Find expert insights and tips for driving sustainable business growth.
Transportation
Self-driving vehicle startup Nuro has closed its late-stage funding round, raising $203 million at a $6 billion valuation, with backing from new investors Uber and Nvidia alongside returning supporters. The fresh capital includes a $97 million tranche announced on Thursday, adding to the $106 million secured in April from firms
Manufacturing
Battery materials startup Group14 Technologies announced Wednesday that it has raised $463 million in new funding to scale up its manufacturing operations, underscoring investor confidence in the long-term future of electric vehicles despite recent headlines about slowing demand growth. The company specializes in silicon anode materials, a next-generation alternative to
Solar Energy
Meta has signed a $100 million agreement with solar developer Silicon Ranch to build a 100-megawatt solar farm in South Carolina, the companies announced yesterday. The project will supply renewable energy to Meta’s upcoming $800 million AI data center in the state, with both facilities expected to begin operations
Travel
Alaska Airlines is making a bold move into the lucrative world of high-end travel rewards. The carrier, which acquired Hawaiian Airlines last year, announced the launch of a new premium credit card and a combined loyalty program called Atmos—both designed to compete head-on with the industry’s biggest players.
Retail
Lowe’s announced Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Foundation Building Materials (FBM), a leading distributor of interior building products, in a deal valued at nearly $8.8 billion. The move marks a major step in the home improvement retailer’s strategy to expand its presence in the professional
Manufacturing
Apple is accelerating its shift away from China by expanding iPhone production in India, with five factories — including two recently opened plants — now manufacturing the company’s flagship device. For the first time, all four models of the upcoming iPhone 17 will be assembled in India ahead of their global
Data Analytics
Analytics firm Databricks said on Tuesday that its valuation is set to climb more than 61% to over $100 billion following a new funding round, underscoring strong investor appetite for artificial intelligence startups. The San Francisco-based company — which counts 15,000 customers including payments firm Block, energy giant Shell, and
Health
Roughly one in three adults in the U.S. regularly struggles with insufficient sleep—a growing problem that has fueled demand for smarter tools to monitor, analyze, and improve rest. Eight Sleep, a New York-based startup founded in 2014, is betting big on AI-driven solutions to make sleep not just
E-commerce
Best Buy is opening its doors to third-party sellers as part of a major effort to diversify its offerings and regain sales momentum. Starting Tuesday, shoppers visiting Best Buy’s website and mobile app will see an expanded assortment of merchandise—including products the retailer hasn’t traditionally carried. The
Energy
Alphabet’s Google and nuclear startup Kairos Power will deploy an advanced nuclear power plant tied to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) electric grid by 2030, the companies announced Monday. The project marks the first U.S. power purchase agreement for electricity generated by an advanced reactor. TVA has
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Cohere, the Toronto-based large language model (LLM) startup, announced Thursday that it has secured an oversubscribed $500 million funding round, pushing its valuation to $6.8 billion — up from $5.5 billion just over a year ago when it last raised the same amount. Founded in 2019 by Aidan Gomez
Cloud Computing
Oracle and Alphabet’s Google announced Thursday that their cloud computing divisions have formed a strategic partnership to integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models into Oracle’s cloud services and enterprise applications. The agreement will allow developers using Oracle Cloud to access Gemini’s capabilities for generating text, video,