• UFORCE lève 700 millions de dollars pour une valorisation de 6 milliards de dollars. Le tour de table est co-mené par Valor Equity Partners et le National Wealth Fund britannique, avec la participation du U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
• Cet investissement permettra d’assurer une production continue en Ukraine et dans les pays alliés pour approvisionner les troupes en première ligne, tout en développant les partenariats et en renforçant les capacités de défense à l’échelle mondiale.
• Face à l’intensification des menaces, UFORCE propose des plateformes autonomes éprouvées au combat, à coût maîtrisé et immédiatement disponibles, pour équiper les pays alliés aux États-Unis, en Europe, en Asie-Pacifique et au Moyen-Orient.
• Le général (à la retraite) Christopher G. Cavoli, ancien commandant suprême des forces alliées de l’OTAN en Europe et associé chez Valor Equity Partners, rejoint le conseil d’administration d’UFORCE.

LONDRES, KYIV et WASHINGTON, 12 novembre 2026 — UFORCE, entreprise de technologies de défense fondée en Ukraine, dont le siège est situé à Londres et disposant d’implantations majeures à Kyiv et à Washington, annonce aujourd’hui une levée de fonds de série A de 700 millions de dollars, pour une valorisation de 6 milliards de dollars.

UFORCE conçoit des plateformes autonomes sans équipage pour les domaines maritime, terrestre et aérien, ainsi que les logiciels d’IA, d’orchestration et de commandement et contrôle (C2) qui les pilotent. Son objectif est de rendre la défense cent fois moins coûteuse que les opérations offensives.

Le tour de table a été co-mené par Valor Equity Partners (Valor) et le National Wealth Fund britannique (NWF), avec la participation du U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (URIF). L’investissement de l’URIF soutiendra les activités d’UFORCE en Ukraine, notamment le recrutement, la R&D et le développement de nouveaux produits. Le tour de table a également réuni des investisseurs de premier plan de la Silicon Valley, d’Europe et d’Asie, parmi lesquels Menlo Ventures, Xantium et Hiro Capital. Plusieurs investisseurs historiques ont par ailleurs renforcé leur participation au capital d’UFORCE, dont Shield Capital, Ballistic Ventures, Lakestar et Squadra.

Oleg Rogynskyy, directeur général d’UFORCE, a déclaré : « La guerre en Ukraine a montré que, dans un monde de plus en plus instable, une défense efficace repose sur des systèmes capables de s’améliorer en permanence, au rythme de l’évolution des menaces. Les gouvernements et l’écosystème technologique doivent unir leurs forces pour développer des plateformes autonomes, interopérables et économiques, prêtes au combat dès aujourd’hui et capables d’évoluer pour répondre aux besoins futurs. C’est ce qu’ils font en investissant dans UFORCE. Cet investissement nous permettra d’accroître notre production pour l’Ukraine et de fournir aux alliés des solutions qu’ils pourront déployer, intégrer et maintenir en condition opérationnelle au rythme du combat moderne. Avec nos investisseurs, nous sommes déterminés à faire en sorte que toute agression ait un coût prohibitif. »

Du front ukrainien aux chaînes de production mondiales

Cette levée de fonds permettra à UFORCE d’étendre et de répartir ses capacités de production aux États-Unis, en Europe, en Asie-Pacifique et au Moyen-Orient. L’entreprise fabriquera ainsi ses plateformes au plus près des théâtres d’opérations, tout en aidant les pays alliés à renforcer leurs capacités industrielles souveraines.

Grâce à cette production répartie sur plusieurs sites, UFORCE pourra maintenir une fabrication continue et approvisionner les troupes en première ligne en systèmes sans équipage, malgré les attaques qui se poursuivent en Ukraine, tout en apportant des capacités avancées sur le champ de bataille. Les fonds levés serviront également à renforcer la R&D et à accroître la production des familles de drones de surface MAGURA (USV), de drones aériens NEMESIS (UAV), de robots terrestres LIUT (UGV) et de tourelles PREDATOR.

UFORCE poursuivra sa collaboration avec des partenaires dans les pays alliés, notamment pour reconvertir des capacités industrielles existantes des secteurs naval et automobile au profit de la défense. L’entreprise a récemment annoncé un partenariat avec ReconCraft visant à accroître la production de drones de surface MAGURA aux États-Unis, ouvrant aux marchés internationaux l’accès à des capacités maritimes éprouvées au combat. Ce tour de table permet également à UFORCE de renforcer son rôle de membre fondateur de l’Alliance UE-Ukraine pour les drones et de s’appuyer sur les partenariats qu’elle a noués au sein de l’OTAN et de la Force expéditionnaire conjointe (JEF).

