In this episode, we cover the latest in AI and tech funding, retail innovation, and industry competition: GrubMarket has secured $50 million in Series H funding, raising its valuation to $4.5 billion. The investment, led by Future Food Fund and Portfolia Funds, will support global expansion, AI development, and further acquisitions. GrubMarket continues to be a leader in food technology and sustainability efforts. ElevenLabs has raised $500 million in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital, boosting its valuation to $11 billion. The funds will enhance AI research and global expansion, with plans to extend its platform to multimodal agents and video-enabled AI systems. Retail marketers are increasingly integrating AI to enhance efficiency and customer engagement. AI is being used to personalize marketing strategies, optimize pricing, and streamline inventory management, despite challenges in technology investment and training. Retail and CPG companies are modernizing legacy applications with AI to meet consumer demands for personalization and cost-effectiveness. This transformation is essential for maintaining competitiveness in the evolving retail landscape. Anthropic's AI chatbot, Claude, will remain ad-free, contrasting with OpenAI's plans to introduce ads in ChatGPT. Anthropic's decision is highlighted in a Super Bowl commercial, emphasizing user-focused interactions. OpenAI and Snowflake have partnered in a $200 million deal to integrate OpenAI's models into Snowflake's data platform, enhancing AI capabilities and reducing adoption barriers for enterprises. OpenAI's leadership has criticized Anthropic following its Super Bowl ad, highlighting the competitive nature of the AI industry. The Super Bowl has become a platform for brands to engage audiences, with companies like Squarespace gaining attention for their creative ads. Join Stan Berteloot, a French-American journalist and AI expert, as he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture. As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation and hosts the AI in Marketing podcast. Start your VoiceStream free trial today! Stan Berteloot is a French-American journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture. As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics. Start your VoiceStream free trial today! Stan Berteloot is a French-American journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture. As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics. Start your VoiceStream free trial today! 📚 Sources: https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/02/04/grubmarket-announces-50m-series-h-to-fuel-ecommerce-and-ai-transformation-of-the-american-food-supply-chain-industry/ https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/02/04/elevenlabs-closes-500m-at-11b-valuation-to-expand-voice-ai-into-multimodal-agents/ https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2026/02/ai-implementation/ https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/executive-viewpoints/ai-led-legacy-modernization-for-retail-and-cpg-transforming-applications-and-data-into-an-intelligent-enterprise https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/873686/anthropic-claude-ai-ad-free-super-bowl-advert-chatgpt https://thenextweb.com/news/snowflake-and-openai-forge-200m-enterprise-ai-partnership https://adage.com/technology/ai/aa-open-ai-ceo-cmo-respond-to-anthropic-super-bowl-ad/
