Arnold joins a leadership, governance, and advisory team with experience spanning wealth management, technology, compliance, investment strategy, entrepreneurship, and global leadership.

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2026 — Stirlingshire Investments today announced the appointment of Dan Arnold, former President and Chief Executive Officer of LPL Financial, as Executive Chairman of the Board. Arnold will serve in an active leadership role, working directly with Founder and CEO Steven Woods and the Company’s executive team to provide strategic oversight, with a focus on advisor recruitment, operational excellence, strategic partnerships, and the continued scaling of Stirlingshire’s growth initiatives.

Arnold brings decades of wealth management experience. During his tenure at LPL Financial, he helped guide the growth of one of the largest independent wealth management platforms in the United States and developed longstanding relationships with advisors, enterprise leaders, branch organizations, and recruiting professionals across the industry.

“Dan’s reputation, leadership experience, and relationships are unparalleled in our industry,” said Woods. “He has spent his career helping advisors build successful businesses, and his decision to join Stirlingshire is a powerful validation of both our platform and our vision. Over the past several months, getting to know Dan and working with him to shape Stirlingshire’s roadmap has been an incredible experience. Dan had many options for what he could do next, and we are thrilled he chose Stirlingshire as one of them.”

Leadership Built Across the Full Wealth Management Enterprise

Arnold joins a multidisciplinary team supporting the continued development and responsible growth of Stirlingshire and Stirling One, the Company’s AI-native Wealth Management Operating Platform. Together, the Company’s executive leadership, Board of Directors, and Advisory Board bring experience spanning financial services, investment management, compliance, technology, governance, entrepreneurship, law, and public policy.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Steven Woods has more than 15 years of experience spanning portfolio management, finance and client service, and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and the University of Oxford. Chief Technology Officer Constantine Gavalas, formerly Global Head of Technology Operations and CIO, Global Delivery at State Street Corporation and Director of Technology Operations at London Stock Exchange Group, leads the architecture and development of Stirlingshire’s integrated operating platform. Chief Compliance Officer Candice Gilman brings more than 18 years of financial services compliance experience and previously served as Chief Compliance Officer of SoFi Wealth, where she developed the compliance program for its online, multibillion-dollar registered investment adviser. Chief Market Strategist David Lundgren is the former Director of Technical Research at Wellington Management, an experienced portfolio manager and a board member of the CMT Association.

In addition to Arnold and Woods, Stirlingshire’s Board includes Scott Friedman and Ash Kalb. Friedman brings more than 25 years of experience and was a founding team member at Robinhood, where he served as President and Chief Compliance Officer of Robinhood Financial and Robinhood Securities. Kalb is Co-Founder and President of Fulcra Dynamics and a Co-Founder of Katalys. He previously co-founded White Ops, now HUMAN Security, which grew from an early-stage startup into a global cybersecurity platform that currently verifies more than 20 trillion digital interactions each week across approximately three billion devices.

Stirlingshire’s Advisory Board includes Sir Conor Burns and Dr. Andrew White. Sir Conor brings experience in financial services, regulation, public policy, and trade, having served for 14 years in the British House of Commons and as a United Kingdom Trade Envoy. Dr. White is the former Director of Executive Education at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and former Director of the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme.

“The opportunity ahead requires more than technology alone,” Woods said. “It requires experienced leadership, disciplined governance, regulatory depth, and people who understand how financial advisors build and operate their businesses. Dan’s appointment strengthens an already exceptional group, and together this team gives Stirlingshire the perspective and capability to execute on our long-term strategy.”

A Platform Designed Around Advisors and Their Clients

Stirlingshire’s vertically integrated operating platform, Stirling One, brings core wealth management functions into one connected environment, including onboarding, portfolio management, trading, rebalancing, tax optimization, compliance, reporting, CRM, communications, and AI-powered advisor tools. Its advisor model includes a 100% payout and zero platform expenses.

About Stirlingshire Investments

Stirlingshire Investments is a next-generation wealth management firm built around the belief that the industry can be better for both clients and advisors. Through its proprietary, vertically integrated technology platform, Stirlingshire delivers a modern wealth management experience while offering advisors a true 100% payout model with zero platform expenses. Unlike traditional firms that rely on disconnected third-party vendors and retain a portion of advisor revenue, Stirlingshire has built a fully integrated ecosystem that brings together client onboarding, portfolio management, trading, rebalancing, compliance automation, reporting, AI-powered advisor tools, marketing, and client communications through a single login and turnkey platform. With a growing network of advisors, strategic partnerships, and a commitment to innovation, Stirlingshire is redefining how wealth management is delivered under its guiding principle: Better for Clients, Better for Advisors™.

For more information, visit www.stirlingshire.com.

Media Inquiries:

Nicole Cox

Chief Marketing Officer, Stirlingshire Investments

[email protected]

647-500-2763

SOURCE Stirlingshire

• Former Eli Lilly Oncology CSO, co-inventor of the first CAR-T product
• Kos announced the third closing of its inaugural venture fund with $123 million in June 2026

NEW YORK and ATHENS, Greece, Sept. 10, 2026 — Kos Biotechnology Partners, a global life sciences investment firm, today announced the appointment of renowned immuno-oncology leader Michael Kalos, PhD, as Venture Partner. Dr. Kalos brings decades of biopharmaceutical executive leadership, drug discovery, translational medicine, and venture creation experience to the firm.

In his new role, Dr. Kalos will support Kos in identifying transformative development-stage and platform opportunities, advising portfolio companies, and driving strategy within the immuno-oncology and cell therapy domains.

A Legacy of Leadership in Immuno-Oncology

Dr. Kalos is a globally recognized expert in immuno-oncology, cancer immunotherapy, and cellular therapies. Throughout his distinguished career, he has held key executive positions at leading global pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly and Janssen, where he played pivotal roles in advancing novel modalities from target discovery through clinical development.

At Janssen Oncology (Johnson & Johnson), Dr. Kalos served as Vice President and Head of Immuno-Oncology and Cell Therapies, where he led strategy and execution for Janssen’s robust immuno-oncology portfolio, driving the advancement of innovative cellular therapies and multi-specific antibodies into the clinic.

Prior to Janssen, Michael served as Chief Scientific Officer of Immuno-Oncology at Eli Lilly and Company, where he directed Lilly’s scientific vision, research programs, and external innovation pipeline in immuno-oncology, establishing key academic and industry collaborations to accelerate breakthrough oncology platforms.

Prior to his career in the biopharma industry, Dr. Kalos spent 10 years in academia, including the University of Pennsylvania where he built and directed the Translational and Correlative Studies Laboratory that was instrumental in the early development of landmark CAR-T cell therapies. During his tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kalos played a key role in the clinical development and is a co-inventor of CTL019, the CAR T-cell therapy later licensed to Novartis and approved as Kymriah, the first FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy.

Dr. Kalos holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from the University of Minnesota and completed his post-doctoral training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and patents in the fields of oncology, immunology, and cell and gene therapy.

Executive Commentary

“I am truly excited to join Kos Biotechnology Partners at a time of unprecedented opportunity in the life sciences landscape,” said Dr. Kalos. “Kos’s nimble, cross-border investment model and deep commitment to foundational science provide an extraordinary platform to translate cutting-edge immuno-oncology and therapeutic modalities into tangible medicines for patients worldwide. I look forward to working alongside Simos, Alex, and the entire Kos team.”

“Michael is one of the true pioneers in cell therapy and immuno-oncology, with an unmatched track record of driving foundational scientific breakthroughs into clinical pipelines at top-tier organizations like Lilly and Janssen,” said Dr. Simos Simeonidis, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Kos Biotechnology Partners. “I have known Michael personally and professionally for over a decade and I couldn’t be more excited about having him on our team. I am confident that his deep scientific insight and operational experience will be invaluable to Kos as we continue to build and back high-impact biotech platforms.”

“Adding a Venture Partner of Michael’s caliber reinforces Kos’s mission to align world-class domain expertise with transformative capital”, added Alex Tzoukas, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “His specialized perspective in complex biological modalities directly supports our investment strategy and portfolio creation.”

About Kos Biotechnology Partners

Kos Biotechnology Partners is a global life sciences investment firm based in New York and Athens, Greece, managing a $123 million fund that targets advancements in biotech, pharma services, and healthcare technology, with investments ranging from company formation to later stages of development.

Contact:

Kos Biotechnology Partners

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.kosbp.com

SOURCE Kos Biotechnology Partners

Federal funding backs engineering to advance the wireless and radio-frequency systems for the wearable toward manufacturing at scale, in partnership with the University of Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 10, 2026 — Senphonix, Inc., a medical-technology startup developing SleeveSense™, a wearable that will continuously monitor patients’ vital signs over days, weeks, or months, today announced it has received a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) through America’s Seed Fund. The award supports engineering to strengthen the patent-pending device’s wireless and radio-frequency systems and to move it from prototype toward a manufacturable product at scale, in partnership with the University of Arizona.

In hospitals and after discharge, vital signs are typically captured as periodic spot checks, and nurses can spend up to and sometimes in excess of 20 percent of every shift measuring vitals manually. SleeveSense is designed as an automated, comfortable, long-term sleeve worn by the patient both during the hospital visit and once discharged. The device will stream multiple vital signs continuously, with the goals of removing manual processes, surfacing signs of patient deterioration earlier and giving clinicians a fuller picture after discharge.

“This award is significant validation of the critical needs SleeveSense will address,” said Mike Haldane, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Senphonix. “Continuous, comfortable, long-term monitoring can change how patient vitals are tracked both in the hospital and at home. NSF’s support lets us further engineer the technology as we prepare to go to market in 2027.”

Under the STTR Phase I award, Senphonix and the University of Arizona will focus on the device’s wireless and radio-frequency performance in real hospital environments, including its antenna and power systems, and the advanced engineering required to move the sleeve toward what is expected to be significant manufacturing volumes.

The STTR award builds on earlier support from the State of Arizona, where matching grant funding from the Arizona Commerce Authority, through the WearTech Applied Research Center, backed Senphonix’s early design work. “Arizona has built an ecosystem where promising medical technology companies can find the support they need to grow, and Senphonix is a strong example of that pipeline at work,” said Kathleen Lee, Director of Applied Research Programs for the Partnership for Economic Innovation. “That funding gave the team the runway to move from concept to working prototype, and now, with a federal NSF award strengthening the effort, Senphonix shows what becomes possible when the right support is in place at the right time.” The federal award, together with founder and private funding, continues the company’s Arizona-based research and its partnership with the University of Arizona.

The underlying clinical need has been affirmed by the people closest to it: in a national survey of practicing nurses, 98 percent (n=402) said they would support SleeveSense if it saves some of the time associated with taking manual vital signs. In a separate study, 94 percent of CFOs (n=457) indicated an intent to support adoption, especially if it can drive nursing efficiency, better patient outcomes, and avoidance of readmissions. The CFO study also identified an interest in remote patient monitoring, with SleeveSense serving as the platform.

“Translating advanced wearable sensing from the lab into a device that performs reliably in a real clinical setting is a significant engineering challenge, and it is exactly where academic research and a focused startup accomplish more together than apart,” said Dr. Philipp Gutruf, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona. “We are excited to bring our expertise in biosymbiotic electronics to the SleeveSense platform.”

Senphonix intends to pursue U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for SleeveSense in early to mid-2027, once clinical testing is completed. Clinical testing is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.

About Senphonix

Senphonix, Inc., is a medical-technology company developing SleeveSense, a wearable platform for continuous, comfortable, long-term monitoring of vital signs in clinical and home settings. The platform is designed to seamlessly support inpatient, outpatient, and at-home use, which is expected to be both cost-effective for the hospital and a high-value option for ensuring a patient’s well-being once discharged. The company is a C-Corp based in Delaware, with offices in Arizona and Minnesota. Learn more at www.senphonix.com. 

About America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF

America’s Seed Fund, powered by the SBIR/STTR program of the U.S. National Science Foundation, provides non-dilutive funding to startups and small businesses to translate research into products and services with strong commercial potential and societal benefit.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. 2537968. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

SleeveSense is an investigational device. It is not currently cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is not available for sale. This release contains forward-looking statements about product development, regulatory plans, and future performance that involve risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ.

Market research was administered by MarketWise Advising, LLC, via national surveys conducted in 2025 and 2026 for Senphonix.

Media Contact

Michelle Gjerde, PR Specialist
Senphonix, Inc.

[email protected] | 605-303-1934 

Product photos available upon request.

SOURCE Senphonix, Inc.

Former Amazon, NBC CFO and Dropbox, Ripple Board Member joins Polymarket as the company expands in the U.S. and globally

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2026 — Polymarket today named veteran finance executive Warren Jenson Chief Financial Officer. Jenson, who has previously served as CFO of Amazon, Electronic Arts, Delta Air Lines and NBC, will report to Founder and Chief Executive Officer Shayne Coplan.

The appointment comes as Polymarket scales its CFTC-regulated U.S. exchange, expands its global platform and adds senior leaders across the company. As CFO, Jenson will lead the company’s finance organization, set financial and capital strategy, strengthen long-range planning and build the infrastructure to carry Polymarket into its next phase.

“Prediction markets are changing how the world gets information, and Polymarket is at the forefront of that industry,” said Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket. “We’re assembling the team to match the opportunity in front of us. Warren has led finance at some of the most consequential companies in the world, and his experience will be critical to everything we build from here.”

Jenson previously served as President and Chief Financial Officer at Nielsen and led the company’s modernization alongside finance, strategy, technology, corporate development and the analytics business. Before Nielsen, he was President at LiveRamp where he led finance and ran the company’s international efforts as LiveRamp took its data and identity platform into markets around the world.

Earlier in his career, Jenson served as Chief Financial Officer of Amazon, Electronic Arts, Delta Air Lines and NBC. Across those roles, he helped lead these companies as they pioneered new market categories and expanded globally.

“Polymarket created a massive new global market category. The opportunity ahead of us is enormous,” said Warren Jenson. “I’m joining Shayne and the leadership team to put the capital strategy and operating discipline in place to move quickly at scale and continue to push the frontier of this industry.”

Jenson serves on the boards of DigitalOcean, Dropbox and Ripple. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University.

About Polymarket

Polymarket is the world’s largest prediction market platform, where participants trade on the outcomes of real-world events. By harnessing the wisdom of the crowd and the efficiency of markets, Polymarket generates real-time probability estimates that rank among the most accurate forecasting tools available. Polymarket’s markets span global politics, economics, science, technology, sports, culture and more. Polymarket US operates as a CFTC-regulated designated contract market under the Commodity Exchange Act. For more information, visit polymarket.com.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE Polymarket

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2026 — Maywood, the first finance-compliant proactive AI built for investment banking, accounting, corporate banking, and the broader financial services industry, today announced it has partnered with PitchBook, the leading private capital market intelligence platform, to integrate its data into Maywood’s AI harness. The integration enables Maywood’s agents to leverage the breadth of PitchBook’s data to proactively track private companies, identify key signals, and help teams make more informed deal decisions.

The integration enables Maverick, Maywood’s proactive AI agent, to access and deliver best-in-class and trusted private company data covering 30+ key firmographic details through the PitchBook Essential Connector. Maverick’s suggestions and actions for private companies are now tied to the most trusted private data source, giving senior dealmakers assurance and conviction in taking action. PitchBook data will be delivered directly to Maverick users through email, Teams, and the platform.

“Senior dealmakers can now take the same level of care and fidelity they provide to their top prospect and apply that at scale to the rest of their network,” said Kent Goodman, Chief Operating Officer of Maywood. “This flips the paradigm of what was previously possible, and it means better relationships, better service, and more advisory across the industry. Senior dealmakers now know that their decisions are grounded in PitchBook’s trusted data, so managing directors and partners are in front of the right person at exactly the right time.”

Maverick is purpose-built for the senior professionals who drive revenue across investment banking, private equity, commercial banking, wealth management, auditing, and business development. It embeds compliant AI into the systems they already use and is built to FINRA and SEC requirements from day one, with human approval at every external boundary.

About Maywood
Maywood is a leader in proactive AI for finance, spanning investment banking, commercial banking, lending, private credit, private equity, wealth management, auditing, and business development. Its agent Maverick is the first finance-compliant proactive AI that runs 24/7, purpose-built for managing directors and partners. Every senior professional carries hundreds of relationships and dozens of live deals, and today’s AI waits to be prompted, making the human the bottleneck. Maywood inverts that: it works in the background across your network and your deal book, surfacing moves, drafting replies, and pushing process forward. For more information, visit www.maywoodai.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Maywood

$225 million raised to date at a valuation exceeding $500 million, funding technology that helps care teams act before resident needs become emergencies

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2026 — Inspiren, the leader in AI-powered solutions redefining senior living, today announced it has raised $70 million in Series C funding at a valuation exceeding $500 million. The round was led by NewView Capital, with participation from Insight Partners, Primary Venture Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Vintage Investment Partners, Lightbank, Avenir Growth Capital, Story Ventures and Camber Creek. This brings Inspiren’s total funding to $225 million, the most capital raised and the highest valuation to date for a technology company built specifically for senior living operators, communities and residents.

The 85-and-older population is the fastest-growing age group in North America, and the residents moving into senior living today are more clinically complex than ever before, putting pressure on an already strained workforce. Adopting technology to care for this population is one of the most consequential investments a senior living operator can make. Most of what happens in a resident’s room happens with no one there to see it. Inspiren acts as a force multiplier for care teams, surfacing what would otherwise go unseen so staff can act on an emergency as it happens, and on the subtle changes that precede one.

“A decade from now, no one will accept that a resident’s needs could go unknown behind a closed door. We are already making that unthinkable in the communities we serve, and this funding puts it within reach for many more,” said Michael Wang, Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Inspiren.

Physical AI interprets what is happening in a resident’s environment as it unfolds. Inspiren’s ecosystem combines AI-powered ambient awareness with longitudinal resident and community data, giving caregivers and community leaders the insight to act before a situation escalates. That shift turns proactive, data-driven care into improved outcomes for residents and operators alike.

Communities using Inspiren report the following:

• Aegis Living: Residents who opted into Inspiren stayed 34% longer, with a 22% lower fall rate and 24% lower rate of injury
• Clearwater Living: In the first three months, falls resulting in injury declined 63% and post-fall emergency room visits declined 73%
• Solera Senior Living: A 10-month study at Lumina Las Vegas showed a 48% reduction in falls, 54% fewer hospitalizations, and 50% faster staff response times

“Inspiren’s impact is apparent across the board. Residents experience fewer falls and hospitalizations, while operators see longer stays and care teams can focus their time where it matters most,” said Nick Bunick, Partner at NewView Capital. “Few technologies can improve both clinical outcomes and community economics at the same time. That combination is what makes physical AI so compelling for senior living.”

Last month, Inspiren gave care teams a more complete picture of a resident’s situation before they arrive, launching Two-Way Voice and Alert Claiming across its eCall solution. With these capabilities, care teams know in the first seconds after a resident calls for help what is happening, what the resident needs, and who is responding. These features are rolling out in phases across Inspiren-enabled communities, with additional intelligence capabilities to follow.

“Inspiren’s impact in our memory support communities was immediate, with fewer falls with injury, fewer emergency room visits, and a care team that had real-time clarity. We are excited to continue to work with Inspiren in the coming year throughout our portfolio,” said Danielle Morgan, CEO of Clearwater Living.

Inspiren now powers care at communities across more than 80% of the largest senior housing investors, including AEW and Sabra Healthcare REIT, and by operators including Arrow Senior Living, Ascent Living Communities, Heritage Communities, Thrive Senior Living, and Wellpointe. Inspiren was named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026, ranking 12th worldwide in the healthcare category, and was included on Inc.’s 2026 Best Workplaces List. In addition to a customer success team comprised entirely of clinicians, Inspiren’s executive team includes leaders from Meta, Peloton, Shopify, Udemy, Auth0, Meta, 1Password, Udemy, Shopify, and Intercom.

