Venture Capital

Sparkle Grooming Secures $6M From Mars-Backed Companion Fund

Scottsdale, Ariz. – September 16, 2026 -- Sparkle Grooming Co. has raised $6 million in strategic growth financing led by Companion Fund, the venture capital vehicle managed by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare, as the dog grooming franchise surpasses 600 licenses awarded to multi-unit partners in just 24 months.

Franchise pipeline expands to 600 licenses in two years

The Scottsdale-based company, which created what it calls the Quick-Service Pet Care (QSPC) category, currently operates 10 salons and plans to have at least 20 open by the end of 2026. More than 30 additional salon openings are planned for 2027, with the company continuing to court select multi-unit franchise partners in priority markets.

Anthropic Exec Headlines Connected Stack AI Summit, Backed by 21 VC Firms

San Francisco – – September 15, 2026 -- Twenty-one venture capital firms will co-host the second annual Connected Stack Enterprise AI Summit on September 10, 2026, at The Presidio Theatre, with Anthropic Head of Americas Kate Jensen delivering the keynote address.

Anthropic executive to discuss agentic ROI measurement with True Ventures partner

Jensen, who leads Anthropic's enterprise sales and partnerships across the Americas, will join True Ventures Partner Mike Montano for a session titled "Real ROI: How the Agentic Enterprise Measures What Matters."

Onix Raises $5M Pre-Seed Led by Alpha Edison for Expert-Owned AI

Montreal – September 14, 2026 -- Onix, the Montreal-based startup behind what it calls Personal Intelligence, has closed $5 million USD (roughly $7 million CAD) in pre-seed funding led by Los Angeles-based Alpha Edison, with participation from Garage Capital, Ride Home Fund, and strategic backers Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder of UTA, and JS Cournoyer, co-founder of Real Ventures.

Round size dwarfs typical Canadian pre-seed deals

According to the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, the raise is more than seven times the average Canadian pre-seed deal recorded in 2025 and exceeds the average Canadian seed round. U.S. investor participation in Canadian pre-seed deals fell from 23% in 2024 to 8% in 2025, making Alpha Edison's lead investment in a Canadian company a departure from that broader retreat.