Bitcoin Nears Double YoY as Wall Street & Washington Fuel Surge

Bitcoin has nearly doubled in value over the past year, recently touching $123K before settling around $116K. Unlike past rallies, this surge is being driven by growing institutional demand, massive ETF inflows, and rising adoption from major firms like BlackRock and GameStop. Spot Bitcoin ETFs traded on U.S. exchanges have now amassed more than $150 billion in assets. Meanwhile, Congress is actively discussing crypto regulation during “Crypto Week,” with bills that may reshape the legal landscape. The proposed Clarity Act could finally provide clear oversight, giving the CFTC control over digital commodities like Bitcoin — paving the way for broader institutional involvement.

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Rwazi Raises $12M to Bring Real-Time Consumer Insights to Global Brands

After years of struggling to find accurate data on global consumer behavior, Joseph Rutakangwa launched Rwazi in 2021 to solve the problem. The startup has now secured $12 million in Series A funding led by Bonfire Ventures. Rwazi offers companies real-time, voluntarily shared data directly from consumers — also known as zero-party data—instead of relying on outdated reports or surveys. With operations in 190+ countries and clients like Coca-Cola and Visa, the company plans to scale its AI tools and expand its engineering team to better serve global markets.

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Joby Aviation Doubles eVTOL Facility Size, Eyes 2026 Launch

Joby Aviation has expanded its pilot manufacturing facility in Marina, California, to 435,500 sq. ft., doubling production capacity as it prepares to launch electric air taxis (eVTOLs) commercially. The upgraded site can now produce up to 24 aircraft annually and will support pilot training, testing, and FAA certification. Backed by Toyota’s $500M investment, Joby is also developing a larger facility in Dayton, Ohio, capable of building 500 aircraft yearly. A sixth Joby aircraft has just earned airworthiness certification. The company will start from Dubai for its first trials in 2026, followed by a U.S. rollout.

Credit: TechCrunch

Cognition Acquires Windsurf to Boost AI Engineering Future

Cognition has officially acquired Windsurf, the agentic IDE, bringing in its product, IP, brand, and talented team. With $82M ARR, 350+ enterprise clients, and a rapidly growing user base, Windsurf strengthens Cognition’s mission to revolutionize software engineering. The Windsurf team will continue operations for now, while their tools and IP will soon integrate into Cognition’s offerings like Devin. Notably, all Windsurf employees will benefit financially and receive full equity vesting. This move signals a major leap toward the future of autonomous software development, positioning Cognition as a powerful force in the evolving AI engineering landscape.

Credit: TechCrunch

Windsurf Deal Slips From OpenAI’s Grasp, Google Wins in the AI Talent War!

In a surprise twist, OpenAI’s $3B deal to acquire AI coding startup Windsurf has collapsed — and Google swooped in smartly. Instead of buying the company, Google acqui-hired key Windsurf talent, including CEO Varun Mohan, for $2.4B. They also secured a non-exclusive license to Windsurf’s tech. The rest of Windsurf stays independent under a new interim CEO. This clever move gives Google DeepMind top AI coding brains without full acquisition hassles. Meanwhile, OpenAI is left empty-handed. The race for elite AI talent is heating up, and Google just played a masterstroke.

Credit: CNBC

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