LeadStory ASK answers user queries with highest-quality broadcast news clips as answers, addressing growing user concerns with AI hallucinations and out-of-date responses

NEW YORK, July 18, 2025 — LeadStory, the on-demand personalized news streaming platform redefining how news is consumed, today announced $2.75M in Seed funding along with the launch of its revolutionary AI video search functionality.

The round was led by Checker Media, founded by former VICE Media Global President Jesse Angelo and also included American Public Media Group’s Horizon Fund, along with follow-on investment from their pre-Seed investors, CP Ventures. This latest funding will enable the rollout of its AI functionality and expand on its now 10 million strong, global audience.

“The era of AI-powered search is here – but when it comes to video News, the results from the existing platforms are woeful,” said Jesse Angelo, CEO of Checker Media. “LeadStory has solved a critical and growing problem in the ecosystem by quickly getting people accurate answers from trusted sources.”

As AI becomes an integral part of people’s daily lives, persistent hallucinations—especially when it comes to news delivery—have been a hallmark of the current generation of models. According to the BBC, 51% of Gen-AI news-related outputs have “significant issues.” LeadStory is setting out to change that, replacing text-responses with licensed video from the world’s premier news brands to answer user questions.

“This solves the hallucination problem AI has been unable to fix when it comes to news answers,” said Cam Price, CEO and co-founder of LeadStory, a former television journalist. “Delivering the exact point in a broadcast news story to answer a user’s question means the response will always be from fact-checked, verified news sources ensuring users can trust the answer is real and not an AI hallucination”.

“We’re right at the start of a user-led movement to voice-activated, AI search. When it comes to surfacing video, we’re only getting started on what is possible with AI,” added LeadStory co-founder, former UpGuard software engineer Cheyne Wallace.

LeadStory leverages content partnerships with many of the world’s top media outlets, including CBS, CNBC, Reuters, and Euronews, to power its AI functionality.

LeadStory continues to solidify its position as the emerging AI-driven news platform and is already experiencing another high-growth year. The company’s popular FAST channels are available in a dozen markets on Samsung TV Plus and in North America on VIZIO. Earlier this year LeadStory was selected by Mercedes-Benz to power their in-car video news experience, the first step in their growing automotive business.

About LeadStory
LeadStory is an AI-powered, on-demand news streaming platform that delivers personalized video news tailored to individual user preferences. LeadStory partners with trusted publishers, to deliver multi-sourced, up-to-date news while giving users control over what they consume. Founded in 2021 by former Sky News journalist Cam Price and former UpGuard software engineer Cheyne Wallace, LeadStory is redefining how people engage with the news: personalized, trustworthy, and built for today’s audiences.

About Checker Media
Checker Media is a production and investment company working at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment, and News. We help founders, creative visionaries, and established media companies unlock the opportunities of the AI revolution.

Assets are available at https://leadstory.com/media
Co-Founder and CEO Cam Price available for interview, Podcast bookings on request.

SOURCE LeadStory

KYIV, Ukraine and NEW YORK, July 18, 2025 — Teletactica, a Ukrainian DefenseTech company developing jamming-resistant communication systems for contested environments, has secured investment from MITS Capital and Green Flag Ventures. New funding will support the company’s scaling of next-gen tactical communications for frontline deployment and European expansion.

MITS Capital, an investment group based in Kyiv and New York and focused on Ukrainian defense innovation, led the $1.5 million round. Previously, Teletactica, MITS Acceleration Program alumni, successfully secured a pre-seed funding round.

“MITS Capital’s relationship with Teletactica is strategic, and the company has passed all the steps of our process to date, which began with the Acceleration Program. We’ve watched the company exceed every technical and operational milestone since,” said Perry Boyle, CEO & Founding Partner at MITS Capital. “We are proud to continue supporting Teletactica’s growth as they help define the future of battlefield communications.”

Green Flag Ventures, a leading U.S. and Ukraine based venture firm specializing in Ukrainian dual-use, AI, and cyber technologies, joined in the round. 

