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Agentiq Raises $4 Million to Launch Fan-to-Athlete Investment Platform

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Agentiq is creating a new way for fans to connect with athletes they believe in

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Agentiq Sports, Inc. (“Agentiq”), the fintech platform allowing fans to indirectly invest in professional athletes’ careers, today announced $4 million in funding. The round was led by defy.vc, the Silicon Valley venture firm behind multiple breakout consumer and fintech companies, and by a group led by the owner of two major European football clubs. Agentiq believes that the funding will accelerate its platform launch and allow Agentiq to scale its team and pipeline.

“For too long, being a sports fan has meant paying an entertainment tax,” said Zach Kurtz, Co-Founder and CEO of Agentiq. “Betting apps, fantasy platforms, prediction markets: they all monetize your passion and give you nothing durable in return. We are building the opposite. The Agentiq platform gives fans a way to back the athletes they believe in and share in their journey. A real stake and a real connection.”

Traditionally, private athlete-equity funds have operated behind closed doors, signing more than 2,000 athletes to long-term income-share agreements with limited transparency. Athletes early in their careers have had few options for accessing capital beyond traditional debt or these opaque private arrangements.

On Agentiq’s platform, each athlete offering is conducted publicly through a designated series of a Delaware Series LLC. Under a Brand Advisory Agreement, the applicable Series provides the athlete with non-debt capital and brand advisory services in exchange for a defined percentage of covered future on-field Brand Income. By opening these athlete-linked offerings to everyday investors, the Agentiq platform aims to democratize investment opportunities historically dominated by private equity and other institutional counterparties. Agentiq believes its model gives athletes access to more flexible and transparent deal structures, allows them to de-risk their careers and invest in themselves, and creates a direct connection with the fans who believe in them.

Agentiq’s initial athlete offerings are headlined by Justin Martinez, the 25-year-old flamethrowing closer of the Diamondbacks, and Esmerlyn Valdez, the 22-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder who has emerged as one of the most electric rookies in Major League Baseball. Through July 19, 2026, Valdez had already hit 12 home runs in 31 games. Valdez is a prime example of the type of athlete the Agentiq platform was designed for: a dynamic talent at the beginning of what could be a standout career.

In addition to Martinez and Valdez, Agentiq has signed Cardinals starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins, Ronny Cruz, Carlos Virahonda and hopes to have more than 50 athletes on the roster within the next 12 months. The company maintains a pipeline of more than 200 professional athletes across MLB, the NFL, and other major leagues.

Agentiq sits at the intersection of three compounding trends:

Fan engagement with financial products has gone mainstream. More than 40 million Americans actively use platforms like Robinhood, while Polymarket and Kalshi have normalized the idea of financial participation in real-world outcomes. Consumer demand for new, accessible ways to engage with sports has never been stronger.The sports economy is at an all-time high. League valuations, NIL deal volume, betting handle, and prediction-market activity have all compounded for a decade. Private athlete-equity funds close 500+ deals per year, demonstrating strong demand for athlete-linked financial products.Athletes are taking control of their economic futures. NIL reshaped college sports, and professional athletes increasingly view themselves as brands and businesses, not just players. Yet their options for non-debt capital remain limited to opaque private funds with rigid terms. Agentiq believes its model provides athletes with a transparent, fan-facing alternative.

“Fans have always wanted to feel closer to the athletes and teams they love, but there hasn’t been an easy, accessible way to be part of an athlete’s journey beyond simply watching and cheering them on,” said Medha Agarwal, General Partner at defy.vc. “Agentiq is changing that by giving fans a new way to support athletes and share in their success over the long term. We believe Zach and Reuben have the vision and experience to build something truly new for the next generation of sports fans.”

