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Exploration companies in nearly 30 countries are drilling to locate natural hydrogen gas trapped in underground rock formations, betting it could serve as a carbon-free energy source. Venture capitalists have poured almost $500 million into this search since 2023, with firms like UK-based H2Au already drilling test wells in Kansas.
Insurers and reinsurers are exploring catastrophe bonds to help cover the massive, geographically concentrated value of hyperscale data centers, many of which sit in hurricane- and flood-prone regions. Industry experts told CNBC that while no dedicated data center cat bond has yet been issued, activity is building one step upstream through reinsurance vehicles like quota shares and sidecars as firms work out pricing and capacity.
Mecka AI, a startup that pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks to generate motion data for training humanoid robots, is close to finalizing a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital valuing the company at roughly $500 million. The deal comes just three months after Mecka raised $60 million in a round led by Framework Ventures, though the exact size of the new round remains unknown and terms could still change.
Partner Keith Rabois revealed at TechCrunch's StrictlyVC event that Khosla Ventures is setting up its first-ever satellite office, located on 14th Street in New York, with an expected fall opening. The firm currently has no presence even in San Francisco, making this a significant shift for the Menlo Park-based investor.
Altimeter Capital CEO Brad Gerstner criticized recent AI researcher warnings about extinction risks, calling them exaggerated fear tactics with an underlying political motive. His remarks followed a former Anthropic researcher's public resignation, in which he accused AI firms of recklessly racing toward superintelligence without regard for safety.
Dell Technologies stock surged 10% on Friday after RBC Capital Markets began coverage with an outperform rating and a $640 price target. The move adds to a rally that has already lifted Dell shares nearly 350% in 2026, driven by its growing role supplying Nvidia-based servers to cloud and enterprise customers building out AI infrastructure.
The national average price for diesel in the United States reached $6.05 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA, marking a more than 60% jump from $3.71 a year earlier. Gasoline also climbed to a national average of $4.29 a gallon, while California diesel prices hit $7.98 a gallon. GasBuddy data confirmed diesel had already exceeded the $6 threshold nationwide.
Collaborative Fund, a $1 billion New York venture firm known for early investments in Lyft, Reddit, Sweetgreen and Olipop, has acquired a stake in Major League Soccer's D.C. United and its home venue, Audi Field. The move follows a broader pattern set by Thrive Capital, whose Thrive Eternal vehicle recently bought stakes in the San Francisco Giants and acquired the Los Angeles Lakers outright for $12.5 billion with Bob Iger as co-owner.
Defense tech startup Mach Industries raised $600 million in a Series C extension, pushing its valuation to $3.7 billion just three months after a $300 million round valued it at $1.8 billion. Backers in both rounds include Ribbit Capital, Infinite Capital, Bedrock Capital and Sequoia. The company makes unmanned military vehicles, including VTOL drones, long-range strike systems and counter-drone tech, from its Huntington Beach, California facility.
Cymphony, a New York- and Tel Aviv-based startup, raised a $25 million Series A co-led by Sequoia Capital and SMBC Fin Atlas Beyond Fund, pushing its valuation above $100 million after a previously undisclosed Sequoia seed round. The company builds a 'workforce graph' that gives security teams visibility into which employees, AI agents, and other non-human identities can access sensitive systems and data.
A contributor for Entrepreneur argues that founders and business owners are increasingly turning to private capital, not just public markets, to grow wealth. The piece explains that more than 99% of U.S. companies are privately held, and that many valuable businesses build significant worth well before any public listing.
After Sequoia Capital chairman Doug Leone recounted undergoing a root canal without Novocaine to prove his toughness before a meeting, the American Association of Endodontists pushed back publicly. The group, representing over 8,000 specialists, stressed that patients should never endure severe pain during the procedure and should ask for more anesthetic if needed.