Rounds

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule to establish a permanent framework for its Medicare drug price negotiation program. • Scheduled to begin in 2029, the program focuses on negotiating and renegotiating prices for expensive, single-source drugs to reduce costs for millions of patients. • This move is significant as it aims to provide drug manufacturers with greater long-term certainty while increasing the affordability of critical medications.

• World-Model startup Odyssey led the week's largest funding rounds, securing $310 million during a period of slower activity for major deals. • Twenty Technologies, an Arlington-based defense firm, raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Accel, reaching a $1 billion valuation. • These investments span diverse sectors including AI, fintech, quantum computing, and cybersecurity, highlighting a broad appetite for deep-tech innovation.

• Silicon Box, Innefu Labs, and Mygate emerged as the top recipients of Asia's largest startup funding rounds for Week 24, 2026. • A combined total of over $185 million was raised, with a heavy concentration of investment in infrastructure technologies. • Funding was primarily driven by high-growth sectors including semiconductors, AI, biotech, and EV charging, signaling a strategic shift toward deep-tech infrastructure.

Live webcam footage from atop the Washington Monument shows a highly visible ‘8’, while the others appears fainterUS federal authorities are investigating what appears to be a massive etching of “8647” into the grass of the National Mall.Live webcam footage from atop the Washington Monument as of Thursday afternoon shows the markings, with a highly visible “8,” along with less visible “6”, “4” and “7”. Continue reading...

• Researchers have developed a new urine test that identifies children likely to have autism by analyzing specific gut microbe profiles. • According to a study published in Molecular Psychiatry, the test correctly identified 90% of autistic children without misidentifying any neurotypical children. • This development matters because it may allow for earlier diagnosis than current assessment tools, potentially leading to faster intervention.

• US-Iran war talks remain clouded by uncertainty as both Washington and Tehran issue conflicting messages regarding the status of negotiations. • In Lebanon, fighting persists between Israel and Hezbollah, indicating that the fragile ceasefire agreement is failing to hold. • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Shlomi in northern Israel on Thursday, reaffirming his commitment to border security while emphasizing a diplomatic approach of flexibility and firmness.

• A medical device company specializing in musculoskeletal implants and treatment systems secured the week's largest U.S. funding round, totaling $1.5 billion. • Hark, a one-year-old AI startup developing personalized hardware devices, also raised a massive Series A round supported by several high-profile investors. • These deals signal a resurgence in "physical tech," with significant capital flowing into aerospace, defense, fintech, and retail technology alongside traditional AI software.

• 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.