TechCapsules

A British Cambridge start‑up, Vsim, has demonstrated that its proprietary simulation platform can train a robot, named Freddo, to walk, recognize a plastic bottle and grasp it in just minutes, a task that rival systems reportedly require days to master. The training occurs in a virtual environment where millions of task iterations are run, producing an optimal policy that is then uploaded to the robot’s hardware. Vsim’s founders, Michelle Lu and Kier Storey, built the simulator to exploit modern [...]

A British Cambridge start‑up, Vsim, has demonstrated that its proprietary simulation platform can train a robot named Freddo to walk, recognize a plastic bottle and grasp it in just minutes, a task that rival systems reportedly require days to master. The training occurs in a virtual environment where millions of iterations are run, producing an optimal policy that is then uploaded to the robot’s hardware. Vsim’s founders, Michelle Lu and Kier Storey, built the simulator to exploit modern GPUs, [...]

Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, in partnership with the BMC3I TAP Lab, announced the selection of six Focus Area Cohort Teams (FACTs) for Cohort 26.A Stage 0. The teams—Astra Ultra, GRVTY, Leidos, ColliMate Space, Paper Boat Systems Data Fusion, and Aloha Autonomy—were chosen through a competitive application and evaluation process. They will collaborate to develop solutions aligned with government priorities, engaging with defense subject‑matter experts and industry partners to refine capabilities and pursue future mission opportunities. [...]

Agility Robotics announced its new Digit 5 humanoid robot, standing 5‑foot‑11 and weighing 284 pounds, designed to work beside human workers in factories and warehouses. The company reports over $300 million in multi‑year orders, largely from a single customer agreement, with first‑access slated for early 2027 and general availability later that year. Digit 5 replaces the previous model’s awkward knees with forward‑facing legs powered by cycloidal actuators, enabling it to squat, lift 50 pounds, and operate for more than 20 hours daily [...]

Comp AI, a cybersecurity and compliance startup founded in January by Lewis Carhart, Claudio Fuentes and Mariano Fuentes, announced a $34 million Series A financing led by Roo Capital and Grand Ventures, bringing its total funding to $37.5 million. Drawing on lessons from their previous venture LeapAI—where manual SOC 2 compliance slowed product development—the trio built an “agentic” platform that automates policy drafting, evidence collection and continuous monitoring of compliance controls. The system also offers AI‑driven penetration testing and aims to keep security postures [...]

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Gusto CEO Josh Reeves, Insight Partners’ Michelle Johnson, and Leland co‑founder John Koelliker convened on the Builders Stage to discuss “Hiring When AI Is a Co‑Founder.” They examined how early‑stage companies can blend human and AI agents across engineering, support, and sales, addressing ownership, accountability, and decision‑making. The session highlighted practical strategies for building AI‑native teams without sacrificing speed, culture, or control, and offered insights for founders, investors, and talent leaders. [...]

Aristotle, a voice‑first AI tutoring platform, secured $5 million in seed funding from True Ventures, Wicklow Capital, and angel investors including Anthropic and OpenAI. The company, founded by Stanford alumni Shan Reddy, Jaiden Reddy, and Vivek Vajipey, aims to replace traditional tutoring with high‑dosage AI instruction for students aged 13–18. After a closed beta where over 1,000 students logged more than 1,500 hours of one‑on‑one tutoring, Aristotle plans a nationwide launch. The founders emphasize that their system guides [...]

Canada’s Cohere and Germany’s Aleph Alpha announced a definitive business combination agreement on 16 September 2026, following a planned merger announced in April. The combined entity will operate globally under the Cohere name, with dual headquarters in Berlin and Toronto and a research centre remaining in Heidelberg. The deal will bring Cohere’s workforce to over 1,000 employees across North America and Europe. Cohere, founded in 2019, has raised about $1.6 billion from investors such as Nvidia, AMD Ventures, [...]