“Teletactica exemplifies the kind of company we look for: strong team, powerful product, and the potential to dominate a large and critical market segment. The core team pivoted from the private sector and had the experience, skill, and knowledge to identify the frontline EW challenges and respond with unique, flexible, problem-solving solutions that are now being used by multiple units in Ukraine,” said Justin Zeefe, General Partner at Green Flag Ventures. Teletactica is expanding its product suite in Ukraine and already preparing to grow into Europe through sales and partnerships, he added.

Teletactica develops modular, secure communication hardware built for high electronic warfare (EW) and GPS-denied environments. Its flagship products include video and telemetry modems and antenna kits.

“We deliver battlefield-proven solutions where conventional systems fail”, said Eugene Zhebko, co-founder and CEO of Teletactica. All companies’ devices are built for low-latency data streams and offer five times better price-to-performance compared to radios manufactured in the EU and the US. Products maintain packet loss rates as low as 1% to 5%, even under heavy jamming.

“We offer resilience under jamming, real-time responsiveness, and large-scale deployability, at a cost that enables rapid mass adoption”, emphasized Anton Hetman, co-founder and CTO of Teletactica.

Teletactica’s hardware has a compact form factor and low power consumption, which makes it perfect for UAV drones, UGVs, and other small unmanned platforms. All solutions are designed for scalable production and support, keeping costs low enough to be deployed in numerous units, rather than being restricted to specialized and costly programs.

Teletactica’s hardware is already in use across Ukraine and is being adapted to NATO standards. “This is not theoretical tech; it’s saving equipment and people right now,” said Zhebko.

Teletactica is also a key resident of the Brave1 cluster, a platform created by the Government of Ukraine to promote collaboration between all stakeholders of the defense tech industry. MITS Capital and Green Flag Ventures acknowledge Brave1’s role in sharing expertise and creating a strong community within the Ukrainian defense tech industry.

Additional visual materials available here: MITS Capital || Green Flag Ventures || Teletactica 

About Teletactica
Teletactica builds rugged, EW-resilient communications systems engineered for rapid deployment in the most hostile operational environments. The company’s products support encrypted data and voice connectivity in GPS-denied and low-infrastructure zones, enabling secure coordination for defense and allied forces.

About MITS Capital
Founded in 2024, MITS Capital LLC is a Kyiv– and New York-based investment group focused on funding Ukrainian defense innovations. Its platform includes the MITS Accelerator, MITS Lightning Fund, and an investment advisory unit, with a mission to bring global capital into Ukraine’s defense industrial base. According to the latest Ernst & Young report, MITS Lightning Fund is currently the largest international investor in Ukraine’s DefenseTech ecosystem. As of July 2025, MITS Capital’s portfolio includes 11 companies.

About Green Flag Ventures
Green Flag Ventures is a U.S. and Ukraine based venture capital firm investing in early-stage, dual-use technologies born in Ukraine. GFV backs founders building critical dual-use, defense, AI, and cybersecurity platforms that scale from battlefield validation to global deployment. As of July 2025, Green Flag’s portfolio includes six companies.

Media Contact:
Valentyna Dudko
+380966494565
[email protected]

SOURCE MITS Capital

SEOUL, South Korea, July 17, 2025 — SEMIFIVE, a leading design solution provider and pioneer of platform-based custom silicon solutions, today announced that it has submitted its preliminary IPO application to the Korea Exchange (KRX), marking the official start of its listing process on the KOSDAQ. Samsung Securities and UBS are serving as joint lead underwriters.

Since its founding in 2019, SEMIFIVE has demonstrated rapid business growth, raising a total of KRW 240 billion from prominent investors including Pavilion Capital (a Temasek subsidiary), Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Korea Investment Partners, Korea Development Bank, and Doosan Tesna. In 2024, just five years after its establishment, the company recorded KRW 111.8 billion in annual revenue and posted the highest sales among Samsung Electronics’ official Design Solution Partners (DSPs) in the system semiconductor category.

SEMIFIVE’s core strength lies in its proprietary, reusable, and automation-driven System on Chip (SoC) design platform, which enables the company to cover the entire system semiconductor value chain—from chip design and mass production to the IP business. This integrated approach has enabled SEMIFIVE to establish a robust revenue pipeline across all stages of the value chain.

