The Commerce Department indicated that the federal government is on track to dole out millions of dollars to seven companies to fund technology development but will require the businesses to fork over equity in exchange for the money.

“The Department of Commerce today announced the signing of 7 letters of intent to provide $874 million in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act,” a Wednesday press release noted. “These incentives will support innovative domestic technologies to dramatically increase the performance of the world’s fastest computers, secure domestic supply chains, and strengthen U.S. leadership in the compute supply chain.”

The CHIPS and Science Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in 2022.

ANTHROPIC SAYS AI MODELS ACCESSED SYSTEMS OF 3 REAL ORGANIZATIONS DURING TESTING

The seven companies, which include GlobalFoundries, Kepler, Multibeam Corporation, Extropic, Thintronics, OBSIDIA Semiconductors and Aeluma, “have entered into letters of intent with the Department of Commerce, and there will be further diligence and approval by the Department before final awards are made,” according to the announcement, which is posted on the National Institute of Standards and Technology site. “The Department will receive a minority, non-controlling equity stake in each company as a condition for receiving the funds to enhance the return for the U.S. taxpayer.”

The department detailed the planned funding allotments for each company should the government move forward.

“GlobalFoundries will receive up to $300 million to accelerate the domestic research and development of co-packaged optics by two to three years. By integrating photonics directly alongside AI processors, this technology will deliver ultra-fast, energy-efficient computing to reinforce U.S. leadership in AI infrastructure,” the release noted. “Kepler will receive up to $245 million for R&D to develop in the U.S. a new class of high-performance AI memory technology enabled by innovative 3D and ferroelectric technologies.”

ZUCKERBERG PREDICTS MORE JOBS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IF SUPERINTELLIGENCE IS WIDELY DISTRIBUTED

“Multibeam Corporation will receive up to $140 million to develop advanced packaging technology to assemble and stack multiple chips and connect them with thousands of wires, which will enable more advanced systems necessary for AI and other advanced computing applications,” the department states. “Extropic will receive up to $75 million to develop thermodynamic sampling units (TSUs) which use natural thermal fluctuations to probabilistically solve complex problems spanning simulation, optimization, and AI, at a fraction of the energy consumed by conventional computing approaches.”

“Thintronics will receive up to $50 million to develop ultra-low-loss inter-layer dielectrics required for next-generation semiconductor interconnects and advanced packaging in high-performance compute, AI, and networking infrastructure,” the announcement states. 

“OBSIDIA Semiconductors will receive up to $34 million for R&D to deliver non-invasive counterfeit and malicious component identification systems to ensure provenance and traceability in secure supply chains for AI and advanced electronics,” the release notes. “Aeluma will receive up to $30 million to develop large diameter, indium-phosphide-free substrate technology used to fabricate photodetectors and lasers for AI photonic interconnects.”

BERNIE SANDERS UNVEILS PLAN TO TAKE 50% STAKE IN AI COMPANIES FOR GOVERNMENT WEALTH FUND

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“With today’s compute supply chain investments, the Trump Administration is accelerating America’s innovation engine,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement. “These strategic investments will enhance our country’s domestic capabilities, create high-paying jobs and keep America at the forefront of the semiconductor industry.”

Adding more leads to an unoptimized pipeline rarely solves a growth problem. In fact, scaling lead generation without a structured operational backbone usually exposes underlying structural cracks.

Unprocessed inquiries accumulate in disconnected systems, response times slow down, and promising opportunities slip through the cracks.

When sales organizations scale up, they often try to handle the increased volume by simply adding headcount or demanding more manual effort from representatives. But scaling through brute force is inefficient and expensive.

True scalability requires building a repeatable, automated lead management process. By standardizing how leads are captured, validated, routed, and monitored, revenue teams can increase conversion rates and handle higher volume without a proportional increase in administrative overhead.

The Bottlenecks That Prevent Sales Scaling

Before you can build a scalable framework, you must identify where lead flow breaks down as volume increases. In most growing sales organizations, three major bottlenecks emerge:

1. Fragmented Data Capture: Inbound leads enter from multiple channels—web forms, third-party content platforms, trade shows, and social ads—often landing in isolated spreadsheets or unintegrated software tools.
2. Manual Lead Distribution: Operations managers waste hours every week manually assigning leads to reps based on geography, account size, or availability.
3. Inconsistent Follow-Up Cadences: Without clear structural rules, individual representatives decide when, how often, and through which channels they follow up with prospects, leading to vast swings in buyer experience.

Addressing these bottlenecks requires shifting from ad-hoc lead handling to a systematic, four-stage lead management architecture.

