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9 Jun 2026, 14:20

Sandstone raises $30M to bring AI workflow automation to in-house legal teams

BitcoinWorld Sandstone raises $30M to bring AI workflow automation to in-house legal teams Sandstone, a startup specializing in AI-powered workflow tools for corporate legal departments, announced Tuesday that it has raised $30 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Sequoia, Mantis VC, SV Angel, and others. The investment comes just six months after a $10 million seed round in January, also led by Sequoia. Focusing on an overlooked segment of the legal market While high-profile legal AI startups like Harvey and Legora have attracted significant funding by targeting large law firms and private practice, Sandstone is taking a different approach. The company is building tools specifically for in-house legal teams at small and mid-sized businesses—a segment the founders believe has been underserved by the current wave of legal AI. According to co-founder and chief operating officer Jarryd Strydom, in-house legal departments often struggle with a fragmented workflow. “They open up their laptop in the morning, they see all the work that’s come in through different intake channels, whether that’s Slack messages, emails, Jira,” Strydom told Bitcoin World. “AI helps them route and triage that work appropriately, and then they can build custom workflows on top of our platform to actually execute work, whether that’s drafting, reviewing, or providing legal analysis.” Sandstone’s platform is less about legal reasoning and more about relationship management and workflow automation—two areas where in-house teams often spend significant time. Why vertical AI matters in legal The company’s focus on a narrow, specialized use case reflects a broader trend in AI investment. Strydom noted that Lightspeed’s conviction in the round was driven by a belief in highly specialized vertical AI applications. “It takes a granular understanding of workflows to really nail down how AI can help,” he said. This approach also positions Sandstone differently from frontier AI labs like Anthropic, which has been expanding its Claude for Legal offering with tools for case law searches and deposition prep. Sandstone’s emphasis on workflow integration and task management may give it an edge in environments where efficiency and coordination are more pressing than legal research. Implications for the legal tech landscape The legal AI market is becoming increasingly crowded, with well-funded players competing for both law firm and corporate clients. Sandstone’s success will depend on its ability to demonstrate measurable productivity gains for in-house teams, which often operate with leaner budgets and more diverse responsibilities than their law firm counterparts. If Sandstone can prove its value in this niche, it could carve out a defensible position in a market that is still early in its adoption curve. The company’s rapid fundraising—$40 million in total across two rounds in less than a year—suggests strong investor confidence in its thesis. Conclusion Sandstone’s $30 million Series A highlights a growing recognition that not all legal AI needs to look like Harvey. By focusing on the operational pain points of in-house legal teams, the startup is betting that workflow automation will prove as valuable as legal reasoning in the years ahead. The coming months will show whether that bet pays off. FAQs Q1: What does Sandstone’s AI platform do? Sandstone builds AI-powered workflow automation tools for in-house legal teams. It helps route, triage, and execute tasks like drafting, reviewing, and legal analysis across different communication channels. Q2: How is Sandstone different from other legal AI startups like Harvey? While Harvey focuses on legal reasoning and research for large law firms, Sandstone targets in-house legal departments at small and mid-sized businesses, emphasizing workflow management and task automation over legal analysis. Q3: Who led Sandstone’s Series A round? The $30 million Series A was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Sequoia, Mantis VC, SV Angel, and others. It follows a $10 million seed round led by Sequoia in January. This post Sandstone raises $30M to bring AI workflow automation to in-house legal teams first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

