Los Altos, California-based firm recognized in TIME and Statista’s 2026 ranking, following its inclusion in the award’s inaugural 2025 list
LOS ALTOS, Calif., Aug. 25, 2026 — Foothill Ventures, a Los Altos, California-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments, today announced it has been named to TIME‘s America’s Top Venture Capital Firms list for 2026. This marks the second consecutive year Foothill Ventures has earned the distinction, following its inclusion in the list’s inaugural 2025 edition.
The annual ranking, produced by TIME in partnership with Statista, evaluates the nation’s leading venture capital firms using a weighted methodology that accounts for fundraising, investment activity, performance, and leadership.
Founded in 2017, Foothill Ventures backs technical founders building breakthrough companies, working alongside them from seed stage onward. Its current investment focus spans agentic AI, physical AI, and compute infrastructure, with more than 160 portfolio companies across three funds to date.
“This recognition reflects the extraordinary founders we’re lucky to back, the conviction our limited partners bring to every fund, and the relentless work our team puts in behind every deal,” said Jinlin Wang, Managing Partner of Foothill Ventures. “We’re grateful to TIME and Statista, and even more energized to keep backing the founders building the next generation of technology companies.”
About Foothill Ventures
Foothill Ventures is a Los Altos, California-based venture capital firm founded in 2017 that invests in early-stage, technical founders. For more information, visit https://www.foothill.ventures.
IRVINE, Calif. and LITTLETON, Colo., Aug. 24, 2026 — MobileX, the most customizable wireless service designed to save consumers money, today announced a strategic investment from CONX Corporation (OTC: CNXX) (“CONX”). This investment gives CONX a controlling interest in MobileX and injects new capital to accelerate the company’s next phase of growth. As part of the agreement, EchoStar Founder, CEO, and Chairman, as well as CONX Chairman Charlie Ergen and CONX CEO Jason Kiser will join the MobileX Board of Directors.
The investment will help MobileX expand its AI-powered technology platform, grow distribution, and continue its fight against the one-size-fits-all pricing that has defined the wireless industry for decades.
MobileX was built on a simple idea: customers should pay only for what they actually use. Using artificial intelligence to predict data needs and recommend personalized plans, MobileX has become one of the fastest-growing challengers to the traditional carrier model, offering fully customizable plans starting at $3.88 a month*.
“The opportunity ahead is about more than just wireless costs; it’s about redefining how connectivity is delivered and what consumers should expect,” said Peter Adderton, Founder and CEO of MobileX. “CONX shares this vision, and their investment gives us the capital and resources to build on our progress and compete at a much greater scale.”
The investment will allow MobileX to:
Accelerate customer acquisition and expand its independent dealer and retail footprint;
Continue investing in its proprietary AI platform that powers personalized plan recommendations; and
Explore new opportunities in global connectivity and AI-enabled wireless services.
MobileX customers can build their own plan, choose an Unlimited option, or let MobileX’s AI recommend a plan based on actual usage, all on one of the fastest 5G networks in America. New customers can get started through the MobileX iOS/Android apps, mymobilex.com, Amazon, Walmart.com, as well as at more than 3,700 Walmart stores and 5,000 independent dealer locations nationwide.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. For more information on MobileX and Terms and Conditions of Service, including its fair use policy, visit mymobilex.com.
* Prices do not include applicable taxes and government surcharges.
About MobileX Headquartered in Orange County, California, MobileX is the world’s most customizable mobile carrier, delivering the ultimate in choice and cost control. MobileX is a unique service that uses artificial intelligence to predict how much data customers need, delivering a dramatic reduction in cost while ensuring reliable speed and service. MobileX was founded by Peter Adderton, who also founded both Boost Mobile and Digital Turbine. For more information, please visit mymobilex.com.
About CONX CONX is a diversified operating entity seeking opportunities to power the next generation of innovators in communications and connectivity. CONX’s mission is to partner with emerging companies with quality management and strong and differentiated business models with the ability to scale quickly.
Re:InvestorHub is now generally available, unifying deal analysis, pipeline management, rehab oversight, and AI coaching in one platform for real estate investors — with a free trial and limited-time Founding Member pricing at launch.
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 24, 2026 — Re:InvestorHub announced general availability of its platform, the first AI-powered operating system for real estate investors — now open nationwide, uniting deal analysis, pipeline tracking, project management, and AI coaching.
Investors have long juggled disconnected tools — one app to score deals, another for pipeline tracking, a spreadsheet for rehabs. Re:InvestorHub replaces that stack with one workspace built for how investors operate, whether they focus on fix-and-flip, BRRRR, wholesaling, short-term rentals, or multifamily.
“There weren’t many tools geared toward small-to-mid-sized investors — which is why we started Re:InvestorHub.ai,” said Rick, Founder. “We built the platform we wished we had: every deal, every rehab, every dollar of return in one place, with AI that understands real estate.”
WHAT RE:INVESTORHUB DELIVERS At the center is AI Deal Scoring, which evaluates deals across strategies and surfaces the numbers that matter before capital is committed. Around it, Re:InvestorHub covers the full deal lifecycle:
Deal Pipeline & Tracking — manage every opportunity from lead to close.
Rehab Project Management — keep renovations on schedule and budget.
Construction Change Order Tracking — control scope creep and overruns.
Portfolio Dashboard — see the whole portfolio at a glance.
Three AI Coaches (Annie, Lenny, and Sid) — guidance trained on real investor experience, not generic advice.
What sets its AI apart is what it was trained on: nearly a decade of hands-on investing and the hard lessons of millions built and lost — so guidance reflects how deals actually play out.
BUILT FOR EVERY INVESTOR STRATEGY Re:InvestorHub serves the full range of investors — house flippers, BRRRR investors, wholesalers, multifamily owners, and STR operators — with a workspace tuned to each strategy, not one-size-fits-all.
FREE TRIAL AND FOUNDING MEMBER PRICING Re:InvestorHub is offering a free trial of the full platform, plus a limited-time Founding Member promotion locking in special pricing for early adopters. Details at https://reinvestorhub.ai
ABOUT Re:InvestorHub
Re:InvestorHub is the first AI-powered operating system built for real estate investors. Built by investors, for investors, it replaces the fragmented tool stack with one system for how deals actually get done. Learn more at reinvestorhub.ai.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 24, 2026 — Standard Metrics, the AI-driven portfolio management platform for venture capital and private equity, today announced it has raised $20M in Series B funding led by 8VC with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Spark Capital, January Capital, First Trust Capital Partners, Socii Capital, Kindergarten Ventures, Calm Ventures, Gaingels, and more.
Standard Metrics launched in 2020 with a goal of fixing broken investor relations in the private markets. The company launched with a reporting network focused on automating and improving collaboration between investors and their portfolio companies. The product has evolved into a single source of truth for portfolio performance and investment data, providing rich benchmarks and investment insights. Automated data ingestion and AI-driven analysis and reporting tools help VC/PE firms streamline portfolio reviews, valuations, LP reporting, diligence, and more.
Today, AI tailwinds are unlocking unprecedented growth for private companies. Investors, who are operating in an increasingly competitive environment, are demanding next-generation tools that give them greater speed and intelligence. To meet that demand, Standard Metrics has launched AI document parsing, an on-platform AI Analyst, MCP interoperability, and AI-native services to assist with data operations and portfolio analytics.
Standard Metrics has grown its business by approximately 20X since its Series A, and its platform supports more than 10,000 portfolio companies and 150 firms who manage over $400 billion in assets. Thirty percent of the current Forbes Midas List are customers of Standard Metrics.
“Our mission at Standard Metrics is to accelerate innovation in the private markets,” said John Melas-Kyriazi, co-founder and CEO of Standard Metrics. “This Series B round is a vote of confidence from investors who believe, as we do, that the firms who embrace AI now will be the ones defining the next era of the private markets.”
“We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Standard Metrics, a company that we co-founded in 2020,” said Alex Moore, board member at Standard Metrics and Partner at 8VC. “The community of forward-thinking investors and portfolio companies adopting Standard Metrics is impressive, and we see tremendous opportunity ahead for AI to transform the private markets.”
