NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2025 —

• Subzero Labs emerges from stealth after raising a $20M initial financing round led by Pantera Capital with participation from Variant, Coinbase Ventures, Hashed, Susquehanna Crypto, Mysten Labs, Fabric Ventures, Mirana Ventures amongst others. 
• Developer-first founders come from Mysten Labs and Diem and have attracted top talent from Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, TikTok, Citadel, VMWare, Solana, EigenLayer, Coinbase, NEAR Protocol and more. 
• Subzero Labs is building Rialo, a radical rethinking of decentralized programmable networks that empowers builders to create and launch internet‑scale decentralized applications, without the constraints of legacy network architecture.

Today, Subzero Labs announces its emergence from stealth with a $20 million initial financing round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from other top-tier investors including Variant, Coinbase Ventures, Hashed, Susquehanna Crypto, Mysten Labs, Fabric Ventures, Flowdesk, Mirana Ventures, and more. 

Founded by Ade Adepoju and Lu Zhang, early engineers at Mysten Labs who contributed to the Sui network, Subzero Labs draws on deep technical expertise from both Web2 and Web3. Prior, Zhang built Diem, Meta’s crypto initiative, and large-scale AI/ML infrastructure at Meta and Google, while Adepoju developed distributed systems at Netflix and advanced microchips at AMD. With years of deep involvement in multiple layer-1 protocols and decentralized applications, Adepoju and Zhang identified a significant gap between the goals of network infrastructure and app developers; a gap they will close by rebuilding decentralized infrastructure from first principles. 

The Subzero Labs team has attracted top talent from Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, TikTok, Citadel, VMware, Solana, EigenLayer, Polkadot, Coinbase, NEAR Protocol, and other industry-leading organizations. 

For years, blockchain teams have obsessed over raw transaction speed. But high TPS alone doesn’t make decentralized apps robust or useful. Without a seamless interface to real‑world data and services, even the fastest blockchains produce apps that feel disconnected, high friction, boring to users, and frustrating for builders. Until we fix real‑world integration and free builders from tangled and fragmented infrastructure, decentralized apps will remain clunky, costly, and painfully slow to create.

Subzero Labs is building Rialo, a network that gives developers the building blocks to create global-scale decentralized apps, without integrating brittle third-party services. Rialo makes it possible to build decentralized apps with the responsiveness and reactivity of Web2 at a fraction of the complexity by offering native web connectivity, event-driven transactions, built-in privacy, among others while remaining infinitely scalable. 

Rialo leverages RISC-V architecture and adds Solana VM compatibility, letting teams deploy existing programs out of the box while unlocking a richer feature set. From tokenized assets, to prediction markets, to global trading platforms, to AI agent orchestration, developers can build with familiar tools while delivering apps that outperform their centralized counterparts in both cost and user experience.

“Instead of shipping innovative products, too many brilliant teams are burning their runway gluing various pieces of poorly designed infrastructure together,” said Ade Adepoju, Co-Founder of Subzero Labs. “We believe infrastructure should be invisible, fast, intuitive, and scalable. Rialo solves this and unlocks entirely new classes of applications that simply weren’t possible before.” “Rialo is the only full stack network for real world applications – built by leading industry developers for developers,” said Paul Veradittakit, Managing Partner of Pantera Capital. “It’s rare to see such a high concentration of talent to drive this vision. We believe under Ade and Lu’s leadership the Subzero Labs will deliver the infrastructure that finally empowers developers to create decentralized products that are intuitive, useful, and relevant to everyday users.” “What stood out to us was how Rialo makes off-chain interaction feel native — not bolted on,” said Baek Kim, General Partner of Hashed. “With the devnet already demonstrating event-driven execution and native web integrations, we see early signs of a system that can lower the barrier for real-world use cases. Subzero Labs isn’t just optimizing infra — they’re rethinking how developers and external systems actually connect to it.” “We are excited about the opportunity that comes with the growing range of real world assets.” said Bart Smith, Global Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Susquehanna International Group (SIG). 

Rialo private devnet is now live. Subzero is currently onboarding early development partners. Developers interested in testing Rialo ahead of its public launch can join the waitlist.

About Subzero Labs

Subzero Labs is rearchitecting decentralized infrastructure to deliver network power without legacy constraints. The company’s flagship network, Rialo, combines real world connectivity and event driven execution, enabling teams to ship production ready applications with the same ease as Web2 development. Founded by veterans of Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, TikTok, Citadel, Mysten Labs, Solana, and other leading protocols, Subzero Labs is transforming decentralized network into full stack product platforms, unlocking real world use cases for developers, enterprises, and consumers.

SOURCE Subzero Labs

Entrepreneur Expo to spotlight SSBCI-backed investment funds driving Maryland’s innovation economy

COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 6, 2025 — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announces the panel “Investing in Maryland’s Future: SSBCI in Action,” taking place at the upcoming 2025 Entrepreneur Expo at The Hotel at the University of Maryland on October 21, 2025.

“This session showcases both the power of public-private capital and the art of founder-investor engagement,” said Jack Miner, TEDCO’s chief investment officer. “We’re excited to give attendees an up-close look at how these investors evaluate opportunities and support Maryland’s growing innovation ecosystem.”

The two-part session will be moderated by Miner, beginning with brief investment thesis presentations from each fund, followed by a round of live startup pitches. The second half of the session features an interactive discussion where investors provide real-time feedback and highlight the critical skills and considerations that shape their decisions—from understanding tech stacks to budget planning.

Joining this session will be:

• Moderator: Jack Miner, TEDCO
• Emily McMahan, AIN Ventures 
• Shalanda Armstrong, 100KM Ventures
• Elias Mufarech, Collide Capital
• Sarah Sheppard, Maryland Department of Commerce

Recently, TEDCO announced receiving an infusion of up to $50 million in funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). This funding supports recipients of TEDCO’s Venture Funds, Seed Funds and Social Impact Funds—along with the $10 million earmarked for the Venture Capital Limited Partnership (VCLP) Equity program. Of this amount, funding has been allocated to 100KM Ventures, AIN Ventures and Collide Capital. This session brings all three firms together to share their investment strategies and engage directly with Maryland-based entrepreneurs.

TEDCO’s Entrepreneur Expo is Maryland’s premier gathering for entrepreneurs, business owners, investors and thought leaders to connect, learn and be inspired. This year’s event promises a full day of interactive workshops, insightful discussions and dynamic pitches from emerging companies.

Don’t miss your chance to attend this “can’t miss” event! Tickets are limited, so secure your spot now and get ready for a day filled with learning, networking and inspiration.

About TEDCO
TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact
Tammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, [email protected]
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, [email protected]

SOURCE TEDCO

 Evok Innovations and Constellation Technology Ventures Lead Investment in Scalable Technology for Critical Mineral Liberation and Legacy Waste Cleanup

CASPER, Wyo., Aug. 6, 2025 — DISA Technologies Inc. (DISA), a company pioneering high-impact solutions for mineral recovery and uranium remediation, has closed its oversubscribed Series A2 financing round. DISA raised a total of $30 million in private capital, including $23 million in primary funding and $7 million in secondary to accommodate oversubscription and provide liquidity for early angel investors. The round was led by Evok Innovations with cornerstone strategic investment from Constellation Technology Ventures (CTV), the venture investing organization within Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of reliable, emissions-free energy and participation from Valor Equity Partners, Veriten, and existing backers including Halliburton Labs.

DISA’s patented High-Pressure Slurry Ablation (HPSA) technology was developed to serve both modern mineral processing and environmental remediation needs—delivering a cleaner, faster and more efficient way to liberate valuable minerals. HPSA is now being scaled for deployment across two critical applications: improving grades and recoveries of critical minerals for mining operators, and cleaning up Abandoned Uranium Mine (AUM) waste by recycling uranium and vanadium while reducing environmental liability.

“We’re proud to have the support of such forward-thinking partners who share our vision: increasing the global production of critical minerals and converting toxic legacy waste into strategic assets that advance American sustainability, energy resilience, and national security,” said Greyson Buckingham, DISA’s CEO, President and Co-Founder. “This investment allows us to accelerate commercial deployment of HPSA units for both mining operators and uranium remediation stakeholders.”

“We’re especially grateful to Evok for believing in DISA from the beginning, and to Constellation for their bold leadership in shaping America’s energy future,” Buckingham added. “We’re also excited to welcome Veriten and Valor Equity Partners to the team, and deeply appreciate the continued support from Halliburton Labs and our other existing investors who have helped make this next chapter possible.”

CTV’s investment highlights the strategic importance of DISA’s accelerating uranium remediation work. Following a successful 2023 EPA Treatability Study, DISA signed an MOU with the Navajo Nation EPA to launch a Phase 2 commercial-scale demonstration project. In April 2025, DISA’s application for an NRC Service Providers License (SPL) was accepted for technical review, with completion of the licensing action decision expected by September. Constellation’s backing strengthens DISA’s position as the nation’s first licensed provider focused on AUM remediation.

