1. Iron Maiden performing at Eddfest with band mascot Eddie
    Intelligence Brief

    The Intelligence Brief: Iron Maiden Sells Half Its Catalog and Likeness Rights, the NBA Investigates a $64 Million Contract, and Fireworks Raises $1.5 Billion — July 18, 2026

    Iron Maiden sold Pophouse half its catalog plus its name, image and likeness rights, mascot included. The NBA opened an investigation into Gary Trent Jr.'s $64 million Bucks deal. Fireworks raised $1.5 billion. In each case the money chased the rights layer, not the output.

    ·5 min read
  2. Fireworks AI Series D funding announcement graphic
    Technology

    Fireworks AI Raises $1.5 Billion Series D at $17.5 Billion Valuation

    Fireworks AI closed a $1.505 billion Series D at a $17.5 billion valuation this week, led by Atreides Management, Index Ventures, and TCV, with Nvidia joining as the company passed a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate.

    ·2 min read
  3. Neko Health co-founders Hjalmar Nilsonne and Daniel Ek
    Technology

    Neko Health Raises $700M Series C Led by Lightspeed Ahead of New York Launch

    Daniel Ek's body-scanning company raised $700 million led by Lightspeed, reportedly at a $7 billion valuation, and is opening its first US clinic in New York. Three of four members prepay for next year's scan.

    ·3 min read
  4. MetLife Stadium exterior during the 2026 FIFA World Cup
    Daily Roundup

    The Daily Roundup: Air Jordan 41 "Metallic Silver" Drops at $205, Spain vs. Argentina Set for the World Cup Final, the WGA Sues to Block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger, and Neko Health Raises $700M — July 16, 2026

    The Air Jordan 41 “Metallic Silver” drops today at $205, Spain and Argentina meet Sunday at MetLife in the World Cup final, and Daniel Ek’s Neko Health raised $700M ahead of its first New York clinic.

    ·4 min read
  5. Taktile agentic decision platform for banks and insurers
    Technology

    Taktile Raises $110M Series C Led by Goldman Sachs for AI Bank Decisions

    Taktile raised a $110 million Series C led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, lifting total funding to $184 million to automate lending, claims, and fraud decisions for banks and insurers.

    ·2 min read
  6. Lionel Messi playing for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup
    Daily Roundup

    The Daily Roundup: Pharrell's adidas Jellyfish Drops at $300, Argentina Beats England to Reach the World Cup Final, BMG Buys the John Lee Hooker Catalog, and Anthropic Preps an October IPO — July 15, 2026

    Pharrell's adidas Jellyfish arrives at $300, Argentina beats England 2-1 on a Messi-made stoppage-time winner to set a Spain final Sunday, and Anthropic preps an October IPO under ticker ANTH.

    ·4 min read
  7. France and Spain meet in the 2026 World Cup semifinal at AT&T Stadium
    Daily Roundup

    The Daily Roundup: Converse SHAI 001 'Slither' Drops, France vs. Spain in the World Cup Semifinal, T.I. Sells His Catalog to Reservoir, and SambaNova's $11B Valuation — July 14, 2026

    France meet Spain in the World Cup semifinal at AT&T Stadium, the Converse SHAI 001 'Slither' drops at $150, T.I. sells his publishing catalog to Reservoir, and SambaNova raises $1B at an $11B valuation.

    ·4 min read
  8. SambaNova's SN50 reconfigurable dataflow chip, the AI inference processor behind its $11 billion valuation.
    Technology

    SambaNova Hits $11B Valuation in $1B Series F as JPMorgan Adopts Its AI Chips

    SambaNova raised $1 billion at an $11 billion valuation, led by General Atlantic, five months after its Series E, as JPMorgan Chase and SoftBank adopt its AI inference chips.

    ·2 min read
  9. Prime Intellect, the AI training startup that raised a $130 million Series A in July 2026.
    Technology

    Prime Intellect Raises $130M Series A at $1B Valuation for Enterprise AI Training

    Prime Intellect raised a $130 million Series A at a $1 billion valuation, backed by Nvidia, Intel, and Dell, to let enterprises train their own AI agents instead of renting them from frontier labs.

    ·2 min read
  10. Air Jordan 3 'True Blue' OG in white leather with blue accents
    Daily Roundup

    The Daily Roundup: Air Jordan 3 'True Blue' Returns July 18, the World Cup Semifinals Are Set, Nike's Jay-Z 'Reasonable Doubt 30' Air Force 1, and Apple Sues OpenAI — July 13, 2026

    The Air Jordan 3 'True Blue' OG returns July 18 for $230, the World Cup semifinals are set (France-Spain, England-Argentina), Nike marks 30 years of Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt with an Air Force 1, and Apple sues OpenAI over trade secrets.

    ·3 min read
  11. Meta signage, representing its C$13 billion Alberta data center and AI compute expansion
    Technology

    Meta to Build C$13B (~$9.2B) Data Center in Alberta, Its First in Canada

    Meta will build its first Canadian data center in Sturgeon County, Alberta, a C$13 billion (about $9.2 billion) project starting at 1 gigawatt and scaling to 1.8 gigawatts.

    ·2 min read
  12. The Letterboxd logo on a black background
    Culture

    Letterboxd Holds Early Sale Talks With Netflix, Sony, and Paramount Skydance

    Letterboxd, the film-logging social network, is in early talks to sell, with Netflix, Sony, Paramount Skydance, TPG, and Alexis Ohanian circling and LionTree valuing it around $250 million.

    ·2 min read