As Q1 2026 data from altshare shows founders navigating tighter fundraising conditions, the company is entering the U.S. market, offering founders a more connected and centralized approach to equity management

NEW YORK, May 26, 2026 — altshare, an AI-powered Equity Management Intelligence platform, announces its expansion into the U.S. market alongside the release of its Q1 2026 “The New Rules of Private Funding: Capital Is Selective” report, examining how tighter capital markets are reshaping startup funding and equity strategy. Drawing on data from more than 3,000 companies across the altshare ecosystem, the Q1 report found that investors remain active but are directing capital toward fewer, stronger companies with greater strategic relevance. For founders, that shift is making early financing decisions more consequential across Seed and Series A.

As more startups navigate increasingly selective fundraising conditions, altshare is bringing its Equity Management Intelligence platform to the U.S., giving founders, CFOs, and legal teams clearer visibility into how fundraising affects ownership, control, and long-term growth. Unlike legacy systems that separate workflows across multiple tools, altshare centralizes cap table management, 409A valuations, scenario modeling, waterfall analysis, and stakeholder visibility into a single, AI-powered platform.

Key findings of the Q1 2026 report include:

• Founder ownership and dilution: Founder ownership saw its sharpest stage-to-stage decline between pre-seed and Seed, when early dilution from SAFEs, prior financing, option pool adjustments, and new investments are often formalized in the cap table. Consequently, these metrics underscore how early-stage structuring and financing vehicles heavily shape a founding team’s long-term corporate control.
• Seed funding trends: Seed activity slowed in Q1 2026, with a median investment of $4.8 million and a median pre-money valuation of $10.4 million, landing at the lower end of altshare’s forecast range. altshare’s Q2 2026 projections point to stabilization, though the pace of recovery remains tied to global conditions.
• Series A market reset: Series A rounds also pulled back, with median investment falling to $9.6 million from $12.8 million in Q4 2025, signaling that investors are becoming more selective at the Series A stage.
• Sector performance: AI and cyber remain the strongest categories in Seed and Series A, maintaining premium valuations despite Q1 pullbacks, reflecting growing investor selectivity even in high-demand sectors. The fintech sector continued to decline in Q1 2026, with median investment sizes falling below the 2025 average. HealthTech remains one of the more stable sectors, with relatively modest declines in investment and valuation, attracting investors willing to operate on longer timelines and driven more by clinical and regulatory milestones than by broader market sentiment.
• Liquidity conditions: Liquidity conditions improved, with the share of companies exiting as planned rising to 36.7%, the highest level in the dataset compared to previous years.

The report also found that geopolitical instability, including the Iran conflict during Q1 2026, further shifted capital toward cyber and other defense-adjacent industries. This made the market’s K-shaped recovery more pronounced, with strategically critical sectors attracting capital flows while other industries experienced slower growth.

“Equity is one of the most critical and complex components of building a company,” says Ronen Solomon, Founder and CEO of altshare. “The Q1 2026 report shows that investors aren’t stepping away from private funding, but are responding to a changing global environment by backing companies that are directly relevant to today’s market and geopolitical realities. We are excited to bring U.S. founders a more connected way to manage equity, replacing outdated and fragmented processes with a platform that gives companies greater clarity and control as they grow.”

About altshare: altshare is an AI-powered, controlled equity management platform built for founders, CFOs, and finance teams who need a single system of record for equity operations. From early stage through IPO and beyond, altshare automates compliance, valuations, modeling, and reporting, enabling companies to scale without complexity. altshare meets the world’s most demanding standards as PwC’s Global Vendor of Choice and is trusted by market-leading clients for efficiency, accuracy, and compliance at scale.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2987761/altshare.jpg

Media Contact
Inbar Kneller
ReBlonde for altshare
[email protected] 

SOURCE Altshare

140-unit Class A BTR community advances to lease-up under institutional management; Phase II launches early 2027

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn., May 26, 2026 — Forest Creek Partners, a family-office-backed real estate platform, today announced the $15 million recapitalization of Phase I at Villages at Forest Creek, a 140-unit Class A build-to-rent (BTR) community on the Germantown/Collierville border — two of Greater Memphis’s most affluent submarkets. The facility covers the 48 delivered units and supports lease-up; Phase II’s remaining 92 units break ground in early 2027.

SIP Ventures served as exclusive strategic advisor, building the institutional operating plan, onboarding a national property management firm, and leading the capital markets process. Genesis Capital provided the bridge facility.

Class A Asset, A+ Submarket

Villages at Forest Creek is the owners’ second Class A BTR community in the area, built to for-sale specification. The 140 three-bedroom, 2.5-bath townhomes average ~1,600 sq ft with attached garages, nine-foot ceilings, masonry façades, fully tiled baths, stainless appliances, luxury vinyl plank, and smart-home technology. The community offers a resort-style pool and clubhouse, with top-rated schools and major employment centers nearby.

