Charles Huang, founder and CEO of Pasaca Capital Inc., shares his perspective on business success and philanthropy.

PASADENA, Calif., July 1, 2026 — The true meaning of wealth is not how much you keep, but how many opportunities you create for others.

With the recent opening of the Charles Huang Outpatient Tower at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, together with the foundation’s earlier philanthropic support for USC Arcadia Hospital, the Charles Huang Foundation has invested nearly $15 million in healthcare initiatives across Northern and Southern California in recent years.

For Charles Huang, philanthropy has never been an afterthought or a reward for business success. Rather, it has been an integral part of his vision since the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

In an exclusive interview, Huang explained that the purpose of a business extends far beyond generating profits. Companies, he believes, should improve society through investments in education, healthcare, and technological innovation—a philosophy deeply rooted in his own professional experiences.

From Equity Research to Global Investing

Huang arrived in the United States in October 2002 after spending six years as a leading China equity research analyst in Hong Kong’s investment banking industry. During a period of rapid growth in Chinese companies listing in Hong Kong, his disciplined fundamental analysis and industry research earned him widespread recognition. He pioneered several new approaches to China equity research and became known in financial circles as the “Golden Finger of the Hong Kong Stock Market” for producing influential research reports that shaped investor perspectives.

“Stock prices ultimately reflect business fundamentals—not market emotions. The responsibility of an analyst is to identify long-term enterprise value rather than chase short-term market fluctuations.”

Looking back on that period, Huang says the industry recognition was meaningful, but helping investors understand the intrinsic value of companies was always the greater accomplishment.

A Global Perspective

Huang graduated from Wuhan University before continuing his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned his doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

“Globalization is not simply moving a company overseas. It is the ability to integrate resources from around the world.”

He credits his educational experiences in both China and the United Kingdom for developing a global mindset and a deep appreciation for different economic systems, business cultures, and models of industrial development.

Lessons in Strategy

After leaving investment banking, Huang participated in several international strategic partnerships involving major Chinese private enterprises, including efforts to facilitate collaboration with the UK’s MG Rover Group. Although the transaction ultimately did not conclude because of changes in corporate ownership, the experience reinforced his belief that sustainable competitive advantage is built through long-term strategy rather than short-term opportunities.

Navigating Crisis

In 2007, Huang returned to Hong Kong’s financial markets, joining BNP Paribas Securities as Head of China and Hong Kong Small & Mid-Cap Research. There, he experienced the 2008 global financial crisis firsthand.

“The greatest challenge in investing is not predicting whether markets will rise or fall. It is maintaining independent judgment when market sentiment becomes most extreme.”

According to Huang, the financial crisis reaffirmed one enduring principle: every market eventually returns to fundamentals.

Building Companies That Matter

Following the crisis, Huang shifted his focus from public market research to private equity and industrial investment. In 2016, he founded Pasaca Capital in Southern California, concentrating on high-impact sectors including: Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Medical Technology, Clean Energy, Robotics, Industrial Automation, Advanced Materials.

“The true value of a company is not whether it goes public or how high its valuation becomes. It is whether it continues solving real industry problems and creating sustainable long-term value.”

Rather than pursuing short-term capital market trends, Huang evaluates businesses based on their technological innovation, operational excellence, sustainable cash flow, and lasting societal impact.

The Future of Innovation

Asked about the extraordinary global attention surrounding SpaceX, Huang described Elon Musk as one of the defining entrepreneurs of the modern era.

He believes investors’ willingness to assign premium valuations to companies like SpaceX reflects confidence in visionary leadership and exceptional execution.

“Vision can create extraordinary valuations, but only sustainable profitability can support them over time.”

Drawing on decades of investment experience, Huang cautions that every company must ultimately be measured by the strength of its business model, cash flow, and earnings. Following more than a decade of bull markets after the 2008 financial crisis, many investors have never experienced a prolonged bear market, making it easy to become overly optimistic about high-growth companies.

“When market conditions change, every business eventually returns to fundamentals.”

Confidence in California’s Future

Looking ahead, Huang believes demographic shifts and an aging population will become increasingly important drivers of China’s long-term economic outlook.

At the same time, he remains highly optimistic about California’s future.

According to Huang, California’s greatest competitive advantage extends well beyond Silicon Valley. The state’s world-class universities, mature venture capital ecosystem, cultural diversity, and continued ability to attract global talent position it as one of the world’s leading centers of innovation.

“The United States has always been a nation driven by immigrants and innovation, and California remains one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems.”

He points to technology, biotechnology, entertainment, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing as the industries that collectively underpin California’s long-term economic strength.

Success Measured by Impact

For Huang, business success is never the destination.