Stage 1: Standardize Data Ingestion and Validation

A scalable process begins at the point of entry. If dirty or incomplete data enters your pipeline, every subsequent step becomes slower and less effective.

Automate the initial ingestion process by connecting all lead-generation sources directly to your core platform via direct integrations or APIs. As soon as a lead submits their information, run automated validation checks:

• Normalize Field Formats: Ensure job titles, state names, and industry categories match standardized dropdown values rather than open text fields.
• Enrich Contact Data: Use automated data enrichment tools to append firmographic details—such as company headcount, revenue range, and tech stack—without inflating form length for the buyer.
• Scrub Against Suppression Lists: Automatically cross-reference phone numbers and email addresses against your company’s Do Not Call (DNC) lists and existing customer databases to prevent duplicate outreach.

Fixing data hygiene at the point of entry prevents reps from wasting time calling dead numbers or manually researching basic company information.

Stage 2: Implement Automated Qualification and Scoring

Not every lead that enters your system is ready for a direct sales call. Treating all inquiries identically forces your sales development team to act as manual filters rather than consultative closers.

Establish a dual-scoring model that evaluates both fit and intent:

Explicit Scoring (Firmographic Fit)

Assign points based on how closely the prospect matches your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Factors like target industry, company size, and decision-maker seniority dictate the baseline score.

Implicit Scoring (Behavioral Intent)

Assign dynamic points based on the prospect’s actions. Downloading an introductory eBook might add 5 points, while viewing a pricing page twice in 24 hours adds 25 points.

According to research from Forrester, organizations with aligned, automated lead scoring and management processes generate significantly higher sales-accepted lead rates. When a lead reaches a pre-defined point threshold, the system automatically marks it as “Sales-Ready” and triggers the routing sequence.

Stage 3: Transition to Automated, Queue-Based Routing

The traditional method of assigning leads—dropping them into a shared CRM inbox or emailing reps individually—fails at scale. Reps end up cherry-picking the easiest leads, while newer or more complex inquiries sit untouched.

To scale smoothly, replace static assignment rules with automated queue-based logic. Integrating a dynamic sales engagement platform like Vanillasoft allows operations leaders to replace manual distribution with real-time routing engines.

Instead of reps choosing who to contact next from a static list, the queue automatically presents the single highest-priority lead directly on the rep’s screen the moment they become available. If a high-intent pricing request arrives, the platform instantly redirects that lead to the top of the active queue. This automated flow strips away administrative hesitation, drives immediate speed-to-lead, and ensures every prospect receives timely attention.

Stage 4: Enforce Standardized Cadences with Multi-Channel Logic

Once a lead is assigned, the follow-up process must follow a predictable, multi-channel schedule. Leaving touchpoint frequency up to rep discretion leads to missed opportunities; research shows that many prospects require five to eight touchpoints before engaging in a conversation.

Build standardized outreach cadences that combine phone calls, personalized emails, and social touchpoints over a 14-to-21-day window. Program your management software to automatically trigger the next step in the cadence based on the prospect’s response:

• If the rep leaves a voicemail: The system automatically queues a follow-up email template for rep approval.
• If the prospect opens an email three times: The system automatically moves the next scheduled phone call up in the queue.
• If the prospect opts out: The system instantly pauses the cadence across all channels to preserve compliance hygiene.

Standardizing the cadence creates operational predictability, making it far easier to train new hires and maintain consistent outreach quality as the team expands.

Stage 5: Monitor Pipeline Velocity and Conversion Bottlenecks

A scalable lead management process is not a “set-it-and-forget-it” system. As volume grows, operations leaders must monitor key operational health metrics to locate friction points:

Lead Acceptance Rate

The percentage of routed leads that sales representatives accept and attempt to contact. A low acceptance rate usually indicates a flaw in your qualification scoring or lead-fit criteria.

Stage-to-Stage Conversion Rates

Track the percentage of leads moving from capture to contact, contact to discovery meeting, and discovery to closed-won. Monitoring conversion rates by lead source helps you reallocate marketing spend toward channels that generate real sales velocity.

Cycle Time

Measure the average duration it takes for a lead to move through the entire pipeline. Identifying stages where leads stall allows you to refine your cadences or adjust rep workloads before growth slows down.

Building for Long-Term Scalability

Scaling your sales operations doesn’t mean asking your team to work harder or sort through larger spreadsheets. It means removing structural drag so your representatives can focus entirely on high-value buyer interactions.

By automating data capture, implementing objective lead scoring, routing inquiries through queue-based workflows, and enforcing multi-channel cadences, you build a sustainable operational framework. When your lead management process is built to scale, increasing lead volume directly translates into predictable, repeatable revenue growth.

Hyderabad: Riding on its success in the recent Legislative Assembly polls, the ruling Congress in Telangana is banking on the implementation of its poll ‘guarantees’ to score big in the Lok Sabha elections, being held on May 13. An Assembly bypoll will also be held on that day in this southern state.

The morale of Congress cadre is high following the 2023 win.

The BJP, riding high on its growing voter base in Telangana, is now aiming to win over 12 out of the total 17 seats and 35 per cent vote share, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The party doubled its vote share to nearly 14 per cent resulting in eight seats in the assembly elections held on November 30, last year. BRS, which ruled the state for about a decade since its emergence, is low on morale following the defeat, even as its founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao‘s daughter K Kavitha was arrested on the eve of poll dates announcement, adding insult to the injury.

A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of political parties in Telangana.

CONGRESS STRENGTHS: -Congress is in power following its victory in the Assembly polls and momentum is on its side. -The implementation of the ‘guarantees’ announced before the Assembly elections by the Revanth Reddy government has generated goodwill for the party. -The popularity of CM Reddy. -Since it is in power, it has more access to resources to fight the polls. -Regarded as a secular party and minorities are believed to have voted for the party in the Assembly elections. -The BRS which was in power for 10 years is demoralised following its rout in the Assembly polls. The contest is mainly seen to be between Congress and BJP in the parliament elections. -Strong cadre at the grassroots level. -The party has already announced candidates for some seats.

WEAKNESSES: -The construction of Lord Ram temple at Ayodhya may swing devout Hindutva voters in favour of BJP. -The popularity of PM Narendra Modi would help the BJP and Congress may not be able to address this fully. OPPORTUNITIES: -Decline of BRS, and BJP lacking organisational strength in some constituencies. – CM Revanth Reddy, who is also PCC president, is regarded as an intelligent strategist. – Key issues like Ram temple and CAA may help the party get votes of minorities.

THREATS: -BJP’s aggressive campaign -Though BRS is down, it has announced that it will have an alliance with BSP for the Lok Sabha polls. In view of this, Congress needs to ensure that it gets the votes of Dalits and other backward sections in bulk.

BJP STRENGTHS: -Consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya created a spiritual ambience among certain sections which can be transformed into electoral benefits. -Party’s clean image with respect to corruption -Strong leadership at the centre and their political shrewdness -Support from Sangh Pariwar, RSS affiliates like Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal -Ability to polarise votes on a “communal” basis.

WEAKNESSES: -The party had to pitch turncoats at some segments -For every decision, the local leadership will have to look up to the central leadership. -There is a strong feeling among people that the BJP and BRS have a tacit understanding. -The removal of Bandi Sanjay as state president is still seen as a weakness of the party.

OPPORTUNITIES: -The party can claim some of the achievements, such as the Women Reservation Bill and the September 17 official celebration of Hyderabad Liberation Day, to its credit. -BJP may focus on negative aspects of Congress government’s “Six guarantees”.

THREATS: -After the Assembly polls, Congress formed the government in Telangana very recently and emerged as an alternative to BRS. So the positive feeling towards Congress still remains -Congress’ campaign may centre around the BJP and BRS’s alleged understanding. The BJP needs to counter it effectively. Congress may use it as one of the major poll issues. -Barring a few, there are hardly any crowd-pullers in the party locally.

The number of adults in Britain with a net worth of at least £1 million fell 7 per cent to 442,000 in 2025, the lowest level since 2008, according to analysis published by the Adam Smith Institute.

The centre-right think tank’s millionaire tracker counts adult British residents with at least £1 million in individual net worth across all real and financial asset classes, including property and pensions, measured in constant prices. It is built by applying a statistical model to Office for National Statistics household wealth data, which the institute puts at about £10.75 trillion in 2024.

The count passed one million in 2020 and reached 1.07 million in 2021. It has fallen in each of the four years since.

The institute attributes the decline to higher interest rates and a lack of confidence in the British economy reducing the inflation-adjusted value of pension pots and high-end London property, a low household savings rate, and the emigration of high net-worth individuals.

In its report, the Adam Smith Institute said: “There has [also] been a well-documented trend of high net-worth individuals either leaving Britain or no longer choosing to move here. Millionaires are leaving the country for a number of reasons, including the abolition of non-dom tax status, high levels of general taxation, and a hostile culture for wealth creators.”

HM Revenue & Customs data does not show a sharp fall in the non-dom population before the regime was scrapped. Its latest statistics put the number of individuals claiming non-domiciled status at 73,700 in the tax year ending April 2024, down 400, or 0.5 per cent, on the previous year. Those figures cover the period before April 2025, when the remittance basis was replaced with a residence-based regime exempting foreign income and gains for up to four years for new arrivals and for those returning after a decade abroad.

