A UK-based start-up is bringing Mickey Mouse and other iconic characters to smartphones after striking a major content deal with The Walt Disney Company, in a bid to reverse declining reading habits among children.

London-founded Comixit has secured rights to adapt more than 100 titles across Disney, Pixar and 20th Century Studios into digital comic strips known as webtoons, a fast-growing format designed specifically for mobile consumption.

The agreement will see globally recognised franchises including Frozen, Ice Age and Moana reimagined as vertically scrolling, episodic comics tailored to younger audiences. The company has already partnered with the The Beano, signalling early traction in the children’s content space.

Comixit was founded in 2025 by entertainment executive Michael Nakan, who said the platform is designed to meet children “where they already are”, on their phones, while turning screen time into a more constructive activity.

“Disney has shaped imaginations for generations,” he said. “Bringing its characters into a modern, mobile-first format allows us to make reading engaging again.”

Webtoons, which originated in South Korea in the early 2000s, are structured for vertical scrolling, allowing users to move through stories frame by frame on a smartphone. The format blends visual storytelling with concise text, making it particularly accessible for younger readers and those less inclined towards traditional books.

Nakan said the idea for Comixit was sparked by declining literacy engagement among children, citing research that suggests only one in three young people aged eight to 18 now enjoy reading in their free time.

The start-up is entering a rapidly expanding market. Industry estimates put the global webtoon sector at around $9 billion in 2024, with projections suggesting it could grow to nearly $100 billion by 2033, potentially surpassing the scale of Japan’s manga industry.

By combining globally recognised intellectual property with a format optimised for mobile devices, Comixit is aiming to capture a share of this growth while addressing a broader cultural challenge around reading and engagement.

The platform uses artificial intelligence to convert traditional comic formats into webtoon-style content, but the company emphasises that all material is reviewed by human editors to ensure quality, accuracy and age-appropriate standards.

Unlike many digital platforms targeting younger audiences, Comixit has deliberately avoided social features such as comments, instead focusing on a curated and moderated environment designed to be safe for children.

The company is also developing tools that will allow users to create their own stories, adding an interactive dimension to the platform and encouraging creativity alongside consumption.

Comixit has attracted backing from prominent figures in film and media, including Harry Potter producer David Barron and Peaky Blinders producer Caryn Mandabach, as well as investor Magnus Rausing.

Nakan’s own background spans both film and television, with experience working alongside director Joe Wright and contributing to major productions such as Game of Thrones and House of Cards during his time at HBO.

The app is already available across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with plans to expand into the United States, a key market for both digital content and children’s entertainment.

At its core, Comixit’s strategy reflects a broader shift in how content is consumed and how literacy can be supported in a digital-first world.

By leveraging familiar characters and immersive storytelling, the company is attempting to bridge the gap between entertainment and education, encouraging children to engage with narratives in a format that feels native to their everyday habits.

As traditional reading faces increasing competition from digital media, initiatives like this suggest the future of literacy may lie not in resisting screen time, but in reimagining it.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

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A US federal judge has dismissed a major antitrust lawsuit filed by Elon Musk‘s social media company, X Corp., over allegations that top advertisers boycotted the platform.

The decision marks a significant legal setback for Musk, who has claimed that brands deliberately withheld billions in advertising revenue from X, formerly known as Twitter.

The case, which began in 2024, named the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and major companies, including Mars, CVS Health, and Colgate-Palmolive, as defendants.

According to CNBC, X alleged that the advertisers acted together to harm the company financially, even though such a move went against their own business interests.

However, US District Judge Jane Boyle of the Dallas federal court found that X failed to demonstrate it suffered harm under federal antitrust law.

In her ruling, Boyle wrote, “The very nature of the alleged conspiracy does not state an antitrust claim, and the court therefore has no qualm dismissing with prejudice.”

X Claims Billions Lost in Alleged Ad Boycott

The advertisers had argued that X could not prove a coordinated boycott. In court filings, CVS and the other companies maintained that they made independent decisions about where to spend advertising dollars.

They said concerns over X’s brand safety after Musk’s 2022 takeover—during which several employees were fired—led them to choose other platforms, NY Post reported.

These companies stressed that their actions were standard business decisions, not part of a conspiracy.

The lawsuit claimed that the advertisers, through the WFA initiative called the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, collectively withheld “billions of dollars in advertising revenue” from X.

Musk and X argued this harmed their ability to compete, but the judge concluded the complaint did not meet the legal requirements for an antitrust claim.

X and the World Federation of Advertisers have not publicly commented on the ruling. Musk, known for his bold statements on social media, has not yet reacted publicly to this setback.

Originally published on vcpost.com

For a South Florida native, the silence and serenity are what hits you first.

Just a stone’s throw from the relentless horn-honking of Surfside and the designer-clad crowds of Bal Harbour Shops, Indian Creek Village exists in a vacuum of enforced peace. There are no sirens, tourists, and certainly no uninvited guests — only the whistle of the Atlantic wind and the rhythmic clap of waves against private piers.

