News

Groton, Conn. – September 30, 2026 -- Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. has closed a $9.5 million Series B financing round to advance Phase 2 development of AST-004, its cerebroprotective therapy for concussion, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. The round brings total capital raised by the clinical-stage biotech, including grants, to $40 million.

DeepWork Capital leads financing with four new investors joining the round

The Series B was led by DeepWork Capital, with continued backing from existing investors and new participation from MintPharma Capital, Waterstar Capital, Dynagrow Capital and Angel Star Ventures. Jackson Streeter, M.D., Venture Partner at DeepWork Capital, said the firm has been impressed by the consistency of Astrocyte's science and the progress of its clinical programs.

Singapore – – September 30, 2026 -- Kenon Holdings Ltd. has agreed to acquire a 25% equity interest in Vicinity District Energy for approximately $450 million, as part of a broader transaction valuing the company at $2.92 billion.

Antin Infrastructure Partners exits majority stake in $2.92 billion deal

The current owner, an entity related to Antin Infrastructure Partners, is selling a majority interest in Vicinity to a buyer jointly owned by Kenon and funds managed by Harrison Street Asset Management (HSAM). Under the Equity Purchase Agreement, the buyer will acquire between approximately 60% and 100% of Vicinity Holding Company. A consortium of lenders has committed non-recourse debt financing of up to $1.4 billion to fund part of the purchase price and future growth capital expenditures.

Mutsamudu, Comoros – September 30, 2026 -- MEXC recorded the highest order book liquidity at market price for both SOL and DOGE among eight exchanges surveyed in CoinGecko Research's 2026 Crypto Liquidity on CEXes Report, which tracked the top five non-stablecoin assets over 60 days from July 6 to September 3, 2026.

MEXC posts $934,000 in SOL liquidity at market price, the study's top figure

CoinGecko found SOL liquidity more evenly distributed across venues in 2026 than the prior year, even as overall depth declined. MEXC held the lead at the immediate market price, though Bitget and Coinbase overtook it beyond the ±$0.20 range, indicating a more fragmented competitive field for SOL execution.

Los Angeles – – September 30, 2026 -- Media artist Refik Anadol has installed 84 synchronized Epson EB-PQ2220B 4K laser projectors to power Gallery A of DATALAND, the world's first Museum of AI Arts, which opened in Los Angeles in June 2026.

Data Pavilion delivers nearly 700 million pixels across mirrored architecture

The installation, known as the Data Pavilion, combines 84 units of Epson's 20,000-lumen projectors to generate over 1.5 million lumens and nearly 700 million pixels, transforming walls, floors, ceilings and mirrored columns into a continuous canvas. Camera-assisted software calibrates, aligns and edge-blends all 84 projectors into a single unified image in real time.

Suzhou – – September 30, 2026 -- Chinese robotics firm AGILINK has shipped more than 15,000 dexterous robotic hands since spinning out from AGIBOT in January 2026, a scale-up that coincides with a demonstration of its OmniHand 3 Ultra performing traditional Suzhou embroidery.

Master craftswoman trains robotic hand on silk-thread techniques

Fu Xianghong, a Suzhou embroidery master, taught the OmniHand 3 Ultra foundational stitching skills including separating silk threads, threading a needle, stretching fabric on an embroidery hoop and stitching. Silk thread bends, slips and changes shape with slight contact variation, requiring one finger to isolate strands while others maintain tension, and opposing fingertips to twist thread without losing grip.

Point Pleasant, N.J. – September 30, 2026 -- Paladone WeCool has appointed Matthew Lauderbach as Product Development Director, bringing more than 25 years of toy design experience to the company's US operations.

Lauderbach brings leadership experience from Fisher-Price, Spin Master and Just Play

Lauderbach's career spans leadership roles at Fisher-Price, Spin Master, Skip Hop and Just Play, with expertise covering concept creation, design management, engineering and commercialization.

Executive says he was already a fan of the Compound Kings and iLY Sticker Maker lines

In his new role, Lauderbach said he had admired Paladone WeCool's product range prior to joining, citing the Compound Kings and iLY Sticker Maker product lines as examples of the company's approach to hands-on play.

United States – – September 30, 2026 -- Smart Shooter has secured a new contract from the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) under a framework valued at up to $150 million for future delivery orders, expanding the company's footprint in the U.S. counter-drone market.

Contract Supports Domestic Shield Program Against Drone Threats

The award backs JIATF-401's Domestic Shield Program and related global missions, covering force protection, base defense, and counter-UAS requirements both domestically and overseas. Scope includes hardware, software updates, training, and support services, with the volume and timing of future orders set through individual delivery orders.

Stockholm – – September 30, 2026 -- EQT Foundation has committed more than EUR 1 million to 11 research projects across 10 institutions aimed at solving one of neuroscience's most persistent commercial barriers: getting therapeutics past the blood-brain barrier and into the central nervous system.

Eleven projects target the blood-brain barrier from different scientific angles

The funded research spans engineered biological carriers, molecular shuttles, gene therapy vectors, nanoparticles and AI-designed delivery technologies. Institutions involved are located in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States and Canada, with initial disease applications including brain cancer, ALS and rare genetic disorders.

Redmond, Wash. – September 30, 2026 -- Halfpricesoft.com has added mid-year payroll accommodation features to its ezPaycheck software, allowing accountants and small businesses to move payroll in-house at any point in the calendar year without losing historical data.

ezPaycheck now imports year-to-date payroll history for mid-year switches

The update lets users input current-year tax and wage data directly, preserving accurate quarterly and annual reporting for businesses that previously relied on outsourced payroll providers. Halfpricesoft.com designed the feature for single-location businesses as well as multi-client accounting practices managing several payrolls simultaneously.

London – – September 30, 2026 -- RBC Capital Markets has been awarded General Clearing Member (GCM) status by European Commodity Clearing AG (ECC), enabling the bank to clear and settle transactions on behalf of Non-Clearing Members across Europe's energy and commodity markets.

RBC gains authorization to clear power, gas and carbon products via EEX

As a General Clearing Member, RBC Capital Markets can now offer a full suite of clearing services covering power and gas futures and spot contracts, European Energy Exchange (EEX) carbon auctions, and a broader range of products across the wider EEX platform.

The status extends the bank's clearing reach to clients that include some of Europe's largest energy producers, utilities and financial institutions, according to the company.