Posts by Liam Redmond
Fintech Startups Attack Idle Cash as Rivo Raises $3.1M
Here is a raise that rewards a simple, stubborn problem. Rivo launched out of beta with a $2.7 million seed round, which brings its total funding to $3.1 million. The company is building what it calls “self-driving money,” and it wants to end the “inertia tax.” That phrase should stick with every founder. The inertia…
Read MoreRecession 2026 Fears Rise, Yet Small Firms Beat Plan
Small business owners are feeling two things at once, according to Fora Financial’s 2026 Mid-Year Pulse survey. Three in four say the year is meeting or beating the plan they set in January. At the same time, most now see a downturn as possible before December. That mix of confidence and caution is worth understanding…
Read MoreMaterials Are Part Of Your Business Strategy
A CEO’s job is to lead the company and ensure that big decisions support long-term growth. At first glance, this responsibility seems to exist in the realm of finance and executive hiring, but it also includes managing decisions that determine how a company produces and delivers its products. Production materials have a significant impact on…
Read MoreFabian Struck: From Newspaper Boy to Energy CEO
Image of Fabian Struck Before most of his classmates had eaten breakfast, Fabian Vincent Struck was already on the streets of Brüggen, delivering newspapers in the dark at fourteen years old. The early morning start was followed by working at a local car wash, at a checkout line at a REWE supermarket, and managing incoming…
Read MoreRobotaxi Infrastructure Is the New Prize as Moove Raises $250M
Autonomous mobility got a jolt this week after Moove raised $250 million at a $2.1 billion valuation. Mubadala led the Series C, and Woven Capital plus Ion Pacific came in as co-leads. The growth story here is not the vehicle. It is the infrastructure underneath the ride. Moove is racing to own the layer that…
Read MoreDefense Tech Startups Draw Billions as Hadrian Raises $1.37B
Advanced manufacturing grabbed the spotlight this week after Hadrian closed a $1.37 billion Series D at a $7.87 billion valuation. JPMorganChase anchored the round, while Valor Equity Partners, Baillie Gifford, and WCM Investment Management joined as co-leads. The headline number is huge, yet the signal underneath matters more. Capital is moving toward founders who build…
Read MoreAutomated Penetration Testing Scales as Horizon3 Raises $250M
Automated penetration testing just had a breakout moment, and it doubles as a growth story. Cybersecurity company Horizon3 raised a $250 million Series E on August 3 at a valuation above $2 billion. Its platform continuously hunts for weaknesses in a company’s systems, the way a real attacker would. Here is why this matters beyond…
Read MoreAI Chip Startup Taalas Sells to AMD in Inference Push
AMD has agreed to buy Taalas, an AI chip startup that etches model weights directly into silicon, in a deal announced on August 6. The Toronto company, founded in 2023, builds processors custom-made for a single AI model. AMD expects the acquisition to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. For founders, this is a…
Read MoreHow Entrepreneurs Can Build a Strong Workplace Safety Culture
Workplace safety is a requirement, which is why entrepreneurs should try to build this type of culture into their business from the start. Not only is workplace safety culture a requirement, but it’s also a strategic investment. This investment is designed to save lives, protect a business’s reputation, cut costs, and boost employee morale. Too,…
Read MoreSmall Business Bankruptcy: Salad and Go’s Hard Lesson
If you run a small business, a small business bankruptcy in your industry can feel personal, and this one stings. Salad and Go’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 on August 5 and is closing every remaining restaurant. The drive-thru chain had served more than 60 million meals since 2013. You already know that running…
Read MoreSpotify to label ‘AI personas’ and exclude AI music from personal recommendations
In its latest effort to protect human creators from the flood of synthetic music, Spotify will soon require AI-generated identities to carry an “AI Persona” label while barring their tracks from users’ algorithmic mixes. The change will take effect in mid-September. It follows Spotify’s earlier moves to help subscribers understand the difference between genuine and…
Read MoreThe AI Gold Rush for Small Businesses: Why Founders Have a Short Window to Beat Enterprise Brands
AI platforms are quickly becoming the search tools of choice for many consumers. As their popularity increases, businesses will inevitably shift more of their marketing dollars to focus on AI visibility through AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). The shift is predictably slow, though. Big businesses that dominate the digital market have sluggish reactions to change. That…
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