“Success in business is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a greater responsibility to society.”

In addition to building global businesses, Huang has remained deeply committed to philanthropy for many years. Through the Charles Huang Foundation, significant contributions have supported major California healthcare institutions, including Chinese Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital, helping expand access to quality medical care for communities throughout the state.

From respected equity analyst to global investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Charles Huang has consistently believed that the role of business extends beyond wealth creation. Through capital investment, technological innovation, and charitable giving, he continues to pursue a vision of creating lasting opportunities and meaningful impact for future generations.

Media Contact:
Weining (Chris) Mao
T: (626) 657-6573 | C: (623) 666-2456
E-mail: [email protected] 
Web: pasacacapital.com 

SOURCE Pasaca Capital Inc.

Successful fundraising in challenging environment demonstrates enthusiasm for firm’s core focus on real assets globally, extensive team experience and expertise across asset classes and geographies

MIAMI, July 1, 2026 — Starwood Capital Group (“Starwood Capital”), a leading global private investment firm, today announced the successful final closing of its latest opportunistic real estate fund, Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund XIII (“SOF XIII”), with capital commitments in excess of $10.2 billion. Together with existing commitments to Starwood Capital’s other investment vehicles, the firm’s assets under management now total approximately $130 billion.

SOF XIII will continue to focus on real assets globally, with the flexibility to shift between asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack. SOF XIII will primarily target transactions across the United States and Europe, with selective opportunities in Asia Pacific, and a focus on a strategic mix of residential, data center, industrial and hospitality assets.

SOF XIII was supported by more than 300 new and existing investors across approximately 20 countries, demonstrating broad enthusiasm for Starwood Capital’s future and its extensive investment capabilities. This diverse and sophisticated investor base includes pensions, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments, wealth managers, family offices and high net worth investors. In addition, Starwood Capital Group and related parties have committed $100 million to SOF XIII.

“We are very grateful for our investors’ continued strong support. This is a testament to the strength of our team and the trust our LPs place in us,” said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital. “We are excited about the opportunities we have already sourced for this fund and are proud of our track record of delivering results for our investors through market cycles. With our scale, resources and breadth of talent, we are well-positioned to execute on opportunities in this compelling environment for real estate.”

“We could not be more proud of our brand, our strategy and our team’s capabilities, and of the results we have consistently delivered for our investors,” said Jonathan Pollack, President of Starwood Capital. “With a growing team of more than 350 investment professionals and an expanding global footprint, we have the talent, scale and conviction to continue delivering great performance. We are seeing strong tailwinds driven by slowing supply in traditional real estate asset classes and tremendous growth in technology and manufacturing – this is an exciting time to be investing in real estate.”

Starwood Capital has already closed or committed to 20 transactions to date in SOF XIII, committing more than $3 billion of equity. This initial portfolio highlights the firm’s breadth and global footprint, with significant investments in housing, industrial and data centers in each of the United States, Europe and Asia.

About Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with a core focus on real assets globally. Since its inception in 1991, Starwood Capital Group has raised over $95 billion of capital and currently has ~$130 billion of assets under management. Through a series of comingled opportunity funds and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (SREIT), a non-listed REIT, the Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk/reward dynamics to be evolving.

Starwood Capital also manages Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States, which has successfully deployed over $117 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $31 billion across debt and equity investments. Alongside Starwood Property Trust, Starwood Capital manages over $6 billion in several private debt funds investing across the globe.

Starwood Capital’s other affiliates include: Highmark Residential, a property management company; Starwood Digital Ventures, a platform dedicated to the firm’s data center investment strategy; Starwood Hotels, a hotel brand management team; Essex Title, a title agent for one or more underwriters in issuing title policies and/or providing support services; and Starwood Oil & Gas, which seeks to capitalize on conventional and unconventional North American assets.

Additional information can be found at www.starwoodcapital.com, www.starwoodnav.reit, www.starwoodpropertytrust.com and www.starwoodhotels.com.

Media Contacts:

Dana Gorman / Mallory Griffin
H/Advisors – U.S.
[email protected] / [email protected]
212.371.5999

SOURCE Starwood Capital Group

ESPN, Glen Powell, and Rob Mac also invest as PLL and WLL accelerate toward LA28 and the next phase of growth

NEW YORK, June 30, 2026 — The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) today announced the closing of a $100 million Series E financing round led by Ares and Joe Tsai, representing the largest capital raise in the history of professional lacrosse.

