CRED fundraise helps VC inflow to cross $1B

How early is too early for screen time? Just as countries around the world are tightening rules on children’s digital lives, with some considering a social media ban for kids under 16, a new study is turning the spotlight to an even younger age group.

Researchers warn that regular screen time for babies and toddlers under two could have lasting effects on their development, sleep, language skills, and parent-child bonding. They argue that while the debate has largely focused on teenagers, infants have become the ‘baby blind spot’ in the digital conversation, and parents need clearer guidance in a world where screens are increasingly part of everyday life.

In other news, new data from the UK shows that more women are choosing not to have children. With births falling to their lowest level in nearly 50 years, many women say the decision is shaped by more than just finances.

While rising housing costs, expensive childcare, and career uncertainty matter, concerns about climate change, a desire to focus on work or travel, and the freedom to choose a different life are also playing a role. Online communities are helping normalise the choice, signalling a broader shift away from the idea that having children is the default path.

Meanwhile, the AI race is creating some unexpected rivalries. The Financial Times reports that Google has restricted Meta’s access to its Gemini AI models after the Facebook parent sought more computing capacity than Google could provide.

Alphabet reportedly told Meta in March that it couldn't meet the full demand, delaying some of Meta’s internal AI projects, a reminder that in today’s AI boom, computing power has become just as valuable as the models themselves.

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Here’s your trivia for today: What was the first ever search engine called?

After a prolonged funding slowdown, India’s startup ecosystem delivered its strongest week in over two years, with venture capital investments crossing the $1 billion mark for the first time since 2023. The surge, however, was driven by Meta’s $900 million investment in CRED, highlighting both renewed investor appetite for marquee startups and the ecosystem’s continued reliance on a handful of large-ticket deals to lift overall funding volumes.

Olympian and Arjuna awardee Ashwini Nachappa, famously known as India’s FloJo (after the US sprinter, Florence Griffith Joyner), was a dominant force in the sprint circuit in the 1980s and ‘90s. She reflects on her journey in athletics—from competing against the best, including defeating PT Usha, to mentoring and creating pathways for the next generation of athletes.

What was the first ever search engine called?

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