ATLANTA, Feb. 11, 2025 — Pickleheads, the leading platform for pickleball players to connect and organize games, is excited to announce the closing of a $2.5 million seed round.

This investment furthers their mission to enhance the on-court experience for players through technology.

Powering America’s Fastest Growing Sport

Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport for three consecutive years, with 36.5 million players—surpassing golf, tennis, and basketball.

But with rapid growth comes challenges: court shortages, long wait times, and overwhelmed organizers.

Pickleheads solves these issues and is now the go-to platform for players:

• 9 million players visited Pickleheads last year
• #1 mobile app for pickleball
• 354,000 registered users, growing 405% year-over-year.
• Official court and game finder of USA Pickleball and the Global Pickleball Federation

“Pickleball offers something we all need now more than ever — the joy of real-world connection,” said Max Ade, CEO and co-founder of Pickleheads. “That’s why we believe pickleball will become the world’s largest sport.”

The Future of Pickleball – and Pickleheads

Pickleheads believes that every game should be a good game—fun, social, and competitive. While open play was once the gold standard, today’s players span a wide range of skill levels, making structured programming essential.

The company is now powering level-based formats of play that preserve the magic of open play while ensuring balanced, competitive games.

“Many players know Pickleheads as the go-to court finder, but we’re quickly evolving into a complete platform to power rec play,” said Brandon Mackie, COO & co-founder of Pickleheads. “Organizers can set up games, collect payments, run round robins and recruit from our network of local players.”

The Financing

This $2.5M seed round was led by Overline, an Atlanta-based VC, with participation from Ardent, Oregon Sports Angels, Profluence Capital, Service Provider Capital, and Network Ventures.

“Pickleheads is revolutionizing the on-court experience for players, and we couldn’t be more excited to support their vision,” said Sean O’Brien, Managing Partner at Overline.

Join the Pickleheads Team!

Pickleheads is hiring for remote roles. Apply at pickleheads.com/jobs.

Media Contact:
Brandon Mackie
[email protected]
(404) 666-3252

About Pickleheads:

Pickleheads is the #1 website and app for pickleball players, helping players around the world find courts, organize games, and connect with their community. Endorsed by USA Pickleball and the Global Pickleball Federation, Pickleheads serves nearly 1 million players every month.

Photo assets available here.

SOURCE Pickleheads

Playboy founder’s son, Marston Hefner, joins RM11 as CSO

RM11 to reshape the adult content industry via creator-driven VIP experiences paired with highest payouts and industry-leading technology for privacy and support

DALLAS, Feb. 11, 2025 — RM11, a premium adult content-sharing platform designed to uplift and prioritize creators, has officially launched, backed by $2 million in seed funding led by a private investor. Rooted in a creator-first philosophy, RM11 is designed to redefine the intersection of the content creator economy and adult industry, giving more power – and earnings – back to the creator. 

“RM11 was created to address a clear gap in the market — a platform that is truly creator-first, equitable, and built with integrity,” said Natalie May, CEO of RM11. “As a female-founded company, we’re challenging the status quo with an approach that values creators as partners, not products. By prioritizing privacy, fairness, and the entrepreneurial spirit, RM11 is transforming the adult content industry with a premium, non-exploitative experience that benefits both creators and their audiences. This funding is a testament to the value RM11 brings to the market and the urgency for a platform that is meeting the evolving needs of the industry by providing creators with the tools to be successful and maximize their earning potential.”

RM11, which is launching after a successful two-month Beta, was built with creators at the forefront, offering them the tools and technology to thrive in a safe, premium environment. With the industry’s best 90/10 commission split, invite-only access for unparalleled privacy, innovative technology, and advanced monetization tools, RM11 is redefining how creators connect with their audiences and maximize their earnings. RM11 is more than a platform — it is a place where creators are truly valued and supported.

In addition to the funding, RM11 announced it has brought on Marston Hefner, the son of Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner, as its Chief Strategy Officer.  As a creator himself, Hefner will help to expand creator offerings; launch curated, celebrity-driven advertising campaigns; and support global outreach efforts to build awareness and enhance social media presence.

A Premium Experience Inspired by Luxury

At RM11, the user experience is designed to evoke the essence of a luxury hotel stay. Creators, referred to as “hosts,” cultivate exclusive environments for their “guests,” ensuring a personalized and intimate experience. Each interaction occurs in dedicated “rooms,” where hosts invite guests via unique links, allowing for curated connections that prioritize privacy and discretion. This invitation-only model fosters a sense of exclusivity, making every chat a premium experience. The platform’s customer service, known as the “concierge desk,” solely functions in providing exceptional support, ensuring that both hosts and guests feel valued and cared for at every step of their journey.

Creator-Centric Approach

RM11 is setting new industry standards by allowing hosts to take full ownership of their content, earnings, and audience while shying away from the traditional norms of other industry platforms that inhibit creators’ work via high fees and limited flexibility. Its mission to provide a safe, supportive, and innovative platform that places the needs of creators over profits is exemplified through offerings such as:

1. Transparent, Low Fees: While many platforms take excessive cuts out of creator earnings, RM11 charges an industry-low 10% platform fee, allowing creators to retain 90% of their earnings.
2. Full Content Control: Creators maintain ownership of their work, deciding what to share and with whom, fostering a dichotomy of trust and freedom.
3. Privacy and Safety: With robust security measures and a focus on privacy, RM11 ensures a safe space for creators and their audiences.

“By providing creators with the tools and support they require, we’re building a platform that values innovation, inclusivity, and respect,” said May. “It’s a step forward in our commitment to delivering unmatched value, fostering more one-on-one intimate connections, and ensuring RM11’s creators’ success and safety remain at the heart of everything we do.”

Partnering with the Industry’s Best

Coupled with his intricate knowledge of the adult creator industry and unique perspective, Hefner is a welcomed addition to the RM11 team and will serve as an invaluable asset to creators and senior leadership. His reputation as a champion of fostering a creator-first environment and his advocacy for ethical standards within the industry make him the obvious choice to help elevate the company’s brand, foster trust with creators, and promote a message of respect and professionalism within adult content creation.

“The adult industry is evolving, and RM11 is redefining what it means to be a content creator,” said Hefner. “I’m thrilled about the opportunity to steer the ship alongside Natalie and drive RM11’s transformation. With my experience, deep knowledge of the space, and our newfound capital, I’m eager to see the incredible content our creators develop with the resources at their disposal. I’m truly confident that we’ve built a community where all creators can thrive.”

As RM11 continues to grow and evolve, the company remains dedicated to its mission of prioritizing creators’ needs over profits and building a more inclusive and fair ecosystem for all. With this new round of funding, RM11 is positioned to expand its impact, support more creators, and further disrupt the adult content industry for the better.

About RM11
RM11 is the ultimate platform for creators and their admirers to connect in a secure, exclusive, and premium environment. Inspired by the elegance of a luxury hotel, RM11 transforms creators into “hosts” and admirers into “guests,” inviting them into private “rooms” for intimate and elevated one-on-one digital experiences. For hosts, RM11 offers unparalleled tools to empower and thrive, including industry-leading commission splits, advanced privacy measures, and innovative ways to seamlessly connect with guests. For guests, RM11 provides personalized interactions and exclusive access to premium content, all supported by a concierge-level commitment to service. Female-founded and led, RM11 is where empowerment meets fantasies, setting a new standard for meaningful and luxurious digital connections.

For media inquiries or more information, please contact: [email protected]

SOURCE RM11.com

Investment Powers the Debut of Pyxa: A Groundbreaking Platform for 3D Spatial Biology Research

BOSTON, Feb. 11, 2025 — Stellaromics, a pioneer in 3D spatial biology spun out of the laboratories of Karl Deisseroth (Stanford University) and Xiao Wang (MIT and Broad Institute), today announced the completion of a Series B funding round in the amount of $80M. The round, led by Catalyst4 with participation from Stanford University Ventures, will support the development and commercialization of Pyxa, Stellaromics’ groundbreaking 3D spatial biology platform.

Unveiled today, the Pyxa platform enables researchers to visualize and analyze the spatial organization of cells and molecules within thick tissue samples at an unprecedented resolution. These breakthroughs, based on the company’s STARmap and RIBOmap technologies, greatly expand upon applications of traditional 2D methods by offering a true 3D perspective, providing researchers with a deeper understanding of tissue organization, cellular interactions, and disease mechanisms.

Key Features of Pyxa Include:

• Thick tissue analysis: Analyze tissue slices 100μm thick or more, offering a 10–20x improvement over current methods.
• Sub-cellular resolution, multi-omic spatial profiling: Simultaneously analyze the spatial distribution of hundreds to thousands of genes, enabling a comprehensive view of cellular interactions.
• Simplified workflow: Automated processes streamline sample preparation, data acquisition, and analysis, reducing researcher workload.
• Advanced visualization software: Intuitive tools for 3D exploration of spatial genomics data provide unprecedented insights into biological systems.

