š I'm Ken Metral, founder of Cosmico. I'm a serial entrepreneur and passionate technologist. I have 20+ years of experience with degrees in IT, MIS, and an MBA from Florida International University.
Robotics
Humanoid robotics startup Figure has reached a staggering $39 billion valuation following its largest fundraising round to date, underscoring surging investor enthusiasm for robots designed to work alongside humans. The San Jose, Californiaābased company announced Tuesday that it raised a Series C round exceeding $1 billion, led by Parkway
Transportation
Waymo has taken a major step toward expanding its self-driving ride-hailing service in the Bay Area. The company announced that it has secured a Testing and Operations Pilot Permit to begin operating at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), one of the busiest travel hubs in the United States. The permit,
Pharmaceutical
Eli Lilly announced Tuesday that it will invest $5 billion to build a new manufacturing facility in Goochland County, Virginia, aimed at boosting U.S. production of cutting-edge cancer drugs and other treatments. The project marks the first in a series of four new domestic sites the pharmaceutical giant plans
Automotive
It may look like the worst possible moment to break ground on an electric vehicle factory in the United States, but Rivian Automotive is betting big on its future. The California-based EV maker began long-delayed construction Tuesday on a $5 billion manufacturing plant east of Atlanta, Georgiaāa project its
Software Development
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature in Visual Studio Code that automatically selects the best AI model for developers using GitHub Copilot. The āauto modelā function will dynamically pick between options like Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-5, GPT-5 Mini, and others to deliver what Microsoft calls āoptimal performance.ā For free
Media
At its Made on YouTube event on Tuesday, the platform introduced a fresh wave of monetization features designed to help creators earn more through brand partnerships and its growing YouTube Shopping program. Among the most notable updates is a new system that allows creators to swap out brand sponsorships in
Military & Defense
Salesforce is ramping up its role in the national security space with the launch of Missionforce, a new business unit dedicated to embedding artificial intelligence into defense operations. Announced Tuesday, Missionforce will focus on modernizing three key areas of military and defense workflows: personnel, logistics, and decision-making, according to a
E-commerce
Google has unveiled a new open protocol designed to standardize how AI agents shop and make financial decisions on behalf of users. The Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), announced this week, is backed by more than 60 merchants and financial institutions ā including industry heavyweights Mastercard, American Express, and PayPal. The system
Hardware
London-based consumer electronics startup Nothing has closed a $200 million Series C round led by Tiger Global, pushing its valuation to $1.3 billion. The round also saw participation from existing backers GV, Highland Europe, EQT, Latitude, I2BF, and Tapestry, alongside new strategic investors including Nikhil Kamath and Qualcomm Ventures.
Energy
Blackstone has agreed to purchase the Hill Top Energy Center, a 620-megawatt natural gas power plant in Western Pennsylvania, for nearly $1 billion. The deal underscores the private equity giantās strategy to invest heavily in U.S. electricity infrastructure as demand soars, driven by the rapid adoption of artificial
Retail
VF Corporation, the parent company of Vans, The North Face, and Timberland, announced Monday that it will sell its Dickies workwear brand to Bluestar Alliance for $600 million in cash. The transaction, expected to close by the end of 2025, marks the latest step in VFās ongoing turnaround strategy.
Military & Defense
Amid a surge of investor interest in defense technology, advanced manufacturing company Divergent Technologies has raised $290 million to expand production of missile components and other specialized hardware for the U.S. military. The financing round, which includes $40 million in debt, values the Los Angelesābased company at $2.