Dr. Greenthumb’s Insane OG Seeds Drop Globally June 19

BERLIN, June 17, 2025 — Barney’s Farm, Amsterdam’s iconic seed bank, has joined forces with Dr. Greenthumb’s, the cannabis brand from Cypress Hill frontman B-Real, to debut a first-of-its-kind line of genetics that blends craftsmanship with cultural legacy.

30 Years in the Making

This collaboration has been three decades in the making. Derry Brett and B-Real first crossed paths in Amsterdam’s coffee shop circuit in the early ’90s. What began as a friendship rooted in a shared love for the plant now combines global influence with underground credibility.

This isn’t a celebrity endorsement—it’s a pledge to preserve a culture forged long before legalization, social media, or MSOs entered the scene. A partnership between two pioneers who helped shape the narrative before the world started watching.

Insane OG Goes Global

The debut strain, Insane OG, drops globally on June 19 at Mary Jane Berlin, Europe’s premier cannabis expo. Inspired by B-Real’s notorious 1998 anthem “Dr. Greenthumb,” Insane OG pays tribute to a counterculture built on resistance and dedication to the craft.

Bred from OG Kush, Bubba Kush, and Granddaddy Purple, Insane OG is an aromatic, indica-forward hybrid boasting 27% THC, delivering true connoisseur quality.

“Before anything leaves our house, it’s been stress-tested, verified, and refined to spec,” said Derry Brett, founder of Barney’s Farm. “We don’t release—we unveil. That’s the difference.”

The next drop, Cherry Bomb—a syrupy, high-yield hybrid—lands in September, featuring a pinene-dominant terp profile to enhance focus and mental clarity. More info coming soon.

Global Cannabis Movement

As legalization expands across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Barney’s Farm x Dr. Greenthumb’s has set a new global standard that honors the culture while prioritizing elite genetics.

What to Expect:

• World-class seed drops with international availability
• Certified nurseries for expert phenohunting
• Curated strain rollouts with long-term planning
• Lifestyle merch paired with each strain

“This collaboration is for the heads who’ve been with us since day one—before the hype and the headlines,” said B-Real, Founder of Dr. Greenthumb’s. “We helped build culture. Now we’re preserving it, one seed at a time.”

About Barney’s Farm
Founded in Amsterdam in 1986, Barney’s Farm is one of the most awarded seed banks in the cannabis industry. Since 2003, its U.S. expansion has brought its legendary genetics stateside through partnerships with elite brands like Doja Pak and Backpack Boyz. From RS11 x Bana OG to Lemon Cherry Gelato, Barney’s Farm continues to shape cannabis culture with breeding precision and landrace preservation.
Global Site | U.S. Site | @barneysfarm.genetics

About Dr. Greenthumb’s
Founded by Cypress Hill’s B-Real, Dr. Greenthumb’s fuses music, cultivation, and culture into a brand built for legacy. The Dr. Greenthumb’s brand has retail locations across California, and coming to Illinois soon; the brand is also currently active in AZ,UT, IL, FL, with additional states forthcoming in 2025.
Website | Insane OG Info | @drgreenthumbs

Media Assets
Available in the press kit.

Media Contact
Madison Mullis
[email protected]

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Oversubscribed Series F Led by Dragoneer Investment Group

DURHAM, N.C., June 17, 2025 — Teamworks, the Operating System for Sports™ powering more than 6,500 elite sports teams globally, today announced it has secured $235 million in an oversubscribed Series F financing led by returning investor Dragoneer Investment Group.

This latest round, which closed at a pre-money valuation exceeding $1.0 billion, will fuel the company’s mission to advance AI-powered solutions across professional, collegiate, and Olympic sports programs, cementing Teamworks’ position as the leading sports technology company globally.

“This significant investment validates our vision of creating the most comprehensive technology ecosystem in sports,” said Zach Maurides, CEO and Founder of Teamworks. “From our origins in communication and scheduling, to building the defining operating system for sports, this funding positions us to accelerate our data science capabilities and to shape the future of AI in sports.”

