests in companies and funds with technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Nysnø has assets under management of NOK 5.4 billion and invests in renewable energy, digital technologies, resource efficiency, sustainable consumption, and the circular economy. The company is headquartered in Stavanger and is owned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries.
Speedinvest is one of Europe’s most active early-stage venture capital firms, with over €1 billion in assets under management. Its sector-focused teams and in-house experts provide founders with hands-on support across growth, operations, and business development. Speedinvest backs bold entrepreneurs across deep tech, fintech, climate tech, SaaS, and more.
Sandwater is a Nordic venture capital firm investing in early-stage growth companies in resource efficiency, energy transition and productivity and resilience. Sandwater was established in 2021 by a team with extensive industry experience.
Momentum is a Norwegian venture fund aiming to accelerate sustainability, efficiency, and resilience across energy, food/agriculture, and industry. Momentum typically invests at the seed stage and actively supports its portfolio companies through their growth stages.
Ferd is a family-owned Norwegian investment company committed to value-creating ownership across both businesses and financial assets. Ferd is invested in Nofence through Ferd Impact Investing, which invests in early-stage climate tech companies and funds that have the potential to deliver both a positive climate and environment impact and a solid risk-adjusted return.
As AI speeds up coding, Metalbear’s mirrord enables developers to run local code in real cloud environments instantly, closing the gap between coding and deployment.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 16, 2025 — MetalBear, creator of the popular open source Kubernetes development solution mirrord, today announced it has raised $12.5 million in Seed funding led by TLV Partners with participation from TQ Ventures, MTF, and Netz Capital. Prominent angel investors include David Cramer, co-founder of Sentry, and Ben Sigelman, co-creator of OpenTelemetry. The funding comes as enterprises confront a paradox: while AI dramatically accelerates code creation, developers continue to waste valuable time waiting to test code in realistic cloud environments.
The rise of microservices architecture has transformed how modern software is built, with enterprises now managing hundreds or thousands of interconnected services. Yet this evolution has created a critical bottleneck: developers working on a single service cannot effectively test their code within the context of the larger application. They resort to incomplete local testing with mocks that don’t reflect real cloud conditions, then queue for hours and even days to access shared staging environments. Some organizations spend millions annually on per-developer cloud environments, only to find these still require deployment cycles and shift maintenance burdens onto individual developers, creating yet more bottlenecks.
“We’re witnessing a mismatch in modern development,” said Eyal Bukchin, CTO and co-founder of MetalBear. “AI can now generate code in seconds, but developers still face constant friction testing it. Every small change requires another deployment cycle, another wait, another context switch. These interruptions compound throughout the day, turning what should be rapid iteration into a stop-and-start marathon. The entire industry has accepted this as normal, but it’s actually the biggest hidden bottleneck in software development today.”
MetalBear’s mirrord fundamentally changes this dynamic by letting developers connect their local code directly to their cloud environments. With a single switch in their IDE, developers can instantly give their code access to remote databases, APIs, queues, and services without deploying anything. The technology works by injecting itself into the local development process and intercepting all input/output operations at a low level, seamlessly proxying them to the remote environment.
“The first-time developers use mirrord, they often can’t believe what they’re seeing,” said Aviram Hassan, CEO and co-founder of MetalBear. “They toggle a button in their IDE, hit debug, and suddenly their local code is interacting with other microservices, remote databases, message queues, and third-party services as if it were running in the cloud. We’ve even seen teams where mirrord lets them run their code locally for the first time. Before, there were just too many dependencies to run locally, so all they could do was deploy and hope.”
mirrord has already been adopted by thousands of developers at leading technology companies including NVIDIA, AWS, and Apple, with teams reporting 80% faster test iterations and 30% fewer production bugs. Its paid enterprise version enables multiple developers to work simultaneously on the same environment without conflicts, using traffic routing and queue splitting to ensure each developer only receives the data meant for their specific tests. This allows entire teams to share a single staging environment as if each developer had their own, eliminating both bottlenecks and costs.
“There’s intense focus on AI and developer productivity right now, but most solutions only address code generation,” said Brian Sack, Partner at TLV Partners. “As AI makes developers write code faster, testing and integration become the critical bottlenecks. When every AI agent needs their own test environment, traditional approaches become completely unscalable. mirrord’s architecture is uniquely positioned to enable this new era of development.”
mirrord’s approach leverages deep system-level expertise rarely seen in the DevOps space. The founding team has a deep expertise in cybersecurity, most recently as a core part of the leadership at BioCatch where they built behavioral analytics systems. This experience enabled them to build mirrord to handle complex enterprise environments, from air-gapped clusters to complex service meshes, without requiring cluster modifications or extensive setup.
About MetalBear
MetalBear is the creator of mirrord, an open source development solution that eliminates bottlenecks in cloud-native development by enabling local code to run in production-like conditions instantly. Founded by cybersecurity experts Aviram Hassan (CEO) and Eyal Bukchin (CTO), the company helps developers ship faster, more reliable software. With 25 employees across 14 countries, MetalBear serves thousands of developers at Fortune 100 enterprises and leading technology companies. mirrord is available as both an open source project and an enterprise solution that allows large teams to effectively share a single cloud development environment. Learn more at metalbear.com
Funding to advance first-in-class pan-ROCK inhibitor through Phase 2a testing in PAH and ILD-PH patients
Topline data from ROC-101 Phase 1 study demonstrate favorable safety and tolerability, and no associated hypotension
Leadership team comprises executives from CinCor Pharma, acquired by AstraZeneca in 2023 for up to $1.8 billion
NATICK, Mass., Sept. 16, 2025 — AllRock Bio Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing therapies for cardiopulmonary and fibrotic diseases, today announced a $50 million Series A round co-led by Versant Ventures and Westlake BioPartners. Proceeds will advance AllRock’s lead molecule, ROC-101, which the company exclusively licensed from Sanofi, into Phase 2 clinical development.
