Company expands to meet growing demand from product-based businesses seeking flexible infrastructure, hands-on operational support, and the ability to scale across multiple locations

ATLANTA, May 6, 2026 — Saltbox, the operations hub for product-based businesses, today announced a major expansion milestone with the opening of its third Atlanta-area location in Chamblee, its entry into the Chicago market, and the close of a Series C funding round led by Packard Capital.

As product-based businesses continue to start up and scale across the U.S., entrepreneurs are rethinking how they run modern operations. Many are moving away from rigid warehouse leases and fully outsourced 3PL models in favor of more flexible, hands-on approaches that give them greater control over their inventory, fulfillment, and customer experience.

Saltbox is designed specifically to address this shift—bringing together flexible warehouse space, integrated logistics infrastructure, and on-site operational support in a single environment designed for businesses that are actively shipping, receiving, and evolving their operations.

Members are increasingly using Saltbox as a distributed network—operating across multiple locations to get closer to customers, lower shipping costs, and deliver faster, more reliable experiences without rebuilding infrastructure in each market.

“We don’t just give you a place to work—we help you run your business, in a space where everything around you was built with your operation in mind,” said Katerina Cirilli, CEO of Saltbox.

Expanding in Atlanta: Chamblee Location Opens

Saltbox’s third Atlanta location, in Chamblee, and its twelfth location nationwide, deepens its presence in its founding market, making its total square footage footprint in Atlanta across all three locations 300,000 square feet. The new location reflects both the company’s origins and its continued investment in supporting entrepreneurs where they are building and growing.

“We’re super excited to add Chamblee as our third location in the Atlanta market. Chamblee is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, and Saltbox is strategically located just around the corner from City Hall and close to MARTA,” said Lucy Voss, VP of Operations at Saltbox. “This location is especially meaningful because our co-founder, Tyler Scriven, ran and operated his ecommerce company out of this building back in 2019. This is where the vision of Saltbox was really born, so it makes this expansion extra special.”

The Chamblee facility will offer private warehouse suites, co-working amenities, a content studio, fulfillment services, and access to on-site teams that support day-to-day operations—including receiving inventory, picking & packing orders, and helping members troubleshoot and improve their workflows.

Entering Chicago: A Strategic New Market Coming This Fall

Saltbox’s expansion into the Chicago metropolitan area marks a key step in building a national footprint that enables members to operate beyond a single location.

“Chicago has consistently been a market businesses have asked us to be in, so to be finally launching here feels especially impactful,” said Olivia Mariani, VP of Marketing at Saltbox. “We’re seeing more members think beyond a single location—using Saltbox across markets to get closer to their customers, reduce shipping costs, and operate more efficiently. Chicago is a critical piece of that network.”

By entering the Chicago market, Saltbox strengthens its ability to support distributed operations—giving members access to a central logistics hub and enabling faster, more cost-effective shipping across the Midwest and beyond.

Series C Funding to Accelerate Growth

To support its continued expansion, Saltbox has raised a Series C funding round led by Atlanta-based Packard Capital. The funding round will be used to grow Saltbox’s national footprint, invest in logistics infrastructure, and expand the capabilities of its on-site operational support model.

“We’re excited to continue expanding our footprint and to bring Saltbox to more entrepreneurs across the country,” said Katerina Cirilli, CEO of Saltbox. “Packard is a valuable partner to us in both capital and real estate expertise, and we’re aligned in our belief that product-based businesses need more flexible, supportive infrastructure to operate and scale. Together, we’re building a platform that gives founders greater control, visibility, and the ability to grow on their own terms.”

Building the Future of Operations for Product-Based Businesses

Saltbox is purpose-built for businesses that run physical operations—not just store inventory. Each location combines co-warehousing with logistics capabilities, operational services, and an on-site team that actively supports execution.

Members use Saltbox to receive, store, and manage inventory; pick, pack, and ship orders; assemble and kit products; and continuously refine their operations. Unlike traditional warehouse models, Saltbox enables founders to stay close to their product while accessing the infrastructure and support they need to scale.

Through its growing network of locations, Saltbox makes it easy for small and large businesses to expand into new markets, operate across regions, and scale efficiently—without the overhead, rigidity, or loss of control that comes with traditional alternatives.

About Saltbox
Saltbox is an operations hub for product-based businesses offering co-warehousing, logistics infrastructure, and hands-on support to help teams run their day-to-day operations.

By bringing everything needed to run physical operations into one place, Saltbox gives businesses more control, visibility, and flexibility—eliminating the tradeoffs between rigid warehouse leases and fully outsourced solutions.

Through a growing network of locations across major U.S. markets, Saltbox makes it easy to expand into new regions, get closer to customers, and scale operations efficiently without the overhead.

Founded in 2019, Saltbox operates in 8 major U.S. markets with ongoing expansion underway.

Learn more about Saltbox at saltbox.com

Media Contact: Monica Barker, Senior Content Manager
[email protected]
(469) 269-9448

SOURCE Saltbox

Early-Stage Companies Encouraged to Apply for Investment and Strategic Support

SEATTLE, May 6, 2026 — Climate resilience is no longer a future challenge. It is an urgent threat to the systems communities depend on for energy, water, and food. E8, a membership community of accredited investors specializing in cleantech, launched its 2026 Decarbon8 Impact Fund Request for Applications (RFA), seeking early-stage companies focused on climate resilience solutions across grid, water, and food. Applications are open through June 18, 2026.

“Climate resilience is as demanding of our capital, creativity, and commitment as climate mitigation,” said Marina Psaros, E8 Member & Decarbon8 Manager. “Decarbon8 is focused on finding and supporting innovators who are strengthening the grid, water, and food systems that people depend on every day.”

Selected companies receive an average of $300k in combined funding from the Decarbon8 Fund, Annual Fund, and direct E8 member investment. Beyond capital, selected companies gain access to follow-on investment opportunities, expert engagement, and visibility through E8’s investor network, events, and media coverage. This support has helped past portfolio companies raise over $8.4M in co-investment from the E8 community.

Eligible companies must:

• Demonstrate technology that addresses a hard climate resilience problem in grid, water, or food
• Have scaling plans based on well-validated assumptions
• Show a clear path to durable competitive advantage
• Have a leadership team with relevant domain and entrepreneurial experience
• Be at Pre-seed to Series A stage
• Have a funding round accepting investments up to mid-October 2026
• Be incorporated (C-, S-, or B-corp) in the USA or Canada

Solutions may focus on:

• Grid resilience — keeping energy systems running under stress and enabling more decentralized power
• Water security — securing supply through efficiency, monitoring, and distributed treatment
• Food security — enabling climate-adaptive production, distributed inputs, and alternative nutrition sources for a volatile climate

Finalists will be selected in mid-September and invited to pitch E8 for additional investment, with decisions and co-investment opportunities awarded by mid-October.

Applicants will be evaluated by a screening team of climate investors alongside expert judges: Alex Wilkins, Portfolio Manager at Cisco Foundation; Anastasia Telesetsky, Environmental Law Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Arah Schuur, Research Advisor at Rutgers University and former DOE; and Christine Boyle, Partner at Burnt Island Ventures.

E8 and Decarbon8 are supported by Microsoft, University of Washington, Washington State University, K&L Gates, and CleanTech Alliance. Decarbon8 is administered by 501(c)(3) nonprofit Realize Impact.

Review the RFA and apply at https://www.e8angels.com/decarbon8-us/rfa. The application window closes June 18, 2026.

For media inquiries, contact Karin Kidder: 509-795-0116, [email protected].

About E8: E8 is a membership community of investors funding solutions for a sustainable future. Since 2006, E8 has mobilized over $75M across 180+ early-stage companies building toward a thriving planet. Learn more at https://www.e8angels.com/.

About Decarbon8-US: Decarbon8 is a philanthropic impact fund administered by Realize Impact that invests donations and grants into early-stage climate companies through equity and debt. Founded by E8 in 2020, the fund has deployed $10.4M in combined philanthropic and personal co-investment. Learn more at https://www.e8angels.com/decarbon8-us.

SOURCE E8

New senior hires from Google and The Collaborative Fund to lead product strategy and venture investing

Fund unveils first investment focus areas to catalyze new ‘Navigation Technology’ market, equipping Americans with cutting-edge tools to achieve economic security, opportunity and empowerment

ST. LOUIS, May 6, 2026 — NextLadder Ventures, a new fund backed by more than $1 billion in capital, today announced its priority investment areas for building a new market for “Navigation Technology” (NavTech) — tools that provide Americans with personalized solutions to navigate life’s challenges and achieve greater economic mobility — and announced its co-founding team, including two new senior hires.

The fund’s active focus areas are based on extensive research identifying the key experiences and high-stakes decision points that have an outsized impact on American families’ economic mobility. Launched investment areas include financial health, career navigation, and benefits and social services access, with further exploration underway around housing, legal aid, justice and re-entry, and mental and physical health. 

The organization is also today welcoming two senior leaders: Lauren Loktev is joining NextLadder as Managing Director of Investments and Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink as Managing Director of Product. Loktev was most recently a partner at the Collaborative Fund, where she backed several breakout companies in early child development, education, and sustainability. Gosselink comes to NextLadder from Google, where she led the company’s AI and social impact portfolio. They join a growing team which has deep expertise at the intersection of economic mobility, technology, public policy, and philanthropy.

NextLadder’s Focus Areas for Investment

Today, the fund is kicking off a plan to deploy $1 billion over the next seven years to accelerate the design, development, and deployment of accessible NavTech tools that aim to help families more successfully navigate the major life experiences that determine whether they get ahead or fall behind. As NextLadder’s inaugural frontier AI lab partner, Anthropic is supporting the build-out of the organization’s AI-native capabilities and is offering technical assistance to NextLadder’s portfolio organizations. 

As an increasing proportion of Americans across income levels find themselves overextended and overwhelmed, NavTech tools are designed to help individuals and families understand their options, connect to information and resources, and take action to recover from a setback or take advantage of an opportunity and reclaim their economic futures.

“Life is getting harder, and too many Americans are stuck facing some of the most complex and consequential moments of their lives without much support,” said Ryan Rippel, CEO of NextLadder Ventures. “Every day, millions in this country face fork-in-the-road decisions that have major implications on whether they climb up the economic ladder or fall farther behind. AI has understandably intensified many Americans’ anxieties about their jobs and their security in the economy. But these technologies are now also making it possible to deliver highly personalized, affordable tools to meet the needs of tens of millions of Americans in a way that has never been practically achievable or financially viable before. With NavTech tools, built for the reality of families’ everyday experiences, we can empower Americans to overcome setbacks, navigate life’s toughest financial decisions, and build more secure futures.”

NavTech tools, built with the needs of individuals, families, and trusted community partners at the center of their design, have the potential to ease burdens most acutely faced by 90 million Americans who live in households that have difficulty in paying for usual home expenses, and turbocharge the capacity of the 1.6 million community workers in non-profit or local, state, and federal government roles who serve them. This growing category of digital technologies includes tools that help families access opportunities such as personalized financial advice and legal aid, get connected with available resources and programs, and manage unexpected hurdles like losing a job or facing an eviction – while freeing social workers and service providers to spend more time on people and less time on red tape and paperwork.

The fund’s active investment areas include:

• Financial Health: Developing highly personalized, AI-powered financial health tools that can provide tailored, sustained counsel to help users build savings and protect and recover from financial shocks;
• Career Navigation: Building tools to support career navigation, manage and support career transitions, and help workers, case managers, and employers identify pathways to living wage work — all designed to help people successfully find the right jobs for them.
• Benefits & Social Services Access: Helping eligible Americans seamlessly identify and enroll in all the benefits and social services available to them, particularly those that support career navigation and transitions, help them navigate critical life moments, and achieve stability toward economic opportunity.

NextLadder is exploring additional focus areas, including housing, legal aid, justice and re-entry, caregiving, and mental and physical health. More on the organization’s vision of these focus areas is available HERE.

In addition to backing direct NavTech solutions, NextLadder is investing in the developers, partners, and standards required to build a durable, self-sustaining market. Across all focus areas, the fund is prioritizing efforts to ensure NavTech tools are reliable, protect users’ privacy, and are trusted by the families who depend on them.

NextLadder’s Co-Founder Leadership Team

NextLadder’s five co-founders will be CEO Ryan Rippel, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Rhett Dornbach-Bender, Chief of Staff Callie Schwartz, and the two new senior hires: Managing Director of Investments Lauren Loktev and Managing Director of Product Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink, rounding out the fund’s expertise in investing, technology, and impact.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Lauren and Brigitte to the NextLadder team,” said Rippel. “Brigitte has spent her career proving that when applied purposefully, AI and technology can deliver meaningful benefits for communities, and she’ll set the bar for what NavTech tools can deliver for American families today and in the years to come. And with her deep experience backing mission-driven founders, Lauren is the perfect leader to build our venture practice from the ground up and accelerate the growth of the NavTech field. With this team in place, we’re positioned to make NavTech tools easier to build, fund, and access so they reach the people who need them most.”

Loktev brings 15 years of venture capital experience investing at the intersection of for-profit and for-good. Most recently at Collaborative Fund, she backed several companies to significant scale and launched Collab+Sesame, a first-of-its-kind thematic seed fund in partnership with Sesame Workshop focused on early childhood education. At NextLadder, she will build and lead the fund’s venture practice, sourcing and scaling investments in the founders building the next generation of NavTech tools.