Teamworks has established itself as the premier provider of sports technology across four key pillars, delivering a platform that drives winning by unifying talent acquisition, athlete development, game preparation, and operational excellence in one powerful ecosystem:

Personnel:
For front office and personnel staff to drive talent identification, acquisition, and development that helps build championship-caliber teams.

Performance:
For integrated performance teams to deliver evidence-based, personalized, and coordinated care that increases availability and readiness to compete.

Coaching:
For coaching staff to streamline game preparation by bringing video, data-driven insights, and reporting into one powerful and mobile-friendly platform.

Operations:
For organizational leaders to streamline communication, logistics, and administrative functions across entire organizations, connecting and empowering staff and players.

The investment comes at a time when Teamworks’ operating system is already the preferred technology for collegiate and professional teams globally, including 100% of NFL, 90% of MLB and Premier League, 87% of NBA, 83% of MLS teams, 81% of NHL teams, 99% of DI NCAA athletic departments, and 65+ Olympic federations across 24 countries.

“Teamworks is the unmatched leader in sports technology, delivering critical solutions that are indispensable to organizations across the sports ecosystem,” said Christian Jensen, Partner at Dragoneer Investment Group. “Throughout our partnership, we have witnessed firsthand their remarkable execution, product expansion and growth trajectory. Their innovations in talent acquisition, player development, gameday preparation, digital banking, and operational technology create a market-leading end-to-end experience. We’re excited to be a part of Teamworks’ next chapter as they continue to transform how sports organizations operate.”

This funding, a combination of primary and secondary, will enable Teamworks to accelerate development of AI-powered solutions across all four product categories by expanding its world-class data science team and enhancing AI-driven insights that deliver smarter, faster decision-making for athletes, coaches, and administrators. It will also enable Teamworks to enhance its market-leading platform functionality through improved data unification across products, deeper integration with key partner technologies, and a consolidated mobile app that delivers real-time alerts and context-aware recommendations powered by its best-in-class machine learning and data science capabilities.

“Our customers choose to partner with us not only because we’re a stable, reliable company that for 18+ years has continued to deliver premium solutions, but because we continue to evolve right alongside them,” said Kyle Charters, CFO of Teamworks. “As the sports landscape changes and as our customers’ ambitions grow, this milestone provides significant resources to invest in innovation and world-class talent that will help them succeed.”

About Teamworks

Teamworks is the leading operating system for high performance, powering more than 6,500 sports teams and military organizations worldwide. Teamworks’ suite of best-in-class products drives winning by enabling data-driven talent acquisition, holistic performance development, game preparation, and operational excellence. Founded in 2004, Teamworks has expanded its offerings through strategic acquisitions, including INFLCR, ARMS Software, Smartabase, Zelus Analytics and Telemetry Sports, enhancing its ability to meet the complex needs of modern high-performance environments. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, Teamworks remains at the forefront of innovation in sports and human performance technology. Visit teamworks.com to learn more.

About Dragoneer Investment Group

Dragoneer Investment Group is a growth-oriented investment firm with over $25 billion under management and a flexible mandate to invest in high-quality businesses in both the public and private markets. For over a decade, Dragoneer has partnered with management teams to grow exceptional companies, characterized by sustainable differentiation and superior economic models. The firm seeks to deliver attractive returns while maintaining a focus on capital preservation and margin of safety. Dragoneer looks to partner with the best businesses globally and has been an investor in companies such as Airbnb, AmWINS, Atlassian, AuditBoard, CCC, Clearwater, Datadog, Dayforce, Dollar Shave Club, DoorDash, Duck Creek, Dynatrace, Flipkart, Mercadolibre, Meta, Nubank, PointClickCare, Procore, Roblox, Samsara, Slack, Snowflake, Spotify, Uber and others.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Teamworks

SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON, June 17, 2025 — Owl Ventures, the world’s largest venture capital firm focused on education technology with over $2 billion in assets under management, announced today that veteran technology executive and investor Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen has joined the firm as a General Partner. He will lead Owl’s strategic expansion across Europe, Africa, Middle East and other emerging markets, with a focus on impactful, AI-driven innovations in education.