ROC-101 is a first-in-class, oral pan-rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension with interstitial lung disease (ILD-PH). Both are life-threatening conditions with five-year survival rates of 57% and 38%, respectively, and very limited disease-modifying treatments exist for these patients. ROC-101 has the potential to address a significant unmet need by targeting inflammatory, proliferative, and fibrotic disease-associated remodeling mediated by both ROCK2 and ROCK1.
“Today’s launch highlights the value of our pan-ROCK inhibitor approach, which addresses the fundamental drivers, not just the symptoms, of cardiopulmonary diseases, beginning with PAH and ILD-PH,” said Catherine Pearce, DHSc, MBA, AllRock CEO and co-founder. “In identifying this asset, we listened to KOLs and clinicians who emphasized the importance of developing a therapy that blocks the non-redundant roles of both ROCK1 and ROCK2.”
ROC-101’s mechanism of action is complementary to existing approved and investigational therapies in the pulmonary hypertension space. AllRock’s Phase 2a ROCSTAR clinical trial will evaluate ROC-101 in combination with standard of care in PAH and ILD-PH patients and is expected to start in late 2025.
“We are pleased to work with this team again in the formation of AllRock following our past successful collaboration on CinCor and bringing baxdrostat to the clinic,” said David Allison, PhD, Managing Director at Westlake BioPartners. “We are confident that this team is poised to advance a truly meaningful therapeutic option to patients living with debilitating disease.”
“The strong safety profile that ROC-101 has demonstrated in Phase 1 validates the transformative potential of pan-ROCK inhibition,” said Alicia Levey, PhD, Venture Partner at Versant Ventures and AllRock board member. “We look forward to AllRock’s near-term readouts for ROC-101 as well as progress from its expanding pipeline.”
The company’s leadership comprises industry veterans from biotech and pharma with a track record of success in building and leading parent and portfolio companies:
Catherine Pearce, DHSc, MBA, CEO and Co-Founder, brings 25+ years of experience across pharma and biotech company formation, most notably for creating and leading the clinical-stage function of CinCor Pharma from its formation to its acquisition by AstraZeneca for up to $1.8 billion. She also co-founded CinRx Pharma and JucaBio.
Justin Thompson, CBO and Co-Founder, has 20+ years of experience in business development and strategic investments within life sciences. He led business development efforts at CinCor Pharma and co-founded JucaBio.
Bill Marshall, MD, CMO, is a clinician-scientist with 35+ years of academic, clinical, and drug development experience, highlighted by his role as VP, Medical, at CinCor. He began his pharma career in Translational Pharmacology at Merck and served in leadership roles at Allovir and Alexion and as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the UMass Chan Medical School.
Kate Steiner, B Med Sci, MBBS, VP Medical, is a clinician-scientist with 25+ years of academic, clinical, and drug development experience, most recently as Medical Director at Keros Therapeutics, leading the Phase 2 trial of an activin receptor type II B ligand trap to treat pulmonary artery hypertension. She is also a part-time Pulmonary Critical Care Attending at Tufts Medical Center.
The company’s latest Phase 1 data will be presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress, held September 27-October 1 in Amsterdam, in a poster entitled, “Results from a phase 1, randomized, double-blind, single and multiple ascending oral dose study characterizing the PK, safety, and target engagement of the Rho kinase 1 and 2 inhibitor ROC-101 in healthy volunteers.”
AllRock was founded by JucaBio, a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company built on the hub-and-spoke model that acquires high-quality, differentiated assets and builds agile NewCos that execute focused drug development.
About PAH Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe condition characterized by elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, impacting both the lungs and the right side of the heart. In PAH, the small pulmonary vessels undergo progressive narrowing, leading to elevated pulmonary arterial pressure. This heightened pressure impedes blood flow through the lungs, necessitating increased effort from the right ventricle to maintain adequate circulation, ultimately placing significant strain on the heart. Despite 16 approved drugs—including four vasodilator classes—there continues to exist an unmet need for disease-modifying treatments in the current landscape.
About ILD-PH Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD-PH) is a distinct form of PH where the blood pressure in the lungs increases in the setting of ILD. ILD encompasses a broad group of diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, that impair the structure of the lungs, making it progressively harder to breathe. ILD-PH is associated with increased mortality and morbidity with worsening symptoms over time, and very limited treatment options are available.
About AllRock Bio AllRock Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing therapies for cardiopulmonary and fibrotic diseases. The company’s lead candidate, ROC-101, is a first-in-class, oral pan-ROCK inhibitor being developed to address the urgent unmet need in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other life-threatening fibrotic diseases. With a seasoned leadership team and a commitment to addressing unmet need, AllRock is dedicated to bringing a new class of disease-modifying therapies to patients. For more information, please visit www.allrockbio.com. Follow us on Linkedin.
About Versant Ventures Versant Ventures is a leading healthcare venture capital firm committed to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of great companies. The firm’s emphasis is on biotechnology companies that are discovering and developing novel therapeutics. With $5.3 billion under management and offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe, Versant has built a team with deep investment, operating and R&D expertise that enables a hands-on approach to company building. Since the firm’s founding in 1999, more than 95 Versant companies have achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs. For more information, please visit www.versantventures.com.
About Westlake BioPartners Westlake BioPartners is a Los Angeles area-based venture capital firm focused on incubating and building early-stage life sciences companies with entrepreneurs who have the potential to bring transformative therapies to patients. With $1.3 billion under management, the Westlake model is built on the founding team’s unique experience in successfully identifying and developing breakthrough therapies and building organizations, based on their extensive R&D, investing and company-building experience. For more information, please visit www.westlakebio.com.