Des investisseurs internationaux soutiennent UFORCE pour renforcer la sécurité des alliés

Le général (à la retraite) Christopher G. Cavoli, ancien commandant suprême des forces alliées de l’OTAN en Europe et associé chez Valor Equity Partners, a déclaré : « L’Ukraine a montré au monde à quelle vitesse l’innovation peut progresser sur le champ de bataille lorsque les ingénieurs travaillent aux côtés de ceux qui dépendent de leurs systèmes. UFORCE traduit cette expérience, acquise sur le front, en systèmes sans équipage, ainsi qu’en savoir-faire opérationnel pour les employer efficacement. Je suis fier de rejoindre le conseil d’administration et me réjouis d’accompagner l’équipe dans le renforcement de la défense de l’Ukraine et de ses alliés. »

Oliver Holbourn, directeur général du National Wealth Fund britannique, a déclaré : « L’investissement annoncé aujourd’hui témoigne de la relation privilégiée que le Royaume-Uni et l’Ukraine ont su bâtir. Grâce au soutien du National Wealth Fund, le développement d’UFORCE implante au Royaume-Uni la production, l’ingénierie et la mise en œuvre de systèmes autonomes éprouvés au combat. Il contribuera à créer des emplois qualifiés, à renforcer les chaînes d’approvisionnement nationales et à consolider la position du Royaume-Uni comme pôle d’innovation de premier plan dans des technologies de plus en plus déterminantes pour la sécurité nationale et la résilience économique. »

Conor Coleman, directeur des investissements de la U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), au nom du U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, a déclaré : « Cette opération est à ce jour le plus important investissement de l’URIF dans le secteur des technologies émergentes et constitue une avancée significative dans la mobilisation d’investissements qui renforcent la solidité économique de l’Ukraine, consolident sa sécurité et accélèrent son redressement à long terme. UFORCE est le type même d’entreprise ukrainienne audacieuse et innovante que l’URIF a vocation à soutenir, et contribue à transformer la résilience et l’ingéniosité de l’Ukraine en une force économique et stratégique durable pour les États-Unis, l’Ukraine et nos alliés. »

Contacts presse :

[email protected]

[email protected]

À PROPOS D’UFORCE

UFORCE est une entreprise de technologies de défense fondée en Ukraine. Son siège est à Londres et elle dispose d’implantations majeures à Kyiv et à Washington. Elle est présente en Europe, aux États-Unis et en Asie. UFORCE conçoit des plateformes sans équipage aériennes, terrestres et maritimes, ainsi que les logiciels d’IA, d’orchestration et de commandement et contrôle (C2) qui les pilotent. Sa gamme comprend la famille MAGURA de drones de surface, la famille NEMESIS de plateformes de frappe, la famille LIUT de plateformes robotisées terrestres, la famille de tourelles PREDATOR de lutte anti-drones et C2, le logiciel qui permet de les piloter.

Les drones de surface (USV) de la famille MAGURA ont contribué à la destruction de plus d’une douzaine de navires de guerre russes en mer Noire et ont abattu plusieurs hélicoptères et avions de chasse. Les forces armées ukrainiennes les ont utilisés comme base maritime mobile pour des opérations multi-domaines, notamment pour lancer des UAV NEMESIS lors de frappes à longue portée contre des cibles telles que des systèmes de défense aérienne. Les plateformes de frappe lourde NEMESIS de classe 1 existent en version réutilisable et en version à usage unique. Elles comptent parmi les drones bombardiers et drones de frappe les plus déployés sur le champ de bataille ukrainien, avec plus de 300 000 vols de combat, et équipent plus de 100 unités.

Plus d’informations : uforce.com

À PROPOS DE VALOR EQUITY PARTNERS

Valor Equity Partners est une société d’investissement spécialisée dans la croissance opérationnelle. Elle investit dans des entreprises à forte croissance, à différents stades de développement. Depuis des décennies, Valor met son expertise unique au service des entreprises de son portefeuille pour les aider à relever les défis de la croissance et du changement d’échelle. Valor s’associe à des entreprises et à des entrepreneurs de premier plan qui visent l’excellence et ont le courage de transformer leur secteur.

Plus d’informations : valorep.com

À PROPOS DU NATIONAL WEALTH FUND

Le National Wealth Fund est une institution financière publique soutenue par l’État britannique. Sa mission est de déployer des capitaux à grande échelle pour stimuler l’investissement au service des ambitions du gouvernement en matière de croissance et d’énergie propre, tout en contribuant à renforcer la sécurité et la résilience du Royaume-Uni. Ses investissements visent à générer un rendement pour le contribuable et à attirer des capitaux privés au service de ces missions. Basé à Leeds, le fonds dispose de 43,2 milliards de livres sterling à investir. Son équipe de professionnels de l’investissement peut intervenir sur l’ensemble de la structure du capital, notamment par des prêts, des prises de participation et des garanties. Le fonds propose également des services de conseil commercial et financier, ainsi que des prêts à des conditions parmi les plus compétitives du marché aux collectivités locales de tout le Royaume-Uni. Il est entièrement détenu par le Trésor britannique (HM Treasury), mais reste indépendant du gouvernement sur le plan opérationnel.

Plus d’informations : nationalwealthfund.org.uk

À PROPOS DE L’URIF

Le U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund est un fonds d’investissement conjoint américano-ukrainien. Il a été créé pour mobiliser des capitaux et attirer des investissements dans la reconstruction de l’Ukraine, son développement économique et ses secteurs stratégiques. Le fonds cible notamment des projets qui contribuent au redressement de l’Ukraine et renforcent les chaînes d’approvisionnement. Il soutient également la sécurité économique et la prospérité communes de l’Ukraine et des États-Unis.

