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LEADING MEDIA AND TECH INVESTORS BET ON “TOLLBIT” – THE FIRST PLATFORM TO TACKLE THE NEW ECONOMICS OF CONTENT IN THE AI ERA

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Tech Founders Raise nearly $7M in Funding to Create a New Infrastructure that Allows AI Bots and Data Scrapers to Efficiently Pay for Website Content

TollBit will Benefit Publishing Industry, Tech Companies, and Consumers by Boosting Content Revenue, Protecting Quality Information, and Reducing Legal Uncertainty

NEW YORK, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — TollBit founders Olivia Joslin and Toshit Panigrahi today announced the company has raised $7M for their new platform aimed at addressing the shifting economics of web content in the age of AI. TollBit allows AI bots and data scrapers to pay websites directly to license their content. The technology allows websites to monetize data and content, monitor bot traffic to sites, and easily onboard AI and LLM partners. By providing a tech infrastructure,TollBit helps to establish clear guardrails to reduce the legal uncertainty of scraping. The system relies on tokens that are issued and validated by the platform to ensure every scrape is authorized and logged.

“We are seeing a fundamental shift in the economics of the Internet: as more consumers turn to AI to meet their needs, less eyeballs will reach websites. This trend inadvertently undercuts the financial health of the publishers and websites that reliable AI needs to thrive. AI agents and LLMs are only as good as the information they can access so this poses a massive threat to the entire ecosystem. TollBit is building the infrastructure to help power the Internet in this new era by ensuring publishers and content creators can be fairly paid for their work,” said Joslin and Panigrahi.

TollBit has raised initial funding from top investors with ties across digital media, tech, and AI. The round was led by Sunflower Capital and includes participation from AIX, Lerer Hippeau, Operator Collective, and Liquid 2 Ventures. Among other things, the funding will be used for the continued expansion of TollBit’s tech team.

Researchers have already raised concerns that AI companies may be running out of high quality content and data and many publishers see language models and web-enabled AI tools as an existential threat to website traffic.

“Modern AI agents rely on a steady stream of fresh and high-quality content and data to provide users with trustworthy and timely answers. We believe TollBit will be a key part of the future AI stack, providing a mechanism to incentivize and compensate publishers for the content and data they produce,” said Anthony Goldbloom, Partner at AIX.

“This disruption is coming for every industry. Any company that relies on traffic to a website or app will need to rethink their approach. User-generated and aggregated content sites will soon be impacted as AI products begin to be able to take actions on end-users’ behalf,” added Liu Jiang, Founder of Sunflower Capital.

“Our fund and leadership have spent decades managing and investing in legacy and digital media businesses, so we’ve seen the enormous impact technology has had on the sector,” said Ben Lerer, Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau. “The incredible power of AI promises tremendous benefits to society, but we need to act swiftly to coalesce around a sustainable content model that satisfies both the supply and demand sides of the market. If we fail to establish systems-wide guardrails and incentivize rich content creation, the entire system will collapse – it’s the start of a sinkhole and we’re all at risk of falling in. TollBit’s solution benefits all parties, protecting world-class journalism, creative content, accurate data, and LLMs’ ability to mature and improve.”

TollBit is currently onboarding publishers to the platform. Learn more at https://tollbit.com/

About TollBit
TollBit offers AI bots and data scrapers an easy and compliant way to compensate websites directly for content. The platform seeks to address the new economics of content creation in the AI era by reducing the legal uncertainties of scraping and protecting the health of the entire content ecosystem.

About Sunflower
Sunflower Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with foundational infrastructure companies building for the modern enterprise. We specialize in B2B products with technical moats in categories like data and machine learning, developer tooling, cybersecurity, frontier tech, and more. Sunflower was founded by solo GP Liu Jiang, who has invested in companies including Athelas, Clay, DBT, Hadrian, Retool, Semgrep, Temporal, Vercel, Verkada and Warp.

About AIX
AIX Ventures is an AI-native, early-stage venture capital firm, founded in 2021 by Richard Socher and Shaun Johnson, that includes some of the world’s top AI practitioners: Pieter Abbeel, Anthony Goldbloom, and Christopher Manning. AIX Ventures invests in founders who are developing industry-changing AI technologies. Its portfolio includes HuggingFace, Perplexity, Weights & Biases, You.com, Chroma, and others. AIX Ventures is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.