Strong Renter & Capital Markets Demand

Lease-up is off to a strong start, consistent with Sun Belt trends where Class A BTR continues to outperform on absorption and rent growth. The SIP-led process drew competitive interest from multiple lenders before closing with Genesis on the most flexible terms.

“No comparable Class A rental product exists in this market,” said John Porter, principal at Forest Creek Partners. “Two A+ submarkets, top schools, demand that supports institutional rental economics long term.”

“Residents are validating the thesis — this area needed a true Class A townhome community, and renters will pay for quality,” added principal John Gallina.

“Forest Creek is what institutional BTR wants right now — Class A product, A+ location, for-sale build, credible sponsor,” said Sherzod Ibragimov, Managing Principal of SIP Ventures. “We wrapped institutional infrastructure around their expertise: operating plan, national PM partner, capital structure on their terms.”

About Forest Creek Partners Forest Creek Partners brings nearly a century of local homebuilding experience to Class A BTR in Greater Memphis.

About SIP Ventures Founded in 2025, SIP Ventures creates Class A+ BTR communities and partners with leading institutional allocators, developers, and homebuilders.

Contacts:

Forest Creek Partners

Wayne Sparks

[email protected]

SIP Ventures

Sherzod Ibragimov

[email protected]

SOURCE SIP Ventures

With 10x revenue growth and the trust of over $15B of GMV across more than 1,000 customers, Stord deepens its investment in physical intelligence, launching Stord Labs to advance robotics and next-generation AI across the full commerce stack, so every independent brand can deliver consumer experiences that surpass Prime.

ATLANTA, May 26, 2026 — Stord today announced a $250 million Series F funding round at a $3 billion valuation, led by existing investors doubling down on the company’s accelerating growth and expanding market leadership. The round included Strike Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Franklin Templeton, Baillie Gifford, G Squared, Bond, and Lux, among others. Alongside the raise, Stord announced Stord Labs, its dedicated environment for advancing physical AI and robotics. Stord is building what independent commerce has always needed and never had: the physical intelligence layer.

“For years, every independent brand has been left to figure out on their own how to compete against the consumer experience Amazon has spent decades and hundreds of billions building. By every measure, independent brands have been losing. Stord exists to level that playing field. We give independent brands the complete commerce stack: the fulfillment network, software, and AI, to deliver a consumer experience that surpasses Prime. Our vertical integration and scaled network create compounding advantages that deliver better, faster, cheaper outcomes with every order we touch. As AI and physical intelligence advance across our platform, that advantage for our customers is rapidly accelerating.” — Sean Henry, Founder and CEO of Stord

Announcing Stord Labs

Stord Labs is a physical intelligence lab at Stord’s Atlanta headquarters where the company builds and validates agentic AI, robotics, and advanced automation against real orders, on the same live operating system powering Stord’s production network, before deploying proven innovations across nearly 100 facilities immediately, with no re-integration. The next generation of physical intelligence cannot be built in simulation or vendor demos. It requires real operational complexity, and Stord Labs is where that work gets done.

The connection between physical infrastructure, vertically integrated technology, and a massive and growing dataset creates a critical and compounding advantage. Training models on live fulfillment data across nearly 100 facilities, $15 billion in annual GMV, and 8 billion data points per year means every order processed makes the network smarter, faster, and cheaper to operate. Stord Labs is where that flywheel accelerates.

Physical Intelligence at Scale

Stord’s revenue has grown approximately 10x over the past four years. That growth has a clear inflection point: 2023, roughly six months after the launch of ChatGPT. Owning the fulfillment network, the software platform, and the data layer simultaneously positioned Stord to move faster on AI than the broader industry. The company’s software business tripled in 2025 and is growing faster than its overall business, with new bookings more than doubling quarter over quarter in Q1 2026. Stord has completed 8 acquisitions, each exceeding its targets, because the same platform, operational excellence, and applied intelligence powering Stord’s network rapidly transforms every facility and customer base it acquires. Today, Stord operates a network of more than 4,000 people with over 200 dedicated to software engineering, product, data science, and physical infrastructure.

“Commerce infrastructure gets built once. From our earliest conversations with Sean Henry, it was clear Stord was assembling something rare: software, physical infrastructure, and AI combined in a way that turns fulfillment into a competitive advantage rather than a cost center. We believe the rise of agentic purchasing will increasingly favor platforms where software and physical operations are deeply integrated. Stord is building that infrastructure. That is why Strike is proud to deepen our partnership in this round.” – John Lagomarsino, Strike Capital

“We believed in that vision when Kleiner Perkins first backed Stord in 2019, and our conviction has only grown as Stord turns fulfillment into a source of speed, clarity, and customer trust.” — Ilya Fushman, Partner, Kleiner Perkins

The Battleground for Independent Commerce

Amazon’s dominance, controlling more than one-third of U.S. online commerce, was built not on a superior storefront or payment system, but on Prime: the promise of fast, reliable, trackable delivery that permanently reset consumer expectations. Every consumer who has experienced Prime now carries that expectation to every other checkout, on every other website, for every other brand.

