Insight Partners leads; seven major U.S. health systems join. Funding accelerates the global rollout of Optain’s advanced robotic retinal imaging, AI, and teleophthalmology platform.

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2025 — Optain Health, a healthcare technology company applying artificial intelligence (AI), robotic retinal imaging, and teleophthalmology to detect eye and systemic disease earlier, today announced the close of an oversubscribed $26 million Series A. The raise was led by global software investor Insight Partners with participation from existing investors.

A single, non-invasive test, run anywhere: Oculomics—the science of using the eye as a window into whole-body health—powers Optain’s platform. Its portable robotic camera captures retinal images rapidly without requiring pupil dilation. Integrated AI workflows detect sight-threatening eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, and assess cardiovascular disease risk. In the U.S., Optain delivers rapid teleophthalmology grading to screen for diabetic retinopathy and more. Optain’s technology expands access to oculomics into primary care, optometry, and beyond, with minimal specialist staffing or workflow disruption.

“Our mission is simple: faster, easier, more equitable disease screening,” said Jeff Dunkel, CEO, Optain. “After two years of major international growth, we are ready to scale in the U.S. This Series A funds our enterprise deployments, opens new markets, and pushes the frontier of what the retina can reveal.”

Strategic health system and global investor participation: Insight was joined by seven leading health system investors, among them: Memorial Hermann Health System, Northwell Health, Novant Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and UPMC. Together, these systems deliver care to 28 million patients across 25 states. Each will begin deploying Optain’s platform across their networks to expand screening access, close care gaps, and improve outcomes. Additional investors, including Informed Ventures, Lumio Capital, Meridian Ventures, and the UniQuest Extension Fund will accelerate the growth of Optain’s global footprint in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

“Optain represents our conviction in the power of better AI—deployed at the edge, inside clinical workflows,” said Scott Barclay, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “By making retinopathy screening truly accessible, Optain is already changing care delivery—and we believe it will become the upstream gateway in primary care for AI-driven diagnoses across many conditions.”

Backed by leading health systems and clinical leaders. Optain was co-created in 2023 by Aegis Ventures which also formed the Aegis Digital Consortium, a collaboration of 11 leading regional U.S. health systems to co-develop AI-driven healthtech companies. “Early retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy and chronic disease closes a critical care gap,” said Dr. John Noseworthy, Chairman of the Aegis Digital Consortium and Emeritus CEO of Mayo Clinic. “Clinicians have been waiting for a solution that meets patients where they are, and Optain is delivering a best-in-class product that is achieving real adoption. By deploying Optain in patient care and investing in the company, Consortium members have shown strong confidence in its value for enabling early detection and better outcomes.” Dr. Noseworthy will join Optain’s board as an observer, representing the strategic health systems.

Australian R&D powering global impact. Optain’s technology builds on more than a decade of research led by Professor Mingguang He in Australia. “We’re proud to be translating world-class Australian science into real-world impact,” said Dr. Zachary Tan, President of Optain. “We are making significant investments in new Australian R&D and growing our local team, who will lead our global expansion outside of the U.S. Exporting Australian AI innovation to improve equitable access to healthcare and patient outcomes around the world is a mission we are proud to lead.”

About Optain
Optain transforms preventive health with AI-enabled software and hardware that deliver real-time, non-invasive detection of eye and systemic conditions. Its portable robotic retinal camera, AI, and teleophthalmology service give clinicians an affordable point-of-care tool to close care gaps, reduce avoidable costs, and improve patient outcomes. Learn more at optainhealth.com/us and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Insight Partners
Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of December 31, 2024, the firm has over $90B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 800 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and the Bay Area. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with tailored, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on X @insightpartners.

Media Contact
Kara Spak for Optain: [email protected]

This press release includes forward-looking statements concerning future events. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ from those expressed or implied. Factors beyond the control of Optain Health and its affiliates may affect future performance. Optain Health and its affiliates do not commit to updating forward-looking statements considering future events or changes in expectations. 

Optain Health utilizes teleophthalmology services in the U.S. Automated disease detection software is not for sale in the U.S.

SOURCE Optain Health

SAN FRANCISCO and FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 10, 2025 — Nitricity, the climate scaleup electrifying the production of nitrogen fertilizer worldwide, today announced it has closed a $50 million Series B funding round, days ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony on the company’s first-of-a-kind organic fertilizer plant in Delhi, California.

