Startup Koah isn’t trying to introduce advertising to ChatGPT. Instead, it’s focused on the “long tail” of apps that are built on top of the big models, including apps with a user base outside the United States. When consumer AI products were first becoming popular, it made sense for them to focus on “wealthier, prosumer” users, and to monetize those users by converting some of them into paid subscriptions. CAo-founder and CEO Nic Baird suggested that by successfully figuring out how to make advertising work in AI chats, Koah could actually unlock more potential for “vibe coded” apps that might otherwise be “too expensive to operate at scale” unless their creators raise VC funding. These ads are marked as sponsored content, and they’re supposed to appear at relevant moments in your chats. When Koah talks to publishers, Baird said many of them believe that ads simply don’t work in AI chats, while others have found limited success with AI offerings from older adtech companies like Admob and AppLovin. But Baird said Koah is 4 to 5 times more effective, delivering clickthrough rates of 7.5%, and with early partners earning $10,000 in their first 30 days on the platform. He added that Koah achieves all that while having less of a detrimental effect on user engagement — though his ultimate goal is for Koah ads to feel relevant enough that they actually improve engagement. Koah is “building the essential monetization layer for consumer AI services.”
Snapchat launches Imagine Lens, its first open‑prompt text‑to‑image generator, letting subscribers create, edit, and share AI images from custom prompts directly in‑app
Snapchat is launching a new Lens that lets users create and edit images using a text-to-image AI generator. The new “Imagine Lens” is available to Snapchat+ Platinum and Lens+ subscribers. Imagine Lens allows users to create, edit, and re-create Snaps by entering their own prompts. They can then share the image with their friends, post it to their Story, or share it outside of Snapchat. While Snapchat already has numerous generative AI Lenses, the company notes that Imagine Lens is its first open prompt image-generation Lens. Users can generate images using custom prompts. The Lens also features pre-loaded prompts that people can use. Snapchat notes that users can always tap the caption bar to edit their prompt into anything they’d like. Snapchat+ Platinum and Lens+ subscribers can find the new Lens in the front of the Lens Carousel or in the Exclusive category. After selecting the Lens, they can tap the caption to enter or edit the prompt. A Platinum subscription costs $15.99 per month, while a Lens+ subscription costs $8.99 per month.
YouTube’s first exclusive NFL game draws 17.3M global AMA, setting a platform record and showcasing creator-led broadcast to woo advertisers
Youtube’s first-ever exclusive global broadcast of an NFL game broke a record for the company, achieving the most concurrent viewers of a livestream on the platform. Over 17.3 million viewers from more than 230 countries and territories worldwide tuned in for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo. This figure represents the average minute audience (AMA) that watched the game last Friday. In the U.S., there were 16.2 million AMA across YouTube and other platforms, according to Nielsen data, while YouTube’s own numbers indicated 1.1 million AMA outside the U.S. This exclusive broadcast is part of YouTube’s expanded partnership with the NFL aimed at attracting more ad revenue, and the company likely hopes that this new achievement will be well-received by advertisers. However, in comparison to other NFL broadcasts on streaming platforms, the viewership numbers are slightly lower than those of Netflix. While the numbers may seem underwhelming, YouTube believes its creator-driven viewing experience sets it apart from rivals
Walmart partners with OpenAI to deliver free, customized AI training certifications via Walmart Academy for all U.S. frontline and office associates starting in 2026
Beginning next year, all U.S. front-line and office-based associates at Walmart will have access to AI training through a new collaboration with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. As indicated by Chief People Officer Donna Morris, OpenAI is launching a new OpenAI Certifications program, and Walmart is working with them to create a customized experience for its own associates. Through Walmart Academy, the largest private training program in the world, with more than 3.5 million participants, associates will have free access to a tailored version of this certification. The training is designed to help associates succeed at work, grow their careers and thrive in an increasingly digital world. John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S said, “By bringing AI training directly to our associates, we’ll enable our people to maximize the benefit of AI-powered technology – giving them the skills they need to rewrite the playbook and shape the future of retail.” While this certification will launch in 2026, associates can currently access training opportunities, including AI training, through the company’s Live Better U education benefit. The collaboration with OpenAI builds on Walmart’s nearly $1 billion commitment to skills training through 2026.
