World-renowned immunologist strengthens scientific leadership and translational focus

BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2026 — Vie Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm focused on autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases, today announced that Jeff Bluestone, PhD, has been named Managing Director, joining founders Steven St. Peter, MD, and Luke Evnin, PhD, who also serve as Managing Directors. Together with Lou DeGennaro, PhD, Senior Advisor, Vie’s leadership brings complementary expertise spanning venture capital, immunology, biotech company building, and patient-focused philanthropy.

Dr. Bluestone is a world-renowned immunologist and biotech leader whose work has helped define modern understanding of immune regulation, tolerance, and translational immunology. His career spans seminal academic discoveries, leadership of major translational research networks, and company building at the forefront of immune-based therapies.

Over several decades, Dr. Bluestone has played a central role in translating foundational immunology into approved medicines. Among his accomplishments, Dr. Bluestone defined key aspects of CD3 signaling and immune modulation, created teplizumab, the first FDA-approved therapy shown to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, and informed therapies targeting T-cell co-stimulation and immune checkpoints. He previously served as founding Director of the Immune Tolerance Network, founding CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and most recently co-founded and led Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a company focused on engineered regulatory T-cell therapies. Dr. Bluestone has also held senior leadership roles at the University of California, San Francisco, including Diabetes Center Director and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“Jeff is a rare combination of scientific rigor, a translational medicine focus, and collaborative leadership,” said Steven St. Peter, MD, Founder and Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “Luke and I have each worked with Jeff in different professional contexts over many years, and we have tremendous respect for how he thinks about biology, patients, and risk. His decision to join Vie reflects a shared belief that the next generation of autoimmune therapies will require tighter integration between science, capital, and patient communities.”

“I have spent my career working at the intersection of discovery science, clinical translation, and patient need,” said Dr. Bluestone. “Vie Ventures brings those elements together in a way that is both scientifically ambitious and operationally disciplined. I am excited to join Steven and Luke in advancing a model designed to accelerate the development of innovative therapies by leveraging shared biology and collaborative insight.”

“Jeff’s career has been defined by translating deep immunology insights into real therapies for patients,” said Luke Evnin, PhD, Founder and Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “His experience building scientific organizations and guiding translational strategy strengthens Vie Ventures’ ability to identify and support companies that can make meaningful impact across multiple autoimmune conditions, particularly by focusing on shared biological drivers across indications.” Dr. Evnin concurrently serves as Chair of the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF), where he has been a member of the Board of Directors for more than 25 years. Dr. Bluestone served on the SRF scientific advisory board for many years.

Vie Ventures works closely with a growing network of Strategic Collaborators—disease-focused nonprofit organizations that contribute scientific insight, patient perspective, and development expertise to help inform investment decisions and accelerate the path from discovery to patients—including the American Diabetes Association, Arthritis Foundation, Beyond Celiac, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Food Allergy Fund, Immune Boost Capital / Arthritis National Research Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Psoriasis Foundation, Scleroderma Research Foundation, and the Sjögren’s Foundation.

About Vie Ventures
Vie Ventures is a life sciences investment firm operating at the intersection of venture capital and disease philanthropy. Vie Ventures invests alongside other leading venture capital investors and strategic partners in private biotech companies focused on advancing novel therapeutics for autoimmune disease and other disorders of the immune system, an area of significant unmet medical need. Our team leverages decades of experience, a proven track record in life sciences venture capital, a returns-oriented approach, and a network of strategic collaborators from across the biotech and disease philanthropy ecosystems to advance life-changing therapies and cures for patients. To learn more, visit vieventures.com

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SOURCE Vie Ventures

-Financing led by Forbion, joined by Sanofi and existing investors Medicxi, Pitango, and Atlantic Partners-

-Proceeds to advance vapendavir, a first-in-class therapeutic for the treatment of rhinovirus, the predominant cause of respiratory exacerbations in millions with COPD and other chronic lung diseases-

-Funds will allow initiation of the Phase 2b CARDINAL study evaluating the safety and efficacy of vapendavir in participants with COPD and rhinovirus infection in Q2 2026-

ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2026 — Altesa BioSciences, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of people with chronic lung diseases including COPD and asthma, today announced a $75 million oversubscribed Series B funding round led by Forbion, with participation from Sanofi and Altesa’s existing investors, including Medicxi, Pitango, and Atlantic Partners.

“There is nothing ‘common’ about the common cold for people with chronic lung disease,” said Altesa CEO Brett P. Giroir, M.D., former Assistant Secretary of Health and Acting FDA Commissioner. “This financing supports advancing clinical development of vapendavir for the treatment of rhinovirus infections, the leading cause of respiratory exacerbations in COPD and other chronic lung conditions. Vapendavir targets the cause of inflammation and exacerbations – the virus itself.”

