LONDON, Jan. 12, 2026 — Trybe, a leading provider of spa, bathhouse, leisure, and activity management software, today announced a $30 million USD Series A investment from Five Elms Capital. This investment will enable Trybe to expand globally, accelerate development of its next-generation platform, incorporate AI- powered workflows to enhance guest experiences, and scale its go-to-market organization to meet growing demand.

“Spa and leisure operators are facing increasingly complex operations, payments, and guest-experience challenges. Legacy systems simply haven’t kept up,” said Ricky Daniels, Co-Founder of Trybe. “We built Trybe to give operators a flexible, modern operating system that maximizes revenue, reduces friction, and unlocks exceptional guest experiences. As we look ahead, we see meaningful opportunities to introduce AI-assisted scheduling, forecasting, and personalization into the platform, capabilities that will further streamline operations and capture revenue previously lost to manual inefficiencies. Partnering with Five Elms allows us to accelerate this roadmap and deliver even more value to our customers.”

Trybe has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by strong demand from both single-location spas and large multi-site operators seeking to modernize their technology stacks. Today, the company supports hundreds of spa and leisure operations worldwide and is expanding quickly across resort groups, wellness brands, and luxury hotel operators.

“Trybe stands out as the clear modern alternative in a market long constrained by rigid, outdated systems,” said Ryan Mandl, Partner at Five Elms Capital. “The Trybe team has built a configurable, intuitive platform that customers genuinely love, and their traction across geographies and spa and leisure segments reflects that. We’re thrilled to support Trybe as they scale globally, deepen their payments capabilities, and continue building a category-defining product.”

The investment will support initiatives including:

• Geographic expansion across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
• Advancement of payments and embedded financial products, including enhanced settlement flexibility and expanded card-present capabilities.
• Product innovation, particularly in reporting, memberships, spa package booking functionality, and guest experience tools.
• AI-assisted feature development across yield management, scheduling, operations, and guest experiences.
• Sales, marketing, and customer success scaling to meet accelerating demand.

About Trybe

Founded in 2020, Trybe is the modern end-to-end platform powering the complex operations of spas, resorts, hotels, bathhouses, wellness centers, and leisure facilities around the world. Supporting 325+ properties across 33 countries. Trybe delivers a fully integrated suite spanning online bookings, scheduling, staff management, memberships, POS, guest communications, reporting, and payments, all within a modern, configurable cloud architecture. With over 4.5M transactions processed representing $1.1bn+ of revenue volume processed, 50% of all bookings occurring outside office hours, and 74% of bookings captured as part of a broader spa package, Trybe consistently proves its impact on revenue, utilization, and the guest experience.

About Five Elms Capital

Five Elms Capital is a growth investor in software businesses that users love, providing capital and resources to help companies accelerate growth and further cement their role as industry leaders.

With over $3 billion in assets under management and a team of over 80 professionals, Five Elms has invested in more than 70 software platforms worldwide. Beyond providing capital, Five Elms delivers strategic and operational expertise, focused on executing initiatives that move the needle on growth, retention, product, and AI to set companies up for long-term success. For more information, visit fiveelms.com.

SOURCE Five Elms Capital

• EQT Life Sciences invests in U.S.-based Kinaset Therapeutics – a clinical-stage biopharma company developing a novel and differentiated inhaled therapeutic to treat serious respiratory diseases       
• Proceeds from the oversubscribed USD 103 million Series B round to help advance frevecitinib – a single-capsule dry powder inhaler delivering therapeutic lung concentrations, with the potential to treat the broad asthma population
• EQT Life Sciences’ Daniela Begolo to join Kinaset Therapeutics’ Board of Directors

BOSTON, Jan. 12, 2026 — EQT Life Sciences is pleased to announce that the LSP 7 Fund has invested in Kinaset Therapeutics (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Boston, U.S. developing a novel and differentiated inhaled therapeutic to treat serious respiratory diseases.

The investment was made as part of Kinaset’s oversubscribed USD 103 million Series B financing, led by RA Capital Management and Forge Life Science Partners, with participation from new investors EQT Life Sciences, Vivo, Schroders, Willett Advisors, Pictet, and Sixty Degree Capital, as well as existing investors Atlas Venture, 5AM Ventures, and Gimv.

Asthma affects millions of patients worldwide, yet a significant proportion remains inadequately controlled on existing therapies. Today’s biologic treatments mainly help patients with certain types of inflammation, leaving many with severe asthma without effective options. This has created a clear unmet need for broadly effective, safe, and inhaled anti-inflammatory therapies that can address the full spectrum of asthma disease.

Kinaset Therapeutics’s Series B will be used to help advance frevecitinib, a novel inhaled dry powder in development for patients with asthma that remains inadequately controlled by standard of care inhaled maintenance therapies. Frevecitinib is an inhaled pan-JAK inhibitor – an immune-modulating medication – designed to deliver therapeutic concentrations directly to the lungs via a single-capsule dry powder inhaler, while minimizing systemic exposure.

Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences, who will join Kinaset’s Board of Directors, said: “Kinaset is taking a highly differentiated approach to asthma by pairing validated JAK biology with an inhaled delivery designed to maximize lung exposure while minimizing systemic risk. Backed by a strong and experienced management team, Kinaset has the potential to address a broad asthma population, including patients not well served by current therapies, making frevecitinib a particularly compelling program to advance into later-stage development.”

Robert Clarke, CEO of Kinaset Therapeutics, said: “Since day one, our goal has been to establish a best-in-class therapeutic for the treatment of severe inflammatory respiratory diseases. Critically, and unlike the majority of existing therapeutics, frevecitinib can provide benefit to all patients with severe asthma including those with a non-eosinophilic phenotype who continue to suffer from an absence of safe and effective therapies. This financing marks a significant milestone for Kinaset to execute our vision of advancing frevecitinib through a Phase 2 dose-ranging clinical study in severe asthma and potentially beyond. The participation of leading life science investors underscores both the strength of our team and the critical unmet need we aim to address.”

Contact
EQT Press Office, [email protected] 

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2026 — Nanochon, a Washington, D.C.-based orthopedic device company developing an implant for treating articular cartilage defects in the knee, has secured commitments to close an oversubscribed funding round, bringing its total capital raised to date to $11.3 million.

The round was led by cultivate(MD), with significant contributions from The University of Virginia UVA Seed Fund, WSGR, Wealthing VC Fund, and others. While the majority of funding came from a strong group of current investors, several new individuals and funds were welcomed onto the cap table.

Nanochon intends to use the funds to sustain its first in-human clinical study in Canada, deepen research and development efforts, and begin planning for its future pivotal trial.

“We’re both honored and humbled to oversubscribe another funding round,” says Ben Holmes, CEO and co-founder. “The capital commitments from our investors speak volumes about their confidence in the work we’re doing to shift the paradigm of cartilage restoration. Not only do we have strong financial backing, but these partners also offer us support in commercial and regulatory strategies as well. As we step up to the start line of our clinical journey, Nanochon is powered by an exceptional team whose dedication, creativity, and execution make this moment possible. With the right people, partners, and capital in place, we’re excited to translate years of innovation into meaningful outcomes for patients.”

Nanochon will commence a phase I trial in Canada in the coming weeks for its patented knee implant Chondrograft™ which will evaluate safety and efficacy in a prospective, 10 patient, early feasibility study for use in knee cartilage restoration in eligible patients between 22 and 60 years of age having femoral condyle and/or trochlea articular cartilage lesions who have failed conservative therapy, in addition to meeting other criteria.

“cultivate(MD) Capital Funds is proud to have a significant portion of the oversubscribed Nanochon funding round,” said R. Sean Churchill, MD, MBA. “Making a follow on from our initial investment in 2023 was an easy decision as we continue to watch CEO, Ben Holmes, lead Nanochon with his forward planning and executional excellence. The current round will not only support the first in human clinical trial in Canada as well as accelerate their manufacturing capabilities, but it will set the stage for a greater North American pivotal trial leading to FDA clearance. In addition to making a revolutionary product in the cartilage regeneration space, Nanochon understands the value of preoperative planning and has launched a partnership with ProVoyance to develop a full MRI based preoperative surgical planning software tool. The combination of a revolutionary product and best in class enabling software is positioning Nanochon to truly change the future for focal cartilage defects in the knee.”

About Nanochon

Nanochon is a biotech and medical device company focused on developing innovative orthopedic solutions. Chondrograft™ is a minimally-invasive implant that allows for immediate weight-bearing and motion, meaning less time spent recovering. Nanochon has the potential to deliver more successful and longer-lasting recovery for patients than current standard of care. Our mission is to develop a new approach to treat cartilage replacement and repair so that the hundreds of thousands of young, active patients with joint damage can return to their lifestyles without having to undergo costly and invasive short-term fixes.

https://nanochon.com

SOURCE cultivate(MD)

New partnership broadens secure software innovation into biometrics, identity, and AI-powered commerce experiences

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2026 — NRF — MagicCube, the leader in software-based security for payments and device integrity, announced today that it has raised $10 million in committed new funding to accelerate its expansion beyond tap-to-phone technology and into emerging areas such as biometrics, identity verification, and AI-driven device security. The round includes new strategic participation from Verifone, one of the world’s leading payment solution providers, as well as continued support from existing investors Bold Capital, Mosaik Partners, and ID Tech, along with a major global investor based in EMEA that will be announced on second closing.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cupertino, California, MagicCube delivers Software Defined Trust (SDT) — a breakthrough technology that brings hardware-grade protection to mobile devices through software alone. Its software Trusted Execution Environment (sTEE) allows smartphones, tablets, and IoT devices to perform secure computations and protect sensitive data without requiring specialized chips or hardware modules.

