DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 20, 2026 — Horizon Capital, a leading private equity firm in Emerging Europe with $1.8 billion under management, announced the initial closing of its reconstruction-focused Horizon Capital Catalyst Fund (“HCCF”, “Catalyst Fund”) held today, together with its first transaction: backing Germany-based Notus Energy to finance a 124 MW Wind Power Project in the Odesa region, which is one of Ukraine’s most advanced and well-structured ready-to-build renewable energy projects. Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine joined both signing ceremonies.

The transaction represents the first investment from Horizon Capital’s newly launched Catalyst Fund, which reached over 50% of its target size at Initial Closing, €152m of €300m. Catalyst Fund provides €20 to €50 million of growth capital per investment into asset-heavy strategic sectors that require significant capital today, including energy, digital infrastructure and construction.

Catalyst Fund will acquire a 45% stake in the Project, which is expected to mobilize over €220 million of total investment, including a structured debt package led by international development finance institutions, including EBRD, IFC, Swedfund, BIO, and Green for Growth Fund.

The Project is developed by Notus Energy, a German renewable energy player having implemented 1.6 GW of installed capacity globally, and it is among the most advanced and well-structured renewable energy projects in Ukraine. The Project is the first of three wind farms in Notus Energy’s near-term Ukraine pipeline totaling approximately 300 MW, and part of a broader Ukrainian renewable development pipeline of over 1.3 GW across projects at different stages.

Beyond its strategic significance, the project delivers substantial ESG impact: it is expected to generate 378 GWh of clean electricity annually, enough to power 120,000 households, while reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 244,000 tons per year. In addition, it will create over 300 jobs during construction and 50 permanent positions and is fully aligned with international E&S standards, ensuring best-in-class governance and sustainability practices.

Dmytro Boroday, Partner at Horizon Capital and Catalyst Fund Lead: “We are thrilled to join forces with Notus Energy for the implementation of their first wind energy project in Ukraine This Project is exactly the type of high-quality, bankable project the Catalyst Fund was built to back: it mobilizes large-scale capital now, for a critical sector of Ukraine’s economy, sets a benchmark for international standards in the energy sector, and sends a powerful message of confidence in Ukraine’s future. Partnering with Notus Energy demonstrates that Ukraine can attract high-quality global investors and substantial investments when projects are structured to international standards, protected by robust risk mitigation, and developed and backed by strong partners. By deploying catalytic equity, we aim to crowd in substantial follow-on capital into critical infrastructure that will power Ukraine’s recovery and long-term growth.”

Heiner Dietmar Roger, Founder and CEO of Notus Energy, commented: “We are honored to partner with Horizon Capital as this transaction marks a significant milestone for Notus Energy in the implementation of our first project in Ukraine. With the Catalyst Fund’s investment, we have the equity backing to proceed ahead with the 124 MW project to deliver critical power capacity, create high-skilled technical jobs, and contribute to Ukraine’s sustainability goals. We view Ukraine as a market with strong fundamentals for RES deployment, and this transaction lays the ground for Notus Energy to propel our mid-term development pipeline in Ukraine, with an ambition to reach 1.3 GW until 2030.”

Implementation of the transaction is subject to execution of the definitive agreements and customary regulatory clearances.

About Notus Energy

Founded in 2001, owner-managed Notus Energy is a German-based developer, operator, and investor in renewable energy projects worldwide. With operations in 18 countries and a robust pipeline of wind and solar projects, Notus brings deep technical expertise and a long-term commitment to Ukraine’s renewable energy sector.

About Horizon Capital

Horizon Capital is the leading private equity firm in Emerging Europe with over $1.8 billion in AUM from investors with a capital base exceeding $700 billion. The firm’s investment strategy focuses on backing visionary entrepreneurs leading fast-growing businesses in Ukraine and Moldova. Horizon Capital-managed funds have invested in over 190 companies employing over 56,000 people. HCCF aims to reach its €300 million target fund size and stands as a testament to institutions uniting in support of Ukraine’s promising future.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2865284/Horizon_Capital_and_Notus_Energy.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2342850/5724043/Horizon_Capital_logo.jpg

SOURCE Horizon Capital

Proprietary AI Systems Outperform Major Hedge Funds with Superior Risk-Adjusted Returns.

