San Francisco-based technology startup Illumix just closed a $18 million Series A round of funding, and in a rare move for the Shark Tank star, Mark Cuban contributed.
The company develops platforms for augmented reality (AR) experiences and sees itself as a crucial player in the emerging Web3 and metaverse ecosystems.
"We really think about ourselves as the backbone behind your immersive experiences," said Kirin Sinha, CEO and founder of Illumix.
Historically, those experiences were limited to the gaming and entertainment worlds. Now Illumix has its sights on what it calls "location-based entertainment." Sinha explained that the company wants to bring AR to in-person experiences such as sports games, concerts, and theme parks.
On why Cuban decided to invest, despite his aversion to investing in tech firms, Sinha said he thinks "it really comes down to the scope of this opportunity."
"The idea of the digital and physical worlds coming together has been talked about for some time, but we're really seeing that market timing starting to hit," he added.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