“With this round and with Verifone joining as both an investor and partner, we are moving beyond payments into securing the next era of digital identity, IoT, and AI-driven computing,” said Sam Shawki, CEO and co-founder of MagicCube. “Our mission is to make trusted environments available anywhere — from phones to cars to connected systems at the edge.”

“Our mission is to give our partners, their merchants, and their ISVs peace of mind, knowing they are using the most advanced technology to secure the digital experiences they deliver to their end users—pure software with hardware‑grade security and global scalability,” said Nancy Zayed, CTO and co‑founder of MagicCube. “This is the fastest path to delivering trusted digital services—not just for payment acceptance, but also for identity, biometrics, and AI‑driven edge security at global scale.”

Since launching its flagship product i-Accept®, which turns everyday mobile devices into compliant contactless payment terminals, MagicCube has become a trusted partner for major acquirers and financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Global Payments, Fiserv, and Dojo by Paymentsense. The company’s infrastructure platform provides a flexible path for merchants and service providers to deploy secure, scalable payment acceptance solutions without the cost or complexity of new hardware.

Prasanna Narayan, Executive Vice President and Head of Product at Verifone, highlighted the strategic value of the partnership:

“Our investment in MagicCube expands our ability to serve clients seeking secure, identity-verified commerce across new and emerging form factors. By integrating MagicCube’s technology, Verifone can bring trusted innovation to every step of the digital commerce experience.”

The new funding will be used to accelerate R&D in software-based trust technologies, further strengthen MagicCube’s AI security offerings, and deepen integrations within global payment and identity ecosystems.

About MagicCube
MagicCube provides software-based isolation solutions that protect sensitive data and transactions everywhere. Its patented Software Defined Trust (SDT) platform is deployed globally by leading financial institutions enabling secure payment acceptance and trusted computing without hardware dependencies. For more information, visit www.magiccube.co.

SOURCE MagicCube

Onder leiding van ICONIQ brengt de ronde de totale financiering van Rain op meer dan $ 338 miljoen en brengt de waarde van het bedrijf op $ 1,95 miljard, meer dan 17 keer meer in slechts 10 maanden

Met de nieuwe financiering kan Rain zijn wereldwijde, conforme voetafdruk vergroten, de mogelijkheden van zijn platform uitbreiden en investeren in nieuwe producten die de manier waarop betalingen wereldwijd werken opnieuw definiëren

NEW YORK, 10 januari 2026 — Rain, de infrastructuur op bedrijfsniveau voor betalingen met stablecoin, heeft vandaag een Series C-financieringsronde van $ 250 miljoen aangekondigd onder leiding van ICONIQ, met deelname van Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, Bessemer Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, FirstMark, Lightspeed, Norwest en Endeavor Catalyst. De ronde brengt de waarde van Rain op $ 1,95 miljard, brengt de totale financiering van het bedrijf op meer dan $ 338 miljoen en komt slechts vier maanden na de Series B-financieringsronde en 10 maanden na de Series A-financieringsronde.

Stablecoins evolueren snel vanuit een speculatieve hoek van cryptomarkten naar een van de grootste waardeoverdrachtsrails ter wereld. De volgende fase van acceptatie gaat over het gebruik van tokenized geld als standaardmethode voor bedrijven om geld over te maken en voor consumenten om betaald te worden, te sparen en uit te geven. Om die kloof te overbruggen is er een infrastructuur nodig die bedrijven in staat stelt over te stappen naar onchain-betalingsrails en tegelijkertijd de vertrouwde ervaringen te behouden die hun gebruikers al vertrouwen. De technologie van Rain is precies daarvoor ontwikkeld.

“Stablecoins worden snel de manier waarop geld beweegt in de 21e eeuw, maar het gebruik ervan door gebruikers wereldwijd vereist betaalpassen en apps die gewoon werken”, aldus Farooq Malik, CEO en medeoprichter van Rain. “In het afgelopen jaar is ons aantal actieve betaalpassen 30 keer zo groot geworden en is ons jaarlijkse betalingsvolume 38 keer zo groot geworden. En dan te bedenken dat we alleen nog maar aan het begin staan. Door deze financiering kunnen we die infrastructuur naar nieuwe markten brengen en extra ondernemingen helpen om overal snel live te gaan en op te schalen.”

Met het end-to-end betalingsplatform van Rain kunnen bedrijven met één enkele partner samenwerken om conforme stablecoin-kaarten te lanceren die overal waar Visa wordt geaccepteerd, kunnen worden gebruikt, beloningen bieden, fiatgeld omzetten in stablecoins, veilige wallets ondersteunen en uitbetalingen vergemakkelijken. Vandaag de dag faciliteert Rain’s technologie meer dan 3 miljard dollar aan jaarlijkse transacties voor meer dan 200 partners, waaronder Western Union, Nuvei en KAST. Programma’s die op Rain zijn gebouwd, kunnen meer dan 2,5 miljard mensen bereiken en alles aansturen, van dagelijkse consumentenaankopen zoals een kopje koffie in de ochtend of vliegtickets, tot cruciale zakelijke uitgaven zoals clouddiensten en digitale advertenties.

“Wij zijn van mening dat we getuige zijn van een verschuiving van traditionele betalingsnetwerken naar programmeerbare infrastructuur voor digitale activa, en dat er een korte periode is om te helpen bepalen op welk standaardplatform bedrijven zullen vertrouwen”, aldus Kamran Zaki, partner bij ICONIQ. “Naar onze mening beschikt Rain over een zeldzame combinatie van full-stack-technologie, gereedheid voor regelgeving en schaalbaarheid in de praktijk. Hun focus op het algemeen gangbaar maken van getokeniseerd geld, in plaats van een niche financieel experiment, kan aanslaan en aansluiten bij wat grote ondernemingen zoeken nu ze de overstap maken van verkenning naar productie.”

Rain zal het kapitaal uit de Serie C-financieringsronde gebruiken om zijn aanwezigheid in belangrijke gelicentieerde markten in Noord-Amerika, Zuid-Amerika, Europa, Azië en Afrika uit te breiden, zodat partners werelwijd naadloos conforme oplossingen  kunnen lanceren. De financiering zal Rain ook in staat stellen om zijn full-stack stablecoin-betalingsplatform verder ui te breiden, onder meer door strategische overnames, en om vooruit te investeren in nieuwe producten die stablecoin-betalingen onzichtbaar maken voor bedrijven en consumenten.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was juridisch adviseur van Rain voor de Serie C-financieringsronde.

Over Rain: Rain is het wereldwijde betalingsplatform voor stablecoins voor ondernemingen, neobanken, platformen en ontwikkelaars. Met zijn technologie kunnen partners stablecoins onmiddellijk en conform verplaatsen, opslaan en gebruiken via wereldwijde betaalkaarten, beloningen, on/offramps, wallets en internationale rails. Als hoofdlid van Visa geeft Rain betaalpassen uit die overal werken waar Visa wordt geaccepteerd, waardoor miljoenen aankopen in meer dan 150 landen mogelijk worden gemaakt. Rain is oorspronkelijk gebouwd voor stablecoins en wordt door meer dan 200 organisaties wereldwijd vertrouwd. Rain levert een veilige, schaalbare infrastructuur die ervoor zorgt dat geld vrij en onmiddellijk over de hele wereld beweegt. Lees meer op https://www.rain.xyz/.

Over ICONIQ: ICONIQ is een wereldwijde investeringsmaatschappij die kansen katalyseert door middel van een buitengewone gemeenschap. Ons investeringsplatform voor ondernemingen en groei werkt samen met visionairen die de toekomst van hun branche definiëren om ongebruikelijke resultaten te bereiken. Op basis van de inzichten en connectiviteit van onze buitengewone gemeenschap ondersteunen we het succes van onze portefeuillebedrijven op elk keerpunt, van de oprichting tot de beursintroductie en daarna. Onze robuuste portefeuille omvat onder andere Adyen, Airbnb, Alibaba, Alteryx, Airtable, Anthropic, Automattic, BambooHR, Braze, Canva, Chime, Coupa, Databricks, Datadog, DeepL, ElevenLabs, Figma, Gitlab, Glean, Groww, Netskope, Procore, ServiceTitan, Sierra, Snowflake, Writer, Zoom en 1Password. Ga voor meer informatie naar https://www.iconiqcapital.com/growth.

Mediacontact:
Lucas Piazza
Marketing Lead, Rain
[email protected] 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2697289/Rain_Logo.jpg

Guidato da ICONIQ, il round porta il finanziamento totale di Rain a oltre 338 milioni di dollari e valuta l’azienda a 1,95 miliardi di dollari – un aumento di oltre 17 volte in soli 10 mesi.

Il nuovo finanziamento consente a Rain di ampliare la sua presenza globale e conforme, di espandere le funzionalità della piattaforma e di investire in nuovi prodotti che ridefiniscono le modalità dei pagamenti in tutto il mondo.

NEW YORK, 10 gennaio 2026 — Rain, l’infrastruttura di livello aziendale per pagamenti basati su stablecoin, ha annunciato oggi un round di finanziamento di serie C da 250 milioni di dollari guidato da ICONIQ, con la partecipazione di Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, Bessemer Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, FirstMark, Lightspeed, Norwest ed Endeavor Catalyst. Il round valuta Rain 1,95 miliardi di dollari, ne porta il finanziamento totale a oltre 338 milioni di dollari ed è stato completato appena quattro mesi dopo il round di Serie B e 10 mesi dopo quello di Serie A.

