Funding Builds on $3.7 Billion Raised in 2024; Credit Markets Validate Brightspeed Strategy Amid Strong Execution

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 19, 2025 — Brightspeed, the nation’s third-largest fiber broadband builder, today announced it has priced an offering of $575 million in capital to accelerate its ongoing fiber network expansion. This new funding is incremental to the $3.7 billion raised in 2024 and will support Brightspeed’s continued investment to build high-speed fiber internet to over five million homes and businesses across the company’s 20-state footprint.

As one of the fastest growing fiber broadband builders, Brightspeed has already passed more than 2 million premises with fiber and expects to pass approximately 1 million additional homes in 2025 alone, maintaining one of the fastest build paces in the country.

“This new capital allows us to continue our aggressive fiber build strategy, bringing high-speed connectivity to communities that have historically lacked quality broadband options,” said Michel Combes, Executive Chairman and CEO of Brightspeed. “We’ve made tremendous progress, and this new funding underscores the credit market’s belief in our strategy and reaffirms the strength of our execution.”

The additional capital reflects robust support from investors and affirms their confidence in the Brightspeed thesis: a large, underpenetrated footprint, a focused and proven build engine, and a long runway for value creation through fiber expansion.

“Our focus remains clear — to build fiber quickly and efficiently, bringing future-proof fiber connectivity to as many homes and businesses in our footprint as possible,” added Combes. “We are delivering results at scale and remain committed to maintain our strong build momentum.”

Brightspeed’s state-of-the-art fiber network leverages XGS-PON technology to deliver symmetrical multi-gig speeds. Its service is available across more than 530 communities and growing. The company is one of the most active and well-capitalized fiber builders in the country today.

In addition to private funding, Brightspeed has secured more than $295 million in public broadband grants and subsidies to date, further supporting build-out in unserved and underserved areas. Brightspeed continues to aggressively pursue additional subsidy opportunities to further extend its fiber reach and maximize impact in underserved areas.

For more information, visit www.brightspeed.com.

About Brightspeed

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and with assets and associated operations in 20 states, Brightspeed provides broadband and telecommunications services through a network platform capable of serving more than 7.3 million homes and businesses. Our 4,000 employees are committed to building a future where more communities benefit from a more connected life, deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network and a customer experience that makes being connected as simple as it should be. For more information, please visit www.brightspeed.com.

SOURCE Brightspeed

CALGARY, AB, June 19, 2025 – Tailwind Ventures is pleased to announce that their Calgary-based client Modular Solutions (“Modular” or the “Company”) has successfully closed a financing round from a strategic industry partner and a syndicate of private investors, facilitated by Tailwind Ventures. Modular Solutions, a leading provider of configurable insurance software, will use the funding to optimize and streamline client onboarding and implementation, advance platform enhancements, and invest in artificial intelligence to deliver even greater value to customers across the insurance industry.

Modular Solutions provides next-gen insurance SaaS technology that enables providers to break free from archaic, siloed legacy software, enabling improved operational efficiency, financial performance, and customer experience. Modular’s platform is purpose-built to empower insurers and brokers with technology that is responsive to a competitive industry, transforming workflows and automating critical and time-consuming operations.

“This capital raise marks a pivotal moment for Modular,” said Braden Bosch, Founder and CEO of Modular Solutions. “We have brought an innovative software solution to the market, and with this investment, we can ensure low total cost of ownership and affordability while continuing to optimize and enhance our offering even further.”

“Tailwind is delighted to have supported Modular in securing this financing. Braden and the team at Modular are building transformative solutions for an industry in desperate need of innovation, and our capital partners share our conviction that Modular will deliver,” said Darren Engels, Tailwind Ventures CEO. 

Engels added “Tailwind is committed to its purpose of diligently preparing companies to scale and attract capital so they can create impact and value. Tailwind applies a proprietary, holistic and structured approach that we call diligent preparedness to build a better business. Better businesses go on to withstand the scrutiny of due diligence, secure capital, and generate returns for shareholders.”