LONDON and ISLE OF MAN, Jan. 20, 2026 —  Vertus, a frontier artificial intelligence company, today announced two major milestones demonstrating the advancement of machine reasoning in financial markets: surpassing $1 billion in daily AI-driven transactions and delivering 51.15% returns for 2025 with a Sharpe ratio of 2.13—figures independently audited by Alpha Performance Verification Services, Certified Public Accountants.

The $1 billion single-day volume milestone, first achieved on November 25, 2025, caps a breakthrough year in which Vertus’ AI systems significantly outperformed both traditional market indices and leading hedge funds on both absolute and risk-adjusted return metrics. Vertus’ 2025 performance places the company’s AI systems among the top-performing institutional trading operations globally:

• 51.15% annual return vs. S&P 500’s ~17% (more than 2x market performance)
• 2.13 Sharpe ratio vs. leading hedge fund range of 0.5-1.5 (superior risk-adjusted returns)
• $600M+ average daily volume with systems processing $1B daily regularly
• Consistently positive returns achieved through advanced machine reasoning

“This milestone validates everything we built,” said Julius Franck, Co-Founder at Vertus. “We engineered a quantitatively backed system that thinks and acts at market speed—processing complexity, making decisions, and executing with precision that traditional algorithms simply cannot match. The independently verified billion-dollar threshold proves the architecture is performing exactly as designed.”

Vertus developed and stress-tested its core systems in the Isle of Man, where progressive regulation and robust digital infrastructure provided the ideal environment to validate machine reasoning under live market conditions. What began as controlled experimentation has become production-grade technology now powering institutional-scale investing infrastructure.

The company’s technology now serves as the decision-making backbone for a growing network of funds, family offices, and asset managers, executing in high-velocity markets where legacy systems falter.

“We’ve proven that advanced intelligence architecture outperforms decades-old algorithmic models,” said Alex Foster, Co-Founder. “Financial markets were the perfect crucible—unforgiving, instantaneous, high-stakes. Our planned expansions put us at the center of the next wave: applying this reasoning power across autonomous systems and the computational infrastructure required for superintelligence.”

The 2.13 Sharpe ratio—a measure of risk-adjusted returns—demonstrates that Vertus’ performance wasn’t achieved through excessive risk-taking. The company’s AI systems generated returns more than double the market while maintaining disciplined risk management; a combination rarely achieved in quantitative finance.

With daily transaction volumes regularly exceeding $1 billion, Vertus has established itself as critical infrastructure in modern investing ecosystems. The company’s trajectory from inception to billion-dollar daily transactions represents one of the fastest scaling timelines in autonomous systems deployment.

“Financial markets are just the beginning,” said Michal Prywata, Co-Founder. “We built AI that learned to reason in an environment where mistakes cost millions and decisions happen in milliseconds. That same intelligence now powers capital at scale—and we’re rapidly expanding into domains that demand genuine machine reasoning. We’re not just building financial systems. We’re architecting the infrastructure for the next generation of intelligence.”

Trading volume figures, performance metrics, and milestone achievements have been independently verified by Alpha Performance Verification Services, Certified Public Accountants. Verification report available upon request.

About Vertus

Vertus builds frontier artificial intelligence where intelligence meets consequence. Its systems operate directly in live financial markets, transacting over $600 million daily while reasoning under extreme uncertainty, learning in adversarial conditions, and adapting in milliseconds. This real-world crucible produces intelligence that is not simulated — it is proven.

Founded by Julius Franck, Alex Foster, and Michal Prywata, Vertus develops AI systems where precision matters and every decision has irreversible cost. Today, its technology powers institutional trading infrastructure for funds, family offices, and professional investors — environments where errors are measurable and accountability is absolute.

Beyond finance, Vertus is extending this intelligence into general reasoning systems designed to operate in complex, high-stakes domains. By training AI in environments where failure is punished and success compounds, Vertus is building the infrastructure for reliable machine intelligence — systems capable of reasoning, adapting, and acting autonomously across industries yet to be defined.

Media Contact
Brooke Greenwald
+1-240-370-7036
[email protected]

SOURCE Vertus

QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 20, 2026 — Point Laz Mining Laser Expertise Inc. (“Point Laz”), a leader in smart technologies for automated mine shaft inspections, today announced the closing of a $3 million funding round. The round was led by the i4 Capital Fund, with significant participation from Fonds Impulsion, managed by Investissement Québec and financed by the Government of Québec. This strategic support will enable Point Laz to accelerate its growth and expand its international footprint.