The funding round was co-led by new investor World Fund, Europe’s leading climate VC, and returning investor Khosla Ventures, with participation from Chipotle’s Cultivate Next venture fund, Change Forces, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments, EIP, and Fine Structure Ventures [from the Fidelity Investments parent group, FMR].

Nitricity’s flagship organic, nitrogen fertilizer liquid – Ash Tea – is made from recycled organic almond shells, air, water and renewable power. Crucially, Ash Tea is cost-competitive with other commercially available organic fertilizers, while being better for the planet, pathogen-free and free from animal products. The product has proven highly effective with farmers, with field trials reporting up to a 30% yield increase and noticeable improvements in early plant growth, and every ounce of Ash Tea’s current production is already commissioned.

A market-leading solution scaling up to meet proven demand from organic farmers

Nitricity has invented a market-leading alternative to traditional nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizers. Conventional fertilizers, created through the Haber-Bosch process that sees ammonia synthesized from fresh air, account for about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) worldwide. Their widespread use revolutionized food production, but it has left soil microbiomes in a dire state, made waterways toxic, and contributed to global biodiversity loss. 

Ash Tea stands out as a fully organic fertilizer that offers farmers a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional pelletized, dried slaughterhouse fluids used by competitors. Its liquid form flows smoothly through irrigation systems, minimizing clogging and maintenance issues. Nitricity fertilizer also utilizes nitrogen more efficiently than competitor products, meaning farmers can apply less product and cut costs. Nitricity is a safer, more effective fertilization solution serving the growing demand for sustainable, regenerative practices.

The company was founded by a team of graduate students – Dr. Nicolas Pinkowski (CEO), Dr. Joshua McEnaney (president and CTO) Dr. Jay Schwalbe (CSO) – from Stanford University in 2018. They started out co-living, testing out their solar-powered fertilizer systems on a single lemon tree in their backyard. That tree has since grown sky-high, while Nitricity has grown to secure over $150M in its sales pipeline following a period of rapid growth.

The founders are tapping an enormous global market. McKinsey expects the $150 billion fertilizer market to grow around 2.1%pa, while Nitricity’s internal estimates suggest the liquid organic nitrogen fertilizer market alone could top $11 billion. Today, the company’s pilot factory in Fremont produces 80 tons of fertilizer each year, which feeds around 80 acres of crops, and this is just the start.

Nitricity expands across the US and into Europe as World Fund’s first US investment

Nitricity plans to use the fresh capital to scale its clean technology across the US and into Europe, make 10+ key hires into its 38-person team, and invest in R&D.

The company is building capacity in the Western US to be closer to its organic farmer customer base and expand into high-value fruit markets. New funding will also enable Nitricity to start pilot and field trials across Europe and make its first strategic hires on the continent. Nitricity plans to use local agricultural waste materials, including wood and waste from olive oil manufacturing, to power its European fertilizer production. Capital will also be used to invest further in R&D to improve system efficiency and expand into markets such as corn and wheat.

Dr. Nicolas Pinkowski, Nitricity co-founder and CEO, said: “This is an inflection point for Nitricity. We’re scaling across the US and we’re very excited to expand into Europe in a serious and assertive way. The European market for our organic fertilizer is even larger than in the US, and demand is only growing against a backdrop of European governments looking to boost resilience and create circular agriculture economies. We offer an exceptional organic, circular solution for the market.”

“We started out as grad students with a $5000 CalTech grant and a plan. Now, we have more customers than we can supply, so it’s about scaling to cater to that demand.   We are thrilled to welcome new investors and deepen our partnerships with existing investors. Raising this capital is an enormous vote of confidence in Nitricity and our product, and having a prominent European investor in our syndicate will dramatically speed up our ability to connect with local partners and customers.”

World Fund, which invests in climate tech companies with significant decarbonization potential, has backed winners including IQM, Space Forge and Planet A Foods. The investment into Nitricity is its first US ticket, and marks a step-change in reach for the fund. 

Dr Nadine Geiser, Principal at World Fund, said: “The Haber-Bosch process typically sees around 60-70% of nitrogen applied to crops get lost. This cannot continue. Our calculations show Nitricity’s brilliant, price-competitive sustainable, organic alternative provides an <92% reduction in emissions on average. As the EU looks to meet sustainability and organic requirements,  demand for Nitricity’s solution is only rising, and we are proud to be supporting Nicholas and the team as they scale into Europe and beyond.”

