Thrive advances NextGen platform with enhanced security architecture powered by Elastic and Cato Networks. Platform investments strengthen Managed Detection and Response and Zero Trust access while simplifying cybersecurity for mid-market organizations. September 09, 2026 08:30 ET | Source: Thrive BOSTON, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for AI, cybersecurity, cloud, and IT managed services, today announced new investments in its NextGen platform through modernized security integrations from Elastic and Cato Networks. The enhancements strengthen the technology underpinning Thrive's managed security services, giving clients greater visibility, more intelligent threat detection, and modern Zero Trust access - all while reducing operational complexity. As organizations face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and rapidly evolving IT environments, Gartner reports that nearly three-quarters of CISOs say their cybersecurity teams lack sufficient staffing. To help organizations keep pace with growing security demands, Thrive continues to invest in the technologies behind its managed services, enabling customers to benefit from enterprise-grade capabilities without the cost or complexity of building them internally. Rather than introducing standalone products, these enhancements represent Thrive's ongoing strategy of continually modernizing the platform that powers the client experience. "Building a truly NextGen managed services platform requires us to continually evaluate every layer of the technology stack and invest where we can meaningfully improve the client experience," said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. "By bringing together best-of-breed technologies with the expertise we've built across thousands of client environments, we're delivering enterprise-grade capabilities in a way that's simpler to consume, easier to scale, and designed around better business outcomes." Modernizing Managed Detection and Response As part of this investment, Thrive has enhanced the technology foundation of its Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service with Elastic, strengthening how security data is collected, analyzed, and prioritized across customer environments. The enhanced platform enables Thrive to: * Analyze a broader range of cloud, SaaS, endpoint, network, and on-premises security data, providing a more complete view of each customer's environment. * Apply AI and machine learning to identify emerging threats while reducing false positives, enabling faster, more accurate threat detection. * Scale to support growing customer environments and increasing volumes of security telemetry without sacrificing performance or visibility. These enhancements help Thrive's 24x7 security experts focus on the activity that matters most, improving both the speed and accuracy of threat detection and response. "Security is fundamentally a data problem, but for too long, legacy constraints have forced organizations to make risk-based decisions on budget, dropping critical data and leaving blind spots where adversaries hide," said Mike Nichols, general manager, Security at Elastic. "Elastic gives Thrive the high-speed foundation to ingest and analyze security data at scale without compromise, and apply transparent, 'show-your-work' AI to automate away the mundane analyst toil. By combining our open platform with Thrive's managed expertise, we keep a critical 'human on the loop' to cut through the noise, focus on actual adversarial behavior, and respond to threats at machine speed." Advancing Secure Access with Zero Trust Thrive is also introducing Cato Networks Universal Zero Trust Network Access (UZTNA) technology into its managed security portfolio, helping organizations replace traditional VPNs with a modern approach to secure access built for today's distributed workforce technology into its managed security portfolio, helping organizations replace traditional VPNs with a modern approach to secure access built for today's distributed workforce. Instead of relying on network-based access, Cato continuously validates user identity and context, enabling Thrive to provide secure, seamless access regardless of where employees work, while reducing the complexity associated with legacy remote access technologies. Key benefits include: * Seamless application access from anywhere without relying on traditional VPN architecture. * Continuous identity validation and application-specific access controls to prevent unauthorized access and lateral movement. * Secure access for contractors and BYOD users without adding friction for IT or end users. * Reduced operational complexity through a cloud-native Zero Trust platform that simplifies ongoing management. "Secure access needs to follow the user, not the network," said Addie Finch, vice president of channels, Americas at Cato Networks. "As security and networking continue to converge, organizations are looking for platforms that apply consistent, risk-based access policies across users, devices, and applications without increasing operational burden. Together with Thrive, we're helping customers simplify secure access with a Zero Trust approach designed for today's distributed environments." These investments reflect Thrive's belief that organizations shouldn't have to choose between enterprise-grade security and operational simplicity. By continually modernizing the technologies behind its NextGen managed services platform, Thrive enables customers to benefit from the latest innovations without the complexity of managing them internally. About Thrive Thrive is a NextGen 3.0 global technology outsourcing provider that empowers small and mid-market organizations to transform their technology into a strategic advantage. Offering a breadth of services from AI and cybersecurity to cloud, compliance, and traditional MSP/MSSP solutions, Thrive's team of seasoned experts develop strategies that standardize, scale, and automate technology to achieve outsized ROI. From advisory services to a 24x7x365 SOC and NOC, Thrive provides end-to-end IT and cybersecurity management so clients can focus on innovation and growth. With Thrive, your business is always supported and always secure. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Gimlet Labs raises $300 million Series B at a $3 billion valuation; XDOF in talks at about $1.2 billion. Andreessen Horowitz led Gimlet Labs' round, while XDOF is reported to be in late-stage talks for a Series B with 8VC reportedly set to lead. Jaipur Robotics raised €4.3 million, Lupin Dental €15 million, Cato €6 million and Dawraty $2 million. Artificial intelligence. Gimlet Labs announced a $300 million Series B that brings its valuation to $3 billion and its total funding to $392 million [2]. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Sapphire Ventures, M12, Arm, Menlo Ventures and Factory [2]. The company says the new capital will be used to build out operations for its multi-silicon cloud and to expand its team [2]. Gimlet says its inference software, which matches each phase of an AI workload to the most appropriate silicon, achieves up to 10X gains in throughput and interactivity [2]. San Mateo-based XDOF is in late-stage talks to raise a Series B at a valuation of about $1.2 billion, with 8VC reportedly set to lead the round, according to people familiar with the deal cited by TechCrunch [4]. XDOF closed a $70 million Series A about three months ago, with Thrive Capital, Spark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital and WndrCo participating, and TechCrunch reported annualised revenue approaching $50 million [4]. The startup builds the data pipelines and teleoperation tools that teach general-purpose robots to work in the physical world [4]. Kuwait-based edtech startup Dawraty has raised a $2 million seed round led by Qatar Development Bank [8]. Dawraty provides an AI-powered learning platform for medical education, professional certification and exam preparation, available in Arabic and English [8]. It plans to use the new capital to scale its operations and establish a stronger commercial presence in Qatar, where it recently signed a reseller agreement with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy [8]. Italian AI company Cato has raised a €6 million seed round led by Keen Venture Partners, with participation from Vento, Heartfelt, Moonstone, BHeroes, Alecla7 and Nova Venture, and from angel investors including the founders of Lexroom, Sibill and Pillar [9]. Cato plans to use the capital to further develop its public tender platform, expand its commercial operations, grow its team, and support customers across additional sectors and international markets [9]. Its platform helps businesses identify, analyse and respond to public-sector tenders [9]. Robotics. Swiss startup Jaipur Robotics has closed a €4.3 million seed round to accelerate its international expansion, enter new markets and further develop its technology platform [1]. The round was co-led by EquityPitcher Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) [3]. Founded in 2024, the company develops computer vision and AI solutions for waste-to-energy, cement and biomass plants [3]. It reports, per plant per year, over €1 million in added value from improved waste mixing, and says its system detects hazardous materials with 99% accuracy [3]. Montpellier-based Lupin Dental has closed a €15 million Series A for its robotic technology for dental procedures [5]. Fynveur led the round with a €10 million investment, alongside existing shareholders and private investors, with additional loan financing from Bpifrance [5]. The Lupin Robotic System combines treatment-planning software with a robotic workstation that automates tooth preparation for aesthetic veneers [5]. It received UKCA certification in June 2026, enabling commercialisation in Great Britain, but is not yet approved for clinical use in the EU or US [5]. Lupin Dental will use the financing to expand partnerships with academic and medical institutions, dentists and Dental Service Organizations as it works toward broader adoption [5]. In a September 6 analysis, Value Add Pulse said robotics startups have raised roughly $23 billion so far in 2026, closing in on the full-year 2025 total, and that humanoid-specific funding has crossed $8.6 billion, 1.8 times last year's full-year figure, according to Crunchbase News sector data and Briefs.co tracking [7]. It lists Figure AI, which has raised roughly $2.34 billion cumulatively at a $39 billion valuation; Neura Robotics, which closed a financing worth up to $1.4 billion with Nvidia, Amazon, Bosch and Schaeffler at the table; and Apptronik, which extended its Series A to more than $935 million in total [7].

Cato Networks launches SMB FlexPool for managed SASE. September 3, 2026 Cato Networks is expanding its reach into the small and midsize business market with a new program designed to make managed secure access service edge (SASE) services more accessible, according to insights from SDx Central. The offering, called Cato SMB FlexPool, aims to simplify the process for both customers and partners. Cato SMB FlexPool features a streamlined onboarding process and a partner-level pool of licenses that can be scaled as demand increases. This allows telecom operators and managed service providers (MSPs) to instantly provision customer accounts and activate services through a self-service workflow. Partners can create customized customer-facing packages using the underlying capacity, tailoring them to their specific market strategies. This initiative removes licensing and operational overhead, enabling partners to onboard new customers quickly while maintaining control over the customer experience. The pooled licensing model follows Cato's recent introduction of an à la carte version of its platform, allowing customers to select individual modules like AI security, SD-WAN, or security service edge (SSE). Cato Networks, recently recognized in Gartner's SASE rankings, is focusing on empowering partners with a scalable foundation to accelerate their market entry and offer differentiated services. This approach benefits end customers through faster deployment, smoother onboarding, and scalable secure network services.