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Israeli AI marketing/sales startup enso raised a $15M Series A led by MoreTech Ventures, with NFX participating. Total funding is now $23M.

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel on Earth - and the world still burns 8 billion tonnes of it every year. A short walkthrough of the two completely separate coal markets (thermal for electricity, coking for steel), why China accounts for half of global output and 55% of demand, how Australia became Asia's premium supplier, and what the long road to a 15–25% electricity share by 2050 actually looks like for investors.

Gasoline is still at a record for early October, and the Senate left for recess without passing energy bills.

The Democratic Republic of Congo produces roughly 70% of the world's cobalt - and no other critical commodity is so dependent on a single nation. A short walkthrough of why cobalt became essential to EV battery cathodes, how the market swung from $8 to $25 per pound and back to $6 in just two years, why LFP batteries are threatening to bypass it entirely, and what a 5% recycling rate means for long-term supply security.

Foundational (UK): Emerged from stealth with an £8.2M pre-seed, backed by Inflection and Final Frontier, to build a satellite laser ranging network.

Osavul (Luxembourg): Raised €8.5M from 33N Ventures, 42CAP and others for a platform that detects hybrid threats and disinformation before attacks.

Seven died in Russia's heaviest grid attack in months; Ukraine hit refineries and oil sites in return.

Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana grow over 60% of the world's cocoa - and a single disease outbreak can wipe out 20–30% of a harvest. A short walkthrough of why cocoa demand is almost entirely tied to chocolate, how slow-maturing cacao trees make supply painfully inelastic, why farmers receive only 10–20% of the final chocolate price, and what climate change and farmer abandonment mean for long-term supply.

Core inflation is 3.0% and the Fed's target range is 3.75%–4.00%, while traders cut odds of an October hike.

Deepslate (Germany): Raised €7.7M from 42CAP and others for a European speech-to-speech AI model that can be deployed on-premises.

Over 2 billion people drink coffee every day - and the entire supply chain rests on a handful of frost-prone growing regions and 20 million small farmers receiving 5–10% of the retail price. A short walkthrough of Arabica vs Robusta, why a single Brazilian frost can cut the following year's supply by 20–30%, how the 3–4 year tree maturity cycle creates boom-bust pricing, and what climate change means for Colombia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

Photon (US): Raised $4.5M for AI agents that work inside iMessage and WhatsApp.

Commodity index funds let you own a diversified slice of raw materials - oil, metals, agriculture - without ever touching a futures contract yourself. A short walkthrough of how funds like the S&P GSCI and Bloomberg Commodity Index work, why roll drag silently erodes 2–5% of returns annually in contango markets, the difference between ETFs and mutual fund structures, and what energy-heavy weightings mean for what you're actually buying.

Core PCE inflation slowed to 3.0% in August, below the 3.3% forecast, yet Kashkari says inflation is too high and interest rates may rise again in 2026.