Round Led by Notable Capital With Participation From Flight Fund; Brings Total Funding to $81M

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 20, 2025 — Wispr, the voice-to-text AI that turns speech into clear, polished writing in every app, today announced a $25 million Series A Extension led by Notable Capital, with participation from Flight Fund, the investment arm of entrepreneur and Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett. The round comes just months after Wispr’s $30 million Series A, follows 40 percent month-over-month growth in both users and ARR, and brings Wispr’s total funding to $81 million.

Wispr is building its own voice-first foundation models as the basis of an operating system that makes speech the primary way people interact with technology. The vision goes beyond traditional dictation tools and forms the early layers of a voice-native computing system.

Big tech has made little recent progress in voice, and even the newest voice features from general-purpose LLMs still struggle with reliability and consistency across apps. This gap has kept voice from becoming a daily habit for most users. Wispr is closing that gap and rapidly changing expectations for what this near-future could look like. The new funding will fuel hiring across engineering and product to support this work and to help the company continue developing new features and expanding Flow’s capabilities.

“Voice never reached its potential because the industry treated it as a feature instead of an interface. We’re picking up where others left off, and the growing migration of users to Wispr reinforces how much demand there is for a dependable voice interface,” said Tanay Kothari, co-founder and CEO of Wispr. “We’re building a system designed to make speech a primary mode of computing so that people can work at the speed of thought, on any platform. The strong inbound interest from investors just a few short months since our last raise shows how powerful this vision has become and gives us the ability to scale it faster.”

The round was led by Hans Tung, Managing Partner at Notable Capital, who joins as a board observer. A 13-time Forbes Midas Lister, Hans and the Notable team have been early investors in category-defining companies, including Affirm, Airbnb, Slack, Coinbase, Anthropic, and TikTok, each of which went on to redefine its industry. Their deep experience across commerce, consumer, and prosumer markets makes Notable a strong strategic partner as Wispr scales its voice-first technology worldwide.

“Wispr is tackling one of the most ambitious challenges in technology: reimagining the primary interface between humans and machines,” said Hans Tung, Managing Partner at Notable Capital. “The founders’ vision, speed, and craftsmanship stand out even among the best teams we’ve seen. My colleague Chelcie Taylor and I believe Wispr is building the foundation for a new generation of AI-driven interfaces – and we’re proud to partner with them in that mission.”

Steven Bartlett added, “Voice is the natural interface for human thought, but we’ve accepted typing because it was the only option. Now, with AI able to understand the nuance in how each of us speaks and thinks, we can finally remove that bottleneck. Wispr’s founders recognized what the market is only now beginning to see: that voice will reshape how we interact with technology. The caliber of critical thinking and technical prowess behind Flow is exactly what I look for: a team that sees where the world is heading and has the depth not only to build it, but to completely redefine how we all work in the process.”

The investment also marks the start of a global partnership between Wispr and Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO, one of the world’s top 10 podcasts with over a billion streams and an audience of more than 35 million subscribers across all platforms. The year-long initiative spans podcast, video, and digital platforms and will highlight how voice is becoming the next great interface for human productivity.

The company’s flagship product, Flow, is used daily across more than 25,000 apps and websites, helping hundreds of thousands of people move from thought to text seamlessly. It cleans up filler words, formats text based on context, and turns natural speech into clear, ready-to-use writing. Ninety percent of what users say with Flow requires no edits at all, compared with about ten percent for traditional dictation tools like Siri. After six months, the average user writes 72 percent of their characters with Flow.

About Notable Capital

Notable Capital is named for the founders it invests with, the ideas they pursue, the causes they champion, and the remarkable companies they build. Notable is a U.S.-based venture capital firm focused on early- to growth-stage companies in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, fintech, commerce, and AI across the U.S., Israel, and select go-global opportunities. Notable Capital portfolio companies include Affirm, Airbnb, Anthropic, Brightwheel, Drata, Fal, Handshake, HashiCorp, Ibotta, Monte Carlo, Neon, Orca Security, Quince, Red Note, Slack, Stori, TikTok, Vercel, and more.

About Steven Bartlett and FlightStory

Steven Bartlett is a visionary entrepreneur and one of the most influential voices in modern business and media, redefining what it means to be a leader in the digital age.  The youngest-ever Dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den (UK’s Shark Tank equivalent), he is responsible for the show’s most successful ever investment to date with PerfectTed now being valued at more than £140 million.

