Although 83% of Americans believe estate planning is important, only 31% have a will, and 55% have no plan at all. This new research from Trust & Will underscores this disconnect, revealing the urgent need for families to secure their futures as trillions of dollars in assets transfer between generations. Trust & Will is transforming the industry by making estate planning more accessible, affordable, and intuitive — ensuring that every family, not just the wealthy, can protect their legacy with ease.
“Trust & Will sets the standard for accessible, reliable estate planning,” said Jennifer Povlitz, Vice Chair, US, UBS Global Wealth Management. “Financial advisors and institutions trust the brand for its simplicity and world-class experience. It’s become an essential tool for advisors delivering value to their clients.”
The new investment will expand Trust & Will’s SaaS platform to provide financial advisors, attorneys, real estate professionals, member organizations, NPOs, and businesses with enhanced tools to provide their clients with seamless, multi-generational planning while building trust and value in their relationships. The company will also strengthen its data infrastructure, leveraging insights from over one million users to drive innovation, develop advanced financial tools, foster partnerships, and create solutions tailored to evolving customer needs.
This round will also support continued investment in artificial intelligence, which is fundamental to the future of estate planning. Already embedded in the platform, AI will further enhance the individual estate planning process by analyzing existing plans, delivering personalized recommendations, and providing real-time updates. “AI enables families and advisors to plan with greater clarity and confidence,” said Cody Barbo, CEO. “By combining technology with human compassion, we’re transforming how people protect and preserve their legacies.”
As Trust & Will continues to innovate with AI-driven solutions, it is also expanding its reach through strategic partnerships that integrate estate planning into major life milestones, such as buying a home or car. “Estate planning has been an untapped opportunity across our industry,” said Constance Freedman, Founder and Managing Partner at Moderne Ventures. “We’re thrilled to lead Trust & Will’s Series C out of Moderne’s new Growth Fund and welcome them into our Moderne Passport Program. We’re excited to help Trust & Will forge new partnerships, integrate estate planning into real estate, and make a lasting impact on families. Their innovation in this space is unmatched, and we’re proud to support their growth.”
“Every family deserves access to estate planning, and every professional deserves tools that simplify the process while delivering exceptional results,” Trust & Will CEO Barbo added. “This Series C funding is more than a company milestone; it’s a step toward transforming estate planning into an essential service that touches every family’s life and legacy.”
Founded in 2017, Trust & Will is the leading digital estate planning platform, trusted by over 1 million users. We provide modern, accessible solutions to help families protect their legacies with attorney-approved, legally valid documents tailored to individual state requirements. Our seamless online platform simplifies the estate planning and settlement process, empowering individuals to create wills and trusts while also partnering with financial advisors, attorneys, and institutions to make legacy planning more inclusive and affordable. With bank-level encryption and compliance with SOC 2 and HIPAA standards, we ensure maximum security and privacy for our members. As a certified B Corporation and the official estate planning provider for AARP members and leading financial institutions, Trust & Will is redefining estate planning for the digital age—making it easier, more secure, and accessible to every family.
The funding raise, led by Tetrad Corp., and joined by Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE Ventures, Energy Capital Ventures, and Elemental Impact, among others, will support Capture6’s technology for generating value from brine waste.
BERKELEY, Calif., March 11, 2025 — Capture6, whose integrated system converts waste brine into both fresh water and carbon removal solutions, announces $27.5 million in Series A and project funding. Capture6 was advised by financial advisor Rothschild & Co. for the capital raise and the round was led by private equity firm Tetrad Corporation, with participation by Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE Ventures, Energy Capital Ventures, Elemental Impact, Bridge Investment, Sopoong Ventures, Third Derivative, Stan and Jane Rodbell, and the Jacob S Shapiro Foundation. The Series A raise will allow Capture6 to advance core water recovery and carbon removal projects in its global pipeline.
Capture6 recently partnered with Palmdale Water District to eliminate the need for up to 100 acres of brine ponds and save up to 40% in lifetime costs through the use of their technology at a new facility. The company’s integrated system converts waste brine into both fresh water and carbon removal solutions.
“Climate change is creating water insecurity for much of the world’s population, driving up demand for freshwater worldwide, and exacerbating the root problem as current methods of water treatment are carbon intensive,” said Capture6 CEO Ethan Cohen-Cole. “Our approach reduces waste streams from desalination and wastewater treatment while generating new water sources, lowering waste disposal costs, improving the efficiency of water production facilities, and decarbonizing projects simultaneously.”
