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Whale Raises $40M Series C3 Extension, Bringing Total Series C to $100M, to Scale Global Enterprise AI Operations

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SINGAPORE, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — With its Series C now reaching $100 million, Whale, a global enterprise AI company, today announced a $40 million extension as it scales its global enterprise AI deployments. The round was led by CMB International (via an investment fund under CMBI that focus on AI and frontier technology) and SMBC Asia Rising Fund (SARF, the corporate venture capital fund of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation), with participation from Krungsri Finnovate (CVC arm of Krungsri / Bank of Ayudhya, part of MUFG), Singtel Innov8, Hyundai Motor Group, and Charisma Partners. Earlier Series C participants include Bosch Ventures, MTR Lab, MDI Ventures, Gentree Fund, and Linear Capital. 

Whale builds the AI Operating System (AIOS) for enterprise operations, connecting digital and real-world workflows through its proprietary Business World Model (BWM) — an AI model designed to interpret signals from cameras, sensors, and audio the way large language models process text. Headquartered in Singapore, with a growing base in North America, Whale leads enterprise AI adoption across Asia-Pacific — including Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and beyond. The company serves more than 1,600 enterprises in 45+ countries across retail, automotive, F&B, manufacturing, financial services, and more. Managing 600,000+ edge AI nodes globally, its solutions help businesses tackle challenges from compliance auditing and service quality to operational efficiency. 

Whale Scales Global AI Deployments

This Series C3 extends Whale’s reach across North America and APAC, with MENA and Europe on the horizon. “This new funding isn’t about starting from scratch. It’s about advancing what we’ve built here,” said Jerry Ye, Founder and CEO of Whale. “We’re scaling our teams globally, deepening enterprise partnerships, and expanding our platform integrations with local infrastructure. Enterprises across regions are grappling with rising operational costs, and the urgent need to turn unstructured operational data into decision-ready intelligence, and we’re already delivering that today.”  

Strategic investors see the same inflection point. “We have witnessed retail digitization undergo a fundamental shift, from tool integration to AI-native operations, and see the AI-driven efficiency trend as irreversible,” said Zheng Xiang, VP of Charisma Partners. “Whale’s perception-cognition-execution loop reshapes the operational foundation for enterprises, and we believe Whale is poised to lead the next generation of enterprise AI infrastructure.”

The AI Operating System: Unifying Enterprise Operations at Scale

Enterprises don’t need more software; they need an operating system that connects online data with physical environments — turning every store, showroom, and facility into an intelligent, responsive operation. Whale’s flagship vision and voice products are the primary entry points for operational transformation. SpaceSight converts cameras and IoT sensors across stores, showrooms, and commercial facilities into real-time intelligence, measuring foot traffic, dwell time, engagement, and operational compliance, so businesses can optimize performance without adding headcount. Echo analyzes frontline sales conversations to identify what top performers do differently, turning those insights into scalable coaching programs that address the high-turnover challenge facing businesses today. 

Both are powered by the BWM, giving enterprises a continuously updated model of how their operations run and generating direct, executable actions at scale. SpaceSight and Echo feed into the rest of Whale’s platform — Lume for AI-powered content distribution, Alivia for workflow automation and intelligent agents, Harbor for knowledge management and compliance, and Novus for AI infrastructure and governance — together forming a full-stack AI OS for enterprise operations.

“Whale’s ability to unlock and structure data from physical environments — enabling enterprises to turn real-world activities into actionable intelligence — is particularly compelling. By combining Whale’s technology with SMBC Group’s global client network and industry expertise, we look forward to delivering value across industries and regions,” said Mayoran Rajendra, Managing Director and Head of AI Transformation Office, SMBC Group.

Strategic Investors Back Whale’s Global Scale-Up

Across financial services, telecommunications, automotive, and multinational commerce, investors are drawn by the same thesis: a proprietary AI foundation seven years in the making.

For CMBI, Whale’s AI deployments across Asia-Pacific and its growing global commercial traction made the decision clear. “Whale has built a strong technology foundation with a clear direction in enterprise AI, and Jerry and his team have demonstrated the ability to execute across complex, real-world deployments, which is rare at this scale,” said Dr. Zhang Guoyong, General Manager of the Private Equity Investment Management Department, CMBI. “We see long-term potential in their approach and are pleased to support their next phase of growth.” 

That execution resonates regionally. Krungsri Finnovate identified a strategic match between Whale’s end-to-end AI and its own ASEAN networks. “Whale is one of the few players with native, enterprise-grade AI capable of powering a full-suite, omnichannel product across the entire customer journey — and that capability is exactly why we chose to invest through Finnoventure Private Equity Trust I. With Krungsri’s strong footprint in Thailand and ASEAN, and MUFG’s global network behind us, we’re well placed to support Whale’s expansion across the region.” said Palida Artispong, Acting Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Growth and Investor Relations, Krungsri Finnovate.

