Salesforce Survey Reveals AI Is the #2 Growth Tactic for 2026 as Irish Sales Teams Turn to Agents
Salesforce’s State of Sales survey of over 4,000 reps, including 100 in Ireland, shows AI agents are the second‑most important growth tactic for 2026. In Ireland, 87% of sales organisations already use AI for tasks such as prospecting and forecasting, and 48% have deployed AI agents, with another 51% planning adoption by 2027. Sellers report that agents can shave 36% off prospect research and email drafting, freeing reps to focus on relationship‑building. High‑performing teams are 1.7 times more likely to leverage prospecting agents, underscoring a clear productivity edge.
Wärtsilä to Boost Capacity at Sustainable Technology Hub
Wärtsilä will invest roughly €140 million to expand its Sustainable Technology Hub in Vaasa, boosting production capacity by 35% and adding an 11,000 sq m extension. The upgraded facility, slated for completion in Q1 2028, supports the company’s record‑high 2025 operating profit of €833 million...
Leuven-Based AI Running Analysis Platform Runeasi Raises €1M for Global Growth
Leuven‑based AI spin‑off Runeasi has secured €1 million in a funding round led by Smarter Ventures, with participation from existing backers and angel investor Sean Gourley. The company’s AI‑powered motion sensor belt enables physiotherapists, coaches and running retailers to perform rapid...
Queros Raises $5M in Seed Funding
Qureos, a Dubai‑based AI hiring platform, secured $5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Prosus Ventures and Salica Oryx Fund, with participation from a slate of regional investors. The capital will accelerate AI feature development, expand the go‑to‑market...
Partners in Decline: What’s the Future for Partnerships?
The accountancy profession is witnessing the near‑complete erosion of the traditional partnership model, replaced by limited‑liability partnerships and subsidiary companies. Unlimited personal liability, once a hallmark of partnerships, has been mitigated through LLP structures, shielding partners from colleagues' mistakes. Private‑equity...
Exclusive: Positron Raises $230M Series B to Take on Nvidia’s AI Chips
Semiconductor startup Positron announced a $230 million Series B round, led in part by Qatar Investment Authority. The capital will accelerate deployment of its high‑speed memory chips and the Atlas inference processor, which claims H100‑class performance at a third of the power...
Finnish Startup Optivian Raises $2 Million Pre-Seed to Turn AI Into a Sales Execution Workforce
Finnish startup Optivian secured $2 million in a pre‑seed round led by Failup Ventures and AI veteran Tero Ojanperä. The company is building an agentic AI platform that autonomously handles execution‑heavy B2B sales tasks, from business‑case creation to next‑best‑action recommendations. Early...
Why Financial Values Matter
The piece argues that financial values—personal priorities and beliefs—are the hidden driver behind money choices, turning budgeting from a punitive checklist into a purpose‑aligned plan. By defining a personal notion of “enough,” individuals can stop chasing endless consumption and focus...
There Is Only One Sphere of Influence
The article argues that the United States now enjoys a unique, uncontested sphere of influence across the Western Hemisphere, anchored by overwhelming military spending and deep economic integration. By contrast, China and Russia lack the capacity to establish comparable regional...
2021 Sparked a Banner Year for Biotech IPOs. Where Are They Now?
In 2021 a pandemic‑driven gold rush produced 99 biotech IPOs that raised $15.6 billion, dwarfing the combined proceeds of 2023‑24. The surge created a “logical gap,” with many companies going public before their science was mature, leading to bankruptcies, pivots, and...
AI-Powered Fragrance Company Osmo Raises $70 Million in Series B Funding
AI‑driven fragrance startup Osmo announced a $70 million Series B round, led by Two Sigma Ventures and backed by Alumni Ventures and Patrick Collison. The capital will fund a move to a new manufacturing hub in New Jersey and the addition of three...
Tom Stevenson's Fund Picks for 2026: MoneyWeek Talks
Tom Stevenson of Fidelity highlighted three funds he expects to outperform in 2026: the Dodge & Cox Worldwide Global Stock Fund, Fidelity Special Situations (UK‑focused), and the Lazard Emerging Markets Fund. He argues that after three strong years for US equities, investors...