“At Constellation, we recognize that securing America’s energy future starts with securing its fuel supply,” said Bryan Hanson, Chief Generation Officer, Constellation. “DISA’s innovative approach aligns with our goal to strengthen domestic energy resilience and deploy cutting-edge technologies that support clean, reliable energy.”

Evok Innovations and Valor Equity Partners bring deep strategic value to DISA—Evok through its focus on cutting-edge energy innovation, and Valor through its operational expertise with high-growth companies. Veriten adds industry insight and connectivity across the energy landscape, while Halliburton Labs continues to be a vital collaborator supporting founder-led innovation.

“Valor Equity Partners is proud to invest in DISA, a company that embodies innovation and possesses significant growth potential. Our investment reflects our belief in the company’s vision and leadership team, along with our focus on disruptive technologies that are making the world a better place. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with DISA in this next phase of growth,” said David Heskett, Operating Partner at Valor Equity Partners. 

“Halliburton Labs reaffirms its support of DISA through this strategic investment,” said Andres Cabada, managing director at Halliburton Labs. “DISA’s innovation in mineral processing and remediation creates meaningful value for resource owners and other stakeholders. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate as DISA advances its commercialization efforts and expands its operations. We look forward to their success”.

“Investing in DISA is an opportunity to catalyze groundbreaking uranium remediation solutions that can have downstream impacts on our energy landscape. Complemented by their entrepreneurial founder-led team, we are excited to begin this partnership,” said Maynard Holt, Founder and CEO of Veriten.  

DISA has successfully executed several key milestones over the last 24 months, and this funding round will enable the company to scale its operations and expand the capabilities of HPSA faster than ever. 

For more information about DISA and its solutions, please visit www.DISAusa.com.

About DISA Technologies 
Founded in 2018, DISA Technologies is revolutionizing mineral recovery through its patented High-Pressure Slurry Ablation (HPSA) technology—an innovative solution that upgrades critical minerals from mined ore and legacy waste. Serving both the mining and remediation sectors, they recover valuable resources that power industry, strengthen energy independence and restore contaminated sites to productive use. DISA’s technology unlocks economic and environmental value, transforming how the world processes, remediates and recycles essential mineral assets. DISA is headquartered in Casper, Wyoming, with a satellite office in Westminster, Colorado. 

About Evok Innovations 
Launched in 2016 through a partnership between Suncor, Cenovus and the BC Cleantech CEO Alliance, Evok Innovations (Evok), is committed to developing and deploying cutting-edge clean energy technology. Evok’s inaugural fund aimed to accelerate the development of critical energy transition technologies across North America. The fund has made 16 investments in decarbonization technologies, ranging from clean hydrogen and carbon-to-value, to long-duration energy storage. Building on this legacy, Evok launched Fund II in 2022, which targets early-stage investments across North America in key industrial decarbonization verticals, including carbon capture use and storage (CCUS), low-carbon fuels, clean energy and grid innovations, mobility, advanced materials and circularity. 

About Constellation Technology Ventures

Constellation Technology Ventures (CTV) is the venture investing organization within Constellation, the United States’ largest producer of clean, carbon-free energy and a leading supplier of energy products and services to businesses, homes, community aggregations and public sector customers. The mission of CTV is to drive innovation by investing in venture-stage energy technology companies that can provide new solutions to Constellation and its customers. CTV invests in companies exploring innovative energy technologies and business models, building a portfolio that represents a broad range of development stages and technology types.

About Valor Equity Partners 
Valor Equity Partners is an operational growth investment firm focused on investing in high-growth companies across various stages of development. For decades, Valor has served its companies with unique expertise to solve the challenges of growth and scale. Valor partners with leading companies and entrepreneurs who are committed to the highest standards of excellence and the courage to transform their industries. For more information on Valor Equity Partners, please visit www.valorep.com.

About Veriten’s NexTen Fund 
The NexTen fund leverages Veriten’s broad network and expertise to invest in reliable, sustainable, scalable, and economically viable energy solutions. Dedicated to understanding the constantly evolving, volatile, and often noisy and confusing energy landscape, the firm has now backed 13 innovative, private companies poised to capitalize on long-term, global energy trends. 

About Halliburton Labs 
Halliburton Labs is a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs, academics, investors, and experienced practitioners advance the future of energy faster. Halliburton Labs provides access to world-class facilities, a global business network, commercialization expertise, and financing opportunities to help participants scale their business. Visit the company’s website at Halliburton Labs. Connect with Halliburton Labs on LinkedIn and Instagram. Halliburton Labs is a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL).

SOURCE DISA Technologies, Inc.

