Join Mikko Hyppönen and security leaders from the NFL, CHANEL, and Atlassian for a two-hour digital summit on what AI-speed attacks change, what defenders should stop doing, and how to validate, decide, fix, and re-validate at machine speed.
Tech
Anthropic says it blocked state-sponsored attempts to use Claude for bioweapons research
What we know so far: Anthropic, the San Francisco-based AI company led by Dario Amodei, claims to have identified possible attempts by suspected state-sponsored researchers to exploit its Claude AI model to develop biological weapons. The company added that the users were blocked after repeated attempts triggered Claude’s built-in safety protocols.
Anthropic recently detailed at least five cases where suspected rogue actors “circumvented controls” specifically designed to prevent users in certain parts of the world from accessing Claude’s extensive knowledge base regarding infectious diseases, such as bird flu, and lethal venoms and toxins, like botulinum toxin.
However, the total number of attempts is much larger, with the company claiming to have identified about 35 distinct efforts between November 2025 and September 2026 by possible state-funded bioweapons developers to “obfuscate the purpose of their research to evade our safeguards.”
One of the suspected cases involved gain-of-function research into the transmission and immune evasion of the chikungunya virus. Another account was flagged for researching how the bird flu virus can be adapted to cause severe illness in mammals. Researchers were also banned for queries about orthopoxviruses – a genus of DNA viruses that includes variola, which causes smallpox, and mpox.
Anthropic acknowledged that it is difficult to determine whether research on toxins, poisons, and related substances is intended to aid the manufacture of bioweapons or to develop antidotes, vaccines, and other medical or therapeutic solutions. However, what caused the system to flag the aforementioned attempts was the use of various anonymizing techniques to evade Anthropic’s regional blocking.
In the aftermath of the bioweapons scare, Anthropic says it has upgraded its safety protocols to prevent threat actors from exploiting its AI models for nefarious purposes. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have launched recent models (most notably Claude Fable 5) with stronger safeguards that restrict access to a wide range of dual-use biological research queries,” the company stated.
Anthropic did not identify the regions from which these queries are believed to have originated, but the company is widely known to block users in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and several other countries from accessing Claude. However, it says it blocked all suspect accounts by May 2026 for violating its Supported Regions Policy.
According to Anthropic, misusing AI to create bioweapons is one of the “most serious risks” facing AI models. The company added that it incorporated the guardrails precisely to avoid situations like these, in which rogue nation-states could exploit AI to prepare deadly bioweapons and use them to wage biological warfare against their own people or Western democracies.
Continue Reading
Flock automated license plate-reading cameras are rapidly popping up all over the US. In some areas, they’re also going down pretty quick, too.
Widespread opposition to Flock surveillance cameras has highlighted their inaccuracies and potential for abuse by authorities. A movement to “deflock” cities includes everything from canceling municipal contracts to covering cameras with trash bags and various forms of physical vandalism.
Now, if you’re cruising through the fictional town of Los Santos (modeled after Los Angeles) in a new Grand Theft Auto 5 “mod,” you could be tracked by any of the 235 Flock cameras there. But you can also cash in $600 for each one you shoot down.
The mod (a custom addition to the game) is called Grand Theft Automated License Plate Reader. Morry Kolman, the mod’s creator, said the in-game Flock cameras are based on “custom-built” 3D models, which subject players to “seemingly inescapable surveillance.”
Almost like living amid Big Brother, these virtual cameras take pictures of you and track your movements. If you commit crimes in the game — like speeding or hitting pedestrians — the cameras will report you to the police. They’ll even occasionally file “false reports” on you, just like the real cameras sometimes do. Players can also save the images captured by the cameras for use in social media posts or as wallpapers.
And, because it’s Grand Theft Auto, you’re also allowed to fight back against the surveillance state, with access to weapons (like rocket launchers) that help you destroy the cameras. Once you’ve carried out an effective deflocking, you can pick up the mutilated remains and grab an in-game reward of $600 (the estimated value of the camera’s internal components based on a teardown conducted by Eyes Off Cedar Rapids). There’s also an integrated timer to keep track of how fast you deflock, allowing you to beat your PB.