Capture6’s integrated system connects directly with existing water infrastructure to reinvent carbon removal and water treatment simultaneously. Unlike traditional direct air capture methods that use energy-intensive multi-step processes, Capture6’s system transforms waste brine — normally expensive to dispose of — into a solvent that directly mineralizes CO2 in a single step. This system creates valuable green chemicals for water facilities while recovering additional freshwater from brine that would otherwise be wasted. By addressing both climate and water security challenges within existing infrastructure, Capture6 offers a practical solution as the World Economic Forum projects freshwater demand to exceed supply by 40% by 2030.
“Numerous businesses and industries face wastewater disposal and freshwater acquisition challenges to their growth and long-term success,” said Tetrad spokesperson and board member Aaron Hilkemann. “In Capture6, we see a company committed to addressing these challenges head-on. Their solution decreases the financial burden for businesses and builds momentum around environmentally beneficial methods of water production and waste treatment.”
The company recently partnered with Palmdale Water District to eliminate the need for up to 100 acres of brine ponds and save up to 40% in lifetime costs through the use of their technology at a new facility. Capture6 is helping the District provide Southern California residents with new water supplies while helping the state meet its goal for carbon neutrality by 2045.
“Fresh water scarcity demands we rethink traditional water infrastructure to ensure districts can provide affordable, clean water and remove harmful pollutants,” said Danya Hakeem, VP of Portfolio at Elemental Impact. “We are proud to double down on our support for Capture6 and the Palmdale Water District project to help deliver meaningful cost savings while providing reliable, clean water to a community that needs it most.”
The successful Series A raise demonstrates Capture6’s ability to drive business and environmental value simultaneously.
“The technologies with the biggest potential impact are those that enable clean, safe, reliable, cost-effective energy,” added Energy Capital Ventures Vic Pascucci. “This funding elevates Capture6 as the industry leader in direct air capture, while simultaneously producing fresh water. After years of studying this space, we recognize Capture6 as a true game-changer through permanent carbon removal plus water security.”
Capture6 has so far announced four water positive carbon capture facilities across three continents. The company is developing a global pipeline, integrating with industrial partners in the U.S., Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and the Middle East. In 2024, the company also announced that Frontier facilitated a pre-purchase of 1,000 tons of carbon removal for Shopify and Stripe.
About Capture6
Capture6 is a water-positive carbon removal company based in California and New Zealand leveraging its technology to support climate resilience and industrial decarbonization. The company develops and commercializes highly scalable approaches to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Capture6 is pioneering an approach that can be deployed today by repurposing existing industrial-scale technologies. Additionally, when coupled with desalination facilities, Capture6 can recover over 50% of freshwater from desalination waste brine for drinking and industrial purposes in the process of removing CO₂. This creates a meaningful synergy between carbon removal and water security. Learn more at capture6.org.
About Tetrad Corporation
Tetrad Corporation is a family-owned private investment and asset management company founded by the late Walter Scott Jr. Tetrad follows its founder’s long term investment strategy and has primarily focused its diversified portfolio in energy, telecommunication, real estate, banking and agriculture.
About Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE Ventures
ZER01NE Ventures focuses on investing in promising startups that show great potential yet need further support to develop their services and products. Through open collaboration, mutually beneficial partnerships are established in crucial growth sectors ranging from artificial intelligence & machine learning to micro-mobility. A unique aspect of the ZER01NE Ventures is that some startups chosen for further collaboration might not immediately be relevant to the Hyundai Motor Group but hold great future potential. In this way, ZER01NE Ventures helps to further democratize technological investment for greater opportunity and progress for humanity. Learn more at zer01ne.zone.
About Energy Capital Ventures®
Energy Capital Ventures® (ECV) is the only early-stage venture capital firm solely dedicated to the sustainability, resilience and digital transformation of the natural gas industry. In addition to this unique focus that champions innovation in what ECV has defined as green molecules™, the firm further differentiates itself with a customized engagement and deep integration with its strategic limited partners. This model brings together the innovation of the startup ecosystem with the scale of the natural gas industry to build generation companies and enable the future of clean, safe, reliable, cost-effective energy. Learn more at www.energycapitalventures.com.
