Find expert insights and tips for driving sustainable business growth.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Grammarly, the AI-powered writing assistant known for helping millions of users improve their written communication, has secured a $1 billion capital commitment from General Catalyst. This substantial funding, announced recently, is part of an alternative financing strategy that offers a crucial lifeline to late-stage startups navigating today’s tighter capital
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Perplexity, the AI-driven search engine making waves as a potential rival to Google, has unveiled a powerful new tool for its Pro subscribers: Perplexity Labs. The tool, available now on the web, iOS, and Android (with Mac and Windows apps to follow), aims to move the platform beyond search and
Games
In a rare and unexpected move, Apple has made its first-ever video game studio acquisition, welcoming the two-person team behind Sneaky Sasquatch—RAC7—into the fold. While Apple insists this is a unique, situational acquisition rather than a broader shift in strategy, the decision offers meaningful insight into how the
Cybersecurity
Horizon3.ai, a San Francisco-based cybersecurity startup, is raising $100M in a round led by NEA, with $73M already secured, per an SEC filing. The funding will support expansion of its AI-powered security tools amid strong growth. While neither Horizon3.ai nor NEA have commented publicly on the funding, sources
Style & Beauty
In a bold move to expand its footprint in the prestige beauty market, e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) announced Wednesday it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire rhode, the skincare brand founded by Hailey Rhode Bieber. The deal was revealed alongside e.l.f.’s Q4 earnings for
Retail
Meta is preparing to make a significant move into brick-and-mortar retail, following a strategy that may mirror Apple’s global store presence. The company is developing plans to open physical stores and hire retail employees, marking a strategic shift aimed at boosting sales of its hardware products like Meta Quest
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In a move that signals its intensifying focus on AI and data dominance, Salesforce has officially acquired cloud data management firm Informatica for $8 billion. The all-equity transaction marks one of Salesforce’s most significant acquisitions to date, aimed at strengthening its foundational data infrastructure to support AI at enterprise
Health
Strava, the widely used fitness tracking app, has raised a new round of funding that values the company at $2.2 billion, including debt. The announcement, made by CEO Mike Martin, signals a new chapter of expansion for the company, which has also confirmed its second acquisition in as many
Hardware
In a major move blending cutting-edge AI with elite design pedigree, OpenAI has acquired io, the startup founded by renowned former Apple designer Jony Ive, for a reported $6.5 billion. OpenAI confirmed the acquisition in a blog post on Wednesday, featuring a real (not AI-generated) photo at the top
E-commerce
Amazon is introducing a new way for shoppers to absorb product information — through their ears. On Wednesday, the company announced the launch of short-form, AI-generated audio summaries on select product pages in the Amazon Shopping app. This experimental feature aims to make product research quicker, more accessible, and even a
E-commerce
Shopify is doubling down on artificial intelligence. At its latest Edition launch event, the e-commerce giant announced a suite of AI-powered features aimed at helping merchants streamline the creation and management of their online stores — no coding required. The updates include a new AI store builder, enhanced capabilities for Sidekick,
Transportation
Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing arm of Alphabet, has now completed over 10 million paid rides, according to co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, who shared the milestone during the Google I/O developer conference this week. The figure marks a major acceleration for the company, doubling its trip count in just five months.