SINGAPORE, Feb. 20, 2024 — OKX Ventures, the investment arm of leading Web3 technology company OKX, has issued updates for February 21, 2024.

OKX Ventures Backs AltLayer in a US$ 14.4 Million Round to Champion Innovation in Blockchain Technology

OKX Ventures is proud to announce its participation in a funding round for AltLayer, a leading platform for rollups. The funding round, which raised $14.4 million, was co-led by Polychain Capital and Hack VC. This investment underscores OKX Ventures’ continued commitment to supporting innovative projects in the blockchain space.

AltLayer is a decentralized protocol that empowers developers to create rollups from various software stacks, offering a rollup-as-a-service model. This round of capital will be utilized to expand AltLayer’s team and further enhance its rollup infrastructure.

OKX Ventures Founder Dora Yue said: “We’re excited to support AltLayer in their quest for scalability and innovation in the blockchain technology sector. AltLayer’s dedication to developing rollup infrastructure signifies a considerable advancement for the industry. This aligns perfectly with OKX Ventures’ mission to support projects that drive innovation and push the boundaries of the blockchain space.”

OKX Ventures looks forward to seeing the growth and development of AltLayer, as well as supporting their vision to revolutionize the blockchain industry.

For further information, please contact:
[email protected]

About OKX Ventures

OKX Ventures is the investment arm of global leading crypto exchange and Web3 technology company OKX, with an initial capital commitment of USD100 million. It focuses on exploring the best blockchain projects on a global scale, supporting cutting-edge blockchain technology innovation, promoting the healthy development of the global blockchain industry, and investing in long-term structural value.

Through its commitment to supporting entrepreneurs who contribute to the development of the blockchain industry, OKX Ventures helps build innovative companies and brings global resources and historical experience to blockchain projects.

Find out more about OKX Ventures here.

Disclaimer

SOURCE OKX Ventures

CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2024 — CIVC Partners, L.P. (“CIVC”), a Chicago-based middle market private equity firm focused on investments in the business services sector, is pleased to announce its investment in Highstreet IT Solutions (“Highstreet” or the “Company”) in partnership with CEO Nick Magliato, CFO Ben Davies, and the Highstreet management team. 

Highstreet, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, is a rapidly growing, cloud-focused Oracle implementation and managed services provider offering services across a client’s entire cloud lifecycle. The Company provides a full suite of services, from up-front strategy and design assessments, to implementing and migrating to cloud environments, to long-term managed services. The entire Highstreet management team will remain in place following the transaction. For additional information about Highstreet, visit www.highstreetit.com.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with a team at CIVC that shares our vision for Highstreet,” said CEO Nick Magliato. “CIVC has been an active investor in the IT services sector and has the resources and capabilities to help us execute on our growth strategy while continuing to provide unmatched services to our clients.”

Marc McManus, Partner at CIVC, commented, “Highstreet is a rapidly growing implementation and managed services provider with an exceptional track record of exceeding client expectations driven by deep technical expertise and end user focus. We are excited to partner with Nick and Ben to support the Company in accelerating organic growth and pursuing strategic acquisitions.” Andrew Roche, Principal at CIVC, added, “Highstreet is an exciting investment opportunity for CIVC and a strong fit with our experience investing in high-growth service-oriented businesses.”

The partnership with Highstreet builds on CIVC’s investment experience in IT services. Other representative investments include Datavail (data managed services), Industrial Networking Solutions (industrial IoT solutions), Allata (digital engineering services), iVision (managed IT services), and KeyData (cybersecurity services).

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to CIVC on the transaction. Guggenheim Securities acted as Highstreet’s financial advisor, and Winston & Strawn LLP served as legal counsel to Highstreet.

About CIVC Partners, L.P.

CIVC Partners is a Chicago-based private equity firm established in 1970 to provide growth capital to entrepreneurs and founders.  Since 1989, CIVC has invested over $2.4 billion in 82 platforms, primarily as growth and buyout capital, along with founders and executives in middle-market companies mainly in the business services sector. CIVC Partners now currently invests from CIVC Partners Fund VII. More information on CIVC Partners and its portfolio companies can be found at www.civc.com.

CIVC Press Contact

Kate Gallego
CIVC Partners 
(312) 873-7331
[email protected]

SOURCE CIVC Partners, L.P.

