Aker ASA (“Aker”) has finalized subscription to shares in the previously announced Series B financing round in Nscale Global Holdings Ltd. (“Nscale”). In parallel, Aker and Nscale have completed the closing of the 50/50% joint venture in Narvik, Northern Norway. The new company, “ Aker Nscale “, will deliver secure, scalable, and energy-efficient infrastructure tailored for sovereign AI workloads across Europe.

OSLO, Norway, Oct. 13, 2025 — The joint venture has already gained strong commercial traction, anchored by the previously announced five-year, multi-billion dollar off-take agreement with Microsoft, alongside the Stargate Norway project with OpenAI. These partnerships affirm the scale and strategic importance of the business, highlighting the accelerating demand for clean, sovereign AI compute capacity.

The closing of Aker Nscale follows the fulfilment of all necessary conditions, and the completion of Nscale’s Series B financing round, in which Aker became a 9.3% owner on a fully diluted basis. Aker’s 50% stake in Aker Nscale is convertible into additional Nscale shares at a future IPO, positioning Aker to benefit from long-term value creation and public market upside.

Øyvind Eriksen, President and CEO at Aker ASA, commented:

“This reflects the full scope of Aker’s strategic commitment – through our direct ownership in Nscale and our partnership in Narvik. Together, it gives us a strong position in a fast-moving market, with a structure designed to capture long-term upside. But this is also something bigger: we are finally realizing Narvik’s potential, placing Norway at the heart of a new industrial era, and doing it in partnership with the most capable technology companies in the world.”

Aker Nscale will be headquartered at Fornebu, Norway, with operational teams in Narvik. Kristian Røkke has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the new company. He commented:

“I want to thank the people of Narvik and Northern Norway for their unwavering support and collaboration. Their commitment has been instrumental in turning a bold vision into a real, operational foundation for sovereign AI infrastructure. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with local partners and municipalities, and to witness first-hand the capabilities and dedication that define this region. Aker Nscale is built on a clear and growing need: scalable, secure, and energy-efficient compute capacity for European AI. I’m proud to lead this effort and work alongside our teams, customers, and partners to realize its full potential.”

Media contact:
Atle Kigen, Head of Media Relations and Public Affairs
+47 90 78 48 78
[email protected]

Investor contact:
Fredrik Berge, Head of Investor Relations
+47 45 03 20 90
[email protected]

For more information about the companies, visit www.akerasa.com and www.nscale.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/aker-asa/r/aker-finalizes-investment-in-nscale-and-joint-venture-in-narvik,c4246455

Visual Scheduling Leader Sees 600% Growth in Data Center Projects in 6 Months

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 13, 2025 — Planera, the leader in visual collaborative scheduling for construction, today announced significant momentum in the data center market, supported by $8 million in additional funding. This new funding, following Series A in 2024, brings total funding to $26.5M and will help Planera expand adoption among contractors and subcontractors building the world’s most complex and fast-growing data center projects.

Planera has introduced a customized service offering built around the powerful platform to support its growing roster of data center customers. Some customers include companies such as:

• HITT Contracting, the nation’s top data center builder, which is using Planera to raise visibility on project progress and accelerate delivery on critical data center builds.
• Ralph L. Wadsworth (RLW), which has used Planera to build data centers for some of the world’s largest technology companies, helping to reduce schedule compression, ensure a high level of collaboration, and successfully deliver highly complex projects on-time.
• Ryan Companies US, Inc., a national leader in mission-critical work, which relies on Planera as an efficient scheduling collaboration tool—uniting project managers, field staff, and schedulers on one platform to drive transparency and accuracy. The team also uses Planera for subcontractor resource analysis, push/pull planning, and seamless integration of sequences into the master schedule.

Planera has established a dedicated service team with deep data center knowledge to support its customers in the segment. It has also developed new AI tools to help these customers to identify potential project delays early and find opportunities to accelerate their project schedules.

