Andel enables employers to offer GLP-1 weight-loss medications as a benefit — at a fraction of the cost of insurance.

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 20, 2025 — At HLTH, Andel announced a $4.5 million capital raise to launch a revolutionary new platform that strengthens pharmacy benefits by giving employers an affordable way to include GLP-1s. Investors include Lightbank, Seedcamp, Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments, Houghton Street Ventures, and Springboard.

Two out of three employers (64%) do not offer GLP-1 coverage for weight loss. Employees need these medications, but with their healthcare costs projected more than 10% in 2026, employers can’t afford to cover them.

Andel solves this problem with a unique cooperative model that leverages members’ combined buying power to purchase medications directly from manufacturers at below-market prices. Then, employers add a subsidy of their choosing to further reduce costs to members. From prescription verification to next‑day delivery, the entire experience is seamlessly coordinated through Andel’s native apps.

“Expanding access to healthcare is the cornerstone of our mission,” said Ritu Malhotra, co-founder, PharmD. “Andel gives employers an innovative new pharmacy-benefit solution that fills the coverage gap.”

The result? Employees get the brand-name medicine they need at a price they can afford — no waiting for approvals or prerequisites. And employers get a compelling plug-and-play benefit that fits their budget.

“We’re living in an era of life-changing medical breakthroughs, yet they remain out of reach for millions of Americans,” said Jay Bregman, co-founder and CEO. “By building Andel as a cooperative platform, we align incentives with our members — not insurers.”

Andel’s founding team:

Jay Bregman has raised more than $250 million and successfully exited three companies, including the ridesharing network Hailo (now Lyft Europe) and Thimble, which was acquired by S&P 500 insurer Arch.

Ritu Malhotra, PharmD, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 20 years of leadership experience across major benefit-consulting firms, She also served as a top executive at CVS Health.

Andel’s Investors In Their Own Words:

“Connecting businesses and their employees directly to a new pharmacy benefit is a powerful way to expand access to vital drugs. As the first mover, Andel’s experienced founding team is uniquely positioned to navigate the complexities of healthcare and deliver exceptional value,” said Thorsten Wirkes, Managing Director at Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments.

“Andel brings a fresh, cooperative approach to drug access that will open doors for both employers and patients. Their focus on GLP-1s meets urgent market demand for these drugs, while offering measurable ROI for companies seeking affordable, effective employee benefits.” Said Eric Ong, partner at Lightbank.

“We are always delighted when LSE alumni launch successful ventures, particularly those addressing important social problems,” said Larry Kramer, president and vice chancellor of the London School of Economics.”We congratulate Andel as it makes major progress toward addressing a vast global market with an innovative, transformative solution. As we continue to attract exceptional international talent, particularly from the United States, investments like this highlight the ambition, creativity, and global impact of the LSE community.”

“From Day One, we are incredibly excited to support Andel’s mission of rebuilding the U.S. pharmacy benefits model starting from first principles. Jay and Ritu combine entrepreneurship with in-depth knowledge of the healthcare and pharmacy benefits sector, uniquely positioning them to tackle one of the US healthcare system’s most challenging issues,” said Reshma Sohoni, founder and managing partner of Seedcamp.

“Andel is redefining access to high-cost drugs by securing direct manufacturer contracts, leveraging employer subsidies, and cutting through PBM bottlenecks. At a time when payers face severe headwinds and patient access is at risk, Andel offers a better path forward for patients, payers, and providers. Jay and Ritu bring a rare mix of entrepreneurial execution and deep industry expertise, and Springboard Health Angels sees extraordinary promise in what they are building.” Said Eli Goldberg, PhD, MSc, core angel at Springboard Health Angels.

Other investors in the round include Semper Virens and Citylight.

About Andel

Andel is a revolution in drug affordability — a cooperative employee platform that unlocks access to GLP-1s and other brand name medications. Andel is launching nationwide in early 2026.

To learn more, please visit andel.org.

Andel Pharmacy, LLC is a licensed pharmacy and a wholly owned subsidiary of Andel Co-op, Inc.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Andel Co-op, Inc.

Amantha Bagdon of RxPost receives $50,000+ in Startup Services to Advance her Entrepreneurial Vision

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2025 — Gunderson Dettmer and Alpha Edison last night announced RxPost as the winner of PitchLive.LA which took place on October 14 during LA Tech Week. Selected by a panel of leading LA venture firms for its vision and execution, RxPost embodies the entrepreneurial drive fueling LA’s startup community and will receive over $50,000 in legal and other professional services, supporting the startup as it continues to grow.

Founded by Amantha Bagdon, RxPost’s pharmacy-to-pharmacy marketplace makes it simple for neighborhood pharmacies to buy and sell surplus inventory to one another, reducing waste in the supply chain and ensuring vital medicines make it to patients who need them most.