Steven is the founder of global media and investment company FlightStory with a global investment fund that has invested in more than 40 companies, including SpaceX, Whoop, Replit, MrBeast, PerfectTed, and more.

As a global media and publishing company, FlightStory is focused on developing influential IP and scaling global audiences. It is built on the proprietary methodologies and technology that have driven the global success of the world’s second-biggest interview podcast and the number 1 show in Europe, The Diary Of A CEO (DOAC).

DOAC now boasts 35 million followers, 13+ million YouTube subscribers and 60+ million monthly listens/views.  By October 2024 it had achieved over 1 billion streams across all platforms and by October 2025, 1 billion YouTube views. 

The show has become a cultural force and continues to grow at pace, adding on average 600K YouTube subscribers each month and boasting a 500% compound annual growth rate. 

Founded in 2024, FlightStory has successfully launched brand new formats, including We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson and Davina McCall’s Begin Again, both reaching #1 on Spotify and Apple charts and with a combined social and podcast following of over 2.5M people.

FlightStory is also home to a publishing venture in partnership with Ebury, a division of Penguin Random House.  Reaching global audiences with stories that resonate and inspire action, it is home to Steven Bartlett’s no 1 Sunday Times best-selling book Diary Of A CEO: The 33 Laws Of Business and Life, the fastest-selling book in its category since records began.

Steven is also the co-founder of Thirdweb, a San Francisco-based software company recently valued at $160 million and backed by Shopify, Coinbase, Mark Cuban, and others. He most recently co-founded a video-first podcast hosting, distribution, analytics and growth platform Flightcast with ex-MrBeast engineer Rox Codes.

In 2025 he was recognised by Time magazine US in the global Time100 most influential voices, named Europe’s no 1 Creator. 

About Wispr
Wispr is building a faster, more intuitive way to interact with your devices, starting with Flow, the voice-to-text AI that turns speech into clear, polished writing in every app. Unlike traditional dictation tools, Flow adapts as you speak, removing filler words, structuring your thoughts, and formatting text automatically, all while working seamlessly across any app.

Built to replace the keyboard, Flow is already helping thousands of users cut their daily typing time nearly in half across both mobile and desktop. After six months, the average user writes 72% of their characters with Flow across nearly 70 apps and sites.

Wispr’s mission is to make technology more conversational – reducing screen time, context-switching, and cognitive overload, and helping people spend more time on what matters. Based in San Francisco, Wispr has raised $81M from investors including AIX Ventures, Flight Fund, Menlo Ventures, NEA, Notable Capital, and 8VC.

Learn more at wisprflow.ai.

Contact: Lindsey Scott, lindsey (at) wispr (dot) ai

SOURCE Wispr AI

AI platform autonomously transforms accounts receivable from manual work into automated cash generation

NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2025 — Stuut Technologies, the first AI platform that automates accounts receivable work for companies, today announced it has raised $29.5 million in combined Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Activant Capital, Khosla Ventures, 1984.vc, Page One Ventures, Vesey Ventures, Carya Venture Partners, and Valley Ventures. Seema Amble from Andreessen Horowitz and Steve Sarracino from Activant Capital will join the board. The funding will accelerate product development and expand Stuut’s autonomous account receivable capabilities for mid-market and enterprise companies across six key functionalities: collections, payments, cash application, deductions, credits, and disputes.

Companies lose up to 5% of EBITDA because AR teams spend their days chasing customers, logging into portals, and matching payments by hand. This problem is particularly acute for manufacturers, distributors, CPG, logistics, outsourced services, and medical device organizations with complex customer relationships and high transaction volumes. Traditional software has tried to help for years, but it all hits the same wall: it can’t actually do the work—it just gives humans tools to do it themselves.

Stuut is the AI coworker that knows every customer across your entire cash process, helping businesses collect 40% more revenue on time by doing their AR work faster and better than manual processes. Unlike older traditional accounts receivable platforms that require 6-18 months to implement and constant human oversight, Stuut executes complete workflows independently while integrating seamlessly with existing ERP systems in under a week.

“The technology to actually automate this work didn’t exist 18 months ago when we started Stuut,” said Tarek Alaruri, CEO and co-founder. “We can now handle exceptions and complexity, learn from each interaction, work across disconnected systems, and execute tasks end-to-end. Previous solutions help humans click buttons faster. We eliminate the clicking entirely and are helping brands collect millions more in previously lost revenue.”