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2024 — AHP announced today its investment in Prolerity Clinical Research (“Prolerity”), a clinical research site management network. As a cornerstone to the formation of Prolerity, AHP has made a majority investment in Tandem Clinical Research, LLC (“Tandem”), which operates 11 research sites across Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. The investment in Tandem was completed in partnership with its founders Orlan Romm, Dr. Adil Fatakia and John Neill, all of whom will remain in their existing roles. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Prolerity is focused on expanding into a leading site management network with a therapeutic breadth across complex and challenging phase I-III studies, including NASH/NAFLD, cardiology, CNS, gastroenterology, metabolic diseases, and other therapeutic areas. “Partnering with sites such as Tandem helps establish meaningful expertise in complex therapeutic areas while also ensuring subject diversity. Both are important principles for Prolerity as it scales,” said Bede Broome M.D. Ph.D., Managing Director at AHP. “Prolerity will build upon not only Tandem’s existing sites and outstanding investigators, but also embedded sites within several established physician platforms.”

Tandem, headquartered in New Orleans, has become widely known for operating best-in-class research sites for NASH/NAFLD and neurodegenerative studies. Tandem is considered a flagship network, demonstrating excellence in study feasibility, contracting, patient recruitment, retention, and quality. Tandem recently expanded into its newly developed, purpose-built 12,000 sq ft headquarters in Marrero, LA and a new 13,000 sq ft space in Maitland, FL through its ClinCloud division. Tandem can accommodate overnight stays and complex early phase trial needs. “AHP is the ideal partner for us – bringing not just capital, but industry experience and expertise to accelerate the growth our organization,” said Orlan Romm, CEO of Tandem. “This partnership could not have happened at a better time as our industry is evolving rapidly – becoming increasingly sophisticated and competitive. In partnership with Prolerity and AHP, we plan to lead the way to better treatment options, providing patients, study sponsors, and contract research organizations with the best possible high-quality services and dependability.”

About Tandem:

Tandem Clinical Research strives to advance the science of medicine while improving the quality of life of patients through clinical research. Tandem’s professional medical team believes in providing exemplary care to patients across its growing network of sites in Louisiana, Florida, New York, and New Jersey. For more information, please visit TandemClinicalResearch.com.

About AHP:

AHP is a New York based investment management firm focused exclusively on healthcare. AHP’s senior investment team have invested or managed over $3 billion in capital across the healthcare landscape. AHP’s mission is to create shared value by partnering with, and accelerating the growth of, healthcare companies. For more information, please visit AHPartners.com.

SOURCE Assured Healthcare Partners LLC

Direct private lender provides funding to support housing vision

ENGLEWOOD, N.J., Feb. 20, 2024 — Kennedy Funding, a leading global direct private lender, announced the closing of a $2.75 million land loan for a 420-unit multi-family project in Kansas City, Missouri. LOF GP, LLC, the borrower, acquired the 31.51-acre property, called Kimpton Falls, in April 2023 for $4.5 million and secured the loan from Kennedy Funding for working capital and cash-out.

Steven Wilson, President of Barefoot Mortgage in Austin, Texas, the broker on the transaction, said the loan demonstrates Kennedy Funding’s ability to provide competitive funding solutions where other lenders fall short. “We’d been through the ringer with another lender that was supposed to close,” said Wilson.

“Kennedy’s interest rates were superior, with lower prices than others, and a fee structure that was far more competitive. They were professional, direct, up-front, and responsive,” he added.

The strategic location of Kimpton Falls is a major advantage, being just a 22-minute drive from Downtown Kansas City and 13.7 miles from the Kansas City International Airport. Major highways and state routes encircle the property, providing seamless access and high visibility. The area also features national retailers such as Walmart, Dollar Tree, Wendy’s, Starbucks, and McDonald’s within a four-mile radius along with residential homes, schools, cafes, parks and supermarkets.

“The location of this property is one of the prime reasons it’s poised for future success,” commented Kevin Wolfer, Kennedy Funding’s CEO/President. “By doing our due diligence we followed through with the deal, which showcases Kennedy’s commitment to stepping in when traditional funding sources cannot meet the needs of developers.”

“Where traditional lenders see obstacles, we see opportunities,” said Executive Loan Officer Mark Falzone. “Our expertise in delivering funding solutions for land acquisition and development is unmatched, and we’re proud to add the Kansas City project to our portfolio of success stories.”