“Winning this pitch competition and speaking on pharmacy innovation is more than just an incredible honor, it is a strong validation of RxPost’s mission to revolutionize the pharmacy supply chain and empower independent pharmacist owners through technology-driven solutions,” said Amantha Bagdon, Founder and CEO of RxPost. “Our goal is to streamline pharmacy operations, improve inventory transparency, and reinforce the vital role of community pharmacies in accessible healthcare. This recognition further motivates our team to drive reform across the pharmacy technology sector and advance the future of personalized, community healthcare.” 

PitchLive.LA gave the stage to pre-seed and seed founders to share their vision with investors from Alpha Edison, Amplify.LA, Bonfire Ventures, and Fika Ventures in a live pitch competition. RxPost was among five finalists selected to present, including:

Alpha Edison Partner and PitchLive.LA judge, Britt Danneman said, “PitchLive.LA captured what makes this city a great place to build companies — an entrepreneurial community defined by creativity, great talent, industry driven insights, and collaboration across the ecosystem. “

Ahead of the event, the top 10 founders were also invited to an exclusive storytelling development dinner hosted by Gunderson Dettmer and led by coach, entrepreneur, educator, and angel investor Jason Yeh, also founder of Adamant.

Olga Zolotnik, partner at Gunderson Dettmer, “As someone who grew up in LA, I’ve always thought that LA’s true diversity was underrated. LA has always been a city of individuals with unique skill sets and backgrounds building unexpected and inspiring passion projects that have global impact. Gunderson is honored to have the opportunity to support and serve the entrepreneurs shaping the next generation of innovation here in LA.”

Jared Mayberry, corporate partner at Gunderson added “The pitches were exceptional. The founders brought bold ideas, sharp execution, and resilience to the stage on Tuesday. LA has always attracted dreamers and builders – people who turn an idea into reality.”

For more information about PitchLive.LA, follow #PitchLiveLA or visit pitchlive.LA.

About Gunderson Dettmer

Gunderson Dettmer  is the preeminent international law firm with an exclusive focus on the innovation economy. The firm serves market-leading venture capital and growth equity investors and pioneering companies through inception, growth and maturity, as well as groundbreaking public companies that result from the global venture capital ecosystem.

Gunderson Dettmer has hundreds of attorneys across twelve offices in key venture markets throughout the world – Silicon Valley, Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, São Paulo and Singapore.

About Alpha Edison

Alpha Edison (“AE”) is an investment firm focused on category-creating companies. Since its inception in 2016, Alpha Edison has invested in more than 80 companies and has assets under management approaching $1B across its three funds. AE is a research-driven venture firm that invests in primarily early-stage companies using data and behavioral science to provide investable insights and unlock new markets. The firm is composed of entrepreneurs, operators, technologists, and investors with a focus on investing in and building category-defining companies through a network of Nobel laureates, PhD researchers, and futurists. For more information, visit alphaedison.com.

About RxPost

Serving hundreds of pharmacies across 16 states, RxPost is on a mission to reduce pharmaceutical waste and boost profitability for neighborhood drugstores. RxPost is a leading provider of intelligent inventory management and sharing solutions for independent pharmacies. Founded by a passionate pharmacy technician and vocal advocate for the profession, RxPost is obsessed with helping community drugstores thrive in an increasingly competitive market. The company’s proprietary technology platform leverages data-driven insights to reduce waste in the pharmaceutical supply chain and boost profitability for mom and pop pharmacies.

Much of RxPost’s success can be attributed to its team of experienced pharmacy technicians who bring valuable lived experience and insights to the company’s mission. The company’s primary offering is a pharmacy-to-pharmacy marketplace that facilitates the redistribution of surplus inventory to other independent pharmacies in need, supported by simple workflows, DSCSA-compliance, and a commitment to reliability and exceptional customer service.

RxPost Pharmacy-to-Pharmacy Marketplace

SOURCE Gunderson Dettmer

Round led by Yosemite with support from General Catalyst, Chelsea Clinton, SV Angel, and others

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 17, 2025 — Sage Care, a platform designed to eliminate healthcare navigation inefficiencies through a combination of clinically intelligent AI agents and advanced optimization algorithms, today announced its public launch with $20M in funding led by Yosemite and continued support from General Catalyst, Metrodora (Chelsea Clinton), OVTR.VC, SV Angel, Liquid 2, Seven Stars, Refract Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, and Apollo Ono.

