COPENHAGUE, Danemark, 21 janvier 2026 — Secomea, leader mondial de l’accès à distance sécurisé pour les environnements de systèmes de technologie opérationnelle industriels, a annoncé aujourd’hui une expansion significative de son organisation produit et technologie, doublant son investissement dans le développement de produits, afin d’accélérer l’innovation, l’évolutivité et le leadership à long terme dans le domaine.

Cette décision est la conséquence de la croissance de la clientèle de Secomea et de la demande de solutions d’accès à distance sûres, conformes et faciles à utiliser, spécialement conçues pour les écosystèmes industriels et de fabrication.

 « L’accès à distance sécurisé est devenu une infrastructure essentielle pour la fabrication moderne », a déclaré Michael Ferdinandsen, PDG de Secomea. « Avec l’accélération des cyberrisques, de la pression réglementaire et de la collaboration mondiale, les fabricants et les constructeurs de machines ont besoin de solutions spécialement conçues pour les technologies opérationnelles, et non pas adaptées à partir des technologies de l’information. Le fait de doubler les investissements produits nous permet de rester à l’avant-garde de ces demandes et de continuer à offrir une valeur à long terme à nos clients ».

Dans le cadre de cet investissement élargi, Secomea renforce son leadership en mettant en valeur des talents internes exceptionnels et en accueillant des acteurs de premier plan. Ensemble, cette équipe sera le fer de lance de la stratégie de Secomea en matière de produits, accélérera la mise en œuvre de technologies révolutionnaires et fera progresser une vision à long terme de la plateforme, afin de redéfinir le paysage de la connectivité industrielle.

Knud Kegel est passé du poste de Chef de produit (CPO) à celui de Directeur Technologie et Produits (CTPO).
Dans ce rôle élargi, M. Kegel place la gestion des produits, l’exécution de l’ingénierie et l’architecture de plateforme dans un même cadre stratégique, garantissant un alignement encore plus étroit entre les besoins des clients, l’innovation de produits et la prestation de services d’ingénierie.

« Nos clients font confiance à Secomea pour assurer une mission essentielle : un accès à distance sécurisé à leurs systèmes cyberphysiques (CPS) sans ralentir les opérations », a déclaré Knud Kegel, CTPO chez Secomea.
« En unifiant le leadership en matière de produits et de technologies, nous pouvons avancer plus rapidement, évoluer plus intelligemment et continuer à fournir une plateforme conçue pour les réalités de la technologie opérationnelle ».

Afin de renforcer le leadership en matière d’ingénierie, Secomea a nommé Thomas Have au poste de Vice-président de l’ingénierie.
Have apporte une grande expérience en matière de leadership, acquise dans le cadre de fonctions technologiques de haut niveau, y compris récemment en tant que Vice-président directeur de l’ingénierie chez LogPoint, avec de solides antécédents dans la construction et l’extension de plateformes de sécurité de niveau professionnel dans des environnements réglementés.

« Secomea intervient au croisement de la cybersécurité, de la conformité et de la continuité des activités », a déclaré Thomas Have, Vice-président de l’ingénierie. « Cette combinaison exige à la fois de la rigueur technique et une compréhension approfondie du fonctionnement réel des clients. Je suis ravi de contribuer au développement d’une plateforme clairement conçue pour une véritable utilisation industrielle ».

Parallèlement, Secomea met en place sur une fonction marketing produit, afin d’affiner le positionnement, de clarifier la valeur pour le client et de renforcer la position de leader dans le domaine de l’accès à distance sécurisé pour le secteur de l’automobile.

La nouvelle fonction sera dirigée par Ingrid Arem Gundersen, chef de produit depuis longtemps chez Secomea, dont la mission consistera à renforcer le lien entre les besoins des clients, les capacités des produits et la communication avec le marché.

« Alors que le domaine arrive à maturité, la clarté est plus importante que jamais », a déclaré Ingrid Arem Gundersen.
« Notre mission consiste à expliquer clairement pourquoi Secomea existe, à qui elle s’adresse et dans quelle mesure elle apporte de la valeur, que vous soyez responsable de la sécurité de la technologie opérationnelle, du temps de fonctionnement ou des opérations de service globales ».

Alors que les fabricants sont confrontés à un risque cybernétique croissant et à la pression réglementaire, et que les constructeurs de machines développent des opérations de service globales, Secomea continue d’investir là où c’est le plus important : une plateforme sécurisée, fiable et facile à utiliser qui défend l’usine tout en permettant la collaboration dans l’écosystème industriel.

À propos de Secomea

Secomea est une solution d’accès à distance sécurisé (SRA) conçue pour les réseaux industriels et les équipements de télécommunications. Fondée en 2008, Secomea aide les fabricants et les constructeurs de machines à sécuriser l’accès à distance aux machines et aux installations de production, sans compromettre le temps de fonctionnement ou l’aptitude à l’emploi.

Aujourd’hui, plus de 8 000 clients dans le monde entier font confiance à Secomea pour réduire les risques cybernétiques, répondre aux exigences de conformité et assurer le bon déroulement des opérations.

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COPENHAGUE, Dinamarca, 21 de enero de 2026 — Secomea, líder mundial en acceso remoto seguro para entornos OT industriales, anunció hoy una importante expansión de su organización de productos y tecnología, duplicando su inversión en el desarrollo de productos para acelerar la innovación, la escalabilidad y el liderazgo de categoría a largo plazo.

