Apeel Founder on MAHA Misinformation, Layoffs, and a Second Act in Post-Harvest Tech
Apeel Sciences, once valued at over $2 billion with 450 employees, has shrunk to about 50 staff after two rounds of layoffs and a coordinated misinformation campaign that labeled its edible produce coatings as toxic. The campaign, driven by wellness influencers, caused major retailers such as Costco and Limoneira to drop the technology, leading to a $36 million write‑down and loss of roughly $60 million in expected revenue. Apeel has responded by reformulating its coating into a liquid that cuts application costs tenfold and by expanding its Fresh Formulaics line and AI‑driven RipeTrack quality toolkit, now focusing on Europe, the Middle East and Africa for growth. The company hopes a new wave of positive PR and retailer lobbying will revive its U.S. presence.
BDC Extends Isabelle Hudon’s Mandate as CEO Through 2030
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has extended CEO Isabelle Hudon's mandate through 2030, citing the need for steady leadership amid geopolitical uncertainty. Under Hudon since August 2021, BDC has grown its client base by nearly 50%, remained consistently...
#59075
Whitestone REIT shareholders will vote on July 9, 2026 to approve a merger with an ARES Real Estate Management subsidiary. If approved, each WSR share converts to a $19 net cash payment, equating to $1,900 per standard option contract. The merger triggers...
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Was an Economic Success. Here’s How Other Tournaments Can Replicate It.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco generated commercial revenue that was 90 percent higher than the 2023 edition, driven by record‑breaking broadcast agreements and sponsorships. CAF’s commercial model proved that a predictable tournament can attract sizable private investment, contrasting...
Fed Officials Warn AI's Economic Costs May Arrive Faster than Benefits
Federal Reserve officials cautioned that AI’s promised productivity boost may arrive later than inflation pressures, urging policymakers not to rely on AI to justify lower rates. St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem warned that AI‑driven demand for chips, equipment and...
Clients Buying Businesses Should Consider Cost Segregation
When acquiring businesses with real‑estate assets, depreciation can outweigh purchase price and working‑capital considerations. Cost segregation identifies building components eligible for five‑, seven‑ or 15‑year lives, and under §168(k) assets placed in service after Jan 19 2025 may qualify for a 100%...
AvidXchange Expands Embedded AP Automation Push Through Acumatica Partnership
AvidXchange announced a new embedded accounts‑payable automation integration with Acumatica, allowing payments, supplier management, and cash‑flow tracking to be handled directly inside the ERP. The solution leverages AvidXchange’s Accounts Payable as a Service platform and taps its network of more...
Treasury Yields Jump as Iran Vows Complete Strait of Hormuz Closure
U.S. ten‑year Treasury yields breached the 4.5% mark on Monday after Iran announced it would close the Strait of Hormuz and cease communications with the United States. The move pushed oil prices up roughly 8%, reviving inflation worries and prompting...
Arsenal v PSG Got 16.2m Illegal Stream Views in UK After Not Being Free-to-Air
The 2026 Champions League final between Arsenal and PSG generated 16.2 million illegal stream views in the UK, traced to 3.7 million unique IP addresses, after TNT Sports and HBO Max chose not to offer a free‑to‑air broadcast. Legal viewership on the subscription...
Beehiiv Schedules First Summer Release Event to Unveil Next Platform Chapter
Beehiiv will host its first Summer Release Event on July 16, 2026, to unveil the next phase of its platform as it moves beyond newsletters into publishing, audience growth, and monetization. The company recently added native podcast hosting, webinar capabilities,...
TD Cowen: STB Pauses Merger Review, Demands Comprehensive Data
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has paused the Union Pacific‑Norfolk Southern merger review, accepting the revised filing but demanding extensive supplemental data by July 27. The Board seeks granular information on competition effects, public benefits, market share, and facility‑by‑facility impacts,...
Creator Entertainment Platform Punchup Live Adds Podcast Tool Integrating Subscriptions, Live Ticketing
Punchup Live has introduced a podcast tool that merges subscription services, premium content, and live‑event ticketing on a single platform. The initial rollout features two comedy podcasts—“Bein’ Ian W/ Jordan” and “Tuesdays With Stories”—leveraging the creators’ existing live audiences. The...