According to Grand View Research, the global data center market was valued at approximately $347.6B in 2024, and is expected to swell to $652B by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of ~11.2%. Meanwhile, the data center construction market is also surging—from about $91.9B in 2024 to over $214B by 2030, per Arizton, with growth accelerating faster in regions investing heavily in hyperscale and AI infrastructure. These trends underscore the urgency and opportunity for Planera’s focus on large-scale data center scheduling.

“With data center demand exploding worldwide, our customers need modern, collaborative scheduling tools that can keep pace with the scale and complexity of these projects,” said Nitin Bhandari, CEO of Planera. “This new funding will help us double down on the data center and mission critical work, while continuing to delight customers in multiple other segments.” The $8 million financing round includes continued support from Sorenson Capital, Sierra Ventures, Prudence and Brick and Mortar Ventures, along with investment from Zachry Construction Corporation and other construction industry executives. “The rapid adoption of AI is driving intense demand for additional data center capacity,” said Ken Elefant, Managing Director of Sorenson Capital. “Every day that a 60MW data center project is delayed carries an opportunity cost of roughly $500K. In short, hitting schedules matters tremendously in this category, and Planera is ideally suited to help project owners and their GC partners to deliver their data center projects on time.”

“We use Planera across all of our projects and have seen the value it brings to our planning and scheduling processes,” said Ranjeet Gadhoke, Zachry’s Vice President, Project Controls. “This investment is a natural next step – it reflects our confidence in the platform and our commitment to driving efficiency through smart technology.”

“To meet the extraordinary demand from our data center customers, HITT requires a modern construction scheduling solution that can keep pace,” said Todd Von Krosigk, Senior Superintendent at HITT Contracting. “Planera has become an essential partner, giving our teams the visibility and control we need to deliver data center projects faster and with greater confidence.”

About Planera

Planera is a leading provider of visual, CPM-based construction scheduling solutions that transform project planning and management. Trusted by industry leaders including Balfour Beatty, Barton Malow, Big-D Construction, HITT Contracting, Ryan Companies, Skanska, and Zachry Construction. Planera empowers teams to build faster, smarter, and with greater clarity. Planera is backed by investors such as Sierra Ventures, Sorenson, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Prudence, and Firebolt. Learn more at www.planera.io

Media Contact:
Reilly Payne
[email protected]

SOURCE Planera

Investors from Crosspoint Capital Partners and Amigos VC rally behind Glide’s mission with significant capital infusion

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13, 2025 — Glide Identity, a digital identity security company, has raised an over $20 million Series A funding round led by Crosspoint Capital Partners with participation from Amigos Venture Capital, Singtel Innov8 Ventures and Sir Ronald Cohen to build an identity, authentication and verification platform ready for the AGI era. This round brings Glide’s total funding to over $25 million to date as the company races to solve digital commerce’s next major security challenge.

Glide’s technology replaces vulnerable one-time passwords with SIM-based cryptographic authentication that cannot be phished, intercepted or socially engineered. Instead of typing codes sent via text message, users authenticate through their mobile carrier’s network using secure signals that verify their identity without requiring any action.

• Recent data from the Federal Trade Commission shows U.S. consumers lost $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, a 25% increase year-over-year. In addition, on average, 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned due to complex checkout processes, account friction and digital trust, resulting in billions of dollars of lost sales revenue each year. Weak or reused passwords are responsible for compromised credentials, as the barrier of passwords is easily beaten.
• Traditional authentication methods — such as typing passwords, entering codes, or answering security questions — place the burden on individuals to verify their own identities. Scammers have learned to exploit this human factor through the use of urgency, manipulation, sophisticated impersonation and AI.

“Glide Identity is solving one of the most persistent and developing challenges in the AI era: authentication and verifying digital identity,” said Andre Fuetsch, managing director of Crosspoint Capital and former CTO of AT&T. “Glide is achieving significant traction with enterprise customers as almost every industry is grappling with fraud prevention and growing AI-based threats. This growth demonstrates the urgency of the problem the company is solving and the sophistication of its solutions.”