With this funding, Inspiren will scale its go-to-market, continue advancing its hardware ecosystem, and deepen its AI platform to expand what its models can detect, predict, and act on across every setting in a community.

For more information about Inspiren and its unified ecosystem, visit www.inspiren.com.

About Inspiren

Inspiren is the unified ecosystem for senior living, combining AI-powered technology with the clinical context care teams need to act. Founded in 2016 by former Green Beret and cardiothoracic nurse Michael Wang and led by Chief Executive Officer Alex Hejnosz, Inspiren delivers real-time behavioral and emergency alerts, fall detection, and care utilization insights through a privacy-first design that protects resident dignity. Trusted by communities nationwide, Inspiren has raised $225 million and earned recognition including the Edison Award and TIME Best Inventions. For more information, visit www.inspiren.com.

About NewView Capital

NewView Capital is a venture growth firm investing in high-potential enterprise technology, AI, and fintech companies. With more than $3B under management, NewView pairs a venture pedigree with flexible capital and operational impact. Its portfolio includes category-defining companies such as Databricks, Duolingo, Halter, Hims, Fin (formerly Intercom), Legora, Mercury, Plaid, Stord, and Verkada.

SOURCE Inspiren

Following a $110M Series A, the photonic-based AI accelerator chip pioneer is accelerating headcount growth and expanding engineering operations across Austin and Sunnyvale to scale commercialization.

AUSTIN, Texas and SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 10, 2026 — Neurophos, the pioneer of metasurface-based photonic AI chips, today announced a significant expansion of its leadership and engineering teams as it prepares to commercialize the next generation of high-performance computing. Following a $110 million Series A funding round announced in January, the company has scaled its workforce by 4x this year and is on track to grow it by another 2x by year-end, drawing top-tier talent from leading semiconductor, technology, and AI research organizations.

The leadership expansion includes appointing Dr. Nathan Kundtz as CTO, promoting Dr. Michael Shebanow to SVP of Engineering, hiring Kevin Keller as General Counsel, and expanding Preston Woo’s role to include CCO. These executives join Dr. Patrick Bowen, CEO and Co-Founder, on the leadership team to steer the company toward commercial deployment. The company also appointed AI accelerator pioneer Nigel Toon, former CEO and Co-Founder of Graphcore, to its Board of Directors to enhance governance and bring additional industry experience. Neurophos continues to augment its engineering and operations team as it heads toward scale production.

“The addition of these industry-leading experts and the opening of our Silicon Valley office are crucial steps in accelerating Neurophos’ commercialization efforts,” said Dr. Patrick Bowen, CEO and Co-Founder of Neurophos. “By scaling our team and expanding our geographic footprint, we are positioning ourselves to lead the next generation of high-performance computing and deliver on our mission to bring very large orders of metasurface-based photonic AI chips to market.”

Executive and Engineering Hires

Dr. Nathan Kundtz – CTO

Dr. Nathan Kundtz brings deep expertise in metamaterial commercialization and startup scaling, having served as Founder, CTO, and CEO of Kymeta, a metamaterials-based satellite communications company, and led that company from concept to global deployment at scale. He was most recently CEO of Redered.ai, a synthetic data platform for training artificial intelligence systems. Nathan has a Master’s in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Physics from Duke University. He also founded Intellectual Ventures’ Center for Metamaterials.

Dr. Michael Shebanow – SVP of Engineering

Dr. Michael Shebanow is a semiconductor veteran who has held executive roles including CEO of Silicon Bee, CTO of Sapeon, and VP at HAL, Samsung, and Cadence. His prior experience includes mobile graphics at Samsung, GPU architecture at NVIDIA, and microprocessor engineering at AMD, HAL, Motorola, and Cyrix. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and is an IEEE Fellow.

Preston Woo – CFO & CCO

Preston’s role has expanded from CFO to include the role of Chief Commercialization Officer (CCO). This reflects his leadership in commercial engagements and partnerships. Preston was previously CFO, CSO, and Board Director of several leading technology companies. He was also an executive at Intellectual Ventures. He has an MBA from the Wharton School.

Kevin Keller – General Counsel

Kevin has more than 25 years of experience building legal infrastructure for hardware and AI, with a career spanning roles at Wilson Sonsini, Micron, Microsoft, Amazon Lab 126, Meta, and serving as General Counsel at several VC-backed startups. Kevin has a JD from NYU.

Justin Flanagan – Director of Intellectual Property

Justin has 15 years of experience practicing patent law for advanced technology companies, including in metamaterials, nanofabrication, and semiconductors. He spent the last 10 years as a Partner at PCFB, supporting hardware and deep tech startups. Justin has a JD from George Washington University.

Dr. Kristina Uhlendorf – Technical Fellow, Optics

Kristina joins from Magic Leap, where she led advanced optics development for over five years. She has decades of experience developing complex optics and has worked at leading optics companies including Carl Zeiss, Jenoptik, and Jabil Optics. Kristina has a PhD in Physics from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena.

Dr. Josh Isaacs – Director of Optics

Josh comes from Eikon Therapeutics, where he led optical engineering for the last four years. He previously conducted research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of California, Berkeley, and has a PhD in Atomic/Molecular Physics from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Chris Pan – Director of Board Design

Chris brings 30 years of experience to Neurophos, having led hardware engineering teams at Intel, HP, Qualcomm, Huawei, and Juniper across a wide variety of enterprise hardware products. He’s spent the last 10 years building radar, lidar, and autonomy startups, including founding two of them. Chris has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Governance

Nigel Toon – Board of Directors

Nigel Toon was the CEO and Co-Founder of Graphcore, a semiconductor company and early pioneer of purpose-built processors for AI workloads. He led Graphcore through its unicorn status to its acquisition by SoftBank in 2024. Previously, he built Altera’s European business, co-founded Icera (which was later acquired by NVIDIA), and served as CEO of Picochip and XMOS. He was awarded a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Bristol and wrote the book “How AI Thinks.”

Expanding Footprint

To support its accelerated development timelines, Neurophos has established a new office in Sunnyvale, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Concurrently, the company has moved into an expanded headquarters in Austin, Texas, to accommodate its growing corporate and operational footprint while maintaining its existing lab and prototyping facilities. Neurophos is also planning to open a Low-Rate Initial Production Facility (LRIP) in Austin, Texas, later this year, to enhance commercialization activities. The company is actively hiring across all engineering disciplines in both regions.

Neurophos continues to grow rapidly. Explore open roles at https://www.neurophos.com/careers.

About Neurophos

Neurophos Inc. is an Austin-based semiconductor company developing high-performance, energy-efficient photonic AI inference chips. Founded by Dr. Patrick Bowen and Dr. Andrew Traverso, the team includes industry veterans from NVIDIA, Apple, Samsung, Intel, AMD, Meta, ARM, Micron, Marvell, Mellanox, Lightmatter, and more. For details, visit www.neurophos.com.

Media Contact: [email protected] 

SOURCE Neurophos

Veteran operator and transformation leader joins Vistria to expand value creation capabilities across the firm’s portfolio

CHICAGO, Sept. 10, 2026 — The Vistria Group, LP (“Vistria”), a middle market private investment firm with deep sector expertise across essential industries, today announced that Jeff Hawkins has joined the firm as Head of the Portfolio Resources Group (PRG). Hawkins brings more than two decades of experience driving operational transformation and revenue growth across technology, healthcare, and professional services companies. Hawkins joins Vistria during a period of significant momentum for the firm following the return of more than $1 billion to investors in 2025. In his role, Hawkins will partner closely with Co-Presidents of Vistria’s Flagship Funds, David Schuppan and Phil Alphonse as well as Vistria’s investment teams to help portfolio companies accelerate growth and create long-term value.

“Jeff brings a rare combination of strategic rigor and hands-on operating experience,” said Kip Kirkpatrick, Co-CEO of Vistria. “He has walked in the shoes of the CEOs and executive teams he’ll be partnering with, and that perspective is exactly what our portfolio companies need as we scale PRG’s impact across the firm.”

