SINGAPORE, Dec. 3, 2024 — Interlace, a global card issuance and digital asset management platform based in Singapore, announced today that it has raised $10 million in its Series B1 funding round. The round was led by Bitrock Capital, with participation from prominent individual investors in the fintech industry, including early employees and senior managers from leading companies such as Klarna and Robinhood.

To date, Interlace has issued over 4.5 million cards, partnered with 100+ integrated partners, and processes over 60 million transactions annually. The new funding will support Interlace’s continued global expansion into key markets such as Asia-Pacific (APAC), the United States, and the United Kingdom. A significant portion of the investment will be allocated to building an international team, enhancing the company’s ability to serve a diverse and global client base.

To drive this ambitious expansion, Interlace is pleased to announce the addition of four seasoned executives to its leadership team:

• Rob Vanden Broeke – Head of Global Financial Partners
  
  Rob is an accomplished executive in fintech, payments, and technology, with a strong background in integrated partnerships, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), and global payment solutions across various industries. At Interlace, Rob will focus on expanding global banking and fintech partnerships, scaling banking, card, and global payment solutions. His efforts will drive strategic partnerships and innovative financial products to broaden access to financial services for B2B and B2C clients worldwide.
• Jeff Brunjes – Head of Global Operations
  
  Combining deep institutional finance expertise with strategic innovation, Jeff advances Interlace’s global mission by streamlining client experiences and building trust through operational excellence. Drawing from his background in investment banking operations and private wealth advisory, he brings a unique understanding of traditional financial processes and emerging digital asset opportunities. Jeff’s balanced approach positions Interlace as a trusted partner for businesses navigating the future of financial services.
• Mark Homeier – Head of Marketing and Business Development
  
  Mark brings over two decades of experience in fintech, blockchain, marketing, and business development. Specializing in global growth strategies for innovative financial platforms, he focuses on creating efficient and cost-effective money management solutions. Mark’s expertise in enhancing Web3 usability and integrating cryptocurrency technologies will be instrumental in navigating technology-driven markets and fostering sustainable development.
• JP Eaglin – Creative Director and Strategic Partnerships
  
  With over 25 years of experience developing and launching brands in the US, Latin America, and Asia, JP joins Interlace with his creative agency, Vanguard42. As Creative Director, he will oversee the rebrand and spearhead global marketing efforts. JP’s role in strategic partnerships will further enhance Interlace’s business development rollout, strengthening the company’s international presence.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mark, Jeff, Rob, and JP to our leadership team,” said Michael Wu, Founder and CEO at Interlace. “Their combined expertise and vision align perfectly with our mission to revolutionize global financial solutions. This expansion of our team, along with the new funding, positions us to accelerate our global growth and enhance our services for clients worldwide.”

Bitrock Capital expressed strong confidence in Interlace’s vision and capabilities.

“The Bitrock team is really impressed with Interlace’s technological and product capabilities. In only a couple years they have developed effective and compliant solutions to help cross border merchants make and receive payments,” said Alfred Shang, Founding partner at Bitrock Capital. “We think Interlace is uniquely positioned to capture the significant opportunities in the global payment markets with its young and eager management team and robust fintech capabilities. Bitrock will continue to support Interlace’s strategic and business development to create exceptional value for exporters and merchants as they navigate the challenging global trade and finance markets.”

Founded in 2019, Interlace delivers the most efficient and cost-effective cross-border, cross-currency, and cross-system financial solutions for Web3, cross-border e-commerce, B2B trade, developers, and more. Operating in strict compliance with global regulations, Interlace holds the highest security certification in the international card payment industry, PCI-DSS Level 1, and is licensed in the United States, Hong Kong, and Lithuania.

About Interlace

Interlace is an enterprise-level global card issuance and digital asset management company based in Singapore, dedicated to delivering efficient and cost-effective cross-border, cross-currency, and cross-system financial solutions. Serving sectors such as Web3, cross-border e-commerce, B2B trade, and software developers, Interlace operates in strict compliance with global regulations. The company holds the PCI-DSS Level 1 security certification and is licensed in the United States, Hong Kong, and Lithuania. Interlace is committed to innovating financial technology solutions that facilitate seamless global transactions and connectivity.

