🤖 Robots Run a Half-Marathon — But It's Not Exactly Fast

Beijing’s E-Town just hosted the world’s first humanoid half-marathon, pitting 21 bipedal robots against human runners. The outcome? Progress in robotics — and a reminder that we’re still a long way from robot athletes.

❓ What actually happened:
• Only 4 robots finished under the 4-hour cutoff.
• The winner, Tiangong Ultra (by X-Humanoid), clocked 2h40m — thanks to a human guide with a signal device strapped on.
• Other robots tripped, overheated, or crashed — including Little Giant, which started smoking mid-run.
• Swaps and battery changes were allowed — Tiangong needed three.

⭕️ Why it matters:
• All bots had to be humanoid and run on two legs — a big leap from quadrupeds like Boston Dynamics' Spot.
• Most robots were remote-controlled or semi-autonomous — real-world testing like this exposes weak points in balance, coordination, and energy efficiency.

🚀 What's next for the space:
• China’s robotics race is heating up, with startups and research labs pushing the limits on mobility, autonomy, and humanoid form factors.
• X-Humanoid claims its performance “surpasses Western rivals” — bold words that hint at growing ambition in humanoid R&D.

While no one's giving robots a medal yet, this public test signals a shift: humanoid robotics are moving from lab demos to real-world stress tests — even if it’s just one slow step at a time.

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💦 “Owen Nowhere” Will Launch With a Crypto Wallet — And It's for Kids

We Ghosted Media, founded by “Bob’s Burgers” AD Chris Jammal and “Peg + Cat” producer Jaclynn Demas, is ditching networks and streaming for blockchain. Their new kids’ show will debut this fall on Lamina1, a decentralized platform — with every viewer getting a crypto wallet.

🥋 What they're creating:
• An animated series centered on Owen Gloom, a preteen creator on a bizarre family road trip
• The show lives inside Lamina1’s Spaces, a virtual world with interactive digital experiences
• Viewers can suggest episode ideas, vote on plot points, and collect digital outfits, props, and souvenirs

🌎Why they're using web3:
• “Owen Nowhere” isn’t just a show — it’s an open metaverse IP
• Digital collectibles double as community tokens, giving fans influence over content
• The creators aim to set a “new standard” for decentralized children’s entertainment

👪Who it’s for — and the risks:
• Targeted at preteens and older — but onboarding kids into crypto is controversial
• Lamina1 says the focus is token-gated access and community rewards, not trading or speculation
• Parental concerns over wallet management and financial safety are still being worked out

With funding from heavyweights like Reid Hoffman and visual effects projects from Wētā launching on the same platform, “Owen Nowhere” might be the strangest — and most forward-looking — kids’ show launch of the year.

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🍴 Uber eyes Trendyol Go to relaunch in Turkey via food delivery

Uber is reportedly in talks to acquire Trendyol Go, Turkey’s fast-growing food and grocery delivery service — a bold move that would mark its return to the Turkish market after a 5-year exit.

🛒 What Trendyol Go brings:
• The delivery arm of Turkey’s largest e-commerce platform, Trendyol
• Backed by Alibaba (70% stake) with deep market penetration
• Offers Uber a turnkey delivery network with national brand reach

🌎 Why this market matters:
• Turkey’s food delivery scene is heating up with players like Getir and Yemeksepeti
• Uber Eats generated $13.7B revenue last year and is scaling globally
• A foothold in Turkey could unlock broader e-commerce logistics potential

⚠️ What could block the deal:
• Uber’s rocky regulatory history in Turkey (ride-hailing banned in 2019)
• Ongoing political volatility and economic pressure
• Alibaba’s future intentions with Trendyol remain unclear

This would be Uber’s second shot at Turkey—this time through food, not rides. If successful, it’s a comeback with serious market potential.

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🧪Skin Analytics wants to eliminate deaths from skin cancer with AI-first diagnostics

British HealthTech company Skin Analytics is using AI to transform how skin cancer is diagnosed, aiming to fix the global shortage of dermatologists and reduce time-to-diagnosis with scalable, regulated automation.

⚙️ What they’ve built:
Skin Analytics developed DERM, the world’s first AI medical device to receive EU MDR Class III CE mark for making independent clinical decisions on skin cancer. The tool can autonomously discharge up to 40% of urgent referrals, reducing face-to-face appointments by up to 95%.