From the outset, SEMIFIVE has collaborated with leading Korean AI fabless companies such as FuriosaAI and Rebellions to co-design and mass-produce AI and high-performance Computing (HPC) chips, building a stable revenue base. The company has been actively expanding its customer base through projects with HyperAccel, Mobilint, and XCENA, while also accelerating international revenue growth through new design wins from customers in the U.S., China, and Japan.

In the IP domain, SEMIFIVE has secured a solid revenue stream through its wholly owned subsidiary Analog Bits, a global leader in low-power mixed-signal IP. Analog Bits supplies core IPs—such as clocking, sensors, and SERDES—to global foundries including TSMC, Samsung Foundry, and Intel. By integrating these IPs into its SoC platform with automated implementation, SEMIFIVE enhances design efficiency and differentiation.

With a global workforce of over 400 employees, SEMIFIVE has established regional hubs in the U.S., China, Japan, Vietnam, India, and the Czech Republic to strengthen local customer engagement and technical support. The company has also been actively expanding its R&D investment to enhance technological competitiveness and accelerating the development of ‘Premier’, a CPU chiplet platform based on Arm architecture, as an Arm Total Design Partner.

“As AI is applied across a wide range of industries, the demand for ASIC is growing rapidly,” said Brandon Cho, the CEO and co-founder of SEMIFIVE. “Our vision is to become The New Global Hub of Custom Silicon. We are committed to leading innovation in the next-generation ASIC market, playing a pivotal role.”

Media Contact

Robin Kim, Senior Director, [email protected]

About SEMIFIVE

SEMIFIVE is the pioneer of platform based SoC design, working with customers to implement innovative ideas into custom silicon in the most efficient way. Our SoC platforms offer a powerful springboard for new chip designs and leverage configurable domain-specific architectures and pre-validated key IP pools. We offer comprehensive spec-to-system capabilities with end-to-end solutions so that custom SoCs can be realized faster, with reduced cost and risks for key applications such as data center or AI-enabled IoT. With a strong partnership with Samsung Foundry as a leading SAFE^TM DSP partner, as well as the larger ecosystem, SEMIFIVE provides a one-stop shop solution for any SoC design needs. For more information, please visit www.semifive.com.

SOURCE SEMIFIVE

Funding Round to be Leveraged as Blockskye Introduces New Payment Products and Expands its Global Presence to Meet Client Demand

BOSTON, July 17, 2025 — Blockskye, the global travel infrastructure company modernizing enterprise travel, today announced the closing of a $15.8 million funding round. The round was led by Blockchange and saw participation from United Airlines Ventures, Lightspeed Faction, Lasagna, Litquidity Ventures, Longbrook Ventures, KSV Global, and TFJ Capital. This financing advances Blockskye’s mission to revolutionize corporate travel and will enable the company to launch new payment products, expand into more international markets, and scale its internal team of technology experts and seasoned travel industry veterans.

Blockskye is transforming the $1.5 trillion corporate travel industry by replacing legacy, intermediary-dependent tech stacks with modern blockchain-based architecture. The company, who is partnered with travel titan KAYAK for Business, features an integrated platform that eliminates the opaque supply chain that has long plagued corporate travel, enabling users to reduce total travel costs by 14.5% while maintaining full transparency and control. Through its modern infrastructure layer and consumer-grade user interface, Blockskye automates booking, payment, and expense reporting with their flagship products BMAX and B360. Unlike traditional solutions that address singular pieces of the travel puzzle, Blockskye provides end-to-end service while giving clients clarity and control. The company has already earned the trust of leading enterprise clients including PwC, Diageo, and TripAdvisor, demonstrating the market need for streamlined travel management solutions.

“Corporate travel represents one of the last elements of enterprise operations still relying on outdated, intermediary-heavy infrastructure that lacks basic trust and transparency,” said Brook Armstrong, co-founder and co-CEO of Blockskye. “This funding will enable us to continue building a platform that delivers the direct supplier connections, real-time reconciliation, and financial transparency that modern enterprises demand—finally bringing corporate travel management into the digital age.”