“We are excited to introduce Pyxa, a 3D profiling technology platform that will redefine the boundaries of spatial biology,” said Todd Dickinson, CEO of Stellaromics. “By providing a true three-dimensional multi-omic representation of biological systems, Pyxa will empower researchers to make breakthrough discoveries that deepen our understanding of human biology and accelerate the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics.”

With its ability to analyze both thin and thick tissue sections with sub-cellular resolution, Pyxa overcomes longstanding limitations in spatial biology, allowing researchers to explore cellular organization in ways never before possible. This advancement is already proving valuable across neuroscience, oncology, and immunology, where understanding tissue architecture at this level can unlock critical insights into disease mechanisms.

“As a scientific co-founder, it’s incredibly gratifying to see this technology come to fruition and empower researchers to explore the intricacies of biology in 3D,” said Xiao Wang, Core Member at the Broad Institute.

Initial users have already begun to leverage the transformative potential of Pyxa across diverse research areas:

• Nigel Jamieson, Group Leader at the University of Glasgow: “I’m thrilled by the potential of Stellaromics’ 3D spatial transcriptomics platform to revolutionize cancer research. Its ability to analyze thick tissue sections in 3D provides unparalleled insights into tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment, including the progression of pre-malignant pancreatic cysts and the transformation of healthy liver tissue into tumors. The emergence of 3D spatial technology marks a transformative step toward creating comprehensive disease atlases, paving the way for more precise diagnostics and targeted therapies to improve patient care.”
• Gordon Wang, Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University: “As an early user of the Pyxa platform, I’ve been impressed by its ability to deliver a comprehensive 3D perspective on biological systems. The platform is fundamentally useful, as tissue analysis is inherently three-dimensional. We’re excited to continue partnering with Stellaromics to push the boundaries of scientific research.”
• Xin Jin, Associate Professor at Scripps Research: “The transition from 2D to 3D spatial omics is transformative for neuroscience. While 2D methods provide molecular profiles, they miss critical long-range cellular interactions. We can now visualize these connections at an unprecedented scale, enabling high-throughput analysis of genetic perturbations across complex tissues. Combining CRISPR gene editing with high-resolution spatial analysis allows us to uncover new insights into brain development and disease progression in ways we never could before.”
• Arpy Saunders, Assistant Professor at the Vollum Institute of OHSU: “We are thrilled to be among the first to utilize the groundbreaking Pyxa platform. A key advantage of Pyxa over other spatial transcriptomic technologies is its ability to analyze much larger tissue volumes per experiment. By enabling dense reconstructions of intact neural circuits in 3D, Pyxa will significantly advance neuroscience research, particularly for our laboratory’s goal of reconstructing cell type-specific synaptic connectivity relationships in high-throughput by tracking the synaptic spread of viruses using RNA barcoding.”

The Pyxa system is available for order now, with an early access program already fully subscribed and set to launch in the second half of 2025. Initial commercial shipments are estimated to begin at the end of 2025. To support researchers interested in generating pilot data for a Pyxa system, Stellaromics offers a dedicated services program. Stellaromics will showcase the Pyxa technology at the AGBT 2025 conference in Marco Island, Florida from February 23rd-26th.

About Stellaromics

Stellaromics is a privately held company dedicated to pioneering breakthroughs in 3D spatial multi-omics. The company’s mission is to empower researchers with cutting-edge tools that illuminate the complexities of biological systems, enabling groundbreaking discoveries that improve human health. Stellaromics is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Media Contact
Kristen White
Co-Founder & Partner, Oak Street Communications
[email protected]
415.608.6060

SOURCE Stellaromics

Link Ventures Investment Enables Datalign to Scale AI Offerings for Wealth Management

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 11, 2025 — Datalign Advisory (“Datalign”), an AI platform matching consumers with leading financial advisors, today announced Link Ventures invested $5 million in Datalign, bringing their total investment in Datalign to $9 million on a post-money valuation of $75 million. The capital enables Datalign to further accelerate the development of innovative AI and ML capabilities that promise to transform how financial advisors serve their clients. The investment follows a year of exceptional 300% growth, with Datalign referring nearly $40 billion in assets to Registered Investment Advisor (“RIA”) firms at the end of 2024, compared to $14.8 billion at the end of 2023.

“Organic growth has always been a fundamental challenge in wealth management. As we approach an $80 trillion wealth transfer, Datalign has cracked the code on scalable growth for RIAs,” said John Wernz, former Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Wealth Enhancement Group and Executive Director at Datalign. “Their ability to deliver high-quality client relationships at scale is exactly what the industry needs right now.”

