A number of recent deals reinforce that family offices — and growth investors generally — are doubling down on artificial intelligence that goes beyond generative applications, toward more structured “agentic AI,” platform expansion and media/creator tools.
Sept. 16 – Nolan Capital, the family office of Peter J. Nolan, announced the sale of its portfolio company Water Engineering Inc. to Kemira Oyj, a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions. The transaction provides Nolan Capital with a strategic exit after building WEI into a national water treatment platform. (Business Wire)
Sept. 17 – XL Batteries, a developer of non-flammable, long-duration flow batteries, raised $7.5 million from Merrin Investors, the family office of Seth Merrin. The funding will accelerate commercialization of its organic electrolyte technology for grid-scale energy storage. (Business Wire)
Sept. 18 – DRUID AI, an enterprise conversational AI platform, raised $31 million in a Series C round led by Cipio Partners alongside existing backers including Smedvig Capital, the London arm of the Smedvig Family Office. The capital will support global expansion and product development under new CEO Joseph Kim. (PR Newswire)
Sept. 18 – WorkFusion, a provider of agentic AI for financial crime compliance, secured $45 million in funding led by Georgian and including Declaration Partners, the family office of David M. Rubenstein. The investment will help scale its AI solutions for anti-money laundering, sanctions screening and fraud detection across major financial institutions. (PR Newswire)
Sept. 18 – Higgsfield.ai, a generative AI company building “click-to-video” tools for social media and enterprise users, closed a $50 million Series A led by GFT Ventures and BroadLight Capital, with participation by Alpha Square Group, the family office of Paolo Agazzone. Higgsfield.ai has already attracted more than 11 million users in its first five months. (PR Newswire)
Sept. 19 – Silent Push, a cyber threat intelligence platform, raised $10 million in Series B funding from existing investors StepStone Group, Ten Eleven and Knollwood Investment Advisory, the single-family office of the Bunting family, bringing the company’s total funding to $32 million. The funding will accelerate development of its detection capabilities for enterprises and governments. (Silent Push)