Left Lane Capital Leads Round as All Existing Investors Double Down; Funding to Expand Product Capabilities and Financial Institution Partnerships

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 14, 2026 — equipifi, the fintech platform enabling banks and credit unions to offer flexible payment solutions natively within their digital banking experience, today announced the close of its $34-million Series B. The round was led by Left Lane Capital, with continued participation from all existing investors, including Curql and PHX Ventures. The raise brings equipifi’s total funding to $49 million.

Meeting a Critical Gap in Consumer Finance
Flexible payments have become a preferred option for over 82 million American consumers, yet most of these products are delivered by third-party fintechs operating entirely outside the banking relationship. equipifi closes that gap. The company’s platform enables consumers to split purchases into affordable payments through an institution that already knows them, holds their deposits, and has earned their trust.

The results reflect real demand: consumer adoption of bank-embedded flexible payments has more than tripled in the past year. Research consistently shows that consumers prefer accessing flexible payment options through their primary bank or credit union and report higher satisfaction when they can. 

Defining the Next Era of Payments
“BNPL has become the third pillar of how consumers pay alongside debit and credit, and that shift is permanent. Financial institutions are best positioned to own this space, and equipifi is building the network that will power them. With Left Lane’s support, we’re proud to help the industry meet this moment and define the next era of payments.” – Bryce Deeney, Founder and CEO, equipifi

“We believe equipifi is building the defining network for flexible consumer payments across financial institutions. The team combines deep industry expertise with a clear vision for where installment lending is headed, and Left Lane is proud to partner with them.” – Dan Ahrens, Managing Partner, Left Lane Capital

Built for the Industry, by the Industry
equipifi’s founding team came from financial institutions, where they experienced firsthand the widening gap between consumer expectations and what banks and credit unions could deliver. That background is core to how the company builds, prioritizing deep integration, institutional-grade reliability and an experience that feels genuinely native to the consumer’s banking relationship. 

The Series B will fund two priorities: expanding equipifi’s reach to a broader base of financial institution partners and deepening product capabilities to further extend its leadership in the market. The company expects to double its headcount over the next year, with hiring focused on product and engineering roles. 

For more information, visit equipifi.com or contact [email protected].

About equipifi
equipifi is a fintech company that enables banks and credit unions to offer flexible payments and Buy Now, Pay Later as a native capability within their digital banking platforms. By embedding installment lending directly into the institutions consumers already trust, equipifi helps financial institutions deepen the banking relationship, grow their lending portfolio, and compete effectively in a payments landscape defined by evolving consumer expectations. Learn more at equipifi.com.

About Left Lane Capital
Founded in 2019, Left Lane Capital is a New York and London-based venture capital and growth equity firm investing in high-growth internet and consumer technology businesses globally. Left Lane’s mission is to partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs who create category-defining companies across growth sectors of the economy. Select investments include Bilt Rewards, M1 Finance, LemFi, Ownwell, WeTravel, Moove, Wayflyer, Talkiatry, Blank Street, and more. For more information, visit www.leftlane.com.

SOURCE equipifi

NEW YORK, May 14, 2026 — Saile, a physician-founded workforce platform designed to eliminate the friction between healthcare organizations and the clinicians who power them, today announced a $2.2 million oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Matchstick Ventures. Headwater Ventures also participated in the round. The company is simultaneously coming out of stealth with more than 5,000 physicians on the platform and a growing roster of healthcare facility partners across telemedicine, per diem, locums, consulting, and ambulatory centers.

Over the past six months, Saile has seen 100% provider volume growth. This growth has been entirely organic, alongside more than 1,000 unique job posts and 1,000+ provider engagements each week, signaling strong marketplace traction from both clinicians and facilities.

Facilities across the country are paying staffing agencies large sums to fly in temporary physicians, while qualified, vetted doctors who live down the street sit on the sidelines – not because they don’t want to work, but because the paperwork won’t let them. Hospitals routinely spend tens of thousands of dollars just to find a physician, and once they do, the work is far from over. Verification, background checks, and credentialing get handed off to an entirely separate company, triggering a months-long back-and-forth between staffing agencies, credentialing firms, and internal admin teams before a doctor can see a single patient. The result is a system where facilities accumulate vendor after vendor just to fill a single role, and physicians face the same exhausting onboarding gauntlet every time they move to a new opportunity. Saile was built specifically to eliminate that relay race, by owning the entire journey from sourcing to credentialed and ready to work, so facilities stop juggling vendors and physicians stop starting from scratch.