The round also includes a subsequent minority equity investment from ESPN, along with investments from actor, writer and producer Glen Powell, Co-chairman of Wrexham A.F.C, actor and producer Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney), country music singer and songwriter Warren Zeiders, and actor Tony Cavalero. As part of the financing, Co-Head of Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment, Jim Miller, will join the PLL’s Board of Directors. Glen Powell will join the PLL as a Creative Advisor and will work alongside founders Paul and Mike Rabil to help bring the first PLL and WLL teams to Texas. The Raine Group served as financial advisor to the PLL on the transaction.

Proceeds from the financing will be directed across four priorities: expanding media distribution and original storytelling; growing sponsorship and commercial partnerships; deepening investment in the Women’s Lacrosse League; and broadening access to youth lacrosse to make the game more affordable and available. The investment is designed to accelerate the league’s growth ahead of lacrosse’s return to the Olympic stage at LA28.

“Lacrosse is entering one of the most important periods in its history. With the Olympics on the horizon, we have an opportunity to introduce the sport to a new generation of fans and athletes around the world,” said Mike Rabil, Co-Founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League. “Our focus is on building the infrastructure to support that growth through elite competition, broader distribution, youth participation, and a stronger professional ecosystem.”

Additional investors include Creator Sports Capital, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett’s Next 3, FirstTracks Sports Ventures, Jed Hart, West End Investment Management, James Young, Bolt Ventures (the private investment platform of David Blitzer), Chris Shumway, and others.

“The PLL is one of the most exciting growth-stage scaling stories I’ve seen. Mike and Paul have built a business with incredible trajectory, from accelerating media reach to a credible sponsorship platform to exponential fan engagement. The story of lacrosse as the fastest sport on two feet is finally being told around players who bring grit, skill and flair to the field,” said Joe Tsai, an original investor in the league. “The PLL has built a forward-looking model that resonates with both fans and partners. I’m excited to continue my support for this extraordinary founders-led enterprise.”

“We’re thrilled to invest in the PLL at a defining moment for the league and the sport,” said Jim Miller. “Lacrosse has tremendous momentum, world-class athletes and a deeply engaged fanbase, creating exciting opportunities across media rights, live events and broader fan engagement. We look forward to supporting Mike, Paul and the entire team with scaled institutional capital to help advance the league’s next chapter of growth and innovation.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Ares, Joe Tsai, and this suite of strategic and passionate investors,” said Paul Rabil, Co-Founder, President and Chief Creative Officer of the Premier Lacrosse League. “It’s a powerful signal when the most respected investors in sports believe not only in where lacrosse is today, but in where it’s going. And to bring a former player now transcendent actor like Glen Powell onto our ownership group, paired with Wrexham owner, actor and producer, Rob McElhenney – among other entertainers – will make a big difference in our brand and storytelling efforts.”

Lacrosse has the ingredients to become one of the most exciting growth stories in sports,” said Glen Powell, who will be collaborating on storytelling, brand strategy, and creative development with the company. “I’m thrilled to invest in the PLL and WLL and help bring professional lacrosse to the forefront of culture. Starting with my home state of Texas.”

As both the league’s media rights partner and now an equity investor, ESPN deepens an alignment that already spans live game distribution and original storytelling across the PLL and WLL.

Youth participation remains central to the league’s long-term strategy, as both the sport’s key access point and the engine of future fandom. The PLL and WLL will keep lowering barriers to entry, connecting the recreational and professional games, and making lacrosse more accessible to all.

Fans can watch both leagues now. The 2026 PLL and WLL seasons are airing on ESPN platforms and ABC, bringing the fastest game on two feet to screens across the country as lacrosse builds toward its Olympic return at LA28.

About the Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2023 Best Place to Work in Sports, and 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).

SOURCE Premier Lacrosse League

Investment brings Pictor’s total capital raised to approximately $30 million, supporting expanded U.S. and international commercialization efforts

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 30, 2026 — Pictor Holdings Inc., a global targeted proteomic platform company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, today announced the closing of a $7.5 million bridge round of growth capital. The financing was supported by existing investors and will be used to expand commercial partnerships, scale platform development and manufacturing capabilities, and support translational studies across key human and animal health markets.

The bridge round brings Pictor’s total capital raised to approximately $30 million. The investment builds on the company’s commercial momentum following a strong first year at its U.S. headquarters, Pictor has launched seven commercial products, secured four strategic partnerships, and expanded its leadership team with the appointments of Terry Kelly, PhD, as Chief Operating Officer and Tim Shannon as Chief Financial Officer.

Pictor’s targeted proteomic platform — comprising PictArray^®, PictImager^®, and Pictorial^© software — enables laboratories to analyze up to 20 protein targets from a single sample in under two hours. Designed to reduce cost and workflow complexity, the system delivers results at lower per-sample economics across pharma, reference laboratory, and animal health markets.