With $33 million raised to date, Blockskye is well-positioned to scale and drive sustainable growth. This latest funding will accelerate Blockskye’s momentum in serving Fortune 500 clients and global suppliers. Blockskye is set to expand its proven technology, which already delivers meaningful results including an 84% reduction in agent spend and millions of dollars in recovered unused tickets through real-time ownership tracking. The funding will also support global expansion and grow the Blockskye team, fueling customer success.

About Blockskye
Blockskye introduces trust, transparency, and technology in a market that has lacked all three. Corporate travel is a $1.5 trillion industry riddled with non-value-add intermediaries that tax the market—adding layers of cost, complexity, and opacity. Blockskye replaces legacy booking, payment, and expense systems with modern, blockchain-based infrastructure that enables real direct supplier connections, real-time reconciliation, and ERP-integrated authorization flows.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Blockskye

Collide Capital becomes the third selected VCLP to support the next generation of technological innovation

COLUMBIA, Md., July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announces the selection of Collide Capital as one of the early-stage venture capital fund managers supporting the management and investment of up to $10 million in U.S. Department of Treasury State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funding.

“TEDCO’s commitment to creating opportunities aligns with our goals of ensuring capital goes to the most deserving applicants rather than the most privileged,” said Brian Hollins, co-founder and managing partner of Collide Capital. “With this funding, we are excited to better support the Maryland entrepreneurial ecosystem and look forward to working with TEDCO to help the ecosystem flourish.”

Collide Capital is a $66 million black-owned venture capital firm envisioning a world where capital is awarded to those who are best positioned to solve the next generation of global challenges. Through their work, the company seeks to guide founders on their journey by equipping them with resources, knowledge networks and hands-on support. To date, they have backed more than 50 founders, with over 80% identifying as Black, Latine, and/or female.

Recently, TEDCO announced receiving an infusion of up to $50 million in funding from the SSBCI initiative. This funding supports recipients of TEDCO’s Venture Funds, Seed Funds and Social Impact Funds—along with the $10 million earmarked for the Venture Capital Limited Partnership (VCLP) Equity program. Of this amount, funding has been allocated to 100KM Ventures,  AIN Ventures and now Collide Capital.

“This allocation reflects TEDCO’s continued commitment to supporting the growth of an inclusive and sustainable merit-based ecosystem across the state,” said TEDCO CEO, Troy LeMaile-Stovall. “Through our collaboration with Collide Capital, we are hoping to expand our reach, support more underserved individuals, bridge gaps in the system and allow for innovative advancements.”

For more information about the SSBCI VCLP funds, visit our website here. 

About TEDCO
TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact
Tammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, [email protected]
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, [email protected] 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2733461/Collide_Capital_Founders.jpg 
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2733462/CollideCapital_FullLockup_Navy.jpg 
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1063398/5420120/TEDCO_v1_Logo.jpg

SOURCE TEDCO

NEW YORK, July 17, 2025 — Receive Raises Seed Round and Partners With Titanium Payments to Launch Titanium Boost Business Mastercard®, Unlocking Real-Time Revenue Access for SMBs.

Receive, a fintech startup democratizing financial access for small businesses, has emerged from stealth mode. 

The announcement coincides with a $4 million seed round led by NGVP, bringing their total funding to $7.1 million. Receive is supported by additional debt financing and is backed by leading investors, including Blank Ventures, Verissimo Ventures, Insight Partners, Corner Ventures, Clocktower Technology Ventures, and others. 

Receive was founded by fintech executive Ariel Blum, who previously held leadership roles at Melio, Green Dot, and American Express. Blum recognized the limitations of outdated financial systems in serving the needs of growing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Fast-growing businesses were held back by delayed payouts, long settlement windows, high capital costs, and expensive credit that slowed momentum. According to SCORE, a U.S. Small Business Administration partner, 82% of small businesses fail due to cash flow issues. 

To address this challenge, Blum launched Receive—the first Earned Revenue Access platform—giving SMBs fast, flexible access to revenue they’ve already earned, without interest, credit checks, or traditional underwriting. By turning pending sales into spending power, Receive helps businesses reinvest sooner, operate more efficiently, and grow without debt.

Receive’s white-labeled partnership model empowers Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs), payment processors, software providers, and more, to leverage first-party data, unlock a new revenue stream, identify growth opportunities, deepen merchant relationships, and gain a competitive edge.