Cody Church, Director of Clear North Capital, shared his enthusiasm regarding the investment, stating, “We were honoured to invest in Modular and are excited to watch the evolution of the Company. Braden was very strategic in his investment partners, all of which are local high net worth individuals and venture firms that bring a lot of strategic value to the business.” This network of investors not only reinforces the Company’s vision but ensures a collaborative approach to driving growth and innovation in the insurance industry.

Modular’s capital raise represented the fifth largest seed stage financing for Insurtech companies in North America, while also achieving the second highest pre-money valuation.¹ It is a credit to Braden Bosch and the Modular Solutions team for their dedication to being diligently prepared and to creating impact and value for their investors.

Bosch remains the majority shareholder of Modular Solutions and remains committed to the Company’s vision: enabling the best insurance experience in the world.

About Modular Solutions

Founded in 2015, Modular Solutions has been delivering innovative technology to the insurance industry. Their modular, fully integrated platform enables insurers, mutuals, MGAs and brokers with programs with the ability to manage their entire operations seamlessly through a single software solution. Designed to be affordable and configurable, their platform empowers businesses to innovate, adapt and thrive in an evolving and competitive market. Modular Solutions is based in Calgary, Canada.

For more information about Modular Solutions, visit gomodular.ca.

About Tailwind Ventures

Tailwind Ventures empowers early- and growth-stage companies to withstand the scrutiny of due diligence and secure capital. Tailwind’s diligent preparedness process enables ventures to build stronger businesses and improve the risk-reward relationship for ventures and investors. Tailwind Ventures has raised over C$370 million for clients since 2022. Tailwind is based in Calgary, Canada.

For more information about Tailwind Ventures, visit tailwindventures.co.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained in this press release relate to future events, conditions, or outcomes with respect to Modular’s business, its customers, technology, and the broader tech industry. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements and are often, but not always, identified using words such as “believes”, “seek”, “plan”, “expect” and similar expressions.

This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any securities.

SOURCE Tailwind Ventures Inc.

PARIS, June 19, 2025 — Lockheed Martin Skunk Works^® (NYSE: LMT) and Electra.aero, Inc. (“Electra”) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for Electra’s EL9 ultra-short takeoff and landing (Ultra-STOL) aircraft.

Lockheed Martin, a global defense technology company, will collaborate with Electra to explore ways to accelerate the development of the EL9 in areas including digital engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, sustainment, and global business development.

Additionally, the Skunk Works and Electra teams will assess opportunities for potential programs of record with the U.S. Department of Defense and global customers.

The Electra EL9 will transform commercial and military aviation for applications including last mile logistics, mobile power generation and emergency response. The Ultra-STOL EL9 can quietly take off and land in 150 feet and from unimproved surfaces, enabling operations in austere areas while retaining the safety, cost and range benefits of a fixed-wing aircraft. The EL9’s ability to carry 1,000 lbs. over 1,000 miles enables an array of novel use cases for commercial and defense users.

“Lockheed Martin’s breadth of manufacturing, supply chain and military customer expertise is the perfect complement to Electra’s EL9 commercialization strategy,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “This relationship will accelerate our speed to market to bring the EL9’s transformative capabilities to our military customers.”

“Electra has driven significant innovation in the hybrid-electric space, and we’re excited to collaborate with them to accelerate their development,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works^®.

The agreement deepens the strategic relationship between Lockheed Martin and Electra. In 2022, Lockheed Martin Ventures signed a strategic cooperation agreement to invest in Electra’s Series A funding round.

About Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security^® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at www.lockheedmartin.com.