The most consequential layer of commerce, what happens after checkout, has been left to every brand to figure out on its own. When a brand wins a customer directly, they capture the full margin, the full data, and the full relationship. The moment a platform controls the customer, margin compresses, data disappears, and the brand becomes a commodity.

“I’ve run over $50 million in product sales through Amazon FBA. Amazon makes you feel like a SKU. Stord makes us feel like a brand. That’s the gap, and Stord is exactly built to fill it.” — Imran Jawaid, doingwell

About Stord

Stord is The Consumer Experience Company. Stord provides the fulfillment network, software, and AI that independent brands need to compete on the quality of their direct consumer relationships, from the delivery promise shown at checkout to the return that converts into a repurchase. Through Stord Labs, Stord is advancing the physical intelligence layer that makes its network faster, smarter, and more reliable with every order. With nearly 100 fulfillment locations worldwide, more than 1,000 customers, and over $15 billion in GMV processed annually, Stord’s packages touch nearly one in four U.S. households every year. Stord is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. For more information, visit stord.com.

SOURCE Stord

• This 3-stage round was led by a strategic investor as demand for high quality natural colors accelerates globally
• Earlier this year the FDA approved ‘Beetroot Red’, Phytolon’s first product made by fermentation; the effective date is subject to FDA procedures
• The last stage in the round was supported by existing investors including Millennium Foodtech, NextGen Nutrition Investment Partners (NGN), Colorcon Ventures, and Yossi Ackerman.

YOKNE’AM, Israel, May 26, 2026 — Phytolon, a biotechnology company pioneering fermentation-based natural color solutions announces the close of its $23.6 Million Series B financing to commercialize its natural food colors in the US. This round reflects growing market demand for high-performing, economic, and sustainable natural alternatives to synthetic dyes.

This round was led by an undisclosed strategic investor. The funds were secured during three stages. Most of the funds were secured in the last stage in April, with participation from existing investors, including Millennium Foodtech, NextGen Nutrition (NGN), Colorcon Ventures, and Yossi Ackerman.

The financing follows the FDA approval of Beetroot Red, the company’s first natural colorant in its portfolio (an effective date of the final ruling is yet to be set). Beetroot Red complies with the required standards of performance and clean label that CPGs and consumers expect in the modern food markets. Produced via fermentation of baker’s yeast, Beetroot Red is an elevated natural color rooted in cost efficiency, robust supply, and environmental sustainability.

Halim Jubran, Phytolon’s Co-Founder and CEO, commented on the transaction: “This new funding will be allocated to support sales and supply to CPGs and to distribution partners in the US and beyond. I am excited to see our portfolio of strategic investors increase, enabling us to grow our business and establish our footprint in the market”.

James Cali, General Partner at NGN, also offered his thoughts on the transaction: “Phytolon is at the nexus two mega-trends — consumer and regulatory demand to remove artificial dyes and advances in fermentation to offer natural ingredients with better functionality, cost and sustainability. With a strong network of strategic partners and recent FDA approval, Phytolon is well positioned to capitalize on the transition toward natural dyes across food and supplements products.”

About Phytolon Ltd.
Phytolon is a biotechnology company developing natural food colors using proprietary precision fermentation technology. Its mission is to transform how natural colors are made by delivering high-quality, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions for the global food and beverage industry.  With a portfolio based on two core pigments– yellow and purple– Phytolon enables a rich palette of vibrant colors spanning yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple. For more information, visit www.phytolon.com

Media Contact
Elyse Lovett
[email protected]

SOURCE Phytolon

U.S.-backed venture platform positions New Zealand as a global innovation gateway, offering investors exposure to proprietary technology companies and Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa eligibility

AUCKLAND, New Zealand and MIAMI, May 23, 2026 — Bridgewest Venture Fund I LP has successful first close of approximately NZ$60.2 million from a group of institutional investors, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and international migrant investors, positioning the Fund as one of the leading gateways for offshore capital seeking exposure to Australia and New Zealand’s rapidly emerging deep-technology ecosystem. With this validation and strong support from New Zealand investors, Bridgewest Venturesis now raising funds from sophisticated US investors.

The Fund is structured as an eligible investment under New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa program, offering qualifying global investors a pathway to New Zealand citizenship while meeting approved investment criteria under the country’s migrant investment framework.

Bridgewest Ventures also expects growing interest from U.S. and Australia-based investors seeking geographic diversification away from increasingly crowded North American, European, and Asian venture markets.

