France extends subsidies until the end of the year due to rising fuel prices

Veridion has successfully raised $20 million to scale its artificial intelligence-based business analytics platform. The funding round was led by Hoxton Ventures, with participation from existing investors, including Underline Ventures, OTB Ventures, Gapminder, Day One Capital, and Launchub Ventures.

The funds will be used for product development and international expansion into several strategic markets. Furthermore, the company plans to significantly increase its staff in the US as demand from American clients continues to grow.

More than seventy percent of the company's revenue currently comes from US clients. Veridion is strengthening its presence in North America and forging closer ties with American institutions, which is supported by this funding for commercial growth.

Founded in 2019, Veridion has developed a live AI-driven business graph that covers companies worldwide. This platform provides continuously updated information on enterprises across various industries and geographical regions.

The company's digital twin currently includes over 640 million businesses globally. Veridion analyzes billions of digital signals to maintain and update this extensive business dataset. These signals include company websites, public registries, and regulatory documents from different markets.

Product catalogs, social profiles, and news sources are also integrated into the platform. The system uses this information to create a constantly updated view of companies and their commercial activities.

The platform can provide market analysis 52 times faster than traditional sources and covers more than 30 times more companies than many standard business analytics systems. This approach is aimed at organizations that require accurate and up-to-date commercial information.

The company is expanding amid growing volatility in global commercial conditions. Traditional business analytics often relies on quarterly or annual updates, which can pose problems during rapid changes or unexpected company disruptions.

Enterprises can be formed, fail, relocate, or change their risk profiles in much shorter timeframes. Veridion claims that its real-time data helps organizations identify these changes earlier. The platform can also show connections between suppliers and customers affected by changing commercial conditions.

This capability becomes critical when disruptions affect multiple companies in one supply chain. For example, during disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, users were able to identify vulnerable enterprises and commercial links.

Veridion's clients collectively represent a market capitalization of nearly $2 trillion. As part of its expansion strategy, the company is now dedicating more resources to the US market. The Series A funding gives Veridion the necessary momentum to accelerate product development and strengthen ties with American institutions.

The company currently employs over 60 people in Europe and North America, but it plans to double its team in the US soon. This growth will help attract more clients and establish itself in the American market.

Hoxton Ventures noted that Veridion is transforming the methods of building business analytics. The investor emphasized that the real-time updating data model is a key part of the company's approach. Veridion believes that real-time information allows businesses to react sooner to changing commercial conditions.

The company's technology aims to replace static information with a continuously updated view of global business. The secured funding will provide Veridion with additional resources to expand the platform and develop new features, as well as support efforts to make live business analytics more accessible worldwide.

A 2019 Ford EcoSport, drastically modified to have six wheels and an extended rear section, was listed for sale on the Bring a Trailer auction site located in the United States. The modification, which transforms the vehicle into a mobile billboard, has a practical justification: the extended space can be rented for advertising purposes by companies.

This alteration was performed by the American workshop Kincaid Kustom Kars, which calls this type of project a 'billboard buggy'. When initially displayed online in October 2025, the EcoSport featured commercial stickers on its elongated C-pillar; currently, it is displayed without such advertisements, making its current silhouette less justified.

The vehicle's history also contributes to understanding its transformation. A CarFax report indicates that the car was involved in an accident in November 2019, resulting in front-end damage, followed by several salvage title issuances between 2019 and 2025. This means the compact utility vehicle was already classified as salvaged before receiving the third axle.

The segment added between the second and third axles provided a considerable trunk, which was internally lined with plush gray carpet on both the walls and the floor. Furthermore, the rear received a wing and a lid that open sideways instead of lifting.

The rest of the vehicle retains the characteristics of the most sophisticated version of the EcoSport, the Titanium. This model came equipped with leather seats, a sunroof, an electrically adjustable driver's seat, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Under the hood, the car features a naturally aspirated 2.0 Duratec engine, generating 168 horsepower and 20.6 kgfm of torque, coupled with an automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It is important to note that the initial listing incorrectly specified it as the three-cylinder 1.0 turbo version.

For comparison, an original 2.0 EcoSport, with only four wheels, can reach 100 km/h in approximately ten seconds. However, with the addition of an axle, an extra body, and a plush carpet, this acceleration time tends to be significantly worse.

Originally, the EcoSport was launched in Camaçari (BA) in 2003, becoming one of the best-selling compact SUVs in the country, but production was discontinued by Ford in 2021 when it was dropped from the lineup in Brazil. None of the versions manufactured in Brazil anticipated the six-wheel configuration.