The JBuds Open Wireless are over-ear headphones designed to allow you to hear the world around you. Yes, everyone is doing that right now, just take a look at our best open earbuds guide — but while most open-ear options are earbuds, JLab has made an over-ear version. It promises to deliver the same open benefits but from a bigger — and for some people, more comfortable — form factor.

American-born, Ireland-based fund manager Faye Walsh Drouillard talks conviction, climate tech and what it takes to build an impact VC fund from scratch.

When Faye Walsh Drouillard sought out an impact-focused venture capital fund in Ireland, she looked at the market and could not find a structure that matched her vision. So she built one herself.

That instinct – to identify the gap and move – speaks to someone who has spent two decades operating at the intersection of purpose and capital. Born in Washington DC and raised in DC and California, Walsh Drouillard has lived in Europe for 20 years, 12 of them in Ireland, where she arrived initially due to her husband’s work in aircraft leasing. What began as a relocation for family reasons has, over time, become a genuine commitment to the Irish ecosystem and the founders building within it.

Her background is that of a social entrepreneur with deep roots in the nonprofit world and a long-standing preoccupation with two of the defining challenges of our time: climate change and inequality. Long before WakeUp Capital existed, she was active in angel investing, serving on non-profit boards and, increasingly, asking a question she found difficult to answer: where was the fund for founders building solutions to these problems?

“I didn’t see anything here in the Irish market that was focused on those themes,” says  Walsh Drouillard. “And I also felt like those themes, particularly the climate side, were going to become more and more important to the global economy, and certainly within Ireland.”

“I like to build. I like to create, and I brought an entrepreneurial approach to building the fund. Joining an existing fund to try to do that work probably wasn’t the right fit –  it would probably not have worked out for anyone. I wasn’t going to wait for someone to tap me on the shoulder.”

A winding path

The seed of WakeUp Capital was planted in 2019, when Walsh Drouillard – then working in the angel investing world – made clear to a syndicate her interest in climate-tech opportunities. It was there she met Mark Peters, who at the time was at Google, and who would become her co-founder. Together, they spent the years that followed conducting market research, making four early investments across Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK, and laying the foundations of what would become a dedicated VC fund.

It was not, she acknowledges, a straightforward path. Building a first-time fund is challenging for anyone and especially for an outsider. Building one as a female general partner in venture capital adds a layer of difficulty that Walsh Drouillard is candid about. What got her through, she says, was a combination of conviction in the thesis, resilience and – she is quick to add – timing.

“Across Europe right now, female GPs stand at about 15pc,” she says. “When I pitch to LPs, investors are looking for track record. There are not a ton of GPs in the world who are women focused on what I’m focused on, where they can say, ‘Oh yeah, I saw how that worked with that fund’. You need to continue to sell a promise of performance. You can’t really go back and say, ‘Have you seen how many fund managers just like me excelled over the last three years?’ So that can be hard.”

WakeUp Capital achieved its first close in 2024 and is currently working towards a final close in Q2 of this year. The fund now has eight companies in its portfolio, two of them Irish, with three additional Irish deals expected to close in the near term. The ambition is to invest with Irish companies as a primary market, though Walsh Drouillard is careful to frame that as a quality-driven target rather than a geographic obligation.

Measured impact

The fund occupies what Walsh Drouillard describes as a distinct position on the impact spectrum; it marries the commercial discipline and portfolio accountability of traditional venture capital with a mission-first focus on climate, health and inclusive tech. The fund seeks to deliver competitive market returns by backing scalable technologies where financial growth and measurable positive impact for the planet and society are closely linked.

“I’m not looking at sweet little metrics they can put in some ESG report that no one reads,” says Walsh Drouillard. “We cannot approve a deal without a recommendation from our Impact Advisory Committee. And part of our carry is linked to the impact success of the companies.”

That rigour extends to every deal the fund considers. The impact advisory committee reviews each potential investment to ensure portfolio companies are addressing genuine market problems rather than simply wearing the impact label. It makes the work harder, Walsh Drouillard says. It also makes it more meaningful.

“When people go through the process, I think they’re quite impressed, but I think they also feel like it’s really a value-add as opposed to what I would call a sweet, ‘feel-goodery’ exercise,” she says.

On the fundraising side, the experience has been instructive. Institutions such as the Irish Strategic Investment Fund, the European Investment Fund and Enterprise Ireland have invested in the fund alongside private capital, though Walsh Drouillard is candid about the harder task of convincing larger private institutional LPs, whose focus on track record and proven returns can make a first-time fund a difficult sell.

