Canaan Partners Leads Seed Round in HeyMilo’s AI-Driven Platform to Shape Future of Recruiting

NEW YORK, March 3, 2025 — HeyMilo, an AI-powered candidate screening platform, today announced $2.2 million in seed funding. The round, led by Canaan Partners, underscores the growing demand for innovative technologies that streamline recruitment and unlock efficiencies in talent acquisition. Additional participation came from Alumni Ventures and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, reflecting broad confidence in HeyMilo’s potential to reshape the future of hiring.

HeyMilo’s AI agents automate the initial interview screening process, enabling companies to efficiently evaluate candidates without sacrificing quality or precision. The platform’s ability to autonomously conduct tailored interviews, ask insightful follow-up questions, and deliver actionable analyses empowers hiring teams to identify the best talent faster, at scale, and at a fraction of the cost.

“Great companies are built on great people, but the hiring process hasn’t kept up with the speed of modern business. HeyMilo is changing that. By bringing AI-powered agents into recruiting, they’re making it possible to connect with more candidates, faster, without sacrificing quality, fairness, or the personal touch,” said Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka, partner at Canaan Partners. This isn’t just about efficiency – it’s about unlocking opportunities for companies and job seekers alike. We believe HeyMilo is reshaping the future of work, and we’re thrilled to be part of the journey.”

The recruitment technology market is vast, with HeyMilo addressing a significant gap in the early hiring stages. Due to time and resource constraints, traditional recruiter-led screenings often result in overlooked talent. HeyMilo ensures companies can assess a broader range of candidates, particularly for high-volume roles.

At the heart of HeyMilo’s platform lies a comprehensive approach to address critical pain points in the recruitment process:

1. AI Agent Builder: HeyMilo reads job descriptions from a company’s applicant tracking system (ATS) and generates more comprehensive interviews through various engagement channels, including voice, video, phone, and SMS, which are further configurable based on a company’s screening and vetting needs of candidates.
2. AI Agent Interviewer: The AI Agent screens candidates using a set of “knockout” questions across various channels. Then, they conduct an adaptive voice or video interview to assess their skills and fit for a role.
3. Interview Analysis: The platform transcribes and scores interview responses, providing actionable insights that allow hiring managers to make data-driven decisions without leaving their ATS of choice.

“HeyMilo allows staffing and recruiting agencies, BPOs, and other high-volume hiring organizations to scale their recruitment team infinitely. They can view HeyMilo as their candidate interview orchestrator, effectively identifying top candidates in hours, not weeks. We’ve seen AI agents take over the market in various industries like call centers and within sales organizations, and we’re ushering that adoption to recruitment. And while some may argue this takes away from the candidate experience, we’re seeing extremely high candidate CSAT scores and candidates consistently remarketing how they enjoy being able to go beyond their resume,” said Sabashan Ragavan, co-founder and CEO of HeyMilo

Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) and related AI technologies have made HeyMilo’s solution possible and exceptionally effective. The costs of enabling technologies like speech-to-text, generative audio, and cloud computing have dropped significantly, making HeyMilo’s platform highly scalable and accessible.

“We’re a team of ten recruiters, but with HeyMilo, we can work as if we’re a team of 30. As soon as candidates apply, they can start the process immediately, and we can start evaluating their language and skills immediately. You no longer have to wait for a recruiter to be available to call and start the process with a candidate,” said Laura Pacheco, head of recruiting at BPO Labs.

HeyMilo was co-founded by Sabashan Ragavan and Ramie Raufdeen, seasoned entrepreneurs with deep technology and product development expertise. Before HeyMilo, the duo co-founded a startup focused on job referral systems and held leadership roles at major technology companies, including Instagram, Microsoft, and Salesforce.

Since its inception, HeyMilo has partnered with a range of customers to refine its product and validate its value proposition. Early adopters include staffing agencies, BPOs, and companies that lack a traditional recruitment team, such as BPO Labs and Alpine Home Air, which have increased candidate placements while reducing costs.

“As a one-person HR department, speed to getting back to candidates and going through and vetting candidates was a significant challenge, with some roles having up to 3,000 candidates apply in just a few days. Using tools like HeyMilo, I can offer a great candidate experience and respond to them quickly. I also have a great experience since I can quickly vet candidates beyond just their resume,” said Wendy Sergot, head of HR at Alpine Home Air.