Fjeldsoe-Nielsen brings over two decades of experience building and backing leading technology companies as both an operator and investor. He held key operational roles at Uber and Dropbox, where he helped guide their early international expansion and scale them into globally recognized platforms. Transitioning to venture capital, he became General Partner at Balderton Capital, one of Europe’s premier funds, before co-founding 2xN, a venture firm focused on quantum computing. As an investor, he has backed category-defining companies across education, mobility, quantum and AI—including strategic co-investments with Owl Ventures.

“We are thrilled to have Lars join our team at Owl Ventures. We’ve known and respected Lars for many years, and have had the opportunity to collaborate closely as co-investors,” said Tom Costin, General Partner at Owl Ventures. “Lars brings a rare combination of operating depth at the highest levels of tech and proven investment acumen across sectors. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion for education, extensive global network and perspective are tightly aligned with Owl’s mission and we’re excited to have Lars play a pivotal role in our next phase of growth.” 

Fjeldsoe-Nielsen’s drive to focus on AI in education is rooted in a lifelong interest in how geography and circumstance shape access to opportunity. Having grown up in Africa, he witnessed these dynamics early and has built a career around technologies that remove systemic barriers. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford and London Business School, where he also served as a Governor and Chairman of the Endowment Committee. This sustained engagement with institutions of learning, combined with his cross-functional experience in operating, building, and investing, gives him a distinct perspective on how emerging technologies can help deliver high-quality educational outcomes more equitably at scale.

“Joining Owl Ventures is an exciting next chapter,” said Fjeldsoe-Nielsen. “I am particularly inspired by Owl’s unique sector focus and leadership in education technology, and I look forward to working with visionary founders and education leaders worldwide to create meaningful, scalable impact in this critical sector. The transformative potential of AI to improve global education is immense, creating opportunities for ventures that improve access, quality, and learning outcomes while generating strong financial returns.”

“Lars brings global insight, technical depth, and a clear track record of supporting scalable companies,” added Tory Patterson, General Partner at Owl Ventures. “As we continue to grow our global platform and pursue cross-border opportunities, his experience and perspective will be invaluable in supporting founders and advancing our mission.”

Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Boston and London, Owl Ventures has built a global platform investing in leading education technology companies across PreK–12, higher education, career mobility, and EdTech+ (intersection of EdTech and other major industries such as FinTech and healthcare). With nearly 100 portfolio companies serving 700 million learners worldwide, Owl continues to expand its global footprint. Fjeldsoe-Nielsen’s addition further strengthens the firm’s presence in Europe and emerging markets, supporting solutions that address access, quality, and relevance in education. AI remains central to Owl’s investment thesis, enabling scalable impact and expanded opportunity.

About Owl Ventures
Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital firm in the world focused exclusively on the education technology market. With over $2 billion in assets under management, Owl invests across the education spectrum—including early childhood, K–12, higher education, and career mobility. The firm combines deep domain expertise with a global network of Limited Partners, investors, and strategic partners to help entrepreneurs scale transformative, category-defining companies. www.owlvc.com
For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

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Applications open through August 4, 2025 for dairy startups and entrepreneurs focused on high-growth dairy products

TRACY, Calif., June 17, 2025 — The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and innovation consultancy VentureFuel today announced the opening of applications for the seventh Real California Milk Excelerator, one of the largest dairy-specific startup competitions in the world, along with the formalization of an Incubator track for early-stage products.

The competition, which focuses on accelerating value-added products using real milk, features an immersive mentorship program and access to non-dilutive capital and an innovation ecosystem for brand growth. Since launching in 2019, the Real California Milk Excelerator has supported more than 50 startups, helping to drive multi-million-dollar growth and national retail expansion across Whole Foods, Sprouts, Costco and more. The addition of the official Incubator track, piloted in 2024, represents a deepened commitment to driving dairy innovation and supporting a broader ecosystem of entrepreneurs across all stages of growth.