The more receptive audience has been family offices, high net worth individuals and exited entrepreneurs – and, she tells me, an increasingly engaged cohort of US-based investors actively seeking European opportunities.

Quality over geography

The question of geography is one Walsh Drouillard navigates carefully. Positioning Ireland as the fund’s primary market, she notes, can actually be counterproductive when talking to international LPs, which is why WakeUp Capital presents itself as Ireland-based but pan-European in scope. The Irish commitment is real, but it is the quality of deals that drives allocation, not the passport of the founder, she says.

Ireland’s start-up ecosystem, she tells me, is genuinely strong at the early stage. Enterprise Ireland and the broader support infrastructure provide a solid foundation, and there is real energy around entrepreneurship. But scaling remains a challenge, and in sectors like climate resilience, Walsh Drouillard identifies a gap in the kind of deep scientific and commercial expertise needed to evaluate technically complex opportunities. Ireland excels in software and medtech, she suggests, but the scientific and commercial knowledge required for some of the harder climate problems is not always easy to find.

It is a challenge she acknowledges close to home. Her own team brings very strong commercial and technical experience, she says, but evaluating the technical feasibility of certain climate and health-tech propositions requires additional scientific expertise, which the team is actively looking to engage.

Toward a transatlantic fund

On the broader European picture, Walsh Drouillard draws on her US background to offer a perspective that is both optimistic and clear-eyed. She is enthusiastic about the concept of EU Inc – the idea of Europe moving towards more unified, cross-border business structures – and draws a comparison to the successful introduction of the euro as evidence that the continent can embrace bold, unified approaches when the political will is there. What Europe sometimes needs, she suggests, is a more of the American bias towards possibility.

“I love the 27-member-state European Union – I am a Europhile,” she says. “But I don’t understand the value of maintaining your own administrative processes when it comes to building businesses. The euro currency is the best analogy. We’ve done so many other things. I have yet to hear a compelling reason why we should do it 27 different ways.”

The long-term vision for WakeUp Capital is to become a globally respected climate impact investment fund. Fund 1 is the foundation. Fund 2, she envisages, could be transatlantic – a structure that would connect the European and US markets, reflecting both her own background and the inherently borderless nature of the problems she is working to help solve.

“For the second fund, which we hope to launch in the coming years, I still believe in the potential of a great relationship between Europe and the US,” she says, adding that the relationship is not exactly at its strongest now. “But as a citizen of both, I still think there is incredible opportunity for collaboration. It’s just a question of understanding where Europe has the right to win right now and optimising for that.”

“Being culturally fluent in both countries gives us a bit of an edge,” she adds. “I’m a believer in ‘let’s see where each place has the right to win’. We will find the edges and the opportunities within that.”

As for her chosen path in the impact investment space, Walsh Drouillard is characteristically clear. “It’s not always easy. But it’s a privilege.”

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

A new report claims that Apple intends to make few changes to the current Apple Watch Series 11, beyond a new Watch face.

Previous reports have said that the Apple Watch Series 12 may get significant software updates, but that the hardware would remain much as it is with the current model. Now Bloomberg is reporting that there won’t be many changes to hardware or software at all.

Specifically, the report says there will definitely be at least one new Watch face, plus performance improvements, but then probably little more than fixes and presumably also security updates. Beyond that, the report goes no further than alluding to the possibility of small hardware updates.

Previously, it’s been expected that the Apple Watch will not directly include any Apple Intelligence features. Reports vary, but it’s believe that the Apple Watch currently has between 1GB and 1.5GB of RAM, and so presumably that limits just how much Apple Intelligence could do on the small device.

However, the Apple Watch may be able to display results from Apple Intelligence prompts.

There’s no indication in the new report that this will happen with watchOS 27, which is due to be announced at WWDC. Other prior reports have agreed that there will be few or no Apple Watch hardware updates in 2026, but some predict an all-glass redesign in 2028.

• Acasis FlowCore Series introduces an independent bandwidth design for each NVMe bay system
• Each drive reportedly maintains full Thunderbolt 5 speed simultaneously
• Four-bay and ten-bay models target different storage capacity needs

Acasis has announced the FlowCore Series, a new line of Thunderbolt storage systems.

