Ryan Breslow, the founder of checkout startup Bolt, once valued at $11 billion, is raising up to $27 million in pay-to-play bridge funding. He is personally investing $5 million to support the company's turnaround efforts amid controversy.
Andrew Bailey, in his capacity as the chair of the Financial Stability Board, has expressed concern over the potential destabilising effects of advanced AI technologies on the global financial system. He highlighted that cutting-edge AI models are demonstrating increased autonomy, sophisticated problem-solving skills, and potential threat capabilities, raising alarms about their impact on economic stability. This warning was conveyed in a detailed letter to international finance ministers and central bank governors at the G20 meeting.
The recent breach at Apollo serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by social engineering tactics, which allowed attackers to infiltrate key financial systems without relying on malware.
Anthropic is gearing up for an IPO that could rival or surpass SpaceX’s historic $75 billion fundraising milestone. The company, despite posting a net loss of nearly $42 billion in 2025—five times its loss the previous year—is optimistic about its stock market debut, potentially filing for the public offering by the end of this month. This move aims to secure one of the largest IPOs in history.
France continued to stand out as a premier destination for tech investment in Europe during the first half of 2026. Funding was predominantly directed towards sectors such as artificial intelligence, space exploration, fintech, and healthcare. Key deals, including significant contributions to companies like Eutelsat, played a crucial role in this robust investment landscape.
I recently had a discussion with a cybersecurity company's founder who mentioned that the board only thinks about a potential M&A process when they’re "in the mood," signaling that selling is often treated as a backup plan when growth slows or liquidity pressures arise. However, the best moment to consider selling usually comes when things are going exceptionally well—when revenue is growing, customer retention is strong, and market momentum is high. This is when strategic buyers tend to offer the best valuations since they prefer acquiring winning businesses.
Another sign to start thinking about sale options is when the founder begins to lose energy or shifts focus, though this doesn’t necessarily mean a sale—sometimes a leadership transition or a partial liquidity event suits better. Also, when multiple buyers show interest, it’s valuable intel that the company may be strategically well-positioned, even if formal selling isn’t immediately planned.
Typically, boards only seriously consider selling when the company faces challenges like slowing growth or cash constraints, but at this point, valuations often reflect struggles, and shareholders may receive less favorable offers. Instead, these moments might be better for a strategic reboot like pivoting or leadership changes to regain momentum.
Boards should actively avoid inertia by continuously evaluating whether selling, scaling, pivoting, or remaining independent will best create shareholder value. Ideally, these conversations happen proactively—not out of urgency or crisis.
Itay Sagie advises tech companies and boards on strategy and M&A, emphasizing the importance of timing and strategy in maximizing company value.
The 2026 cohort of newly minted unicorns has seen significant backing from some of venture capital's most recognizable names, including Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Y Combinator. According to the Crunchbase Unicorn Board, which tracks active investors over time, 250 companies have joined the unicorn ranks so far this year—up from 193 last year—with key sectors being robotics, AI, healthcare, biotech, and financial services. The majority of these companies are U.S.-based, with a strong representation from China as well.
Crunchbase data reveals that 75% of the funding these unicorns raised, totaling $74 billion out of $98 billion, was secured in 2026 alone. Though many deals happened in prior years, investment activity significantly picked up with 329 deals in 2026. The top 10 most active investors by deal count include venture firms like Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with Y Combinator notable as the sole accelerator.
At the seed stage, Y Combinator and Sequoia Capital led investment counts, while Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures were most active in Series A deals. These investors’ early-stage involvement and capacity to support scaling have positioned them as dominant players in this booming market. The upcoming challenge will be ensuring that this rapid influx of funding translates into long-term, impactful business successes for these new unicorns.
AI-native accounting startup Rillet has reached unicorn status with a $100 million Series C funding round led by Iconiq. The company achieved a $1 billion valuation following a rapid doubling of its annual recurring revenue (ARR) in the last three months since emerging from stealth mode two years ago.
Financial incentives play a significant role as health care accounts for nearly 20% of the American economy, attracting every major AI company to invest heavily in this sector.
Investors recognize that as portfolio companies frequently shift strategies and enter competing markets, occasional conflicts of interest are an inherent challenge for prominent venture capital firms.