Hyundai Motor Group zeroed in on a different dimension: the ability to move AI beyond software and into actual business results. “We are excited to support Whale as it scales an enterprise AI platform that goes beyond software enablement to address real-world business operations — translating innovation into tangible business impact for customers across sales, marketing, service, and customer engagement,” said Keith Noh, VP and Head of ZER01NE, Hyundai Motor Group. “As Whale deepens its presence across key global markets, we look forward to partnering with the team on its next phase of growth.”

The confidence extends to Whale’s earliest backers. Linear Capital has followed Jerry and the team from the beginning, and sees the momentum compounding. “We’ve watched Jerry and the Whale team continuously embed AI capabilities deeply into enterprise products, and their ability to evolve alongside AI has produced rapid growth in both product strength and global reach. As one of Whale’s earliest investors, Linear Capital looks forward to seeing Whale emerge as a global leader in enterprise AI,” said Zheng Can, Managing Director, Linear Capital.

About Whale

Whale is an enterprise AI company building the AI Operating System for enterprise operations. Its platform — SpaceSight (physical space intelligence), Echo (voice and audio intelligence), Lume (content distribution), Alivia (intelligent agent and workflow execution), Harbor (knowledge management and compliance), and Novus (AI infrastructure and governance) — is built on Whale’s proprietary Business World Model (BWM), an AI model designed for physical environments the way large language models were designed for text. Together, these products deliver a complete intelligence loop from physical sensing to autonomous execution across retail, automotive, F&B, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and fashion and apparel.

AI to Power Enterprise Operations | https://www.whale.sg/

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Optro Establishes UAE Hub to Support Rapid Transition to Agentic GRC Across the Middle East

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Expansion comes as UAE government mandates transition to Agentic AI models, driving demand for continuous assurance and autonomous risk governance.

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Optro, the leading AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform, today announced its expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE), establishing Dubai as the company’s newest regional center. The move represents a major step forward in serving global GRC teams and providing localized support for its rapidly growing customer base across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The announcement was made at the 2026 CAE Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The expansion comes at a historic inflection point for technology governance in the region. Under the “UAE Government 4.0” directive of the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, federal institutions are tasked with converting 50 percent of government sectors, services, and operations to autonomous Agentic AI models within a two-year timeline. As non-human agents gain authority to execute workflows, invoke APIs, and issue binding administrative decisions, enterprise and public-sector audit, risk, compliance, and infosec teams are facing unprecedented operational, cybersecurity, and regulatory complexities.

With strict regulatory frameworks taking shape, including Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) AI & ML Guidance, the UAE National AI Policy & Ethics guidelines, the Federal Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), and Cybersecurity Council/NESA standards, demand is surging for connected, real-time approaches to audit, risk management, data sovereignty, and non-human access control. Optro is built specifically for this paradigm shift. By deploying agentic AI tailored to regional frameworks, Optro gives local practitioners an unmatched ability to execute continuous risk assessments, manage non-human access identities, and automate live compliance mapping against evolving UAE regulations.

“Enterprises and public sector organizations across the Middle East are setting a global benchmark for autonomous innovation,” said Raul Villar Jr., Chief Executive Officer at Optro. “However, deploying agentic AI at scale requires a corresponding evolution in control and assurance. By establishing our regional hub in the UAE, we are delivering the localized presence, partner network, and agentic GRC tools required to help organizations govern autonomous operations, protect data sovereignty, and turn regulatory compliance into a competitive advantage.”

“Internal Audit and GRC functions are playing an increasingly strategic role in helping organizations strengthen resilience, enhance governance, and respond to emerging risks,” said Fady Nader, EY MENA Risk Consulting Partner. “As organizations continue to embrace digital transformation and AI-enabled ways of working, there is a growing need for integrated assurance and timely risk insights. We are pleased to collaborate with Optro in supporting organizations across the region as they evolve their governance, risk and assurance capabilities and adapt to an increasingly dynamic business environment.”

“Our alliance with Optro reflects Deloitte’s commitment to helping clients modernise their control environments,” said James Smith, Controls Assurance Leader at Deloitte Middle East. “Optro’s investment in regional data hosting is another important step and demonstrates their long-term commitment to the region and we are proud to partner with them.”

Optro’s expansion into the UAE follows the company’s recent launch of its Asia-Pacific (APAC) regional hub in Singapore, announced at The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Conference in June. Earlier this year, Optro also acquired Midship — the premier AI-native autonomous controls testing solution — delivering highly governed, enterprise-grade AI agents to Optro’s customers and prospects, enabling Optro to rapidly scale across global innovation centers, helping risk, compliance, and audit teams modernize operations and navigate complex regulatory environments in real time.

To learn more about how Optro is transforming risk into opportunity for companies around the world, visit optro.ai.