As a direct lender, Kennedy Funding’s streamlined process does not depend on bureaucratic red tape and onerous loan provisions and large loan committees that borrowers face with traditional lenders, allowing for a quick turnaround on loan closings.

Kennedy Funding provides fast funding for acquisitions, working capital, refinancing, and cash-outs, catering to a global clientele across the US, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Central, and South America.

“With over $4 billion in closed loans, our expertise in crafting flexible funding solutions for land is unmatched, affirming our position as a dependable nationwide direct private lender,” added Wolfer.

For further details, click here or contact 800.342.8500.

About Kennedy Funding
Kennedy Funding is a global direct private lender specializing in bridge loans for commercial property and land acquisition, development, workouts, bankruptcies, and foreclosures. Kennedy Funding has closed more than $4 billion in loans to date. Its creative financing expertise provides funding up to 75% loan-to-value, from $1 million ($3 million international) to more than $50 million, in as little as five days. The company has closed loans throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, and Central and South America.

www.kennedyfunding.com

SOURCE Kennedy Funding

Oula’s model of collaborative care – which combines midwifery and obstetrics –will soon become the largest employer of midwives nationwide

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Feb. 20, 2024 — Oula, the first modern maternity care clinic combining the best of obstetrics and midwifery care, today announced it raised a $28 million Series B funding round co-led by Revolution Ventures and Maverick Ventures with participation from GV and existing investors including the Female Founders Fund, 8VC, Alumni Ventures, and Great Oaks. With nearly $50M in total funding, Oula plans to expand its technology-enabled and hybrid care approach to more markets beyond New York City and launch new services for those in their reproductive years.

Maternity care in America is fundamentally broken and the new funding and investor interest reflects the enormous market opportunity to rebuild the consumer experience during a loyalty-defining moment for the most valuable consumer in healthcare. Since 2021, Oula has been leading the way to rebuild a better experience for patients with its unique care model that addresses the needs of consumers, health systems, and payers alike.

“The power of Oula’s collaborative approach to care is that patients feel seen and heard during a transformative moment in their lives, health systems are able to address the evolving expectations of their communities, and we can move the needle on unacceptable outcomes and disparities in maternal care,” said Adrianne Nickerson, CEO and Co-Founder of Oula. 

In the past year, Oula announced its third NYC clinic while outperforming benchmarks on patient experience and outcomes. In comparison to NYC benchmarks, Oula has consistently outperformed on patient outcomes and experiences across 1,500 births through their collaborative care model, delivering a 26% better C-section rate, vs. NYC benchmarks, a 61% lower preterm birth rate, and a 50% better low birth weights rate, all while maintaining a net promoter score (NPS) rating for patient experience above 90.

“Pregnancy outcomes in the US have consistently deteriorated over the past two decades. Oula is solving this mounting crisis by reimagining the maternal experience with midwifery-first, team-based care supported by virtual wrap-around services and a tech-enabled platform. We’re excited to partner with the team as Oula scales its care model and empowers women to receive personalized, trusted support throughout pregnancy,” said Clara Sieg, Partner and Founding Member at Revolution Ventures.

“We’re thrilled to back a company that effectively aligns the needs of mothers, health systems, and payers, and breaks the false binary between unmedicalized and hypermedicalized care,” added David Singer of Maverick Ventures, who also backed One Medical and CityBlock Health at very early stages.

The U.S. maternity care system is designed to serve high-risk pregnancies, even though most are low-risk. Studies show that a one-size-fits-all approach that treats every pregnancy as high-risk can lead to more interventions, and leave some patients without the services they need. This approach to maternity care leads to unsatisfactory patient experiences, poor outcomes, and higher costs. According to the Listening to Mothers Survey, 74% of women say they want a less medicalized approach to birth, up from 45% in 2002. Research shows that midwifery-led care leads to lower rates of preterm birth, 30-40% lower cesarean birth rates, and rates of vaginal birth after cesarean that are nearly twice as high. They also drive a 3x improvement in patient satisfaction with maternity care. A number of state-based regulations impose logistical requirements that make it difficult for midwives to practice – and insurers don’t always cover prenatal and postpartum midwifery care.