What Stuut Does:

• Actually Does the Work: AI handles customer outreach, payment matching, dispute resolution, and portal management autonomously. Learns each customer’s patterns and executes complete workflows from start to payment across all formats (SMS, email, voice).
• Knows Each Customer: Context travels across collections, payments, cash application, and deductions—remembering every interaction. Gets smarter with each customer interaction and applies learning to future decisions across your entire process. Coming soon will be credits and disputes capabilities.
• Fast Implementation: Up and running in days versus 6-18 months for traditional software. Integrates into existing systems without disruption with immediate results that compound over time.
• Proven Results: 40% reduction in overdue balances and 70% reduction in manual tasks. Customers including ZoomInfo, Bishop Lifting, Honeywell, and PerkinElmer are live and collecting immediately with 3-4 day implementation.

“Stuut is transforming our accounts receivable operations on a daily basis. We’re collecting faster from the in-scope customers, our cash flow is improving, and our team has more time to focus on white gloves service for top customers,” said Razvan Bratu, Head of Quote to Cash at Honeywell. “The platform handles the routine work so our people drive increased real business value.”

“Accounts receivable is one of the finance functions still dominated by manual work. Stuut changes that by replacing repetitive AR tasks with software that actually does the work–and does it better,” said Seema Amble, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. “Their collections wedge has already delivered clear ROI, and the opportunity to capture large ACVs as enterprises shift labor spend into software is enormous. We’re thrilled to partner with Tarek and Ben as they set a new standard for managing cash flow.”

As described by Steve Sarracino, Founder & Partner at Activant Capital, “We backed Stuut because they’re redefining AR as an autonomous system of intelligence that learns, executes, and compounds value over time. This is an exciting move from tool-centric software to results-centric operations.”

About Stuut Stuut Technologies is the first AI platform that actually does accounts receivable work businesses instead of just assisting with it. Our autonomous AI agents handle collections, cash application, payments, and deductions, learning each customer’s patterns while integrating seamlessly with existing ERP systems. Unlike traditional AR software that requires constant human oversight, Stuut executes complete workflows independently, delivering 40% cash flow increases and 37% faster DSO while eliminating 70% of manual tasks. With deployment in days rather than months, customers achieve immediate results while freeing AR teams for strategic work. Stuut integrates with SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics, and other major financial systems and works for international businesses. Founded by Tarek Alaruri, Miraj Mohsin, and Ben Winter, Stuut is based in NYC and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Activant Capital, Khosla Ventures and other leading investors.

Learn more at stuut.ai

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Stuut Technologies

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 20, 2025 — Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a division of First Citizens Bank, today announced it has provided a $50 million growth capital facility to Lumafield, a pioneer in advanced manufacturing technology that delivers AI-powered manufacturing intelligence to help companies improve product quality, accelerate development, and automate operations. The company’s industrial computed tomography (CT) scanners and machine learning technology are embedded in production lines at some of the world’s most recognized brands in the medical device, consumer packaged goods, automotive, and battery sectors.

Provided by Silicon Valley Bank’s Technology Banking Group, the new financing will help Lumafield keep pace with strong demand by funding the deployment of more scanners to its growing customer base.

“This new facility is a testament to our growth and the value we’re delivering to manufacturers — from automakers developing more efficient EV batteries to medical device companies innovating surgical tools,” said Eduardo Torrealba, CEO and co-founder. “Silicon Valley Bank has been a trusted partner to Lumafield, and their support allows us to scale efficiently while also focusing on product innovation and go-to-market expansion.”

“With their innovative technology platform, Lumafield is making high-performance CT inspection accessible and practical for a wide range of companies and manufacturers,” said Chris Morrison, Managing Director for SVB Technology and Healthcare Banking. “SVB is excited to continue our long-standing relationship with Lumafield by providing this facility to help them grow and scale their business.”

About Silicon Valley Bank 
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a division of First Citizens Bank, is the bank of some of the world’s most innovative companies and investors. SVB provides commercial banking to companies in the technology, life science and healthcare, private equity and venture capital industries. SVB operates in centers of innovation throughout the United States, serving the unique needs of its dynamic clients with deep sector expertise, insights and connections. SVB’s parent company, First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCNCA), is a top 20 U.S. financial institution with more than $200 billion in assets. First Citizens Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at svb.com

About Lumafield
Lumafield gives engineers the power to see inside their work in unprecedented detail, at every stage of the product development process. Lumafield’s industrial X-ray CT scanners and cloud-based analysis software have transformed both product development and high-volume manufacturing in industries as diverse as medical devices, athletic equipment, electronics, and consumer packaging.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with additional offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Lumafield has received funding from investors including Lux Capital, Kleiner Perkins, DCVC, Spark Capital, Matter Venture Partners, IVP, G2 Venture Partners, Wellington Management, Haystack Ventures, Tony Fadell’s Build Collective, and Figma founder Dylan Field.

