Mumbai-based GreyLabs AI to raise Series A funding, led by Elevation Capital, sources told Inc42.
“GreyLabs has been having conversations with Elevation Capital for some time as the investor is looking to expand its AI portfolio,” one of the sources said.
While the round will be led by Elevation Capital, it will also see participation from GreyLabs’ existing investor Z47 Partners (erstwhile Matrix Partners India), as per the sources.
While a questionnaire sent to GreyLabs AI didn’t elicit any response till the time of publishing this story, GreyLabs’ MCA documents confirm that the startup is raising INR 76 Cr (about $9 Mn) from the two investors.
Inc42 has also reached out to Elevation Capital and Z47 Partners for a comment on the development.
This comes over a year after GreyLabs AI raised $1.5 Mn in its seed funding round from Matrix Partners India. The funding round also saw participation from angel investors such as MoEngage founder Narasimha Reddy, Uni Cards founder Nitin Gupta, Scapia founder Anil Goteti, among others.
Founded in 2023 by husband and wife duo Aman Goel and Harshita Srivastava, GreyLabs offers a GenAI-powered platform for speech and text analytics. The startup claims to enhance the productivity of sales agents by extracting valuable insights and streamlining the audit and quality assurance processes through automation. The startup currently has three products:
Real-time agent analysis
Email analytics
Speech analytics
Besides English, GreyLabs supports vernacular languages like Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, among others.
As per its website, the startup’s clients include Axis Bank, Groww, RBL Bank, SBI Life, Uni Cards, among others.
Before starting GreyLabs AI, Goel, an IIT alumnus and second-time entrepreneur, cofounded Cogno AI 2017, a platform focussed on chatbots and WhatsApp bots for large banks and financial institutions.
Srivastava, an IIT Kanpur alumnus, joined Goel when Cogno AI’s other cofounder called it quits. Later in 2021, Cogno AI was acquired by Exotel, a cloud telephony platform. Both Goel and Srivastava worked for two years with Exotel before finally cofounding GreyLabs AI.
The development comes at a time when investors continue to be bullish about investments in Indian AI startups.
In a recent survey conducted by Inc42, nearly 57% of 80+ respondents said they are actively scouting for early stage AI investments. Another 22% said they are eyeing growth-stage bets in either AI or advanced hardware and technology sectors.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), along with the federal ministers for climate change and planning, to closely coordinate with provincial governments in formulating a comprehensive disaster management plan, as the death toll from this year’s torrential rains and cloudbursts reached 178 on Thursday.
He issued the directive during his visit to the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) at the NDMA headquarters, where he was briefed on the current monsoon situation, ongoing disaster response efforts, and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
Also Read: Punjab declares emergency as torrential rains kill over 60 today
During the briefing, NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik reported that so far 178 people have lost their lives and around 500 others have been injured in rain-related incidents across the country.
He further informed that this year’s monsoon intensity is between 60 to 70 per cent higher than last year, and overall 65 per cent above average across the region. He noted that while the monsoon season typically includes eight to nine weather spells, the current cycle has already experienced two to three additional spells.
He added that last year’s forecasts had indicated increased impact in northern Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad, and upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), whereas this year the brunt has shifted toward lower and upper Punjab, AJK, and Islamabad — a trend expected to continue for another three to four weeks.
NDMA chairman also warned that four to five more monsoon spells are expected, with the third spell — which began on June 26 — now nearing its conclusion.
Commending the NDMA’s efforts, the premier lauded the authority’s skilled personnel and modern infrastructure, describing the organisation as providing an “encouraging environment” for disaster management through a highly capable team.
Hon’ble Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) to review current & evolving monsoon situation. Chairman NDMA, LtG Inam Haider Malik, briefed him on damages incurred,projected seasonal hazards, status of rivers & hydraulic structures. pic.twitter.com/nMb7IRbh2c
He acknowledged the recent incidents of cloudbursts and heavy downpours in Chakwal, Lahore, Islamabad, and other hilly regions, noting the severity of the weather conditions.
While southern parts of the country have been less affected, he observed that the central and northern regions remain significantly at risk.
He also praised the response of provincial governments. He said coordination between NDMA and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) had helped minimise losses.
Emphasising the importance of preparedness, PM Shehbaz said, “As projections show increased cloudburst activity, we must prepare accordingly. The federal government and NDMA must maintain close coordination with provinces.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, he reiterated that although the country contributes minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, it ranks among the top ten most climate-vulnerable nations.
“This is both a challenge and an opportunity to build a climate-resilient Pakistan, particularly in the fields of agriculture and infrastructure,” the PM added.
NEW YORK – A 24.5kg Martian meteorite that is the largest known piece of Mars found on Earth has sold for US$5.3 million (S$6.8 million) at Sotheby’s, setting a new auction record for a meteorite.
The auction on July 16 for the rock known as NWA 16788 sparked a 15-minute bidding war between online and phone bidders.
“This is an amazing Martian meteorite that broke off of the Martian surface,” said Ms Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s vice-chairman and global head of science and natural history, ahead of the auction.
The fragment was discovered in November 2023 by a meteorite hunter in the Sahara Desert, in Niger’s remote Agadez region.
“The people there knew already that it was something special,” said Hatton. “It wasn’t until it got to the lab and pieces were tested that we realised, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s Martian.’
“And then when those results came back and we compared and saw, ‘OK, it’s not just Martian, it is the biggest piece of Mars on the planet’.”
About five million years ago, an asteroid or comet slammed into Mars so hard that rocks and other debris launched into space.
“So it comes hurtling… 140 million miles (225 million km) through space, makes it through Earth’s atmosphere,” said Ms Hatton, noting that most things burn up in our planet’s atmosphere.
“It’s incredible that it made it through and then that it crashed in the middle of the desert instead of the middle of the ocean, in a place where we could find it, and that somebody who could recognise what it was found it.
“So there’s a whole kind of process or a layer of things that have to happen in order for this to become reality and be here in front of us.”
Just like its mother planet, NWA 16788 has a distinctly reddish hue, as well as signs of fusion crust from its violent descent through Earth’s atmosphere.
There are about 400 officially recognised Martian meteorites on Earth, of which NWA 16788 is by far the largest. AFP
I used plastic food containers for most of my life — they’re affordable and accessible at most of the grocery stores I frequent. But, in recent years I’ve learned more about the potential dangers plastic food containers and microplastics pose to my health and the environment. Leaching, which is the process of microplastic getting into food, is one of many reasons I recently turned to non-plastic food containers and cooking utensils.
Harmful chemicals from some plastic food storage containers, like bisphenol A (BPA), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalates, can get into our food, especially when heated, according to Tracey Woodruff, an associate professor of reproductive sciences at the University of California San Francisco. “There are a lot of different chemicals that are used in the making of plastic or that are in plastic-related materials and these chemicals can leach from the plastic into people’s food,” says Woodruff.
These chemicals can lead to an increased risk of infertility, reproductive health, cardiovascular disease and more, according to Woodruff. Additionally, researchers have found microplastics in several parts of the human body, including blood and the brain, according to Woodruff.
With this in mind, I spoke with experts about how to find a good plastic alternative and what you should look for.
How I picked the best plastic-free food container
The main factor in deciding the best alternatives to plastic food containers is finding a material that doesn’t leach and is safe to put in the microwave and dishwasher. Here’s everything our experts recommend I keep in mind when making this list:
Alternative materials: The best and most common non-toxic alternative to traditional plastic is glass, according to Woodruff. Unlike plastic, glass food containers aren’t susceptible to leaching microplastics, making them safer to heat up, eat out of and prepare food in. Most of the food containers on this list are made of borosilicate glass, which is highly resistant to heat, thermal shock and cracking (though not shatterproof). Additionally, I also curated options that have ceramic coatings, which makes them stain resistant and nonstick, as well as containers made from stainless steel. While every container on this list is made from either glass or stainless steel, some of the included lids are made of BPA-free plastic and/or come with a silicone lining to prevent leaking, so some of the sets aren’t entirely plastic free.
