Connect with us

News

Governor Mutfwang Meets Ex-Govs Amid Rising Insecurity in Plateau [PHOTOS]

info

Published

on

673641310 1588962619898977 6096490067135866517 n.jpg

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State on Wednesday held a high-level meeting with former governors and key stakeholders in response to escalating security concerns across the state.

The gathering focused on addressing the long-standing insecurity that has led to the deaths of hundreds of people, including women and children, in several communities.

Sources indicate that the meeting may be connected to the recent attack in Anguwan Rukuba and subsequent violence in parts of the state, where dozens were reportedly killed.

Held at the Government House in Little Rayfield, Jos, the meeting was attended by former governors Simon Bako Lalong, Jonah David Jang, Joshua Chibi Dariye, as well as former military administrator, Rear Admiral Samuel Bitrus Atukum (retd.), among other notable figures.

In a statement shared on his verified Facebook page on Thursday, Mutfwang noted that the closed-door session thoroughly examined issues affecting the welfare, well-being, and development of Plateau residents, with particular attention on the recent surge in violent attacks in rural areas.

Participants at the meeting reviewed the security situation and expressed deep concern over the recurring loss of lives and destruction of property over the years.

They resolved to work together to curb the violence by promoting lasting peace, strengthening unity, and fostering peaceful coexistence among residents.

The leaders also agreed on the need to pursue justice for victims and to establish strong frameworks that reflect the values of courage, discipline, and patriotism associated with Plateau State.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

New leaders, new fund: Sequoia has raised $7B to expand its AI bets

info

Published

on

By

Screen Shot 2023 01 13 at 3.33.43 PM.png

Few venture firms have bet more aggressively on AI than Sequoia Capital, and it isn’t slowing down.

The Silicon Valley stalwart has raised roughly $7 billion for a new fund, according to Bloomberg. Sequoia declined TechCrunch’s request for comment. The money will go toward what the firm calls its “expansion strategy” — essentially its late-stage investing arm, focused on the U.S. and Europe — and it’s nearly double Sequoia’s last comparable fund, a $3.4 billion vehicle raised in 2022.

That growth in fund size reflects something bigger: late-stage investing has taken on an entirely new meaning in the AI era. Companies can now scale at a speed and cost that would have been unimaginable a decade ago, and the firms backing them have to keep pace.

The money signals where Sequoia sees the future: deeply embedded in AI, from the giants building the underlying technology to the startups putting it to work. The firm has backed two of the most prominent players in the AI race — OpenAI originally and, more recently, Anthropic — both of which are reportedly eyeing public listings in 2026. The development that could mean a significant payday for the firm.

Sequoia isn’t only swinging for the foundational AI heavyweights, however. It has also placed bets on other buzzy startups, including Physical Intelligence, the Bay Area robotics startup, and Factory, which builds AI agents for enterprise engineering teams.

The fundraise is also the first major capital raise under Sequoia’s new leadership, with Alfred Lin and Pat Grady now serving as co-stewards of the 54-year-old firm.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco, CA
|
October 13-15, 2026

Continue Reading

News

Factory hits $1.5B valuation to build AI coding for enterprises

info

Published

on

By

GettyImages 1356382582.jpg

More than three years after the emergence of generative AI, AI-assisted coding remains by far the most popular and lucrative use case for the technology.

Although multiple companies — including Anthropic, maker of Claude Code, as well as Cursor and Cognition — are already vying for dominance, investors believe there is room for at least one more player.

On Wednesday, Factory, a startup developing AI agents for enterprise engineering teams, announced it had raised $150 million at a $1.5 billion valuation. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Insight Partners, and Blackstone. Keith Rabois, a managing director at Khosla Ventures, joined the startup’s board.

Factory founder Matan Grinberg told the Wall Street Journal that the company’s key differentiator is its ability to switch between different foundation models, such as Anthropic’s Claude or Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. However, startups like Cursor also don’t rely on a single model to generate code.

Factory’s customers include engineering teams at Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young, and Palo Alto Networks.

The startup was founded in 2023 after Grinberg, then a PhD student at UC Berkeley, cold-emailed Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire. The two bonded over mutual academic interest. (Maguire’s PhD from Caltech is in the same area of physics Grinberg was studying.)

Maguire convinced Grinberg to drop out and launch Factory, with Sequoia backing the startup at the seed stage.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco, CA
|
October 13-15, 2026

Continue Reading

Trending