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Entrepreneur
03-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
The Real AI Edge Is Intelligence
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. There's a growing narrative at present – turbocharged by headlines and venture capital in the US in particular – that AI is about to replace vast swathes of professional jobs. And it's not entirely wrong. In areas like recruitment and law, AI has already taken hold in powerful, visible ways. You don't have to look far – a recent article in Entrepreneur quoted Benchmark Capital warning that AI is already replacing workers in these sectors – but to focus purely on 'jobs under threat' is to miss the point. What we're really seeing is a deep reconfiguration of work, and it's more about realignment than replacement. After two decades working in innovation – first inside global consultancies, and now as founder of Label Sessions, where I work with more than 500 C-suite level experts from around the world – I've seen how technology has always reshaped jobs. But also how the early predictions for how its going to work are often wrong. AI today is not just developing quickly, it's blurring the boundaries between human and machine. That's a fundamental shift but also a clue as to where the change to jobs will come (and where it won't). For me, the right use of AI is to make the automatic thing the intelligent thing. That's the best way I can describe where we are now. Automation isn't new. Long before ChatGPT, we were already technically able to automate lots of what people do in their jobs – from tax returns to travel agents, from estate agents to HR administration - but that did not mean that those jobs disappeared. They just changed. The difference now is that AI is able to automate what more senior people do. If everyone has access to the same tools, then your competitive edge doesn't come from what AI can do, it comes from what you do with it. That's where I see smart businesses and expert advisors now placing their energy – on refining and amplifying what they do enabled by automation. The best organisations we work with at Label Sessions aren't just asking 'how do we remove people?', they're asking, 'how do we create a better service at a better price point?' None of that takes away from the sheer pace of change that the experts in our network are witnessing. Jonny Wood, formerly an innovation leader at Dell and one of the transformation specialists in our network, sees the same shift. "AI eats the low-level, repetitive stuff first," he says. "It's already changing the first five years of a legal career. It's already filtering CVs before a recruiter sees them. But that doesn't mean you lose the whole job – it means you redesign the role." Wood likens this to the Jevons Paradox – when something becomes more efficient, demand often increases. If AI makes legal services or recruitment cheaper and faster, it could expand access to expertise rather than contract it. Many people worldwide can't afford a doctor, lawyer, business coach, or therapist – or they can't access one when they actually need them. Intelligent use of AI could change that. The winners will be those who reinvest that efficiency into better service, deeper insight, and stronger relationships. The risk is assuming that just because something can be automated, it should be. Jez Goldstone, director of our Cyber Security Accelerator program and a former leader at Barclays as well as across the public sector, has seen what happens when we confuse automation with improvement. "Large language models can generate content, but they can also hallucinate legal precedents. They replicate bias at scale unless you intervene," he says. "I've seen recruitment systems that confidently exclude the very candidates you're trying to reach." Goldstone is right to warn that these tools are not neutral. They reflect our inputs, our incentives, and our blind spots like all new tech. That's why some of the most important new roles in business today aren't technical – they're ethical and strategic. AI auditors, responsible innovation leaders, strategic editors – people who can keep machines accountable and make systems intelligible. Because AI actually makes certain human attributes even more important – taste, judgement, storytelling, and negotiation. The fundamental shift we're seeing is that while AI gets everyone to the starting line faster, your edge lies in what you build from there. Will you be the founder who uses AI to reduce costs and increase profit, or be the one who creates a previously impossible product or service? AI right now is remarkable, but it's also being used by every competitor in your market. The technology isn't replacing your job, it's reconfiguring it, and in doing so, it's asking every professional one powerful question – now you can do almost anything, what will you do that your competitor can't?
Entrepreneur
14-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
China's Manus AI Emerges as White-Collar Taskmaster
Within just a week of its March launch, Manus had already amassed a waitlist of two million users You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. A new AI platform named Manus is turning heads in the global tech community for its ability to handle tasks traditionally performed by white-collar professionals. Developed by Beijing-based startup Butterfly Effect, Manus AI has moved beyond its invite-only model, opening to the public after a successful funding round and rapid user adoption. Within just a week of its March launch, Manus had already amassed a waitlist of two million users. The platform, now offering 1,000 free credits for new users and 300 credits daily for free accounts, aims to rapidly expand its user base in an increasingly competitive AI market. Manus is designed as an agentic AI model—capable of perceiving, reasoning, and acting independently, built using Anthropic's Claude and Alibaba's Qwen models. It can perform tasks such as trip planning, overseas relocation research, and financial statement analysis within seconds. With integration capabilities across various applications, Manus can also automate emails, provide customer support, offer voice recognition, generate content, and deliver personalised recommendations. The platform's momentum was further bolstered by a USD 75 million funding round led by US-based Benchmark Capital, valuing Butterfly Effect at USD 500 million. This positions the company among China's most promising AI startups since the emergence of DeepSeek AI. In a move that underscores its ambitions, Butterfly Effect has also entered a strategic collaboration with Alibaba Cloud to develop general-purpose AI solutions, setting the stage for Manus to become a key player in the global AI race.
South China Morning Post
13-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's Manus AI offers free registration after fresh funding amid AI agent competition
The artificial intelligence (AI) agent Manus AI is now open for public registration, eliminating its previous wait-list system following new funding and growing competition. Since its invite-only launch in early March, the general-purpose AI agent, developed by a team of Chinese entrepreneurs, has captured the attention of the global AI community, thanks in large part to its ability to handle complex tasks. This has made it one of the hottest AI start-ups to emerge from China since DeepSeek The decision to open registrations – making one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-access AI services freely available to everyone – comes after the company's latest funding round amid rising competition from Big Tech and other AI start-ups. Manus recently raised US$75 million in funding at a US$500 million valuation in a round led by US venture capital firm Benchmark Capital, according to a Bloomberg report. Manus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. US media outlet Semafor reported last week that the US Treasury Department was reviewing the recent investment. Benchmark is based in California. Manus said it was giving users a one-time bonus of 1,000 credits so that everyone could try the service. An additional 300 credits would be added to free user accounts on a daily basis, the company said in a notice on its website.
Associated Press
05-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Numeral Secures $18 Million in Series A Funding to Help Businesses Manage State-by-State Sales Tax Requirements
Numeral, a company that handles the intricacies of sales tax compliance for both ecommerce and SaaS companies, has secured $18M in Series A funding led by Benchmark Capital with participation from existing seed investors Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and FundersClub. Numeral has raised $22 million to date and has seen 3X+ revenue and customer growth in the past year based on its ability to help over 1,000 businesses, including Ridge, Graza, immi, Nomad and Muddy Bites, collect tax for out-of-state sales, as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. 'A company doing $5M in sales typically owes sales tax in more than 30 states, which means they need to comply with the tax rules of nearly 10,000 jurisdictions,' said Sam Ross, co-founder, Numeral. 'By streamlining and automating the sales tax process and handling everything from registration to remittance, Numeral takes a major task off the plate of accounting teams, giving them their time and resources back and increasing productivity throughout the business.' Numeral will use its financing to extend its focus to include SaaS companies, as 25 states today require sales tax on software sales, a number that is sure to grow in the coming year as states seek new revenue sources. Numeral will also use the new funds for international expansion and to secure additional engineering talent. 'Sales tax for digital businesses like ecommerce and software is a huge lift with an extraordinary amount of complexity. Further, adding international markets increases this complexity exponentially,' said Chetan Puttagunta, General Partner, Benchmark, and new Numeral board member. 'Numeral is leveraging AI to solve critical business challenges and help businesses expand into new markets with fewer barriers.' Numeral was founded in early 2023. Co-founders Sam Ross, an entrepreneur with multiple ecommerce startups generating over $50 million in revenue, and Matt DuVall, a software engineer who led teams at Stripe, Notion, and Box, bring deep industry experience to the company. Ross' direct experience with the headache of filing sales taxes across many states was the basis for starting Numeral. About Numeral Numeral, founded in 2023 and based in San Francisco, handles the intricacies of sales tax compliance for both ecommerce and SaaS companies, providing support throughout the process, from registration to remittance. Numeral has nearly 1,000 active customers and is funded by Benchmark Capital, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator, and FundersClub. For more information, visit Jennefer Traeger 720-988-6149 SOURCE: Numeral Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/05/2025 12:30 PM/DISC: 03/05/2025 12:30 PM
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Numeral Secures $18 Million in Series A Funding to Help Businesses Manage State-by-State Sales Tax Requirements
Established Ecommerce Solution Provider Simplifies the Process of Collecting and Reporting Sales Tax for Out-of-State Transactions; New Investment Will Fuel Expansion into SaaS Marketplace SAN FRANCISCO, March 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Numeral, a company that handles the intricacies of sales tax compliance for both ecommerce and SaaS companies, has secured $18M in Series A funding led by Benchmark Capital with participation from existing seed investors Uncork Capital, Y Combinator and FundersClub. Numeral has raised $22 million to date and has seen 3X+ revenue and customer growth in the past year based on its ability to help over 1,000 businesses, including Ridge, Graza, immi, Nomad and Muddy Bites, collect tax for out-of-state sales, as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. "A company doing $5M in sales typically owes sales tax in more than 30 states, which means they need to comply with the tax rules of nearly 10,000 jurisdictions," said Sam Ross, co-founder, Numeral. "By streamlining and automating the sales tax process and handling everything from registration to remittance, Numeral takes a major task off the plate of accounting teams, giving them their time and resources back and increasing productivity throughout the business." Numeral will use its financing to extend its focus to include SaaS companies, as 25 states today require sales tax on software sales, a number that is sure to grow in the coming year as states seek new revenue sources. Numeral will also use the new funds for international expansion and to secure additional engineering talent. "Sales tax for digital businesses like ecommerce and software is a huge lift with an extraordinary amount of complexity. Further, adding international markets increases this complexity exponentially," said Chetan Puttagunta, General Partner, Benchmark, and new Numeral board member. "Numeral is leveraging AI to solve critical business challenges and help businesses expand into new markets with fewer barriers." Numeral was founded in early 2023. Co-founders Sam Ross, an entrepreneur with multiple ecommerce startups generating over $50 million in revenue, and Matt DuVall, a software engineer who led teams at Stripe, Notion, and Box, bring deep industry experience to the company. Ross' direct experience with the headache of filing sales taxes across many states was the basis for starting Numeral. About Numeral Numeral, founded in 2023 and based in San Francisco, handles the intricacies of sales tax compliance for both ecommerce and SaaS companies, providing support throughout the process, from registration to remittance. Numeral has nearly 1,000 active customers and is funded by Benchmark Capital, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator, and FundersClub. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact:Jennefer TraegerTraeger Communications720-988-6149jtraeger@ Sign in to access your portfolio