The current Series B financing will support the CARDINAL study, a Phase 2b multinational randomized placebo-controlled trial that will enroll 900 COPD patients in the US and UK, following them and randomizing when they experience a rhinovirus infection. Dr. Katharine Knobil, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Altesa, and former CMO of GSK, will lead the investigation, expected to commence in Q2 2026. The CARDINAL study builds on Altesa’s recently completed rhinovirus Challenge Study in COPD patients, in which vapendavir improved upper and lower airway symptoms, reduced illness durations and inflammatory markers, and better maintained small airways lung function compared to placebo.

“Our trial’s objective is to demonstrate that treatment of rhinovirus respiratory infections can improve symptoms, hasten resolution of illness, and maintain quality of life, while potentially avoiding advanced medical interventions,” said Dr. Knobil. “For many COPD patients, even a simple cold can lead to an exacerbation, hospitalization, and worsening quality of life – vapendavir has the potential to change that trajectory.”

While the immediate focus is on COPD, vapendavir has potential for broader application in other high-risk respiratory populations, including people with asthma.

“We are honored to have Forbion as our lead investor, a global leader with an unmatched track record for developing companies and products across multiple therapeutic areas. In addition, Altesa will benefit greatly from the participation of Sanofi, given its ongoing expertise in COPD therapeutics,” said Dr. Giroir. “By focusing on the true medical need – patients most at risk for hospitalization, death, and long-term decline – we hope to radically improve outcomes and reduce overall healthcare burden.” 

“Rhinovirus-driven exacerbations represent one of the most significant and underserved drivers of morbidity in COPD and other chronic lung diseases,” said Jon Edwards, PhD, Forbion Partner. “Altesa’s vapendavir is a first-in-class approach that targets the underlying viral cause of these events, with the potential to meaningfully improve outcomes and reduce healthcare burden for millions of patients. We are proud to lead this financing and support the world class team Altesa has assembled as they advance vapendavir into the Phase 2b CARDINAL study.”

In connection with the financing Jon Edwards, Ph.D., will join the board and Moncef Slaoui, Ph.D., will transition from Board Member to Chair of Altesa’s Board of Directors, strengthening the company’s leadership as it advances vapendavir into late-stage clinical development.

About Vapendavir

Vapendavir is an oral medicine in development by Altesa BioSciences. Recently, Altesa announced that vapendavir improved symptoms, reduced duration of illness and viral load, and maintained small airway function in COPD patients experimentally challenged with rhinovirus. Vapendavir is now in late-stage clinical development, and if approved, has the potential to prevent up to 50% of COPD exacerbations, improve quality of life, and potentially save significant healthcare costs.

About the CARDINAL Study

The CARDINAL clinical trial is a Phase 2b multinational randomized placebo-controlled study in COPD patients experiencing rhinovirus infections that will enroll 900 people with COPD in the US and UK. The trial was designed to reflect real-world care models, proactively identifying and supporting those at greatest risk. Participants will be closely monitored over time and, upon development of rhinovirus infection, will be randomized to receive one of two doses of vapendavir or placebo. The trial’s primary objective is to assess improvement in respiratory symptoms using established patient-reported outcomes, with additional endpoints evaluating time to symptom resolution, quality of life, healthcare resource utilization, and lung function.

About Altesa BioSciences, Inc.

Altesa BioSciences is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, led by global experts in respiratory medicine and infectious diseases. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people with chronic lung diseases, like COPD and asthma, by treating the principal cause of exacerbations and pathological inflammation – viral respiratory infections. In addition to advancing vapendavir, our lead medicine, we advocate for improved access to modern respiratory diagnostics and therapeutics in underserved communities. www.altesa.com

Media Contact: Peg Rusconi

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Altesa Biosciences Inc.

• HUMAIN investierte 3 Milliarden US-Dollar in die Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E von xAI kurz vor dessen Übernahme durch SpaceX und positionierte sich damit in einem entscheidenden Moment einer plattformweiten Expansion und Integration
• Infolge der Transaktion wurde HUMAIN zu einem bedeutenden Minderheitsaktionär, wobei seine xAI-Beteiligungen in SpaceX-Aktien umgewandelt wurden
• Die Investition baut auf der 500-MW-KI-Infrastrukturpartnerschaft von HUMAIN und xAI in Saudi-Arabien auf und stärkt die Rolle von HUMAIN sowohl als strategischer Entwicklungspartner als auch als führender globaler Investor in Frontier-KI-Technologien

RIYADH, Saudi-Arabien, 18. Februar 2026 — HUMAIN, ein Unternehmen des PIF, das weltweit Full-Stack-Fähigkeiten im Bereich künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) bereitstellt, gab heute eine strategische Investition in Höhe von 3 Milliarden US-Dollar in xAI im Rahmen der Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E des Unternehmens bekannt. Die Transaktion stellt für HUMAIN einen bedeutenden, durchgängigen Kapitaleinsatz dar und spiegelt die anhaltende Dynamik seiner langfristigen Investitionsstrategie wider, die auf branchenprägende Technologieplattformen ausgerichtet ist.