A virtual protest
GTA 5 is chock-full of social commentary, from the dangers of consumerism to subtle critiques of extreme gamer behavior in characters like Trevor and Jimmy. The new Grand Theft Automated License Plate Reader mod builds on the general hatred toward and distrust of the massive Flock surveillance network adorning US roadways.
For some, it’s probably a fun (and less punitive) way to tap into unfulfilled vigilantism. But, according to Kolman, it also makes the game more difficult. “Not only does police surveillance become nearly impossible to evade, but representing Flock’s own history of inaccurate reporting, every time a player passes through a camera’s field of view, the mod creates a 1 in 20 chance that the ALPR will trigger a police chase without any cause,” according to the mod’s download page.
In many ways, the new mod is a reality check for real-world privacy. If having 235 cameras follow you around in GTA feels like an oppressive nightmare in a claustrophobic game world, just remember that the real Los Angeles County has more than 10 times that amount.
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Renogy is a well-known solar panel manufacturer that earned a spot on our list of the top rated foldable solar panels you can buy on Amazon. If you’ve been investigating solar or are considering installing it in your home, you may have stumbled across the brand and been curious about where its panels are made, and what its ownership looks like.
Renogy is owned by RNG Group Inc. The company began life as a student project with connections to Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Business and Technology Center, and has since grown into a global renewable-energy company that produces a number of different types of consumer solar panels, as well as batteries and portable power systems.
The company was founded by Dr. Yi Li and is headquartered in Ontario, California. Beyond homeowners looking to reduce their reliance on the grid, Renogy’s main customer base includes RV, boat, and van owners looking for reliable solar power on vacation or living a fully nomadic lifestyle.
Where are Renogy panels manufactured?
Renogy doesn’t say where it manufactures its solar panels on its website. While its HQ is in California, Renogy has manufacturing ties to China, where it owns and operates a factory in Wuxi, Jiangsu. A response from Renogy to a user’s question on Home Depot seems to confirm that its solar panels are made in China.
Bear in mind that the actual provenance of a single solar panel can be complicated, because each is a complex assemblage of components, including photovoltaic cells, aluminum framing, backsheets, and junction boxes, all of which can come from different manufacturers in different countries. China is a major player in solar manufacturing, specifically in wafers and PV cells, so Renogy’s investment there is unsurprising. If you’re considering installing solar on your home, there are a number of key things to consider, and who makes your panels (and where they’re produced) is one of them.
Book your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 by September 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Tables are limited and can sell out before the deadline.
If you’re coming to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to find customers, meet investors, build partnerships, or put your product in front of the people who can move your business forward, don’t leave your presence to chance.
The exhibitor program gives your team a dedicated 6′ × 30″ table in the Expo Hall for all three days — a place to demo what you’re building, answer questions in real time, and turn passing traffic into meaningful conversations.
You’ll also get:
- Lead-generation tools through the Disrupt app so you can capture prospects and follow up after the event.
- 10 team passes so you can staff your table while your team takes meetings and explores the rest of Disrupt.
- Event-wide branding across the Disrupt website, app, and signage.
- Access to the TechCrunch Disrupt press list and a company profile on the event site and app.
Come ready to demo your product, start conversations, identify potential customers and partners, meet investors, and turn event traffic into relationships you can continue building after Disrupt.
Time is running out to secure an exhibit table at Disrupt — and once the remaining tables are gone, so is the opportunity to get your startup on the Expo Hall floor.
The real cost of waiting isn’t just missing a table. It’s missing the conversations, leads, and opportunities that could come from having your product in the room.
The deadline is September 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT — tables can sell out before then.
One week. Limited space. Don’t wait for the opportunity to disappear. Secure your exhibit table now.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Twenty-five leading mathematicians signed an open letter arguing that AI labs are threatening their intellectual work as they seek to one-up each other with solutions to famous math problems. Each signatory has been awarded the Fields Medal, considered the most prestigious prize in mathematics.
This week, NYU professor Tristan Buckmaster accused OpenAI of pressuring him not to credit a collaborator who works for Anthropic for solving an important math problem, and wondered if the company had used their work with Codex to produce its own groundbreaking proof over a marathon weekend of inference.
On Thursday, OpenAI withdrew its sponsorship of a math event at CalTech after the company was criticized by researchers at the university.
While the ability of AI models to solve the world’s outstanding mathematical challenges could be a boon to humanity, the signatories of the new letter argue that will only be the case if those solutions can be understood and communicated by the math community and, ultimately, the rest of the world.
“Often these solutions are announced in a rush, leaving no time for a proper writeup, the isolation of new methods and ideas, and citing relevant previous work of others,” they wrote — and OpenAI’s proof remains unverified. “As in all creative professions, this raises severe attribution and plagiarism questions. Moreover, without the willing mathematicians who must take care of their development and integration into the mathematical canon, AI-conceived ideas would never become fully alive and the crucial human transmission chain between mathematicians would be lost.”
With other mathematicians growing paranoid and wondering if their Codex use was in turn fed into OpenAI’s new models, there is real fear that the culture of open research will be threatened. Today, if frontier labs see a useful path to a discovery, they can spend tens of millions of dollars using LLMs to beat the original researchers to a proof — a dynamic that will incentivize secrecy.
This letter follows the Leiden Declaration, released by a working group of mathematicians in June. That document also grapples with the ways that LLM proofs will change their work and offers a set of recommendations for mathematicians, institutions, and policymakers.
As with software engineering and other areas where AI tools are changing workflows, mathematicians find a justification in the work around the work: The value in math isn’t just the proofs and who gets credit, but the intellectual super-structure that nourishes students, finds new questions and ideas, and integrates them into broader human civilization.
And if you don’t particularly care about the cutthroat world of high-stakes mathematical proofs, don’t forget: Your field of interest is next.
“The issues the mathematical community faces now are similar to issues that other scientific and creative professions are facing, and indicate issues that all of humanity might face: how to make sure that, as AI changes the way work is done, we do not lose sight of what that work was meant to achieve in the first place,” they wrote.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Third-party cases for the iPhone 18 Pro are already hitting the market. Here are some of the cases we like the most to protect your expensive hardware.
iPhone 18 Pro casesApple will open preorders for the Pro model early on September 12, before it hits doorsteps on September 18. Every case in this roundup preserves access to Camera Control, although the brands use different approaches to covering or surrounding the button. Most also support MagSafe, while materials range from leather and aramid fiber to polycarbonate and TPU.
The drop figures below come from the manufacturers. They describe company testing or compliance claims and shouldn’t be read as independent durability results.
Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
GitLab urged users on Thursday to patch their servers immediately against a maximum-severity path traversal vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-85706.
The security flaw, discovered by a security researcher using the ‘s3ntago‘ handle and reported via GitLab’s HackerOne bug bounty program, stems from improper path confinement and missing authentication enforcement in the repository commits API.
Unauthenticated attackers can exploit CVE-2026-85706 “under certain conditions” to read arbitrary data (e.g., credentials, secrets, and sensitive information) from vulnerable servers.
While GitLab has yet to flag this flaw as exploited in the wild, one day later, cybersecurity company watchTowr reported that attackers have already begun searching for Internet-exposed GitLab servers unpatched against CVE-2026-85706.
“watchTowr Intel is already observing in-the-wild probes for the latest critical GitLab Path Traversal vulnerability, CVE-2026-85706, which allows attackers to read arbitrary files in a single HTTP request,” it warned.
“Based on recent GitLab vulnerabilities, we know the time until indiscriminate exploitation is likely not far away. [..] Defenders should also hunt through log files for HTTP POST requests to ‘/api/v4/projects/{id}/repository/commits/’ URIs containing ‘file.path’ parameters to identify potential exploitation attempts.”