Sage Care’s platform has demonstrated the potential to help health systems achieve a 15-20% revenue increase through optimized care coordination, matching patients to the right providers based on clinical context and operational needs. With medically informed AI agents for advanced triage, precise specialist matching, and optimized scheduling, Sage boosts provider throughput by managing and streamlining administrative and patient interactions, including the ability to:

• Answer and triage patient calls, messages, and requests 24/7
• Manage appointment scheduling, referral processing, and insurance verification
• Coordinate follow-ups for diagnostics, care plans, and medication adherence

The platform’s unique predictive optimization tools, including clinically intelligent voice agents, are embedded into existing systems, helping hospitals and clinics reduce bottlenecks by determining when and where patients will need services. Its customized multi-modal agents can be rapidly trained and deployed within 48 hours, rather than weeks or months. They are fully customized and capable of plugging into various workflows, processes, and policies to meet the rigorous clinical protocols of any organization.

“Millions of Americans are getting lost in our healthcare system. Patients call in looking for help and are unable to reach the right provider. During meetings with leaders at over 75 health systems across the country, we realized our team could solve what is essentially a navigation issue. We’re bringing our technical expertise in routing, automation, and complex AI systems to healthcare with the hopes of helping as many people as possible get the care that they deserve”, said Justin Ho, CEO of Sage Care. “This funding allows us to bring our vision to life with our partners and we’re incredibly grateful for their support,” he added.

Sage Care was founded by a team inspired to help more people get the care that they deserve and protect against provider burn out, all while helping health systems increase incremental revenue through optimization technologies. The company is broadly expanding on current success to support both regional multispecialty clinics as well as large health system partners, including customers like Jiva Health, and upcoming deployments with Bronson Healthcare and White Plains Hospital. Sage Care’s AI-driven solutions have already demonstrated substantial impact, reducing clinician time loss due to no-shows and poorly matched appointments, decreasing unnecessary ER visits, and enhancing call center efficiency. With Sage, providers will be able to pick up every phone call, increasing appointment volume and top line revenue.

“The way healthcare is designed today for a patient to obtain access to the right care at the right time is inefficient for healthcare providers and often results in suboptimal patient experience”, said Dr. Ash Goel MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Bronson Healthcare. “The care navigation operating system, Sage, addresses these complexities and can help us streamline the journey to offer more accessible care to our patients. We believe that Sage mirrors many of Bronson’s important cultural values, and we look forward to embarking on this multi-year journey with them,” he added.

“Sage Care has the unique vision to not only replace legacy IT systems with AI, but to totally reinvent the front office of healthcare around this technology, added Matt Bettonville, Investor at Yosemite. “We believe they can take away the frustration of dealing with healthcare and help reduce crucial times to diagnose and treat patients who need it most.”

The company was founded in 2024 by second-time founders Dr. Caesar Djavaherian, co-founder of Carbon Health and Justin Ho, co-founder of rideOS and a leader of Uber’s self driving division, and Chris Blumenberg, who worked on the original iPhone, after noticing how complex, convoluted, and frustrating the healthcare system can be. The three founders have achieved over $1B+ in exits across the healthcare, self-driving, and automation industries. Dr. Djavaherian, who previously served as the Chief Clinical Innovation Officer at Carbon Health, now serves as Chief Medical Officer at Sage Care, with Blumenberg alongside as Chief Technology Officer.

For more information on Sage Care, visit www.sage.care.

About Sage Care
Sage Care is a technology platform dedicated to streamlining the patient journey and improving access to care through specialized medical AI agents. These agents provide intelligent and on-demand triage, precise specialist matching, and optimized scheduling, enhancing the productivity of healthcare teams by reducing administrative burden. Sage Care also develops optimization and intelligence tools to align clinical supply with patient demand, reducing healthcare bottlenecks and increasing access. Their multimodal AI agents can be trained with health system data, knowledge bases, workflows, and SOPs within 48 hours. The company was founded by experienced entrepreneurs Dr. Caesar Djavaherian, Justin Ho, and Chris Blumenberg.

Media Contact
Carlos Peraza – [email protected]

SOURCE Sage Care

Firm builds on top 5% Fund I with more concentrated ownership, sector expertise, and an operator-led model

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2025 — Asymmetric Capital Partners (“Asymmetric”), an early-stage technology investment firm launched in 2021, today announced the close of Asymmetric Fund II at $137 million, surpassing its $125 million target. The fund attracted strong support from return investors in Fund I, alongside new family offices and institutional LPs who share conviction in the firm’s differentiated approach. This brings Asymmetric’s total AUM to over $240 million.

Fund II continues Asymmetric’s focused strategy of high-conviction, operator-led investing at the earliest stages of company formation. The fund will continue to target concentrated ownership in companies where a single outcome has the potential to return the fund. Investments will range from $2–10 million as a lead in Pre-seed through Series A rounds, with a focus across three core areas:

• Vertical Software for Legacy Industries — Backing platforms that modernize workflows and unlock efficiencies in large but underserved markets.
   
• Healthcare IT & Services — Partnering with founders building technology to improve care delivery, reduce costs, and enhance patient outcomes.
   