“Proteomic assays should not be limited to the largest, most specialized settings. Pictor’s platform is designed to make protein insights more accessible, practical, and economical, so more partners can use them to improve health and wellness across people and animals. By helping labs generate more information from a single sample with fewer consumables, we also see an opportunity to support One Health and sustainability goals as adoption scales.”
— Jamie Platt, PhD, CEO and Co-founder, Pictor Holdings Inc.

Proceeds from the bridge round will support the scaling of platform development and manufacturing capabilities, continued expansion of the company’s partner network, and advancement of large-scale translational studies across priority markets. Pictor expects to enter licensing stages with multiple partners within the next 12 to 18 months.

Pictor is evaluating a U.S.-based Series A financing to support the next phase of growth, with plans to further expand commercial operations, platform development, and strategic partnerships. The bridge round strengthens the company’s commercial position as it advances toward that milestone.

“The continued support of our existing investors reflects confidence in both the platform and the commercial model we’ve built around it. This capital positions Pictor to accelerate partnerships and scale operations as we advance toward our Series A.”
— Tim Shannon, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Pictor Holdings Inc.

For more information or partnership inquiries, contact [email protected] or visit www.pictorproteomics.com.

About Pictor Holdings Inc.

Pictor Holdings Inc. is a global targeted proteomic platform company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with laboratory and commercial operations in New Zealand, Australia, and India. The company develops multi-analyte proteomic assay solutions for human and animal health research environments, enabling laboratories and biopharma partners to run more analytes, faster, at lower cost. Pictor’s IP portfolio includes 16 patents, five pending, and seven registered trademarks. For more information, visit www.pictorproteomics.com.

Media Contact
Kelly Krueger
Audacity Health on behalf of Pictor Holdings Inc.
415-235-5031
[email protected]
www.pictorproteomics.com

SOURCE Pictor Holdings Inc.

Omen AI’s spectroscopic sensors are already deployed across data center customers managing 10–14 GW of capacity and industrial fleets generating over $150B in revenue

SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2026 — Omen AI, the continuous fluid analysis company, today announced a $31 million Series A led by Nava Ventures, bringing the company’s total funding to $41.5 million. The new round includes participation from CRV, Sheryl Sandberg, Mike Mattacola, Vanderbilt University, LMNT Ventures, Mann+Hummel, Borusan Ventures, Starhill Holdings, Hard Launch Capital, and executives from Bridgestone, GM, Johnson Controls, and TensorWave.

Omen AI uses fluid analysis to read the health of equipment such as servers in data centers and industrial machines, so companies know what’s failing before it fails, without waiting on quarterly lab tests. The company’s sensors attach directly to a machine’s fluid system (oil, coolant, or water) and deliver continuous, real-time analysis of metal content, bio-contaminants, wear patterns, and fluid degradation. For data center and industrial machine operators, every second counts. ITIC’s 2024 Hourly Cost of Downtime Survey found that over 90% of midsize and large enterprises report a single hour of unplanned downtime costs more than $300,000.

“At TensorWave, we are building among the most advanced AI compute clusters in the world,” said Piotr Tomasik, Co-Founder and President at TensorWave. “The fluid running through these massive systems is a critical variable that most of the industry is flying blind on. Omen is changing the game. They see the future of infrastructure exactly the way we do, better monitoring to optimally support compute customers. Excited to support their vision!”

“I started working with heavy equipment manufacturers as a teenager and watched machines fail because of the antiquated methods the industry uses for monitoring fluid health. Taking a sample, shipping it to a lab, and waiting days for results is dangerously inadequate when you’re protecting billions in GPU infrastructure and operating industrial machines,” said Zach Laberge, Founder and CEO of Omen AI. “Omen AI was built to prevent catastrophic failure. We help data centers push their hardware to the absolute limit, unlocking compute performance operators didn’t know they had, and enabling industrial machine operators to prevent costly failure.”

How It Works

The AI boom is pushing data centers into liquid cooling at an unprecedented scale. Global data center capacity is expected to nearly double to 200 GW by 2030, according to McKinsey, and liquid cooling is becoming the default for new construction. As liquid-cooled infrastructure scales, the cooling fluid itself becomes a massive, unmonitored point of failure. Protecting billions in GPUs today still means mailing fluid samples to a lab and waiting days for results. Omen AI eliminates the waiting time with continuous monitoring.

Omen AI ships in two configurations:

• Permanent sensor: Connects directly to the machine’s fluid system with a one-time, non-invasive installation. Continuously tracks metal content, bio contamination, and wear patterns, building a health trajectory over time.
• Portable diagnostic unit: Delivers the same spectroscopic precision in a unit technicians can bring to any machine, on-site or in the field, for an immediate diagnosis.