NEW YORK, 6 augustus 2025 — Stavtar Solutions, een toonaangevende leverancier van SaaS voor bedrijfsuitgavenbeheer en onkostentoewijzing voor complexe bedrijven zoals alternatieve vermogensbeheerders, maakte vandaag een Serie A-investering van $55 miljoen van Elephant bekend. Deze minderheidsinvestering zal de volgende uitbreidingsfase van het platform voeden, dat een revolutie heeft teweeggebracht in de manier waarop complexe bedrijven hun bedrijfsuitgaven, onkostentoewijzingen, leveranciers, contracten, budgetten, betalingen en dergelijke meer beheren. Het zal de voortdurende productinnovatie en uitbreiding van geïntegreerde betalingsmogelijkheden binnen StavPay, het vlaggenschipproduct van het bedrijf, stimuleren, evenals het aanwerven van nieuwe medewerkers om aan de snel toenemende vraag te voldoen.

Stavtar werd gezamenlijk door Steven Petersen en Avtar Batth opgericht, respectievelijk voormalig CFO en CTO, om een probleem op te lossen dat zij zelf hebben ervaren: de overweldigende afhankelijkheid van handmatige processen en spreadsheets om bedrijfsuitgaven en onkostentoewijzingen in alternatief vermogensbeheer te beheren. Na jarenlang schipperen tussen operationele knelpunten en gefragmenteerde systemen, stelden ze zich tot doel een modern, aanpasbaar platform aangestuurd door gegevens tot stand te brengen dat specifiek ontworpen is voor de behoeften van financiële en operationele teams bij hedgefondsen, private equity, family offices en andere complexe bedrijven. De afgelopen drie jaar is Stavtar met meer dan 1300% gegroeid en is nu het favoriete platform van meer dan 100 alternatieve vermogensbeheerders met een beheerd vermogen van $ 2,4 miljard. Het StavPay-platform maakt geautomatiseerde workflows mogelijk voor het beheer van leveranciers, contracten en facturen, de toewijzing van onkosten, betalingen aan derden, budgetten, belastingaangiften, aangepaste rapportering en nog veel meer. Het verandert het hele proces van hun klanten in goedkeuren of afwijzen, terwijl het hen in realtime inzicht geeft in hun activiteiten, iets wat voordien ondenkbaar was.

“We hebben Stavtar gebouwd als oplossing voor iets wat we niet konden negeren: voorbijgestreefde, handmatige, losgekoppelde financiële workflows die goed presterende teams stokken in de wielen staken,” verklaart Steven Petersen, medeoprichter van Stavtar. “Ons partnerschap met Elephant stelt ons in staat om ons te richten op wat het belangrijkst is: onze klanten innovatieve oplossingen van bedrijfsniveau aanbieden. We zijn enthousiast om sneller te groeien, verder te gaan en de grenzen te blijven verleggen van wat in software voor complexe bedrijven mogelijk is.”

“We hebben Stavtar ontwikkeld om de echte pijnpunten van complexe bedrijven aan te pakken,” aldus Avtar Batth, medeoprichter van Stavtar. “Deze investering stelt ons in staat om de ontwikkeling te versnellen van een schaalbaar, intelligent systeem dat specifiek is ontworpen voor de financiële en operationele realiteit van alternatieve vermogensbeheerders en andere geavanceerde ondernemingen.”

Dankzij deze mijlpaal kan Stavtar voortaan:

• Innovatie stimuleren in de hele portfolio van oplossingen.
• De engineering-, implementatie-, klantensucces- en verkoopteams uitbreiden. 
• Het geïntegreerde betalingsplatform verder ontwikkelen, met inbegrip van mogelijkheden voor betalingen met virtuele kaarten en betalingen aan leveranciers.
• AI en mobiele capaciteiten verdiepen om controle over bedrijfsuitgaven en inzichten rechtstreeks in handen te leggen van CEO’s, CFO’s en financiële teams. 
• De aanwezigheid uitbreiden naar sectoren die grenzen aan alternatief vermogensbeheer en andere vergelijkbare complexe activiteiten.

Peter Fallon, Partner van Elephant, zal tot de raad van bestuur van Stavtar toetreden. “Steve en Avtar hebben een toonaangevend platform gebouwd dat een oplossing biedt voor de complexe, hoogwaardige uitdagingen waarmee enkele van de meest veeleisende financiële bedrijven worden geconfronteerd,” aldus Fallon. “We vinden het geweldig om de visie van Stavtar te steunen en te helpen hun impact te vergroten door verdere marktgroei.”

