China's EVAS Intelligence raises nearly RMB 2B for RISC-V AI chips
EVAS Intelligence raised nearly RMB 2 billion (about $280M), announced Sept 18, 2026, at a post-money valuation near RMB 15 billion from 20+ investors including SMIC Capital and Hu…
Founders News
News for Enterprise Software founders.
Updates relevant to Enterprise Software, plus broadly-applicable ones. 566 in total.
Crusoe raises $3.9B Series F at $30.9B valuation for AI infrastructure
Crusoe closed the initial tranche of a $3.9 billion Series F on Sept 17, 2026 at a $30.9 billion post-money valuation, co-led by Atreides, Mubadala Capital and Valor Equity, with N…
ByteDance-spun Anew Labs raises $290M for AI-driven drug discovery
Shanghai-based Anew Labs announced about $290M in inaugural external financing on September 16, 2026, from HSG, IDG Capital, Hillhouse, and 5Y Capital. Spun out of ByteDance, which…
Sydney startup Evatto raises A$1.02M pre-seed for AI event-program platform
Sydney-based Evatto raised A$1.02 million in a pre-seed round led by Purpose Ventures, announced on 16 September 2026. The Startmate Summer 26 alumnus builds an AI platform that au…
Vinnova Innovative Startups 2026 opens Oct 12: up to SEK 500,000
Vinnova's Innovative Startups 2026 call opens for applications on 12 October 2026 and closes 12 January 2027 at 14:00, with decisions on 23 March 2027. It provides up to SEK 500,00…
IndiaAI Mission puts 38,000+ subsidised GPUs within reach of DPIIT startups
MeitY's official update (page last updated 16 September 2026) confirms that more than 38,000 GPUs for the common compute facility have been onboarded through the AI Compute Portal…
Anthropic merges Cowork into one Claude, adds Claude Docs and Slides in beta
On September 16, 2026, Anthropic folded its Cowork agent and Claude chat into a single 'one Claude' experience where the model picks the tool automatically, and launched Claude Doc…
Factory raises $200M at $5B valuation for its AI coding agents
AI software-engineering startup Factory raised $200 million at a $5 billion valuation on Sept 16, 2026, roughly tripling the $1.5B valuation from its $150M Series C five months ear…
Arcee AI hits $1B+ valuation with $150M Series B for open-weight models
Arcee AI announced a $150M+ Series B on Sept 16, 2026 valuing it above $1 billion, led by Vista Equity, Cambium and Emergence with Hitachi, Wipro and M12. It built its Trinity mode…
Stuut raises $67.6M to automate accounts-receivable work with AI
Stuut, an AI platform that automates accounts-receivable work for companies, disclosed $67.6M in new funding on September 16, 2026 across eleven investors, bringing total funding t…
Ridgeline raises $250M Series E at $1.425B for AI-native investment platform
Ridgeline, founded by Workday and PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield, raised a $250M Series E on Sept 16, 2026 at a $1.425 billion valuation, with participation from Motley Fool Vent…
Japan's CADDi raises ~$121M Series D for manufacturing procurement AI
Tokyo-based CADDi announced a Series D of about 17.7 billion yen (roughly $121M) on September 15, 2026, with backers including Salesforce Ventures, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Wo…
Apple opens English public beta of rebuilt, Gemini-powered Siri
On September 15, 2026 Apple opened the English public beta of its rebuilt Siri, powered by custom models built with Google Gemini and split between on-device and Apple's Private Cl…
Profound raises $180M Series D at $1.8B for AI-search visibility (AEO)
On September 15, 2026 Profound announced a $180M Series D at a $1.8B valuation, co-led by Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins, nearly double its February valuation. The platform tracks and…
China orders big firms to pay SME suppliers in cash within 60 days
A circular from the General Office of the State Council (reported Sept 15, 2026) sets 10 measures to end delayed payments to SMEs: industry leaders are urged to pay suppliers in ca…
Perplexity ships on-device Portable Computer agent in its Windows app
On September 15, 2026 Perplexity launched a local AI agent in its Windows app for Nvidia GeForce RTX and RTX PRO GPUs with at least 24GB of VRAM. The model, agent harness, orchestr…
BDC allocates first $1B of its $6B Defence Platform to fund Canadian startups
On September 15, 2026, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced it will deploy $1 billion under its $6-billion Defence Platform: $500 million into venture, growth-eq…
Treasury opens $5B New Markets Tax Credit CY2026 round, apps due Nov 10
Treasury's CDFI Fund published its Notice of Allocation Availability on Sept 15, 2026, making $5 billion in New Markets Tax Credit authority available for the CY2026 round, authori…
Salesforce Dreamforce 2026 runs Sept 15 to 17 in San Francisco
Dreamforce 2026, Salesforce's flagship conference, runs September 15 to 17, 2026 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, drawing an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 in-person attendees. This…
BNDES and Finep pick Monashees to run new R$500M AI-startup FIP fund
On Sept 14, 2026, BNDES and Finep selected Monashees to manage a new venture fund (FIP) for AI-intensive startups that can mobilize up to R$500 million. BNDESPAR will commit up to…
Intrepid Growth closes US$525M debut fund to back AI founders
Toronto- and London-based Intrepid Growth Partners announced the final close of its inaugural fund at US$525 million (about C$730 million), US$25 million above target, on 14 Septem…
Temporal raises $550M Series E at $12.55B for reliable AI infrastructure
On September 14, 2026, durable-execution platform Temporal announced a $550M Series E at a $12.55B valuation, co-led by Lightspeed with Wellington, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, and…
Cornelis Networks raises $205M for AI networking to rival Nvidia
Cornelis Networks raised $205 million led by IAG Capital Partners, announced Sept 14, 2026, alongside its new Active Compute Fabric and a collaboration with Qualcomm. The Intel Omn…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs Oct 13 to 15 in San Francisco
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13 to 15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, drawing about 10,000 founders, investors and operators across 200-plus sessions and the Start…
Web Summit returns to Lisbon November 9 to 12, 2026
Web Summit 2026 runs November 9 to 12 at the MEO Arena and FIL in Lisbon, Portugal. Organizers expect more than 70,000 attendees from over 160 countries, 900-plus speakers and 2,00…
EU Data Act data-access obligations now apply as of September 12, 2026
The core data-access and data-sharing obligations of the EU Data Act became applicable on September 12, 2026. The rules give users of connected products and related services the ri…
Salesforce ships 7 named job-ready Agentforce AI agents for sales and service
On September 11, 2026 Salesforce launched seven named Agentforce agents (Casey, Paige, Carter, Hunter, Marshall, Piper and Fin) preconfigured for jobs across service, sales, commer…
Off-peak dining app First Table raises A$10M to expand across Australian cities
First Table, the discount off-peak restaurant booking platform now live in 22 Australian cities, raised A$10 million on 11 September 2026. Backers included existing investors Alter…
Fleet-management platform Motive lands $1.3B in growth financing
Motive, a fleet management and logistics operations platform, raised $1.3 billion in private-equity growth financing led by General Catalyst, per Crunchbase's week-ending September…
Copenhagen's Seed Capital closes EUR 130M Fund V for Nordic seed to Series A
Seed Capital closed its EUR 130 million Fund V on September 11, 2026 to back Nordic startups from seed through Series A. The new fund expands one of the region's most active early-…
Anthropic adds auto permission mode to Claude Managed Agents
On September 10, 2026 Anthropic shipped an 'auto' permission policy for Claude Managed Agents that lets the server evaluate each agent or MCP tool call and run it, deny it, or paus…
Positron AI raises $875M for memory-first AI inference chips
Positron AI announced $875 million on September 10, 2026, split into a $375 million Series C and a Series C-1 of up to $500 million, at a roughly $5 billion valuation. The round, b…
DeepSeek ships V4.1 Flash at $0.15 per million input tokens
DeepSeek released V4.1 Flash on September 10, 2026, priced at $0.15 per million uncached input tokens and $0.60 per million output tokens off-peak (double during 01:00-04:00 and 06…
Paris-based Arlequin AI raises EUR 28M for LLM-alternative topological neural networks
Arlequin AI closed a EUR 28 million Series A on September 10, 2026, co-led by redalpine and OTB Ventures with Bpifrance's Defence Innovation Fund and Xavier Niel joining. Its topol…
NZ tax bill lets founders keep the favourable FIF method after diluting below 10 percent
New Zealand's Taxation (Annual Rates for 2026-27, FBT Simplification, Foreign Investment Funds, and Remedial Measures) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 10 September 2026. It le…
SBA's new 8(a) social-disadvantage test takes effect September 10, 2026
Effective Sept 10, 2026, the SBA eliminated the race-based rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage in the 8(a) Business Development Program and replaced it with a race-neutra…
Slush 2026 returns to Helsinki on November 18 to 19 with 13,000+ founders
Slush 2026, the founder-focused startup event, takes place November 18 to 19, 2026 in Helsinki and draws more than 13,000 founders, VCs, and executives for curated matchmaking, key…
Inspiren raises $70M Series C to run AI in senior living
Inspiren announced a $70 million Series C on September 10, 2026, with NewView Capital and Insight Partners among the backers. Its platform applies AI to operations inside senior-li…
Rogo raises about $30M from banks for financial-workflow AI
Rogo Technologies secured roughly $30 million in strategic financing on September 10, 2026, from Citi, Barclays, BNP Paribas and MUFG, among others. Rogo builds financial AI for in…
Australia's Metacognition AI raises $10M for an AI operating-system layer
Australian lab Metacognition AI announced a roughly $10 million round on September 10, 2026, led by CSIRO-backed VC Main Sequence. It is building an operating-system layer that sit…
Enigmata raises $6.5M to run AI on encrypted data
Nashville-based Enigmata emerged from stealth on September 10, 2026 with a $6.5 million seed round led by Blockchange Ventures. Its Cipher system lets AI models train, search and a…
Bending Spoons agrees to buy collaboration workspace Miro for $1.355B
On September 10, 2026 Bending Spoons entered a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of Miro at an enterprise value of $1.355 billion (about EUR 1.7 billion), an all-cash dea…
EU unveils Public Procurement Act to simplify bids and widen SME access
The European Commission published its Public Procurement Act on September 9, 2026, replacing the three 2014 procurement directives with one directly applicable Regulation for publi…
RBC launches $1.4B CAD RBCx growth fund for scaling Canadian tech firms
On September 9, 2026, Royal Bank of Canada unveiled a new $1-billion USD (about $1.4-billion CAD) RBCx growth fund to make direct equity investments in growth-stage Canadian tech c…
Clay raises $115M Series D at a $7.1B valuation for its AI go to market engine
Clay announced a $115M Series D on September 9, 2026, led by Wellington with Sequoia and a16z, doubling its valuation to $7.1B from August 2025. It now serves 17,000+ customers, in…
Singapore launches AI-powered BizSG portal to simplify grant and government access
Singapore's whole-of-government BizSG portal, unveiled by Senior Minister of State Low Yen Ling at the SME Centre Conference on 9 Sep 2026, launches on 30 Sep 2026 as a single entr…
Legal AI startup Harvey raises $550M at a $15.5B valuation
On September 9, 2026 Harvey raised $550 million at a $15.5 billion valuation, led by Diffusion and Lightspeed with Sequoia, a16z, Kleiner Perkins and others. Harvey says 80% of Am…
European Commission proposes Innovation Act to unlock €10.2B/year for startups
On September 9, 2026 the European Commission proposed a new European Innovation Act to help startups and scaleups finance and grow in the EU. It would create a common EU IP-valuati…
India's QNu Labs raises Rs 200 crore Series A1 for quantum-safe security
On September 9, 2026 Bengaluru-based QNu Labs raised a Rs 200 crore (about $24M) Series A1 plus a Rs 150 crore convertible facility. The company builds quantum-safe cybersecurity a…
Cybersecurity startup Cylake raises $245M for operational resilience
Cylake disclosed a $245 million convertible-note raise on September 9, 2026, led by Lightspeed with Picture Capital and Redpoint. The company builds a cybersecurity platform focuse…
Perry Weather raises $110M Series C for safety operations software
Perry Weather closed a $110 million Series C on September 9, 2026, led by Silversmith Capital and Arthur Ventures. The company sells weather monitoring and safety-operations softwa…
Lightfield raises $47M Series A from a16z to build a CRM for agent run companies
Lightfield closed a $47M Series A led by a16z on September 9, 2026, with Greylock, Lightspeed and Coatue joining. The AI native CRM, a pivot from presentation startup Tome, reports…
Mistral AI raises record 3B euro Series D led by Samsung at 21B euro value
France's Mistral AI closed a 3 billion euro (about $3.5B) Series D led by Samsung Electronics on September 8, 2026, with co-leads EQT's Scaleup Europe Fund and PSG Equity, lifting…
OpenHands 1.0 ships production self-hosted coding agent at 68% SWE-bench Verified
The open-source autonomous coding agent OpenHands reached its 1.0 release on September 8, 2026, adding Docker sandboxing, built-in security policies, resource limits and a plugin s…
Cognition raises $2B at a $48B valuation for its Devin coding agent
On September 8, 2026 San Francisco-based Cognition AI closed a $2 billion Series E at a $48 billion valuation, led by Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, Founders Fund, General Catalyst an…
US data-center land deals jump 79% as powered sites draw ~$6B
Reported September 8, 2026, US data-center land deals rose 79% in the first half of 2026, with investors spending nearly $6 billion on future data-center sites. Premium powered lan…
British Business Bank plans new £150m Northern scale-up fund for high-growth firms
On 7 September 2026 the British Business Bank revealed plans to commit up to £150m to a new fund backing high-growth scale-up businesses across the North of England, including univ…
Region Stockholm affarsutvecklingscheckar open Sept 7 to 27, 2026: up to SEK 200,000
Region Stockholm's 2026 business development checks (affarsutvecklingscheckar) are open for applications from 7 to 27 September 2026. SMEs can apply for SEK 50,000 to SEK 200,000,…
Pixxel raises $100M Series C led by Temasek to scale hyperspectral satellites
On September 7, 2026, Earth-observation startup Pixxel announced a $100 million Series C co-led by Temasek and Seraphim, with 360 ONE Asset, IMM Investment, Radical Ventures, and g…
NZ Active Investor Plus visa pipeline hits NZ$4.9b; Growth path stays NZ$5m
As of Immigration NZ's 4 September 2026 update, the revamped Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa has drawn 904 applications (467 approved) since the April 2025 changes, with about NZ$4…
Anthropic's Claude produces first computer-checked proof of Fermat's Last Theorem
Announced September 4, 2026, Anthropic says Claude ran largely autonomously for 11 days to produce the first end-to-end, computer-checked proof of Fermat's Last Theorem in Lean. Th…
Gimlet Labs raises $300M Series B at $3B for multi-chip inference
Gimlet Labs closed a $300 million Series B on Sept 4, 2026 at a $3 billion valuation, led by Andreessen Horowitz with Arm, Samsung Ventures, and Microsoft's M12 among backers, brin…
GitHub Copilot adds parallel agent sessions and a unified Copilot experience
In its September 4, 2026 changelog, GitHub added parallel agent sessions to the Copilot app, letting multiple AI tasks run independently in separate Git worktrees, and introduced a…
China's MIIT launches AI SME plan, targets 10,000+ new AI startups by 2028
On 4 September 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the 'AI SME Entrepreneurship Support Plan (2026-2028),' structured as 4 areas and 15 key…
MIIT launches AI SME Entrepreneurship Support Plan 2026-2028
On September 4, 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the 'AI SME Entrepreneurship Support Plan (2026-2028),' targeting over 10,000 new sci-te…
Nvidia agrees to buy AI hub Hugging Face for about $13B
Nvidia announced on Sept 3, 2026 a definitive deal to acquire Hugging Face for roughly $12.93 billion, pledging to keep it an open platform where Nvidia compute is not required. Hu…
Google DeepMind launches WeatherNext 3 with hourly 5km AI forecasts and API
Google DeepMind and Google Research launched WeatherNext 3 on September 3, 2026, generating 15-day probabilistic forecasts initialized hourly at up to 5km resolution across 64 ense…
China issues 2026 to 2030 SME plan; targets 22,000 little giant firms, phase 2 national fund
On September 3, 2026, ten Chinese government departments led by MIIT jointly issued a plan for high-quality SME development over 2026 to 2030. It targets 22,000 national little gia…
China launches Phase 2 of National SME Fund for early-stage hard-tech startups
On 3 September 2026, MIIT and nine other agencies confirmed a second phase of the National SME Development Fund alongside China's 15th Five-Year SME development plan. Phase 1 (esta…
OpenAI ships GPT-6 Astra with 1M+ context at $10/$50 per million tokens
OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra (API id gpt-6-astra) on Sept 3, 2026, priced at $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output, with cached input at $1. It carries an ~1.1M-to…
China issues 15th Five-Year Plan for SMEs, targets 22,000 'little giant' firms by 2030
On Sept 3, 2026, ten government departments led by MIIT jointly issued China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for SME development. It targets 22,000 specialized 'little giant' fir…
Crusoe raises over $3B at a $30B valuation for AI data centers
AI infrastructure and cloud provider Crusoe raised more than $3 billion on Sept 3, 2026 at a roughly $30 billion valuation, co-led by Atreides Management and Valor Equity Partners…
Google adds Gemini voice 'Live' features to Gmail, Docs and Keep
On September 3, 2026 Google rolled out Gmail Live, Docs Live and Keep Live, letting users query their inbox, draft documents (pulling from Gmail, Drive, Chat and the web) and take…
Axle AI lands $17.5M Series A for AI-native insurance backend
New York insurtech Axle AI announced a $17.5M Series A on Sept 3, 2026, led by Base10 Partners. Its AI agents automate claims, coverage verification and policy endorsements for ins…
Resect AI raises $25M to build an accountability layer catching LLM hallucinations
Seattle stealth startup Resect AI announced a $25M seed/Series A round on Sept 3, 2026 from undisclosed investors. The company is building an 'AI accountability layer' that detects…
Munich's Zeit AI raises EUR 5M seed for autonomous data engineering
Zeit AI, based in Munich, raised a EUR 5 million seed round on Sept 3, 2026 with backing from Y Combinator, Oxford Seed Fund, a Sequoia Capital scout fund, ACE Ventures, and Hasso…
Belgium's Backbone raises EUR 4M pre-seed for food-industry compliance
Brussels-based Backbone announced a EUR 4 million pre-seed on Sept 3, 2026, backed by Pitchdrive, PROfounders Capital, Passion Capital, 100IN, Agristo, and Darta. The platform cons…
Anthropic ships Claude Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1, cutting agent costs ~45%
On September 2, 2026 Anthropic released Claude Fable 5.1 (broadly available) and Mythos 5.1 (restricted to vetted organizations), citing about 45% lower costs for agentic workloads…
Photonics chip startup iPronics raises $125M led by Nvidia for AI data centers
On September 2, 2026 Spanish semiconductor startup iPronics announced a $125 million funding round led by Nvidia and other investors. The capital backs its programmable photonic ne…
Google's Gemini 3.8 Flash launches at $0.75/$3.75 per million, doubling in 2027
Google released Gemini 3.8 Flash on Sept 2, 2026 with a 1,048,576-token context window, priced at $0.75 input and $3.75 output per million tokens through Dec 31, 2026. The rate is…
Receita Federal sets Sept-Dec 2026 grace period to fix tax-benefit irregularities
Instrucao Normativa RFB no 2.341 (dated Aug 31, 2026, effective Sept 1, 2026, published Sept 2) amends IN RFB no 2.332/2026 on monitoring companies' use of tax benefits. It creates…
HiddenLayer nabs $100M Series B as enterprises rush to secure AI deployments
Austin-based HiddenLayer raised a $100 million Series B announced September 2, 2026, led by Delta-v Capital with Ten Eleven Ventures, Morgan Stanley, Microsoft's M12 and Booz Allen…
Perplexity adds hybrid compute to its Computer agent, splitting cloud and local Macs
On September 2, 2026 Perplexity launched a hybrid-compute capability for its Computer agent that divides a single AI task between cloud models and models running locally on Apple s…
CrowdStrike launches SafeMind dual-model agentic security system at Fal.Con 2026
At Fal.Con 2026 on September 2, 2026 CrowdStrike introduced SafeMind, pairing an offensive model, Red Tempest, trained on 15 years of incident-response data to probe for attack pat…
Meta ships Muse Spark 1.3, cutting tool calls ~20% and tokens ~25%
Meta released Muse Spark 1.3 on Sept 2, 2026 at $1.25 input and $4.25 output per million tokens with a 1,048,576-token context window, claiming roughly 20% fewer tool calls and 25%…
Google, Anthropic and OpenAI gate top cyber AI models behind vetted-access programs
In early September 2026, the three labs restricted their most cyber-capable models to trusted-defender programs: Google's Fairwind (Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber, over 650 partners includ…
Wonderful raises $550M at $5B valuation for its enterprise AI agent OS
Wonderful raised a $550 million Series C led by Insight Partners at a $5 billion valuation, more than doubling its value in under six months. Its AI operating system coordinates ag…
AIR Security launches with $50M to firewall the AI agents enterprises deploy
AIR Security emerged from stealth in early September 2026 with $50 million raised across two rounds in six months (Sequoia led a $10M, Greenoaks led a $40M). Its inline firewall sc…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs Oct 13-15 in San Francisco with Startup Battlefield
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, drawing 10,000+ founders, investors and operators. Its Startup Battlefield features 200 pre-Seri…
China ends foreign individuals' tax-free dividend exemption; 20% IIT now applies
MOF and the State Taxation Administration issued Announcement 2026 No. 27, repealing the 32-year-old exemption (Caishuizi 1994 No. 20) that let foreign individuals receive dividend…
John Ternus becomes Apple CEO as Tim Cook moves to executive chairman
John Ternus, 50, officially became Apple CEO on Sept 1, 2026, ending Tim Cook's roughly 15-year run; Cook becomes executive chairman focused on policy and board matters. Ternus, wh…
How to Web returns to Bucharest October 6 to 8, 2026 with OpenAI and Stripe
How to Web Conference 2026 runs October 6 to 8 at Face Convention Center in Bucharest, with an Investors Summit and satellite events opening October 6. Organizers expect 500+ found…
South Korea proposes record $597B 2027 budget centered on AI and chips
On 1 September 2026 South Korea proposed a record 821 trillion won (about $597 billion) 2027 budget that names AI and semiconductors as strategic national priorities. The plan sign…
Simples Nacional firms get Sept 2026 window to choose hybrid IBS/CBS regime for 2027
On 1 September 2026 Receita Federal opened an exceptional window running 1-30 September 2026 for Simples Nacional companies to decide how they will collect the new IBS and CBS taxe…
Y Combinator Winter 2027 batch: apply by Nov 2, program runs Jan-Mar in SF
Applications for Y Combinator's Winter 2027 batch are due November 2, 2026 at 8pm PT, with decisions by December 11; the batch runs January to March 2027 in person at YC's San Fran…
Singapore S Pass minimum salary rises to S$3,300 (S$3,800 finance) from 1 Sept 2026
From 1 September 2026, Singapore's S Pass qualifying salary rose to S$3,300 a month for most sectors (up from S$3,150) and S$3,800 for financial services, both increasing progressi…
Amber Grant: three $10,000 awards for women founders, Sept 30 deadline
WomensNet awards three $10,000 Amber Grants to women-owned businesses every month, and monthly winners compete for one of three $50,000 year-end grants. The current cycle's applica…
SF Tech Week returns October 5-11, 2026 with hundreds of a16z-backed sessions
SF Tech Week, presented by a16z, runs October 5-11, 2026, followed by LA Tech Week October 12-18. It is made up of hundreds of independently hosted sessions: some are free with RSV…
Antler residency applications close September 30, 2026 for pre-team founders
Antler is accepting free applications through September 30, 2026 for its global residency, which backs pre-team founders at the earliest possible stage across 30+ locations. Reside…
Singapore captured 78% of Southeast Asia's startup funding in 2025 (US$4.2B)
A DealStreetAsia-Kickstart Ventures report covered by e27 found Singapore took 78.1% of Southeast Asia's equity funding value in 2025, about US$4.2 billion, and 61.4% of the region…
Texas StartUP Grant offers up to $10,000, applications close Sept 23
Texas Woman's University's StartUP Grant is accepting applications through 5:00 p.m. Central on September 23, 2026, awarding between $1,000 and $10,000. Eligible businesses must be…
Web Summit returns to Lisbon Nov 9-12, 2026, one of tech's largest gatherings
Web Summit 2026 runs November 9-12 at the MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, historically drawing 70,000+ attendees including founders, investors and press. The 2026 speaker lineup inc…
Slush 2026 gathers 12,000 founders and investors in Helsinki on Nov 18-19
Slush 2026 takes place November 18-19 (Day 0 on Nov 17) at Messukeskus in Helsinki, expecting 12,000+ attendees, roughly 76% of whom are startups or investors, with over 25,000 sch…
Gridsight raises $26M to expose grid capacity for data-center siting
On 1 September 2026 Gridsight announced a $26 million Series B led by Insight Partners for software that reveals available utility grid capacity to help site data centers and other…
SciFin raises $44M seed for an enterprise AI context layer
On 1 September 2026 SciFin announced a $44 million seed round led by Altimeter and Madrona for an enterprise AI context layer that connects customer and forecasting data so AI syst…
Nvidia invests $3.5B in MediaTek convertible bonds to expand NVLink Fusion
On August 31, 2026 Nvidia agreed to buy $3.5 billion of MediaTek convertible bonds, the bulk of a broader $3.9 billion offering (Alphabet also participated), deepening their AI-chi…
DeepSeek ships experimental V4-Flash-Vision multimodal model on Hugging Face
On August 31, 2026 DeepSeek published V4-Flash-Vision-Exp, a roughly 305B-parameter experimental multimodal model, on Hugging Face under the permissive MIT license. It shows substa…
EU designates ChatGPT under the Digital Services Act, first standalone AI service
On August 31, 2026 the European Commission designated OpenAI's ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine under the Digital Services Act (alongside Reddit and Roblox as VLOPs), c…
EuroHPC signs 387.8M euro contract for LUMI-AI supercomputer in Finland
On Aug 31, 2026 the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking signed a 387.8M euro contract with Bull to build LUMI-AI, powered by AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs and 6th-gen EPYC CPUs at CSC in Kajaani,…
Sydney anti-scam AI startup Apate.AI raises A$11.4M seed
Sydney-founded Apate.AI raised A$11.4 million (about US$8.15 million) in a seed round announced 31 August 2026, led by Silicon Valley's Lobby Capital with OIF Ventures, Investible,…
IRAS EIS guide adds 400% tax deduction on AI spend for YA 2027 and 2028
IRAS published its updated Enterprise Innovation Scheme e-Tax Guide on 31 Aug 2026, formalising a Budget 2026 change that grants a 400% tax deduction on up to S$50,000 of qualifyin…
NZ R&D Career Grant reopens: up to NZ$35k to hire a PhD or Masters grad
New Zealand's R&D Career Grant, administered by MBIE Innovation Services, reopened for applications at 9am on Monday 31 August 2026. It funds six months of full-time salary (minimu…
US office vacancy holds at 17.7% as listing rents hit $33.58 per sq ft
The national office vacancy rate was 17.7% in July 2026, down 130 basis points year-over-year, per Yardi Matrix data in the monthly national office report. Average listing rates re…
NZ R&D Career Grant reopens: up to NZ$35,000 to hire a masters or PhD grad
The R&D Career Grant, now run by Innovation Services (MBIE) after Callaghan Innovation's disestablishment, reopened for its 2026/27 round on 31 August 2026. It funds a NZ business…
Apate.AI raises A$11.4M seed for adversarial anti-scam AI agents
On Aug 31, 2026, Apate.AI (founded in Sydney, now Delaware-incorporated) closed an A$11.4M (about US$8.15M) seed round led by Lobby Capital. Its AI agents impersonate potential sca…
SF Tech Week 2026 runs Oct 5-11, presented by a16z
San Francisco Tech Week 2026 takes place Oct 5-11, an a16z-presented, decentralized series of independently hosted founder dinners, pitch nights, workshops and investor panels acro…
All-In Summit 2026 set for Sept 13-15 in Los Angeles
The All-In Summit returns Sept 13-15, 2026 at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, hosted by the All-In Podcast (Jason Calacanis, Chamath Palihapitiya, David Sacks,…
Huawei Cloud opens CodeArts Agent coding platform to international users
On Aug 28, 2026 Huawei Cloud moved CodeArts Agent from public beta to general availability across Asia Pacific, launching commercially in Singapore. The platform orchestrates 16 sp…
Federal judge rules Pentagon unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic over safety limits
On Aug 28, 2026 a federal court ruled the Defense Department unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic for refusing a contract without safety restrictions on lethal autonomous weapon…
Andreessen Horowitz raises $1.1B 'Machine Age' fund for hardware and robotics
On Aug 28, 2026 a16z announced a $1.1 billion 'Machine Age' fund targeting hardware infrastructure: processors, memory, networking, storage and robotics. It signals a large pool of…
Tencent open-sources Hy4, a 770B model with 1M context under Apache 2.0
On August 28, 2026 Tencent released and open-sourced its Hunyuan Hy4 preview: a 770B-parameter Mixture-of-Experts model activating 49B parameters per token, with a 1-million-token…
NVIDIA ships TensorRT Model Connect: Hugging Face checkpoint to C++ in two commands
On Aug 28, 2026, NVIDIA released TensorRT Model Connect, an open collection of reference implementations that turns a Hugging Face or local checkpoint into native C++ inference wit…
Alibaba Cloud opens two Brazil data centers, expanding to 106 zones across 31 regions
On Aug 28, 2026 Alibaba launched two data centers in Brazil, expanding its cloud footprint to 106 availability zones across 31 regions worldwide. The move deepens low-latency cloud…
Lambda closes $1B credit facility to buy Nvidia GPUs for Microsoft deal
On Aug 28, 2026, Nvidia-backed AI cloud provider Lambda closed about $1B in senior secured private debt, arranged by JPMorgan, to fund chips tied to its Microsoft collaboration. La…
North America data center vacancy stuck at 1.4% with 80% of new capacity preleased
CBRE reported H1 2026 North American data center vacancy held at 1.4%, leaving under 1,500 MW available across primary markets, roughly six months of supply. Over 80% of the record…
China adds 1-point interest subsidy on new small-business working-capital loans
On Aug 27, 2026, Xinhua reported that China's six major state-owned banks plus roughly 400 total institutions (21 nationwide banks and qualified local lenders) began implementing a…
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and 100+ firms urge joint defense against AI cyberattacks
On Aug 27, 2026 more than 100 companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Okta and Fortinet signed an open letter warning that AI-enabled cyberattacks wi…
US apartment rents post first positive August since 2022, median $1,390
The national median apartment rent rose 0.1% from July to August 2026, the first positive August reading since 2022, reaching $1,390, per Apartment List (reported by CNBC on Aug 27…
Agentrys raises $24.5M for AI agents that verify semiconductor engineering
On Aug 27, 2026 Agentrys announced $24.5M in combined seed and pre-seed funding, led by Etna Capital with MediaTek participating, to build AI agents for semiconductor verification…
Z.ai ships GLM-5.3-Flash: 1M-context multimodal coding model at ~1/10 the price
On Aug 26, 2026 China's Z.ai released GLM-5.3-Flash, a 320B-parameter (18B active) mixture-of-experts model with a 1M-token context and native image/video input, under an MIT licen…
Vinnova's Innovativa Startups 2026 grant raised to max SEK 500,000, opens Oct 12
Vinnova's revamped Innovativa Startups 2026 call offers grants of up to SEK 500,000 (up from SEK 300,000 in the 2025 Phase 1) to test customer needs, business concept and willingne…
Sebrae and Bossa Invest open Inova Startups 6th edition, up to R$800k per startup
At Startup Summit 2026 (Aug 26), Sebrae/SC and Bossa Invest launched the 6th edition of the Inova Startups program, with gross capital of R$20 million and up to R$800 thousand inve…
Amazon to shut down Mechanical Turk on Sept 30, 2026
Amazon confirmed it will close Mechanical Turk (MTurk) on September 30, 2026, and is also closing SageMaker Ground Truth and Amazon Augmented AI (A2I) to new users. The moves retir…
IBM releases open Granite 4.2 models (3B–30B) under Apache 2.0
On Aug 26, 2026 IBM released Granite 4.2, a family of open models in 3B, 8B, and 30B parameter sizes with a 128,000-token context window under the permissive Apache 2.0 license. Th…
OpenAI unveils Jalapeno, its first custom inference chip, co-built with Broadcom
OpenAI announced first results for Jalapeno, its in-house AI inference ASIC co-developed with Broadcom, claiming 1.5x-1.9x higher throughput per kilowatt and 1.7x-3.6x lower end-to…
Ottawa invests nearly $15M for Black entrepreneurs across southern Ontario
On August 26, 2026, FedDev Ontario announced nearly $15 million in non-repayable funding for nine organizations supporting Black entrepreneurs across southern Ontario, with funding…
Inova Startups 6th edition opens: up to R$800k equity per Brazilian startup
Registrations for the 6th edition of Inova Startups opened on August 26, 2026 during Startup Summit in Florianopolis and run through November 30, 2026, with results on February 28,…
Australia makes the $20,000 instant asset write-off permanent from 1 July 2026
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 26 August 2026, permanently setting the small-business instant asset write-off at $20,000 per asset…
Salesforce and Anthropic launch Claudeforce, embedding Claude across the CRM
On Aug 26, 2026 Salesforce and Anthropic announced Claudeforce, making Claude a default reasoning model across Agentforce, Slack and developer tools. It ships with a 'Salesforce in…
DHS proposes a $103,265 fee on every cap-subject H-1B petition
On August 25, 2026 DHS published a proposed rule adding a $103,265 fee to every cap-subject H-1B petition, on top of existing fees. It excludes cap-exempt filings, extensions, amen…
Blackbird raises AUD $1.05 billion for the largest ANZ venture fund
On 25 August 2026 Blackbird closed its sixth fund at AUD $1.05 billion, the largest VC raise in Australia and New Zealand, lifting total assets under management above AUD $12.5 bil…
Blackbird closes record A$1.05B sixth fund to back ANZ pre-seed and seed founders
Blackbird announced on 25 August 2026 the final close of its sixth venture fund at A$1.05 billion, the largest venture capital fund in Australia and New Zealand. LPs include the Fu…
Apple opens Mac Mini M6 pre-orders at $899 with on-device AI focus
Apple opened pre-orders on Aug 25, 2026 for a new Mac Mini with the 2nm M6 chip starting at $899 (16GB/256GB), plus an M5 Pro option at $1,699, shipping Sept 22. Apple highlights a…