Link Ventures’ investment in Datalign marks a significant milestone in both companies’ trajectories. Link Ventures has consistently demonstrated an ability to identify and scale category-defining, transformative companies, as evidenced by early investments in CarGurus, EverQuote and DataSage (acquired by Vignette). Link Ventures has emerged as a leading force in AI investing, with its investments in Mercor and Liquid AI becoming two of their respective industry’s top five AI unicorns in the past year. Link sees similar unicorn potential in Datalign’s approach to reimagining the wealth management space and rapid path to profitability.

“In my experience investing in AI companies, I’ve rarely seen the combination of innovative technology and massive market opportunity that Datalign presents,” said Dave Blundin, co-founder and Managing Partner at Link Ventures. “Not only have they assembled an exceptional team of talent from MIT and tech giants like Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft, but they stand out as the fastest-growing company in Link Venture’s portfolio history. We see incredible potential for Datalign to become a unicorn in fintech.”

Capitalizing on Link Ventures’ deep expertise in building market-defining companies, Datalign aims to aggressively scale its team of AI experts and has plans to release several AI-focused products in 2025 as the company continues to invest in industry-changing technology that redefines how people receive financial services. The company has already launched a number of AI Initiatives in the last six months, including:

• AI Lead Performance Monitoring analyzes historic performance and behavioral data to predict a prospect’s suitability and likelihood of conversion before an RIA receives the match, ensuring higher-quality connections for both prospects and RIAs.
• The Datalign Knowledge Graph (Graph). By leveraging AI and Machine Learning (ML) predictive models, Graph helps determine the best RIA-prospect fit during the matching process, ultimately streamlining the onboarding experience and improving outcomes for both consumers and advisors by aggregating over a decade of behavioral, financial, and demographic data across hundreds of variables for more than 200 million Americans. This powerful tool tracks key life events and factors to generate accurate predictions about both current and future financial needs.
• Geographic Expansion Optimization (GEOs), is an AI-powered targeting tool analyzing market data to identify new geographic markets where an RIA’s services and advisors can offer value to meet existing consumer demand. Datalign’s Enterprise partners using the tool have already seen a month- over-month lead volume increase of 35% and their total AUM referred has grown by a compound monthly rate of 15% since leveraging GEOs recommendations.

“With Link Ventures’ partnership, we’re strategically positioned to execute our vision of leading the wealth management industry’s AI revolution,” said Satayan Mahajan, CEO of Datalign. “Link is the perfect partner for Datalign’s next stage of evolution because of their team’s successful history in investing in disruptive and transformative technology, and we’re excited for what the future holds.”

Since its launch in 2022, Datalign has retained near 100% of its customers, experiencing 18% average month-over-month growth across its platform.

For more information, go to https://www.datalignadvisory.com/.

About Datalign Advisory
Datalign Advisory is dedicated to redesigning and simplifying the journey to find financial advice by connecting consumers and vetted financial advisory firms on its proprietary platform. Focused on quality over quantity, Datalign’s AI-enhanced platform is designed to create more meaningful connections and financial outcomes. Leveraging data and AI-powered analytics, Datalign’s three-sided marketplace enables a streamlined, efficient, and improved experience for both consumers and advisory firms by aligning their unique needs to create one-to-one matches. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Datalign was founded in 2022 and is backed by Link Ventures.

MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected] 

About Link Ventures

Link Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology startups that leverage data science and artificial intelligence to disrupt existing markets and help solve challenging problems for enterprises and consumers. Markets include financial services, digital healthcare, ecommerce, payments, media and cybersecurity. Link’s team has deep sector expertise, having co-founded leading enterprise and consumer internet companies and led numerous transactions and successful investments in internet services businesses for over 20 years. For more information, please visit the Link Ventures website or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Datalign Advisory

BUCHAREST, Romania, Feb. 11, 2025 — Morphosis Capital Partners BV, a growth capital fund, announces the launch of Morphosis Capital Fund II, its second investment fund, with a committed capital of over 100 million euros. This is double the size of its first fund commitment, previously around 50 million euros. This new fund aims to support the growth of SMEs in Romania and the region, in key sectors such as healthcare, B2B services, consumer products and retail, and niche manufacturing.

“Building on the success of our first fund, which saw us make six strategic acquisitions in high-growth sectors, the launch of our second fund represents a pivotal step in our growth strategy. With double the size, Morphosis Capital Fund II equips us with the resources needed to further support entrepreneurial companies across Romania and the region. By driving both organic growth and M&A strategies, we will help companies scale rapidly, enabling their full potential, driving the long-term development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The success of our first fund, which generated an IRR of over 30% through one full exit and two partial exits, sets a solid foundation for Fund II. As our first fund matures, we are confident in identifying further profitable exit opportunities that will strengthen our position as a trusted partner to both our portfolio companies and investors, while continuing our mission of identifying and partnering with innovative businesses through Fund II,” said Andrei Gemeneanu, Managing Partner at Morphosis Capital.