Met kantoren in New York, Dallas, Londen, Mumbai en Bengaluru komt Stavtar doelgericht op schaal en geeft het financiële teams de tools die ze nodig hebben om handmatig werk te elimineren, operationele risico’s te verminderen, de productiviteit te vergroten en sneller te werken.

Over Stavtar

Stavtar is de belangrijkste leverancier van SaaS-oplossingen voor bedrijfsuitgavenbeheer en onkostentoewijzing, speciaal ontwikkeld voor het kantoor van de CFO in complexe bedrijfsactiviteiten zoals alternatief vermogensbeheer. Het hoofdkantoor van Stavtar is in New York gevestigd. Het bedrijf is wereldwijd actief in Dallas, Londen, Mumbai en Bengaluru. Stavtar is door doorwinterde professionals uit de alternatieve vermogensbeheersector opgericht.

Ons vlaggenschipplatform voor bedrijfsuitgavenbeheer en onkostentoewijzing, StavPay, staat ten dienste van meer dan 100 toonaangevende alternatieve vermogensbeheerders, die samen meer dan $2,4 biljoen aan AUM beheren. 

Meer informatie: www.stavtar.com. 

Over Elephant 

Elephant is een durfkapitaalbedrijf dat zich richt op bedrijfssoftware, internet voor consumenten en mobiele markten.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2736907/Stavtar_2025_Logo_PNG_Logo.jpg 

Spurs Investment in Communities Across Country

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2025 — The Community Development Bankers Association (CDBA) and National Bankers Association (NBA) today announced that the Advancing Communities Together^® (ACT^®) Deposit Program has reached $100 million. This innovative initiative, launched by both groups in summer 2024, channels vital funding to banks serving low-income and minority communities while also making all deposits eligible for FDIC insurance at network banks.

The two national associations also released the program’s first annual report, which illustrates the broad, transformative impact the ACT Deposit Program is making in communities from California to Mississippi to New York.

“The ACT Deposit Program allows us to expand access to capital for historically underserved individuals and small businesses—fueling economic growth where it’s needed most,” said Todd O. McDonald, NBA’s chairman and the president of Liberty Bank and Trust. “This program is a powerful example of how corporate deposits can be both mission aligned and market smart. We encourage other corporations to join us in meaningful, community-focused investment.”

“Deposits are an essential source of funding for mission-focused banks like ours, and often the communities where we are looking to make an impact lack them,” said Carlos Naudon, CDBA’s chairman and the chief executive officer of Ponce Bank. “The ACT Deposit Program is part of the solution to that imbalance and helps us support the affordable-housing development and small business lending that are transforming our communities.”

The program, launched with significant investments from four major financial firms, continues to draw broad support from the banking industry and has significantly expanded its depositor base, attracting funds from businesses and nonprofits.

Key Benefits of the Program

The ACT Deposit Program simplifies how large depositors place funds at a community development financial institution (CDFI) or minority depository institution (MDI). Deposits made through the program can be placed with more than 80 participating CDFIs and MDIs, extending the reach of each deposit to communities across the country.

Participating depositors can choose a CDFI or MDI as their relationship bank, with part of the deposit being allocated to the other banks participating in the program. This ensures benefits are shared across all banks in the program and all deposits are eligible for FDIC insurance.

The program is powered by IntraFi through its ICS service, which is used by thousands of banks nationwide. The service offers depositors access to millions of dollars in aggregate FDIC insurance across IntraFi network banks.

For more information about the ACT Deposit Program, and a list of its participating banks, please visit the program’s website.

IntraFi is not an FDIC-insured bank, and deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. A list identifying IntraFi network banks appears at https://www.intrafi.com/network-banks. Deposit placement in the ACT Deposit Program within ICS is subject to the terms, conditions, and disclosures in the applicable agreements, including the ACT Addendum to the Deposit Placement Agreement. A portion of a deposit placed in the Program may be allocated to IntraFi network banks that are not community development financial institutions or minority depository institutions.

About CDBA

For over two decades, the Community Development Bankers Association has led the community development banking movement, advocating for financial inclusion, racial equity, and economic opportunities in the nation’s most economically distressed areas. The CDBA and its member banks are located in 26 states and Washington, DC, and are unwavering in their commitment to making banking a force for good. For more information on the CDBA’s mission and initiatives, please visit www.cdbanks.org.

About NBA
Founded in 1927, the National Bankers Association champions minority depository institutions, advocating for mission-driven banks that serve underserved and low- to-moderate-income communities. Representing community banks across 43 states and territories, NBA promotes economic empowerment, capital access, and financial inclusion. Learn more at www.nationalbankers.org.

