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Finance

StubHub Revives IPO Plans, Aiming for $1 Billion Raise

StubHub has updated its S-1 filing, signaling a renewed push for its IPO, potentially raising $1 billion. The initial IPO plans were paused in April due to market concerns.
The updated filing includes Q1 2025 results. In 2024, StubHub reported nearly $1.8 billion in revenue with a net loss of $2.8 million.
Madrone Partners is the largest shareholder (27.1%), followed by WestCap Management (10.8%) and Bessemer (9.6%). Founder CEO Eric Baker controls 90% of the vote through super-voting Class B shares.

Cybersecurity

Russian Government Suspected in US Court System Data Breach

The Russian government is suspected of orchestrating a data breach targeting the U.S. court filing system, PACER, according to The New York Times. Anonymous sources indicate Russian involvement in the cyberattack, which focused on mid-level criminal cases, potentially compromising confidential informant identities and sealed documents. The U.S. Courts confirmed the attack and is enhancing security measures. A memo to Justice Department officials highlighted the urgency of the matter. This follows a previous Russian cyberattack in 2020 targeting SolarWinds, which also affected PACER, leading to the theft of sealed court documents.

Finance & Technology

Paytm Secures Key Regulatory Approval Amidst Investor Shift

Indian fintech giant Paytm has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a payment services provider, lifting onboarding restrictions imposed in 2022.

This approval comes after a period of regulatory setbacks, including a ban on Paytm Payments Bank from accepting fresh deposits. Paytm has partnered with multiple banks to continue services.

The license was granted just after Ant Group sold its remaining stake in Paytm. Paytm is required to conduct a system audit within six months to maintain the approval.

Paytm reported a net income of ₹1.23 billion for Q1 2026, and its shares have risen 13.25% year-to-date, indicating a recovery in market confidence.

Artificial Intelligence

Continua Raises $8M to Integrate AI Agents into Group Chats

David Petrou, a former Google engineer, has launched Continua, a startup focused on enhancing group chat interactions using AI agents.

Continua has secured $8 million in seed funding led by GV, with participation from Bessemer Ventures Partners and angel investors.

Continua's AI agents aim to reduce group chat chaos by offering relevant information and automating tasks like setting reminders, launching polls, and creating documents.

Users can add Continua to group SMS or Discord chats, and the AI agent can be invoked for assistance or told to hang back if needed.

GV invested in Continua based on Petrou's expertise, recognizing the potential for profitability through event planning and trip booking assistance.

Cybersecurity

Hackers Expose North Korean Kimsuky Spy Operation in Rare Breach

Hackers Saber and cyb0rg claim to have compromised a workstation used by a North Korean government hacker named 'Kim,' allegedly a member of the Kimsuky espionage group (APT43/Thallium). The breach, detailed in Phrack magazine, exposes Kimsuky's tools, techniques, and alleged collaboration with Chinese hackers. The stolen data, leaked to DDoSecrets, reveals evidence of Kimsuky compromising South Korean networks and stealing cryptocurrency to fund North Korea's nuclear program. The hackers highlight Kimsuky's morally questionable motives, driven by financial greed and political agendas.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Companion App Market Booms, Set to Exceed $120M in 2025

Demand for AI companion apps is surging, with 128 new apps launched in 2025. These apps, which allow users to interact with custom AI characters, have generated $82 million in the first half of the year and are projected to reach $120 million by year-end.

Downloads have increased by 88% year-over-year, reaching 220 million globally as of July 2025. Consumer spending in this category has reached $221 million, with a 64% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Popular apps include Replika, Character.AI, and Chai. The trend is also attracting larger companies like xAI, which launched AI companions on Grok. OpenAI's ChatGPT users also expressed a strong connection with older models, highlighting the growing importance of AI companionship.

Notably, apps targeting users seeking AI girlfriends are the most prevalent, with 17% of active apps including "girlfriend" in their name.

Social Media

Meta's Threads Hits 400 Million Monthly Active Users, Closing in on X

Meta's Threads has reached 400 million monthly active users (MAUs), according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri. This milestone comes two years after its launch as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter).

Threads added 50 million monthly users in the past quarter. X has over 600 million monthly active users.

Threads is nearing X's daily app users on mobile devices. In June 2025, Threads had 115.1 million daily active users, a 127.8% increase year-over-year, while X had 132 million, a 15.2% decrease.

X's worldwide daily web visits are ahead of Threads. In June, X had 145.8 million average daily web visits, while Threads had 6.9 million.

Threads has introduced new features, including DMs, fediverse integrations, custom feeds, and AI enhancements.

Startups & Investments

Pronto Triples Valuation in 90 Days with Rapid Home Service Booking

Pronto, an Indian startup offering cleaning, laundry, and home services within 10 minutes, has tripled its valuation in under 90 days, raising $11 million in Series A funding led by General Catalyst and Glade Brook Capital. The company's revenue has increased fivefold since May, with daily bookings in the 'four-digits' and an expected annual recurring revenue of $750,000 to $1.5 million.

Investors are impressed by Pronto's founder, Anjali Sardana, and the company's rapid scaling and execution. Pronto plans to expand within Gurugram and into major cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru in the next 12-18 months. The startup currently has six hubs in Gurugram and around 750 workers on its platform.

The market for household services in India is substantial, with 180–190 million nuclear families and a large semi-skilled workforce.

Technology News

Google Launches "Preferred Sources" Feature for Personalized News in Search Results

Google is introducing a new feature called "Preferred Sources" in the U.S. and India, allowing users to customize their Top Stories section in search results by selecting preferred news sites and blogs.

Users can add sources by tapping the "star" icon next to the Top Stories section after searching for a topic. Once sources are selected, refreshing the results will display more content from those sources.

For certain queries, a separate "From your sources" section will appear below the Top Stories section.

This feature, initially tested as a Search Labs experiment, is now available to all users for English language searches in the U.S. and India. While it allows users to access information from preferred sources, it may also limit exposure to diverse perspectives.