AI is no longer only a product layer for new software companies. Beacon is testing whether it can become the operating system for buying and modernizing older essential businesses. The company said on June 9, 2026 that it had raised a $225 million Series C to expand its AI-native business operating system and keep acquiring mission-critical companies.

The round was led by General Catalyst and HarbourVest, with participation from Lightspeed, Intrepid Growth Partners, Valiant Peregrine, BDT & MSD Partners affiliated funds, Journey LP, Sator Grove, and other investors. Beacon says its model is to buy essential businesses and integrate them into a shared operating platform rather than treat each acquisition as a stand-alone asset.

The scale claims are what make this more than a standard funding note. Beacon says it is acquiring businesses at roughly one per week and that its modernization approach has produced more than 50% EBITDA growth over the past year. The company frames the opportunity around the falling cost of writing high-quality code and the underbuilt technical infrastructure of industries that account for more than 55% of U.S. GDP.

The financing also comes with a leadership upgrade. Mark Schaaf, previously CTO at Instacart and Superhuman, is joining as COO/CPO. Goutham Buchi, formerly CTO at AngelList and a senior engineering leader at Coinbase, is joining as CTO. Both will work from Beacon’s new San Francisco office and focus on scaling the platform across product, engineering, and AI.

The model has a clear upside: small and mid-market software businesses often have proprietary workflows, sticky customers, and outdated tooling. If Beacon can standardize engineering, back-office automation, and go-to-market systems across the portfolio, AI becomes an operating advantage rather than a demo. The risk is integration debt. A one-company-per-week acquisition cadence leaves little room for messy systems, local market differences, or teams that resist being folded into a common platform.

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Beacon raises $225M to test AI roll-ups at one acquisition a week