About IntraFi
IntraFi was founded more than two decades ago to serve and support banks of all sizes. Composed of nearly 70% of the nation’s banks, IntraFi’s network is the largest of its kind and enables institutions across the United States to better serve their customers, fund more loans, and seamlessly manage their liquidity needs. IntraFi invented reciprocal deposits and is the #1 provider of deposit placement solutions, offering network participants the highest per-depositor and per-bank capacity and the peace of mind of being able to make large-dollar placements. To learn more, visit www.intrafi.com.

SOURCE Community Development Bankers Association (CDBA) and National Bankers Association (NBA)

QED Investors leads round, joined by Blackbird, Square Peg, Airtree and founders of Airwallex and Canva, as Lorikeet sees 10x growth and a product performance that sets it apart from competitors

SYDNEY, Aug. 6, 2025 — Lorikeet, the company that helps businesses create universal AI concierges for their customers, today announced it has raised $35 million USD in Series A funding to accelerate product development and go-to-market efforts. The round was led by QED Investors, the world’s leading fintech VC fund, with participation from Blackbird, Square Peg, Skip Capital, Capital49, Operator Partners, Airtree, and Athletic Ventures.

Since its public launch in October, Lorikeet has grown revenue 10x, solving exponentially more customer conversations month over month. The company already counts several unicorns among its customers across the United States, Europe, and Australia, including Airwallex, Linktree, Flex, Eucalyptus, and more. Lorikeet has now raised over $50 million in funding to date.

At the core of Lorikeet’s growth is its breakthrough product strategy: building true customer concierges that go far beyond traditional support bots. Unlike legacy chatbots or so-called “AI agents” from Silicon Valley darlings like Decagon, Sierra, and Intercom, Lorikeet’s concierges don’t just answer questions—they make judgment calls and take action to solve problems across chat, email, and voice.

“Even if they’re wrapped up in ‘AI agent’ buzzwords, chatbots that recite self-serve FAQ steps are fundamentally unable to solve the types of issues customers have in the real world,” said Steve Hind, co-founder and CEO of Lorikeet. “Customers don’t want to be told how to fix their problems. They want a concierge that actually solves them. That’s what we’ve focused on from day one.”

While competitors focused on chatbots that pick the low-hanging fruit, one of Lorikeet’s first deployments was end-to-end handling of lost, stolen, and missing debit cards—with its AI concierge determining eligibility, updating the customer’s address, and dispatching a replacement card without human intervention.

That ability to actually do it hinges on Lorikeet’s unique approach to AI safety and operational guardrails. Rather than giving the AI open access to risky actions like canceling customer accounts, Lorikeet uses granular permissions and dynamic gating to enforce safe, auditable execution.

“While others were picking the low-hanging fruit, we built a ladder,” Hind explained. “We decided from the start that we didn’t want to focus on FAQ summaries. We focused on working with companies in highly regulated sectors like financial services, healthcare, and energy in order to challenge ourselves to build a system able to take high-consequence actions in the toughest environments.”

The funding marks a milestone for the Australian startup ecosystem. Lorikeet is the first company since Canva to receive early-stage backing from all three of Australia’s top VCs—Blackbird, Square Peg, and Airtree—alongside an international syndicate led by QED Investors.

“As fintech specialists for more than a decade, we are keenly aware of the unique challenges fintechs and financial services companies face in customer experience,” said Victoria Zuo, Principal at QED Investors. “Complex industries need unique solutions, and the AI revolution continues to reduce costs and improve customer experience. While others are building chatbots that push customers toward self-service, Lorikeet has cracked the code on AI that actually resolves issues end to end. Their approach to safe, controlled automation in financial services and other complex industries is exactly what the market needs, and their early traction with leading fintechs validates the massive opportunity ahead.

“With new capital in hand and a clear product advantage, Lorikeet plans to double down on R&D and global go-to-market efforts in the second half of 2025.

About Lorikeet
Lorikeet builds AI-powered customer concierges that solve real problems, not just answer questions. Designed for companies that want to move beyond scripts and self-serve flows, Lorikeet’s omnichannel concierges can make decisions, take actions, and resolve complex customer issues across chat, email, and voice. Founded in Australia and backed by top global investors including QED Investors, Blackbird, Square Peg, and Airtree, Lorikeet is redefining what’s possible in customer support. Learn more at lorikeetcx.ai.

SOURCE Lorikeet

Airline’s corporate venture capital fund – United Airlines Ventures (UAV) – facilitates new relationship that leverages Dfinitiv’s proprietary technology for potential MileagePlus and Kinective Media applications

CHICAGO, Aug. 6, 2025 — United Airlines Ventures (UAV), United Airlines’ corporate venture capital fund dedicated to the future of air travel, today announced a strategic relationship with Dfinitiv Inc., an innovative technology company developing next-generation infrastructure for loyalty commerce and media integration. 

The airline is exploring potential use cases for Dfinitiv’s technology across its MileagePlus and Kinective Media platforms. 

Dfinitiv’s SmartCXP™ is an innovative Commerce Experience Platform that combines customer-focused personalization, intelligent loyalty offers and content aggregation, and SmartLink™ — a proprietary deep-linking engine that connects user context and intent to optimized in-app, web, and on-screen experiences. SmartCXP™ enables brands to provide personalized, shoppable content and offers throughout the customer journey, empowering loyalty members to engage in everyday commerce and seamlessly earn and redeem loyalty points. 

“We’re proud to support United Airlines and United Airlines Ventures as they explore new technologies to elevate customer engagement — not just in travel, but across the broader loyalty ecosystem,” said Joseph Fitzgerald, CEO and co-founder of Dfinitiv. “SmartCXP™ is built to deliver the personalization, flexibility, and scale needed to turn loyalty into a connected, everyday engagement platform.” 

“United Airlines Ventures values innovative companies that can enhance the customer travel experience and help airlines unlock new opportunities for growth,” said Andrew Chang, Head of United Airlines Ventures. “We look for differentiated technologies, thoughtful user experience design, and strong management teams that can scale. We believe Dfinitiv checks every box — and the versatility of their platform across multiple industries, including loyalty programs like MileagePlus, financial services, connected media platforms like Kinective Media, and travel only enhances potential revenue streams.” 

Dfinitiv’s technology is built for cross-industry applicability — enabling travel companies, financial institutions, hospitality brands, credit card issuers, and other non-retail enterprises to better engage their large loyalty audiences and unlock customer touchpoints. United Airlines Ventures recognizes Dfinitiv’s broad potential in sectors where commerce media networks are emerging as a powerful new digital revenue model. 

About United Airlines Ventures  
United Airlines Ventures (UAV) was established in 2021 to invest in early-stage start-up companies focused on innovative technologies with the potential to shape the future of aviation and travel. To date, UAV has made more than 30 investments in companies developing technologies across aerospace, technology, energy transition, and more. 

About Dfinitiv 
Dfinitiv is a commerce technology company purpose-built to power loyalty-led commerce media networks. Its SmartCXP™ platform unifies affiliate offers, curated content, branded experiences, and customer-focused personalization across mobile and digital channels. Headquartered in Englewood, NJ, Dfinitiv empowers leading loyalty, travel, and financial services organizations to unlock new engagement models and revenue streams. Learn more at www.dfinitiv.io. 

Forward-Looking Statements and Other Important Information 
UAV is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Airlines, Inc., whose parent company, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”. This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to, among other things, plans and projections regarding the benefits of the strategic relationship. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on historical performance and current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections, which involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, plans, objectives, goals, targets, commitments, strategies, initiatives and intentions to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, any delay or inability of United or UAV to realize the expected benefits of the strategic relationship, including from a delay or failure of any project or technology to be fully developed or serve the purpose for which it was designed; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the strategic relationship; and the other risks and uncertainties identified in UAL’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 as well as UAL’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  United and UAV undertake no obligation to update any statement included in this press release, except as otherwise required by applicable law or regulation. 

Media Contacts: 
United Airlines Ventures 
[email protected] | (872) 825-8640 
Dfinitiv Media Relations 
[email protected] 

SOURCE United Airlines Ventures

HONG KONG, Aug. 6, 2025 — Bayes Labs team announces that Bayes Market, the prediction platform launched in July pioneering the next wave of decentralized information infrastructure, has secured $2 million strategic investment from a group of investors. The investors include institutional participation from Singapore’s GreenVision Fund, Jkapital Ltd., and Bearcat, alongside a prominent U.S. public company chairman. This diverse investor group shares a unified conviction: prediction markets represent a transformational shift in how society generates, exchanges, and values information.

These funds will accelerate Bayes Market’s product development, regional expansion, and user growth—particularly across Asia, where social and cultural dynamics align naturally with prediction markets. According to the CEO of GreenVision, “Prediction markets are not just a trend—they are the future of how societies find a shared-reality in complex world. Bayes team has the right vision to scale this movement.”

Mass Adoption Underway

The year 2025 marks a turning point for the prediction market industry. Polymarket’s integration with X and Kalshi’s $2B valuation signal that the industry is moving towards the mainstream. As trust in centralized narratives erode, prediction markets offer a credible, participatory alternative—surfacing diverse viewpoints and aligning incentives for individual expression.