Emerald AI raises $150M Series A at $1.05B to flex data-center power
On Aug 25, 2026 Emerald AI raised a $150 million Series A at a $1.05 billion valuation. The startup builds software that lets AI data centers modulate their power draw to ease grid…
Startup Summit 2026 runs Aug 26-28 in Florianopolis with 250 funds
Startup Summit 2026, Brazil's largest startup event organized by Sebrae Startups and ACATE, runs Aug 26-28, 2026 at CentroSul in Florianopolis (SC), drawing about 10,000 people, 1,…
DOE and SBA launch SBIC-E to steer private capital into small-business energy tech
On Aug 24, 2026 the Department of Energy and SBA signed an agreement creating the Small Business Investment Company-Energy (SBIC-E) Initiative, pairing DOE technical expertise with…
Innovate UK opens GBP 3m UK-Singapore R&D fund, closes 16 Dec 2026
Innovate UK opened its UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D 2026 competition on 24 August 2026, with up to GBP 3 million shared across projects. A UK partner can claim between GBP 100,00…
September 2026 Visa Bulletin warns key EB categories may run out before Sept 30
The Department of State's September 2026 Visa Bulletin, the final one of FY2026, warns that EB-1 India, EB-2 (all countries except China) and EB-5 unreserved may become unavailable…
Anthropic makes Claude Enterprise Admin API GA, adds agent site limits
Around Aug 19-22, 2026 Anthropic moved its Claude Enterprise Admin API (members, invites, groups and custom roles) out of beta, dropping the required beta headers, and let organiza…
China raises small-business loan interest-subsidy cap to 75m yuan, from Aug 1, 2026
On Aug 21, 2026 the Ministry of Finance (with the PBOC and financial regulator) announced expanded fiscal interest subsidies, effective Aug 1, 2026. The subsidized-loan ceiling for…
China lifts SME loan interest-subsidy cap to 75M yuan, quadruples participating banks
In a notice issued August 21, 2026 (effective August 1, 2026), China's Ministry of Finance, PBOC and National Financial Regulatory Administration raised the per-borrower loan cap u…
NZ launches Institute for Advanced Technology at Auckland's GridAKL
On 21 August 2026 the Government launched the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology (NZIAT), the country's fourth Public Research Organisation, based at GridAKL in Auckland…
China raises SME subsidized loan cap to 75 million yuan, widens interest subsidy
On August 21, 2026 the Ministry of Finance, PBOC, and National Financial Regulatory Administration expanded the fiscal interest-subsidy program, effective August 1, 2026. The per-b…
Dreamforce 2026 runs Sept 15-17 at Moscone Center with agentic-AI focus
Salesforce's Dreamforce 2026 takes place September 15-17 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, centered on the 'Agentic Enterprise' with 1,600+ breakout sessions and 50+ keynotes…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 set for Oct 13-15 at Moscone West, San Francisco
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, with organizers expecting 10,000+ attendees plus the Startup Battlefield 200 pitch competition. Early-b…
TechCrunch reveals 2026 Startup Battlefield 200; Disrupt runs Oct 13-15 in SF
On Aug 20, 2026 TechCrunch published its handpicked Startup Battlefield 200 list of early-stage startups across AI, climate, health, fintech and robotics. The top 20 finalists are…
SBA proposes biggest size-standards overhaul in decades, expanding 'small' status
On August 20, 2026, the SBA published two proposed rules that would consolidate nearly 1,000 industry size standards into 338 and raise thresholds, newly classifying roughly 110,00…
SBA proposes size-standard overhaul that would add 110,000+ eligible small businesses
On Aug 20, 2026 the SBA proposed simplifying its size standards from ~1,000 NAICS codes into 338 broader categories and raising many thresholds (e.g., semiconductor makers 1,250 to…
Ontario cuts small business corporate tax rate to 2.2% as of July 1, 2026
Effective July 1, 2026, Ontario dropped its small business corporate income tax rate from 3.2% to 2.2% on the first $500,000 of active business income for qualifying CCPCs, lowerin…
SBA proposes biggest small-business size-standard overhaul in decades
On Aug 20, 2026 the SBA published two proposed rules that would consolidate size standards from roughly 1,000 categories to 338 at the 4-5 digit NAICS level, raise most thresholds,…
SBA proposes to reclassify 114,000+ firms as small under new size standards
On August 20, 2026 the SBA published proposed rules that would consolidate nearly 1,000 industry size standards down to 338 and raise many thresholds, some for professional service…
US office vacancy falls to 17.7%, 130 bps lower year over year
The US national office vacancy rate was 17.7% in July 2026, down 130 basis points year over year, with the average listing rate at $33.58 per square foot. Vacancy fell in 19 of the…
Receita Federal: window to opt into Simples Nacional moves to Sept 2026
In an official note published on August 19, 2026, Receita Federal confirmed that under Resolução CGSN nº 186/2026 the enrollment window for the Simples Nacional tax regime has shif…
$20,000 instant asset write-off made permanent from 1 July 2026
Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Bill 2026 in August 2026, permanently extending the $20,000 instant asset write-off from 1 July 2026. Up to 4.1 mil…
Simples Nacional 2027 opt-in moves to September 2026, not January
Receita Federal confirmed (news published 19 August 2026) that under Resolution CGSN No. 186 any company wanting to be taxed under Simples Nacional in 2027 must file its opt-in req…
Step San Francisco 2026 AI & tech startup festival runs Aug 26-27 at The Midway
Step San Francisco returns Aug 26-27, 2026, with Day 1 kickoff events across the Bay Area and the main conference Aug 27 at The Midway (900 Marin St). It draws founders, investors,…
NZ R&D Experience Grant funds a 10-week intern (up to $11,960+GST); closes 24 Aug 2026
Innovation Services (MBIE, post-Callaghan) is running an open round of the R&D Experience Grant that pays up to $11,960 plus GST for up to 400 hours (10 weeks, min 30 hrs/week) of…
BNDES-Finep get 19 bids to run R$250M FIP Conexoes Startups fund
The public call to select a manager for the FIP Conexoes Startups closed on Aug 12, 2026 with 19 proposals from fund managers. The vehicle will mobilize up to R$250 million for ear…
China deploys 800 billion yuan policy finance tool to back private SME investment
On Aug 14, 2026 the NDRC convened banks and provincial DRCs to speed rollout of a new-type policy finance tool of 800 billion yuan for 2026 (up 300 billion from 2025's 500 billion)…
BNDES-Finep FIP Conexões Startups draws 19 managers for R$250M early-stage fund
The FIP Conexões Startups venture fund from BNDES and Finep closed its manager-selection call on Aug 12, 2026, drawing 19 proposals; BNDESPAR commits up to R$100M and Finep R$50M t…
Sweden proposes new 200% R&D salary-cost tax deduction from Jan 1, 2027
On August 17, 2026 the Swedish government submitted a lagradsremiss (referral to the Council on Legislation) proposing a new voluntary R&D tax incentive: an elevated cost deduction…
NZ R&D Career Grants reopen 31 Aug 2026: up to $35k to hire a masters/PhD grad
Innovation Services (administered by MBIE) reopens R&D Career Grant applications at 9am on Monday 31 August 2026. The grant funds six months' salary for an R&D hire — up to $30,000…
NZ Active Investor Plus visa hits NZ$4.8b pipeline; managed funds dominate
As of 16 August 2026, New Zealand's revamped Active Investor Plus (AIP) investor visa had drawn 872 applications and 434 approvals, adding roughly NZ$4.8 billion to the investment…
SBA's SOP 50 10 8.1 takes effect Oct 1, tightening 7(a) acquisition loan rules
SBA issued SOP 50 10 8.1 on August 14, 2026, governing any 7(a) or 504 application that receives a loan number on or after October 1, 2026. Key changes: outside investors can fund…
Simples Nacional firms must choose IBS/CBS hybrid vs unified model in Sept 2026
Sebrae is urging Simples Nacional small businesses to decide, between September 1-30, 2026, whether to keep the new IBS and CBS taxes inside the unified DAS payment (integral model…
Delaware opens free Business on Main Street Accelerator; apply by Aug 31, 2026
Announced Aug 13, 2026, Delaware's Division of Small Business and partner Launcher opened applications (deadline Aug 31, 2026) for the free 8-week Business on Main Street Accelerat…
GitHub Universe 2026 set for Oct 28-29 at Fort Mason, San Francisco
GitHub published its GitHub Universe 2026 schedule on Aug 13, 2026, themed 'All together now, in the agentic era,' returning to Fort Mason in San Francisco on Oct 28-29. In-person…
Startup Summit 2026 lands in Florianopolis Aug 26-28 with 250 VC funds
Sebrae and ACATE hold Startup Summit 2026 at CentroSul in Florianopolis on Aug 26-28, expecting 10,000+ attendees, ~200 speakers across 17 tracks, ~1,000 startups and ~250 investme…
Apartments.com raises US rent-growth forecast as multifamily vacancy falls to 4.3%
On Aug 12, 2026 Apartments.com raised its US apartment rent-growth forecast, now expecting 1.4% in Q3 2026, a 70-basis-point upward revision. CBRE pegged Q2 2026 multifamily vacanc…
FinCEN permanently ends beneficial-ownership reporting for US companies and persons
On Aug 11, 2026, FinCEN issued a final rule permanently removing the Corporate Transparency Act beneficial-ownership (BOI) reporting requirement for US-formed companies and US pers…
FinCEN permanently ends beneficial-ownership (BOI) reporting for US companies
On Aug 11, 2026 FinCEN issued a final rule permanently removing the Corporate Transparency Act requirement for US companies and US persons to file beneficial-ownership information,…
US data-center vacancy stays at 1% with 66+ GW under construction, JLL reports
JLL's North America Data Center Report (Aug 11, 2026) pegs vacancy at 1% for the third straight year despite record building, with more than 66 GW under construction—an electricity…
IndiaAI Mission crosses 38,000 GPUs, offers subsidised AI compute to startups
In an official update dated August 11, 2026, MeitY confirmed the Rs 10,372 crore IndiaAI Mission has onboarded more than 38,000 GPUs for its common compute facility - over three ti…
SBA drops race-based presumption in 8(a); new self-certified disadvantage test
On August 11, 2026 the SBA published a final rule ending the 8(a) program's rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage for enumerated groups, effective September 10, 2026. Any U…
CGSN adds CBS and IBS to Simples Nacional; hybrid option opens Sept 2026
CGSN Resolutions No. 190 and No. 191 of 2026 (published Aug 11, 2026) fold the new CBS and IBS taxes into Simples Nacional's collection and dispute rules from Jan 1, 2027, replacin…
SBA final rule ends automatic 'social disadvantage' presumption in 8(a) program
The SBA published a final rule on August 11, 2026 (effective September 10, 2026) removing the rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage for individually owned 8(a) Business Dev…
New 9/11 biometric fee adds $4,000 to many H-1B extensions from September 9, 2026
A DHS final rule published August 10, 2026 and effective September 9, 2026 extends the 9/11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee to H-1B and L-1 extension petitions, not just init…
California's SB 253 climate emissions reports come due for large firms
California's SB 253 requires companies with over $1B in global revenue doing business in California to disclose Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions, with the first-year filing d…
Brazil excludes Simples Nacional firms from automatic IBS/CBS split-payment in 2027
Resolution CGSN No. 190/2026 (published 10 August 2026) and Decree No. 12,955/2026 confirm that when split payment begins in 2027 its first stage reaches only buyers under the regu…
9-11 biometric fee hits H-1B and L-1 same-employer extensions from Sept 9, 2026
A DHS final rule published August 10, 2026 and effective September 9, 2026 requires covered employers (50+ US staff, more than 50% in H-1B or L-1 status) to pay the statutory 9-11…
$4,000 H-1B and $4,500 L-1 fee now hits extension petitions from Sept 9, 2026
A DHS final rule published in the Federal Register on August 10, 2026 expands the 9-11 Response and Biometric fee so covered employers, those with 50 or more US employees and more…
Start Growth opens 2026 batch: R$5M for 10 B2B SaaS startups, apply by Aug 28
On August 9, 2026, Brazilian accelerator Start Growth opened applications for its 2026 investment batch, which will select 10 B2B SaaS startups and invest up to R$500,000 in each,…
DPIIT signs 5 MoUs giving startups cloud credits, payments and mentorship
On August 8, 2026, DPIIT (Startup India) signed five strategic MoUs with Cashfree Payments, Vultr India, Darwin Dynamics, Cars24 Services and the Council for Startup India to expan…
DPIIT signs 5 MoUs giving DPIIT-recognised startups payments, cloud and investment perks
On August 8, 2026, DPIIT signed five strategic MoUs with Cashfree Payments, Vultr India, Cars24, Darwin Dynamics and the Council for Startup India. DPIIT-recognised startups get pr…
DPIIT signs 5 MoUs giving recognised startups cloud credits and payments perks
On 8 August 2026 India's DPIIT signed five strategic MoUs with Cashfree Payments, Vultr India, Cars24, Darwin Dynamics and the Council for Startup India. DPIIT-recognised startups…
DPIIT signs 5 MoUs to give recognised startups payments, cloud and mentorship
On August 8, 2026, DPIIT signed strategic MoUs with five partners: Cashfree Payments, Vultr India, Cars24, Darwin Dynamics and the Council for Startup India. DPIIT-recognised start…
Step San Francisco 2026 AI startup conference set for Aug 26-27
Step San Francisco 2026 runs August 26-27, with Day 1 kickoff events across the Bay Area and the main conference Aug 27 at The Midway in San Francisco. Billed for 'the people build…
UK deploys £100m to launch 10 new VC microfunds backing early-stage startups
On 7 August 2026, HM Treasury and the British Business Bank announced a £100m deployment under the Investor Pathways Capital initiative to launch up to 10 new UK venture capital fu…
UK commits £100m to launch up to 10 new regional VC funds via Investor Pathways
On 7 August 2026, the government announced a £100m next phase of the £400m British Business Bank Investor Pathways Capital initiative, backing as many as 10 new venture capital fun…
Innovate UK names largest-ever Women in Innovation cohort: GBP 75k each
On 7 August 2026 Innovate UK announced its largest-ever Women in Innovation cohort, recognising 100 UK female founders. 61 of them receive a GBP 75,000 grant plus 12 months of tail…
IRS updates overtime-deduction rules: report qualified OT in W-2 Box 12 Code TT
On Aug 6, 2026 the IRS issued Fact Sheet FS-2026-13, replacing its January guidance on OBBBA's new deduction for qualified overtime compensation. Employers must now separately repo…
Global Talent visa opened to 100+ UK firms to sponsor researchers (6 Aug 2026)
On 6 August 2026 the UK government expanded the Global Talent visa so that, for the first time, over 100 approved research-intensive businesses (not just universities) can support…
UK opens Global Talent visa endorsement to 100+ R&D companies
On 6 August 2026 the UK government expanded the Global Talent visa so more than 100 innovative research businesses (including AstraZeneca and Jaguar Land Rover) can now endorse int…
IRS expands Business Tax Account: digital notices, payments and account access online
On Aug 6, 2026 the IRS announced new and expanded features for its Business Tax Account (BTA), letting eligible businesses view digital notices, make payments, and access and manag…
Yardi Matrix: US apartment rents up just ~1% in H1 2026 as supply floods
Yardi Matrix's Aug 5, 2026 report shows US multifamily asking rents grew about 1% year-over-year through mid-2026 (0.7% in Q2), with a full-year 2026 forecast of just 1.4%—down fro…
USCIS can again deny incomplete petitions without an RFE or NOID
A USCIS policy alert effective Aug 5, 2026 lets officers deny a benefit request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) when required…
Biggest AIM rules overhaul since 1995 takes effect, allowing founder dual-class shares
On 5 August 2026 the London Stock Exchange's most comprehensive AIM rule changes since 1995 took effect. AIM now permits special (dual-class) voting shares at admission so founders…
IRS Notice 2026-28: permanent paid-leave credit adds a premium method for 2026
On Aug 5, 2026 Treasury and the IRS issued Notice 2026-28 implementing OBBBA's permanent Section 45S employer credit for paid family and medical leave. The credit runs 12.5% to 25%…
USCIS can now deny visa filings without an RFE, effective Aug 5, 2026
A USCIS policy alert effective August 5, 2026 restores officers' discretion to deny an immigration benefit request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of I…
Australia cuts National Innovation Visa to 3,500 places for 2026-27
Australia's 2026-27 migration year allocates 3,500 places to the invitation-only National Innovation Visa (subclass 858), down from a combined 5,300 across the two prior years. In…
USCIS can deny visa filings without an RFE for missing evidence from Aug 5, 2026
Effective August 5, 2026, USCIS gives officers discretion to deny an immigration benefit request without first issuing a Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny when requi…
ASIC launches free Small Business Director Essentials hub for founders
In media release 26-181MR (August 2026), ASIC launched the Small Business Director Essentials hub, a free digital resource with a director roadmap, obligation guidance, and online…
Venture for Canada launches Solopreneurship program for independent founders
On 5 August 2026 national charity Venture for Canada launched Solopreneurship, a six-week hybrid program helping Canadians build a business around a single skill or service without…
IRS issues Notice 2026-28 on the permanently expanded paid-leave tax credit
On Aug 5, 2026 Treasury and the IRS released Notice 2026-28, interim guidance on the OBBBA's permanent Section 45S paid family and medical leave credit for tax year 2026. Employers…
CBRE: US office vacancy to fall to 18% as tech drives leasing