As part of its international expansion strategy, Bridgewest Ventures has also commenced fundraising activities in Australia following the recent granting of an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). The Australian distribution strategy is being led by John van der Wielen, Senior Adviser to Bridgewest Group, and will include a June 2026 investor roadshow targeting sophisticated investors, family offices, private wealth advisers and institutional capital partners across key Australian markets.

“Global investors are actively looking for differentiated markets where innovation quality is high but capital competition remains relatively low,” said Saum Vahdat, Chief Executive Officer of Bridgewest Ventures. “New Zealand and Australia are producing globally relevant intellectual property in sectors such as life sciences, medical technology, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, and clean technology — yet the market remains significantly undercapitalized relative to the quality of innovation being developed. We believe this creates a compelling asymmetry for sophisticated investors.”

Bridgewest Ventures operates with a hybrid model that combines U.S.-grade investment discipline and global operating capability with an established local New Zealand and Australia presence and sourcing network. Parent company Bridgewest Group has more than 25 years of experience building and investing in growth companies across seven countries.

Unlike many traditional venture funds that operate as passive financial investors, Bridgewest Ventures emphasizes active operational engagement intended to reduce execution risk and accelerate commercialization pathways for portfolio companies.

The firm focuses on identifying proprietary opportunities within New Zealand and Australia’s innovation ecosystem at an earlier stage than what many international investors can access directly. Bridgewest Ventures then works actively with portfolio companies to de-risk technology, strengthen governance, expand commercial capability, and create pathways into larger global markets.

“Our strategy is built around discovering and developing companies before they become visible to broader international capital markets,” said Paul Brownsey, General Partner of Bridgewest Venture Fund I.

“We believe New Zealand and Australia represent one of the more overlooked innovation markets globally. Through our local operating presence, proprietary sourcing network, and active management model, we aim to help companies scale internationally while giving our limited partners exposure to growth opportunities that are often unavailable in larger, more efficient venture markets,” added Brownsey.

Bridgewest Ventures has committed approximately NZ$6.0 million of its own capital into the Fund on the same terms as external investors, reinforcing alignment between the manager and limited partners.

The Fund remains open for additional commitments through Q4 2026 and is targeting total commitments of NZ$100 million.

Bridgewest Ventures invests across sectors including:

• Life Sciences
• Medical Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Advanced Materials
• Clean Technology

By connecting international capital with New Zealand-originated innovation, Bridgewest Ventures aims to help companies expand globally while supporting high-value employment, export growth, and commercialization of intellectual property developed within New Zealand’s research and technology sectors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can US investors invest in rapidly emerging deep-tech ventures in New Zealand and Australia?

Bridgewest Venture Fund I LP accepts institutional investors, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and international migrant investors. The Fund is one of the leading gateways for offshore capital seeking exposure to Australia and New Zealand’s rapidly emerging deep-technology ecosystem. The Fund remains open through Q4 2026 and targets total commitments of NZ$100 million. Contact Bridgewest Ventures for information.

Is Bridgewest Venture Fund I eligible under New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus visa program?

Yes. Bridgewest Venture Fund I is structured as an eligible investment under New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa program, allowing qualifying international investors to meet approved investment criteria under New Zealand’s migrant investment framework while gaining exposure to the country’s emerging deep-technology sector.

Why are investors looking at New Zealand and Australia for venture capital opportunities?

New Zealand and Australia are increasingly recognized as overlooked innovation markets producing globally competitive technology and research. Bridgewest Ventures like many international investors, see the region as an opportunity to access high-quality intellectual property, earlier-stage companies, and geographic diversification outside traditional venture hubs such as Silicon Valley, Europe, and Asia, and gain exposure to stable markets that may offer resilience during periods of global economic and geopolitical volatility.

What makes Bridgewest Ventures different from traditional venture capital firms?

Unlike many venture capital firms that operate primarily as passive financial investors, Bridgewest Ventures uses an active operational model designed to help portfolio companies scale globally. The firm works closely with founders to strengthen commercialization, governance, strategic partnerships, and international market expansion.

Additional information is available at:
Bridgewest Ventures

About Bridgewest Ventures

Bridgewest Ventures is the venture capital platform of Bridgewest Group, focused on building globally competitive companies originating from New Zealand and international research ecosystems. With operations across seven countries and more than 25 years of venture creation and investment experience, Bridgewest Ventures combines institutional investment capability, operational expertise, and international commercial networks to help emerging companies scale globally.