“We’ve not only proven that this model works, but that it’s what patients from all backgrounds, birth preferences, and income levels are looking for,” said Elaine Purcell, COO and Co-Founder of Oula. “Whether you can afford concierge care or are on Medicaid, we are building a modern and compassionate pregnancy care model that delivers better outcomes than the system has proven to do.. We deserve better and yes, you can have it all,” she added.

Instead of waiting for the standard eight-week ultrasound, Oula allows patients to book an appointment as soon as their positive pregnancy test as well as continuing to support patients in the postpartum period with weekly “Postpartum Office Hours.” Oula also plans to announce preconception coaching visits and expanded miscarriage support options in the coming year.

“Oula is distinct in the pregnancy landscape today not only in redesigning the standard pregnancy and birth experience, but also in filling the gaps where the medical system typically fails patients: early pregnancy care and postpartum. Even when there aren’t any medical needs, these are times when people need emotional support,” said Joanne Schneider, Oula’s Chief Experience Officer. “Miscarriages are extremely common, so I was shocked at how isolated I felt when I had my own miscarriage. It’s not considered a big deal medically, but it’s a very big deal when you are going through it,” she added. 

How Oula is different:

• Oula providers are able to spend twice as much time with patients as obstetricians do.
• Most people are looking for the middle ground between hypermedicalized and non-medical pregnancy care. Oula allows you to deliver at a hospital with a midwifery approach, which includes access to a variety of pain management options, including epidurals and nitrous oxide.
• Oula’s services fill additional gaps where today’s healthcare system fails patients – early pregnancy care and postpartum care, group education classes, postpartum office hours, and dedicated spaces for BIPOC parents and families.
• Oula’s care is powered by proprietary software the company built to complement its electronic medical records system – a patient portal that guides patient decision-making, enables messaging with the care team, and a care-management platform that ensures patient needs are coordinated seamlessly between staff members.
• Oula takes most major insurances, including Medicaid. One in five Oula patients rely on Medicaid, 54 percent of patients identify as non-white or Hispanic, and one in ten patients are LGBTQ+.

To learn more about Oula, or to book an appointment, please visit oulahealth.com or follow @OulaHealth. Oula’s New York City locations include 109 Montague Street in Brooklyn, 202 Spring Street in Manhattan, and a third clinic in Morningside Heights set to open in July 2024 in partnership with Mount Sinai West. Link to high-res imagery here.

About Oula: 
Oula is the first modern maternity clinic that brings together the best of midwifery and obstetrics to deliver whole person care that is personalized and evidence-based to provide everyone with the support they need to thrive before, during, and after birth. Since launching in 2021, Oula has been leading the way to redesign a better care experience. With our collaborative medical team, welcoming clinic, and remote care platform, we are setting a new standard for pregnancy that brings together modern medicine and human intuition. Both Co-Founders and Chief Experience Officer were pregnant during the pandemic while they raised capital and opened their first location, reaching full capacity in three months. Oula is venture-backed and has raised almost $50m to-date by investors including Chelsea Clinton’s fund, Metrodora and Tom Lee from One Medical. Oula accepts insurance, including Medicaid. Oula can be found in three locations in New York City. Additional markets are expected to open in 2025.

About Revolution Ventures 
Revolution Ventures is Revolution’s institutionally-backed early stage fund investing in companies around the country that are attacking large, multi-billion dollar categories. Co-founders Steve Case and Investment Partners Tige Savage, David Golden, and Clara Sieg work with companies that meet their disciplined criteria and form true partnerships with founders to help them build market-leading businesses. Revolution Ventures is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and part of Revolution’s family of funds including Revolution Growth and the Rise of the Rest Seed Funds. Visit us online at revolution.com/ventures.

About Maverick Ventures 
Maverick Ventures is the venture arm of multi-billion dollar investment firm Maverick Capital. Combining the resources of a global firm with the benefits of an agile, focused team, Maverick Ventures supports entrepreneurs through an evergreen structure from seed through maturity. With over 30 years of early-stage investment experience, the Maverick Ventures team has funded more than 100 companies in the healthcare, software and deep technology sectors. Learn more about San Francisco-based Maverick Ventures at maverickventures.com.

