Good morning from OWITH.ai, the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world. In the first quarter of 2026, Hong Kong's stock exchange experienced a significant surge in capital raised, reaching nearly $14 billion—a 490% increase from the previous year. This growth reinforces Hong Kong's leading position in global IPO rankings, following a prosperous 2025 where the city amassed $35 billion from over 100 new listings. Initially driven by secondary listings of Chinese giants seeking international capital, the focus in 2026 has shifted towards AI-driven enterprises. Notable AI IPOs include Minimax, Knowledge Atlas, Biren Technology, and Insilico Medicine, with upcoming listings like Manycore and Victory Giant. Speculation surrounds companies like Moonshot AI, Rokid, and Kunlunxin. Commentators such as Drew Bernstein from Marcum Asia note that Hong Kong and Beijing are striving to emulate Nasdaq's success in nurturing internet firms within the AI sector. Despite challenges such as geopolitical tensions influencing listing preferences, China's tech stocks are regaining favor after regulatory hurdles. In venture capital developments, Elorian secured $55 million in seed funding led by Striker Ventures; PeakMetrics obtained $6 million in Series A funding led by Moneta Ventures; and Round raised $6 million from Alstin Capital. In private equity news, Bregal Sagemount acquired a majority stake in Redgate Software. Several companies have also filed for IPOs on U.S. exchanges, including Blackstone Digital Infrastructure Trust and Hawkeye 360. Turning to major tech advancements as of April 13, 2026, anticipation surrounds Apple's forthcoming launch of AI smart glasses designed to compete with Meta's successful variants. These glasses promise diverse frame styles and advanced functionalities such as photo capture, calls, music playback, and smartphone synchronization, all enhanced by an advanced Siri assistant. A release is expected by late 2026 or early 2027. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is negotiating settlements with major ad firms over potential antitrust law violations concerning social media platform boycotts. Additionally, the U.S. faces a "brain drain" in the AI sector due to restrictive immigration policies and rising tensions with China. Elite talents are reportedly moving to China, where compensation for top AI researchers has become increasingly competitive. Further tech updates include incidents at Sam Altman's San Francisco home, fierce competition between Flipkart and Amazon in India, price increases by agentic AI due to resource rationing, and Victory Giant's upcoming public debut on April 21 in Hong Kong. Anthropic has introduced Claude for Word to challenge Copilot's dominance, while a survey reveals significant European distrust towards U.S. tech firms regarding personal data privacy. WeWork's journey has seen it rise again after its dramatic fall from a $47 billion valuation. Now operating privately and at penny stock levels under CEO John Santora's leadership, WeWork is adopting an asset-light business model with "WeWork Go," private office pods for high-traffic areas such as airports and hotels. This strategy reflects WeWork's attempt to cater to busy professionals while maintaining its entrepreneurial essence on a smaller scale. In other industry movements, Intuit's early integration of AI didn't shield it from investor concerns about AI's impact on software companies' stocks. On the geopolitical front, President Donald Trump announced a U.S. Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following unsuccessful peace talks with Iran amid soaring crude prices. In real estate tren

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin