News

Agent cloud startup Daytona hits $1B valuation backed by FirstMark and a who’s who of angels

Published

3 weeks ago

October 23, 2026

Daytona Platforms announced on Friday that it had raised a $60 million Series B round at a $1 billion valuation led by FirstMark Growth. The company says it has now raised a total of $91 million.

The New York-based startup has attracted not just FirstMark (which also led its $24 million Series A in February), but also a host of well-known angels in this latest round. Daytona says they include Stripe’s Patrick Collison, Shopify’s Tobi Lütke, Perplexity’s Aravind Srinivas, Zoom’s Eric Yuan, Datadog’s Olivier Pomel, Quora’s Adam D’Angelo (who is also an OpenAI board member), and Mercor’s Brendan Foody. It also names Qualcomm Ventures, Samsung Next, and Okta Ventures as participants.

Three-year-old Daytona is building a cloud specifically for long-running agents, which have different infrastructure needs than yesteryear’s software, the startup contends. “Agents don’t work like the long-lived services today’s cloud was designed for. They spin up thousands of short, stateful jobs nobody planned in advance, and they need a cloud built for that,” founder Ivan Burazin wrote in a blog post announcing the new round. Daytona’s cloud, he said, is like giving every agent its own computer, where agents have access to sandboxed versions of Linux, Windows, macOS, and GPUs, among other services, on the one platform.

Related Topics:agent Angels backed cloud Daytona FirstMark hits startup valuation whos

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‘My Mother Wanted Me Married, Not Playing Football’ — U-17 Captain Harmony Chidi

Published

32 minutes ago

November 13, 2026

PlateauReports

Nigeria U-17 captain Harmony Chidi has shared the personal challenges she faced while pursuing her football career, revealing that her mother initially opposed her decision to play the sport and wanted her to get married instead.

Speaking about her early journey in football, Chidi explained that her grandmother was the only person who encouraged her to keep pursuing her dream despite the lack of support at home, Sports247 gathered.

“When I started football, my mama didn’t allow me play. She didn’t want me playing football; she wanted me to get married. Only my grandma encouraged me, and now my grandma is no more. It’s just me and my mum now,” Chidi said.

Her revelation highlights the personal obstacles she had to overcome in order to pursue a career in football, with her grandmother playing a significant role in encouraging her ambition.

Despite the challenges, the young Nigerian captain remains determined to make her mark in the game and has set herself an ambitious target.

Chidi declared that she hopes to surpass the achievements of Super Falcons legend and former African Footballer of the Year, Asisat Oshoala.

“My dream is to be greater than Asisat Oshoala,” she said.

Her ambition reflects the confidence and determination she carries as she continues her development in the game. Oshoala’s achievements have made her a reference point for aspiring Nigerian female footballers, and Chidi now hopes to carve out a legacy of her own.

For the U-17 captain, the journey is about more than playing football; it is also about pursuing a dream that was not initially supported by those closest to her.

Business

Veritas Kapital Assurance Records 54% Growth in Total Assets to ₦54.56 Billion, Strengthens Financial Position

Published

1 hour ago

November 13, 2026

PlateauReports

Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc has recorded a 54 per cent increase in total assets to ₦54.56 billion as at September 30, 2026, compared to ₦35.40 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, reflecting growth in the company’s financial position.

The company’s unaudited financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, also showed a 60 per cent increase in total equity, which rose from ₦19.12 billion in 2025 to ₦30.59 billion.

This growth was supported by an increase in share capital from ₦6.93 billion to ₦14.43 billion and share premium from ₦663.6 million to ₦8.16 billion.

Further reflecting the growth in its financial position, cash and cash equivalents increased by 28 per cent, from ₦7.98 billion to ₦10.17 billion, while investment securities held at amortised cost more than doubled, rising from ₦12.45 billion to ₦25.64 billion.

The company also recorded a 34 per cent increase in net investment income, from ₦2.61 billion in the corresponding period of 2025 to ₦3.51 billion in 2026. This performance reflects the contribution of its investment portfolio to income during the period.

Commenting on the results, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adaobi Nwakuche, said: “Our nine-month performance reflects notable developments in our financial position, particularly the growth in our asset base, equity position and investment income.

“As we continue to build on these gains, our focus remains on strengthening our core insurance business, enhancing operational efficiency and improving overall business performance.

“Our commitment to meeting our obligations to policyholders remains central to our business as we work towards delivering sustainable value to all stakeholders.

The results also highlight areas requiring continued management attention within the company’s underwriting operations. Insurance revenue stood at ₦15.41 billion, compared to ₦16.31 billion in the corresponding period of 2025, while the company recorded a loss after tax of ₦3.84 billion, against a profit after tax of ₦4.12 billion in the previous year.

This performance was largely attributable to increased insurance service expenses and net expenses from reinsurance contracts held.

Overall, the results reflect growth in Veritas Kapital Assurance’s asset base, equity position and investment income, alongside areas for improvement in its insurance operations.

The company remains focused on strengthening its core business, enhancing operational efficiency and sustaining its commitment to delivering dependable insurance solutions and long-term value to its stakeholders.

About Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc
Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc is a Nigerian insurance company providing general insurance solutions to individuals and businesses. The company is committed to delivering reliable insurance services and building lasting relationships with its customers and stakeholders.

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