9 Jun 2026, 10:02

Analyst Spots the Signal for Significant Rally Beyond $8

Crypto analyst ChartNerd has shared a long-term technical outlook that suggests XRP may still be on track for a substantial price rally. In a recent post, the analyst argued that XRP’s current price action remains consistent with a bullish structure that has been developing for years, even as the market faces the possibility of another pullback. ChartNerd’s analysis centers on what he describes as an 8.5-year cup-and-handle formation, a chart pattern that technical analysts often associate with long-term continuation trends. The chart attached to the post outlines XRP’s price history from 2014 through the present, highlighting a large, rounded “cup” formation followed by what appears to be the development of a handle. According to the analyst, the handle phase may now be approaching a critical stage as XRP moves back toward important support levels. It's now looking like $XRP 's handle is aiming to cement its mark as price heads back towards FIB support and the Gaussian for another historical bottom retest. Even if we see a deeper pullback first, the longer-term structure still points toward significant upside targets of $8+ https://t.co/ZkOaVZevmp pic.twitter.com/ROkqrDGcTe — ChartNerd (@ChartNerdTA) June 7, 2026 Focus on Fibonacci Support and Gaussian Retest In his post, ChartNerd stated that XRP’s handle is “aiming to cement its mark” as price heads back toward Fibonacci support and the Gaussian indicator for what he described as another historical bottom retest. The chart highlights several previous instances in which XRP revisited the Gaussian support curve before establishing a market bottom and resuming its upward trend. These retests are marked throughout the chart, spanning multiple years of price action. ChartNerd appears to view the current setup as another potential repetition of that historical behavior. The analyst also identified a key Fibonacci retracement zone between approximately $0.89 and $0.61. XRP is currently trading above that region, but the chart suggests that a move into this area could serve as a final test of support before the next phase of the trend develops. Importantly, ChartNerd acknowledged that additional downside volatility remains possible. He noted that XRP could experience a deeper pullback before confirming the longer-term bullish structure. However, he emphasized that such a move would not necessarily invalidate the broader pattern shown on the chart. We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1 — TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025 Long-Term Targets Remain Above Current Levels Despite the possibility of short-term weakness, ChartNerd maintained that the larger technical picture continues to point toward significantly higher prices. His chart displays Fibonacci extension targets beginning above $8 and extending toward approximately $13 and $27 over the longer term. The projection is based on the assumption that the cup-and-handle formation completes successfully and that XRP eventually breaks above the pattern’s neckline resistance. The chart includes an example of a traditional cup-and-handle setup to illustrate the structure the analyst believes is developing. The post attracted responses from market participants assessing whether the current decline represents a final shakeout or the beginning of a more extended period of volatility. One commenter, Anne, noted that every market cycle brings predictions that a pullback is the last one before a major advance. She questioned whether the current move is simply a shakeout ahead of the next upward trend or a signal that the market has more volatility ahead. For now, ChartNerd’s outlook remains unchanged. While he acknowledges the possibility of further downside in the near term, his analysis suggests that XRP’s long-term structure continues to support upside targets above $8 if key support levels hold and the broader pattern remains intact. Disclaimer : This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are advised to conduct thorough research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. Follow us on X , Facebook , Telegram , and Google News The post Analyst Spots the Signal for Significant Rally Beyond $8 appeared first on Times Tabloid .

9 Jun 2026, 06:17

Chinese EV giant BYD confirms entry into humanoid robot market

Chinese automaker BYD is now building humanoid robots. Executive Vice President Stella Li said the company is developing them in-house, with its own production lines as the first testing ground before a consumer rollout. BYD joins Tesla and Hyundai Motor Group in a race for the robotics market, which Citigroup has projected could reach $7 trillion by 2050. BYD starts robot deployment in-house Li explained BYD’s strategy in a recent interview with local media. The plan starts with factories. BYD operates some of the world’s densest production lines for electric vehicles and batteries. Li said the company expects to be its own largest customer for the robots it builds. The logic is to deploy robots to dangerous or repetitive tasks, then use the data to refine the technology. This will drive down unit costs through volume, leading to expansion into new markets. BYD established a robot division in June 2025 and hired a research team focused on algorithms, structural design, and simulation. “Automotive software is complex, and porting it into robots is very easy for us,” Li said in the interview. BYD pictures three robots in every home Li described a future where three robots would operate in every household. One robot is for cleaning, one for cooking, and one as a walking companion. To get there, BYD plans to build an open robotics platform capable of manufacturing both its own robots and products developed with outside partners. The company is also eyeing its sprawling auto dealer network as a retail channel for consumer robot sales, which is a distribution advantage pure robotics startups can’t match. In Li’s view, Chinese robots need better AI, and American robots need better physical hardware. BYD is building toward both. Automakers race to build humanoid robots Hyundai Motor Group acquired Boston Dynamics and is deploying its next-generation Atlas robot in smart factories in Singapore and Georgia as both a workforce tool and a data collection platform. Tesla has been developing its Optimus robot since 2021, with CEO Elon Musk claiming the program could eventually make the company worth $25 trillion. In China, Chery-incubated brand Aimoga recently began selling a humanoid robot to consumers at a retail price of 285,800 yuan, or about $42,260. SAIC-GM has put wheeled humanoid robots on its battery assembly lines. Nio is holding back for now. CEO William Li said in March that the company’s priority is selling more cars. BYD hasn’t shared a timeline for its first robot either. But its subsidiary, PaXini, raised $148 million in March, surpassing a 10 billion yuan valuation, and is reportedly looking at a Hong Kong IPO. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

9 Jun 2026, 01:36

Meta to launch skilled trades program academy to train and create jobs in AI data center construction