About Lerer Hippeau
Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage venture capital firm founded and operated in New York City. Our portfolio includes more than 400 leading enterprise and consumer businesses including Zipline, Guideline, MIRROR, Blockdaemon, K Health, Warby Parker, and ZenBusiness. We’re experienced operators who invest early and stay in our founders’ corners as they build iconic companies. Learn more at lererhippeau.com.

About Liquid 2
Liquid 2 is building the most valuable ecosystem at seed.  Founded in 2016 by Joe Montana, our ecosystem is defined by a network of deeply rooted connections with our founding advisors (Ron Conway, Jessica Livingston, Paul Graham), top-tier co-investors, and a portfolio of over 800 technology companies representing over $100B of combined enterprise value.  Liquid 2 invests $250K$1M in pre-seed and seed rounds and our portfolio includes Gitlab, Rippling, Jasper AI, Retool, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Remote, Solugen, Astranis, Stoke Space, Rappi, WhatNot, Modern Treasury, Athelas and many more.

About Operator Collective
Operator Collective is an early-stage B2B venture firm and community backed by tech’s most exceptional operators and top-tier institutions. OpCo brings together leaders who are critical to a startup’s success but largely absent from the venture ecosystem – senior operating executives from diverse backgrounds who have built the world’s most admired tech companies. Our proprietary platform enables portfolio founders to efficiently tap into 200+ active Operator LPs to help companies as they build and scale, reach potential customers, and connect with talent networks for potential executives, board members, and industry leaders.

For more information contact: press@tollbit.com

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Emdoor Launches “Ailyn” AI Hub at WAIC 2026: Unifying Intelligence Across Every Device

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SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Emdoor, a leading provider of intelligent computing devices, unveiled its latest innovation — Ailyn, an integrated software-hardware AI hub — at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026. Under the theme “Intelligence in All Things, Boundless Edge Intelligence”, Emdoor’s Booth X1B-804 showcases four immersive scenarios spanning personal, home, enterprise, and industrial use cases, demonstrating how AI can flow seamlessly across devices.

With decades of experience across cloud, edge, device, and wearable form factors, Emdoor has established one of the industry’s most comprehensive intelligent hardware portfolios. Yet the company recognized a critical gap: while individual devices grow smarter, they often operate in isolation.

Ailyn is Emdoor’s answer to this challenge. Introduced on the WAIC Magic Box stage, Ailyn serves as a unified intelligence layer that orchestrates storage, computing power, AI models, and data across PCs, NAS systems, computing boxes, and IoT devices. The result is a scalable, centrally managed intelligence platform that delivers seamless cross-device collaboration, data privacy, and AI capabilities that improve with use.

At its core, Ailyn follows a device-first, multi-device connected philosophy. By prioritizing on-device model deployment, it reduces costs while preserving privacy, minimizing latency, and enabling offline functionality. Key capabilities include unified data access, uninterrupted task handoff between devices, intelligent multi-model routing, and dynamic compute scaling — plus built-in features for knowledge accumulation, skill expansion, persona customization, and automated task execution.

Four Scenarios, One Intelligent Ecosystem

The enterprise lineup features high-performance AI workstations, AI servers, AI NAS, Mini PCs, and motherboards. Workstations support up to 96-core processors and four double-width GPUs with integrated BMC remote management. AI servers run dual Intel Xeon scalable processors with up to eight mainstream AI accelerators. The single-GPU workstation series offers dual-platform compatibility with both Intel and AMD, featuring a PCIe 5.0 ×16 slot and up to 128GB DDR5 memory. Available in two form factors — a 23.9L tower chassis and a 15.3L compact chassis with tempered glass side panel — it delivers balanced performance for both creative workloads and local AI inference. The AI NAS unifies storage and AI computing power in one device, with192GB of octa-channel LPDDR5X memory to support local large model deployment. Ailyn unifies these resources into a private computing backbone, intelligently offloading heavy workloads so users get instant on-device responsiveness with datacenter-grade power on demand.

For individual users, the showcase includes Mini PCs, AI PCs, AI tablets, and multimodal wearables. The AP16, powered by Intel’s 3rd Generation Core™ Ultra processor, delivers 180 TOPS of AI performance with sustained 54W output — capable of running large models locally. Multimodal wearable solutions built on Qualcomm and BES chips offer faster time-to-market for brand partners. Within the Ailyn ecosystem, PCs handle heavy computing while wearables provide continuous environmental awareness, each device strengthening the whole.