The average physician is re-credentialed from scratch every time they move between employers, facilities, or care settings, a process that can take months. Facilities pay agency markups to bridge the gap. The result is that physicians burn out on the bureaucracy and patients wait.

Saile was built to end that loop.

“Most people assume the issue in healthcare staffing is a lack of doctors, but what we’ve seen is something different. There’s a large, underutilized workforce that simply can’t move between systems efficiently,” said Dr. Marc Ayoub, Co-Founder of Saile, Neurocritical care physician and Assistant Professor at the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine. “We’re building the infrastructure that sits in between, so a physician who is already vetted in one system doesn’t have to start from zero every time they want to work somewhere new.”

Saile gives physicians a universal credential passport, a continuously updated, portable vault of verified credentials that travels with them across opportunities – whether that’s an inpatient locums position, a telemedicine consulting shift, or both on the same day. One profile moves seamlessly across gig verticals, giving clinicians the flexibility and autonomy to work on their terms. Facilities tap directly into this pre-vetted pool without recruiter middlemen, agency markups, or redundant onboarding stacks. The platform also handles payment consolidation for clinicians, allowing physicians to receive compensation for shifts worked across contract types, from per diem to locums to telemedicine, directly through Saile. Rather than navigating separate payment relationships across multiple facilities or engagements, clinicians can manage their shifts and get paid through a single platform.

Under the hood, Saile runs five modular AI agents that automate what currently takes months of manual coordination: Recruit, Onboard, Credential, Staffing, Compliance.

“Saile is tackling a deeply embedded inefficiency in healthcare that has gone largely unchanged for decades,” said Ryan Broshar, Partner at Matchstick Ventures. “What Marc and Taylor are building isn’t a new staffing agency, it’s the infrastructure layer beneath every staffing decision in healthcare.”

The team recently welcomed Janna Karwaski, a seasoned healthcare tech operator to help scale the platform’s growing network of physicians and hospital partners.

Saile is currently operating across a diverse range of healthcare environments – including ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care clinics, telemedicine platforms, AI training labs, and acute care hospitals – through flexible engagement models such as per diem staffing, locum tenens, and specialized consulting. The company will use the pre-seed funding to expand its AI agent infrastructure, grow marketplace capabilities, and deepen integrations with healthcare technology platforms.

ABOUT:
Saile is a physician–founded healthcare staffing and credentialing platform built around a simple idea: if facilities want clinicians, and clinicians want to work more, it shouldn’t be this hard for them to find each other. Saile turns that broken process into a universal credential passport: clinicians maintain one secure, portable credential vault that travels with them across opportunities, while facilities tap directly into a pre–vetted pool of local and regional talent without recruiter middlemen, agency markups, or redundant onboarding. Co–founded by neurocritical care physician Marc Ayoub, MD, and Founding Engineer at Cedar, Saile is headquartered in New York City and is redefining how clinicians and healthcare facilities staff care.

To learn more about Saile visit: https://saileapp.com/

MEDIA CONTACT:

Ludington Media on behalf of Saile
[email protected]
551 795 5950
New York, NY
www.ludingtonmedia.com 

SOURCE Saile

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2026 –The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) today announced that Gavin Christensen, Founder and General Partner at Kickstart, has been appointed as the 2026-2027 Chair of the NVCA Board of Directors.

Christensen is widely recognized for his role in helping build the Mountain West into a nationally recognized startup ecosystem. At Kickstart, he pioneered a model of venture investing that mobilizes a broad network of founders, operators, and investors to support high growth companies. His work has contributed to a broader shift in the industry toward more distributed and accessible venture capital.