“We have a once in a generation opportunity to help steer AI solutions toward those who need them most,” said Loktev. “Many amazing, accomplished founders see this too, and they are on a mission to build scalable, transformative businesses in the critical verticals that help people navigate life-changing moments. I couldn’t be more excited to join NextLadder and to support the most inspiring leaders building this market from the ground up. Thanks to our unique, long-term mandate, we can be creative and flexible in investing across stage and check size to partner with the entrepreneurs and leaders we believe will change the world.”

Prior to her role at NextLadder, Gosselink spent over a decade at Google in several roles including Director of AI and Social Impact, directing more than $500 million in funding for organizations applying AI to address challenges including crisis response, education, and economic opportunity. At NextLadder, she will lead AI and product strategy across the fund’s portfolio, backing solutions and setting market-wide standards for how NavTech tools are designed, evaluated, and improved over time.

“If we collectively harness the AI transformation strategically and purposefully, we can transform the way Americans are empowered to access greater economic mobility,” said Gosselink. “We believe that people-centered products, combined with shifts in the market and the services available to families, can fundamentally reshape how millions of Americans navigate critical moments and achieve prosperity on their own terms.”

To request interviews from the NextLadder Ventures leadership team, contact media@nextladder.com.

About NextLadder Ventures

NextLadder Ventures is a time-bound venture with one goal: empower millions of Americans to reach their potential by 2040. Backed by over $1 billion in capital, the organization invests in breakthrough technologies that remove barriers to economic success and put people in control of their futures. NextLadder Ventures is trailblazing a new market for tech-enabled Navigation Technology tools that help people access the resources they need to navigate pivotal moments — offering flexible, risk-tolerant capital to entrepreneurs building these transformative tools today, while creating a pipeline of tech, talent, and capital for the long run.

SOURCE NextLadder Ventures

New funding led by Washington Harbour Partners will accelerate sensor deployment, software capabilities, and the buildout of a new Virginia-based production facility. The round also includes participation from Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), Noblis Ventures, Decisive Point, Fusion Fund, and other existing investors.

RESTON, Va., May 6, 2026 — Scout Space, a leader in space domain awareness (SDA) sensors and software, today announced it has raised up to $18 million in Series A funding, led by Washington Harbour Partners. The new capital will support upcoming mission execution and the expansion of Scout’s manufacturing capabilities, including the buildout of a new 2,600-square-foot facility in Northern Virginia.

Scout’s sensors and software enable real-time awareness and responsiveness in space. Its platform-agnostic systems combine advanced optical payloads, edge processing, and autonomy to detect, track, and characterize objects in orbit—supporting safer, more informed operations across commercial and national security missions.

“At Scout Space, we understand that a widely proliferated network of in-space sensors is fundamental to understanding and operating safely in orbit,” said Josiah Gruber, CEO of Scout Space. “With this investment, we’re expanding our ability to deliver at speed for our customers—while deepening our presence in Northern Virginia, where proximity to mission partners and decision-makers is unmatched.”

Scout’s focus on scalable, modular architecture is a key differentiator in the sector. Rather than vertically integrating across the full hardware stack, the company is dedicated to becoming the trusted provider of SDA sensors and software—delivering high-performance, mission-specific capabilities that integrate with a wide range of platforms and partners.

“Space is becoming more dynamic, contested, and critical to national security,” said Mina Faltas, Founder and CIO of Washington Harbour Partners. “Scout is building the sensing layer needed to understand and operate in that environment. Their platform-agnostic approach allows them to integrate across missions and architectures—positioning them as a critical supplier in the next generation of space infrastructure.”

Scout enters this next phase with strong mission and contract momentum. The company is working with Blue Origin to integrate its flagship Owl sensor on the inaugural mission of Blue Ring, a highly maneuverable, multi-mission spacecraft designed for payload hosting and on-orbit services across GEO and beyond. In parallel, Scout continues to expand its footprint with the U.S. Space Force through multiple Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) awards, advancing both its GEO-based sensing systems and data platforms for object identification, custody, and operational intelligence.

About Scout Space
Scout Space was founded in 2019 with the mission to enable a new era of space safety and transparency. Scout’s in-space products and services, first launched in 2021, allow spacecraft to see and understand things around them. The orbital distributed sensor network developed by Scout will significantly improve Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and ensure responsible use of the space environment. The company is a Techstars, MassChallenge, and venture-backed startup with ongoing government and commercial contracts. Scout holds the Established® 2021 Startup of the Year® title. For more information, visit www.scout.space.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Scout Space

New facility with California Bank & Trust strengthens capital structure and supports continued growth

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., May 5, 2026 — Buyerlink, a leading online auction marketplace for performance-based marketing, today announced it has secured a $40 million senior secured credit facility with Zions Bancorporation, N.A., dba California Bank & Trust.

The new credit facility enhances Buyerlink’s financial flexibility and strengthens its capital structure, supporting the company’s continued growth.

“This financing provides additional balance sheet flexibility and supports our long-term growth strategy,” said Payam Zamani, Founder and CEO of One Planet Group, Buyerlink’s parent company. “We’re pleased to partner with California Bank & Trust as we continue to invest in and strengthen our leadership in the AI-driven ad tech space.”

Jaime Keane, SVP, Commercial Banking Group at CB&T commented, “We are impressed with Buyerlink’s continued growth, both organically and via strategic acquisitions. We are proud to support the company with a financing solution that aligns with their growth trajectory and operational strength.”

Over the past several years, Buyerlink has experienced significant growth to over $125M in revenue while generating industry leading EBITDA through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. The company has built a strong presence in the automotive sector, generating more than one million buyer leads monthly, while also serving industries including real estate, home services, insurance, and legal.

Buyerlink is further strengthening its foundation as it accelerates its transformation into an AI-native leader in adtech.

About California Bank & Trust
Headquartered in San Diego, California Bank & Trust (CB&T) has been helping California families and businesses thrive for over 70 years. With local decision-making backed by regional strength, CB&T’s knowledgeable bankers provide personalized solutions that go beyond what traditional banks offer.  CB&T has earned consistent recognition, including being voted:

• “Best Bank” by San Diego Union-Tribune readers for 15 consecutive years
• “Best Commercial Bank” for 12 years running
• “Best Bank” in The Orange County Register and Sacramento Bee readership polls

CB&T is a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. (NASDAQ: ZION) and has been recognized for its excellence in Middle-Market and Small Business banking by Coalition Greenwich Best Bank Awards. CB&T is an Equal Housing Lender.  Additional information may be found at calbanktrust.com.

About Buyerlink
Buyerlink is a leading online auction marketplace for performance-based marketing. Conducting millions of auctions monthly, Buyerlink’s patented technology allows businesses to access hyper-targeted consumer demand at any scale. Increasingly AI-driven, the platform leverages machine learning to optimize performance and deliver more efficient outcomes for buyers and sellers.

Offering Enhanced Clicks™, qualified leads, inbound calls, transfers, call-verified leads, and pre-set appointments, Buyerlink enables businesses to meet customers where they are. The Buyerlink platform is category-agnostic and currently serves the automotive, home services, home warranty, insurance, legal, real estate, and solar sectors.

Buyerlink is fully owned by One Planet Group, a closely held private equity firm that owns a suite of online technology and media businesses. Spanning a variety of industries including ad tech, publishing, and media, One Planet’s mission is to support strong business ideas while building an ethos that helps improve society and gives back to communities.

Buyerlink’s global headquarters is located in Walnut Creek, California, with employees in over ten countries. For more information visit buyerink.com.

Media Contact
pr (at) buyerlink.com

SOURCE Buyerlink

One Platform. Smarter Workflows. Better Care.

ANDOVER, Mass., May 5, 2026 — XCaliber Health (XCaliber), the agentic operating system purpose-built to reduce administrative burden, cut millions in operational waste, and improve the quality of clinical care delivered to patients, today announced $6.5 million in seed funding. Led by ManchesterStory with participation from Benhamou Global Ventures (BGV) and Arka Venture Labs, the capital will be used to accelerate product development and scale the platform across organizations nationwide. Health systems, provider groups, and digital health partners use XCaliber to replace manual, fragmented workflows, from prescription refill and referral coordination to lab notifications and care gap management, with autonomous execution and humans in control of every critical decision.

For two decades, health systems have accumulated tools such as electronic health records (EHRs), billing platforms, and scheduling systems without ever acquiring the operating system to coordinate them. Artificial intelligence (AI) arrived and added recommendations on top of the same fragmented infrastructure. The underlying problem remained: no system could take action across silos, automate workflows end-to-end, or operate with meaningful autonomy. Staff spend an average of 15.5 hours per physician, per week on record retrieval, prior authorization, referral coordination, scheduling, and clinical documentation. At a 20-provider practice, that translates to $1.4 million in annual costs from manual workflows, scheduling gaps, prior authorization delays, and reactive patient outreach, a burden that persists whether or not the organization has quantified it.

XCaliber addresses this gap with a single, seamless agentic operating system, where data, workflows, and autonomous action converge. XCaliber was built around a single conviction that healthcare organizations can operate as semi-autonomous enterprises, where agents handle routine administrative and operational workflows, clinical and operational teams oversee every decision, and care teams have the information and time to make every patient interaction count. Unlike point solutions that automate in isolation, XCaliber connects every system a provider touches and orchestrates work across all of them in real time. Clinical and operational teams get a unified view of their practice and patients, semi-autonomous workflows that execute without manual handoffs, and the time to focus on the work they were trained to do. Key differentiators include:

1. Data Rich Insights: Quality decision-making grounded in the individual healthcare system or enterprise’s own data, resulting in highly-personalized outcomes
2. Human-in-the-Loop Structure: Agents automate clinical workflows and coordination with human oversight and decision-making
3. Autonomous Spectrum: Semi-autonomous in nature, with different levels of autonomy and human interaction based on agent function (i.e., operational vs. clinical use cases)

Before XCaliber, scheduling a follow-up appointment meant staff manually reviewing patient records, calling or messaging patients, waiting for responses, and updating the EHR, a process that could take days and often resulted in missed appointments and lost revenue. With XCaliber, that same process runs automatically. Patients are contacted through their preferred channel, appointments are confirmed, and the EHR is updated in minutes, with staff notified only when intervention is needed.

“Healthcare does not need more disconnected point solutions. It needs a system that can coordinate work across all of them and take the administrative burden off clinical and operational teams,” said Prakash Khot, co-founder and CEO of XCaliber. “That is where XCaliber is focused. We are helping healthcare organizations move beyond manual work toward automated workflows that reduce costs, accelerate care delivery, and give clinical teams back the time to focus on patients. We’re honored to be backed by investors who believe in our mission to fundamentally reshape how healthcare operates.”

That mission is already reflected in measurable, daily outcomes across XCaliber’s customer ecosystem. The platform delivers pre-built agents for interoperability, healthcare analytics, scheduling, prescription refills, and more, processing more than eight million chart updates and generating more than 160,000 EHR updates daily across more than 700,000 unique patients. For prescription refills alone, XCaliber’s patient navigator agent saves providers an average of six hours of manual, repetitive work every day, time that goes directly back to patient care.

“We invest in companies that move beyond pilots and demonstrate real adoption and change in the market. XCaliber is the perfect example of this,” said Matt Kinley, Founding Partner at ManchesterStory. “The company is tackling one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges: how to make fragmented systems work together to improve operations and support better care. XCaliber isn’t promising that future. It’s already delivering it.”

For more information or if you’re interested in learning how XCaliber can support your operations, visit https://www.xcaliberhealth.ai/.

ABOUT XCALIBER
XCaliber Health is an agentic operating system where data, agents, and knowledge converge into one intelligence layer. The platform unifies siloed data, automates fragmented workflows, and delivers real-time intelligence across the full care continuum. One platform. Every system. Every workflow.

For more information, visit https://www.xcaliberhealth.ai/ or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/xcaliber-health/.

SOURCE XCaliber Health

New venture arm to invest in and scale companies driving the next generation of packaging and reimagining how products move through the global supply chain

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 5, 2026 —Atlantic Packaging, the largest privately held industrial packaging company in North America, has launched New Earth Ventures (“NEV”), a dedicated innovation and investment arm focused on building the next generation of technology-forward packaging and supply chain solutions. The announcement was made today by Wes Carter, President of Atlantic Packaging and General Partner of NEV.

“We launched New Earth Ventures because packaging is one of the most essential and overlooked opportunities in the global economy,” said Wes Carter, President of Atlantic Packaging. “Brands are under real pressure right now — costs are up, supply chains are uncertain, and the impact of packaging on the global environment is accelerating. We’re backing founders solving those problems today, with better processes, smarter technology, and materials that enable a cleaner world.”

NEV will focus on a combined addressable market exceeding $500 billion, spanning alternative packaging materials ($300 billion-plus), packaging automation solutions ($140 billion-plus), and supply chain AI tools ($60 billion-plus).

NEV’s investment strategy centers on three key focus areas: packaging intelligence, supply chain optimization, and next-generation materials. This includes companies at the forefront of packaging, such as those pioneering the AI and machine learning technologies revolutionizing every aspect of the supply chain. By leveraging Atlantic’s Packaging’s people, reputation, relationships, and best-in-class resources, NEV can identify and scale founder-led companies that that:

• Transform the supply chain through advanced deep tech innovation
• Apply AI, machine learning and automation to optimize and streamline supply chains
• Replace single-use packaging with next-generation materials

NEV is led by Managing Partner Matt Saunders, a seasoned investor with expertise across alternative packaging materials and supply chain optimization as well as the broader U.S. energy transition. Mr. Saunders brings an exceptional amount of experience to NEV in addition to a proven-track record of early-stage investing and previous emerging investment fund leadership.

In addition to Atlantic Packaging’s 80-year track record and deep customer relationships across Fortune 1000 enterprises, NEV is launching with strategic support from the Minderoo Foundation and Hula Fund.

“As regulators, brands, and consumers demand measurable progress, and as technology enables swift innovation, startups require more than capital. They need deep industry expertise and a clear path to market with the right customers,” said Saunders. “Our model delivers that. By blending the rigor of venture capital with the operational strength of an established major packaging company, we are well-positioned to reinvent global supply chains.”

NEV has built strong industry relationships, such as Specright, a pioneer in Specification Data Management™; Forest, an AI-powered packaging intelligence and sourcing engine; and Sway, a materials innovator converting seaweed into plastic packaging alternatives.

About New Earth Ventures

New Earth Ventures (NEV) is the innovation and investment arm of Atlantic Packaging. NEV backs visionary founders advancing packaging technology, material innovation, and modernization of supply chains. NEV portfolio companies gain access to Atlantic’s industry expertise, customer ecosystem, and operational infrastructure. For more, visit www.nev.vc.

About Atlantic Packaging

Atlantic Packaging is the largest privately held packaging solutions provider in North America. Known for engineering excellence, sustainability leadership, and customer-centric service, Atlantic supports industries ranging from food and beverage to pharmaceuticals and e-commerce. Its Packaging Solution Center in Charlotte, N.C. is a first-of-its-kind hub for testing, automation, and responsible materials development. For more, visit www.atlanticpkg.com.

Contact:
For Atlantic Packaging:
Jennifer Mihalic
864.271.0718
[email protected]

For New Earth Ventures
Gasthalter & Co.
212-257-4170
[email protected]

SOURCE New Earth Ventures

Los Angeles-based company creates the first pediatric connected platform powered by AI to unite families, providers, pediatricians, and payers around coordinated care teams for children with developmental, behavioral, and mental health needs.

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2026 — When Brandon Terry’s young daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, his family spent years navigating fragmented waitlists, thousands of dollars in monthly out-of-pocket costs, and a care experience where no two providers ever spoke to one another. One in five children in the U.S. — roughly 15 million — face the same reality. Today, Village (village.health) announced it has raised $9.5M led by Upfront Ventures, with participation from Bling Capital, GTMFund, and Perceptive Ventures, to build the modern health system that should have existed all along.

“The system today forces parents to be the quarterback, texting session notes between therapists and hoping everyone is working toward the same goals,” said Terry, who co-founded Village with Allan Smith. “That’s not a health system. We’re building one that is.”

Unlike platforms that connect families to individual providers, Village also assembles and coordinates entire care teams — occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavioral therapists, and pediatricians — around each child in a single AI-powered platform. Families find and afford the right specialty providers in minutes. Providers collaborate in real time: sharing progress, aligning on goals, and delivering coordinated care that drives better outcomes. And for the first time, every member of a child’s care community is connected.

In less than a year, Village has built what is believed to be the largest coordinated network of independent pediatric specialty care providers in Southern California with more than 400 providers across occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and behavioral health. The company has secured contracts with top commercial insurers including Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare and has deployed AI agents that match families to complete care teams in minutes. The platform provides independent clinicians and established practices with Vera, an AI agent they’ve built in-house that acts as a dedicated operations person for every provider on the network — handling documentation, scheduling, billing, and care coordination end-to-end, so clinicians can focus entirely on their patients.

Village’s network is growing organically: providers inviting patients, families inviting providers, leading to 5x growth in patients served and total platform users since the start of the year.

“When enough providers, families, and pediatricians are connected in one place, you don’t just improve individual sessions — you change how an entire community cares for its children,” said Terry. “That’s what we’re building in Southern California. And then we repeat it.”

The funding will fuel Village’s continued market-by-market expansion across Southern California, into additional California markets, and new states — leveraging national insurance contracts and a repeatable launch playbook refined through its Los Angeles rollout.

“Too many families spend precious time and money navigating a system that was never designed for them — a journey marked by confusion, isolation, and unmet expectations,” said Kesar Varma, partner at Upfront Ventures. “Village is the first intelligent care platform built specifically for this journey. Instead of endlessly searching for providers, guessing at costs, and coordinating between specialists who don’t talk to each other, families get the team, the tools, and the financial support they need for their children, all in one place.”

About Village
Village is building the modern health system for specialty pediatrics — an AI-powered platform connecting families, providers, pediatricians, and payers so the 1 in 5 children with developmental, behavioral, and mental health needs can receive coordinated, team-based care. The company was founded by Brandon Terry and Allan Smith, former leaders at Procore Technologies, and is backed by Upfront Ventures, Bling Capital, GTMFund, and Perceptive Ventures. Learn more at myvillage.co.

SOURCE Village

Strategic investment brings together RTI’s scientific leadership and Navidence AI-native platform to improve research quality, reproducibility, and patient outcomes across the life sciences

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 5, 2026 — Independent scientific research institute RTI International today announced a partnership and strategic equity investment in Navidence, a technology and knowledge content company focused on defining health data and enabling more efficient, transparent and scientifically rigorous clinical research and real-world evidence (RWE) generation. The investment and collaboration reflect RTI’s continued commitment to leveraging data, technology and partnerships to advance high-quality evidence that supports better decision-making across the life sciences and healthcare ecosystem.

As part of the investment, RTI will engage with Navidence through a planned strategic collaboration focused on product evolution and commercialization. The collaboration will combine RTI’s scientific leadership and real-world research expertise with Navidence’s data science and medical informatics capabilities to help standardize disease definitions across the industry, strengthen research insights across programs and support more effective therapeutic interventions for patients.

“One of the most persistent challenges in real-world evidence generation is the inconsistency and lack of standardization in how diseases, treatments and outcomes are defined,” said Aaron Kamauu, Navidence CEO. “Navidence was built to solve exactly that. RTI’s investment validates our approach and accelerates our ability to bring transparent CODefs to research teams across the life sciences, ultimately improving the quality and credibility of evidence for all stakeholders. Together, we’re building something the industry has needed for a long time and we’re just getting started.”

Founded in 2022 by experienced real-world evidence, medical informatics and data science leaders, Navidence offers AI-native technology and professional services centered on Computable Operational Definitions (CODefs), which are standardized, human- and computer-readable definitions of key study elements, including diseases, treatments, outcomes, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Defining these elements is a critical but resource-intensive step in clinical research, often requiring weeks or months of manual effort across epidemiology, informatics, statistics, and clinical teams – a burden that AI alone cannot resolve without an expert-curated and pragmatically validated foundation to draw from. The Navidence platform and curated CODef libraries help researchers more precisely define study criteria and move more efficiently from protocol development to real-world data (RWD) evaluation and evidence generation, improving speed, reproducibility, consistency, and trust in study results.

“High-quality real-world evidence demands scientific rigor, scalable infrastructure and a clear understanding of our clients’ needs,” said Asli Aras, vice president and head of corporate development at RTI. “Navidence tackles a long-standing challenge in life sciences research by bringing clarity and standardization to how health data are defined and operationalized. This investment and collaboration build on RTI’s continued commitment to AI-enabled technologies that help clients generate precise, scientifically sound evidence more efficiently to inform healthcare and life-sciences decision making.”

Billions of dollars in life sciences research are built on inconsistently defined data. RTI and Navidence are partnering to change that using AI to accelerate evidence that moves patients toward better care. By combining RTI’s scientific leadership with Navidence’s AI-native platform, we’re standardizing how diseases, treatments, and outcomes are defined—giving researchers, regulators, and clinicians the clarity they need to make decisions that advance life changing medicines. Together with investments in Nested Knowledge, b.well Connected Health, and BEK Health, today’s announcement reflects RTI’s commitment to advancing the technologies that will define the next era of evidence generation.

About RTI International
RTI International is an independent scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world’s most critical problems with technical and science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across social, statistical, data, and laboratory sciences, engineering, and other technical disciplines to solve the world’s most challenging problems. For more information, visit www.rti.org. 

About Navidence
Navidence is a technology company focused on defining health data and supporting researchers in study design through the use of Computable Operational Definitions (CODefs). Its AI-native platform helps life sciences organizations design, deploy, and scale real-world evidence studies with greater efficiency, consistency, and trust.

Media Contact:
RTI International Media Relations
919-541-7300
[email protected] 

SOURCE RTI International