Standing Ovation raises €30M to commercialise casein made from dairy waste
Standing Ovation raises €30M to commercialise casein made from dairy waste

The Paris-based precision fermentation startup has already validated industrial-scale production of its Advanced Casein with Bel Group. The Series B will fund its US commercial rollout in 2026, with Europe and Asia from end 2027, pending regulatory app…

Airbnb launches private car transfers in 125+ cities
Airbnb launches private car transfers in 125+ cities

The new service, available from today across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, lets guests pre-book airport and station transfers directly in the Airbnb app. It’s not available in the US, Canada, or Africa, yet. Airbnb has launched private car transfers…

Enkei raises a pre-seed round to scale a material made from construction waste that replaces marble and concrete
Enkei raises a pre-seed round to scale a material made from construction waste that replaces marble and concrete

ReCeramix™, made from over 90% recovered ceramic and construction waste, is already in use at Stockholm boutique hotel Ett Hem, members’ club Angel House, and Fotografiska. The round was valued at €3M; the raise amount was not disclosed. Stockholm star…

Microsoft commits $1 billion to Thailand for cloud and AI infrastructure
Microsoft commits $1 billion to Thailand for cloud and AI infrastructure

Brad Smith met Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok to announce the 2026-2028 investment spanning data centre infrastructure, cybersecurity, sovereign technology, and AI skills training for millions of Thai workers. Microsoft has announced a c…

Empirical Ventures secures £10M from the British Business Bank to back UK ‘venture scientists
Empirical Ventures secures £10M from the British Business Bank to back UK ‘venture scientists

Empirical Ventures, which backs what it calls “venture scientists”, PhDs building deeptech companies across energy, materials, and life sciences, has received a fresh £10M commitment via the BBB’s Regional Angels Programme, taking total support to £15M…

How the Silicon Valley sneaker that was once worth $4 billion ended up selling for $39M
How the Silicon Valley sneaker that was once worth $4 billion ended up selling for $39M

The wool sneaker brand that briefly hit a $4 billion valuation in 2021 has agreed to sell all its assets and IP to American Exchange Group. The company is dissolving. Shares jumped 36% after-hours because $39M is still a premium over where they were al…

Rebellions closes $400M pre-IPO round at a $2.34B valuation
Rebellions closes $400M pre-IPO round at a $2.34B valuation

The South Korean fabless AI chip company, backed by Samsung, SK Hynix, and Aramco, raises $650M in six months and targets Meta and xAI as US customers. Korea’s National Growth Fund chose Rebellions as its very first investment. Rebellions, the South Ko…

Uber is acquiring Blacklane, the Berlin chauffeur platform backed by Sixt and Mercedes-Benz
Uber is acquiring Blacklane, the Berlin chauffeur platform backed by Sixt and Mercedes-Benz

The deal, financial terms undisclosed, expected to close by end of 2026, arrives weeks after Uber launched its own Uber Elite chauffeur service and positions the ride-hailing giant as a serious player in the corporate and executive travel segment. Uber…

UK fines Apple subsidiary for paying a sanctioned Russian streaming service through the App Store
UK fines Apple subsidiary for paying a sanctioned Russian streaming service through the App Store

The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has fined Apple Distribution International, Apple’s Ireland-based subsidiary, £390,000 for making two payments totalling more than £635,000 to a sanctioned Russian entity through the App Store in 20…

Judge throws out Musk’s advertising boycott lawsuit against X’s former sponsors
Judge throws out Musk’s advertising boycott lawsuit against X’s former sponsors

A US federal judge has dismissed Elon Musk’s antitrust lawsuit against advertisers who pulled their spending from X, ruling that the company failed to state a valid legal claim and barring it from ever refiling the case. US District Judge Jane Boyle, p…