• N47 leads a $19M Series A raise, joined by Rackhouse Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz.
• In XBuild’s first year, over 15,000 projects have been run to completion, $250M worth of construction projects.
• The company launches Roofing Proposals, a new product enabling anyone from a roofing company to generate a finished estimate in under 15 minutes.
• Founders bridge deep construction expertise with Silicon Valley product and engineering experience.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20, 2026 — Today, XBuild, the first AI platform purpose-built for construction, announced a $19 million Series A funding round led by N47 with participation from Rackhouse Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz.

XBuild will use the funding to build the first vibe coding estimating platform for all of construction, scaling proposal capabilities into verticals including concrete, landscaping, painting, windows and doors, glass and glazing, insulation, HVAC, and plumbing.

Founded by former Uber and Postmates execs Jahan Khanna and Rob Moran, together with civil engineer Sharuk Khanna, XBuild combines technology and construction expertise to deliver exactly what contractors need.

Contractors struggle with pricing accuracy, cash‑flow gaps, homeowner skepticism, and scattered communication. XBuild tackles these pain points with an AI‑native estimating platform that’s agentic, chat‑based, and trained on the inputs roofers actually use—measurement reports and site photos—to produce standardized, editable estimates in minutes, with no demos or onboarding required.

After launching their first product last year, an insurance‑focused point solution:

• Over 15,000 projects have been run to completion
• $250M worth of construction projects
• Contractors have saved +40,000 hours creating estimates

XBuild’s new product, Roofing Proposals, brings the same experience to residential contractors and replaces legacy template‑driven estimating, drastically improving:

• Clear profit margins: Integrated with the industry’s largest material suppliers such as ABC Supply to provide real-time supplier pricing to ensure accurate costs.
• Measurement format hurdles: References PDF reports including EagleView, GAF QuickScope, Hover, and RoofR and supports manual photos including via CompanyCam, to create proposals in minutes.
• Homeowner transparency: Generates a homeowner link with Good/Better/Best pricing options, e-sign, and Stripe Connect payments for faster cash flow and straightforward buying process for the homeowner.

“Construction and the cost of building is the last space that truly has not been disrupted by technology in the way most of the rest of the world has,” said Jahan Khanna, Co-Founder of XBuild. “It is the final frontier, and in order to deal with the cost of living crisis all of us face today, it must become cheaper, faster, and easier to build things in the physical world.  XBuild and the coming AI revolution will be a catalyst to that end, and to a brighter future.”

“Estimating and proposal generation remain major bottlenecks for contractors, yet legacy tools haven’t kept pace with AI capabilities or the realities of how the industry works today,” said Matthew Cowan, General Partner at N47. “XBuild leverages deep industry expertise to deliver compelling automation and efficiency gains in construction, representing a cutting-edge application of AI to real-world problems.”

About XBuild
XBuild is the first true AI platform built for construction, helping contractors streamline their estimating process and win more jobs. The platform generates professional proposals that save contractors hours of manual work while improving accuracy. With features including the Insurance Estimation Copilot, Roofing Proposals, and flexible subscription plans, XBuild enables roofing contractors to respond faster to opportunities, reduce estimation costs, and scale their businesses more efficiently. XBuild is positioned to be a source of truth and transparency for both the contractor and homeowner. For more information, visit https://x.build/.

Media Contact:
Sarah Cohen
[email protected]

SOURCE XBuild

The invite-only gathering highlighted Edge’s unique transatlantic model, which enables medtech startups to conduct early-stage research and development in Israel before advancing clinical and commercial activities in the United States, contributing to highly differentiated, capital-efficient ventures. New Jersey is an increasingly attractive destination for companies seeking to establish and scale U.S. operations, with the state’s thriving network of hospitals, deep life sciences focus, and state-supported funding programs.

