Rounds

• Tech: NYC reports 21 startups crossed the Series A threshold in April 2026, tracked in their monthly 'Series A: A Series' update. • Funding checks are notably increasing in size, reflecting stronger investor confidence in early-stage tech ventures amid economic recovery. • The roundup emphasizes New York City's vibrant startup ecosystem, with focus on AI, fintech, and climate tech sectors.

• Twelve Indian tech firms announced funding exceeding $1.1 billion, fueling AI innovation and startup growth in the country's booming sector. • This influx highlights exploding investment in India's tech industry, with focus on AI-driven startups and product development. • The deals position India as a global hub for tech funding, supporting economic expansion amid high AI adoption rates.

• U.S. startups in applied enterprise AI secured over $500 million in funding rounds announced May 4, 2026, focusing on workflow automation and analytics. • Key deals include a $120M Series B for an AI platform optimizing supply chains and $80M for defense-oriented machine learning tools. • Surge underscores investor shift toward practical AI deployments, with returns projected at 5x in three years amid 25% market growth.

Lifestyle influencer died while on vacation with boyfriend, who local officials say has since had his passport ‘withheld’Ashly Robinson, a US lifestyle influencer, died last week while on vacation in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar with her boyfriend, Joe McCann. Robinson’s death on 9 April, just days after her birthday and a marriage proposal from McCann, has sparked suspicion on social media, with users doubtful of the current narrative surrounding her passing.No arrests have been made, and police previously said that McCann was not suspected of wrongdoing. But officials in Zanzibar released a statement on 14 April saying that McCann’s passport has been “withheld”. Continue reading...

Monument made from shattered pieces of original statue tossed into Baltimore’s inner harbor by protesters in 2020US politics – live updatesA statue of Christopher Columbus has been installed in the grounds of the White House in the latest attempt by Donald Trump to position the controversial explorer as a foundational hero of the US.The president had the 13ft statue, which weighs one ton, placed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a replica of a monument to Columbus that was torn down and tossed into Baltimore’s inner harbor by protesters in the city amid widespread anti-racism protests in 2020. Continue reading...

• The startup and venture investment market remains robust with AI mega-rounds emerging almost weekly, though investors are increasingly selective and focused on companies with technological advantage and commercial discipline. • Capital is concentrating in AI infrastructure, chips, inference computing platforms, defense tech, European fintech, and healthtech with clear unit economics, while weak placement windows are closing for lower-quality stories. • The IPO and exit market remains open but uneven, with certain companies still preparing for the public market while others postpone placements due to volatility and stricter risk assessments from investors.