About Electra
Electra.aero, Inc. (Electra) is an advanced aerospace company building hybrid-electric Ultra Short aircraft that achieve never-before performance advantages to fly people and cargo seamlessly without airports, emissions, or noise. With the Ultra Short, Electra is pioneering Direct Aviation, the next level of connectivity that brings air travel closer to where we live, work, and play. Electra’s Ultra Short technology delivers 2.5X the payload and 10X longer range with 70% lower operating costs than helicopters and eVTOLs with significantly greater safety and far less certification risk.

Electra’s team includes some of the most respected and successful entrepreneurs and engineers in novel aircraft design, with over 40 prior aircraft successfully developed and/or certified. Electra’s contracted customers include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy, along with over 2,200 aircraft under Letters of Intent from 50+ commercial customers, including both airlines and helicopter operators.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE Electra.aero

DURHAM, N.C., June 18, 2025 — RevelAi Health, a conversational artificial intelligence (AI) platform built for musculoskeletal care, has closed an oversubscribed $3.1 million seed round led by Ulu Ventures and Symphonic Capital, with participation from Orthopedic VC, Sand Hill Angels, and a consortium of nationally recognized orthopedic surgeons.

Musculoskeletal disorders now account for the largest share of U.S. health-care spending—exceeding $420 billion annually—while the country faces a projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving hospitals toward mandatory downside-risk bundles for joint replacement, fracture care, and other orthopedic episodes, aiming for universal value-based coverage by 2030.

“Musculoskeletal care is shifting from single-visit encounters to population-level accountability just as clinical teams are stretched thin,” said Christian Pean, MD, MS, orthopedic trauma surgeon, faculty member at the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, and Founder & Chief Executive Officer of RevelAi Health. “RevelAi gives organizations an AI-first operating layer that lets them succeed in that reality.”

RevelAi functions as a 24/7 virtual care navigator for orthopedic practices and care organizations: it answers calls with evidence-based triage, collects mandated quality reporting questionnaires by voice or text, and converts every phone, video, or in-person encounter into a structured note with clinical documentation codes and automated risk flags. Episode-wide workflows trigger Principal Care Management, Transitional Care Management, and preoperative optimization tasks that align each patient’s journey with CMS’s new Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) bundled payment model and other value-based initiatives—without extra staff clicks. All clinical content and decision logic are continuously refined by RevelAi’s advisory group of board-certified orthopedic surgeons, ensuring each recommendation remains guideline-concordant and purpose-built to accelerate value-based musculoskeletal care.

“RevelAi’s AI agents close care gaps, curb avoidable emergency department visits, and simplify quality reporting—without adding staff,” said Ronald Delanois, MD, Chairman of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

From my perspective, conversational AI is essential for succeeding in value-based mandates like the Transforming Episode Accountability Model”, said Joseph Zuckerman, MD, Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Health.

RevelAi means great musculoskeletal care can be paired with surgical excellence and robust social-care support. It can reduce readmissions, close care gaps for underserved patients, and deliver true population-level orthopedic health. “RevelAi has already automated thousands of care conversations,” said Clint Korver, Managing Director at Ulu Ventures. “They’re proving AI-powered orchestration can scale now, lightening clinicians’ workload and elevating the patient experience. We’re proud to back a team poised to become the essential AI backbone for modern health systems.”

“We’re building the AI console that turns every touchpoint into coordinated action,” added Hadi Javeed, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer.

The seed capital will deepen electronic health record and practice-management integrations, expand the company’s library of AI-collected outcome surveys and risk pathways, grow engineering and research teams, and accelerate collaborations with health systems, specialty societies, and ambulatory surgery center networks.

Media Contact: [email protected]

RevelAi Health provides conversational-AI care coordination for musculoskeletal health. Its platform unifies patient engagement, ambient documentation, social-care triage, and quality reporting, helping providers reduce readmissions, streamline care transitions, and excel under value-based payment models. Learn more at www.revelaihealth.com.

SOURCE RevelAi Health

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 18, 2025 — Biobot Analytics, the leader in wastewater intelligence, today announced a new round of funding led by Valor Equity Partners. Alongside Valor, Biobot is also welcoming new investor Atreides Management, as well as participation from existing investors, including Hyperplane. The investment reflects strong ongoing support for Biobot’s mission to build a wastewater intelligence platform for healthcare and national security applications.

The capital will support the company’s expanding suite of wastewater intelligence offerings, enabling continued innovation in advanced analytics, product development, and partnerships across government and commercial sectors.

As part of this round, Biobot is pleased to welcome new board members:

• Vivek Pattipati, Partner at Valor Equity Partners, joins as Board Director
• Andrew Perlman, Partner at Atreides Management, joins as Board Director
• Vivjan Myrto, Managing Partner at Hyperplane, joins as Board Observer

They join Biobot’s cofounders and existing Board Directors, Dr. Mariana Matus and Newsha Ghaeli, in guiding the company’s long-term strategy.

“We are proud to be backed by some of the most forward-thinking investors in the tech industry,” said Dr. Mariana Matus, CEO of Biobot Analytics. “Their support and insight will be instrumental as we build a new category of health intelligence—using wastewater data to create a safer, healthier, and more resilient society.”

“Biobot is a category-defining company with a bold vision for the future of healthcare and biosecurity,” said Vivek Pattipati, Partner at Valor Equity Partners. “We’re excited to support the talented team at Biobot as they bring innovative new products to market.”

Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Biobot Analytics pioneered wastewater-based epidemiology in cities. From tracking COVID-19 trends across hundreds of communities to detecting opioid use and other health indicators, Biobot’s technology empowers governments and organizations with critical data.

About Biobot Analytics
Biobot Analytics is the global leader in wastewater intelligence. By analyzing wastewater, Biobot delivers real-time, community-wide insights into population health, empowering governments and organizations to identify outbreaks, monitor behavioral trends, and prepare for emerging threats. Learn more at www.biobot.io.

SOURCE Biobot Analytics, Inc.

Founders from Ex-Rapyd, Meta and Goldman Sachs build infrastructure to unlock B2B cross-border financial services for global trading companies

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 18, 2025 — Tensec, a fintech innovator transforming cross-border financial services, has secured $12 million in seed funding to provide real-time, seamless payments and financial services for global companies operating in the $190 trillion cross-border payments market. The funding will accelerate Tensec’s mission to provide global trading companies and their clients access to cross-border real-time payments and transaction banking services that have historically been available only through large financial institutions.

Led by Costanoa Ventures, the round also includes investments from Quiet Capital, WillowTree Investments, Cambrian VC, Ignia Partners, Montage Ventures, Renegade Partners, and Endeavor Scale Up Ventures.

“SMBs drive nearly half of global trade but have long been excluded from the financial tools that larger players rely on,” said Helcio Nobre, CEO and co-founder of Tensec. “We’re flipping the model by empowering global trading companies to deliver these services directly to their partners—making global commerce faster, cheaper and more accessible.”

Tensec leverages AI, real-time payments and a global fintech infrastructure to create a no-integration platform that enables global trading companies to offer foreign exchange (FX) services, cross-border payments, treasury and other financial services to their SMB clients. The company is already working with customers who facilitate $10 billion in annual trade volume. Tensec projects this will grow to $30 billion in annual trade volume after its upcoming service expansion into APAC and the EU markets.

“Tensec lets global trade companies seamlessly integrate financial services to better serve their clients,” said Amy Cheetham, Partner at Costanoa Ventures. “It’s a win-win—new revenue for trading companies and modern financial tools for SMBs who’ve been underserved for decades.”

Tensec is targeting the massive cross-border payments infrastructure that still runs on 40-year-old SWIFT technology. With global cross-border payments projected to reach $250 trillion by 2030, there has been significant fintech innovation in consumer and enterprise payments. However, SMB cross-border payments remain largely untouched by innovation, despite representing over 40% of the $25 trillion annual physical goods trade. Tensec is bridging this critical gap.