Both form factors analyze 21+ elemental signatures simultaneously, replacing the sample-and-wait model with continuous, real-time data.

Deployed at Scale

Omen AI’s customers include:

• Data centers representing $200B in assets operating 10–14 GW of capacity, where Omen AI monitors coolant health in real time
• Industrial fleet operators including Carolina CAT and dealerships across the US and Canada

Together, those customers generate over $150 billion in revenue and operate more than 2 million machines.

“Whether it’s a liquid-cooled AI infrastructure or a fleet of industrial machines, the cost of an unplanned failure is staggering. Despite the high stakes, these systems are still monitored with lab tests that take days. Omen AI built the solution: continuous, real-time visibility into the health of the machines doing the world’s most critical work. Zach and his team aren’t just building a better sensor; they’re building the nervous system for the machines powering the modern world,” said Cory Rellas of Nava Ventures.

About Omen AI

Omen AI builds continuous fluid analysis sensors for the machines the world depends on. Its spectroscopic sensors attach directly to a machine’s fluid system and continuously analyze metal content, bio-contaminants, wear patterns, and fluid degradation, giving operators advance warning of failures that traditional quarterly testing would miss. Omen AI is deployed in data centers managing 10–14 GW of capacity and industrial fleets across North America.

Founded in 2024 by 20-year-old CEO Zach Laberge and based in San Francisco, Omen AI has raised $41.5 million in total funding. The company is backed by Nava Ventures, CRV, Sheryl Sandberg, Mann+Hummel, Caffeinated Capital, Vanderbilt, Genius Ventures, LMNT Ventures and a network of strategic operators from across the AI infrastructure ecosystem.

Media Contact
Mary Devincenzi
[email protected]
408-761-4285

SOURCE Omen AI

Expands Estimating AI to materials distributors, announces partnership with US LBM

DURHAM, N.C., June 30, 2026 — Higharc, the homebuilding AI company for the full design-to-construction lifecycle, today announced it has raised a $95 million Series C led by global software investor Insight Partners. The round brings Higharc’s total funding to more than $170 million.

Simultaneously, Higharc announced an agreement with US LBM, the largest private distributor of lumber and building materials in the United States, marking the expansion of Higharc’s platform to the building materials supply chain.

AI that actually works for the built world

Homebuilding is undergoing a fundamental shift as complex design, 3D modeling and estimating workflows move to AI. Across homebuilder and distributor teams, work that once required weeks of manual effort can now be automated.

“AI isn’t just assisting builders. It’s reshaping how builders work, cutting time and cost per job while giving buyers a more personalized experience,” said Marc Minor, CEO and co-founder of Higharc. “The builders and distributors leading the way use AI to automate their most complex workflows unlocking teams to focus on product improvement and customer experience.”

While AI is reshaping technical workflows across industries, most AI systems fail on basic spatial reasoning. In homebuilding, these errors mean delayed starts, materials overage, change order and frustrated buyers. Higharc’s AI platform is different. Higharc generates homes as spatial databases — capturing code requirements, construction standards and geometry — and creates the structured data foundation required for production-grade AI.

Higharc replaces AutoCAD and point solutions and enables builders to automate design, estimating and sales workflows. Using Higharc’s generative system, homebuilders produce precise and build-ready homes, complete with construction documents, real-time estimates and fully shoppable 3D models.

Builders across North America use Higharc to accelerate their design-to-construction workflows. Higharc customers report substantial impact and time savings including:

• Compressing product development timelines from months or years to weeks or days
• Cutting time to community open by 25-50%
• Increasing margin by 10-15% 

“We evaluated a lot of AI tools, but most produce outputs that require so much correction they’re unusable. Higharc is different. It’s grounded in how homes are actually built, so the outputs are usable from day one,” said Kyle Bear, VP of Research and Development at Signature Homes. “Higharc helps us move faster and operate with more precision and fewer downstream surprises. And as a result, we’re breaking ground on more homes each year while protecting margins and pricing power.”

Expanding AI estimating to the supply chain

The new funding will be used to scale AI product development and expand the platform to a broader segment of the homebuilding market.

As part of its expansion, Higharc today announced its AI Estimating product for building materials distributors, with US LBM as its first partner. Until now, estimating buildings was a famously complex, manual process prone to errors and delays. The new offering gives LBM distributors and dealers the ability to generate accurate material takeoffs from builder plan sets at enterprise scale.

At the center of this capability is Higharc’s AutoTranslate AI, which can translate any floorplan image into a rich 3D spatial data model. It combines proprietary AI vision models with deterministic construction logic to generate precise quantity estimates and align them directly to purchasable materials. The results are quantity estimates that reflect how homes are actually designed and built — not approximations.