Industrial visitors will find AI BOX units, rugged AI notebooks, handheld terminals, and industrial PCs. AI BOX devices come preloaded with industry-specific models for production line visual inspection. Rugged notebooks deliver reliable performance for mobile field operations. Industrial PCs feature industrial-grade architecture for 24/7 uptime. Through Ailyn, these connected devices break down traditional data silos, enabling intelligent resource orchestration and a closed-loop perception-decision-execution system that accelerates industrial digital transformation.

At the center of the home scenario are AI tablets and home NAS, connected to a full-house AIoT network. The NAS acts as the family’s private data and computing hub, while the tablet serves as the primary interface for senior health reminders and children’s learning support. Ailyn weaves these devices into a cohesive system covering family memories, health care, companionship, and home security — bringing intelligence into daily life without intruding on it.

The launch of Ailyn marks a significant evolution for Emdoor — shifting from a hardware manufacturer to a builder of intelligent infrastructure. It represents the convergence of the company’s deep hardware heritage and its AI innovation roadmap. Moving forward, Emdoor will continue investing in edge AI technology and expanding the Ailyn ecosystem alongside partners, bringing distributed intelligence from the showroom into everyday life.

Company: Emdoor Digital Technology Co.,Ltd.
Contact Person: Yao Zhou
Email: marketing.digi@emdoor.com
Website: http://www.emdoordigi.com/
City: Shenzhen, China

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AI-Powered Connectivity: APAC Charts a Path to a Smarter Digital Future

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Asia-Pacific’s first Broadband Development Summit brings regulators and operators to Bangkok to set the agenda

BANGKOK, July 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Government officials, standards bodies and telecom operators gathered in Bangkok on 14 July for the inaugural Broadband Development Summit APAC 2026, convened by the World Broadband Association (WBBA) to build consensus on AI-era networks.

Participants included the ITU, Thailand’s National Board of the Digital Economy and Society, WBBA, IAB, FNCAP, WAA, NIDA and the IPv6 Council, alongside operators Telkomsel, XLSmart, Surge, Globe, AIS, CMI and HKT and Huawei.

Denny Deng, President of Huawei Asia Pacific Carrier Business, envisions a “faster, smarter, greener” Asia-Pacific.

VOICES FROM THE SUMMIT

“To seize the opportunities of the AI era, we call on the industry to accelerate broadband evolution, advance computing-network synergy, and strengthen the cross-border connectivity. Together, let us build faster, smarter, and greener digital infrastructure for Asia-Pacific.”
— Denny Deng, President of Asia Pacific Carrier Business, Huawei

“High-speed broadband is no longer just about ‘getting online’ — it is the vital infrastructure upon which the entire AI revolution is being built. We view AI not merely as a tool, but as a primary engine for national competitiveness and a catalyst for improving the quality of life for all.”
— Wetang Phuangsup, Ph.D., Secretary-General, the National Board of the Digital Economy and Society, Thailand

“Three initiatives define the road to 2030. We must close the quality divide so the value of broadband reaches everyone. We must build AI-ready networks — 10G access, 800GE cores, intelligence end to end. And we must do it together, through shared standards.”
— Martin Creaner, Director General of WBBA

“Moving towards next-generation networks, network architectures must continue to evolve to deliver broader connectivity, superior quality, enhanced security, and greater intelligence. This evolution is essential for Net5.5G, positioning the network not simply as infrastructure, but as the foundation that enables AI, strengthens resilience and efficiency, and supports digital transformation across industries.”
— Dhruv Dhody, Industry Standardization Expert at Huawei, Chair of the IAB, IETF

“Across Asia-Pacific, fibre is extending beyond homes and offices into rooms, devices, and machines. By working together, we can accelerate fibre innovation and adoption to build truly AI-ready infrastructure.”
— Ilham Nandana, Chair of the Market Intelligence Committee, Fiber Network Council APAC (FNCAP)

“We fixed it before you feel it!  AIS is redefining premium home broadband by combining ultra-fast connectivity with AI-driven network intelligence and smart home ecosystem — delivering proactive, invisible service excellence that transforms connectivity into differentiated customer value and sustainable ARPU growth.”
— Thanit Chaiyaboonthanit, Head of Technology Department, Broadband Business, AIS