Tech and AI giant Meta is spending $115 million to create a free training program for skilled tradespeople, offering guaranteed jobs to graduates who will help in building the company’s expanding network of AI data centers all over the United States. The program, labeled the America’s Workforce Academy (AWA), will pilot this year in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas, according to a company announcement on June 8. Meta has called the budding program the largest private-sector commitment to skilled trades training with a job guarantee in U.S. history. Meta academy offers plenty Graduates will receive two credentials after training with the academy, with one from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and an America’s Workforce Certificate, all without paying a single dollar. Both certificates are designed to be portable across employers and industry sectors. The program will also provide generalist training for data center technicians. Graduates will fill full-time roles with general contractors working on Meta’s data center buildout, although there were no specific numbers mentioned regarding positions available and possible hiring firms involved. The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), one of Meta’s partners on the initiative, has also mentioned that it expects to train thousands of people over the course of the program. $115 million only the beginning The $115 million first-year investment is a fraction of the $600 billion Meta has pledged to spend on U.S. infrastructure and jobs over the next three years, according to Reuters. This level of spending is tied to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s push to build massive data centers powering AI assistants that can act autonomously on behalf of users, which Zuckerberg himself has called “personal superintelligence.” Meta ‘s own prior training effort, a fiber installation program called Level-Up, got 35,000 applications in its first seven days. The U.S. labor market needs hundreds of thousands of electricians, welders, plumbers, fiber technicians, and other tradespeople, and these initiatives are intentionally directed at closing that workforce gap, the company said. However, ironically, data centers historically tend to generate far more temporary construction work than permanent employment. A Meta data center in Texas where the company broke ground last year is projected to have more than 1,800 workers on site during peak construction but roughly only about 100 jobs once operational, Reuters noted . A similar AI facility in Oklahoma follows the same pattern. Partners for AWA initiative Meta is working with the National Urban League, the ABC, and CBRE on the program. Community partners include the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, STRIVE, and regional economic development organizations in the four pilot states, according to the announcement . “Workers are actually paid to learn. There is zero cost to them, no college debt and a fast certification, with a guaranteed job on the other end,” mikeroweWORKS Foundation CEO Mike Rowe said in Meta’s announcement. National Urban League President Marc H. Morial also framed the initiative in equity terms, saying AWA “opens doors, particularly for communities who historically have been excluded from opportunity.” Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

9 Jun 2026, 00:46

macOS users lose crypto as Reaper stealer bypasses Terminal

A new type of Mac malware called Reaper is spreading through fake download pages for apps like WeChat and Miro. Once it gets in, it steals crypto wallet data and saved browser passwords. It’s a smarter version of an older trick that used to fool people into pasting malicious commands into Terminal. Apple patched that hole in a recent macOS update, but Reaper found a way around it, using a different built-in Apple tool to do the same damage. Script Editor replaces Terminal as the malware surface The fake download sites trigger Script Editor through an AppleScript applescript:// URL. The malicious code is invisible. Attackers hide it using ASCII art and whitespace. If a user clicks the play button in the Script Editor, they unknowingly run hidden commands. Script Editor is preinstalled with every Mac computer. Most people don’t relate to viruses. Typosquatted domains and fake Apple updates build trust The attack begins on fake domains that look legitimate to potential victims. Security researchers discovered infrastructure hosted on typosquatted Microsoft domains, including mlcrosoft[.]co[.]com . Once the script runs, a fraudulent Apple security update dialog prompts the victim to enter their computer password. Reaper then checks the system’s keyboard layout. If the keyboard is configured for the Russian language, the malware stops. If not, the malware activates a data-theft module modeled on the Atomic macOS Stealer (AMOS). Fake WeChat code opens up in Script Editor. Source: Moonlock . Crypto wallets, browsers, and documents are all targeted Reaper goes after desktop crypto applications, including Ledger Live, Trezor Suite, and Exodus. The malware modifies the internal code of crypto wallets to intercept future transactions and redirect funds. The stealer also harvests saved credentials from Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It pulls data from browser extensions like 1Password and MetaMask too. Files with .docx , .pdf , .xlsx , .wallet , and .keys extensions found in Desktop and Documents folders get compressed into 70MB ZIP chunks and uploaded to an external command-and-control server. For a persistent attack, Reaper installs a backdoor disguised as a Google Software Update directory. Reaper is the third campaign within about two months to adopt this automated AppleScript approach, according to Moonlock’s analysis. Microsoft’s Defender Security Research Team documented a related set of campaigns involving fake macOS troubleshooting guides posted to Medium, Craft, and Squarespace, which Cryptopolitan previously reported . Those campaigns used the same ClickFix approach to deliver AMOS, Macsync, and SHub Stealer through Terminal commands. Genuine wallet apps were deleted and silently swapped for malicious versions, according to Cryptopolitan. Double-check download links before installing anything new. If a pop-up unexpectedly asks for your Mac password, don’t enter it. A good security tool will catch obfuscated scripts before they cause damage. If a website ever tells you to open Script Editor, close the tab. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

8 Jun 2026, 21:45

Crypto adoption hits 22 percent among US Republicans

🚨 Crypto usage among US Republicans jumps to 22 percent. 🧑‍💼 Pew Research Center reports overall US adoption at 19 percent. 🔎 Young men and higher income groups dominate in $BTC ownership. Continue Reading: Crypto adoption hits 22 percent among US Republicans The post Crypto adoption hits 22 percent among US Republicans appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .