DFW Real Estate Investment Group Expands Infrastructure Capabilities, Raises $780 Million

Accelerate Infrastructure Opportunities raised $780 million in capital, including $630 million in equity from funds and co-investors managed by CBRE Investment Management and $150 million from its first asset-backed securitization.

“We are grateful to CBRE IM and its partners for their investment, which allows us to continue to execute and scale our leading infrastructure real estate strategy,” said Accelerate founder and CEO Brennan Potts. “All of our investors recognize the significant need for infrastructure property investment to support building a connected and resilient economy. Accelerate is here to help meet that need.”

CBRE IM and Accelerate initially merged in December 2022 to launch their infrastructure acquisition strategy. Over the past two years, Accelerate has acquired interests in more than 200 properties in 38 states related to renewable energy, transportation infrastructure and digital assets. The company manages and operates properties located in critical infrastructure sites that provide sustainable cash flow.

“Combining Accelerate’s high-performing and valued team with the experience and breadth of CBRE’s platform has enabled Accelerate to quickly gain market share across multiple infrastructure sectors and strengthen its leadership position,” said CBRE IM Managing Director Rob Shaw. Accelerate’s proven reputation, creative structuring and long-term partnerships. Accelerate can be the partner of choice to help landowners, brokers and infrastructure companies realize the full value of land underlying critical infrastructure assets.”

Siemens signs agreement to acquire Altair Engineering

Siemens is acquiring Michigan-based computer science and artificial intelligence company Altair Engineering, which provides software and cloud solutions in modeling and analysis, data science, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, which will be integrated with Siemens Xcelerator. The transaction value is $10.6 billion.

“This acquisition confirms our position as a leader in industrial software and will allow us to provide an even more comprehensive offering to our customers,” said Timo Nenwich, CFO of Seimens Digital Industries Software, via LinkedIn. “I am truly excited to have all the talent, products and opportunities joining our organization.

Altair was founded in 1985 and then went public in 2017. Today the company has more than 3,500 employees, of which approximately 1,400 employees are engaged in research and development. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025, allowing Siemens to strengthen its position in industrial software and manufacturing processes.

“This acquisition represents the culmination of nearly 40 years in which Altair has grown from a Detroit startup to a world-class software and technology company,” said Altair founder and CEO James Scapa. “We believe this combination of two highly complementary leaders in engineering software brings together Altair’s broad portfolio in simulation, data science and high-performance computing with Siemens’ strong position in mechanical and EDA design. Siemens’ outstanding technology, strategic customer relationships and honest technical culture are a great fit for Altair to continue its path to innovation through computational intelligence.”

Enterprise Browser Company Island Secures Citi Ventures Series D Participation

Island has secured backing from Citi Ventures, the venture capital arm of Citigroup, for a Series D funding round. Island has created an enterprise browser that optimizes and strengthens security controls and reduces costs by modernizing IT infrastructure.

“Enterprises with the most stringent data security requirements continue to simplify their IT stacks with the enterprise browser,” said Island co-founder and CEO Mike Fey. “CIOs, CISOs and their teams have the ideal platform to improve cybersecurity and reduce costs while delivering unparalleled productivity gains to end users. Citi Ventures can offer unique perspectives and support to help us expand our presence in the critical financial services market around the world.”

Coatue Management and Sequoia Capital led the Series D, valuing Island at $3 billion. The investment will allow Island to continue to build security and IT needs directly into its browser, providing security across multiple features.

“Over the past two decades, we have seen the growth of SaaS applications and the adoption of desktop applications in the browser,” said Citi Ventures head of enterprise technology investing Matt Carbonara. “As applications move into the browser and beyond the operating system, the browser becomes increasingly important and an ideal place to implement security controls and monitoring. We believe Island has created a best-in-class browser that meets these new security requirements while also delivering functionality that significantly improves the user experience and performance.”