5 Ways Steve Jobs Almost Destroyed Apple
In 1985 Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple after a bitter boardroom battle with CEO John Sculley, leaving the company mired in internal conflict and its first quarterly loss. Jobs’ perfectionist drive led to costly missteps: an overpriced Macintosh, rushed product launches at Apple and NeXT, and an inability to prune failing projects. After a 12‑year exile, he returned in 1997, slashed 70% of Apple’s product line and refocused the business, setting the stage for the iPod, iPhone and iPad revolutions. The episode shows how leadership style can both endanger and rescue a tech firm.
Munich’s Feldwerke Secures €12 Million Revolving Credit Facility to Build 100 MW Agri-PV Portfolio in 18 Months
Munich‑based agri‑PV developer Feldwerke has secured a €12 million (≈$13 million) revolving credit facility from a French renewable‑energy debt fund to fund the construction of a 100 MW portfolio over the next 18 months. The financing marks the startup’s first major debt round...
Danish Startup Atlo Raises Funding to Modernize Wholesale Operations
Danish retail‑tech startup Atlo closed a funding round backed by Scandinavian SaaS and fintech founders to accelerate its AI‑driven wholesale platform for interior‑design brands. The solution replaces email, spreadsheets and phone calls with automated communication, inventory visibility and order‑flow tools....
Ghent-Based Exhibitly Raises €1.4 Million to Bring AI Personalisation to B2B Events
Exhibitly, a Ghent‑based EventTech startup, raised €1.4 million (≈$1.53 million) in a pre‑seed round led by New School VC to expand its AI‑driven personalization platform for B2B event websites. The solution creates a 10‑second, job‑title‑based mini‑site that highlights relevant sessions and exhibitors,...
Dealfuze Launches AI-Powered Investor-Founder Matchmaking Platform
Dealfuze, a London‑based venture‑discovery platform, has opened a closed‑beta waitlist and announced the region’s first algorithmically curated Online Demo Day on May 20, 2026. The service uses AI to match founders in the Middle East and Africa with investors based...
Believe Founders Denis Ladegaillerie & Romain Vivien Explain the Global Rise of Their Multibillion-Dollar Music Company | Billboard News
Believe, founded by Denis Ladegaillerie and led by Romain Vivien, has grown into a multibillion‑dollar music company that now commands roughly 10% of the global digital music market. The firm ranks among the top three players in 12‑13 of the...
Shark Tank Judge Daniel Lubetzky Says Most Founders Make This 1 Big Mistake
Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND Snacks and Shark Tank judge, reflects on a decade of hardship followed by a decade of rapid, triple‑digit growth that turned KIND into a multi‑billion‑dollar brand. He warns entrepreneurs that chasing virality before perfecting the product...
The Indulgence Strategy: Why This Successful Protein Brand Wants to Change the Conversation
Wilde Brands, founded by Jason Wright, has scaled to 20,000 retail locations and posted a 994% three‑year growth, driven by its chicken‑based, high‑protein chips. As the protein snack market became saturated, Wright recognized that novelty fades and repeat purchases hinge...
Sigma Computing Doubles Valuation to $3 Billion in Series E as Agentic Analytics Race Heats Up
Sigma Computing secured $80 million in a Series E round, lifting its valuation to $3 billion—double the figure from a year ago. The funding, led by Princeville Capital and joined by Databricks Ventures, ServiceNow Ventures, and Workday Ventures, comes as the company reports...
Sigma Raises $80 Million to Scale AI Apps and Agentic Analytics Platform
Sigma announced an $80 million Series E round that lifts its valuation to roughly $3 billion. The funding, led by Princeville Capital with participation from Databricks, ServiceNow and Workday ventures, will accelerate its AI‑apps and agentic analytics platform. Sigma now reports over $200 million...
Kin Health Raises $9M to Build an AI Notetaker for Patients
Kin Health announced a $9 million seed round led by Maveron to launch a patient‑focused AI notetaker. The free app records doctor visits, transcribes the conversation, and delivers a concise summary with actionable next steps. Built by former GoodRx executives, the...
Philippines: Cultivating a Hydroponic Revolution with Limited Resources
John Harold Zapata, a 25‑year‑old farmer in Pampanga, transformed a modest backyard project into Plant Habitat, a thriving hydroponic agribusiness. Leveraging recyclable, locally sourced materials, he built cost‑effective greenhouses that produce leafy greens and other crops. The operation has earned...