Contact: Catherine Cuello-Fuente at [email protected]

SOURCE Oula

Series C funding round co-led by Celesta Capital and GreatPoint Ventures will drive AI inference system delivering 10x higher-compute density and power efficiency

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 20, 2024 — Recogni, Inc., the leader in AI-based computing, today announced the closing of $102 million in Series C funding, co-led by Celesta Capital and GreatPoint Ventures. Existing investors Mayfield, DNS Capital, BMW i Ventures, and SW Mobility Fund also participated. Joining the round are new investors Pledge Ventures and Tasaru Mobility Investments, a company wholly owned by Public Investment Fund (PIF), with debt provided by HSBC Innovation Banking. The funding will be used to drive next generation system development for AI inference solutions that boost performance and power efficiency while providing the lowest total cost of ownership.

Today’s AI innovators face challenges that restrict AI’s widespread use across various markets. With AI technology advancing rapidly and model sizes increasing significantly, AI inference—the process of using live data in trained models for predictions or task solutions—needs to be more performant and power-efficient than past solutions. These improvements are crucial for broadening AI application in a sustainable manner. Recogni’s scalable, power-efficient AI inference acceleration technique promises to unlock new AI computing possibilities in critical areas like generative AI and intelligent autonomy.

Marc Bolitho, CEO of Recogni, points out the urgent gap between rapidly expanding AI models and the slower evolution of computing capability. “The critical need for solutions that directly address the key challenges in AI inference processing—compute capability, scalability, accuracy, and energy savings—is more urgent than ever. Recogni is leading this transformative wave, engineering pivotal advances that will redefine data centers and enterprise and revolutionize industries like automotive and aerospace,” he said.

Current AI acceleration solutions will not scale for tomorrow’s AI needs. Cloud-based AI training and inference predominantly utilize power-intensive GPUs (graphics processing units), exerting substantial stress on the compute capacity, cooling, and power systems of data centers. Such demands render the process financially and ecologically unsustainable. Recogni is offering a fundamental change in inference processing to solve the AI compute issue from the ground up with scalability that can stand the test of time.

“When you have a solution that achieves 10x higher compute density, 10x lower power and 13x less cost per query, it’s a no-brainer to invest and help bring that solution to market,” said Ashok Krishnamurthi, managing partner at GreatPoint Ventures. “The compute demand for AI applications is going to be significantly more than what the experts are forecasting, and addressing the power consumption piece of the puzzle is critical at this stage resulting in significantly lower operational costs. The repeat investment and high caliber of new investors in the C round is a true testament to Recogni’s team and technology.”

“Generative AI systems in the market today are highly inefficient and consume too much power while adding system complexity, but Recogni’s proven technology is raising the bar on power performance to address the large compute needs of AI workloads,” said Sriram Viswanathan, Celesta Capital founding managing partner and chairman of Recogni’s Board of Directors. “With the rapid AI proliferation over the past year, there is a clear need for Recogni’s products, which are purpose-built for efficient inference compute. We’re pleased to support the company’s ability to meet market demand with its innovative solutions and look forward to seeing them continue to expand their exciting product offering.”

Recogni introduced Recogni Scorpio, its first low power AI compute product, in December 2022.  Scorpio is the world’s first 1000 TFLOPS (1 Peta-Flop) class inference solution at the lowest power for various inference applications. Scorpio’s performance validates Recogni’s vision and ability in breaking barriers in AI compute with scalable performance, generation over generation.

About Recogni
Recogni develops AI-based inference processing solutions for Generative AI and intelligent autonomous platforms. Recogni delivers solutions for high compute, low power, and scalability. The company received its first round of funding in 2019 and has offices in San Jose, California and Munich, Germany. Lead investors are GreatPoint Ventures, Celesta Capital, Mayfield, DNS Capital, and BMW iVentures. For more information, visit www.recogni.com.

About Celesta Capital
Celesta Capital is a global deep technology venture capital firm. Led by technology industry veterans with decades of investment and operational experience, Celesta Capital has a passion and proven track record for building and scaling global businesses. Founded in 2013, Celesta has a portfolio of more than 100 early-stage technology investments. Learn more at http://celesta.vc.

About GreatPoint Ventures
GreatPoint Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded by entrepreneurs and operators who’ve built companies cumulatively worth $300 billion. Our mission is to partner with entrepreneurs solving big problems across enterprise, healthcare, bio-tech, and food. At GPV we make fewer than 10 new investments per year so we have time to fight in the trenches with every team we back. Learn more at https://www.gpv.com.

SOURCE Recogni Inc.

