All posts tagged: Catalyst

VC mega funds are back with General Catalyst, Spark rumored to be raising billions

VC mega funds are back with General Catalyst, Spark rumored to be raising billions

Published by skeptic

Following news last month that New York’s hottest venture firm, Thrive, just raised $10 billion for a new fund — its largest ever, double the previous one — another big-name VC firm is attempting to equal that raise. General Catalyst is in talks to raise $10 billion, unnamed sources tell Bloomberg. This firm, which has recast itself as a broader financial services company, raised $8 billion just a couple of years ago in 2024. Meanwhile, Spark Capital is trying to raise $3 billion, sources tell The Information, which would also be a big boost from its previous funds. And, as TechCrunch just exclusively reported, Founders Fund is about to close a new $6 billion fund, too. All of this follows Andreessen Horowitz’s $15 billion in new funding announced in January. Venture firms were already sitting on a record amount of so-called dry powder, meaning money available but not yet invested, at the end of 2025, according to the year-end report by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. But 2026 is already shaping up as …

New carbon-based catalyst breaks down forever chemicals using light

New carbon-based catalyst breaks down forever chemicals using light

Published by Jenni Sidey

Blue light, a sheet of filter paper, and a stubborn class of industrial chemicals do not sound like much of a match. Yet that simple setup sits at the center of a new attempt to tackle PFAS, the long-lasting compounds often called “forever chemicals” because they resist breaking down in nature. An international research team led by the University of Bath has built a prototype carbon-based catalyst that uses light to break down a model PFAS compound. The work, published in RSC Advances, points to a possible way not only to destroy some of these chemicals but also, eventually, to help detect them outside specialist labs. PFAS have been used for years in consumer and technical products, from waterproof clothing to non-stick pans, make-up, and fire-fighting foams. Their appeal comes from their stability. That is also the problem. They persist in water systems, the food chain, the wider environment, and the human body. The source material notes that their long-term effects are not fully known, though some studies have linked some PFAS to a higher …

Scientists develop sunlight-activated catalyst to break down PFAS

Scientists develop sunlight-activated catalyst to break down PFAS

Published by skeptic

Breakthrough carbon-based technology offers a new route for PFAS removal and on-site detection. An international group of researchers has unveiled a new sunlight-driven catalyst designed to break down PFAS, the persistent industrial chemicals often referred to as “forever chemicals.” The team, led by the University of Bath, says the prototype material could eventually support more practical approaches to PFAS removal and environmental monitoring. This collaboration included scientists from the University of São Paulo, the University of Edinburgh, and Swansea University. The project was led by Professor Frank Marken of the University of Bath’s Department of Chemistry and Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change. Findings from the research are published in RSC Advances and detail how a carbon-based photocatalyst can degrade polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using light energy. Why PFAS are so difficult to remove PFAS are valued for their water- and stain-resistant properties, making them common in non-stick cookware, waterproof textiles, cosmetics, and firefighting foams. Their chemical stability, however, also means they persist in soil, water systems, and living organisms. Studies have detected PFAS in drinking …

Tomb Raider Catalyst | Release date speculation and latest news

Tomb Raider Catalyst | Release date speculation and latest news

Published by Daniella Wilson

After what has felt like forever, a brand-new Tomb Raider game has finally been revealed! We don’t yet know what the exact Tomb Raider Catalyst release date is but we’re already excited to find out more about Lara Croft’s latest adventure. A lot has happened to Lara Croft since the last time we saw her in a new game. Not least the fact that Amazon now owns the game publishing rights. Something of a soft reboot for the franchise that follows on from 2008’s Tomb Raider Underworld and takes Lara to Northern India, the new game even features a new Lara design and voice actor to boot. Excited? Raid down into the page below to find out when we might be able to expect Tomb Raider Catalyst in stores and for the very latest on Lara Croft’s brand-new adventure. When is the Tomb Raider Catalyst release date? Speculation The Tomb Raider Catalyst release date is sometime in 2027, the developer has confirmed. Yep, that’s right, we have to wait a while to play through Lara’s …

General Catalyst commits B to India over five years

General Catalyst commits $5B to India over five years

Published by skeptic

General Catalyst, a Silicon Valley-based venture firm with more than $43 billion in assets under management, has announced it plans to invest $5 billion in India over the next five years, sharply expanding its push into the country’s startup ecosystem less than two years after merging with local venture firm Venture Highway. The commitment, unveiled at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Friday, will target startups across artificial intelligence, healthcare, defense technology, fintech, and consumer technology. The announcement marks a significant increase from the $500 million to $1 billion the firm had previously earmarked for India. India, the world’s most populous country with more than a billion internet users, is positioning itself as a major AI investment destination. New Delhi aims to attract over $200 billion in AI infrastructure investments over the next two years as it hosts the India AI Impact Summit with participation from companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. “India will build the next generation of global platform companies,” General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja (pictured above) said, adding that …

Powerful catalyst could make mixed plastic recycling a reality

Powerful catalyst could make mixed plastic recycling a reality

Published by Jenni Sidey

Plastic waste surrounds daily life, from food containers and grocery bags to shampoo bottles and medical supplies. Much of it ends up buried or drifting into ecosystems because recycling it is slow, costly, and frustrating. A new study from chemists at Northwestern University suggests that problem may soon ease. Their research introduces a powerful nickel-based catalyst that can break down common plastics without the painstaking sorting that recycling systems depend on today. The study describes a method that turns low-value plastic waste into useful liquid oils and waxes. Those products can later become fuels, lubricants, or everyday items like candles. The process focuses on polyolefins, plastics made from polyethylene and polypropylene that account for nearly two-thirds of global plastic use. These materials are everywhere, and they are also among the hardest to recycle. “One of the biggest hurdles in plastic recycling has always been the necessity of meticulously sorting plastic waste by type,” said Tobin Marks, the study’s senior author at Northwestern. He said the new catalyst could remove that step for common plastics and …

‘A catalyst for change’: how sustainable Copenhagen became fashion’s ‘fifth city’ | Fashion weeks

‘A catalyst for change’: how sustainable Copenhagen became fashion’s ‘fifth city’ | Fashion weeks

Published by Sam Flores

When it comes to fashion weeks, there used to be four key cities: New York, London, Milan and Paris. While they remain titleholders, a host of other cities from Berlin to Seoul and Lagos have been vying for the same recognition to become “the fifth fashion week”. But so far only one real winner has emerged: Copenhagen fashion week. On Tuesday, the Danish showcase, which has helped catapult homegrown brands including Ganni into the international spotlight while spearheading sustainability initiatives, kicked off the start of its 20th-anniversary celebrations. What began as the merging of two small trade fairs in 2006 has become a biannual event on the fashion calendar, attracting editors from glossy publications including Vogue, buyers from global luxury stores, and influencers who descend in their droves for the street style scene. Back in its infancy in 2006, it was mainly met with scepticism. Cecilie Thorsmark, the chief executive of Copenhagen fashion week (CPHFW), describes the showcase’s founder, Eva Kruse, as “a visionary”. The former Eurowoman magazine editor “set out from the start to …

Bolna nabs .3M from General Catalyst for its India-focused voice orchestration platform

Bolna nabs $6.3M from General Catalyst for its India-focused voice orchestration platform

Published by skeptic

Industry reports and the growth of voice model companies in the Indian market suggest that there is a growing demand for voice AI solutions in the country. Voice is a popular medium for communication among people and businesses in India. That’s why enterprises and startups are eager to use voice AI to be more efficient at customer support, sales, customer acquisition, hiring, and training. But recognizing market demand is one thing — proving businesses will pay is another. Y Combinator rejected the application from Bolna, a voice orchestration startup built by Maitreya Wagh and Prateek Sachan, five times before finally accepting it into the fall 2025 batch, skeptical that the founders could turn interest into revenue. “When we were applying for Y Combinator, the feedback we got was, ‘great to see that you have a product that can create realistic voice agents, but Indian enterprises are not going to pay, and you are not going to make money out of this,’” Wagh told TechCrunch. The startup applied with the same idea for the fall batch …

Why home buyers may become the catalyst for PFAS screening

Why home buyers may become the catalyst for PFAS screening

Published by skeptic

New national research shows home buyers are ready to act on PFAS once rapid, accessible testing tools become available. For decades, PFAS testing has existed almost entirely within regulatory, industrial, and scientific settings. Water utilities test at the treatment-plant level, environmental agencies measure PFAS during contamination events, and laboratories rely on slow, specialised workflows. Meanwhile, the families most affected by PFAS have had almost no practical way to test their own water or soil. Traditional PFAS testing is expensive, slow, and logistically complicated – optimised for laboratories, not households or the rapid timelines of a real-estate transaction. As PFAS awareness has grown, homeowners have been left without tools that match their concerns or decision-making needs. PureTrace Labs, a startup dedicated to rapid PFAS screening and accessible testing solutions, began studying this gap. Through engagement with communities, environmental professionals, and home inspectors, the team consistently heard the same message: families want answers, but the current system makes PFAS testing too slow, too costly, or too confusing. © shutterstock/fizkes This prompted PureTrace Labs to ask a different …

McKinsey and General Catalyst execs say the era of ‘learn once, work forever’ is over

McKinsey and General Catalyst execs say the era of ‘learn once, work forever’ is over

Published by skeptic

If there is one point of consensus among the CES 2026 keynote speakers, it is that AI is reshaping technology with a speed and scale unlike any previous technological revolution. In a live taping on Tuesday of the All-In podcast, co-host Jason Calacanis interviewed Bob Sternfels, Global Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company, and Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst. Their discussion focused on how AI is transforming investment strategies and the workforce. “The world has completely changed,” Taneja said about the unprecedented growth of AI companies. He noted that while it took Stripe about 12 years to reach a $100 billion valuation, Anthropic, another General Catalyst portfolio company, soared from a $60 billion valuation last year to a “couple hundred billion dollars” this year. Taneja believes we are on the verge of seeing a new wave of trillion-dollar companies. “That’s not a pie-in-the-sky idea with Anthropic, OpenAI, and a couple of others,” he said. Calacanis pressed them on what’s driving this explosive growth. According to McKinsey’s Sternfels, while many companies are testing AI products, …