Esta medida refleja la creciente base de clientes de Secomea y la creciente demanda de soluciones de acceso remoto seguras, compatibles y fáciles de usar, diseñadas específicamente para ecosistemas industriales y de fabricación.

“El acceso remoto seguro se ha convertido en una infraestructura crítica para la fabricación moderna“, afirmó Michael Ferdinandsen, consejero delegado de Secomea. “A medida que el riesgo cibernético, la presión regulatoria y la colaboración global se aceleran, los fabricantes y constructores de maquinaria necesitan soluciones diseñadas específicamente para la tecnología operativa (OT), no adaptadas de las TI. Duplicar la inversión en productos nos asegura anticiparnos a estas demandas y seguir ofreciendo valor a largo plazo a nuestros clientes“.

Como parte de esta inversión ampliada, Secomea refuerza su liderazgo impulsando talento interno excepcional y dando la bienvenida a jugadores destacados. Juntos, este equipo liderará la estrategia de producto de Secomea, acelerará la implementación de tecnologías innovadoras e impulsará una visión de plataforma a largo plazo para redefinir el panorama de la conectividad industrial.

Knud Kegel ha ampliado su función de director de Producto (CPO) a director de Tecnología y Producto (CTPO).
En este rol ampliado, Kegel reúne la gestión de productos, la ejecución de ingeniería y la arquitectura de la plataforma bajo un mismo paraguas estratégico, lo que garantiza una alineación aún más estrecha entre las necesidades del cliente, la innovación de productos y la entrega de ingeniería.

“Nuestros clientes confían en Secomea para una misión crítica: acceso remoto seguro a sus sistemas ciberfísicos (CPS) sin ralentizar las operaciones”, afirmó Knud Kegel, CTPO de Secomea.

“Al unificar el liderazgo en productos y tecnología, podemos avanzar con mayor rapidez, escalar de forma más inteligente y seguir ofreciendo una plataforma diseñada para las realidades de OT”.

Para fortalecer aún más el liderazgo en ingeniería, Secomea ha nombrado a Thomas Have como vicepresidente de Ingeniería.

Have aporta una amplia experiencia de liderazgo en puestos de alta responsabilidad en tecnología, incluyendo recientemente su puesto como vicepresidente sénior de Ingeniería en LogPoint, con una sólida trayectoria en el desarrollo y escalado de plataformas de seguridad de nivel empresarial en entornos regulados.

“Secomea opera en la intersección de la ciberseguridad, el cumplimiento normativo y la continuidad operativa“, afirmó Thomas Have, vicepresidente de Ingeniería. “Esa combinación exige rigor técnico y un profundo conocimiento de cómo trabajan realmente los clientes. Me entusiasma ayudar a escalar una plataforma claramente diseñada para el uso industrial en el mundo real“.

Paralelamente, Secomea está estableciendo una función de marketing de productos dedicada a afinar el posicionamiento, aclarar el valor del cliente y reforzar el liderazgo de la categoría en acceso remoto seguro para OT.

La nueva función estará dirigida por Ingrid Arem Gundersen, líder de producto de Secomea a largo plazo, quien se centrará en fortalecer la conexión entre las necesidades del cliente, las capacidades del producto y la comunicación con el mercado.

“A medida que la categoría madura, la claridad cobra más importancia que nunca“, afirmó Ingrid Arem Gundersen.

“Nuestra misión es dejar claro por qué existe Secomea, para quién está diseñado y cómo aporta valor, ya sea responsable de la seguridad de OT, el tiempo de actividad o las operaciones de servicio global“.

A medida que los fabricantes se enfrentan a un riesgo cibernético creciente y una presión regulatoria, y los fabricantes de maquinaria escalan las operaciones de servicio globales, Secomea continúa invirtiendo donde más importa: una plataforma segura, confiable y fácil de usar que defiende la planta de producción al tiempo que permite la colaboración en todo el ecosistema industrial.

Acerca de Secomea

Secomea es una solución de Acceso Remoto Seguro (SRA) diseñada específicamente para redes industriales y equipos OT. Fundada en 2008, Secomea ayuda a fabricantes y constructores de maquinaria a proteger el acceso remoto a máquinas e instalaciones de producción, sin comprometer el tiempo de actividad ni la usabilidad.

Hoy en día, más de 8.000 clientes en todo el mundo confían en Secomea para reducir el riesgo cibernético, cumplir con los requisitos de cumplimiento y mantener las operaciones funcionando sin problemas.

Foto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2866258/Michael_CEO_Secomea.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2648155/5728104/Secomea_Logo.jpg

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2026 — Upscale AI, Inc., a category-defining pure-play AI networking infrastructure company, today announced $200 million Series A financing led by Tiger Global, Premji Invest, and Xora Innovation with participation from Maverick Silicon, StepStone Group, Mayfield, Prosperity7 Ventures, Intel Capital, and Qualcomm Ventures. This new investment brings the total funding received to over $300 million.

The rapid investor backing reflects a growing industry consensus: networking is a critical bottleneck to scaling AI, and traditional network architectures designed to connect general purpose compute and storage are fundamentally unsuited for the AI era. The distinction is essential: traditional networking connects endpoints, whereas AI networking unifies the cluster. As specialized AI compute continues to scale, it is increasingly constrained by retrofitted or proprietary networking architectures. Legacy data center network solutions were designed for a pre-AI world, not for the massive, tightly synchronized scale-up required at rack scale.

Upscale AI was built from day one to solve this problem.