Groundbreaking for innovative facility producing cost-competitive organic nitrogen

Slated for operation in 2026, Nitricity’s first-of-a-kind organic fertilizer facility in Delhi, California represents a major milestone, marking an 100-fold increase in production capacity to achieve commercial-scale volumes of cost-competitive organic nitrogen fertilizer. The plant’s full production capacity is already sold out through 2028 under binding offtake agreements with local organic growers. The plant, which was funded by Elemental Impact and Trellis Climate and will create 20+ jobs in Merced County, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony in September.

“Nitricity’s commitment to producing fertilizer that is optimized for farmers compliments Chipotle’s approach to Food with Integrity,” stated Curt Garner, President, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at Chipotle. “Since our initial investment in 2023, we’ve seen continued innovation and believe the new facility and expanded team will enable Nitricity to scale their climate-smart technology and support growers globally.”

Rajesh Swaminathan, Partner at Khosla Ventures, said: “Fertilizer production hasn’t changed in over a century — it’s complex, expensive, and vulnerable to global supply shocks. Nitricity is taking a fundamentally different approach with a modular system that turns almond shells, air and water directly into organic fertilizer. Since investing in 2022, Nico and the team have made impressive progress, securing premium offtake agreements and preparing to break ground on a first-of-a-kind plant. This kind of innovation is what it takes to transform the global agriculture system.”

For media enquiries, please contact Nitricity at [email protected].

About Nitricity
Nitricity is a climate-tech startup creating sustainable, organic nitrogen fertilizers by harnessing air, water, renewable energy, and almond shells. Founded by a team of graduate students from Stanford University in 2018 – Dr. Nicolas Pinkowski serving as CEO, Dr. Joshua McEnaney serving as president and CTO, and Dr. Jay Schwalbe serving as CSO – The company is scaling its clean technology to enable regional, plant-based fertilizer production for a more sustainable farming future. For more information, visit www.nitricity.co.

About World Fund
World Fund is a leading European venture capital fund investing in climate tech companies with significant decarbonisation potential. Its portfolio spans key sectors, such as energy, industry, built environment, transportation, food, agriculture, and biotech. The fund has backed prominent companies such as cylib, Vaeridion, Planet A Foods, IQM and Space Forge. The firm manages a €300m fund and focuses on bridging the financing gap in the early growth stage.

About Chipotle

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. There are over 3,800 restaurants as of June 30, 2025, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates and it is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants in North America and Europe. With over 130,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit chipotle.com.

About Khosla Ventures 
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on investments in artificial intelligence, financial services, healthcare, consumer, enterprise, and sustainability. It is known for making early capital investments in startups such as OpenAI, Instacart, Affirm, DoorDash, and Block. https://www.khoslaventures.com/

About Change Forces
Change Forces is an investment fund that backs those bold enough to reimagine our world. Founder-focused. Planet-forward. Profit-aligned. The fund invests in generational founders building world-changing companies.

SOURCE Nitricity Inc.

Investment accelerates global adoption of Noxilizer’s terminal sterilization alternative that is validated, safe, scalable and sustainable for biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers

HANOVER, Md., Sept. 10, 2025 — Noxilizer, Inc. (“Noxilizer”), the leader in nitrogen dioxide-based terminal sterilization for biopharmaceutical and medical device products, today announced a growth capital financing of $30 million led by NewVale Capital, a growth equity firm focused on the pharmaceutical services sector.

Noxilizer’s nitrogen dioxide (“NO₂”) sterilization platform plays a pivotal role in addressing the urgent market demand for alternatives to ethylene oxide (“EtO”), with leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies already relying on Noxilizer to sterilize critical drug-device combination products. This growth financing will expand access to Noxilizer’s NO₂ sterilization platform to meet growing global demand.

“This investment allows us to broaden availability of NO₂ sterilization at a time when manufacturers urgently need validated, commercial-ready alternatives to existing methods,” said Christopher Thatcher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Noxilizer. “We’re proud to provide a platform that is already trusted in commercial-stage products. With NewVale Capital’s support, we are strengthening our foundation to serve our customers at scale, with long-term reliability, especially as EtO contract sterilization providers face increasing remediation mandates and capacity constraints.”

