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The United States has announced a ‘breakthrough deal’ with the United Kingdom that would create an aluminium and steel trading zone and secure the pharmaceutical supply chain. The deal affirms that “reciprocity and fairness is a vital principle of international trade” and increases access for US agricultural products, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, though he added that the final details were still being written up. “The final details are being written up,” Trump told reporters. “In the coming weeks, we’ll have it all very conclusive.” The deal, the first one struck by the US since Trump imposed his…

CodeAnt AI, a US-based software development startup, has raised $2m in seed funding to accelerate code reviews using artificial intelligence.The investment round was led by Y Combinator, VitalStage Ventures, and Uncorrelated Ventures, with support from DeVC, Transpose Platform, Entrepreneur First and several angel investors. The round values the company at $20m.Founded by Amartya Jha and Chinmay Bharti, CodeAnt AI automates code review processes, helping developers reduce review time and catch bugs early. The platform integrates with GitHub, GitLab and other tools, offering AI-driven insights and one-click fixes for over 30 programming languages.The funding will go towards growing the team and…

Ravio, a compensation data and decision-making platform for modern workforces, has secured $12m in a Series A funding round to expand its reach and accelerate innovation.The round was led by US-based Spark Capital, with additional backing from Blackbird in Australia and Cherry Ventures in Europe. This investment aims to bolster Ravio’s efforts to modernise compensation strategy through real-time data integration.Founded in 2022, Ravio delivers continuously updated compensation benchmarks by connecting directly to HR systems. The platform serves companies across more than 46 countries, helping them simplify pay band infrastructure, run effective merit cycles, and prevent inequalities in salary structures.The funding…

It took seven years of hard work for Kareem Amin, co-founder and CEO of sales automation startup Clay, to see the company’s product finally take off in 2022. Since then, the startup has experienced explosive growth, reached a valuation exceeding a billion dollars, and expanded its employee count from low double digits to over 200. Despite the team’s average short tenure at the company, Amin made a rare decision: Clay is allowing employees who have at least a year of tenure to sell some of their shares at a relatively high share price to one of its existing investors, Sequoia.…

Sydney-based RegTech startup Haast has raised $6m in seed funding to expand its AI-powered compliance platform, with plans to enter the US market already underway.The round was led by Airtree, with support from defy.vc, Aura Ventures and Black Sheep Capital. It follows a $1.2m pre-seed raise in 2023.Founded in 2022, Haast uses large language models to automate marketing and content compliance for major enterprises. The platform is designed to cut manual review time by up to 80% and speed up the go-live process, while continuously scanning for regulatory risks.The company has attracted major clients including Telstra and Aviva, and is…

Amsterdam-based Finom, a digital banking platform tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, has reportedly raised $105m in growth funding.The capital injection, equivalent to €92.7m, comes from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund, according to a report from TechCrunch. In a notable move, the round did not involve any equity exchange, making it an unconventional investment structure.Finom said the funds will be used solely to support growth activities, rather than operational or product development costs.Founded with a mission to streamline financial services for entrepreneurs, Finom offers an integrated suite that combines banking, accounting, invoicing and financial management in a single mobile-first platform.…

Wagestream, a UK-based FinTech firm specialising in financial wellbeing solutions for employees, has secured a £300m debt financing facility from global banking giant Citi.The financing will support the expansion of Wagestream’s Workplace Loans product, which was launched in late 2024 through an early access programme. The product has already been adopted by thousands of users, and the funding will allow the company to scale it further across its UK membership base.Wagestream offers financial tools aimed at improving employee wellbeing by helping them manage their pay, budget in real time, and access coaching and savings support. The firm’s Workplace Loans are…

Agree, a FinTech startup based in the US, is transforming how businesses manage contracts by integrating e-signature, invoicing and payment processing into a single platform.The company has raised $7.2m in a seed round led by Pelion Venture Partners’ Tyler Hogge, with further backing from Blank Ventures and angel investor Gokul Rajaram. The round follows a $3m pre-seed investment led by Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV), with continued support from 8-Bit Capital, Trust Fund, Hustle Fund, Everywhere Ventures, Singh Capital Partners, and Firsthand VC.Agree offers a unified solution for businesses that rely heavily on contracts to move revenue. Unlike traditional e-signature tools,…

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s former lieutenant governor has been named the sole finalist to become the next president of Florida International University.The presidential search committee’s unanimous selection of former Republican state lawmaker Jeanette Nuñez is no surprise — she has been the school’s interim president since February and has the backing of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.With more than 56,000 students, FIU is one of the country’s largest universities, serving a significant population of Hispanic, first-generation and low-income students.Nuñez was appointed to the temporary position after FIU Board of Trustees Chair Roger Tovar was contacted directly by DeSantis’ office about…

OpenAI is introducing a new data residency program in Asia, the company announced Thursday, following the rollout of its data residency program in Europe in February. The new program, which is available for OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, and the OpenAI API, aims to help Asia-based organizations meet local data sovereignty requirements while using the AI company’s products. Eligible API customers and new ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu subscribers can choose to have their data stored at rest in supported countries: Japan, India, Singapore, and South Korea. “For the API platform and ChatGPT business products, data remains confidential, secure, and entirely…