Upscale AI unifies GPUs, AI accelerators, memory, storage, and networking into a single, synchronized AI engine. As a core element of Upscale’s AI strategy, the purpose-built SkyHammer™scale-up solution enables the unified rack by collapsing the distance between accelerators, memory, and storage, transforming the entire stack into one cohesive, synchronized system. Upscale’s AI platform is built on and actively advances open standards and open source technologies, including ESUN, Ultra Accelerator Link (UAL), Ultra Ethernet (UEC), SONiC, and the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI). The company is an active participant in the Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium, Ultra Ethernet Consortium, Open Compute Project, and SONiC Foundation.

With an additional $200M in new financing, Upscale AI will be delivering the first full-stack, turnkey platform spanning silicon, systems, and software built to interconnect the heterogeneous future of AGI. The company will use the funding to rapidly expand its engineering, sales, and operations teams as it moves into commercial deployment. Upscale AI is experiencing strong early traction for its solutions for hyperscalers and AI infrastructure operators pursuing scalable, open networking alternatives.

Upscale AI’s networking solutions are slated to ship this year.

“This investment accelerates our mission to fundamentally re-architect networking for the AI era,” said Barun Kar, CEO of Upscale AI. “With a world-class team and strong customer pull, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the open AI networking platform the industry has been waiting for.”

“Upscale AI has built extraordinary momentum in an exceptionally short time,” said Rajiv Khemani, Executive Chairman of Upscale AI. “The market is demanding open, scalable AI networking solutions, and Upscale AI is uniquely positioned to help customers break through today’s networking constraints.”

Supporting Quotes

• “AI is fundamentally reshaping infrastructure, and networking is at the center of that transformation,” said Rohit Iragavarapu, Partner at Tiger Global. “Upscale AI combines deep technical execution with strong industry relationships to build the next generation of AI networking.”
• “As AI systems scale, interconnect efficiency has become a defining driver of performance and economics—not just raw compute. What stands out about Upscale AI is not only their purpose-built approach to scale-up networking silicon, but the depth of experience of a team that has successfully built and deployed this class of infrastructure before,” said Sandesh Patnam, Managing Partner at Premji Invest. “Their ability to deliver proprietary-grade performance while embracing open standards reflects both strong technical conviction and real-world operating insight. We are excited to partner with Rajiv, Barun, and team again as they build critical infrastructure for the next generation of AI systems.”
• “AI workloads are outpacing the capabilities of traditional networks,” said Phil Inagaki, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Xora Innovation. “Upscale AI is rebuilding the entire stack from the ground up and leading the effort to democratize AI networking infrastructure at scale.”
• “Since our seed investment, Upscale AI has executed with impressive speed and discipline,” said Andrew Homan, Managing Partner at Maverick Silicon. “Our continued support reflects strong conviction in both the market opportunity and the team’s ability to deliver.”
• “From the outset, Upscale AI stood out as a startup well positioned to define its own path in the AI networking space,” said John Avirett, Partner at StepStone Group. “Upscale AI has already drawn significant customer interest, and we expect the team to translate that momentum into a strong roster of deployments with leading hyperscalers and AI infrastructure operators.”
• “Every computing era has its chokepoint. In the AI era, it’s networking,” said Navin Chaddha, Managing Partner at Mayfield. “Barun, Rajiv, and their world-class team are reimagining the entire stack from first principles and building an open platform for networking that can support the next generation of AI infrastructure.”
• “Upscale AI is perfectly aligned with Prosperity7’s vision of backing transformative companies that are pushing the edge of what’s possible,” said Abhishek Shukla, U.S. Managing Director at Prosperity7 Ventures. “We take a long-term approach to investing, and we see significant potential for Upscale AI to capture strong market demand in the AI networking space in the coming years.”
• “Scalability is the top priority for large enterprises evaluating networking solutions, and Upscale AI has architected its entire portfolio for scalability in the AI era,” said Srini Ananth, Managing Director at Intel Capital. “By delivering an open, turnkey solution, Upscale AI is removing complexity from networking infrastructure and unlocking scaled AI adoption for enterprises.”
• “As AI infrastructure scales, advanced networking is essential to meet the demand of AI workloads,” said Quinn Li, Senior Vice President, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and global head of Qualcomm Ventures. “As an early investor, we’re excited to support Upscale AI’s team as they push the boundaries of AI networking infrastructure.”
• “Collaboration is key for accelerating the future of AI infrastructure,” said Robert Hormuth, Corporate Vice President, Architecture and Strategy, Data Center Solutions Group, AMD. “By adopting UALink early, Upscale AI is helping to foster an ecosystem centered on openness, choice, and interoperability.”
• “AI networking is on track to become a $100B annual market by the end of the decade,” said Alan Weckel, Co-Founder and Technology Analyst at 650 Group. “Upscale AI is entering at exactly the right moment with open, high-performance solutions built to scale.”
• “The networking market has reached a clear inflection point with AI,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “Upscale AI’s SkyHammer architecture makes them one of the most important companies to watch.”

About Upscale AI
Upscale AI is a high-performance AI networking company accelerating AI democratization through open-standard, full-stack, turnkey solutions. Its portfolio of silicon, systems, and software is purpose-built for ultra-low-latency networking, enabling breakthrough performance and scalability across AI training, inference, generative AI, edge computing, and cloud-scale deployments.

For more information, visit https://upscaleai.com.

SOURCE Upscale AI

The company will use the follow-on seed to advance the development of its high-performance CPU microarchitecture designed for the surging compute demands of AI workloads

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 21, 2026 — AheadComputing, Inc., the company pioneering breakthrough microarchitecture to deliver industry-leading CPU performance, today announced it has raised $30M in a Seed2 round, bringing the company’s total funding to $53M to date. The round was co-led by Eclipse, Toyota Ventures, and Cambium, with additional participation from Corner, Trousdale Ventures, EPIQ, MESH, and Stata.

AI workloads are reshaping compute across hyperscale data centers, workstations, PCs, and high-end embedded systems. While GPU performance is taking center stage, CPU performance remains essential for AI workloads, yet is often overlooked as a critical component of overall system capability. Industry forecasts predict that 70% of all data center workloads will be AI workloads by 2030, and a high-performance CPU is essential to the efficient execution of these workloads. The AI workload mix is shifting towards inference and agentic AI workloads, making higher per-core CPU performance an industry priority.

“Our team of system architects and engineers, with over 1000 years of combined CPU design experience, continues to push CPU performance forward and beyond the boundaries of traditional CPU innovation,” said Debbie Marr, CEO and co-founder of AheadComputing. “This additional funding will allow us to continue to challenge traditional rules and sustain a fast pace of transformation and develop the fastest high-performance, general-purpose CPU because everybody deserves better compute.”

Since its founding in 2024, AheadComputing has made rapid progress through product development, technical collaborations with semiconductor ecosystem partners, and customer design exploration with hyperscalers and compute providers. Its approach combines the extensibility of RISC-V with a breakthrough microarchitecture, demonstrating that open architectures can deliver top-tier performance for modern AI and Data Center applications. By collaborating deeply with technical partners across the ecosystem, AheadComputing is helping bring RISC-V into mainstream data-center and AI infrastructure.

“AheadComputing is shaping a massive addressable market at a time when the compute industry is undergoing a fundamental shift driven by surging AI workloads, escalating performance bottlenecks, and an urgent need for more scalable, high-performance CPU cores,” said Greg Reichow, Partner at Eclipse and AheadComputing Board member. “The team’s roadmap takes a novel approach by making CPUs more powerful than ever before. By leveraging RISC-V’s extensibility and pairing it with a breakthrough microarchitecture, the team is unlocking levels of performance and efficiency that the industry has been chasing for years and ultimately, setting a new bar for what modern CPUs can deliver.”

This new capital will support enhancing R&D, software innovation, and test chip development.  Additionally, AheadComputing continues to scale its team of nearly 120 people, which has collectively shipped 70+ products over the course of their careers. The team’s first product is currently in development, which is made possible by key collaborations with ecosystem partners, including Alchip, Cadence, Skyechip, and Tenstorrent.

For more information, visit aheadcomputing.com

Toyota Ventures:
“AheadComputing is focused on developing a ‘true performance CPU core’ that can break through the per-core performance limitations of today’s microarchitectures,” said Chris Abshire, principal, Frontier Fund at Toyota Ventures. “The company’s technology is addressing the growing demand for high-performance, energy-efficient processors by balancing raw processing power with superior power efficiency. We look forward to supporting the world-class team at Ahead Computing as they bring the most performant CPU to market.”  – Chris Abshire, principal, Frontier Fund, Toyota Ventures.

Cambium: 
“The RISC-V software ecosystem is large and rapidly expanding to meet the needs of the emerging AI workloads. AheadComputing will further accelerate the RISC-V ecosystem by giving software developers something they have lacked – a world-class CPU.” – Bill Leszinske, Partner at Cambium Capital

ALCHIP:
“The compute industry is at an inflection point. Alchip is delighted to collaborate with AheadComputing as they architect breakthrough CPU performance precisely when the industry needs it most. As AI workloads shift toward inference and agentic computing, AheadComputing is positioned to redefine what’s possible in high-performance computing.” – Dave Hwang, SVP and Alchip NA GM

Tenstorrent:
“The path to transformative CPU performance isn’t about chasing incremental gains—it’s about fundamental rethinking. You have to redesign core microarchitecture and goals. Debbie and her team at AheadComputing are approaching this problem with the kind of first-principles thinking that actually moves the industry forward. This team has collectively shipped over 70 products and holds hundreds of compute patents, representing both technical insight and execution capability. This is the caliber of engineering that delivers generational leaps, not evolutionary steps.” – Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent and Board Member at Ahead

About AheadComputing
AheadComputing Inc. is an IP design house focused on developing, licensing, and supporting high-performance microprocessor cores and related technologies. With a leadership team boasting decades of experience in CPU architecture and innovation, the company is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of compute performance through cutting-edge RISC-V processors. AheadComputing’s solutions empower industries ranging from cloud computing to AI and edge applications, providing unmatched efficiency and scalability. Headquartered in Portland, OR, the company is poised to revolutionize the computing landscape by delivering breakthrough per-core performance and setting new industry benchmarks. For more information, visit www.aheadcomputing.com

Media Contact
[email protected] 

SOURCE AheadComputing

Capital Will Accelerate Nationwide Clinic Growth And Expand Zarminali’s Proprietary Technology Platform

CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2026 — Zarminali Pediatrics, the first outpatient pediatric destination purpose-built to provide integrated primary and specialty care nationwide, today announced a $110M Series A funding round. Healthier Capital led the round, along with participation from existing investor General Catalyst, and new investor K2 HealthVentures.

Since its founding in 2024, Zarminali has rapidly emerged as a leader in modern pediatric healthcare, establishing a footprint of 28 clinics across 8 states in under two years. In 2026, the company plans to open 15 de novo clinics – including several in new markets such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Dallas – and welcome additional established practice groups into its growing network, continuing its nationwide expansion to serve more families. The new capital will be used to accelerate the rollout of Zarminali’s proprietary technology platform, enter new markets and open de novo clinics uniquely designed for pediatric patients and their families, and expand services beyond primary care to include both urgent and specialty care offerings.

With this latest raise, Zarminali has secured a total of $150 million in funding to date. Additionally, Amir Dan Rubin, CEO & Founding Managing Partner of Healthier Capital and former CEO of Amazon One Medical, will be joining Zarminali’s Board of Directors, alongside existing board members Holly Maloney, Managing Director & Head of Health Assurance at General Catalyst; Brandon Kerns, CFO of CareBridge Health and former CFO of Main Street Health and Landmark Health; and Margaret McKenna, former co-CTO of Devoted Health.

Having personally dealt with finding comprehensive pediatric care for a child with an autoimmune disorder and the stress that experience can place on families navigating the healthcare system, Founder & CEO Danish Qureshi committed himself to the mission of changing the way that pediatric care is delivered.

“Our rapid growth is proof of what millions of parents, clinicians, and children already know to be true: Our pediatric healthcare system is broken, and Zarminali’s family-centered, technology-enhanced healthcare model is the necessary solution,” said Danish Qureshi. “With this additional capital, we will be able to further expand our delivery of comprehensive and cohesive pediatric care to countless families across the country.”

“Zarminali Pediatrics represents a fundamentally better way to care for children – one that is built around families, empowered clinicians, and creative uses of technology,” said Amir Dan Rubin. “I am proud to support the team’s mission to unify primary, specialty, and urgent care all under one umbrella with one unified technology backbone – a solution that is both innovative and intuitive.”

“Zarminali is building the digital, operational, and clinical infrastructure for what modern pediatric care should look like in the U.S.,” said Holly Maloney. “The team has consistently outperformed expectations, and we believe they have the potential to build the first truly scaled, sustainable pediatric health system in the country, which is why we remain committed to investing in the company.”

A recent 2025 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that the physical, mental, and developmental health of American children has significantly deteriorated across nearly every major health indicator over the past seventeen years – highlighting an increasingly urgent need to reshape pediatric care in the United States. Zarminali Pediatrics provides a modern, purpose-built healthcare alternative that delivers elevated, seamlessly coordinated care across the full pediatric continuum. By designing care around coordination, continuity, and seamless access, Zarminali is the ideal partner for families through every stage of a child’s health journey.

In addition to its primary care offerings, Zarminali Pediatrics will expand its specialty services to include speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral health services across its clinic footprint, as well as urgent care in select locations. The company also plans to expand services to include 24/7 telehealth, to ensure families have access to care whenever a need arises. To learn more about Zarminali visit: http://zarminali.com.

About Zarminali Pediatrics
Zarminali Pediatrics is building the nation’s leading pediatric multispecialty group, focused on supporting families to shape healthy futures for their children – from birth through adulthood – by completely transforming the way pediatric care is delivered nationwide. Zarminali is tackling today’s challenges of increased administrative burden on clinicians and a siloed approach to pediatric care through intentional design of care delivery, enhanced by leading technology and collaborative, expert care teams. We are leading the way towards a healthier future for pediatric patients and a happier future for pediatric clinicians across the country. Visit zarminali.com for more information or follow our journey to provide more connected care on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Zarminali Pediatrics

CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2026 — Renterra, a leading software platform for equipment rental businesses, today announced it has closed a $9 million Series A financing round led by Avenue Growth Partners, with participation from existing investors. The funding will support Renterra’s continued expansion, team growth, and investment in technology, including accelerating its position as the leading platform bringing practical AI to the equipment rental industry as it scales across North America.

Renterra provides an all-in-one operating system for rental companies, helping businesses modernize operations, improve customer experiences, and unlock new growth opportunities. Today, the platform is used by hundreds of rental companies across the United States and Canada, supporting hundreds of millions of dollars in rental transactions annually.

The Series A marks a major milestone in Renterra’s evolution as it builds the next generation of rental software, with a growing focus on applying AI to help rental businesses operate smarter, market more effectively, and make better decisions at scale.

“This investment gives us the fuel to move even faster and think even bigger,” said Andy Feis, Co-Founder and CEO of Renterra. “Rental businesses are the backbone of construction, infrastructure, and local economies, yet they’ve historically been underserved by technology. We’re building the platform that will define how this industry operates for the next decade, with AI playing a practical role in helping rental companies win. We’re excited to partner with Avenue Growth Partners and our existing investors as we scale.”

Avenue Growth Partners is an early growth equity firm with deep experience helping high-potential vertical software companies become category leaders.

“Renterra has built a product that is already having a transformational impact on how rental businesses operate,” said Ryan Russell, Co-Founder and Partner at Avenue Growth Partners. “The team’s combination of industry expertise and modern software positions Renterra to become foundational to the rental industry, especially as AI becomes an increasingly important driver of competitive advantage.”

With the new funding, Renterra plans to grow its team across engineering, product, customer success, and go-to-market functions, while continuing to invest in its platform and long-term roadmap.

For press inquiries:
Renterra
[email protected]

SOURCE Renterra

Led by Centana Growth Partners, the funding accelerates Benepass’ platform expansion to help employers better control healthcare spending and expand employee choice.

NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2026 — Benepass, a global benefits capital management platform, today announced it has raised $40 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Centana Growth Partners, with participation from FoW Partners and existing investors Portage Ventures and Threshold Ventures. The funding will support Benepass’ efforts to expand into larger, more complex employers with their pre- and post-tax benefit offerings. The platform will be positioned to support more specialized and cost-sensitive programs.

“Benepass has demonstrated strong momentum across customer adoption, and platform usage,” said Matthew Alfieri, Partner at Centana Growth Partners. “What stood out in diligence was the consistency of customer praise across flexibility, its user experience, and a highly collaborative support model, which reinforced our conviction that Benepass is well-positioned helping employers manage benefit dollars with greater precision and flexibility.”

Healthcare costs are projected to rise by as much as 10 percent this year, driven by increased utilization, chronic conditions, and specialty drugs such as GLP-1 medications.¹ At the same time, more than a quarter of employers are shifting costs to employees through higher premiums and deductibles², a strategy that is becoming less effective as inflation strains household budgets.

With the new funding, Benepass will expand its platform to give employers greater control over healthcare spending while increasing employee choice. This includes continued investment in its Health Savings Account offering. Employers gain greater control over their investment philosophy. Integrated enrollment and a $125 minimum investment threshold make it easier for employees to participate.

The company will also expand Specialty Health Reimbursement Accounts as a cost management option for employers, beginning with programs designed to support GLP-1 medications. These accounts allow employers to define eligible medications, restrict merchants, and tailor access to complementary interventions such as nutrition counseling, fitness programs, and behavioral therapy. The approach is designed to support weight management programs without necessarily increasing premiums, claims, or deductibles for the broader employee population.

Benepass will pair these offerings with enhanced employee outreach around eligible benefits, including items that may qualify under Health Savings Accounts as well as Flexible Spending Accounts.

Greater participation in pre-tax accounts lowers employees’ taxable income and out-of-pocket costs. Employers benefit from reduced payroll taxes, making these accounts a rare win-win as healthcare expenses climb.

“As benefits have multiplied, their value to employees have become fragmented,” said Jaclyn Chen, CEO of Benepass. “By consolidating benefits on a single platform and expanding employee choice, employers can turn benefits into something people actually understand, use, and value. This funding allows us to keep scaling that foundation.”

Benepass currently serves over 250 employers globally and has supported more than 4.5 million card transactions to date. Since January 2025, its revenue has more than doubled according to internal company data. The company is also a Workday Wellness partner for financial benefits, reflecting growing enterprise demand for flexible and compliant benefits infrastructure.

About Benepass

Founded in 2019, Benepass is a global benefits capital management platform that modernizes how employers deliver and manage benefits, pre and post tax. Powered by a proprietary financial ledger, Benepass ensures precise and compliant distribution of benefit dollars across local currencies and programs. Currently, the company has processed more than 4.5 million card transactions, and serves over 250 employers worldwide. Benepass is also a Workday Wellness strategic partner for financial benefits.

About Centana Growth Partners 

Centana Growth Partners is a specialized growth equity firm that invests in the future of finance. Centana collaborates with companies across the entire financial services ecosystem, from institutions to fintech disruptors, to add strategic and long-term value to their portfolio companies. Centana empowers entrepreneurs with a combination of capital, network, and expertise to accelerate their growth. The Centana team taps into decades of financial services expertise and insight to invest in companies that bring real value and innovation to the industry. Visit centanagrowth.com for more information.

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¹ Plier, R. (2025, August 14). Employers project 10% rise in health care costs for 2026. Word on Benefits Blog. International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. 

² Society for Human Resource Management. (2025, September 25). Employers project big jump in health care costs 2026. SHRM. 

Media Contact

Corey Goldman
[email protected]
416-322-2863

SOURCE Benepass

Collaboration breaks down barriers for DisabilityTech startups to get funding

WATERTOWN, Mass., Jan. 21, 2026 — Today, the Perkins Howe Innovation Center announced a new collaboration designed to solve a long-standing problem for the disability community: bringing more accessible products and services to market. The new collaboration with Adaptation Ventures will unite DisabilityTech innovators with early-stage investors, accelerating the development of accessible products and services that people with disabilities need.

“Investment in DisabilityTech companies is growing, but access to ‘first money in’ remains a barrier for founders,” said Sandy K. Lacey, Executive Director of the Perkins Howe Innovation Center. “Innovation doesn’t happen without resources. By formalizing this strategic relationship with Adaptation Ventures, we can help move more early capital into the sector and support companies at the moment it matters most.”

By aligning their complementary programs, the Perkins Howe Innovation Center and Adaptation Ventures create new pathways for promising DisabilityTech startups to succeed. Perkins will draw on its connections across the disability and startup ecosystems to identify and refer high-potential companies, while Adaptation Ventures – a pioneering pre-seed VC fund exclusively focused on DisabilityTech – will support founders with early capital, strategic guidance, and investor networks.

“Working closely with the Perkins Howe Innovation Center allows us to engage earlier and more meaningfully with founders who are solving real accessibility challenges,” said Brittany Palmer, Managing Partner at Adaptation Ventures. “Perkins’ longstanding leadership in disability innovation makes them a natural collaborator as we work to ensure early investments translate into meaningful impact.”

This announcement follows the release of Perkins’ latest market research, “Defining DisabilityTech, Volume II: The Accessible Innovation Opportunity,” unveiled earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show. Drawing on analysis from McKinsey research, the report highlights several defining trends shaping the sector, including:

• DisabilityTech Is Entering a Breakthrough Phase: Early-stage (through Series A) DisabilityTech investment grew from $818 million in 2022 to $1.1 billion in 2024, signaling rising mainstream momentum.
• Early Capital Is Still the Bottleneck: Despite growth, DisabilityTech founders continue to cite first-money-in funding as their biggest barrier.
• AI Makes Accessibility Non-Negotiable: As AI becomes foundational, accessibility must be built in early—or exclusion will scale with the technology.

Together, Perkins and Adaptation Ventures aim to attract new investors, support emerging founders, and reduce friction points that slow the path from idea to impact. By connecting innovators with aligned capital and expertise, the collaboration will help bring accessible products and services to market for the 1 in 4 people worldwide who live with a disability.

About the Perkins Howe Innovation Center
The Perkins Howe Innovation Center—recognized on the Forbes Accessibility 100 as one of the “biggest innovators and impact-makers in accessibility”—unlocks the power of entrepreneurs and the disability community to create solutions to real-world accessibility challenges. The Center serves as a convener and catalyst of innovation by bringing together people with disabilities, startups, investors, researchers, and industry leaders to spotlight lived experience and solve everyday accessibility challenges. Learn more at Perkins.org/Innovation.

About Adaptation Ventures
Adaptation Ventures is a pioneering pre-seed fund dedicated to fueling tech innovation in disability, neurodivergence, and accessibility. It backs mission-driven founders building venture-scalable solutions for the nearly 2 billion people who live with disabilities and control $18 trillion in annual purchasing power. Adaptation’s Managing Partners, Brittany Palmer and Rich Palmer, have been on all sides of the table – as exited founders, global operators, and leading early-stage investors – and offer personal insight as disability advocates with lived experience ranging from limb difference and traumatic brain injury to neurodivergence. Its portfolio companies represent a range of sectors and industries, and benefit from a robust community of investors, experts, and hands-on guidance to help them scale. The Managing Partners have also worked to make the fund more accessible to new and seasoned investors, with smaller investment minimums. Adaptation sees disability innovation as the catalyst for a new era of entrepreneurship – one that delivers both purpose and performance. Interested investors, founders, and others can learn more on the Adaptation Ventures website.

About Perkins School for the Blind
Perkins helps children with disabilities find their place in the world. For nearly 200 years, Perkins has been the global leader in education services for children and young adults with disabilities with visual impairments. From its renowned Massachusetts-based school, Perkins develops best-in-class teaching practices and shares them worldwide—through teacher training, sustainable education programs, and accelerating innovation for people with disabilities. With a mission to make quality learning accessible to the 240 million children with disabilities globally and reached almost two million children last year. Perkins is continually innovating to meet the evolving needs of children, families, and educators—breaking down barriers and building brighter futures, one student at a time. Perkins.org

Media Contact:
Perrin McCormick
[email protected]
617-972-7333

SOURCE Perkins School for the Blind

De Serie D-ronde die geleid werd door WestCap, waardeert het bedrijf op $ 1,2 miljard en markeert het volgende hoofdstuk voor gepersonaliseerd, hoogwaardig leren op schaal

NEW YORK, 21 januari 2026 — Preply, de top wereldwijde marktplaats voor het leren van talen, kondigde vandaag aan dat het haar Serie D-ronde heeft voltooid. Hierbij werd $ 150 miljoen aan financiering verkregen onder leiding van WestCap, een strategisch opererende investeringsonderneming met meer dan $ 6 miljard aan vermogen onder beheer. Goldman Sachs International trad op als enige plaatsing agent in de transactie. De laatste financieringsronde waardeert het bedrijf op $1,2 miljard en markeert een belangrijke mijlpaal in Preply’s missie om transformatieve leerervaringen toegankelijk te maken voor mensen wereldwijd.

Het platform van Preply, een pionier op het gebied van online taalleren, verbindt meer dan 100.000 docenten met studenten in 180 landen en biedt één-op-één lessen in meer dan 90 talen. Dankzij een unieke combinatie van menselijke onderwijs, in combinatie met de AI-ondersteunde tutoring co-pilot suite, herdefinieert Preply de manier waarop mensen leren. Het doet dit door middel van hoogwaardige, flexibele en op maat gemaakte leerervaringen die zijn ontworpen om echte vooruitgang te boeken bij elke les.

De Serie D-fondsenwerving van Preply komt op een moment dat naar schatting 1,8 miljard mensen, of ruwweg één op de vier mensen wereldwijd, actief streven naar het beheersen van een tweede taal, aldus het mondiale onderwijs dataplatform HolonIQ. Naar schatting zal de wereldwijde markt voor direct-to-consumer taalleren in 2035 $ 227 miljard zal bedragen. In de afgelopen vijf jaar onderging de markt al een drievoudige groei, en langetermijnvoorspellingen wijzen op een aanhoudende, exponentiële stijging van dit aantal in de komende jaren.

Sinds de Series C-financieringsronde heeft Preply het aantal boekbare docenten meer dan verdrievoudigd en het aanbod uitgebreid met meer dan 40 nieuwe talen op het platform. In de afgelopen twaalf maanden bleef het bedrijf zijn EBITDA verbeteren en werd het EBITDA-positief.

Met dit kapitaal en de steun van nieuwe en bestaande investeerders, waaronder de Europese Bank voor Wederopbouw en Ontwikkeling (EBRD) en Horizon Capital, zal Preply zich nog meer inzetten om ‘s werelds meest gepersonaliseerde leerervaringen op schaal te leveren. Het bedrijf is van plan zijn AI- en datamogelijkheden te vergroten, zijn product- en engineering teams uit te breiden om de platform ervaring te verbeteren en zijn wereldwijde groei te versnellen om meer leerlingen en docenten over de hele wereld te bereiken terwijl het traditionele onderwijssysteem een nieuw jasje krijgt. Het WestCap team, met haar sterke staat van dienst in het bouwen en opschalen van wereldwijde marktplaatsen zoals Airbnb en StubHub, zal Preply helpen om haar impact wereldwijd verder te vergroten.

“We voelen ons zeer gelukkig en zeer verantwoordelijk voor de manier waarop mensen in de toekomst zullen leren”, zegt Kirill Bigai, mede-oprichter en CEO van Preply. “Vandaag de dag verbinden we mensen met de beste docenten ter wereld, versterkt door AI. Hierdoor wordt de leer efficiëntie naar een niveau gebracht dat voorheen onbereikbaar was. We zijn blij dat we kunnen samenwerken met het team van WestCap, dat veel expertise heeft in het helpen van oprichters bij het bouwen van legendarische merken die de wereld veranderen. Deze investering zal ons helpen om te blijven innoveren op het snijvlak van menselijke begeleiding en AI. “Zo kunnen we overal kansen creëren voor mensen om met elkaar in contact te komen, erbij te horen, te slagen en uiteindelijk vooruitgang te boeken in hun leven, waar ter wereld ze ook zijn.”

Terwijl andere leerplatforms zich steeds meer richten op automatisering, blijft Preply zich inzetten voor de kracht van de menselijke verbinding. Hierbij wordt AI gebruikt om tutor gestuurd leren mogelijk te maken en te verbeteren en om de tutoring co-pilot suite te ondersteunen. Uit de Preply 2025 Efficiency Study, uitgevoerd in samenwerking met de non-profit onderzoeksorganisatie LeanLab Education, blijkt dat 96% van de leerlingen het leren met een menselijke tutor en het aangaan van echte gesprekken als essentieel voor hun vooruitgang beschouwt, terwijl 97% zegt dat deze interacties essentieel zijn voor het vergroten van hun zelfvertrouwen.

Uit het onderzoek bleek ook dat met Preply leerlingen tot 3x sneller vooruitgang boekten in vergelijking met de gemiddelde benchmarks, waarbij een op de drie leerlingen een volledig CEFR-niveau hoger kwam in slechts 12 weken. Dit geeft aan dat menselijke begeleiding een krachtige drijfveer blijft voor betekenisvol leren, en dit kan worden versterkt wanneer het wordt gecombineerd met AI. Preply’s tutoring co-pilot houdt de voortgang bij, levert bruikbare inzichten en automatiseert administratieve taken, zodat tutoren zich kunnen richten op het lesgeven en leerlingen sneller hun doelen bereiken.

“Preply zet een nieuwe standaard voor gepersonaliseerd onderwijs op schaal en de mogelijkheden zijn vrijwel onbeperkt”, zegt Allen Mask, Partner bij WestCap en voormalig senior executive bij Airbnb, die toetreedt tot het bestuur van Preply. “Uit gegevens blijkt dat leerlingen het goed doen als echt menselijk onderwijs wordt ondersteund door technologie. In de steeds meer verbonden wereld van vandaag is er een echte vraag naar het democratiseren van de toegang tot leren van hoge kwaliteit op een moderne en effectieve manier. Preply heeft het marktleidende product, het ervaren managementteam en de visie om vorm te geven aan de manier waarop mensen wereldwijd communiceren.”

Deze laatste ronde brengt Preply’s totale financiering op ongeveer 299 miljoen dollar tot nu toe, wat het vertrouwen van investeerders op lange termijn in de missie en het groeitraject van het bedrijf ondersteunt. Met een voortdurend momentum op de wereldwijde markt is Preply goed gepositioneerd om zijn impact uit te breiden, voort te bouwen op zijn bewezen leerresultaten en zich verder te vestigen als categorieleider op het gebied van door mensen geleid, AI-gesteund leren.

Ga voor meer informatie naar Preply.com.

OVER PREPLY
Preply is het door mensen geleide, AI-gebaseerde platform voor taalbeheersing dat de toekomst van leren mogelijk maakt. Met een wereldwijd netwerk van meer dan 100.000 docenten die lesgeven in meer dan 90 talen, zijn wij de categorieleider en de grootste online marktplaats die menselijke docenten samenbrengt met studenten uit 180 landen en hen ondersteunt met always-on, AI-gestuurde tools om echte vooruitgang te boeken bij elke les.

Het is onze missie om levensveranderende leerervaringen te creëren door echte vooruitgang te stimuleren via gepersonaliseerd leren, motivatie en tutoring van hoge kwaliteit op grote schaal. Wij geloven dat we in een unieke positie verkeren om het bedrijf te worden dat het menselijk leren beter begrijpt dan wie dan ook ter wereld.

OVER WESTCAP
WestCap is een strategisch opererend investeringsbedrijf dat samenwerkt met visionaire leiders om generatie bedrijven op te bouwen. Ons team bestaat uit doorgewinterde industrie leiders en ondernemers die bedrijven door de meest cruciale groeifasen loodsen. Enkele van onze opmerkelijke investeringen zijn Airbnb, StubHub, Klarna, Ipreo, Addepar, Hopper, iCapital en GoodLeap. De onderneming heeft kantoren in New York, San Francisco en Londen. Ga voor meer informatie naar www.westcap.com.

CONTACT
Lauren Doyle
Global PR & Communications, Preply
[email protected] 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2743863/Preply_Logo.jpg