Behind massive entry gates and dense tropical foliage lies a 300-acre fiscal safe haven where America’s billionaires aren’t just buying homes, but investing in a sovereign-level of security that Julian Johnston, one of Miami’s top luxury brokers, says is now the ultimate commodity.

“It is a political sanctuary. I’d say, also, the security itself is extremely tight. I mean, when you drive up, if you don’t have permission to get on, [the police] are actually quite rude and they tell you to go away,” the Corcoran Group agent — who has more than $10 billion in sales under his belt in the area — told Fox News Digital during a private tour of Indian Creek.

MARK ZUCKERBERG BECOMES LATEST CALIFORNIA BILLIONAIRE TO RELOCATE TO FLORID AMID TAX CONCERNS

“I think Indian Creek is an island unto itself,” he continued. “As a community… you’ve got the marina nearby, you can walk to the Four Seasons and go to the beach and it’s a lower-density construction. So there’s not as much traffic, and it’s just a beautiful place to live.”

An aerial view of the entrance of Indian Creek Village in Miami, Florida. (Getty Images)

Commonly known as the “Billionaire Bunker,” successful business leaders and celebrities including Jeff Bezos, Carl Icahn, Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Julio Iglesias, Adriana Lima, David Guetta, Don Shula and others have long called Indian Creek home. The ultra-exclusive neighborhood made recent headlines for its newest resident, Mark Zuckerberg, who paid a record $170 million for an under-construction property.

The migration is fueled by more than just sunshine; it is a tactical retreat from a wave of tax-the-rich proposals sweeping through blue-state legislatures like California, Washington and New York. While lawmakers and unions move to enact aggressive new levies on capital gains and unrealized wealth, the “Billionaire Bunker” provides a predictable fiscal fortress. 

“Even starting with South Beach and Miami Beach, there’s only a thousand homes on the water, approximately… There’s only four real islands in this location that the owners own the roads, so you cannot get on without permission,” Johnston said. “People covet privacy, security… and so with such limited inventory, prices have risen very fast in the last couple of years.”

The grand backyard of a hundred-million-dollar home in Indian Creek Village, Miami. (Fox News Digital)

Zuckerberg’s new estate currently sits as a skeleton of modern concrete bones, still fully exposed to the coastal Miami elements. Parked outside his unfinished home appeared to be an unmarked, blacked-out SUV keeping watch over the lot.

It’s a stark contrast to the finished, bougainvillea-covered Mediterranean arches of the mansion Johnston showed to Fox News Digital. Though that completed home is not formally for sale, its market price is estimated to be more than double what Zuckerberg paid due to its specific location and views.

“Fifty percent of the sales on Indian Creek are off-market. There are some that are just thinking about selling, and it becomes known in the community, and they’ll start getting offers,” he said. “They don’t really want to advertise because that can draw a lot of tire kickers and people that are interested to see the home.”

OVER $126M IN 60 DAYS — FLORIDA REAL ESTATE TYCOONS SAY BLUE-STATE WEALTH MIGRATION IS NOW PERMANENT

The agent noted that it typically takes one year for plans and permits, and three years to build a significant home on the island. He also explained how Bezos bought a 20-year-old Indian Creek property “in beautiful condition” for $75 million “just for somewhere to sleep” while his other two adjacent lots are being developed for his larger estate.

A home in Indian Creek Village, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. (Getty Images)

Driving by their residences, Bezos’ homes had long and winding driveways with iron gates and carefully tailored landscaping; Brady’s home appeared to be an almost entirely glass, gray-toned house from the front, with modern yet chic furniture and art visible through the window panes.

“When Tom Brady started building, he was thinking about selling the house for $80 to $100 million. Now he’s turning down offers four or five years later of $200 million,” Johnston said as another example.

“Some developers are doing very high-end homes now, but these end users, they have no budget. So then they’ll elevate those finishes even further, and they’ll build their dream home,” he continued. “I think this neighborhood is not attainable for some of us, including me. I think even some of the owners themselves are shocked.”

Every property on Indian Creek has direct water access. | Getty Images

Socializing on and around the man-made island has seemingly replaced New York City and Silicon Valley boardrooms, as the top agent pointed out changes in the way business deals and venture capital decisions are being made outside of their traditional offices.

“One of my clients… he’s a VC, he’s worth about $14 billion, and he would walk out in Manhattan, he’d go, ‘I put on my bulletproof vest, I go to war… Down here, I go out in shorts and a T-shirt, I walk on my conference call to a coffee shop, I finish that, I do another meeting… I found more peace with my life, I’m just as efficient,’” Johnston recalled.

With more than half of $1 trillion in combined net worth living on Indian Creek, it’s solidifying itself as the epicenter of a permanent wealth migration. However, the juxtaposition of the billionaires’ playground and an exceedingly risky market for average buyers is wide — UBS’ Global Real Estate Bubble Index for 2025 recently put Miami in the No. 1 spot for the real estate market with the highest bubble risk on Earth, surpassing the peak of the 2006 housing bubble.

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Miami’s breathtaking skyline can be seen from many Indian Creek homes. (Getty Images)

But Johnston argues that the trickle-down effect is funding massive public works, like high-speed transit and nearby affordable housing for the island’s vast support staff.

“I think it’s only going to benefit Miami greatly,” he said. “It has become more expensive and there’s been some push away from that. But the city is doing something about it, developers are reacting to it and there are peripheral areas now that are getting built out with beautiful retail and bus services and public transport, and I think it’s only going to make the city better and better.”

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Unilever is facing a new legal challenge after former Ben & Jerry’s board chair Anuradha Mittal filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court on Thursday.

The case, filed in Oakland, California, claims the company and its spun-off Magnum ice cream unit made false statements that damaged her reputation.

Mittal, who was removed from her role in December, alleges that Unilever and Magnum “vilified and discredited” her due to her support for Palestinian rights and calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to the complaint, tensions grew after Unilever announced the Magnum spinoff in March 2024.

The lawsuit states that Mittal was accused of serious misconduct, including self-dealing, receiving improper benefits, and misusing funds from the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation.

She also claims the companies portrayed her as creating a toxic work environment and being unfit to lead.

The filing argues these claims were false and made with “actual malice,” meaning they were either knowingly untrue or shared without regard for the facts, Reuters reported.

“Defendants achieved their goal of thoroughly humiliating and discrediting Ms. Mittal,” the complaint states, adding that the situation caused harm to her reputation as well as personal struggles, including depression and insomnia.

Mittal is seeking damages, though the exact amount has not been disclosed.

Ben & Jerry’s Dispute With Unilever Intensifies

Unilever has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. However, Magnum said in a statement that the claims are “unfounded” and expressed confidence that the court process will support its position.

This legal dispute is the latest chapter in a long-running conflict between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s leadership over the brand’s independence and social mission.

According to Yahoo, the ice cream company, founded in 1978, has long been known for its activism. It was acquired by Unilever in 2000, but its board has continued to advocate for social and political causes.

Tensions escalated in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling products in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Since then, disagreements over the company’s direction and messaging have continued to grow.

In November 2024, Ben & Jerry’s filed its own lawsuit against Unilever, accusing the parent company of trying to weaken its board and limit its activism.

Originally published on vcpost.com

Novo Nordisk’s patent for GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) therapy expired last week. Jefferies in its latest report said that after the patent expiry, more than 10 brands have launched their versions online, and over 40 brands are expected to join the race across injectables and oral forms.

The international brokerage noted that price points for the monthly dose of the injectable version are in the range of Rs 1,290-4500, with Natco and Glenmark offering products at the lower end of the range, and Dr Reddy’s and Torrent at the higher. “Most companies have launched their own brands, while others have formed partnerships (Torrent/Lupin are sourcing from Zydus). Torrent Pharma, the sole generics firm to supply the oral version, has priced it at a lower discount (30-50%) vs. injectables. Zydus offers a reusable multi-dose pen device; this differentiated offering allows patients to progressively titrate their dosage over the course of the treatment,” it added.

Products already sold out online

Despite the strong inventory build-up by companies, Jefferies claimed that there is a shortage in online channels. Out of the 10 brands that have already launched their generic versions only, the products by only 3-4 brands are still available while the rest are sold out, it said. Multiple reasons including inaccurate demand forecasts, limited supply quantities sent to online channels and supply chain hurdles due to regulatory crackdowns were cited as the possible reasons by the brokerage.
Additionally, the launches face intensified regulatory surveillance against unauthorized sale and promotion by the regulator in order to ensure ethical practices in the supply chain of GLP-1 drugs. “Our interactions with companies suggest the product is still in the initial days of launch. Companies are testing the waters with demand and supply, and they expect the market to settle down in the next few months. Impact of Semaglutide launch on existing diabetes drugs should also become clear in coming months,” Jefferies wrote.

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Why Sun Pharma, Lupin and Torrent Pharma can emerge as winners

Notably, these are strictly prescription-drugs. Endocrinologists and internal medicine specialists can mainly prescribe the drugs, along with cardiologists only for some indications. “Thus, companies with strong connect with specialist doctors and a large-scale cardio franchise such as Sun, Lupin and Torrent could emerge as eventual winners,” the international brokerage said.
The Nifty Pharma is among the only two sectoral indices which were in the green on NSE on Friday. Piramal Pharma, Mankind Pharma and other stocks gained up to 2%, as seen in the afternoon.Jefferies has a ‘Buy’ call on Alkem Laboratories, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Lupin, Mankind Pharma, Sun Pharma, Torrent Pharma and Zydus Lifesciences. It however has an ‘Underperform’ rating for Cipla and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.

As per industry data, the penetration of GLP-1 drugs is still very low in India, reaching only about 5% of people with diabetes and 4% of those with obesity. This leaves a vast untapped pool in the country, which has over 100 million diabetics and 250 million individuals with obesity.

Ozempic was priced at Rs 8,800–11,175, while Wegovy cost Rs 10,850–16,400 a month. In comparison, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) from Eli Lilly cost between Rs 13,000 and Rs 26,000 per injection, depending on the dosage. Each injection consists of four monthly shots.

The high prices of existing drugs have led investors to expect that cheaper generics will see strong demand in India, although regulatory oversight remains critical.

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