SoundCloud Names Goat Agency Its U.S. Influencer Agency of Record
SoundCloud has named The Goat Agency’s U.S. arm as its influencer agency of record after a competitive pitch. The partnership will centralize influencer and creator marketing across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, with the first campaign slated for June 2026. Goat...
AIG’s Turnaround Under Zaffino Sets Stage for New Leadership
Eric Andersen assumes the CEO role at AIG after Peter Zaffino’s five‑year turnaround that shifted the insurer from chronic underwriting losses to consistent profits and a 69% stock rally. Zaffino’s aggressive cost cuts halved the company’s commercial policy liabilities from...
BlackForce Announces Vision to Build the Financial Infrastructure for Human Capital
BlackForce unveiled a new AI‑powered platform that treats skills, talent and future earnings as measurable financial assets. The six‑pillar ecosystem spans education, financing, career placement, venture incubation, mentorship and study‑abroad programs, aiming to replace traditional tuition‑debt models with outcome‑based funding....
TikTok Shop Is Launching in the Netherlands, Opening In-App Commerce to Dutch Brands, Creators
TikTok Shop will go live in the Netherlands on June 15, 2026, extending in‑app commerce to Dutch users through shoppable videos, livestreams, and a dedicated storefront. The rollout is part of a simultaneous expansion into Belgium, Poland and Austria, adding...
Eurazeo’s Impact Buyout Fund Acquires Circular Economy Platform T1A
Eurazeo’s impact‑focused private‑equity arm, the Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund (EPBF), has taken a majority stake in Denmark’s T1A Group, a leading IT asset disposition provider. T1A refurbishes more than 250,000 laptops, servers and networking devices each year, extending product lifecycles...
Rachel Huber Coined ‘Latte Makeup,’ Brands Turned It Into a Campaign Cycle
Beauty creator Rachel Huber turned a casual Pilates‑day look into the viral "latte makeup" trend, a name she coined and shared on TikTok. The phrase quickly spread to Vogue, Good Morning America, and Hailey Bieber’s Instagram, illustrating how a simple...
HubEngage Launches AI Surveys and Microlearning to Cut HR Costs and Boost Employee Experience
HubEngage introduced two AI‑powered features—AI Surveys and AI Microlearning—to streamline HR tasks for frontline and distributed workforces. AI Surveys generate short pulse checks and automatically analyze sentiment across 40+ topics, reducing a 100‑hour effort for a 500‑person firm to minutes....
GE Brings Jobs Home as Tariff Pressure Reshapes Manufacturing
GE Appliances is investing $490 million to revive a Kentucky factory, moving washer production from China to Louisville and creating roughly 800 jobs. The shift aims to cut tariff exposure, reduce shipping risks, and tighten delivery timelines amid rising trade tensions....
The Next Big Career Move for Young Hollywood? Reading Audio Smut
Quinn, the women‑focused audio erotica platform founded in 2019, is leveraging celebrity talent from hit TV series to attract Gen Z listeners. Recent collaborations with stars from Heated Rivalry and Off Campus have turned niche audio porn into a mainstream offering....
Smith&Saint Signs Five Digital Creators, Including ‘Dance Moms’ Alum Kalani Goldman
Smith&Saint, the boutique talent agency founded in 2018, announced the signing of five digital creators: Kalani Hilliker Goldman, Charlie Scott, Kristin Johns, Lauren Vanessa, and fitness influencer Stefana Avara. Goldman, a former “Dance Moms” star, brings over 11 million followers across...
QuotaPath Launches AI Revenue Strategist, Atlas, to Help Revenue Leaders Connect Comp Plans to GTM Motion
QuotaPath unveiled Atlas, an AI‑powered Revenue Strategist designed to help revenue leaders create, validate, and optimize compensation plans. Drawing on eight years of proprietary data and tens of thousands of real‑world plans, Atlas connects pay structures directly to go‑to‑market strategies....
Transforming Global Finance – Leveraging African Innovation to Power Emerging Market Economies
African fintech firms are leveraging mobile‑first platforms and stablecoins to modernize digital finance across the continent and now abroad, entering markets such as Brazil, India, Mexico, and China. Their unified, enterprise‑grade infrastructure lets businesses settle cross‑border invoices in under 24...
Twitch Rolls Out Dual Format Streaming, 2K Resolution at TwitchCon Rotterdam
Twitch unveiled a suite of upgrades at TwitchCon Rotterdam, debuting Dual Format streaming that simultaneously delivers horizontal and vertical video feeds, and launching 2K (1440p) resolution with a 9 Mbps bitrate ceiling for Partners and Affiliates. New creator tools include Auto...
TriMet Adopts FY 2027 Budget
TriMet adopted a FY 2027 budget of $1.75 billion, allocating $1.14 billion for service, operations, and capital projects while tapping $127 million from reserve funds to narrow a $300 million structural deficit announced in July 2025. The agency’s long‑term deficit stands at $224 million, with a projected...
Berkshire’s New Boss Goes All In on Housing
Berkshire Hathaway, now led by newly appointed CEO Greg Abel, announced a $6.8 billion acquisition of a U.S. homebuilder, marking the conglomerate’s first major entry into residential construction. Warren Buffett gave his explicit approval, signaling confidence in the strategic shift. Abel...
PayPal CEO Leans on AI Chief
PayPal CEO Enrique Lores has appointed Anshu Bhardwaj as chief AI transformation and simplification officer to drive AI‑led cost reductions. The company targets $1.5 billion in savings over the next two to three years, coupled with a 20% workforce cut and...
Dee Dee Cox: Creating Clear Pathways for Women
Dee Dee Cox, Vice President of Human Resources Development at Old Dominion Freight Line, was named the 2025 Influential Woman in Trucking by the Women In Trucking Association. Over her 17‑year tenure, she expanded OD’s HR team from a single employee to...
Tencent Reportedly Preparing UGC Initiative for Delta Force
Tencent is gearing up to launch a major user‑generated content (UGC) platform for its shooter Delta Force, as revealed by a new recruitment posting from Tencent IEG. The initiative will add player‑creation tools, an in‑game editor, distribution channels and monetisation options,...
Servier Frees Edgewise for Cardio Mission with $2.65B Muscular Dystrophy Deal
Servier is acquiring Edgewise Therapeutics' muscular‑dystrophy business for up to $2.65 billion, paying $1.55 billion upfront with $1.1 billion in potential milestones. The deal transfers the fast skeletal‑myosin inhibitor sevasemten, currently in Phase 3 trials for Becker muscular dystrophy and Phase 2 for Duchenne, to...
impact.com to Power Minecraft’s First-Ever Affiliate Program
impact.com announced it will power Minecraft’s first affiliate program, enabling creators to monetize their content. The program uses impact.com’s Creator and Performance solutions to manage relationships, track sales, and automate payouts worldwide. Minecraft, the best‑selling video game with over 300 million...
XCharge Appoints Albina Iljasov as Co-CEO
XCharge has appointed Albina Iljasov as Co‑CEO alongside Yifei Hou, expanding its top‑level leadership team. Iljasov will take charge of European operations and oversee the firm’s information security and cybersecurity programs starting 1 June. The dual‑CEO structure is intended to sharpen...
Hightouch Launches Exposure Log Matching for The Trade Desk
Hightouch introduced Exposure Log Matching for The Trade Desk, letting advertisers resolve raw event data to their own consented customer and household IDs directly in a data warehouse. The Match Booster combines first‑party signals with Hightouch’s identity graph, delivering matched...
Balls Food Stores Names Campbell President
Balls Food Stores announced Ryan Campbell as its new president, while founder David Ball transitions to chairman of the board. Campbell, a former Army intelligence officer and Deloitte consultant, has been steering the retailer’s five‑year Project 2030 growth plan as...
Deloitte UK Appoints First Chief AI Officer in Drive for ‘AI-Enabled’ Services
Deloitte UK has appointed Hayley McKelvey as its first chief AI officer, a move designed to embed artificial intelligence throughout client engagements and internal operations. The new role sits within a broader “strategic appointments” effort led by UK chief executive...
LRRR Acquiring Ohio Line
Long Ridge Railroad Company (LRRR), a non‑carrier owned by MARA Holdings, filed a verified notice of exemption to purchase a 12.2‑mile rail line in eastern Ohio from East Ohio Valley Railway (EOVR). The line runs between Powhatan Point and Hannibal,...
6 PPC Myths Every Advertiser Should Stop Believing
At Hero Conf UK 2026, six entrenched PPC myths were debunked, including the belief that larger budgets automatically make accounts more complex, that last‑click attribution fully captures PPC value, and that more conversions equal better performance. Speakers highlighted that small‑budget accounts require tighter...
FedEx’s Spin-Off of FedEx Freight Is a Done Deal
FedEx completed the spin‑off of its less‑than‑truckload unit, FedEx Freight, which now trades on the NYSE under the ticker FDXF and replaces American Airlines Group in the Dow Jones Transportation Average. The LTL carrier posted $9.1 billion in 2024 revenue and...
A New Reality for Cross-Border Trade
At Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that U.S.-Canada trade is in a rupture, not a transition, as geopolitical tensions turn integration into a strategic weapon. A February Supreme Court decision overturned key Trump‑era tariff rules, adding legal uncertainty...
Flutterwave Promotes 25% of Its Global Workforce in Talent Retention Move
Flutterwave announced that it promoted roughly 25% of its global workforce, elevating over 100 employees as part of a talent‑retention drive marking its tenth year of operations. The company introduced cost‑of‑living adjustments, tax support for Nigerian staff, and a one‑time...
Squash Players Turn to Social Media to Cash in on LA Olympic Games Opportunities
British squash players are leveraging social media to generate sponsorships ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is relocating its finals to the West Coast and urging athletes to build personal brands,...
TwelveLabs Bring Its Video Understanding Technology Directly to Creators
TwelveLabs unveiled Rodeo, an AI‑powered creative copilot that lets video creators search, edit, and assemble footage using natural language. The tool leverages the company’s Marengo 3.0 and Pegasus 1.5 models to provide contextual understanding of video content, enabling instant retrieval...
Idex Appoints New CEO as Biometric Card Maker Seeks Commercial Traction
Idex Biometrics announced that COO Kjell-Arne Besseberg will assume the roles of chief executive officer and interim chief financial officer, while founder Anders Storbråten moves to executive chairman. The Norwegian firm reported a record order backlog of NOK 23.4 million (about $2.3 million),...
WWEX Group and Auctane Complete Merger, Creating Leading Logistics Provider ShipStation Global
WWEX Group and Auctane have completed a merger that creates ShipStation Global, a logistics platform backed by Thoma Bravo with CVC retaining a minority stake. The new entity combines WWEX’s freight brokerage network of over 2,300 sales professionals with Auctane’s AI‑powered...
Northzone Brings on Firstminute Investor to Support AI Ventures
Northzone has hired Sam Endacott, formerly of Firstminute Capital, as a London‑based partner to lead applied and physical AI investments. Endacott will focus on early‑stage deals from seed to Series B, leveraging his track record with n8n, Storyblok, Stitch, Protex AI and...
Evelyn Partners CEO and CFO to Step Down
Evelyn Partners announced that CEO Paul Geddes and CFO Alex Gersh will depart once NatWest finalises its summer acquisition. The firm named Chief Investment Management Officer Chris Kenny as the incoming CEO and promoted deputy CFO Din Mustaffa to the...
From a Koramangala 2BHK to Rs 100 Cr ARR: How 3 CAs Built RegisterKaro
RegisterKaro, founded by three chartered accountants in a Koramangala 2BHK during the 2021 COVID lockdown, has grown into a compliance platform that has incorporated over 50,000 companies and now launches more than 2,500 businesses each month. The startup moved from...
Five Thoughts From Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s GTC Taipei 2026 Keynote
At Nvidia’s GTC Taipei 2026, CEO Jensen Huang declared that "useful AI" and agentic systems are now driving real economic value, turning compute into revenue. He highlighted a surge in developer productivity, with AI copilots enabling $9 trillion of output for...
ZipRecruiter Launches New Recruiter Outreach Automation
ZipRecruiter introduced Smart Outreach, an AI‑driven automation that turns a job description into a series of personalized messages sent to candidates. The feature integrates with its Resume Database, which houses more than 50 million active job seekers, and can dispatch up...