You may generally disregard unfamiliar faces as background characters in the movie that is your life, but almost everyone you care about was once a stranger. Aside from the people who have been in your life since you were born, every relationship has a getting-to-know you process where you transition from unknowns to knowns.  Strangers […]

Anne Kauranen / Reuters:
Finnish startup IQM Quantum Computers raised €50M from BlackRock to accelerate its global growth, ahead of a planned dual US and Helsinki IPO later in 2026  —  IQM Quantum Computers has secured 50 million euros ($57.64 million) in venture financing from funds and accounts managed …

Aisha S Gani / Bloomberg:
London-based money transfer company Wise plans to launch UK bank accounts, joining an increasingly crowded market; Monzo reports 15M personal and business users  —  Wise Plc is rolling out everyday bank accounts in the UK as it seeks to take up more market share from longtime banks and other fintechs.

If you want to feel truly invincible when driving in the snow, you need a set of studded snow tires. They're illegal in some places, typically restricted to the frigid months of the year in others. Spring for a set, though, and they'll see you through the worst, slipperiest, snowiest driving conditions you can imagine. […]

Tim Fernholz / TechCrunch:
Space data center startup Starcloud raised a $170M Series A led by Benchmark and EQT at a $1.1B valuation, and plans to launch Starcloud 2 later in 2026  —  Starcloud's latest funding round values the space compute company at $1.1 billion, making it one of the fastest startups to reach unicorn status after graduating from Y Combinator.