Die Investition erfolgt zu einem äußerst wichtigen Zeitpunkt für xAI und geht der Übernahme durch SpaceX Anfang Februar voraus. Die Kombination der fortschrittlichen Fähigkeiten von xAI im Bereich der künstlichen Intelligenz mit der Größe, der Infrastruktur und dem missionsorientierten Engineering von SpaceX schafft eine einzigartig positionierte Plattform für beschleunigtes Wachstum, tiefgreifende technologische Integration und langfristige Wertschöpfung.

Infolge der Transaktion im Zusammenhang mit der Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E wurde HUMAIN zu einem bedeutenden Minderheitsaktionär von xAI, wobei seine Beteiligung anschließend in Aktien von SpaceX umgewandelt wurde. Die Transaktion schafft eine solide Grundlage für HUMAINs Beteiligung am langfristigen Wertsteigerungspotenzial und spiegelt die Teilnahme an der letzten Finanzierungsrunde von xAI vor dem Zusammenschluss wider.

„Diese Investition spiegelt HUMAINs Überzeugung in transformative KI sowie unsere Fähigkeit wider, substanzielles Kapital hinter außergewöhnlichen Chancen einzusetzen, bei denen langfristige Vision, technische Exzellenz und Umsetzung zusammenkommen”, sagte Tareq Amin, Geschäftsführer von HUMAIN. „Die Entwicklung von xAI, zusätzlich gestärkt durch die Übernahme durch SpaceX, eine der größten Technologiefusionen, die je verzeichnet wurden, steht für die Art von High-Impact-Plattform, die wir mit erheblichem Kapital unterstützen möchten.”

Die Beteiligung von HUMAIN an der Finanzierungsrunde der Serie E stärkt seine Rolle als skalierbarer, langfristig ausgerichteter strategischer Investor, der Unternehmen über mehrere Wachstumsphasen hinweg unterstützen kann, und zugleich Full-Stack-KI-Fähigkeiten in vier Kernbereichen bereitstellt: Rechenzentren der nächsten Generation; Hochleistungsinfrastruktur und Cloudplattformen; fortschrittliche KI-Modelle; sowie transformative KI-Lösungen.

Die Investition baut auf der groß angelegten Partnerschaft auf, die im November 2025 auf dem U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum angekündigt wurde und im Rahmen dieser HUMAIN und xAI sich verpflichtet haben, gemeinsam mehr als 500 MW KI-Rechenzentrums- und Recheninfrastruktur der nächsten Generation zu entwickeln und die Grok-Modelle von xAI in Saudi-Arabien einzusetzen. Gemeinsam vertiefen diese Initiativen die langfristige Abstimmung und erweitern HUMAINs Rolle vom strategischen Partner zu einem führenden globalen Anteilseigner an xAI.

Mit Blick auf die Zukunft sieht die Strategie von HUMAIN weitere Investitionen in den Bereichen künstliche Intelligenz, Spitzentechnologien und kritische Infrastrukturen vor.

Informationen zu HUMAIN

HUMAIN, ein Unternehmen des PIF, ist ein globales Unternehmen für künstliche Intelligenz, das Full-Stack-KI-Fähigkeiten in vier Kernbereichen bereitstellt: Rechenzentren der nächsten Generation, Hochleistungsinfrastruktur und Cloudplattformen, fortschrittliche KI-Modelle, darunter einige der weltweit fortschrittlichsten arabischen Sprachmodelle, die in der arabischen Welt entwickelt wurden, sowie transformative KI-Lösungen, die tiefe Branchenkenntnisse mit der Umsetzung in der Praxis verbinden.

Das End-to-End-Modell von HUMAIN bedient sowohl Organisationen des öffentlichen als auch des privaten Sektors, erschließt Werte in verschiedenen Branchen, treibt die digitale Transformation voran und stärkt die Fähigkeiten durch die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Mensch und KI. Mit einem wachsenden Portfolio branchenspezifischer KI-Produkte und einer Kernmission, die auf die Entwicklung geistigen Eigentums sowie eine globale Führungsrolle bei Talenten ausgerichtet ist, ist HUMAIN auf internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und technologische Exzellenz ausgelegt.

Zukunftsgerichtete Aussagen:

Diese Pressemitteilung kann zukunftsgerichtete Aussagen enthalten, die auf aktuellen Erwartungen und Annahmen beruhen. Tatsächliche Ergebnisse können aufgrund verschiedener Risiken und Unsicherheiten wesentlich abweichen. HUMAIN übernimmt keine Verpflichtung, diese Aussagen zu aktualisieren.