For decades, the sports industry has treated fans as a revenue source, not a stakeholder. Sports betting extracted a record $17 billion in revenue from American consumers in 2025 alone1, with sportsbooks keeping roughly 10 cents of every dollar wagered. Research shows that 95 to 97 percent of sports bettors lose money over any meaningful time period.2 Prediction markets are no better. On one of the main platforms, ordinary users have lost more than half a billion dollars since the platform launched.3 The common thread: fans pay to participate in short-duration products tied to discrete outcomes, while the house wins, and nothing of lasting value is created for most consumers.

Agentiq gives eligible fans the opportunity to indirectly invest in certain athletes’ on-field careers. These SEC-qualified offerings result in ownership of securities that are freely tradable under U.S. federal securities law.

Founded by Zach Kurtz (CEO, fintech veteran, former D1 baseball player at University of Richmond, owner of a sporting products company used by 50+ pro players) and Reuben Abraham (CTO, employee 10 at Pave, former NerdWallet, UPenn Jerome Fisher M&T and Wharton ’17, UAE Cricket National Team). The team includes former professional players and agents, as well as former data scientists with experience working in MLB front offices. Agentiq is headquartered in New York. For more information, visit agentiqsports.com.

About Agentiq Sports

Agentiq Sports, Inc. operates the Agentiq platform and serves as the Manager of Agentiq Sports 1 Series LLC and each of its designated Series. Through Regulation A, Tier 2 offerings qualified by the SEC, eligible investors may purchase Units of designated Series and obtain indirect exposure to an applicable athlete’s on-field Brand Income.

About defy.vc

Founded in 2016, defy.vc is a Silicon Valley based early stage venture capital firm. Defy was founded to invest in entrepreneurs and companies looking to solve complex problems. Defy’s focus is to help early stage companies mature and scale into companies ready for growth capital. The firm’s team has more than 50 years of venture experience, successful operating backgrounds, and actively helps successful entrepreneurs grow companies from inception through exit. Connect with defy at https://defy.vc/ and @defyvc. 

Media Contact:
Zach Kurtz, Co-Founder and CEO
zach@agentiqsports.com 
agentiqsports.com

Important Legal Notice

This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Any offering is made only by means of the qualified offering circular of Agentiq Sports 1 Series LLC for the applicable series. Securities of a series may not be sold before the offering statement, or the post-qualification amendment relating to that series, has been qualified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

An offering statement on Form 1-A, as amended, relating to these securities has been filed with, and qualified by, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The offering circular may be obtained on the AgentiqSports.com platform, at agentiqsports.com, or through the SEC’s EDGAR database at www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002105654. Prospective investors should read the offering circular and any supplement thereto, including the risk factors disclosed therein, before investing.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of or give its approval to any securities offered, the terms of any offering, or the accuracy or completeness of any offering circular or other solicitation materials. These securities are offered pursuant to an exemption from registration; however, the Commission has not made an independent determination that the securities are exempt. Qualification by the Commission is not an endorsement or approval of any offering, of any series, or of the merits of any investment.

Generally, no sale may be made to you in this offering if the aggregate purchase price you pay is more than 10% of the greater of your annual income or net worth. Different rules apply to accredited investors and non-natural persons. Before making any representation that your investment does not exceed applicable thresholds, we encourage you to review Rule 251(d)(2)(i)(C) of Regulation A. For general information on investing, we encourage you to refer to www.investor.gov. 

An investment in Units involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. Units are securities; they are not deposits, are not insured or guaranteed by any governmental agency, and are not wagering or gaming products. Units are illiquid, and there is no assurance that any secondary market will develop or be maintained. Each series is a separate offering, and an investment in one series does not entitle you to any interest in any other series or in Agentiq Sports, Inc. Distributions, if any, depend on the Series’ Free Cash Flow after fees, expenses, taxes, and reserves and are not guaranteed.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this release, including regarding launch timing, future offerings, secondary trading, and market opportunity, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially, and neither Agentiq Sports 1 Series LLC nor Agentiq Sports, Inc. undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation: the ability to obtain SEC qualification of future offerings or post-qualification amendments on anticipated timelines or at all; the timing, execution, and market acceptance of the Agentiq platform and athlete offerings; the development and availability of secondary trading functionality; general economic, market, competitive, and regulatory conditions; athlete performance, health, career duration, marketability, and conduct; the Company’s ability to attract and retain athletes, personnel, and strategic partners; and other factors described in the Risk Factors section of the applicable offering circular. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