Yesterday, GitLab patched a second critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-87719 that stems from an insecure deserialization weakness in the GraphQL subscription serializer.
CVE-2026-87719 affects GitLab EE and allows authenticated users with Duo Chat access to steal sensitive credentials and Advanced Search instance configurations.
Admins warned to patch as soon as possible
GitLab fixed the two security issues in GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) versions 19.3.2, 19.2.6, and 19.1 on Thursday, and urged users to patch their systems immediately.
“These versions contain important bug and security fixes, and we strongly recommend that all self-managed GitLab installations be upgraded to one of these versions immediately,” the company warned on Thursday. “GitLab.com is already running the patched version. GitLab Dedicated customers do not need to take action.”
In May 2023, GitLab addressed another maximum severity path traversal flaw (CVE-2023-2825) that exposes sensitive data, including proprietary software code, user credentials, tokens, and files on unpatched servers.
One year later, CISA and the FBI urged software companies to weed out path traversal security vulnerabilities from their products before shipping, saying that such flaws “have been called ‘unforgivable’ since at least 2007.”
More recently, in January, GitLab also patched a high-severity two-factor authentication bypass affecting community and enterprise editions that enables attackers who know the target’s account ID to circumvent two-factor authentication.
Since November 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has flagged four GitLab vulnerabilities as exploited in attacks, including two (CVE-2021-22175 and CVE-2021-39935) in February this year.
The GitLab DevSecOps platform has more than 30 million registered users and is used by over 50% of Fortune 100 companies, including Nvidia, Airbus, T-Mobile, Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, and UBS.
Update September 11, 09:39 EDT: Added watchTowr’s report of CVE-2026-85706 probing.
AOC’s 16T20, priced at $49.99 (was $70), is a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS panel built to ride along with a laptop instead of staying on a desk. Resolution is 1920 by 1080 at 60Hz, response time is listed at 4ms, and the viewing angles are 178 degrees in both directions, so documents and video still look even when you share the screen across a table.
Official brightness is a reasonable 250 nits, which still looks decent in full sunshine. Meanwhile, the contrast ratio is equally respectable among its specifications, ranging from 800:1 to 1200:1. The display itself can show 262,000 colors, which is sufficient for common tasks such as emailing, spreadsheet work, video conferencing, and streaming. Measurements have revealed that this is better suited to interior use or under dim cabin lighting than the full-on glare of a bright patio.
Sale
AOC 16″ Portable Monitor FHD 60Hz USB-C IPS Ultra Slim Smart Cover 16T20
- EXPAND YOUR WORKSPACE ANYWHERE – Add a flexible 15.6-inch portable second screen to your laptop for smoother multitasking, enhanced productivity, and…
- FULL HD 1080P CLARITY FOR WORK & ENTERTAINMENT – Enjoy sharp detail with a 1920×1080 FHD panel, ideal for spreadsheets, video calls, gaming, and…
- IPS WIDE-ANGLE VIEWING WITHOUT COLOR SHIFT – The 170°/170° IPS display delivers accurate colors from any angle. Share the screen, review content…
This display excels in terms of size and weight. The display measures 13.9 inches wide by 8.8 inches high and is only 10 millimeters thick. Plus, it weighs only approximately 1.5 pounds, and that’s without the smart cover, which adds some weight but keeps the overall weight under 2.4 pounds. The cover folds into a kickstand for landscape or portrait viewing, and it also protects the screen when the display is put into a bag. If you desire to mount it on a wall later, the VESA 75 by 75 holes on the rear make it simple to set up.
On the back, there are two USB-C connections, which are configured so that they can be used for both video output and power via DisplayPort Alt Mode. This means you can run it from a laptop with a single wire, which is really convenient. There is also a Mini HDMI port for connecting to devices such as the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck docks, and older PCs, but keep in mind that the box does not include a wall adapter for devices other than laptops, smartphones, or tablets. Power usage is also reasonable, with testers reporting around 4 watts at maximum brightness, which should not be too stressful on your laptop battery even during a lengthy flight or when working in a coffee shop.
The only minor drawback is the very basic audio, but it does the job with its 1-watt twin speakers, which will cover you for a conference or a streaming concert, as well as a handy 3.5mm headphone socket. There is no built-in USB hub or touch layer, so this is really a simple small supplementary display – which is probably precisely what you need. If you find yourself working late at nite, the on-screen menu includes a flicker-free backlight and a low-blue-light preset.
Watch Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams as Canada, hosts Japan and the United States try to deny Fiji a third straight championship. The semi-finals take place this Saturday in Higashiosaka, before the action heads to Tokyo for the Grand Final on Saturday, September 19.
The reigning champions are first up against Canada and, with 15 world rankings places between them, Fiji are hot favorites to progress as they continue their preparations for a genuine challenge at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. You have to go back 13 years for the last time the Canucks managed to get one over the Flying Fijians, and they still ended up finishing runners up behind them in the 2013 PNC standings.
Japan vs USA should be a much tighter affair. Japan have been a force on the world stage for a while now (who could forget that incredible RWC win against South Africa in 2015) and have the win-at-all-costs Eddie Jones in the dugout. But as the popularity of the game continues to grow stateside – hence the Greatest Rivalry crescendo taking place in Baltimore – the Eagles continue to improve and will hope they can upset the Brave Blossoms in their own backyard.
Here’s how to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 from anywhere in the world – and potentially for FREE. We’ve also listed the fixtures and schedule below.
Pacific Nations Cup 2026 schedule
Saturday, September 12
3am ET / 8am BST – Fiji vs Canada
6.05am ET / 11.05am BST – Japan vs USA
Saturday, September 19
3am ET / 8am BST – 3rd-Place Playoff
6.05am ET / 11.05am BST – Pacific Nations Cup Final
Can you watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 for free?
Yes. Every Pacific Nations Cup game is free to stream on RugbyPass TV in the UK and other territories around the world where no domestic broadcaster has picked up the rights (so that excludes the US and Canada).
Traveling overseas right now? You can use a VPN to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 action for free as if you were right at home.
Use a VPN to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams
A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual streaming services. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.
How to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams in the US
Paramount Plus has the rights to show the Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2026 in the US.
Its plans cost from $8.99 per month or $89.99 per year. You can also watch Paramount+ for free if you sign up to a Walmart+ trial for $1 for 30 days.
Overseas? Use NordVPN to access your usual Pacific Nations Cup streams.
How to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams in the UK
Every Pacific Nations Cup 2026 game is free-to-air on RugbyPass TV in the UK.
All you need to do is create a free account and away you go!
Outside the UK for a game? Use NordVPN to access your usual coverage.
How to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams in Australia
Pacific Nations Cup 2026 rugby union matches are streamed by Stan Sport in Australia.
Subscriptions cost AU$20 a month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$9.99.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on Stan as if you were back home.
How to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams in Canada
Rugby fans in Canada can live stream Pacific Nations Cup 2026 matches on the TSN network of channels.
If you don’t have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service now costs from $24.99 a month after a recent price hike.
If you’re out of Canada but don’t want to miss out, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.
How to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams in New Zealand
Sky Sport NZ is providing comprehensive Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry 2026 live coverage in New Zealand.
You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream, with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at $29.99 per day or $59.99 per month.
Away from NZ? VNordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.
How to watch Pacific Nations Cup 2026 live streams in South Africa
The Pacific Nations Cup 2026 is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa.
SuperSport is the home of live rugby in South Africa, with coverage of every Test in the Pacific Nations Cup 2026. You’ll need a DStv access package to watch the game, with prices starting at Rs99/month for the streaming version.
Abroad right now? Use NordVPN to tell your device that you’re back home and you’ll be good to go.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Samsung New Zealand found a property agent named Tim Cook in Palmerston North, handed him a Galaxy Z Fold 8, and filmed him like an Apple keynote. Glasses, quiet clothes, calm delivery. Caption on the post: “Tim Cook has an announcement. And for once, it’s about Galaxy.”
