Founders•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
Standard Chartered Foundation Names 11 Finalists for Women in Tech Accelerator Nigeria
The program, now in its seventh cycle, aims to empower female entrepreneurs in Nigeria's burgeoning tech sector.
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THE DAILY RIFT
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- •Direct action steps for builders & founders
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Today's Intelligence
HardwareAug 28
Sapphire Surface Modification Yields Wafer-Scale 2D Semiconductor Crystals
Peking University researchers developed a method to grow high-quality 2D semiconductor crystals on sapphire substrates, paving the way for large-scale production.
●Builder Action:Developers can anticipate new possibilities for building high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices using wafer-scale 2D semiconductors. The ability to grow WS2 and MoS2 on modified sapphire substrates means more uniform and defect-free materials, enabling higher transistor speeds and improved sensor performance. This research potentially simplifies integration pathways for 2D materials into larger systems, moving beyond small-flake research to manufacturable components.
Data ScienceAug 28
AI Data Agents: Beyond SQL Generation to Real-World Trust
Vendors demo impressive query generation, but real-world AI data agent success hinges on data quality and output validation.
●Builder Action:Developers must shift focus from writing explicit SQL queries to building and managing the data quality, governance, and validation layers that AI agents rely on. Expect to build tooling for anomaly detection, data lineage tracking, and automated output review workflows to ensure AI-generated insights are trustworthy.
CreatorsAug 28
MP4 to GIF: A Frame-First Workflow for Optimized Output
Transforming MP4 clips into usable GIFs is an editing challenge, not just a format conversion.
●Builder Action:Developers building media conversion tools should expose intermediate editing steps rather than offering a monolithic 'convert' button. Prioritize user control over trimming, frame selection, and timing parameters to enable optimized GIF creation. Consider implementing variable frame sampling and intelligent palette reduction for finer control over output quality and file size.
Original Deep Intelligence
RIFT REPORTDEEP INTELLIGENCE
Weekly Rift: AI Agents Mature, GPU Costs Soar, and Security Lapses Persist
AI agents are moving beyond simple tasks to complex workflows, while GPU shortages continue to drive up costs, and persistent security vulnerabilities plague the tech landscape.
2 minread time
Updated:24 Aug 2026
Funding Radar
Seed and Venture CapitalEnterprise Ireland
EUR15.0MRolling
Start-up FundingEnterprise Ireland
EUR50kRolling
IRAP Youth Employment ProgramIRAP Canada
CAD60kRolling
Innovation Assistance Program (IAP)IRAP Canada
CAD500kRolling
GBP0Rolling
Tool Radar
Enter ProAn AI-native platform for building and scaling applications.
paidDiscovered
GitNexusAn open-source kernel for coding agents, enabling AI-driven software development.
freeDiscovered
IQ RoutingTrajectory-aware LLM routing to reduce agent costs.
paidDiscovered
GLM-5.3-FlashThe first natively multimodal model in the GLM-5 series, offering advanced capabilities.
paidDiscovered
TracciaTraccia is a vendor-neutral AI Agent Control Plane for managing AI agents.
paidDiscovered
Latest Feed
Developers•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
NPM Install Exposes Developers to Supply Chain Risks
Your routine `npm install` command implicitly trusts hundreds of strangers, a vulnerability exploited by recent high-profile attacks.
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Developers•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
AI Researchers Debate "AI Slop": Is Human Input Becoming Obsolete?
Frontier AI researchers question the value of human input as AI models become more autonomous. The debate centers on "AI slop" and the vanishing divide between human and machine creativity.
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Data Science•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
Supabase Multigres Alpha: A New Approach to Postgres Scaling
Supabase's Multigres project aims to solve Postgres's horizontal write scaling limitations with a novel approach.
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Founders•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
Whip Media Shuts Down TV Time App to Focus on Enterprise AI
The popular TV-tracking app is ceasing operations on July 15, marking a strategic pivot for its parent company.
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AI Models•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
Adobe Research Tackles Video Generation's Long-Term Memory Gap
State-space models and dense local attention combine to create more coherent and contextually aware AI-generated videos.
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Creators•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
WhatsApp Introduces Usernames, Hinting at Creator Hub Ambitions
Meta's messaging giant is ditching phone numbers for @handles, a move that mirrors social platforms and suggests a future beyond private chats.
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Creators•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
Fable AI: Mastering Life Admin with Advanced AI Tools
Unlock Fable's potent AI capabilities for efficient personal and professional life administration.
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Developers•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
Unity Physics: Unlock CPU Power with Jobs and Burst
Stop bottlenecking your Unity game on the main thread. Leverage Jobs and Burst for parallel physics processing.
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Founders•Jul 8, 10:37 PM
H1 M&A Deals Slowed in H2 2026, but Key Acquisitions Persist
European M&A activity saw a significant drop in the first half of 2026, yet strategic acquisitions in specific sectors continue.
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