• SMB Consolidations (“Rollups”) — Supporting technology-driven operators consolidating fragmented industries to create category leaders.

“With Fund II, we’re doubling down on the strategy that made Fund I so successful: disciplined, high-conviction investing in sectors where we bring deep expertise and real operational value,” said Rob Biederman, Managing Partner. “This fund is designed to be more concentrated — allowing us to take meaningful ownership stakes and work shoulder-to-shoulder with founders to build enduring companies.”

Strong Results from Fund I

Launched in 2021 with $105 million, Fund I backed 29 core investments and has already seen three successful exits: Torc (acquired by Randstad), EvolutionIQ (acquired by CCC Intelligent Solutions), and Zorus (acquired by DNSFilter). Fund I ranks in the top 5% of its vintage by DPI and has outperformed across all metrics — validating Asymmetric’s disciplined, operator-centric model (source: Cambridge Associates).

Only 8% of first-time venture funds from the 2021 vintage have successfully raised larger successor vehicles, highlighting the significance of the Fund II close in what has been a historically challenging fundraising environment (source: Pitchbook).

Backed by Operator-Oriented LPs

Asymmetric’s investor base in Fund II consists of value-added LPs, many with direct experience in venture-backed operations, investing, or scaling technology businesses. Additionally, the General Partner team has committed over $5 million of personal capital to Fund II, underscoring alignment with LPs and confidence in the long-term strategy.

“I’ve seen firsthand how rare it is to find investors who combine high conviction with humility, speed, and strategic depth,” said Chris Douvos, founder of Ahoy Capital, a Limited Partner in Fund II and long-time institutional investor known for writing early checks into new venture firms that have become blue chip names, among them First Round Capital. “The Asymmetric team stands out not only for their results, but for how they achieve them — with respect, thoughtfulness, and genuine partnership.”

Loved by Founders

A significant share of Asymmetric’s deal flow comes from existing founders — a testament to the firm’s reputation among entrepreneurs.

“What sets Asymmetric apart is how deeply they commit. They understood our vision right away and have supported us across every front — recruitment, strategy, and fundraising,” said Muthu Alagappan, Founder & CEO of Counsel Health. “They’ve been true partners, always stepping in with the right support at the right time.”

About Asymmetric Capital Partners

Founded in 2021, Asymmetric Capital Partners (“Asymmetric”) is an early-stage technology investment firm purpose-built to back founders with conviction, concentration, and real operational support. The firm invests in disruptive technology-driven companies in the Pre-seed through Series A stages. Asymmetric’s DNA is different by design: its team blends rigorous investing experience with hands-on operating expertise, having built, scaled, and acquired companies themselves. This allows Asymmetric to partner with founders as true thought partners — from refining an idea pre-launch to building go-to-market strategies, recruiting key executives, or pursuing acquisitions. With over $240 million in assets under management, Asymmetric has backed nearly 90 companies to date, with Fund I ranking in the top 5% of its 2021 vintage. The team, composed of managing partner Rob Biederman, partners Nancy Chou and Sam Clayman, head of portfolio and platform Michele Spitzer, and chief operating officer Sarah Unger Biggs, actively pursues investments in New York City, Boston, and San Francisco.

Media Contact
Kelsey Cullen, KCPR
[email protected]
650.438.1063

SOURCE Asymmetric Capital Partners

Round led by Yosemite, with participation from NextGen Venture Partners, Innospark Ventures, Tau Ventures, and others

MIAMI, Oct. 17, 2025 — Fourier Health, a leading clinician-in-the-loop AI platform that streamlines and consolidates patient clinical data into use-case specific summaries to reduce administrative burden, today announced $8.4 million in seed funding led by Yosemite, with participation from Innospark Ventures, NextGen Venture Partners and Tau Ventures, and pre-seed funding from Lasagna, NextGen Venture Partners, Myelin, and Despierta.

Fourier Health was founded in late 2023 by multi-time founders and industry veterans James Lloyd and Christopher Lee. Fourier integrates with complex and fragmented referral and data harmonization workflows, surfacing only relevant and workflow-specific clinical findings. By parsing through high-volume patient data sources such as PDFs, faxes, handwritten notes, and other structured repositories, Fourier builds concise, relevant, and context-specific summaries, turning unstructured data into actionable patient-clinician insights. Fourier clients report seeing meaningful improvements in patient onboarding, an over 98% document validation reduction, and 2-3 hours of administrative burden returned per patient. With this new funding, Fourier will continue to refine its R&D infrastructure and build a leading team of engineers, sales, and implementation teams.

“Unstructured data in clinical care needs to be reimagined. The inefficiencies that plague scattered patient data, especially when providers waste so much time synthesizing it into something useful, are solvable,” said Christopher Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Fourier Health. “We’re applying domain-specific artificial intelligence to tackle these pain points directly: providing last-mile LLM-enablement and specialty-specific customizations, truly allowing clinicians to do what they do best. We’re incredibly grateful for the support, especially from investors that deeply believe in our mission as we continue to serve healthcare professionals and patients better.”

The Fourier platform integrates into various Electronic Health Record systems with high levels of customization, enabling the processing of multi-source and multi-format documents, which in turn allows for stronger longitudinal and clinical summaries. By leveraging handwritten documents, PDFs, faxes, and Health Information Exchanges, Fourier can provide a much more comprehensive and holistic view of patient wellness, while at the same time reducing administrative workload with automatic document labeling and processing.

“Recent advancements in AI and LLM technologies have unlocked a world of new possibilities, yet the secret to making these truly useful and safe for patients and providers is to seamlessly embed these technologies within the existing data streams and workflows in health systems”, said James Lloyd, Co-Founder and CTO of Fourier Health. “Our team brings the healthcare industry experience with the technical expertise to make this happen.”

“We’re incredibly excited to be supporting Fourier Health in their vision to streamline patient onboarding and increase access to specialized care,” said Matt Bettonville, Investor at Yosemite. “Fourier is setting the standard for how AI can be applied in healthcare to reduce administrative burden and reduce time to treatment for the patients most in need of care.”

A key piece of the company’s platform is its ability to seamlessly embed into complex workflows and tap into a proprietary network of specialist clinicians who review and validate summaries, ensuring clinical accuracy and continued improvement of Fourier’s models.

Before founding Fourier Health, James Lloyd co-founded and served as Chief Technology Officer of Redox Health, a leading healthcare interoperability platform integrated with over 9,000 healthcare systems, 120 different EHRs, and backed by nearly $100 million in funding. Christopher Lee co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of InfiniteMD, an expert medical opinion platform with over 3,500 specialty physicians, which was acquired by Alight in 2021.

For more information on Fourier Health and its platform, visit fourierhealth.com.

About Fourier Health
Fourier Health is a healthtech startup streamlining and standardizing unstructured clinical data, simultaneously reducing administrative burden through AI-generated clinical summaries via a clinician-in-the-loop architecture. Built by experienced, multi-time founders from Redox Health and InfiniteMD, Fourier helps providers turn scattered and voluminous patient data into structured, actionable analytics. By enhancing referral workflows and optimizing care coordination, Fourier accelerates diagnosis, boosts provider revenue, and enhances patient outcomes.

Media Contact
Carlos Peraza – [email protected]

SOURCE Fourier Health

HUNTINGTON, N.Y., Oct. 17, 2025 — Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing affordable therapeutics for inflammation-driven disease, today announced a major step forward in combating addiction with the filing of a new U.S. provisional patent titled “Compositions and Methods for Stimulant Withdrawal.” This milestone expands Sen-Jam’s non-opioid therapeutic platform, addressing the growing methamphetamine epidemic, for which no FDA-approved treatments currently exist.

More than 1.6 million Americans are living with methamphetamine use disorder, and stimulant-related overdose deaths have tripled in the past five years (NIH/CDC). Alongside the opioid epidemic, this emerging stimulant crisis represents a dual public health emergency — underscoring the urgent need for non-opioid, validated treatment options.

The patent builds upon positive preclinical results from Sen-Jam’s collaboration with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under its Addiction Treatment Discovery Program (ATDP). Preclinical studies demonstrated that Sen-Jam’s proprietary combination drug, SJP-005, significantly reduced methamphetamine-induced hyperactivity without producing stimulant-like or addictive effects in validated rodent models.

Data included in the patent show reduced behavioral stimulation and mitigated withdrawal responses in methamphetamine-exposed animals. These findings suggest that SJP-005 represents a novel, anti-inflammatory approach to treating stimulant dependence by targeting neuroimmune and glial cell activation pathways — key drivers in both opioid and stimulant addiction.

“This marks an important expansion of our science and mission,” said Jacqueline Iversen, RPh, MS, Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Sen-Jam. “Our data, generated with NIDA’s support, reinforce that neuroinflammation is a root cause in addiction. By addressing inflammation and neuronal recovery together, SJP-005 may redefine how substance use disorders are treated — safely, effectively, and without addictive substitution.”

Unlike traditional approaches, SJP-005 targets neuroinflammation and glial activation — a first-in-class, non-opioid platform capable of addressing multiple substance use disorders through a single inflammation-modulating mechanism.

The new patent builds on Sen-Jam’s prior work on Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), where SJP-005 reduced withdrawal symptoms by up to 50% and shortened recovery time in preclinical models. Together, these results highlight Sen-Jam’s ability to bridge discovery and clinical impact — positioning SJP-005 as a platform therapeutic across the addiction spectrum.

Sen-Jam expects to initiate Formulation and CMC development later this year with its venture partner KVK Tech, which is evaluating a follow-on investment to accelerate this work. The company plans to open an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in 2026 to advance SJP-005 into first-in-human studies.

“This achievement demonstrates the power of collaboration between innovative biotech and public health agencies like NIDA,” added Jim Iversen, CEO. “Our goal is not just to treat addiction, but to bring forward accessible, affordable, non-opioid therapeutics that meet urgent public health needs.”

About Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical
Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical  is a clinical-stage biotechnology company reimagining how inflammation and addiction are treated through innovative, affordable, and rapidly deployable combination therapeutics. With a portfolio of over 60 global patents and 11 pipeline assets, Sen-Jam is advancing safe, effective solutions for global health challenges, including pain, addiction, and inflammatory disease. For more information, visit www.wefunder.com/senjam.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical
Christine Leonard
781-913-1902
[email protected]

SOURCE Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical

A roundup of the most newsworthy financial press releases from PR Newswire this week, including the effect of tariffs on holiday spending, PayPal’s cybersecurity tips and a look at the spending habits of sports fans.

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2025 — With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help finance journalists and consumers stay on top of the week’s most newsworthy and popular releases, here’s a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn’t be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. S&P Global Ratings and Chainlink Collaboration Brings S&P’s Stablecoin Stability Assessments On-Chain
   This initiative makes S&P Global Ratings’ deep, independent stablecoin risk analysis directly accessible within decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and smart contracts for the first time.
2. TrueCar to Be Acquired by Founder-Led Strategic and Financial Investor Group in All-Cash Go-Private Transaction
   Fair Holdings, Inc., an entity led by TrueCar founder Scott Painter, will acquire the company in an all-cash, go-private transaction at $2.55 per share, or an equity value of approximately $227 million based on current basic shares outstanding.
3. LendingTree Announces the Unexpected Passing of Company Founder, Chairman and CEO Doug Lebda
   Doug Lebda, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, passed away unexpectedly this week in an all-terrain vehicle accident. The Board of Directors and the entire LendingTree management team deeply mourns his passing and extends sincere and heartfelt condolences to his family.
4. Tariffs Cast Shadow on 2025 Holiday Shopping, Spending Slows
   The report from project44 finds that tariffs are top of mind for holiday shoppers, with 80% worried that tariffs will increase prices. Additionally, 70% plan to purchase fewer gifts if tariffs increase the cost of goods.
5. Zillow and Esusu partner to expand credit-building for renters nationwide
   Under this expansion, any renter — not just those paying rent through Zillow — can now have their on-time rent payments reported to all major credit bureaus for $20 per year. Starting in November, renters simply verify their lease details and payment method, and Zillow and Esusu handle the rest. 
6. PayPal Alerts Consumers to Phishing Scams and Encourages Safety Tips
   As scammed funds cannot be recovered in all circumstances, avoiding fraud from occurring in the first place is the best defense. PayPal encourages everyone to keep an eye out for the warning signs and learn best-practice tips.
7. Acorns Launches Money Manager to Automate Financial Wellness
   Money Manager takes the stress out of financial management by automatically splitting customers’ deposits across savings, retirement, spending, and investing the moment they hit their Acorns accounts.
8. The Cost of Fandom: Ally Bank Finds Sports Fans Breaking the Bank for the Love of the Game
   Fifty-seven percent of sports fans admit to overspending, yet 85% report having no dedicated savings set aside for expressions of fandom. Nearly 7 in 10 fans (67%) say spending on women’s sports has increased or stayed the same, with Gen Z and millennials especially viewing their women’s sports fandom as a reflection of personal values
9. Campfire Raises $65 Million Series B to Redefine How Finance Works in the AI Era
   A key part of Campfire’s differentiation is its advanced use of AI, including L.A.M. (Large Accounting Model), its newly announced proprietary AI model, trained exclusively on accounting data to automate tasks with industry-leading accuracy. 
10. Landmark Gallup Study Shows Less Than Half of U.S. Workers Have A Quality Job
    A new nationally representative survey reveals that four in 10 U.S. workers are in jobs that meet the basic elements of job quality, such as providing fair pay, having predictable schedules, and offering opportunities to grow and advance – contributing to higher turnover, negative impacts to businesses’ bottom lines, and economic instability in communities.
11. Reducto Raises $75M Series B to Define the Future of AI Document Intelligence
    Customers rely on Reducto to handle their most complex and mission-critical document workflow, such as, converting pdfs with redlines to text in legal workflows, extracting complex charts for financial due diligence, or high-stakes figure extraction for healthcare decisions.

For more news like this, check out all of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire.

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SOURCE PR Newswire

Investment will drive product development velocity, go-to-market initiatives, and other key corporate strategies.