Noxilizer provides biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers with a proven commercial-grade sterilization alternative that offers:

• Commercial and Regulatory Validation: Approved by global regulatory authorities and used in marketed biopharmaceutical products
• Safety and Sustainability: Non-carcinogenic with emissions that meet room air quality standards
• Compatibility: Works with sensitive biologics, drug-device combinations, and delivery systems
• Efficiency and Scale: Provides fast cycle times, can be used in-house, and supports supply chain reliability

“Noxilizer represents one of the most viable alternatives to EtO in the market today,” said Todd Holmes, Founder and Managing Partner of NewVale Capital. “The platform has already been adopted by a growing list of leading manufacturers, and we’re excited to support Noxilizer through its next phase of expansion to meet the rising demand for sustainable, next-generation sterilization.”

About Noxilizer

Noxilizer provides ultra-low temperature nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) terminal sterilization for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. With FDA approvals and clearance, EMA authorization, and adoption by leading global manufacturers, Noxilizer’s NO₂ sterilization is a safe, efficient, and scalable alternative to existing methods. The company offers R&D studies, packaging and design consulting, validation and customer and technical support in addition to its proprietary sterilization equipment and consumables. Noxilizer is headquartered in Hanover, Maryland. For more information, please visit: www.noxilizer.com.

About NewVale Capital

Founded in 2021, NewVale Capital is a growth equity investment firm focused on the services architecture underpinning the life science industry. The firm invests in proven, revenue-generating services businesses across the life science ecosystem that are helping to bring the next generation of medicines to patients. For more information, please visit: www.newvalecapital.com.

Media Contact:
Peg Rusconi
Senior Vice President, Media
[email protected]

SOURCE Noxilizer, Inc.

Gartner predicts that 40% of organizations will adopt a secretless approach by 2027 as the traditional secrets access model becomes a liability, unable to keep pace with today’s dynamic cloud environments, automated workflows, and the rise of agentic AI. Vaults and secret managers, used by the vast majority of organizations globally, were built for the pre-agentic era and simply store the risk instead of eliminating it. Other non-human identity (NHI) solutions offer limited, point-in-time visibility without prevention measures, leaving blind spots and overburdening developers and organizations with operational overhead.

Founded by the team behind Meta Networks (acquired by Proofpoint in 2019), Hush is now leading a policy-centric industry shift, enabling least privileged access based on what identities do instead of just what they’re allowed to do and allowing teams to quickly grant just-in-time, right-size access that is validated at runtime.

“Chasing secrets or watching dashboards doesn’t stop attacks,” said Micha Rave, CEO and co-founder of Hush Security. “Vaults were built for an era where environments changed slowly and AI was not part of the equation. That era is over. AI agents, ephemeral workloads, and automation have changed the game, and the vault model can’t keep up. We’ve eliminated the need for credentials entirely, introducing a groundbreaking new model for machine access.”

Hush Security delivers three integrated capabilities in cloud and on-prem, unlike any other solution on the market:

• Runtime Visibility & Discovery: Continuously discover and map every workload, service, and AI agent, from code to runtime
• Runtime Posture Analysis: Detect, assess, and prioritize risks and compliance based on runtime behavior, criticality and potential blast radius, not static assumptions
• Prevention & Management: Replace static secrets with right-sized, just-in-time access policies that adapt dynamically, reducing overhead while blocking credential-based threats at the source

“We’re at a critical inflection point. Static secrets simply can’t keep pace with modern infrastructure, rapid development cycles, and the demands of AI-driven workloads,” said Barak Schoster, Partner at Battery Ventures. “Hush Security’s seasoned team and cutting-edge technology offer the right approach to replace secrets with dynamic policies, and we believe this is the beginning of the end for credential-based attacks.”

Hush’s patent-pending technology removes fragmented responsibility between security, DevOps, and developers by offering a transparent, unified and zero-trust access model built on the SPIFFE (Secure Production Identity Framework For Everyone). It streamlines compliance, eliminates secret sprawl, and protects everything from AI agents to microservices, without the ops burden or security blind spots of secret-based models.

“Machine identity security is entering a new era, and we see Hush Security leading the shift to a secure, policy-based future, especially as AI agents and LLMs proliferate,” said Yoav Leitersdorf, Managing Partner at YL Ventures. “They’ve built the right technology at the right time. With bold vision and strong execution, Hush is ready to redefine how machine identities are protected.”

Despite being in stealth, Hush has already secured paying enterprise customers, including multiple Fortune 500 companies. The team will use the funding to expand engineering and accelerate global GTM efforts.