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Medienanfragen:
Weitere Informationen zu HUMAIN finden Sie auf humain.com.
Für Medienanfragen wenden Sie sich bitte an:
Hana Nemec, Leiterin der Abteilung Kommunikation und PR
[email protected]
Folgen Sie HUMAIN auf: X | LinkedIn

–  HUMAIN respalda a xAI con una inversión de Serie E de 3.000 millones de dólares antes de la histórica fusión con SpaceX

• HUMAIN invirtió 3.000 millones de dólares en la ronda de financiación Serie E de xAI justo antes de su adquisición por SpaceX, posicionándose en un momento crucial para la expansión e integración a escala de plataforma.
• Como resultado de la transacción, HUMAIN se convirtió en un accionista minoritario significativo, y sus participaciones en xAI se convirtieron en acciones de SpaceX.
• La inversión se basa en la colaboración entre HUMAIN y xAI para la creación de infraestructura de IA de 500 MW en Arabia Saudí, lo que refuerza el papel de HUMAIN como socio estratégico de desarrollo e inversor global líder en tecnologías de IA de vanguardia.

RIAD, Arabia Saudita, 18 de febrero de 2026 — HUMAIN, empresa PIF que ofrece capacidades integrales de inteligencia artificial a nivel mundial, anunció hoy una inversión estratégica de 3.000 millones de dólares en xAI como parte de su ronda de financiación Serie E. La transacción representa una inversión de capital significativa e integral para HUMAIN, lo que refleja el continuo impulso de su estrategia de inversión a largo plazo, centrada en plataformas tecnológicas que definen categorías.

La inversión llega en un momento clave para xAI, previo a su adquisición por SpaceX a principios de febrero. La combinación de las avanzadas capacidades de inteligencia artificial de xAI con la escala, la infraestructura y la ingeniería orientada a misiones de SpaceX crea una plataforma estratégicamente posicionada para un crecimiento acelerado, una profunda integración tecnológica y la creación de valor a largo plazo.

Como resultado de la transacción de la Serie E, HUMAIN se convirtió en un accionista minoritario significativo de xAI, cuyas participaciones se convirtieron posteriormente en acciones de SpaceX. La transacción crea una sólida plataforma para la exposición de HUMAIN al potencial de crecimiento a largo plazo de la renta variable, lo que refleja su participación en la última ronda de financiación de xAI antes de la fusión.

“Esta inversión refleja la convicción de HUMAIN en la IA transformacional y nuestra capacidad para invertir capital significativo en oportunidades excepcionales donde convergen la visión a largo plazo, la excelencia técnica y la ejecución”, afirmó Tareq Amin, consejero delegado de HUMAIN. “La trayectoria de xAI, reforzada por su adquisición por SpaceX, una de las mayores fusiones tecnológicas de la historia, representa el tipo de plataforma de alto impacto que buscamos respaldar con un capital significativo”.

La participación de HUMAIN en la ronda de la Serie E refuerza su papel como inversor estratégico a gran escala y a largo plazo capaz de apoyar a las empresas en múltiples etapas de crecimiento, al tiempo que ofrece capacidades de IA integrales en cuatro áreas principales: centros de datos de próxima generación; infraestructura de alto rendimiento y plataformas en la nube; modelos de IA avanzados; y soluciones de IA transformadoras.

La inversión se basa en la alianza a gran escala anunciada en noviembre de 2025 en el Foro de Inversión EE.UU.-Arabia Saudita, en virtud de la cual HUMAIN y xAI se comprometieron a desarrollar conjuntamente más de 500 MW de centros de datos de IA de última generación e infraestructura de computación, así como a implementar los modelos Grok de xAI en Arabia Saudita. Juntas, estas iniciativas profundizan la alineación a largo plazo y amplían el rol de HUMAIN, que ha pasado de ser socio estratégico a ser accionista líder global de xAI.

De cara al futuro, la estrategia de HUMAIN incluye la búsqueda de inversiones adicionales en inteligencia artificial, tecnologías de vanguardia e infraestructura crítica.

Acerca de HUMAIN

HUMAIN, una empresa de PIF, es una empresa global de inteligencia artificial que ofrece capacidades de IA integrales en cuatro áreas principales: centros de datos de próxima generación; infraestructura de hiperrendimiento y plataformas en la nube; modelos de IA avanzados, incluidos algunos de los modelos de idioma árabe grande más avanzados del mundo desarrollados en el mundo árabe; y soluciones de IA transformadoras que combinan un profundo conocimiento del sector con la ejecución en el mundo real.

El modelo integral de HUMAIN presta servicios tanto a organizaciones del sector público como del privado, generando valor en todos los sectores, impulsando la transformación digital y fortaleciendo las capacidades mediante la colaboración entre humanos e IA. Con una cartera creciente de productos de IA específicos para cada sector y una misión central centrada en el desarrollo de la propiedad intelectual y el liderazgo global del talento, HUMAIN está diseñada para la competitividad internacional y la excelencia tecnológica.

