Posts by Liam Redmond
AI Infrastructure Startups: Where 2026 Venture Money Moves
Venture capital is shifting away from model builders and chip makers toward what one July 28 funding roundup calls the second-order AI stack. That means the translators, adapters, and orchestration layers that turn raw infrastructure into something a business can actually use. The reason matters for founders. Investors are backing companies that own a mission-critical…
Read MoreSmall Business Automation: Genius AI Raises $44M for the Back Office
Genius AI, a platform that automates back-office admin for local service businesses, has raised $44 million in a Series D round backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Lux Capital, and L Catterton, among others. The company builds software that handles scheduling, invoicing, and customer follow-up for plumbers, cleaners, salons, and similar owner-run shops. If you run…
Read MoreAI Side Hustles in 2026: 4 That Make Real Money
A widely shared profile of a two-person startup shows an AI side hustle can clear more than $5,000 on a good day, with its founders on track for roughly $3 million this year. They started last December, and they lean on one AI tool that almost anyone can learn. That story is not really about…
Read MoreTSA finds Civil War-era cannonballs ‘the size of grapefruits’ on X-ray in wild discovery
A routine baggage screening at an Alabama airport sparked an explosive scare when TSA officers discovered stolen historical artifacts inside a passenger’s bag. The artifacts were found in the checked bag of a passenger going through Gulf Shores International Airport (JKA), about 45 miles southeast of Mobile, Alabama, July 18. The TSA said the artifacts…
Read MoreOpen Source AI Gains as Together AI Raises $800M
Open source AI just picked up serious momentum, as Together AI announced an “$800 million Series C at an $8.3 billion valuation.” The round, led by Aramco Ventures with Nvidia and others, funds a company that makes open models cheaper to run at scale. For founders, that points to lower AI bills ahead. The news…
Read MoreThe Future of Work: Skilled Freelancing Jumps to 38%
The future of work took a measurable step this month, as Upwork’s Future Workforce Index 2026 found that 38% of skilled U.S. knowledge workers now freelance. That is up sharply from 28% a year ago. The report, released July 14, surveyed 2,400 U.S. workers and paired the results with Upwork marketplace data. For founders, the…
Read MoreReturn to Office Mandates Risk Talent in 2026
The return to office debate has quietly settled into a messy middle, and fresh remote work data shows why. About 21.7% of U.S. employees worked remotely at least part of the time in June 2026, down only slightly from 22.3% two years earlier. Hybrid did not disappear, and it did not take over. It stuck.…
Read MoreConsumer Confidence Index Holds Firm as Spending Rises
The Consumer Confidence Index held firm in July, landing at 129.3 after a June reading of 128.9. That keeps the gauge near the top of its range following five straight months of gains. For founders, a steady mood among shoppers is a green light worth reading closely. Confidence numbers are not just macro trivia. When…
Read MoreDiscover What Ambitious Founders Need to Know Before Relocating Internationally for Business
Starting a new business in an international market is an exciting prospect. Ambitious founders may have been successful in their home country, but moving to a new place takes a lot of preparation. It’s one thing to do business overseas, it’s another thing to relocate and also do business in those same countries. Before a…
Read MoreSmall Business Tariffs: What the Aug. 1 Deadline Means
Small business tariffs are about to change again, because a new round of reciprocal tariff rates takes effect on August 1, 2026. Commerce officials have confirmed there will be no extension, so importers face higher costs within days. For founders who buy parts or finished goods abroad, the calendar is now the headline. This matters…
Read MoreOpenAI bot’s rogue attack rattles industry leaders, policymakers and consumers
What will happen to the world if artificial intelligence bots break free from our control and act independently? While it’s been a troubling conundrum addressed by AI experts and Hollywood science-fiction scriptwriters for decades, it may have just happened. OpenAI said last week that it temporarily lost control of its AI in what some worry…
Read MoreInfluencer Emilie Kiser apologizes after toddler seen on boat without life jacket — year after son’s drowning
Influencer Emilie Kiser has issued an apology after her toddler was filmed sitting on a boat without wearing a life jacket. Friend and fellow influencer Madi Curtis shared the snippet in a compilation from a day on the water during a joint family holiday in Spain with the Kisers. In the now-deleted video taken in…
Read More