About Elemental Impact
Elemental Impact is a nonprofit investing platform with 15 years of experience advancing innovative technology that creates lasting economic and environmental benefits across communities. Through our platform, we deploy catalytic capital and provide expert services to a portfolio of 160+ companies across energy, agriculture, transportation, industry, and nature-based solutions. Learn more at www.elementalimpact.com.
About Rothschild & Co, Global Advisory
Rothschild & Co is a family-controlled and independent group and has been at the center of the world’s financial markets for over 200 years. With a team of 4,600 talented financial services specialists on the ground in over 40 countries, Rothschild & Co’s integrated global network of trusted professionals provide in-depth market intelligence and effective long-term solutions for our clients Global Advisory, Wealth & Asset Management, and Five Arrows, its alternative assets arm. Global Advisory, a division of the Rothschild & Co group, designs and executes strategic M&A and financing solutions, providing impartial, expert advice to large and mid-sized corporations, private equity, families and entrepreneurs, and governments. Through its unrivalled network of 1,600 industry and financing specialists in 47 countries, Rothschild & Co’s Global Advisory business combines the breadth of its advisory offering with a high volume of transactions to achieve a unique understanding and perspective into markets and participants worldwide.
The no-code, AI-powered Canva for cybersecurity lets security teams of any size build custom solutions in minutes, without the enterprise price tag
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 11, 2025 — Sola Security, the self-serve platform built to democratize cybersecurity, announced its launch from stealth today with a $30 million seed round led by S Capital and veteran venture capitalist Mike Moritz. Investors also include S32, Glilot Capital Partners, and several prominent angel investors. Sola Security is redefining how organizations build and deploy security tools by eliminating complexity, cutting costs, and putting power back into the hands of security professionals at every level, enabling them to create tailored solutions with its no-code, AI-powered platform.
Founded in 2024 by cybersecurity veterans Guy Flechter (former CEO & Co-Founder of Cider Security, acquired by Palo Alto Networks) and Ron Peled (former Global CISO of LivePerson and strategic security consultant to startups), Sola was born from frustration with the industry’s current model: security teams drowning in expensive, siloed tools that require dedicated engineering resources to manage. Organizations today juggle up to 50 separate security tools, each with its own UI, costs, and maintenance headaches. Smaller teams and solo security professionals struggle even more, lacking the resources to manage bloated security stacks. The result? A landscape of inefficiencies, security gaps, and wasted budgets.
Sola Security lets businesses build functional security apps from start to finish, without needing deep technical expertise or bloated budgets. Users can deploy ready-made security tools from the Sola App Gallery or build custom security solutions using Sola’s AI-powered no-code studio.
“Cybersecurity shouldn’t be this hard or expensive. That’s the challenge Sola Security is here to solve,” said Guy Flechter, CEO & Co-Founder of Sola Security. “We see ourselves as part of the self-serve revolution created by giants such as Canva, Stripe, and Figma, who changed the way we work in their domains. Security tools today are either too narrow to solve real problems or too bloated to be usable, and we knew there had to be a better way. Sola Security lets any team create and customize security solutions instantly, without the overhead, without the engineering burden, and without the ridiculous price tag.”
“Sola isn’t just building another security solution, it’s transforming how security teams think and operate,” said Aya Peterburg, Co-founder and Managing Partner at S Capital. “By making security more accessible, adaptable, and aligned with real-world challenges, Sola is driving a much-needed shift in the cybersecurity industry. With a visionary team at the helm and a product that meets an urgent market need, we’re thrilled to be part of their journey.”
With Sola Security’s AI-powered platform, even teams without dedicated security engineers can confidently create and deploy solutions in minutes, without the bloat, overhead, or complexity of traditional security platforms.
“It’s rare to come across something truly refreshing in tech, but Sola Security is exactly that – a breath of fresh air,” said Michael Moritz, former Chairman of Sequoia Capital and investor in Sola. “Sola has embraced an audacious approach which will help make it easier for developers to plug the holes that riddle any security architecture. Right now Sola’s designs are bold, adventurous and desperately needed. But ten years from now security experts will wonder how they ever lived without Sola.”
To join the waitlist and be among the first to experience Sola, visit sola.security.
About Sola Security
Sola Security democratizes cybersecurity by empowering organizations to take control of their security strategy with minimal resource investment. It is a SaaS platform that enables organizations of all sizes and individuals to build, customize and collaborate on security tools using plain language, code, or Sola’s AI builder. Designed to eliminate complexity and reduce costs, With an intuitive no-code studio, users with even a basic understanding of their security needs can build custom security tools in minutes or use ready-made solutions from the Sola App Gallery. Sola ensures security teams can better build, understand and maximize the effectiveness of their security stack. For more information, visit sola.security.