Declaraciones prospectivas:

Este comunicado de prensa puede contener declaraciones prospectivas basadas en expectativas y suposiciones actuales. Los resultados reales pueden variar significativamente debido a diversos riesgos e incertidumbres. HUMAIN no asume ninguna obligación de actualizar estas declaraciones.

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Consultas de medios:
Para más información sobre HUMAIN, visite humain.com.
Para consultas de medios, contacte con:
Hana Nemec, directora de Comunicación y RR.PP. 
[email protected]
Siga a HUMAIN en: X | LinkedIn

• HUMAIN a investi 3 milliards de dollars dans la série E de xAI juste avant son acquisition par SpaceX, se positionnant ainsi à un moment charnière de l’expansion et de l’intégration à l’échelle de la plateforme
• À la suite de la transaction, HUMAIN est devenue un actionnaire très minoritaire, ses actions xAI ayant été converties en actions SpaceX.
•  Cet investissement s’inscrit dans le prolongement du partenariat entre HUMAIN et xAI pour une infrastructure d’IA de 500 MW en Arabie saoudite, confirmant ainsi le rôle de HUMAIN en tant que partenaire de développement stratégique et investisseur mondial de premier plan dans les technologies d’IA d’avant-garde.

RIYADH, Arabie Saoudite, 18 février 2026 — HUMAIN, une société PIF offrant des capacités d’intelligence artificielle complètes à l’échelle mondiale, a annoncé aujourd’hui un investissement stratégique de 3 milliards de dollars dans xAI dans le cadre du cycle de financement de série E de la société. La transaction représente un déploiement de capital important et complet pour HUMAIN, reflétant la poursuite de sa stratégie d’investissement à long terme axée sur les plates-formes technologiques qui définissent des catégories.

Cet investissement intervient à un moment crucial pour xAI, avant son acquisition par SpaceX au début du mois de février. La combinaison des capacités avancées d’intelligence artificielle de xAI avec la taille, l’infrastructure et l’ingénierie de SpaceX crée une plateforme unique pour une croissance accélérée, une intégration technologique profonde et une création de valeur à long terme.

À la suite de la transaction de série E, HUMAIN est devenue un actionnaire très minoritaire de xAI, dont les parts ont ensuite été converties en actions de SpaceX. La transaction crée une plate-forme solide pour l’exposition de HUMAIN à la hausse des capitaux propres à long terme, reflétant la participation au dernier tour de financement de xAI avant la fusion.

« Cet investissement reflète la conviction de HUMAIN dans l’IA transformationnelle et notre capacité à déployer des capitaux importants derrière des opportunités exceptionnelles où convergent vision à long terme, excellence technique et exécution », a déclaré Tareq Amin, PDG de HUMAIN. « La trajectoire de xAI, renforcée par son acquisition par SpaceX, l’une des plus grandes fusions technologiques jamais enregistrées, représente le type de plateforme à fort impact que nous cherchons à soutenir avec des capitaux importants. »

La participation de HUMAIN à la série E renforce son rôle d’investisseur stratégique à long terme, capable de soutenir des entreprises à différents stades de croissance, tout en fournissant des capacités d’IA complètes dans quatre domaines clés : des centres de données de nouvelle génération ; des infrastructures et des plateformes cloud performantes ; des modèles d’IA avancés ; et des solutions d’IA révolutionnaires.

Cet investissement s’appuie sur le partenariat à grande échelle annoncé en novembre 2025 lors du Forum d’investissement américano-saoudien, dans le cadre duquel HUMAIN et xAI se sont engagés à développer conjointement plus de 500 MW de centres de données et d’infrastructures de calcul d’IA de nouvelle génération et à déployer les modèles Grok de xAI en Arabie saoudite. Ensemble, ces initiatives renforcent l’alignement à long terme et étendent le rôle de HUMAIN, qui passe de partenaire stratégique à actionnaire mondial de premier plan dans xAI.

Pour l’avenir, la stratégie de HUMAIN comprend la poursuite d’investissements supplémentaires dans l’intelligence artificielle, les technologies d’avant-garde et les infrastructures critiques.

À propos d’HUMAIN

HUMAIN, une société du FIP, est une entreprise internationale d’intelligence artificielle qui offre des capacités d’IA complètes dans quatre domaines principaux : des centres de données de nouvelle génération ; des infrastructures et des plateformes cloud hyperperformantes ; des modèles d’IA avancés, y compris certains des modèles de langue arabe les plus avancés au monde, développés dans le monde arabe ; et des solutions d’IA révolutionnaires qui combinent une connaissance approfondie du secteur avec une exécution dans le monde réel.

Le modèle de bout en bout de HUMAIN sert les organisations des secteurs public et privé, libérant de la valeur dans tous les secteurs, favorisant la transformation numérique et renforçant les capacités par le biais de la collaboration entre l’homme et l’IA. Avec un portefeuille croissant de produits d’IA spécifiques à certains secteurs et une mission centrale axée sur le développement de la propriété intellectuelle et le leadership mondial en matière de talents, HUMAIN est conçu pour la compétitivité internationale et l’excellence technologique.