Plus d’informations : urifinvest.com

Radical Ventures and Costanoa double down as Delphina launches the Context Factory, where AI agents build and maintain the business context behind trusted answers

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2026 — Delphina, whose Context Factory uses AI agents to build and maintain the business context behind trusted AI analytics, announced $7.5 million in new funding, bringing its total funding to $15 million. The round was co-led by Radical Ventures and Costanoa, with participation from Tenacity Capital joining high-profile angels Fei-Fei Li, Nobel laureate Guido Imbens, and early employees of Anthropic and OpenAI. . Delphina will use the funding to scale the Context Factory and grow its go-to-market and customer engineering teams.

Delphina was built to meet data teams’ standards, but business teams now ask 73% of the questions on the platform, and CEOs at more than half of its customers are active users. At Substack, more than 70% of employees use Delphina, including CEO Chris Best. Other customers include LATAM Airlines, Gen Digital, Upstart, Udemy, Medely, Coursera, and BaseCamp Franchising.

“We want to give our people superpowers with AI. Delphina does that for data,” said Chris Best, CEO of Substack. “Now our teams get accurate answers in seconds instead of waiting weeks in a queue. It’s changed how we make decisions.”

AI analytics is only as good as what it knows about the business: which tables are trusted, how metrics are defined, and what experienced analysts know but never wrote down. Most companies build that context by hand, and it goes stale as the business changes. The Context Factory hands that work to agents. They build a working baseline from a company’s existing data and documents in hours, find and fix gaps as people ask questions, and route important changes to domain experts for approval.

“At Uber, everyone, including the CEO, was hands-on with data. That direct line to the numbers was a real advantage, but it took an army of data engineers to keep it from collapsing into chaos,” said Jeremy Hermann, Delphina’s CEO and co-founder. “The Context Factory gives every company that same advantage. Agents do the heavy lifting, and data teams become the knowledge captains who decide how the business sees its numbers.”

“Most companies are data-obsessed but struggle to become data-driven,” said Duncan Gilchrist, Delphina’s President and co-founder. “When everyone can get trusted answers, everyone suddenly has questions. Ops, sales, marketing and finance teams are now the heaviest users of Delphina, and they keep coming back.”

Hermann built and led Uber’s Michelangelo machine learning platform and co-founded Tecton, which was acquired by Databricks. Gilchrist led global pricing data science at Uber. The Context Factory is available today at delphina.ai.

About Delphina

Delphina gives everyone in a company, from the front line to the CEO, trusted answers from the company’s own data. Its Context Factory uses AI agents to build and maintain the business knowledge that enables accurate AI analytics, with experts approving important changes. Delphina is based in San Francisco and backed by Radical Ventures and Costanoa Ventures. Learn more at delphina.ai.

SOURCE Delphina Inc.

Leading MIT computer vision engineer turns lessons from his family’s factory floor into material savings for major manufacturers including Amcor, Consolidated Industries, Klöckner Pentaplast and DuPont

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 12, 2026 — Tristar AI, the real-time intelligence layer for the factory floor, today announced $12.4 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Isogon Ventures, with participation from Blackhorn Ventures, Ford Street Ventures, ISAI Cap Venture, Capgemini’s VC Fund managed by ISAI, Las Olas VC, NextView Ventures, Seraph Partners, SNR Ventures and TenOneTen. Tristar will use the funding to continue investing in its industry-leading AI vision and edge computing platform, expand into additional manufacturing sectors, scale its customer success and deployment teams to support multi-site enterprise rollouts, and grow its sales and marketing teams to meet growing demand from manufacturers looking to put skilled workers on their most valuable tasks and protect margins.

“I grew up in my family’s plastic-film plant. I remember going in with my dad at odd hours to fix costly errors that could erase a month’s margin if they weren’t caught right away. My dad spent decades working to get it right, so I’ve dedicated myself to building technology that catches those problems early,” said Salem Karani, CEO and co-founder of Tristar AI. “The problem was never that people didn’t care about quality. It’s that people catch problems after the fact, once they’ve already cost time, materials and customers. Tristar gives every line a live record, so teams can act when it matters most. That’s why our customers expand from single lines to entire plants and across locations. This funding lets us serve more manufacturers, more industries and more people who want their products made right the first time.”

Manufacturers face a persistent labor shortage, rising quality expectations and higher material costs, all while working to bring more production back home. According to the Capgemini Research Institute, 48% of U.S. organizations have invested in reshoring initiatives in 2026, up from 30% in 2025, while 83% of organizations report that shortages of skilled industrial workers pose a significant challenge to their reindustrialization efforts. At the same time, legacy inspection protocols take talent off the line while still too often letting quality issues go undetected, resulting in scrapped materials, labor lost to rework and avoidable downtime, and customer claims that impact both the bottom line and reputation.

Tristar uses AI-powered visual inspection to identify defects as materials move through manufacturing lines. Unlike traditional machine vision systems built around fixed rules, Tristar’s AI models can adapt across products, defect types and changing production conditions. The platform connects machine performance, product quality and operator activity to help manufacturers understand not only when something goes wrong, but where and why.

Operators get immediate feedback, while supervisors and plant leaders see trends, production performance and ROI across lines and facilities. The platform integrates with the cameras, PLCs, sensors, MES, ERP and maintenance systems manufacturers already use, so there’s no need to replace existing technology.

“We’ve seen too many manufacturers lose money to defects, or delay a shipment that ends up stopping a customer’s plant,” said Paco Riberas, General Partner of Isogon Ventures. “In today’s industry, precision isn’t optional, and Tristar makes it possible: its AI vision catches defects in real time, directly on existing lines. We believe Salem and the team are building the quality standard for modern manufacturing.”

