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The Scherzer Deal Report: March 16-20, 2026

Here is this week’s Deal Report for private equity and venture capital activity for US-based PE and VC firms and portfolio companies, brought to you by Scherzer International.

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Fundraising for PE & VC Funds

Gradient
$220M
AI-focused seed fund

QHP Capital
$1.1B
Single-asset CV for Azurity Pharmaceuticals

Sands Capital
$1.1B
Third “global innovations” fund

Private Equity Deals

Audax Private Equity
AKAM
Undisclosed amount
New York City, NY-based property management and real estate firm

Black Bay Partners
Altara
Undisclosed amount
Rogers, AR-based provider of hydrogen sulfide removal solutions for sour oil and water production

Proviso Capital
American Color Imaging
Undisclosed amount
Cedar Falls, IA-based photo lab

Fort Point Capital
Boston Green
Undisclosed amount
Freetown, MA-based provider of environmental services like waste disposal and emergency response

Sterling Investment Partners
Cyber Advisors
Undisclosed amount
Maple Grove, MN-based cybersecurity and managed IT services provider

Palladium Equity Partners
DME Express
Undisclosed amount
The Woodlands, TX-based provider of medical equipment for hospitals

Bain Capital
Duravent
Undisclosed amount
Detroit, MI-based provider of venting and air movement solutions

Franchise FastLane
Franchise Creator
Undisclosed amount
Miami, FL-based franchise consultancy

James River Home Health
Golden Rule HospiceUndisclosed amount
Atlanta, GA-based hospice operator

SouthernCarlson
Greenwald Supply Direct
Undisclosed amount
Hyattsville, MD-based building products distributor

Trimlite
Harris Door & Millwork
Undisclosed amount
Pendergrass, GA-based distributor of interior and exterior doors

Chartis
Leap AI
Undisclosed amount
San Francisco, CA-based provider of health-care ops enablement tech

3M and Bain Capital
Madison Fire & Rescue
$1.95B
Oak Brook, IL-based rescue technology and fire-suppression products company

AirX Climate Solutions
Northern Air Systems
Undisclosed amount
Rochester, NY-based maker of packaged HVAC systems

Capstone Point
Optimal
Undisclosed amount
Los Angeles, CA-based media planning and buying agency

Mechanix Wear
OTEX
Undisclosed amount
Rochester, NY-based maker of personal protective equipment

Tech24
Pacific Standard Service
Undisclosed amount
Albany, CA-based provider of commercial cooking equipment

Viventium
Perks4Care
Undisclosed amount
Boca Raton, FL-based rewards platform for post-acute care workers

Paratek Pharmaceuticals
Radius Health
Undisclosed amount
Boston, MA-based developer of an osteoporosis therapy

Technimark
Rage Custom Plastics
Undisclosed amount
Hilliard, OH-based provider of blow and injection-molded plastic products for health care

Hamilton Lane
Republic
Undisclosed amount
New York City, NY-based private markets investment platform

Zenobē Energy
Revolv
Undisclosed amount
San Francisco, CA-based fleet charging firm

Burlington Capital Partners and RF Investment Partners
RS Boes
Undisclosed amount
Pensacola, FL-based franchisee of building services company Neighborly

Icelandirect
Soma Labs
Undisclosed amount
Middlesex, NJ-based supplements manufacturer

Nexus Health
Stratis Group
Undisclosed amount
Palm Beach, FL-based pharmaceutical consulting firm

Warburg Pincus
TheGuarantors
Undisclosed amount
New York City, NY-based provider of residential lease guarantee solutions and underwriting for rental housing

GoldState Music and TA Associates
Too Lost
Undisclosed amount
New York City, NY-based music tech and services platform for independent artists and record labels

PennAero
TriMas
Undisclosed amount
Bloomfield Hills, MI-based packaging materials company

Venture Capital Deals

Eclipse, a16z, Menlo Ventures, Lowercarbon, Necessary Ventures, and Offline Ventures
Arc
$50M
Los Angeles, CA-based maker of electric boats

General Catalyst
Beautiful.ai
$45M
San Francisco, CA-based presentation software startup

Bain Capital Crypto, Alumni Ventures, True Ventures, Anthos Capital, Bloomberg Beta, and Knight Foundation
Bluesky
$100M
Seattle, WA-based social network

Volition Capital
BusRight
$30M
New York City, NY-based student transportation startup

Bain Capital Ventures, IVP, 01 Advisors, 137 Ventures, Definition, and Fifth Down Capital
Cape
$100M
Arlington, VA-based mobile carrier

General Catalyst, Red Cell Partners, Systemiq Capital, Aero X Ventures, and Trenches Capital
Claros
$30M
Mclean, VA & Torrance, CA-based power management solutions company

General Catalyst, Liberty City Ventures, Lux Capital, Human Capital, Marquee Ventures, Fifth Growth Fund, NFL Players Association, LG Technology Ventures, Assurant Ventures, and DuckDuckGo
Cloaked
$375M
Lowell, MA-based consumer-focused privacy platform

Felicis, Conviction, Timeless, Artisanal Ventures, Lux Capital, Sunflower Capital, Datadog, and SV Angel
Corridor
$25M
San Francisco, CA-based AI coding security startup

Taiho Ventures, Arkin Bio Capital, Sixty Degree Capital, Hamilton Square Partners Management, LifeLink Ventures, Libbs Ventures, Blood Cancer United, MPM BioImpact, Pfizer Ventures, BVF Partners, Polaris Partners, Eli Lilly, and Mirae Asset Venture Investment
Crossbow Therapeutics
$77M
Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer immunotherapies

Peak6 Strategic Capital, Ten Eleven Ventures, and an undisclosed bank
Eclypsium
$25M
Portland, OR-based IT infrastructure supply chain security startup

Sequoia Capital, A*, and 8VC
Edra
$30M
New York City, NY-based workflow automation startup

MVP Ventures, Fidelity, Top Tier, Mayfield Fund, Clear Ventures, Addition, Qualcomm Ventures, StepStone Group, and Alumni Ventures
Frore Systems
$143M
San Jose, CA-based data center cooling startup

Footwork, Primary Venture Partners, NextView Ventures, and Commerce Ventures
Fuse
$25M
New York City, NY-based loan origination system startup

TomEnterprise and Underground Ventures
GA Drilling
$44M
Houston, TX-based developer of geothermal drilling tech

Goldman Sachs
GeoWealth
$42.5M
Chicago, IL-based wealth management tech platform

Energized Capital, Zero Infinity Partners, Congruent Ventures, Obvious Ventures, and Sabanci Climate Ventures
Halcyon
$21M
San Francisco, CA-based energy data startup

Sei Development Foundation and Laidlaw Private Equity
Ironlight
$21M

Austin, TX-based developer of a regulated marketplace for tokenized securities

Coatue
Kalshi
$1B
New York City, NY-based largest predictions marketplace in the U.S.

B Capital, M12, Okta Ventures, MongoDB Ventures, Hearst Ventures, and Benchstrength
Knox Systems
$25M
Washington, DC-based cloud provider for the U.S. federal government

Spark Capital, Transformation Capital, Conviction, McKesson Ventures, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator
Latent Health
$80M
San Francisco, CA-based startup automating pharmacy workflows

Ballistic Ventures, General Catalyst, YL Ventures, and Merlin Ventures
Native
$42M
Seattle, WA-based cloud security startup

FirstMark, Causeway Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Companyon Ventures, and Epic Ventures
Posh
$37M
New York City, NY-based events platform

Abingworth, F-Prime Capital, DaVita Venture Group, Curie.Bio, SymBiosis, and U.S. Renal Care
R1 Therapeutics
$77.5M
Redwood City, CA-based biotech focused on chronic kidney disease