The seed funding will accelerate product development, expand the team, and scale customer acquisition efforts. With a clear path to product-market fit and a growing roster of satisfied customers, HeyMilo is poised to transform how companies screen, interview, and evaluate candidates at scale.

About HeyMilo

HeyMilo is a venture-backed company revolutionizing recruitment with generative AI-powered agents that enable organizations to screen, interview, and evaluate candidates at scale through an omnichannel approach. Founded in 2023 and supported by Canaan Partners, Alumni Ventures, and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, HeyMilo leverages cutting-edge advancements in large language models to help companies find the best talent faster, smarter, and more inclusively. With seamless ATS integration, intelligent follow-up capabilities, and comprehensive data insights, HeyMilo helps staffing agencies, BPOs, and more scale their recruitment teams efficiently. For more information, please visit https://www.heymilo.ai.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE HeyMilo

Representatives from Crown Wealth LLC praised the Vitasense team for their remarkable dedication, innovation, and business acumen. “Max Kopp and his team at Vitasense have demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment and ingenuity in bringing this revolutionary technology to life. Their ability to navigate complex research, secure industry partnerships, and lead negotiations at such a young age is truly inspiring,” said a Crown Wealth spokesperson. “We believe in their vision and are proud to support them as they push forward in the development of this essential healthcare technology.”

The investment from Crown Wealth, in partnership with KB Global, will provide Vitasense with the necessary resources to refine its third-generation prototype, enhance regulatory compliance efforts, and prepare for large-scale clinical testing. The company has worked closely with leading biomedical engineers and healthcare professionals to ensure the device’s efficacy and usability for diabetic patients worldwide.

In addition to securing funding, the Vitasense team continues to collaborate with top researchers and industry leaders to bring their technology to market. With a focus on affordability and accessibility, the company is committed to ensuring that its wearable glucose monitoring solution can make a meaningful impact on millions of lives.

“Crown Wealth’s investment in Vitasense reflects our commitment to supporting innovative solutions that address pressing global health challenges,” the spokesperson continued. “We see tremendous potential in this young, driven team and are excited to see how their work will contribute to the future of diabetes management.”

With backing from Crown Wealth, KB Global, and top research institutions, Vitasense is poised to advance its technology to the next level. The company has already received national recognition, earning accolades in prestigious science and innovation competitions, including Third Place in Engineering at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), Bronze Medal in Physics in the North America at the S.T. Yao Science North America Competition.

For more information about Vitasense, visit www.thevitasense.com.

SOURCE Crown Wealth LLC

STOCKHOLM, March 3, 2025 — Echandia, the leading Swedish maritime battery system supplier, has closed a new funding round at SEK 220 million, a very important milestone for the company. The funding round was led by Alantra’s energy transition fund Klima, headquartered in Spain, together with Swedish venture capital fund Industrifonden, with additional investments from Swedish SEB Greentech VC and Japanese venture capital firm EEI. The capital raised will be invested in Echandia’s global expansion and production capabilities in Sweden and US. Expansion investments in the US market include the recently announced new production facility in Washington State where Echandia will produce its advanced maritime battery system.

The new capital enables Echandia to scale up its operations faster and handle larger projects to meet increasing demand for its maritime battery solutions.

Shipping contributes 3% of global CO₂ emissions, making it a key climate challenge. Echandia’s solution stands out by meeting the strict demands of sectors like ferries and navy.

Echandia has since 2018 developed cutting-edge battery systems for maritime transportation, shipping, and other heavy-duty applications where safety and resilience are critical. Today, Echandia partners with the world’s leading shipyards and system integrators to equip both newbuild and retrofit vessels with advanced battery solutions, enabling hybridization, full-electric propulsion, and improved energy efficiency for large electrification projects all over the world.

Torbjörn Bäck, CEO of Echandia, comments:

“Echandia is at the forefront of maritime electrification globally, helping customers reduce emissions with clear customer values such as safe, resilient and long-lasting maritime battery systems. We are proud to have closed this large funding round with well-known investors, marking a major milestone for us. Our revenues grew fourfold in 2024 compared to 2023, and with our current sales pipeline, we expect our revenues to triple in 2025. We look forward to continuing Echandia’s scale-up and expansion with our new, highly experienced investors on board.”

Manuel Alamillo, Partner at Klima, comments:

“Decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like shipping, aviation, and heavy industry is critical to achieving our global climate goals. These sectors represent a significant portion of global emissions, accounting for about 30% of global GHG emissions and lack readily available solutions. Investing in these sectors isn’t just an environmental imperative, it’s an economic one. By investing in and supporting Echandia’s energy storage solutions, we are excited to accelerate decarbonization of the maritime sector.”

Anna Ljungdahl, Head of Sustainable Investments and Senior Investment Director at Industrifonden, comments:

“Echandia is at the forefront of innovation, meeting the demanding requirements of sectors like military and defense, making its solution truly remarkable. We look forward to commercializing the product globally alongside the team and a strong international investor base, providing financial stability and industry expertise.”

About Echandia

Echandia is challenging the maritime industry with safer electrification. Since its founding in 2018, Echandia has rapidly become a global leader in maritime battery systems, delivering nearly 70 systems for electrification projects worldwide. Our systems are tailored to optimize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact, supporting the maritime industry’s transition towards sustainable operations. Based in Stockholm, we serve customers across the globe. Learn more at www.echandia.com.

About Alantra/Klima

Alantra’s energy transition fund, Klima, is a 210M€ late-stage venture fund supporting energy-tech companies in their early-growth phase. Klima intends to back breakthrough innovations accelerating the energy transition and slowing down the pace of climate change. Alongside Enagas and Alantra, as cornerstone investors, Klima is backed by relevant investors such as the European Investment Fund, Axis ICO and CPPI. 

About Industrifonden

Industrifonden is Sweden’s Venture Capital Fund looking for unique, scalable innovation that has a meaningful impact on our society. Industrifonden manages more than SEK 5 billion and invests in early-stage companies, from seed to A-round funding with a reach across the Nordics. The investment focus includes specialized technologies and businesses within Deep Tech, Life Science and Transformative Tech. Industrifonden has an evergreen structure which allows a long-term focus on value creation.

About SEB Greentech VC

SEB Greentech Venture Capital invests in green technology. We focus on ideas that promise substantial impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions or in preventing transgression of the planetary boundaries.  We do that by investing in solutions in sectors ranging from renewable energy, water and agricultural, circular business models to waste management. SEB Greentech Venture Capital started in 2020. Echandia will be the funds 11th investment.  
SEB Greentech VC is part of SEB. www.sebgroup.com.

About EEI

Energy & Environment Investment, Inc. (“EEI”) was established in 2006 as the only venture capital firm focusing on the environment and energy sectors in Japan. Since its establishment, EEI has been actively investing and supporting the business growth of start-ups in the environment and energy-related services and technologies sectors. EEI contributes to innovation and business creation in the environment and energy sectors and promotes the success of start-ups that will have significant global impact toward the realisation of a sustainable economy, environment and society.

For more information please contact:
Johan Winlund, Marketing & Communication Manager at Echandia
+46 76 117 55 41
[email protected] 

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

https://news.cision.com/echandia-group/r/echandia-secures-sek-220-million-in-new-financing-round—scaling-up-operations-to-meet-rapidly-incr,c4113206

SOURCE Echandia Group

Industry-Leading Investment Firms To Validate and Support Decentralization of Acki Nacki Blockchain

SOFIA, Bulgaria, March 3, 2025 — GOSH, the core developer behind Acki Nacki, today announced the successful completion of its pre-launch Node Sale, securing backing from validators including Kingsway Capital, Blockchain.com, Hack VC, K5 Global, and Original Capital. As a result of the network’s recently launched decentralized starter protocol, Gossip Ignite, the Acki Nacki mainnet will go live once a critical mass of node operators are active.

Acki Nacki is an asynchronous blockchain protocol that reaches probabilistic consensus in two communication steps. At the heart of GOSH’s vision in supporting Acki Nacki is solving blockchain’s most fundamental technical challenge: transaction speed, scalability and time to finality.

“The network’s Node Owners all share the Acki Nacki vision from beginning to end,” said Mitja Goroshevsky, GOSH founder and Acki Nacki architect, leading the team who spent the 4 years prior building the technology stack for TON blockchain. “The values behind the tokenomics, how we see decentralization, as well as technology, adoption, and how we go to market, are supported thoroughly by all network participants. This level of collaboration defines the future of the decentralized world.”

With a community of over 5 million users in testnet, Acki Nacki is primed to support use cases that include payments, gaming economies, IoT networks, and AI applications. The early ecosystem already includes Popits, an on-chain content-sharing platform, and Die Last, a Web3 real-time strategy game running entirely on-chain.