Media & Investor Contact

Saum Vahdat
Chief Executive Officer
Bridgewest Ventures
+1 310 717 5600
[email protected] 

Paul Brownsey
General Partner
Bridgewest Ventures
+64 21 447 076
[email protected] 

John Van der Wielen
Senior Adviser
Bridgewest Group
‭+61 472 510 006‬
[email protected] 

SOURCE Bridgewest Ventures

BEIJING, 22 mei 2026 — BAI Capital kondigde vandaag de eerste sluiting aan van zijn nieuwste USD-fonds, gericht op US $ 800 miljoen. De eerste sluiting bedroeg 600 miljoen USD aan verbintenissen. In een tijd waarin de wereldwijde kapitaaltoewijzing gedisciplineerder is geworden en groei-investeringen zich opnieuw richten op commerciële validatie en uitvoering, weerspiegelt de eerste sluiting de erkenning door institutionele beleggers van het track record van BAI Capital, de diepe wortels in het technologische ecosysteem van Azië en de wereldwijde investeringsmogelijkheden.

BAI Capital, opgericht in 2008, heeft een track record van 18 jaar opgebouwd, met 22 beursintroducties en 51 handelsverkoop- en secundaire verkoopexits. BAI heeft in de loop der jaren zijn investeringsbenadering en organisatorische mogelijkheden verder ontwikkeld als reactie op veranderende marktomstandigheden, en tegelijkertijd een meer onderscheidende institutionele positionering ontwikkeld. Het bedrijf richt zich niet alleen op innovatie zelf, maar ook op hoe innovatie geografische grenzen kan overschrijden en een bron van langetermijnwaardecreatie voor wereldwijde markten kan worden.

Het nieuwe fonds zal voortbouwen op de sterke punten van BAI Capital op het gebied van groei-investeringen, met een focus op bedrijven die commerciële validatie hebben behaald en een sterk potentieel voor cross-regionale expansie vertonen. BAI zal zich richten op drie categorieën van kansen: nieuwe groeiplatforms gecreëerd door Chinese kampioenbedrijven die zich in het buitenland uitbreiden; wereldwijd georiënteerde bedrijven die voortkomen uit het innovatie-ecosysteem van Azië en zich uitbreiden naar multinationale bedrijven; en internationale bedrijven met wereldwijd toonaangevende innovatiecapaciteiten die de Chinese markt kunnen benutten om schaal te bereiken. Het fonds zal betrekking hebben op sectoren zoals technologie en AI, financiële diensten, consumenten- en entertainmentdiensten en zakelijke diensten.

BAI Capital is van mening dat de kern van hedendaagse groei-investeringen bestaat in het identificeren van hoogwaardige bedrijven die reeds technologische kracht, klantbetrokkenheid en commerciële levensvatbaarheid hebben aangetoond. Met een scherper globaal oordeel en een betere samenwerking tussen aandeelhouders wil BAI deze bedrijven helpen hun groeipotentieel om te zetten in echte expansie in bredere markten.

Annabelle Long, oprichter en managing partner van BAI Capital, zei: We zijn diep dankbaar voor het voortdurende vertrouwen en de sterke steun van zowel onze bestaande als nieuwe investeerders. De hedendaagse investeringsomgeving legt meer nadruk dan ooit op validatie, levering en discipline. De kern van het nieuwe fonds van BAI is niet om concepten in een vroeg stadium na te jagen, maar om bedrijven te ondersteunen die al technologische kracht, klantbetrokkenheid en commerciële levensvatbaarheid hebben aangetoond in zeer concurrerende markten en die het vermogen hebben om zich over regio’s heen uit te breiden. We geloven dat de technologische mogelijkheden, bedrijfsmodellen en organisatorische efficiëntie die in Azië, met name in China, zijn gesmeed, een belangrijke bron van wereldwijde groei worden. De rol van BAI is om deze gevalideerde innovaties te helpen grotere markten te betreden en uit te groeien tot bedrijven met een echt wereldwijd concurrentievermogen.”

BAI Capital is diep geworteld in het technologische en industriële ecosysteem van China en breidt zijn wereldwijde perspectief en cross-regionale mogelijkheden voortdurend uit. Door gebruik te maken van het ecosysteem van partnerschappen dat het in de loop der jaren heeft opgebouwd, met name de diepgaande samenwerking met wereldwijde technologieleiders en strategische industriële partners, evenals het wereldwijde netwerk en industriële middelen van Bertelsmann, heeft BAI een platformvoordeel ontwikkeld dat lokale inzichten combineert met wereldwijde samenwerking.

Bertelsmann is een media-, diensten- en onderwijsbedrijf met meer dan 75.000 werknemers dat actief is in ongeveer 50 landen over de hele wereld. Het bedrijf genereerde in het boekjaar 2025 een omzet van 19 miljard EUR. BAI Capital vindt zijn wortels in Bertelsmann Asia Investments onder de Bertelsmann Group en voltooide zijn eerste onafhankelijke fondsenwerving in 2021. Na haar onafhankelijkheid heeft BAI Capital het Bertelsmann-platform blijven gebruiken om waardevolle ondersteuning te bieden aan relevante portefeuillebedrijven.