To help organizations get started, Hush’s free assessment detects secrets, including API keys, credentials, and service accounts in code, identifies their owners, and maps how they’re used at runtime between applications, services, and AI agents across all environments. It delivers a clear, end-to-end ‘code-to-cloud-to-AI’ access story. With a single click, organizations can migrate to a secretless architecture in the enterprise edition, eliminating secret sprawl for good.

About Hush Security

Founded in 2024, Hush Security set out to disrupt the traditional secret-based access model for machines by eliminating static secrets and replacing them with just-in-time, policy-based access. Led by industry veterans with decades of experience, Hush’s mission is to bring true Zero Trust principles to machine-to-machine access. The company is backed by Battery Ventures and YL Ventures and is headquartered in Tel Aviv.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2769014/Hush_Security_Team_Shot.jpg

Media Contact 
[email protected]

SOURCE Hush Security

• Funding to support Phase 3 trial of denovoSkin™ and preparation for its commercialization, to advance the automation platform for tissue bioengineering, and to enable the market launch of VitiCell®.
• Agreement with Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis establishes basis for a future CUTISS production center in The Netherlands.

ZURICH, Sept. 10, 2025 — CUTISS, a late-stage clinical TechBio at the forefront of tissue therapeutics and regenerative medicine, has announced the closing of its Series C round for a total of CHF 56M with existing and new investors, bringing total funds raised to more than CHF 125M.

The proceeds will be used to progress with the Phase 3 trial of the lead product denovoSkin™ which started earlier this year, and to prepare for its commercialization. The denovoSkin™ is a bio-engineered, personalized skin graft that promises to transform skin surgery and significantly improve patient outcomes, compared to the standard of care.

The funds will also advance the industrialization and clinical readiness of the world’s first automated manufacturing platform for personalized tissue therapy, a key component for bringing denovoSkin™ to market at scale.

CUTISS has also signed a collaboration agreement with its new investor Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis (RKZ), which could see the creation of CUTISS’ first international commercial production facility in the Netherlands, once denovoSkin™ is approved. RKZ is a leading EU clinical trials center, participating in the Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials for denovoSkin™.  

Dr. Daniela Marino, CEO and co-founder of CUTISS, stated: “The successful closing demonstrates confidence in our vision and ability to bring transformative skin therapies to patients. We’re grateful for the continued trust of existing investors and warmly welcome new investors on board. Furthermore, the agreement with RKZ sets the stage for our future expansion with the potential to revolutionize the skin surgery market in Europe and globally.”

Nadine Vieleers, CEO Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis / Burn Center Beverwijk, commented: “As a clinical institution dedicated to advancing burn care, we’re committed to support CUTISS and the development of denovoSkin™. We’re excited to continue our closer collaboration, and the agreement we’ve signed sets out our vision for bringing their revolutionary skin tissue therapy to our patients as a priority.”

Further details regarding the announcement available here: https://cutiss.swiss/newsroom/

For media enquiries: Toomas Kull, [email protected], +41 767 480 174

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2765893/CUTISS_denovoSkin.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2765892/CUTISS_Logo.jpg

SOURCE CUTISS AG

SINGAPORE, Sept. 10, 2025 — PixVerse, the AI video platform with over 100m users globally, today announced it has raised $60 million in Series B funding led by Alibaba, with participation from new investor Antler. The funding will accelerate global adoption of AI video creation tools, enabling creators, businesses, and everyday users worldwide to produce high-quality videos quickly and easily.

PixVerse said in a statement:
“This new funding is both a recognition of the AI video market’s potential and a validation of the trust we’ve earned from our growing global community. Over the past two years, more than 100 million users have turned their imagination into video on PixVerse, inspiring us to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We will continue advancing professional-grade video generation while expanding our open platform to empower partners and creators worldwide.”

PixVerse recently launched its latest generation model PixVerse V5, along with a new Agent feature designed to simplify video creation. PixVerse V5 enhances Motion Quality, Visual Performance, Consistency, Prompt Accuracy, and maintains high generation speed and accessibility. V5 benchmarked 1st in image-to-video and 2nd in text-to-video by Artificial Analysis.

PixVerse now serves more than 100 million users worldwide, who have collectively produced over 800 million videos. The platform’s viral Venom Effect template, launched with PixVerse V3, alone generated more than one billion views on social media, amplified by participation from celebrities and influencers. PixVerse was listed 25th on a16z’s Top 50 Gen AI Consumer Apps.

