Venture gets a rare Native American-led fund in Betsy Fore’s Velveteen Ventures
The firm will look to invest $500,000 to $4 million in 15-20 seed and Series A companies in the healthcare, climate, consumer, and community sectors.
The Download: carbon removal factories’ funding cuts, and AI toys
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The Trump administration may cut funding for two major direct-air capture plants The US Department of Energy appears poised to terminate funding for a pair of large carbon-sucking factories that were originally set…
July 2025
Google’s generative video model Veo 3 has a subtitles problem
As soon as Google launched its latest video-generating AI model at the end of May, creatives rushed to put it through its paces. Released just months after its predecessor, Veo 3 allows users to generate sounds and dialogue for the first time, sparking a flurry of hyperrealistic eight-second clips stitched together into ads, ASMR videos,…
This 29-Year-Old’s Side Hustle Brought People ‘to the Dark Green Side.’ It Made $10,000 Within 2 Days and Sees 6 Figures a Month.
Nikki Seaman began work on her business when the pandemic led to grocery store shutdowns.
Why This AI Tool Is the Game-Changer Small Business Owners Have Been Waiting For
Entrepreneurs need to learn how to use AI-powered digital agents so they can personalize service, automate tasks and reach more customers.
Mistral releases Voxtral, its first open source AI audio model
French startup Mistral has jumped into the audio race with Voxtral, its first open model, aiming to challenge the dominance of walled-off corporate systems with open-weight alternatives.
Reddit rolls out age verification in the UK to comply with new rules
Reddit users in the UK will have to upload their ID or a selfie to access potentially harmful content.
Building community and clean air solutions
When Darren Riley moved to Detroit seven years ago, he didn’t expect the city’s air to change his life—literally. Developing asthma as an adult opened his eyes to a much larger problem: the invisible but pervasive impact of air pollution on the health of marginalized communities. “I was fascinated about why we don’t have the…
Rivian taps Google to bring custom maps into its EVs and app
Rivian vehicles will soon replace its Mapbox-based maps with Google Maps. The integration will still see a lot of Rivian DNA in the new mapping system, though.
Rwazi raises $12M Series A to help companies with consumer insights and intelligence
Rwazi has raised a $12 million Series A led by Bonfire Ventures to help companies with market intelligence and consumer insights
Apple commits $500M to U.S.-based rare earth recycling firm MP Materials
The factory will develop a series of neodymium magnet manufacturing lines specifically designed for Apple products.