AI has made traditional security obsolete. Voice cloning, deepfakes and text manipulation mean codes and passwords are no longer safe. At the same time, AI agents are starting to make purchases and manage accounts on our behalf, introducing a new layer of risk altogether. Glide’s early traction with customers and partners underscores both the urgency and the scale of this challenge.

“As we approach AGI, securing human identity becomes the most critical challenge of our time — and the window to solve it is closing fast,” said Eran Haggiag, founder and CEO of Glide Identity. “We’re fortunate to have partners and investors who understand both the urgency and the scale of what we’re building. This isn’t a problem one company can solve alone. It requires global collaboration at an unprecedented scale across telcos, big techs, financial institutions and regulators. We’re working with the leading companies in each category because that’s the only way to upgrade humanity’s identity infrastructure before AI-powered fraud outpaces our defenses.”

Dedicated to building cryptographically secure and seamless solutions, Glide Identity was founded on the principle that secure digital identity is a fundamental human right. The company collaborates with major telecommunications providers, cloud platforms and technology partners, including T-Mobile, Verizon, Google Cloud and others, to deliver AGI-ready security through consumer-friendly interfaces.

Crosspoint Capital brings extensive cybersecurity expertise and a broad network of CISOs and enterprise security leaders, which will be critical as Glide expands its identity, authentication and verification solutions. Along with Crosspoint Capital, Glide’s investors include Amigos Venture Capital, Singtel Innov8 VC, Sir Ronald Cohen, and Fidelity International Strategic Ventures (FISV), which sits on the company’s board.

“Glide Identity represents the future of how telecommunications capabilities will power next-generation applications,” said Mattias Rejman, co-founder and general partner of Amigos Venture Capital. “By aggregating digital security solutions into seamless authentication experiences, they’re creating essential infrastructure for the future of telecommunications as AI agents conduct more transactions on behalf of consumers. This is precisely the type of telco-native innovation we seek in our investment strategy.”

Glide Identity will host a panel on “Agentic Authentication” at Authenticate 2025 on Oct. 14. To learn more about Glide Identity, visit glideidentity.com.

“We are excited about Glide’s pace of progress and ability to bring together leading players across industries to solve emerging issues with the rise of AI and fraud. Increasing the security of the AI era is a core pillar of future growth,” said Erik Wiesner-Mostenicky, Principal at FISV and Glide Identity’s Board member.

About Glide Identity: 
Glide Identity provides next-generation SIM-based cryptographic verification systems. Built on the Open Gateway protocol, Glide enables enterprises and developers to integrate AI-safe authentication at scale. Partnering with major mobile network operators and integrating with Google Cloud, Glide’s mission is to deliver the most secure and continuous identity platform for the AGI era — built for humans and agents everywhere. Learn more at www.glideidentity.com.

Media Contact:
Ryan Hecker
PANBlast for Glide Identity
[email protected]

SOURCE Glide Identity

$150 million growth investment positions the Company to continue to expand its market leadership and accelerate innovation

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 13, 2025 — Govini, the software leader in transforming the Defense Acquisition process, today announced that it surpassed $100 million in ARR and secured a $150 million growth investment from Bain Capital, which will allow the company to continue to expand its product offerings, grow its team of technologists and defense experts, and enhance its best-in-class data capabilities to meet exploding demand across the national security community.

“I founded Govini to create an entirely new category of software built to transform how the U.S. government uses AI and data to make decisions,” said Govini Founder and Executive Chairman Eric Gillespie. “After methodically developing our proprietary technology, that vision is now a reality. This investment validates not just the current position achieved by our incredibly talented team, but also our long-term goal of fundamentally rewiring how defense and national security communities make decisions with AI and data.”

Govini’s flagship product, Ark, is a suite of AI-enabled applications trusted by every department of the U.S. military and other federal agencies. Powered by Govini’s proprietary National Security Knowledge Graph, Ark accelerates workflows across the entire spectrum of Defense Acquisition including Supply Chain, Science & Technology, Production, Logistics, Sustainment, and Modernization. 