Over the past 24 months, PixVerse has released eight major generations of its video model, consistently introducing features to make video creation faster, more intuitive, and accessible to a wider audience.

Key milestones include:

• Industry’s first 4K AI video model (Q1 2024) and 10M videos generated within 88 days of launch.
• “Transform Effect” template (V3) going viral with more than one billion social media views.
• Turbo-powered V4 cut generation time from minutes to seconds, making near real-time AI video creation accessible to everyone.

Beyond entertainment, PixVerse is expanding into advertising, e-commerce, education, and gaming, while promoting responsible AI adoption. At the UN AI for Good Global Summit 2025, PixVerse was recognized for its contributions and later launched the #AIForGood Short Film Contest worldwide, which drew over 100 submissions exploring themes from climate change to social equality.

PixVerse has been a global company from day one. It is likely among the fastest-growing AI products globally in the past six months, with validated user demand in over 80% of countries worldwide. The company commented: “There are still billions of people who have never created a video, never used video to communicate, share life, or tell stories. We hope to use AI to help the vast majority of these people, making video creation truly accessible for all.”

About PixVerse:

PixVerse is a generative AI video platform that is transforming the way digital content is created. With its intuitive, one-click video generation, users can create cinematic-quality videos from simple inputs, such as a video, a photo or a line of text—no prior production knowledge required. PixVerse has experienced remarkable growth, with its global user base surpassing 100 million in August 2025. The platform has launched in 13 languages, reaching users across more than 175 countries and regions.

For more information visit: https://pixverse.ai/

SOURCE PixVerse

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2025 — Podonos, a startup building the infrastructure layer for evaluating voice AI, has raised $2.4 million in pre-seed funding to bring structure and speed to one of the most overlooked parts of voice AI development: evaluation. The round was led by Serac Ventures, joined by Naver D2SF and KAIST Ventures.

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Los Gatos, CA, Podonos offers a human-in-the-loop platform that enables AI teams to analyze voice AI models across naturalness, similarity, emotion, recognition accuracy, and more. Evaluations are turned around in under 12 hours, even across thousands of audio samples and multiple languages.

“Everyone’s focused on training bigger models, but rarely talks about how to measure what works in the real world,” said Dr. Soohyun Bae, founder and CEO of Podonos. “We are building the trust layer for all voice AI. Evaluation is where real improvements happen — and right now, it’s slow, unscalable, and often unreliable.”

With the explosion of voice AI including automatic speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech (TTS), voice cloning, and multilingual AI assistants, it is not yet clear whether these AI models will perform well in every vertical including finance, medical, legal, in-car conversations, and gaming. As a result, the need for accurate performance measurement and continuous improvement is growing fast. Podonos aims to be the go-to solution for product teams that need to iterate quickly and validate their voice conversations with AI accelerated human feedback — not just synthetic benchmarks.

“One of the biggest challenges in developing and adopting voice AI is dealing with unknown potential issues. Finding and fixing them before the product launch is key to building customer trust. The technologies Podonos is developing make the unknowns clear and help customers launch their products with confidence,” said Kevin Moore, a partner at Serac Ventures.

The company plans to use the new capital to grow its engineering team, expand support for post-analysis tooling, and launch in key global markets including the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia.

SOURCE Podonos

NEWARK, N.J. and LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2025 — HarbourView Equity Partners (HarbourView), an alternative asset management company focused on investment opportunities in the music, entertainment, media, and sports ecosystem, with approximately *$2.67B in regulatory assets under management, is leading a $30-million investment in Award-winning studio Lion Forge Entertainment (Lion Forge), further enhancing the company’s ability to fund and own its IP. The Steward Family and Polarity are investors in the round and continue to be the majority owners of Lion Forge Entertainment.

HarbourView’s investment is part of a new $30 million minority investment in Lion Forge, which plans to use the invested capital to scale and expand its IP portfolio and premium franchise pipeline, reinforcing the studio’s core lines of business and fueling key organic growth initiatives across the studio’s business verticals.

“We believe that content has the extraordinary power to influence the world,” said Sherrese Clarke. “This is a unique moment in the kids & family space and Lion Forge is seizing an opportunity to lean into its ability to tell compelling stories authentically and cultivate global franchises at scale. This synchronizes with our vision of how the next generation of multiplatform media companies can grow –by introducing fresh images, ideas and paradigms that reflect the evolving world in which we live and creating culturally authentic and socially relevant content.”