A diverse group of aligned validators and Acki Nacki’s approach ensures the network emerges organically — owned and secured by its decentralized community from the first block. There is no pre-mine, airdrop, token generation event, investor or team allocation. Beyond its technical advancements, Acki Nacki introduces a radically decentralized economic model. Node Licenses allow owners to validate transactions and mine $NACKL tokens which guarantees decentralization regardless of network state. All $NACKL are distributed as block rewards through a 60-year mining schedule following a deflationary curve.

Validator Quotes

Alexander Pack, Managing Partner at Hack VC commented “Acki Nacki with its innovative consensus aims to have sub-second finality for transactions. This allows new applications to move on-chain and open up the design space.”

Peter Smith, CEO and Cofounder of Blockchain.com commented “We were impressed to see that Acki Nacki has generated a loyal community of developers, followers, infrastructure providers and now investors. We’re excited to play a part in this journey”.

Ramnik Arora, partner at Original Capital said “One of the constraints to more things moving on-chain is the lack of general purpose block space with high throughput and low finality. We’re happy to back Mitja and the Acki Nacki team – early pioneers in asynchronous blockchain design space and aiming to be the fastest blockchain possible.”

“The network’s ‘Bitcoin for Proof of Stake’ design and a 60-years mining schedule means that we view Acki Nacki to be a permanent fixture in global coordination and property rights, similar to Bitcoin and Ethereum.” says Kingsway Capital.

About Acki Nacki
Acki Nacki is the fastest blockchain possible. Based on a breakthrough consensus protocol, the Acki Nacki network reaches consensus in 2 communication steps, the lowest number possible in any interactive network, meaning that by design Acki Nacki finalizes transactions faster than any other blockchain that can be built.

Acki Nacki has a community of over 5 million users in its mini-app that allows anyone to verify blocks by playing a simple interactive game on their mobile phones. This means players contribute to network security and mine Acki Nacki network coins as block rewards. Acki Nacki is a decentralized blockchain. There is no token pre-mine, airdrop, token generation event, investor or team allocation.

Media contact:
M Group Strategic Communications (for GOSH)
[email protected]

SOURCE GOSH

SHANGHAI, March 2, 2025 — Pulnovo Medical, a globally recognized pioneer in medical devices for pulmonary hypertension (PH) and heart failure (HF), has announced the closing of nearly $100 million Series C financing. This round was co-led by Qiming Venture Partners and existing shareholder Lilly Asia Ventures, with existing investors OrbiMed and Gaorong Capital participating on a super pro-rata basis. The proceeds will be used to advance Pulnovo Medical’s global clinical trials, international business expansion and strategic initiatives.

The financing round was oversubscribed by two times, marking one of the largest fundraises in the Asia-Pacific innovative medical device sector in recent years. This reflects leading institutions’ confidence in Pulnovo Medical’s global strategy and technical capabilities.

Founded in 2013, Pulnovo Medical is a pioneering medtech company recognized in international guidelines. The company leverages its extensive clinical expertise to drive scientific advancements and global commercialization. The company focuses on developing superior therapeutic solutions for various stages of HF to enhance patient outcomes.

Pulnovo Medical’s core product, PADN (Pulmonary Artery Denervation) technology, is an innovative and effective minimally invasive treatment for PH that has successfully obtained market approval.PH is a condition that can lead to heart failure and mortality, with limited treatment options. PADN uses radiofrequency ablation to target the pulmonary vascular endothelial sympathetic nerve, effectively reducing pulmonary artery pressure and slowing disease progression.

PADN received FDA Breakthrough Device designation for Group I, Group II, and Group IV PH in 2021. PADN was included in European Society of Cardiology and European Respiratory Society Guidelines in 2022. In 2023, Pulnovo Medical achieved the Humanitarian Use Exemption Device designation for Group I PH. The RF catheter and RF generator received market approval in China in late 2023, becoming a commercially available interventional device in the field globally. In 2024, Pulnovo Medical’s accessory product, the 9F sheath, received FDA clearance.

Cynthia Chen, Chairlady, Executive Chairwoman and President of Pulnovo Medical, announced that the proceeds of this round will support two upcoming FDA trials for Group I PH and Group II PH (chronic heart failure combined with PH) planned this year. Under the leadership of the executive team, the company has transformed from a laboratory to a globally structured firm with offices in the US, Singapore, as well as Hong Kong SAR and four cities in Chinese Mainland, including Beijing and Shanghai.