“With advanced technology accelerating the building materials industry, what sets Higharc apart for US LBM is the ability to go from a static 2D plan to a precise and dynamic 3D data model in one step. That unlocks not just fast, accurate quoting but smarter material planning, the ability to sell the whole home and real-time collaboration with our customers — powering better outcomes for us, the builder and ultimately the homeowner,” said Jonathan Greene, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at US LBM.

Investing in the future of homebuilding AI

“Everything we’re building is in service of one outcome: to make homebuilding seamless so builders can build better homes more affordably. This next phase is about scaling that impact by deepening our AI capabilities and bringing suppliers onto the same trusted system builders already rely on,” explained Minor.

“We evaluate AI companies across every sector, and Higharc stands out as a clear leader in applying AI to residential construction,” said Josh Fredberg, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “Higharc is setting the standard for how homes will be designed, permitted and built in the age of AI. Leading builders are already standardizing on the platform, and we have conviction that this extension into supplier workflows will transform the broader builder supply chain.”

The round was led by Insight Partners, with participation from Wellington Management and existing investors including Fifth Wall, Spark Capital, Lux Capital, SE Ventures (Schneider Electric’s venture arm), Simpson Strong-Tie, PSP Partners, RXR Arden Digital Ventures, Suffolk Technologies, Vertex Ventures, NC Tweener Fund and MetaProp.

About Higharc

Higharc is the homebuilding AI company for design through construction. By generating homes as 3D spatial data, Higharc enables builders and suppliers to design, estimate, sell and build homes better. Higharc works with leading homebuilders and supply chain partners. The company’s rapid rise has earned national recognition, ranking in the top 50 of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026.

Higharc is hiring. Join us to see how far and how fast you can go. Those who love homes and applying AI to critical industries can apply here.

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of December 31, 2025, the firm has over $90B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 900 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has a global presence with leadership in London, Tel Aviv, and the Bay Area. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with tailored, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on X @insightpartners.

About US LBM

US LBM is the largest privately owned, full-line distributor of specialty building materials in the United States. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty products, including windows, doors, millwork, wallboard, roofing, siding, engineered components and cabinetry, US LBM combines the scale and operational advantages of a national platform with a local go-to-market strategy through its national network of locations across the country. For more information, please visit uslbm.com or follow US LBM on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Higharc

200+ e-commerce customers and plans for significant U.S. expansion, Kim.cc combines AI automation with human expertise at scale

NEW YORK, June 30, 2026 — Kim.cc, an AI-native customer support company serving over 200 e-commerce brands globally, today announced it has finalized an institutional venture funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners to accelerate its U.S. expansion and build the next generation of AI-native customer service. The company is targeting $100M+ in annual revenue by 2028 and fueling further growth into the U.S. market.

Kim’s model combines AI systems with human-in-the-loop execution, allowing companies to improve quality, speed, and cost efficiency without depending only on either fully automated chatbots or traditional manual BPO operations.

“Customer support operations is entering a new phase,” said Sachin Jaiswal, Co-founder & CEO, Kim.cc. “The early wave of AI customer support focused heavily on automation, but full automation has not delivered on its promise for many real-world customer service. LLMs are powerful, but when the work becomes complex, high-stakes, or brand-sensitive, companies still need human judgment, quality control, and accountability. That is why we believe the next model is AI-native service delivery – where AI does the work, vetted by humans.”

Kim’s founding team brings a wealth of experience across AI, ecommerce operations and large-scale customer support, managing 2M inquiries a week. Their experience has shaped their view and helped build Kim into what it is today and what it can be in the future. They know that  AI transformation in customer support is not only a software problem. It requires deep workflow understanding, quality control, human judgment, and strong operating systems.

“We are excited to back the Kim team as they redefine what great customer support looks like at scale,” said Alok Goyal, Partner, Stellaris Venture Partners. ” Customer support is a $470B global market spanning software and services, yet a huge segment of it remains out of reach for cost-effective, high-quality service. Kim is changing that by combining AI automation with human oversight to deliver measurable outcomes at 40% lower support costs without compromising quality.”

With the latest funding, Kim can continue its expansion stateside and further build out its operations in India. By 2028, Kim plans to triple its workforce to over 100 employees. The team is actively hiring top talent for roles in sales, partnerships, customer success, and client-facing leadership roles.

“Our customers are not just looking for automation. They are looking for better outcomes – faster responses, lower cost, higher quality, and a partner who can actually run the operation,” said Phani Yedavilli, Co-founder & CBO / GTM Lead, Kim.cc. “Kim.cc brings AI and operations together, so brands can modernize support without taking on the risk of doing it alone.”