“Sherrese is a trailblazing investor, leading a culture-driving company. Her knowledge and track record will be immensely additive as we continue to scale our company and properties,” said David Steward II. “This is a validating moment for our young company. The synergy between the shrewd investment strategy of HarbourView and the franchise-building blueprint at Lion Forge will enable us collectively to optimize opportunities at the nexus of entertainment, culture and content and grow into a category defining leader from a position of strength.”

Stephanie Sperber, President and Chief Creative Officer of Lion Forge Entertainment, added, “We work with incredible creators and exceptional IP, and the backing of HarbourView will allow us to develop and invest in expanding our library. Sherese and her team see what we see – an opportunity in the marketplace for premium kids, family and YA franchises, which motivates us to double down on what we believe we do best – create global content and build franchises.”

A mission-driven entertainment company founded by David Steward II, Lion Forge Entertainment focuses on global IP that is both authentic and appealing to a broad audience. The company develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids & family, YA and adult audiences, building on the success of earlier Lion Forge Animation projects including the Oscar®-winning Hair Love.

Lion Forge is uniquely equipped to create and deliver genuine, diverse stories, and its content pipeline has surged in the last few years. The studio’s latest series Iyanu has become a breakout cross-platform success on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, debuting as the number one series among kids on Cartoon Network and is a Top 10 Kids & Family series on HBO Max. Season 2 of the epic animated fantasy series, along with two feature films expanding its universe, have just been greenlit by Cartoon Network and HBO Max.

Lion Forge has a multi-year first-look deal with Nickelodeon covering animated series and features that has resulted in multiple projects in development including Marley & The Family Band series in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in partnership with Simon & Schuster, and Iron Dragon in partnership with Mostapes. Additional strategic partnerships include an alliance with Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House, to develop series and features based on select children’s books.

Lion Forge also recently joined forces with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the renowned novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature film; set a partnership with TalesVision to expand their short-form YouTube sensation, Lostlings, into a premium long-form series; entered into a first look deal with Oware to identify and develop global kids & family and YA content; and is working with Rebel Girls to develop content around Rebel Girls Sports in the unscripted space.

HarbourView’s investment in Lion Forge accentuates the firm’s commitment to targeting the optimal execution for its growing LP base and comes on the heels of numerous major deals. Last month, HarbourView closed $500 million in debt financing from KKR through a private securitization backed by its diversified, scaled music portfolio. This latest financing expanded on the nearly $500 million in debt financing HarbourView secured in 2024 from KKR-managed insurance vehicles and accounts and other investors.

Additional deals closed by HarbourView recently include an $85 million investment alongside Bpifrance in Animaj, the French AI-powered media company specializing in kids & family entertainment, and a partnership with Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment, to finance a slate of Hip Hop biopics, starting with a Queen Latifah biopic, which followed an investment in Usher’s 2024 concert film “Rendezvous in Paris.”

Established in 2021, HarbourView Equity Partners has solidified its position in the industry, building a distinctly diverse portfolio featuring thousands of titles spanning numerous genres, eras, and artists. With data analytics and value creation at its core, the firm seeks to deliver differentiated returns in partnership with the creative ecosystem. The firm has acquired over 70 music catalogs encompassing over 35,000 songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams.

The investment was facilitated by Participant Capital. Lion Forge Entertainment is represented by Activist Artists Management, who advised on the transaction.

About HarbourView Equity Partners

HarbourView Equity Partners is an investment firm focused on opportunities to support content across the entertainment, sports, and media markets. The firm seeks businesses or assets powered by IP and investment opportunities that aim to build enduring asset value and returns. HarbourView has been extremely active since launching in 2021, amassing roughly $2.67 billion* in regulatory assets under management including over 70+ music catalogs to date and investments in various portfolio companies with management teams in its core industries. The firm’s distinctly diverse music portfolio features thousands of titles spanning numerous genres, eras, and artists, amounting to a diversified catalog of

~35,000+ songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams. The company is headquartered in Newark, NJ.

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*Regulatory AUM for private funds are calculated regardless of the nature of the gross assets under management as of 12/31/2024.