🌎 Where they’re headed:
With fresh €17.5M in Series B funding led by Intrepid Growth Partners, the startup plans to expand across Europe, Australia, and the US. Already deployed in 26 NHS sites and used by over 150,000 patients, Skin Analytics wants to become a global triage standard.

⚪️ Why it matters:
Dermatologist shortages are worsening worldwide — with just ~30 specialists per million people across Europe. DERM has already helped detect over 14,000 cancers, boasting a 99.8% Negative Predictive Value, close to dermatologist-level accuracy.

Skin Analytics isn’t just digitizing care — it’s rebuilding the frontlines of cancer detection with regulatory-grade AI.

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🚁 Hammer Missions wants to streamline building inspections with drone AI

London-based startup Hammer Missions is rethinking how structures are inspected — using drones and AI to turn slow, expensive site visits into automated, data-rich assessments.

🔍 How it works:
Hammer’s software enables fully automated drone flights to map and inspect buildings.
It captures high-res data for use cases like facade scanning, defect detection, roof analysis, and thermal forensics, generating 3D reports without needing bulky equipment or scaffolding.

⭕️ Why the need is real:
Traditional inspections are costly, slow, and often limited by access.
In the wake of the UK’s Building Safety Act and global attention to structural risk, real-time, scalable, and accurate inspections are no longer a luxury — they’re a necessity.

💰Where they’re expanding:
With €1.6M in fresh funding from ACF Investors and angels like GeoSLAM’s founder and former Atkins execs, Hammer Missions is:
• Accelerating product development
• Growing its presence in the US — where it already works with Thornton Tomasetti and SGH
• Scaling its AI to support 3D data capture across 20K+ drone flights

💡 Why it stands out:
Hammer’s core strength is in combining hardware-agnostic flight control with AI-powered reporting — helping clients cut inspection time and cost while improving precision.
Instead of sifting through raw drone data, engineers get decision-ready insights — a game-changer for safety and compliance workflows.

Hammer Missions is not just flying drones — it’s rebuilding how the built world is monitored.

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💻 Adaptive Computer wants to let anyone build apps — no coding needed

Adaptive Computer, the latest venture from Mem co-founder Dennis Xu, aims to redefine how everyday people interact with software. Instead of learning to code, users simply describe what they want — and Adaptive builds the app for them.

🧠 A new kind of “personal computer”
Forget hardware — Adaptive’s platform (ac1) is a no-code web-based engine that builds real apps from text prompts. It handles everything from backend setup to payments, user auth, AI tools, and database management.

⚡️ Built for non-technical creators
Unlike tools like Replit or Lovable, which started with developers in mind, Adaptive is designed for total beginners. No API keys, no config hell — just describe the app you want, and it's up and running in minutes.

⚙️ It’s more than an app builder
Apps created inside Adaptive can talk to each other — one user built a file-sharing tool, then made a second app that used those files for AI storytelling. Xu calls it “an operating system for your ideas.”

💰 Backed by $7M in fresh capital from Pebblebed, Conviction, and others, the platform is still in alpha but already showing off real use cases: PDF readers, e-comm stores, AI companions.

Is “vibe coding” the beginning of a world where building software is as easy as talking?

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⚡ Ather trims IPO target as EV market cools in India

Indian EV startup Ather is downsizing its IPO, aiming to raise $308M at a $1.4B post-money valuation — down from last year’s $2B ambition.

📉 Adjusting expectations
Citing market conditions, Ather slashed its offering by 18%. Existing shareholders, including Tiger Global and co-founders, are selling fewer shares than initially planned. Hero MotoCorp, its largest backer (40% stake), isn’t selling.

💰 Where the money goes
Ather plans to channel funds into:
• A new EV manufacturing plant in Maharashtra ($108.8M)
• R&D efforts ($88M)
• Marketing ($35.2M)
• Debt repayment ($4.7M)

📊 EV sales snapshot
Ather sold over 126K units in 2024, securing a 10.7% market share. That’s a 21% YoY sales bump — but still dwarfed by rival Ola Electric’s 34.1% hold. Ola’s IPO soared on debut but has since dropped 42%.

Is Ather's more conservative listing a smart play — or a signal of slowing EV hype in India?