Receive has partnered with Titanium Payments to launch the Titanium Boost Business Mastercard®, bringing Earned Revenue Access to Titanium Payment’s network of small businesses. The Titanium Boost Business Mastercard, powered by Receive, converts pending settlements into real-time spending power for Titanium merchants. This reflects Receive’s mission to build a smarter, more flexible financial ecosystem that helps SMBs grow on their terms.

“From e-commerce to Main Street, cash flow is a universal challenge that limits growth. We recently supported a local mechanic who was struggling to scale because he was waiting on funds to settle before purchasing parts for upcoming jobs,” said Blum. “Delays or costly financing can severely disrupt progress. With Titanium Boost, businesses can access revenue on their terms, keeping operations running smoothly.”

To put control back in the hands of small businesses, Receive launched the SmartPay Calendar—a self-driving repayment tool that turns cash flow from a challenge into a competitive advantage. Merchants choose when to repay Receive, with the option to earn more spending power by paying early.

Receive is setting a new standard in financial management to help SMBs grow faster, operate smarter, and stay in control of their cash flow. 

About Receive

Receive is a U.S.-based financial technology company revolutionizing how small and medium-sized businesses manage cash flow. Backed by NextGen Venture Partners and leading investors, its Earned Revenue Access platform provides real-time access to revenue, enabling SMBs to operate with greater agility, flexibility, and financial control.

The Titanium Boost Business Mastercard is issued by Patriot Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC), under license from Mastercard International Incorporated, and is accepted anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

To learn More: www.nowreceive.com
Partner Inquiries: https://www.nowreceive.com/partners
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nowreceive

Contact

Mr Jonathan Sinyor
Receive
[email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2733392/Receive_Ariel_Blum.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2733393/Receive_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Receive

The Company Now Sets Out to Fuel Accelerated Growth and Market Expansion

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, July 17, 2025 — AWAKE Chocolate, the maker of delicious, functional, caffeinated chocolate bites and bars, today announced the successful close of an $8 million CAD investment round. The funding comprises a significant contribution of $5 million CAD from Btomorrow Ventures (BTV), the corporate venturing arm of British American Tobacco (BAT), and an additional $3 million CAD from the BDC Capital (BDC). This latest investment brings AWAKE Chocolate’s total funding to date to an impressive $15.5 million CAD, underscoring strong investor confidence in the brand’s rapid growth and innovative product offerings.

AWAKE offers delicious, functional bites and bars crafted with Fairtrade chocolate and caffeine, offering a perfect boost without the need for coffee or energy drinks. AWAKE has experienced a remarkable trajectory, growing more than 10x since its inception and approaching $30 million in sales this year. The brand’s chocolate is now available in more than 3,000 locations across Canada, including major retailers like Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Bulk Barn, Shell, and Costco. In the United States, AWAKE is sold in 15,000 food service and vending locations, with a growing presence in retailers such as The Fresh Market, Meijer, and Big Y.

“We are thrilled to close this latest funding round with the continued support of Btomorrow Ventures and a new partnership with BDC,” said Adam Deremo, CEO and Founder of AWAKE Chocolate. “This investment is a testament to the incredible growth we’ve achieved and the strong demand for our functional and delicious chocolates. With this infusion, we’re focused on further scaling our operations, innovating our product line, and reaching even more consumers across North America.”

The new capital will be strategically deployed to support key initiatives designed to position AWAKE for long-term growth and market leadership. A significant portion of the investment will enhance supply chain efficiency through expanded co-manufacturing partnerships and new supplier relationships, ensuring the brand can meet escalating consumer demand. The company will dive deeper into research and development to foster new product innovation and continue to expand its internal team to support its ambitious growth trajectory. AWAKE will also heavily focus on robust marketing efforts; this includes impactful influencer partnerships, engaging ambassador programs, participation in key industry events, and expanded sampling initiatives, all aimed at driving brand awareness and reaching new customer segments.

