Founder

• Amazon has scrapped a forthcoming film featuring Andrew Garfield that focused on the co-founder of OpenAI. • On the podcast *The Rest is Entertainment*, Richard Osman and Marina Hyde linked the decision to Amazon's partnership with OpenAI announced in February. • Osman argued that "billionaires with thin skin" are increasingly controlling cultural narratives by suppressing critical media.

• Stanford's 2026 AI Index suggests that the opportunity window for AI enterprise startups is closing more rapidly than founders anticipate. • The report identifies a critical gap in the market for practical tools focused on policy, auditing, model inventory, incident response, and workflow control. • A related study by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab using ADP payroll data reveals that employment for software developers aged 22 to 25 dropped nearly 20% through mid-2025 in AI-exposed roles.

• Hangzhou-based AI startup DeepSeek has raised over $7.4 billion in its first external funding round, achieving a valuation exceeding $50 billion. • Founder Liang Wenfeng contributed $3 billion of the total funding and utilized a unique limited partnership structure to maintain operational control. • This massive investment establishes DeepSeek as China’s most valuable AI startup, signaling a major push to compete globally despite ongoing US chip restrictions.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has raised over 50 billion yuan ($7.40 billion) in its first external funding round. • The investment has propelled the company's valuation to over $50 billion, making it one of the largest fundraising events in the global AI sector. • A unique investment structure was utilized during the round to ensure the company's founders retain operational and strategic control.

Speaking after appeal court ruled ban lawful, Huda Ammori says fight will be won in the courts or ‘on the streets’The co-founder of Palestine Action has said the battle to overturn the terrorism ban on the direct action group will be won – in the courts or “on the streets”.On Monday, five court of appeal judges ruled that a ban on the organisation was lawful, reversing the high court’s February judgment, which they said had wrongly limited the home secretary’s discretion on national security. Continue reading...

• AsiaTechDaily and beSUCCESS Media Group, in association with KoreaTechDesk and IndiaTechDesk, have announced the investor panel for the AsiaStartupExpo Q2 2026. • The virtual event, scheduled for June 17, features a diverse panel including Gaurav Pant, Dominica Drazal, Tommy Khương, and others representing India, Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and South Korea. • This panel is significant as it highlights the specific criteria and benchmarks cross-border investors will use to assess Asian founders in the current market.

• West Auckland-based Grinding Gear Games reported a massive revenue surge, with earnings jumping five-fold from $105 million to $526 million. • The financial growth was driven by strong performance and included $3 million in taxpayer funding as part of the mix. • Co-founder Chris Wilson is currently hiring new staff to develop a secret project, signaling a strategic expansion beyond their current titles.

• London-based AI startups are accelerating their product launch timelines to remain competitive as tech giants like Google, DeepMind, and Microsoft expand their operations in King’s Cross and Paddington. • This expansion by Big Tech is intensifying the local struggle for critical resources, specifically high-level talent, venture funding, and computing power. • Innovation is diversifying beyond finance and health, with new tools emerging in cybersecurity, industrial automation, media production, and AI safety compliance.

• World Fund hosted its 2026 Annual General Meeting and Summit, themed ‘Built to Scale,’ on June 9 at the Delphi Filmpalast am Zoo in Berlin. • The event coincided with SuperVentures and focused on the transition of European deep-tech founders from initial breakthroughs to achieving technological sovereignty. • Among the highlighted developments, the platform Framework, described as the ‘Duolingo of MBAs,’ recently secured £1.5 million in funding to expand its educational tools.

• Creator Fund has closed a new $56 million fund dedicated to supporting scientific founders and researchers across Europe. • The capital will target PhD students and academics developing deep tech startups in specialized fields, including AI, robotics, biotech, and advanced materials. • This initiative matters as it bridges the gap between academic research and commercial viability for high-impact scientific innovations.

• Kensington-based venture capital firm Creator Fund has closed its first fund, totaling €48.6 million, to support scientific founders in Europe. • The fund focuses on DeepTech and targets entrepreneurs at the pre-Seed stage, specifically backing them before they have developed a formal pitch deck. • By scaling its student-sourcing model across the continent, Creator Fund claims to be the largest student fund in the world.

• The Cockroach Janata Party held its first physical protest in New Delhi after its founder traveled from the United States to lead the demonstration. • The group, which has gained viral attention on social media, was granted official permission by authorities to hold the event despite previous government actions. • The movement faces opposition from the Modi government, which has already blocked several of the party's social media accounts.

• The founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) arrived in New Delhi to lead a street protest on Saturday, June 6, marking the movement's transition from social media to physical activism. • The movement reflects a broader South Asian trend of youth-led, digitally-born uprisings similar to those recently seen in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. • CJP's growing popularity is challenging Prime Minister Modi's image amid public frustration over gas shortages and rising fuel prices linked to the Iran war.

• Kanya King, the founder of the Mobo Awards, has passed away at the age of 57 following a battle with cancer. • Prominent figures including Sir Idris Elba, Alesha Dixon, and Stormzy praised King for providing a platform for an entire generation of Black British artists to be celebrated. • Her legacy spans 30 years of cultural impact, during which she used her vision and nerve to ensure Black musicians were heard on their own terms.

Entrepreneur died of colon cancer, with Mobo Organisation hailing her as ‘one of the most fearless champions’ in the music industryKanya King, the entrepreneur and tireless champion of Black British music who founded the Mobo awards, has died aged 57 from colon cancer.The news was announced by the Mobo Organisation, who said she died on Wednesday “after a courageous and characteristically determined battle” with her illness. Continue reading...

Ryan Fournier, 30, was charged with simple assault and attempted threats to do bodily harmThe co-founder of the group Students for Trump was arrested Tuesday on domestic violence charges.Washington DC’s Metropolitan police department arrested Ryan Fournier, 30, and charged him with simple assault and attempted threats to do bodily harm, Defector first reported. Continue reading...

Jonathan Andic said he was temporarily standing aside as vice-chair of fashion chain after being named a suspect in death of Isak AndicJonathan Andic, son of the Mango founder Isak Andic, is stepping down temporarily as the fashion group’s vice-chair after being named a suspect in the investigation into his father’s death.In an open letter published on Tuesday, Andic strongly protested his innocence, saying the accusation bore “no relation to reality”, but that “dismantling it” would take a long time. Continue reading...

Italy’s president leads tributes to campaigner who spent four decades promoting sustainability and local cuisineCarlo Petrini, the journalist who founded the Slow Food movement in protest against the arrival of the first McDonald’s in Italy, has died aged 76.Petrini, who had been diagnosed with prostrate cancer in recent years, died in his home town of Bra in northern Italy’s Piedmont region. He had led Slow Food, which since 1986 has campaigned against fast-food culture by promoting sustainability and local cuisine, as president until 2022. Continue reading...

Jack Clark describes ‘vertiginous sense of progress’ and ‘profound changes’ to society alongside risks of technologyAn AI system will work with humans to make a Nobel prize-winning discovery within 12 months and tradespeople will be helped by bipedal robots in two years, according to the co-founder of Anthropic.Jack Clark described a “vertiginous sense of progress” in the technology and made a series of predictions, including that companies run solely by AIs would be generating millions of dollars in revenue within 18 months, and that by the end of 2028, AI systems would be able to design their own successors. Continue reading...

Catalan police questioning Jonathan Andic over father Isak Andic’s apparent fall down a mountain ravine in 2024Police in Catalonia have arrested the son of Isak Andic, the founder of the fashion chain Mango, and are questioning him in connection with the death of his father in the mountains near Barcelona almost 18 months ago.Andic, who was 71, died in December 2024 after apparently falling 100 metres down a ravine while hiking in Montserrat with his son, Jonathan. His death prompted tributes from politicians, journalists and the fashion world. Continue reading...

‘He’s having a great time with his new 47% equity,’ one entrepreneur jokes, warning that some startups may leave Australia behindGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTech entrepreneurs have mocked the government’s capital gains tax changes by posting AI-generated photos of Anthony Albanese as their “new founder” and warning that increased taxes could push people away from working for new businesses or send startups overseas.Startups and entrepreneurs may yet receive a carve-out in the federal government’s planned changes to the CGT discount, with the prime minister saying he wanted to support innovation and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, revealing that consultation was continuing with the sector. Continue reading...

Transcripts reveal billionaire Ted Waitt’s relationship with Epstein accomplice and $7.2m breakup payoutSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Ted Waitt, the billionaire cofounder of the Gateway computer company, told lawmakers during a closed-door interview that he was in a romantic relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell from 2004 to 2010, but said that “if I knew then what I know now about Ms Maxwell, I never would’ve befriended her or allowed her to be around my four children”, according to a transcript of his testimony released by the House oversight and reform committee.“I never would’ve spent six years in a romantic relationship with her,” Waitt said in his opening statement before the committee on 30 April, according to the transcript released on Wednesday. His testimony provided new details about his relationship with Maxwell, and he also disputed Maxwell’s previous statements that their relationship ended after a mysterious blackmail attempt related to Epstein’s civil cases. Continue reading...

Holder went back to woman’s Cheltenham flat after night out and refused to stop assault even when she began cryingA co-founder of the clothing company Superdry has been jailed for eight years for raping a woman after a night out in Cheltenham.James Holder, 54, had been due to get a taxi back to his home in the Cotswolds with a male friend. Instead, the pair got into the victim’s taxi and went to her flat in the Gloucestershire town, where Holder raped her.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

The death of the media mogul who transformed TV news was confirmed by his family and reported by CNNTed Turner, the media mogul who founded CNN, has died at 87, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing a news release from Turner Enterprises.In a statement, Mark Thompson, the chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide said that “Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement.” Continue reading...

Jimmy Wales remembers a toxic internet even before social media and says AI is ‘not a disaster’ for the free – and freely edited - online encyclopaediaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, has branded the Australian social media ban an “unmitigated disaster” and an “embarrassment” that is teaching kids to accept surveillance from tech companies when they go online.The online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit was born in a world before social media, in 2001. But Wales told Guardian Australia that many of the ills of social media existed even in the earlier stages of the internet. Continue reading...

• A comprehensive mapping identifies every major startup credit program available in 2026, targeting AI and cybersecurity innovators. • Analysis shows most founders are leaving around $500K on the table by overlooking these non-dilutive funding sources. • The resource aids US-based scaling startups in accessing credits essential for growth amid competitive venture landscapes.

Court heard woman asked fashion boss to stop but he did not even when she started cryingJames Holder, a co-founder of the clothing firm Superdry, has been found guilty of raping a woman after a night out in the Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham.Gloucester crown court heard Holder, 54, had been due to get a taxi back to his mansion in the Cotswolds with a male friend. Instead, the pair got into the victim’s taxi and went to her flat, where the fashion boss raped her. Continue reading...

British singer and guitarist wrote and performed Traffic classics including Feelin’ Alright? before platinum-selling solo albums and work with Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac and moreDave Mason, the co-founder of rock band Traffic who also collaborated with Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac and many other A-list musicians, has died aged 79.A statement from his representative said he died peacefully on Sunday at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada, having settled in the US in 1969. “Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved,” the statement added. Continue reading...