Latest news with #incubator
Geek Wire
23-07-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Three startups selected for inaugural Curinos FinTech Incubator based at UW's CoMotion
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . Participants in the Curinos FinTech Incubator, from left: Reagan Bonlie, founder and CEO of Nudge Money; Amos Nadler, founder, CEO and chief scientist at Prof of Wall Street; and Abraxas Higgins, founder and CEO of Parish. (Photos Courtesy of CoMotion) Three startups have been chosen to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Curinos FinTech Incubator, launched in partnership with the University of Washington's CoMotion innovation arm. New York-based Curinos, which serves banks, lenders, credit unions, and other customers with AI-powered financial data and analytics products, first announced the new program in March. The aim is to support startups that are building cutting-edge financial tools and technologies, with a focus on underserved communities, smarter personalization, and behavioral insights that improve financial outcomes. The incubator will be located at CoMotion's HQ at UW in Seattle, where startups will have access to Curinos' proprietary data assets and get exposure to the company's network of global financial institutions. The participating companies and what they do, as described by Curinos and CoMotion, include: Nudge Money : A New York-based startup 'using AI and behavioral science to help credit unions and community banks transform raw data into personalized, automated engagement that drives deposit and loan growth. By tailoring outreach at scale, Nudge empowers smaller institutions to compete with digital-first fintechs without adding headcount or major infrastructure.' : A New York-based startup 'using AI and behavioral science to help credit unions and community banks transform raw data into personalized, automated engagement that drives deposit and loan growth. By tailoring outreach at scale, Nudge empowers smaller institutions to compete with digital-first fintechs without adding headcount or major infrastructure.' Parish : A Milwaukee-based startup that 'turns justice-related financial obligations into credit-building opportunities for families impacted by incarceration. Through its flagship product, Jump, the platform enables users to report payments to major credit bureaus, helping them build credit, improve financial stability, and break the cycle of generational poverty.' : A Milwaukee-based startup that 'turns justice-related financial obligations into credit-building opportunities for families impacted by incarceration. Through its flagship product, Jump, the platform enables users to report payments to major credit bureaus, helping them build credit, improve financial stability, and break the cycle of generational poverty.' Prof of Wall Street: A Toronto-based startup that 'combines behavioral finance research with AI to detect and correct investment biases in real time. Its modular analytics platform helps financial institutions identify patterns in investor behavior and deliver personalized insights that improve portfolio performance, engagement, and retention.' Longtime Seattle tech leader Olly Downs is chief technology and AI officer at Curinos. 'Each of these companies represents a unique, forward-thinking approach to improving financial outcomes, whether through personalization, inclusion, or smarter decision-making in areas where Curinos' unique combination of industry expertise, data assets and technical talent together with CoMotion's powerful innovation community can truly provide business acceleration,' Downs said in a statement.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
People Fixing the World Saving mothers and babies
In 2017, Spanish engineer Pablo Bergasa began an unusual hobby: to design a new incubator for use in African hospitals. Eight years on, he has sent 200 of his machines around the world, and he estimates they have saved the lives of 5,000 babies. Pablo's incubator costs a small proportion of the price of a regular machine and can run on a battery and a bottle of water. Plus Myra Anubi hears about how a simple but ingenious plastic sheet is saving women from dying after giving birth. People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every week for most of the year. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@ And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider. Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter: Esperanza Escribano Producer: William Kremer Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Andrew Mills
Entrepreneur
04-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How to Oust a Difficult Co-founder Legally and Smoothly
There are a number of reasons that a co-founder may want to part ways with another co-founder. There are also legal considerations to keep in mind when co-founders separate. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Imagine this. Jean and John, who met at a startup incubator, founded a company together. But as they grew, Jean realized that she and John weren't aligned on many things, including what the company's future should look like. Neither John's goals nor his behavior reflected the company's mission, so Jean ousts John from the business. Reasons for a co-founder's departure There are a number of reasons that a co-founder may want to part ways with another co-founder. 1. Lack of dedication A startup that wants to scale for a big exit typically requires founders who dedicate long hours for little pay (at least at the beginning). While some founders, like Jean, are willing to do that, some, like John, are not. Jean was willing to put in as many hours as it took to meet her responsibilities. John, on the other hand, arrived late and left early, demonstrating that he wasn't dedicated to his role — or the company. 2. Difficult to work with Some founders are simply difficult to work with. They're not collaborative, they're closed off to others' input or they belittle or micromanage their employees. While in the office, John's attitude was one of superiority. He felt that certain tasks were below him and that others should do the "heavy lifting." He criticized his employees at every opportunity, lowering morale and eventually pushing a very dedicated, key employee out of the company. 3. Lack of alignment with vision While a dream team of co-founders might be committed and great as colleagues, they might have different visions about the company's future. For example, they may disagree on a pivot other founders believe is necessary. Jean wanted to focus on R&D to ensure ongoing innovation, but John was focused on expanding the company. In addition to his behavior, this lack of alignment caused so much tension that Jean started the process of terminating her co-founder. Related: So Your Co-Founder is Threatening to Quit Unless You Give Them More Equity. What Should You Do? Legal considerations In addition to mistakes that can be made during the termination process, there are several legal considerations to keep in mind when co-founders separate. 1. Complying with employment law Founders are almost always employees by law. When terminating an employee, keep in mind — and meet — the legalities of termination, including filing certain paperwork and notices, and meeting deadlines for paying the final paycheck, for example. When the tension between Jean and John began, Jean documented each instance so she had relevant backup at the time of John's termination. 2. Is your relationship buttoned up? Make sure you are not giving an ousted co-founder leverage. Breaking promises or not protecting the company legally in its founding documents on IP assignments or confidentiality obligations means that they now have valuable IP the company needs. 3. Do you have the legal right? It's critical to ensure that a co-founder has the legal right to terminate another co-founder. If they do not, they should take the necessary steps to secure those rights; it might not be as simple as telling them they are fired. For example, the company's bylaws might allow a co-founder to be terminated only if the board votes to do so. The ousting founders need to make sure they can — and do — get board support. When John's performance began to decline, Jean consulted with the company's board to ensure the board was informed from the outset. More legal considerations: What NOT to do While there are considerations to make so as not to run into legal issues, there are also considerations for what NOT to do. 1. Don't think about a separation agreement A legally binding separation agreement can get you a release of claims, potentially non-disparagement terms and other benefits for the company, including agreements to not sue. Investors will want to see this if at all possible in diligence. It's worth some money to get this. As soon as John's performance started suffering and other employees began complaining about his behavior, Jean consulted an employment attorney to prepare the paperwork necessary for a separation agreement, enabling the process to be completed without worrying about a potential lawsuit. 2. Forget to cut off access to systems To prevent an ousted co-founder from accessing company information post-termination, ensure that they can no longer access the company's systems. Disgruntled employees with access to company data can cause major problems. Once John was officially "out," all access to company information was cut off; Jean knew that, if given the opportunity, John would have tried to access certain data once he exited the company. 3. Bash the ousted founder to employees, investors and other stakeholders Sometimes in trying to explain the ousted founder's departure, founders will resort to speaking negatively about them; this opens the company to defamation liability. It can also reflect badly on the company and the founding terms. Finally, it can lead to the ousted founder becoming more hostile toward the company. Despite their differences, Jean maintained reasonable levels of professionalism. Although the process was stressful for her, her team and ultimately the company, John's ouster and the reasons behind it remained within the executive leadership team. Related: 4 Sane Strategies for Maintaining Healthy Co-Founder Relationships Ramifications of skirting the law All of this advice hinges on the remaining founders meeting the requirements to legally terminate a co-founder. When they don't, there are ramifications. 1. Incurring penalties and legal claims First, by not complying with employment laws, penalties can be incurred, and legal claims are given to the ousted founder; these can add up. For example, in California, if all wages aren't paid on the final day of employment, the ousted founder is entitled to a penalty equal to one full day of wages for every day until they are fully paid (up to 30 days). Jean's diligence in consulting a startup attorney prepared her for the separation. In addition to the separation agreement, Jean presented John with his final paycheck at the termination meeting. 2. Post-termination negotiations If you don't button up your relationship with the founder prior to termination, you will be stuck post-termination negotiating for what you need. At this point, you are unlikely to have much leverage. 3. No separation agreement If you fail to get a separation agreement, investors may push on you in diligence to get one later; this is often difficult. Also, you may subject the company to claims that would have been released if money was offered as severance at the outset. Note that a founder may sign a separation agreement quickly if it's offered with a positive message and incentives. The absence of an up-front offer can result in litigation, and demands may increase. The bottom line While there are myriad factors that contribute to the ousting of a company founder, it behooves those on the company side to make appropriate preparations to avoid legal troubles. Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? 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Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Doctors and moms say these babies in Gaza may die without more formula. They blame Israel's blockade
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Seham Fawzy Khodeir watches as her son lies inside a dilapidated incubator and listens to his faint cry, mixed with the muted sound of the equipment. The mother of six is increasingly concerned about the survival of Hisham al-Lahham, who was just days old, breathing with the help of equipment and being fed through a tube in his tiny nose.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We're not trying to be Silicon Valley': Inside Station F, where Paris is incubating the next tech and AI juggernauts