He opens with “Hi. I’m Tim Cook, from Palmy,” then treats the phone like a finished product instead of a rumor. Lines land in Apple’s usual register: “the future is here,” “with this phone everything changes,” “this thing is the best of both worlds.” He closes the spot the way a press quote should close. “Best phone I’ve ever had. You can quote me. Tim Cook from Palmerston North.”
Sale
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, 256GB Graphite
- CREATED FOR YOUR CONTENT: Any way you turn it, the new Galaxy Z Fold8 gives you a fuller viewing experience. Designed with your content in mind, this…
- WORLD’S LIGHTEST FOLD¹: Galaxy Z Fold8 is the newest foldable phone for content on the go. Unfolded, it fits movies and books for an immersive…
- THE BRIGHTEST DISPLAY ON A GALAXY PHONE: Our brightest smartphone display² provides you with a comfortable view, whether you’re inside or outside…
Apple spent Wednesday, September 9th, announcing the iPhone Duo, its first foldable, in a major event that also saw Tim Cook pass the CEO torch to John Ternus, but not completely, as Cook is now the chairman. Meanwhile, Samsung thought they had the last laugh, re-releasing their New Zealand short, which essentially summarizes the entire joke. Same name, similar appearance, hostile opponent, and a category Samsung has dominated since the Galaxy Fold debuted in 2019.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 ultimately appeared in July, months, a full three months before Apple decided to release the iPhone Duo. It has a 5.5-inch screen on the outside and a 7.6-inch one on the inside, and weighs only 201 grams. They go on and on about how this is the lightest fold that Samsung has launched. The iPhone Duo comes in a similar sleek tiny shape, short and wide like a passport, with a 5.4-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch inside display, although it is a touch heavier, at 254 grams.
“Welcome to Foldables” sums up the entire campaign, and the message is clear, but it doesn’t stop Samsung from having their say. Then there was the spot they ran the day before Apple’s big event, claiming that the Fold 8 was the world’s lightest foldable phone. When the iPhone Duo arrived, Samsung Mobile US chipped in with “Let us know when you’re done reheating our leftovers,” and “So far, so good,” in case you missed the purpose of the whole thing. The company put up billboards in Seoul, Tokyo, London, and New York with the same welcome message, but that wasn’t enough for Samsung, who also poked fun at Apple for taking what seemed like an eternity to unveil their foldable display, referring to the now-outdated Galaxy Z Tri Fold, which could have easily been a three-panel effort.
Singapore Hawker Haven’s offerings are stocked in Australia and the US
For Singaporeans who’ve moved abroad, a craving for fishball noodles is never just about food. It’s a memory that reminds them of home—the kind of hunger that other food can’t seem to satisfy.
It’s a craving shared by a growing number of Singaporeans scattered across cities with no hawker centre on the corner. For most of them, the only real fix has been asking a relative to smuggle it over in their luggage, making do with instant noodles, or settling for whatever comes closest at a local Asian supermarket.
However, when Jameson Wong, 37, moved to Australia, he decided to change that.
He started Singapore Hawker Haven, a frozen hawker food brand now stocked in more than 80 Australian supermarkets and, as of this year, on shelves in the United States too—one dish and one homesick craving at a time.
A night time craving
Jameson moved to Melbourne, Australia, in late 2022 with his wife and young family. But while the move gave them more space and opportunities to be surrounded by nature, food turned out to be one of the hardest adjustments for him and his family.
He joked that he has a very low “ang mo food quota”. He can perhaps manage a burger once a month before he starts thinking about chicken rice. Fragrant jasmine rice was one of the small, specific things he found himself missing in Melbourne—the local version, he said, “just doesn’t feel as fragrant as back in Singapore.”
One winter night in July 2023, that low quota caught up with him.
Cold, hungry and craving mee pok in bed, Jameson turned to his delivery apps, only to find that his closest options were instant noodles or a A$30 Uber Eats order—and neither would satisfy that particular craving.