Experian launches continuous KYC monitoring that auto‑flags data changes; cutting manual reviews and refocusing investigators on high‑risk cases across UK banks
Experian launched a new solution in the United Kingdom that streamlines know your customer (KYC) checks by continuously monitoring customer data from internal and external sources and automatically flagging data changes that may indicate risk. The Financial Crime Compliance Perpetual Monitoring solution reduces financial institutions’ reliance on manual periodic reviews, prompts them to further review the data changes that it flags, and allows them to focus on the most complex and high-risk cases, the global data and technology company said. Experian will roll out the solution across the banking and lending industry over the next year, after having worked with several major banks and lenders to pilot it. “Ultimately, our ambition is for Perpetual Monitoring to become the industry standard across the U.K. financial services industry, using best-in-class technology to prevent laundered money from entering and destabilizing the financial system,” Grant MacDonald, director of FinCrime market engagement, Experian UK&I, said. Lloyds Banking Group has been using a Perpetual Monitoring solution called Automated Portfolio Monitoring (APM) for “some time,” having developed it in collaboration with Experian. “APM has significantly reduced friction for our customers, streamlining touch points and creating a smoother, more seamless experience when we’re doing the checks we must do to protect and prevent financial crime,” Tom Martin, business platform lead at Lloyds Banking Group, said.
Aven’s home‑equity backed credit card uses automation and machine learning to approve HELOCs in 15 mins, delivering 10-11% APR on $3B in credit lines
Fintech lender Aven announced a new $110 million fundraise at a $2.2 billion valuation, up from $1 billion about a year ago. The Series E financing was led by Khosla Ventures. Aven serves a niche of U.S. homeowners with above average credit scores, helping them tap into their home’s equity to earn lower interest rates, and injecting that borrowing power onto a credit card. Sadi Khan, Aven’s cofounder and CEO, says Aven’s average interest rate is just 10% to 11%—understandable, since its loans are secured by borrowers’ homes. He makes a bold claim: he wants to cut Americans’ interest payments in half and “to drive the single largest change in the cost of capital in American history.” Khan has focused on making Aven fast–people can get approved for an Aven home equity line of credit (HELOC) in 15 minutes or less, compared with a month for traditional HELOCs. To do that, Aven has added features like on-demand digital notarization, removing the need for an in-person notary. The primary reasons why people take out Aven loans, which offer limits ranging from $5,000 to $400,000, is for home improvement projects, debt consolidation and other large expenses. The company targets people with FICO credit scores of about 730 and that the number of Aven customers who are delinquent on their payments or have defaulted on their loans is in line with that of traditional HELOCs. Khan adds that some Aven customers with a balance of less than $10,000 are eligible to enroll in “foreclosure protection,” where they’re given at least a year to repay their loan if they run into financial trouble. Beyond HELOCs, Aven is now expanding into mortgage refinancing. So far, Aven has done less than a dozen cash-out refinances, where consumers typically take out a larger mortgage and pocket the difference in cash. It aims to speed up the approval process to 10 days or less.
Aven, valued at $2.2 billion, now expands into mortgage refinancing after new funding; plans to build an one-stop financial platform for homeowners
Fintech Aven has raised $110 million in a Series E funding round, expanded into mortgage refinancing and added heavyweight advisers Lawrence Summers and Patrick McHenry to its board. The fintech, best known for its home equity-backed credit card, is now valued at $2.2 billion following the round led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from existing investors General Catalyst, Caffeinated Capital, GIC, Electric Capital and Founders Fund. Aven claims it has issued more than $3 billion in credit lines, saving homeowners $215 million in interest. Its credit card backed by a home equity line of credit (HELOC) can reportedly reduce borrowing costs by up to 50%, while its rewards program offers 2% unlimited cash back. The firm’s ambition is to build a “machine banking” platform that uses real assets to lower costs for consumers. Alongside the Aven Home Equity Card and Rewards Card, the company is now rolling out a mortgage refinancing product. Its Visa credit cards are issued by Coastal Community Bank. “We’re building a one-stop financial platform designed to fully serve the needs of homeowners,” Sadi Khan, co-founder and CEO of Aven. “Our expansion into mortgage products will bring the same speed and efficiency that transformed home equity access, with the goal of creating the best mortgage refinance experience in the market.”