About Optro 

Optro (formerly AuditBoard) helps enterprises transform risk into opportunity through its AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform. More than 50% of the Fortune 500 trust Optro to elevate audit, risk, and compliance in addressing a new era of risk. Optro is top-rated by customers on G2 and was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Tools, Assurance Leaders. To learn more, visit optro.ai.

Media Contact
Laura Groshans
press@optro.ai

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Alchemist Group strengthens technology leadership with appointment of fractional CISO

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LONDON, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alchemist Group, the parent company behind a portfolio of sales and leadership development brands, has appointed former military cyber-specialist James Griffiths as fractional Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) as it continues to invest in proprietary technology designed to enhance learner experiences.

Bringing over 25 years’ experience across cyber-security, technology and digital transformation, including 17 years in the British Army’s Royal Corps of Signals, Griffiths will provide expertise across technology, cyber-security and digital strategy. His appointment will support the Group’s ongoing technology development while ensuring its systems and data remain secure as the business grows.

Following his military career, Griffiths helped deliver cyber-offensive capabilities for UK government organisations including the Ministry of Defence and GCHQ. He later co-founded Cyber Security Associates, scaling the business from a two-person start-up to a £15 million-plus operation with over 100 employees. He’s now founder of technology consultancy UtopianKnight. 

He joins Alchemist Group as the business builds on the recent launch of its Global Product and Technology function. The new division combines research, human expertise, product design and technology to develop learning systems for global organisations facing increasing pressure to improve performance while adapting to rapid advances in AI and workforce capability.

The function supports the Group’s three brands: Alchemist, a leadership development company; RAIN Group, a sales training specialist; and PCA Law, which provides leadership and business development training for legal professionals.

Appointing Griffiths on a fractional basis has also allowed the Group to bring in senior technology and cyber-security expertise without the lead time associated with a permanent hire.

Will Daniel, global vice president of product and technology at Alchemist Group, said: “As we continue investing in our product and technology capabilities, having the right expertise around us is critical. James brings a wealth of experience across technology and cyber-security, as well as a strategic understanding of how those areas need to support wider business objectives.”

Griffiths added: “Alchemist Group has a clear vision for the role technology can play in enhancing the development and delivery of its learning solutions and client experience, making a robust technology and cyber-security approach essential. I’m delighted to be supporting the Group at such an exciting stage in its growth, helping to align technology, security and business priorities to drive innovation, resilience and long-term success.”

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REGENESYS ANNOUNCES BOOST SCHEDULER TO ENHANCE LINKEDIN CONTENT

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The New Service is the Only Scheduling Tool Available to Optimize Post Performance

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Regenesys, the company that is revolutionizing LinkedIn content distribution has just announced its newest Saas tool – Boost Scheduler – which is an affordable way that allows anyone to schedule boosts for their LinkedIn content. This is an effective tool for brand awareness, trust which also increases reach, followers, profile views and LinkedIn search engine optimization (SEO) to appear at the top of searches.

Boost Scheduler allows users to select the time they wish to publish and is simple and safe to use, a great tool for agencies and social media managers. Many of their clients use this for sales, go-to-market, to meet investors, thought leadership, when exiting their company, or looking for better job opportunities.

Evan Chi, Founder and CEO of Regenesys, said, “Boost Scheduler provides the biggest bang for your buck in terms of LinkedIn performance. There is no other way to solve distribution for content besides paid ads. Our infrastructure removes the ‘luck’ element from LinkedIn. We ensure your most important content gets the eyes it deserves. If you subscribe to Post Booster, you stop leaving your company’s posts to chance. The top 1% of LinkedIn creators are using Regenesys Boost Scheduler to dominate their niche.”

“Before working with Regenesys, our LinkedIn presence was essentially a static resume. By leveraging their post-boosting technology and PR strategies, they completely unlocked our content distribution, helping us turn visibility into a predictable driver of new business. The level of inbound lead generation and profile views we’re seeing now has completely transformed how we acquire clients and grow our pipeline,” said Ryan Baird, CEO of cross border neo-investment bank Baird Augustine.

Evan Chi has also just revamped the Regenesys.io website. He will next launch Regenesys Intelligence, which will be the AI engine for social and competitor intelligence. Regenesys Intelligence will map and score your prospects’ contextual intent against your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to surface warm signals and build predictable pipelines.

To further enhance a person or company’s posts, Regenesys also created Omniposte (Omniposte.com), which creates and distributes content across up to 13 social platforms effortlessly. 

About Regenesys

Regenesys has created a LinkedIn system that converts attention to clients more effectively than competing services. It specializes in tools that organically amplify your LinkedIn growth. The company utilizes AI and Social Intelligence to map and score prospects against Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP). Regenesys ensures that content reaches a qualified audience and automates outreach and lead generation.

Media Contact:

Frank Tortorici

frank@marketingmaven.com 

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SOURCE Regenesys

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