So he opened his laptop instead and started doing the math on whether it was possible to import authentic Singaporean hawker food to Australia for himself.
Jameson worked out the landed cost of manufacturing the dishes in Singapore and shipping them frozen to Australia, then compared it with what people in Melbourne were already paying for a meal.
To his surprise, the numbers made sense. In 20 minutes, by his own account, he’d sketched out a viable business plan.
“We are specialists”
But the idea wasn’t simply to put Singaporean dishes in overseas freezers.
Jameson wanted to bring over the food as it was meant to be made—with recipes and techniques honed by hawkers who’d spent decades perfecting them, many of whom had little to no international exposure beyond the hawker centres where they operated.
He saw an opportunity to give them a new revenue stream by bringing their food to customers overseas.
The frozen Asian food he found in Melbourne didn’t match up to his Singaporean standards, reinforcing his belief that there was room for something more specialised.
“Most frozen Asian food is made by generalists. On the other hand, we are specialists,” said Jameson, describing his offerings.
To ensure quality, dishes are flash-frozen at the source, a process that took plenty of experimenting to get right. The rule is simple: if a dish can’t survive freezing and reheating with its taste and texture intact, it doesn’t launch.
Getting past the paperwork
But the journey to get food into Australia wasn’t easy. The country’s food import rules are strict, and every ingredient, from fish to spices to sauces, came with its own paperwork.
There were nights Jameson spent combing through government documents line by line to make sure that his business would comply with Australian laws and come to fruition.
Once that was sorted, he got a full container load shipped from Singapore to Australia, in partnership with a second-generation hawker family willing to run the experiment with him.
But before the container had even sailed, Jameson went store to store across Melbourne with nothing but the Singaporean story—the families, the dishes, and what Singaporean food means to homesick Singaporeans. Around 30 independent Asian grocers, most of whom had never heard of mee pok, committed shelf space to his products.
Just three months after Singapore Hawker Haven hit grocery shelves in Melbourne in 2024, it went viral and sold out. And naturally, messages started flowing into the company’s channels.
These milestones were the validation Jameson needed. His business wasn’t just centred on a personal craving, but a sizeable market of people craving cooked Singaporean food overseas.
From Australia to America
Today, Singapore Hawker Haven has three key offerings: laksa, mee pok and fishballs, which are now stocked in more than 80 supermarkets and grocery stores across Australia, priced between A$11.99 and A$13.99 (S$10.93 to S$12.76) online.
Besides its one-person meals, the company also offers snacks such as otak-otak buns and yam paste with gingko nuts.
In 2025, with financial support from the Singapore Global Network (SGN), a government initiative supporting Singaporeans abroad, the company donated more than 1,700 products to Singaporeans in Australia celebrating the Republic’s 60th National Day.
From Jun 2026, its products have also been available in the United States, after receiving requests from Singaporeans in the country.
Singapore Hawker Haven launched in selected Asian supermarkets in Los Angeles, with online prices at US$8.99 (S$11.37) for a pack of about 15 fishballs and US$10.99 (S$13.90) for a bowl of laksa or mee pok.
But Jameson’s ambitions for the US extend well beyond the Singaporean, Southeast Asian and Chinese customers who make up his core base today.
Over the next two years, he plans to methodically enter five cities across the East and West Coasts of the US, primarily through ethnic supermarkets and boutique grocers. According to Jameson, frozen ethnic food brands in the US are growing twice as fast as the frozen food category overall.
The brand has also captured the hearts of some unexpected fans. Jameson shared that Lebanese customers shopping at Middle Eastern grocers have taken to laksa’s rich coconut-and-seafood profile, while South American customers are drawn to the fried bee hoon, whose vermicelli reminds them of dishes from home.
Jameson looks up to Fly By Jing, the Sichuan chilli crisp brand now stocked on major US supermarket shelves, as proof of what’s achievable.