Fueling Growth and Industry Innovation

With its unique offering, Point Laz is redefining safety, maintenance, and performance standards in the mining industry. The company’s proprietary technology is designed to optimize shaft maintenance, standardize inspections to meet the highest international benchmarks, and significantly reduce mine shaft downtime.

This new funding will allow Point Laz to scale up production of its advanced mine shaft scanner and expand the global rollout of its analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) platform. The company delivers a solution that transforms shaft maintenance into a preventive and predictive process, minimizing disruptions, reducing risks, and cutting costs associated with incidents. Already a strong player on the international stage, Point Laz has inspected over 50 mine shafts worldwide using its cutting-edge technology.

Alexandre Grenier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Point Laz:

“The involvement of strategic partners like i4 Capital Fund and Investissement Québec’s Fonds Impulsion is a strong endorsement of the value of our technology and our team’s vision to digitize and automate mine shaft inspections. This new capital will allow us to standardize our operations, strengthen our global presence, and better support our clients and partners. It also sends a clear message to the industry: Point Laz is leading the next revolution in mine shaft technology.“

Jean-François Grenon, Partner and Co-founder of the i4 Capital Fund:

“We’re proud to support Alexandre Grenier and the Point Laz team once again. Their unique approach to smart monitoring for the mining industry, along with their market potential, aligns perfectly with i4 Capital Fund’s investment strategy. We are confident that Point Laz is on track to become a key player in the mining sector.”

Samuel Poulin, Minister for the Economy and Small and Medium Enterprises, and Minister Responsible for Youth

“The Fonds Impulsion helps fast-track the growth of Québec tech companies like Point Laz. By providing ambitious financial support, we’re enabling the development and commercialization of innovative solutions in key sectors for Québec, such as mining. It’s through this kind of strategic investment that we build a stronger, future-focused economy.”

Alex Laverdière, Vice President, Venture Capital, Investissement Québec

“By supporting Point Laz, the Fonds Impulsion is backing a high-growth-potential Québec company whose technology can help advance the mining sector. This investment, made in partnership with i4 Capital, reflects our commitment to working in synergy with specialized funds to accelerate the growth of innovative businesses and maximize the economic impact of our investments in Québec.”

About Point Laz

Point Laz is transforming mining safety and performance standards by pioneering automated mine shaft inspections, predictive performance analytics and enhanced miner safety. Its mission is to support workers, businesses and their environments. www.pointlaz.com

About i4 Capital Fund

i4 Capital Fund is a Canadian seed-stage venture capital fund focused on breakthrough technologies. Its core mission is to lead funding rounds that support exceptional entrepreneurs bringing disruptive, transformational innovations to market. With a strong focus on innovation, sustainability and deep tech, i4 Capital Fund offers strategic support and a broad business network to visionary founders shaping the future. www.i4capital.vc

About Fonds Impulsion

Fonds Impulsion is a venture capital fund that supports innovative, high-growth-potential startups at the pre-seed and seed stages. It invests between $250,000 and $2 million in early-stage rounds, with the ability to reinvest in subsequent financing rounds. Its mission is to accelerate the growth of Québec’s young companies by providing structuring capital, tailored support and privileged access to a strategic network of committed partners. The fund is managed and administered by Investissement Québec and financed by the Government of Québec. www.investquebec.com

Media Contact: Alexandre Grenier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Point Laz, [email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2861660/Point_Laz_POINT_LAZ_SECURES__3M_IN_FUNDING_FROM_I4_CAPITAL_FUND.jpg 

Following its Q4 ’25 launch and pre-seed raise, the accelerated financing marks a generational shift in Canadian national security

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 19, 2026 – Dominion Dynamics, a defence technology company engineering interoperable, attritable systems for contested theatres, today announced a $21M CAD ($15.2M USD) Seed raise led by Georgian. The round included participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), marking one of the largest early-stage investments in the defence sector. Dominion has now raised $26M CAD ($18.8M USD) since launching in Q4 2025.

Dominion is building the “Arctic autonomy stack”—a fusion of sensing, autonomy, and networked platforms designed for NATO’s most strategically exposed operating environment. The company’s mission is to provide allied forces with interoperable, rapidly deployable, software-defined systems that are affordable enough to be risked—a fundamental shift from legacy procurement and platform-centric warfare.