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📞 Lace AI wants to turn your missed calls into money

Ex-Meta engineer Boris Valkov is tackling a quiet revenue leak in home services — phone calls that don’t convert. His new startup, Lace AI, uses AI to analyze 100% of inbound calls for missed sales opportunities.

🧠 From PyTorch to phone calls
After building PyTorch at Meta, Valkov realized AI could reshape the software layer. His journey began in his family’s grocery store, where customer service was everything. With co-founder Stan Stoyanov, he turned that insight into a startup aimed at HVAC, plumbing, and roofing businesses.

💬 What Lace actually does
• Monitors and analyzes every customer call
• Flags dropped leads or mishandled interactions
• Helps reps recover and improve conversion rates
• Operates on a per-agent SaaS model

📈 Early traction and funding
• 100+ business clients
• 1000% ARR growth in 2024 (after launching late 2023)
• $19M raised to date — including a new $14M seed led by Bek Ventures
• Team set to triple from 20 employees

For sectors with $300M+ revenue, even a 1% booking boost adds millions — and Lace says some clients are already seeing double-digit growth.

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🚗 Slate Auto wants to reinvent the car as a customizable ‘Transformer’

Backed by Jeff Bezos, stealth EV startup Slate Auto is preparing to unveil its first vehicle — a shapeshifting electric car with modular design at its core. Ahead of its April 24 reveal, Slate has already planted disguised prototypes on California streets, hinting at a bold strategy to blur the line between pickup, SUV, and hatchback.

⚙️ How it works (allegedly)
• The “Blank Slate” base model can be fully customized by buyers
• Concept versions seen so far include: a pickup truck, an SUV-style cover, and a hatchback shell
• Internally, the team pitched it as a “Transformer-style” vehicle with interchangeable components
• Marketing plays include fake business wraps and countdown websites tied to the launch

🔐 What they’re building behind closed doors
• A $25K price target for the modular EV
• Investor demos featured live transformation setups — a base vehicle was modified mid-meeting
• Over $100M raised, with board seats filled by heavyweights like Guggenheim CEO Mark Walter

❓ Why it’s different
Most EV startups race to release another Tesla clone. Slate is betting on physical flexibility as a core value — like turning one vehicle into several based on context. Think “Rivian meets IKEA” with an edge.

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⚡️ Flock Mobility is rethinking how institutions move people

London-based Flock Mobility is building a cleaner, smarter way for organisations to manage transport — with modular EV fleets and AI-optimised routing for shared rides, shuttles, and self-drive services.

🔄 What they’re changing:
• Combines on-demand, scheduled, and self-drive EVs into one flexible platform
• Offers both plug-in software and full-service solutions (drivers, EVs, insurance, charging)
• Already deployed at NHS Trusts and residential estates, reducing emissions and boosting vehicle utilisation by up to 70%

📊 What’s next for Flock
With new capital from the Skyscanner founder and the European Space Agency, the startup is:
• Expanding into more NHS networks and city councils
• Adding use cases like emergency deliveries and medical transport
• Hiring across product, data, and operations to scale its optimisation engine

💜 Why this matters
Legacy fleet solutions are rigid and carbon-heavy. Flock enables a multi-modal, low-emission system tailored to how people actually move — from care workers to commuters.

Will this kind of modular, AI-driven mobility become the default for public services and enterprise fleets?

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⚡️ RepAir wants to slash the cost of carbon removal using battery-like tech

Israeli climate startup RepAir Carbon is reimagining direct air capture with a reversible, battery-inspired system that could make CO₂ removal far cheaper and more scalable.

🧪 Rethinking the chemical process
RepAir replaces heat-based CO₂ extraction with electricity-driven electrochemical reactions. Using stacked electrodes and a membrane, its system continuously traps and releases carbon without downtime, unlike traditional solvent-based tech.

🔋 Built for scale and efficiency
The platform mimics the design of a fuel cell or battery, but works bidirectionally — regenerating in real time while operating. This makes it compact, efficient, and modular, with the potential to drop costs to $70–$80 per ton (vs. ~$600 today).

🌎 Where it’s headed
The startup just secured a $15M Series A extension led by Extantia and Taranis, plus a $3M grant from the Israeli Innovation Authority. It’s now exploring deployments in gas turbines and data centers for industrial carbon removal.

💡 Final thought:
RepAir’s “electro-capture” model could mark a turning point — bringing carbon removal tech closer to economic viability and mainstream adoption.

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🤖 Uber and Volkswagen team up to launch robotaxi fleets in the U.S.

A major new partnership is putting self-driving electric vans on U.S. roads. Uber and Volkswagen will roll out autonomous ID. BUZZ robotaxis, starting in Los Angeles by 2026, with fully driverless rides expected in 2027.

🔧 What’s in motion
• Joint effort between Uber and Volkswagen’s ADMT subsidiary
• Robotaxis based on VW's ID. BUZZ electric microbuses, powered by Mobileye AV tech
• Initial rides will include safety drivers, shifting to full autonomy in 2027

📍Where and when
• Los Angeles is the pilot market, with testing beginning later this year
• More cities planned, but not yet named

🚘 Why this matters
• VW previously pulled out of AV startup Argo and is now going all-in on own fleet + tech
• Uber adds another partner to its 14+ AV collaborations across robotaxi, delivery, and trucking
• The ID. BUZZ rollout combines high-volume production with urban AV deployment

Will passengers get into a fully driverless microbus by 2027 — or will regulators and tech delays stall the ride?

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⚙️ British startup Isembard wants to bring precision manufacturing back home

London-based Isembard is building a network of smart factories to reshore production for critical industries like aerospace, defense, and energy — starting with a $9M seed round.

⭕️ Their industrial reboot
• On-demand precision part manufacturing from local facilities
• First factory already live in London since January
• Unified tech layer MasonOS connects and automates operations across locations

💠 What makes it different
• Focused on distributed manufacturing, not mega-factories
• Provides quoting, scheduling, machine programming — all via proprietary software
• Aims to outcompete outdated suppliers with speed, automation, and resilience

💰 Who’s backing them
• Led by Notion Capital, joined by 201 Ventures, Material Ventures, and others
• Angels include Andreas Klinger (EU Inc) and Joshua Western (Space Forge)

🌎Bigger mission
Isembard isn’t just chasing market share — it’s building the infrastructure to re-industrialize the West. From drones to defense, they want local supply chains to work like global ones — fast, cheap, and software-first.

Will the distributed model beat the megafactory playbook in reshoring critical supply chains?

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🍷WineFi wants to modernise fine wine investing for a new generation

London-based startup WineFi is reshaping the fine wine investment world, blending financial expertise with data-driven technology to make wine a serious alternative asset for high-net-worth investors.

🧪 How WineFi is changing the game
• Targets investors who view wine primarily as an asset class, not just a collectible
• Offers syndicated wine portfolios starting from £3,000 and bespoke solutions for family offices
• Leverages data science and deep industry expertise to guide portfolio construction

🚀 What's next after the £1.5M raise
• Fuel team growth and expand partnerships across the NHS, enterprise, and local authorities
• Push for industry fiduciary standards like audits, segregation of client assets, and transparency policies

📈 Why this matters
• Fine wine is increasingly seen as a diversified, low-correlation asset, alongside collectibles like art and whisky
• WineFi’s low-fee structure and brokerage-inclusive model disrupts traditional merchant commission systems

Would you ever diversify your portfolio with fine wine – or does investing in bottles feel too vintage for modern times?

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🤖 DBR77 Robotics raises €3.5M to take industrial automation global

🔩 What they’ve built:
• Developed a platform combining IoT sensors, digital twin technology, and a robotics marketplace
• Offers real-time process simulation, data-driven automation, and access to robotics from suppliers like ABB, Fanuc, Mitsubishi
• Business model blends SaaS subscriptions with commissions from the marketplace

🌎Where they’re headed:
• Launching GO GLOBAL expansion into Western Europe and the United States
• Opened new subsidiaries in Berlin and Pittsburgh to drive regional growth
• Plans to enhance AI integration and accelerate development of its digital twin platform

❓ Why it matters:
• Manufacturing and logistics sectors face massive volatility — DBR77 offers real-time optimization in a rapidly shifting global landscape
• Early adoption of industrial IoT and digital twin tech could set new standards for operational efficiency

DBR77 isn’t just building tools — it’s betting that data-driven, automated factories will be the norm faster than anyone expects.

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