Kim.cc is already trusted by over 200 Shopify merchants globally, including TRIP Drinks, Kahawa 1893, Transformer Table and Nimi. The team recently released their AI Customer Support Sentiment Report, which found that nearly half of consumers want a blend of AI and human support for a brand’s customer service.

Kaushik Barodiya, Co-founder & CTO, Kim.cc, said, “We are building the operating system for AI-native service delivery. The goal is not to replace human expertise, but to make every workflow more intelligent, measurable, and scalable. By combining AI agents, workflow memory, quality checks, and human oversight, we can deliver a much more reliable model for customer support.”

To learn more about Kim.cc, open roles and the latest report, visit Kim.cc.

About Kim.cc
Kim.cc is an AI-native customer support built for e-commerce brands. Trusted by 200+ Shopify merchants globally, Kim.cc combines intelligent automation with human oversight to deliver fast, accurate, and brand-aligned support at significantly lower operational cost. Learn more at kim.cc

Media contact 
Connor Lynch
PANBlast for Kim.cc
[email protected]

SOURCE Kim.cc

Rev1 Doubles Scaleup Suite Residents and Sees Continued Growth in Membership

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 30, 2026 — Rev1 at The Peninsula is emerging as the hub for AI innovation in downtown Columbus, with the addition of Spearfish, Symmitri and jakib.ai to its growing roster of Scaleup Suite residents. The companies join RWX in establishing a presence at the founder-focused innovation space, creating a concentrated community of high-growth technology companies, investors, and experienced operators under one roof.

Since launching earlier this year, the innovation hub designed to help software and advanced technology startups grow faster has grown to nearly 90 members, reflecting strong demand for founder-focused workspace, community, and resources in downtown Columbus.

“When ambitious companies share a space with experienced operators, investors, and mentors, ideas move faster, partnerships form more naturally, and founders gain access to the kinds of relationships that can change the trajectory of a business,” said Tom Walker, CEO of Rev1 Ventures. “That’s the environment we’re intentionally creating here and why we’re seeing such high-demand so quickly.”

For Spearfish, the decision to join The Peninsula was driven by the unique concentration of experienced founders and AI-focused activity under one roof.

“The magic of Rev1 at The Peninsula is collision,” said Ray Bohac, founder and CEO of Spearfish. “Proven founders and AI-centric capital in one building, running into each other by chance, sharpening each other constantly. Rev1 has fused seasoned operators with the energy of AI investment into a single hyper-focused place, and the spontaneous connections that come out of it are impossible to replicate anywhere else. Getting to participate in that is a dream.”

The Peninsula’s second-floor Scaleup Suites are designed for companies ready to scale, while its first floor features 14,500 square feet of flexible workspace, including a founder lounge, event space, meeting rooms, and membership options designed to foster collaboration among entrepreneurs.

“What stood out to us was not just the space itself, but how intentionally it is designed for interaction,” said Jonathan Poma, founder and CEO of Symmitri. “We’re building alongside other companies at a similar stage upstairs, and downstairs there is always something happening in the founder lounge or event space that pulls you back into the broader Rev1 community. That constant connection between focused work and spontaneous collaboration is exactly what we were looking for. As an AI company, this move is about putting us in an environment that matches the pace we are trying to operate.”

Combining workspace, community, mentorship, and access to capital, Rev1 at The Peninsula delivers an environment where founders can accelerate growth while contributing to the broader Columbus innovation economy.

“I’ve learned throughout my career that what matters most in an innovation ecosystem isn’t mass or volume – it’s talent density,” said Andy Jenks, co-founder of Jakib.ai. “When exceptional people are brought together and put shoulder to shoulder, even across different companies, it can create magic. That’s what we were looking for in Columbus, and it’s exactly what we found at The Peninsula. You can see it in the founders and people on the scale-up floor every day.”

Rev1 at The Peninsula is supported by the City of Columbus and Downtown Columbus, Inc. (DCI), and is a key component of the region’s economic development strategy to attract and retain high-growth companies in downtown Columbus.

To explore membership opportunities or learn more about Rev1 at The Peninsula, visit rev1ventures.com/peninsula.

About Rev1 Ventures
Rev1 Ventures is where founders go to build. As a Midwest venture studio, Rev1 partners with innovators in Saas/AI, deep tech, and life sciences to turn bold ideas into scalable companies. From day one, Rev1 helps startups move faster and grow smarter by validating markets, gaining traction, and becoming venture ready. A catalyst for early-stage growth, Rev1 connects founders to the mentors, partners, and early customers that accelerate progress and position startups to attract investors. With hands-on support, a powerful network, and collaborative spaces designed for growth, Rev1 gives startups the foundation to build stronger and scale. For more information, visit https://www.rev1ventures.com.