Through its second fund, Morphosis Capital aims to make 9-10 investments, each with an investment ticket ranging from 10-15 million euros. For comparison, its first fund realized 6 investments with ticket size range between 5-10 million euros. Fund II’s strategy will primarily focus on companies in Romania, but it will also target other countries in the region, such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The fund will target companies with an EBITDA between 1-5 million euros, prioritizing majority stake acquisitions, either independently or alongside co-investors. This is the first time that Morphosis Capital pursues a regional expansion strategy, Fund I having solely targeted investments in Romania. Additional recruitment efforts were made to enact this new strategy with an increase in team size from 8 to 12 members in 2024. The nearly doubled fund size and ticket size from Fund I to Fund II reflect the solid performance of Fund I, which has significantly increased investor commitments and confidence, further establishing the fund manager as a leading player in the sector.

In selecting portfolio companies, Morphosis Capital targets businesses operating in growing markets, within fragmented industries, with scaling potential through organic growth or buy & build strategies. The fund also prioritizes companies with strong financial performance, robust organizational culture, and prospects for mergers and acquisitions, offering exit opportunities for investors.

Morphosis Capital Fund II has already made two investments, the first being in Mark Twain International School (MTIS), the first private educational institution in Romania with a dual curriculum. The second investment was recently closed with Supermarket La Cocos, a local retailer, in December 2024.

Morphosis Capital Partners BV is co-financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the InvestEU Fund of the European Union via an initiative managed by the European Investment Fund to support investment funds. The EIF, which served as the anchor investor in Morphosis Capital’s first fund, continues to play a pivotal role in fostering the growth of SMEs in Romania and the wider region. In addition to EIF’s backing, Morphosis Capital has attracted capital from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and commitment from the International Finance Corporation. This makes Morphosis Capital the first private equity fund with a majority focus on Romania to secure capital from all three major international finance institutions.

The fund has also gained the trust of local and international family offices, such as Belgian-based Vybros Capital Partners and Inspire Asset Management, further diversifying its investor base.

This operation is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU with the financial backing of the Government of Romania under the Romania Recovery Equity Fund and benefits from the support of the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2615374/Morphosis_Capital_Fund_II_launch.jpg

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 10, 2025 — Silicon Valley AI pioneer Groq has secured a $1.5 billion commitment from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for expanded delivery of its advanced LPU-based AI inference infrastructure. Announced at LEAP 2025, this major agreement advances the Kingdom’s position as a global leader in AI computing infrastructure while meeting rapidly growing regional demand.

This agreement follows the operational excellence Groq demonstrated in building the region’s largest inference cluster in December 2024. Brought online in just eight days, the rapid installation established a critical AI hub to serve surging compute demand globally. 

From its state-of-the-art data center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Groq is now delivering market-leading AI inference capabilities to customers worldwide through GroqCloud™. At LEAP 2025, Jonathan Ross, CEO and Founder of Groq, alongside Tareq Almin and Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter, Chief Technology Officer of Saudi Aramco, demonstrated reasoning LLMs, a KSA-created model Allam, and text to speech models in English and Arabic running live.

The $1.5 billion commitment towards Groq AI infrastructure represents a defining moment for both Groq and the Kingdom to deliver on the Vision 2030 goal of an AI-powered economy in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s an honor for Groq to be supporting the Kingdom’s 2030 vision,” said Jonathan Ross, CEO and Founder of Groq. “We are excited to work alongside Saudi innovators to shape the next chapter of AI.”

Learn more about how Groq is changing the AI industry at groq.com and if you’re interested in access to GroqCloud, learn more here.

About Groq

Groq builds fast AI inference technology. GroqCloud™ delivers exceptional AI compute speed, quality, and energy efficiency for enterprises and developers with its LPU™ AI inference technology. Groq, headquartered in Silicon Valley, provides cloud and on-prem solutions at scale for AI applications. The LPU and related systems are designed, fabricated, and assembled in North America. Build fast with Groq at groq.com.