In its Aug 4, 2026 midyear outlook, CBRE projects the US office vacancy rate will decline to 18% by year-end, 10 bps better than its prior forecast. Technology firms drove 21% of f…
US office vacancy drops to 18.3% in Q2 2026, biggest fall since 2015
CBRE reports US office vacancy fell 30 basis points to 18.3% in Q2 2026 — the largest quarterly drop since 2015 — while leasing volume rose 16% year-over-year to 62.4 million sq ft…
Delaware opens Fall 2026 EDGE Grant: $1.15M for early-stage firms, apply by Sept 11
Delaware's Division of Small Business opens its Fall 2026 EDGE Grant competition on Aug 11, 2026, with $1.15 million available split between an Entrepreneur track ($400,000) and a…
Crucible Accelerator Fall 2026: no-equity defense dual-use program
The Crucible Accelerator (Inland Empire Tech Bridge, powered by FedTech) runs an 8-week virtual Fall 2026 cohort from October to December for 12 defense and dual-use startups, taki…
IBS/CBS fields become mandatory on NF-e/NFC-e invoices from Aug 3, 2026
Under Nota Técnica 2025.002 (and 2026.002), from August 3, 2026 all companies outside Simples Nacional (Regime Normal / CRT 3) must fill the new IBS and CBS tax groups, plus cClass…
From Aug 3, 2026 Brazilian e-invoices must carry new IBS/CBS tax fields or be rejected
Starting August 3, 2026, companies in the normal tax regime must include the new IBS and CBS tax reform fields (rates, 3-digit CST situation code, and cClassTrib classification cod…
State Dept makes visa bond pilot permanent for some B-1/B-2 applicants Aug 3
Effective Aug 3, 2026, the Department of State finalized regulations making the Visa Bond Pilot Program a permanent requirement for certain B-1 (business visitor) and B-2 (tourist)…
EU AI Act transparency rules now enforceable, fines up to 3% of global turnover
From 2 August 2026 the EU Commission's AI Office and national authorities began enforcing the AI Act's transparency duties: chatbots must disclose they are AI, deepfakes and AI-gen…
EU AI Act's main obligations now apply as of Aug 2, 2026
On August 2, 2026 the bulk of the EU AI Act became applicable, including Article 50 transparency duties (disclosing chatbots and labeling AI-generated content, the latter deferred…
EU AI Act enforcement against general-purpose AI providers goes live
As of August 2, 2026 the European Commission can actively investigate and fine providers of general-purpose AI models under the EU AI Act. Duties include technical documentation, d…
EU AI Act enforcement powers over general-purpose AI models now active
Since August 2, 2026, the European Commission's supervision and enforcement powers over general-purpose AI (GPAI) model providers under the EU AI Act are in force, backed by the AI…
Money20/20 USA set for Oct 18-21, 2026 in Las Vegas; passes now on sale
Money20/20 USA 2026 runs October 18-21 at The Venetian in Las Vegas, drawing 13,000+ fintech and payments leaders, 630+ speakers and 380+ sponsors. Registration is open, with early…
State Dept moves US visa services in 24 African posts to 20 regional hubs Aug 1
Effective Aug 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of State realigned routine visa services from 24 embassies/consulates (including Abuja, Harare, Lusaka, Maputo, Windhoek) to 20 regional…
The AI Conference returns to San Francisco Sept 29-Oct 1, 2026; tickets open
The AI Conference 2026 takes place Sept 29-Oct 1 at Pier 48 in San Francisco, gathering 5,500+ builders, researchers and leaders across tracks on agentic AI, LLMs, infrastructure a…
USCIS expands 9-11 biometrics fee to H-1B/L-1 filings from Sept 9, 2026
Beginning Sept 9, 2026, USCIS expands collection of the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee to certain specialty-occupation (H-1B) and L-1A/L-1B petitions. The fee targets e…
US apartment rents keep creeping up; median hits $1,388 as vacancy finally dips
Apartment List's July 2026 report puts the national median rent at $1,388, up 0.2% month-over-month for a sixth straight monthly increase but still down about 1.1% year-over-year.…
The AI Conference 2026 returns to San Francisco's Pier 48, Sept 29–Oct 1
The vendor-neutral AI Conference 2026 runs September 29–October 1 at Pier 48 in San Francisco's Mission Rock, expecting 5,500+ builders and 120+ speakers across five tracks (AGI, L…
August 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India unavailable, EB-1 India at risk
The Department of State's August 2026 Visa Bulletin lists EB-2 India as 'unavailable' for the rest of FY2026 after annual limits were reached, while EB-1 India's final action date…
AI transparency rules now enforced in Sweden: label chatbots and AI content
From 2 August 2026 the EU AI Act's transparency obligations (Article 50) are enforced and apply directly in Sweden: businesses must tell users when they are interacting with a chat…
China issues new Exit-Entry Administration rules, effective Sept 15, 2026
On July 31, 2026, China's State Council issued new Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration that take effect September 15, 2026. Foreign nationals who submit false materials in…
Hunan raises graduate startup guarantee loan cap to 500,000 yuan
On July 31, 2026, Hunan's Human Resources and Social Security Department, jointly with the Provincial Finance Department and PBOC Hunan Branch, issued a notice optimizing the entre…
SEBI's GARUDA framework fast-tracks AIF/VC fund launches to 10 working days
On 30 July 2026 SEBI operationalised the 'Green-Channel: AIF Rollout Upon Document Acknowledgement' (GARUDA) mechanism, following the AIF (Second Amendment) Regulations notified 14…
SEC advisory committee reconvenes Aug 6 to push IPOs and small-company capital access
The SEC announced on July 30, 2026 that its Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee will reconvene August 6, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET (virtual) to continue work on modernizing…
CBRE posts best-ever Q2 office leasing; data-center revenue up 30%
CBRE reported its highest-ever second-quarter U.S. office leasing revenue in Q2 2026, with combined office and industrial leasing revenue up 24% year-over-year. Its data-center sol…
Start BSB 3rd cycle opens: up to R$200k economic subsidy for DF startups
Brasilia's Start BSB program opened its 3rd cycle on July 29, 2026, offering non-reimbursable economic subsidy across three tracks: up to R$53,000 (ideation/Eixo I), up to R$110,00…
China's innovation & manufacturing tax breaks hit RMB 1.91 trillion in H1 2026
China's State Taxation Administration reported on July 29, 2026 that tax and fee cuts plus refunds under policies backing sci-tech innovation and manufacturing reached 1.91 trillio…
Singapore raises EFS loan risk-share to 70% for SMEs from Sept 2026
On 29 July 2026, Singapore's MOF announced a second support package raising the government's risk-share from 50% to 70% on the Enterprise Financing Scheme SME Working Capital Loan…
Singapore lifts SME Working Capital Loan risk-share to 70% for Sept 2026-Mar 2027
On 29 July 2026, Singapore's Ministry of Finance announced that the Enterprise Financing Scheme - SME Working Capital Loan's government risk-share rises to 70% for all enterprises…
Start BSB 3rd cycle opens: up to R$200k non-refundable grants for DF startups
FAPDF's Start BSB 3rd cycle offers non-refundable economic subsidy (subvencao economica) of up to R$53,000 for ideation, R$110,000 for incubation/pre-acceleration and R$200,000 for…
Singapore raises EFS Working Capital Loan risk-share to 70% from 1 Sep 2026
The Ministry of Finance announced on 29 July 2026 that the Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS) SME Working Capital Loan and Project Loan will be enhanced from 1 September 2026 to 31…
New £2,000 grant for non-levy SMEs hiring 16-24 apprentices from Oct 2026
From 1 October 2026, non-levy-paying employers (those with a paybill under £3m) can claim up to £2,000 for hiring an apprentice aged 16-24, provided the apprentice's practical star…
Maine requires pay ranges in job postings starting July 29, 2026
Maine's pay-transparency law takes effect July 29, 2026, requiring employers to include a good-faith range of pay in job postings. Separately, Maine set its 2026 paid family and me…
US office vacancy drops to 18.3% in Q2 2026 as rents rise fastest in 6 years
CBRE's Q2 2026 report shows US office vacancy fell 30 basis points to 18.3%, the largest quarterly decline since 2015, while average asking rent rose 2.6% year over year to $37.58…
Brazil launches 5th Eco Invest auction to fund green-tech innovation
On July 28, 2026, Brazil's Ministry of Finance published the operational manual for the 5th Eco Invest Brasil auction, financing technology innovation in strategic ecological-trans…
China streamlines High-Tech Enterprise recognition to speed startup tax perks
On July 27, 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and seven other departments launched a special action to streamline the recognition process for hig…
UK pension giants explore £1bn+ Scale-up Fund to back British science and tech firms
On 27 July 2026 the government announced that five major UK pension providers - Railpen, Nest, LPPI, LGPS Central and Border to Coast - are joining forces to explore a new UK Scale…
CSIRO ON Accelerate 11 opens: up to A$80k non-dilutive, apply by 31 Aug 2026
CSIRO opened applications for ON Accelerate 11, its national deep-tech accelerator, running 27 July to 31 August 2026. Selected teams receive a three-month program valued at over A…
NC IDEA MICRO opens Fall 2026 cycle: $10K grants for North Carolina founders
NC IDEA opened its Fall 2026 MICRO grant cycle on Jul 27, 2026, awarding $10,000 (75% at signing, 25% two months later) plus an eight-week customer-discovery and launch program. Ap…
US office leasing hits a post-pandemic high as availability tightens
JLL's Q2 2026 US office report (July 27, 2026) shows leasing volume set a new post-pandemic high and is up 27% over the trailing 12 months versus the prior 5-year average, with ove…
MIIT issues 'Xiao-Kuai-Qing-Zhun' 2026 guide to curate cheap digital tools for SMEs
On July 27, 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部) issued the 'Xiao-Kuai-Qing-Zhun' (小快轻准) Digital Products and Services Cultivation Guide (2026 Ed…
Court strikes down $100,000 H-1B fee; First Circuit lets ruling stand (July 2026)
A September 19, 2025 presidential proclamation imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions for beneficiaries processed abroad. On June 8, 2026 a federal judge vacated the…
Appeals court keeps $100,000 H-1B fee blocked while appeal proceeds
On July 24, 2026 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the government's request to stay a district-court ruling that vacated the $100,000 H-1B entry fee. As a resu…
China imposes 20% income tax on offshore trusts, 90-day filing for 2023-25 back liabilities
On July 24, 2026, China's MOF and State Taxation Administration issued Announcement No. 21 of 2026 (plus STA Announcement No. 15), creating the first individual income tax framewor…
China's new offshore trust tax hits founders: 20% PIT, back taxes due in 90 days
China's tax authorities announced on July 24, 2026 a framework imposing a 20% personal income tax across the lifecycle of offshore trusts, with back taxes payable within 90 days of…
MTD for Income Tax now live: sole traders over £50k must file quarterly
From 6 April 2026, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is mandatory for around 864,000 sole traders and landlords with gross self-employment/property income over £50,000. The first q…
US coworking inventory hits 9,384 locations, up 248 in Q2 2026
US flex-office inventory reached 9,384 locations by the end of Q2 2026, a net gain of 248 spaces (up 2.7%) from 9,136 the prior quarter, per CoworkingCafe's national report publish…
Making Tax Digital live: 864k UK sole traders hit first quarterly deadline
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became mandatory from 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying self-employment or property income above £50,000. Over 864,000 p…
US coworking hits 9,384 locations; median membership now $219/month
CoworkingCafe's Q2 2026 report (published Jul 23, 2026) counts 9,384 US coworking spaces across 166.36M sq ft, up 2.7% in locations and 1.5% in square footage quarter-over-quarter,…
Endeavor opens Asia-Pacific Global Hub in Singapore, backed by EDB, EnterpriseSG
On 22 July 2026, Endeavor launched its first Asia-Pacific Global Hub in Singapore, in a public-private partnership with EDB and Enterprise Singapore. Its 'Dare to Scale' programme…
Endeavor opens first Asia-Pacific Global Hub in Singapore with EnterpriseSG and EDB
On 22 July 2026, EnterpriseSG and EDB partnered with Endeavor to launch its first Asia-Pacific Global Hub in Singapore, giving local founders access to a global network of 3,000+ e…
EnterpriseSG, EDB & Endeavor open first Asia-Pacific Global Hub in Singapore
On 22 July 2026, EnterpriseSG, EDB and Endeavor launched Endeavor's first Asia-Pacific Global Hub in Singapore, alongside the inaugural 'Dare to Scale' programme for early-stage Si…
SBA opens $6M competition to modernize Women's Business Centers in 8 states
On July 21, 2026 the SBA announced a national competition for $6 million to fund a Women's Business Center Modernization Initiative, creating State Lead Centers and local Service C…
SBA opens $6M Women's Business Center modernization grant; Aug 10 deadline
The SBA announced on July 21, 2026 a $6M national competition to modernize Women's Business Centers, limited to eight states/territories where funding lagged fast-growing women-own…
MBIE refreshes Founder & Startup Support Programme with 14 providers from 1 July 2026
On 21 July 2026 MBIE announced a refreshed Founder & Startup Support Programme, appointing 14 providers under new contracts that began 1 July 2026 with an initial two-year term. It…
MBIE names 14 providers for refreshed Founder & Startup Support Programme
On 21 July 2026, MBIE announced a refreshed Founder & Startup Support Programme delivered by 14 appointed providers under contracts that began 1 July 2026 (two-year initial term wi…
NZ relaunches Founder & Startup Support Programme with 14 providers from 1 July 2026
MBIE has appointed a refreshed network of 14 providers to deliver the Founder & Startup Support Programme, with new contracts commencing 1 July 2026 for an initial two-year term. T…
NZ refreshes Founder & Startup Support Programme with 14 providers from 1 July 2026
On 21 July 2026 MBIE confirmed a refreshed Founder & Startup Support Programme (FSSP) with a network of 14 providers on new contracts that began 1 July 2026 for an initial two-year…
NZ launches refreshed Founder and Startup Support Programme with 14 providers
MBIE launched the refreshed Founder and Startup Support Programme (FSSP) on 21 July 2026, with new contracts that commenced 1 July 2026 for an initial two-year term. It appoints 14…
SBA opens $6M to modernize Women's Business Centers in 8 states
Announced July 21, 2026, the SBA's $6M Women's Business Center Modernization Initiative funds new State Lead and Service Centers delivering free counseling and training to women en…
US office vacancy falls to 17.7% in June 2026 as leasing recovers
The U.S. national office vacancy rate fell to 17.7% in June 2026, down 170 basis points year-over-year, while the average asking listing rate slipped 2.4% to $33.67 per square foot…
Y Combinator: 4 batches/year, $500K standard deal, check for the next open batch
ARTICLE (founderbriefs) Y Combinator runs four batches a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). Its standard deal is $500,000 plus an approximately three month in person program…
Antler pre-team founder program applications close September 30, 2026
Antler's US residency programs in Austin, New York City, and San Francisco review applications year-round. Antler specializes in pre-team, pre-seed founders, helping individuals fi…
Startup Boston Week returns Sept 14-18 with 100+ free founder sessions
Startup Boston Week runs Sept 14-18, 2026, with 100+ free panels, workshops and networking events—Monday-Wednesday at Boston University and Thursday-Friday in Downtown Crossing. Re…
DHS ends 'duration of status,' caps F-1/J-1 admission at 4 years
A DHS final rule published July 17, 2026 replaces the ~50-year 'duration of status' framework with fixed admission periods of up to four years for F-1 students, J-1 exchange visito…
USCIS hits FY2027 H-1B cap; no second lottery this year
USCIS announced on July 17, 2026 that it received enough petitions to reach the 85,000 FY2027 H-1B cap (65,000 regular plus the 20,000 master's exemption), so it will not run a sec…
TechCrunch x Stripe debut Startup Battlefield Australia; 8 startups pitch Aug 19 in Sydney
TechCrunch and Stripe are running the first Startup Battlefield Australia, with eight selected startups pitching live at Stripe Tour Sydney on 19 August 2026. It is free to enter a…
Federal Industry Growth Program paused — no new startup grant applications
The Industry Growth Program — offering free advisory support plus early-stage commercialisation grants of $50,000–$250,000 and commercialisation/growth grants up to $5 million — ha…
San Francisco office market rebounds on AI, with AI firms 80%+ of new leases
San Francisco office vacancy improved roughly 370 basis points year-over-year and net absorption hit nearly 800,000 sq ft in Q1 2026 — the strongest since 2019 — driven by AI tenan…
Delhi approves Rs 400 crore Startup & Incubation Policy over 5 years
The Delhi Cabinet approved the Start-up and Incubation Policy on July 16-17, 2026, committing more than Rs 400 crore over five years. It funds incubation centres across 11 state un…
Delhi Cabinet clears Rs 400 crore Start-up and Incubation Policy
On July 16, 2026, the Delhi Cabinet approved a Start-up and Incubation Policy committing over Rs 400 crore (~$46.5M) over five years. Phase one covers 11 state universities, 13 gov…
Sweden expands vaxa-stod hiring relief to two employees, SEK 35,000/mo ceiling
From the January 2026 reporting period, Sweden's vaxa-stod employer-contribution relief for small firms now covers up to two employees instead of one, and the qualifying monthly sa…
US office vacancy falls to 18.3% in Q2 2026, rents climb 2.6% YoY
CBRE's Q2 2026 U.S. Office report shows the overall office vacancy rate fell 30 basis points to 18.3%, the largest quarterly decline since 2015, while prime vacancy dropped to 12.3…
IRS raises business mileage rate to 76 cents from July 1, 2026
The IRS made a rare mid-year adjustment, raising the optional standard business mileage rate to 76 cents per mile for travel on or after July 1, 2026, up from 72.5 cents January 1…
Cabinet clears India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with Rs 1.27 lakh cr, startup design grants
On July 15, 2026 the Union Cabinet approved India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 with a Rs 1,27,500 crore outlay. It uses a grant-plus-equity model for smaller startups designing…
Ottawa commits $13.85M to 63 Quebec AI projects under Regional AI Initiative
On July 15, 2026, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) announced $13,852,374 through the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) for 63 Quebec organizati…
US office vacancy eases to 17.7% in June 2026 as conversions accelerate
CommercialCafe's national office report (July 2026) put the US office vacancy rate at 17.7% in June, down 170 basis points year-over-year, with average asking rent of $33.67/sq ft…
Techstars Founder Catalyst Fall 2026: free, equity-free virtual pre-accelerator
Techstars is running its Founder Catalyst Global Fall 2026 pre-accelerator, a 10-week, fully virtual, non-equity and free program from Sept 22 to Nov 27, 2026. Applications close A…
SEBI waives first-scheme filing fee, cuts AIF launch timeline to 10 working days
SEBI notified the AIF (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 14 July 2026, exempting an Alternative Investment Fund's first scheme from scheme filing fees and cutting the advance…
August 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 and EB-5 India stay unavailable, EB-1 India near cutoff
The State Department's August 2026 Visa Bulletin keeps EB-2 India and EB-5 (unreserved) India 'Unavailable' for the rest of the fiscal year, with EB-1 India warned it may become un…
NSW MVP Ventures backs 22 startups with $1M; Round 3 now in assessment
On 14 July 2026 the NSW Government announced 22 startups and small businesses would share more than $1 million under Round 2 of the 2025-26 MVP Ventures Program. The program offers…
Australia sets up Office of AI in PM&C to build a national AI framework
On 14 July 2026, PM Anthony Albanese announced a new Office of AI inside the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to coordinate 'Australian standards' for AI and end the go…
Y Combinator opens Winter 2027 batch applications, deadline Nov 2
Y Combinator is accepting applications for its Winter 2027 batch, with a deadline of November 2, 2026 at 8pm PT and decisions returned by December 11, 2026. The batch runs January…
Missouri enacts Angel Investor Tax Credit: 40% (50% rural) on startup investments
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Missouri's Angel Investor Tax Credit into law on July 13, 2026. For tax years starting Jan 1, 2027, investors earn a credit worth 40% of a qualified investme…
NZ R&D Experience Grant open now, closes 9am Mon 24 Aug 2026
Applications for MBIE Innovation Services' R&D Experience Grant opened 13 July 2026 and close at 9am Monday 24 August 2026 (or earlier if funding runs out); it subsidises hiring a…
IRS raises business mileage rate to 76 cents/mile from July 1, 2026
The IRS (announced July 13, 2026) increased the standard business mileage rate to 76 cents per mile effective July 1, 2026, up from 72.5 cents at the start of the year; medical/mov…
UK expands Growth Guarantee Scheme: £2bn more SME lending a year, terms up to 10 years
On 13 July 2026 HM Treasury announced an expansion of the British Business Bank's Growth Guarantee Scheme, adding £2bn of supported SME lending a year by 2028/29 to reach £3.35bn a…
UK expands Growth Guarantee Scheme, adds £500m ENABLE line for IP-rich startups
On 13 July 2026 the government expanded the British Business Bank's Growth Guarantee Scheme, raising maximum loan terms from 6 to 10 years and turnover eligibility from £45m to £54…
NZ Health & Safety Amendment Act lets small firms (<20 workers) focus on critical risks
The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 13 July 2026, with the main changes taking effect 1 April 2027. It creates a new 'small PCBU' category for…
UK expands Growth Guarantee Scheme: £6.5bn more SME lending, turnover cap up to £54m
On 12 July 2026 the Chancellor announced a major expansion of the British Business Bank's Growth Guarantee Scheme, unlocking a further £6.5bn of lending over four years and lifting…
StartupCE 2026 opens: up to 60 startups get 6-month acceleration + BIT grants
Sebrae/CE, in partnership with Funcap, opened applications for the StartupCE 2026 program from July 7 to August 14, 2026, selecting up to 60 startups. Selected companies receive a…
Payday Super now in effect: employers must pay super every payday from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026, Australian employers must pay the 12% super guarantee on the same day they pay wages, instead of quarterly, and contributions must reach each employee's fund with…
China eases M&A tax-deferral rules: 50% shareholder consent, not unanimous
State Taxation Administration Announcement No. 13 of 2026, issued 8 July 2026 and applicable to restructurings dated from 1 January 2026, lets a merger or demerger qualify for 'spe…
SBA doubles combined 7(a)+504 loan cap to $10M
Effective July 4, 2026, the SBA raised the cumulative cap a borrower can hold across its two flagship loan programs from $5 million to $10 million: up to $5 million through the 7(a…
SBA doubles combined 7(a) and 504 loan cap to $10 million
Effective July 4, 2026, the SBA doubled the cumulative borrowing limit for businesses using both loan programs from $5 million to $10 million. Qualified borrowers can now access up…
NZ Business Investor Work Visa widened to franchises and gifted funds from 6 July 2026
From 6 July 2026, Immigration New Zealand relaxed the Business Investor Work Visa: applicants can now invest in eligible franchise businesses, purchase businesses through a New Zea…
Canada launches Small Business Procurement Program to open $37B federal market to SMEs
On July 6, 2026, Public Services and Procurement Canada launched the Small Business Procurement Program (SBPP) to help small firms win a share of the government's $37 billion in an…
Uttar Pradesh approves Startup Policy 2026 with Rs 1,000 crore startup fund
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the Startup Policy 2026 on 6 July 2026, creating a Rs 1,000 crore startup fund. Eligible startups can get seed funding up to Rs 15 lakh (up to Rs…
Canada launches Small Business Procurement Program to open federal contracts to SMEs
On July 6, 2026, Public Services and Procurement Canada and ISED launched new Small Business Procurement Program (SBPP) measures, backed by $79.9M over five years for Innovative So…
NZ eases Business Investor Work Visa: franchises, NZ entities, gifted capital
On 6 July 2026, Immigration New Zealand widened the Business Investor Work Visa: applicants can now invest in eligible franchise businesses, purchase a business through a New Zeala…
NZ eases Business Investor Work Visa: franchises and gifted capital now allowed
From 6 July 2026, Immigration New Zealand made three rule changes to the Business Investor Work Visa: applicants can now invest in qualifying franchise businesses, purchase a busin…
Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2026 sets up Rs 1,000 crore fund, doubles seed grants
The UP Cabinet cleared the Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2026 on 6 July 2026, creating a dedicated Rs 1,000 crore startup fund. Standard seed funding doubles to Rs 15 lakh (up to Rs…
MAS releases SAFR white paper on runtime safeguards for AI agents in finance
On 3 July 2026, MAS and industry partners published the 'Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime' (SAFR) white paper under its BuildFin.ai initiative, an industry framework gover…
China extends jobless-insurance refunds and youth-hiring subsidies through end-2026
On July 2, 2026, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and three other departments jointly issued a circular extending unemployment-insurance support through Dece…
ConvergeSouth returns Aug 27-28, 2026 in Winston-Salem for founders
ConvergeSouth 2026, now in its 10th year, runs August 27-28 at Biotech Place and downtown venues in Winston-Salem, NC. It convenes 500+ founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders a…
Tennessee bans noncompetes for workers earning under $70,000 from July 1, 2026
A new Tennessee law effective July 1, 2026 voids noncompete agreements for employees who earn less than $70,000 per year. It joins a broader 2026 wave of state limits on low-wage n…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs Oct 13-15 at Moscone West, San Francisco
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, drawing 10,000+ founders, VCs and operators and featuring the Startup Battlefield pitch competit…
IRS interest rate climbs to 7% for Q3 2026 underpayments and refunds
The IRS underpayment and overpayment interest rate for individuals rose to 7% for the quarter beginning July 1, 2026, up from 6% in Q2 2026. For corporations, the overpayment rate…
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 set for Oct 13-15 in San Francisco
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, expecting 10,000+ attendees across 200+ sessions and the Startup Battlefield competition, whose alumni…
FTC proposes policy targeting AI systems steered away from accuracy
On July 1, 2026, the FTC sought public comment on a proposed policy statement warning that companies which distort their AI systems' outputs to serve undisclosed goals may be decei…
Connecticut broadens Angel Investor Tax Credit; new approvals resume July 1, 2026
Connecticut's 2026 budget expanded its Angel Investor Tax Credit (25% of a $25k+ investment, up to $500k, $5M annual cap): the in-state employee-residency bar for qualifying busine…
Ontario cuts small-business corporate tax rate to 2.2% on July 1, 2026
Ontario's 2026 budget lowers the small-business corporate income tax rate for Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs) from 3.2% to 2.2%, effective July 1, 2026, prorated f…
FTC pivots to case-by-case noncompete enforcement; states pass their own bans
There is no federal FTC noncompete ban in effect. The 2024 rule was blocked, and the FTC dropped its Fifth Circuit appeal on September 5, 2025. Instead, the FTC is enforcing noncom…
O-1A stays the top founder visa; Entrepreneur Parole thresholds and fees rise
A January 2025 USCIS policy update confirmed that a founder-owned company may petition for an O-1 visa on behalf of its founder. USCIS data show an O-1A approval rate of approximat…
Sweden softens personal tax liability for founders from July 1, 2026
From July 1, 2026, Sweden's rules on 'företrädaransvar' (personal payment liability for company representatives) were eased: a director can now be relieved of personal responsibili…
From July 1, 2026 Skatteverket can deny or revoke VAT registration
Effective July 1, 2026, Sweden's Tax Agency (Skatteverket) gained four new anti-fraud powers: it can require in-person identity checks during VAT registration, deny or cancel a VAT…
US data-center vacancy hits record-low ~1.4% as power caps supply
CBRE's Global Data Center Trends 2026 reports vacancy across primary US markets at a record-low ~1.4% — Northern Virginia just 0.3% and Atlanta ~1% — with the vast majority of unde…
Web Summit returns to Lisbon Nov 9-12, 2026 with 70,000+ attendees
Web Summit 2026 runs November 9-12 in Lisbon (Nov 9 is a pre-conference registration/mentorship day), gathering 70,000+ founders, investors and operators. Early registration is run…
Ontario cuts small business corporate tax rate from 3.2% to 2.2%, effective July 1, 2026
Ontario's 2026 Budget cuts the provincial small business corporate income tax rate from 3.2% to 2.2%, effective July 1, 2026. The reduced rate applies to Canadian-controlled privat…
Pernambuco opens R$3M govtech grant: up to R$100k per startup, apply by Aug 17
On July 1, 2026, Pernambuco's Secti-PE and FACEPE launched Edital nº 23/2026 'Inovação Aberta para Desafios Digitais,' selecting 30 micro and small tech-based companies (especially…
SENAI opens R$190M innovation platform; Alianca Startups e PMEs grant for SMEs
On July 1, 2026, SENAI launched the 2026 cycle of its Plataforma Inovacao para a Industria with about R$190 million in R&D funding. The 'Alianca Startups e PMEs' call (R$7.7M total…
Opportunity Zones made permanent; new rolling cycle starts for 2026-27 investors
Under the OBBBA, Opportunity Zones are now a permanent program with zones redesignated every 10 years; the first new cycle begins July 1, 2026 (designations effective Jan 1, 2027).…
Victoria merges LaunchVic and Breakthrough Victoria into Innovation Victoria
From 1 July 2026, Victoria folded startup agency LaunchVic and the state's ~$2 billion Breakthrough Victoria investment fund into a single new body, Innovation Victoria, pitched as…
Virginia now requires pay ranges in all job postings as of July 1, 2026
Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia requires all employers — with no minimum employee count — to include a good-faith wage or salary range in every job posting. The same law expanded…
FTC drops nationwide noncompete ban; enforcement is now state-by-state
The FTC's 2024 rule to ban most noncompetes is not in effect (blocked by a court in Aug 2024), and in early 2026 the agency formally shifted to case-by-case enforcement instead of…
New Swedish anti-VAT-fraud rules from July 1, 2026: registration can be denied or voided
From July 1, 2026, Skatteverket can deny or revoke a company's VAT registration where there is a risk of tax evasion, require in-person identity verification for some VAT applicati…
IRS bumps 2026 business mileage rate to 76 cents from July 1
The IRS raised the optional standard business mileage rate to 76 cents per mile effective July 1, 2026, up from 72.5 cents for the first half of the year. The medical and moving ra…
Singapore EP salary now S$5,600; COMPASS benchmarks hit renewals from 1 July 2026
Singapore's Employment Pass minimum qualifying salary is S$5,600/month for general sectors and S$6,200 for financial services in 2026, rising to S$6,000 and S$6,600 for new applica…
Ontario cuts small business corporate tax rate to 2.2%, effective July 1, 2026
Ontario's small business corporate income tax rate dropped from 3.2% to 2.2% on July 1, 2026, applying to Canadian-controlled private corporations on their first $500,000 of active…
NZ passes biggest health & safety overhaul in a decade; lighter duties for small PCBUs
The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill passed its final reading on 1 July 2026, the largest overhaul of NZ's H&S system in a decade. It defines a 'small PCBU' with limited, p…
Award wages up 4.75%, national minimum wage now $26.44/hr from 1 July 2026
The Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review (handed down early June 2026) raised modern award minimum wages by 4.75% and set the National Minimum Wage at $26.44 per hour ($1…
Sweden arms Skatteverket to deny or revoke VAT registration from July 1, 2026
Under Prop. 2025/26:128 (Atgarder mot mervardesskattebedragerier), rules in force since July 1, 2026 let Skatteverket run tighter checks at VAT registration, deny or deregister a c…
DataTribe Challenge: cyber startups apply by Sept 11 for $25K
Applications for DataTribe's annual Cybersecurity Startup Challenge are open with a September 11, 2026 deadline; five seed/pre-seed finalists compete live October 26-27 at The Capi…
Web Summit Lisbon returns Nov 9-12, 2026 with a startup program
Web Summit 2026 runs November 9-12 at the MEO/Altice Arena and FIL in Lisbon, expecting 70,000+ attendees from 160+ countries, 2,300+ startups, and 1,200+ investors. Attendee ticke…
Payday Super now live: employers must pay super within 7 business days of payday
Australia's Payday Super regime commenced 1 July 2026, replacing the 30-year quarterly super system. Employers must now ensure the 12% superannuation guarantee reaches each worker'…
New Income Tax Act 2025 extends startup ESOP tax deferral from 48 to 60 months
Under the Income-tax Act, 2025 (effective 1 April 2026), the perquisite-tax deferral window for eligible startup employees on ESOPs is extended from 48 to 60 months, now governed b…
China's new rule gives veteran founders tax breaks and financing from Aug 1, 2026
On June 30, 2026, Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree issuing a regulation to promote employment and business start-ups among ex-service personnel, taking effect August…
From July 1, 2026 Skatteverket gains new powers over VAT registration
From July 1, 2026, Sweden's Tax Agency (Skatteverket) gains expanded authority when a company registers for VAT (moms): it can require the owner to appear at a tax office to identi…
Govt bill PLP 186/2026 would raise MEI revenue ceiling to R$140k, allow 2 staff
On June 29-30, 2026, Brazil's federal Executive sent Congress bill PLP 186/2026, which would raise the MEI (Microempreendedor Individual) annual revenue ceiling from the current R$…
Sweden softens director tax liability: 2-month grace period from June 30, 2026
New rules on skatterättsligt företrädaransvar (tax representative liability) entered into force on June 30, 2026, after Riksdagen approved prop. 2025/26 on May 6, 2026. A company r…
Canada pauses Start-Up Visa program; final PR applications closed June 30, 2026
IRCC announced on December 19, 2025 that the federal Start-Up Visa (SUV) program is paused: it stopped accepting new commitment certificates after December 31, 2025, and applicants…
MAS opens 2026 Global FinTech Hackcelerator; S$80k prizes, Aug 14 deadline
On 29 June 2026, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) opened applications for the 2026 Global FinTech Hackcelerator, run with the Singapore FinTech Festival. Applications clos…
MAS opens 2026 Global FinTech Hackcelerator: S$80,000 per winner, apply by Aug 14
MAS announced on 29 June 2026 the call for its 2026 Global FinTech Hackcelerator (part of Singapore FinTech Festival), inviting AI proposals on three problem statements: credit/fra…
MAS launches Future of Finance Institute to scale AI and tokenisation in finance
On 25-26 June 2026, the Monetary Authority of Singapore established the Future of Finance Institute (FFI) to move AI and tokenisation beyond pilots across Singapore's financial sec…
China passes revised Trademark Law, effective Jan 1, 2027
On June 26, 2026, the NPC Standing Committee passed China's revised Trademark Law, taking effect January 1, 2027. It bars applications lacking genuine intent to use, penalizes bad-…
China's revised Trademark Law adopted, takes effect Jan 1, 2027
China's National People's Congress adopted the revised Trademark Law on June 26, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. It cracks down on bad-faith and squatting filings: applications fi…
Australia reintroduces company loss carry back for years from 1 July 2026
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Bill 2026, introduced to Parliament on 25 June 2026, lets companies with annual global income under $1 billion carry back a revenue t…
British Business Bank readies GBP 350m East and South East England funds for summer 2026
The British Business Bank is standing up two Nations and Regions Investment Funds for launch in summer 2026: GBP 210m for the South East (SEIF) and GBP 140m for the East of England…
SXSW Pitch application window open; final deadline Nov 13, 2026
SXSW Pitch, the Austin showcase for early-stage startups, opened applications June 23, 2026, with regular entry running Sept 14 through the final deadline of Nov 13, 2026. Selected…
SXSW 2027 set for March 15-21 in Austin; early-bird badge sign-up open
SXSW announced on June 23, 2026 that its 2027 conference and festivals run March 15-21 in Austin, with badges priced roughly $820-$1,995 by access level. Signing up early locks a 1…
Ontario adds $6M to Futurpreneur to back nearly 1,000 young founders
On June 22, 2026, Ontario announced an additional $6 million for Futurpreneur Canada, expected to help nearly 1,000 entrepreneurs aged 18-39 launch and grow businesses and support…
Canada adds $173.7M to Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, incl. microloans up to $50K
On June 22, 2026, ISED Minister Rechie Valdez announced $173.7 million over five years for the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, split across the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund ($…
DPIIT publishes 107-page Startup Playbook mapping 65+ government schemes
In June 2026 DPIIT released the 'Playbook of Government Schemes and Initiatives for Startups', a 107-page official guide (dated 22 June 2026) that consolidates 65+ Central Governme…
Google for Startups Accelerator opens to NZ founders for the first time in 2026
Google announced on 21 June 2026 that its Google for Startups Accelerator: Australia and New Zealand includes Kiwi startups for the first time. The equity-free 10-week hybrid progr…
Australia proposes 50% CGT startup concession, new equity from 1 July 2027
On 18 June 2026 the Albanese government released a consultation paper for an 'innovative business CGT concession' that preserves a 50% capital gains discount for founders, employee…
Victoria funds nine AI & deeptech pre-accelerators with $3.5M, up to $400k each
Announced 18 June 2026 at the Victorian Startup Gala, the Victorian Government is splitting $3.5 million across nine pre-accelerator programs, each receiving up to $400,000 to help…
China's Network Data Security Risk Assessment Measures take effect Aug 20, 2026
China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC), MIIT and Ministry of Public Security jointly issued the Measures for Network Data Security Risk Assessment on June 18, 2026, effective Augu…
Australia unveils 50% CGT discount for startup founders, employees and early investors
In its 18 June 2026 tax-reform package, the Albanese Government proposed a new 'Innovative Business' CGT concession giving founders, employee share scheme participants and early-st…
China's 7-agency plan makes big platforms open tech, data and compute to SMEs
On June 18, 2026, seven agencies led by MIIT (with CAC, NDRC, MOST, MOFCOM, SAMR and the National Data Administration) issued the Action Plan for Coordinated Development of Large,…
BNDES and Finep launch FIP Conexoes Startups fund targeting up to R$250M
On June 18, 2026, BNDESPAR and Finep opened a public call to select the manager of the FIP Conexoes Startups, a private-equity fund with a target capital of R$250 million (minimum…
China's STAR Market reopens pre-profit IPO track to AI, quantum and deep-tech startups
On June 17, 2026, CSRC Chairman Wu Qing announced at the Lujiazui Forum that Shanghai's STAR Market Fifth Listing Standard would expand to let loss-making AI, quantum, biomanufactu…
China opens STAR Market pre-profit IPO track to AI, quantum and embodied-AI startups
On June 17, 2026, CSRC Chairman Wu Qing announced at the Lujiazui Forum that Shanghai's STAR Market 'fifth listing standard' — which requires no profit or revenue — now covers AI l…
China reopens STAR Market IPOs to unprofitable AI and deep-tech startups
On 17 June 2026 the CSRC and Shanghai Stock Exchange expanded the STAR Market's 'fifth listing standard,' effective immediately, letting pre-profit and pre-revenue hard-tech firms…
BNDES and Finep launch FIP Conexões Startups, a R$250M startup fund
On June 16, 2026, Brazil's BNDES and Finep opened a public call to select the manager of FIP Conexões Startups, a fund targeting R$250 million (BNDESPAR contributing R$40-100M; Fin…
BNDES and Finep launch FIP Conexoes Startups: R$250M VC fund for Brazilian startups
On June 16, 2026, BNDES and Finep announced the FIP Conexoes Startups, a venture capital fund with target capital of R$250 million. BNDESPAR commits R$40-100 million and Finep up t…
Sweden lifts work permit salary floor to SEK 34,470/month from June 2026
As of 16 June 2026 the Swedish Migration Agency set the national median salary at SEK 38,300, so a first-time work permit now requires a monthly salary of at least SEK 34,470 (90%…
Brazil requires IBS/CBS fields on all electronic invoices from August 3, 2026
Per the Comite Gestor do IBS (CGIBS), from August 3, 2026 regular-regime companies must populate the new IBS and CBS fields on electronic fiscal documents (NF-e) or the system auto…
~$875B commercial real estate 'maturity wall' comes due in 2026
The Mortgage Bankers Association estimates roughly $875 billion in commercial and multifamily mortgage debt matures in 2026, with some tallies topping $1.2 trillion once extended l…
NZ govt funds AI tools for small business: $400k AcceleratorNZ, $82k AI mentor
On 11 June 2026, Small Business Minister Cameron Brewer announced Government funding for AI-powered SME support: $400,000 to Business South to expand its AcceleratorNZ programme to…
Sweden's June 2026 bill boosts R&D deduction and expert tax relief (25% to 30%)
On 11 June 2026 the Swedish Government submitted a draft bill expanding the R&D tax deduction (FoU-avdrag) and the expert tax relief, with changes proposed to take effect 1 January…
China rolls out national action plan to boost startup founders and sci-tech spinouts
On June 11, 2026, four Chinese government departments led by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security released an action plan promoting 'specialized entrepreneurship' bu…
Sweden proposes to broaden R&D employer-fee relief (FoU-avdrag) and expert tax from 2027
In a lagradsremiss published June 11, 2026, the Swedish government proposes scrapping the rule that an employee must work at least 15 hours/month on R&D to qualify for the FoU-avdr…
Delaware's 2026 corporate-law amendments take effect August 1, 2026
Governor Matt Meyer signed the 2026 amendments to Delaware's General Corporation Law, LLC Act, and LP Act on June 10, 2026, effective August 1, 2026. Changes clarify the procedure…
UK Commercial Payments Bill: 60-day cap on payment terms for small suppliers
The government's Commercial Payments Bill, described as the largest late-payment crackdown in over 25 years, imposes a mandatory 60-day cap on the payment terms large firms can set…
UK opens Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for scale-ups: up to £25k/year
The government's Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale Ups (VFRS4SU) opened on 9 June 2026 and runs until 1 March 2027 (or until funds run out). Eligible high-growth firms can r…
Payday Super now law: super must be paid within 7 days of each payday from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026, Australian employers must pay employees' superannuation at the same time as wages instead of quarterly, with contributions generally needing to reach the employee…
Payday Super: employers must pay super with every pay run from 1 July 2026
From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026, all Australian employers must pay employees' superannuation on each pay run, and contributions must reach the emplo…
$100,000 H-1B fee still applies in 2026 despite court striking it down
A federal court ruled the $100,000 H-1B entry fee (from the Sept 2025 proclamation) unlawful on June 8, 2026, but the judge paused the decision and the government sought a First Ci…
NZ Budget 2026 doubles FIF de minimis to $100k, eases offshore-share tax for founders
In Budget 2026 (announced 5 June 2026), the Government doubled the Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) de minimis threshold from NZD 50,000 to NZD 100,000 for the first time since 2000,…
Canada's new AI strategy pledges $2.3B, incl. $500M Canadian Tech Growth Fund
On June 4, 2026, Canada unveiled a national AI strategy with roughly $2.3 billion in spending, headlined by a new $500-million Canadian Tech Growth Fund offering growth capital, in…
TELUS #StandWithOwners 2026 grants open: 3x$125K prizes, Sept 2 deadline
TELUS relaunched its StandWithOwners contest on June 2, 2026, offering three Grand Prize awards of $125,000 each (in funding, technology and exposure, backed by Samsung, Scotiabank…
NZ R&D Career Grant reopens 31 Aug 2026: up to $35k to hire a graduate
New Zealand's R&D Career Grant, administered by Innovation Services (MBIE), reopens for applications at 9am on Monday 31 August 2026. It co-funds hiring a recent graduate into a 6-…
China's 2026 tech-SME registry closes Aug 31, unlocking 100% R&D super-deduction
MIIT opened its 2026 science-and-technology SME (科技型中小企业) evaluation from June 1 to August 31, 2026, per a notice published June 2, 2026. Firms self-register on the national platfo…
Sifted Summit 2026 gathers 3,000+ founders in London Sept 30-Oct 1
Sifted Summit 2026 takes place September 30-October 1 at Magazine London, convening 3,000+ founders, operators, and investors with programming built for Series A+ companies. Ticket…
Government Start Up Loans: £500, £25,000 personal loan at 7.5% fixed plus 12 months free mentoring
Start Up Loans Now Charge 7.5% Interest New loans have a fixed interest rate of 7.5%. Loans taken before 6 April 2026 retain the 6% rate. Eligible businesses must have been trading…
China's first Regulation on Outbound Investment takes effect July 1, 2026
On June 1, 2026 China's State Council issued the Regulation on Outbound Investment, signed by Premier Li Qiang, its first dedicated administrative regulation for overseas investmen…
Sweden's new work permit salary rule now in force: 90% of median wage
From 1 June 2026, a non-EU/EEA worker's salary must equal at least 90% of Sweden's median salary (up from the previous 80%), which secondary sources put at roughly SEK 33,390/month…
Bits & Pretzels founders festival returns to Munich Sept 28-30, 2026
Europe's leading founders festival runs September 28-30 at Munich's ICM, hosting 7,500 curated attendees including 1,500+ VCs, 300+ LPs, and 600+ executives across 10+ content stag…
Connecticut's AI employment law (CART Act) starts phasing in Oct 1, 2026
Connecticut's AI Responsibility and Transparency Act begins phasing in Oct 1, 2026: employers filing WARN layoff notices must disclose whether AI drove the cuts, and using an autom…
China issues first State Council regulation on outbound investment, effective July 1, 2026
On June 1, 2026, China's State Council released the Regulation on Outbound Investment, signed by Premier Li Qiang and effective July 1, 2026. Its 34 articles establish a unified fr…
New Sweden work permit rules in force: 90% median salary floor for foreign hires
From 1 June 2026, first-time work permit applicants in Sweden must earn at least 90% of the national median salary (a minimum of about SEK 34,470/month), up from the previous 80% l…
China's first State Council Outbound Investment Regulation takes effect 1 July 2026
Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree (Order No. 837) issuing the Regulations on Outbound Investment, a 34-article rule approved 17 April 2026 and effective 1 July…
US data-center construction hits $50.7B rate, passing office building spend
New Census data show private data-center construction reached a $50.7 billion seasonally adjusted annual rate in April 2026, up roughly 27% year over year and surpassing general pr…
NSF's relaunched SBIR/STTR reopens: next Phase I pitch window Nov 4
NSF's revived SBIR/STTR program (solicitation NSF 26-510) funds deep-tech startups with up to $305,000 for Phase I over 6-18 months and up to ~$1.25M for Phase II, with roughly $21…
Budget 2026 FIF change lets diluted founders keep the AFI tax method
Budget 2026 (announced 28 May 2026) proposes that founders and active investors who once held at least a 10% stake in a foreign-domiciled company can keep using the Attributable FI…
Budget 2026: $10m Emerging Managers' Programme via NZGCP to back new startup VCs
Budget 2026 (delivered 28 May 2026) allocated NZ$10 million in capital to a new Startup Support Package - Emerging Managers' Programme, delivered by NZ Growth Capital Partners (NZG…
Budget 2026 slashes RDTI internal-software cap from $25m to $3m, adds in-year payments
Budget 2026 (delivered 28 May 2026) cuts the R&D Tax Incentive cap on non-administrative internal software from $25 million to $3 million per year, saving the Crown about $87 milli…
NZ Budget 2026: RDTI adds in-year payments, cuts internal-software cap to $3m
In Budget 2026 (delivered 28 May 2026) the Government confirmed the R&D Tax Incentive will introduce quarterly in-year payments so businesses receive the 15% credit during the year…
NZ Budget 2026: R&D Tax Incentive adds in-year payments, cuts software cap
In Budget 2026 (announced 28 May 2026), the NZ Government is changing the Research and Development Tax Incentive to introduce in-year payments, so businesses receive the 15% R&D ta…
NZ founders keep favourable FIF tax method as their stake dilutes below 10%
Under Budget 2026 changes applying from 1 April 2026, a founder or active investor who once held at least a 10% interest in a foreign investment fund can keep using the attributabl…
NZ Budget 2026: unpaid shareholder loans taxed as income after a company winds up
Under Budget 2026 (announced 28 May 2026 by Revenue Minister Simon Watts), six months after a company is liquidated or removed from the Companies Register, any outstanding loans it…
NZ doubles FIF de minimis threshold to NZ$100,000 from 2026-27 tax year
Budget 2026 (announced 28 May 2026) doubles the Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) de minimis threshold from NZ$50,000 to NZ$100,000 of cost in offshore shares. The change takes effect…
Vinnova Innovative Startups 2026: up to SEK 500,000, applications Oct 12-Jan 12
Vinnova's Innovative Startups 2026 call funds knowledge-intensive Swedish startups with up to SEK 500,000 to test customer needs, business idea and willingness to pay. The applicat…
Google for Startups Accelerator: SEA opens, equity-free AI cohort starts Aug 2026
Google Cloud launched the equity-free Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia, a three-month program for 25 seed-to-Series B AI startups from Singapore and five other ASEAN…
NZ Active Investor Plus visa Growth category adds 20% philanthropy option from 1 June 2026
From 1 June 2026, new applicants in the Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa Growth category can direct up to 20% of their total investment (up to NZD $1m of the NZD $5m minimum) to eli…
Google Cloud & EnterpriseSG launch AI Startup Innovation Corridor via Singapore
On 25 May 2026, Google Cloud launched an AI Startup Innovation Corridor linking Southeast Asia to Silicon Valley through Singapore, backed by EnterpriseSG and regional partners. Th…
Google Cloud & EnterpriseSG launch AI startup corridor; SEA cohort begins Aug 2026
On 25 May 2026, Google Cloud and Enterprise Singapore (with government partners in Indonesia and Vietnam) launched a Southeast Asia-to-Silicon Valley AI startup corridor routed thr…
Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia opens with EnterpriseSG, starts Aug 2026
On 25 May 2026 Google Cloud, with Enterprise Singapore, launched the Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia, an equity-free three-month program for an inaugural cohort of…
US coworking footprint hits 164M sq ft, up 16.5% YoY as flex space grows
The US coworking sector's total footprint expanded 16.5% year-over-year as of March 2026, reaching 164 million square feet nationally and 2.3% of total office inventory. Growth cam…
British Business Bank puts £25m into Antler UK Fund II to back founders from day one
On 21 May 2026 the government-owned British Business Bank made a £25m cornerstone commitment to Antler's UK Fund II — its first backing of Antler. The fund invests in founders from…
Delaware raises business filing fees under HB 400, effective Aug 1, 2026
Delaware HB 400 (signed May 21, 2026) raised Division of Corporations filing fees effective Aug 1, 2026: foreign corporation annual reports now $250, banking/preclearance $350, ele…
CanExport SMEs 2026-27 open: up to $50K, 50% cost-share, closes Aug 31
Global Affairs Canada's CanExport SMEs program is accepting 2026-27 applications from Feb 4 until 12:00 PM ET on Aug 31, 2026, with roughly $31 million available. Approved firms ge…
CanExport SMEs 2026-27: up to $50K export grant, tighter eligibility, Aug 31 deadline
For 2026-27, Canada's CanExport SMEs program offers up to $50,000 per project to help SMEs enter new international markets, with roughly $31 million available and only about $3.1 m…
CanExport SMEs 2026-27 raises eligibility bar; deadline Aug 31, 2026
For fiscal 2026-27, CanExport SMEs raised its minimum eligibility to 3 full-time employees and $300,000 in annual revenue (up from 1 FTE and $100,000). Of the roughly $31M pool, on…
SEC proposes scrapping the $75M float rule, opening shelf/ATM offerings to more issuers
On May 19, 2026, the SEC proposed 'registered offering reform' that would eliminate Form S-3's $75M public-float threshold and its 12-month reporting-history requirement, letting f…
Connecticut will require wage range and benefits in job postings from Oct 1, 2026
Under Connecticut H.B. 5003, from Oct 1, 2026 employers must include the wage range and a general description of benefits in every internal and public job posting, shifting from th…
CFPB narrows small-business lending data-collection rule (1071)
In May 2026 the CFPB finalized a rule narrowing the Dodd-Frank Section 1071 small-business lending data-collection requirements, cutting near-term compliance burden for community b…
Colorado delays its landmark AI Act to January 1, 2027
On May 14, 2026, Governor Polis signed SB 189, delaying Colorado's AI Act effective date from June 30, 2026 to January 1, 2027 and substantially narrowing employer obligations. The…
DOL restores pre-2024 overtime salary thresholds effective May 15, 2026
The U.S. Department of Labor rescinded the 2024 overtime rule effective May 15, 2026, republishing the 2019 FLSA regulations. The salary threshold for exempt employees returns to $…
Colorado delays its AI Act to Jan 1, 2027 and scales back its requirements
Gov. Polis signed SB 189 on May 14, 2026, pushing the Colorado AI Act's effective date from June 30, 2026 to January 1, 2027 and significantly narrowing its duties on developers an…
$20,000 instant asset write-off to become permanent from 1 July 2026
In the 2026-27 Budget (announced 12 May 2026) the Australian Government said it will permanently set the small business instant asset write-off at $20,000 from 1 July 2026. Small b…
$20k instant asset write-off made permanent for small business from 1 July 2026
In the 2026-27 Budget (announced 12 May 2026), the Government committed to permanently set the instant asset write-off at $20,000 for small businesses with aggregated turnover unde…
ATO R&D Tax Incentive overhaul: $50M threshold, no 'supporting' activities from 2028
The May 2026 Federal Budget delivered the biggest R&D Tax Incentive reform since 2021, confirmed on the ATO site (published 12 May 2026). From 1 July 2028 the refundable-offset tur…
Australia reintroduces company loss carry-back from 2026-27: refund tax paid in prior 2 years
The 2026-27 Federal Budget (handed down 12 May 2026) reintroduces loss carry-back: from the 2026-27 income year, companies with turnover up to $1 billion that make a tax loss can c…
DPIIT releases Tax Playbook consolidating all startup tax benefits into one guide
In May 2026 DPIIT published a 'Tax Playbook for the Startup Ecosystem' on startupindia.gov.in, pulling every startup tax break into one guide as India's recognised startup base cro…
India operationalizes Rs 10,000 crore Startup Fund of Funds 2.0 through SIDBI
DPIIT issued operational guidelines on April 27, 2026 for the Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, a Rs 10,000 crore (about US$1.08 billion) corpus run initially by SIDBI. The fund com…
Sweden delays EU Pay Transparency Directive, missing June 7 2026 deadline
Sweden confirmed it will not transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive by the EU-wide deadline of June 7, 2026, and is instead pushing to postpone and renegotiate the text. Its i…
Sweden work permit pay floor rises to 90% of median wage from June 1 2026
From 1 June 2026 a first-time Swedish work permit requires a salary of at least 90% of the national median wage, up from the old 80% level (which was SEK 29,680/month); press pegs…
Singapore CALA 2025 in force: director-duty fines quadruple to S$20,000
Key provisions of Singapore's Corporate and Accounting Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 (CALA) took effect on 6 May 2026. The maximum fine for directors who breach their duties rose from…
Virginia SB170 restricts noncompetes for terminated staff from July 1, 2026
Virginia's SB170, effective July 1, 2026, bars enforcing a noncompete against an employee fired without cause unless the employer pays severance or other monetary consideration tha…
Washington employers must notify workers of I-9 audits from Oct 1, 2026
Under Washington's Immigrant Worker Protection Act, effective October 1, 2026, employers must promptly notify affected workers and their representatives when they receive a federal…
SBIR/STTR non-dilutive R&D grant programs reauthorized through 2031
President Trump signed S.3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (Public Law 119-83), into law on April 13, 2026, reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs thr…
SBIR and STTR extended through 2031, up to $2.15M non-dilutive per project
The Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, signed April 13, 2026, reauthorized the SBIR and STTR programs through September 30, 2031. The programs distribute over $4…
Govt notifies Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with Rs 10,000 cr corpus
The Central Government notified 'Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0' on 13 April 2026 with a Rs 10,000 crore corpus to mobilize venture capital for DPIIT-recognised startups. SIDBI is…
Budget 2026 gives Singapore companies a 50% CIT rebate plus S$2,000 cash grant
Budget 2026: 50% CIT Rebate and S$2,000 Cash Grant The enhanced Budget 2026 support announced on 7 April 2026 provides a 50% corporate income tax rebate for YA 2026 and a S$2,000 c…
EIS caps double to £10m/year and £24m lifetime for UK startups from April 2026
From 6 April 2026 the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) annual company limit doubled to £10m (£20m for knowledge-intensive companies) and the lifetime limit doubled to £24m (£40m…
EIS and VCT company limits doubled: £24m lifetime, £10m a year from 6 April 2026
From 6 April 2026 the EIS and VCT lifetime company investment limit doubled to £24m and the annual limit rose to £10m, with the gross assets test lifted to £30m before a share issu…
FINEP opens R$300M non-reimbursable grant for AI, robotics, quantum startups
FINEP's 'Mais Inovacao Brasil - Tecnologias Digitais' call offers R$300 million in economic subsidy (non-reimbursable, no repayment) to Brazilian companies developing AI, advanced…
EIS annual raise limit doubled to GBP 10m, in effect from 6 April 2026
From 6 April 2026 the Enterprise Investment Scheme annual company raise limit rose from GBP 5m to GBP 10m (GBP 20m for knowledge-intensive companies), the lifetime limit doubled to…
UK EMI share option limits expanded from 6 April 2026: up to 500 staff, £120m assets
From 6 April 2026, the UK's Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) tax-advantaged share scheme qualifying limits were widened: companies can now have up to 500 full-time-equivalent…
UK Start Up Loans: rate rises to 7.5%, eligibility extended to 5 years trading
From 6 April 2026 the British Business Bank's government-backed Start Up Loans scheme raised its fixed interest rate to 7.5% (up from the 6% set at launch in 2012). Eligibility was…
EMI share-option limits expanded from 6 April 2026: gross assets cap up to £120m
From 6 April 2026 the Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) scheme qualifies far larger companies: the gross-assets test rises from £30m to £120m, the employee cap from 250 to 500…
UK expands EMI share-option scheme: 500 staff, £120m assets, £6m cap from Apr 2026
From 6 April 2026, HMRC's Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) rules loosened significantly: the employee cap rose from 250 to under 500 full-time-equivalent staff, the gross-ass…
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now mandatory for sole traders over GBP 50,000
From 6 April 2026, Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is mandatory for sole traders and landlords whose combined gross income from self-employment and property exceeds GBP 50,…
UK Start Up Loans now cover businesses trading up to 5 years; rate rises to 7.5%
From 6 April 2026 the government-backed Start Up Loans programme (delivered via the British Business Bank) extended eligibility to businesses trading for up to 5 years (60 months),…
UK expands EMI share option scheme limits from 6 April 2026
For EMI options granted on or after 6 April 2026, the qualifying company gross assets limit rises from GBP 30m to GBP 120m and the employee cap from 250 to 500 full-time equivalent…
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax now mandatory over GBP 50,000 from April 2026
From 6 April 2026, sole traders and landlords with qualifying self-employment or property income over GBP 50,000 must keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC using…
UK employer NIC stays 15% on a £5,000 threshold for 2026/27; Employment Allowance £10,500
For the 2026/27 tax year (from 6 April 2026), employer Class 1 National Insurance remains at 15% and the secondary threshold at which it becomes payable stays at £5,000 per year, c…
Provisional tax kicks in above $5,000 RIT; UOMI at 8.97% for 2026-27
Founders: The current UOMI rate is 8.97% The taxpayer paying rate for underpayment use of money interest (UOMI) is currently 8.97% per annum, effective 16 January 2026, down from 9…
AEWV minimum pay rises to NZD $23.95/hr from 1 April 2026
Dependent-child sponsorship threshold rose to ~NZ$58,240/yr from 9 March 2026 (80% of the new $35.00/hr median wage), not NZ$55,844 (which held only 10 Mar 2025-8 Mar 2026).
NZ startups can defer employee share scheme tax until a liquidity event from 1 April 2026
From 1 April 2026, unlisted NZ companies can elect to designate ESS shares as 'employee deferred shares', deferring an employee's tax until the earliest liquidity event (company li…
FTC abandons national noncompete ban for case-by-case enforcement
The FTC's 2024 nationwide noncompete ban never took effect after a Texas court blocked it in Aug 2024, and in 2026 new FTC leadership dropped its appeals, leaving the rule dead. In…
From 1 Apr 2026 all voluntary GST registrants must adopt InvoiceNow e-invoicing
From 1 April 2026, every business applying for voluntary GST registration in Singapore must be on the InvoiceNow (Peppol) e-invoicing network before IRAS will approve the registrat…
CanExport SMEs revamped for 2026-27: US or global focus, higher bar
For fiscal 2026-27, Canada's CanExport SMEs program has about $31M for international market activities (roughly $3.1M earmarked for US-focused projects), still reimbursing 50% of e…
Ottawa launches $1B BDC Growth VCCI to expand Canadian VC in 2026 to 27
Budget 2025's Venture and Growth Capital Catalyst Initiative (Growth VCCI) commits $1 billion on a cash basis, managed by BDC, starting in fiscal year 2026-27. It runs three stream…
Singapore raises Market Readiness Assistance grant to 70% for SMEs going overseas
From 1 April 2026 Enterprise Singapore enhanced Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) support for SMEs to up to 70% (from 50%), with the S$100,000 grant cap extended until 31 March 202…
Canada expands SR&ED: 35% credit now covers up to $6M in R&D spend
Bill C-15 (Royal Assent March 26, 2026) doubled the enhanced-rate SR&ED expenditure limit from $3M to $6M, keeping the 35% refundable investment tax credit and raising the taxable-…
Sweden cuts employer contributions for young workers to 20.81% from April 1, 2026
From April 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, Swedish employers pay reduced social-security contributions of 20.81% (instead of the standard 31.42%) on monthly wages up to SEK 25,…
Sweden cuts employer contributions for young hires to 20.81% for 2026 to 2027
From 1 April 2026 through 30 September 2027, Swedish employers pay a reduced payroll tax of 20.81% (vs the ordinary 31.42%) on wages up to SEK 25,000 per month for employees aged 1…
Canada doubles SR&ED refundable R&D credit limit to $6M under Bill C-15
Bill C-15 received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026, doubling the SR&ED enhanced expenditure limit from $3 million to $6 million, which raises the maximum 35% refundable R&D tax cred…
Canada doubles SR&ED enhanced credit limit to $6M, up to $2.1M cash back
Bill C-15 received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026, raising the SR&ED enhanced 35% refundable tax credit's annual expenditure limit from $3 million to $6 million and widening the ta…
Canada doubles SR&ED enhanced ITC limit to $6M; 35% refund reaches more startups
Bill C-15 received Royal Assent on 26 March 2026, raising the maximum annual expenditure limit for the enhanced 35% refundable SR&ED investment tax credit from $3 million to $6 mil…
Finep opens 13 calls worth R$3.3bn for company innovation under Nova Indústria Brasil
In 2026 Finep opened 13 public calls totalling R$3.3 billion to fund innovation projects aligned with the Nova Indústria Brasil strategy, presented at a Goiânia event on 17 March 2…
Singapore's EIS adds AI expenditure: 400% tax deduction on up to S$50k
Budget 2026 added qualifying AI expenditure as a new category under the Enterprise Innovation Scheme (EIS): companies can claim a 400% tax deduction on up to S$50,000 of qualifying…
SBA bars foreign-national-owned businesses from SBA loans
In a March 9, 2026 policy notice, the SBA banned businesses with any foreign-national ownership from all SBA-guaranteed programs, including 7(a), 504, Microloan, and Surety Bond. A…
NZ employment law changes live: contractor gateway test, $200k grievance cap
New employment settings took effect on 21 February 2026 under the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026. A new contractor 'gateway test' gives upfront certainty on whether a work…
Singapore to merge EDG, PSG and MRA into single EDGE grant in H2 2026
EnterpriseSG is consolidating the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG), Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) and Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) into one unified EDGE scheme launchin…
NZ adds work-experience & trades pathways to Skilled Migrant residence, 24 Aug 2026
From 24 August 2026, Immigration NZ adds two new Skilled Migrant Category residence pathways alongside the existing points system. The Skilled Work Experience pathway needs 5 years…
H-1B moves to wage-weighted selection for FY2027 cap season
For the FY2027 cap season, a final rule finalized in December 2025 replaces the random H-1B lottery with a weighted selection process favoring higher-paid, higher-skilled workers a…
Singapore closes Tech.Pass to new applications from 28 Jan 2027, ONE Pass to replace it
EDB's official Tech.Pass page states it will no longer accept new or renewal Tech.Pass applications from 28 January 2027 (last submission 27 Jan 2027, 2359h). A new ONE Pass (AI an…
Singapore's new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track lets equity count toward S$30k salary
From 1 January 2027, MOM will introduce a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track that replaces the Tech.Pass. Applicants can meet the S$30,000 monthly fixed-salary criterion with at leas…
Singapore ONE Pass (AI and Tech) to replace Tech.Pass from January 2027
At the March 2026 MOM Committee of Supply, Singapore announced a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) work-pass track that will replace the Tech.Pass from January 2027 with more attractive t…
JTC's LaunchPad masterplan adds Kampong AI, a live-work precinct for AI startups
On 2 March 2026 JTC unveiled a refreshed masterplan for LaunchPad @ one-north, headlined by Kampong AI — Singapore's first integrated startup community pairing ~14,500 sqm of busin…
Singapore adds S$1B to Startup SG Equity, now covering growth-stage deep tech
EnterpriseSG confirmed a S$1 billion top-up to the Startup SG Equity (SSGE) co-investment scheme, announced at Budget 2026 and the MTI Committee of Supply 2026. For the first time…
Finep opens R$3.3bn Mais Inovação Brasil grants; calls close Aug–Sep 2026
Finep launched a series of 13 calls under the Mais Inovação Brasil program offering R$3.3 billion in non-reimbursable economic subsidy (subvenção econômica) for innovation projects…
Singapore adds S$1B to Startup SG Equity, extends co-investment to growth-stage deep tech
In a 2 March 2026 media release, EnterpriseSG confirmed a S$1 billion top-up to the Startup SG Equity (SSGE) scheme, under which EnterpriseSG and EDB co-invest alongside qualified…
Singapore tops up Startup SG Equity by S$1B and extends it to growth-stage deep tech
As announced at Budget 2026 and confirmed in EnterpriseSG's 02 March 2026 media release, S$1 billion is being set aside to top up the Startup SG Equity (SSGE) scheme. Beyond its or…
Startup SG Equity gets S$1b top up, now covers growth stage deep tech
EnterpriseSG confirmed a S$1 billion top-up to the Startup SG Equity scheme, announced at Budget 2026 and the MTI Committee of Supply Debate. For the first time the government co-i…
EB-2 NIW green card: founder self-petition path tightens as approvals fall
The EB-2 National Interest Waiver lets a founder self-petition for a green card with no job offer and no PERM labor certification. Approval rates dropped from 90%-plus (FY2018 to F…
Delaware C-corps must file the annual report and franchise tax by March 1, 2026
Every non-exempt Delaware domestic corporation must file its annual report and pay franchise tax by March 1 each year (March 1, 2026 for the 2025 report), whether or not it did bus…
H-1B lottery becomes wage-weighted for FY2027, favoring higher-paid roles
DHS's final rule (published Dec 29, 2025) replacing the random H-1B lottery with wage-weighted selection took effect Feb 27, 2026 and governed the FY2027 cap season (registration M…
Payday Super starts 1 July 2026: employers must pay super with every pay run
From 1 July 2026, Australian employers must remit Superannuation Guarantee contributions so they reach employees' funds within 7 business days of each payday, replacing the old qua…
Sweden cuts employer contributions for hiring 18 to 22 year olds from April 1, 2026
From 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2027, Swedish employers pay a reduced social security contribution of about 20.81% instead of the standard 31.42% on monthly pay up to SEK 25,000…