Today, Tristar’s AI inspects hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of products that Americans use every day, across more than 500 production lines in North America and Europe. Its customers range from the largest suppliers for Toyota, Honda and Mercedes to manufacturers representing more than half of the plastics and film market, companies for whom a single quality escape can cost millions. Live deployments report 95–99% defect-detection accuracy, and the platform typically pays for itself in about four months.

That impact is driving fast growth, with Tristar expanding more than fourfold over the past year.

“This investment reflects our strong conviction that physical AI will play a critical role in the future of manufacturing,” said Matthieu Eyriès, Managing Director, Capgemini Ventures. “Tristar combines advanced AI capabilities with a strong understanding of industrial environments, addressing concrete manufacturing challenges with measurable impact. We are proud to support the company through our ISAI Cap Venture fund as it enters its next phase of growth and scales its technology across the manufacturing sector.”

Looking ahead, Tristar aims to become the system of record for factory operations, giving manufacturers a continuous view of quality and production from incoming raw materials through final shipment.

About Tristar AI

Tristar AI helps manufacturers catch defects in real time. Its AI vision platform inspects products as they move through production, alerts operators to quality issues within seconds, and gives quality teams and plant leaders visibility across lines and facilities. Tristar integrates with existing cameras, PLCs, robotics, sensors, MES and ERP systems, and serves manufacturers in automotive, plastic film, injection molding and packaging across North America and Europe. Founded by CEO Salem Karani, Tristar is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Learn more at tristar.ai.

Media Contact

[email protected]

SOURCE Tristar AI

Open-End Mutual Fund Provides Access to TSW’s Long-Tenured International Equity Strategy Through SEI’s Turnkey Fund Infrastructure

OAKS, Pa., Nov. 12, 2026 — SEI^® (NASDAQ: SEIC) today announced that Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley (TSW) has selected the Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund^® (AIC) platform to launch its new open-end mutual fund, the TSW International Equity Fund (TSWWX), on Nov. 4, 2026. The fund will provide investors with access to TSW’s long-established relative-value approach to international equity investing across developed non-U.S. markets.

The fund, which also utilizes SEI’s SEC-registered transfer agency, marks TSW’s return to the AIC platform and re-establishes the firm’s international equity strategy in a standalone mutual fund.

Through the AIC platform, SEI provides fund governance, administration, transfer agency, distribution support, and related operational services required to launch and maintain registered investment products. This operating model allows TSW to focus on managing investments and serving clients while SEI supports the fund’s operational and regulatory framework.

Frank Natale, Managing Director at TSW, said:

“The launch of our TSW International Equity Fund marks an important milestone in expanding access to our international equity strategy. For more than two decades, TSW’s International Equity team has successfully managed the strategy using a disciplined relative value approach. The mutual fund structure makes the strategy more accessible and easier to implement across portfolios and investment platforms, while offering existing clients additional flexibility beyond separate accounts. We are equally excited to continue our longstanding partnership with SEI, whose established operational platform and deep fund management expertise provide a strong foundation for the fund.”

Sean Lawlor, Head of Public Markets for SEI’s Investment Managers business, added:

“As managers navigate growing regulatory, operational, and distribution complexity, the ability to bring differentiated strategies to market with scale and flexibility has never been more important. TSW’s return to the Advisors’ Inner Circle platform reflects both the strength of our long-standing relationship and the value of a proven operating model designed to support managers as their businesses evolve. By bringing together the infrastructure, governance, and specialized fund expertise required to support a registered product, we’re helping TSW bring this strategy to market efficiently while remaining focused on investment management and client engagement. We’re proud to support this launch and TSW’s next phase of growth.”

Today, the AIC supports 44 clients and 127 funds¹. SEI helped pioneer the series trust concept more than 30 years ago with an institutional-quality turnkey mutual fund operating platform. Today, the platform enables investment organizations to rapidly launch and grow mutual funds, ETFs, and interval and tender offer funds without having to build their own fund operating infrastructure. The platform is designed for asset managers seeking a more cost-effective way to operate their existing funds.

¹As of Sept. 30, 2026.

About SEI^®
SEI (NASDAQ: SEIC) is a leading global provider of financial technology, operations, and asset management services within the financial services industry. SEI tailors its solutions and services to help clients more effectively deploy their capital—whether that’s money, time, or talent—so they can better serve their clients and achieve their growth objectives. As of Sept. 30, 2026, SEI manages, advises, or administers approximately $2 trillion in assets. For more information, visit seic.com.

About SEI’s Investment Managers business 
SEI’s Investment Managers business provides advanced operating infrastructure for investment organizations of all types to evolve and compete in a landscape of escalating business challenges. SEI’s global operating platform delivers customized and integrated capabilities across a wide range of investment vehicles, strategies, and jurisdictions to investment managers and asset owners. The company’s services enable users to gain scale and efficiency, keep pace with marketplace demands, and run their businesses more strategically. For more information, visit seic.com/ims.

About TSW
Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC (“TSW”) is an SEC-registered investment adviser founded in 1969 and located in Richmond, Virginia. TSW is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Perpetual Limited (Perpetual Group) and had $20.1 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2026. The firm offers a broad range of investment strategies across U.S. and non-U.S. equities, income strategies, balanced portfolios, and alternatives, serving a diverse client base of institutional and individual investors. For additional information on TSW contact [email protected].

Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about TSW’s investment advisory services can be found in its Form ADV Part 2 and or Form CRS, which is available upon request.

Forward-looking statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology, such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “seek,” or similar expressions.

SEI’s forward-looking statements include its current expectations as to:

• the ability of the TSW International Equity Fund to expand access to TSW’s international equity strategy; and
• the ability of SEI’s operational infrastructure and fund expertise to support broader distribution opportunities and TSW’s long-term growth.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as they are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management’s control or are subject to change. Although management believes the assumptions upon which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, they could be inaccurate. Some of the risks and important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those described in SEI’s forward-looking statements can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of SEI’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SEI undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE SEI Investments Company

The platform connects young athletes with college athlete mentors and has served more than 35,000 athletes, growing more than 100% annually since its 2023 launch.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 12, 2026 — Athlete To Athlete, a mentorship platform connecting youth athletes with current college athletes for one-on-one virtual mentorship, today announced an $8 million Series A financing led by Rally Ventures, with participation from Newbound VC, Scrum Ventures and UpHonest Capital.

Athlete To Athlete was founded in 2023 by former Division 1 athletes Anthony Waller and Zach Maisus who met as lifting partners at UCLA and launched the company as undergrads. The platform pairs young athletes with college athletes in their sport through 12- or 24-week mentorship programs designed to build confidence, resilience and habits that extend beyond athletics. Its college athlete network spans more than 300 universities, and the company expects to facilitate more than 100,000 mentorship sessions this year.

The platform addresses a growing need for support as young athletes navigate the pressures of competitive sports. Mentors who have faced the same challenges help kids develop the confidence and resilience to thrive both on and off the field. More than 90% of parents report that their child is noticeably more confident after participating in the program.

“Our focus is to develop these young athletes as people, helping them build the character, work ethic and belief in themselves that shapes who they become,” said Anthony Waller, co-founder and CEO of Athlete To Athlete. “That makes them better on game day, but more importantly, it carries them through the rest of their lives. Every athlete’s sport ends eventually, and whether that’s at 12 years old or after seven Super Bowl rings, we want them to walk away healthy, confident and ready for whatever comes next. This funding will allow us to bring safe, meaningful mentorship to far more families.”

The platform also creates paid opportunities for college athletes to mentor the next generation. Athlete To Athlete launched following the NCAA’s 2021 changes to its name, image and likeness (NIL) rules, which opened the door for college athletes to earn money through a wider range of activities. While NIL opportunities are often associated with high-profile brand endorsements, the vast majority of college athletes do not have these types of deals. Athlete To Athlete offers them a way to earn income by sharing their experience and giving back to youth sports.

Rally Ventures brings deep experience in sports technology to the investment. Rally Operating Partner Luke Zaientz was co-founder, COO and later CEO of Reigning Champs, parent of the college recruiting platform NCSA. Rally Managing Director Justin Kaufenberg was co-founder and CEO of the youth sports platform SportsEngine.

“We know this market inside and out from NCSA, and the potential here is even bigger,” said Zaientz. “Recruiting matters for a couple of years in high school, while mentorship is useful from middle school until retirement, and Anthony and Zach are the right people to lead this category. Anthony sent us a performance update every month for a year and a half before we invested, and the numbers got better every single time,” Zaientz added. “That’s how they run the company: try something, learn from it and get better. We’re big believers in what they’re building and the opportunity ahead.”

Athlete To Athlete will use the funding to expand partnerships across youth sports, strengthen protections for young athletes and scale its mentorship platform to reach more families across the nation.

About Athlete To Athlete
Athlete To Athlete is a Santa Monica-based mentorship platform connecting youth athletes with current college athletes for one-on-one virtual mentorship. Founded in 2023 by CEO Anthony Waller and COO Zach Maisus, former Division 1 athletes who met at UCLA, the company aims to build the next generation of driven, confident and resilient student-athletes through mentorship. Learn more at athletetoathlete.com.

SOURCE Athlete To Athlete

Crosspoint Capital and Forgepoint Capital co-lead $30 million expansion to scale Kindo’s go-to-market operations and accelerate development of its AI agent management platform

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2026 — Kindo, the run-anywhere AI agent management platform that puts the enterprise in control, today announced a $30 million raise co-led by Crosspoint Capital and Forgepoint Capital, bringing total capital raised to $57.6 million. The company grew revenue by approximately 800% year over year in 2026 and will use the financing to expand its go-to-market organization and accelerate development of its enterprise AI Control Center and Deep Hat models and add-ons.

As autonomous agents spread through the enterprise and their numbers swell into the thousands, IT, Security, Finance, and Compliance teams struggle to control risks and costs without a centralized tool that can discover, observe, and control the entire enterprise AI footprint. Every time a company lets an AI agent access data, update a customer record, approve a request, or change a production system, it delegates authority. The same permissions that let an agent get work done can let it expose sensitive data, make changes outside company policy, disrupt a critical workflow, or rack up huge inference costs.

“Agent builders from the AI labs, hyperscalers, and thousands of startups make it easy to deploy powerful agents across the business,” said Ron Williams, founder and CEO of Kindo. “What’s missing is the tooling that lets an organization centrally control how those agents are built, what data they can reach, where that data can go, and what they cost, while also allowing support teams to reach in and fix an agent at any hour. That gap is why the teams responsible for supporting and controlling Al are rightfully putting the brakes on Al transformation.”