Media Contact

[email protected] 

SOURCE Groq

New Funding Led by Peak XV Surge with Participation from Dallas Venture Capital, Dreamit Ventures, Z5 Capital and Uncorrelated Ventures will Accelerate Global Market Expansion and Product Development

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2025 — Nirmata, a leader in cloud-native security policy automation and governance solutions, today announced a $9.6 million funding round led by Peak XV Surge (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA), with participation from Dallas Venture Capital, Dreamit Ventures and existing investors Z5 Capital and Uncorrelated Ventures. Following unprecedented customer growth, Nirmata plans to expand its presence, scale its go-to-market and accelerate product development to serve as the de-facto hub of security automation, governance, and compliance for all applications and the underlying IT infrastructure from code to cloud.

As cloud-native and new AI-driven applications grow at over 30% CAGR, the demand for Kubernetes and container technologies only continues to rise, prompting businesses to build platform engineering teams. Often, this transformation is hindered by legacy security solutions, compliance requirements, and the increasing complexity and cost of cloud environments. Additionally, the proliferation of AI-generated code is transforming software development by automating tasks and generating complex code, but comes at the expense of creating security challenges across cloud applications and infrastructure as code.

Nirmata’s Policy-as-Code solutions such as Nirmata Control Hub empower customers to automate security across complex cloud environments and enable security and platform teams to operate at greater scale and speed. Using advancements in AI technologies, Nirmata Control Hub automatically generates, tests, and enforces policies and remediates critical issues leading to increased productivity for platform engineering teams, while enabling them to keep pace with AI-driven innovation.

As a result, Nirmata has seen unparalleled growth as enterprises around the world adopt its solutions, as evidenced by:

• 10X increase in annual revenues for policy and governance products in 2024
• Nirmata named a CNCF Top 20 contributor for 2024
• Kyverno, the open source policy engine for Kubernetes created by Nirmata, surpassed 3.2 billion downloads and ranks as a top CNCF project
• Kyverno is trusted by leading organizations like LinkedIn, Deutsche Telekom and Wayfair

“The security of our software is at a pivotal moment as the increasing complexity of cloud-native environments are overwhelming security and platform teams, leading to burnout and stifled innovation. By automating security in delivery pipelines, organizations can maintain governance at speeds that prevent breaches before they even happen,” said Saqib Syed, Nirmata Board Member. “We see the strength of Nirmata and the Kyverno community and are impressed by the business growth and product vision. Nirmata’s policy-as-code approach is an essential requirement to set new standards beyond legacy solutions towards resource, cost optimization and compliance. Customers have seen significant reduction in their application and cloud vulnerabilities by shifting security down and automation of policy as code using Nirmata Control Hub.”

“Nirmata is well-positioned to address the growing need for robust security and governance in the rapidly evolving cloud-native ecosystem,” said Jim Bugwadia, Co-Founder and CEO of Nirmata. “This funding highlights the strong market demand for our solutions and empowers us to scale our operations, helping more organizations strengthen the security and efficiency of their cloud-native environments.” 

Nirmata is actively broadening its business footprint, with a presence in the US and India. The company’s market impact has been recognized by several prestigious industry accolades, including being recognized by Intellyx as a Digital Innovator, and the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for open-source security, policy and user management and security automation.

Click here to learn more about Nirmata and the future for security automation and governance.

About Nirmata

Nirmata is a leading provider of cloud-native policy and governance solutions, empowering enterprises to innovate securely at scale. Powered by Kyverno, a popular open-source Kubernetes policy engine with over 3.2 billion downloads, Nirmata enables real-time policy enforcement across multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructures, ensuring secure and compliant operations at scale. For more information, visit www.nirmata.com or follow Nirmata on GitHub, X, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Nirmata, Inc

The partnership signals tailwinds behind the circular economy, enhancing capital deployment to circular supply chains and waste reduction solutions.

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2025 — Closed Loop Partners today announced that mission-aligned investor, Capricorn Investment Group (“Capricorn”) made a growth investment in its asset management business, Closed Loop Capital Management. Capricorn joins existing shareholders, JS Capital, Schusterman Family Investments and majority owner, Closed Loop Partners Founder & CEO, Ron Gonen. The investment strengthens Closed Loop Capital Management’s position as a leading private investment firm dedicated to accelerating the transition to a circular economy across private equity, venture capital and catalytic private credit strategies.

Closed Loop Partners was founded in 2014 to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The firm’s three businesses include its investment group, Closed Loop Capital Management, led by Tazia Smith; its innovation center, the Center for the Circular Economy, led by Kate Daly; and Circular Services, one of the largest private recycling and circular economy services providers in the U.S., led by Jessica Long.