SOURCE Silicon Valley Bank

SINGAPORE, Nov. 20, 2025 — Blockchain Founders Fund (BFF) has earned the titles of “Most Impactful Blockchain Investment Fund Singapore 2025” and “Fastest Growing Venture Capital Firm in Emerging Tech Singapore 2025” from World Business Outlook, joining the ranks of globally recognized brands like Swarovski and The Ritz-Carlton.

BFF invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, backing founders who are still defining product-market fit. The fund selectively combines capital with a hands-on venture program that provides strategic guidance on business model, partnerships, market position, and go-to-market execution.

“These awards belong to our founders who are building real solutions,” said Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund. “We focus on removing friction so they can become better, faster, and stronger. The companies that succeed are the ones solving problems that matter to society.”

BFF supports technical founders worldwide, investing in both blockchain infrastructure and applications. The team is composed of experienced operators who have built and scaled tech ventures, and they work closely with portfolio companies during the critical stages where strategic decisions have the greatest impact.

“The best founders are the ones obsessed with customers, not valuations,” said Mansoor Madhavji, Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund. “Our founders are meticulous about product, narrative, and market timing, and these are the founders who deserve this recognition.”

Founders raising pre-seed or seed rounds can reach the BFF investment team via the firm’s website.

World Business Outlook  is a print and online magazine providing comprehensive coverage and analysis of the financial industry, international business, and the global economy. Its awards recognize outstanding performance across various industries worldwide, celebrating companies and organizations that demonstrate excellence in execution and impact.

About Blockchain Founders Fund

Blockchain Founders Fund  is a leading early-stage (seed and pre-seed) Web3 Venture Capital fund that invests in top-tier founders globally. Backed by a strategic mix of leading firms across crypto and traditional finance, BFF pairs capital with hands-on company building, curating partnerships, hiring talent, accelerating growth, and helping ensure portfolio founders are well capitalized. The team is comprised of builders and operators who have scaled many of the leading blockchain startups.

Press Contact:
Mansoor Madhavji, Partner
Blockchain Founders Fund
60178799291
[email protected]

SOURCE Blockchain Founders Fund

Funding to Fuel Product Development, Expand Market Reach, and Accelerate Revenium’s Mission to Bring Full-Stack Economic Intelligence to the AI Ecosystem

HERNDON, Va., Nov. 20, 2025 — Revenium, a financial intelligence platform for managing and optimizing AI spend, today announced the closing of $13.5 million in Seed round funding led by Two Bear Capital with participation from WestWave Capital. By transforming AI from an opaque cost center into a scalable, governable engine for growth, Revenium provides valuable solutions that are essential across all businesses and industries. This investment will fuel the company’s product development, expand its market reach, and accelerate Revenium’s mission to bring full-stack economic intelligence to the AI ecosystem. Concurrently with the funding announcement, Revenium debuted a new website and digital resources designed to drive product discovery and customer adoption.

As organizations scale AI across products and operations, visibility into cost, performance, and ROI has become critical. Revenium delivers a comprehensive platform that connects AI activity to business outcomes, providing economic visibility across models, agents, and workflows. The platform delivers real-time event-level telemetry, anomaly detection, and budget guardrails that help teams cut AI costs and prove ROI. Revenium’s core offering focuses on converting usage events into auditable invoices or internal charge-backs, providing companies with a way to manage escalating AI costs. Furthermore, Revenium’s approach emphasizes fast developer ergonomics and low-friction installations, allowing organizations to “start in minutes, not months.”

“We see this moment as the convergence of two forces: the rise of agentic AI and the need for economic accountability. Revenium ensures companies can scale with visibility, control, and confidence,” said John Rowell, co-Founder and CEO of Revenium. “We are grateful for the support of investors like Two Bear Capital and WestWave Capital, who understand our mission, believe in the products we are delivering, and see the opportunity in front of us. This funding, coupled with the new digital presence we debuted, marks a new phase of development as Revenium establishes itself as the system of record for AI economics.”