SOURCE Rev1 Ventures

The Singapore-headquartered merchant operating system grew annualised recurring revenue 61% in 2025 and turned profitable across four Southeast Asian markets on a lean capital base.

SINGAPORE, June 30, 2026 — Qashier, a unified merchant operating system for Southeast Asia, today announced a US$6.125 million Series A+ financing round comprising equity and debt. The round was led by Cocoon Capital, IFP Securities and BlackSoil Global, with participation from strategic angel investors. The capital will support regional expansion and product development.

The raise follows a year of disciplined operating progress. Qashier now processes US$1 billion in annualised payment volume for more than 20,000 merchants across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, and has been profitable every month since December 2025. Over the year it grew annualised recurring revenue 61% and secured its Major Payment Institution licence in Singapore in February 2025. The company has reached these milestones having raised under US$20 million to date, a level of capital efficiency rare among payments businesses at its scale.

Southeast Asia is home to more than 70 million SMEs and a digital payments market exceeding US$1 trillion, yet most merchants still run their businesses on disconnected systems — separate providers for point-of-sale, payment acceptance, inventory, customer engagement and financing. That fragmentation adds cost, creates blind spots, and holds back businesses trying to grow across outlets and borders.

Qashier brings these functions onto a single platform, combining payments, business software, CRM and embedded financial services across more than 50 integrated modules — spanning ordering, inventory management, loyalty and automated marketing — and over 20 regional payment methods, including cards, QR, e-wallets and buy-now-pay-later. Crucially, Qashier owns its end-to-end payments stack — KYC, processing, payouts and cross-border settlement — giving merchants a faster, fully integrated experience and more competitive pricing, while generating the proprietary transaction data that powers the rest of the platform.

That data advantage is most visible in QashierLoans, the company’s revenue-based lending product launched in June 2025. Underwritten entirely on proprietary platform data and repaid automatically from each merchant’s daily sales, QashierLoans has disbursed more than US$10 million to over 100 SMEs since launch — extending Qashier’s role from commerce software provider to financial operating partner, and turning every transaction on the platform into a sharper credit signal.

“We are building the operating system for Southeast Asia’s SME economy — and we are building it profitably,” said Christopher Choo, Co-Founder and CEO of Qashier. “Merchants should not have to stitch together five vendors to run one business. By bringing payments, software, financial services and customer engagement into a single ecosystem, we give them clarity, lower costs and the confidence to scale across markets. This round lets us leverage that advantage into the next phase of growth.”

Cocoon Capital has backed Qashier since its early days. “We have been proud to support Qashier since its beginning, and this latest round is a testament to what the team has built,” said Michael Blakey of Cocoon Capital. “What continues to impress us is their ability to navigate every obstacle placed in their path with resilience and ingenuity. Qashier’s cofounders, Christopher Choo and Franklin Zhao, have an exceptionally clear and compelling vision for what Qashier is becoming, ‘the default operating infrastructure for commerce across Southeast Asia,’ and we remain firmly committed to supporting that journey.”

With the new funding, Qashier will focus on enhanced omnichannel payments, broader embedded financial services, and AI-enabled insights and workflow automation. It will also expand its offering for larger, multi-outlet businesses, particularly in food and beverage and beauty and wellness, where merchants require sophisticated workflows, consolidated reporting and a consistent customer experience across locations and markets. Qashier is preparing for a Series B round to fund its next phase of growth, with milestones expected in recurring revenue, payment licensing and loan disbursements.

About Qashier

Qashier is a unified merchant operating system that brings together payments, business software, embedded financial services and customer engagement tools on one platform. Operating across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, Qashier supports more than 20,000 SMEs with an integrated ecosystem built for Southeast Asia’s digital economy.

About Cocoon Capital

Cocoon Capital® is a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in enterprise software and deep tech across Southeast Asia. Founded in 2016, Cocoon has more than USD 90 million assets under management and has made over 30 investments to date. The firm backs companies building transformative solutions in sectors including medtech, advanced manufacturing, logistics, diagnostics, and climate tech. With its slogan “Dare to Change™”, Cocoon stands apart by leading early, taking concentrated positions, and working hands-on with founders from Seed through Series A. Portfolio companies include Aprisium, TransTRACK, Shomvob, Augmentus, Bioactivx, BuyMed, See-Mode Technologies, and Volt14. Learn more at www.cocooncap.com.

SOURCE Cocoon Capital; Qashier Pte. Ltd.