San Francisco – October 13, 2026 -- Voxel, an industrial intelligence company, has added the Ventral AI engineering team to its organization, folding a computer vision specialist it has partnered with for the past year into its core engineering group.

Ventral AI brings expertise in moving cameras and data center construction

Ventral AI was co-founded by Matko Kulaš and Luka Žagar. It specializes in industrial automation and complex computer vision applications. The source names two areas of strength:

Fort Washington – October 13, 2026 -- Kulicke & Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC) has been named the recipient of the 2026 SEMI Award for North America for its fluxless thermocompression bonding (FTC) technology, which enables interconnect pitches below 10 microns.

The award is presented during the CEO Summit Keynotes at SEMICON West. SEMI describes it as one of the semiconductor industry's highest honors for technical and commercial contributions to manufacturing.

San Francisco – October 13, 2026 -- Collective X Health (CX), a women's health and performance intelligence platform, has emerged from stealth with an oversubscribed $3.2 million pre-seed round co-led by Council Capital and Anthemis Female Innovators Lab Fund.

SoGal Ventures, Emerson Collective, Muse Capital and Segal Ventures also participated. The platform is live, with Human Powered Health and Altra Running as founding customers licensing its women's health intelligence via API for health, performance and recovery insights.

CX targets a research gap in AI-driven health products

CX argues that AI models trained on historical clinical research default to male data. Women were not required in NIH-funded clinical trials until 1993. According to the company, leading AI models failed 60% of questions on a recent women's health benchmark.

LONDON – October 13, 2026 -- Corvex Management, Whitbread's largest active shareholder with c.6.4% of ordinary shares, is urging investors to back its resolution to elect Partner James Gemmel to the board as the hotel group commits to a further c.£2.5bn of capital expenditure.

Corvex holds an economic interest of approximately 7% in Whitbread PLC. The fund manager responded to the company's interim results, saying they do not change its core concerns about capital allocation.

Corvex says record capex is funded by record sale-and-leasebacks

Whitbread is guiding to all-time high capital expenditure this year, according to Corvex. The investor says the spending is funded by all-time high sale-and-leasebacks. It also notes that pre-tax profit has fallen and that UK gilt yields sit near two-decade highs.

Corvex acknowledged RevPAR strength across the portfolio, but said the results leave its position unchanged.

Kohler – October 13, 2026 -- Kohler Co. has appointed Nina Kohler Chief Executive Officer – Hospitality, effective immediately, to run a portfolio across Kohler, Wisconsin; St. Andrews, Scotland; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Chicago, Illinois. She takes charge of strategy, growth, talent and guest experience as the company advances a multi-year investment in its flagship Wisconsin destination.

Kohler Hospitality reports record results in 2024 and 2025

The company reported consecutive years of record performance in 2024 and 2025. For the past four years, Nina Kohler worked as a consultant and strategic advisor to Kohler Hospitality, advising its leadership team on strategy, brand positioning, design and guest experience. Her work, according to the company, shaped the business's long-term direction and modernization, building on its championship golf reputation while developing wellness, dining and year-round recreation.

Washington – October 13, 2026 -- The entry of 5G Home broadband into a market drove cable prices down 17%, saving American households up to $28.5 billion from 2023 through 2025, according to a study commissioned by wireless trade group CTIA.

Cable bills fall roughly $11 a month on standalone plans

The study, authored by James Prieger, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Pepperdine University, compares cable prices before and after 5G Home entered a market against prices in other markets. It found that competition from 5G Home lowered cable bills by roughly $11 a month on an average standalone plan.

Households that stayed with cable captured up to $20.8 billion of the savings

Nearly three-quarters of the savings went to households that never switched to 5G Home. Those that stayed with cable saved up to $20.8 billion over the 2023-2025 period, as cable providers lowered prices to compete.

Boston – October 13, 2026 -- Bouygues Telecom Wholesale is adopting the Connectbase Mplify API adaptor within The Connected World platform, automating eligibility, pricing and product data exchanges with its operator clients, Connectbase announced.

Adaptor translates between Bouygues systems and Mplify LSO APIs

The integration standardizes access to Bouygues Telecom Wholesale's workflows. It simplifies interactions with operator customers that implement Mplify Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs. These industry-standard APIs support service orchestration across the full service lifecycle and let providers automate the buying and selling of connectivity.

Vancouver, Wash. – October 13, 2026 -- Shoot 360 has set a goal of 200 locations open or in development across Asia by 2030, after opening its eighth international site in Quezon City, Manila, on September 17, 2026.

The Manila debut brings the technology-powered basketball training franchise to eight international locations across five countries: Canada, the Republic of Georgia, Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Japan and the Philippines each expected to add at least two locations within a year

Shoot 360's Asia master franchisee is leading the regional expansion. Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand are among the markets targeted for future development.

Asia CEO Sean Cheng said development opportunities are now progressing in China, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. He described the model as a basketball community built around technology and coaching, serving young players, returning adults and families.

Los Angeles – October 13, 2026 -- Fusion Advisors, the strategic advisory firm founded by sports and entertainment executive Greg Kish, has closed its first year with six named organizations on its client list, including the National Hockey League and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fusion Advisors lists six named clients since its 2025 launch

The firm has worked with the National Hockey League, Jacksonville Jaguars, Professional Fighters League, Victory Live, Dallas Stars and Meruelo Group. The announcement does not disclose contract values, revenue or headcount.

Engagements span venue development, premium hospitality and commercial partnerships

Fusion Advisors' work covers venue development, revenue growth strategies, premium hospitality, organizational development and commercial partnerships. The firm describes its model as collaborative and hands-on, with advisors acting as an extension of client teams.

Moline – October 13, 2026 -- The John Deere Foundation has committed $18.5 million over multiple years to a Farm-to-Plate strategy that channels surplus farm output to food banks, with more than $13 million earmarked for Iowa.

The package is anchored by a $17 million, three-year commitment to Feeding America and a $1.5 million, three-year partnership with The Farmlink Project. Funds will go toward recovering surplus produce, building direct farmer-to-food-bank channels and mobilizing John Deere employees for local hunger relief.

Iowa initiative targets 100+ farmers across three food banks

A new "Farm to Food Bank" initiative will help three Iowa food banks expand existing partnerships with farmers, lifting participation to more than 100 producers. The program is designed to open new market outlets for farmers while routing more locally grown food to families facing hunger.