“Legacy banks built their cross-border infrastructure when fax machines were cutting-edge,” said Helcio. “We’re skipping that entire stack. Our services let the companies already engaged in global trade to offer their own financial services innovations. It fills a real need – and their clients thrive.”

Tensec’s platform consolidates payment, hedging, and trade finance capabilities into a single, user-friendly interface that requires no integration work, making it simpler for trading companies to offer clients services previously only available from banks. Banking services in the United States are provided by Stearns Bank, Member FDIC. The benefits for Tensec customers include:

• No-API or coding required–just a simple login to access all services, eliminating months of engineering work.
• Unified FX transactions, cross-border payments and banking services tools in one platform, removing the need for multiple systems.
• Client onboarding in minutes, instead of weeks with intelligent KYB/KYC verification that improves with each onboarding.
• Real-time global payments that cut traditional waiting periods of four days.
• Revenue management optimization through the use of real-time exchange rate information, instead of fixed rates.
• Built-in risk assessment and AI-powered compliance checks with real-time regulatory updates.
• USD FX hedging services to capitalize on exchange rate fluctuations.
• Support for transactions in 150+ countries, 100+ real-time payment markets, and 70+ currencies.

“While tariffs shift trade patterns, they don’t slow it down,” said Sandrine Okasmaa, who is Tensec’s Chief Operating Officer and co-founder and previously led compliance at Bond and held senior legal roles at Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and American Express. “Our platform connects existing and emerging trade corridors with financial muscle that traditional banks simply don’t provide.”

The logistics industry has seen disruption, with companies like Flexport raising billions, but the financial technology layer has remained largely untapped. Tensec’s offering is the first major effort to merge logistics and fintech infrastructure at scale.

“The next wave of fintech is about contextual finance, not standalone financial apps,” added Yang Wang, co-founder, VP of Engineering at Tensec and former Head of Product Engineering at Bond. “We’re embedding sophisticated financial capabilities exactly where and when global traders need them.”

For further information on Tensec, please visit tensec.io.

About Tensec 
Tensec is reimagining B2B cross-border financial services by providing the fastest and simplest way for businesses to move money across global markets. Founded by veterans from PayPal, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Visa, Mastercard, Rapyd, and Credit Karma, Tensec equips global trade companies and FX service providers with the tools to directly deliver cross-border payments and financial solutions to their clients. Backed by world-class investors, Tensec is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Mexico City, and São Paulo. Banking services in the United States are provided by Stearns Bank, Member FDIC. For more information, visit www.tensec.io.

About Costanoa Ventures:

Founded in 2012, Costanoa Ventures partners with builders as early as company formation, with a focus on apps and infrastructure in data, dev, security and fintech. Costanoa is a long-term, boutique partner to entrepreneurs from the earliest stages of company building with expertise from its BuilderOps team. For more information, please visit www.costanoa.vc.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Tensec US, Inc.

Tennr secures backing from IVP, ICONIQ, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, and GV and launches Tennr Network to bring real-time visibility to the patient journey

NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 — When a primary care doctor refers a patient to a specialist, the patient too often disappears into a black hole. Tennr, the company that built the first orchestration platform and language models designed to automate the labor-intensive workflows of referral-based care, is here to fix it.

Today, Tennr announced a $101 million Series C led by IVP, with participation from new and existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, GV, ICONIQ, Foundation Capital, and Frank Slootman. The company has helped process millions of patients across hundreds of providers and has more than tripled its revenue since its Series B just two quarters ago.

Each year, more than one-third of Americans are referred for specialty care, imaging, equipment, or treatment. But for the specialists on the receiving end, providing an incredible experience for those patients can be operationally impossible. They come in by fax, email, or e-portal, and often need hours of manual review and back and forth. And so backlogs quickly pile up. That leads to missed patients, more denials, and weeks of delays—even for care that’s urgently needed.