William Hu, Managing Partner of Qiming Venture Partners, said, “Pulnovo Medical’s breakthroughs in interventional treatments for PH and HF are impressive. The company’s PADN technology is now commercially available in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau, and in 2024, global multicenter trials were initiated in Portugal, Serbia, Georgia, and Southeast Asia. Following the FDA Breakthrough Device designation, the global clinical trials further validate the technology’s leadership and clinical value. As a long-term healthcare investor, Qiming is committed to supporting innovators with global visions. We are confident in Pulnovo Medical’s potential and will support its international expansion and commercialization, bringing new hope to patients worldwide.”

SOURCE Pulnovo Medical

ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, Feb. 28, 2025 — TBen Limited, an IT company based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), has announced that its next-generation blockchain platform, ShowPlus Chain (Layer 1), is in its final development phase, with an official launch scheduled for Q4 2025. ShowPlus Chain is set to become the core infrastructure of the ShowPlus Ecosystem, which spans multiple industries, including entertainment, commerce, leisure, banking, F&B, finance, investment, and AI.

Unmatched Technical Competitiveness & Scalability

The ShowPlus Chain mainnet aims to process over 200,000 transactions per second (TPS), making it at least 100 times faster than major existing blockchains. It incorporates scalable sharding technology to distribute network load efficiently and features a proprietary virtual machine (VM) designed to maximize smart contract execution efficiency.

TBen’s CTO, Sebastian emphasized:
“ShowPlus Chain will maintain the core philosophy of decentralization while offering a practical blockchain solution that businesses can seamlessly integrate. Low transaction fees and industry-specific customized protocols will be our key competitive advantages.”

Expanding Collaboration with Global Blockchain Enterprises

TBen has secured partnerships with major blockchain projects such as Avalanche, Polkadot, and Zilliqa, working on cross-chain compatibility solutions. Additionally, collaboration with MetaMask will enable global wallet integration, significantly improving accessibility to the ShowPlus Chain ecosystem.

Furthermore, TBen has formed strategic partnerships with ShinLee Corporation (South Korea) and Rishare Group (Singapore) to drive the expansion of the ShowPlus Chain ecosystem across Asia. As part of this collaboration, ShinLee Corporation plans to upgrade its existing entertainment, commerce, and travel platforms onto the ShowPlus Chain, while progressively building an integrated ecosystem that includes financial services and various lifestyle sectors. This will allow users to seamlessly access all ShinLee services with a single unified ID.

Successful Funding from Global Venture Capital Firms

Recognizing ShowPlus Chain’s technological innovation and business potential, multiple top-tier venture capital firms have participated in TBen’s Series A funding round. The secured funds will be allocated toward completing the ShowPlus Chain mainnet development and expanding its ecosystem.

TBen’s CEO, Thiam stated:
“This investment validates ShowPlus Chain’s technological capabilities and vision on a global scale. The planned launch of the ‘SHOW’ mainnet in Q4 2025 will introduce a new paradigm in the blockchain industry.”

Expanding the ShowPlus Ecosystem

Beyond a typical blockchain platform, ShowPlus Chain is evolving into the central hub of the ShowPlus Ecosystem, connecting various industries:

• Entertainment → NFT-based digital content ownership solutions
• Commerce → Transparent supply chain management system
• Finance → Decentralized Finance (DeFi) services

Recently, TBen announced its ShowPlus AI initiative, integrating AI with blockchain to establish transparent verification and reward systems for generative AI models and their learning datasets.

Mainnet Launch Roadmap – Q4 2025

TBen is currently operating a testnet for the upcoming ‘SHOW’ mainnet and running various incentive programs to encourage developer participation. Leading up to the Q4 2025 launch, TBen plans to host a large-scale hackathon starting in June, aiming to discover and support innovative DApps for the ShowPlus ecosystem.

Additionally, TBen is collaborating with top universities and research institutions to nurture blockchain talent and promote the technical excellence of ShowPlus Chain worldwide.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2630530/TBen_Limited_ShowPlus_Chain_Mainnet.jpg

SOURCE TBen Limited

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2025 — Ethos, the modern model risk management platform, announced today a seed investment of $6M to become the gold-standard platform enabling financial institutions and fintechs to manage model risk with confidence. The funding round was led by Canapi Ventures, with participation from Capital One Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures.

Financial institutions today rely extensively on AI, machine learning, and other data-driven models to make critical decisions – from lending and loss forecasting to fraud detection and anti-money laundering efforts. The acceleration of GenAI adoption and sophisticated modeling techniques create both challenges and opportunities across the industry. A recent survey by the Risk Management Association highlights how financial institutions are seeking new solutions to enhance their model risk management capabilities in response to increasing costs, talent gaps, and technology limitations.

This evolving landscape inspired Ethos CEO and co-founder Jett Oristaglio during his tenure as Product and Data Science Lead of Trusted AI at DataRobot. Working closely with financial services customers, Oristaglio recognized the opportunity to build technology that could help institutions of all sizes to scale their model risk management capabilities while maintaining the highest standards of governance.

“At Ethos, we’re committed to empowering financial institutions to shape the future of the industry,” said Jett Oristaglio, CEO and co-founder of Ethos. “We believe model risk management should be a driver of innovation, not a barrier. Our platform enables organizations to deploy AI and other models with the speed and confidence needed in today’s dynamic environment.”

Ethos’s platform is purpose-built for financial institutions, designed to enhance risk management practices while providing the agility and efficiency needed to scale. The platform allows organizations to accelerate the deployment of new models and products while maintaining rigorous risk management standards.

Co-founder and CTO Mike Fotinakis brings over 20 years of experience building software teams and enterprise platforms to the company’s technical vision. “We have engineered Ethos from the ground up to tackle the unique technological, operational and regulatory needs of financial institutions,” said Fotinakis. “Our goal is to help customers turn robust risk management into a competitive advantage.”

Kristen Fisher, Head of Risk Innovation at Ethos, brings over 10 years of experience leading model risk functions in financial institutions to the platform. “Effective risk management is more than just a regulatory checkbox—it’s the backbone of profitability. If you don’t understand your risks, how can you understand your business?” said Fisher. “We are intimately familiar with the challenges faced by model risk management teams and regulators, and excited to build the solution that helps risk teams become strategic partners in their institution’s success.”

Ethos is currently working with one of the largest U.S. financial institutions and aims to serve banks, credit unions, and fintechs of all sizes. Better Tomorrow Ventures, an early investor, remains confident in Ethos’s potential.

“When we met Jett and Mike through our accelerator program in 2023, we knew they had uncovered a critical need in the banking system,” said Sheel Mohnot, co-founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures. “We’re looking forward to working with the team to build a product that will become a staple across all financial institutions and fintechs.”

Leading the seed round, Canapi Ventures also sees a strong future for Ethos. “Given Canapi’s proximity to the banking system, we deeply appreciate how model risk management (MRM) processes govern the deployment and utilization of models. For banks and other financial institutions to adopt GenAI and expand their use of decisioning models, existing systems for handling MRM will not suffice,” said Jeffrey Reitman, General Partner at Canapi Ventures. “This is what initially drew us to Ethos and sparked our enthusiasm to invest right away. We believe Ethos will enable banks of all sizes to maintain robust MRM programs, allowing them to safely and swiftly deploy new technologies like GenAI and serve as an accelerator for forward-thinking enterprises.”

Phil Kim, Partner at Capital One Ventures, adds: “There is an enormous opportunity for financial institutions to continue to innovate responsibly in service to customers,” said Kim. “We’re excited about Ethos’s vision to modernize model risk management and help the industry stay both resilient and forward-thinking long into the future.”

With the new funding, Ethos plans to expand its engineering team and strengthen its go-to-market efforts—ensuring the platform meets the evolving needs of risk professionals and empowers financial institutions to navigate future challenges and opportunities with confidence.

About Ethos

Ethos is revolutionizing model risk management for the financial sector through its modern, purpose-built platform. Founded in 2023 by tech veterans Jett Oristaglio and Mike Fotinakis, the New York-based company helps banks and fintechs deploy models that make critical decisions while effectively mitigating risk and maintaining regulatory compliance. Ethos has obtained SOC 2 certification, showcasing their commitment to security and compliance.

For more information, visitwww.ethosai.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE Ethos

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 27, 2025 – Nexera Robotics, a pioneer in advanced robotic grasping, today announced the completion of its latest investment round of $4.5M , which includes high-caliber investors including BDC’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund. This investment round marks a significant milestone in Nexera’s mission to revolutionize robotic automation across industries through its innovative grasping technologies.

Nexera’s proprietary grasping solution, NeuraGrasp, addresses one of the most pressing challenges in automation: the reliable handling of diverse items in dynamic environments. The company’s technology combines proprietary compliant grasping methods, coupled with sophisticated perception and AI, enabling robots to handle a wide range of objects with unprecedented precision and adaptability.

“The robotics industry is at a critical inflection point, where the demand for flexible automation solutions has never been greater,” said Roy Belak, CEO of Nexera Robotics. “We believe the developing commercial relationship with global System Integrators validates our technology’s potential and will accelerate our ability to bring transformative solutions to the global market. We’re committed to maintaining our open collaboration model, working with diverse integration partners to serve the broader automation ecosystem.”

“Nexera’s innovative approach to robotic grasping represents a significant leap forward in automation capabilities and exactly the kind of transformative technology we seek to support through BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund,” said Aditya Aggarwal, Managing Partner of the Industrial Innovation Venture Fund at BDC. “”Their technology aligns perfectly with the future of pick & place robots, and we believe it has the potential to transform how many industries will approach robotic handling challenges.”

The proceeds from the investment round will fuel Nexera’s ambitious growth strategy, including accelerated R&D initiatives and market expansion. The company continues to strengthen its collaborations with leading system integrators and robotic picking solutions providers worldwide, reinforcing its position as a key enabler in the automation industry.

Nexera Robotics has established itself as a trusted technology partner for numerous global automation companies, demonstrating the versatility and reliability of its gripping solutions across various applications and industries.

About Nexera Robotics

Nexera Robotics patented NeuraGrasp technology enables unprecedented flexibility and reliability in robotic pick and place applications. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the company works with leading automation providers worldwide to advance the capabilities of robotic systems across industries.

SOURCE Nexera Robotics

Clients Worldwide to Benefit from Streamlined Cross-Border Money Transfers

MIAMI, Feb. 26, 2025 — Leap Financial, a leading digital remittance company, announced its collaboration with Visa, a global leader in digital payments, to integrate Visa Direct, a global money movement solution, into Leap’s white label digital remittances platform.

This partnership aims to streamline the direct delivery of funds to eligible cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets worldwide, enhancing the efficiency and security of cross-border remittances.

By leveraging Visa Direct, Leap Financial will enable financial and non-financial institutions to offer seamless cross-border remittances without the complexities associated with cash transactions. This collaboration will initially focus on the US and Latin America (LAC) markets, addressing the escalating demand for efficient cross-border money transfers within the $64 billion US-Latin America corridor¹.

Lionel Carrasco, CEO of Leap Financial, explained: “From our research, traditional money transmitters charge around 6% in remittance fees due to outdated processes and multiple intermediaries². With advanced technology, Leap reduces this cost to under 1%, streamlining remittance flows and eliminating inefficiencies. Our collaboration with Visa Direct will further enhance our ability to provide faster, more secure transactions, enabling our partners to offer competitive pricing and direct more funds to recipients.”

Leap Financial’s platform works with federal banks to originate remittances via embeddable solutions, allowing remitters to pay digitally and deliver money to cards and wallets in real-time*. This process offers full know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) traceability, creating cost efficiencies and enhancing AML controls for maximum compliance without friction.

To further strengthen their technology stack and enhance the adoption of their solutions, Leap recently introduced Lola, an AI-powered ‘Transactional AI Agent’. Lola is designed to deliver seamless cross-border payment services and provides instant assistance through widely used platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram, leveraging instant messaging and voice interactions for accessibility and convenience.

According to Leap’s Insight Team, there will be a 40% global decline in cash usage by 2025³, driven by the widespread adoption of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and digital wallets. This shift underscores the importance of digital remittance solutions in fostering financial inclusion and maximizing the impact of each remittance.

About Leap Financial

Leap Financial pioneers the fusion of fintech and transactional AI, enabling businesses to reshape money flows and enhance value for end users through embeddable instant domestic and cross-border payments, transactional AI agents, and co-branded banking services. Committed to fostering inclusivity, their mission is to enable companies to “Leap” forward in today’s dynamic landscape. Take the leap at leapfinancial.com.

*Actual fund availability depends on receiving financial institution and region

1. Driving-Growth-In-A-Cashless-Future-The-Business-Opportunity-Of-Digital-Remittances – Leap Financial Insights
2. Migration-Remittances-A-Powerhouse-For-Us-Growth – Leap Financial Insights
3. Global Change Datalab – Leap Financial Insights

SOURCE Leap Financial