Business Matters reported in October that consultancy Chamberlain Walker estimated 1,800 non-doms had left Britain since the April 2025 change, a figure the Treasury said was “based on anecdotal evidence we don’t recognise”.

The ONS measures household assets every two years, so there is no official count of individual millionaires. Its latest data records 3.7 million households with net wealth above £1 million, most of it accounted for by house prices.

The Adam Smith Institute is calling on the government to abolish inheritance tax, cut capital gains tax and commission an international competitiveness assessment of the UK’s tax and regulatory treatment of non-doms and high net-worth individuals. It made a similar argument in 2024, when it forecast that Britain would see the largest exodus of millionaires globally.

HMRC data shows 31,500 estates paid inheritance tax on death in the tax year ending April 2023, about 4.5 per cent of people who died. Capital gains tax is charged at the point of sale on assets such as shares, at 18 per cent for basic rate taxpayers and 24 per cent for higher and additional rate payers. Income tax bands are 20 per cent, 40 per cent and 45 per cent.

Allies of Andy Burnham have called on the prime minister to equalise capital gains tax with income tax. Burnham has said he will “look in detail” at equalisation but has made no policy commitment. He has previously suggested abolishing inheritance tax and replacing it with a “care levy” to fund social care reform. He has also declined to rule out a wealth tax, prompting warnings from advisers that speculation alone is pushing capital out of Britain.

Andrew Griffith, the shadow business and trade secretary, said: “Whatever their personal finances, everyone should care about Britain having fewer millionaires to contribute to the tax pot and creating jobs and businesses here. It’s a competitive world and when young and ambitious people are voting with their feet and leaving your country that’s a shameful sign.”

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An organisation that rescues hundreds of tonnes of surplus food from going to waste wants to expand its work.

Food in Community, a Dartington-based community interest company, has been collecting unwanted and extra crops from local growers and farmers for 14 years in a bid to reduce waste and improve access to sustainably produced food.

The food is packed into boxes for free doorstep deliveries to people, with any leftover produce given to food banks, community fridges, lunch clubs and youth groups.

The group, who work mainly in Devon but also send items to Cornwall, said it wanted to work with more farmers, volunteers and business partners in a bid to save more food.

Chantelle Norton, a director at Food in Community, said research done by World Wide Fund for Nature and Tesco in 2022, external estimated 2.9 million tonnes of edible food is lost or wasted annually every year on UK farms.

Shares of Astra Microwave Products rallied nearly 14% on Friday after the defence electronics player announced that it has won a domestic order worth more than Rs 2,205 crore from Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).

Shares of the company surged to a fresh 52-week high of Rs 1,960 apiece on Friday morning, with the stock on track to record its sharpest single-day rally in more than four years. The stock has skyrocketed more than 130% in just four months since hitting a 52-week low of Rs 851 apiece at the end of March this year.

Astra Microwave Products announced that it has received an order for the procurement of 122 AAAU and 121 interface frames for Uttam Radar from PSU major HAL for a total consideration of Rs 2,205.23 crore, inclusive of all applicable taxes and GST. The domestic order is scheduled to be executed within five years.

Notably, this single order win is almost equal to the company’s entire order book of Rs 2,610 crore as of March 31, 2026. The significant order win boosted investor sentiment, sparking the sharp rally in the multibagger stock.

Astra Microwave share price

Astra Microwave shares have jumped around 8% in a week, 11% in a month, and are up nearly 100% in 2026 so far. The stock has surged around 104% in the past one year.

In the longer term, Astra Microwave shares have rallied 422% in three years and a whopping 1,041% in five years.
Also read | Astra Microwave Q4 results

Astra Microwave demerger

Earlier this year, Astra Microwave announced that its board granted in-principle approval to demerge its space, meteorology and hydrology business into a separate entity, aiming to enable sharper management focus and improved operational efficiency. The company expects to complete the demerger by Q1 FY28.In an exchange filing, the defence electronics player said the move involves the creation of Astra Space Technologies Private Limited, an independent company exclusively dedicated to its space, meteorology and hydrology business verticals. The new entity is expected to adopt tailored growth strategies and capital allocation frameworks aligned with the sector’s specific requirements.

The company added that the demerger would help broaden its investor base by offering distinct investment propositions, while also reducing structural complexity and enhancing transparency. The restructuring is aimed at improving oversight, governance and overall accountability.

However, the demerger will require a string of approvals before coming into effect. These include final approval from the board of directors, shareholders, creditors and stock exchanges, along with NCLT sanction and other regulatory clearances.

Also read |Astra Microwave to demerge space, meteorology & hydrology biz into a separately listed entity

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)