Funding to Accelerate Development of AI-Powered Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Intelligence Layer

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 21, 2024 — Trustero, a Silicon Valley innovator in AI-powered Security and Compliance, announced today the close of a $10.35 million Series A funding round led by Bright Pixel Capital (formerly Sonae IM), with participation from existing investors Engineering Capital, Zetta Ventures Partners, and Vertex Ventures US. Trustero is proving that AI can drive real revenue and operational breakthroughs in GRC, a space traditionally dominated by complex, high-cost, and manual processes.

“With Trustero, organizations no longer need to be weighed down by compliance. We offer human-quality, actionable GRC intelligence in seconds, without the high fees,” said Phillip Liu, CEO of Trustero. “The Trust Graph is our secret weapon, allowing us to ingest diverse data sources from GRC platforms, cloud providers, and more, delivering insights instantly.”

Trustero’s founder and CEO, Phillip Liu, is a visionary tech entrepreneur with a proven track record. Formerly, he founded SignalFx, a leader in cloud monitoring solutions, which was acquired by Splunk for over $1 billion. His early experience at Facebook and Opsware further distinguished him as a trusted name in Silicon Valley. Now, he turns his focus to Compliance and Security, seeing a new opportunity to revolutionize the field with AI, bringing agile, cost-effective solutions to an industry struggling with resource-intensive and manual workflows.

Since its founding in 2020, Trustero has grown significantly by helping organizations reduce compliance costs and the time commitments of their senior executives. Companies with complex compliance demands like Chassi, an AI-analytics platform, have experienced the most substantial time and cost savings. They added Trustero AI to their ISO 27001 compliance program in 2024. “For the rest of the company, the time savings was about 10-to-1. For me, it was closer to 100-to-1!” said Chassi CFO, Justin Dooley. “We also saved 75% on our internal audit costs because all the data was ready for the auditors.”

The new capital will be instrumental in driving Trustero’s development of more powerful and accurate AI for security and compliance, scaling operations, expanding market reach, and adding top-tier talent from AI engineering and GRC. Trustero has already made one executive hire since raising their Series A, bringing in George Totev as Chief Information Security Officer. He’s tasked with enhancing the company’s security capabilities and driving innovation in AI-driven GRC solutions.

George comes from Snowflake, where he led the Customer Trust team, managing 30+ certifications and customer security compliance. Previously, he built Atlassian’s Risk & Compliance function and held key roles at Visa, Goldman Sachs, Symantec, and The World Bank.

Trustero’s technology is backed by its patented Trust Graph, which delivers unprecedented speed, accuracy, and cost savings in GRC intelligence. The Trust Graph is the core engine that enables Trustero to answer complex security questions in seconds, perform gap analyses across frameworks like FedRAMP and ISO 27001, and provide powerful audits, evidence mapping, and remediation guidance. This innovation differentiates Trustero from traditional GRC programs that rely on high-cost external consultants or limited manual processes.

“Companies are overwhelmed by the growing compliance demands driven either by evolving regulations or increasing customer compliance requirements. With Trustero, compliance and security teams go beyond simple compliance automation, by having a human-like AI-advisor that interprets not only the controls but also the evidence, in a manner comparable to how a human would,” explains Daniela Coutinho, Manager at Bright Pixel Capital.

Fernando Martins, Director at Bright Pixel Capital, added, “We are excited to support such a strong team, led by an experienced and technical leader, as they enter their next growth phase.”

About Bright Pixel Capital

Bright Pixel Capital, formerly known as Sonae IM, is the technology investment arm of the multinational group Sonae. With special focus on cybersecurity, infrastructure software, retail technologies, business applications and emerging tech, it has a portfolio of more than 60 companies, from early to growth stages. Bright Pixel Capital Capital Capital acts as a partner that brings specialized know-how, global footprint, and a wealth of experience in helping companies from early stage to IPO.

