AI & RoboticsNews

How a former DeepMind researcher raised at a $300M pre-seed valuation before launching a product

July 17, 2026
Andrew Dai left Google DeepMind knowing visual AI was the frontier he wanted to stake his claim in. He pulled off a whirlwind fundraise that resulted in a more aggressive valuation-to-capital ratio than Thinking Machines, which raised one of the largest rounds in U.S. history. In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Andrew Dai, founder…
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NewsPhotography

Old-world fire and new-world tech: how an iPhone's extreme telephoto reach photographed China's ancient art of molten sparks

July 17, 2026
At first glance, this could almost be two lions rearing against the night sky, their manes rendered in molten gold. Look closer, though, and what Chinese photographer Ziqiang Luo has actually captured is something rooted deep in folk tradition: a fire-based performance art still performed at festivals and celebrations across the country, in which sparks, flame, and molten metal are transformed…
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Cleantech & EV'sNews

Someone is flipping Tesla Model S Signature for $260,000 — $100K+ markup

July 17, 2026
A New Jersey dealer is trying to flip a barely-driven Tesla Model S Signature for $259,995 — roughly $100,000 more than what Tesla charged buyers for the collector’s edition. The car carries VIN #71 and just 297 miles on the odometer, and it’s listed at J&S Autohaus in Ewing, New Jersey, for more than double the price of a standard Model S Plaid. A $100,000 markup on a car Tesla just…
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DefenseNews

Russian troops survive just 20-30 minutes on Ukraine’s front lines, CIA director says

July 17, 2026
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian recruits arriving on the front lines in Ukraine survive an estimated 20 to 30 minutes before they are killed or wounded, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday, marking the first time a senior American intelligence official has confirmed how deadly the war has become for Moscow. The assessment comes as Ukraine’s battlefield technology has…
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