Standard Metrics will use this new capital to deepen its AI capabilities, expand its team, and bring its platform to more private market investors and portfolio companies.
About Standard Metrics
Standard Metrics is an AI-driven portfolio management solution trusted by leading VC/PE firms and their portfolio companies. Investors like General Catalyst, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Accel use Standard Metrics to streamline partner meetings, portfolio reviews, LP reporting, valuations processes, and performance benchmarking. For more information visit https://standardmetrics.io/.
About 8VC
8VC is a leading technology investment firm, investing in visionary teams and backing industry-transforming companies. The partners have a proven track record as founders, engineers, and operators of successful companies including Palantir, Addepar, Resilience, and OpenGov. 8VC manages over $9 billion in committed capital, investing primarily in defense, financial services, logistics, life sciences, and healthcare. 8VC’s Build program creates transformative new companies addressing critical gaps in each of the above sectors.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 24, 2026 — YL Ventures, the global cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm, has placed in the top decile of PitchBook’s 2025 Global Manager Performance Score League Tables. It is the fourth consecutive year that the firm has finished in the top 10% of global venture capital fund managers, this time among 368 fund families.
Ofer Schreiber (Senior Partner and Head of Israel Office) and Yoav Leitersdorf (Managing Partner). YL Ventures partners with elite Israeli founders building next-generation cybersecurity solutions. With unique access to Israel’s unparalleled technology ecosystem, we identify breakthrough innovations at inception and guide them to scale. Managing $800M across five funds, we provide these pioneering startups with comprehensive support and access to global security leaders.
The firm’s PitchBook Performance Score has risen in each of the last three years, from 70.5 in the 2022 tables to 72.6 in 2023, 75.8 in 2024 and 76.7 in the 2025 tables. Of every firm in the venture capital top decile this year, YL Ventures is the only one dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity. The full league tables are published on PitchBook’s Insights page.
PitchBook scores fund families against peer groups based on strategy and vintage year, weighing each fund by its age and how far its returns sit from the benchmark. Because the framework accounts for fund maturity and favors funds with higher DPI (the ratio of distributed capital to invested capital), it carries extra weight with institutional allocators.
“Sustained performance in venture capital comes from proximity, being close to the founders, close to the ecosystem and close to the technology through the years of building that follow,” said Yoav Leitersdorf, Managing Partner at YL Ventures. “That is how we have worked since the firm’s founding, and it is what this ranking measures over time. Our attention now is on the next generation of companies taking shape, in a market AI is revolutionizing faster than anyone expected.”
YL Ventures is a venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity. For nearly two decades, the firm has partnered with top Israeli founders from inception, helping build category-leading companies that define the market. With offices in Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv and $800M under management, YL Ventures provides access to an unrivaled network of CISOs and industry leaders, shaping the next generation of Israeli cybersecurity innovation. Repeatedly recognized by PitchBook and TIME magazine for both performance and influence, YL Ventures stands at the forefront of cybersecurity venture capital.
The firm’s current portfolio includes Novee, Native, MIND, Miggo, Opti, Hush and Cycode, among others. It has many successful exits including Aim Security, acquired by Cato Networks, Twistlock, acquired by Palo Alto Networks, Hexadite, acquired by Microsoft, Medigate, acquired by Claroty, Vulcan Cyber, acquired by Tenable, Spera Security, acquired by Okta, and Axonius, exited to late-stage investors.
Media Contact Merav Ben Avi VP Marketing, YL Ventures [email protected]
Venture-backed startup to deliver smart Amphora systems under the PRISM Program
SAN BRUNO, Calif., Aug. 24, 2026 — Chariot Defense, a defense technology company pioneering next-generation software-defined power distribution for modern warfare, today announced it was awarded a $7.6 million contract by the Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU) under the Portable Resilient Integrated Storage Module (PRISM) program. Chariot will deploy its flagship Amphora power systems to U.S. Army brigades this fall, bringing soldiers hybrid power at the tactical edge.