“Gavin brings a deeply networked and collaborative approach to venture capital that reflects where our industry is headed. He has spent nearly two decades proving that world-class innovation can take root anywhere,” said NVCA President and CEO Bobby Franklin. “Gavin’s leadership will be incredibly valuable as we extend our reach across the full spectrum of venture, from emerging managers to established firms, and across every region of the country, to further strengthen our advocacy for a robust, vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

“Taking on the role of NVCA Chair is a true honor,” said Gavin Christensen. “American venture is strongest when it backs entrepreneurs across the country, from Silicon Valley to Silicon Slopes, Boise to Boston. NVCA plays a critical role in ensuring that founders and investors have a strong voice in the policies that impact whether the United States remains the best place in the world to start and scale a company. I’m excited to get to work and build on that mission.”

Christensen succeeds Vineeta Agarwala, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), NVCA’s 2025-2026 Chair.

“Vineeta brought a clear focus on board and member engagement, along with energy and enthusiasm for pro-innovation policy, enhancing how NVCA connects with our members and advances their priorities. She leaves behind a meaningful legacy, and we are grateful for her leadership and support,” said Franklin.

NVCA also announced the appointment of ten new directors to its Board of Directors, each of whom will serve a four-year term from 2026-2030:

• Adair Newhall, Stepstone
• Eric Hippeau, Lerer Hippeau
• Holly Maloney, General Catalyst
• Jenny Abramson, Rethink Impact
• Karey Barker, Cross Creek
• Mike Dodd, Silverton Partners
• Monish Kundra, Columbia Capital
• Paul Madera, Meritech Capital Partners
• Samara Hernandez, Chingona Ventures
• Travis Hawkes, Capital Eleven

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) empowers the next generation of American companies that will fuel the economy of tomorrow. As the voice of the U.S. venture capital and startup community, NVCA advocates for public policy that supports the American entrepreneurial ecosystem. Serving the venture community as the preeminent trade association, NVCA arms the venture community for success, serving as the leading resource for venture capital data, practical education, peer-led initiatives, and networking. For more information about NVCA, please visit www.nvca.org.

SOURCE National Venture Capital Association

Non-invasive platform delivers catheter-free urodynamic testing, converting bladder activity into clinically meaningful diagnostic data JERSEY CITY, N.J. and OR YEHUDA, Israel, May 14, 2026 — Urologic Health Inc., a medical device company pioneering non-invasive urodynamics,…

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 14, 2026 — Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been an FDA-cleared therapy for treatment-resistant depression since 2008, but the equipment has historically been too expensive, large, and complex for most clinics to offer.

Ampa, co-founded by seminal researcher Jonathan Downar, MD, PhD, has developed a new TMS device that costs $3,000 per month, fits in the trunk of a car, and can be operated after a few hours of training.

Today, Ampa announced an oversubscribed financing that will accelerate the rollout of its FDA-cleared Ampa One TMS system, already used by clinics in more than 30 states. Ampa has also secured regulatory approval in Israel, paving the way for commercial launch overseas.

“The Ampa One device is, by far, the simplest way for clinics to add TMS to their offerings,” says Don Vaughn, PhD, CEO and neuroscientist. “It can be used anywhere, by practically any licensed professional, at a fraction of the typical cost. Demand has doubled every quarter, and this most recent funding will help us meet this accelerating demand.”

This most recent financing was led by a syndicate of investors including Morningside Ventures, Trimera Capital, Neta Foundation, Jake Collective, and noted technology investor and author Tim Ferriss, bringing total funding to more than $25 million.

“I’ve received TMS treatments myself, I’ve tracked the technology for almost 20 years, and Ampa is poised to offer the iPhone of the field. It’s the first device I’ve seen that could legitimately scale to help millions of people,” said Tim Ferriss. “I’ve personally experienced One-Day TMS treatments that have taken my symptoms from a 9 out of 10 in severity to a 1, lasting a minimum of 3-4 months. Nothing else I’ve tried comes close to that durability. It’s a glimpse of the future of psychiatry.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Ampa,” said Owen Muir, MD, Co-Founder of Radial, which operates clinics nationwide that offer Spravato® (esketamine), TMS, neurofeedback, and more. “The Ampa One is a category-defining product, and we see Ampa emerging as a true platform for next-generation brain medicine therapies.”