“We are building systems that can scale, talk to each other, and be risked in combat,” said Eliot Pence, Founder and CEO of Dominion Dynamics and a former executive at Anduril Industries. “Future deterrence will depend on speed of fielding, economic advantage, and the ability to operate across domains.”

Dominion Dynamics will use the funding to accelerate the deployment of Auranet, a network of ruggedized sensors and autonomous systems designed to monitor Canada’s vast northern frontier, as well as on its autonomous collaborative platform, a drone designed to pair with fifth-generation fighter jets. As geopolitical tensions rise in the Arctic, Dominion’s technology provides the persistent monitoring and data interoperability required not just for Canadian sovereignty, but for the collective security of the NATO alliance. The company has already completed successful field trials in Northern Ontario and is currently deployed in the Yukon, validating its systems for use by Canada and its NATO partners.

“Defence is no longer just about hardware; it is about software, data, and speed,” said Margaret Wu, Lead Investor at Georgian. “In our view, Dominion Dynamics represents the future of the Canadian ecosystem: deep tech, dual-use, and mission-critical. We are backing a team that is fundamentally reimagining how Canada and its allies protect their interests.”

Dominion is entering a significant growth phase following its October pre-seed raise, actively hiring engineering and operational talent in Ottawa and Toronto as it ramps up nationwide recruitment, aiming to bring on five times more engineers across Canada. The company plans to open a new development office in Toronto and a 25,000 sq. ft. factory in Kanata, ON, while simultaneously expanding its XLabs programs to additional universities. Dominion is also advancing key field initiatives, including deployment to the Arctic as part of Operation Nanook, and accelerating the development of an autonomous collaborative platform purpose-built for Arctic operations.

About Dominion Dynamics
Backed by leading angels, venture funds, and Canadian pension capital, Dominion Dynamics is building the digital backbone for next-generation command and control. Our team draws talent from Anduril, Amazon, Tesla, and the Canadian Armed Forces—combining Silicon Valley velocity, Waterloo-calibre engineering, and a hard national security mission focus. Learn more at www.defendthedominion.com.

Media Contact
Jacqueline Agudelo, CEO
Jack PR for Dominion Dynamics
[email protected] 

SOURCE Dominion Dynamics

TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 19, 2026 — Adversa AI announced that its Adversa AI Agentic AI Security Platform has been named a winner in the 2026 BIG Innovation Awards in the Innovative Products – Software category.

The Business Intelligence Group revealed this year’s cohort of global winners, recognizing products and organizations delivering measurable real-world impact across industries. “This year’s winners demonstrate that innovation has entered a new accountability era,” said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at the Business Intelligence Group.

Why CISOs care: securing the “agentic AI” attack surface

As enterprises deploy autonomous AI agents that plan, act, and execute across tools, APIs, and cloud workflows, security leaders face a new class of risks that go beyond classic application security. In December 2025, OWASP published the Top 10 for Agentic AI Applications (2026), highlighting risks such as Agent Goal Hijack, Tool Misuse, Identity & Privilege Abuse, Agentic Supply Chain Vulnerabilities, Unexpected Code Execution, Memory & Context Poisoning, Cascading Failures and more—reflecting real incident patterns in early agentic deployments.

Adversa AI’s platform is designed to operationalize these risks into repeatable, continuous testing and control loops—so security teams can answer the questions CISOs are now being asked daily:

• How do we test AI agents for prompt injection / goal hijack before production?
• How do we prevent tool misuse and unsafe autonomous actions?
• How do we validate agent permissions, identity, and privilege boundaries?
• How do we detect memory poisoning and cross-session manipulation?
• How do we secure MCP / tool ecosystems and third-party agent components?

External validation: referenced in OWASP’s AI security solutions guidance

Adversa AI is also referenced in the OWASP Agentic AI Security Solutions Reference Guide (Q2/Q3 ’25) under agentic AI security testing, describing capabilities such as agent scanning, agent penetration testing, sandboxed testing of tool calls/code execution/cloud API triggers, multi-agent scenario simulations, and validation of agent decisions against expected goal plans, with mapped coverage across the guide’s agentic risk taxonomy.