Amphora 24 supporting hybrid power for U.S. Army Infantry Division onboard Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
“Our mission is to build the power infrastructure layer supporting our troops in modern warfare,” said Adam Warmoth, Founder and CEO of Chariot Defense. “Today’s battlefield technology demands integration of intelligent power control and distribution to extend the endurance of constrained energy supplies. Our Amphora systems are a software-defined combat multiplier, enhancing warfighters’ capability to see, sense, strike, and survive in contested environments.”
The PRISM contract, a rapid 12-month delivery effort, directly targets the military’s critical battlefield electric-power crisis. Distributed forces are increasingly dependent on power-hungry drones, electronic warfare, and edge AI compute networks, but legacy battlefield power solutions still rely on loud, heavy liquid-fuel generators that expose unit positions with their ever-present acoustic and thermal signatures.
“Power availability decides what equipment troops get to bring to the fight,” added Warmoth. “A formation should not have to choose which systems stay powered-up. When that happens, soldiers fight with their hands tied and commanders can’t use the advanced equipment they need to perform their missions. Amphora takes the energy already on the battlefield and puts it under optimized software control, so units run their drones, their EW kit, and their compute from one system seamlessly. We are bringing the commercial power technology revolution directly to defense, enabling operators to run critical systems quietly and reliably, and doing so with a secure supply chain, without dependence on Chinese components.”
Amphora hardware integrates seamlessly with existing tactical generators, solar arrays, and all military vehicles, becoming a bi-directional intelligent power controller that requires no specialized training or maintenance. In combat scenarios, Amphora has demonstrated the ability to reduce fuel consumption by up to 60 percent, extend silent operations up to 36 hours, and report tactical energy data into next-generation command and control networks, allowing optimization of power and energy across an entire theater.
Founded in August 2024 by Warmoth, a Stanford-trained engineer who previously scaled the counter-unmanned drone Programs of Record at Anduril Industries, Chariot Defense is backed by $41 million in total venture funding, including a $34 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz. Chariot is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
About Chariot Defense Chariot Defense is a defense technology company pioneering next-generation software-defined power distribution systems built for the demands of modern warfare. The company’s hardware is NDAA, BAA, TAA compliant. Learn more at www.chariotdefense.com.
Joe Trippi and Lever Communications Team Join Amygdala’s Board of Advisors
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2026 — Amygdala www.amygdala.com, the first enterprise-grade, Neuroscience + GenAi platform built for political campaigns, announced today that Democratic campaign operative and movement politics veteran Joe Trippi has joined its Advisory Board.
Amygdala has developed a first-of-its-kind platform based on blending the neuroscience and the Amygdala response to win elections. “NeuroPolitics” models how voters feel in their non-conscious, and not what they say. Amygdala generates Polling, Messaging and Positioning strategies engineered to persuade and activate voters and donors.
Trippi will bring his decades of political experience helping guide Amygdala along with his veteran campaign team at Lever Communications, including partner and campaign strategist Alex Shashlo. Trippi is currently engaged by multiple statewide battleground races and several Congressional races, along with serving as a senior advisor to the Lincoln Project where he helps direct campaign strategy.
Trippi said, “I believe in leveraging the best technology and aligning it with political movements. Social networks are driving division and fear in our politics and it’s time we fight back with cutting edge neuroscience.”
“I feel as if I have been a voice screaming in the wilderness about how candidates must appeal to more than reason – but primal emotion to activate voters. Understanding and triggering this neural emotion pathway will win both the midterms, and the general election,” said Trippi.
Amygdala was launched by a team of former Nielsen research executives, neuroscientists and political scientists, GenAi engineers, and physicists, from U.C. Berkeley, and political campaign veterans in Washington, DC and Wisconsin. Amygdala is currently providing strategy, polling and messaging for gubernatorial, state senate, and house and U.S. Congressional election campaigns, said the founders.
“Emotions win elections,” said Dr. Robert Tatterson, co-founder and CEO. “At Amygdala we believe the solution creates neural alignment with the electorate. By utilizing deep neuroscience-backed algorithms powered by AI and Voter Digital Twins – models of voters – campaigns can move beyond the blunt guesswork of traditional polling and message testing. When we understand the cognitive pathways of the electorate, we will speak to it with a clarity that has been missing.”