The former Aetion and Remedy Partners CEO joins Define to further drive innovation across provider, payer, and pharmaceutical sectors
SAN FRANCISCO, March 11, 2025 — Define Ventures, one of the largest venture capital firms focused on early-stage health tech companies, today announced that Carolyn Magill, former CEO of Aetion, has joined the firm as venture partner. Magill, leveraging her 25 years of invaluable experience scaling companies and fostering innovation within payer, provider, and pharmaceutical organizations, will partner with Define founders to scale their companies and become category-defining companies.
Carolyn is a seasoned healthcare executive and two-time CEO, having held executive leadership positions across multiple corners of the ecosystem. Prior to joining Define, Carolyn was CEO of Aetion, whose platform transforms real-world data into regulatory-grade evidence for critical healthcare decisions. She also previously served as CEO of Remedy Partners, the premier bundled payments software and services company, and as Executive Vice President of Payer Strategy and Operations at Evolent Health, where she helped drive the company’s progression from startup through IPO. She also held several leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group, including Chief Operating Officer of its Community and State plan in New Jersey.
“Carolyn’s extensive experience across payer, provider, and pharmaceutical sectors makes her uniquely qualified to guide the next generation of health tech innovators,” said Lynne Chou O’Keefe, founder and managing partner at Define Ventures. “Having had the privilege of partnering with Carolyn as an advisor for many years, we’re confident her deep expertise, particularly in data and AI applications within the pharmaceutical landscape, will be invaluable to our partner companies.”
“Define represents the best of venture — an incredible founder community and a team of experienced operators who truly understand what it takes to build in healthcare,” said Magill. “Throughout my career, I’ve worked across many corners of healthcare, and joining Define allows me to bring that experience to the earliest stages of innovation, helping founders turn ideas into impact.”
Carolyn’s appointment complements Define Ventures’ existing venture partners, Bruce Broussard, former CEO of Humana, and Frank Williams, co-founder and former CEO of Evolent Health, creating a powerful trio of industry leaders with comprehensive experience across payer, provider and pharmaceutical sectors. Together, they bring unparalleled strategic depth to Define’s partner companies.
Define Ventures has $800 million in assets under management and partners with companies at the seed, series A and series B stages. The firm impacts leading health tech entrepreneurs with its high conviction approach, partnering with over two dozen companies including Hims & Hers (NYSE: HIMS), Unite Us and Cohere Health. To learn more about Define Ventures, visit www.definevc.com.
About Define Ventures
Define Ventures is one of the largest funds focused on early-stage health tech companies. With $800 million AUM, we take a high conviction approach in partnering with companies in the earliest stages. We believe the future of healthcare will be defined by those who bring together a deep understanding of the healthcare ecosystem paired with a technology-driven mindset. Our team was built to this vision, bringing together founders and investors who built category-defining companies and delivered over $25 billion in exit value, including Livongo (NYSE: LVGO), Evolent (NYSE: EVH), and Hims & Hers (NYSE: HIMS).
Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner, leads her team in closing $190M for Fusion Fund IV to continue investing in top technical founders who shape the future of innovation.
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 10, 2025 — With $190 million in committed capital, Fusion Fund announces the closing of Fusion Fund IV to continue supporting technical founders in enterprise AI, healthcare, and industrial automation. Fund IV was oversubscribed in less than six months, bringing Fusion Fund’s total assets under management to over $500 million. The fund is backed by institutional LPs, including endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, and strategic family offices.
Fusion Fund Team
Fusion Fund was founded in 2015 by Managing Partner Lu Zhang. As a first-generation immigrant from Inner Mongolia, Lu Zhang is a serial entrepreneur who began her career as a materials science researcher from Stanford. After successfully exiting her startup, her track record as an angel investor, including 4 IPOs, led her to create Fusion Fund. Since then, she has built a distinguished ecosystem, assembling a top-tier investment team of technologists, operators, and executives, including Shane Wall, Partner, the former CTO of Hewlett Packard and a member of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; David Gerster, Investment Partner, an expert in AI and data science with over 15 years of experience at Yahoo, Microsoft, and Groupon; and Ivneet Bhullar, Investment Partner, who previously led digital health and innovation initiatives at Amgen and Genentech.
The Fusion CXO Network (45+ Fortune 1000 executives) and Fusion Expert Network (50+ top industry leaders) provide portfolio companies with market validation, revenue growth and strategic partnerships. By combining thought leadership with deep industry connections, Fusion Fund remains at the forefront of AI innovation and venture growth.
“As AI transforms industries, we are committed to backing visionary founders tackling complex challenges in high-impact markets,” says Zhang. “With a seasoned team and a disciplined strategy, Fund IV strengthens our platform to drive breakthrough innovation and long-term growth.”
Fusion Fund, a female-led VC firm in Palo Alto, invests in early-stage entrepreneurs building innovation in enterprise AI, healthcare, and industrial automation. Its $190M Fund IV brings its AUM to over $500M. Its portfolio holds over 90 companies with a collective annual revenue exceeding $2.5B.
LA JOLLA, Calif., March 10, 2025 — Cybereason, a leading global cybersecurity company, today announced a $120 million investment led by SoftBank Corp., SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Liberty Strategic Capital to advance the company’s global growth fueled by its award-winning endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions and its world-class consulting services, enhanced by a strategic partnership with Trustwave. Manish Narula will serve as the company’s new CEO.
New Investment Funding
Cybereason has secured an additional $120 million in funding from key investors, including SoftBank Corp., SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Liberty Capital. Other current investors will have the opportunity to participate in the funding round.
This investment reflects strong confidence in Cybereason’s industry-leading EDR technology and its ability to combat sophisticated cyber threats. It ensures the company remains a long-term, trusted cybersecurity partner for enterprises worldwide, while reinforcing its commitment to delivering exceptional customer service to meet the evolving needs of its clients.
“We are thrilled to have key investors SoftBank Corp., SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Liberty Strategic Capital leading this investment round. This funding is a testament to the strength of our technology, and the trust our partners place in Cybereason,” said Manish Narula, CEO of Cybereason. “With this capital infusion, Cybereason’s Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Gregory Puff, along with the entire Cybereason team, will continue to push the boundaries of innovation in cybersecurity technology and services, expanding our reach in critical markets.”
Leadership Transition
Manish Narula has been appointed as the new CEO, effective immediately. Narula, along with Puff, will leverage the executive team’s extensive leadership, financial, and operational experience and position Cybereason for success in its new chapter.
With this investment and to support Cybereason’s renewed focus on its core EDR and consulting services, we have decided to pursue expansion of our strategic relationship with Trustwave, a leader in managed security services, rather than complete the previously announced intent to merge.
About Cybereason Cybereason is a leading global cybersecurity company. Cybereason provides attack protection with cutting edge EDR and industry recognized consulting services to support organizations throughout any stage of the incident lifecycle. Cybereason’s award-winning technology and elite experts empower organizations of all sizes to harden, respond and recover from cyber threats in an ever evolving threat landscape. Cybereason is a privately held international company headquartered in California with customers in more than 40 countries.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “plan,” “expect,” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the following: (i) whether or not the conditions to closing upon the investment occur and/or if the investment occurs at all, (ii) whether or not regulatory approvals are obtained and/or events conditioned on the receipt of regulatory approvals occur at all, (iii) the potential for growth in the market for cloud-based security solutions (domestically and internationally) and future cybersecurity spending; (iv) our business plan and our ability to effectively manage our growth; (v) anticipated trends, growth rates and challenges in our business and in the markets in which we operate; and (vi) the ability of the Company to manage costs and find efficiencies and the sufficiency of our cash to meet our cash needs.
These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties. It is not possible for the Company to predict all risks, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. The forward looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations. In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this press release, which may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These and all other forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and should not be relied upon.
AI platform combined with autonomous labs will accelerate discovery across every domain of science
Company has raised $200M in seed financing to further develop platform and build first AI Science Factories
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10, 2025 — Flagship Pioneering, the bioplatform innovation company, today unveiled Lila Sciences, a company building the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and fully autonomous labs for life, chemical, and materials sciences. The company, which was founded in Flagship’s labs in 2023, is pioneering an advanced form of AI that can not only process vast amounts of data and make predictions, but also assist scientists in designing and conducting new experiments, generating hypotheses and testing them in real-world environments.