It tastes “like home”
So far, the feedback from customers has been consistently warm: “tastes like home,” “brings back memories.”
But what stayed with Jameson were messages from young parents telling him their children—kids who had never set foot in Singapore—were finally tasting the food their parents had grown up with.
Some customers have even told him that opening a packet and smelling the food brought them to tears. Others have become loyal enough to travel two hours by train just to pick up an order.
Riding on growing demand, Singapore Hawker Haven has been profitable since its first year in 2024.
Revenue doubled from year one to year two, and the company is on track to more than double again in year three. The team projects roughly sixfold growth in year four as it pushes into new markets.
But Jameson’s long-term ambition extends well beyond selling frozen Singaporean dishes.
In 2020, Singapore’s hawker culture was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity—a global recognition of the culture, but one without a global reference brand to carry it, unlike Japan’s ramen or Thailand’s pad thai. That gap, Jameson believes, is the real opportunity for Singapore Hawker Haven.
His 10-year goal is to become that reference brand, with hawker families still at the centre of it, and to be established enough in key markets that Singapore Hawker Haven no longer has to explain what hawker food is.
Sports1 minute ago
From ‘no career in gaming’ to Asian Games: Indian esports stars eye medals | Asian Games 2026
NewsBeat4 minutes ago
Fire crews called to unattended bonfire in Yorkshire
Business5 minutes ago
(VIDEO) Ben Shelton Beats Frances Tiafoe to Reach First US Open Final, One Win From Historic Title Sunday
Tech4 days ago
Memory prices are slowing because buyers ran out of money
Business2 days ago
Micron Stock Climbs Above $1,031 as AI Memory Crunch and a $50 Billion Outlook Fuel the Rally
Business2 days ago
AMD Stock Climbs After Management Lifts 2027 Data Center Outlook Toward $70 Billion in AI Sales
-
Tech4 days ago
Memory prices are slowing because buyers ran out of money
-
Business2 days agoMicron Stock Climbs Above $1,031 as AI Memory Crunch and a $50 Billion Outlook Fuel the Rally
-
Business2 days agoAMD Stock Climbs After Management Lifts 2027 Data Center Outlook Toward $70 Billion in AI Sales
-
Crypto World3 days agoBitcoin price risks $76K drop as $78K support weakens
-
Crypto World4 days agoRobinhood Stock: How To Take Advantage With Reduced Risk
-
Crypto World3 days agoEthereum price stalls below $2,500 as ADX drops to 11
-
Crypto World1 day agoOKX launches 10x OpenAI, Anthropic X-Perps in Europe
-
NewsBeat4 days agoEngland up in reading, maths and science rankings as Scotland and Wales dip
-
Crypto World4 days agoIntel Stock Jumps 9% on Chip Price Hike Report, US Stake Gains $36 Billion
-
Crypto World2 days ago2 Chip Stocks Broke Out This Week. Neither Was Nvidia
-
NewsBeat3 days agoWhat went right this week: an ‘historic’ fall in violent crime, plus more
-
Crypto World2 days agoBitcoin price risks $70K if $78K neckline breaks
-
Business3 days agoMeta debuts long-awaited personal AI agent, Muse
-
Crypto World3 days agoBitcoin price holds near $79K as cycle drawdowns narrow
-
Crypto World1 day ago
Ethereum Price Analysis: Consolidation at $2.5K Tests Momentum as On-Chain Activity Surges
-
Crypto World21 hours agoDiesel Tops $6 a Gallon for the First Time as 28 States Set Records
-
Sports4 days agoPhones confiscated, players sent home: Pakistan’s England tour turmoil revives memories of Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif’s 2010 Lord’s spot-fixing scandal | Cricket News
-
Crypto World4 days agoPump Fun and Kraken delete Hunter Biden $LAPTOP promotion
-
Crypto World4 days agoBrent Crude Oil Moves Above $100 for the First Time in 3 Months
-
Entertainment2 days agoCase Sees Major Update As Jury Deliberations Begin
You must be logged in to post a comment Login