Latest news with #AxiosPro
Axios
13 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Logistics safety startup Voxel raises $44M Series B
Logistics safety startup Voxel closed a $44 million Series B led by NewRoad Capital Partners, CEO Vernon O'Donnell tells Axios Pro exclusively. Why it matters: It gives San Franscisco-based Voxel three years of runway to reach breakeven or accelerate growth and raise again, its CEO says. How it works: The software integrates into existing security cameras, using AI to identify in real time — and increasingly predict — workplace hazards. Such scenarios include shelf integrity, forklift operation, employee movements or aisle spills that could present safety concerns. While worker safety is the core business case, the software's capabilities extend to productivity and efficiency, O'Donnell says. State of play: Nearly 3 million people die in workplace incidents each year globally, according to the International Labour Organization. Worker compensation, increased insurance premiums and a toll on morale stem from such incidents, hitting companies' annual bottom lines. Zoom in: Voxel counts 14 Fortune 500 customers, six of which have signed contracts in the last 120 days, the CEO says. One Fortune 50 customer changed the entire loading and unloading process for a more than 1 million-square-foot distribution center based on Voxel's recommendations, he says. Adopters across various sectors include Albertsons, Dick's Sporting Goods, Americold, AGI, the Port of Virginia and Berry Global. What they're saying: "We're seeing ... a hard ROI: reduction in worker's comp claims, reduction in OSHA fines, reduction in lost days," O'Donnell says. "Their speed of using AI to then be able to classify, 'is this an unsafe act or not?' and then alert leadership to take action — that's what really sold us," said Chris Sultemeier, NewRoad Capital Partners operating partner and former Walmart EVP of logistics. Friction point: Union workers have sometimes objected to video monitoring they consider invasive.
New York Times
06-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
White House Cracks Down on News Subscriptions
The White House is following through on its plan to cut back on news subscriptions inside government agencies. A spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department, Audra Weeks, said on Thursday that the agency had canceled its subscriptions to Politico Pro, a news and information service, after reviewing its media contracts. It was not immediately clear whether the department had ended its subscriptions to other news outlets. President Trump and his administration have ratcheted up criticism and scrutiny of the press since taking office last month. Brendan Carr, the newly named chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has ordered an investigation into PBS and NPR, and also opened an inquiry into CBS News over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Politico has been at the center of a social media misinformation campaign this week, with X users posting screenshots that falsely purported to show millions of dollars funneled from the United States Agency for International Development to the site. Mr. Trump spread a similar message on his Truth Social platform. In fact, the screenshots described government subscriptions to Politico Pro, which added up to millions of dollars. The service offers policy-related resources and tracks news and legislation, and has more than 30,000 subscribers, according to a Politico overview. When asked about the social media campaign on Wednesday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that the government would be eliminating subscriptions to some news organizations as part of a plan to scale back government spending. 'This is a whole-of-government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal of government's books,' Ms. Leavitt said. An official from the Agriculture Department told employees in an email this week to end the agency's business relationship with several news publications, saying that it was 'working with the bank to put additional controls in place' to prevent further transactions. The email listed Politico, Axios and Reuters as the news organizations that were targeted. In its statement, the U.S.D.A. said that the agency did not have any subscriptions to Axios, 'so there were no cancellations made' to that outlet. Goli Sheikholeslami, Politico's chief executive, and John Harris, Politico's editor in chief, said in a note to readers on Thursday that the overwhelming majority of subscribers to Politico Pro were outside the federal government. 'Most Politico Pro subscribers are in the private sector,' the note said. 'They come from across the ideological spectrum and subscribe for one reason: value.' Politico said it had no additional comment beyond the note from Ms. Sheikholeslami and Mr. Harris. A spokeswoman from Reuters said that the company did not comment on commercial agreements. Axios said the U.S.D.A. did not subscribe to its service, Axios Pro, which provides information focused on specific niches in the financial and policy realms.