“National security today is defined by speed—speed to build, to adapt, to fight,” said Govini CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty. “Our software delivers that speed, replacing slow, archaic acquisition processes with a system built for modern competition. By equipping the Department of War with the capabilities to outpace, out-innovate, and out-fight those who threaten us, we are turning the outdated acquisition system into a force multiplier that delivers decisive advantage. This capital ensures we can scale rapidly to meet the surging demand for our products, which gives the United States the edge it needs to win.”

The investment comes at a time when Defense Acquisition is increasingly recognized as critical to America’s national security posture. Govini’s software-first approach combines cutting-edge AI technology with unmatched defense data to solve acquisition challenges that have plagued the Department of War for decades.

“We’re thrilled to support Govini’s next phase of growth as it continues to revolutionize how the U.S. government acquires and deploys the capabilities that keep us safe. Govini sits in a completely unique position at the intersection of national security, data, and software—areas that are increasingly vital to America’s strategic interests,” said Scott Kirk, Partner at Bain Capital Tech Opportunities. “The company’s proven platform and dominance of this category position it as an indispensable partner to defense and civilian agencies alike.”

This coincides with a series of expanded deployments across the DoW, U.S. intelligence community, and other national security agencies, reaffirming Govini’s position at the forefront of transforming Defense Acquisition into a platform for sustained military readiness and American global leadership. These include a 5-year DoW-wide contract from the U.S. Army, a $50 million award from the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment (OUSW A&S), an extension of Govini’s support for the Minuteman III program, Impact Level 5 Authority to Operate (IL5 ATO) for three military departments, and a $919 million government-wide supply chain risk illumination contract sponsored by OUSW A&S.

About Govini

Govini builds software to accelerate the Defense Acquisition Process. Ark, Govini’s flagship product, is a suite of AI-enabled applications, powered by integrated government and commercial data, that solves problems across the entire spectrum of Defense Acquisition, including Supply Chain, Science & Technology, Production, Logistics, Sustainment, Modernization. With Ark, the Acquisition community eliminates slow, manual processes and gains the ability to rapidly imagine, produce, and field critical warfighting capabilities. Ark transforms Defense Acquisition into a strategic advantage for the United States.

Media Contact
Govini
[email protected]

SOURCE Govini

They also outlined a bold AI-enabled roll-up strategy to build the all-in-one Human + AI business communication platform that challenges the traditional agency-consulting model.

“Our customers care about outcomes, not products. Not just slides, but great business communication. While services businesses have traditionally provided these outcomes, AI makes a new reality possible,” says Rajat Mishra, founder and CEO of Prezent AI. “Our north star is to provide experts when you need them and AI acceleration everywhere. That way we deliver the outcome of great business communication – faster, better, cheaper.”

Unlike generic AI tools, Prezent AI was built by experts who understand the unique language, regulations, and needs of the industries it serves. Prezent AI provides real ROI to enterprise companies serving many F2000 LifeSciences and Technology companies at scale.

With Prezentium joining the platform, Prezent AI takes a step towards building the complete AI + human-augmented business communication solution. “We have been GTM partners for a while and share the same customer obsession,” says Deepti Juturu, founder and CEO of Prezentium. “With the AI expertise of Prezent AI, we can supercharge our flagship Christmas-in-an-inbox Overnight Presentations service and introduce new AI-enabled services.”

The $30M funding was led by Multiplier Capital, Greycroft and Nomura Strategic Ventures with participation of existing investors like True Global Ventures, Emergent Ventures, West Wave Capital, BluePointe Ventures, Alumni Ventures and other investors. “Prezent stands out as a category-defining company operating at the intersection of AI, communication, and enterprise productivity. We invest in high-growth businesses delivering mission-critical solutions, and Prezent’s platform—combined with its bold acquisition strategy—has the potential to reshape how enterprises communicate at scale,” said Ash Vaidya, Managing Director at Multiplier Capital. The acquisition marks a bold step in Prezent AI’s mission to disrupt traditional agencies and consultancy models, which are often slow, expensive, and inefficient. Prezent AI combines advanced AI, domain-specific software, and human expertise into one system, allowing organizations to:

• Crunch complex clinical data and create deeply contextual decks for Commercial and R&D teams in minutes, not weeks.
• Create brand-aligned compelling sales narratives and QBR decks in minutes, not days.
• Work with a Forward-deployed Presentation Engineer to apply human creativity where it matters, accelerated by AI everywhere else.
• Autonomously create and transform brand-aligned presentations in IT workflows with an easy-to-use API and presentation agents.
• Build a Company Presentation Brain, where knowledge compounds and communication accelerates over time.

“The average enterprise has 15 different agencies and tools for business communication which is inefficient and ineffective,” says Rajat Mishra. “This acquisition is the start of a new chapter in building a complete AI + human-augmented lifecycle solution, supporting presentations from initial idea and narrative development, through slide creation and practice, to execution and delivery. More to come!”

With this funding round and acquisition, Prezent AI is now valued at $400M. On-track to become the first enterprise business communication unicorn.

About Prezent AI
Prezent AI is an AI-powered business communication platform helping organizations create, optimize, and deliver high-impact presentations. Headquartered in Los Altos, Prezent AI serves clients across life sciences, technology, and manufacturing, combining AI, software, and expert human services into one integrated system. Learn more at Prezent.ai.

SOURCE prezent.ai

HONG KONG, Oct. 13, 2025 — In a major development for China’s cosmetic industry, CHANDO Group, a leading homegrown cosmetics brand, has completed a new round of financing. Harvest Capital has invested ¥300 million (over US$40 million) in this round, with global beauty giant L’Oréal also participating as an industrial partner. This historic collaboration signals the beginning of a new chapter for CHANDO Group, as it joins forces with well-known consumer funds and international industry leaders to propel the company toward high-quality, sustainable growth.

Two Decades of Beauty Leadership: Building a Multi-Brand, Full Supply Chain, and Digitally-Driven Enterprise

Founded in 2001, CHANDO Group has consistently adhered to its brand philosophy, “Beautiful, as you are.” dedicating itself to providing consumers worldwide with affordable, high-quality products for beauty and healthy living. According to data from Frost & Sullivan, as of 2024, CHANDO is the third-largest Chinese cosmetics group by retail sales. Its flagship brand, CHANDO, has ranked among the top two Chinese beauty brands by retail sales every year from 2013 to 2024, showcasing the company’s resilience across industry cycles.

Over the past two decades, CHANDO Group has evolved into a comprehensive enterprise that encompasses independent raw material sourcing, R&D, and manufacturing, with a fully integrated digital operating system and efficient direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels. Leveraging its robust capabilities, the company has expanded its portfolio to include multiple brands, such as CHANDO, Perfection Research, Chunxia, Meisu, and Jichu, covering a wide range of product categories including skincare, cosmetics, personal care, men’s grooming, and baby care.

Technology-Driven Beauty Innovation: Consistent Breakthroughs in R&D

In a highly competitive China beauty market, CHANDO Group has remained a frontrunner by relentlessly driving brand innovation through technology. The company is committed to meeting consumers’ demand for products that deliver both efficacy and beauty. Amidst the rise of countless “internet celebrity” brands, CHANDO’s enduring market leadership is due to its unwavering focus on long-term strategy, putting consumers at the center, and continuously investing in core business elements that create differentiated consumer experiences.

Nowadays, CHANDO has a team of 154 highly skilled researchers with expertise in fields like life sciences, material sciences, and applied chemistry. The company has also formed strategic partnerships with renowned medical institutions, including Huashan Hospital and the National Children’s Medical Center (Fudan University Children’s Hospital).