SEC issues five new Reg CF interpretations clarifying crowdfunding limits
On Feb 17, 2026 the SEC published five new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations for Regulation Crowdfunding. They clarify that the $5M rolling 12-month raise cap is measured f…
Digital iXBRL annual reports become mandatory for all Swedish ABs from FY2026
For financial years starting after 31 December 2025, all Swedish limited companies (aktiebolag) must file their annual report digitally in iXBRL format via Bolagsverket; paper and…
Singapore merges PSG, EDG and MRA grants into one new EDGE scheme launching H2 2026
At Budget 2026 (announced 12 Feb 2026), Singapore confirmed it will consolidate the Productivity Solutions Grant, Enterprise Development Grant and Market Readiness Assistance into…
Singapore merges EDG, PSG & MRA into one EDGE grant, launching H2 2026
Budget 2026 (delivered 12 Feb 2026) consolidates the Enterprise Development Grant, Productivity Solutions Grant and Market Readiness Assistance into a single EDGE scheme launching…
Singapore to launch EDGE grant in H2 2026, merging EDG, PSG and MRA
Announced in Budget 2026 (delivered 12 Feb 2026), EnterpriseSG will consolidate the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG), Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) and Market Readiness Assi…
Singapore adds AI spend to Enterprise Innovation Scheme: 400% tax deduction for YA 2027-2028
In Budget 2026 (delivered 12 Feb 2026), Singapore added AI-related expenditure as a qualifying activity under the Enterprise Innovation Scheme, giving businesses a 400% tax deducti…
Singapore Employment Pass floor rises to S$6,000 (S$6,600 finance) from 1 Jan 2027
At Budget 2026 (delivered 12 February 2026), the government confirmed the Employment Pass qualifying salary floor will rise from S$5,600 to S$6,000/month for most sectors, and from…
Qatar launches 10-year golden visa pathways for entrepreneurs and executives
Qatar unveiled two new long-term residency pathways—one for entrepreneurs and one for executives—offering five-year permits renewable up to 10 years without a real-estate investmen…
DPIIT revamps startup recognition: new Deep Tech category, 20-year window
On 5 February 2026 DPIIT revised its startup recognition framework, raising the general turnover ceiling from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore and creating a dedicated Deep Tech Startu…
DPIIT redefines 'startup': turnover cap raised to Rs 200 cr, new 20-year Deep Tech class
DPIIT's Gazette Notification G.S.R. 108(E) dated 4 February 2026 superseded the 2019 framework, raising the standard startup turnover ceiling from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore whil…
DPIIT doubles startup turnover cap to Rs 200 cr, adds new deep-tech class
DPIIT's Gazette Notification G.S.R. 108(E), issued 4 February 2026, replaced the 2019 framework, raising the turnover ceiling for recognised startups from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 cr…
DPIIT redefines startups: turnover cap doubled to Rs 200 crore, new deep tech class
DPIIT Gazette Notification G.S.R. 108(E) dated 4 February 2026 supersedes the 2019 framework, raising the annual turnover ceiling for recognised startups from Rs 100 crore to Rs 20…
SBA rewrite bars green-card holders from 7(a)/504 loans, drops credit-score prescreen
SBA's revised SOP 50 10 8, effective March 1, 2026, requires 100% of a borrower's direct and indirect owners to be US citizens or nationals residing in the US—excluding lawful perm…
China's new VAT Law makes RMB 100k/month sales tax exemption permanent for small firms
Under China's new VAT Law effective January 1, 2026 (implemented via MOF/State Taxation Administration Announcement 2026 No. 10, issued January 30, 2026), small-scale taxpayers wit…
NZ government must now pay eInvoices within 5 business days from Jan 2026
From January 2026, new rules require mandated government agencies (over 100 agencies) to pay 95% of eInvoices within 5 business days and other domestic trade invoices within 10 day…
CBRE: US data centers head for record 2026 leasing as power delivery becomes the limit
CBRE's 2026 US data center outlook projects another record leasing year with preleasing in the mid-70 percent range, far above the historical 40 to 50 percent norm, and vacancy at…
China's MOF launches 1.5-point loan interest subsidy for MSMEs, in effect for 2026
China's Ministry of Finance and partner departments rolled out a loan interest subsidy for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, announced 20 January 2026 and applying to newl…
Greece adds startup investment route to Golden Visa from EUR 250,000
Greece has operationalized a new Golden Visa pathway granting five-year residency to non-EU investors who put at least EUR 250,000 into a startup registered on the Elevate Greece n…
2026: 100% bonus depreciation permanent, Section 179 cap $2.56M
For 2026, the Section 179 expensing limit is $2,560,000, with the phaseout beginning at $4,090,000 of qualifying property placed in service. Separately, the One Big Beautiful Bill…
International Entrepreneur Rule 2026: $311K investment bar, new parole fee
The International Entrepreneur Rule remains active for 2026, letting qualifying foreign founders with at least a 10% stake obtain up to 30 months of parole (extendable to five year…
100% bonus depreciation is permanent for 2026; Section 179 cap now $2.5M
Under the OBBBA, 100% first-year bonus depreciation is permanent for qualified property placed in service on or after Jan 20, 2025, with IRS Notice 2026-11 (released Jan 14, 2026)…
Shenzhen launches AI 'One Person Company' startup plan with compute and data vouchers
On 14 January 2026, Shenzhen's Bureau of Industry and Information Technology issued the AI 'OPC' (One Person Company) Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Action Plan (2026–2027), targeting…
USCIS premium processing fees rise to $2,965 on March 1, 2026
USCIS premium processing fees for Form I-129 (O-1 and other classifications) and Form I-140 (EB-1/EB-2 immigrant petitions) increase from $2,805 to $2,965 — a $160 jump — for any r…
USCIS premium processing fee rises to $2,965 for I-129 and I-140 on March 1, 2026
USCIS raised the premium processing fee to $2,965 for Form I-129 (H-1B, L-1, O-1, E-3, TN) and Form I-140 petitions, applying to any I-907 postmarked on or after March 1, 2026. The…
USCIS premium processing fee rises to $2,965 for filings from March 1, 2026
USCIS announced on Jan 9, 2026 that the Form I-907 premium-processing fee for most classifications, including H-1B, L-1, O-1 and I-140 (EB-1/2/3), rises from $2,805 to $2,965 for r…
IRS 1099 reporting threshold jumps from $600 to $2,000 for 2026 payments
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Form 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC reporting threshold rises from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, its first change since the 1950s, and…
QBI pass-through deduction made permanent at 20% with new $400 minimum for 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes the 20% qualified business income (QBI) deduction permanent starting in 2026, ending its scheduled 2025 expiration. It also widens the phase-ou…
1099-NEC and 1099-MISC reporting threshold jumps from $600 to $2,000 for 2026
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Form 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC reporting threshold rises from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, with annual inflation adjustments beg…
New York minimum wage hits $17 downstate / $16 upstate on Jan 1, 2026
New York's minimum wage is $17 per hour downstate and $16 per hour upstate. The salary threshold for the executive and administrative exemptions is $1,275.00 per week, or $66,300 p…
Singapore raises Employment Pass minimum salary to S$5,600 from Jan 2026
Existing EP Salary Floors Began Applying to Renewals in January 2026 The S$5,600 general salary floor and S$6,200 finance salary floor have applied to new EP applications since 1 J…
California SDI payroll withholding rises to 1.3% in 2026, still no wage cap
For 2026 California's State Disability Insurance (SDI) employee withholding rate increases to 1.3%, up from 1.2% in 2025, per the EDD (form DE 3395). Since January 1, 2024 there is…
Sweden's new 3:12 rules take effect: simpler dividend tax, SEK 322,400 standard amount
From 1 January 2026 Sweden's reformed 3:12 rules for owners of closely held companies (fåmansföretag) replace the old choice between the simplification rule and main rule with a si…
New $400 minimum QBI deduction guaranteed for small businesses in 2026
Starting in 2026, OBBBA guarantees a minimum Qualified Business Income deduction of $400 to any taxpayer with at least $1,000 of QBI, even if the standard calculation would otherwi…
Most US small businesses now exempt from Corporate Transparency Act BOI filing
In March 2025 FinCEN flipped the Corporate Transparency Act rules: entities formerly treated as "domestic reporting companies" are exempt from beneficial ownership information (BOI…
Texas franchise-tax no-tax-due threshold rises to $2.65M for 2026 reports
The Texas Comptroller set the 2026 franchise-tax no-tax-due threshold at $2,650,000 in annualized total revenue, up from $2,470,000 for 2024 and 2025. Entities at or below the thre…
Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA) in effect Jan 1, 2026
TRAIGA (HB 149), effective January 1, 2026, amends the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act with AI-specific duties and prohibits AI systems used for behavioral manipulation, unlawf…
Employer childcare tax credit jumps to 40% of costs, capped at $500,000 for 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, OBBBA raises the employer-provided childcare credit from 25% to 40% of eligible costs and lifts the annual cap from $150,000 to $500,000. Qualifying smal…
Employer-provided meals become 100% nondeductible from January 1, 2026
Under new IRC Section 274(o), employer-convenience meals, including office snacks, coffee, overtime meals, and company cafeterias, are 100% disallowed starting January 1, 2026, dow…
NJ angel investor tax credit jumps to 35% (up to 40%) for 2026 applications
For qualified investments in New Jersey emerging-technology startups submitted after Dec 31, 2025, the NJEDA Angel Investor Tax Credit rises from 20% to 35% of the investment, and…
2026 raises 1099-NEC/MISC threshold to $2,000 and restores $20,000 1099-K rule
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Form 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC reporting threshold rises from $600 to $2,000 starting in 2026 (indexed for inflation thereafter). Separately,…
Form 1099-K reporting threshold returns to $20,000 for 2026
For 2026 the Form 1099-K reporting threshold reverts to $20,000 in payments (and 200 transactions), reversing the prior lower thresholds. The change mainly affects businesses and g…
OBBBA raises the QBI pass-through deduction to 23% for 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction permanent and raised it from 20% to 23% for tax years beginning after Dec 31, 2025. It also guaran…
New ACCC mandatory merger-approval regime now in force for Australian deals
From 1 January 2026, Australia's new mandatory and suspensory merger regime requires ACCC clearance before completing acquisitions that hit set thresholds - e.g. combined Australia…
50+ new state workplace laws hit in 2026: 19+ minimum-wage hikes, new paid leave
More than 50 new state workplace laws took effect around January 1, 2026, including minimum-wage increases in at least 19 states and newly launched paid family and medical leave pr…
Minnesota Paid Leave Act takes effect, covering employers of all sizes
Minnesota's Paid Leave Act took effect January 1, 2026, providing paid family and medical leave with job protection to nearly all Minnesota employees. Unlike many state programs, i…
New simplified 3:12 rules for closely held companies take effect Jan 1 2026
Sweden's overhauled 3:12 rules entered into force on January 1, 2026, merging the old simplified and main rules into one model. The tax-free-style dividend threshold now combines a…
OBBBA raises employer childcare tax credit to 40% and $500K cap in 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increases the employer-provided childcare credit to 40% of childcare costs with a maximum credit of $500,000, up from $150…
Vaxa-stod now requires monthly retroactive claim from Jan 2026 reporting period
From the January 2026 reporting period, employers using vaxa-stod (reduced employer contributions for the first two hires) must first report and pay the full 31.42% contribution, t…
Sweden 2026: companies can claim tax reduction for charity gifts, up to SEK 164,800
From calendar year 2026, Swedish legal persons (companies) can claim a tax reduction of 20.6% on cash gifts to Skatteverket-approved non-profits working in social assistance or sci…
Section 179 expensing cap rises to $2.56M for the 2026 tax year under OBBBA
For tax year 2026 the Section 179 immediate-expensing limit increases to $2,560,000, up from $2.5 million in 2025, with a raised phase-out threshold, per the One Big Beautiful Bill…
SECURE 2.0 credits cover up to 100% of new retirement-plan startup costs
For 2026, small employers with 50 or fewer employees can claim a credit for 100% of qualified retirement-plan startup costs (up to $5,000/year for three years), 50% for 51-100 empl…
Sweden's new 3:12 rules for closely held companies take effect Jan 1, 2026
From 1 January 2026 the 3:12 rules for owners of Swedish famansforetag are reformed (SFS 2025:1361). A single unified grundbelopp of SEK 322,400 (4x inkomstbasbelopp) replaces the…
IRS standard mileage rate rises to 72.5 cents per mile for 2026
The IRS standard mileage rate for business use increases to 72.5 cents per mile in 2026, up from 70 cents in 2025. The rate is used to deduct the cost of operating a vehicle for bu…
Corporate charitable gifts get a new 1% floor before they are deductible in 2026
From January 1, 2026, corporate charitable contributions are deductible only to the extent they exceed 1% of taxable income, with the existing 10% ceiling still applying. Gifts bel…
H-1B cap lottery goes wage-weighted for FY2027 registration in March 2026
DHS published a final rule on Dec 29, 2025 replacing the random H-1B cap lottery with a wage-weighted selection: a registration gets 4 entries at OEWS Level IV, 3 at Level III, 2 a…
H-1B cap lottery shifts to wage weighted selection starting February 27, 2026
DHS finalized a rule on December 29, 2025, effective February 27, 2026, replacing the random H-1B cap lottery with a wage weighted process for the FY2027 cap season. Registrations…
Canada pauses Start-Up Visa intake Jan 1, 2026; new targeted pilot coming
As of January 1, 2026, IRCC no longer accepts new applications under the Start-Up Visa (SUV) and Self-Employed Persons programs, and new optional SUV work permits are halted immedi…
Canada closes Start-Up Visa to new applicants; high-impact pilot due 2026
In a December 19, 2025 notice, IRCC stopped accepting new Start-Up Visa (SUV) applications as of 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025, except for applicants holding a valid 2025 commitm…
Canada pauses Start-Up Visa; new applications closed as of Dec 31, 2025
In a December 19, 2025 notice, IRCC announced it stopped accepting Start-Up Visa (SUV) applications at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025, with a narrow exception for applicants holdi…
New Central Bank cyber rules hit fintechs: 14 controls, annual pentest from Mar 2026
Resolutions CMN 5.274/2025 and BCB 538/2025 (published Dec 18, 2025) impose 14 minimum mandatory cybersecurity controls on financial and payment institutions, including fintechs, b…
Sweden's new 3:12 rules take effect Jan 1, 2026 with SEK 322,400 base allowance
From 1 January 2026, Sweden's reformed 3:12 rules for closely held companies replace the old simplified/main-rule split with one unified model. The low-taxed dividend allowance (ta…
Sweden's new 3:12 rules take effect Jan 1 2026, cutting tax for closely held firms
As of 1 January 2026 Sweden's reformed 3:12 rules replace the dual-track model with a unified calculation: a basic dividend allowance of four income base amounts (SEK 322,400 for 2…
US coworking hits ~8,420 locations and 152M sq ft heading into 2026
The US now has roughly 8,420 coworking locations (up from about 7,041 in mid-2024) totaling around 152 million sq ft, still only about 2% of national office inventory. Median membe…
Companies House director ID verification now mandatory ahead of Nov 2026 deadline
Identity verification at Companies House became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025 for all new directors and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs). Existing directors and PS…
Companies House ID verification now law; directors must verify by Nov 2026
From 18 November 2025, identity verification at Companies House became a legal requirement, starting a 12-month transition period. All existing company directors and people with si…
UK directors must verify identity at Companies House by 18 November 2026
Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025 for new incorporations and director/PSC appointments. Existing directors and persons with significant control h…
International Entrepreneur Rule now needs $311,071 investment plus a $1,000 fee
Under the International Entrepreneur Rule in 2026, foreign founders need at least $311,071 in qualified U.S. investor funding (or $124,429 in government grants) and a 10% ownership…
Employer childcare tax credit jumps to $500K for 2026
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill, for tax year 2026 the IRS increased the maximum employer-provided childcare tax credit (Section 45F) from $150,000 to $500,000, and to $600,000 if…
Växa-stöd hiring relief switches to pay-first, refund-later from Jan 2026
From the January 2026 reporting period, Skatteverket removes the Växa-stöd checkbox in the employer declaration: small firms must now pay the full 31.42% employer contribution up f…
SEBI angel funds must onboard only accredited investors by Sept 8, 2026
Under SEBI's revised AIF framework, angel funds registered before September 10, 2025 have until September 8, 2026 to onboard only Accredited Investors, and may keep at most 200 non…