“This award recognizes a hard reality CISOs are confronting: once AI systems can take actions, security must validate behavior—not just inputs and outputs,” said Alex Polyakov, Co-Founder of Adversa AI. “We built Adversa to continuously discover agentic AI failures—prompt injection and goal hijack, tool misuse, privilege abuse, memory poisoning, and cascading automation errors—before attackers and incidents do.”

About Adversa AI

Adversa AI is the global leader in Agentic AI Security and Continuous AI Red Teaming. Its platform protects enterprises by continuously stress-testing GenAI applications, AI agents, and MCP-based architectures to identify and fix vulnerabilities before deployment. Adversa AI works with Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and AI Startups building next-generation AI systems.

About the BIG Innovation Awards

The BIG Innovation Awards, presented by the Business Intelligence Group, recognize companies, products, and leaders transforming industries through applied innovation and measurable impact.

Contact:
Adversa AI PR
+97504794776
[email protected]

SOURCE Adversa AI

Wed Society closes funding round at an $11 million valuation, enabling it to expand its 30-territory footprint, capitalize on 110 million consumer interactions, and build on 61% customer growth.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 19, 2026 — “This Series B is a clear signal: we’re building the most audience-engaging platform in the category—and continuing our trajectory of innovation and market leadership,” said Ashley Bowen-Murphy, cofounder of Wed Society.

“With 2 million weddings annually in the United States, we’re deploying significant resources to expand market coverage, increase member results to exceed other marketing platforms, and scale our technology and fulfillment systems that help our franchisees and members win locally” added Kami Huddleston, cofounder of Wed Society.

2025: Six momentum markers that set the stage for 2026

• Franchise expansion: 30 territories awarded across 19 states as of Dec. 31, 2025, including 15 new locations signed in 2025.
• Breakout consumer reach: Annual social and digital content surpassed 110 million views and interactions from engaged couples, establishing Wed Society as one of the nation’s most visited wedding planning platforms.
• Member growth: Vendor memberships increased 61% year-over-year systemwide.
• Demand signal: Wedding submissions rose 66% year-over-year, reflecting the demand for local storytelling and a growing appetite from newlyweds and vendors alike to be featured by Wed Society.
• Measurable ROI: Platform upgrades to Wed Society’s proprietary technology, The Dashboard, generated 50,000+ booking leads for members nationally.
• Brand Leadership: From naming the National Wedding of the Year, to establishing October 1^st as Wedding Industry Appreciation Day, and supporting 23 non-profit organizations through Wed Society | Cares, Wed Society is a leadership voice in the North American wedding industry.

Founded in 2007, Wed Society launched its national franchise model in October 2023 and scaled quickly through a locally owned, community-led approach that connects engaged couples with curated local wedding vendors through social and digital content, print products, and market-level programming. Couples can start their wedding planning journey at WedSociety.com.

“2025 proved our unique approach has made Wed Society the fastest-growing wedding planning resource in America,” said David Lewis, chief growth officer of Wed Society. “In 2026, we expect to open 21 additional franchise markets and continue building a category-defining platform for couples and the talented local vendors who serve them”, he added.

About Wed Society
Founded in 2007, and franchising since 2023, Wed Society^® is a nationwide wedding planning platform, dedicated to showcasing inspirational weddings, connecting engaged couples with curated vendors, and hosting member-exclusive events. Discover more at WedSociety.com.

SOURCE Wed Society

Financing Round Led by One Investment Management Supports Expansion of Domestic Rare Earth Magnet Production and Facilitates Secondary Share Sale

SAN MARCOS, Texas, Jan. 19, 2026 — Noveon Magnetics, Inc. (Noveon), a leading U.S. manufacturer of sintered rare earth permanent magnets, today announced the close of a $215 million Series C financing led by a $200 million investment from One Investment Management (OneIM). The capital will fuel significant growth of Noveon’s domestic rare earth magnet manufacturing capacity as demand accelerates across key sectors — including automotive, defense, AI, energy, and advanced manufacturing — and as the need to reshore critical U.S. supply chains becomes increasingly important. In addition, today’s Series C financing facilitates secondary sales by certain existing shareholders.

As part of the transaction, OneIM will appoint two new Series C board members.