“Connecting the Unconnected: Affordable Broadband at Scale. Create equal access to global information and empower Indonesia’s digital society.”
— Shannedy Ong, CTO of Surge Indonesia

“Beyond Connectivity: Telkomsel is transforming into a true value creator. By leveraging our FBB market-leading footprint, we power growth through service excellence, customer loyalty, and a next-generation home ecosystem.”
— Stanislaus Susatyo, Director of Sales, Telkomsel Indonesia

“We stopped treating AI as an add-on feature. Instead, our approach at Globe starts with architecture, embedding intelligence into the very core of how we build, how we sell, and how we operate.
AI continuously monitors network health, customer behavior and service quality. Rather than waiting for failures, the system predicts degradation and initiates corrective actions. By maintaining minute-level awareness of network health, our systems automatically resolve 30% of all Wi-Fi issues without any human intervention.”
— Danny Theseira, Head of Broadband Business Group at Globe Telecom

“Huawei is driving the Optics-AI Synergy to foster their collaborative growth. Through AI-ON, operators could build an AI-centric all-optical target network and establish 1-5-20ms latency circles across the Asia Pacific region. AI-ON also supports efficient computing access and usage while delivering an ultimate network experience through gigabit/ultra-gigabit home broadband, accelerating the widespread adoption of AI services.”
— Kim Jin, Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Optical Business Product Line, Huawei

“Connectivity is not just about technology. It is a lifeline, a platform for opportunity, and a driver of sustainable development. I believe the intersection of connectivity and artificial intelligence will shape the future of smarter, more resilient networks.”
— Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU

“Performance and user experience are the essential path to the next-generation WLAN. Based on standards and AI-driven innovation, let’s jointly explore the path to the future autonomous WLAN with all the stakeholders.”
— Dr. Crane H. Yang, Secretary-General, World WLAN Application Alliance (WAA)

“At the summit, NIDA and WBBA signed an MOU to accelerate next-generation network evolution and establish pioneering smart city benchmarks through the co-development of industry standards, the harmonization of global regulations, and the sharing of vertical industry insights.
NIDA focuses on advancing network architecture standards, while WBBA drives global consensus on broadband evolution. This natural strategic complementarity creates vast opportunities for future collaboration.”
— Joey Deng, Secretary-General of NIDA

“ION-2030 develops the global standard for next generation optical networks in the AI era. It provides exceptional AI application and service experience. The WBBA and ITU will jointly accelerate its development, and this is a unique opportunity for Asia-Pacific stakeholders to actively influence the future of optical broadband networks.”
— Dr. Marcus Brunner, Chief Expert Standardization, WBBA WG1 Chair and Vice-Chair of ETSI ISG F5G

“The transition into the AI era demands a high-quality, deterministic digital foundation. By releasing Net5.5G policy guidelines, Malaysia is accelerating the evolution of next-generation network standards based on IPv6, establishing an innovative infrastructure to unleash AI’s value and drive a prosperous digital economy for 2030.”
— Prof. Sureswaran Ramadass, Chair of APAC at IPv6 Council, Industry Partner of WBBA

“The digital economy is thriving across the Asia-Pacific region, with AI emerging as a core catalyst for intelligent transformation. China Mobile International (CMI) is driving regional growth by integrating China’s advanced AI capabilities with comprehensive communications, computing, and AI services. Moving forward, CMI will collaborate closely with industry partners to foster a shared, AI-driven future for the region.”
— Paul Lin, Managing Director of Commercial and Technology, Asia Pacific, China Mobile International

“Next-generation network infrastructure is the oxygen of the intelligent economy. By integrating cutting-edge 800G connectivity with quantum-safe security, HKT is laying the essential foundations to keep Hong Kong’s enterprises highly competitive, secure, and ready for the computing paradigm shifts of tomorrow.”
— Wilson Cheung, Vice President, Broadband Design & Cyber Security, HKT

“The evolution toward Net5.5G AI WAN is an important step in strengthening XLSMART’s transport network for the future. By progressively adopting AI-assisted operations, SRv6, SDN, service differentiation, and higher-capacity transport infrastructure, we are enhancing network intelligence, operational efficiency, and service resilience while supporting long-term sustainability. This transformation is a continuous journey that aligns with the industry’s vision of AI-native broadband networks. Through collaboration with our technology partners and the broader ecosystem, we will continue to develop capabilities that deliver better network performance and support Indonesia’s growing digital connectivity needs.”
— Regie Ginanjar, Head of Transport Autonomy & Orchestration, Transport Network Transformation, XLSMART

“For the AI era, Huawei upgrades the IP bearer network via security resilience, multi-dimensional awareness, and network autonomy. This empowers carriers to guarantee service experience, accelerate monetization, and enhance efficiency, ushering in a new chapter of intelligent connectivity.”
— Arthur Wang, Vice President of Data Communication Product Line, Huawei

A CONVERGING VIEW

Speakers agreed AI is shifting networks from connectivity to intelligent connectivity, as broadband, IP, computing and cross-border infrastructure converge to support innovation and coordination.

WBBA launched the AI-Net Certification, a global benchmark for national policy, industrial ecosystems and network intelligence. XLSmart was named first AI-Net Champion, and Indonesia was among the first with a certified operator, backed by its Net5.5G roadmap.

In another high-profile segment, WBBA Director General Martin Creaner presented the Gigacity Certification to KOMDIGI, SURGE, Telkomsel, AIS, TRUE, HKT and Globe, recognizing regional broadband pioneers.

 

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Laifen Expands U.S. Retail Footprint with Costco Launch of Best-Selling SE Hair Dryer

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Starting July 18, Costco Members Can Shop Laifen’s Award-Winning Hair Dryer in Select Warehouse Locations Across the U.S.

NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Laifen, ranked the world’s No.1 high-speed hair dryer brand, today announced the launch of its best-selling SE High-Speed Hair Dryer at select Costco warehouse locations, marking the brand’s largest U.S. retail expansion to date and bringing its award-winning haircare technology to Costco members across select U.S. markets.

The launch brings Laifen’s award-winning haircare technology to Costco, making it easier for consumers to experience the brand through one of the nation’s leading membership retailers. Laifen joins Costco’s growing portfolio of premium beauty and personal care brands. The initial rollout includes select Costco warehouse locations across the United States, with a strong presence across the Western U.S., including California, the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest.

Costco’s reputation for quality and its highly selective merchandising approach make this partnership especially meaningful. The Costco launch reflects Laifen’s continued expansion beyond direct-to-consumer channels as the brand accelerates its U.S. omnichannel retail strategy. “Costco represents an important milestone in our U.S. retail strategy,” said Romeo, General Manager of International Business of Laifen. “As more consumers seek salon-quality performance at an accessible price, we’re excited to make Laifen available through one of America’s most trusted retailers.”

Engineered to deliver professional-level performance in a sleek, lightweight design, the Laifen SE is powered by the brand’s proprietary high-speed brushless motor, delivering fast drying, reduced heat damage and smoother styling. An intelligent temperature control system continuously monitors airflow to help minimize frizz while protecting hair from excessive heat.

The Costco launch represents the next phase of Laifen’s U.S. retail expansion as the brand continues to grow beyond its direct-to-consumer and online channels. By expanding into one of the nation’s most trusted retailers, Laifen aims to broaden access to its category-disrupting haircare solutions while advancing its mission to bring more thoughtful design and everyday excellence into more homes.

The Laifen SE High-Speed Hair Dryer in White will be available at select Costco locations, while Costco.com shoppers will have access to additional color options including Purple and Pink, alongside the White model.

For more information on Laifen, please visit LaifenTech.com.

About Laifen: 

Founded in 2019, Laifen is a global personal care technology brand combining high-performance engineering with modern design across hair care, oral care, and grooming categories. Ranked the world’s No. 1 high-speed hair dryer brand by Euromonitor International, Laifen first gained recognition for its self-developed 110,000 RPM high-speed brushless motor, the proprietary technology behind its award-winning hair dryers.

Building on this innovation, Laifen has expanded its portfolio to include electric toothbrushes and shavers, delivering premium technology and elevated everyday experiences to consumers worldwide. Today, Laifen products and accessories are used by over 22 million households across more than 60 countries, supported by more than 600 patents and recognized with over 50 international design and innovation awards. Driven by continuous technological breakthroughs, Laifen is committed to making cutting-edge personal care technology more accessible to consumers around the world.

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