Better Home & Finance’s AI-native end-to-end mortgage origination platform that delivers home-equity line of credit in as little as a day collectively helps customers pay off more than $193 million in debt involving revolving credit (32%), installment loans (27%) and credit lines (26%)
Better Home & Finance Holding Co. announced that its home equity line of credit (HELOC) product has collectively helped customers pay off more than $193 million in debt. Better said that its HELOC product has enabled nearly 50% of borrowers to consolidate debt —primarily high-interest revolving credit, personal loans and installment payments. This has resulted in an average monthly savings of $1,120 for those who achieved positive cash flow. The company said the most commonly paid-off debts included revolving credit (32%), installment loans (27%) and credit lines (26%). “Better has built an AI-native and end-to-end mortgage origination platform to add value to the definition of homeownership by delivering home-equity decisions in as little as a day,” Vishal Garg, CEO and founder of Better.com, said. “Our HELOC borrowers are lowering their required monthly payments by about $1,000 on average; that’s real relief for household budgets. Putting cash back into the hands of homeowners has never been better, faster, and easier than it is with our One Day HELOC.” Better president and chief operating officer Chad Smith said that HELOCs feel like “the right product for the right time.” Better reported $80 million in monthly HELOC and home equity loan originations as of the second quarter of 2025 — a 38% increase from its $60 million monthly run rate announced in February. “If you kind of look at that at $80 million a month, that’s nearly a quarter billion a quarter. We’re approaching a billion-[dollar] run rate. We see consumer demand not waning,” Smith said.
DocMagic’s AI platform simplifies loan manufacturing process through improved coordination between various parties by allowing document preparation, compliance checks and other tasks to occur in a single location
Mortgage technology firm DocMagic announced the launch of DocMagic One, an AI-powered platform that aims to make the loan manufacturing process more efficient. DocMagic One is designed to improve coordination between various parties in the mortgage process by allowing document preparation, compliance checks and other tasks to occur in a single location. “Lenders have been forced to piece together loan production from too many disconnected systems,” Pat Theodora, co-founder and CEO of DocMagic, said. “DocMagic One changes that, giving every role — from loan officer to closer — a single, efficient platform that saves time, reduces risk, lowers costs and delivers a better experience for third-party collaborators and, ultimately, borrowers.” The platform includes business intelligence and lead pipeline analytics to give managers “instant visibility into performance.” the company explained. It also features a “loan health scoring” system to identify loan files that needed immediate attention, as well as automated compliance functions and AI-powered search and chat. Mortgage lenders can use the platform to scale over time without additional expenses or complexities. Features such as predictive analytics and advanced eSignature tracking aim to move loans from the application to closing stage with “minimal human intervention.”
Uber and Pipe embed working capital in Uber Eats Manager for US restaurants, using revenue underwriting to deliver pre‑approved multi‑draw advances with flexible repayments
Fintech Pipe and Uber announced a strategic relationship that will provide hundreds of thousands of restaurants in the US access to working capital. Through this relationship, eligible restaurants across the US will have access to Pipe Capital through Uber Eats Manager, the Uber platform that merchants use to monitor, manage, and grow their businesses. For eligible merchants, Uber Eats will show capital offers from Pipe in Uber Eats Manager that are customized based on restaurant revenue, cash flow, and business performance. By assessing risk through its cutting-edge underwriting engine, Pipe is able to offer personalized, pre-approved capital offers with transparent and up-front pricing. Uber selected Pipe for its merchant-friendly solution that provides capital offers that are designed specifically for small businesses, with a multi-draw advance, transparent terms, and flexible payments that adjust to meet the performance of their business. Pipe has a dedicated merchant support team, ensuring the entire process is both straightforward and easy to navigate. “Working with Uber, Pipe is able to move fast to understand the needs of these restaurants and deliver capital where traditional banks have failed,” said Luke Voiles, CEO of Pipe.” Pipe Capital can provide SMBs access to custom capital options in just a few clicks, inside the same applications they’re using to manage their business. Instead of requiring credit checks, personal guarantees or extensive documentation, capital offers are based solely on historical business performance and cash flow.