“This financing marks a pivotal step in scaling Noveon’s production capabilities to meet rapidly growing customer demand,” said Scott Dunn, CEO of Noveon. “With the support of OneIM, we are accelerating deliveries of high-performance rare earth magnets produced entirely in the United States — scaling capacity, capability, and strengthening supply chain resiliency for our customers.”

Noveon was the first company to reshore full-scale production of sintered rare earth magnets to the United States. This investment positions Noveon to accelerate its growth trajectory by expanding capacity beyond 2,000 tons per year, enabling the company to support existing commercial partners and capture growing demand from critical industries requiring high-performance, high-quality magnetic materials.

Rare earth permanent magnets are essential to automotive systems, defense platforms, AI and data storage technologies, robotics, and advanced manufacturing applications. Noveon’s American manufacturing platform directly addresses long-standing supply chain vulnerabilities, delivering reliable, high-performance magnet solutions.

“Noveon is uniquely positioned to lead the reshoring of the rare earth magnet industry at a time when supply chain security and domestic manufacturing capacity are national priorities,” said Rajeev Misra, CEO and Co-Founder of OneIM. “The company has assembled exceptional talent and built the technical skills, operational expertise, and execution discipline required to scale U.S. rare earth magnet manufacturing. We are proud to support Noveon’s next phase of growth and I look forward to supporting the company as it builds capacity that can truly meet the moment.”

Over the last 12 months, Noveon has achieved several significant milestones, including entering into multi-year supply agreements with General Motors and ABB, forming strategic partnerships with Lynas and Solvay to help create a more resilient supply chain, and entering into a closed-loop magnet recycling initiative with LG Electronics and Kangwon Energy. These milestones have strengthened Noveon’s position as a leader in sintered NdFeB magnets and have laid the groundwork for offering a fully domestic, vertically integrated solution for rare earth magnets.

“I am incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished over the past year,” added Scott Dunn. “We look forward to building upon our strong momentum with support from our new and existing partners to deliver on our mission to reshore critical magnet production to the United States.”

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Noveon. 

About Noveon
Noveon is the only operational manufacturer of sintered NdFeB rare earth magnets in the United States and the first to reshore them in over 20 years. Through its proprietary EcoFlux™ technology, Noveon delivers a fully domestic, closed-loop magnet manufacturing capability that maximizes resource efficiency, allows for the beneficial use of recycled materials, and produces superior high-performance finished magnets that meet the full range of commercial and industrial demand. Noveon’s products provide a secure and resilient supply chain solution for critical applications including electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, motors, pumps, data storage, consumer electronics, and defense systems. Learn more at https://noveon.co/.

About OneIM
OneIM is a global alternative investment manager that invests across the capital structure, in a range of asset classes, industries and geographies. The firm applies a flexible investment approach and focuses on creating long-term value by working with exceptional partners and management teams. OneIM is sector agnostic and focuses on situations where it can leverage its cross-asset class expertise and capital base to achieve differentiated risk-adjusted returns. The firm was founded in 2022 and currently manages approximately $10 billion in assets. The team operates from offices in Abu Dhabi, London, Tokyo and New York.

SOURCE Noveon Magnetics

LONDON, Jan. 19, 2026 — Wrisk Limited (“Wrisk”), the digital insurance platform specialising in embedded insurance for the automotive sector, today announced that Allianz Holdings plc (“Allianz”) has invested in the company as part of its recently announced Series B funding round, which was led by Alma Mundi Ventures and Opera Tech Ventures.

The investment sees Allianz join the list of other strategic shareholders who invested in Wrisk in earlier rounds and it further strengthens Wrisk’s position as a trusted partner to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The backing of a global insurer of Allianz’s scale highlights the growing importance of closer collaboration between insurers and embedded insurance platforms, as OEMs seek more integrated and data-driven insurance solutions.

The investment from Allianz – who have been Wrisk’s primary underwriter for almost 10 years – is particularly significant for Wrisk’s expanding OEM client base, several of whom are looking to build deeper and more strategic relationships with a smaller number of insurer partners. Wrisk’s proximity to OEMs, combined with its platform and data capabilities, enables Wrisk and its insurer partners to develop competitive advantages in areas such as data enrichment, risk selection and pricing.