Plug Raises $20 Million Series A
Plug Technologies, a marketplace for buying and selling electric vehicles, announced a $20 million Series A round led by Lightspeed. The round also included participation from Galvanize and existing backers Autotech Ventures, Leap Forward Ventures, and Renn Global. Since its launch in...
KKR and Singtel Agree S$6.6bn Data Centre M&A Deal
Global investment firm KKR and Singapore telecom giant Singtel have agreed to purchase an 82% stake in ST Telemedia Global Data Centres for S$6.6 billion (US$5.1 billion). The acquisition targets the leading colocation provider’s extensive network of data‑centre assets across the Asia‑Pacific region....
AI Startup Phylo Nabs $13.5M for Its ‘Integrated Biology Environment’
Phylo Inc., an AI‑driven biology software startup, announced a $13.5 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Menlo Ventures’ Anthology Fund and other investors. The company’s flagship product, Biomni Lab, acts as an integrated biology environment that links...
Memo to the President: Steps to Secure a Prosperous, US-Aligned Venezuela
Following the January 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro, a memo authored by former U.S. officials outlines a roadmap for Washington to steer Venezuela toward a prosperous, U.S.-aligned future. It calls for immediate benchmarks on human‑rights reforms, dismantling of paramilitary groups, and...
The AICPA Gets the “Professional” Validation They Wanted, Early Career Pipeline Still on Fire
The U.S. Department of Education’s draft rule would have capped graduate student loans and initially classified accounting degrees as non‑professional, threatening higher‑limit borrowing for CPA candidates. The AICPA and NASBA quickly submitted strongly worded letters contesting the classification. In response,...
BizTrip AI Raises $1.5M in New Pre-Seed Funding
BizTrip AI, a provider of AI‑powered travel management solutions, announced a $1.5 million pre‑seed funding round, bringing its total capital to $2.5 million. The third tranche was led by RRE Ventures with participation from AI Fund, BAG Collective, BAG Ventures, Correlation Ventures,...
Neo Financial Secures $68.5 Million in Equity as It Adopts Big-Bank Funding Playbook
Neo Financial announced a CAD 68.5 million equity round led by Canadian institutional investors such as AIMCo and Northleaf. The funding coincides with the launch of a securitization program that will bundle its credit assets to generate liquidity, a practice common among...
Lotus Health Nabs $35M for AI Doctor that Sees Patients for Free
Lotus Health AI announced a $35 million Series A round, co‑led by CRV and Kleiner Perkins, bringing total capital to $41 million. The Boston‑based startup is building a free, 24/7 primary‑care platform that uses large‑language‑model AI to conduct diagnoses, prescribe medication, and refer specialists,...
Ares Interactive Raises $70M in Series A Funding
Ares Interactive, a San Francisco‑based game developer and publisher founded in 2024, announced a $70 million Series A round. The financing was led by venture firm General Catalyst, with participation from founder and executive chairman Niccolo de Masi. The capital will be deployed...
French Healthtech MyC Secures €10M to Digitise Medical Operations for Complex Worksites
French health‑tech startup MyC has closed a €10 million funding round led by Hi Inov, with participation from IXO, Elaia and OSS Ventures. The company offers a cloud‑based platform that centralises occupational health, first‑line medical care and regulatory reporting for complex, multi‑site...
Your Organization’s Unwritten Rules and How to Fix Them
Organizations run invisible markets that decide who gets resources, visibility, and advancement. Professor Judd Kessler proposes redesigning these hidden rules using the Three Es—Efficiency, Equity, and Ease—to create transparent, merit‑based systems. Real‑world pilots such as Wharton’s Course Match, the National Resident...
Synthpop Raises $15M in Series A Funding
Synthpop, a Cambridge, MA‑based developer of agentic AI for healthcare operations, announced a $15 million Series A round. The financing was led by Ansa Capital and included Defy.vc, Peterson Ventures, Storm Ventures, and Bruce Broussard. In addition, Marco DeMeireles, co‑founder and managing...