Déclaration prospective :

Le présent communiqué de presse peut contenir des déclarations prospectives fondées sur des attentes et des hypothèses actuelles. Les résultats réels pourraient différer matériellement en raison de divers risques et incertitudes. HUMAIN ne s’engage pas à mettre à jour ces déclarations.

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Relations avec les médias :
Pour plus d’informations sur HUMAIN, veuillez consulter le site humain.com.
Pour les demandes de renseignements des médias, veuillez contacter
Hana Nemec, responsable de la communication et des relations publiques
[email protected]
Suivez HUMAIN sur : X | LinkedIn

NORWALK, Conn., Feb. 18, 2026 — Lifespan Vision Ventures, an investment firm focused on therapeutics that improve human healthspan, today announced that it has co-led Sift Biosciences’ oversubscribed $3.7 million Pre-Seed financing alongside Freeflow Ventures, with participation from Valuence Ventures, Eisai Innovation, SBI US Gateway Fund, and other early investors.

Sift Biosciences is developing a peptide-based immunotherapy platform designed to harness pre-existing immune memory. The company’s approach aims to generate more consistent immune engagement by activating memory T cells that already exist in patients, with potential applications across oncology and autoimmune disease. Sift is initially advancing programs in immunologically “cold” solid tumors, including microsatellite-stable colorectal and ovarian cancers, while also exploring immune disease programs where more selective control of immune responses could be therapeutic.

“This financing will support in vivo efficacy studies, expansion of our AI powered peptide discovery engine, and lead candidate selection,” said Clare Lou, Ph.D., CEO and Cofounder of Sift Biosciences. “We are excited to partner with Lifespan Vision Ventures and this strong investor syndicate as we advance our initial pipeline toward the clinic.”

“We are pleased to support Sift because they are applying a clear immunology insight with a platform built to scale,” said Altar Munis, Ph.D., Associate at Lifespan Vision Ventures. “The platform is designed to engage antigen-experienced memory T cells and tune response magnitude and phenotype, with potential applications beyond oncology in autoimmunity and broader immune dysfunction that increases with age.”

As part of the financing, Altar Munis, Ph.D., Associate at Lifespan Vision Ventures, and Kevin Barrett, Managing Partner at Freeflow Ventures will join Sift Biosciences’ Board of Directors.

About Lifespan Vision Ventures

Lifespan Vision Ventures is a global venture capital firm investing in early-stage biotechnology companies developing breakthrough technologies to prevent and treat age-related diseases. The firm partners with visionary founders advancing science-driven solutions that promote healthy aging and extend human healthspan.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

Funding will accelerate Monark’s distribution partnerships and expand its product and asset-class coverage

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2026 — Monark Markets, a New York-based fintech company building the rails connecting brokerage firms and wealth platforms to private markets, is announcing $8.1 million in strategic financing. The round is led by F-Prime with participation from The Treasury, Commerce Ventures, Grit Capital Partners, and BBAE Holdings.

Monark’s API-first infrastructure powers major fintech platforms like Apex Fintech Solutions, Altruist Financial, and BBAE, embedding private market investments directly into existing customer accounts and reaching over 30 million retail investors with $450 billion of captive assets. Monark provides access to Pre-IPO companies as well as 40′ act registered evergreen funds from prominent alternative asset managers.

“We believe that retail portfolio allocation to private markets should and will grow to 15-20% over the next decade, mirroring the portfolio allocation of institutional investors and family offices,” says Ben Haber, CEO of Monark Markets. “This structural shift in capital allocation from retail investors will drive trillions of dollars of investment into private markets, fueling demand for innovative investment products, new investment rails, and increased liquidity.”

As private-market demand grows, Monark addresses a core infrastructure gap for brokerage and wealth platforms: many still lack the capabilities to manage the full alternative investment lifecycle – including deal sourcing, subscription processing, custody and reporting, and secondary liquidity – from within their native investor experience. Monark’s embedded API infrastructure enables platforms to natively offer private investments, with full compliance and marketing support. By bringing private-market access directly into existing platforms, Monark supports scalable, low-cost access for issuers to the $27 trillion in private wealth held by mass-affluent and affluent U.S. investors, and a more streamlined investor experience.

“Alternative assets have experienced remarkable growth, growing from $5 trillion in 2011 to nearly $16 trillion today,” said David Jegen, Managing Partner of F-Prime’s Technology Fund. “Asset managers are seeking new retail investors to grow AUM, and financial advisors and a changing regulatory environment are guiding to higher allocations to alternatives. Ben, Paul, and the team at Monark are building the digital rails that will make this expansion possible at scale.”