Paris's Station F, a converted train station, is a prolific incubator for tech startups. The incubator has doubled down on the AI boom and is getting more interest from US startups. Business Insider visited the vibrant space to see how it's driving France's tech boom. In Paris's balmy thirteenth district, an airy rail depot that's been converted into a startup incubator is now the epicenter of France's tech boom. Walking through Station F, it's hard not to see how the 366,000-square-foot space has been influenced by Silicon Valley, with its amenities like a huge cafeteria and an under-construction yoga studio that are reminiscent of Big Tech campuses. But Station F's director, Roxanne Varza, told Business Insider that it is not trying to become an American incubator. "We've been inspired by a lot of players, and we look up to Y Combinator. But we're not trying to be Silicon Valley," she said. Now, politics is helping drive international founders here, including Americans, Varza told BI during a recent visit. The election of Donald Trump and Brexit were among the biggest catalysts driving international founders to Station F, Varza told BI. After France, the US and UK are the most represented nationalities on campus, which houses entrepreneurs from 70 nationalities, Varza said. At times of political volatility, the campus has been a magnet for founders seeking a global outlook and a supply of talent. Trump 2.0 — and its aftermath, including the announcement of Stargate and DeepSeek — galvanized European founders to step up, Varza said. The US tech ecosystem secured $209 billion in VC funding in 2024, about 17 times more than France. But Paris is catching up to its global counterparts. In 2025, technology research platform Dealroom billed the city as Europe's new tech champion, overtaking London's mantle. From 2017 to 2024, the combined enterprise value of startups based in Paris increased 5.3 times, more than any other European tech hub. Climate tech founders in particular have been coming from the US to Station F amid the Trump administration cutting incentives for green industries in the US, Varza said. Materials discovery startup Entalpic, which launched in 2024, has had a flurry of US applicants vying for jobs at the company since the start of the year, its cofounder, Alexandre Duval, told BI. Duval had planned to move his startup out of Station F once it reached 20 employees, but decided to stay. "We have so many resources here: meeting rooms, onboarding, events, opportunities to meet people. It's good," he said. Station F, the handiwork of French billionaire Xavier Neil, launched in 2017 to drive entrepreneurship in France's tech ecosystem. The Station F team accepts around 40 startups every month. In addition to access to the incubator's coworking space, startups get resources and mentorship, including from government officials and Big Tech companies, such as Meta and Microsoft, that have offices at Station F. Station F's flagship Founders Program offers founders workshops and masterclasses. In return, the incubator takes 1% equity — a more favourable figure than the 6% taken by Y Combinator. The incubator also aims to write checks of $50,000 to $100,000 to around 20 upstarts each year. The result is a hubbub of innovators collaborating and ideating all days of the week — a far cry from how some corners of LinkedIn see Europe's tech ecosystem as the butt of the joke for its supposed lax work culture compared to Silicon Valley. Station F has welcomed everyone from the prime minister of Ethiopia to the CEO of Cisco — and the morning I arrive, the CEO of GitHub is scheduled to speak for a Q&A as part of VivaTech, France's flagship tech event that attracted speakers such as Nvidia's Jensen Huang. "The No. 1 reason people come here is for the access to people," Varza added. Like many of its international counterparts, Station F has doubled down on the AI boom. Government initiatives under France's president Emmanuel Macron, as well as generous financing from the country's national bank, Bpifrance, have galvanized the region's AI startups. In 2023, French AI startups raised $1.9 billion, per PitchBook data. In 2024, this figure rose by more than 50% to $2.98 billion. Notable rounds included Mistral's $600 million raise in June 2024 and H's mammoth $220 million seed round in May 2024. So far this year, French AI companies have raised $1.7 billion in VC funding, and Macron announced in February an additional $112 billion in private sector funding earmarked for the country's AI ecosystem. High-profile investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Lightspeed Ventures have flocked to back prolific AI startups founded in France, such as Mistral, Dust, and Poolside. Open-source AI company Hugging Face, now valued at $4.5 billion, was once incubated in Station F. Now, Varza said, around 40% of France's AI startups are spinning out of the program. In 2024, 34 out of 40 of the top startups touted by Station F — its "Future 40" — were AI companies. "Station F is one of the biggest AI communities in Europe," Varza says. "It's also an entry point for so many tier one investors coming to Europe — and we're seeing more Series A and B rounds too." Beyond helping AI startups raise financing, Station F also participates in regulatory debates about France's tech ecosystem, Varza added. "Right now, the government is talking about how we can fiscally incentivise AI companies and push creation. We're in those discussions very actively." I was keen to speak to AI and climate founders, and within two minutes, Varza had grabbed two people for me to speak to. It was a reflection of how Station F operates: touting collaboration over competition. Despite the vast space, I saw founders from different startups huddled together in various pockets of the station, congregating for in-house events such as Q&As, as well as the bustling restaurant space. "We saw incredible things happen when people were working in close spaces," Varza said. "You see everything from VR and AI companies collaborating — and even companies winding down and neighbouring teams acquiring them." She recalled how one startup in the incubator wanted to pivot and copied a neighbouring company's idea. "It's our only copycat story, but they both ended up being pretty successful," she added. Station F is working on initiatives with Japan and the Gulf region, Varza said — but what excites her most is the opportunity to take what they've built in Paris and "build those bridges" internationally across Europe. Read the original article on Business Insider