Le stablecoin si sono evolute rapidamente da un segmento speculativo dei mercati delle criptovalute a uno dei più grandi canali di trasferimento di valore al mondo. La fase successiva dell’adozione consiste nel rendere il denaro tokenizzato il metodo predefinito con cui le aziende trasferiscono fondi e i consumatori vengono pagati, risparmiano e spendono. Per superare questo divario è necessaria un’infrastruttura che consenta alle aziende di passare ai sistemi di pagamento on-chain, preservando al contempo le esperienze familiari di cui i loro utenti si fidano già. La tecnologia Rain è progettata proprio per questo.

“Le stablecoin stanno rapidamente diventando il mezzo di circolazione del denaro nel XXI secolo, ma l’adozione da parte degli utenti di tutto il mondo richiede carte e app che funzionino senza problemi”, spiega Farooq Malik, ceo e co-fondatore di Rain. “Nell’ultimo anno la nostra base di carte attive è aumentata di 30 volte e il nostro volume di pagamenti annuali è aumentato di 38 volte, ma siamo ancora agli inizi. Questo finanziamento ci consente di portare questa infrastruttura su nuovi mercati e di aiutare altre aziende ancora ad avviarsi e crescere rapidamente ovunque”.

La piattaforma di pagamenti end-to-end Rain consente alle aziende di collaborare con un unico partner per lanciare carte stablecoin conformi utilizzabili ovunque sia accettata Visa, offrono premi, convertono fiat in stablecoin, sono alla base di portafogli sicuri e facilitano i pagamenti. Oggi la tecnologia Rain facilita transazioni annuali per oltre 3 miliardi di dollari per oltre 200 partner, tra cui Western Union, Nuvei e KAST. I programmi basati su Rain possono raggiungere oltre 2,5 miliardi di persone e supportare qualsiasi tipo di transazione, dagli acquisti quotidiani dei consumatori, come il caffè del mattino o biglietti aerei, alle spese aziendali cruciali, come i servizi cloud e la pubblicità digitale.

“Riteniamo che stiamo assistendo a un passaggio dalle reti di pagamento tradizionali a un’infrastruttura di risorse digitali programmabili e che ci sia un breve periodo di tempo per definire la piattaforma predefinita su cui le aziende conteranno”, aggiunge Kamran Zaki, partner presso ICONIQ. “A nostro avviso, Rain vanta una rara combinazione di tecnologia full-stack, preparazione normativa e scalabilità reale. Il loro focus sul rendere il denaro tokenizzato una pratica diffusa anziché un esperimento finanziario di nicchia, potrebbe trovare riscontro e allinearsi con ciò che le grandi aziende stanno cercando nel passaggio dall’esplorazione alla produzione”.

Rain utilizzerà il capitale del round di Serie C per espandere la sua presenza nei principali mercati autorizzati in Nord America, Sud America, Europa, Asia e Africa, affinché i partner possano lanciare senza problemi soluzioni conformi in tutto il mondo. Il finanziamento consentirà inoltre a Rain di potenziare la sua piattaforma di pagamenti full-stack basati su stablecoin, anche attraverso acquisizioni strategiche, e di investire tempestivamente in nuovi prodotti che rendano i pagamenti basati su stablecoin invisibili ad aziende e consumatori.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz hanno svolto il ruolo di consulenti legali per Rain nel suo finanziamento di serie C.

Informazioni su Rain: Rain è la piattaforma globale di pagamenti in stablecoin per aziende, neobanche, piattaforme e sviluppatori. La sua tecnologia consente ai partner di spostare, conservare e utilizzare stablecoin in modo istantaneo e conforme tramite carte di pagamento globali, premi, on/off-ramp (conversioni tra valuta fiat e stablecoin), portafogli e canali transfrontalieri. In qualità di membro principale di Visa, Rain emette carte che funzionano ovunque sia accettata Visa, consentendo milioni di acquisti in oltre 150 paesi. Progettata in modo nativo per le stablecoin e apprezzata da oltre 200 imprese in tutto il mondo, Rain offre un’infrastruttura sicura e scalabile che consente di muovere denaro liberamente e istantaneamente in tutto il mondo. Per saperne di più visitare https://www.rain.xyz/.

Informazioni su ICONIQ: ICONIQ è una società di investimento globale che catalizza opportunità attraverso una community straordinaria. La nostra piattaforma di investimenti in venture capital e crescita collabora con visionari che definiscono il futuro dei loro settori per raggiungere risultati non comuni. Sfruttando le informazioni approfondite e la connettività della nostra straordinaria community, supportiamo il successo delle aziende del nostro portafoglio in ogni fase, dalla nascita all’IPO e oltre. Figurano nel nostro solido portafoglio Adyen, Airbnb, Alibaba, Alteryx, Airtable, Anthropic, Automattic, BambooHR, Braze, Canva, Chime, Coupa, Databricks, Datadog, DeepL, ElevenLabs, Figma, Gitlab, Glean, Groww, Netskope, Procore, ServiceTitan, Sierra, Snowflake, Writer, Zoom e 1Password. Per maggiori informazioni visitare https://www.iconiqcapital.com/growth.

Contatto con i media
Lucas Piazza
Direttore marketing Rain
[email protected] 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2697289/Rain_Logo.jpg

Newly approved as a licensed carrier, Corgi leverages AI to deliver end-to-end startup insurance across underwriting, claims and policy operations

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9, 2026 — Corgi announced today that it has raised $108 million in funding from Y Combinator, Kindred Ventures, Contrary, Oliver Jung, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Seven Stars, Leblon Capital (Andrej Henkler, Fadwa Ouardani), Fellows Fund, Alumni Ventures, Quadri Ventures, Vocal Ventures, Phosphor Capital, SV Angel and others, after recently receiving regulatory approval to launch the first AI-native, full-stack insurance carrier built for startups. 

The funding encompasses a recent Series A round and a previous seed round and will be used to scale Corgi’s startup insurance line, including expanding coverage, distribution, and the AI systems that power underwriting, claims, and policy operations. As a full-stack carrier, Corgi designs and manages insurance end-to-end, allowing it to tailor products specifically for startups as they grow and evolve.

Unlike traditional insurance companies, Corgi operates on modern infrastructure built for speed. Legacy insurers are often built around brokers, manual workflows, and annual policy cycles, structures that struggle to keep pace with fast-moving startups. Corgi’s systems are designed to provide competitive pricing, instant quoting, and seamless coverage that adapts as businesses scale.

“Startups move fast, and so should their insurance,” said Nico Laqua, co-founder and CEO of Corgi. “Founders shouldn’t have to choose between speed, coverage quality and price. We built Corgi to deliver all three in one place, so startups can get covered quickly and focus on building. This capital helps us expand coverage and keep improving the product.”

Corgi’s startup insurance line is designed for venture-backed companies and high-growth businesses that want coverage built for modern operating realities. The product includes core coverages such as directors and officers (D&O) liability, errors and omissions (E&O) liability, cyber, commercial general liability (CGL), hired and non-owned auto (HNOA), fiduciary liability, AI liability and more.

“True innovation in insurance requires a special combination of actuarial science, AI-driven systems, and a fundamental rethinking of policy management. Corgi brings rare tenacity and technical focus to one of the hardest challenges in financial services by launching a new carrier to transform insurance, starting with technology companies,” said Kanyi Maqubela, General Partner at Kindred Ventures.

Corgi has seen rapid revenue growth across its existing product lines, with annual recurring revenue (ARR) surpassing $40 million since full regulatory approval in July 2025. The company’s momentum reflects growing demand for insurance products that prioritize speed, flexibility, and modern operations across multiple industries.

About Corgi
Corgi is an AI-native, full-stack insurance carrier built for startups. As a licensed carrier, Corgi designs and manages insurance end-to-end, using modern infrastructure and AI systems to power underwriting, policy management, and claims. The company delivers fast, flexible coverage tailored to how startups operate and scale. Corgi is backed by Y Combinator, Kindred Ventures, Oliver Jung, SV Angel, Contrary, and other investors.

Media Contact
Josh Jung
Corgi
[email protected]

SOURCE Corgi

Die von ICONIQ geführte Finanzierungsrunde erhöht die Gesamtfinanzierung von Rain auf über 338 Mio. $ und bewertet das Unternehmen mit 1,95 Mrd. $ – eine Steigerung um mehr als das 17-fache in nur 10 Monaten

Die neue Finanzierung ermöglicht es Rain, seine globale, konforme Präsenz zu vergrößern, die Plattformkapazitäten zu vertiefen und in neue Produkte zu investieren, die die Funktionsweise von Zahlungen weltweit neu definieren

NEW YORK, 9. Januar 2026 — Rain, die unternehmenstaugliche Infrastruktur für Stablecoin-gestützte Zahlungen, gab heute eine Finanzierungsrunde der Serie C in Höhe von 250 Millionen US-Dollar unter der Leitung von ICONIQ und mit Beteiligung von Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, Bessemer Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, FirstMark, Lightspeed, Norwest und Endeavor Catalyst bekannt. Die Runde bewertet Rain mit 1,95 Milliarden $ und bringt die Gesamtfinanzierung des Unternehmens auf über 338 Millionen $. Sie erfolgt nur vier Monate nach der Serie B und 10 Monate nach der Serie A.

Stablecoins haben sich schnell von einer spekulativen Nische der Kryptomärkte zu einem der größten Wertübertragungskanäle der Welt entwickelt. In der nächsten Phase der Einführung geht es darum, Token-Geld zur Standardmethode zu machen, mit der Unternehmen Gelder bewegen und Verbraucher bezahlt werden, sparen und ausgeben. Um diese Kluft zu überwinden, ist eine Infrastruktur erforderlich, die es Unternehmen ermöglicht, auf Onchain-Zahlungssysteme umzusteigen und gleichzeitig die vertrauten Erfahrungen zu bewahren, denen ihre Nutzer bereits vertrauen. Die Technologie von Rain ist genau dafür ausgelegt.

„Stablecoins entwickeln sich schnell zur Zahlungsmethode des 21. Jahrhunderts, aber damit sie von Nutzern weltweit angenommen werden, braucht es Karten und Apps, die einfach funktionieren”, sagte Farooq Malik, Geschäftsführer und Mitbegründer von Rain. „Im letzten Jahr hat sich unsere aktive Kartenbasis um das 30-fache und unser jährliches Zahlungsvolumen um das 38-fache erhöht, aber wir stehen noch ganz am Anfang. Mit dieser Finanzierung können wir diese Infrastruktur in neue Märkte einführen und weiteren Unternehmen helfen, überall schnell in Betrieb zu gehen und zu skalieren.”

Mit der End-to-End-Zahlungsplattform von Rain können Firmen mit einem einzigen Partner zusammenarbeiten, um konforme Stablecoin-Karten auf den Markt zu bringen, die überall dort funktionieren, wo Visa akzeptiert wird. Außerdem können sie Prämien anbieten, Fiat-Währungen in Stablecoins umwandeln, sichere Wallets betreiben und Auszahlungen abwickeln. Heute ermöglicht die Technologie von Rain jährliche Transaktionen in Höhe von mehr als 3 Milliarden US-Dollar für über 200 Partner, darunter Western Union, Nuvei und KAST. Programme, die auf Rain aufbauen, erreichen über 2,5 Milliarden Menschen und ermöglichen alles: von alltäglichen Einkäufen wie dem morgendlichen Kaffee oder Flugtickets bis hin zu wichtigen Geschäftsausgaben wie Cloud-Diensten und digitaler Werbung.

„Wir glauben, dass wir eine Verlagerung von alten Zahlungsnetzwerken hin zu einer programmierbaren Infrastruktur für digitale Vermögenswerte erleben, und es gibt ein kurzes Zeitfenster, um die Standardplattform zu definieren, auf die sich Unternehmen verlassen werden”, sagte Kamran Zaki, Partner bei ICONIQ. „Unserer Ansicht nach verfügt Rain über eine seltene Kombination aus umfassender Technologie, Bereitschaft zur Regulierung und realem Umfang. Dass sie sich darauf konzentrieren, tokenisiertes Geld zum Mainstream zu machen und es nicht nur als Nischen-Finanzexperiment zu sehen, könnte bei großen Unternehmen gut ankommen und genau das sein, was sie suchen, wenn sie von der Erforschung zur Produktion übergehen.”

Rain wird das Kapital der Serie C nutzen, um seine Präsenz in wichtigen lizenzierten Märkten in Nordamerika, Südamerika, Europa, Asien und Afrika auszubauen, damit Partner nahtlos konforme Lösungen auf der ganzen Welt einführen können. Die Finanzierung wird es Rain außerdem ermöglichen, seine umfassende Stablecoin-Zahlungsplattform zu erweitern, auch durch strategische Akquisitionen, und vorzeitig in neue Produkte zu investieren, die Stablecoin-basierte Zahlungen für Unternehmen und Verbraucher unsichtbar machen.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz war Rechtsberater von Rain bei der Finanzierung der Serie C.

Informationen zu Rain: Rain ist die globale Stablecoin-Zahlungsplattform für Unternehmen, Neobanken, Plattformen und Entwickler. Die Technologie ermöglicht es Partnern, Stablecoins sofort und regelkonform über globale Zahlungskarten, Prämien, On-/Offramps, Wallets und grenzüberschreitende Zahlungssysteme zu verschieben, zu speichern und zu nutzen. Als Hauptmitglied von Visa gibt Rain Karten raus, die überall funktionieren, wo Visa akzeptiert wird, und ermöglicht so Millionen von Einkäufen in über 150 Ländern. Rain wurde nativ für Stablecoins entwickelt und genießt das Vertrauen von mehr als 200 Organisationen weltweit. Es bietet eine sichere, skalierbare Infrastruktur, die den freien und sofortigen Geldverkehr auf der ganzen Welt ermöglicht. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter https://www.rain.xyz/.

Informationen zu ICONIQ: ICONIQ ist ein globales Investmentunternehmen, das Chancen durch eine außergewöhnliche Gemeinschaft schafft. Unsere Plattform für Risiko- und Wachstumsinvestitionen arbeitet mit Visionären zusammen, die die Zukunft ihrer Branchen definieren, um außergewöhnliche Ergebnisse zu erzielen. Wir stützen uns auf die Erkenntnisse und Verbindungen unserer außergewöhnlichen Gemeinschaft und unterstützen den Erfolg unserer Portfoliounternehmen an jedem Wendepunkt, von der Gründung bis zum Börsengang und darüber hinaus. Unser robustes Portfolio umfasst unter anderem Adyen, Airbnb, Alibaba, Alteryx, Airtable, Anthropic, Automattic, BambooHR, Braze, Canva, Chime, Coupa, Databricks, Datadog, DeepL, ElevenLabs, Figma, Gitlab, Glean, Groww, Netskope, Procore, ServiceTitan, Sierra, Snowflake, Writer, Zoom und 1Password. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter https://www.iconiqcapital.com/growth.

