Transportation
Self-driving vehicle startup Nuro has closed its late-stage funding round, raising $203 million at a $6 billion valuation, with backing from new investors Uber and Nvidia alongside returning supporters. The fresh capital includes a $97 million tranche announced on Thursday, adding to the $106 million secured in April from firms
Food
Chipotle is taking its burritos to new heights—literally. The fast-casual giant announced it is partnering with autonomous drone delivery leader Zipline to pilot food delivery in the greater Dallas area. Beginning Thursday, select customers near a Chipotle location in Rowlett, Texas, will have access to “Zipotle,” an early access
Retail
Claire’s has hit pause on its planned wave of store closures following an acquisition deal announced Wednesday that could reshape the future of the accessories retailer. The company, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, had been preparing to shutter 700 stores and was weighing liquidation of its entire
Manufacturing
Battery materials startup Group14 Technologies announced Wednesday that it has raised $463 million in new funding to scale up its manufacturing operations, underscoring investor confidence in the long-term future of electric vehicles despite recent headlines about slowing demand growth. The company specializes in silicon anode materials, a next-generation alternative to
Solar Energy
Meta has signed a $100 million agreement with solar developer Silicon Ranch to build a 100-megawatt solar farm in South Carolina, the companies announced yesterday. The project will supply renewable energy to Meta’s upcoming $800 million AI data center in the state, with both facilities expected to begin operations
Tech
Google has unveiled its new Pixel 10 series, and with it, a clear statement: the future of smartphones is AI-first. Announced during Wednesday’s Made by Google livestream, the Pixel 10 lineup arrives just weeks ahead of Apple’s expected iPhone 17 reveal — a release widely expected to bring only
Robotics
FieldAI, a stealthy robotics startup, has emerged with $405 million in funding across multiple previously undisclosed rounds to develop what it calls “foundational embodied AI models” — essentially universal robot brains designed to help humanoids, quadrupeds, self-driving cars, and other autonomous machines adapt safely to new environments. The company revealed the
Automotive
Hertz has announced a new partnership with Amazon that will allow customers to shop its used rental vehicles directly through Amazon Autos, the e-commerce giant’s growing car sales platform. The move marks the first time a rental car company has teamed up with Amazon to sell pre-owned vehicles online.
Travel
Alaska Airlines is making a bold move into the lucrative world of high-end travel rewards. The carrier, which acquired Hawaiian Airlines last year, announced the launch of a new premium credit card and a combined loyalty program called Atmos—both designed to compete head-on with the industry’s biggest players.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first-ever glucose monitoring system designed specifically for weight loss, developed by health-tech startup Signos. The decision, announced Wednesday, creates a new pathway for Americans seeking to manage their weight outside of traditional treatments like medication or surgery. A New Option Beyond
Lowe’s announced Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Foundation Building Materials (FBM), a leading distributor of interior building products, in a deal valued at nearly $8.8 billion. The move marks a major step in the home improvement retailer’s strategy to expand its presence in the professional
Nuclear power is having a moment in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, and Aalo Atomics is the latest beneficiary. The company announced today that it has raised $100 million in Series B funding, with plans to switch on its first reactor by the summer of 2026 at the Idaho
Meta is expanding its AI ambitions with the global rollout of a voice translation feature for creators on Facebook and Instagram. Announced on Tuesday, the new tool lets users automatically translate their reels into other languages — while preserving the sound and tone of their own voice. The feature, which builds
Spotify is quietly testing a new audio mixing feature that gives Premium users more control over how tracks flow together in playlists. The feature, simply called Mix, is currently rolling out in beta to “eligible Premium users,” though availability appears to be limited for now. Unlike the existing crossfade setting,
Apple is accelerating its shift away from China by expanding iPhone production in India, with five factories — including two recently opened plants — now manufacturing the company’s flagship device. For the first time, all four models of the upcoming iPhone 17 will be assembled in India ahead of their global
Analytics firm Databricks said on Tuesday that its valuation is set to climb more than 61% to over $100 billion following a new funding round, underscoring strong investor appetite for artificial intelligence startups. The San Francisco-based company — which counts 15,000 customers including payments firm Block, energy giant Shell, and
Roughly one in three adults in the U.S. regularly struggles with insufficient sleep—a growing problem that has fueled demand for smarter tools to monitor, analyze, and improve rest. Eight Sleep, a New York-based startup founded in 2014, is betting big on AI-driven solutions to make sleep not just
Best Buy is opening its doors to third-party sellers as part of a major effort to diversify its offerings and regain sales momentum. Starting Tuesday, shoppers visiting Best Buy’s website and mobile app will see an expanded assortment of merchandise—including products the retailer hasn’t traditionally carried. The
Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group has agreed to invest $2 billion in Intel, a move framed as a strategic bet on advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. The deal, announced Monday after U.S. markets closed, will see SoftBank purchase Intel common stock at $23 per share, slightly below
This September, Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service is getting its biggest upgrade in years. For the first time, Ultimate subscribers will have access to Nvidia’s latest Blackwell GPUs, effectively renting the power of an RTX 5080 with 48GB of memory and DLSS 4 — streamed directly to their
Alphabet’s Google and nuclear startup Kairos Power will deploy an advanced nuclear power plant tied to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) electric grid by 2030, the companies announced Monday. The project marks the first U.S. power purchase agreement for electricity generated by an advanced reactor. TVA has
