Mergers Acquisitions

Boston – September 15, 2026 -- EMD Serono, Inc., the U.S. and Canada healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has acquired two preclinical fertility drug programs from Boston-based biotech PostEra, the companies announced.

EMD Serono takes over two AI-designed oral fertility candidates

The deal covers PostEra's Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR) agonist program for ovarian stimulation in IVF and its Luteinizing Hormone/Choriogonadotropin Receptor (LHCGR) agonist program for male infertility and ovulation triggering. Both programs originated from PostEra's proprietary Proton AI platform, developed over the past two years to target small-molecule alternatives in Women's Health and Fertility, markets the company describes as almost entirely dependent on injectable medications.

Summit, N.J. – September 15, 2026 -- Simplicity Group has acquired Whitney and Associates, LLC, a Des Moines, Iowa-based independent marketing organization, along with its affiliated Altitude Capital Management RIA, an integrated wealth and investment management platform.

Simplicity adds two new partners through the deal

Mitchell Whitney and Charles Johnson join Simplicity Group as Partners as part of the transaction. Both previously led Whitney and Associates, a wholesale IMO specializing in annuity, life insurance and wealth management solutions for independent advisors.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- A group of private investors led by Harry Adjmi, CEO of One Step Up, has acquired The Limited, the American women's fashion brand founded in 1963.

Adjmi group adds The Limited to a portfolio that includes New York & Company, Fashion to Figure and Hard Tail

The deal brings one of America's most recognized apparel names under the same ownership group that already controls New York & Company, Fashion to Figure and Hard Tail. The acquisition extends Adjmi's strategy of buying established brands with strong consumer recognition and rebuilding them for long-term growth.

The Limited built its reputation on tailored separates and career wear for American women

The Limited became known for polished apparel, coordinated collections and workwear aimed at professional women. The brand's identity centered on accessible, sophisticated dressing for office and everyday life.

Everett – September 15, 2026 -- WaterTectonics has acquired the patents and intellectual property of Dynamic Water Technologies (DWT), becoming the exclusive Original Equipment Manufacturer of the Dynamic Scale Remover (DSR), an electrochemical cooling tower treatment technology.

WaterTectonics gains exclusive OEM rights to patented electrochemical scale-removal technology

The DSR system uses a patented electrochemical process to strip dissolved scale-forming minerals from cooling water before they accumulate on heat transfer surfaces. The process simultaneously generates oxidants from chlorides already present in the water, cutting the need for added biocides while allowing facilities to run at higher cycles of concentration.

Boston – September 15, 2026 -- EMD Serono, Inc., the U.S. and Canada healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has acquired two preclinical fertility drug programs from PostEra, a biotechnology company that uses artificial intelligence for small-molecule drug discovery.

EMD Serono takes over two AI-derived fertility programs from PostEra

The deal covers a class of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) agonists for ovarian stimulation in IVF and a separate class of luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) agonists targeting male infertility and ovulation triggering in IVF. Both programs were developed over the past two years using PostEra's Proton AI platform and remain in preclinical development, with safety and efficacy in humans not yet established.

Denver – September 13, 2026 -- Galloway & Company, LLC has acquired Hafer Inc., a 70-person architecture, interior design, and MEP engineering firm based in Evansville, Indiana, growing Galloway's footprint to 21 offices across 13 states.

Galloway adds four Midwest offices through the Hafer deal

Hafer, founded in 1978, operates from Evansville, Indiana; Columbus, Ohio; Owensboro, Kentucky; and Carbondale, Illinois. The firm delivers architecture, interior design, MEP engineering, landscape architecture, planning, and sustainable design services across healthcare, civic, corporate, higher education, K-12, religious, retail, restaurant, library, and aquatics projects.