This device claims to solve the shared bandwidth problem of conventional multi-bay storage devices — where multiple drives operating simultaneously cause significant slowdowns — by offering an independent full-speed bandwidth architecture for each M.2 NVMe bay

Jenny Zhang left New York for Shenzhen last year with a clear plan. She wanted to build a camera that fit right into daily routines without forcing anyone to hold a device or wear something on their face. The result sits in her hair like an ordinary barrette, chunky and white, ready to record whatever passes in front of it.

Zhang is the founder of Computer Angel, a small startup company where she spent months hammering away in workshops to develop her idea into a fully functional prototype. The clip easily snaps into place and keeps securely in place even when you move around; you wouldn’t want to take it off once it’s attached. With the camera positioned directly over the top of your head, the moment you hit the button or even tap it, it begins snapping away.

Sale

Insta360 X5 – Waterproof 8K 360° Action Camera, Leading Low Light, Invisible Selfie Stick Effect, Rugged…

• 8K30fps 360° Video with Dual 1/1.28″ Sensors: Capture stunning detail with dual 1/1.28″ sensors shooting up to 8K30fps. Film epic adventures…
• Triple AI Chip Design, Better Low Light: Shoot confidently even in challenging lighting. X5’s triple AI chip design powers advanced noise reduction…
• Invisible Selfie Stick: Create impossible third-person views with no selfie stick in sight! Capture everything in 360°, then choose your angles later…

The resulting footage appears to be fairly low-resolution, with a quality comparable to those old-school flip phones. The colors are all warm and fuzzy on the edges, giving each clip a unique personality that is far more appealing than the super-sharp, clinical stuff. You receive a hands-free view of your daily life from an angle that your phone simply cannot reach, as if you had a personal cameraman following you around at all times.

Zhang made a point of keeping things lighthearted with design, such as making the clip look like a piece of jewelry first and then a piece of technology, which turns out to be quite significant because people are far more inclined to go for something that looks beautiful on them. Now, the smart glasses that larger businesses are producing are all about packing in mics, speakers, and other aids that can identify things in real time or answer your queries on the fly. Computer Angel’s camera? No way, because there is only one task to do: save what you see, exactly as you see it.

Zhang has yet to announce exact pricing or release dates. She’s keeping the details under wraps while she refines the build, but she’s always glad to share progress on social media, posting test videos and behind-the-scenes looks at the process of transitioning from a sketch to actual hardware.
[Source]

The long-awaited overhaul of Siri is already two years later than planned. Even so, it will still be beta software when it does actually arrive.

Back in WWDC 2024, Apple introduced its new Siri with contextual awareness and other major improvements for the digital assistant. However, while it ultimately didn’t arrive later in the year in iOS 18, and didn’t even make it to iOS 26, it is now expected to turn up in iOS 27.

However, despite Apple having an extra two years to work on the new AI-infused Siri, it won’t be a fully completed product release. According to Mark Gurman in Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, it will be arriving as a “beta” release.

A test version of iOS 27 being trialled internally before WWDC includes a toggle to turn off the new Siri experience. Disabling it will revert back to the current Siri.

However, while this will be used in the developer builds after WWDC, it apparently won’t be limited to that. When the public release of the 27-generation operating systems happens in the fall, it is believed Apple will retain the button at first.

If true this means Siri will be beta software when it comes time for it to be used by all iPhone and iPad users.

It’s a move that won’t inspire confidence in New Siri, especially if Apple deems it beta after working on it for so long.

A turbulent arrival

Apple’s development of New Siri has been a slow and painfully public process for the historically secretive company.

After a horrific period, Apple software chief Craig Federighi eventually took control of the AI teams in January. The same month, Apple confirmed a multi-year dealwith Google will help speed up the development of Apple Foundation Models.

However, Apple is still dealing with the typical churn of engineers in its AI teams, as they move to new and more lucrative opportunities. In February, it was reported Apple was still struggling with internal testing of Siri.

Despite all of this, there is still a general belief that Apple will finally get a usable version of New Siri out of its labs sometime in 2026.

Apple will relaunch Apple Intelligence and Siri platforms with new Apple Foundation Models. Despite Google’s involvement, Apple will maintain its privacy stance.

When Apple Intelligence was revealed during WWDC 2024, Apple had a hybrid system in place that would ultimately fail to deliver. Delays ensued, and it seems that the long wait is over for Apple’s true AI strategy to emerge.

According to the Power On newsletter, Apple won’t be compromising on privacy with its new AI efforts. While the report is colored with suppositions and conjecture about what is coming, it lays out a fairly clear picture.

Apple will not be compromising on privacy for the sake of better artificial intelligence.

There aren’t any new details about Apple’s AI efforts. It repeats everything we know about the upcoming strategy and paints a picture of loss, shortcomings, and desperation on Apple’s part.

Of course, I don’t see it in quite the same light.

Apple’s place in the AI race

The AI industry lurched ahead of Apple with increasingly powerful models that could perform seemingly amazing tasks. The demos have always been something spectacular, like out of science fiction, but the real-world use has been something a little more mundane.

Apple doesn’t need to win the race if it controls the track

Advertisement

People have become upset that their sacrifice of the world’s knowledge and data has led to very little. Some AI is great and accelerates human workflows, but the cost to our financial markets, component availability, and environment has been incredible.

Apple has missed out on the hype cycle around AI, but has thrived in spite of it. It keeps having record quarterly results without any significant updates to its AI systems, which contradicts the grifts being sold to investors.

Apple doesn’t need AI, but AI needs Apple.

With ChatGPT set to become cash-poor by 2028 without an influx of cash and the general public becoming increasingly angry at AI companies, Apple’s position couldn’t be stronger. It isn’t one of desperation and failure, but one of success due to patience.

I’m not saying that Apple wouldn’t have been happy to see its initial launch go more smoothly. Nor am I saying Apple wouldn’t have released upgraded AI sooner if it could have.

It all just seems to be a happy accident. But instead of wallowing in self-pity, Apple is doing what it does best.

Apple is about to bust into the industry late with a solution that actually meets people where they are.

Apple’s privacy stance will hold

Expect WWDC 2026 to reveal a lot of what Apple hopes to accomplish through the following year with AI. However, it won’t reveal everything, like explicit details about working with Google Gemini.

Apple isn’t replacing its models with Gemini

Apple partnered with Google to get a version of Gemini that could run on Private Cloud Compute servers. No, it isn’t replacing Apple Foundation Models with Gemini no matter how often it is repeated, but being used to distill knowledge and train.

There are also rumors of Apple renting AI compute space from Google, which is likely given the state of the market. However, users don’t need to worry that Apple is sending data to Google servers.

Whatever servers and GPU clusters Apple uses, they will be operated no differently than Private Cloud Compute with data privacy protections in place. It is no different than Apple renting data servers from Google or Amazon for iCloud.

Those companies don’t have access to the data. Period.

Apple’s AI strategy

Anyway, the new Apple Foundation Models will be the central backbone of Apple’s new AI strategy. They will run both on-device and in Private Cloud Compute to parse data and complete tasks on behalf of the user.

An on-device AI that stays out of the way

Most users will likely interact with Apple’s AI systems and Siri using these base models and nothing else. It will be the default, and after the Gemini training, will likely be more than enough for the features Apple will reveal during WWDC.

Anyone who wants to ignore AI on Apple platforms will be able to do so.

For those who want other options, Apple is providing developers with an API. The OpenAI relationship is fraying, and Apple will likely boot them from their privileged positions with iOS 27.

Instead, apps like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude will be able to be installed from the App Store and become endpoints for Apple Foundation Models. That means whether you’re invoking Siri or general Apple Intelligence programs, you can send data to third-party AI for parsing and execution.

Such integrations will maintain user privacy through the use of the API. Apple will likely establish that developers must adhere to strict privacy rules to access the API or face being revoked from access.

If Apple doesn’t go that route, then at the least, Apple will warn users of the privacy risks of using third-party models.

Apple has spent over a decade telling users that their iPhone is private and secure

The end result is a new set of (hopefully) capable Apple Foundation Models powering every AI interaction on iPhone with privacy and security intact. Users will also be able to tap into their favorite, arguably more capable, AI models as they need or want to.

Apple won’t need to be the best in the AI space. Instead, it will have a strong enough base offering with the option of supporting external AI models as an expansion of its ecosystem.

Sure, Apple is late in doing this, but coloring it as some kind of desperate move seems odd. It’s Apple doing what Apple does best, and that’s disrupting an established market with a better business model targeted at user needs above profits and grift.

Apple will own the AI ecosystem by playing host to every model on its powerful hardware while offering good-enough models on-device.

WWDC 2026 will begin on June 8 with a keynote address. Expect it to be an AI-focused event considering the amount that will need to be covered in the space.