In de toekomst zal BAI Capital nog steeds in Azië geworteld zijn en verbonden zijn met de wereld. Met een open perspectief en langdurig geduld zal het bedrijf de volgende generatie bedrijven ondersteunen terwijl ze uitgroeien tot echt wereldwijde bedrijven.

BEIJING, 22 mai 2026 — BAI Capital a annoncé aujourd’hui la première clôture de son dernier fonds en USD, visant 800 millions de dollars. La première clôture a permis d’atteindre 600 millions de dollars d’engagements. À une époque où l’allocation des capitaux au niveau mondial est devenue plus disciplinée et où l’investissement dans la croissance se recentre sur la validation et l’exécution commerciales, la première clôture reflète la reconnaissance par les investisseurs institutionnels des antécédents de BAI Capital, de ses racines profondes dans l’écosystème technologique asiatique et de ses capacités d’investissement à l’échelle mondiale.

Fondée en 2008, BAI Capital a fait ses preuves depuis 18 ans, avec 22 introductions en bourse et 51 ventes commerciales et ventes secondaires. Au fil des ans, la BAI a continué à faire évoluer son approche de l’investissement et ses capacités organisationnelles en réponse à l’évolution des conditions du marché, tout en développant un positionnement institutionnel plus distinctif. L’entreprise se concentre non seulement sur l’innovation elle-même, mais aussi sur la manière dont l’innovation peut franchir les frontières géographiques et devenir une source de création de valeur à long terme pour les marchés mondiaux.

Le nouveau fonds s’appuiera sur les atouts de BAI Capital en matière d’investissement dans la croissance, en mettant l’accent sur les entreprises qui ont obtenu une validation commerciale et qui présentent un fort potentiel d’expansion transrégionale. La BAI se concentrera sur trois catégories d’opportunités : de nouvelles plateformes de croissance créées par des entreprises chinoises championnes qui s’étendent à l’étranger, des entreprises à vocation mondiale qui émergent de l’écosystème d’innovation asiatique et qui deviennent des entreprises multinationales, et des entreprises internationales dotées de capacités d’innovation de premier plan au niveau mondial qui peuvent tirer parti du marché chinois pour s’étendre. Le fonds couvrira des secteurs tels que la technologie et l’IA, les services financiers, la consommation et le divertissement, ainsi que les services aux entreprises.

BAI Capital estime que l’essentiel de l’investissement dans la croissance consiste aujourd’hui à identifier des entreprises de grande qualité qui ont déjà fait la preuve de leur puissance technologique, de l’intérêt qu’elles suscitent auprès de leurs clients et de leur viabilité commerciale. Grâce à un jugement global plus fin et à une collaboration de meilleure qualité avec les actionnaires, BAI vise à aider ces entreprises à traduire leur potentiel de croissance en une expansion réelle sur des marchés plus vastes.

Anna Long, fondatrice et associée directrice de BAI Capital, a déclaré : « Nous sommes profondément reconnaissants de la confiance et du soutien continus de nos investisseurs actuels et nouveaux. Aujourd’hui, l’environnement d’investissement met plus que jamais l’accent sur la validation, la livraison et la discipline. L’objectif principal du nouveau fonds de BAI n’est pas de poursuivre des concepts en phase de démarrage, mais de soutenir des entreprises qui ont déjà fait la preuve de leur puissance technologique, de l’intérêt de leurs clients et de leur viabilité commerciale sur des marchés hautement concurrentiels, et qui ont la capacité de s’étendre à d’autres régions. Nous pensons que les capacités technologiques, les modèles d’entreprise et l’efficacité organisationnelle forgés en Asie, en particulier en Chine, sont en train de devenir une source importante de croissance mondiale. Le rôle de la BAI est d’aider ces innovations validées à pénétrer des marchés plus vastes et à devenir des entreprises véritablement compétitives à l’échelle mondiale. »

BAI Capital est profondément ancrée dans l’écosystème technologique et industriel chinois, tout en élargissant continuellement sa perspective mondiale et ses capacités interrégionales. En s’appuyant sur l’écosystème de partenariat qu’elle a construit au fil des ans, en particulier ses collaborations approfondies avec des leaders technologiques mondiaux et des partenaires industriels stratégiques, ainsi que sur le réseau mondial et les ressources industrielles de Bertelsmann, BAI a développé une plateforme avantageuse qui associe une vision locale à une collaboration mondiale.

Bertelsmann est une société de médias, de services et d’éducation qui emploie plus de 75 000 personnes et opère dans une cinquantaine de pays à travers le monde. L’entreprise a généré un chiffre d’affaires de 19 milliards d’euros au cours de l’exercice 2025. BAI Capital trouve ses origines dans Bertelsmann Asia Investments du groupe Bertelsmann et a réalisé sa première levée de fonds indépendante en 2021. Après son indépendance, BAI Capital a continué à tirer parti de la plateforme Bertelsmann pour fournir un soutien à valeur ajoutée aux entreprises de son portefeuille.

À l’avenir, BAI Capital continuera d’être enracinée en Asie et connectée au monde. Avec une perspective ouverte et une patience à long terme, l’entreprise soutiendra la prochaine génération d’entreprises au fur et à mesure qu’elles se développent pour devenir des entreprises véritablement mondiales.

BEIJING, 22. Mai 2026 — BAI Capital gab heute den ersten Abschluss seines neuesten USD-Fonds bekannt, der 800 Millionen US-Dollar anstrebt. Beim ersten Abschluss wurden Mittelbindungen in Höhe von 600 Millionen US-Dollar erreicht. In einer Zeit, in der die globale Kapitalallokation disziplinierter geworden ist und Wachstumsinvestitionen sich wieder auf die kommerzielle Validierung und Ausführung konzentrieren, spiegelt der erste Abschluss die Anerkennung der institutionellen Investoren für die Erfolgsbilanz von BAI Capital, die tiefe Verwurzelung im asiatischen Technologie-Ökosystem und die globalen Investitionsmöglichkeiten wider.

BAI Capital wurde 2008 gegründet und kann auf eine 18-jährige Erfolgsbilanz mit 22 Börsengängen und 51 Exits im Bereich Trade Sale & Secondary Sale zurückblicken. Im Laufe der Jahre hat die BAI ihren Investitionsansatz und ihre organisatorischen Fähigkeiten als Reaktion auf die sich ändernden Marktbedingungen weiterentwickelt und gleichzeitig eine unverwechselbare institutionelle Positionierung entwickelt. Das Unternehmen konzentriert sich nicht nur auf die Innovation selbst, sondern auch darauf, wie Innovation geografische Grenzen überschreiten und zu einer Quelle langfristiger Wertschöpfung für globale Märkte werden kann.

Der neue Fonds wird auf den Stärken von BAI Capital im Bereich der Wachstumsinvestitionen aufbauen, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf Unternehmen liegt, die eine kommerzielle Validierung erreicht haben und ein hohes Potenzial für eine überregionale Expansion aufweisen. Die BAI wird sich auf drei Kategorien von Möglichkeiten konzentrieren: neue Wachstumsplattformen, die von chinesischen Spitzenunternehmen geschaffen werden, die nach Übersee expandieren; global ausgerichtete Unternehmen, die aus dem asiatischen Innovationsökosystem hervorgehen und sich zu multinationalen Unternehmen entwickeln; und internationale Unternehmen mit weltweit führenden Innovationskapazitäten, die den chinesischen Markt nutzen können, um sich zu vergrößern. Der Fonds wird Sektoren wie Technologie und KI, Finanzdienstleistungen, Verbraucher und Unterhaltung sowie Unternehmensdienstleistungen abdecken.

BAI Capital ist der Ansicht, dass der Kern der Wachstumsinvestitionen heute darin besteht, qualitativ hochwertige Unternehmen zu identifizieren, die bereits ihre technologische Stärke, ihre Kundenbindung und ihre wirtschaftliche Lebensfähigkeit unter Beweis gestellt haben. Mit einem schärferen globalen Urteilsvermögen und einer qualitativ hochwertigen Zusammenarbeit mit den Anteilseignern will die BAI diesen Unternehmen helfen, ihr Wachstumspotenzial in eine echte Expansion auf breiteren Märkten umzusetzen.

Anna Long, Gründerin und Managing Partner von BAI Capital, sagte: „Wir sind sehr dankbar für das anhaltende Vertrauen und die starke Unterstützung durch unsere bestehenden und neuen Investoren. In der heutigen Investitionsumgebung wird mehr denn je Wert auf Validierung, Lieferung und Disziplin gelegt. Der Kern des neuen BAI-Fonds ist nicht die Verfolgung von Konzepten in der Frühphase, sondern die Unterstützung von Unternehmen, die bereits ihre technologische Stärke, ihre Kundenbindung und ihre kommerzielle Lebensfähigkeit in stark umkämpften Märkten unter Beweis gestellt haben und die die Fähigkeit besitzen, überregional zu expandieren. Wir sind davon überzeugt, dass die technologischen Fähigkeiten, die Geschäftsmodelle und die organisatorische Effizienz, die in Asien, insbesondere in China, entwickelt wurden, zu einer wichtigen Quelle für globales Wachstum werden. Die Rolle des BAI besteht darin, diesen validierten Innovationen zu helfen, größere Märkte zu erschließen und zu Unternehmen mit echter globaler Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu wachsen.”

BAI Capital ist tief in Chinas Technologie- und Industrie-Ökosystem verwurzelt und erweitert gleichzeitig kontinuierlich seine globale Perspektive und seine überregionalen Fähigkeiten. Durch die Nutzung des im Laufe der Jahre aufgebauten Partnerschaftssystems, insbesondere der intensiven Zusammenarbeit mit weltweit führenden Technologieunternehmen und strategischen Industriepartnern, sowie des globalen Netzwerks und der Industrieressourcen von Bertelsmann hat die BAI einen Plattformvorteil entwickelt, der lokale Erkenntnisse mit globaler Zusammenarbeit verbindet.

Bertelsmann ist ein Medien-, Dienstleistungs- und Bildungsunternehmen mit mehr als 75.000 Mitarbeitern, das in rund 50 Ländern der Welt tätig ist. Das Unternehmen erzielte im Geschäftsjahr 2025 einen Umsatz von 19 Milliarden Euro. BAI Capital hat seine Wurzeln bei Bertelsmann Asia Investments innerhalb der Bertelsmann-Gruppe und schloss sein erstes unabhängiges Fundraising im Jahr 2021 ab. Nach seiner Unabhängigkeit hat BAI Capital weiterhin die Bertelsmann-Plattform genutzt, um relevante Portfoliounternehmen mit Mehrwert zu unterstützen.

Auch in Zukunft wird BAI Capital in Asien verwurzelt und mit der Welt verbunden sein. Mit einer offenen Perspektive und langfristiger Geduld wird das Unternehmen die nächste Generation von Unternehmen bei ihrer Entwicklung zu wirklich globalen Unternehmen unterstützen.

BEIJING, May 22, 2026 — BAI Capital today announced the first close of its latest USD fund, targeting US$800 million. The first close reached US$600 million in commitments. At a time when global capital allocation has become more disciplined and growth investing is refocusing on commercial validation and execution, the first close reflects institutional investors’ recognition of BAI Capital’s track record, deep roots in Asia’s technology ecosystem, and global investment capabilities.

Founded in 2008, BAI Capital has built an 18-year track record, with 22 IPOs and 51 trade sale & secondary sale exits. Over the years, BAI has continued to evolve its investment approach and organizational capabilities in response to changing market conditions, while developing a more distinctive institutional positioning. The firm focuses not only on innovation itself, but also on how innovation can cross geographic boundaries and become a source of long-term value creation for global markets.

The new fund will build on BAI Capital’s strengths in growth investing, with a focus on companies that have achieved commercial validation and show strong potential for cross-regional expansion. BAI will focus on three categories of opportunities: new growth platforms created by Chinese champion companies expanding overseas; globally oriented companies emerging from Asia’s innovation ecosystem and scaling into multinational businesses; and international companies with globally leading innovation capabilities that can leverage the Chinese market to achieve scale. The fund will cover sectors including technology and AI, financial services, consumer and entertainment, and business services.

BAI Capital believes that the core of growth investing today is identifying high-quality companies that have already demonstrated technology strength, customer traction, and commercial viability. With sharper global judgment and higher-quality shareholder collaboration, BAI aims to help these companies translate growth potential into real expansion across broader markets.

Anna Long, Founder and Managing Partner of BAI Capital, said: “We are deeply grateful for the continued trust and strong support from both our existing and new investors. Today’s investment environment places greater emphasis than ever on validation, delivery, and discipline. The core of BAI’s new fund is not to chase early-stage concepts, but to support companies that have already demonstrated technology strength, customer traction, and commercial viability in highly competitive markets, and that possess the ability to expand across regions. We believe the technological capabilities, business models, and organizational efficiency forged in Asia, especially in China, are becoming an important source of global growth. BAI’s role is to help these validated innovations enter larger markets and grow into companies with true global competitiveness.”

BAI Capital has been deeply rooted in China’s technology and industrial ecosystem, while continuously expanding its global perspective and cross-regional capabilities. Leveraging the partnership ecosystem it has built over the years, particularly its deep collaborations with global technology leaders and strategic industry partners, as well as Bertelsmann’s global network and industrial resources, BAI has developed a platform advantage that combines local insight with global collaboration.

Bertelsmann is a media, services, and education company with more than 75,000 employees that operates in some 50 countries around the world. The company generated revenues of €19 billion in the 2025 financial year. BAI Capital traces its roots to Bertelsmann Asia Investments under Bertelsmann Group, and completed its first independent fundraising in 2021. Following its independence, BAI Capital has continued to leverage the Bertelsmann platform to provide value-added support to relevant portfolio companies.

Looking ahead, BAI Capital will continue to be rooted in Asia and connected to the world. With an open perspective and long-term patience, the firm will support the next generation of companies as they grow into truly global businesses.