Kraken raises $175M to become a maritime-defence unicorn

Tencent in talks to become Manus’ largest shareholder

Tencent is in talks to become the largest shareholder in Manus, the Chinese AI agent startup whose $2bn acquisition by Meta was blocked by Beijing on national-security grounds. A consortium of original investors — including ZhenFund and HSG (formerly Sequoia Capital China) — plans to repurchase Manus at the same $2bn valuation, effectively reversing the deal. Tencent would hold the biggest single stake but remain a minority shareholder. US firm Benchmark is expected to exit, shifting the cap table toward predominantly domestic Chinese investors. Manus had grown its annualized revenue to an estimated $400–500m during its time under Meta's umbrella, up from ~$100m prior. The buyback restores Chinese ownership but removes the distribution advantages Meta provided, and the episode is seen as a template for how Beijing handles strategic AI assets going forward.

Stealth Ukraine Ground Drones Hunt In the Dark

Ukrainian roboticists are deploying increasingly capable uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) along the frontline, with President Zelenskyy ordering 50,000 units by end of 2026. The Zmyi rover by RoverTech averages 57 missions before destruction — far above the typical 7 — thanks to low noise and heat signatures. UGVs now handle logistics, wounded evacuation, and assault operations, controlled remotely via Starlink or LTE from up to 100 km away. Analysts see UGVs as a direct response to drone-saturated battlefields where any human presence is quickly targeted. Key challenges include communication vulnerabilities, terrain complexity, and susceptibility to enemy drone strikes. Developers envision a future frontline with no human soldiers, replaced by networked robotic sensors and autonomous systems.

Charles Hudson shares the common mistakes he’s seen after investing in 500+ startups

Charles Hudson, founder of Precursor Ventures with 500+ startup investments, outlines key mistakes early-stage founders make when fundraising. Key pitfalls include optimizing for high valuations over prudent planning, failing to vet investors before accepting their money, pursuing venture capital when it may not suit the business model, and underestimating how dramatically the fundraising landscape has shifted due to AI-driven growth benchmarks. Hudson emphasizes that founders should treat investor selection as a two-way process and be realistic about whether their business is truly venture-scale.

Solo GP Ashley Smith announces second $25M fund to back startups in AI, security and more

Vermilion Cliffs Ventures, quỹ solo GP do Ashley Smith thành lập năm 2023, vừa huy động thành công quỹ thứ hai trị giá 25 triệu USD. Quỹ tập trung vào các founder trong lĩnh vực AI infrastructure, security và developer tools, với khoản đầu tư từ 500K đến 1 triệu USD mỗi startup. Smith dự kiến đầu tư vào ít nhất 25 công ty trong 2,5 năm tới, tận dụng kinh nghiệm vận hành tại Twilio, Facebook, GitHub và GitLab để hỗ trợ chiến lược go-to-market cho các startup.

Nếu bạn đang tìm kiếm cách đầu tư vào các startup có tiềm năng cao trong lĩnh vực công nghệ tiên tiến như AI, bảo mật và công cụ phát triển, thì bài viết này sẽ giúp bạn hiểu rõ hơn về một nhà đầu tư thành công đang xây dựng một quỹ đầu tư chuyên biệt, mang lại cơ hội đầu tư hiệu quả với quy mô lớn.

Supercell launches equity-free grants program for Africa-based game studios

Supercell has launched a Developer Grants program offering equity-free funding of $20,000 to $200,000 to game studios based in Africa. Studios across all platforms, genres, and business models are eligible, provided they are legally registered with primary operations on the continent. Supercell will not take equity or IP ownership. Applications for the first cohort are open until August 9, 2026, with grants beginning in December. Studios will be evaluated on team capabilities, creative vision, community engagement, and a strategic plan for using the funds.

UK cyber agency unveils AI-powered Cyber Shield to counter attacks at machine speed

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has unveiled a blueprint called Cyber Shield, developed with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, to deploy autonomous AI agents capable of detecting and neutralizing cyberattacks at machine speed across government and critical infrastructure. The system envisions 'red' agents identifying vulnerabilities and 'blue' agents defending against threats in real time, with a progression toward fully automated remediation. The NCSC warns that AI is already enabling attackers to compress attack timelines from weeks to minutes, shrinking defenders' response windows. Cyber Shield prioritizes explainable AI, federated agents, and national-scale scanning, but analysts note significant governance challenges around autonomous agents that can alter live environments. The blueprint is still in early stages and requires industry, academia, and infrastructure operator partnerships before becoming operational.

Ollama raises $65M for its open-model AI platform

Ollama huy động thành công 65 triệu USD trong vòng gọi vốn Series B, nâng tổng vốn lên 88 triệu USD, cung cấp công cụ cho 8,9 triệu nhà phát triển hàng tháng. Công ty tập trung vào việc chạy các mô hình AI open-weight cục bộ và mở rộng lên cloud, thu hút sự quan tâm của nhà đầu tư khi dự đoán mô hình open-weight sẽ chiếm đa số tokens AI trong 18–24 tháng tới.

Nếu bạn là lập trình viên muốn tối ưu hóa việc triển khai và sử dụng mô hình AI mở rộng trên máy tính cá nhân mà không phụ thuộc vào cloud, Ollama sẽ là công cụ quan trọng để bạn tìm hiểu về cách vận hành hiệu quả các mô hình AI mở với chi phí thấp và quyền kiểm soát cao.