Kindo gives organizations control of the AI agents already running across their operations. It starts with discovery, uncovering shadow AI and mapping where agents are in use, then brings their activity, access, costs, and outcomes into one view. The teams that must support and control AI, IT, Security, Finance, and Compliance, get a single set of controls: what employees can do with an agent, what an agent can touch, how it behaves around the clock, and what it costs. The result is an AI Operations Center, SOC- and NOC-style monitoring and intervention for AI, where those teams eliminate risk, drive down cost, and make sure AI delivers measurable outcomes.

Implementation is turnkey and is run by the IT operations staff an organization already has. Teams connect the agents, data sources, and AI models already in use, and from that moment everything is discovered, observed, and controlled from one place. Kindo’s gateways govern and audit every call an agent makes to connected data, tools, and approved models. Identity controls apply the organization’s existing permissions to people and agents alike, with the option to tighten them centrally. For mission-critical agents that need deeper control, Kindo’s harness, purpose-built for centralized agent operations, adds around-the-clock monitoring, support, and direct intervention, including the ability to take over an agent when something goes wrong.

Customer Adoption

Kindo runs in production at large and mid-market enterprises in financial services, professional services, healthcare, and aviation/transportation. Global aviation in-flight data provider Aireon’s CISO reported in May 2026 that using Kindo for threat hunting and Tier 1 and Tier 2 SOC functions helped the company work faster, get more value from its existing security monitoring infrastructure, and save more than $2 million a year.

Controlling AI Cost

Security and compliance were the first reasons organizations needed control of their agents. Cost is now front and center. AI spend is growing year over year with no end in sight, and it has become a key issue slowing AI programs.

Kindo’s AI Control Center gives Finance teams a way in. Every token consumed and every agent run’s outcome is recorded, including the failed ones, so costs and return on AI spend roll up by individual, agent, department, and project. Budgets can be set, alerts triggered, and hard spend caps enforced. Finance sees what each agent is trying to do, what it did, and how much it spent doing it, which surfaces the agents that fail often, deliver little, or use models that are overkill for the task.

For agents running in Kindo’s harness, the Deep Hat add-ons drive those costs down. Deep Hat Sift learns from an agent’s verdicts which events on busy alert and ticket queues it would dismiss; once a person approves the threshold, Sift skips those runs, logs every event it filters, and sends a sample through to measure misses. Deep Hat Tune adapts a smaller, lower-cost model to a specific task, reserving larger models for work that needs them. Deep Hat Shrink runs repeatable workflow steps as code, eliminating the model cost entirely, and still routes exceptions back to the model when needed. Deep Hat Attack gives security teams low-cost, private offensive security testing, reducing frontier cybersecurity model use for day-to-day security work.

TFX Capital and CircleRock Capital participated in the financing, alongside existing investors Drive Capital, Riot Ventures, RRE Ventures, Eniac Ventures, Marlinspike Partners, New Era Ventures, and Sunset Venture. As part of the financing, Andre Fuetsch, managing director at Crosspoint Capital, and Ernie Bio, managing director at Forgepoint Capital, will join Kindo’s board of directors.

“2026 has been the year of the agent. Companies are putting AI agents into real business processes, but most still lack a reliable way to see what those agents are doing or control which systems they can reach,” said Fuetsch. “Kindo differentiates itself by giving the teams who need deep control the ability to see and take action while allowing AI transformation to move forward across the enterprise.”

“A company may start with one agent triaging security tickets. As more employees and teams put agents to work, the CIO needs a single place to manage what they can access, support what they do, and control the cost,” said Bio. “We backed Kindo because it gives enterprises a way to rein in the tokenmaxxing madness with centrally managed, data-informed control policies.”

About Kindo
Kindo is an AI agent management platform and enterprise AI control center for teams that secure, support, and govern AI agents in production. It gives IT, Security, Finance, and Compliance a shared view and control of agent activity, the policies that govern access to data, models, and tools, and the cost of running agents. Organizations can build agents in Kindo or connect agents built elsewhere. Kindo runs on-premises, self-managed in the customer’s cloud, in Kindo’s cloud, or in an air-gapped environment. Kindo is SOC 2 Type II certified and supports a broad range of security and compliance programs and standards. Learn more at kindo.ai.

Media Contact
Touchdown PR for Kindo
[email protected]

SOURCE Kindo

Landmark reflects growing demand for diversified exposure to differentiated private market opportunities across multiple asset classes

HOUSTON, Nov. 12, 2026 — CAZ Investments (“CAZ”), a leading alternative investment firm, today announced that the CAZ Strategic Opportunities Fund has surpassed $1 billion in assets under management, marking a milestone in the Firm’s efforts to make private market opportunities more accessible to investors and their advisors.

The Fund provides exposure to a diversified portfolio of private market investments through a single investment vehicle, bringing together multiple themes including professional sports, energy, space and defense, GP stakes, and other thematic opportunities. These investments have historically required significant capital, specialized experience, and multiple investment commitments, making broad exposure difficult for many investors to achieve.

“We believe the future of portfolio construction will look very different from the past, with private markets playing an increasingly important role in how investors pursue diversification and long-term returns,” said Christopher Zook, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of CAZ Investments. “Surpassing $1 billion in assets under management is an important marker for the Fund, but what makes this even more meaningful is that it represents a growing number of investors and advisors recognizing the value of accessing a broad range of opportunities through a single, thoughtfully constructed portfolio.”