“Our continued investment in AWAKE reflects our strong belief in its performance and the depth of the management team,” said Lukasz Garbowski, BTV’s Chief Investment Officer “As consumers increasingly look for more from their food, the ‘wellness and stimulation’ sector, particularly functional food and beverages, is a key focus area for BTV to deliver on BAT’s mission to create A Better Tomorrow™.” BTV’s investment portfolio includes additional innovative CPG companies such as HOPWTR, Tru, Moment, Mais Mu, and More Labs.

With a variety of flavor offerings such as Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, and Salted Almond, as well as Dark and Milk Chocolate, AWAKE has a solution for every taste bud. To learn more about AWAKE and explore its full product portfolio, please visit https://awakechocolate.com/.

About AWAKE

Founded in 2012 by Canadians Adam Deremo, Matt Schnarr, and Dan Tzotzis, AWAKE Chocolate offers a delicious, convenient, and effective caffeine alternative providing focus and energy. As the first functional chocolate brand, AWAKE emphasizes great taste and simple ingredients, with a commitment to making customers smile.

AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate has a wide product offering, ranging from bites (60 to 90 calories per bite) to bars, all made with simple ingredients. All products are free from artificial colors or flavors, certified gluten-free, and kosher. Dark chocolate varieties are also Non-GMO Project Verified and vegan friendly. Stay connected with AWAKE Chocolate by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @AwakeChocolate, or by visiting awakechocolate.com.

Contact: Danielle Mazen
Rachel Kay Public Relations, 
A FINN Partners Company
516-306-0094
[email protected]

SOURCE AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate

Ex-Kenna Security founders and Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) pioneers the future of data-centric, customized cybersecurity defenses

CHICAGO, July 17, 2025 — Empirical Security, the cybersecurity company enabling organizations with Custom AI models, today announced $12 million in seed funding. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures with participation from DNX Ventures, Sixty Degree Capital, HPA, and strategic investors Jonathan Cran, founder of Intrigue (acquired by Google/Mandiant), Wade Baker, creator of the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report and founder of The Cyentia Institute, and Gerhard Eschelbeck, former CTO of Qualys and CISO of Google.

Kenna Security co-founder Ed Bellis also joins Empirical Security as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), reuniting with Empirical Security’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Michael Roytman and co-founder and Chief Data Scientist, Jay Jacobs.

Companies regularly use generic, global models to prioritize which of the hundreds of daily threats to pay attention to. But every company has its own unique combination of data, systems and technical stack. Empirical uses that data to build and train custom ‘local models’ that make more accurate predictions about the most critical threats.

“Today’s cyber attacks are custom-built using AI and your own infrastructure against you,” said Michael Roytman, Co-founder and CTO of Empirical Security. “Defending with generic, one-size-fits-all models is a start, but only custom, localized models – trained on your data and environment – can close that gap.”

Empirical Security’s dual model architecture allows security teams to leverage the best of both global and local models:

• Global models trained on nearly 2 million daily exploitation events mined from internet-scale datasets to detect and anticipate the latest attacks.
• Local models trained to adapt the intelligence to each customer’s unique infrastructure, operations, and threat profile.

This approach delivers precise, measurable predictions and decision support, empowering CISOs to act confidently and justify cybersecurity decisions with evidence-based risk analysis.

“We backed Ed, Michael, and Jay at Kenna, where they pioneered the risk-based vulnerability management movement,” said John Cowgill, General Partner at Costanoa Ventures. “With Empirical, they’re doing it again—but replacing generic risk scores with local AI models that tailor scores to each enterprise. We’re thrilled to partner with them on what we believe is a 10x bigger opportunity to transform how security teams prioritize and act on risk.”

To learn more about Empirical Security, please visit here.

About Empirical Security
Empirical Security is a cybersecurity intelligence company specializing in building AI and machine learning models that empower data-driven security decisions. Their state-of-the-art models are designed for rapid fine-tuning in each customer deployment, leveraging curated, AI-mined, and customer-provided data. This approach delivers localized models offering advanced decision support tailored to each organization’s environment, risk threshold, and specific needs.

About Costanoa Ventures
Founded in 2012, Costanoa Ventures partners with builders as early as company formation, with a focus on apps and infrastructure in data, dev, security and fintech. Costanoa is a long-term, boutique partner to entrepreneurs from the earliest stages of company building with expertise from its BuilderOps team. For more information, please visit www.costanoa.vc.

