Is Amazon buying Lyft?

Top News

• KoBold Metals digs up $537M: KoBold Metals raised $537M in a Series C led by Durable Capital and T. Rowe Price, pushing its valuation to $2.96B. The AI-driven mining startup will use the funds to explore five continents and develop a massive copper deposit in Zambia—one of the largest ever found. In an industry where 0.3% of deposits pan out, KoBold’s AI approach is rewriting the playbook. Backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Jack Ma, the company is proving tech might finally strike gold in mining.

• Amazon eyeing Lyft?: Could Amazon add Lyft to its portfolio? Speculation is building that the e-commerce giant might acquire Lyft to strengthen its autonomous vehicle division, Zoox, and better compete with Tesla and Alphabet’s Waymo. Lyft’s 24M active riders could accelerate Amazon’s robotaxi ambitions while providing a foothold to expand Zoox into food delivery. For Lyft, struggling against Uber and mounting losses, a tie-up with Amazon could be a much-needed lifeline. The prospect of this partnership sent Lyft shares up nearly 5%, signaling investor excitement over the possibility of reshaping the transportation landscape

• Apple settles $95M Siri privacy lawsuit: Apple agreed to pay $95M to settle claims that Siri recorded unintended conversations and shared them with third parties like advertisers. The lawsuit, covering 2014-2024, alleges that the "Hey, Siri" feature led to unauthorized recordings. Millions of users may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device. Apple denied wrongdoing but settled to avoid prolonged litigation. A similar case against Google’s Voice Assistant is still pending

TWiST500

We are ramping up the TWiST500, and today, I am adding four robotics companies:

• Bear Robotics: Ever been served by a robot? If not, you might soon be. Bear Robotics builds autonomous indoor robots designed to assist staff in restaurants, senior care facilities, and beyond. Their “Servi” robots handle repetitive tasks like delivering food and clearing tables, letting human employees focus on the customer experience. With a labor shortage continuing to challenge service industries, Bear’s robots are stepping in to fill the gap. Practical, efficient, and already rolling out globally.

• MMI and Capstan Medical: Let’s combine these two because they’re both tackling surgical robotics in big ways. MMI focuses on precision tools for microsurgeries—think surgeries so delicate that robots are literally more capable than humans. Capstan, meanwhile, is all about less invasive heart surgeries, using robotics to replace open-heart procedures. Both companies raised $110M Series C rounds this year, showing just how much investors believe in their tech. The future of surgery is here, and these two are leading the way.

• Collaborative Robotics (Co.bot): Not all robots are meant to replace people—some are designed to work alongside them. Co.bot builds collaborative robots (or cobots) that make human jobs safer and more efficient in industries like manufacturing and healthcare. Instead of taking over, these robots adapt to what workers need, filling a critical gap in workplaces where precision and collaboration matter most. It’s not flashy, but it’s exactly what the future of robotics looks like.

Have a startup that belongs on the list? Send it my way: [email protected] — Maddie

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