Behind the APIs, Monark works closely with distribution partners to build a curated marketplace of private investment opportunities. This includes sourcing issuers, conducting due diligence, and negotiating distribution economics. This end-to-end support is increasingly critical as retail demand grows for exposure to key engines of economic growth in the private markets, including U.S. reindustrialization and next-generation defense, as well as AI, blockchain, and space exploration.

Monark will use the new capital to scale its distribution network through integrations with additional brokerage and wealth management platforms, as well as to expand access to new products and asset classes, including evergreen funds, fractional real estate, and secondary trading of private securities. 

About Monark Markets, Inc.

Monark Markets, Inc., is a venture-backed, New York-based fintech providing “Alts-As-A-Service” infrastructure to brokerage firms and wealth management platforms. Monark’s b2b APIs enable embedded access to private markets from within partners’ existing trading platforms. https://monark-markets.com

About MMM Securities LLC

MMM Securities LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Monark Markets, Inc., is a FINRA-member broker-dealer authorized to conduct private placements, retail mutual fund sales, and operate an alternative trading system. Investments in private securities and alternative assets involve substantial risks, including illiquidity, loss of principal, limited transparency, and extended holding periods. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The firm is committed to maintaining the highest standards of compliance and meeting the regulatory requirements for its services. Member FINRA/SIPC. Check the background of this firm on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Monark Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Monark Markets

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 18, 2026 — Efficient Computer, the company building the world’s most energy-efficient general-purpose processors, today announced a $60 million Series A funding round led by Triatomic Capital with participation from Eclipse, Union Square Ventures, Overlap Holdings, Box Group, RTX Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Overmatch Ventures, and others. The round brings the total amount raised to $76 million. The new capital will be used to accelerate Efficient Computer’s product roadmap and expand its engineering and developer teams, bringing its ultra-efficient architecture to a wide range of use cases.

Energy is the primary constraint on all modern computing hardware. As AI and advanced software move out of the cloud and into the physical world, existing processor architectures struggle to deliver intelligence within power, thermal, battery lifetime, and form-factor limits. Fixed-function accelerators entering the market lack the flexibility required to keep pace with rapidly evolving workloads, and the next iteration of inefficient CPUs or GPUs does nothing to address the energy demands of the world’s most important applications of intelligence and computing.

Efficient Computer is addressing this challenge with the Electron E1, the world’s most energy-efficient general-purpose processor, built on Efficient Computer’s Fabric architecture. The Efficient Fabric architecture is a spatial dataflow architecture designed from the ground up to minimize energy use while executing real, general-purpose programs — including critically important AI, signal processing, and controls workloads — efficiently on a single programmable platform. By eliminating unnecessary data movement and architectural overheads intrinsic to CPU and GPU architectures, the Efficient Fabric architecture delivers dramatic gains in performance per watt The Fabric achieves hardware-accelerator-like efficiency and performance, without sacrificing programmability, like many recent over-specialized hardware products that do not support the full breadth of computation needed for critical applications such as physical AI.

“The industry has responded to rising energy costs by layering many fixed-function accelerators into a typical SoC,” said Brandon Lucia, CEO and co-founder of Efficient Computer. “The specialized hardware approach works to support a narrow slice of today’s workloads, but it breaks down as software, models, and applications continue to change. Efficient was built around a different idea: that the most durable path forward is a truly general-purpose architecture that can evolve with software over time, while providing market-leading energy efficiency for a range of critical intelligence use cases.”

This funding round will enable Efficient Computer to advance its vertically integrated hardware and software platform into embedded high-performance applications and further develop its Efficient Fabric architecture IP across edge, infrastructure, and emerging AI-driven markets.

“As we continue to see AI embedded across the physical world, Efficient’s processors enable intelligence in applications that were previously inaccessible,” said Peter Zhou, general partner at Triatomic Capital. “We see Efficient’s architecture as the missing link in AI’s last-mile distribution problem. We are proud to support the team as they tackle AI’s energy problem from the edge to the data center.” 

“Efficient is taking a fundamentally new approach to compute architecture, delivering dramatically greater efficiency and significantly lower power consumption than traditional general-purpose compute,” said Greg Reichow, partner at Eclipse. “As energy becomes the defining constraint for everything from edge devices to data centers, Efficient’s breakthrough enables far more compute within the same energy footprint. We’re excited to support the team as they translate this clean-sheet innovation into real products that can reshape the future of computing.”

“Efficient Computer truly lives up to its name in more ways than one. The company has built a unique, energy-efficient computing architecture and has also done it in a highly capital-efficient manner,” said Justin Stevens, founder and CEO at Overlap Holdings. “To reach this stage of development and commercialization with so little expenditure to date sets them up for unparalleled growth and success going forward.”