BPA and PFAS free: BPA and PFAS (sometimes called “forever chemicals”) are molecular chemical additives found in microplastics that some manufacturers use to give plastic durability, heat, oil and stain resistance, according to Paul Anastas, a professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Green Chemistry at Yale University’s School of the Environment. As I mentioned above, chemicals found in microplastics are linked to an increased risk of adverse reproductive health issues in both men and women, lung and colon cancer, metabolic abnormalities, birth defects and more, according to Woodruff. With this in mind, I only included plastic food container alternatives that explicitly mention being BPA and PFAS free and/or 100% plastic free.
Use case: In making this list, I tried to find non-plastic food container options that you can use for a variety of purposes, including microwaving, baking, freezing and putting in the dishwasher. While not every option on this list is compatible for all four methods, most of them are dishwasher safe and microwave safe. I noted which purposes each one is best suited for.
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The best alternatives to plastic food containers
All of the products below are either direct recommendations from NBC Select editors and/or have at least a 4-star average rating from 500 reviews or more on Amazon.
100% plastic-free food containers
All of the food containers below are entirely plastic free, including the lids.
Material:glass | BPA free:yes | PFAS free:yes | Containers:4 | Microwave safe:yes | Oven safe:yes, up to 500 degrees without lid; 400 degrees with lids | Dishwasher safe:yes | Freezer safe:yes
What we like
100% plastic free
Round and square shaped
Has a vent on top
Something to note
Doesn’t have small containers
I tested and reviewed Anyday’s microwavable cookware bowls, which are available in multiple sizes and are similar to this set of frosted borosilicate glass containers designed specifically for food storage, instead of cooking (though they’re also oven- and microwave-safe, too.) You’ll get two 2-cup rounded dishes and two 2.5-cup square dishes. The dishes, including the lids, are entirely plastic free, according to the brand, and you can also microwave and bake with the lids, which have vents on top that act as a handle.
Material:glass | BPA free:yes | PFAS free:n/a | Containers:5 | Microwave safe:containers only (not lids) | Oven safe:yes, up to 600 degrees without lid | Dishwasher safe:containers only (not lids) | Freezer safe:yes
What we like
Glass is stain resistant
Lid works as a serving platter
Something to note
Lids aren’t transparent
This set from Urban Green has a 4.1-star average rating from 2,031 reviews on Amazon and comes with five containers: a 0.5-cup, 1.5-cup, 2.6-cup, 3.8-cup and 6.25-cup. They’re entirely plastic free, according to the brand — the containers are made of heat-safe borosilicate glass and the lids are bamboo. They’re safe to use in the microwave and oven (without the lids) and they’re dishwasher and freezer safe, too, according to the brand.
These wraps are made of beeswax, organic cotton, plant oil and tree resin, according to the brand, making them entirely plastic and silicone free. These wraps have a 4.5-star average rating from 10,862 reviews on Amazon and they work in the same way you’d use plastic wrap or aluminum foil, except they’re reusable. The set includes a small, medium and large wrap, which are best for using with solid foods, like sandwiches, loaves of bread and produce. You can also use the wrap as a lid for a bowl with salad. That said, the wraps aren’t suitable for heating and you can only wash them with cold water, according to the brand.
Mostly plastic-free food containers
All of the food containers below are plastic free, however some of the lids or accessories have BPA-free plastic.
This popular set from Caraway comes recommended by NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin, who loves how well they seal. “I’ve used these containers for over a year almost every day,” she says. “They’re super sturdy and don’t stain, even when I use them to store pasta with red sauce or curry made with turmeric.” It’s made of glass and coated in ceramic, similar to the brand’s cookware. The 9-piece set, includes one large 10-cup square container, ideal for prepping multiple servings of food, two medium, rectangle 6.6-cup containers for individual meals, two small 4.4-cup containers for salads or sides, two small rectangular inserts with a 9-ounce capacity for snacks and two small square inserts with a 4-ounce capacity, compatible for dips and dressings. The set also comes with storage racks you attach to the inside of your cabinet and straps that hold the lid and container together.