The original investors in Closed Loop Partners’ funds are many of the world’s largest global corporations. Today, Closed Loop Capital Management manages capital on behalf of corporations, financial institutions, foundation endowments and family offices. Over the past decade, it has made 85 investments in emerging circular solutions across plastics & packaging, food & agriculture, electronics, the built environment, textiles & apparel and more. Its portfolio has kept over 6 million tons of materials out of landfills, maintaining their circulation in domestic supply chains, and avoided over 17.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions to date.

Capricorn’s strategic investment into Closed Loop Capital Management marks a significant milestone and market signal for scaling the circular economy, which drives security of natural resources and optimization of supply chains through waste mitigation, from product design to advanced remanufacturing. The partnership is grounded in Closed Loop Partners’ and Capricorn’s shared view of the critical need and opportunity for private investment firms with deep expertise in building solutions enabling a more sustainable and resilient global economy. Capricorn’s investment will provide growth capital to enhance Closed Loop Capital Management’s infrastructure and resources as the investment firm continues to execute, and drive value and positive impact on behalf of its corporate, institutional and family office partners.

One of the earliest and most respected climate-focused investment firms in the world, Capricorn manages $12 billion in assets for investors who strive for extraordinary investment results by leveraging market forces to accelerate large-scale environmental and social impact. The investment in Closed Loop Capital Management is part of Capricorn’s continued efforts to provide long-term capital to support the growth of leading asset management firms in the sustainability and climate space.

“Closed Loop Partners has built an impressive platform dedicated to the circular economy. Through its investment group, Closed Loop Capital Management, the team has considerable expertise building and profitably investing in businesses which advance environmental and economic resiliency. We believe their exceptional leadership and strong existing partnerships will provide an excellent foundation for scaling mission-aligned investment strategies which will continue to align capitalism with environmental and social impact,” said Capricorn Partner, William Orum. “We are excited to partner with Closed Loop Partners and look forward to working with their team as they further expand the asset management business over the coming years.”

“Capricorn Investment Group’s partnership with Closed Loop Capital Management signals continued, market-driven tailwinds behind the circular economy. We are proud to join forces with a leading investor driving sustainable change,” said Tazia Smith, Managing Partner and CEO of Closed Loop Capital Management. “Together, we are positioned to expand our proven ability to identify and scale innovations, business models and infrastructure that perpetuate circularity with resilient profitability and net-positive social and environmental outcomes.”

“Capricorn Investment Group is one of the original leaders in sustainable investing. They have built an impressive track record investing in leading fund managers who produce strong financial returns with tangible impact,” said Ron Gonen, Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners. “Capricorn’s partnership with Closed Loop Capital Management demonstrates the proven value and investment opportunity in the transition towards a waste-free world.” 

Dentons was legal counsel to Closed Loop Partners. Sidley LLP served as legal advisor to Capricorn SIF.

About Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners is at the forefront of building the circular economy. The firm is comprised of three key businesses that create a platform for systems change. Closed Loop Capital Management is the firm’s investment group, managing venture capital, lower mid-market buyout private equity and catalytic private credit investment strategies on behalf of global corporations, financial institutions and family offices. To date, Closed Loop Capital Management has made 85 investments ranging from emerging innovations to established businesses.

Closed Loop Builders is the firm’s operating group, incubating, building and scaling circular economy infrastructure and services. The Center for the Circular Economy is the firm’s innovation center, uniting organizations to tackle complex material challenges and implementing systemic change that advances the circular economy. Closed Loop Partners is based in New York City and is a registered B Corp. Learn more at www.closedlooppartners.com. 

About Capricorn Investment Group

Capricorn Investment Group is a leading mission-aligned investment firm managing $12 billion for families, foundations, and institutional investors. Capricorn leverages over 20 years of sustainable investing experience to deliver comprehensive Outsourced CIO services and innovative fund solutions to its global client base. Their Sustainable Investors Fund (SIF) is a private equity partnership whose investment objective is to create significant value through GP strategic capital investments in asset managers which incorporate sustainability as a key driver of investment returns.

The firm was born from a belief that sustainable investment practices can enhance risk-adjusted returns. Underlying this investment approach is a deep desire to demonstrate the huge investment potential that resides in breakthrough commercial solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. More information is available at www.capricornllc.com 

SOURCE Closed Loop Partners

Network AIOps leader paves way for strong growth and market leadership in 2025

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2025 — Selector, an industry leading platform for managing multi-domain network and application infrastructure, is reporting a doubling of its Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) for the third consecutive year—a 398% growth rate—and client Net Revenue Retention of 170%.

Selector is an industry leading platform designed to generate real-time, actionable insights for managing multi-domain network and application infrastructure. The company’s customized AI solutions leverage machine learning to monitor, detect and safeguard organizational networks against downtime, operational issues and revenue disruption.

