Jan Hammer’s 3D AI Studio: Building Around a Creative Bottleneck
A retrospective founder profile explores the product challenge of making 3D creation easier without losing the control that professional work requires.
Publication archive
All Stories
All 63 articles, with one entry per story.
Brad and Pe’s YoColorado: How a Local Identity Becomes a Brand
A retrospective founder story looks at the design partnership and focused identity behind a Colorado apparel business.
Airbnb and American Express Show How Distribution Can Become the Product
A new travel-booking route illustrates how partnerships can change discovery and purchase incentives without changing the underlying accommodation.
Canva Opens a Window Into the Research Behind Its Creative Tools
The company’s research-lab introduction frames design AI as a problem of intent, control and editable results.
Postman Targets the Waiting Time Around AI-Written Code
Code-based mocks address a practical problem: fast development still depends on services and testing environments that may not be ready.
Why a Halloween Weekend Can Become a Business Opportunity
Airbnb’s seasonal search figures offer a focused lesson in matching an existing product to a specific occasion.
Atlassian’s Founder Asks a Bigger AI Question: Can the Whole Team Work Better?
The AMP announcement shifts attention from a faster individual assistant to visible, governed collaboration between people and agents.
Postman’s Next Enterprise Pitch: More Control, Not Just More Features
Abhinav Asthana’s October announcement puts deployment choice and purchasing flexibility at the centre of Postman’s enterprise strategy.
Airbnb Moves From Finding a Room to Organising More of the Trip
Social recommendations, AI search and additional services show Airbnb pursuing the decisions around a booking as well as the booking itself.
YoColorado Takes a Local Identity Into the Airport
A new Denver airport store gives the Colorado apparel business a different kind of shop window—and a different customer moment.
A Farm’s Next Product Might Be the Stay
Airbnb and American Farmland Trust’s grant programme puts a business question in focus: can an existing asset support a second source of income?
Canva Connects Its Creative Tools—and Makes a Bet on Craft
The ProSuite announcement links specialist tools around a workflow that moves from professional creation to wider team distribution.
Postman Wants AI Agents to Use APIs Without Holding the Keys
Passport brings Postman into an access-control problem created by the growing number of humans and agents calling business APIs.
The Hard Part Comes After the AI Coding Demo
Atlassian’s September release focuses on context and control as software teams try to move agents into everyday delivery.
Canva’s Next Battle Is the Work Between the Designs
A September update shows Canva pursuing the handoffs between documents, presentations and websites, not just the finished visual.
When Software Stops Counting Seats: Atlassian’s AI Pricing Decision
Atlassian’s September pricing announcement puts a growing question in focus: how should software companies charge when agents do more of the work?
Canva’s AI Vision: Why Human Judgment Still Matters
A founder’s recap of AI Vision Sydney raises a sharper question for creative businesses: what remains valuable when acceptable output becomes easier to produce?
Before the Agent Writes Code, Someone Must Decide What to Build
Jira Planner’s early-access introduction puts the specification, rather than the code editor, at the centre of an AI development workflow.
The Short-Trip Opportunity: What Airbnb’s Fall Signals Mean for Local Businesses
An August travel report points to shorter escapes and specific reasons to visit, offering a practical lens on destination marketing.
One Product Update, Two Buyers: Postman Works on Development and Procurement
Webhook scripting and AWS Marketplace purchasing show how a software business can reduce friction on both sides of an enterprise sale.
Abhinav Asthana’s Next Question for AI Agents: Who Is in Control?
Postman’s co-founder uses an August strategy statement to move the conversation from deploying agents to governing their actions.
When a Booking Network Becomes Emergency Infrastructure
Airbnb.org’s Colombia response illustrates the operational challenge behind putting an existing platform to work in a crisis.
The Coding Agent’s Missing Brief: Why Atlassian Is Connecting Code to Company Knowledge
Code Context addresses a familiar workplace problem: knowing how to perform a task is different from understanding why the system works that way.
Atlassian’s AI Bet Meets the Enterprise Buying Test
Its fiscal-year closing update puts a practical question behind the AI story: will customers commit to larger, longer relationships?
Valar Atomics Raises $1B Series B at $6B Valuation After Powering an Nvidia Chip With Nuclear Energy
Valar Atomics has raised $1 billion in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital, tripling the nuclear startup's valuation to $6 billion after its reactor powered an Nvidia AI chip.