“From concept to commercialization, our expanded program meets innovators where they are and helps them scale by tapping into the powerful benefits of California milk and our support system for brands that use the Real California Milk seal,” said Bob Caroll, CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board. “By formalizing the Incubator alongside the Excelerator, we’re helping even more startups realize their potential and doubling down on our long-term commitment to reimagining what’s possible with real milk from our dairy farm families.”

The Excelerator and Incubator tracks will run for 10 weeks and offer stipends to support program participation—from formulation and production to marketing and retail strategy, along with providing elite mentorship, hands-on support, and connections across the dairy supply chain. The program will culminate in an in-person event in California where Incubator and Excelerator participants will sample their products and the Excelerator cohort will compete in a live pitch competition with up to four finalists taking home $30,000 in marketing support. Those four will then compete over the following 12 months to unlock an additional $100,000 in support based on in-market performance.

The Real California Milk Excelerator is open to growth-stage companies already demonstrating product traction and revenue, while the Incubator track is built for early-stage startups, including pre-revenue concepts. Applicants will be evaluated through a single submission and placed into the track that best aligns with their business stage, traction, and goals.

The program’s return comes amid renewed momentum for dairy. According to Circana, real milk sales rose 4.6% year-over-year in dollar terms through May 2025, underscoring consumer interest in real milk for its taste, nutrition, and versatility.

“Dairy is experiencing a powerful resurgence as consumers seek authentic, nutritious options—and the opportunity for innovation has never been greater,” said Fred Schonenberg, Founder and CEO of VentureFuel. “In year seven of the Real California Milk Excelerator, we continue to unlock new commercial growth for visionary entrepreneurs who are building with dairy, no matter what stage their products are in. By connecting bold ideas with the resources, expertise, and network they need, we are proud to work with CMAB to help shape the future of dairy and drive the next wave of category-defining products.”

Applications are open through August 4, 2025. Startups and entrepreneurs developing high-growth dairy products made with at least 50% dairy are encouraged to apply. Categories of interest include beverages, snacks, cheeses, yogurts, butter, confections, and even non-edible items such as personal care or pet products with a specific interest in GLP-1 friendly, gut health, high protein, lactose-free and reduced sugar products.

Interested parties can apply or learn more about  competition rules, key dates, the application process, and RSVP for a virtual information session on July 15, 2025 at 12 PM PST at realcamilkexcelerator.com.

The 2025 Real California Milk Excelerator celebrates the state’s role as the number one producer of dairy in the United States. California, also known for innovation, has a reputation for quality dairy products and leads the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. More than 1,000 family dairy farms produce the milk found in fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy products identified by the Real California Milk seal.

About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, X and Pinterest.

About VentureFuel
VentureFuel is an independent innovation advisory firm that helps the world’s best organizations commercialize innovation to ignite change by working with startups. Its innovation programs help enterprise organizations learn, test, build and invest in emerging technology to solve their biggest problems today and unlock new sources of growth. VentureFuel provides organizations like Hershey’s, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, AARP Foundation and the State of California the tools to drive transformative change with less risk, more speed, and greater proximity to the consumer than traditional innovation models. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. You can listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast on Apple, Spotify, Simplecast or wherever you get your podcasts.

SOURCE Real California Milk

Firm led by veteran investors brings hands-on expertise to founder- and family-owned businesses

DALLAS, June 17, 2025 — Astria Elevate (“Astria”), co-founded by Shaun R. Gordon and long-time collaborator John S. Ehlinger, today announced the formal launch of a growth-oriented and operationally focused private investment firm specializing in partnering with founder, family, and entrepreneur-owned businesses.

