Scope: Global
Startups
Velaura AI Reaches Unicorn Status Off a $110M Series A Round
Velaura AI crossed a $1 billion valuation on August 18, 2026 with a $110 million Series A led by Seligman Ventures, betting that AI infrastructure is now constrained more by power than by compute demand.
Cybersecurity & Risk
Attackers Abuse Passkey-Themed Social Engineering to Breach Microsoft Cloud Environments
Microsoft disclosed a campaign, active since May 2026, where attackers use passkey-themed social engineering and fake IT-helpdesk calls to hijack Microsoft cloud accounts and exfiltrate data.
Skills & Careers
Machine Learning Engineer Stays Among the Most In-Demand AI Job Titles as the Market Fragments
AI/Machine Learning Engineer postings rose 41.8% year over year in 2026, one of the three most-open AI titles even as AI Engineer overtakes it as the single fastest-growing role. What a realistic path into ML engineering looks like now.
Digital Economy
Latin America’s Cross-Border E-Commerce Grows 34% to $148 Billion in 2026
Latin America's cross-border e-commerce market grew 34% year over year to $148 billion in 2026, outpacing the region's 25% overall e-commerce growth rate, with Brazil and Mexico driving over 70% of the market.
Skills & Careers
University-Affiliated AI Bootcamps Race to Fill Fall 2026 Cohorts as Demand Outpaces Seats
Fullstack Academy's part-time AI & Machine Learning Bootcamp closes applications September 18, 2026 for an October 5 start, part of a wider trend of AI degrees bundling coding bootcamps.
Infrastructure & Cloud
US Power Use Set to Hit Record Highs in 2026 and 2027 as AI Data Centers Strain the Grid
EIA forecasts US electricity demand will reach 4,270 billion kWh in 2026 and 4,349 billion kWh in 2027, driven by AI data centers — what it means for cloud pricing and reliability.
Digital Economy
Seven Major Economies Now Mandate Full Reserve Backing for Stablecoins in 2026
The US, EU, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE and Japan have all converged on requiring full reserve backing, licensed issuers, and redemption rights for stablecoins in 2026.
Policy & Regulation
US States Have Enacted Over 100 AI Laws This Term — And the White House Wants to Preempt Them
US states have enacted 109 AI laws across 29 states in 2026, even as the White House pushes to preempt state AI regulation. What the state-federal confrontation means for any business operating across state lines.
Startups
OpenAI’s Valuation Hit $852 Billion in March, and It’s Reportedly Already Exploring the Next Round at $1.2-1.5 Trillion
OpenAI closed a $122 billion round at an $852 billion valuation in March 2026 and is reportedly already exploring a new round at up to $1.5 trillion — a pace unmatched anywhere in AI funding.
Startups
Tandem Health Raises $100M Series B to Expand From AI Documentation Into a Full Clinical OS
Stockholm's Tandem Health raised $100M led by EQT's Scaleup Europe Fund to expand from AI medical documentation into a full AI-native clinic operating system.
Infrastructure & Cloud
SoftBank and SB Energy Commit to 10 Gigawatts of New Power Generation for US Data Centers
SoftBank's SB Energy and the US Department of Energy announced a public-private partnership to build 10 GW of new power generation, mostly natural gas, to fuel a new Ohio AI data center campus.
