Saba Capital: The Hedge Fund Doing Wonders for Shareholder Democracy
Saba Capital’s latest activist push to replace the board of Edinburgh Worldwide Trust was rejected, with 53% of votes opposing the resolutions despite the fund’s 30.7% stake. The vote saw a record‑high 70% shareholder turnout, indicating heightened engagement. While the bid failed, Saba’s campaign has pressured investment platforms and boards to improve voting processes and communication. The episode underscores how hedge‑fund activism can catalyze reforms in UK shareholder democracy.
What to Know About the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Plans Military Drill
Iran announced a live‑fire naval drill in the Strait of Hormuz for Sunday and Monday, targeting a lane within the traffic separation scheme that handles roughly one‑fifth of global oil shipments. The United States Central Command warned Tehran that unsafe...
Star Fund Managers–An Investing Style That’s Out of Fashion
Two of Britain’s most celebrated fund managers, Terry Smith and Nick Train, are grappling with several years of disappointing returns. Smith attributes the underperformance to external forces, while Train publicly accepts responsibility and apologises to investors. Both built their reputations...
A Series of Webinars About How Venture Capital Works by a U.S. VC
In this three‑week webinar series launching on February 16, Denis Kalyshkin—a principal at a U.S. venture capital firm and former aerospace engineer—explains how VC funds operate, covering market analysis, deal terms, due diligence, and financial modeling for startups. He breaks...
Invest Qatar Showcases Ecosystem Growth at Web Summit Qatar 2026 via Startup Qatar Pavilion
Invest Qatar will host the Startup Qatar Pavilion at Web Summit Qatar 2026, highlighting the nation’s fast‑growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. The pavilion will unite key agencies such as QFZ, QFC, MCIT, QDB and Media City Qatar to streamline setup, licensing, funding...
Deepgram Raises $130 Million Series C at $1.3 Billion Valuation
Deepgram announced a $130 million Series C round that lifts its valuation to $1.3 billion, led by AVP and joined by strategic backers such as Twilio, ServiceNow Ventures, SAP and Citi Ventures. The capital will accelerate the expansion of its real‑time voice AI...
A16z Partner Kofi Ampadu to Leave Firm After TxO Program Pause
Kofi Ampadu, a partner who spearheaded Andreessen Horowitz’s Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund, announced his departure in June 2026. The TxO program, launched in 2020 to back underserved founders through a donor‑advised fund, was placed on indefinite pause in November 2025 and...
NCSOFT Promotes Sunggu Lee to Senior VP as AION 2 Drives Executive Shake-Up
NCSOFT announced a senior‑level reshuffle on Jan. 29, promoting Chief Business Officer Sunggu Lee and COO Koo Hyunbeom to Senior Vice President. The moves are tied to the strong commercial performance of AION 2, which has generated over KRW 100 billion since its...
Poetiq Nabs $45.8M in Seed Funding for Its LLM-Enhancing ‘Meta-System’
Poetiq Inc., founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, raised $45.8 million in a seed round led by FYRFLY Venture Partners and Surface Ventures. The startup’s meta‑system platform enhances large language models like Gemini and GPT‑5.2, improving output quality while lowering inference...
Employer Compliance Update: Qualified Overtime and Tip Reporting After the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act
On July 4, 2025, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) became law, imposing new employer tax reporting requirements for qualified overtime and tipped earnings. Employers must now report qualified overtime compensation and qualified tips separately on employees’ Form W‑2,...
Policy Week in Review – January 30, 2026
The NLRB Division of Advice issued memos recommending dismissal of three charges that stretched Biden‑era precedents, covering a union recognition claim, a Slack criticism case, and an overbroad non‑solicitation clause. The Department of Labor’s EBSA proposed a rule forcing PBM...
Arlene Dickinson and Amber Mac Sever Ties with Gander Social
Arlene Dickinson and Amber Mac announced they are no longer advisors to Gander Social just one day before the company’s crowdfunding campaign was set to close. Both posted on LinkedIn, while Gander’s CEO Ben Waldman said neither had finalized an...
Canada and Alberta Announce 27 New Projects to Expand High-Speed Internet Access
Canada and Alberta unveiled 27 new broadband projects aimed at delivering high‑speed internet to 83,600 homes across 759 communities, including 3,488 Indigenous households. The initiative is funded with $373.6 million, split among the provincial government, the federal government, and private service...
Emobi Secures $3.4 Million in Seed Funding
Emobi, the leading EV charging roaming platform in North America, announced a $3.4 million seed round. The round was led by Florida Funders and included a slate of existing backers such as Y Combinator and Goodwater Capital. The capital will accelerate...
Mito AI Raises $4.5M to Empower Video Professionals with AI Tools
Mito AI, a collaborative platform that brings AI orchestration tools to video professionals, announced a $4.5 million Series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Kibo, Kfund, Sequoia, a16z scouts, LifeX and several high‑profile angels. The service lets filmmakers,...
Succession Risk Is No Longer A Footnote, It’s A Valuation Driver
Succession risk has shifted from a peripheral concern to a central valuation driver in M&A transactions. Buyers now discount companies lacking clear leadership continuity, leading to lower multiples, earn‑outs, and tighter deal terms. CEOs and CFOs who proactively build second‑in‑command...
Building A Billion-Dollar Fandom With David Lee, CFO And COO Of WEBTOON Entertainment
WEBTOON Entertainment, the world’s largest digital‑comics platform, went public on NASDAQ in June 2024 under the ticker WBTN. The company hosts 24 million creators who generate more than 120 000 new stories each day and reaches 160 million monthly active users, primarily 18‑to‑25‑year‑olds....
Amazon in Talks To Invest Up To $50 Billion in OpenAI
Amazon is reportedly negotiating a multi‑billion‑dollar investment of up to $50 billion in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. The funding round could total $100 billion, potentially valuing OpenAI at $830 billion. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is leading talks with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman,...
For This Flying Robot Company, Student Internships Trump Senior Engineers
Avestec Technologies, a Canadian maker of flying inspection robots, has shifted its talent strategy from senior hires to student interns. Partnering with the ICTC’s Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Digital program, the firm brings on three to four interns each semester,...
Canada’s Cybersecurity Startups Have No Room for Error
Metropolitan Technologies, a Toronto‑based cybersecurity startup, has built an operational‑technology platform that secures critical‑infrastructure assets such as mines, energy grids, water treatment plants, and transportation networks. The company graduated from Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst’s eight‑month Cyber Challenge, receiving $20,000 in non‑dilutive...
Travel Time or Working Time? What the Latest CJEU Decision Means for Employers in Germany
Recent CJEU ruling (Case C‑110/24) classifies travel that is tightly organised by the employer as working time for health‑and‑safety purposes. German courts have traditionally focused on the burden of travel, but the EU decision shifts emphasis to employer control, potentially...
January 2026: Top Five Fintech Funding Stories of the Month
FinTech Futures takes a look back at five of the top fintech funding stories from January.
Reed Jobs' Cancer Biotech Investment Firm Yosemite Eyes $350M Fund
Yosemite, the cancer‑research investment firm led by Reed Jobs, is seeking to raise a fund of up to $350 million. The capital target positions the firm among the largest early‑stage biotech funds currently forming. Jobs leverages his Silicon Valley connections and...
InsurTech Firm Sixfold Secures $30m to Advance AI Underwriting
Sixfold, a New York‑based InsurTech, closed a $30 million Series B round led by Brewer Lane with strategic participation from Guidewire. The funding will fuel development of its “AI Underwriter,” an autonomous system designed to handle end‑to‑end property and casualty underwriting. Sixfold’s...
Large Deals Rose by 3.9x QoQ in Q4 2025 Pushing European FinTech Funding to Reach Its Peak
European FinTech funding surged to $5.5 bn in Q4 2025, an 87% increase QoQ and the highest‑funded quarter on record. The number of deals stayed flat at 176, but large transactions exploded, with deals over $100 m rising 3.9 times QoQ to $4 bn. Zilch...
New ARC Hub Launched to Accelerate Research-to-Impact Pathway
Technological University Dublin launched the Research Ireland ARC Hub for ICT, a €32.21 million national initiative designed to fast‑track ICT and artificial intelligence research into commercial products. Co‑funded by the Irish government and the EU’s ERDF programme, the Hub offers targeted...
Report on Initial Public Offering Applications, Delisting and Suspensions (January 2026)
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange processed 474 IPO applications in January 2026, with 415 still under review and only 19 having reached listing status. No applications were rejected or returned, reflecting a streamlined review under the Enhanced Application Timeframe, which...
Adapt Raises $10M Seed to Become the AI Computer for Business
San Francisco AI startup Adapt announced a $10 million seed round co‑led by Activant Capital and Headline, positioning itself as the “AI computer” for enterprises. The capital backs a horizontal AI platform that embeds frontier models into any workflow via API...
EU Designated Iran’s IRGC as a Terrorist Organization
The European Union’s foreign ministers have formally listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, marking a sharp policy shift amid Tehran’s crackdown on protests and regional activities. The move, championed by EU foreign‑policy chief Kaja Kallas,...
Quiz Seeks New Financing After Disappointing Christmas Sales
Quiz, the UK‑based apparel retailer, is pursuing new financing after a disappointing Christmas period. The company, founded in Glasgow in 1993, now runs 40 stores and employs roughly 1,000 staff following a February pre‑pack closure of 23 loss‑making locations. Founders...
UK Private Capital Markets Surge Amid Economic Recovery : Research
PitchBook reports that the UK private‑capital market rebounded strongly in Q4 2025, driven by robust venture capital, private equity, and public‑market activity. Venture funding reached roughly $6.8 bn, highlighted by Revolut’s $3 bn round, the continent’s biggest deal of the year. Private‑equity...
Top Reasons Homeowners Use Equity Release to Access £4 Trillion Housing Wealth
Homeowners aged 55 and over hold about £3.7 trillion of UK property wealth, 68 % of total housing value. Equity release, chiefly lifetime mortgages, is increasingly used to unlock this wealth without moving, with the market growing 11 % to £2.57 billion in 2025....
Larry’s Catch Draws Three Offers on CBC’s Dragons’ Den
Larry’s Catch, a Canadian direct‑to‑consumer seafood delivery startup, appeared on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and secured three investor offers during its national television debut. The founders used the platform to showcase a subscription model that sources wild‑caught fish from sustainable family fisheries...
Prenosis Raises $20M Series A Round
Prenosis, a biology‑based technology company, closed a $20 million Series A financing round. The round was led by PACE Healthcare Capital with co‑investors including UC Investments, Labcorp Venture Fund and state entities. Simultaneously, Prenosis secured a BARDA contract to commercialize Sepsis ImmunoScore®,...
New Jersey Dramatically Expands Job-Protected Family Leave and Benefits
Effective July 17, 2026, New Jersey will lower the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) employer threshold from 30 to 15 employees and cut employee eligibility to three months of service and 250 hours worked. The amendment also requires up to 12...
It Seems People Are Still Confused About How to Handle Our First Tax Season Without Checks
In March 2025 President Trump signed Executive Order 14247, mandating the elimination of paper checks for all federal payments by September 30 2025. The order, citing $657 million in annual Treasury costs and fraud risks, forces taxpayers, businesses, and vendors to transition to...
Federal Reserve Board Announces Appointment of Seven Members, Including Four New Members, to Its Insurance Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC)
The Federal Reserve Board announced seven appointments to its Insurance Policy Advisory Committee, including four new members and three reappointments. The IPAC, created under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, advises the Fed on both domestic and...
Arkero Pulls In $6M Pre-Seed Round
Arkero announced a $6 million pre‑seed round led by Game Changers Ventures, with participation from high‑profile investors such as Alexis Ohanian and David Tisch. The Seattle‑based startup is building an AI platform that sits atop existing sports‑team tools to automate operations, from match‑day...
Indigo Grabs $50M Series B Round
Indigo, an AI‑driven medical professional liability platform, closed a $50 million Series B financing round. The round was led by existing backer Rubicon Founders and introduced new investor Town Hall Ventures, with participation from Optum Ventures and other strategic partners. Indigo’s Vertical AI technology reshapes underwriting, distribution,...
The Coastal Locations Where Properties Are Losing Value
Fresh data from Property DriveBuy shows UK coastal house prices fell an average 1% in 2025, with the steepest declines in Aberystwyth (‑6.9%) and Tenby (‑5.2%). Bournemouth and Brighton also recorded drops of 3.8% and 2.4% respectively, ending a pandemic‑driven...
Breakthru Medicine Raises $60M in Series A Funding
Breakthru Medicine, a Phoenix‑based oncology startup, announced a $60 million Series A round led by a board of seasoned investors including Dave Morehead, Fred Eshelman and Mark Gergen. The capital will fund expansion of its precision‑therapy platform targeting solid tumors deemed “undruggable.” Breakthru’s pipeline...
Biotech’s Next Chapter: Asset-Centric Deals and Shifting Alpha at JPM 2026
Biotech is emerging from a multi‑year slump into a new cycle driven by late‑stage, asset‑centric deals, as highlighted at JPM 2026. While headline megadeals were scarce, rumors around Revolution Medicines and Abivax and announced transactions such as Eli Lilly‑Ventyx and GSK‑RAPT underscored...
Mesh Security Raises $12 Million Series A
Mesh Security announced a $12 million Series A round led by Lobby Capital, with participation from S Ventures and Bright Pixel Capital. The Palo Alto‑based startup claims to deliver the world’s first Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) platform, an execution layer that unifies...
RobCo Raises $100M in Series C Funding
RobCo, a Munich‑based physical AI robotics firm, announced a $100 million Series C round. The financing was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lingotto Innovation, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Greenfield Partners, Kindred Capital, Leitmotif and The Friedkin Group. The company plans...
Don’t Be Fooled. AI Bosses Are Regular Capitalists
A court fight between Elon Musk and OpenAI has pulled back the corporate curtain on the AI sector’s capitalist roots. Musk alleges OpenAI abandoned its original non‑profit charter and demanded a massive payout, citing its lucrative partnership with Microsoft as...
How IBM Became an AI Darling
IBM has reinvented itself once again, emerging as a leading AI player after decades of strategic pivots. The company moved from mainframe hardware to IT services in the 1990s and off‑loaded its PC business to Lenovo in 2005, freeing capital...
Datalinx Raises $4.2M in Seed Funding
AI data refinery Datalinx announced a $4.2 million seed round, led by High Alpha with participation from Databricks Ventures, Berkeley Frontier Fund and Aperiam. The funding will be used to scale its platform that converts unstructured data into AI‑ready assets...
The A.I. Boom’s Uncertain Payoff
Meta announced a capital‑expenditure budget of $115‑$135 billion for 2026, with the bulk earmarked for artificial‑intelligence initiatives, sending its stock up 8%. Microsoft reported $37.5 billion in capex for the latest quarter, a 65% year‑over‑year increase, yet its shares slipped more than...
Two Startups Want to Replace How AI Learns: One Just Raised $180M, Another Is Seeking up to $1B
Two AI‑focused startups are courting massive capital to reinvent how machine learning models acquire knowledge. Flapping Airplanes secured $180 million from GV, Sequoia and Index to build systems that learn with human‑like data efficiency, targeting a 100,000‑to‑1,000,000‑fold reduction in required data....
Here’s to the Self Assessment Crazy Ones
January’s self‑assessment deadline forces UK accountants into an annual sprint, with 5.65 million taxpayers still filing as the month begins. Managing partners at mid‑tier firms, despite deal‑making and AI projects, are back at desks completing returns, treating the period as a...