Lovense, a manufacturer of internet-connected sex toys, has confirmed the resolution of security vulnerabilities that exposed users' email addresses and allowed account takeovers.

CEO Dan Liu mentioned the company is considering legal action in response to reports about the bug.

A security researcher disclosed the bugs, reporting them earlier in the year after Lovense's delayed response.

Lovense claims that there is no evidence suggesting user data was compromised, despite reports indicating otherwise.

The company did not respond to requests for clarification on how it determined the lack of compromise.

TikTok has launched 'TikTok Pro' in Germany, Portugal, and Spain, featuring the 'Sunshine Programme.'

Users earn 'virtual sunshine' by engaging with charity content and inviting new users, which TikTok then converts into donations to charitable organizations.

'TikTok Pro' offers the same content as the standard app but excludes live streams, shopping features, and ads, focusing on charitable support.

A joint U.S.-European operation led by German prosecutors has seized the infrastructure of the BlackSuit ransomware gang. The operation, conducted on July 24, involved seizing the gang's servers and systems, securing considerable amounts of data to identify those responsible. The servers were switched off, effectively halting the ransomware malware. BlackSuit had targeted 184 victims worldwide, including several in Germany. The gang's leak site on the dark web is now displaying a seizure notice. The operation included help from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit and Europol. BlackSuit has targeted U.S. cities and organizations in various industries. In 2024, CISA warned that the gang was rebranding from Royal to BlackSuit.

Pearl Edison, a Detroit-based startup, is collaborating with utilities to streamline and reduce the cost of home energy retrofit projects like installing solar panels and heat pumps. They have raised $3.3 million in seed funding from New System Ventures and Commonweal Ventures.

The company partners with utilities to identify potential customers for energy upgrades and creates a white-labeled website to facilitate sign-ups. Pearl Edison uses data to generate guaranteed price quotes and sends workers to verify plans before finalizing the design.

By working directly with utilities, Pearl Edison aims to reduce customer acquisition costs and offer homeowners savings on energy efficiency upgrades. They currently have programs with DT Energy in Michigan, Duquesne Light in Pittsburgh, and the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and plan to add more utility partners this year.

A recent report by All Raise indicates significant progress for women in venture capital. Women now hold 18.6% of top roles at leading VC firms, doubling the percentage since 2018.

The report highlights that many women received promotions last year, and investors are actively seeking to back underrepresented founders (75% of investors).

While few women lead mega-funds ($3 billion or more), there's a rise in women-led solo ventures. Over 100 women-led funds launched in the past decade, with nearly 180 firms raising $5.3 billion in 2023.

SixSense, a Singapore-based deep tech startup, has raised $8.5 million in Series A funding to advance its AI-powered platform for real-time chip defect prediction and detection in semiconductor manufacturing. The platform aims to convert raw production data into actionable insights, helping factories prevent quality issues and improve yield. Founded by Akanksha Jagwani and Avni Agarwal, SixSense's technology is already used by major manufacturers like GlobalFoundries and JCET, resulting in faster production cycles, yield improvements, and reduced manual inspection work. The company is expanding into the U.S. amid geopolitical shifts driving new manufacturing investments globally.

Reddit's second-quarter earnings reveal a significant focus on AI, particularly in advertising. The company's revenue is primarily driven by ads, accounting for $465 million (93% of total revenue). New AI-powered marketing tools like Reddit Insights and Conversation Summary Add-ons have been launched to aid advertisers. Additionally, the data licensing business, involving deals with AI providers like Google and OpenAI, grew by 24% to $35 million. The Reddit Answers tool has also seen substantial growth, reaching 6 million weekly users. CEO Steve Huffman aims to integrate this tool deeper into the core search experience.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company has sold 3 billion iPhones since its launch in 2007.

The first billion iPhones were sold in nine years (by 2016), while the next 2 billion were sold in the subsequent nine years, highlighting the product's increasing popularity.

iPhone sales generated $44.6 billion in revenue this quarter, a 13% year-over-year increase, representing nearly half of Apple's total revenue of $94 billion.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that concerns about potential tariff-related price increases may have temporarily boosted iPhone sales.