Wrisk brings together real-time insights from insurance, vehicle, financial and behavioural data to support smarter decision-making across pricing, claims and customer engagement. At the core of the platform is Wrisk’s proprietary embedded data framework, developed specifically for automotive OEMs to harmonise inputs from connected car systems, telematics, transactional records and customer interactions. This foundation enables scalable intelligence, powered by machine learning models that evolve alongside advances in vehicle technology, changing customer behaviour and shifting market dynamics.

The Series B funding, including Allianz’s participation, will support Wrisk’s international expansion and continued investment in its data science and data insights capabilities, as the company scales its platform and deepens partnerships across the automotive and insurance ecosystems.

Nimeshh Patel, CEO of Wrisk, said:

“Allianz’s investment is a strong endorsement of Wrisk’s strategy and our role in helping insurers and OEMs work more closely together. As OEMs increasingly look for fewer, more strategic insurance partners, our ability to combine deep OEM relationships with sophisticated data and technology becomes ever more important. We are delighted to welcome Allianz as a shareholder and look forward to deepening our long-term partnership.”

Ulf Lange, Managing Director, Personal Lines, at Allianz UK, said:

“Wrisk has built a compelling platform at the intersection of insurance, data and the automotive sector. Its close relationships with OEMs and focus on data-driven insurance solutions align closely with Allianz’s strategic priorities, and we are pleased to support Wrisk as it continues to scale its business and capabilities.”

Notes to Editors

About Allianz
The Allianz Group is one of the world’s leading insurers and asset managers serving private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 761 billion euros* on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.9 trillion euros* of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2024, over 156,000 employees achieved a total business volume of 179.8 billion euros and an operating profit of 16.0 billion euros for the Group.

* As of September 30, 2025.

About Wrisk
Wrisk offers an unparalleled blend of technology and customer-centric solutions that empower automotive brands to revolutionise their insurance offerings. Headquartered in London, with a team of 100+ professionals around the world, Wrisk operates with deep industry expertise drawn from insurance, auto OEM, data and technology sectors. Subsidiary companies are set up as regulated MGA entities operating in the UK and EU.

Wrisk’s clients include BMW FS, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo FS, Mercedes-Benz Insurance Services, Stellantis Financial Services UK, Suzuki GB, Toyota Insurance Services

https://www.wrisk.co/

SOURCE Wrisk Limited

NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2026 — Ouroboros Family Founders Fund I, LP announced this week it will lead a $60 million Series A financing in Cytotheryx, Inc., a preclinical cell therapy company developing transformative treatments for liver disease. The announcement was made during the 2026 Biotech Showcase in San Francisco.

The investment will accelerate multiple programs toward clinical development, expand manufacturing infrastructure, and support regulatory pathway planning. Cytotheryx also announced debt financing to expand its real estate footprint and enable GMP manufacturing capacity.

The transaction reflects strategic alignment between Ouroboros’ Community Wellness investment thesis and Cytotheryx’s mission to address critical unmet needs in liver disease. Ouroboros selected Cytotheryx based on its proprietary bio-incubator platform, ability to produce scalable, functional human hepatocytes, and management’s execution capability across multiple indications.

Richard Tannenbaum, Managing Partner at Ouroboros Family Founders Fund, said: “Cytotheryx represents a high-impact healthcare investment opportunity with substantial commercial potential. The Company has developed a differentiated technology platform that addresses a significant clinical need with limited existing solutions.”

The financing validates continued investor interest in next generation cell and gene therapy platforms despite a challenging biotech investment climate. Cytotheryx’s technology portfolio includes a bio-incubator platform to produce liver cells at scale, a bioartificial liver support system for acute liver failure, and universal liver cells for transplantation.

Subject to closing, Ouroboros will take a board observer seat and provide strategic advisory throughout the development cycle.

Dr. John R. Swart, CEO of Cytotheryx, said: “We are pleased to partner with Ouroboros as we advance our cell therapy platform toward the clinic. This financing provides the resources necessary to scale our manufacturing capabilities and progress multiple programs through critical development milestones.”

About Ouroboros Family Founders Fund I, LP: A private growth capital sponsor focused on Community Wellness investments, providing investments through convertible notes, junior capital, and growth equity structures. Visitwww.obgfund.com.

About Cytotheryx, Inc.: A Mayo Clinic spinout developing scalable production of human hepatocytes for therapeutic use, headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota. Visitwww.cytotheryx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to plans, objectives and expectations for the development of the business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.

SOURCE Ouroboros