Venture

• SoftBank announced a deepened push into AI through a new venture involving OpenAI, targeting enterprise applications in the US market. • The move comes as rival venture capital firms increase funding for AI startups, intensifying competition for talent and tech. • This investment bolsters SoftBank's position in the booming US AI sector, potentially accelerating model deployments.

Suit alleges that Hong Kong-based Justin Sun engaged in a campaign to ‘torch’ the company’s reputationSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons, said on Monday it had filed a defamation lawsuit in Florida state court against the Hong Kong-based crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, as a dispute escalates between the project and one of its most prominent backers.World Liberty posted a copy of its lawsuit on X in which it accused Sun of launching a “public smear campaign”. It alleged that Sun had improperly transferred some of his WLFI tokens that come with voting and governance rights to crypto exchange Binance and, separately, that he had placed bets that WLFI would decline in market value, known as short selling. That was part of a coordinated effort to push the token’s market price down as public trading began in September, the lawsuit alleged. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Brainchild of Dominic Cummings, Aria is aimed at funding ‘crazy’ scientific projects to benefit the UKBritain’s “invention agency” has pledged £50m of UK taxpayer money to US tech companies and venture capital projects.Dreamed up by Dominic Cummings to fund “crazy” ideas, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) is meant to “restore Britain’s place as a scientific superpower”. Continue reading...

• TechCrunch correspondent Anna Heim identified 21 emerging European AI and tech startups positioned to capture venture investor attention beyond market leaders Mistral AI and Lovable. • The curated list of companies represents underreported opportunities in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies that venture insiders are quietly tracking. • These startups compete in a market where established European firms continue securing massive funding rounds and launching competitive products.

• In the first quarter of 2026, AI‑driven insurance technology firms attracted significant capital, including Harper Group’s $47 million seed plus Series A and Indigo Technologies’ $50 million Series B, both focused on AI‑automated underwriting and claims workflows. • Platforms such as Mea Platforms, Pasito, General Magic, and Qumis raised between $4.3 million and $50 million to automate document‑heavy processes, reduce loss ratios, and compress quote and bind times for small and midsize businesses. • Investors are backing U.S.‑based vendors that use AI to scale distribution without proportional headcount growth, reduce friction in benefits selection, and improve risk selection in commercial lines.

Justin Sun alleges World Liberty Financial installed tools to prevent sale of his tokens after they became tradeableBillionaire crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Tuesday sued World Liberty Financial, the digital currency venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons, alleging that World Liberty illegally froze his holdings of tokens issued by the company.Sun, the largest investor in World Liberty, alleged in the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California, that the company secretly installed tools to prevent the sale of his tokens after they became tradeable in September 2025. The lawsuit also alleges that World Liberty threatened to “burn” – or permanently delete – his holdings, even while they were in Sun’s digital wallet. Continue reading...

Justin Sun said World Liberty Financial built a ‘backdoor blacklisting function’ that froze his account. ‘We have the truth. See you in court,’ the company respondedSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe largest investor in Donald Trump’s crypto venture has claimed that the firm “secretly” implemented a tool to unilaterally freeze his holdings of its cryptocurrency. He claimed the company could do the same to any other user.In posts on social media platform X on Sunday, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun said, without offering evidence, that World Liberty Financial had embedded what he described as a “backdoor blacklisting function” in the blockchain-based contracts used for the WLFI tokens. Continue reading...

• Anthropic secured $8 billion in its Series E funding round on April 9, 2026, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from US-based investors including Amazon and Google. • The funds will accelerate development of Claude 4 AI models and expand enterprise AI infrastructure in US data centers. • This round values Anthropic at $61.5 billion post-money, solidifying its position as a leading US AI challenger to OpenAI amid intensifying competition.

• 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.

Sky News Arabia has been accused of broadcasting propaganda and whitewashing genocide in SudanSky is considering terminating its joint venture with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after accusations it is involved in broadcasting propaganda and genocide denial.Sky is in talks with its partner in the UAE on Sky News Arabia over the potential termination next year of the licence to use its brand. Continue reading...