“2024 was a transformative year for Selector as we continued to deepen our technological leadership, expand our global footprint, and drive unprecedented growth,” said Kannan Kothandaraman, CEO of Selector. “Our Series-B funding and strategic international expansion will continue to fuel our significant growth while meeting the evolving needs of enterprises worldwide. Thanks to our success in 2024, we’ve effectively set the stage for another breakthrough year in 2025.”

The company’s technology is being deployed by some of the largest telecommunications and enterprise companies and is seeing increased adoption by new large-scale customers. During 2024, the company expanded its Fortune 500 customer base, adding marquee clients across critical industries including healthcare, financial services, retail, and telecommunications. These strategic expansions underscore Selector’s ability to deliver transformative operational intelligence solutions across diverse and complex enterprise environments.

Funding News

Selector closed a $33M Series-B funding round in the second half of 2024, led by Ansa Capital.The round was led by Ansa Capital, a New York City-based venture capital firm that invests in enterprise software companies, other new investors in the round were AT&T Ventures, Bell Ventures, Singtel Innov8, and Hyperlink Ventures. They were joined by existing investors Two Bear Capital, Atlantic Bridge, and Sinewave Ventures. The new investment brings Selector’s total funding to more than $66 million.

Innovation Highlights

Key innovation initiatives for Selector in 2024 included:

• Network Language Model (NLM): The industry’s first NLM helps operations teams talk to their networks with a simple natural language interface to make faster, data-driven decisions. It gleans network insights from emails, maintenance logs, and other sources and presents actionable resolutions for operators. This minimizes false alarms, improves alert accuracy, and reduces manual work.
• Enhanced Digital Twin Technology: IT teams can predict network behavior through “What-If” scenarios to improve risk management and resolve problems faster across all network layers. IT teams can now foresee failures before they happen, enabling efficient decision-making without interfering with the real network and reducing risks to their infrastructure.
• Programmable Synthetics Sensors: These advanced sensors give real-time visibility into application performance and availability and seamlessly connect this data with network infrastructure. By proactively finding and fixing application performance issues before they impact end-users, organizations can protect revenue and ensure a smooth user experience.

Industry Recognition

In 2024, Selector continued to be recognized by industry analysts and publications, winning numerous awards and recognition. Selector was named in nine Gartner® Hype Cycle reports, which can be found in our press release earlier this year. Gartner’s recognition validates Selector’s leadership in AI-driven event intelligence and AIOps solutions. Additionally, Selector was featured in the 2024 Futuriom 50 Cloud Market Trend Report, further solidifying its position as a leading innovator in AIOps and observability. Selector was also recognized as a winner of the Bay Area Best Places to Work, an awards program presented by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Channel Growth and Market Expansion

To support rapid growth, Selector strengthened its go-to-market strategy with key initiatives, including the expansion of its partner program under new channel leadership. The firm also achieved a remarkable 175% year-over-year growth in channel transactions. Additionally, Selector became part of the Google Cloud Network observability partner ecosystem, offering joint customers comprehensive visibility across cloud and hybrid networks.

The company is expanding in Asia with the opening of its first international office in Japan, demonstrating a commitment to supporting technological innovation in one of the world’s most advanced markets. With these milestones, Selector is poised to continue its growth trajectory in 2025 through continued market expansion, product innovation, and strategic partnerships.

About Selector

Selector is an AIOps solution that gives the world’s largest companies complete visibility and intelligence into their highly complex networks, infrastructure, and applications. Leading telecommunications companies, cloud service providers (CSPs), and enterprises across industries use the company’s technology to ensure their networks are up, operating, and generating revenue. It achieves this by eliminating the 90% of repair time teams spend manually identifying the origins of incidents and outages. Selector’s AI engine interfaces directly with its industry-first network large language model (NLM) to sort through enormous volumes of data autonomously, making troubleshooting instantaneous. Now, for the first time ever, network teams can have real-time conversations in human language with all their data across warehouses and tooling to fix issues exponentially faster.

Selector’s AIOps and Event Intelligence solution has been recognized by Gartner in multiple Hype Cycle reports. Founded in 2019, Selector is backed by Two Bear Capital, Atlantic Bridge Ventures, Sinewave Ventures, Ansa Capital, Singtel Innov8, Hyperlink Ventures, AT&T Ventures, Bell Ventures, Comcast Ventures, and others.

Media Contact:
Stephen Ochs
Sr. Director of Marketing
[email protected]
978-886-4712

SOURCE Selector