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Squads Raises $18M to Build Business Finance on Stablecoin Infrastructure

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NEW YORK, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Squads today announced an $18 million strategic round led by Solana Ventures, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Haun Ventures, L1D, Collab+Currency, Electric Capital, Placeholder, Jump Crypto, and Robot Ventures, bringing total funding to $42.9M. This raise accelerates Altitude, a financial operating system built on stablecoin infrastructure.

Stablecoins are changing the infrastructure of business finance. For the last decade, building financial products for businesses meant building on top of banks – bank partnerships were required to hold customer funds and access payment rails. Every new market meant a new bank and a new compliance cycle. Blockchains changed the underlying infrastructure. Stablecoins turned money into software, allowing treasury and payments to be separated from the fractional reserve system for the first time.

This separation has produced a new category of licensed Payment Service Providers (PSPs) that move money across both stablecoin and traditional banking rails. The market has moved quickly: Stripe acquired Bridge for $1.1 billion, Mastercard acquired BVNK for $1.8 billion. These PSPs were the missing piece to build a full-stack financial operations platform on stablecoin rails.

Altitude is built on this shift. It does not hold customer funds. Treasury is held in stablecoins. When funds need to move, they settle on stablecoin rails instantly, 24/7, at low cost. When they need to reach traditional banking rails, they do so through a network of licensed stablecoin PSPs.

Since publicly launching in December 2025, Altitude has processed over $200 million in payments for exporters, global agencies, crypto-native companies, and cross-border remote teams. Customers choose Altitude for what stablecoin infrastructure unlocks: global-by-default coverage, multi-currency support, instant settlement, and programmable controls. With $18M in new funding, Altitude is growing its team, expanding its payment network, and accelerating product development.

“This raise backs a simple idea: businesses are better off running on stablecoins than on legacy banking infrastructure. Solana is now mature enough to carry global business finance, regulators have built the frameworks to support it, and for the first time you can build a full financial platform on a genuinely new system,” said Stepan Simkin, CEO of Squads.

“The Squads team spent the last four years building the security infrastructure that most of the Solana ecosystem runs on. Stablecoins and programmable blockchains are changing how global finance works. This is the team with the technical depth and the vision to build the financial platform that sits on top of that shift. We believe Altitude will be how the next generation of global businesses runs their financial operations,” said Matthew Beck, Head of Solana Ventures.

Two criticisms have historically limited stablecoin adoption in mainstream business finance: compliance gaps and security concerns. Altitude addresses both directly.

On compliance, Altitude has built a proprietary engine that imposes the same checks expected from any regulated fintech: continuous sanctions screening, AML checks, transaction monitoring, and KYB verification. This engine enables every Altitude account to plug into licensed PSPs including Bridge, MoonPay, Infinite, Due, and others for global coverage.

On security, Altitude enforces controls at each layer of the stack. At the product layer, every business account comes with programmable controls, granular permissions, and configurable multifactor authentication. At the infrastructure layer, Squads Protocol handles asset custody and money movement, securing over $10 billion in value. At the settlement layer, every transaction is recorded and settled on Solana.

“As we scaled, treasury and payments turned into an operational headache. Complexity and fees kept compounding. Altitude removed both,” said Kash Dhanda, COO, Jupiter.

About Squads

Squads is a financial infrastructure company building on Solana. The company operates two products: Squads Multisig, the smart account standard securing over $10 billion in assets across the Solana ecosystem, and Altitude, a financial operating system that gives businesses multi-currency accounts, corporate cards, global payments, APY on balances, and a CFO stack to run it all. Learn more at altitude.xyz or squads.xyz.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/squads-raises-18m-to-build-business-finance-on-stablecoin-infrastructure-302757566.html

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LEAP Group Relaunches HumanView, a Growth Intelligence System Built to Explain Why Customers Behave the Way They Do

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5 hours ago

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October 24, 2026

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Reimagined from the ground up, HumanView pairs statistical modeling with expert analysts to turn millions of real-world customer signals into business decisions

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LEAP Group today announced the relaunch of HumanView, its growth intelligence service. The new version has been rebuilt from the ground up and now has a dedicated home at leapgroupnetwork.com/humanview.

HumanView analyzes what customers say and do across social platforms, e-commerce sites, review platforms, search behavior and user-generated content, including signals from Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, Meta, Amazon and Walmart+ that general AI tools cannot always access. Because the data reflects unprompted, real-world behavior, it avoids the response bias built into surveys and focus groups.

The service works in three layers. HumanView captures signals at scale, decodes millions of records through validated statistical models such as regression, correlation and clustering, and then relies on experienced analysts to interpret the patterns. Clients receive clear, human-validated insights instead of another dashboard.

“Machines find the patterns. Humans find the point,” said Alan Gilleo, CEO at LEAP Group. “The first version of HumanView showed us how much customers reveal when nobody is asking them questions. This version is built to explain why they act the way they do, and to put those answers in front of everyone making decisions, from product to service to marketing.”

HumanView focuses on three areas:

Growth Intelligence: customer motivations and how people perceive a brand and its competitors

Market and Category Intelligence: product pain points, service friction, unmet needs and competitive gaps

Audience Intelligence: new segments, positioning opportunities and gaps in the market

Every model is designed and validated by data scientists and benchmarked before it informs a recommendation.

To learn more about HumanView, visit leapgroupnetwork.com/humanview.

About LEAP Group
LEAP Group is a boutique marketing agency holding company with offices in Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Chicago. Guided by the belief that brands should “Market Less. Matter More.,” LEAP gives clients access to specialized experts across its entire network. Learn more at leapgroupnetwork.com.

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SOURCE LEAP Group

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STEPHEN A. SMITH ADDRESSES WHITE HOUSE DINNER ATTENDANCE, REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO HBCUs AND PROTECTING CORPORATE INVESTMENT IN BLACK EDUCATION

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6 hours ago

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October 24, 2026

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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Stephen A. Smith, media mogul, New York Times bestselling author, and proud 1991 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, is addressing the public discussion surrounding his decision to attend a White House dinner with President Donald Trump, emphasizing his commitment to the long-term financial stability of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

For Smith, the decision was rooted in a commitment to institutions that have educated generations of Black leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and public servants.

“I will always advocate for HBCUs and the students whose futures depend on them,” Smith said. “My reason for attending the White House dinner was to discuss the challenges these institutions face in securing long-term funding and to make the case that corporate America must continue to invest in them.”

Smith acknowledged federal support through the FUTURE Act while expressing concern that political tensions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) could discourage private companies from supporting HBCUs. He maintains that these institutions deserve sustained corporate partnerships, philanthropic contributions, and public investment.

“If we truly believe in free-market capitalism, businesses should be able to support educational institutions and charitable causes without fear of criticism or repercussions,” Smith said. “HBCUs have made extraordinary contributions to this country. They deserve sustained public and private investment.”

Ashley Christopher, Esq., Founder and CEO of the HBCU Week Foundation, recognized Smith’s advocacy and decision to engage with the administration.

“Stephen A. Smith has been a powerful advocate for HBCUs, using his platform and influence to shine a national spotlight on our institutions,” expressed Christopher, “His continued support of HBCU Week helps advance our mission of connecting students with life-changing educational opportunities, and we are proud to have him as our ambassador.”

Since Smith became an HBCU Week Ambassador in 2019, the initiative has facilitated more than 15,000 on-the-spot college acceptances and raised and awarded more than $150 million in scholarships, according to the HBCU Week Foundation.

As public discussion continues, Smith is emphasizing the importance of ensuring HBCUs have the resources and partnerships needed to educate future generations and expand opportunities for students.

CLICK HERE to watch Smith’s full response to his White House visit.

MEDIA CONTACT:

media@mrsasinc.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stephen-a-smith-addresses-white-house-dinner-attendance-reaffirms-commitment-to-hbcus-and-protecting-corporate-investment-in-black-education-302918547.html

SOURCE Straight Shooter Media

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Advantex Announces Completion of Financing and Extension of Maturity Date of Previously Issued Debentures

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6 hours ago

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October 24, 2026

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TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2026 /CNW/ — Advantex Marketing International Inc. (CSE: ADX) (“Advantex”), a leader in the merchant cash advance and loyalty marketing products for merchants, today announced the completion of a $250,000 secured debt financing. Advantex issued a $250,000 non-convertible debenture which bears an interest rate at 12% per annum and matures December 15, 2027. The proceeds raised from this issuance of the Debenture will be used for working capital purposes.

Advantex has also extended the maturity of its existing $700,000 in 12% secured debentures from October 10, 2026 to December 15, 2027.

About Advantex Marketing International Inc.

Advantex provides working capital to merchants. Advantex also provides specialized marketing programs that enable members of Aeroplan to earn Aeroplan points at participating merchants.

Advantex shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol ADX. For more information go to Advantex’s profile on www.sedar.com

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the future business and operations of Advantex. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The business and operations of Advantex described herein is dependent on a number of factors and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ material include, but are not limited to, changes in Advantex’s economic and competitive conditions including but not limited to the industry sectors in which Advantex operates.

The statements in this news release are made of the date of this release. Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made and Advantex undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Advantex Marketing International Inc.

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