The CAZ Strategic Opportunities Fund has generated a 17.42% annualized return (net of fees) since its inception on March 1, 2024, and a 22.02% return over the last 12 months (as of October 31, 2026). The Fund offers investors daily subscriptions with no subscription document required, 1099 Tax Reporting, lower minimums ($2,500), no performance fees (management fee only, substantial fees and expenses are associated with GP Stakes and the funds specifically), and quarterly repurchases. The Fund intends to offer to repurchase Shares from Shareholders in each quarter in an amount between 5% and 25% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares at NAV. Advisors and investors can access the Fund on custodial and alternative investment platforms such as Schwab, Fidelity, CAIS, Pershing, and SoFi.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted above. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. For performance information current to the most recent month-end, please call toll-free 713-403-8250. The Adjusted Expense Ratio is 1.00%. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees or reimburse expenses to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding management fees, Rule 12b-1 distribution and service fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expenses, and certain extraordinary expenses) to no more than 1.00% of the Fund’s average monthly net assets (the “Expense Cap”). The gross expense ratio for class I is 3.77%. The Adviser may recoup waived fees, reimbursed expenses or directly paid expenses if (i) the waived fees, reimbursed expenses or directly paid expenses have fallen to a level below the Expense Cap and (ii) the reimbursement amount does not raise the level of waived fees, reimbursed expenses or directly paid expenses in the month the reimbursement is being made to a level that exceeds the Expense Cap applicable at that time. These contractual arrangements will remain in effect until January 9, 2027 unless the Fund’s Board of Trustees approves their earlier termination.

To learn more about the CAZ Strategic Opportunities Fund, please visit https://cazstrategicopportunitiesfund.com/.

About CAZ Investments 

CAZ Investments is a Houston-based alternative investments firm that thematically curates differentiated investment opportunities for its global network of investors. Founded in 2001, CAZ has grown to become one of the world’s top 100* allocators to private equity. With more than $12 billion in assets currently deployed, CAZ provides exposure to asset classes such as GP Stakes, Professional Sports Ownership, Space and Defense, Energy, and more.

The CAZ global network consists of over 15,000 investors in all 50 states and 48 countries. The group includes more than 500 wealth management firms, investment advisors, family offices and institutional investors, who value the innovative and differentiated opportunities that CAZ develops.

*Source: Preqin

Media Contact: 
Laura Simpson
JConnelly for CAZ Investments
[email protected] 

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the Fund before

investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and should be read carefully before investing. The prospectus may be obtained at www.cazstrategicopportunitiesfund.com, or by calling (855) 886-2307.

The CAZ Strategic Opportunities Fund is distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. CAZ Investments is not affiliated with Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC.

The CAZ Strategic Opportunities Fund is a continuously offered, closed-end interval fund with limited liquidity that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Securities Act of 1933.

Risk Considerations. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. The value of the Fund’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. There is no guarantee that any investment strategy will achieve its objectives, generate profits or avoid losses.

Shareholders should not expect to be able to sell their Shares regardless of how the Fund performs. An investment in the Fund is considered illiquid. The Fund’s Board of Trustees has complete discretion to determine whether the Fund will engage in any share repurchase, and if so, the terms of such repurchase. No assurances can be given that the Fund will engage in a share repurchase in any given quarter.

The Fund’s distributions may be funded from unlimited amounts of offering proceeds or borrowings, which may constitute a return of capital and reduce the amount of capital available to the Fund for investment. Any capital returned to shareholders through distributions will be distributed after payment of fees and expenses. A return of capital to shareholders is a return of a portion of their original investment in the Fund, thereby reducing the tax basis of their investment. As a result of such reduction in tax basis, shareholders may be subject to tax in connection with the sale of Fund Shares, even if such Shares are sold at a loss relative to the shareholder’s original investment.

SOURCE CAZ Investments

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 12, 2026 — Databento, the market data platform for modern finance, today announced a $100 million Series C financing at a $1.1 billion valuation. The round was led by Fifth Down Capital, an early investor in Databento, with participation from nearly all of the company’s existing investors, including NEA, DRW Venture Capital, Tribe Capital, and Hedosophia.

The announcement follows Databento’s $97 million Series B earlier this year. Since closing its previous round, the company has more than doubled its revenue while remaining profitable.

Databento serves leading quantitative trading firms, brokerages, asset managers, commodities firms, and digital asset companies. The company has also established a strong presence in artificial intelligence, having signed enterprise contracts with five of the six leading frontier AI labs.

Databento had 39 employees when it closed its Series C, reaching a $1.1 billion valuation with a fraction of the headcount of traditional market data providers. 

“In this AI era, we’re seeing remarkably small teams build billion-dollar companies, but that level of efficiency is unprecedented in the market data industry,” said Christina Qi, co-founder and CEO of Databento. “Until now, reaching this milestone required hundreds of employees given the sheer scale of physical infrastructure involved. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished, and we’ll continue to prioritize exceptional talent as we grow.”