“Revenium enters the market amid rapid adoption of multi-agent and autonomous AI workflows, a shift that multiplies both capability and cost. As AI moves from experimental projects to business-critical systems, organizations need a system of record for AI economics to prevent runaway spend and convert AI investments into predictable growth,” said Mike Goguen, Founder and Managing Partner of Two Bear Capital. “Revenium is positioned to lead the market by providing the financial solutions this moment demands. Two Bear Capital is thrilled to be partnering with John Rowell and the entire team at Revenium to build this incredible company.”

“As one of the first seed investors in Revenium, WestWave Capital is excited to support Revenium as they build the next wave of innovation in AI economics and usage-based billing space,” said Gaurav Manglik, General Partner of WestWave Capital. “We were drawn to this team’s deep product insight and strong execution, and we look forward to supporting their next phase of growth and product development.”

With new funding and a strengthened digital presence, Revenium is expanding its go-to-market strategy to meet rising demand from enterprises and AI-native startups. The company is hiring across engineering, product management, and customer success to accelerate delivery and adoption of its platform. Revenium’s product roadmap focuses on enabling real-time spend attribution, consolidation across model providers, and operational guardrails that scale with enterprise requirements.

About Revenium
Revenium is the world’s first AI economics system of record, delivering real-time visibility into the cost, performance, and ROI of AI operations. By connecting every model, agent, and transaction to its true economic footprint, Revenium empowers organizations to optimize margins, manage risk, and scale AI responsibly. Built for the era of intelligent automation, Revenium provides the financial layer that ensures AI innovation drives measurable, sustainable business value. For more information, visit: www.revenium.ai.

About Two Bear Capital
Founded in 2019 by Mike Goguen, Two Bear Capital is a venture capital firm investing in brilliant entrepreneurs with breakthrough solutions to complex and critical problems. With its unique approach to venture capital, Two Bear Capital’s vision is to build enduring, high-impact businesses that benefit society while delivering for investors. The firm primarily focuses on early founder-led companies with disruptive life sciences and technology innovations. Two Bear Capital has offices in Menlo Park, San Diego, Boston, and New York, with its home base in Whitefish, Montana. For more information, visit:www.twobearcapital.com.

About WestWave Capital
WestWave Capital is an early-stage venture firm investing in deep-tech, AI-native, enterprise software companies. For more information, visit: www.westwavecapital.com. 

Media Contact
Mckenzie Rowell
Communications Lead, Revenium
[email protected]

SOURCE Revenium

New partnership will enable Antheia to increase scale and accelerate time to market for future product launches

MENLO PARK, Calif. and PARSIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 20, 2025 — Antheia, the pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer transforming essential medicine supply chains, and TAPI – Technology and API Services, today announced a strategic partnership. Antheia will leverage TAPI’s next-generation fermentation capabilities and manufacturing facilities in Europe to further commercialize its pipeline of biosynthetic key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). 

This partnership unites Antheia’s innovative biosynthesis platform with TAPI’s advanced bioprocessing and manufacturing capabilities, enabling efficient, reliable, and high-quality production of critical pharmaceutical ingredients at commercial scale. The existing infrastructure, capacity, and quality management systems TAPI provides are particularly well suited for Antheia’s processes, enabling continuous growth and long-term support for multiple products in the company’s pipeline.

“As demand for Antheia’s products continues to grow, our ability to both increase the scale of existing products and accelerate future product launches is critical,” said Zack McGahey, COO of Antheia. “With nearly a century of API manufacturing experience, TAPI brings a depth of expertise, as well as state-of-the-art infrastructure that will empower us to meet growing customer demand and deliver on our commercialization strategy. Welcoming TAPI as a manufacturing partner will play a significant role in our efforts to transform pharmaceutical supply chains, end drug shortages, and propel innovation in this space.”

Advanced biosynthesis is the transformative technology of the 21st century for pharmaceutical manufacturing. With Antheia’s platform and vast pipeline of products that are essential to public health, and TAPI’s long-standing legacy of scaling complex processes and driving pharmaceutical progress, this partnership is poised to strengthen these vital global supply chains.

“Our collaboration with Antheia reflects the essence of what we strive for at TAPI – Advancing Health from the Core and bringing together scientific innovation and manufacturing excellence to accelerate our partners’ success,” said R Ananth, CEO of TAPI. “Through our flexible tech transfer model and collaborative, problem-solving approach, we’re able to adapt seamlessly to our partners’ needs and scale their innovations with confidence. Leveraging our Center of Excellence for Biocatalysis and Enzyme Development, we’re particularly excited to support Antheia’s biosynthetic platform with the advanced fermentation and enzymatic capabilities that make these complex processes both efficient and commercially viable.”

Today’s news comes on the heels of Antheia’s $56 million Series C fundraise and the company’s successful commercialization of thebaine in 2024.

About Antheia:
Antheia is the next-generation pharmaceutical ingredient producer with a mission to end drug shortages. Using advanced biosynthesis and fermentation technology, Antheia’s biomanufacturing platform enables rapid, efficient, agile, and on-demand production of key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that are critical to public health. This highly flexible approach supports the needs of a growing society and improves global access to essential medicines. Founded in 2015, Antheia has grown into a commercial stage company with its first product to market, an active customer pipeline, and near-term product launches. For more information on how Antheia is transforming pharmaceutical supply chains, visit www.antheia.bio.

About TAPI:
TAPI is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), building blocks and key starting materials (KSM’s) providing one of the industry’s most comprehensive API portfolios. TAPI also offers customized CDMO services, utilizing their extensive expertise in a wide range of technologies to meet the diverse needs of partners, ensuring flexibility and excellence in every project. With 4,100 employees, a global footprint in 100+ countries, 13 sites worldwide, and a robust portfolio of 350+ high-quality products, TAPI’s operations are integral to the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective medications to patients worldwide, supported by a sophisticated supply chain, focused innovative manufacturing, regulatory and quality excellence and a commitment to sustainability. For more information about how TAPI is advancing health from the core, visit www.tapi.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Antheia:
Mission North for Antheia
[email protected]

TAPI:
[email protected]

SOURCE Antheia

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 20, 2025 — Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering autologous regenerative therapies, today announced the closing of a $115 million Series C financing round. This significant investment will fuel the continued clinical development of Aspen’s lead program, ANPD001, for moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease.

The Series C round was co-led by OrbiMed, ARCH Venture Partners, Frazier Life Sciences, and Revelation Partners, with participation from existing investors including Medical Excellence Capital, S32, Axon Ventures, LYFE Capital, and LifeForce Capital, among others. New investors include Kite, a Gilead Company  (Nasdaq:GILD), Balyasny Asset Management, Cormorant Asset Management, Prebys Ventures, and others. This latest funding brings Aspen’s total capital raised to date to over $340 million, including an $8 million grant from California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

In conjunction with the financing, Cindy Perettie, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Kite, a Gilead Company, will join Aspen’s board of directors.

“This financing marks a pivotal moment for Aspen as we accelerate our mission to deliver personalized regenerative therapies for people with Parkinson’s disease and beyond,” said Damien McDevitt, Ph.D, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Neuroscience. “We are grateful for the confidence our investors have shown in our science, team, vision, and market opportunity. The significant experience and deep capital resources our investor syndicate brings will be instrumental in advancing Aspen’s next phases of clinical development and commercial readiness. Their strategic guidance and financial support empower us to scale our operations, expand our pipeline, and bring transformative therapies closer to those in need.”

Advancing Clinical Innovation and Commercial Readiness

The Series C financing will be used to:

• Support ongoing clinical trials of ANPD001, Aspen’s lead autologous cell therapy candidate for Parkinson’s disease.
• Scale manufacturing capabilities to meet clinical and future commercial demand.
• Advance Aspen’s pipeline of autologous iPSC-derived therapies for additional neurological indications.

Aspen’s proprietary manufacturing platform leverages machine learning and advanced genomics to produce the highest quality personalized cells for each patient, setting a new benchmark for consistency and scalability in cell therapy.

This financing follows initiation of dosing for the Phase 1/2a Cohort 3 commercial formulation and presentation of promising safety and efficacy data at six months post-procedure for Cohort 1.

“It is significant to see a private financing of this quality. Securing this round is a testament to how this team is rising above with innovation in product characterization, manufacturing automation, and positive clinical results,” said Faheem Hasnain, Board Chairman of Aspen Neuroscience. “Aspen is poised to deliver the first potentially disease-modifying therapy for the millions of patients waiting for these advancements.”

About ANPD001
ANPD001 is the most advanced autologous investigational cell therapy in the United States for treating Parkinson’s disease. More information about the Phase 1/2a trial is available at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06344026).

Aspen’s personalized approach means that patients do not require immunosuppressive (IS) drugs to dampen the body’s immune response against foreign cells. This approach is intended to avoid IS‑associated adverse events, eliminate IS drug‑monitoring requirements, and enable dosing for those with contraindications to IS therapies.

ANPD001 has received Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Recent progress on Cohort 3: Aspen has initiated Cohort 3 in the ASPIRO Phase 1/2a trial, marking the first administration of the commercial formulation of ANPD001, which was deemed preclinically comparable to the formulation used in the first two cohorts. Earlier cohort six‑month data reported at IAPRD demonstrated strong safety and tolerability with clinician‑ and patient‑reported improvements, achieved without immunosuppression. The cryopreserved, ready‑to‑dose formulation is designed to streamline surgical workflows and reduce demands on hospital cell processing labs.

Three pillars that differentiate ANPD001 and Aspen’s platform:

• Manufacturing Platform: A proprietary, high‑tech process converts a small biopsy of the patient’s own skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and then into dopaminergic neuronal precursor cells (DANPCs), with machine‑learning–based genomics tests assessing quality at each stage to deliver high‑quality personalized cells.
• Therapeutic Platform: Autologous iPSC‑derived DANPC therapy that uses each patient’s own cells, designed to avoid immune rejection and eliminate the need for long‑term immunosuppression, while preserving the personalized nature of treatment.
• Proprietary Device for Cell Transplantation: A precision delivery system that combines a metered‑dosing syringe with MRI guidance for sub‑millimeter accuracy, enabling minimally invasive surgery and a streamlined clinical workflow.

About Aspen Neuroscience
Headquartered in San Diego, Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. is a clinical-stage private biotechnology company focused on autologous regenerative medicine. Aspen’s patient-derived iPSC platform enables the development of personalized therapies for diseases with high unmet medical needs. The company’s pipeline includes ANPD001 and additional programs targeting neurodegenerative disorders.

For more information, visit www.aspenneuroscience.com.

SOURCE Aspen Neuroscience, Inc.

With over $1.5B in bookings annually, Peek is poised to become the ‘Shopify for Experiences’

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 20, 2025 — Peek, the operating system for experiences, today announced the acquisitions of ACME Ticketing and Connect&GO, cementing its position as the market leader powering the $330B experiences industry. The company also raised $70M in funding led by growth equity firm Springcoast Partners. Existing investors include WestCap, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Eric Schmidt and Kayak founder Paul English.

With the acquisitions of ACME and Connect&GO, Peek expands its reach to over 150 million consumers across museums, theme parks, tours and activities, and cultural attractions—the full spectrum of how people spend their leisure time. ACME brings deep expertise in ticketing infrastructure, memberships, and donations for iconic cultural institutions. Connect&GO adds powerful all-in-one attraction management, including RFID technology and on-site visitor tools for complex venues. Peek customers include the industry’s largest and most sophisticated attractions, such as MoMA, Whitney Museum, Seattle Aquarium, Bryant Park, Looping Group & Museum of Ice Cream.

“Peek has demonstrated a masterclass in innovation and scale within the industry,” says Dominic Gagnon, CEO of Connect&GO. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Peek given our shared mission, and we will rapidly work to combine our knowledge and resources to deliver even stronger solutions for the attractions we serve.”

The acquisitions also drew strong support from Peek’s new and existing investors. “Peek offers the comprehensive tech stack this industry needs to keep pace with shifting consumer and workforce behavior,” said Waqar Islam of Springcoast, who led the Series D funding. “With 40% of operators not utilizing online booking tools, we’re still in the very early innings of empowering operators to thrive in a digital-first world. Peek’s deep investment in core tech infrastructure, AI, and payments uniquely positions them to unlock the industry’s full potential and serve as the operating system for experiences.”

A New AI Era for Tech & Experiences

Peek’s early investment in AI comes as the activities industry stands at a digitization inflection point. The company won Arival’s 2024 Industry Innovation Award for Peek Copilot, its integrated AI platform, which has already delivered 5-20% revenue growth for operators through its Dynamic Pricing feature alone.

“Peek has built the best product in the experiences space,” said Bill Shaughnessy, CEO of ACME. “Their end-to-end tooling helps merchants across every operational need, and their AI dramatically streamlines operations, from dynamic pricing to conversion optimization and beyond. Combining this with ACME’s unparalleled ability to turn visitors into loyal members and donors, we’re going to have a huge impact on the cultural institutions we serve.”

The company also leverages AI agents to solve key industry challenges such as fraud detection and data analysis. “We have hundreds of AI agents working behind the scenes to save merchants thousands of hours on repetitive tasks,” said Ruzwana Bashir, CEO of Peek. “We’ve built an AI-powered system that works 24/7, transforming how operators understand their customers and optimize their operations across every touchpoint.”

“We’re seeing more of our audience planning their outings through AI tools, video platforms, and influencers, especially across TikTok and Instagram,” said Xiaoyi Chen, CEO of LuminoCity. “For merchants, this shift creates a real opportunity to build and own our direct demand rather than relying solely on third-party channels. Peek is the only partner we’ve seen that’s proactively building the technology to support this future.”

“Our mission at Peek has always been about empowering our customers to deliver extraordinary experiences. These acquisitions and new funding enable us to further accelerate our product innovation and deepen our support, ultimately helping operators grow their businesses,” added Bashir. “We’re committed to giving activities operators the tools they need to not just compete, but to lead, in today’s rapidly evolving experiences economy.”

About Peek
Peek is the operating system powering the experiences industry—from museums and attractions to tours and activities. With over $7B in bookings, Peek’s AI-powered platform has helped thousands of merchants to increase revenues, save time and deliver seamless guest experiences. Customers include MoMA, Whitney Museum, Seattle Aquarium, Bryant Park, Looping Group & Museum of Ice Cream. The company has raised over $150 million from institutional investors including Springcoast Partners, WestCap and Goldman Sachs Alternatives. Learn more at www.peek.com.

About Springcoast Partners
Established in 2023, Springcoast is a New York-based growth equity firm focused on partnering with market-leading software and technology companies. To learn more about Springcoast, please visit www.springcoast.com.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Peek

LUGANO, Switzerland, Nov. 20, 2025 — Exponential Science (ES) announced today the launch of the ES Accelerator, a founder-focused programme powered by venture builder H-FARM — ranked among the Financial Times’ Top 10 European Startup Hubs — and designed to support ambitious early-stage companies leveraging exponential technologies, including distributed ledger technology (DLT), artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, to build an equitable and open future.

The accelerator provides selected startups with an equity investment, mentorship from industry experts, and access to Exponential Science’s extensive ecosystem of partners, academic institutions, and initiatives. This includes the MiCA Crypto Alliance, Nodiens, as well as Hedera and its wider ecosystem.

‘The most transformative companies emerge at the intersection of breakthrough technology and urgent global needs,’ said Nikhil Vadgama, Director at Exponential Science. ‘The ES Accelerator is designed to identify and support those rare teams with the vision, expertise, and determination to build the infrastructure for the next phase of human progress.’

The programme targets pre-seed and seed-stage companies led by teams of two or more founders with deep technical or domain expertise. Ideal candidates have demonstrated a working prototype or MVP, a clear global vision for solving significant problems, and preferably have or are developing proprietary intellectual property that strengthens long-term defensibility.

Programme Highlights:

Structured Support: The ES Accelerator offers intensive workshops covering business model design, product development, go-to-market strategy, and fundraising preparation, alongside dedicated one-to-one mentorship from experts across blockchain, hashgraph technology, AI, governance, and emerging technologies.

Cohort-Based Learning: Participating startups progress alongside a curated group of peers, fostering collaboration and shared growth throughout the programme.

Ecosystem Access: Portfolio companies gain connections to Exponential Science Foundation’s network of ecosystem partners, academic institutions, and strategic initiatives, accelerating their path to market.

Founder-Friendly Investment: All accepted startups receive an equity investment, with the potential for follow-on investment upon programme completion. Detailed investment terms are provided to applicants following application submission.

The ES Accelerator reflects Exponential Science’s commitment to backing founders building real solutions to global challenges through exponential technologies, supporting the infrastructure, governance, and applications that will define the next generation of innovation.

About Exponential Science

Exponential Science is a foundation focused on supporting breakthrough technologies that accelerate human progress. Through strategic investments and ecosystem initiatives, Exponential Science backs founders building at the frontier of DLT, AI, and deep-tech to create more equitable, transparent, and open systems for the future.

For more information about the ES Accelerator or to apply, visit:
www.exp.science/es-accelerator.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

About H-Farm

Founded in 2005, H-FARM is a venture builder and innovation ecosystem spanning education, startups, healthcare, digital consultancy, sports, and applied research. Named Italy’s Top Startup Hub by the Financial Times, it has supported over 150 startups, achieving 50+ exits and two unicorns (Depop and Soldo).
https://www.h-farm.com/