SOURCE Empirical Security, Inc.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. and NEW YORK, July 17, 2025 — BQP, a dual-use quantum-accelerated simulation software company, has raised an oversubscribed $4.9 million seed round to expand its unified digital twin platform, BQPhy®, for mission-critical industries, including aerospace, defense (A&D), and semiconductor. The raise follows a strategic collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ) under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to accelerate mission-critical modeling and simulation capabilities with quantum computing.

“Our quantum-inspired solvers are setting a new benchmark in simulation technology, bridging today’s computational limits and the quantum-ready future,” said Abhishek Chopra, BQP’s Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer. “The traction we’re experiencing from AFRL/RQ and industry-leading design partners validates the immediate impact and substantial ROI our platform delivers today. We’re also making significant R&D progress in quantum-native solvers for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Machine Learning (ML), paving the way for future simulation workload for the next generation of data centers where HPC and quantum computers operate side by side.”

The round was led by Monta Vista Capital, with participation from Empire State Development’s New York Ventures, New York State’s venture capital arm,  Arc Ventures, Armory Square Ventures, Emergent Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Arka Venture Labs, Transpose Platform, Gainangels, and Pranatech Venture Capital. The round also saw participation from key angel investors and existing investors, including Paradigm Shift Capital and Griffiss Institute, as part of the Mojave Aerospace Accelerator Fund. Chopra added, “We’re grateful to those who believed in us and our vision! This funding enables us to accelerate the development of our quantum-powered digital twin framework with these design partners and further expand our footprint in A&D and semiconductor industries.”

Total funding raised by the company now stands at $6.6 million. “BQP directly tackles critical bottlenecks in the rapidly evolving $22 billion simulation industry, where conventional technologies have struggled to keep pace with innovation demands in sectors like Aerospace & Defense, Semiconductor, and Energy,” said Roger Krakoff, Partner at Monta Vista Capital. “Their quantum-powered framework is positioned to become foundational infrastructure in the simulation ecosystem.”

Built for hybrid architectures – CPUs, GPUs, and quantum computers – BQPhy’s current version relies on quantum-inspired solvers, enabling a 10X performance boost today on existing CPU/GPU. With their future quantum-native solvers, the customers can experience up to 1000X gains on forthcoming quantum computers.

In addition to the AFRL/RQ, BQP’s design partners include three major Aerospace and Defense companies, including the largest Tier-I Aerospace manufacturer, the Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries, ABB, and major aerospace players.

BQP’s solvers can be utilized independently or in a unification as a Digital Twin framework as part of its platform. BQP’s overarching vision is to make BQPhy “the BlackRock of the simulation world,” acting as the backend platform that seamlessly integrates into existing simulation workflows and software, as well as optimized for the hybrid computing architectures—CPUs, GPUs, and Quantum Computers—that define the future of data centers.

BQP is actively working with leading quantum ecosystem partners, including Intel, IBM, Classiq, Strangeworks, and members of the NORDTECH Hub. The company will also appear at AIAA Aviation in Las Vegas and ASME Fluids Engineering in July, where Chopra will speak on quantum applications in simulation.

To explore BQP’s quantum-accelerated Digital Twin platform or request a demo, visit bqpsim.com.

ABOUT BQP

BQP (BosonQ Psi) is a quantum-first simulation company building the next generation of digital twin platforms for mission-critical applications. Headquartered in Syracuse, NY, with a technology hub in Bangalore, India, BQP supports faster, more efficient engineering decisions across aerospace, defense, semiconductors, and energy.

Its core platform, BQPhy, integrates into existing engineering workflows and runs on today’s infrastructure – no quantum hardware required. By combining probabilistic algorithms from quantum information science with proprietary solvers, BQPhy enables breakthroughs in optimization, machine learning, and physics-based (CFD) simulations.

BQP works closely with leading partners, including the Department of Defense, Air Force Research Laboratory, IBM, Intel, Moog, and IAI North America.

Learn more at https://www.bqpsim.com 

Media Contact:
Ludington Media
New York, NY
[email protected]
551 795 5950

SOURCE BQP