NBC Select editor Mili Godio got this set of glass food containers as a wedding gift and says she can’t “ever go back” to her usual plastic Tupperware. “They’re super durable and stack really nicely on top of each other,” she says. The set comes with 10 containers of different sizes, so there’s one to fit practically anything you need. The lids seal well and protect from spills, too, according to Godio.
Material:glass | BPA free:yes | PFAS free:n/a | Containers:9 | Microwave safe:only containers, without lid | Oven safe:only containers, without lid | Dishwasher safe:yes | Freezer safe:yes
What we like
Square and round shapes
Leakproof
Recyclable
This set of glass food containers comes recommended by NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinwotiz, who likes the many shapes and sizes included in the set and that the lids seal securely. Plus, the containers themselves are durable and can handle high heat and travel without cracking. “I don’t worry about throwing them in my backpack, in the sink with other pots and dishes, or in the oven and microwave,” says Rabinowitz. The set includes one large 6.3-cup container, two 3.5-cup containers and one 1.6-cup container in both round and square shapes.
I’ve had this glass set for about two months and I love everything about them. While the lids have plastic on them that isn’t oven safe, the containers themselves are extremely durable — I’ve baked multiple foods in them (rice, poultry and pasta) all at once in the oven around 400 degrees and they don’t have a single crack. Plus, I baked them with the silicone cover on the bottom (to protect them from damage) and it didn’t melt at all. The lids snap closed and don’t spill, especially when I’ve used them for foods with sauce. I’ve also put both the container and lid in the dishwasher and they’ve fared well and don’t have any damage, even when I use hot water. Since the lids have plastic, I make sure not to microwave or bake with them on.
These food containers are made of stainless steel and have food-grade silicone lids. The set has a 4.7-star average rating from 39 reviews at Klean Kanteen and includes a 1.25-cup, 2.8-cup and 6.8-cup container. The smaller containers fit on the inside of the largest container, so you can keep food separated, similar to a bento box, or simply use the largest one as is. Unlike many stainless steel food containers, this set is microwave- and oven-safe since its texture prevents sparking or arcing, according to Klean Kanteen. Aside from the removable divider, the containers are entirely plastic free, according to the brand.
This small insulated container is ideal for warm foods since its stainless steel body helps maintain heat. With that said, it isn’t microwave safe. It has a 4.2-star average rating from 2,334 reviews on Amazon and its lid has a top handle, which twists to lock and prevent spills. While it’s best for warm food, you can still use it to store things like salad and vegetables.
How to shop for plastic food container alternatives
Many plastic food container sets have chemical additives (many of which companies aren’t required to disclose) with adverse health effects. This includes BPA, phthalates and PFAS — and those are only the handful of ones researchers know about, according to Woodruff. The easiest way to avoid leaching consequences is to simply avoid plastic food containers altogether. Here’s how to find the best plastic-free container:
Choose a material
Glass is arguably the best material to look for as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic food containers, according to experts. To a lesser extent, stainless steel containers can also be a reliable option. Glass allows for versatility since it’s usually oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe, and isn’t susceptible to leaching like plastic. Stainless steel doesn’t always have these features, though it isn’t susceptible to breaking or cracking and it often allows food to stay warm for longer. Also, many glass food storage containers have plastic lids, even if they’re free of BPA, PFAS and other chemicals.
Use case
If you plan on only using storage containers to prepare food — whether it be on the stove or in the oven — and then transfer food to them, then they don’t need to be oven- or microwave-safe. If you don’t want to have to dirty more dishes or transfer the food to a plate for reheating, then you should make sure that whatever you buy is microwave or oven safe. If you’re someone who likes to meal prep and then freeze food, be sure to purchase something that’s freezer compatible.