Hawkins began his career as an intelligence collections officer in the U.S. Air Force before joining the National Security Agency. He went on to build a career across management consulting, operating leadership, and private equity. Throughout that journey, he served in senior leadership roles at TPG, AON, and Alix Partners and leadership positions at numerous portfolio companies. He has served as COO, President, and CRO, guiding organizations through transformational change and accelerated growth.

“Vistria’s sector-focused approach is built on helping companies execute against their most important strategic priorities,” said Phil Alphonse, Co-President of Vistria’s Flagship Funds and Co-Head of Knowledge & Learning Solutions. “Jeff’s experience driving operational improvement and organizational transformation makes him an ideal partner for management teams across our portfolio.”

Hawkins has led several notable transformations and value-creation efforts, including:

• Serving as interim Chief Revenue Officer at a healthcare services company with $1.3 billion in revenue, where he repositioned the business’s care model against traditional insurance offerings and accelerated growth across both its consumer and enterprise business lines, leading to a successful exit to UnitedHealth Group.
• Stepping in as CEO of a $70 million enterprise technology company, where he led a strategic overhaul of go-to-market strategy, product focus, and international operations, culminating in a 6x return on exit.
• Leading a major product and go-to-market transformation at a real-time operating systems technology company with $300 million in revenue, shifting the business from pursuing new customer logos to deepening penetration within its largest accounts, resulting in a 14x return on exit.

“I’m drawn to organizations that need to build something new, not just optimize what already exists,” said Hawkins. “What I heard from the team at Vistria is that there are real opportunities across the portfolio for the kind of growth transformation work I’ve spent my career on. The timing, and the fit, felt right.”

Hawkins holds an MBA and began his post-military career at Deloitte, where he helped build the firm’s strategy practice from the ground up, before moving to JPMorgan Chase to lead a similar effort within its consumer bank.

“The Portfolio Resources Group is a key part of how we help portfolio companies translate strategy into results,” said David Schuppan, Co-President of Vistria’s Flagship Funds and Co-Head of Healthcare. “Jeff brings a proven track record of leading transformation, driving growth, and partnering with executive teams, making him an ideal leader for the next chapter of PRG.”

As part of the evolution of Vistria’s value-creation platform, Jon Samuels will assume the role of Senior Partner, Chief Impact and Policy Officer. In this position, he will continue to lead the firm’s policy and regulatory efforts, helping portfolio companies navigate an increasingly complex policy environment where legislative and regulatory decisions play a critical role in shaping growth and outcomes. Samuels will also continue to lead Vistria’s impact investment strategy, helping ensure the firm continues to integrate measurable social and economic outcomes into its investment approach.

“As Vistria continues to grow and evolve, Jeff’s leadership will be instrumental in strengthening the operating capabilities we bring to our portfolio companies, while Jon’s leadership will further strengthen our policy and impact platform,” said Martin Nesbitt, Co-CEO of Vistria.

About The Vistria Group

The Vistria Group is building a new kind of private investment firm that seeks to deliver both financial returns and societal impact. It invests in essential industries like healthcare, knowledge & learning solutions, financial services and housing that deliver value for investors as well as communities, employees, and consumers. With $18 billion in AUM, The Vistria Group looks deeper by working as a true partner, drawing on its deep sector knowledge, operational expertise, unique network, diverse team, and impact orientation to achieve transformational growth. For more information, pl

SOURCE The Vistria Group

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 10, 2026 — EasyA announced today that it expects to become a publicly-traded company during 2027.

This press release is being made pursuant to, and in accordance with, Rule 135 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of securities will be made in accordance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

To learn more about the company, visit the website.

About EasyA

EasyA is the engine powering the world’s leading AI and frontier tech companies. Our mission is to accelerate the development and adoption of the most important frontier technologies.

The EasyA app has over 1 million users and partners with 350+ of the world’s top academic institutions, forming the launchpad for the latest generation of AI applications. Today, the EasyA ecosystem is worth nearly $30 billion, and EasyA has become the trusted partner of the world’s leading AI, Cloud and FinTech companies like Google, Amazon, Coinbase, Ripple and many others.

EasyA is frequently featured in Bloomberg, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and has won Apple’s App of the Day award. www.easya.io.

SOURCE EasyA