“We are excited to partner with Efficient Computer as they build a new class of highly energy-efficient chips. The team’s technical depth and market insight position them to enable new applications that have long been constrained by power,” said Rebecca Kaden, general partner at Union Square Ventures. “The proliferation of sensors and the emergence of an intelligent physical world represent one of the most exciting opportunities in front of us, and Efficient Computer is well positioned to help power what is possible.”

“Efficient’s Electron E1 processor fundamentally changes what’s possible at the edge,” said Alex Hawkinson, founder and CEO of BrightAI. “Efficient has delivered a true leap in energy-efficient computation, and integrating E1 into BrightAI’s Stateful platform allows us to unlock a new sphere of physical AI, bringing real-time observability to the world’s most critical infrastructure.”

About Efficient Computer
Efficient Computer is building the world’s most energy-efficient general-purpose processor by combining ultra-efficient hardware with intuitive, developer-friendly software. This approach delivers extreme efficiency across a wide range of applications — from physical AI in infrastructure and automation, to space and defense, to consumer and industrial wearables. Efficient’s Fabric architecture scales seamlessly from tiny, “beyond the edge” devices to the edge, and all the way to the data center, enabling widespread adoption across industries and positioning Efficient as the solution to computing’s energy challenge. For more information about the company, please visit https://efficient.computer.

SOURCE Efficient Computer

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2026 — Fastest-growing sports trading platform applies for DCM license to be available in all 50 states

• Novig operates a commission-free, peer-to-peer exchange designed for sports traders, utilizing an order-book model to provide market-driven odds
• 10X growth in trading volume in 2025
• New funding accelerates product development: more markets, deeper liquidity, and advanced trading tools purpose-built for sports traders

Novig, the fastest growing sports trading platform in America, today announced the close of a $75 million Series B round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Multicoin Capital, Makers Fund, Edge Equity, and existing investors Forerunner, Perceptive Ventures, and NFX. The round brings Novig’s total capital raised to more than $105 million. 

The funding follows a period of growth for the platform, which reported a 10x increase in trading volume during 2025. Novig’s annualized trading volume currently exceeds $4 billion.

Although sports account for the majority of activity on most prediction market platforms, those products are not built with sports traders in mind. Novig, by contrast, is built for sports fans, delivering a fair, transparent, and commission-free trading experience. 

Since launch, the platform has rapidly emerged as the leading sports trading platform in the U.S., proving strong demand for a trader-first alternative to traditional sportsbooks. Novig has officially submitted its application to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to become a licensed Designated Contract Market (DCM), a critical milestone in its transition toward becoming a federally regulated exchange available in all 50 states. 

Unlike sportsbooks that operate an against-the-house model, Novig operates a commission-free, peer-to-peer exchange where traders compete against one another on a level playing field. By eliminating the hidden “vig,” unfair odds, and punitive limits on winning players, Novig has built the industry’s most equitable sports prediction platform.

“Our mission is to democratize and financialize sports markets, and we’re proud of the fact that Novig users are 10 times more likely to win than on traditional sportsbooks,” said Jacob Fortinsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Novig. “We chose to partner with the best crypto venture firms in the world to further accelerate our plans to make Novig the most efficient and liquid sports prediction market in the world. Others are using prediction market technology to financialize new markets with unproven demand. We leverage it to fix broken markets where demand already exists.” “Novig is proving that prediction markets can fundamentally reshape sports betting by removing the exploitative middleman,” says Paul Veradittakit, Managing Partner at Pantera Capital. “Their peer-to-peer exchange delivers what traditional sportsbooks can’t: better odds, fairer market structure, and alignment between platform success and user profitability. When 23% of users are profitable compared to 2% on traditional platforms, it’s clear this is a foundational change to the industry. We’re excited to lead this round and support Jacob, Kelechi, and the team as they build a sports prediction market that actually puts bettors first.” “Novig combines the cultural heartbeat of sports with the transparency and efficiency of prediction markets. Most prediction market volume today is on sports, yet those platforms weren’t built with sports or sports bettors in mind. We are delivering a better exchange that is built by sports traders, for sports traders,” said Co-Founder and CTO Kelechi Ukah. 

The new capital accelerates Novig’s next phase of growth, including onboarding more institutional liquidity. Novig will utilize the investment to deepen product innovation and growth loops, launching first-of-its-kind functionality that combines the best innovation of financial markets with the excitement of live sports.

To support its next phase of growth, Novig has expanded its team to more than 50 personnel, including operators, engineers, and traders focused on developing the platform’s prediction market infrastructure and transparency features.

About Novig:

Novig is a sweepstakes-based sports prediction market, and the only platform to offer commission-free, peer-to-peer trading on sports. By eliminating the traditional sportsbook model, Novig delivers better pricing, full transparency, and a more efficient market structure for users.

For more information, users can visit Novig.com or follow Novig on X or LinkedIn.

Contact
Michelle Isaacs
Novig
[email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915870/Series_B_Novig.jpg

SOURCE Novig