Since 2013, CHANDO has been at the forefront of microbial fermentation research, with independent research centers in locations such as Shanghai and Nyingchi, Tibet. The company has successfully developed several proprietary core ingredients, including “Ximoin,” “Blue Copper Peptide,” and “Space Ginseng Yeast,” making it the first Chinese cosmetics company to hold independent intellectual property rights in yeast-based ingredients. In partnership with China’s aerospace program, CHANDO is also exploring skincare challenges in space environments, further pushing the boundaries of skincare science.

Digital Transformation: Leading Industry Innovation

In addition to its innovation in R&D, CHANDO Group’s sustained success is also attributed to its forward-thinking approach to industry transformation. Not satisfied with merely being a leader in offline beauty retail, the company launched its digital transformation strategy in 2019. With a “digital-driven decision-making” philosophy, CHANDO has worked to build a consumer-centric, agile, and continuously evolving organization. The company was among the first in the cosmetics industry to implement advanced digital management tools, such as “Unified Inventory” and “Cloud Stores”, setting new benchmarks for the industry.

CHANDO’s digital strategy has enabled the company to establish an end-to-end digital business operation, including supply chain management, inventory control, production management, sales and marketing, logistics, and consumer data analysis. This comprehensive digital framework has significantly improved operational efficiency and decision-making quality, enhancing the company’s overall performance.

Harvest Capital’s Deep Involvement: Boosting Quality and Efficiency

Harvest Capital strongly aligns with CHANDO Group’s development strategy, which focuses on “cultivating lifetime consumer value” and “driven by digitalization and technology.” The firm values the company’s solid R&D capabilities and admires the founder’s entrepreneurial spirit, which emphasizes focus, continuous innovation, and organizational evolution. Since 2021, Harvest Capital has conducted in-depth research on CHANDO Group, assembling a team of professionals from various fields—including business, finance, and legal experts—to provide strategic planning, comprehensive budget management, and organizational support.

Focused on improving operational efficiency, Harvest Capital has helped CHANDO establish a comprehensive budgeting system centered around ROE (return on equity). The team participates in monthly business review meetings, collaborating with internal teams to identify areas for improvement. Additionally, Harvest Capital has helped the company optimize its DTC channel investments and growth, incorporating advanced industry methodologies and best practices to improve data quality and enhance marketing efficiency. Notably, while continuing to expand its offline retail presence, CHANDO has successfully developed an effective DTC channel, with online sales now accounting for 68.8% of its revenue. The brand has performed particularly well in the rapidly growing content e-commerce sector.

In 2023, based on its deep understanding of the industry and CHANDO Group, Harvest Capital provided comprehensive recommendations for the company’s five-year strategic plan. These insights were well-received by CHANDO’s management and have helped shape a clear roadmap for the company’s high-quality development. Moving forward, Harvest Capital will continue to support CHANDO’s listing and further growth, leveraging its post-investment support systems and extensive resources in the consumer sector.

A Shared Vision for the Future: Building a World-Leading Beauty Group

According to CBNData, China beauty brands accounted for about 55.2% of the market share in 2024, securing a dominant position. However, the market concentration of the top five brands remains in the single digits, a stark contrast to the maturity of mature markets. This signals that the industry is entering a crucial stage, transitioning from a “mass rise” to “leader concentration.” In this transition, industry leaders with core technologies, full supply chain advantages, and digital capabilities will play a key role in market consolidation. Harvest Capital firmly believes that as beauty brands grow stronger, China will soon produce world-class beauty groups.

Despite macroeconomic pressures, the underlying demand for beauty and self-care remains strong and stable. For the mass market, rational consumption is becoming the norm, and consumers are increasingly seeking “high-quality, affordable” products. Brands that can deeply understand consumer needs, drive supply with demand, and consistently create value for consumers by offering high-quality products will emerge as the winners in any economic cycle. With over two decades of industry experience and a strong digital transformation advantage, CHANDO Group is well-positioned to lead this trend.

