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Funding, IPOs, unicorns, M&A — OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Cursor, Cognition, and the venture firms backing them.

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Skunkworks Culture and Why Japan's Enterprises Struggle to Copy It Startup XX Image · Tech Frontier original illustration

Skunkworks Culture and Why Japan's Enterprises Struggle to Copy It

Bootlegging, 20% time, and skunkworks built Post-it, Kindle, and Waymo. Japan's rigid org charts and SIer contracts make the same bets structurally hard.

Executive Brief
The Boardroom Take Source investment targets, M&A, and new bets
2026-08-20 · IEEE Spectrum 2 min read
Thrive's OpenAI Markup Reframes VC's Paper-Gain Problem Startup XX Image · Tech Frontier original illustration

Thrive's OpenAI Markup Reframes VC's Paper-Gain Problem

A $516M fund now worth $3.7B on OpenAI bets, paired with a stake sale, shows top VCs pivoting from markups to realized cash as concentration risk builds.

Executive Brief
The Boardroom Take Source investment targets, M&A, and new bets
2026-08-14 · Bloomberg Tech 2 min read
Engineered Geologic Hydrogen and the Reset of Japan's H2 Bet Startup XX Image · Tech Frontier original illustration

Engineered Geologic Hydrogen and the Reset of Japan's H2 Bet

A startup is fracturing iron-rich rock with electricity to make hydrogen underground. If it scales, the economics of clean energy and Japan's import-based hydrogen strategy both shift.

Executive Brief
The Boardroom Take Source investment targets, M&A, and new bets
2026-08-12 · IEEE Spectrum 2 min read
Tencent-Backed AI Agent Lab Signals China's Talent Reshuffle Startup XX Image · Tech Frontier original illustration

Tencent-Backed AI Agent Lab Signals China's Talent Reshuffle

A star architect behind Alibaba's flagship model leaves to build agents with Tencent and HSG money—China's AI talent is now the scarcest asset.

Executive Brief
The Boardroom Take Source investment targets, M&A, and new bets
2026-08-12 · Bloomberg Tech 2 min read