🚀 Quantum leap in European funding

Finnish startup IQM Quantum Computers has secured $320M in Series B — the largest quantum round in Europe to date. This brings its total funding to $600M.

🖱 Led by Ten Eleven Ventures with backing from Tesi and Finnish pension funds
🖱 Capital will accelerate development of error correction systems — the key step from hundreds to millions of qubits

IQM is positioning Europe as a serious player in quantum tech, with applications stretching from science to defense. The race for scalable quantum computing is heating up.

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💰Tesla floats $1 trillion bonus for Musk

Tesla has proposed a new 10-year compensation package that could grant Elon Musk up to $1T if he hits ambitious growth targets.

🖱 Musk must grow Tesla’s market cap from $1T to $8T
🖱 Success would award him 423M shares, boosting his stake to ~25%
🖱 Tesla told shareholders the world is at a turning point, and only Musk can drive the company into an era of “sustainable abundance” through AI, robotics, and scalable tech
🖱 The proposal goes to a shareholder vote later this year

A trillion-dollar bet on Musk isn’t just pay — it’s Tesla doubling down on its entire future.

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🎥Warner Bros sues Midjourney over character copies

Warner Bros has filed a lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the AI service of letting users generate images of Batman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, and other iconic characters without permission. Similar suits have already come from Disney and Universal.

🖱 Court filings show side-by-side comparisons of official art vs Midjourney outputs
🖱 Warner argues it’s not just fan art — the images compete directly in merchandise like T-shirts and posters
🖱 The studio is seeking $150K per infringed work, which could scale into billions given Midjourney’s reach
🖱 Midjourney defends itself with “fair use,” noting studios themselves rely on generative AI tools

This clash could set a precedent for how far copyright stretches in the age of AI.

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💵 How much social media makes per US user

In the US, Meta earns more per average user than Netflix does from its premium $25/month plan. Advertising power beats subscriptions when it comes to monetization at scale.

Social media isn’t free - you’re just paying with attention, and it turns out that’s worth more than cash.

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📊 Crypto Venture Weekly: September 1–5, 2025

$185M raised across 22 projects this week, led by Etherealize ($40M) and Utila ($22M).

TRON Inc. added $110M to its TRX treasury, while CIMG Inc. acquired 500 BTC ($55M).

M&A saw Kraken acquire Breakout, Solowin buy AlloyX for $350M, and RedStone purchase Credora. Sora Ventures launched a $1B Bitcoin Treasury Fund.

Here’s what the top 10 are building 👇

🖱 Etherealize ($40M, Paradigm, Electric Capital)
Institutional marketing and product arm for Ethereum.

🖱 Utila ($22M, Red Dot, DCG, FunFair, Nyca Partners)
All-in-one digital asset operations platform for institutions.

🖱 Kite AI ($18M, General Catalyst, PayPal Ventures, Animoca, HashKey, GSR, Hashed)
A purpose-built L1 blockchain for AI applications.

🖱 Aria ($15M, Polychain, Neoclassic, Story Protocol Foundation)
IP tokenization platform built on Story Protocol.

🖱 Obita ($10M, Mirana Ventures, Vision Plus, HashKey, Web3.com Ventures)
Global B2B financial infrastructure and digital finance network.

🖱 Plural ($7.13M, Paradigm, Maven 11, Volt, Neoclassic)
Tokenizing solar, storage, batteries, and data centers.

🖱 Reflect ($3.75M, a16z CSX, Big Brain, Solana Ventures, Colosseum, Equilibrium)
Yield-bearing stablecoin protocol built on Solana.

🖱 Wildcat Finance ($3.5M, Robot Ventures, P2 Ventures, Kronos Research, Hyperithm)
Configurable undercollateralized credit rails on Ethereum.

🖱 Maiga ($2M, Amber Group, Red Beard, IBC, Chainlink)
Decentralized AI agent and DeFAI platform on BNB Chain.

🖱 Gigaverse ($1M, 1Confirmation)
A Web3 role-playing game live on Abstract.

Investor focus this week was on stablecoin infra, AI-powered DeFi, and tokenized assets, while treasuries and M&A reshaped the landscape.

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📣 EU fines Google, Trump vows retaliation

The European Commission fined Google €2.95B for abusing its dominance in adtech by favoring its own platforms. Brussels says only a structural fix, like selling parts of its business, may solve the conflict of interest.

🖱 It’s Google’s fourth multibillion-euro EU fine since 2017
🖱 Google has 60 days to propose remedies and plans to appeal
🖱 European Publishers Council demands tougher action, even a breakup
🖱 Trump blasted the fine as “unfair” and threatened Section 301 tariffs against the EU

For Google, €2.95B is pocket change, but the bigger fight is over whether Europe forces a real breakup.

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⚡️ OpenAI to mass-produce its own AI chips with Broadcom

OpenAI will begin large-scale production of custom AI chips next year, co-designed with Broadcom, as it looks to cut reliance on Nvidia and meet surging compute demand.

🖱 Broadcom CEO Hock Tan hinted at a $10B order from a “mystery customer” - confirmed to be OpenAI
🖱 News sent Broadcom shares up 9.4%, lifting its market cap to $1.6T
🖱 Chips are intended for OpenAI’s internal use, not external customers
🖱 Follows Google, Amazon, and Meta, which also design custom AI chips
🖱 HSBC forecasts Broadcom’s custom chip growth could outpace Nvidia’s by 2026

Altman has said compute is OpenAI’s top priority, with plans to double its capacity within five months as GPT-5 adoption surges.

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🛡 The global fight over age verification laws

Governments worldwide are moving to enforce stricter age and identity checks online — aiming to shield children, but raising huge privacy and censorship concerns.

🖱 US: 23 states now require porn sites and platforms to verify IDs; some sites like Pornhub simply block traffic instead. Critics warn these laws risk data breaches and could censor LGBTQ content and sex ed.

🖱 UK: The Online Safety Act (July 2025) forces identity checks across search, social media, messaging, and even cloud services. Users must upload IDs or biometrics, sparking fears over privacy and blocked access to news and education.

🖱 Global ripple: YouTube is testing age estimation tech in the US, while VPN downloads in the UK soared after the law took effect. In France, Pornhub bans triggered a 1000% spike in VPN sign-ups.

Supporters call this a win for child safety. Opponents see it as a dangerous step toward mass surveillance and censorship. The real tension: protecting kids without erasing online anonymity for everyone else.

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📈 Nasdaq pushes for tokenized stocks

Nasdaq has filed with the SEC to tokenize equities, offering investors the option to trade traditional shares or blockchain-based tokens with equal priority.

🖱 Customers would hold full shareholder rights, including voting and dividends
🖱 Trades would still clear through the Depository Trust Co., with tokens logged on-chain
🖱 Move follows Robinhood’s European stock tokens and mounting efforts by Bybit, Kraken, and Gemini
🖱 SEC Chair Paul Atkins has flagged asset tokenization as a key priority under Project Crypto
🖱 HSBC analysts expect Broadcom-style custom tokenization growth to rival Nvidia’s by 2026

If approved, Nasdaq would become the first major US exchange to bring stock tokenization into regulated markets — a seismic shift for TradFi meeting crypto rails.

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🚕 Uber and Momenta to launch robotaxi trials in Germany

Uber and Chinese AV startup Momenta will begin testing autonomous vehicles in Munich in 2026 - their first publicly announced city in continental Europe.

🖱 Cars will start with human safety operators onboard
🖱 Puts Uber in direct competition with Lyft–Baidu’s upcoming AV launches in Germany and the UK
🖱 Uber already partners with 20 AV firms globally, generating 1.5M trips annually
🖱 Momenta’s ADAS tech is installed in 400K+ vehicles, including models from Mercedes, BMW, and Audi

Munich’s automotive heritage made it Uber’s European launchpad. The next phase: convincing regulators that Level 4 robotaxis are safe for public roads.

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💵 Biggest Latin American rounds of 2025

This year’s largest funding rounds in LatAm were led by Klar and Ualá - both neobanks. Fintech once again proved to be the dominant sector across the region.

The takeaway: capital is still flowing most aggressively into financial services, confirming fintech’s position as the backbone of Latin America’s startup scene.

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🤖 ASML bets $1.5B on Mistral

ASML, Europe’s chipmaking giant, is set to invest €1.3B ($1.5B) into French AI startup Mistral, becoming its largest shareholder and securing a board seat.

🖱 Part of a €1.7B Series C valuing Mistral at €10B ($11.7B) pre-money — Europe’s top AI valuation
🖱 Marks a strategic push for European tech sovereignty in AI and semiconductors
🖱 ASML already uses AI to optimize its €180M EUV machines — Mistral’s expertise could sharpen that edge
🖱 Mistral, founded in 2023, has backing from Nvidia and previously raised at a $6B valuation

This tie-up unites Europe’s chip crown jewel with its hottest AI model maker - a symbolic step toward reducing reliance on US and Chinese tech.

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🚀 Dan Loeb: turning chaos into profit

“The only thing I do know is that from chaos comes opportunity.”

— Dan Loeb

The founder of Third Point made his name as an activist investor by entering messy situations and forcing change.

His playbook: use market noise, leadership failures, and strategic confusion as leverage for growth.

🖱 Yahoo! — pushed for leadership change and a new strategy
🖱 Sony — argued for spinning off divisions to unlock value
🖱 Nestlé — pressed for faster innovation and higher efficiency

Opportunity often hides in turbulence — crises, pivots, and corporate dead ends. Those who stay calm and systematic can extract the upside.

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🐎 Volkswagen puts horsepower behind a paywall

VW is testing a subscription model in the UK that locks part of the ID.3’s power output unless drivers pay extra.

🖱 Base ID.3 Pro S shows 201 hp, with full 228 hp unlocked for £16.50/month, £165/year, or £649 lifetime
🖱 Comes with a one-month free trial for buyers
🖱 Move echoes Mercedes’ “Acceleration Increase” and BMW’s failed heated-seat subscription
🖱 Critics call it nickel-and-diming on a $50K car, while VW says it offers flexibility for lease customers

It’s another sign that when cars become software, ownership doesn’t mean what it used to.

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💰 Larry Ellison overtakes Musk as world’s richest man

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has claimed the top spot on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index for the first time, surpassing Elon Musk.

🖱 Ellison’s fortune jumped by $101B in a single day after Oracle reported better-than-expected earnings and strong cloud growth outlook
🖱 His net worth now stands at $393B, compared to Musk’s $385B
🖱 At 81, Ellison still holds most of his wealth in Oracle, the company he founded in 1977

From databases to the cloud, Oracle just made its founder richer than Tesla’s icon.

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📹 Vimeo sold in $1.38B deal

Vimeo will be acquired by European app giant Bending Spoons in an all-cash transaction worth $1.38B, with the deal set to close in Q4 2025. Once finalized, Vimeo will be delisted from public markets.

🖱 Bending Spoons says it will invest heavily in Vimeo’s U.S. and global offerings, focusing on enterprise, streaming, and creator tools
🖱 The company has a record of aggressive cost-cutting — after buying Evernote and WeTransfer, it slashed staff and restricted free features
🖱 Vimeo, spun out of IAC in 2021, has since lost nearly 90% of its market value

The acquisition could bring Vimeo fresh resources, but given Bending Spoons’ history, many creators will be watching closely to see if the platform thrives — or gets hollowed out.

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⛅OpenAI signs record $300B cloud deal with Oracle

OpenAI has agreed to a five-year, $300 billion contract with Oracle for cloud services, starting in 2027 - the largest such deal in history. The scale of the infrastructure will demand 4.5 GW of power, comparable to four million households.

🖱 OpenAI reported ~$10B annual revenue in June, far below the ~$60B it must pay each year under the contract
🖱 Oracle will likely need financing to buy AI chips for its data centers
🖱 The agreement ties a huge portion of Oracle’s future revenue to a single client
🖱 Analysts call the deal a risky gamble for both sides, with execution hinging on long-term AI demand

This partnership underscores the extreme capital intensity of the AI race and how even tech giants must take outsized risks to secure capacity.

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🚀 PsiQuantum raises $1B to build a million-qubit computer

Quantum startup PsiQuantum secured a $1B Series E led by BlackRock, Temasek, and Baillie Gifford, doubling its valuation to $7B.

🖱 Goal: deliver a fault-tolerant, 1M-qubit machine by 2028
🖱 New investors include Macquarie, Ribbit, Nvidia’s NVentures, and Adage Capital
🖱 Tech: photonic chipsets with Barium Titanate for ultra-fast optical switching
🖱 Partnership with Nvidia to integrate GPUs for hybrid quantum-AI workloads

Rivals aren’t standing still - Quantinuum just raised $600M at $10B, and Google unveiled its error-correcting Willow chip. IBM has its own roadmap.

The quantum arms race is now funded at billion-dollar scale.

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💰 Nebius lands $3B boost with Microsoft deal

Amsterdam-based Nebius has secured $3 billion in fresh funding, just days after signing a landmark partnership with Microsoft. The raise combines $2B in convertible notes and $1B in new shares, aimed at expanding land and computing capacity.

🖱 Microsoft will receive dedicated capacity from a new Vineland, New Jersey, data center later this year
🖱 Convertible notes mature in 2030 and 2032, with coupons between 1.25%–3.25% and conversion premiums of 45%–50%
🖱 Nebius projects at least $17.4B in revenue through 2031 from the deal, a huge leap from $117.5M in 2023 sales
🖱 Microsoft becomes Nebius’ largest customer, signaling its move into top-tier AI infrastructure supply
🖱 The company spun out from Yandex last year, previously focused on smaller businesses and startups

This puts Nebius on the map as a serious challenger in the AI cloud race, with Microsoft’s backing giving it both scale and credibility.

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🤝 OpenAI settles terms with Microsoft, paves way for restructuring

OpenAI has resolved its financial disputes with Microsoft and will transfer a $100B stake to the nonprofit that oversees it. The moves clear the path for transforming into a public benefit corporation, opening access to broader investment and a potential IPO.

🖱 Microsoft invested over $13B, initially securing rights to 49% of future profits
🖱 The new deal revises those terms, though details remain undisclosed
🖱 NYT reports the agreement also adjusts clauses around Microsoft’s access to top-tier tech if OpenAI reaches AGI
🖱 The nonprofit’s ownership strengthens its role in guiding OpenAI’s long-term mission

This shift signals OpenAI’s transition from research lab to market-facing giant, balancing investor power with governance safeguards.

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