“Fifth Down first invested in Databento pre-revenue, as we recognized early on that the company had an opportunity to challenge the established model for delivering financial market data,” said Andrew Spellman, founder and CEO of Fifth Down Capital. “Our confidence has only grown as Databento’s traction and execution have demonstrated it can serve demanding institutional customers, sustain rapid growth, and build a profitable business. Databento’s performance has reinforced our original thesis and strengthened our conviction in the company. We are thankful to Christina and Luca for the opportunity to increase our investment and involvement by leading the Series C financing.”

The round also included a strategic investment from Fitch Ventures, bringing the perspective of a leading financial information provider with deep expertise in credit ratings, financial data, and market insights.

“Financial data is becoming increasingly API-driven and machine-consumed, creating an opportunity to fundamentally rethink how institutions and other market participants access it,” said Gabby Munoz, Global Head of M&A and Venture Investments at Fitch Group. “Databento has built differentiated infrastructure at the source and paired it with a modern, self-service model that makes institutional-grade market data available on demand. We’re excited to back the team as they scale a platform we believe will help shape how market data is captured, delivered, and consumed.”

The new funding will support Databento’s continued investment in its market data infrastructure and expansion into additional asset classes.

About Databento

Databento is the market data platform for modern finance. The company provides real-time and historical data across futures, options, equities, and indices through a unified API. By owning the entire stack from source to delivery, Databento is the first platform of its kind to combine the performance and reliability demanded by the world’s leading trading firms with a dramatically simpler developer experience. To learn more about Databento, visit databento.com.

About Fifth Down Capital

Founded in 2014, Fifth Down Capital is a network-based investment firm that invests in private companies and funds. Fifth Down currently manages over 70 investment vehicles and has a full-time team of 30 professionals. For more information, visit fifthdown.com.

Media Contact:
Andrew Young
6175534000
[email protected]

SOURCE Databento Inc.

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 12, 2026 — Backswing Ventures, the defense venture capital firm, today announced its investment in Vigilant Works, a Ukrainian defense technology company developing autonomous counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), high-speed interceptor platforms, and radar-based detection capabilities designed to address increasingly sophisticated aerial threats.

The investment will support Vigilant Works’ continued development of its autonomous guidance technologies, next-generation radar capabilities, and expansion of its operations as the company prepares to scale production and establish a broader presence across NATO-allied countries.

Backswing Ventures invests selectively in companies addressing critical challenges across defense and national security. As aerial threats continue to evolve in speed, sophistication, and scale, the ability to detect, track, and intercept them autonomously is becoming increasingly important. Vigilant Works is developing an integrated approach to counter-UAS operations, combining high-speed interception, autonomous guidance, and radar technology into a scalable defense ecosystem.

Founded by a team of engineers and defense technology entrepreneurs, Vigilant Works is developing an autonomous counter-UAS ecosystem combining interceptor platforms, proprietary autonomy technologies, and radar-based detection capabilities. Its first-generation Algiz-1 has undergone battlefield testing, providing operational experience that informs the development of its next-generation systems. The company is currently advancing Algiz-2, a next-generation interceptor capable of speeds exceeding 600 km/h and designed to address increasingly sophisticated aerial threats.

Vigilant Works has recently entered active battlefield testing of Algiz-2 and secured its first commercial agreements outside Ukraine. The company is also developing its proprietary autonomy stack and radar solutions in Ukraine, with investment capital supporting continued technology development and preparations to scale production and operations across NATO-allied countries. The company is a member of Brave1, Ukraine’s defense technology coordination platform, and was previously selected for the Brave1 / Ministry of Defence EU4UA program.

“We are excited to support Vigilant Works as they continue developing and scaling their autonomous defense capabilities,” said Kyle Asman, Managing Partner at Backswing Ventures. “The evolution of aerial threats is creating an increasingly urgent need for effective counter-UAS solutions. Vigilant Works has the benefit of developing its technology in an environment where these capabilities are being tested against real operational requirements. We believe the team’s focus on autonomous interception, radar, and high-speed threats addresses an important and growing need across the defense ecosystem.”

“We believe the next leap in counter-UAS will come from rethinking the entire interception chain, much like rocketry did decades ago. Detection, radar, autonomy, and high-speed interception cannot be developed in isolation. We’re building them as one integrated system, designed from the ground up to push the boundaries of autonomous air defense,” said Daniel Korogodski, CEO & Co-Founder of Vigilant Works.

“Building both the autonomy software and the interceptor platform gives us a unique advantage. We learn directly from Ukraine’s best interceptor pilots, turn real-world operational experience into data, and iterate at a pace few can match. We’re not just automating today’s best pilots, we’re building autonomy to outperform them,” said Bohdan Boryslavski, CTO & Co-Founder of Vigilant Works.

Vigilant Works is continuing to expand its international footprint while preparing to scale production and operations across allied markets. The company’s development efforts are focused on building an integrated autonomous counter-UAS ecosystem capable of addressing the next generation of aerial threats.

For more information, visit https://backswingventures.com/ and https://vgw.systems/.

About Backswing Ventures

Backswing Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in defense and security technology companies. The firm partners with founders building technologies critical to national security, resilience, and the future of defense.

About Vigilant Works

Vigilant Works is a Ukrainian defense technology company developing autonomous counter-unmanned aerial systems, high-speed interceptor platforms, and radar-based detection technologies. Through its Algiz interceptor platform and proprietary autonomy technologies, the company is building next-generation solutions to address evolving aerial threats and support modern air defense operations.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Backswing Ventures