#fundraising

#fundraising

What people are really debating is the gap between valuation and real-world impact. Many companies are labeled 'AI-driven,' but only a subset are delivering measurable value at scale,

Good news, the Mercury's reader Valentines are back, and they're in print and online! DID YOU GET ONE? CHECK AND SEE! That's right, we've been collecting hundreds of your 150 characters love notes-many of which are crammed into our current print issue, on the streets in more than 500 spots around the city-and online right here! And while you may have missed our print deadline, DO NOT FRET!

He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity, and the sacredness of time.

The Python Software Foundation (PSF) is excited to announce the introduction of the PSF Community Partner Program. This new program is designed as an "in-kind" way for us to support Python events and initiatives with non-financial assistance through the use of the PSF logo and name, as well as promotional support via sharing qualified posts on PSF official social media accounts.

Last November, OpenAI investor Brad Gerstner pressed Sam Altman on a podcast about how a company with $13 billion in revenue could commit to $1.4 trillion in spending. Altman bristled. "If you want to sell your shares, I'll find you a buyer," he said. "Enough." Three months later, OpenAI is aiming to raise $100 billion in its latest funding round - a sign that, even amid mounting questions, Altman can find buyers.

From the moment Nathaniel Dye was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2023, he had an overwhelming desire to raise awareness of the disease. He raised more than 37,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support through challenges including walking from Land's End to John o' Groats and running the London Marathon while playing the trombone, in the hope of improving cancer screening in the capital.

Jeff Garcia, former 49ers quarterback and local fan favorite from his San Jose State, Gavilan and Gilroy years, will join other members of the NFL's NorCal alumni on Thursday, Feb. 5, for a pre-Super Bowl fundraising bash and sushi feast. Tonight's event is being hosted by Sushi Confidential, whose owner, Randy Musterer, says only a limited number of spots are available for the fundraiser that will benefit nonprofits including Santa Clara Valley's Hunger at Home, The City Eats and Beyond the Game Health.

The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company,

His new firm, Augnition Global Investors, is set to be a long-short equity investor that will also invest in private companies, a person close to the firm said. Alan Lo, a longtime partner and director of operations for New York-based SRS Investment Management, will be Wang's number two at the new fund. Those at the Breakers conference expect him to raise at least $1 billion, the two conference attendees told Business Insider.

This fundraise turns Breakthrough from just being a seasonal accelerator into a lifelong partnership with our founders,

Oracle Corp. plans to raise $45 billion to $50 billion this year through a combination of debt and equity sales to build additional cloud infrastructure capacity, reflecting the scale of financing needed to feed AI's growth. The company is raising money to build additional capacity to meet the contracted demand from the company's largest cloud customers, including Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Nvidia Corp., OpenAI, TikTok Inc. and xAI Corp., the company said in a statement Sunday.

I'm learning to go slowly, not too fast too soon. It's probably the reason I got the fracture in the first place.

Accepting the award, Roan said she felt "very uncomfortable being told that [she's] a good person", which she put down to "Christian guilt". Roan then told the teleprompter operator she'd cut her speech down to a quarter of its original length, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Addressing the crowd, which included the likes of Chaka Khan, Joni Mitchell, Olivia Rodrigo, Doechii, and Addison Rae, Roan urged people to give back.

Founders don't scale alone. They scale by learning from peers, building at the same pace, connecting with those who have already been there, and meeting investors aligned with what they're building. On June 23 in Boston, TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 brings together 1,100 founders and investors for a day focused entirely on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Tickets are now live at the lowest price of the year.

The chateau was rebuilt in the 19th century after it was largely destroyed during the French Revolution (Getty/iStock) Chateau de Chantilly, located north of Paris, is appealing for "public generosity" to finance a 68 million (59 million) renovation over the next decade. The historic French chateau requires significant work to protect its extensive book collection, which includes 60,000 volumes, including rare antique books and illuminated medieval manuscripts.

On Monday evening, Grace's mother Siobhán held a sign with a picture of her daughter with the words "justice for Grace" written on it as she led the walk from Valley Park estate to Plunkett Green. "Justice for Grace, justice for my daughter," Ms Lynch said as she walked the route. "Justice for Grace, get the scramblers off the streets."

Baker Falls venue in NYC needs help to square up with folks starting with artists and our wonderful team after a year-long struggle to build our community and stay open. We might lose our space due to a weird 3-way combo of the landlord passing away, foreclosure on their estate, and an unexpected lease clause which could cancel our lease with a new owner...if this happens, no other performance venue would probably be able to operate at 192 Allen Street as the commercial space would be redeveloped...

A fire forced the temporary closure of a popular Brooklyn neighborhood bar earlier this month, and officials say it's still unclear when it will reopen. Flames erupted at Dynaco along Bedford Avenue near Lexington Avenue and Quincy Street during the early morning of Jan. 10, FDNY officials said. The fire was confined to an upper level and did not spread to the main bar area, though smoke and water from firefighting efforts impacted the entire building.

Zipline, a drone delivery and logistics startup, has raised more than $600 million in new funding, boosting its valuation to $7.6 billion, as it expands commercial deployments. The firm's fundraising round included backing from Valor Equity Partners and participation from investors such as Tiger Global, Fidelity Management and Research Company and Baillie Gifford. The new valuation, compared with a 2024 fundraising round at $5 billion, is a sign of confidence in the startup's ability to scale and commercialize its operations.

The family of the 12-year-old who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour are grieving as they contemplate the worst possible outcome. The boy, named as Nico Antic in an online fundraiser, has been fighting for his life after being bitten on both legs on 18 January at a harbour beach in Vaucluse, in Sydney's east. Victor Pineiro, who described himself as a close friend of the Antic family on the GoFundMe page, said the boy had sustained devastating injuries.

In the first clip, the drag performer lip-syncs to audio of Erika Kirk reciting a bible verse at the memorial service for her husband, right-wing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University last September.

The theme of this year's Guardian charity appeal was hope, supporting fantastic projects that foster community, tolerance and empathy. Over the past year our reporting has captured the increased alarm most of us feel over the return of 1970s-style racist abuse, the demonisation of refugees and the resurgence of far-right marches in Britain's streets. I'm delighted that Guardian readers responded with such generosity, warmth and solidarity. Your donations will make a positive difference, sending a clear message about standing up to hate and bringing people together.

And this cookie season - which runs from Jan. 12 to March 15 for the Girl Scouts of Northern California - is delivering something new. It's called Exploremores, which are Rocky Road ice cream-inspired sandwich cookies. They're two chocolate wafers squishing a layer of dark filling, containing flavors of marshmallow and toasted-almond cream. Is this new cookie a tribute to William Dreyer, who is rumored to have invented Rocky Road in Oakland back in 1929? Not exactly - but like the frozen dessert, it's still pretty tasty.

"It's not the biggest are getting bigger - it's the best are getting bigger,"

Trump appeared to raise his middle finger and repeatedly say fk you!' to worker TJ Sabula at a Ford-150 plant in Dearborn Tuesday when the union man called him a pedophile protector during a presidential visit to offer assurances about the nation's economy. Sabula's accusation changed the focus to the Justice Department's continued delays in releasing files regarding its long-running investigation of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Potylo said federal agents in Minneapolis targeted him after the Portland arrest, calling the situation surreal. These guys are out to send a message, and yeah, if you get under their skin, they will target you. And you know what? Who gives a sh? I am representing marginalized people that don't have a fing voice in this country, man, he said. I do it for them.

Finding an investor is never as simple as sending out a deck and waiting. It usually happens after a long stretch of figuring out who might care about what you are building, why your idea matters, and whether the timing is right. Most founders eventually discover that fundraising is part strategy, part patience, and part culture. Europe's startup scene is wide and diverse, so the path you choose depends on how well you understand the market around you.