Good news from around Europe
The Family cofounder Oussama Ammar faces tax fraud probe, reports say Powered by WPeMatico https://sifted.eu/articles/reports-oussama-ammar-faces-tax-fraud-probe
AI journalism startup Symbolic.ai signs deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp The startup claims its AI platform can help optimize editorial processes and research. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/15/ai-journalism-startup-symbolic-ai-signs-deal-with-rupert-murdochs-news-corp/
The AI lab revolving door spins ever faster AI labs just can’t get their employees to stay put. Yesterday’s big AI news was the abrupt and seemingly acrimonious departure of three top executives at Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines lab. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/15/the-ai-lab-revolving-door-spins-ever-faster/
Taiwan to invest $250B in US semiconductor manufacturing The U.S. struck a trade deal with Taiwan as the country looks to help boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/15/taiwan-to-invest-250b-in-us-semiconductor-manufacturing/
AI video startup, Higgsfield, founded by ex-Snap exec, lands $1.3B valuation Higgsfield says it’s on a $200 million annual revenue run rate. So it opened its previous Series A round back up and sold another $80 million in shares. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/15/ai-video-startup-higgsfield-founded-by-ex-snap-exec-lands-1-3b-valuation/
Iran’s internet shutdown is now one of its longest ever, as protests continue Iran’s government-imposed internet shutdown enters its second week as authorities continue their violent crackdown on protesters. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/15/irans-internet-shutdown-is-now-one-of-its-longest-ever-as-protests-continue/
German sustainability software outfit osapiens becomes unicorn, following $100M raise German startup osapiens, which provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) services to help companies meet ESG targets, says it has become a unicorn after raising $100m. The Series C round was funded solely by Decarbonization Partners, the joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek focused on late-stage VC investing
$60M Series B propels Aikido into the global unicorn ranks Belgian cybersecurity company Aikido has raised a $60M millionSeries B at a $1B valuation, led by Tom Stafford at DST Global, with participation from PSG Equity, Singular, Notion Capital, and others. Aikido is one of the fastest cybersecurity companies to
Three-quarters of UK fintech founders use AI to speed up recruitment, says survey Three-quarters of UK fintech founders are using AI to identify candidates and speed up recruitment, says a new survey. But findings from the survey also show that human judgement remains critical to ensure founders are finding the right
Cast AI becomes Lithuania’s 5th Unicorn Automation platform creator Cast AI has announced an investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the US-based corporate venture arm of Shinsegae Group, an over $50 billion Korean conglomerate with leading businesses across retail, consumer, and digital platforms. With this round of funding, Cast AI’s