This collaboration is a strategic alignment based on a shared long-term vision: to build a leading beauty brand and establish a world-class enterprise. It also represents Harvest Capital’s commitment to supporting China’s consumption sector and empowering national brands.

As Harvest Capital’s founding partner and chairman, Alan Song Xiangqian, stated, “Consumption is the stabilizer and ballast of China’s economy. We remain confident in the long-term growth potential of beauty brands and are committed to supporting Chinese companies like CHANDO, which are driven by technology, digitalization, and long-term vision, to become world-class national brands.”

SOURCE Harvest Capital

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13, 2025 — Flux Capital, a leading venture capital fund founded by Los Angeles investor Ari Stiegler, today announced it has been named Allocator One’s “Breakout Fund of the Year.” The honor follows a competitive review of hundreds of emerging managers on the Allocator One platform and underscores Flux Capital’s strong track record in portfolio construction, rigorous risk management, and commitment to transparent reporting.

Allocator One serves as a critical fund of funds in the venture capital industry, by reviewing over 800 funds per year, and choosing the highest quality funds to invest in. As a platform they act as a filter for investors, provide tools for due diligence, document management, and performance monitoring.

The “Breakout Fund of the Year” designation reflects strong performance metrics alongside operational quality evaluated through the platform’s assessment process. The competition, which drew participation from hundreds of emerging venture capital fund managers seeking institutional and professional investor capital, judged participants on a combination of performance metrics, and operational capability. By winning this award, Flux Capital has demonstrated its ability to meet the stringent criteria set by institutional investors worldwide.

“Today’s venture market rewards discipline over hype,” said Ari Stiegler, Founder of Flux Capital. “This award recognizes our focus on underwriting rigor, operational excellence, and delivering real outcomes for limited partners—not just paper markups. We’re grateful to our LPs, our portfolio founders, and the team whose work made this possible.”

Flux Capital invests in category-defining companies at the earliest stages, emphasizing repeatable sourcing, concentrated conviction, and active portfolio support to deliver differentiated results for its investors. This latest recognition further solidifies its position as a forward-thinking manager in the increasingly competitive alternative investment landscape. The firm plans to build on this momentum in 2026.

About Flux Capital

Flux Capital is a venture capital fund focused on delivering absolute returns through rigorous research and dynamic portfolio management. Founded by Ari Stiegler, the firm is committed to transparency, disciplined risk management, and fostering long-term partnerships with its investors.

Contact:

Ari Stiegler
Flux Capital
619.985.1889
[email protected]

SOURCE Flux Capital

Irys’s AI-native operating system replaces decades-old systems with scalable, intelligent technology —signaling a new era for insurance distribution modernization and investor confidence in the sector.

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 13, 2025 — Irys, the company rebuilding insurance infrastructure from the ground up, today announced a $12.5 million seed round led by Markd, with participation from Deepwork Capital, Florida Opportunity Fund, Ansay & Associates, HICO Ventures, and JMG Capital.

The round gives Irys fresh capital to expand engineering, accelerate implementation, and scale distribution partnerships across the U.S and Canada. It also underscores a resurgence of investor confidence in insurance infrastructure, coming shortly after Markd’s own $500 million fundraise to back transformative insurtechs.

“For 15 years I ran agencies on tech that didn’t care if it was usable,” said Margeaux Giles, CEO of Irys. “The industry’s been trapped in contracts, broken platforms, and empty promises. It’s eroded the trust agents fight to build every day with their clients. Irys is how we fix that.”

Irys replaces outdated systems with an AI-native, integration-agnostic operating platform that unifies financials, operations, and sales and client data in real time. The system communicates across tools and between AIs, enabling automation that scales service capacity and profitability without adding staff.

“We’ve seen what simple automation can do,” Giles said. “If basic AI can double a service rep’s book from $200K to $500K — imagine what agentic AI can do for an organization that can actually implement it.”

Already, Irys supports several top brokerages and MGAs representing close to $1 billion in active written premium, and the company is forming agency cohorts to pilot its frictionless, no-data-migration approach to implementation.

“The market has confirmed- insurance leaders are done stacking third-party tools just to work around outdated systems,” said Parker Beauchamp, Managing Partner at Markd. “Irys isn’t just a new AMS, it’s the whole backbone. It runs CRM, analytics, accounting, tasks, and document management, all in one place. It’s the infrastructure that works.”

The raise comes as insurtech investment rebounds, with global funding up 28% last quarter according to Gallagher Re, and capital flowing toward platforms that deliver real infrastructure change. With its decentralized backend, open APIs, and agentic AI facilitation, Irys is positioning itself as the operational hub for the next generation of insurance enterprises.

“OpenAI and Google are rewriting what’s possible every six weeks,” Giles said. “Insurance can’t afford to be a generation behind. Irys is the bridge between their innovation and our industry.”

With this funding, Irys will expand its engineering and customer success teams, scale distribution partnerships, and roll out new AI-driven modules for accounting, analytics, and submission management in early 2026.

About Irys

Irys builds insurance software that actually works. Its AI-native, integration-agnostic core insurance operating system replaces bloated legacy systems with scalable, intelligent technology that moves as fast as modern business. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Irys enables agencies, MGAs, and carriers to automate workflows, unify data, and modernize without disruption.

SOURCE Irys Insurtech, Inc.

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct. 13, 2025 — Liquid Wind receives support from Industriklivet, the Swedish Energy Agency’s program supporting Swedish industry’s green transition, amounting to €3.6 million (SEK39 million), for the pre-engineering of the company’s full-scale eMethanol plant in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. 

The Swedish Energy Agency has assessed that the project will provide a solid foundation for Liquid Wind to move toward an investment decision for the planned eFuel facility. The project is expected to pave the way for a future investment that will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions by replacing fossil fuels in hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping, aviation, and the chemical industry.

According to the Agency, the project’s goals and research focus are well aligned with the purpose of Industriklivet — to drive the transition toward lower carbon emissions and a more sustainable industrial sector.

“We are pleased to receive the Industriklivet support for our project in Örnsköldsvik. It represents a strong commitment from the Swedish government that not only accelerates the transition to fossil-free eFuel production in Sweden but also sends a powerful signal to international investors and offtakers. It’s a clear endorsement of our vision to scale local and resilient eFuel solutions in Europe,” says Claes Fredriksson, CEO and founder of Liquid Wind.

The planned eFuel facility will be integrated with Övik Energi’s biofuel-powered combined heat and power (CHP) plant*, creating a highly efficient, and circular energy system. Using renewable electricity, the facility will produce green hydrogen through electrolysis and combine it with 150,000 tons captured biogenic CO₂ from the CHP plant to produce 100,000 tons of eMethanol per year, enabling the avoidance of 200,000 tons CO₂e annually.

By replacing fossil fuels in transport and industry, the facility will significantly contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and strengthen Örnsköldsvik’s role as a frontrunner in Sweden’s green energy transition.

*Primarily sourced from forest and paper industry by-products. 

Liquid Wind’s eFuel facility project in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, is funded through Industriklivet, which is part of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and Next Generation EU. Industriklivet is a government initiative run by the Swedish Energy Agency.

Media contact
Klaudija Cavala, Head of PR, Marketing & Communications 
[email protected]

About Liquid Wind 

Liquid Wind is a leading developer of eFuel production facilities with a vision to reduce the world’s dependency on fossil fuel. Liquid Wind has a solid pipeline of facility projects in development with the goal of reaching 10 projects by 2027. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden and present in Denmark and Finland, Liquid Wind has approx. 70 employees. Liquid Wind has a strong group of investors, including Alfa Laval, Carbon Clean, Elyse Energy, HYCAP, Samsung Ventures, Siemens Energy, Topsoe and Uniper. 

Visit liquidwind.com or follow us on LinkedIn

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SOURCE Liquid Wind