China Startup AccurEdit Raises $75M for Gene Editing Therapies
AccurEdit, a Chinese biotech startup, closed a $75 million Series B round to accelerate its CRISPR‑based gene‑editing therapies. The funding, led by Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia China, will finance IND‑enabling studies and scale GMP manufacturing. Early preclinical data show over 90 percent editing...
Christy Tanner Named C.E.O. of New York Public Radio
Christy Tanner has been appointed chief executive of New York Public Radio, taking the helm on February 4, 2026. Tanner arrives from a distinguished career at CBS News, the Associated Press, and as former head of TV Guide Digital, where...
Three Companies with Deep Economic Moats to Buy Now
Edinburgh Investment Trust is targeting firms with deep economic moats to deliver superior total return versus the FTSE All‑Share, focusing on three UK‑listed companies. Rightmove dominates UK property portals with an 85% share of time spent and is investing heavily...
Should You Add Gold to Your Pension?
Gold has surged 65 % in 2025 and added 7.6 % through early 2026, prompting advisers to revisit its role in retirement savings. With bonds and equities becoming more correlated amid persistent inflation, gold’s low correlation offers a diversification buffer for pension...
Aya Data Closes $900K Seed Round to Scale AI Products for African Markets
Aya Data secured a $900,000 seed round led by 54Collective, bringing its total financing to $1.15 million. The funding will accelerate AyaGrow, an AI‑driven precision‑agriculture platform, and AyaSpeech, a speech‑to‑speech system for African languages. Founded in 2021, the company already supplies...
Enclaive Secures €4.1m to Scale Confidential Computing Across Multi-Cloud
Berlin‑based enclaive closed a €4.1 million seed round led by Join Capital and the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund to accelerate its Multi‑Cloud Platform (eMCP). The funding will boost sales, marketing, product functionality and international expansion. eMCP lets organisations run workloads in...
Orion Security Raises $32M in Series A Funding
Orion Security, a New York‑based AI‑driven contextual data protection firm, announced a $32 million Series A round. The financing was led by Norwest and included strategic participation from IBM alongside existing backers such as PICO Venture Partners and Lama Partners. The new...
Pasito Raises $21M in Series A Funding
Pasito, a New York‑based AI‑native workspace for group health and life insurers, closed a $21 million Series A round. Insight Partners led the financing, with participation from Y Combinator and insurance‑focused MTech Capital. The capital will fund product scaling, talent acquisition, and go‑to‑market...
Ecovia Bio Closes Series B Funding
Ecovia Bio, a Livonia, Michigan biotech firm that produces biopolymer ingredients, closed a Series B financing round led by Pointe Angels. The amount raised was not disclosed, but the capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity at its Livonia facility....
Bank of England Should Hold Interest Rates, City AM Shadow MPC Says
City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, comprising nine independent economists, voted 7‑2 to keep the Bank of England’s base rate at 3.75%, citing persistent inflation and mixed business‑survey signals. Inflation for the year to December remains at 3.4%, above the...
Derapi Raises $7M in Seed Funding
Derapi, a San Francisco‑based software firm developing connective infrastructure for the distributed energy ecosystem, announced a $7 million seed financing round. The round was led by Earthshot Ventures and featured participation from Tuesday Capital, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments, WYVC, Breakthrough Venture Capital,...
This U of T-Led Program Is Helping Canada Find Its Place in the Global EV Market
The Electric Vehicle Innovation Ontario (EVIO) program launched in December with a $2.5 million federal grant to embed 37 graduate researchers in 20 Ontario EV and mobility firms over three years. Led by the University of Toronto and seven partner universities,...
Peak XV Says Internal Disagreement Led to Partner Exits as It Doubles Down on AI
Peak XV Partners, a leading India‑Southeast Asia venture firm, announced the departure of three senior partners—Ashish Agrawal, Ishaan Mittal and Tejeshwi Sharma—after an internal disagreement. The trio plans to launch a new VC fund, while Peak XV promoted Abhishek Mohan...
New FET Micro-Qualifications in Artificial Intelligence to Address Critical Skills Gaps Launched by Minister Lawless
Minister James Lawless launched a new suite of Further Education and Training (FET) micro‑qualifications in Artificial Intelligence, developed with Microsoft Ireland under SOLAS’s Skills to Advance initiative. The programmes deliver 50‑hour, subsidised courses covering machine learning basics, ethical AI, data...
Carbon Upcycling Names New CEO
Markus Kritzler has been promoted from chief revenue officer to chief executive officer of Carbon Upcycling, the Calgary‑based firm that converts industrial byproducts and CO₂ into supplementary cementitious materials. Kritzler joins the role after a brief but impactful tenure that...
‘Scrutinising Origin, Ownership, and Control’: FEOC Rules Change US BESS Buying
On January 1, 2026 the United States enforced foreign‑entity‑of‑concern (FEOC) restrictions and a 25% Section 301 tariff on Chinese‑origin battery energy storage systems (BESS). The new rules have shifted procurement from a price‑only focus to a comprehensive risk‑management approach that evaluates supply‑chain...
Scotiabank’s Global Head Of FICC On Staying Agile In A Volatile Market
Scotiabank’s Global Head of FICC, Stephanie Larivière, said heightened U.S. dollar strength and tariff‑driven trade uncertainty have spurred a surge in demand for structured foreign‑exchange hedges. Clients are increasingly looking beyond the dollar, favoring non‑dollar crosses such as the Mexican peso,...
RapidFort Raises $42M to Push Continuous Remediation for Software Supply Chain Security
RapidFort Inc. announced a $42 million Series A round to accelerate its continuous remediation platform for software supply chain security. The funding, led by Blue Cloud Ventures and Forgepoint Capital, will expand go‑to‑market efforts, enhance automated container hardening, and deepen adoption in...
A16z Speedrun-Backed OpenSesame Opens New Doors with Rebrand to General Magic
Toronto‑based OpenSesame, an a16z Speedrun alum, has rebranded as General Magic to specialize in agentic AI texting agents for insurers. The startup secured a large, undisclosed insurance client and claims its platform can reduce call volumes by 30% and save...
Kasada Raises US$20M in Funding
Kasada, a New York cybersecurity startup, raised $20 million in a funding round led by EQT and backed by existing investors including Ten Eleven Ventures and Main Sequence Ventures. The capital will fund product scaling, cloud infrastructure expansion, and entry into...
AD Ports to Explore Development of DRC Multipurpose Terminal
AD Ports Group has signed a Heads of Terms with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Transport to explore developing a multipurpose terminal at Matadi Port, the country’s primary riverine gateway. The agreement outlines a framework for enhancing operational...
Hong Kong Insurance Bond Issuance Grows Amid Capital Rule Changes, ILS Interest
In 2025 Hong Kong’s insurance bond market surged, with issuances reaching roughly HK$30 billion – a 45% year‑on‑year increase. The spike follows recent revisions to the Hong Kong Insurance Authority’s capital adequacy framework, which reward capital‑efficient financing. Insurers are also embracing...
Raising $6.1M in Seed Funding, Airrived Says Agentic AI’s Breakthrough Moment Has Arrived
AI startup Airrived announced a $6.1 million seed round led by Cannage Capital, with participation from Plug and Play Ventures and other investors. The company introduced Agentic OS, an operating layer that makes agentic AI a native capability for enterprise workflows, allowing...
EU Parliament Delays Mercosur Trade Deal
The European Parliament voted 334‑324 to refer the EU‑Mercosur trade deal to the EU Court of Justice before granting final approval. The agreement, signed on Jan 17, would eliminate 91% of tariffs for a market of 700 million people, but lawmakers demand...
HSBC Buys Out Hang Seng Bank
HSBC has finalized the buyout of Hang Seng Bank, marking Hong Kong's largest privatization and the biggest financial services acquisition in the market. The transaction delists Hang Seng, aiming to merge digital banking capabilities while preserving distinct brand identities. HSBC...
Carney’s Mic-Drop Speech At Davos
Canadian Finance Minister Mark Carney used his Davos platform to warn that the post‑war rules‑based order is unraveling as great powers weaponize trade tools. He cited tariffs, financial infrastructure and supply‑chain vulnerabilities as new levers of coercion, threatening institutions like...