AUGUSTA, Ga., Oct. 16, 2025 — Conceal, the pioneer in browser-native Security Service Edge (SSE) and proxy-less Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) technology, today announced the closing of a $26 million Series B funding round led by Two Bear Capital, with continued support from Allegis Cyber and Gula Tech Adventures.

The new investment will accelerate product development, expand go-to-market initiatives, and grow the Conceal team. This will support the company’s mission to help enterprises deliver trusted access and in-browser security to employees and third-party contractors wherever they are located.

“We are thrilled to have Two Bear Capital lead this newest investment in our vision to change the way organizations reach their zero-trust and browser security goals,” said Eric Cornelius, CEO of Conceal. “For years, organizations have relied on inefficient methods of delivering secure access and browser protection, often leaving gaping holes that attackers could exploit. Our direct approach to zero trust and in-browser security finally delivers on the promise of tech-stack consolidation, driving out complexity, cost, and friction.”

“Conceal’s browser-native approach represents a major shift in how enterprises deliver secure access,” said Mike Goguen, Founder and Managing Partner at Two Bear Capital. “They are addressing one of cybersecurity’s biggest challenges, simplifying secure connectivity without sacrificing control and doing it in a way that scales naturally with how people work today. Conceal is a great addition to the Two Bear Capital portfolio and we look forward to working with its leadership team to support the company’s dynamic growth.”

The investment comes at a time when organizations are reevaluating legacy VPNs, proxies, and cloud-routed SSE solutions that add latency, cost, and operational complexity. Conceal’s browser-native approach is leading a growing industry shift toward lightweight, direct-to-browser security.

The Conceal Approach to Zero Trust and Browser Security

Today, most organizations maintain two complicated technology stacks to deliver connectivity and security. While many cybersecurity vendors focus on consolidating the security stack, the connectivity stack, often a significant source of cost and complexity, remains largely untouched.

With the Conceal Browser-Native SSE Platform, organizations can consolidate both into a single platform, allowing them to reallocate budgets and scarce human resources to other critical priorities.

Through advanced in-browser technology, Conceal delivers direct connections to applications while eliminating the need for complicated connectivity products such as VPNs, VDIs, and proxies. Unlike “enterprise browsers,” Conceal doesn’t require installing yet another browser; its intelligent extension works seamlessly with any existing one.

For unmanaged devices, users log into the Conceal Console, where they receive secure, policy-based access to the private resources they’re authorized to use without installing software locally.

Security and IT teams gain complete visibility into user activity and threats, with pre-built integrations that stream data into SIEM/XDR platforms and commonly used tools such as Splunk, SOAR, and BI solutions. Conceal also provides executive-level reports showing the platform’s measurable value and risk reduction.

To learn more about Conceal and its approach to Zero Trust and Browser Security, read the blog from CEO Eric Cornelius and register for the upcoming webinar.

About Conceal
Conceal delivers a Browser-Native Security Service Edge (SSE) platform that provides Zero Trust Access and in-browser security without relying on VPNs, proxies, or datacenter-routed traffic. Conceal enables secure, direct access to any application from any device, helping organizations reduce complexity, cost, and risk. For more information, visit conceal.io.

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.

Media Contact:
[email protected] | conceal.io

SOURCE Conceal

Insight Partners-led funding will accelerate ExaCare AI’s development of intelligent decisioning, clinical insight, reimbursement automation, and go-to-market expansion; ExaCare AI also announces five new advisors to guide product roadmap.

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2025 — ExaCare AI, a trailblazer in automation for operations teams in post-acute care facilities, today announced a $30 million Series A round led by global software investor Insight Partners, with participation from Foundation Capital, Bienville Capital, and select post-acute operators. The new capital will scale ExaCare’s AI platform for skilled nursing facilities and expand product, engineering, and customer support. ExaCare AI powers 1500+ facilities, including customers such as National Healthcare Associates, Journey Healthcare, Ignite Medical Resorts, Monarch Healthcare Management, and Majestic Care.

Across post-acute care, admissions teams are under pressure to make life-changing decisions in minutes often with incomplete information. Referral packets arrive as vast, unstructured documents, leading to clinical deal breakers getting buried, slow and inconsistent communication with referral sources, increased wait times for patients and families, operator revenue loss, and staff burnout. ExaCare AI exists to change this reality.

ExaCare AI enables skilled nursing facilities to make decisions faster and with greater confidence the moment a referral arrives. The platform ingests unstructured packets, surfaces clinical deal breakers, highlights risk and readiness signals, standardizes criteria across teams and shifts, and streamlines communication to reduce back and forth. The goal is safe, confident placements with less administrative burden.

“Our vision is to build an AI operating system for all of post-acute,” said Laird Russell, Co-founder and CEO of ExaCare AI. “Powerful AI agents will work alongside every team to turn scattered data into clear next steps. When every decision is auditable, every handoff is complete, and every workflow adapts in real time, caregivers can focus entirely on people and outcomes. I spent three and a half years with a brain injury in and out of medical care. Creating this new world is personal for me, and it is why we are investing deeply in proprietary models that are purpose built for this setting.”

“Post-acute providers operate under razor-thin margins and chronic staffing shortages, which have a real impact on health outcomes,” said George Mathew, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “ExaCare’s agentic AI platform is addressing this head-on by making admissions simpler, more reliable, and measurably faster for operators and the people they serve. Laird and the ExaCare AI team are relentless in their mission to improve post-acute care, and we’re thrilled to back them on their journey.”

In addition to the Series A, ExaCare is also announcing five new advisors who will help guide the company’s product roadmap with deep domain expertise, working hand-in-hand with ExaCare to build a custom-fit platform with features that matter the most to clinicians, caregivers, and administrators. ExaCare is pleased to welcome:

• Ephram Ostreicher, Chief Operating Officer at National Healthcare Associates
• Bernie McGuinness, President and CEO at Journey
• Austin Steele, Chief Strategy Officer at Journey
• Tim Fields, Co-founder and CEO at Ignite Medical Resorts
• Renee Pruzansky, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Infinite Care

Introducing ExaCare AI Agents: A New Workforce for Skilled Nursing

ExaCare AI is building a breakthrough AI model purpose-built for post-acute care. It understands referral packets, payer rules, care histories, and the clinical signals that matter most during admission, allowing facilities to move from reactive processes to proactive, data-driven operations grounded in real-time insight. This foundation will power a suite of AI agents that work alongside care teams to streamline decisions and documentation, creating a connected system that reduces paperwork, improves consistency, and gives staff more time for patient care.

Each agent focuses on a specific part of the workflow:

• Admissions Agent: Triage referral packets, extract critical clinical information, align to facility criteria, and recommend disposition with clear rationales and audit trails.
• Reimbursement Agent: Guide documentation and coding for accurate, timely reimbursement across Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care. Reduce denials with proactive validation, completeness checks, and evidence collection.
• Clinical Agent: Surface prior care history, current conditions, and likely care pathways. Retrieve a richer clinical history by searching across hundreds of thousands of care providers so teams see the full picture and deliver the right care at the right time.
• Survey Readiness Agent: Monitor for common deficiency risks, flag documentation gaps, and provide templates and checklists that keep teams inspection ready.
• Documentation Agent: Standardize forms and notes, attach the right supporting evidence, and maintain a clean, reviewable record from first touch through discharge.

All agents are built with auditability, role based controls, and safeguards that respect privacy and security requirements. The intent is simple. Reduce the documentation mess, return the focus to patient care, and use the thousands of data points before and after admission to match each person to the right care and the best possible outcome.

Announcing ExaCare AI Summit

ExaCare AI will host the ExaCare AI Summit on April 26, 2026 at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company will bring together the most innovative CEOs and industry leaders in skilled nursing and long-term care to launch and celebrate the future of AI in the sector. Attendees can expect:

• Keynotes and panels with operators, clinicians, payors, and technologists
• Live demos of ExaCare AI Agents and customer case studies
• Working sessions on admissions acceleration, reimbursement accuracy, and survey readiness

More details and registration will follow.

About ExaCare AI

ExaCare AI is the agentic solution for post-acute admissions. Purpose built for skilled nursing facilities, ExaCare ingests referral data, surfaces critical insights, and standardizes decisioning so teams can say “yes” faster and start care sooner. Learn more at www.exacare.com.

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of June 30, 2025, the firm has over $90B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 875 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has a global presence with leadership in London, Tel Aviv, and the Bay Area. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with tailored, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on X @insightpartners.

About Foundation Capital

Foundation Capital is an early-stage venture firm that partners with founders at “day zero,” backing companies across three practice areas: Enterprise AI, Fintech, and Crypto. The firm’s approach centers on going early, building deep conviction, and providing high-touch support. The firm is presently making early stage investments out of its Flagship Fund 11, a $600M vehicle announced in March 2025. Since its 1995 founding, dozens of Foundation Capital portfolio companies have gone on to successful IPOs and ICOs. Learn more at foundationcapital.com or follow on X @FoundationCap.

About Bienville Capital

Bienville Capital is an idea-centric investment platform investing across sectors and geographies in both public and private markets. Founded in 2008, Bienville partners with entrepreneurs, investors and families to identify differentiated opportunities that have the potential to drive long-term value creation. The firm’s collaborative culture and multi-asset approach enable it to pursue opportunities globally across a range of strategies. Bienville is headquartered in New York, NY and as of June 30, 2025, manages over $4.5B. Learn more at www.bienvillecapital.com.

SOURCE ExaCare AI