After nearly four years of working in sales at tradesperson software company ServiceTitan, Mark Hoadley (pictured above) was looking for a change and to potentially start something of his own in a similar industry. Hoadley’s brother-in-law, and now co-founder, Ben Sikma, was working on M&A in the waste management space at the time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last decade, the Sustainable Ocean Alliance has graduated from dorm room activism to a thousands-strong global network of experts, investors, and “ecopreneurs” — all of whom believe the best way to save the ailing oceans is to embrace innovation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drop by any given loading dock and a buzz of forklifts — loaded up with goods — can be spotted maneuvering in and out of truck trailers. This logistical dance can take up to an hour to fill a trailer, leaving truck drivers in idle limbo.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grammarly is acquiring productivity startup Coda, the company announced on Tuesday. As part of the deal, Coda’s CEO and co-founder Shishir Mehrotra will become the new CEO of Grammarly. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The massive lasers will be installed in the startup’s future facility, which it is building in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cybersecurity practitioners take a community-driven approach to solving problems. Security researchers share the vulnerabilities they find with the broader cybersecurity community, which allows companies to patch up their security holes before something catastrophic happens. Prequel is looking to bring that same approach to software.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While I have fond memories of past efforts to combine VR content with real-world locations, I’d assumed the pandemic had put those ambitions to an end. If I wanted VR in 2024, I thought I’d have to buy a headset, and it would be a largely solitary experience at home or in the office

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Threat exposure management startup Flare thinks it has an answer to info-stealers with a service that watches the dark web, resets passwords.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With disinformation on the rise, especially given the explosion of AI, companies are just as vulnerable to its effects as individuals. Refute is a London-based startup that detects and responds to disinformation on behalf of these commercial entities. It’s now raised a £2.3 million ($2.9 million) pre-seed round led by UK investors Playfair and Episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two prominent programs, Activate and The Engine Accelerator, have decided they can give founders an advantage if they team up.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI models that understand videos as well as text can unlock powerful new applications. At least, that’s what Jae Lee, the co-founder of Twelve Labs, believes. Granted, Lee’s a little biased. Twelve Labs trains video-analyzing models for a range of use cases. But there may just be something to his assertion.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices