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⚡ WHAT'S AT STAKE TODAY ⚡

1. 🤖💰 AI startup CVector raises $5M for its industrial 'nervous system'
2. 🤖🔧 Anthropic launches interactive Claude apps, including Slack and other workplace tools
3. 🔬💻 Microsoft announces powerful new chip for AI inference
4. ⚖️📢 Tech workers call for CEOs to speak up against ICE after the killing of Alex Pretti
5. 💼🌍 Obvious Ventures lands fund five with a 360-degree view of planetary, human, economic health
6. ⚖️📺 YouTubers sue Snap for alleged copyright infringement in training its AI models
7. 💰📋 Qualcomm backs SpotDraft to scale on-device contract AI with valuation doubling toward $400M
8. ⚠️👶 'Among the worst we've seen': report slams xAI's Grok over child safety failures
9. 💰🔌 Nvidia invests $2B to help debt-ridden CoreWeave add 5GW of AI compute

CVector secures $5M seed funding for AI-powered industrial optimization

AI startup CVector raises $5M for its industrial 'nervous system'

CVector, a New York-based industrial AI startup, has successfully closed a $5 million seed funding round to expand its AI-powered "nervous system" for large-scale industrial operations. Founded by Richard Zhang and Tyler Ruggles, the company creates intelligent software layers that help industrial facilities optimize operations and translate small actions into measurable cost savings.

The funding round was led by Powerhouse Ventures, with participation from early-stage investors including Fusion Fund, Myriad Venture Partners, and Hitachi's corporate venture arm. This milestone comes after significant progress since their pre-seed round last July, with the system now operational across multiple industries including public utilities, advanced manufacturing, and chemical production.

"One of the core things we're witnessing is customers really lack the tool to translate a small action, like turning on and off a valve, [into] did that just save me money?" Zhang explained. This precision in connecting micro-operations to financial impact has become central to CVector's value proposition.

The startup's diverse client base demonstrates the versatility of its technology. ATEK Metal Technologies, an Iowa-based metals processor that creates aluminum castings for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, uses CVector to predict equipment downtime, monitor energy efficiency, and track commodity prices affecting raw material costs. Meanwhile, Ammobia, a San Francisco materials science startup working to reduce ammonia production costs, applies similar CVector solutions despite being in a completely different industry sector.

"The joy of the last six to eight months has been going to the industrial heartland, to all of these places that are just in the middle of nowhere, but have massive production plants that are either reinventing themselves or really transforming how they make decisions," Zhang noted.

CVector has grown to 12 employees and established its first physical office in Manhattan's financial district. The company strategically recruits talent from fintech and hedge fund backgrounds, leveraging their expertise in using data analytics for financial advantage. "That's the core of our sales pitch; it's what we call 'operational economics,'" Zhang said. "We position it to sit between the operation of the plant and the actual economics."

The timing appears favorable for CVector's expansion. Zhang observed a dramatic shift in industry attitudes toward AI adoption over the past year. "When we first started the company almost exactly a year ago, it was still taboo to talk about AI in general. There was a 50/50 chance if the customer would embrace AI or just discredit you," he recalled. "But now, everyone is asking for more AI-native solutions, even when sometimes the ROI calculation might not be clear."

This growing acceptance stems from increasing economic pressures facing industrial companies. Co-founder Ruggles emphasized that their solution addresses fundamental financial concerns: "We're at this time when companies are really intimately worried about their supply chain and the costs and variability there, and being able to layer AI on top [to make an] economic model of a facility has really resonated with customers."

Public utilities remain a key focus area for CVector's technology deployment. The company continues finding success in helping these organizations optimize operations while managing complex cost structures and regulatory requirements.

As industrial companies navigate supply chain uncertainties and cost management challenges, CVector's AI-driven approach to operational economics positions the startup to capitalize on growing demand for intelligent industrial optimization solutions across both traditional manufacturing and emerging energy sectors.

Anthropic introduces interactive workplace apps for Claude chatbot users

Anthropic launches interactive Claude apps, including Slack and other workplace tools

Anthropic has launched interactive apps within Claude's chatbot interface, focusing on workplace productivity tools like Slack, Canva, Figma, Box, and Clay. These apps enable logged-in instances that allow Claude to send messages, generate charts, or access cloud files.

Available to Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers, the feature uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard. Integration with Claude Cowork is planned, potentially enabling multistage tasks across platforms while maintaining necessary security precautions for sensitive data access.

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The Supercharged Podcast is becoming a place where real conversations about AI happen — beyond hype, tools, or surface-level takes.

We sit down with industry leaders, founders, builders, and operators who are actively using AI — or building AI-first businesses — to understand how it’s actually changing the way work gets done.

From strategy and systems to experimentation and execution, these are practical, honest conversations with people shaping what comes next.

👉 Explore the Supercharged Podcast

Anthropic introduces interactive workplace apps for Claude chatbot users

Anthropic launches interactive Claude apps, including Slack and other workplace tools

Anthropic has launched interactive apps within Claude's chatbot interface, focusing on workplace productivity tools like Slack, Canva, Figma, Box, and Clay. These apps enable logged-in instances that allow Claude to send messages, generate charts, or access cloud files.

Available to Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers, the feature uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard. Integration with Claude Cowork is planned, potentially enabling multistage tasks across platforms while maintaining necessary security precautions for sensitive data access.

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