After being selected by leading PBMs, Benefits Navigators, and Health Plans as the virtual cardiometabolic provider of choice, 9amHealth increases the round’s total to $25M

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 20, 2024 — 9amHealth, the leading virtual provider for cardiometabolic health, announced it has raised $9.5 million in a Series A extension round today. The financing round was led by The Cigna Group Ventures, with additional support from existing institutional investors, including 7Wire Ventures, Define Ventures, Leaps by Bayer, and Founders Fund. 

A recent survey conducted by 9amHealth found that 48% of Americans are on or want to be on a GLP-1 medication, and a staggering 20% would even change their jobs to get access to coverage for the drugs. These life-long treatments deliver impressive clinical outcomes but come with a high price tag, putting employers and healthcare insurers under pressure. 9amHealth is addressing this challenge by providing affordable cardiometabolic care at scale and helping to manage the rising costs of GLP-1s for both patients and employers.

“GLP-1s have caught the attention of Americans who have never been engaged in the healthcare ecosystem before,” said Frank Westermann, co-founder and co-CEO of 9amHealth. “For the first time ever, we’re seeing a significant uptick in patients who are excited about taking care of their diabetes and weight health. But with such a high price point, employers are in need of smart solutions to manage costs and the expectations of employees. With this additional funding, 9amHealth will be able to expand access to the highest standard of medical care to more Americans while curbing medication spending.”

This new capital will fuel 9amHealth’s growth strategy and product roadmap, further scale the company’s existing solutions, and expand its internal team of care specialists, doctors, medical advisers, and more. The funding will also further improve 9amHealth’s already stellar patient experience through higher quality of care, improved health outcomes, and additional cost savings for both patients and employers. To date, 9amHealth has seen an ROI of up to 4x and up to $284 monthly gross savings per member per month.

“The Cigna Group Ventures’ mission is to partner with companies and entrepreneurs that are engaging patients in new ways to ultimately improve their health outcomes,” said Craig Cimini, head of The Cigna Group Ventures. “9amHealth has made great strides in improving access to care for patients diagnosed with obesity and diabetes, and we are excited to help accelerate their next phase of growth.”

9amHealth has earned the trust of patients managing diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and other cardiometabolic conditions by carving out the burdensome parts of healthcare, bringing together a multi-specialty provider team, home-delivered medications, and at-home lab services. For employers, 9amHealth is already a preferred partner for many of the nation’s leading pharmacy benefit managers, benefits navigation platforms, and health plans for simple contracting.

Diabetes affects 11%  and obesity 41.9% of the US population, collectively representing some of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the United States. The 9amHealth team of endocrinologists, obesity medicine specialists, nutritionists, and clinical pharmacists develop tailored treatment plans for long-term success. Clinical outcomes show an impressive A1c reduction of 2.1 in patients with an A1c of 8% or greater, 14.5% body weight reduction, systolic blood pressure reduction of 17.7mmHg, and 95.61% medication adherence among 9amHealth members over 6-12 months.

About 9amHealth 
9amHealth offers complete cardiometabolic care—a first-of-its-kind, whole-body approach to preventing and treating diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and hypertension. They partner with businesses to provide effective health benefits for those living with chronic conditions. Their members receive personalized care plans, prescription delivery, at-home lab tests, and unlimited specialist access. 9amHealth was founded in 2021 by the team behind mySugr and is backed by Cigna Ventures, 7Wire Ventures, Human Capital, Founders Fund, and Define Ventures. More at www.join9am.com.

SOURCE 9amHealth

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Feb. 20, 2024 — NSV Wolf Capital (NSV, nsvwolfcapital.com) announced the successful final closing of its progressive investment vehicle, “NSV Wolf Capital IV Hybrid VC Fund,” on January 29, 2024.

NSV’s Hybrid Venture Capital (VC) Fund strategically combines investments into emerging managers of early-stage VCs along with direct investments into mid-stage startups. The firm’s approach selects multiple early-stage VCs that are experts in their respective industries, offering extensive exposure to promising startups. By closely monitoring thousands of portfolio startups, NSV identifies those poised for expansion, and then co-invests alongside our early-stage VCs. This hybrid strategy minimizes volatility in the seed-stage, maximizes deal exposure, and yields outsized returns in the mid-stage.

The firm also synthesizes innovation intelligence gathered from its hybrid investment activities, delivering valuable strategic insights to limited partners (LP) on current trends, successful business models, and other key information to enable their business transformation and innovation initiatives.

