A new QuickBooks report finds AI-using small businesses are 20x more likely to report revenue gains and 43% saw growth, underscoring AI’s immediate ROI for SMBs (QuickBooks/Miami Herald). [P]Platforms and agencies are racing to automate: Shopify’s Campaign Autopilot will run paid + organic campaigns across channels and WPP is building a video-buying AI agent while working with Disney and Netflix to set standards (Shopify, WPP). All this sits alongside a reminder that virality still matters — a single TikTok revived sales of a 41‑year‑old kids’ book — so creative + data = sweet spot for growth teams (Publishers Weekly).

SpaceX’s IPO marks a landmark liquidity event that could reshape capital flows into commercial space and founder-led engineering ventures (Washington Post). [P]At the same time, AI is cited as a core reason for the U.S.’s surge in new business formation and faster build cycles, while ecosystem bets — like Michigan State’s new $20M Rosenberg Center — and student teams raising pre-seed rounds show both demand and supply for next-gen startups (Inc., MSU).