Medienkontakt:
Lucas Piazza
Marketing Lead, Rain
[email protected] 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2697289/Rain_Logo.jpg

LONDON, Jan. 9, 2026 — M&G Investments (M&G) today announces that it has led a US$50 million Series C funding round for bit.bio, the Cambridge-based biotech company pioneering next-generation human cell programming technology. The investment of patient capital into a fast-growing private UK company, spun out from the University of Cambridge, marks a major vote of confidence in innovation and the future of drug development in the UK.

The funding will enable bit.bio to accelerate the development of, and access to, its products, scale its operations globally, expand into the multi-billion toxicology market, bolster its manufacturing operations and generate industry-leading datasets for AI model training.

The company’s ioCells™ human cell products are used by leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies and academic institutions globally. Through the creation of human cells and models for research, drug discovery, and toxicology, bit.bio is leading the global transition towards human-relevant New Approach Methodologies¹ (NAMs), which use advanced cell-based and computational models instead of animal testing, and are reshaping how medicines are developed with greater predictiveness.

M&G has invested through its Crossover strategy within its public equity business on behalf of M&G Life’s £130 billion With Profits Fund and its 4.5 million UK policyholders. Crossover provides patient growth equity to high-quality, fast-growing private companies, enabling their eventual crossover into public markets.

In addition, bit.bio and M&G are pleased to announce that Lord David Prior – who has held distinguished leadership roles in UK Life Sciences innovation, health policy and governance for more than two decades – joins as an independent director and new Board Chair.

Przemek Obloj, Chief Executive of bit.bio, said: “By providing reliable human cells for research and safety testing, we’re helping to accelerate drug development and build a world class life sciences business in the UK. Our technology reduces reliance on animal testing while improving the relevance and accuracy of pre-clinical research. With fresh backing from M&G and our wider investor base, we can accelerate development, from in silico model training through our most established in vitro discovery models and towards safety testing.”

Cornel Chiriac, Investment Director of Crossover, M&G Investments, said:

“The investment of patient capital into a fast-growing private UK company, spun out from the University of Cambridge, marks a major vote of confidence in innovation and the future of drug development in the UK. bit.bio’s platform makes cell programming reliable, scalable, and commercially ready in a rapidly evolving field. As a long-term investor, M&G is committed to backing the next generation of UK businesses and driving economic progress. With a growing global footprint, bit.bio is a UK success story poised for international growth.”

Lord David Prior concluded: “bit.bio’s technology is world class and the opportunity is now converting that advantage into sustained commercial performance. I look forward to supporting the team as it expands its customer reach and becomes a key partner for pharmaceutical, biotech and research organisations worldwide.”

Notes to Editors

1. New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are innovative scientific approaches to drug discovery, development and safety testing that do not rely on traditional animal testing. They include advanced techniques such as cell-based assays, computer modelling, and organ-on-a-chip systems, providing more human-relevant data while supporting ethical and regulatory goals.

If you require any further information, please contact

About Lord David Prior

Lord David Prior has played a key role in UK life sciences innovation, health policy, and governance for more than two decades with distinguished leadership roles, including Chair of the NHS England Board, Chair of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, and Member of Parliament and long-standing member of the House of Lords.

About bit.bio

bit.bio, the global leader in cell programming technology, is creating functional, human-relevant cells and models at industrial scale to accelerate research, drug discovery and development, while facilitating the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Product development is fuelled by its AI-enabled discovery platform that identifies unique transcription factor combinations to program desired cell types, and its patented opti-ox™ technology that precisely converts induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into these cell types assuring unprecedented purity, consistency, and scalability. bit.bio’s’ expanding ioCells portfolio comprises more than 50 products, including ioWild Type Cells, ioDisease Model Cells, ioCRISPR-Ready Cells, and ioTracker Cells.

Since spinning out from the University of Cambridge in 2016, bit.bio has raised over $200m from leading investors including Arch Venture, BlueYard Capital, Charles River Laboratories, Foresite Capital, M&G, Milky Way, National Resilience, and Tencent.

Read bit.bio’s 2025 Sustainability Report

About M&G Investments
M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investments company with £365 billion of assets under management (as at 30 September 2025). M&G plc has customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, including individual savers and investors, life insurance policy holders and pension scheme members. 

For nearly nine decades M&G Investments has been helping its customers to prosper by putting investments to work, which in turn creates jobs, homes and vital infrastructure in the real economy. Its investment solutions span equities, fixed income, multi asset, cash, private debt, infrastructure and real estate. 

M&G plc recognises the importance of responsible investing, is a signatory (both as an asset manager and owner) to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and is targeting net zero emissions by 2050, across our investment portfolios and operations. For more information, please visit: www.mandg.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2606227/bit_bio_logo.jpg