<div>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Kafene, a BNPL provider for furniture, appliances, electronics, and other consumer durable products, has raised USD 12.6 million in Series B extension funding led by Third Prime, with participation from Uncorrelated Ventures, Company Ventures, Xffirmers, and other existing investors from its 
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12988">
          Series B funding
        </a>
         in September 2022. Kafene's total funding now stands at USD 134.6 million, and its Series B funding totals nearly USD 31 million.
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    <li>
      <p>
        The company earmarked the funds to accelerate its merchant partnerships and increase capital allocation on consumer underwritings.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        Currently, Kafene has serviced over USD 100 million in lease-to-own agreements for customers with big-ticket purchases, such as furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, and other durable goods, within the US.
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
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  </p>
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  <p>
    <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kafene-closes-series-b-extension-with-12-6-million-in-additional-equity-investment-to-capitalize-on-recent-business-momentum-301943501.html">
      Press release
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
  </p>
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Buy Now, Pay Later

Furniture and durable goods Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) provider, Kafene, has secured $12.6m in Series B extension funding. The round was led by Third Prime and included participation from investors such as Uncorrelated Ventures, Company Ventures and Xffirmers. This brings Kafene's total funding to $134.6m, with its Series B funding reaching close to $31m. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its merchant partnerships and allocate more capital to consumer underwritings. So far, Kafene has facilitated over $100m worth of lease-to-own agreements for customers in the US purchasing big-ticket items like furniture, appliances, electronics and tyres.

Kafene raises USD 12.6 million in Series B extension

Automation and robotics are finally creating solutions for the complexities of doorstep deliveries.

Last-mile Delivery Automation

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>
 <p>In Knoxville, Tennessee, regulators have prohibited the use of delivery droids on streets and sidewalks due to insufficient infrastructure. The decision was made after assessing applications from droid operators requesting to introduce their robots in the city.</p>
 <p>While the city might reconsider this decision in the future, currently only Starship Technologies is allowed to continue its droid-based food delivery service at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. However, the service is restricted to on-campus deliveries due to the imposed ban on off-campus activities.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> Although Tennessee state regulations <a href="https:<br>
//trackbill.com/bill/tennessee-senate-bill-2836-traffic-safety-as-enacted-establishes-requirements-for-the-operation-of-personal-delivery-devices-specifies-that-a-personal-delivery-device-may-be-operated-in-pedestrian-areas-up-to-10-miles-per-hour-and-is-not-considered-a-motor-vehicle-amends-tca-title-55-chapter-1-title-55-chapter-10-title-55-chapter-12-and-title-55-chapter-8/1888807/"> approved </a> the operation of droids in 2020, the enacted ban in Knoxville will now restrict companies from deploying droids within the city. However, Knoxville is not the only city that has considered restricting delivery droids. Early adopters <a href="https:<br>
//www.bbc.com/news/technology-42265048"> San Francisco (California) </a> and <a href="https:<br>
//globalnews.ca/news/9324385/food-delivery-robots-canada-challenges/"> Toronto (Canada) </a> also later imposed restrictions or bans on robots due to concerns over pedestrian safety.&nbsp;</p>

Delivery droids banned in Knoxville, Tennessee

AI-based solutions for evolving digital threats

Next-gen Cybersecurity

<div>

 <p>Elisity, a cybersecurity firm providing cloud-based microsegmentation solutions, has obtained USD 37 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Insight Partners and included AllegisCyber Capital, Two Bear Capital, and Atlantic Bridge, bringing the company's total funding to over USD 72 million.</p>
 <p>The newly raised capital will be utilized to improve the AI capabilities of the company's platform. By fully harnessing device identity data from organizations, Elisity hopes to anticipate and forestall upcoming cyber threats.</p>

</div>

Elisity raises USD 37 million in Series B funding to add AI capabilities

<div>
 
 <p>Corelight, a startup focusing on network detection and response (NDR), has successfully raised a total of USD 150 million in a Series E funding round. Leading this round was Accel, with additional contributions from Cisco Investments and the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund.</p>
 <p>The company has plans for utilising the newly raised funds to enhance its focus on AI-infused security solutions and augment its offerings in cloud-native security. Corelight also seeks to broaden its data-sharing collaborations with leading cybersecurity platforms.</p>
 <p>In its recent report, Corelight revealed significant growth in the revenue generated by its NDR platform, with an annual recurring revenue that recorded over 40% YoY growth. Furthermore, the company noted a 300% YoY surge in its AI and SaaS-based NDR product lines.</p>
 
</div>

Corelight raises USD 150 million in Series E funding to improve platform capabilities and expand partnerships

Climate Risk Analytics

<div>
 
 <p>Parametric insurance provider Arbol has raised USD 60 million in a Series B funding round led by Giant Ventures and Opera Tech Ventures, with contributions from Mubadala Capital. This brings Arbol's funding total to USD 69 million.</p>
 <p>This funding will enhance Arbol's growth in agriculture and renewable energy sectors through products designed for new risks and regions. A portion of the funds will also support global expansion, augmenting investments in property and casualty insurance, as well as the home insurance business in the US and abroad.












