Cat Ward

Daily Hard Tech Headlines: - Black Flag has launched its second cohort, an accelerator for startups building in American critical industries. The new cohort includes EraDrive (in-space mobility), Super Powers Mobility (SPM) (off-road electrification), Tarly (AI for government accountability), a stealth company focused on next-generation radios, and a stealth company developing autonomous submersibles for logistics. - Seeing Systems (YC W26) has launched. The Y Combinator startup is developing attritable, modular autonomous strike drones designed for mass production. The startup already has traction with the UK Royal Marine Commandos, NATO forces, and more. - Armada has secured an LOI with Nscale, a global AI infrastructure firm. The collaboration focuses on delivering edge AI through modular data center infrastructure for commercial and public sector markets. Armada enables high-performance compute to operate at the edge in critical environments. - Waymo is expanding its service to Boston and Sacramento. - Voyager Technologies has announced a partnership with Max Space focused on developing expandable space infrastructure, including habitats and structures for lunar operations. - Researchers from Stanford University and Princeton University have launched a multi-platform system integrating smart glasses, artificial intelligence, and robotic arms for medical operations. - The United States Air Force is launching a group focused on C-UAS to secure military installations. - Buttrose Earthmovers, an Australian construction firm, has announced the first Australian deployment of an automated roller operating on a live civil construction site. A roller is a heavy compaction machine used to flatten and compress soil, asphalt, or other materials during road and infrastructure projects. - The Orion CMC Consortium, an African mining investment group, is receiving funding from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and other partners to expand copper and cobalt mining in Africa for the American market. - Morpheus Space, a satellite propulsion startup, has raised $15 million in funding led by Alpine Space Ventures and the European Investment Fund (EIF). - R3 Robotics, a European startup, has raised €20 million in venture funding and grants to scale its technology for the robotic automation of electronics disassembly. - Exia Labs has secured a CRADA with United States Military Academy at West Point to develop AI agents that replicate realistic near-peer adversaries for use in multi-domain military wargaming. - Swarmbotics AI, an Arizona-based ground autonomy startup, has been chosen by the U.S. Army to build attritable autonomous ground vehicles for the 1st Cavalry Division.

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Impact Evaluation Lab is thrilled to announce a strategic investment from entrepreneur, impact investor, and philanthropist Jim Sorenson— a leader whose vision and integrity have shaped the global impact investing landscape for many years. This partnership will accelerate IEL’s mission to make impact investing more transparent, accountable, and accessible to mainstream investors. Over the past two years, the IEL team has developed a rigorous, multidimensional due diligence process to assess both the impact and financial outcomes of investment strategies — bringing the analytical standards of traditional finance into the world of impact. In collaboration with Sorenson Impact at the University of Utah, IEL has also refined their fund assessment framework and launched the Impact Authenticity Score, a new benchmark for evaluating intentionality and transparency in impact investing. As Jim Sorenson put it: “The IEL team brings professionalism and innovation to the critical issue of impact evaluation. Their processes will help ensure greater authenticity and transparency across the impact investing sector.” IEL is deeply grateful for Jim’s support and shared belief that credible measurement and clear language are essential for impact investing to reach its full potential. Learn more about the partnership and our shared vision for authentic impact: 🌐 impactevaluationlab.com 🌐 https://lnkd.in/eq2dGwh6 #ImpactInvesting #AuthenticImpact #Transparency #ImpactMeasurement #JimSorenson #SorensonImpactInstitute #ImpactEvaluationLab

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