How soap opera-TikTok hybrids became a billion-dollar business

How soap opera-TikTok hybrids became a billion-dollar business

Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading…

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A former Thiel fellow’s startup just launched a drone it says can replace police helicopters

A former Thiel fellow’s startup just launched a drone it says can replace police helicopters

When I speak to Blake Resnick, he’s walking around his drone startup’s newest office space in Seattle—a cavernous 50,000-square-foot facility that, Resnick estimates, won’t be fully set up until later in the year—potentially November. Still, the big (and for now, largely empty) building offers the promise of a fast-growing company intent on conquering its particular…

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Accel, Prosus pick six ‘off-the-map’ startups for inaugural India cohort

Accel, Prosus pick six ‘off-the-map’ startups for inaugural India cohort

Accel and Prosus have selected six startups for their first joint cohort in India, backing what they describe as “off-the-map” ideas — companies working on problems where markets are undefined and progress is difficult to measure. The inaugural cohort spans healthcare, climate, space, and longevity, reflecting a focus on science-led themes with long development timelines…

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Despite bitter rivalry, Kalshi, Polymarket CEOs back M predictions markets VC fund

Despite bitter rivalry, Kalshi, Polymarket CEOs back $35M predictions markets VC fund

Few rivalries in the startup ecosystem are as intense (and occasionally bitter) as the race between Polymarket and Kalshi for dominance in the rapidly growing prediction market arena. Despite their fierce competition, the CEOs of both companies are investing in 5(c) Capital, a new prediction market-focused VC firm launched by former Kalshi employees, Fortune and…

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Delve halts demos, Insight Partners scrubs investment post amid ‘fake compliance’ allegations

Delve halts demos, Insight Partners scrubs investment post amid ‘fake compliance’ allegations

Delve, a Y Combinator-backed compliance startup accused of fabricating certifications for its customers, has disabled the “book a demo” feature on its website. The controversy, detailed last week in a Substack post by an anonymous whistleblower known as “DeepDelver,” has apparently led Insight Partners to scrub an article explaining its $32 million investment in the…

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