Tennr helps providers convert more patients, cut denials, and deliver care without growing their teams.

“Patients really shouldn’t vanish into a work queue,” said Tennr co-founder and CEO Trey Holterman. “There’s so much opportunity to build a delightful patient experience, but it’s always failed because we expect so much behavior change from providers who are completely overwhelmed. We flipped that thinking and are now creating visibility for the patient flow without changing how people work. Businesses love it because they’re converting far more patients and providing a 10x experience for patients and referral sources.”

Tennr’s mission is to convert more patients and increase visibility across the entire referral process. Now, the company is launching Tennr Network—a powerful new coordination layer that connects referring providers, receiving providers, and patients, giving each party real-time visibility into the referral status.

• Referring providers can see the current status of every patient they’ve sent out, eliminating phone tag and guesswork.
• Receiving providers can track the status of every referral, see which need more documentation, and identify which sources are driving the most conversions.
• Patients can see when their referral was accepted, when it’s scheduled, and what to expect to pay. This brings the kind of transparency we take for granted in food delivery or e-commerce.

The secret behind Tennr is the combination of an enterprise orchestration engine and a series of specialized language models (RaeLM) trained on the nuances of processing medical documentation against strict payer criteria. Unlike generic large language models, RaeLM is optimized to understand the nuanced data in medical determinations across years of records. It evaluates documents against complex payer criteria to flag potential denials and denials.

“Tennr has revolutionized our fax-to-intake workflow, eliminating hundreds of hours of manual effort each day, removing human errors, and accelerating the creation of patient intakes. We’ve redefined operational agility in our revenue cycle—it’s not just about moving faster—it’s about serving healthcare practitioners and patients more effectively, in alignment with our mission of Serving You Better,” said Ty Barnett, CIO at Norco Inc.

Tennr was founded by engineers Trey Holterman, Diego Baugh, and Tyler Johnson, who met at Stanford. Trey learned about the ‘black hole’ of the referral maze from his mom, who while working in family medicine, showed him how chaotic and slow the handoff between providers could be. Diego then experienced it personally as a patient when six-week delays between GI appointments sent him to the ER in college.

“Forcing healthcare providers to change the way they refer their patients doesn’t work. Many have tried. Tennr is the first company that works the way healthcare already does: no EMR rip-outs, no need to retrain providers, no changes to how documentation is shared. By combining deep customer empathy for specialist workflows with technical excellence, Tennr builds software that actually gets used because it works with the system, not against it,” said Zeya Yang, Partner at IVP.

For specialty providers who want to convert more patients, visit https://www.tennr.com

About Tennr
Tennr automates patient processing for referral-based care. Whether referrals come in by fax, email, or e-portal, Tennr helps providers convert more patients, cut denials, and deliver care without growing their teams.

About IVP
IVP supercharges growth in breakout companies, converting momentum into market dominance. One of the original venture firms on Sand Hill Road, IVP partners with companies that define their eras—from Slack, Crowdstrike and Coinbase to Perplexity, Abridge, Glean and Chainguard—before the world truly appreciated them. Each year, IVP invests in just a dozen breakout founders ready to scale from millions to hundreds of millions in revenue and expand from one market to many. We’ve guided market leaders through cycles and storms, unlocking pivotal growth by activating the right expertise at the moments founders need it. With 130+ IPOs out of 400 investments, IVP helps ambitious founders defy limits, command industries and cement their place at the top.

SOURCE Tennr

With more than 500K+ registered app users, the Grifin investment app turns regular shopping experiences into investment opportunities

TAMPA, Fla., June 18, 2025 — Grifin, an innovative investment app that reimagines investing by linking it to daily spending, today announced a $11M Series A investment funding round led by Nava Ventures, with participation from TTV, Draper Associates, Gaingels, Nevcaut Ventures, Alloy Labs, etc. With this round, Freddie Martignetti, Partner at Nava Ventures, will join Grifin’s Board of Directors. Martignetti’s previous investments include Warby Parker, FIGS Scrubs, Drizly, and Everly Health.

Grifin is the first investing app that makes investing fun and creates a sense of belonging, allowing people to take ownership in the brands they love. Whether it’s grabbing a coffee at Starbucks, buying groceries at Walmart, or streaming a show on Netflix, Grifin makes sure customers own a piece of the brands they buy from the most.

Grifin creates a fully personalized investment portfolio based on an investor’s everyday habits. No two people are alike and Grifin ensures no two investment accounts are either. Grifin’s technology is fully automated, constantly adapting to the investor’s lifestyle and shopping habits while offering complete control over investment amounts.

“We are thrilled to partner with Grifin in their mission to make investing fit into the daily lives of people across the country,” said Freddie Martignetti, Partner at Nava Ventures. “With more than 178 million uninvested Americans, Grifin has the potential to make a remarkably positive impact by helping their app users lay the foundation for long-term wealth building.” 

Built to Help Average People Overcome Investment Hesitation
The American investment gap is real: 86% of Americans don’t directly own any stock, and over 73% of the country doesn’t have a single dollar invested in a 401k or mutual fund. For most Americans, the stock market can be intimidating, with thousands of different investment products making it difficult for the average person to know where to invest.

There are many psychological factors that contribute to an individual’s reluctance to invest. Many people fear the complexities of investing and have apprehension about potential losses and market volatility. Grifin helps to normalize these complexities and creates value behind the ownership of the brands people are putting their money towards.

Grifin simplifies the process of investing by automatically purchasing stocks in companies where the investor is already a customer, helping people get started through the life they’re already living. Grifin automatically invests $1 per transaction. For example, if a Grifin user buys something at Walmart, the app transfers $1 from their bank account to their investment account, and they buy $1 of Walmart stock. Users can also manually increase the investment amount to their choosing. 

“We have always believed that investing should be positive and fun. Where it doesn’t feel like a second job, it simply feels like second nature,” said Aaron Froug, CEO and Co-Founder of Grifin. “Unlike traditional investing, Grifin instills confidence through action and connection. Our goal with Grifin is to build daily investment habits, different mindsets and change the relationship people have with the brands they love. This new funding enables us the fuel to scale a product that’s already proven its power to increase investing habits in a whole new way.”

A Year of Rapid Growth
Over the last year, Grifin has experienced rapid growth amassing 500k registered users and 50M+ views on social media – with the company seeing more than 100,000 new app installs in the last month alone. The majority of Grifin investors are women between the ages of 40 and 60, a traditionally under-invested group. Grifin’s data shows people spend more on their favorite brands, when they have ownership in them. For example, six months after buying Walmart stock, Grifin users spend 234% more at Walmart.

To date, Grifin has raised over $20 million. The company will use this new capital to expand its team, partner with HR platforms and consumer brands, build family plans so kids can start investing early, and expand Grifin’s offerings with the kinds of tools and experiences their users are asking for.

“Grifin has reimagined what investing can feel like,” said Bo Starr, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Griffin. “We are building not just a platform, but a new relationship between people and the brands they support.”

Grifin is currently available on iOS and Android, with new features and partnerships rolling out this year.

Watch this video to see Grifin in action: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKPhtuZNgT4/ 

About Grifin
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Grifin was founded in 2017 by Aaron Froug, Bo Starr, and Robin Froug to offer individuals with little or no financial background the opportunity to invest in a way that instills confidence and feels familiar. Grifin is an innovative investment app that makes investing engaging and accessible by automatically integrating it with everyday activities. Grifin transforms regular shopping experiences into investment opportunities, making investing a natural part of daily life. Grifin’s proprietary technology, Adaptive Investing™, and its fully automated platform simplify the investment process, allowing users to invest gradually – one dollar at a time. For broker services, Grifin partners with a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. For more information on Grifin, visit https://www.grifin.com

SOURCE Grifin LLC

MCKINNEY, Texas, June 18, 2025 — Thousands, a revolutionary web3 protocol that transforms word-of-mouth marketing into a universal attribution infrastructure – together with sister company The Wildcard Alliance – today announced a joint $9 million fundraising round co-led by Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and Paradigm. The companies, founded by co-CEOs Paul and Katy Drake Bettner whose past work includes Words With Friends, Lucky’s Tale, and Age of Empires, have secured $6.5 million to date and expect to close the remaining funding over the next 60 days.

This new funding builds on the companies’ $46 million Series A raised in 2022, and will be used to accelerate development of their integrated ecosystem of products, utilizing the Thousands protocol and Thousands.tv platform to unlock new channels of creator-centric user acquisition and help launch their own upcoming game, Wildcard.

“It’s simple,” said Paul Bettner, co-CEO. “Wildcard only succeeds if its creators and community succeed. So we need a better way to reward these incredible contributors who drive immense value to the game. Thousands gives us the on-chain ‘rails’ to solve this problem, to record and reward user acquisition and conversion at every step of the funnel.”

“It’s simple,” said Paul Bettner, co-CEO. “Wildcard needed a better way to reward the incredible contributors who drive immense value to the game – the creators, the influencers, the super fans. Thousands gives us the on-chain ‘rails’ to solve this problem, to record and reward user acquisition and conversion at every step of the funnel.”

The synergy between Wildcard and Thousands has already demonstrated explosive growth. The Thousands network recorded over $800,000 in revenue in May 2025 alone, with an average revenue-per-stream of $50k, average viewer-to-payer conversion of 77%, and a new all-time-high revenue record at $134k — metrics that far exceed industry standards.

The Thousands network addresses an untapped, trillion dollar word-of-mouth economy, by making influence and attribution transparent, programmable, and incentive-aligned. The Thousands network enables creators and communities to earn instantly when their content drives conversions, while IP owners benefit from significantly lower customer acquisition costs compared to traditional channels.

“Thousands is redefining how games and content reach audiences,” said Rick Johanson, Founding Partner at Arbitrum Gaming Ventures. “Their web-native streaming layer – think Twitch meets WalletConnect – allows every connected viewer to become an active participant in an on-chain economy, transforming spectators into engaged users.”

“We believe in this game and we believe in this team,” said Dave White, Research Partner at Paradigm. “Paul, Kate, and team have created one of the most eagerly anticipated games in crypto and we’re very excited for what comes next.”

Since their initial funding, both platforms have achieved significant milestones. Wildcard was recently approved for release on Steam, where the 100k+ community are now playtesting Alpha builds of the game weekly, in preparation for Wildcard’s Early Access release later this year. These playtests are broadcast on Thousands.tv several times a week, helping to demonstrate the Thousands’ network’s ability to sustain engagement and monetization, with an average revenue _per viewer_ of $141 dollars.

“Thousands doesn’t feel like streaming. It’s no longer a one-way street.”, said Payton Kaleiwahea, content creator and founder of WolvesDAO, “Fans and creators are interacting; you’re not just watching the game. You’re connected to it. You’re inside it. With Thousands, being there matters, and that changes everything.”

About The Wildcard Alliance and Thousands

The Wildcard Alliance and Thousands are building the future of interactive entertainment, powered by communities. Founded by industry veterans Paul and Katy Drake Bettner, the companies are building disruptive new products at the intersection of cutting-edge technology, beloved IP, and fun. The Wildcard Alliance previously raised $46 million in 2022 from investors including Paradigm, Griffin Gaming Partners, and Sabrina Hahn. Learn more at  wildcardgame.com and thousands.tv.

Media Contact:
Leah Schultz
[email protected]

SOURCE The Wildcard Alliance, Inc.