1 https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/48045855/sports-betting-hits-record-1696-billion-revenue-2025
2 https://www.usnews.com/banking/articles/2025-sports-betting-and-debt-survey 
3 https://rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/since-kalshis-launch-ordinary-users-have-lost-half-a-billion-dollars/ 

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Industrial AI, Saudi Scale: OrbitronAI and Aramco Digital Partner to Unlock Billions

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Partnership signed at LEAP 2026 will develop and commercialize industrial-grade AI agents targeting capital productivity, supply chain performance and operational execution

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OrbitronAI and Aramco Digital have formed a strategic commercial partnership to develop, deploy and commercialize industrial-grade agentic AI solutions focused on industrial value recovery across asset-intensive industries. The agreement was signed in early September at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh.

The partnership combines OrbitronAI’s industrial-grade agentic AI technology and domain-led delivery model with Aramco Digital’s industrial knowledge, operating scale and market reach. The companies will target multibillion-dollar value pools in areas including capital productivity, supply chain performance and operational execution, where fragmented information, complex workflows and delayed decisions can materially affect financial performance.

In capital-intensive environments, delays in reviews, reconciliation and decision-making can affect schedule, cost and returns on invested capital. In supply chains, limited visibility across materials, suppliers and logistics can increase cost, tie up working capital and disrupt operations. OrbitronAI’s technology is built for these environments. It works across structured and unstructured industrial information, connects with enterprise systems and combines agentic reasoning with deterministic execution, while critical calculations, controls and approvals remain governed and subject to human oversight.

“Together with Aramco Digital, we are building a repeatable model for industrial value recovery: take a high-value industrial process, embed industrial-grade agents into the workflow, recover the value and turn what works into a product that can scale across the industry.”

— Saulius Adomaitis, Co-Founder and CEO, OrbitronAI

“Aramco Digital is focused on areas where our industrial knowledge, scale and data create a clear advantage. Capital projects, supply chain and other asset-intensive processes represent major opportunities to improve execution and create economic value. Through our partnership with OrbitronAI, we intend to convert that industrial advantage into scalable AI products for Aramco, our affiliates and the wider industrial market.”

— Ashraf Tahini, CEO, Aramco Digital

Successful capabilities developed through the partnership will be designed for reuse across similar industrial processes, creating a path to commercialization across Saudi Arabia and selected international markets.

OrbitronAI’s founding team combines industrial operating and technology experience. Luvy Singh, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, previously led supply chain at Shell and was a partner at EY. Ashu Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief AI Officer, was a founding CTO at a leading fintech company, while Poonam Gupta, Co-Founder and CTO, leads the engineering of OrbitronAI’s industrial-grade agentic AI platform.

###

About OrbitronAI

OrbitronAI builds secure, industry-specific AI systems for enterprises running complex operations. At its core is NovaOS, a proprietary agentic operating layer that connects existing enterprise systems, orchestrates AI workflows and provides the governance, oversight and auditability needed to deploy AI agents safely at scale. OrbitronAI works mainly with aviation, transport, energy and infrastructure organizations. It supports critical functions including supply chain, compliance, asset maintenance, sales and marketing, and helps clients reduce manual work, make better decisions and manage operational risk. With more than 50 people across five global offices, the company combines deep industry expertise with advanced AI engineering. OrbitronAI is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 compliant.