About Trustero

Trustero’s AI automates governance, risk, and compliance functions such as compliance audits, security questionnaires, tailored remediation guidance, and third-party risk evaluations. Founded in 2020 by Phillip Liu, Trustero is the first to bring generative AI into the GRC space, enabling organizations to achieve and maintain compliance with unmatched speed, efficiency, and accuracy.

CENTENNIAL, Colo., Nov. 20, 2024 — Iontra Inc, a Colorado-based leader in next-generation battery charging technology, announced today that it has successfully completed its $45M Series C funding round with support from both current and new investors. The company has raised $120.3 Million to date.  Combined with the recent DOE award of the $2.15 million ARPA-E circular grant, this solidifies Iontra’s leadership position in battery charging technology.

Iontra’s funding round was led by repeat prominent energy sector investor Volta Energy Technologies, with additional support from others.

“The team and I are grateful for the continued strong support from our investors,” said Jeff Granato, CEO of Iontra. “This Series C financing supports the significant market potential of our technology and positions us for aggressive growth, starting with customers launching Iontra-enabled products in a matter of months and samples of our purpose-built MCU becoming available for customers in 2025.”

“Iontra is in a unique position as the only charge control technology based on electrodynamic principles, which enables us to deliver maximum performance from Lithium batteries while enhancing safety,” said Daniel Konopka, CSO of Iontra. “Thanks to our passionate and highly innovative team, we have a compelling roadmap of breakthroughs to further shape battery performance for product OEMs.”

This funding will advance Iontra’s leadership position as a fabless supplier of low-cost, small-footprint battery charger microcontrollers (MCUs). With embedded Iontra charge technology, Iontra’s MCU will maximize battery performance and efficiency across a wide range of consumer and industrial products, including power tools, smartphones, and wearables.

Iontra’s MCU also includes industry standard cyber security capabilities, and advanced high-speed peripherals, allowing OEMs to unlock options for further system integration, reducing electronic Bill-of-Material (e-BOM) costs and carbon footprint.

Through Iontra’s state-of-the-art design centers and semiconductor supply chain partners, Iontra is committed to delivering a robust and reliable solution for its customers with initial samples of its custom MCU expected by mid-2025 and release to production in 2026.

“Iontra’s technology is a game-changer for the battery industry,” said David Schroeder, CTO at Volta Energy Technologies. ” While significant advancements have been made in battery technology, the charging process itself has often been neglected, especially for current battery products. Iontra’s innovative approach offers a groundbreaking solution that policymakers and manufacturers should consider to further optimize their existing battery performance. We are excited to continue supporting their mission to dramatically improve battery performance and sustainability for a wide range of markets.”

This funding will also enable Iontra to support its customers’ upcoming product releases. Notable customers include Salom Europe Ltd, a global leader in power supply solutions and battery chargers, and Spectralink, a pioneer in enterprise communication solutions.

About Iontra:

Iontra’s unique advanced battery sensing and charging method is predictive and responsive, proactively protecting the battery while charging. Iontra minimizes the most concerning failure modes of batteries – plating and dendrite formation – which cause safety issues and limit battery performance.

Iontra charge technology is chemistry agnostic and proven to concurrently increase battery cycle life and charge speed up to and greater than 200 percent, support cold weather charging to -20°C, and create a safer charge overall, without changing the design and chemistry of existing battery cells.

Iontra’s breakthrough charge control technology is validated by approximately eight million cycling hours performed in-house, testing dozens of battery types and the stability of the system under various charge conditions for quality, reliability, and durability. Iontra’s technology has also been tested by four independent research labs, including National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Novonix, and University of Michigan.

About Volta Energy Technologies:

Volta Energy Technologies is a leading cleantech investment firm focused on accelerating the adoption of sustainable energy solutions. The firm invests in companies across the clean energy spectrum, with a focus on battery technologies, renewable energy generation, and energy efficiency solutions.