Listen to today’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silk-logic-small-business-daily/id1841930957
Small Business Daily Podcast 01/08/2026
Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories:
Certhub raises €6.2M to tackle MedTech compliance bottleneck
By Not specified — January 7, 2026
Munich-based CertHub raised €6.2M to automate MedTech manufacturing compliance with AI. With regulatory pressure intensifying across Europe, the company aims to streamline documentation and approvals so device makers can move faster with less overhead. For startups in regulated industries, it’s another sign that AI is becoming a force multiplier for compliance workflows.
From Kolkata to Silicon Valley: A 20-year-old bets on AI to outsmart hackers
By S Ronendra Singh — January 7, 2026
Anytool co-founder Ahmad Abdur Rahman Khan, 20, is building an AI-driven penetration testing platform that “thinks like an attacker” and has been selected for Y Combinator’s Winter 2026 batch. The startup has raised close to $1M at a ~$25M valuation, aiming to help companies uncover vulnerabilities before adversaries do. It’s a glimpse at how lean, AI-first security tools could replace traditional, labor-intensive testing.
I quit Meta and left a comfortable salary to build a startup. Leaving wasn’t easy, but now my AI receptionist answers millions of calls.
By Ruchir Baronia — January 7, 2026
Frontdesk’s founder left Meta to build an AI operating system that automates customer conversations and real-world tasks like scheduling and follow-ups. The product now handles millions of calls, reflecting strong demand from businesses that can’t afford to miss inbound inquiries. The takeaway: AI voice and workflow automation are moving from demos to dependable revenue engines for service businesses.
Hugimals founder credits growth to AI, payments and Amazon store
By PYMNTS — January 7, 2026
Weighted-plush brand Hugimals scaled by combining D2C on Shopify with Amazon’s discovery engine, plus a flexible, multi-rail payment stack. The team uses AI for creative, social listening, and listing optimization (including Amazon’s Enhance My Listing) while preparing inventory early for peak periods. For small brands, the lesson is clear: diversify channels, offer payment choice, and let AI augment day-to-day execution.
Y Combinator veterans raise $15 million to build an AI money manager that thinks like a wealthy family office
By Geoff Weiss — January 7, 2026
Paperspace founders Dillon Erb and Daniel Kobran raised $15M (led by YC CEO Garry Tan) for ATG and its app, Autonomous, which applies family office strategies—like tax-aware individualized stock management and risk controls—to everyday investors. The app plans a free launch pending regulatory approval, monetizing via a separate trading product with manual approvals. It underscores a broader shift to AI-driven, personalized finance beyond generic robo-advice.
CES 2026: Razer announces shift to AI company, unveils new AI accelerator and products
By Chia-Han Lee, Taipei; Jingyue Hsiao, DIGITIMES Asia — January 7, 2026
Razer announced a strategic transformation into an AI company at CES 2026, alongside a slate of AI-focused products and investment plans. The company also highlighted partnerships, including with Canadian AI players, and an AI accelerator initiative. Hardware brands moving into AI platforms signal new collaboration and go-to-market opportunities for developers and startups.
CES 2026: Plaud launches NotePin S wearable recorder and desktop app
By Ollie Chang, Taipei; Jingyue Hsiao, DIGITIMES Asia — January 7, 2026
US startup Plaud debuted the NotePin S wearable recorder and a desktop app aimed at real-time recording, transcription, and key-point highlighting. The tools target knowledge workers who need fast capture and retrieval of meeting insights. For teams drowning in calls and sessions, lightweight AI-driven note capture can reclaim hours and reduce context loss.
AI evaluation startup LMArena raises $150M at $1.7B valuation
By Maria Deutscher — January 6, 2026
LMArena raised a $150M Series A led by Felicis and UC Investments to scale its crowdsourced model-evaluation platform and leaderboard. By collecting real user prompts and side-by-side model judgments, the company aims to reduce data contamination and provide more reliable, human-centered benchmarks; its commercial Evaluations service is already at a $30M annualized consumption run rate. Better evaluations mean faster, safer AI deployment for builders and buyers alike.