The company continues to see increasing adoption by mental health clinics who appreciate the multi-layered advantages of the Ampa One: portable hardware; a lightweight, hand-holdable coil; camera-guided targeting; pre-printed neuronavigation caps; high-throughput capacity; and affordable subscription pricing.

“Ampa is bringing innovative, life-changing tools to millions of people navigating significant mental health challenges,” said Melissa Floren Filippone, CEO of Jake Collective, a nonprofit and investment engine dedicated to improving the lives of neurodivergent young people. “We are excited to be furthering Ampa’s critical work with our first impact investment.”

“With breakthrough innovation, Ampa is transforming the landscape and broadening access to care,” added Brian Earthman, MD of Cedar Park TMS, a Beacon Behavioral Partners Clinic.

About Ampa

Ampa is a neurotechnology company creating practical tools that help people recover their mental health. The FDA-cleared Ampa One system is the most accessible, portable, easy-to-use TMS system available — built by clinicians for clinicians. Learn more and book a demonstration at www.ampahealth.com

Media Contact:
Itamar Kandel
(415) 463-3454
[email protected] 

SOURCE Ampa

Maryland’s Venture Capital Entity Promotes Executives

COLUMBIA, Md., May 14, 2026 — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, formally announced the promotions of Tammi Thomas to president and Geyssel Gonzalez to chief financial & technology officer. These appointments were made by TEDCO’s CEO, Troy LeMaile-Stovall, recognizing the leadership, strategic vision and longstanding contributions both leaders have made to TEDCO’s growth and Maryland’s innovation ecosystem.

“These promotions reflect the extraordinary leadership, institutional knowledge and forward-thinking vision Tammi and Geyssel bring to TEDCO and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said TEDCO CEO, Troy LeMaile-Stovall. “Both have played critical roles in strengthening our organization, expanding our impact and positioning TEDCO for the future. Their leadership will be instrumental as we continue advancing innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth across Maryland.”

Since joining TEDCO nearly a decade ago as chief marketing officer, Thomas has played a transformative role in shaping the organization’s growth, visibility, and long-term strategic direction. Throughout her tenure, she has led the execution and evolution of TEDCO’s integrated marketing, communications, investor engagement, and fundraising strategies, helping position the organization as a nationally recognized leader in innovation and economic development.

Thomas’ leadership has contributed to significant organizational growth and expansion, including supporting an increase in state funding of more than 50%, helping secure more than $75 million in federal grant funding, contributing to a more than 33% increase in TEDCO’s assets under management, and supporting the attraction of more than $55 million in foreign direct investment into Maryland’s innovation ecosystem.

Under her leadership, TEDCO has significantly expanded its thought leadership platform and ecosystem engagement efforts, including the growth of its annual Entrepreneur Expo, which convenes more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and industry leaders each year. Thomas has also helped position TEDCO to pursue new international collaboration and foreign direct investment opportunities, including recent engagements in Taiwan and South Korea and the organization’s memorandum of understanding with the Kingdom of Jordan. Those efforts also contributed to a recently announced agreement enabling $50 million foreign direct investment into Maryland’s innovation ecosystem through TAIIDA; the Taiwan APAC Investment and Innovation Development Association (TAIIDA) and SFIC Group.

Thomas has also laid the groundwork for TEDCO’s expansion into philanthropic engagement initiatives focused on diversifying long-term funding opportunities and strengthening resources that support Maryland’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. These efforts align with TEDCO’s broader strategic focus on increasing investment, expanding strategic partnerships, and positioning the organization for continued growth and long-term impact.

As president, Thomas will continue helping lead TEDCO’s next phase of strategic growth, with a focus on strengthening cross-sector partnerships, expanding innovation-driven economic development initiatives, increasing global engagement opportunities, and continuing to build a more connected and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout Maryland.

“TEDCO has always been deeply committed to supporting innovation, empowering entrepreneurs and creating pathways for long-term economic growth,” Thomas said. “I’m honored to step into this role and continue building on that mission alongside our CEO, team, board, partners and the broader ecosystem. The opportunity ahead is about not only growing companies but strengthening Maryland’s position as a national and global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Across her career, Thomas has been recognized by her industry peers for excellence in communication, marketing and development. Most recently, she was selected for the second time as one of The Daily Record’s 2026 Top 100 Women (2023 and 2026), named as a Waves of Change Impact Award honoree and one of the I-95 Business Magazine’s 2025 Influential Women. She serves on the World Trade Center Institute’s CEO Council, Maryland Momentum Fund Advisory Board and MEDA Board of Directors, where she is serving as President.

Gonzalez’s promotion to chief financial and technology officer reflects her leadership in strengthening TEDCO’s financial operations, technology stack, and organizational efficiency. Since joining TEDCO as controller, Gonzalez has steadily expanded her leadership responsibilities, most recently serving as deputy chief financial and operating officer.

“Geyssel has been instrumental in strengthening TEDCO’s operational and financial foundation during a critical period of growth for the organization,” LeMaile-Stovall said. “Her leadership, strategic mindset and commitment to operational excellence have helped position TEDCO for long-term sustainability and impact. She has earned the trust and respect of the organization, and I’m excited to see her continue expanding that leadership in this role.”

During her tenure, Gonzalez has helped oversee financial operations supporting TEDCO’s more than $200 million in assets under management while leading initiatives focused on operational optimization, financial transparency and long-term organizational scalability. Her leadership has helped strengthen TEDCO’s operational foundation as the organization continues expanding its statewide impact, contributing to more than $2.7 billion in economic activity across Maryland as of 2023.

Gonzalez has also played a key role in improving internal processes, strengthening financial and technology infrastructure, and enhancing operational efficiency to support TEDCO’s continued growth and evolving organizational needs. In her new role, she will continue leading the organization’s financial and technology strategy while helping position TEDCO for long-term sustainability and impact.

“I’m excited to continue supporting TEDCO’s mission and the entrepreneurs driving innovation across Maryland,” Gonzalez said. “As Maryland continues to grow as a leader in technology and life sciences, I look forward to helping strengthen the operational and financial foundation that enables TEDCO to expand opportunities, support more founders and continue driving economic impact across the state.”

Gonzalez was recently recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Leading Women Under 40 for her professional achievements and leadership.

To learn more about TEDCO’s recent FDI activities, visit our press release page here; for more information about TEDCO overall, including funding opportunities and resources for entrepreneurial growth, visit our website at tedcomd.com.

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
Direna Cousins, Vice President, TEDCO, [email protected]
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, [email protected]

SOURCE TEDCO

• Financing to support advancement of CREATE’s repeat dose capable CD19 targeted in vivo CAR-T therapy for autoimmune disease into the clinic, expansion of its dual CAR CD19 x BCMA program, and continued progress across the oncology portfolio
• Round co-led by existing investors Newpath Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, and Hatteras Venture Partners, reflecting conviction in CREATE’s clinical trajectory and platform
• Ron Philip joins as Executive Chairman; Brian Cuneo of ARCH Venture Partners and Tom Thomas, PhD, of Newpath Partners join the Board of Directors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 14, 2026 — CREATE Medicines, Inc. (“CREATE”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering in vivo immune programming, today announced the closing of its $122 million Series B funding round, co-led by existing investors Newpath Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, and Hatteras Venture Partners, with participation from Alexandria Venture Investments and other current members of CREATE’s investor syndicate.

The funding will support advancement of CREATE’s clinical pipeline across autoimmune disease and oncology. To date, CREATE has dosed more than 50 patients across its in vivo CAR clinical programs — the largest clinical dataset in the field — generating the translational foundation that informs development across both autoimmune disease and oncology. The company’s proprietary mRNA-LNP platform programs immune cells directly inside the body, enabling a rapid, iterative product engine designed to compress concept-to-clinic timelines.

• In autoimmune, CREATE’s lead program CRT-402, a next generation CD19 targeted in vivo CAR-T therapy, has demonstrated deep and durable B cell depletion in non-human primates, with the potential to enable immune reset through the flexibility of repeat dosing. The company is also advancing a dual CAR CD19 x BCMA directed therapy designed to broaden therapeutic reach across refractory autoimmune indications.

• In oncology, CREATE continues to advance therapies focused on areas of high unmet need. Early clinical data from the company’s MT-303 program in frontline hepatocellular carcinoma has demonstrated an extremely compelling response profile.

• Collectively, these programs exemplify CREATE’s iterative platform that integrates clinically validated CAR architectures, optimized RNA design, and targeted delivery technologies with deep expertise across clinical development, translational medicine, manufacturing, and regulatory execution.

“CREATE was built as an iterative immune programming platform in which each clinical study informs and strengthens the next, and it is that work that has revealed the breadth of what in vivo immune programming can address,” said Daniel Getts, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of CREATE Medicines. “Our autoimmune and oncology pipeline represents the convergence of years of platform development, clinical execution, and translational learning. We believe our ability to engineer multiple immune cell populations directly in vivo has the potential to fundamentally reshape treatment paradigms across autoimmune disease and oncology, and we look forward to this next chapter of innovation and growth.”

In conjunction with the Series B Round, Ron Philip, a veteran biopharma leader, has joined CREATE as Executive Chairman. Brian Cuneo, Senior Partner at ARCH Venture Partners, and Tom Thomas, PhD of Newpath Partners, have joined the company’s Board of Directors.

“I’m excited to join CREATE at this pivotal moment in the company’s evolution,” said Ron Philip. “CREATE has established meaningful in vivo clinical proof points and built a differentiated immune programming platform with the potential to redefine how engineered immune therapies are developed and delivered. The opportunity to translate these capabilities into transformative medicines across autoimmune disease and oncology is exceptionally compelling.”

“I co-founded this company because the science was ahead of the field. More than fifty patients later, it still is. Most in vivo cell therapy companies will struggle to translate science into scalable manufacturing. CREATE owns its manufacturing infrastructure. I am backing CREATE because it can become the next great standalone pharmaceutical company,” said Tom Cahill, MD, PhD, Founder and Managing Partner of Newpath Partners.

“CREATE is building one of the most differentiated in vivo immune engineering platforms in the field,” said Brian Cuneo. “We believe the company’s clinical experience, repeat dose strategy, and broad immune programming capabilities position it to play an important role in the future of autoimmune disease and oncology.”

About CREATE Medicines
CREATE Medicines is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering in vivo immune programming. The company’s proprietary mRNA-LNP platform directly engineers T cells, NK cells, and myeloid cells inside the body to enable scalable, repeat-dose, off-the-shelf immunotherapies. CREATE is advancing a pipeline of in vivo CAR therapies across autoimmune diseases and cancer.

For more, visit createmedicines.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

Business Development: [email protected]

Media Contact:
Jude Gorman / Kiki Torpey
Collected Strategies
[email protected]

Investor Contact:
Brian Korb
Astr Partners
[email protected]
+1 (917) 653-5122

SOURCE CREATE Medicines, Inc.

The Columbus-based brand secures new investment as it expands its national footprint, bringing a new generation into modern soda

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 14, 2026 — Roxberry, the first modern soda made just for kids, is proud to announce the closing of a major funding round, marking a significant milestone as the brand accelerates national expansion and continues to reinvent the beverage landscape for kids and families.

The raise comes on the heels of a breakout retail run, with Roxberry now available in more than 2,200 Walmart stores nationwide and a recent launch in Texas’ top retailer, H-E-B. In just four months, the brand has quickly captured the attention of both retailers and consumers, emerging as a standout in arguably the hottest segment in all of CPG: Modern Soda.

Despite the weight of the category, Roxberry continues to explode, capitalizing on the momentum from its Walmart launch in January, growing nearly 900% in that time. Those numbers have led to immediate expansion with Walmart, with the brand securing an additional 50% increase in store count (3,300+ stores), essentially doubling its presence across all retail partners, a rare case of exponential growth for a new brand in a booming category.

And Roxberry isn’t just driving sales of its own product, it’s benefiting the category as a whole. Early performance indicates the brand is increasing foot traffic to the modern soda set and bringing new consumers into the aisle, specifically parents shopping for their kids. While the category has recently been framed as crowded, Roxberry is helping demonstrate there is still meaningful room for expansion.