Norwest, Elron Ventures, RedSeed, UpWest, SentinelOne, Jibe Ventures, Dnipro VC, CyberFuture, and Unusual Ventures
Raven.io
$20M
Palo Alto, CA-based application security startup

YZi Labs
Roboforce
$52M
Milpitas, CA-based developer of industrial robots

Khosla Ventures, S32, Anthropic’s Anthology Fund, Menlo Ventures, Conviction, and Elad Gil
RunSybil
$40M
San Francisco, CA-based AI cybersecurity startup

Iconiq and CRV
Standard Template Labs
$49M
New York City, NY-based service management platform

Oak HC/FT, a16z, Adams Street Partners, and Yosemite
Turquoise Health
$40M
San Diego, CA-based health-care pricing startup

The Venture Collective, Droia Ventures, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Artis Ventures, and First Spark Ventures
Unnatural Products
$45M
Santa Cruz, CA-based developer of macrocyclic peptide therapeutics

DFJ Growth, Northzone, Alkeon Capital, Sofina, Altimeter, NFDG Ventures, and Sequoia Capital
Xbow
$120M
Seattle, WA-based autonomous offensive security startup

March 25th, 2026|Categories: Scherzer Deal Report|Tags: Private Equity, Venture Capital|

Applicant Data Poisoning: Can You Trust What You See?

For years, employers relied on a candidate’s digital footprint as an honest record. Resumé databases and automated “scrapers” created a convenient digital paper trail that made hiring fast.

That era is over. A trend called Data Poisoning is allowing job seekers to manipulate or completely manufacture their professional identities using AI. When a past can be rewritten with a single prompt, automated screening tools lose their footing.

The result? A hiring ecosystem where digital signals can no longer be taken at face value.

The Anatomy of a Digital Lie

AI has turned the professional past into a sandbox. Data poisoning typically falls into three categories:

Scrubbing the Past: AI “cleanup” tools erase years of unprofessional content or rewrite profiles in seconds to fit a new narrative.
Fabricating Histories: Generative AI creates flawless resumés, invented career trajectories, and portfolios for companies that never existed.
Forging Identities: Sophisticated “synthetic” personas now use deepfake selfies and manipulated IDs to bypass basic automated verification.

The Cure: Traditional Direct-Source Verification

Direct-source verification, which is the hallmark of a traditional, rigorous background check bypasses manipulated digital footprints by going straight to the origin.

Employment: Verify titles, dates, and details directly with HR or the payroll department, and not LinkedIn or through contact information supplied by the applicant.
Education: Confirm degrees and attendance with the registrar of the issuing institution, and check to ensure that the school is accredited.
Licenses: Validate credentials through real-time checks with official licensing boards.

Spotting the “Too Perfect” Candidate

AI-generated profiles often lack the “messy” markers of a real career. The red flags typically include social profiles with no organic history or recent bulk edits, and overly generic, AI-polished language that lacks specific local or industry context.

The Bottom Line: Don’t Just Scan–Verify

Data poisoning isn’t a theoretical risk; it is an active strategy used to bypass automated filters. In an era where anyone can rewrite their digital past, the strongest hiring decisions don’t come from a faster algorithm–they come from confirming what is real at the source.

Disclaimer: This communication is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The summary provided in this alert does not, and cannot, cover in detail what employers need to know about the amendments to the Philadelphia Fair Chance Law or how to incorporate its requirements into their hiring process. No recipient should act or refrain from acting based on any information provided here without advice from a qualified attorney licensed in the applicable jurisdiction.

March 19th, 2026|Categories: Compliance Corner for Employment Decisions|Tags: Employment Decisions, Resume|

The Scherzer Deal Report: March 9-13, 2026

Here is this week’s Deal Report for private equity and venture capital activity for US-based PE and VC firms and portfolio companies, brought to you by Scherzer International.

Sign up: Get private equity and venture capital deals delivered to your inbox every week!

