Stories & Media
Founder journeys, bold bets and the ideas changing industries — every story we’ve published, in one place.
The world of space investing is undergoing a massive transformation. What was once reserved for aerospace specialists and rocket scientists is now attracting generalist venture capitalists (VCs). She made what she calls a “literal moon shot” investment in Stoke Space five years ago without understanding rocket science. Over the years, she has invested in startups…
Burning Man, the iconic Nevada desert festival, has been rocked by tragedy after a man was found dead in what authorities are treating as a homicide. According to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, the victim—a white adult male whose identity remains unknown—was discovered “lying in a pool of blood” around 9:14 p.m. on Saturday, just…
The momentum in U.S. clean tech manufacturing investment has slowed sharply in recent quarters. A new study by the Rhodium Group and MIT reveals that in Q2, companies canceled $5 billion worth of clean tech projects, compared to only $4 billion in new investments announced. Actual manufacturing investments dropped by 15%, highlighting a troubling trend…
WhatsApp has just rolled out a new AI-powered feature called Writing Help, designed to make messaging smarter and more fun. The tool allows users to rephrase, proofread, or adjust the tone of their messages with just one tap. Powered by Meta’s Private Processing technology, the feature ensures privacy by generating AI suggestions without Meta or…
Assort Health, a fast-growing healthcare startup, has raised $50 million in a Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, pushing its valuation to $750 million. This funding comes just four months after its $22 million Series A, highlighting strong investor confidence in the company’s mission to automate patient phone calls with AI voice agents.…
Pintarnya, an Indonesian employment and financial services platform, has secured $16.7 million in Series A funding, led by Square Peg, with support from Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India and East Ventures. Founded in 2022 by Ghirish Pokardas, Nelly Nurmalasari, and Henry Hendrawan, Pintarnya aims to solve two major challenges for Indonesian workers: finding stable…
In a surprising move, nonprofit search engine Ecosia has offered to take “stewardship” of Google Chrome for the next 10 years. Instead of forcing Google to sell Chrome to another tech giant, Ecosia suggests a unique model managing the browser and directing most of its revenues toward global climate initiatives. This proposal comes as U.S.…
In the wake of the venture capital crash of 2022, many startups faced a harsh reality: scaling at all costs doesn’t always guarantee survival. SecurityPal founder Pukar Hamal found himself just 14 months away from running out of money. Instead of rushing to raise another funding round, he chose a different path one he calls…
Deel has secured a legal victory after a Florida judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing the HR and payroll provider of processing payments that allegedly helped Russian entities bypass U.S. sanctions. The case, filed by court-appointed receiver Melanie Damian on behalf of investors tied to Surge Capital Ventures, claimed Deel was responsible for transactions connected to…
Spotify has unveiled a brand-new feature that takes playlist creation to the next level — custom transitions. This update allows Premium subscribers to add seamless, professional-style transitions between tracks, giving playlists a DJ-like flow without needing advanced audio skills. With the new Mix option in the toolbar, users can automatically add transitions or choose from…
Cohere, a Toronto-based AI startup and one of the early pioneers in large language models (LLMs), has secured a massive $500 million oversubscribed funding round, boosting its valuation to $6.8 billion. This marks a significant rise from its $5.5 billion valuation just over a year ago, when it also raised $500 million. Founded in 2019…
Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle company, has taken a big step toward improving the passenger experience by integrating Spotify directly into its robotaxis. For years, riders could only choose from limited music stations like lo-fi beats, smooth jazz, or K-pop — hardly enough for passengers who wanted their own playlists or favorite podcasts. Previously, streaming music…