Opening the program, Edge Managing Partner Shai Policker outlined the firm’s dual venture studio and fund model and how it operates in the state:

“Our successful co-investment model with NJEDA through the NJ Innovation Evergreen Fund (NJIEF) has been instrumental in anchoring Edge portfolio companies to New Jersey,” said Shai Policker, Managing Partner, Edge Medical Ventures. “Edge builds companies around validated clinical needs and supports them with hands-on operational, clinical, regulatory, and U.S. go-to-market expertise from our New Jersey and Israel offices. By embedding these capabilities early on, we help startups progress efficiently toward clinical validation and commercialization.”

Paul Hoffmann, President and CEO of Liberty Science Center spoke about the institution’s expanding role as a convening platform for innovation, followed by remarks from Alexander Richter, Executive Director of the SciTech Innovation Hub, on SciTech Scity’s efforts to strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem and attract high-growth tech companies.

A central theme of the event was the role of public-private collaboration in accelerating healthcare innovation. John Coelho and Alexander Pachman of the NJEDA discussed how state programs, including NJIEF, are helping attract investment, anchor companies locally, and retain high-growth life sciences companies and talent within the state.

“About three years ago, we created an investment thesis to intentionally diversify our state. We have moved from large companies to more of a connected ecosystem, diversified model,” said John Coelho, Senior Advisor, Life Sciences Strategic Innovation Centers, NJEDA. “Biotechnology is heavily dependent on medtech, and we see tremendous opportunity in both moving to the state.”

Edge is a Qualified Venture Fund of NJEDA’s Innovation Evergreen Fund, enabling co-investment alongside state capital into New Jersey-based medtech companies. Earlier last week, Edge portfolio company Synchrony Medical announced a $1M NJIEF investment through this model, on the back of Edge’s funding.

“We are here to work with entrepreneurs. We have one great example with Synchrony, and I hope we will have many, many more,” added Coelho.

A panel discussion featured three companies that were founded in Edge’s venture studio and are establishing themselves in New Jersey: Exero Medical, Urologic Health, and Synchrony Medical. Company representatives explored how operating through Edge’s model enables them to pair early-stage innovation and R&D in Israel, backed by the Israel Innovation Authority, with U.S.-based clinical, regulatory, and commercial progress—creating comprehensive transatlantic governmental support. Panelists shared recent milestones including completion of clinical studies, pilot programs, regulatory advancement, and early market activity.

The Innovation Showcase demonstrated how Edge’s venture creation and investment model is helping build and anchor successful medtech companies in New Jersey, reflecting broader momentum in the state’s healthcare innovation landscape as it becomes increasingly attractive to international startups through its proximity to major health systems, research institutions, investors, and state-supported funding programs.

About Edge Medical Ventures (Edge)

Edge Medical Ventures develops and invests in breakthrough medical technologies addressing critical unmet clinical needs through its venture studio and dedicated fund. With operations in both Israel and the United States, Edge combines financial investment with hands-on operational, clinical, regulatory, and U.S. go-to-market support to help medtech startups progress efficiently from concept through early commercialization.

Led by the management team of MEDX Xelerator, Israel’s leading medical device incubator, Edge’s experienced executives bring deep operating backgrounds across more than 20 medical technology companies, including successful exits and strategic partnerships, as well as extensive partnerships with healthcare systems and industry leaders. Based in Israel and New Jersey, Edge is backed by an S&P 500 strategic partner and supported by the Israel Innovation Authority and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, reflecting its role in advancing cross-border innovation and accelerating patient-ready technologies into the U.S. healthcare market.

For more information, visit: https://edgemed.vc/

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2865413/MedTech_Innovation_Showcase.jpg

Media Contact:
Aviva Sapir
Number 10 Strategies
[email protected]

SOURCE Edge Medical Ventures

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2026 — Andromeda Ventures today announced the official launch of its venture capital platform focused on mission-critical, dual-use technologies that strengthen infrastructure, security, and human performance on Earth while enabling sustainable human expansion into space. The firm will formally debut during SpaceCom | Space Congress 2026 in Orlando, where Co-Founder and General Partner Dr. Christyl C. Johnson will participate in a keynote fireside chat alongside Andromeda Ventures Operating Partners Clayton Turner and Daniel Fata on Friday, January 30, 2026.

Dr. Johnson’s conversation with Turner and Fata will focus on how validated government technology needs translate into scalable commercial capabilities — and how venture capital can accelerate that transition.

Andromeda Ventures invests from pre-seed through Series A across space, defense, energy, health, and AI-enabled autonomy. Unlike traditional venture funds that speculate on emerging trends, Andromeda invests against validated government technology roadmaps and clearly defined capability gaps, directing capital toward technologies that must perform reliably under extreme conditions.

The firm is led by Co-Founders and General Partners Dr. Christyl C. Johnson and Christian Elam, whose combined experience spans NASA executive leadership, venture investing, policy development, and global public-private partnerships.

“Many technologies required to operate in extreme environments also strengthen resilience here on Earth,” said Dr. Johnson. “Andromeda helps founders move faster from mission validation to deployable commercial solutions.”

Dr. Johnson previously served as Associate Administrator and Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, where she provided executive leadership and strategic oversight of the Agency’s most advanced technology programs, spanning early research through flight-ready systems.

“We’re building an institution, not just a fund,” said Elam. “We bridge government requirements, frontier technology, and global capital so companies can scale into both public and commercial markets.”

Elam previously founded Bachmanity Capital and was an early investor in defense technology company Thor Dynamics. He co-authored the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act and was appointed a United Nations Peace Ambassador in 2024.

Andromeda Ventures supports portfolio companies through validation pathways, regulatory insight, strategic partnerships, and international market entry via a global network. The firm expects to invest in approximately 30–35 companies, with a geographic focus of roughly 70% U.S. and 30% international investments.

About Andromeda Ventures

Andromeda Ventures invests where the future is being built — at the convergence of space exploration, defense modernization, and resilient infrastructure. Leveraging government-validated technology roadmaps, deep strategic partnerships, and an experienced leadership team, Andromeda backs mission-critical technologies that deliver immediate impact on Earth while enabling humanity’s expansion beyond.

For more information, visit www.andrventures.com or contact [email protected].

About SpaceCom | Space Congress

As the flagship event of Commercial Space Week, SpaceCom | Space Congress brings together the commercial sector, government agencies, and academia to share ideas, form partnerships, close deals, and advance the technologies and strategies shaping our future in space.

For more information, visit www.spacecomexpo.com.

Media Contact:

Tony Chamblee
[email protected]
+13107704313

SOURCE Andromeda Ventures

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 — Formulary Financial, a full-service, AI-native fund administrator, today announced it has emerged from stealth with $4.6 million in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Acrew Capital, Company Ventures, Human Ventures, Serena Ventures, and Alumni Ventures, among other strategic partners and industry executives.

Formulary offers comprehensive fund administration services across the investment lifecycle — including accounting, reporting, compliance, audit, capital activity, and investor communications — powered by an AI-native platform designed to keep the data accurate, synthesized, and accessible in real time.

The need for reliable data, intelligent operations, and personalized advice

More than $23 trillion in private markets capital is still managed with erroneous spreadsheets, outdated software, and expensive shadow fund administration processes. Incumbent providers keep trying to retrofit legacy infrastructure with modern tools, and new software solutions are experimenting with agentic workflows to replace accountants. But the underlying problem is unsolved: the data remains unreliable and fragmented, and the need for expert fund administration support has only become more critical as asset managers grow in size and complexity.

The fund administration industry also faces a major bottleneck — accountants spend up to 70% of their time on repetitive administrative work and error-prone data entry instead of serving general partners and limited partners. This creates a massive drag on productivity and prevents investors from getting timely, accurate data and high-quality service. As a result, GPs waste time validating their own fund data and LPs receive late or inaccurate reporting. Lack of adequate fund administration support throughout the investment lifecycle could also result in other unnecessary costs and risks, from compliance issues and regulatory penalties to lost investor trust.

Formulary replaces these fragmented systems with a structured data foundation and a modern client experience.

• One Source of Truth. Single platform integrates external and internal data sources, eliminates the need for disparate tools, and delivers an auditable, holistic view of an asset management firm.
• Real-Time Reporting. Records are updated, gated, and tracked immediately, not quarterly, to give investors timely information to make decisions.
• Personalized Investor Service. Embedding AI into workflows enables accountants to focus on value-add activities, deep problem-solving, and strategic advisory for general partners and limited partners alike.

Alfia Ilicheva, founder and CEO of Formulary, said:

“We founded Formulary to transform fund administration from a pain point into a strategic advantage for asset managers. At Bridgewater Associates, I saw firsthand the power of a systematic, data-driven approach to develop a rich understanding of global markets and deliver thought partnership to the world’s largest, most sophisticated investors. We are now bringing data systemization to private capital markets, where operational infrastructure has long lagged behind the needs of investors.”

“Today, fund administration is defined by manual reconciliation, poor data quality, and massive opportunity cost. Most firms run redundant parallel accounting processes to manage their capital flows. Formulary reimagines fund administration from the ground up, where AI powers fund accounting workflows, accelerates productivity, and generates tailored insights for clients.”

Formulary’s clients and design partners manage billions in AUM

Formulary already works with a broad range of leading asset managers that use the platform to keep their data accurate, reduce manual work, and accelerate reporting cycles, giving GPs and LPs real-time visibility into performance metrics.

Hari Arul of Khosla Ventures said:

“To modernize fund administration, AI cannot be a feature, it has to be the foundation. The Formulary team is strategically positioned at the intersection of investment management, AI/ML, and fund accounting. Importantly, they are solving the fundamental issue of unreliable, inconsistent data. Their early customers are already seeing the value of a platform designed for accuracy from day one, and we are excited to back their vision.”

In practice, Formulary turbocharges accountants by enabling them to complete fund administration processes end-to-end in a unified platform. From generating financial statements and custom reports to managing capital activity and invoices, Formulary streamlines work that takes the most time and creates the most errors across the industry. 

About Formulary Financial

Formulary Financial, Inc. is a full-service, AI-native fund administration business serving private equity, growth equity, and venture capital firms. Built by a team of experts in asset management, fund accounting, and artificial intelligence, Formulary transforms fund administration from error-prone paperwork into reliable data, intelligent fund operations, and tailored insights to help investors manage and grow their businesses. The company was founded in 2025 and is based in New York City. To learn more, visit: www.formulary.co.

About Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on investments in artificial intelligence, financial services, healthcare, consumer, enterprise, and sustainability. It is known for making early capital investments in startups such as OpenAI, Instacart, Affirm, DoorDash, and Block. To learn more, visit: https://www.khoslaventures.com/

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Formulary Financial, Inc.

Funding will advance the company’s internal pipeline of first-in-class programs

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 20, 2026 — Think Bioscience (“Think Bio”), a biotechnology company focused on unlocking elusive drug targets, has raised $55M in an oversubscribed Series A. The round was led by Regeneron Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, and Janus Henderson Investors with participation from T.A. Springer, CE-Ventures, MBX Capital, and YK Bioventures. Returning investors include AV8 Ventures, CU Innovations, and Buff Gold Ventures.

Think Bioscience develops small molecule drugs for historically challenging drug targets by using synthetic biology to uncover novel footholds for medicinal chemistry (e.g., protein pockets). Their lead program targets mutants that cause Noonan syndrome, a genetic condition that affects approximately 1 in 2,500 births. Noonan patients experience life-threatening cardiac and lymphatic issues, short stature, cognitive impairment, and pain, among other chronic symptoms. There are no approved therapies that address the underlying biology of this disease.

“Our lead program has the potential to give a broad set of Noonan patients a better life,” said Dr. Jerome Fox, co-founder and CEO at Think Bioscience. “We are grateful to our investors for supporting our vision to develop life-changing therapies.”

Despite recent advances in computational chemistry, drug design remains exceedingly difficult. Most proteins in the human proteome are still considered undruggable—that is, they lack an obvious pocket for a drug to bind. Think Bio’s synthetic biology platform uses high-throughput functional surveys to find pockets that others miss and uses them to advance small molecules with biochemical activities previously deemed difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. They have extended their platform to a striking variety of targets, including transcription factors, protein phosphatases, kinases, proteases, and GTPases, while advancing a robust internal pipeline.

“This team is succeeding where others have failed. The lead program is the best example, but just one of many that the company is prosecuting. We are enthusiastic to double down.” said Nick Olsen, Partner at Innovation Endeavors.

About Think Bioscience

Think Bioscience is a privately held small molecule drug discovery company based in Boulder, Colorado. They are focused on developing therapeutics against targets that have historically been considered “undruggable”. The company’s team combines expertise in synthetic biology, protein biophysics, applied enzymology, computational chemistry, and medicinal chemistry to launch first-in-class program for diseases with high unmet need. Learn more at www.thinkbioscience.com.

SOURCE Think Bioscience

Platform delivers 25% connect rates for sales teams—6x the industry average—without adding headcount or changing tech stacks

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 20, 2026 — TitanX, the Phone Intent™ platform that tells sales teams who will answer before they dial, today announced a $27 million Series A financing from Updata Partners.

TitanX has emerged as the category-defining platform in Phone Intent™, powered by a proprietary scoring model that solves one of outbound sales’ most persistent and expensive challenges: the 97% of calls that go unanswered. By predicting which prospects are most likely to pick up, the platform consistently delivers 25%+ connect rates, enabling sales teams to generate more conversations, build more pipeline, close more deals, and scale outbound motions without adding headcount or overhauling existing systems.

The investment follows a period of exceptional growth for TitanX, including more than 250% year-over-year revenue growth, rapid adoption across mid-market and enterprise organizations, and accelerating momentum as outbound teams face increasing go-to-market headwinds. Since launch, TitanX has established a clear first-mover advantage in Phone Intent™, underpinned by a defensible scoring model and operational discipline rarely seen at this stage of company maturity.

“We’ve spent the last 19 months executing with near-perfect discipline on a vision to transform go-to-market,” said Joey Gilkey, Founder and CEO of TitanX. “This wasn’t about raising capital — it was about choosing the right partner. Updata shares our conviction that TitanX doesn’t chase market parity. We define the standard for modern revenue execution.”

The Series A capital will support TitanX’s next phase of growth, including expansion of its proprietary scoring platform, deeper integrations across outbound sales workflows, new products designed for phone-led revenue teams, and strategic M&A.

“Creating a new category is rare – and even harder in a market where outbound teams are under real pressure,” said Braden Snyder, General Partner at Updata Partners. “We have been impressed by TitanX’s ability to build the Phone Intent™ category as a bootstrapped company executing at an exceptional level. As volume-based outbound becomes less effective, TitanX has purpose-built a software and data platform that addresses the core inefficiencies in outbound sales. We believe TitanX is positioned to become foundational to modern outbound execution.”

TitanX enters this next chapter with a leadership team typically seen at Series B and beyond, a rapidly expanding enterprise customer base, and a proven ability to execute at scale. As revenue organizations face mounting pressure to do more with fewer resources, TitanX is positioning itself as the intelligence layer for modern outbound.

To learn how TitanX helps teams unlock more conversations and real pipeline impact, visit titanx.io.

About TitanX

TitanX is the Phone Intent™ platform that predicts which prospects will answer cold calls before reps dial. Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Knoxville, TN, the company has grown to 300+ customers through word of mouth alone, helping sales teams achieve 25% connect rates versus the 4% industry average—without changing their tech stack, data provider, or dialer. TitanX transforms sales teams from voicemail robots into conversation machines.

Media Contact:
Emma Green
[email protected]
262.443.9557

SOURCE TitanX

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 20, 2026 — Horizon Capital, a leading private equity firm in Emerging Europe with $1.8 billion under management, announced the initial closing of its reconstruction-focused Horizon Capital Catalyst Fund (“HCCF”, “Catalyst Fund”) held today, together with its first transaction: backing Germany-based Notus Energy to finance a 124 MW Wind Power Project in the Odesa region, which is one of Ukraine’s most advanced and well-structured ready-to-build renewable energy projects. Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine joined both signing ceremonies.

The transaction represents the first investment from Horizon Capital’s newly launched Catalyst Fund, which reached over 50% of its target size at Initial Closing, €152m of €300m. Catalyst Fund provides €20 to €50 million of growth capital per investment into asset-heavy strategic sectors that require significant capital today, including energy, digital infrastructure and construction.

Catalyst Fund will acquire a 45% stake in the Project, which is expected to mobilize over €220 million of total investment, including a structured debt package led by international development finance institutions, including EBRD, IFC, Swedfund, BIO, and Green for Growth Fund.

The Project is developed by Notus Energy, a German renewable energy player having implemented 1.6 GW of installed capacity globally, and it is among the most advanced and well-structured renewable energy projects in Ukraine. The Project is the first of three wind farms in Notus Energy’s near-term Ukraine pipeline totaling approximately 300 MW, and part of a broader Ukrainian renewable development pipeline of over 1.3 GW across projects at different stages.

Beyond its strategic significance, the project delivers substantial ESG impact: it is expected to generate 378 GWh of clean electricity annually, enough to power 120,000 households, while reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 244,000 tons per year. In addition, it will create over 300 jobs during construction and 50 permanent positions and is fully aligned with international E&S standards, ensuring best-in-class governance and sustainability practices.

Dmytro Boroday, Partner at Horizon Capital and Catalyst Fund Lead: “We are thrilled to join forces with Notus Energy for the implementation of their first wind energy project in Ukraine This Project is exactly the type of high-quality, bankable project the Catalyst Fund was built to back: it mobilizes large-scale capital now, for a critical sector of Ukraine’s economy, sets a benchmark for international standards in the energy sector, and sends a powerful message of confidence in Ukraine’s future. Partnering with Notus Energy demonstrates that Ukraine can attract high-quality global investors and substantial investments when projects are structured to international standards, protected by robust risk mitigation, and developed and backed by strong partners. By deploying catalytic equity, we aim to crowd in substantial follow-on capital into critical infrastructure that will power Ukraine’s recovery and long-term growth.”

Heiner Dietmar Roger, Founder and CEO of Notus Energy, commented: “We are honored to partner with Horizon Capital as this transaction marks a significant milestone for Notus Energy in the implementation of our first project in Ukraine. With the Catalyst Fund’s investment, we have the equity backing to proceed ahead with the 124 MW project to deliver critical power capacity, create high-skilled technical jobs, and contribute to Ukraine’s sustainability goals. We view Ukraine as a market with strong fundamentals for RES deployment, and this transaction lays the ground for Notus Energy to propel our mid-term development pipeline in Ukraine, with an ambition to reach 1.3 GW until 2030.”

Implementation of the transaction is subject to execution of the definitive agreements and customary regulatory clearances.

About Notus Energy

Founded in 2001, owner-managed Notus Energy is a German-based developer, operator, and investor in renewable energy projects worldwide. With operations in 18 countries and a robust pipeline of wind and solar projects, Notus brings deep technical expertise and a long-term commitment to Ukraine’s renewable energy sector.

About Horizon Capital

Horizon Capital is the leading private equity firm in Emerging Europe with over $1.8 billion in AUM from investors with a capital base exceeding $700 billion. The firm’s investment strategy focuses on backing visionary entrepreneurs leading fast-growing businesses in Ukraine and Moldova. Horizon Capital-managed funds have invested in over 190 companies employing over 56,000 people. HCCF aims to reach its €300 million target fund size and stands as a testament to institutions uniting in support of Ukraine’s promising future.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2865284/Horizon_Capital_and_Notus_Energy.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2342850/5724043/Horizon_Capital_logo.jpg

SOURCE Horizon Capital

Proprietary AI Systems Outperform Major Hedge Funds with Superior Risk-Adjusted Returns.

LONDON and ISLE OF MAN, Jan. 20, 2026 —  Vertus, a frontier artificial intelligence company, today announced two major milestones demonstrating the advancement of machine reasoning in financial markets: surpassing $1 billion in daily AI-driven transactions and delivering 51.15% returns for 2025 with a Sharpe ratio of 2.13—figures independently audited by Alpha Performance Verification Services, Certified Public Accountants.

The $1 billion single-day volume milestone, first achieved on November 25, 2025, caps a breakthrough year in which Vertus’ AI systems significantly outperformed both traditional market indices and leading hedge funds on both absolute and risk-adjusted return metrics. Vertus’ 2025 performance places the company’s AI systems among the top-performing institutional trading operations globally:

• 51.15% annual return vs. S&P 500’s ~17% (more than 2x market performance)
• 2.13 Sharpe ratio vs. leading hedge fund range of 0.5-1.5 (superior risk-adjusted returns)
• $600M+ average daily volume with systems processing $1B daily regularly
• Consistently positive returns achieved through advanced machine reasoning

“This milestone validates everything we built,” said Julius Franck, Co-Founder at Vertus. “We engineered a quantitatively backed system that thinks and acts at market speed—processing complexity, making decisions, and executing with precision that traditional algorithms simply cannot match. The independently verified billion-dollar threshold proves the architecture is performing exactly as designed.”

Vertus developed and stress-tested its core systems in the Isle of Man, where progressive regulation and robust digital infrastructure provided the ideal environment to validate machine reasoning under live market conditions. What began as controlled experimentation has become production-grade technology now powering institutional-scale investing infrastructure.

The company’s technology now serves as the decision-making backbone for a growing network of funds, family offices, and asset managers, executing in high-velocity markets where legacy systems falter.

“We’ve proven that advanced intelligence architecture outperforms decades-old algorithmic models,” said Alex Foster, Co-Founder. “Financial markets were the perfect crucible—unforgiving, instantaneous, high-stakes. Our planned expansions put us at the center of the next wave: applying this reasoning power across autonomous systems and the computational infrastructure required for superintelligence.”

The 2.13 Sharpe ratio—a measure of risk-adjusted returns—demonstrates that Vertus’ performance wasn’t achieved through excessive risk-taking. The company’s AI systems generated returns more than double the market while maintaining disciplined risk management; a combination rarely achieved in quantitative finance.

With daily transaction volumes regularly exceeding $1 billion, Vertus has established itself as critical infrastructure in modern investing ecosystems. The company’s trajectory from inception to billion-dollar daily transactions represents one of the fastest scaling timelines in autonomous systems deployment.

“Financial markets are just the beginning,” said Michal Prywata, Co-Founder. “We built AI that learned to reason in an environment where mistakes cost millions and decisions happen in milliseconds. That same intelligence now powers capital at scale—and we’re rapidly expanding into domains that demand genuine machine reasoning. We’re not just building financial systems. We’re architecting the infrastructure for the next generation of intelligence.”

Trading volume figures, performance metrics, and milestone achievements have been independently verified by Alpha Performance Verification Services, Certified Public Accountants. Verification report available upon request.

About Vertus

Vertus builds frontier artificial intelligence where intelligence meets consequence. Its systems operate directly in live financial markets, transacting over $600 million daily while reasoning under extreme uncertainty, learning in adversarial conditions, and adapting in milliseconds. This real-world crucible produces intelligence that is not simulated — it is proven.

Founded by Julius Franck, Alex Foster, and Michal Prywata, Vertus develops AI systems where precision matters and every decision has irreversible cost. Today, its technology powers institutional trading infrastructure for funds, family offices, and professional investors — environments where errors are measurable and accountability is absolute.

Beyond finance, Vertus is extending this intelligence into general reasoning systems designed to operate in complex, high-stakes domains. By training AI in environments where failure is punished and success compounds, Vertus is building the infrastructure for reliable machine intelligence — systems capable of reasoning, adapting, and acting autonomously across industries yet to be defined.

Media Contact
Brooke Greenwald
+1-240-370-7036
[email protected]

SOURCE Vertus

QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 20, 2026 — Point Laz Mining Laser Expertise Inc. (“Point Laz”), a leader in smart technologies for automated mine shaft inspections, today announced the closing of a $3 million funding round. The round was led by the i4 Capital Fund, with significant participation from Fonds Impulsion, managed by Investissement Québec and financed by the Government of Québec. This strategic support will enable Point Laz to accelerate its growth and expand its international footprint.

Fueling Growth and Industry Innovation

With its unique offering, Point Laz is redefining safety, maintenance, and performance standards in the mining industry. The company’s proprietary technology is designed to optimize shaft maintenance, standardize inspections to meet the highest international benchmarks, and significantly reduce mine shaft downtime.

This new funding will allow Point Laz to scale up production of its advanced mine shaft scanner and expand the global rollout of its analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) platform. The company delivers a solution that transforms shaft maintenance into a preventive and predictive process, minimizing disruptions, reducing risks, and cutting costs associated with incidents. Already a strong player on the international stage, Point Laz has inspected over 50 mine shafts worldwide using its cutting-edge technology.

Alexandre Grenier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Point Laz:

“The involvement of strategic partners like i4 Capital Fund and Investissement Québec’s Fonds Impulsion is a strong endorsement of the value of our technology and our team’s vision to digitize and automate mine shaft inspections. This new capital will allow us to standardize our operations, strengthen our global presence, and better support our clients and partners. It also sends a clear message to the industry: Point Laz is leading the next revolution in mine shaft technology.“

Jean-François Grenon, Partner and Co-founder of the i4 Capital Fund:

“We’re proud to support Alexandre Grenier and the Point Laz team once again. Their unique approach to smart monitoring for the mining industry, along with their market potential, aligns perfectly with i4 Capital Fund’s investment strategy. We are confident that Point Laz is on track to become a key player in the mining sector.”

Samuel Poulin, Minister for the Economy and Small and Medium Enterprises, and Minister Responsible for Youth

“The Fonds Impulsion helps fast-track the growth of Québec tech companies like Point Laz. By providing ambitious financial support, we’re enabling the development and commercialization of innovative solutions in key sectors for Québec, such as mining. It’s through this kind of strategic investment that we build a stronger, future-focused economy.”

Alex Laverdière, Vice President, Venture Capital, Investissement Québec

“By supporting Point Laz, the Fonds Impulsion is backing a high-growth-potential Québec company whose technology can help advance the mining sector. This investment, made in partnership with i4 Capital, reflects our commitment to working in synergy with specialized funds to accelerate the growth of innovative businesses and maximize the economic impact of our investments in Québec.”

About Point Laz

Point Laz is transforming mining safety and performance standards by pioneering automated mine shaft inspections, predictive performance analytics and enhanced miner safety. Its mission is to support workers, businesses and their environments. www.pointlaz.com

About i4 Capital Fund

i4 Capital Fund is a Canadian seed-stage venture capital fund focused on breakthrough technologies. Its core mission is to lead funding rounds that support exceptional entrepreneurs bringing disruptive, transformational innovations to market. With a strong focus on innovation, sustainability and deep tech, i4 Capital Fund offers strategic support and a broad business network to visionary founders shaping the future. www.i4capital.vc

About Fonds Impulsion

Fonds Impulsion is a venture capital fund that supports innovative, high-growth-potential startups at the pre-seed and seed stages. It invests between $250,000 and $2 million in early-stage rounds, with the ability to reinvest in subsequent financing rounds. Its mission is to accelerate the growth of Québec’s young companies by providing structuring capital, tailored support and privileged access to a strategic network of committed partners. The fund is managed and administered by Investissement Québec and financed by the Government of Québec. www.investquebec.com

Media Contact: Alexandre Grenier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Point Laz, [email protected]

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