Learn more at www.orbitronai.com

Media Contact

Vilma Vaitiekunaite
GM, OrbitronAI KSA
E  vilma.vaitiekunaite@orbitronai.com
T  +966 56 778 9790

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Rose Brand Acquires IWEISS, Bringing Together Complementary Expertise for the Future of Live Entertainment

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Rose Brand today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire IWEISS, bringing together two highly respected companies with decades of experience serving the entertainment, performing arts, event, and architectural markets.

SECAUCUS, N.J., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — For generations, Rose Brand and IWEISS have earned the trust of customers through craftsmanship, technical expertise, and responsive service. While the two organizations have often competed, they have always shared a deep respect for one another and a common commitment to helping customers solve increasingly complex production challenges.

“Our focus has always been on helping customers bring their ideas to life”

The combination brings together complementary expertise across custom theatrical fabrics, sewing and fabrication, rigging systems, curtain track solutions, automation, installation services, and the broader capabilities already offered through ADC. Together, the organizations are better positioned to support customers as productions, venues, and projects continue to evolve.

“Our focus has always been on helping customers bring their ideas to life,” said Josh Jacobstein, President of Rose Brand. “By bringing together the strengths of Rose Brand and IWEISS, we’re better positioned to support our customers with broader expertise while preserving the craftsmanship, responsiveness, and trusted relationships that have defined both organizations for decades.”

Jennifer Tankleff, President of IWEISS, added:

“For more than a century, IWEISS has built its reputation on craftsmanship, technical expertise, and taking on complex and unique projects. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built and the relationships we’ve developed along the way. Joining Rose Brand gives us the opportunity to build on that legacy, expand what we can offer, and continue serving our customers with even greater resources and capabilities.”

Together, all of our customers will have access to a combined range of products and technical expertise, and more importantly, experienced, talented people who understand how those pieces work together. Existing projects, commitments, and day-to-day operations will continue as usual while the organizations plan for the future together.

The combination reflects a shared commitment to the future of the live entertainment industry by bringing together complementary expertise that helps customers confidently take on increasingly complex productions and projects.

Additional updates will be shared as planning progresses. Throughout the transition, both organizations remain committed to open communication and to providing the same quality, service, and support customers expect today.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.rosebrand.com/blog/post/rose-brand-acquires-iweiss

About Rose Brand Rose Brand is a leading provider of custom theatrical fabrics, stage curtains, event products, and specialty solutions serving the entertainment, performing arts, event, and architectural industries. For more than a century, the company has been recognized for its craftsmanship, technical expertise, innovation, and commitment to customer service. www.rosebrand.com

About IWEISS IWEISS is a leading provider of theatrical fabrics, custom sewing and fabrication, rigging systems, and production solutions for the performing arts, entertainment, event, and architectural markets. For decades, the company has been recognized for its craftsmanship, technical expertise, and commitment to helping customers bring creative visions to life. www.iweiss.com

Media Contact

Joshua Alemany, Rose Brand, 1 (201) 809-1730 274, joshua.alemany@rosebrand.com, www.rosebrand.com

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Data Center Virtualization Market to Reach $60.90 Billion by 2035 as Multi-Hypervisor and Kubernetes-Native Adoption Reshape Enterprise Infrastructure

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DC Market Insights forecasts 7.43% CAGR through 2035; Kubernetes-native virtualization grows 21.29% annually while North America holds 40.6% of 2025 market value

LONDON, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The global Data Center Virtualization Market was valued at $29.75 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $60.90 billion by 2035, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 7.43%, according to a new study from DC Market Insights. The market is moving into a new phase in which platform diversification, licensing economics, Kubernetes-native infrastructure and higher demand for migration and managed services are reshaping how enterprises and data center operators deploy virtualized compute.

View the full report:  https://www.dcmarketinsights.com/report/data-center-virtualization-market 

$29.75B

$60.90B

7.43 %

40.6 %

2025 market size

2035 forecast

CAGR, 2025-2035

North America share

“The next decade of data center virtualization will be defined less by whether workloads are virtualized and more by how operators manage platform choice, licensing economics and mixed VM-container estates. Proprietary Type 1 hypervisors remain the largest segment today, but KVM-based and Kubernetes-native platforms together are projected to rise from 28.2% of market value in 2025 to 46.5% by 2035. That transition is creating a larger opportunity for migration, orchestration and managed services across enterprise, colocation and cloud environments.”

— Amit Jain, Senior Consultant, ICT & Emerging Technologies, DC Market Insights, and lead analyst of the report

Virtualized Core Growth and Licensing Changes Drive Market Expansion

DC Market Insights identifies three forces behind most of the market’s growth: expansion of the virtualized physical core base, higher software spend per core following licensing changes and a sustained wave of upgrade and migration projects. The firm models the installed virtualized core base rising from about 92.0 million in 2025 to 155.75 million by 2035. Server virtualization software alone is forecast to increase from $14.90 billion to $28.45 billion over the same period.

The report also finds that average server virtualization software spend increased from about $136 per core in 2023 to $162 per core in 2025. That price reset contributed significantly to the market’s 2025 value expansion. Looking ahead, growth becomes more volume- and service-driven as enterprises add cores, automate mixed infrastructure and outsource a larger share of ongoing operations.

Multi-Hypervisor Strategies Move Into the Mainstream

The competitive structure of virtualization is broadening. Proprietary Type 1 hypervisors accounted for 71.8% of market value in 2025, but their share is projected to decline to 53.5% by 2035. Open-source and KVM-based hypervisors are forecast to grow from $6.72 billion in 2025 to $16.83 billion by 2035, a 9.61% CAGR, while Kubernetes-native virtualization is the fastest-growing hypervisor category at 21.29% annually, increasing from $1.67 billion to $11.48 billion.

This shift does not imply the disappearance of established proprietary platforms. Instead, the report points to a more diversified operating model in which large buyers maintain core estates on established platforms while deploying new or less critical workloads on KVM-based, hyperconverged or Kubernetes-native alternatives. That architecture raises demand for cross-platform management, policy automation, skills, migration tooling and services.

Server Virtualization Software Retains the Largest Component Share

Server virtualization software represented 50.1% of global market revenue in 2025 at $14.90 billion. Professional services accounted for $4.15 billion, desktop and application virtualization for $4.66 billion, virtualization management and orchestration for $3.50 billion and managed services for $2.54 billion.

Managed services are projected to record the strongest growth among components, advancing at 11.70% annually to $7.67 billion by 2035. Virtualization management and orchestration also grows faster than the overall market, reaching $8.03 billion by 2035 as operators automate patching, policy enforcement, lifecycle management and capacity planning across several hypervisors.

On-Premises Enterprise Data Centers Lead, but Hosted and Edge Models Gain Share

On-premises enterprise data centers were the largest deployment segment in 2025 at $15.59 billion, or 52.4% of global spending. Colocation and hosted private cloud represented 23.6%, cloud service provider data centers 17.4% and edge and remote sites 6.6%. Edge and remote deployments are forecast to grow fastest at 11.90% annually, reaching $6.05 billion by 2035.

Large enterprises accounted for 69.3% of market value in 2025, while small and medium enterprises are projected to grow faster through hosted, managed and subscription-based offerings. Banking, financial services and insurance was the largest end-user vertical at 22.6% of spending, followed by IT and telecom. Healthcare is forecast to be the fastest-growing major vertical as hospitals virtualize clinical applications, shared workstations and data-intensive workloads.

North America Leads; Asia Pacific Gains the Most Share

North America led the market with $12.08 billion in 2025, representing 40.6% of global value, and is forecast to reach $22.42 billion by 2035. The region has the largest installed base of proprietary hypervisors and is therefore seeing a significant volume of licensing reviews, platform renewals and migration projects.

Europe held 27.8% of the market in 2025 at $8.27 billion, while Asia Pacific accounted for 23.4% at $6.96 billion. Asia Pacific is projected to reach $16.92 billion by 2035 at a 9.29% CAGR, gaining 4.4 percentage points of global share. The Middle East and Africa is the fastest-growing region at 9.79% annually, supported by new government, financial services and telecom infrastructure.

The United States was the largest country market at $10.77 billion in 2025, equal to 36.2% of global spending. China ranked second at $2.21 billion, followed by Germany at $1.75 billion. India is forecast to grow fastest among the major country markets at 13.49% annually through 2035.

Competitive Landscape Shifts Toward Platform Choice and Migration Economics

The report profiles 16 companies across server virtualization, desktop and application virtualization, management software and services. Broadcom (VMware) is estimated to lead the market with about 39% of 2025 value, while Broadcom, Microsoft and Citrix together account for approximately 58%. Other profiled competitors include Nutanix, Red Hat, Omnissa, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Oracle, Proxmox Server Solutions, SUSE, Huawei, Scale Computing, Dell Technologies, IBM, Parallels and Canonical.

Recent developments reinforce the move toward broader platform choice. HPE made Morpheus VM Essentials generally available in May 2025, Omnissa announced Horizon support for Nutanix AHV, Broadcom made VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 generally available in June 2025 and Proxmox released Proxmox VE 9.0 in August 2025. Nutanix reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $2.85 billion and more than 3,000 new customers, reflecting growing interest in alternative virtualization stacks.

Forecast Scenarios Put 2035 Market Between $51.28 Billion and $70.22 Billion

DC Market Insights’ base case places the market at $60.90 billion by 2035. A lower-growth scenario, built around faster switching to lower-cost platforms, flat spend per core after 2026 and slower core expansion, produces a $51.28 billion market. A high case, in which bundle pricing remains firm and managed services and edge deployments expand faster, places the market at $70.22 billion.

Kubernetes-native virtualization is a central structural variable in the forecast because it shifts value from the traditional hypervisor license toward container-platform subscriptions and integrated management. For buyers, that makes total cost of ownership, workload portability, governance and operational tooling increasingly important in platform selection.

Research Methodology

DC Market Insights built the market model bottom-up from annual cohorts of virtualized physical cores and concurrent hosted desktop users, with separate pricing curves for hypervisor and management software. Professional and managed services were then added as ratios of software spending. The model was split across five components, three hypervisor types, four deployment models, two organization sizes, seven verticals and five regions. Results were cross-checked against supplier disclosures, published licensing terms and country-level installed server and data center capacity estimates.

Get Free Report Sample – https://www.dcmarketinsights.com/report/data-center-virtualization-market 

Report author: Amit Jain, Senior Consultant, ICT & Emerging Technologies. Reviewed by: Deepti Agrawal, Senior Editor, Research.

Related Reports from DC Market Insights

Software-Defined Data Center MarketData Center Automation MarketData Center Orchestration MarketSoftware-Defined Networking (SDN) in the Data Center MarketAIOps for Data Center Management Market

Data Tools by DCMI – 

Data Center Map – Deal Tracker – PUE Calculator

About DC Market Insights

DC Market Insights is the data center research and consulting practice of Credence Research, founded in 2015. The firm sizes data center markets, develops forecasts to 2035 and advises investors, operators, vendors and governments on commercial due diligence, site selection, market entry, power strategy, market sizing and competitive intelligence. Its research spans the data center value chain across facilities, power, cooling, racks, cloud, AI compute, interconnection, software, services, storage, networking and energy.

Media and Research Contact

DC Market Insights
Email: sales@dcmarketinsights.com
United States: +1 628 262 7656
United Kingdom: +44 7453 598 606
Office: Tower C-1105, S 25, Akash Tower, Vishal Nagar, Pimple Nilakh, Pune, MH 411027, India
Web: www.dcmarketinsights.com

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