Drawing on their extensive backgrounds, Gordon—an award-winning investor and operator known for founding and leading AGI Partners—and Ehlinger—a seasoned executive and turnaround investor who most recently led a turnaround and M&A roll-up in the healthcare services sector—bring a hands-on, value-driven approach to Astria Elevate. Their leadership, marked by industry recognition, successful exits, and transformative growth in challenging markets, inspired the creation of Astria Elevate, a firm dedicated to delivering value beyond capital by operationalizing strategic plans, empowering teams, and building lasting business foundations.

Astria Elevate focuses on investing in growing businesses and supporting management teams that deliver critical services to support modern society. The firm targets platform companies with $3 million to $20 million in EBITDA characterized by highly visible revenue streams, profitable operations, and compelling opportunities to drive transformative growth. Astria Elevate is actively pursuing opportunities in sectors where the firm and its partners have direct operating experience including asset-light business services, industrial automation, technical services, manufacturing, experiential marketing, and healthcare services.

To support these efforts, Astria Elevate recently appointed Matt Hawkins as Vice President to support investment execution and portfolio management, bringing deep private equity and operational expertise from Nonantum Capital Partners and Boston Consulting Group. He joins a multidisciplinary team of seasoned experts, operators, and advisors, including leaders in law, strategy, organizational transformation, and business development, who provide ongoing strategic guidance to help businesses achieve transformative, sustainable growth.

“We founded Astria Elevate to partner with founders and families seeking to meaningfully grow their businesses beyond their local markets. By bringing our firsthand operational and entrepreneurial experience to these investment partnerships, we aim to help management teams break through their current barriers and realize substantial improvement in sales, profitability and market reach,” said Gordon. “As experienced operators ourselves, we understand that true business value extends beyond spreadsheets. Our team leverages deep expertise in operational performance, analytics, leadership development, and organizational strategy to enhance and accelerate the success of our partner businesses.” 

Ehlinger added, “Our collaborative approach with management teams differentiates us significantly from traditional investors in the lower-middle-market. By aligning with the values and ambitions of the entrepreneurs we partner with, Astria Elevate fosters an environment conducive to growth, innovation, and sustained excellence. We believe successful organizations already know at their core what they need to do to meaningfully scale their operations. Our past successes have come by turning that knowledge into strategic action.” 

Astria Elevate is anchored by select family office investors and backed by institutional equity partners, ensuring a patient, supportive, and flexible investment approach tailored to founder and family-led businesses.

The name “Astria” is inspired by the Greek word for “star” and the mythological figure Astraea, symbolizing guidance, excellence, and the pursuit of stellar outcomes. Astria Elevate embodies this spirit by helping businesses reach their brightest potential.

For further information about Astria Elevate, please visit astriaelevate.com. 

About Astria Elevate LP 

Astria Elevate LP invests in founder- and family-owned businesses with an emphasis on operational excellence and strategic partnership. Recognizing that lasting business value comes from exceptional leadership, operational discipline, and strategic execution, Astria Elevate provides targeted expertise in performance improvement, analytics, leadership development, and organizational design to drive significant, sustained growth. The firm’s investment team combines substantial experience as both investors and operators of lower-middle-market companies, enabling them to offer practical, hands-on support tailored specifically to each platform business. 

SOURCE Astria Elevate L.P.

New capital will be used to scale unmanned defense systems, expand resilient manufacturing and deepen strategic defense partnerships 

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., June 17, 2025 — Mach Industries, a new industrial base for the unmanned era of American defense, today announced the close of its $100 million Series B. The round was led by Khosla Ventures and Bedrock, with participation from Sequoia Capital and existing investors. Bedrock previously backed the Company at the Seed stage and led its Series A.

Mach Industries is building a vertically integrated, full-stack industrial base for the era of unmanned warfare. Through its decentralized manufacturing platform, Forge, and a growing portfolio of autonomous defense systems, the company delivers modern military speed, scale, and survivability to the U.S. and its allies.

The new capital will accelerate the expansion of Forge Huntington, Mach’s flagship manufacturing platform; scale Mach Propulsion, its tactical engine division; and drive continued deployment of its core systems: Viper, Glide, and Stratos. Mach works with customers across the U.S. Department of Defense–including the Army, Air Force, and SOCOM–as well as allied governments. Second-generation systems are also in development.

“Mach Industries exists to enhance national readiness and preserve America’s strategic edge,” said Ethan Thornton, Founder and CEO. “Global security depends on America’s ability to create asymmetric unmanned capability. That means scaling production, building new facilities and fielding systems that deter conflict.”

With this funding, Mach will further industrialize its operations, deploying production capacity faster, closer to demand, and at greater scale. Its distributed model is designed for operational resilience and rapid iteration, ensuring the U.S. and its allies can field next-generation systems when and where they’re needed most.

“Mach’s vertically integrated and distributed model is exactly what the future of defense requires,” said Ben Kany, Principal at Bedrock. “In an era where speed and resilience define strength, Mach is delivering the systems that safeguard peace.”

As one of the round’s lead investors, Khosla Ventures highlighted Mach’s unique position in the evolving defense landscape:

“Mach has developed a fundamentally new way to deliver tactical unmanned capabilities–faster, cheaper, and with fewer constraints than traditional defense players,” said Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures. “Their model is purpose-built for the realities of modern conflict.”

This funding announcement follows recent Mach milestones including multiple industry partnerships and contracts, the launch of the company’s flagship factory, Forge Huntington; and the launch of Mach Propulsion.

About Mach Industries:
Founded in 2023, Mach Industries is a defense manufacturing company headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. The company develops advanced unmanned systems and the manufacturing infrastructure to scale their production. By vertically integrating weapons, propulsion, and manufacturing, Mach delivers the speed, adaptability, and resilience required to preserve the allied edge in an increasingly contested world.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE Mach Industries

Closed in just over a year since the Series E announcement, this transaction demonstrates the company’s hypergrowth and cements its leadership position in the vehicle intelligence market

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 17, 2025 — Applied Intuition, Inc., the leading vehicle intelligence company for automotive, trucking, construction, mining, agriculture and defense, today announced it has closed a $600 million Series F fundraise and tender offer at a $15 billion valuation. This fresh round of funding, co-led by BlackRock-managed funds and accounts and Kleiner Perkins, will propel Applied Intuition into its next phase of vehicle intelligence, deeper product expansion, and global team growth. Other new investors in the round include Franklin Templeton, Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Premji Invest, Stripes, Greycroft, BAM Elevate, and 137 Ventures. Existing investors participating in the round include Fidelity Management & Research Company, General Catalyst, Lux, BOND, Elad Gil, Addition, and Tribe Capital.

“Applied Intuition is entering its next era,” said Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. “We’re scaling up our investments in bringing intelligence into every moving machine. Everything from cars and trucks to drones and factories will be powered by AI, and our mission is to connect AI with the physical world it will transform.”

“The last eight years have been about building the infrastructure to enable vehicle intelligence at scale,” said Peter Ludwig, co-founder and CTO of Applied Intuition. “The focus of this next phase is to accelerate the rollout of intelligent, software-defined systems across all domains — defense, automotive, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture. With the continued backing of our investors, we’re just getting started.”

Applied Intuition closed this major up round just over a year after announcing its Series E in March 2024. Since then, the company has maintained strong momentum with AI innovations and product launches, including strategic partnerships with OpenAI, TRATON, Isuzu, Porsche and Audi; the release of its off-road autonomy stack; the acquisition of defense technology company EpiSci and the launch of its newest defense products, Axion and Acuity; and recent global office expansion into the United Kingdom.

“At BlackRock, we invest in the long-term megatrends reshaping the global economy, including AI, autonomy, and the broader digital evolution,” said BlackRock Managing Director Samir Menon. “Our platform has been actively investing in the autonomous driving sector for years, and Applied Intuition has emerged as a key innovation leader. We are proud to back Applied Intuition as they continue their mission to make all vehicles intelligent.”

“Since our initial investment six years ago, we’ve believed deeply in Applied Intuition’s vision and team,” said Mamoon Hamid, Partner at Kleiner Perkins. “Qasar and Peter had the foresight to start building toward a future shaped by vehicle intelligence and autonomy well before it became widely understood. Now, in 2025, with the world taking notice, we are deepening our commitment to what we believe is a generational company.”

To learn more about how Applied Intuition is the leader in vehicle intelligence and catapulting the autonomy industry forward, go to appliedintuition.com.

About Applied Intuition
Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company that accelerates the global adoption of safe, AI-driven machines. Founded in 2017, Applied Intuition delivers the toolchain, Vehicle OS and autonomy stacks to help customers build intelligent vehicles and shorten time to market. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and major programs across the Department of Defense trust Applied Intuition’s solutions to deliver vehicle intelligence. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego, CA, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, Ann Arbor, MI, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm, Seoul and Tokyo. Learn more at appliedintuition.com.

SOURCE Applied Intuition, Inc.

Backed by top-tier investors, HOPPR is scaling its secure platform for enabling developers
and medical imaging partners to build, refine, and deploy AI applications.

CHICAGO, June 17, 2025 — HOPPR, the company revolutionizing how AI imaging applications are built, validated, and deployed, announced today that it has secured $31.5a million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by Kivu and Greycroft, with participation from PSG Equity, Morningside Capital, Fortitude Ventures, and existing investor Health 2047.  This round demonstrates exceptional investor confidence in HOPPR’s ability to innovate and scale in the rapidly evolving medical AI imaging space.   

With Series A funding, HOPPR intends to accelerate platform development, scale operations, expand its foundation model capabilities to enable unprecedented flexibility and precision in developing imaging AI applications, and grow its team of top-tier engineering, AI, and compliance talent.

HOPPR’s platform addresses a critical challenge in the development of medical AI imaging applications by enabling fine-tuning and validation of models in a secure and compliant environment. Built for medical imaging vendors and developers, HOPPR provides tooling and data access that enables the development of high-performing, reliable AI models with full transparency and traceability throughout the process.

“At HOPPR, we’re building the secure infrastructure Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) vendors and developers need to fine-tune and deploy foundation models for real-world clinical use,” said Dr. Khan Siddiqui, CEO and Co-founder of HOPPR. “Our vision is to democratize access to high-performing, trustworthy imaging AI by giving developers the tools, data, and compliant environment they need to fine-tune models safely and at scale. By doing so, we enable innovation that ultimately improves diagnostic workflows, supports radiologists, and enhances patient care across the globe.”

Unlike marketplaces that offer prebuilt AI applications, the HOPPR platform empowers users to fine-tune foundation models using their own data or HOPPR’s expertly curated datasets. Based on a quality management system, the platform combines trusted data provenance with secure development pipelines, streamlining the process of concept to clinical deployment.

“HOPPR has one of the most unique teams made up of the world’s leading AI specialists, technologists, and radiologists who are specifically suited to solve the major challenges facing healthcare developers,” said Seth Berman, Co-founder and General Partner at Kivu Ventures. “We’re excited to support a platform that is built from the ground up for clinical readiness and commercial impact.”

“We are excited to partner with HOPPR as they enable customers to deploy state-of-the-art medical imaging AI into diagnostic workflows—ultimately improving patient outcomes in radiology,” said Bryan Subijano, Investor at Greycroft. “HOPPR simplifies the most complex aspects of healthcare AI, from data curation and data provenance to model validation and refinement.” 

Larry K. Cohen, CEO at Health2047, a venture studio founded by the American Medical Association added, “We’re proud to have supported HOPPR’s vision and team from day one. Their platform enhances diagnostic accuracy and brings clinicians into direct dialogue with imaging studies—an approach that’s truly first-of-its-kind. The potential for both physicians and patients is nothing short of transformational.”