No Logo’s Lola Wants to Be the AI Talent Manager Independent Creators Can Afford
No Logo, an Edinburgh‑based creator agency, has launched Lola, an AI‑powered talent manager aimed at independent creators who earn below the $50,000‑$100,000 annual threshold required by traditional agencies. Lola automates deal sourcing, pitch drafting, brand matching, and rate guidance for...
Forbes X Unicycive Therapeutics
Dr. Gupta, a former clinician, Wall Street equity researcher and biotech founder, now leads Unicycive Therapeutics. He highlights a persistent innovation gap in kidney care, noting lower awareness and reimbursement challenges compared with oncology. Unicycive is building early physician and...
Arkeus Banks $25M Series A as Its Drone Sensors Win Pentagon Contracts
Melbourne‑based defence tech startup Arkeus closed a $25 million Series A round, valuing the company at roughly $100 million. The funding, led by QIC Ventures and joined by R+VC, Folklore Ventures and Dyne Ventures, will finance a new Queensland manufacturing hub and expand...
Abstract Ice Brings Customisable Craft Ice to On-Trade
California startup Abstract Ice is scaling its patented ice‑making system across the United States, offering bars and restaurants crystal‑clear, dense craft ice in hours instead of days. The technology promises up to 50% cost reductions while delivering custom shapes and...
Ex-Google and Databricks Engineers Launch Martech Platform
A team of former engineers from Google, Adobe and DeepMind has launched Pomo, an agentic marketing intelligence platform aimed at mid‑market brands. The startup secured $4.5 million in seed funding, led by Kindred Ventures with participation from Databricks Ventures and other...
Recovery-Tech Platform Owners ID Raises Pre-Seed Round Led by Crucifer Investments
Owners ID, a Bengaluru‑based recovery‑tech startup, announced a $260,000 pre‑seed round led by Crucifer Investments. The capital will fuel product development, AI‑powered recovery features, manufacturing scale‑up, mobile‑app enhancements, and global brand expansion. Owners ID’s privacy‑first QR tags create a digital...
Stitch Closes $25M Series A Led by Andreessen Horowitz
Stitch, a Riyadh‑based cloud‑native operating system for banks, closed a $25 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing its total funding to $35 million. The platform unifies lending, cards, payments and ledger functions, allowing institutions to replace legacy cores module‑by‑module. In...
ToolsEV Repair Startup Wins Global Techstars Competition
Irish startup ToolsEV, founded during Startup Weekend Women Dublin, captured the Techstars Startup Weekend Women Global Pitch Competition, beating teams from 40 cities across six continents. The company offers a cloud‑based platform that aggregates diagnostic data, repair workflows and technical...
Kickstarting For Good’s 2025 Cohort Secures $1.5M in Six Months, Lifting Cumulative Total Past $10M
Kickstarting For Good’s 2025 graduate cohort raised more than $1.5 million within six months, an 85% increase over the prior year’s graduates. The amount includes roughly $250,000 in seed grants from K4G, with the balance sourced from external donors and impact‑focused...
LawX Raises €7.5M to Build Europe’s Legal Operating System
Berlin‑based legaltech startup LawX announced a €7.5 million (≈$8.1 million) seed round led by Motive Partners, with participation from WENVEST Capital, xdeck, SIVentures and several sector angels. The company is building an AI‑driven platform that consolidates case management, workflow automation, document handling,...
Otra’s Linda Hammond on the Eyewear Brand’s Bloomingdale’s Launch
Linda Hammond, co‑founder of Quay, relaunched in eyewear with Otra in 2022 after selling Quay in 2017. In the last year the brand posted a 742% year‑over‑year sales surge and secured a high‑profile partnership with Bloomingdale’s, rolling out in the...
Beyond the Stadium: How The Omaxe State Is Building a Real-World Growth Engine for Startups
Omaxe Ltd., in partnership with the Delhi Development Authority, is building The Omaxe State, a 50.4‑acre mixed‑use campus in Dwarka that includes a 30,000‑seat cricket/football stadium, a 75,000‑sq‑ft e‑sports arena, a 4.2‑km high‑street retail strip and a 500,000‑sq‑ft food district....
Peekabox Raises $1.5 Million to Tackle Food Waste in the UAE
UAE‑based food‑tech startup Peekabox closed an oversubscribed $1.5 million seed round to accelerate its surplus‑food marketplace across the Emirates. The platform lets restaurants, cafes and grocery chains sell fresh surplus items at 50‑70% discounts through app‑based “surprise boxes.” At launch it...
Catalytic Capital Is Not Free Runway but Proof Capital
The article argues that catalytic capital should be viewed as proof capital, not a source of free runway. It helps impact ventures in Southeast Asia demonstrate specific milestones—such as pilot results, regulatory progress, or partner trust—so they can attract more...
Company Formation Saudi Arabia: From MISA License to First Operations
Vision 2030 has earmarked over $1 trillion for Saudi Arabia’s diversification, making the Kingdom a prime destination for foreign investors in 2025. The first step is securing a MISA license, after which companies register with the Ministry of Commerce, ZATCA, and GOSI...
Lessons in Resilience From Filipino Entrepreneurs
The Philippines' economy grew just 2.8% in the first quarter of 2026, its slowest pace since the pandemic. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) – which employ the majority of Filipinos – are feeling the strain of higher fuel costs...
Clinics at Scale: How Ilara Health Is Building Africa's Quiet Health Infrastructure
Ilara Health, a Kenyan‑Ugandan healthtech firm, equips small private clinics with diagnostic equipment on credit, adding software and data tools to create a network. The company now serves over two million patients across roughly 3,000 clinics in Kenya and Uganda....
Meet the Innovator Making Streets Better with Community Insight
Jon Little’s BetaStreets is scaling a community‑focused street‑design platform that lets residents visualise and edit proposed highways using 360‑degree imagery. Backed by the Rural Transport Accelerator and later the Diatomic Digital Accelerator, the software now integrates digital‑twin analysis and AI‑ready...
Shadowfax’s Inflection Point And The Next Frontier
Shadowfax posted Q4 FY26 revenue of ₹1,237 cr (~$149 m), up 73.6% YoY, and swung to a net profit of ₹55.8 cr (~$6.7 m). Its 3PL market share rose from roughly 8% to about 29%, and the firm delivered 22.6 cr (226 m) orders, a 101%...
Faraday Future Raised $25 Million for Its Robotics Pivot. The Fine Print Tells a Different Story.
Faraday Future announced a $25 million convertible‑note raise, bringing total recent financing to $70 million to fund its shift from electric vehicles to an “Embodied AI” robotics business. Only $12.5 million is deposited in the company’s operating account; the remaining half sits in...
How D2C Brands Can Grow Beyond India’s Top 2% Power Shoppers
India’s ecommerce market has surged to roughly $165 billion, yet 2% of its 958 million internet users—about 19 million power shoppers—account for 60% of total GMV. These high‑intent buyers favor D2C brands for convenience and personalization, creating a concentration risk for merchants. Meanwhile,...
Key Metrics for a HealthTech and MedTech Company to Raise a Series B Round in Europe in Today's Environment
The European health‑tech and med‑tech sectors have entered an “industrialisation” phase in 2026, where investors demand proven clinical integration and profitability rather than speculative growth. Funding activity shows a 44 % drop in total venture capital but larger average deal sizes,...
Michael Pogue: A Lawyer Who Plays the Long Game
Derek Candelore, a Pittsburgh‑based entrepreneur, transformed early life adversity into a disciplined, systems‑driven business approach. After athletic success, he launched Apex Fitness Center, then founded Roman Paint Pros in 2010, scaling it into a multi‑seven‑figure franchise with seven locations. He...
Seeds | Kepler Robot Secures Tens of Millions in New Funding
Shanghai Kepler Robot secured a strategic funding round of roughly 20 million yuan (about $2.8 million), led by the Jiangyin Xiachuang Yihao AI Investment Partnership. The capital ties Kepler to Jiangyin’s industrial ecosystem, accelerating deployment of its industrial‑grade humanoid robots across the...
On the Heels of Fresh Funding, Oishii Has ‘Crossed the Chasm’ of Unit Economics in Vertical Farming
Oishii announced the first close of a $150 million Series C round, bringing its total capital to $370 million. The company attributes the funding to its disciplined focus on proving unit economics rather than chasing rapid revenue growth. By concentrating on premium strawberries...
Wirestock Raises $23 Million Series A
Wirestock, a marketplace linking creators with AI developers, announced a $23 million Series A round. The round was led by Nava Ventures and included participation from SBVP, Formula VC, I2BF Global Ventures, and existing backers. Proceeds will be used to build a comprehensive...
Anomaly Insights Scores $17M Financing
Anomaly Insights, an AI‑powered payer intelligence startup, announced a $17 million financing round led by Sound Ventures. Existing backers Alumni Ventures, Link Ventures, Redesign Health and RRE Ventures also participated, bringing the company’s total capital raised to $34 million. The infusion is...
A Model to Accelerate Energy Technology Innovation
Rose Rock Bridge, a Tulsa‑based nonprofit accelerator, connects energy corporations with early‑stage technology startups to fast‑track pilot deployments. The six‑week program uses a demand‑first framework, matching corporate pain points in operational agility, reservoir enhancement, fluid systems and robotics with vetted...
Dutch Dronemaker Destinus in €200m Funding Talks, Reports Say
Defence tech startup Destinus, based in the Netherlands, is in talks to raise roughly €200 million ($218 million) ahead of a planned IPO. The company is targeting a valuation above €5 billion ($5.5 billion) on the back of projected annual revenues of about €500 million...
Our Investment in Luel: The Marketplace for Multimodal AI Training Data
Lightspeed Venture Partners led a $31.2 million seed round for Luel, a two‑sided marketplace that supplies rights‑cleared, multimodal AI training data. Luel’s platform connects generative‑AI labs, robotics firms, and speech researchers with a global contributor network of over 500,000 people in...
Meet Brandon Pleshek, the Third-Generation Janitor Who Turned TikTok Into a Tentpole Business
Brandon Pleshek, a third‑generation janitor, turned his cleaning expertise into the multi‑platform creator brand Clean That Up. Leveraging TikTok’s algorithm, he built a following of over four million across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, plus a 17,000‑subscriber newsletter. His annual "Spring...
Meridian Ventures Launched a $35M Fund with a Focus on MBA-Deferred Founders
Meridian Ventures, founded by Harvard deferred-MBA students Devon Gethers and Karlton Haney, closed a $35 million first institutional fund aimed at pre‑seed and seed startups led by MBA‑trained founders. The oversubscribed round attracted public‑bank investors, family offices and Fortune 500 executives, and...
The Kenyan Boeing Engineer Who Chose Trucks over Prestige
Kenyan‑American engineer Charles Thuo left a stable Boeing career to drive trucks and launch Apexloads, a logistics startup that digitizes verification for East African freight. The platform connects shippers, brokers and transporters through a neutral, technology‑only stack, aiming to lower...
Exponent Raises $40M To Build Financial Platform For Franchise Operators
Exponent announced it has raised more than $40 million in combined equity and credit financing to accelerate its financial operating system for multi‑unit franchise operators. The round includes a $7.5 million Series A led by Era, with participation from Inauguration Capital, K8 Capital...
The Anti-Silicon Valley Playbook European Founders Need Right Now
European tech founders are being urged to abandon the Silicon Valley playbook and embrace a home‑grown strategy driven by geopolitics and regulatory shifts. The war in Ukraine and rising strategic autonomy have turned AI, defence, and critical infrastructure into urgent...
Trazo Built a Food Delivery Business in Smaller Cities. Now It Wants to Enter Lagos.
Trazo, formerly OliliFood, built a hyper‑local food‑delivery platform in Nigeria’s mid‑size cities Asaba and Warri, processing over 120,000 orders and generating about $1.5 million in GMV. The startup survived COVID‑19 lockdowns and rising inflation by bootstrapping and cross‑subsidising from its fintech...
B&Y Ventures Launches Lebanon's First Angel Investor Network
B&Y Venture Partners has unveiled the Lebanese Angel Investor Network (LAIN), a curated platform linking Lebanese and diaspora‑based founders with early‑stage investors. Backed by Lebanon’s Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence, the network quickly secured commitments that exceed its original...
Cheque In: 2 Aussie Startups that Raised $19 Million This Week
Australian construction procurement platform ProcurePro secured $15 million in a round led by QIC Ventures, with French builder Bouygues joining as an investor and customer. The six‑year‑old startup, now valued at over $110 million, plans to add 100 staff and launch its...