To date, NSV Wolf Capital IV Hybrid VC Fund has invested in nineteen early-stage VC funds, completed six co-investments, and built exposure to over one thousand portfolio startup businesses.

About NSV Wolf Capital

NSV (a.k.a., NetService Ventures, NSV Wolf Management LLC) is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2002. Situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, the firm has evolved from a boutique strategic consulting firm into a Hybrid VC fund manager. The firm specializes in providing access to startups and venture capital investments, employing a risk-adjusted approach to enhance returns while mitigating risks. Additionally, NSV actively bridges the gap between large corporations and early-stage startups to help both parties navigate the tectonic shifts in technology and culture.

Limited Partners (in alphabetical order)

BIPROGY, Future Group, Japan Business Systems, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Nippon Life Insurance, NTT Group, SBI Shinsei Bank

Media Contact
Website: www.nsvwolfcapital.com

Media Contact:
Name: Hiroshi Menjo
Phone: 650-234-9630
373153@email4pr.com

SOURCE NSV Wolf Management, LLC

Latest funding adds to the company’s recent $542 million equity round for a 12-month funding total of $704 million

WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 20, 2024 — In a follow up to one of last year’s largest cleantech private equity placements, Ascend Elements today announced it has raised $162 million in new equity investments. Major investors include Just Climate, Clearvision Ventures, and IRONGREY. The new equity financing brings the company’s 12-month funding total to $704 million, including the $542 million funding round led by Decarbonization Partners, Temasek and Qatar Investment Authority in September 2023.

“I’d like to thank our new and existing partners for investing in North America’s critical EV battery infrastructure,” said CEO Mike O’Kronley of Ascend Elements. “This diverse group of leading climate investors and industry partners underscores the confidence that the market has placed in our business. By recycling lithium-ion batteries and making new, engineered battery materials with lower carbon emissions, Ascend Elements is accelerating the global transition to zero carbon emissions.”

“We are backing a technology that transforms spent lithium-ion batteries into critical materials used in the creation of new batteries. With its first pCAM facility in construction in the United States, Ascend Elements has the potential to unlock the supply of critical battery materials to accelerate the roll out of electric vehicles,” said Aruna Ramsamy, a Managing Director at Just Climate. “Ascend Elements’ Hydro-to-Cathode^® technology provides a sustainable option for production of critical battery materials, championing circularity in an industry that is poised to scale significantly. We’re looking forward to supporting Ascend Elements in its growth journey.”

The new funding will advance construction of Ascend Elements’ Apex 1 facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, which will be North America’s first sustainable cathode precursor (pCAM) manufacturing facility open in early 2025. When complete, the 1-million-square-foot facility will produce sustainable pCAM and CAM (cathode active materials) for up to 750,000 electric vehicles per year. The project is supported in part by U.S. Department of Energy and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

pCAM and CAM are engineered materials made to precise microstructure specifications for use in electric vehicle batteries. While most of the world’s pCAM and CAM are made in China from primary (mined) metals, U.S.-based Ascend Elements is commercializing an ultra-efficient method to make sustainable pCAM and CAM from black mass, the traditional output of lithium-ion battery recycling facilities. The patented Hydro-to-Cathode^® direct precursor synthesis process eliminates several intermediary steps in the traditional cathode manufacturing process and provides significant economic and carbon-reduction benefits.

Several peer-reviewed studies have shown Ascend Elements’ recycled battery materials perform as well as similar materials made from primary (mined) sources.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as sole placement agent for the Series D funding round.

About Ascend Elements
Based in Westborough, Mass., Ascend Elements is a leading provider of sustainable, closed-loop battery materials solutions. From EV battery recycling to commercial-scale production of lithium-ion battery precursor (pCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM), Ascend Elements is revolutionizing the production of sustainable lithium-ion battery materials. Its proprietary Hydro-to-Cathode^® direct precursor synthesis technology produces new pCAM from spent lithium-ion cells more efficiently than traditional methods, resulting in reduced cost, improved performance, and lowered GHG emissions. With fewer batteries going to landfill and a cleaner manufacturing process, Ascend Elements is taking the lithium-ion battery industry to a higher level of sustainability.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2342766/Jars__Li_carbonate_Ni_sulfate_Co_sulfate_Cathode.jpg 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1930392/Ascend_Elements_Logo.jpg