About Lion Forge Entertainment

Lion Forge Entertainment (LFE), one of the few Black-owned entertainment studios of scale in North America, was founded in 2019 by David Steward II to amplify authentic, diverse voices in both animated and live-action content. With “Diverse Stories, Authentically Told” as its driving mission, LFE has won an Academy Award for Hair Love and multiple Emmy® awards.

LFE is part of Polarity, a media and sports-focused firm whose portfolio includes publishers Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group and Magnetic Press within the broader Steward Family holdings, which range from technology, sports, and music among other interests. LFE is led by President and CCO Stephanie Sperber, an accomplished and award-winning media executive and franchise builder in the kids and family space.

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SOURCE HarbourView Equity Partners and Lion Forge Entertainment

ATLANTA, Sept. 9, 2025 — Red Dog Equity LLC, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, announced today that it sold Superior Waste Industries, LLC, a Shawnee, OK-based environmental services holding company, to GFL Environmental Inc. (NYSE: GFL) in an all-cash transaction. Superior was established in March 2022 by Billy Dietrich, a waste industry veteran with over 30 years of experience at leading environmental services companies, to acquire Central Disposal, a Shawnee, Oklahoma-based fully-integrated solid waste management company founded by Mike Adcock. Superior Waste went on to acquire Harley Hollan later in 2022, establishing its footprint in the Tulsa, OK market, Sue’s Recycling and Sanitation in 2024, which extended Superior’s reach into Vian and Eufaula, OK, and SDS Roll-off Dumpsters, deepening its commitment to the Shawnee, OK market in 2024. 

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of our partnership with Billy Dietrich and the teams at Superior Waste and its subsidiaries,” said Toby Chambers, co-managing partner at Red Dog Equity. He added, “Investing in partnership with an outstanding entrepreneur, what we call a ‘Red Dog,’ focusing on people, systems, and processes, and being disciplined acquirers were the keys to the successful outcome here.” When asked his thoughts about GFL, Chambers stated, “We’ve known Patrick Dovigi, the Founder and CEO of GFL, for over fifteen years and are confident GFL will take excellent care of Superior’s team and customers.”

“We’re grateful to Billy [Dietrich], the Adcock family, all those on Superior’s teams who came to work every day to provide service to their communities, and our investor partners at TPO [the Pritzker Organization] and Monroe [Capital]”, said Tom Connolly, co-managing partner of Red Dog Equity. He continued, “We’re very proud of the company Billy built at Superior Waste and the outcome we were able to achieve for our investors.”

“Building a solid waste business like Superior has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and Red Dog was the perfect partner for me,” said Billy Dietrich, founder and CEO of Superior Waste. He added,” They supported me every step of the way.”

Stifel acted as exclusive financial advisor to Superior on this transaction.

About Red Dog Equity LLC
Red Dog Equity LLC is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market companies poised for strong growth in partnership with driven, entrepreneurial business leaders (“Red Dogs”). To learn more, please visit: www.reddogequity.com.

About Monroe Capital
Monroe Capital LLC (“Monroe”) is a premier asset management firm specializing in private credit markets across various strategies, including direct lending, technology finance, venture debt, alternative credit solutions, structured credit, real estate and equity. Since 2004, the firm has been successfully providing capital solutions to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Monroe prides itself on being a value-added and user-friendly partner to business owners, management, and both private equity and independent sponsors. Monroe’s platform offers a wide variety of investment products for both institutional and high net worth investors with a focus on generating high quality “alpha” returns irrespective of business or economic cycles. The firm is headquartered in Chicago and has 11 locations throughout the United States, Asia and Australia.

Monroe has been recognized by both its peers and investors with various awards including Private Debt Investor as the 2024 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Year, Americas and 2023 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Decade; Inc.’s 2024 Founder-Friendly Investors List; Global M&A Network as the 2023 Lower Mid-Markets Lender of the Year, U.S.A.; DealCatalyst as the 2022 Best CLO Manager of the Year; Korean Economic Daily as the 2022 Best Performance in Private Debt – Mid Cap; Creditflux as the 2021 Best U.S. Direct Lending Fund; and Pension Bridge as the 2020 Private Credit Strategy of the Year. For more information and important disclaimers, please visit www.monroecap.com. 

About The Pritzker Organization
The Pritzker Organization is the merchant bank for the business interests of the Tom Pritzker family. Additional information can be found at www.pritzkerorg.com.

SOURCE Red Dog Equity LLC