Lila Sciences
Lila has raised $200 million in committed seed capital from Flagship Pioneering, along with General Catalyst, March Capital, ARK Venture Fund, Altitude Life Science Ventures, Blue Horizon Advisors, State of Michigan Retirement System, Modi Ventures and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) to support the further development of the AI platform, autonomous labs, and infrastructure for rapid scaling.
“Lila’s mission to responsibly achieve Scientific Superintelligence is born out of the belief that this is the most important opportunity of our time, and that the leader in this pursuit will be the entity that runs the scientific method at the largest scale, speed and intelligence,” said Geoffrey von Maltzahn, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lila Sciences and General Partner, Flagship Pioneering. “To achieve this, we must solve the hard problems to allow AI to autonomously and in a scalable manner run each step – from AI models generating an idea to reducing it to practice with robotics and automation. We’ve made some incredible progress in only a few years and are at the very beginning of this important mission.”
“For all of human history, the method for scientific exploration has been steadfast: we predict, test, learn, create. Yet for all the progress we have made, we still understand only a fraction of the rules that govern the physical world,” said Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering and Co-Founder and Chairman, Lila Sciences. “With Lila, our hypothesis is that by scaling experimentation, we can unlock emergent abilities and enable discoveries that remain hidden at smaller scales. Lila represents an ambitious undertaking that we believe will accelerate science with enormous benefit to society.”
Lila’s Autonomous Science platform is designed to, with human guidance, scale and optimize experimentation in any scientific domain by combining generative AI with generalizable, scalable and autonomous AI science units. In just a few years of development, the platform has demonstrated performance in multiple domains that exceed human and existing AI-powered benchmarks, including:
LLMs with state-of-the-art reasoning capabilities on important scientific problems and scientific intelligence benchmarks;
Generation of optimal genetic medicine constructs that outperform commercially available therapeutics;
Discovery and validation of hundreds of novel antibodies, peptides and binders for a broad range of therapeutic targets;
Generation of unique non-platinum group metals as catalysts in the production of green hydrogen at a fraction of the cost of current commercial catalysts; and
Design of new material for industrial-scale carbon capture with better capacity, thermal stability and kinetic binding than leading products.
The Lila platform will be open to partners across the life and material sciences industries to jointly bring forth solutions in human health and sustainability at a pace and scale beyond today’s bounds.
Molly Gibson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and President, Future Science at Lila Sciences and Origination Partner, Flagship Pioneering added: “AI has already transformed our ability to uncover new insights from existing data. We believe the next frontier in scientific discovery will come from enabling AI to design and run experiments at unprecedented scale. This requires software and hardware innovation in the lab such that, with each iteration of the scientific method, AI systems can orchestrate thousands of experiments simultaneously, systematically building our understanding and accelerating scientific progress. This approach has the potential to advance research across many scientific domains, from healthcare and drug development to agriculture and sustainable resources, and to create resiliency in our domestic R&D efforts.”
Lila is led by a team that brings depth and breadth of expertise across diverse fields including AI, security, commercial strategy, organizational effectiveness, robotics and scientific fields spanning biology, chemistry and materials science. Renowned geneticist George Church, Ph.D., will take the role of Chief Scientist. Andrew Beam, Ph.D., serves as the company’s CTO, building a leading AI research team that includes Kenneth Stanley, Ph.D., who joins as a Senior Vice President. Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli, Ph.D., is joining the company as CSO of Materials. Christopher Fussell, an author and expert in cross-functional collaboration, serves as the company’s President of Operations.
About Lila Sciences
Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous labs for life, chemical and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind’s greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Lila was founded in Flagship Pioneering’s labs in 2023. Learn more about this mission at www.lila.ai
About Flagship Pioneering
Flagship Pioneering invents and builds bioplatform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $60 billion in aggregate value. Flagship is operating with $14 billion of assets under management as of its latest capital raise, announced in July 2024. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises over 40 companies, including Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Sana Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA), Generate Biomedicines, Inari, Indigo Agriculture, and Tessera Therapeutics.
DALLAS, March 11, 2025 — A high school graduation party is usually a small gathering of friends, but for Dallas senior Thomas Owen, it’s something much bigger—a 3,500-person concert organized by his nonprofit, Nightly Charity Events. What started as a simple idea has turned into a full-scale live production featuring country artist Ty Myers, a massive student-led effort, and a $50,000 fundraising goal for Make-A-Wish North Texas.
On May 9, 2025 at Gilley’s Southside Ballroom in Dallas, The Graduation Concert is shaping up to be one of the largest student-led events in the city’s history. But for Thomas, this is more than just a party—it’s a mission-driven event combining music, community, and entrepreneurship.
A Student-Led Vision Turned Reality
As an entrepreneur who has built multiple businesses while still in high school, Thomas saw an opportunity to create something memorable not just for himself, but for thousands of students across Dallas. Instead of a traditional celebration, he wanted to bring people together one last time in a way that felt bigger, more meaningful, and gave back to a great cause.
“I’ve always believed that if you’re going to do something, do it at the highest level possible,” said Owen. “For me, that meant turning my graduation into a real concert—an event that could bring together thousands of students while making an impact beyond just one night.”
To ensure that every high school in Dallas has a voice in this event, Thomas has organized a team of student co-chairs from over 30 different high schools across the city. Each co-chair represents their school, spreading awareness, promoting ticket sales, and building momentum to make the concert a success. This grassroots effort has turned The Graduation Concert into more than just an event—it’s become a movement.
“These students are the reason this is happening at the scale that it is,” said Owen. “By having representatives from schools all over the city, we’re bringing together seniors from all backgrounds and making sure that this night truly belongs to everyone.”
A Concert for a Cause
Beyond the music and celebration, this event is about making a real impact. The Grad Concert is on a mission to raise $50,000 for Make-A-Wish North Texas, helping grant life-changing experiences for children with critical illnesses.
“We’re bringing thousands of students together for one night, but the impact will last far beyond that,” said Owen. “This is about using our moment to help others get theirs.”
The Graduation Concert is happening on May 9, 2025, at Gilley’s Southside Ballroom in Dallas, featuring a live performance from rising country star Ty Myers. With over 3,500 students expected, this is the ultimate way for the Class of 2025 to come together one last time.
For media inquiries, interviews, or press passes, please contact [email protected]
About Thomas Owen
Thomas Owen is a young entrepreneur from Dallas, focused on creating impactful ventures that bring people together and give back to his community. As the Managing Partner of TO Ventures, the holding company for his various businesses and projects, he is leading initiatives in entertainment, event management, and philanthropy.
About Nightly
Nightly is an entertainment and event management platform founded by young entrepreneur Thomas Owen to power his large-scale events. Focused on bringing people together through music and culture, Nightly creates high-energy experiences with a lasting impact. For updates, follow Nightly on Instagram.
“Our mission is to ‘beat a visual Turing test’ for human motion, creating truly lifelike animations,” said Viren Tellis, Co-Founder and CEO of Uthana. “Generative AI has the potential to transform how animators and game developers work and unlock creativity across the industry.”
Uthana’s Vision
Uthana envisions a future where AI-generated animations dynamically adapt to game play in real time. This means creating living, breathing virtual worlds where every NPC moves uniquely, every interaction feels unscripted, and every animation evolves naturally with player engagement.
Ultimately, Uthana sees possibilities for real time, responsive generative motion stretches beyond gaming— to interactive experiences, virtual production, and simulated environments.
Getting Characters Moving in Seconds
Today, Uthana’s state-of-the-art AI capabilities compress the process of conceiving of an animation and seeing it into minutes – not hours or days – using simple prompts:
Text-to-Motion (TTM) lets you generate character animations by describing movements in plain language.
Video-to-Motion (VTM) applies motions in your reference videos to your 3D character.
Motion Library lets you use natural language queries to search Uthana’s collection of over 10,000 motions which include finger data.
Accelerating game development workflows
Purpose built for game developers and animators, Uthana empowers indie and mid-sized studios to compete with AAA game developers. The platform’s unique features include:
Unlimited Pre-visualization (PreViz): Create and instantly preview animations before download or purchase.
Rig Agnostic: Use any skeleton, including Unreal Engine and Unity rigs.
Seamless integration: Outputs are compatible with industry-standard tools such as Unreal Engine, Unity, Maya, and Blender.
Industry Adoption and Strategic Collaboration
Uthana has over 10 design partnerships with studios of all sizes. Partners co-develop new capabilities and have access to advanced features such as Style Transfer (adapt styles from one motion to another for consistency and uniqueness), and APIs (developers can seamlessly integrate Uthana’s AI-powered solutions into their games and applications).
About Uthana
Uthana is a generative AI platform for 3D character animation. For more information, visitwww.uthana.com