HappyRobot Raises $150M Series C at $1.2B Valuation, Joining the AI Agent Unicorn Club
HappyRobot has raised $150 million in Series C funding at a $1.2 billion post-money valuation, led by Prysm Capital, to expand its enterprise AI agent platform.
Octozi Raises $3M Seed to Automate Clinical Trial Data Cleaning for Pharma Companies
Octozi raised $3 million in seed funding led by Surface Ventures in July 2026 to automate clinical trial data cleaning and review for pharmaceutical companies.
M1X Global Raises $5.5M to Help Governments Issue Sovereign Debt on Public Blockchains
M1X Global raised $5.5 million in seed funding led by Paradigm in July 2026 to help governments issue and manage sovereign debt directly on public blockchains.
Quaise Energy Raises $134M to Drill 15 Kilometers Into the Earth for Geothermal Power
Quaise Energy announced the first close of a $134 million Series B in July 2026 to develop drilling technology reaching superhot geothermal reservoirs anywhere on the planet.
Monogram Raises $40M Seed to Build AI Interfaces That Generate Visuals, Not Just Text
Monogram, founded by Coursera co-founder Eren Bali, raised a $40 million seed round in July 2026 to build AI interfaces that generate dynamic visuals instead of text.
Prometheus Raises $12B, the Largest Early-Stage Deal of 2026, for Physical AI
Prometheus, a physical AI startup co-founded by Jeff Bezos, closed a $12 billion round in Q2 2026, alone accounting for over 40% of North American early-stage venture funding for the quarter.
Agave Raises $15M Series A to Bring AI to Construction Financials
Agave, an AI platform for construction financials, raised a $15 million Series A led by Accel in July 2026, part of a funding pattern favoring proven traction over broad AI claims.
Kalshi Raises $1B Series F as Prediction Markets Move Into the Financial Mainstream
Prediction markets platform Kalshi closed a $1 billion Series F in July 2026, signaling that event-based trading markets have moved into serious institutional capital.
10Beauty Raises $23.5M to Build the First Full-Service Robotic Manicure
Burlington, Massachusetts-based 10Beauty raised $23.5 million in July 2026 to expand its robotics platform, which the company says performs the first full-service robotic manicure.
Rebel Foods Built a Cloud Kitchen Empire From a Single Delivery Kitchen in Mumbai
Rebel Foods, founded in 2011 by Kallol Banerjee and Jaydeep Barman, has grown into one of India’s most recognizable cloud kitchen operators, running brands including Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, and SLAY Coffee.
OYO's Parent PRISM Moves Toward a Major IPO, Years After Ritesh Agarwal Built a Budget-Hotel Giant
PRISM, the parent of OYO, secured shareholder approval to raise up to ₹6,650 crore through an IPO, after years of delayed listing plans for the hospitality brand founded by Ritesh Agarwal.
Ollama Raises $65M Series B to Build the Standard for Running AI Models Locally
Ollama raised $65 million in a Series B round in July 2026, led by Theory Ventures, to expand its platform for running AI models locally rather than through cloud APIs.
Joulent Raises $1.75B, the Week's Largest Round, to Build Energy Infrastructure for AI
Houston-based Joulent secured a $1.75 billion strategic financing round in early July 2026, the largest single funding round of the week, to build energy infrastructure for AI compute.
8090 Solutions Raises $135M to Build Enterprise Software With AI Agents Under Human Oversight
Redwood City-based 8090 Solutions, co-founded by Chamath Palihapitiya, raised $135 million led by Salesforce to build enterprise software using AI agents under human oversight.
Proxima Fusion Raises $468M, Becoming One of Europe's Best-Funded Fusion Startups
Munich-based Proxima Fusion raised roughly $468 million in July 2026, backed by Google and other investors, at an approximately $2.7 billion valuation.
Norm Ai Raises $120M Series C at $1.2B Valuation to Build Full-Stack Legal AI
Norm Ai closed a $120 million Series C in July 2026 at a $1.2 billion valuation, led by Khosla Ventures, targeting a full-stack legal and compliance AI platform.
Nearly 90 New Unicorns Minted in 2026 So Far, Even as Funding Concentrates Around AI
Close to 90 startups have crossed the billion-dollar valuation mark in 2026 so far, spanning AI, robotics, healthcare, fintech, and even crypto.
Quantum Systems Raises $1.2B, Showing Europe Can Win Billion-Dollar Defense Tech Rounds
European deeptech company Quantum Systems raised $1.2 billion at an $8 billion valuation, one of the largest defense technology rounds of 2026.
TwelveLabs Raises $100M Series B to Build AI Video Understanding at Scale
TwelveLabs raised $100 million in a Series B round in early July 2026 to expand its AI video understanding platform.
LinqAlpha Raises $22M to Challenge AlphaSense in Financial Market Intelligence
LinqAlpha raised $22 million in July 2026, positioning itself as a direct challenger to AlphaSense in AI-powered financial and market intelligence.
Together AI Raises $800M Series C at $8.3B Valuation Betting on Open-Source AI Infrastructure
Together AI closed an $800 million Series C in early July 2026, reaching an $8.3 billion valuation on the strength of enterprise demand for open-source model infrastructure.
LeapXpert Passes $222.5M in Total Funding Building Compliant Messaging for Regulated Industries
LeapXpert, founded in 2017 by Avi Pardo, Dima Gutzeit, and Rina Charles, has now raised a total of $222.5 million in equity funding, backed by investors...
xCures Raises $46M Series B to Build Clinical Data Infrastructure for Cancer Care
Oakland-based xCures raised $46 million in Series B funding in late June 2026, backed by Innovius Capital, iGrow, GKCC, Spring Mountain Capital, and...
TensorX Raises $12.5M Seed to Build Europe's Sovereign AI Inference Rails
While the headline dollar figures in June's funding cycle went to healthcare and fintech giants, one of the month's smaller rounds may carry outsized...
Seltz Raises $12.5M Seed From Speedinvest and B Capital
Seltz closed a $12.5 million seed round in June 2026, backed by Speedinvest, B Capital, Italian Founders Fund, United Ventures, and Future Back Ventures —...
Hang Ten Systems Raises $32M Seed to Bring Agentic AI to Enterprise Transformation
Palo Alto-based Hang Ten Systems raised $32 million in seed funding in June 2026 to expand its enterprise AI services business and grow its work with large...
Arpio Raises Funding to Build AI-Native Disaster Recovery for the Cloud
Arpio, a cyber resilience startup, raised new funding in June 2026 backed by S3 Ventures and Paladin Capital Group, with participation from Draper...
Sabertooth Capital Emerges in Atlanta With Nearly $500M Deployed Across Deeptech
Sabertooth Capital, an Atlanta-based investment firm founded by Justin Ernest, has emerged as one of 2026's notable new institutional capital sources for...
Optura Raises $17.5M Series A to Bring ROI Discipline to Enterprise Healthcare AI
Nashville-based Optura closed a $17.5 million Series A in June 2026, led by Salesforce Ventures with participation from Echo Health Ventures and continued...
Ramp Raises $500M Series E as Corporate Card Startup Bets on Spend Control
Corporate spend management platform Ramp closed a $500 million Series E in June 2026, extending a run of outsized rounds for startups that sell financial...
Premier Lacrosse League Raises $100M Series E, Backed by Athletes and Sports Investors
Premier Lacrosse League, founded in 2018 by Michael Rabil and Paul Rabil, closed a $100 million Series E in June 2026, bringing its total equity funding to...
Forecastr Raises $7M Series A to Simplify Financial Planning for Startups
Louisville-based fintech startup Forecastr raised a $7 million Series A in June 2026, part of a wave of Southeast US startups making funding headlines...
Tennr Secures $101M Series C to Automate Healthcare Referral Paperwork
Tennr raised $101 million in Series C funding in June 2026, one of the month's clearest examples of investors backing AI companies that eliminate expensive...
Standard Bots Raises $200M Series C to Push Industrial Robotics Into Mainstream Manufacturing
Industrial robotics company Standard Bots closed a $200 million Series C in June 2026, bringing its total equity funding to $263 million, with backing from...
Gecko Robotics Stays a Top-Watched Industrial Robotics Company Into 2026
Gecko Robotics has remained one of the most closely watched heavily funded robotics companies carrying momentum from a $125 million Series D into 2026's...
Global Venture Funding Hit $425 Billion in 2025 — Here's What That Means for 2026 Founders
Global venture funding reached $425 billion in 2025, up roughly 30 percent year over year from $328 billion, according to Crunchbase's year-end reporting.
Why Small Grants Are Becoming Serious Infrastructure for Early-Stage Founders in 2026
A modest monthly grant program rarely makes headlines the way a nine-figure Series C does.
Hark Raises $700M Series A, One of 2026's Largest Early-Stage Rounds
Hark closed a $700 million Series A in late May 2026, one of the single largest early-stage funding rounds recorded this year and a striking example of how...