Amygdala has established offices in San Francisco, Washington, and Milwaukee/Chicago. Amygdala’s campaign clients are now in the highly contested Midwest region. Tatterson is a former tech and R&D executive who has more recently run for office and supported other candidates and organizations in the Midwest. Devin Pracar is a founder and strategist.
“That is the larger lesson for candidates and campaign managers looking toward the midterms,” said Pracar, co-founder of Amygdala. “Attraction and activation are neural mechanisms beyond simple logic and reason, especially among GenZ voters, millennials, and seniors.”
Demonstrated success was in the recent Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary where Amygdala was the single poll that predicted the upset winner. Cost, time efficiency, and accuracy are at the foundation of Amygdala’s Neuroscience-centered approach, said the founders.
Amygdala offers software as a service platform to individual campaigns on a monthly subscription basis. Subscriptions are also available to political consulting firms and other campaign managers. For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please visit: www.amygdala.com
Pay.com.au processes more than US$7 billion annually for 30,000+ Australian businesses; PayRewards enables U.S. SMBs to earn points on commercial rent, supplier invoices and other SMB bills paid by ACH or card
NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2026 — PayRewards, a rewards-first platform built specifically for small business, launches in the US with US$28 million in new Series E funding, bringing total capital raised to US $70 million. The new U.S. company allows American businesses, which move trillions through accounts payable every year and earn nothing on most of it, to earn rewards points on ALL payments including ACH (bank transfer) and credit card. The round was privately funded by a group of existing and new investors.
PayRewards CEO Blake Hutchison
Parent Pay.com.au, Australia’s largest payments and rewards ecosystem, expands to the U.S. after processing more than US$7 billion in business expenses in the last 12 months, serving more than 30,000 businesses. This represents 100% YoY growth. The new raise follows a November 2025 fundraise totaling A$25 million (approximately US$18 million).
The gap PayRewards is targeting
At a time when American consumers are decidedly rewards-driven, business payments like rent, utilities, taxes often go unrewarded because of credit card restrictions or incompatible payment systems. By using PayRewards, business owners can earn points on all their bill payments, both ACH/bank transfer and credit card, turning previously unrewarded spend into a rewards currency. These points are redeemable across major airline and hotel loyalty programs, cabin and room upgrades, gift cards, employee incentives, custom requests, or credit against future invoices on the platform.
How PayRewards works
Unlike subscription-based bill-pay tools, PayRewards charges no monthly platform fee. A business pays only when it chooses to earn points. And because PayRewards layers its own points on top of whatever card rewards a business already earns, it can, in effect, double the rewards on the same dollar. PayRewards calls this the Double-Dip.
Says PayRewards U.S. CEO Blake Hutchison, “PayRewards is an end-to-end platform making it simple to pay anyone, by card or bank transfer, and earn full credit card and PayRewards Points in return.”
“The rewards are incredibly flexible. It’s the best rewards program we’ve used across our business, and we’re earning points on expenses we’d be paying anyway,” says Steve Shillington, McDonald’s franchisee and PayRewards customer.
PayRewards is available to U.S. small businesses in most U.S. states*. For more information, visit Payrewards.com.
About PayRewards
PayRewards is the U.S. arm of Australia-based Pay.com.au, a rewards-first platform that lets businesses earn points on payments that traditionally go unrewarded, including bank transfers, alongside the rewards they already earn on card spend. Members can redeem points across a growing network of airline and hotel partners, plus gift cards, employee incentives, concierge redemptions, and credit toward other invoices.
About Pay.com.au
Founded in 2019, Pay.com.au is an Australian payments and rewards platform. In the last 12 months the platform has processed more than A$10 billion in business expenses and serves more than 30,000 businesses. Pay.com.au allows businesses to pay suppliers, tax, payroll, and other expenses while earning PayRewards points, redeemable across a network of 16 global airline, hotel, and card partners.
