🚀 While everyone's doom-scrolling through another AI funding announcement, we're tracking the moves that actually matter for designers and builders. This week: semiconductor giants betting billions on AI, browsers getting bought for interface innovation, and one Sheffield designer landing the Eurovision rebrand of the decade.
This digest is about to hit harder than your favorite TikTok sound going viral. Let's dive in.
Industry moves
- ASML drops €1.3B on Mistral AI, becomes largest shareholder. The Dutch semiconductor giant just made Europe's AI darling worth €14 billion in a €1.7B Series C round.
- Atlassian acquires The Browser Company for $610M. The Confluence crew is betting $610M that Arc browser's interface innovation matters more than Chrome's market share. Deal closes Q2 2026 if regulators play nice.
- ElevenLabs doubles to $6B valuation in secondary sale. Voice AI startup went from $3.3B to $6B faster than most agencies rebrand. Their tech turns text into speech that doesn't sound like a robot reading tax code.
- Koah raises millions to put ads in AI apps. While everyone's talking about AI replacing ads, these guys raised $5M to put ads inside AI. Smart money says chatbots need revenue streams beyond subscriptions.
- Morphosis Capital closes €130M Fund II for CEE growth. With backing from EIF, EBRD, and IFC plus €50M from Western European founders, they're hunting Central and Eastern Europe's next unicorns.
Product reality check
- InDrive pushes super app strategy in frontier markets. The ride-hailing bidding platform is expanding beyond transport to daily essentials. Where Uber and others stumbled on super app dreams, InDrive thinks emerging markets will bite.
- Snapchat launches first open prompt AI lens. The "Imagine" lens lets users recreate camera images with text prompts. Snap's betting generative AI beats preset filters when everyone's feed looks the same.
- Instagram enables comment pinning on your own posts. Small UX move, massive engagement implications. Now creators can spotlight key info without editing captions or losing comment momentum.
- TikTok adds Fandango movie ticket sales. Another in-app purchase layer via Fandango partnership. TikTok's slowly becoming the everything app while Meta watches from the sidelines.
- Dot AI companion app shuts down October 5. New Computer's "friend and confidante" AI couldn't find sustainable traction. Users have until October 5 to download their data before the digital friendship ends.
Design wins
- Lazarev.agency redesigns Mannequin Technology platform. AI-generated fashion models replace costly photoshoots, but the real win was designing an experience that feels as groundbreaking as the tech. Pure 2D assets built a visually rich, story-driven site that positions Mannequin as the AI fashion frontrunner.
- Asia's first MoMA Book Store opens in Seoul. Hyundai Card's 20-year MoMA partnership culminated in Apgujeong's curated space featuring 1,100+ titles on contemporary art, design, and architecture. Physical retail meets cultural curation.
- Jane Austen novels get 2025 luxury redesign. Folio Society's 250th anniversary edition combines woodcuts, watercolors, and silk-weaving. When classic literature needs fresh visual language, craft techniques trump digital shortcuts.
- Eurovision gets a 70th anniversary rebrand from Sheffield one-woman agency. The world's biggest music contest ditched big-name agencies for a solo creative studio. Sometimes scale doesn't matter, vision does.
- Sangria Creative gives La Reale a surreal rebrand. Royal camel surrounded by vintage TVs, cacti, and retro fridges. The beer brand traded serious corporate vibes for humor and charm that actually connects.
Events to monitor
- Fall Business Expo (September 10, Florida) – Four-hour expo for product promotion and business networking. Free admission or paid exhibitor tables.
- SCALE TO GROW (September 11, Florida) – Six-week workshop starting mid-September for small business expansion and sales growth. Online applications with eligibility requirements.
This week's reality check
What does effective media content UX/UI design look like in 2025?
Digital audiences are overwhelmed, impatient, and demand instant value. With shrinking attention spans and dopamine-driven feeds, content platforms face brutal reality: deliver fast value or watch users bounce.
EdTech design with purpose: why UX, not just content, determines success
Building EdTech? Content delivery isn't enough, you need learning delivery. That means smart UX, solid pedagogy, and design supporting outcomes at every interaction.
🔥 Next week: More wins, fewer buzzwords.