Fundraising for PE & VC Funds

Breakout Ventures
$114M
Third fund

Coefficient Capital
$500M
Second consumer growth fund

Glade Brook Capital Partners
$1B
Glade Brook Gondola Fund

Pax Ventures
$50M
Debut fund

Scout Ventures
$125M
Fifth fund

Spark Capital
$3B
New funds

Truelink Capital
$2B
Second flagship midmarket PE fund

Private Equity Deals

AIM MRO
AA Bushings
Undisclosed amount
Jupiter, FL-based maker of landing gear

Blackstone
Advanced Cooling Technologies
Undisclosed amount
Lancaster, PA-based maker of thermal management and energy efficiency solutions

Bain Capital
APP Jet Center
Undisclosed amount
Fort Pierce, FL-based provider of aviation services at supply-constrained airports

Blackstone and Blue Owl
Atlas Holdings
Undisclosed amount
Greenwich, CT-based private equity firm focused on manufacturing and distribution

Saber Power
Bounds Construction
Undisclosed amount
Tylertown, MS-based provider of foundation construction for industrial, utility, and energy infrastructure projects

Zendesk
Forethought
Undisclosed amount
San Francisco, CA-based customer service automation startup

ACA Group
FX Transparency
Undisclosed amount
Framingham, MA-based provider of foreign exchange transaction cost analysis and execution analytics

Ara Partners
Gate City Power and Gate City Renewable Fuels
$875M
Wilmington, DE-based thermal power-plant operator and ethanol producer

Oak Hill Capital
Guild Garage Group
$800M
New York City, NY-based alliance of garage door repair and replacement businesses

Mountaingate
Capital Harvest Group
Undisclosed amount
Rogers, AR-based commerce agency for consumer brands

Midland Industries
Industrial Specialties Manufacturing
Undisclosed amount
Englewood, CO-based maker of pneumatic, vacuum, and fluid circuitry components

Ramarketing
ISR Market Research
Undisclosed amount
Cary, NC-based specialist research firm

KPS Capital Partners
Jennmar
Undisclosed amount
Pittsburgh, PA-based provider of infrastructure products for sectors like mining and construction

Monomoy Capital Partners
Jiffy Lube
$1.3B
Houston, TX-based auto services chain

Altamont Capital Partners
Key Container
Undisclosed amount
Pawtucket, RI-based corrugated box manufacturer

BV Investment Partners
Moxe Health
Undisclosed amount
Madison, WI-based clinical data exchange platform

Chicago Pacific Founders
Nexben
Undisclosed amount
Grand Rapids, MI-based health benefits firm

Greenbelt Capital Management
Peak Utility Services Group
Undisclosed amount
Broomfield, CO-based utility infrastructure services provider

Dynamic Access
PICC Stat
Undisclosed amount
Minneapolis, MN-based vascular access provider

Serent Capital
Saisystems
Undisclosed amount
Shelton, CT-based provider of RCM and EHR solutions for physicians in skilled nursing facilities

Ridgewood Infrastructure
Sierra Railroad Co.
Undisclosed amount
Oakdale, CA-based shortline rail platform

Siris
Takkion
Undisclosed amount
Evansville, WY-based services provider to the renewable energy industry

ISPN
ZCorum
Undisclosed amount
Alpharetta, GA-based provider of managed IT services

Venture Capital Deals

RA Capital Management, Nextech Invest, The Column Group, Lux Capital, and Regeneron Ventures
Atavistik Bio
$40M
Cambridge, MA-based developer of treatments for blood cancer and bleeding disorders

Neuberger Berman, Alchip Technologies, ARK Invest, Insight Partners, MediaTek, QIA, Sequoia Global Equities, 1789 Capital, Advent Global Opportunities, Boardman Bay Capital Management, IAG Capital Partners, Light Street Capital, Playground Global, AMD Ventures, and Nvidia
Ayar Labs
$500M
San Jose, CA-based provider of optical interconnect solutions for large-scale AI workloads

Springcoast Capital Partners, PayPal Ventures, Arsenal Growth Equity, Mercury Fund, and Oak HC/FT
Cart.com
$180M
Houston, TX-based commerce and logistics provider

Tradeweb Markets, DRW Venture Capital, Ripple, Virtu Financial, Wintermute Ventures, XTX Markets, and Illuminate Financial
Crossover Markets
$31M
Wilmington, DE-based parent company of the CROSSx crypto electronic communication networks

Greylock
Cylake
$45M
Sunnyvale, CA-based cybersecurity startup for regulated institutions

a16z
Ease Health
$41M
New York City, NY-based maker of software for behavioral health providers

Tether Investments
Eight Sleep
$50M
New York City, NY-based maker of smart sleep products

Allumia Ventures, DaVita Venture Group, Blue Cross of Idaho, Flare Capital Partners, Optum Ventures, LRVHealth, Health Velocity, Martin Ventures, and Epsilon Ventures
Greater Good Health
$20.5M
El Segundo, CA-based value-based health services company

GV, Khosla Ventures, Acrew Capital, NfX, Scribble Ventures, and Webb Investment Network
Guild.ai
$44M
San Francisco, CA-based startup helping companies develop AI agents

Ghisallo Capital, Principia Growth, Sixty Degree Capital, and Strategic Development Fund
HawkEye 360
$23M
Herndon, VA-based radio signals intelligence startup

Redpoint Ventures and CrowdStrike Falcon Fund
JetStream Security
$34M
Santa Clara, CA-based AI governance startup

HealthX Ventures, 8VC, LRVHealth, Bold Capital Partners, and Ikigai Venture Partners
KeyCare
$20.9M
Chicago, IL-based telehealth startup

A16z, SV Angel, Harry Stebbings, and YC
Lio
$30M
New York City, NY-based agentic AI startup focused on procurement

HM Venture Partners and Southeast Minnesota Capital Partners
Minnesota Medical Technologies
$20.6M
Stewartville, MN-based continence care company

Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, Lux Capital, and General Catalyst|
Nominal
$80M
Austin, TX-based industrial software startup

Janus Henderson Investors, RA Capital, SR One, Vida Ventures, and ArrowMark Partners
Poplar Therapeutics
$45M
Cambridge, MA-based food allergy biotech

RTW Investments
Prolium Bioscience
$50M
New York City, NY-based autoimmune biotech

Fifth Wall and Progressive, HighSage Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Flintlock Capital, Gaingels, Canaan, First Round Capital, Curql, and TruStage Ventures
RenoFi
$22M
Philadelphia, PA-based home renovation financing platform

Goldman Sachs Alternatives, IVP, and Goldcrest
Sage
$65M
New York City, NY-based care platform for senior living and skilled nursing

LuminArx Capital Management, General Atlantic, Coatue, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Andalusian Private Capital
Sierra Space
$550M
Louisville, CO-based defense-tech space spinout of Sierra Nevada Corp.

Geodesic Capital, Costanoa Ventures, Point72 Ventures, Felicis, First In, Scribble Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Washington Harbour Partners, Palumni VC, Fulcrum Venture Group, Anomaly Fund, and Fortitude Ventures
Smack Technologies
$32M
El Segundo, CA-based AI lab for national security

March 18th, 2026|Categories: Scherzer Deal Report|Tags: Private Equity, Venture Capital|

The Scherzer Deal Report: March 2-6, 2026

Here is this week’s Deal Report for private equity and venture capital activity for US-based PE and VC firms and portfolio companies, brought to you by Scherzer International.

Sign up: Get private equity and venture capital deals delivered to your inbox every week!

Fundraising for PE & VC Funds

a16z
$2B
Fifth crypto fund

Axiom Partners
$52M
Debut fund

Bregal Sagemount
$3.5B
Fifth flagship PE fund

Galvanize
$370M
Real estate fund

Sound Point Capital Management
$1.5B
Third private credit fund

Private Equity Deals

J.C. Flowers
Accelerated Wealth Partners
$200M
New York City, NY-based RIA acquisition platform.

Trive Capital
Adrianna Papell
Undisclosed amount
New York City, NY-based designer of women’s special-occasion apparel

Gemspring
Aeromed
Undisclosed amount
Charlotte, NC-based provider of supply chain solutions to aerospace and defense

Trinity Hunt Partners
Berger Consulting Group
Undisclosed amount
Los Angeles, CA-based provider of economic consulting and damages analysis for labor and employment disputes

Centurium Capital
Blue Bottle Coffee
$400M
Oakland, CA-based coffee roaster & retailer

Visualize
BMM Testlabs
Undisclosed amount
Las Vegas, NV-based provider of testing, inspection, compliance, and certification services to the gaming market

Resurgens Technology Partners
Breezeway
Undisclosed amount
Boston, MA-based operations platform for vacation rentals

Riveron
Cuesta Partners
Undisclosed amount
Chicago, IL-based AI & data tech firm

West Star Aviation
DCJet Services
Undisclosed amount
Sterling, VA-based provider of field maintenance and aircraft-on-ground services

Southern Home Services
Dunn’s HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical
Undisclosed amount
Anniston, AL-based multi-trade service company

CRC Group
Euclid Transactional
Undisclosed amount
New York City, NY-based transactional insurance provider

Royal Cup
Farmer Brothers Coffee Co.
$28M
Northlake, TX-based coffee roaster, wholesaler, and distributor

Northlane Capital Partners
File & Serve
Xpress
Undisclosed amount
Dallas, TX-based provider of online legal document exchange and related services

TPG
Findhelp
$250M
Austin, TX-based social care tech platform

Concord
Finley Technologies

Undisclosed amount
San Francisco, CA-based provider of credit facility management software

Precision Strategies
Firehouse Strategies
Undisclosed amount
Washington, DC-based public affairs firm

Gryphon Investors
HRSoft
Undisclosed amount
Denver, CO-based provider of compensation management software

Blue Fire Equity
Jovian Concepts
Undisclosed amount
Hanover, MD-based provider of intelligence and engineering services to the U.S. defense and intelligence community

Lee Equity Partners
KCIC
Undisclosed amount
Washington, DC-based insurance risk consultancy

Searchlight Capital Partners and Abry Partners
Kore
$726M
Atlanta, GA-based IoT (Internet of Things) company

Perceptyx
Lyceum AI
Undisclosed amount
Oxford, OH-based employee learning platform

Blackstone
MacLean Power Systems
$4B
Fort Mill, SC-based utility parts maker

Vista Equity Partners
Portside
Undisclosed amount
Cary, NC-based aviation software firm

Ardurra
Remington & Vernick
Undisclosed amount
Cherry Hill, NJ-based engineering consultancy

Enverus
SBS
Undisclosed amount
Littleton, CO-based design automation platform for gas utilities and telecom

Goldman Sachs Alternatives
Schellman
Undisclosed amount
Tampa, FL-based provider of cybersecurity compliance and attestation services

Gemspring Capital
Sitemetric
Undisclosed amount
Houston, TX-based provider of construction site security, access, and workforce software

Victor Capital Partners
Specialty Fenestration Group
Undisclosed amount
Houston, TX-based specialty fenestration platform

Sandbrook Capital
United Utility
Undisclosed amount
New Orleans, LA-based provider of electric utility infrastructure services

New State Capital Partners
Vast Coworking Group
Undisclosed amount
West Palm Beach, FL-based coworking company with over 200 locations

Virtual Technologies Group
Vector Tech
Undisclosed amount
Freeland, MI-based provider of customized and integrated IT solutions to businesses

Accel-KKR
Whip Around
Undisclosed amount
San Diego, CA-based provider of fleet maintenance and compliance software