“As parents and founders, we’ve always believed deeply in this product, but this raise is really a reflection of the parents, kids, and Roxberry drinkers across the country who have embraced what we’re building,” said Co-Founder and COO Dan Haugen. “We’re creating something entirely new within modern soda, and this investment allows us to move faster, reach more families, and bring more easy ‘yes’ moments to tired parents and thirsty kids everywhere.”

The brand’s formula for success comes from an authentic place. Founded by parents searching for better beverage options for their own children, Roxberry was created to fill a clear gap in modern soda aisles: a fun, better-for-you soda made specifically for kids. Made with real fruits and vegetables and just 5g of sugar — without artificial flavors, sweeteners, or dyes — Roxberry delivers a product kids love and parents feel good about saying “yes” to.

With fresh capital in place and peak beverage season approaching, Roxberry is well-positioned to continue its rapid growth, expanding distribution, deepening retail partnerships, and further establishing itself as a category-defining brand within modern soda.

About: Roxberry is the better-for-you fizz for kids—from a galaxy not so far away and an aisle right down the street. Made from real fruits and veggies, Roxberry is the drink parents can finally say “yes” to and the first Modern Soda for kids. Each can has only 5g of sugar and no artificial flavors, sweeteners or dyes, meaning no “fake stuff.” And we’re not just saving taste buds, we’re saving the planet, with recyclable aluminum cans, a thoughtful alternative to single-use plastics common in kids’ beverages. Parent-founded, Roxberry is on a mission to bring families together through the most fruitastic, vegetablicious drink option for kids, available in 4-pack, 7.5oz cans of Pink Lava Strawberry Lemonade, Ocean Potion Fruit Punch, and Galaxy Gulp Citrus. For more information, visit getroxberry.com, follow @getroxberry on Instagram and TikTok or find some near you.

SOURCE Roxberry Naturals, Inc

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 14, 2026 — Advancing its commitment to high-growth innovation, Jetstream Venture Fund announced an investment in Wonderlab Bio, a pioneer in off-the-shelf cell therapies, further expanding everyday investors’ access to elite venture opportunities. This strategic investment highlights Jetstream’s commitment to backing transformative technologies across multiple sectors, positioning Wonderlab Bio’s groundbreaking regenerative medicine alongside the fund’s existing investments in aerospace (SpaceX) and artificial intelligence (Shield AI).

Revolutionizing Cell Therapy

Based in Boston, Wonderlab Bio is addressing a massive gap in regenerative medicine. Current cell therapies are patient-specific, cost between $50,000 and $500,000, and often trigger immune rejection—limiting their use to life-threatening conditions.

Wonderlab Bio engineers living cells into accessible medicines using a proprietary bank of iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) sourced from HLA-homozygous “super donors”. Because these donors’ immune profiles match broad patient populations, the therapies are naturally accepted by the body without the need for systemic immunosuppression.

“Wonderlab’s approach to HLA-matching is a complete paradigm shift for treating chronic conditions,” said Chris Yoo, Portfolio Manager at Jetstream. “By removing the need for immunosuppression and drastically lowering manufacturing costs, they are unlocking the potential of cell therapy for tens of millions of patients who currently have no regenerative options.”

Targeting Osteoarthritis and Beyond

Wonderlab Bio’s lead program focuses on knee osteoarthritis, a condition affecting 32.5 million Americans and currently lacking any FDA-approved cell therapy. Their injectable, iPSC-derived chondrocyte therapy targets cartilage regeneration without surgery, at a projected price point below the cost of a traditional joint replacement.

The company’s platform is already demonstrating significant traction, backed by preclinical animal studies showing cartilage repair and inclusion in a $42 million ARPA-H federal program supporting regenerative medicine. Wonderlab’s super donor bank currently covers over 90% of the U.S. population, laying the groundwork for future applications in cardiac disease and neurodegeneration.

About Jetstream Venture Fund Jetstream Venture Fund is an interval fund managed by Xcellerant Ventures and Sweater Industries LLC, seeking to provide investors access to high-growth companies with lower minimums and no carried interest. Visit https://www.jvf.vc.

Disclosure: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. The prospectus contains this information and can be obtained by visiting https://www.jvf.vc. Please read carefully before investing.

Media contact: Dawson Fearnow, [email protected]

SOURCE Jetstream Venture Fund