Prediction markets were never by nature solely for crypto-native users. Human beings are inherently driven to predict. Whether guessing the outcome of a reality show or speculating on political developments, people engage in informal forecasting daily. Prediction markets formalize this instinct, offering structure, visibility, and rewards. They are not tools for speculators alone—they are an evolution of how people interact with real-world uncertainty.

Bayes Market distinguishes itself by focusing on intuitive design, culturally relevant markets across Asia and a strong emphasis on user empowerment. These features enable a familiar, social, and gamified experience—they are social signals embedded in daily life. 

A New Intelligence Infrastructure for a Decentralized Future

As demand grows for open, transparent, and decentralized systems, prediction markets are poised to become a core infrastructure of the information economy. Bayes Market is not just building a product—it is building a public good: a participatory framework for decentralized intelligence. 

In an age defined by uncertainty, Bayes Market innovates prediction markets holding the belief that they are not an anomaly of crypto—they are the natural evolution of how society as a whole engages with the future.

SOURCE Bayes Labs

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2025 — Stavtar Solutions, a leading provider of business spend management and expense allocation SaaS for complex businesses such as alternative asset managers, today announced a Series A investment of $55 million from Elephant. The minority investment will fuel the next phase of expansion for the platform that has revolutionized how complex businesses are managing their business spend, expense allocations, vendors, contracts, budgets, payments, and more. It will drive continued product innovation, expansion of integrated payment capabilities within its flagship product StavPay, as well as hiring to meet rapidly increasing demand.

Co-founded by Steven Petersen and Avtar Batth, a former CFO and CTO respectively, Stavtar was created to solve a problem they lived firsthand: the overwhelming reliance on manual processes and spreadsheets to manage business spend and expense allocations within alternative asset management. With years of navigating operational bottlenecks and fragmented systems, they set out to build a modern, customizable, data-driven platform designed specifically for the needs of finance and operations teams at hedge funds, private equity, family offices, and other complex businesses. Stavtar has grown over 1300% in the past three years and is now the platform of choice for more than 100 alternative asset managers overseeing $2.4 Trillion in AUM. The StavPay platform powers automated workflows for vendor, contract and invoice management, expense allocations, third party payments, budgets, tax filings, custom reporting, and more. It turns their clients’ entire process into approve or reject, while giving them insights into their business like never before, in real time.

“We built Stavtar to fix what we could not ignore – outdated, manual, disconnected financial workflows holding back high-performing teams,” said Steven Petersen, Co-Founder of Stavtar. “Our partnership with Elephant empowers us to focus on what matters most – delivering innovative, enterprise-grade solutions to our clients. We are excited to grow faster, go further, and continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in software for complex businesses.”

“We engineered Stavtar to address the real pain points faced by complex businesses,” said Avtar Batth, Co-Founder of Stavtar. “This investment enables us to accelerate the development of a scalable, intelligent system designed specifically for the financial and operational realities of alternative asset managers and other sophisticated enterprises.”

This milestone empowers Stavtar to:

• Drive innovation across its portfolio of solutions.
• Grow the engineering, implementation, customer success, and sales teams. 
• Advance its integrated payments platform, including virtual card and vendor payment capabilities.
• Deepen AI and mobile capabilities to put business spend control and insights directly in the hands of CEOs, CFOs, and finance teams. 
• Expand footprint into verticals adjacent to alternative asset management and other similarly complex businesses.

Peter Fallon, Partner at Elephant, will join Stavtar’s board of directors. “Steve and Avtar have built a category-defining platform that solves the complex, high-value challenges confronting some of the most discerning firms in finance,” said Fallon. “We are thrilled to support Stavtar’s vision and help scale its impact through continued market growth.”

With offices in New York, Dallas, London, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Stavtar is scaling with focus, giving finance teams the tools they need to eliminate manual work, reduce operational risk, increase productivity, and move faster.

About Stavtar

Stavtar is the premier provider of business spend management and expense allocation SaaS solutions built for the Office of the CFO in complex businesses like alternative asset management. Headquartered in New York, with a global footprint spanning Dallas, London, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Stavtar was founded by seasoned professionals from the alternative asset management industry.

Our flagship business spend management and expense allocation platform, StavPay, empowers over 100 leading alternative asset managers, collectively overseeing more than $2.4 trillion in AUM. 

To learn more, visit www.stavtar.com. 

About Elephant

Elephant is a venture capital firm focused on the enterprise software, consumer internet, and mobile markets.

SOURCE Stavtar