San Francisco startup Sapiom has closed a $15 million seed round led by Accel, with participation from Okta Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Array Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Anthropic, and Coinbase Ventures. The company is building a financial layer that enables AI agents to automatically purchase and access software, APIs, data, and compute services. By handling authentication and micro‑payments behind the scenes, Sapiom aims to remove infrastructure hurdles for non‑technical creators building AI‑driven applications, focusing initially on B2B use cases. Read more →

Sphere, the AI-driven tax compliance platform founded by Nicholas Rudder, has closed a $21 million Series A round led by a16z, with participation from YC and Felicis Ventures. The San Francisco‑based startup automates global tax registration, calculation, filing, and remittance for companies expanding internationally. Integrations with major billing systems like Stripe enable real‑time tax assessment, while its proprietary AI engine, TRAM, codifies jurisdictional rules and provides citation‑backed determinations. Sphere aims to extend its infrastructure to more tax authorities, grow its engineering and sales teams, and become the essential tool for finance teams navigating cross‑border compliance. Read more →

At TechCrunch Disrupt, solo investor Elad Gil said AI remains unpredictable but several segments now have clear frontrunners. He identified foundational model providers such as Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, xAI and Mistral as dominant, and noted AI‑assisted coding, medical transcription and customer‑support tools are also converging around a handful of firms. Gil pointed to fintech, accounting, AI security and other areas as still wide open, emphasizing that enterprise enthusiasm for AI can generate rapid revenue while long‑term sustainability remains uncertain. Read more →

Rulebase, a Y Combinator‑backed startup founded by Nigerian engineers Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, has closed a $2.1 million pre‑seed round led by Bowery Capital. The company’s AI “agent coworker” automates back‑office functions such as compliance, quality assurance and dispute handling for financial‑service firms. Already deployed at U.S. business bank Rho and a Fortune 50 financial institution, the platform integrates with tools like Zendesk, Jira and Slack, evaluates 100 % of customer interactions, and claims cost reductions of up to 70 % and escalation cuts of up to 30 %. Rulebase plans to expand its workflow automation into fraud investigation, audit preparation and regulatory reporting. Read more →

Google announced an open Agent Payments Protocol, dubbed AP2, to enable AI agents to shop and transact on behalf of users. Backed by dozens of merchants and major financial institutions, the protocol aims for interoperability across AI platforms, payment networks and vendors while maintaining a verifiable transaction trail. Google executives Stavan Parikh and Rao Surapaneni highlighted the commitment to an open, collaborative development process. AP2 introduces a two‑step approval system—intent and cart mandates—to safeguard user intent, and includes provisions for fully automated purchases. Partnerships with crypto firms such as Coinbase, Metamask and the Ethereum Foundation expand the protocol to digital wallets, while industry players like Perplexity, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal have shown support. Read more →

Numeral, a sales‑tax compliance startup founded by Sam Ross, announced a $35 million Series B financing round led by Mayfield, with participation from Benchmark, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and Mantis. The funding values the two‑year‑old company at $350 million and will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates tax collection, filing and payment for e‑commerce and SaaS businesses across thousands of jurisdictions. Numeral’s growth includes a 3.5‑times revenue increase over the past year and a client base exceeding 2,000 firms, positioning it against incumbents such as Avalara. Read more →

Rulebase, a Y Combinator‑backed startup founded by Nigerian engineers Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, has closed a $2.1 million pre‑seed round led by Bowery Capital. The company’s AI “agent coworker” automates back‑office functions such as compliance, quality assurance and dispute handling for financial‑service firms. Already deployed at U.S. business bank Rho and a Fortune 50 financial institution, the platform integrates with tools like Zendesk, Jira and Slack, evaluates 100 % of customer interactions, and claims cost reductions of up to 70 % and escalation cuts of up to 30 %. Rulebase plans to expand its workflow automation into fraud investigation, audit preparation and regulatory reporting. Read more →

Rulebase, a Y Combinator‑backed startup founded by Nigerian engineers Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, has closed a $2.1 million pre‑seed round led by Bowery Capital. The company’s AI “agent coworker” automates back‑office functions such as compliance, quality assurance and dispute handling for financial‑service firms. Already deployed at U.S. business bank Rho and a Fortune 50 financial institution, the platform integrates with tools like Zendesk, Jira and Slack, evaluates 100 % of customer interactions, and claims cost reductions of up to 70 % and escalation cuts of up to 30 %. Rulebase plans to expand its workflow automation into fraud investigation, audit preparation and regulatory reporting. Read more →

Google announced an open Agent Payments Protocol, dubbed AP2, to enable AI agents to shop and transact on behalf of users. Backed by dozens of merchants and major financial institutions, the protocol aims for interoperability across AI platforms, payment networks and vendors while maintaining a verifiable transaction trail. Google executives Stavan Parikh and Rao Surapaneni highlighted the commitment to an open, collaborative development process. AP2 introduces a two‑step approval system—intent and cart mandates—to safeguard user intent, and includes provisions for fully automated purchases. Partnerships with crypto firms such as Coinbase, Metamask and the Ethereum Foundation expand the protocol to digital wallets, while industry players like Perplexity, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal have shown support. Read more →

Google announced an open Agent Payments Protocol, dubbed AP2, to enable AI agents to shop and transact on behalf of users. Backed by dozens of merchants and major financial institutions, the protocol aims for interoperability across AI platforms, payment networks and vendors while maintaining a verifiable transaction trail. Google executives Stavan Parikh and Rao Surapaneni highlighted the commitment to an open, collaborative development process. AP2 introduces a two‑step approval system—intent and cart mandates—to safeguard user intent, and includes provisions for fully automated purchases. Partnerships with crypto firms such as Coinbase, Metamask and the Ethereum Foundation expand the protocol to digital wallets, while industry players like Perplexity, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal have shown support. Read more →

Numeral, a sales‑tax compliance startup founded by Sam Ross, announced a $35 million Series B financing round led by Mayfield, with participation from Benchmark, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and Mantis. The funding values the two‑year‑old company at $350 million and will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates tax collection, filing and payment for e‑commerce and SaaS businesses across thousands of jurisdictions. Numeral’s growth includes a 3.5‑times revenue increase over the past year and a client base exceeding 2,000 firms, positioning it against incumbents such as Avalara. Read more →

Numeral, a sales‑tax compliance startup founded by Sam Ross, announced a $35 million Series B financing round led by Mayfield, with participation from Benchmark, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and Mantis. The funding values the two‑year‑old company at $350 million and will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates tax collection, filing and payment for e‑commerce and SaaS businesses across thousands of jurisdictions. Numeral’s growth includes a 3.5‑times revenue increase over the past year and a client base exceeding 2,000 firms, positioning it against incumbents such as Avalara. Read more →

Rulebase, a Y Combinator‑backed startup founded by Nigerian engineers Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, has closed a $2.1 million pre‑seed round led by Bowery Capital. The company’s AI “agent coworker” automates back‑office functions such as compliance, quality assurance and dispute handling for financial‑service firms. Already deployed at U.S. business bank Rho and a Fortune 50 financial institution, the platform integrates with tools like Zendesk, Jira and Slack, evaluates 100 % of customer interactions, and claims cost reductions of up to 70 % and escalation cuts of up to 30 %. Rulebase plans to expand its workflow automation into fraud investigation, audit preparation and regulatory reporting. Read more →

Google announced an open Agent Payments Protocol, dubbed AP2, to enable AI agents to shop and transact on behalf of users. Backed by dozens of merchants and major financial institutions, the protocol aims for interoperability across AI platforms, payment networks and vendors while maintaining a verifiable transaction trail. Google executives Stavan Parikh and Rao Surapaneni highlighted the commitment to an open, collaborative development process. AP2 introduces a two‑step approval system—intent and cart mandates—to safeguard user intent, and includes provisions for fully automated purchases. Partnerships with crypto firms such as Coinbase, Metamask and the Ethereum Foundation expand the protocol to digital wallets, while industry players like Perplexity, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal have shown support. Read more →

Numeral, a sales‑tax compliance startup founded by Sam Ross, announced a $35 million Series B financing round led by Mayfield, with participation from Benchmark, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and Mantis. The funding values the two‑year‑old company at $350 million and will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates tax collection, filing and payment for e‑commerce and SaaS businesses across thousands of jurisdictions. Numeral’s growth includes a 3.5‑times revenue increase over the past year and a client base exceeding 2,000 firms, positioning it against incumbents such as Avalara. Read more →

Numeral, a sales‑tax compliance startup founded by Sam Ross, announced a $35 million Series B financing round led by Mayfield, with participation from Benchmark, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and Mantis. The funding values the two‑year‑old company at $350 million and will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that automates tax collection, filing and payment for e‑commerce and SaaS businesses across thousands of jurisdictions. Numeral’s growth includes a 3.5‑times revenue increase over the past year and a client base exceeding 2,000 firms, positioning it against incumbents such as Avalara. Read more →

Google announced an open Agent Payments Protocol, dubbed AP2, to enable AI agents to shop and transact on behalf of users. Backed by dozens of merchants and major financial institutions, the protocol aims for interoperability across AI platforms, payment networks and vendors while maintaining a verifiable transaction trail. Google executives Stavan Parikh and Rao Surapaneni highlighted the commitment to an open, collaborative development process. AP2 introduces a two‑step approval system—intent and cart mandates—to safeguard user intent, and includes provisions for fully automated purchases. Partnerships with crypto firms such as Coinbase, Metamask and the Ethereum Foundation expand the protocol to digital wallets, while industry players like Perplexity, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal have shown support. Read more →

Rulebase, a Y Combinator‑backed startup founded by Nigerian engineers Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, has closed a $2.1 million pre‑seed round led by Bowery Capital. The company’s AI “agent coworker” automates back‑office functions such as compliance, quality assurance and dispute handling for financial‑service firms. Already deployed at U.S. business bank Rho and a Fortune 50 financial institution, the platform integrates with tools like Zendesk, Jira and Slack, evaluates 100 % of customer interactions, and claims cost reductions of up to 70 % and escalation cuts of up to 30 %. Rulebase plans to expand its workflow automation into fraud investigation, audit preparation and regulatory reporting. Read more →

Private equity deal activity peaked in 2021, with total values breaching the $1 trillion mark and average deal sizes topping $1 billion. Since then, many high‑profile tech firms have seen valuations tumble dramatically, yet investors continue to pour capital into speculative AI ventures. The Builder.ai saga illustrates how deep pockets without sector expertise can lead to costly missteps, prompting a call for more specialist, knowledge‑driven investing. A new “Hot Crazy Matrix” framework highlights the danger of large, generic funds chasing hype and the advantage of niche operators who combine size with expertise. Read more →

Google announced that its Google Finance platform is being upgraded with artificial‑intelligence features, advanced charting tools, and a live news feed. Users will be able to ask detailed financial questions and receive AI‑generated answers that include relevant links. New charting capabilities add technical indicators such as moving‑average envelopes and candlestick views, while the data set now covers commodities and a broader range of cryptocurrencies. A real‑time headline stream aims to keep users within the service, positioning Google Finance to compete with rivals like Yahoo Finance and Seeking Alpha as the enhancements roll out in the United States. Read more →