</p>

</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> This funding round follows the launch of <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/28756"> Lilypad Insurance </a> , a newly established company catering to the insurance needs of homeowners and property owners located in coastal areas. Lily Insurance also announced the acquisition of Centauri Specialty Insurance Company and Centauri National Insurance Company, to expand Arbol’s market presence and address the growing coverage gap in coastal communities.</p>

Arbol raises USD 60 million in Series B funding to support continued expansion

Promising research and receding stigma are giving investors cannabis-boom flashbacks.

Psychedelic Medicine

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>A UK-based psychedelic company, Compass Pathways, and Journey Clinical, a psychotherapy platform, have formed a research collaboration. Their aim is to investigate the deployment and health provider training for COMP360 psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), which is currently being reviewed by the FDA.</p>
 <p>The collaboration will involve sharing information about the delivery model of the COMP360 program. If the FDA approves COMP360 for TRD, the partners will further analyze patient experiences, reimbursement processes, innovative care pathways. They will also examine therapist training and treatment settings.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> As Compass Pathways nears FDA approval for its psilocybin program, it is actively partnering with others to support its product development initiatives. In January 2024, it partnered with <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/25618"> Hackensack Meridian Health </a> to support research efforts using psilocybin in mental health treatments. Also, during the same month, it partnered with <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/25237"> Greenbrook TMS </a> to explore delivery models for the COMP360 program.</p>

Compass Pathways and Journey Clinical collaborate to develop deployment and training model for COMP360 psilocybin treatment

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

<div>
 <p>Deciphera Pharmaceuticals has signed a definitive merger agreement with ONO Pharmaceutical. The deal entails ONO purchasing all remaining normal shares of Deciphera for a total sum of about USD 2.4 billion, at a rate of USD 25.60 per share.</p>
 <p>The merger plans to reinforce ONO Pharmaceutical's pipeline and accelerate its worldwide expansion initiatives by utilizing Deciphera's proficiency in kinase inhibition and its commercialization platform in key markets.</p>
 <p>Hailing from Japan, Ono Pharmaceutical is a firm specializing in prescription pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. It partakes in research and development, production, and sales of medications and health products. The company’s product range encompasses treatments for illnesses such as cancer, type II diabetes, overactive bladder, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple respiratory disorders.</p>
 
</div>

ONO Pharmaceutical to acquire Deciphera Pharmaceuticals for USD 2.4 billion to expand oncology portfolio

<div>
 <p>MiLaboratories and Miltenyi Biotec have announced a partnership that will integrate MiLaboratories' RNA kit technology for immune sequencing with Miltenyi Biotec's production and marketing capacity, aiming to promote the development and application of next-generation treatments. MiLaboratories will offer its immune sequencing technology, through RNA kits, to Miltenyi Biotec for widespread distribution, backed by Miltenyi Biotec's global reach.</p>
 <p>The partnership involves Miltenyi Biotec incorporating MiLaboratories’ software solutions - MiXCR and Platforma - into its product line to enhance research functionality and efficiency. The collaboration is expected to drive innovation and the development in genomics, supplying advanced tools to worldwide researchers and medical professionals. </p>
 <p>Primarily, MiLaboratories is a biotech company renowned for devising proprietary software aimed at capturing and comprehending the human immune system on a DNA level. The company's landmark product, MiXCR, is a software toolkit used for analyzing immunological sequencing data.</p>
</div>

MiLaboratories partners with Miltenyi Biotec to advance next-generation therapies

<div>
 <p>X4 Pharmaceuticals has obtained approval from the US FDA for their product, XOLREMDI (mavorixafor). This medication is designed for patients aged 12 and over who are suffering from WHIM syndrome. This condition is characterized by warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis. XOLREMDI aims to increase the presence of mature neutrophils and lymphocytes in their circulation.</p>
 <p>XOLREMDI operates by inhibiting the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). This is the first treatment specifically designed for those with WHIM syndrome, a disease that combines primary immunodeficiency and chronic neutropenia. These health issues occur due to abnormalities in the CXCR4 pathway.</p>
 
</div>

X4 Pharmaceuticals receives US FDA approval for XOLREMDI for WHIM syndrome

<div>
 <p>Health Tech company GenomOncology has enhanced its software platform, GO Pathology Workbench, used for in-depth analysis and reporting of results from next-generation sequencing (NGS) and other molecular tests. The improvements incorporate expanded support for germline testing, amplifying its analytical reach across all assays, including tumor sequencing, hereditary cancer, and rare diseases.</p>
 <p>The upgraded GO Pathology Workbench includes the FDA-acknowledged ClinGen database for additional germline testing and offers full backing for the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) classification system. It also features a new workflow choice and extra functionalities for comprehensive exome and genome sequencing analysis, which permits cross-platform tertiary analysis and reporting.</p>
 <p>GenomOncology specializes in designing precision oncology software solutions. It employs its Precision Oncology Platform (POP) that uses pioneering algorithms and ML to convert genomic data into actionable discoveries for cancer treatment​. The platform also utilizes the igniteIQ and GOConnect data enablement solutions to process raw, unstructured data into valuable insights. Also, its GO Pathology Workbench solution enables molecular pathology labs to process genetic test results into actionable details and reports for clinician review.</p> 
</div>

GenomOncology launches upgraded version of GO Pathology Workbench software platform

Retail investors demanding sophisticated passive investment strategies are looking for an edge.

All Updates