About HOPPR

HOPPR is the leading infrastructure platform for building, fine-tuning, and deploying AI foundation models and applications in medical imaging. Purpose-built for developers and PACs vendors, HOPPR offers secure tooling and access to curated data with known provenance, enabling the rapid development of clinically ready AI applications. With integrated quality management systems and support for marketing authorization, HOPPR bridges the gap between innovation and real-world deployment, helping transform diagnostic workflows and improve patient care globally.  For more information, visit www.hoppr.ai. 

SOURCE HOPPR

New Funding from Leading Insurers and Asset Managers to Fuel Insurtech Firm’s Expansion

BERWYN, Pa., June 17, 2025 — Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx), an Insurtech leader providing integrated tools that connect financial professionals with insurance companies and asset managers, today announced the closing of new growth capital. Prudential Financial, Inc. (Prudential) was the lead investor in this latest funding round, with participation from Franklin Templeton, Invesco LLC, and Axonic Insurance Services.

“We are excited to add Franklin Templeton, Invesco, and Axonic to our strategic investor group and highly value Prudential’s ongoing leadership and commitment to our growth,” said Rich Romano, CEO of FIDx. “This capital raise demonstrates the broader industry’s confidence in and recognition of the vision and strategy that FIDx continues to execute. We remain fully committed to enabling every advisor to seamlessly integrate income and protection solutions into every client’s financial plan. Our strategic investors clearly recognize the importance of this evolution for their businesses.”

FIDx empowers financial professionals through its established Insurance Exchange and the soon-to-launch Insurance Overlays Marketplace. After nearly eight years of operation, FIDx and its platforms currently collaborate with over 20 leading insurance carriers, prominent asset management firms, and wealth management platforms, connecting advisors to an extensive range of commission- and fee-based insurance products.

Strong demand for retirement income solutions such as annuities persists; however, many advisors still find integrating them into client plans overly complex. FIDx addresses this challenge by eliminating barriers created by outdated, disconnected systems, making insurance solutions more accessible and manageable throughout the full product lifecycle within client portfolios.

Ann Nanda, Head of Future Growth Initiatives and Distribution Enablement for Prudential Retirement Strategies, stated, “At Prudential, we are committed to expanding access to retirement security by empowering advisors with more effective and integrated tools. FIDx is a key innovator in this space, providing platforms that connect wealth managers with lifetime income strategies that can help them protect their life’s work, so they can live better lives, longer.”

Significantly highlighting the value of FIDx, asset managers have joined the cap table for the first time. Investors Franklin Templeton and Invesco emphasized FIDx’s substantial contributions to the advisory landscape:

“The connectivity between wealth managers and insurance providers enabled by FIDx is key to integrating insurance and income strategies into holistic client solutions,” said Roger Paradiso, Head of Custom Client Solutions at Franklin Templeton.  “Our work to connect FIDx and our Canvas Custom Indexing platform continues the ongoing expansion of innovative solutions available to clients on the Canvas platform while also creating an additional access point for partners across the industry to tap into these offerings.”

“Our investment in FIDx reflects Invesco’s commitment to delivering innovative retirement solutions that help advisors and their clients achieve greater financial security,” said John McDonough, Head of Americas Distribution at Invesco. “By integrating FIDx’s powerful technology with our investment expertise, we’re expanding access to lifetime income and decumulation strategies that are essential for today’s evolving retirement landscape.”

About FIDx
Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx) powers a technology-empowered network that seamlessly integrates the brokerage, insurance, and advisory ecosystems to offer best-in-class annuities and insurance solutions from the industry’s leading carriers. FIDx enables advisors to offer guaranteed income and downside protection as core components of their clients’ portfolios, integrated within the same wealth management platforms they already use every day. An independent technology firm, FIDx connects advisory firms to insurance carriers and asset managers through a seamless, digitally enabled process so advisors can truly deliver comprehensive advice and help clients reach their goals. To learn more, please visit www.fidx.io and follow FIDx on LinkedIn.

Media contact:
Laura Simpson
JConnelly for FIDx
[email protected]

SOURCE Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx)