Top Stories
Oura is reportedly looking at a US IPO as early as September. This would potentially value the wearable at a $16B. — Tech Funding News
OpenAI says its new Jalapeno chip outperformed Nvidia processors in tests. — Bloomberg
Apple unveiled its “most powerful chip ever,” the M5 Ultra, alongside the M6 and updated Mac Mini and Mac Studio models. — TechCrunch
Meta plans to launch consumer AI agent Hatch within weeks, as it fights OpenAI and Anthropic in the agent development race. — The Information
Shein is seeking $1.77 billion in a Hong Kong IPO at a roughly $27 billion valuation, less than one-third of its 2022 peak. — Tech Startups
Top Funding Announcements
Gatik — The self-driving truck startup raised $200M, co-led by Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies. — TechCrunch
Alice — The Israeli startup protecting AI models from misuse and rogue behavior raised $140M. — Bloomberg
FGV Capital — The venture firm combined its investing and advisory divisions under a new brand and raised a $35M Fund II to back fintech startups. — TechCrunch
Emerald AI — The startup raised $150M led by DCVC and Energize Capital at a $1.05B valuation. — New York Times
General Intuition — The physical AI startup is finalizing an oversubscribed round led by new investors Valor and Point72 at a $6B valuation. — TechCrunch
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This Week in Startups
Timestamps:
0:00 Jason got a fresh Optimus demo
1:06 Robots are breaking human sports records
3:10 America's messaging problem vs. China's elite PR machine
10:38 Odoo - The all-in-one business platform. Your first app is free! Get started today at https://Odoo.com/twist
11:39 Jason got a fresh Optimus demo
18:52 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free and get 20% off your first 6 months at https://quo.com/TWiST
27:40 Who's going to buy Hugging Face and why?
28:27 Conservation Fund - Find out more about how the Conservation Fund is protecting land, wildlife, and our shared access to the great outdoors while also providing economic opportunities. Visit https://conservationfund.org
31:06 How OpenAI killed OpenClaw
38:39 Sam Altman wants to make a platform, not a product
40:50 The "Castles and Keeps" metaphor for sovereign AI
48:58 UBI isn't happening but we could raise the minimum wage
58:18 Embracing redundancy and self-reliance
1:10:24 Is Star Wars at a historic low point (and Lon's Worst Take)
TWiST Partner Offers
Odoo: The all-in-one business platform. Your first app is free! Get started for today at Odoo.com/twist
Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free and get 20% off your first 6 months at quo.com/TWiST.
The Conservation Fund: Find out more about how the Conservation Fund is protecting land, wildlife, and our shared access to the great outdoors while also providing economic opportunities. Visit https://conservationfund.org.
Today’s Fascinating Fact from Harmonic
Autonomous truck makers Gatik are the first North American company to operate fully driverless trucks at commercial scale. Since launching operations (freight-only) in mid-2025, the company has completed more than 60,000 fully driverless orders without a single incident. That’s over 10,000 miles traversed on public roads, in Texas, Arkansas, and Arizona, on behalf of customers including Walmart and PepsiCo/Frito-Lay.
Try it yourself at harmonic.ai
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