Recycle
In addition to buying new containers, Woodruff also recommends reusing store-bought glass containers, like those for condiments or sauces, to store food (not necessarily heat it), similar to how you would a mason jar. Doing this can help you save money and it reduces your single-use plastic consumption.
Frequently asked questions
Leaching is what happens when molecular particles and chemicals in microplastics, like BPA and PFAS, slough off from plastic (in this case, food containers) and get into food, according to Woodruff. While this happens at any temperature, leaching is much more probable when you heat the plastic material, according to Woodruff. This is because heat agitates the molecules in the plastic, making them more susceptible to breaking apart. Additionally, some chemicals, such as BPA, leach more when you prepare acidic foods, such as tomato-based sauces, in them.
Many people and organizations call PFAS “forever chemicals” because of how long they take to degrade and break down in the environment, according to The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since these chemicals last so long they eventually make their way into food, water and animals, according to the EPA. From there, they can lead to health complications in humans, like infertility and cancer, according to Woodruff.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Tracey Woodruff, PhD, is an associate professor of reproductive sciences at the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at University of California San Francisco.
Paul Anastas, PhD, is a professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Green Chemistry at Yale University’s School of the Environment.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a commerce editor at NBC Select, where I frequently write about home and kitchen topics. I also have a decade of experience writing about food. I spoke with two experts in chemistry and reproductive sciences for this story and included NBC Select-staff favorites for plastic-free food storage options.
Catch up on NBC Select’s in-depth coverage of tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.
For his work to capture and view dynamic small-scale behaviors of biomolecules that have gone unseen – and which are critical to applications like drug development – Zhuoran Qiao has been awarded the inaugural Chen Institute and Science Prize for Al Accelerated Research. The prize recognizes innovative young researchers who apply techniques in artificial intelligence to help the research community solve important problems and accelerate their work.
“I was thrilled to partner with the Chen Institute to launch this new prize initiative,” said Yury V. Suleymanov, senior editor at Science. “Our winner, Zhuoran Qiao, has shown outstanding achievement in the field. His work introduces a transformative approach to decoding and reprogramming molecular biology using artificial intelligence-driven structural foundation models. It demonstrates how AI can help to overcome the limitations of traditional methods, paving the way for new opportunities in molecular design and therapeutic development.”
Machine Learning and Molecular Structures
Interactions among biomolecules, like proteins and smaller molecules, are key to supporting the fundamental processes of life. Identifying these interactions at ever smaller scales is useful for developing new drugs, among other applications, but doing so requires decoding the three-dimensional structures of these interactions. That requires having zoomed-in snapshots of molecular compartments.
Traditional methods for determining molecular structures, such as X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy, are powerful but slow. It could take months of work in the lab to generate important molecular images.
Recently, AI-driven protein structure prediction tools made powerful progress in this regard. They can predict the three-dimensional structures of proteins from their amino acid sequences. However, these new tools represent “just the beginning of the journey toward creating a fully-fledged ‘computational microscope’ for molecular biology,” writes Qiao, founding scientist at the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup Chai Discovery, in his prizewinning essay. Seeing things at the scale of the biomolecule for systems with not just 100 atoms but thousands of atoms, and in various conformations, is also crucial, he said.
In February 2024 in Nature Machine Intelligence, Qiao and his colleagues advanced on the work of AI-driven protein structure prediction to date by developing novel generative machine learning approaches to create a clearer view into two critical activities: protein-ligand interactions, and the landscapes in which these interactions occur.
When a ligand – a molecule or ion that binds to a central atom or molecule – does its binding work, it influences the structure it binds, which in turn greatly influences chemical and biological processes key to our daily lives.
“If you want to develop newer drugs, you need to model biomolecular interactions really accurately,” Qiao said. “You need to get the structure right and understand how strongly the two proteins or small molecules interact. That is the first thing you need to know if your drug is going to be successful.”
It’s very complicated work, he added. “Showing how molecules move in real life is like navigating a very complicated maze with thousands of dimensions.”
Introducing NeuralPLexer
The tool Qiao’s team developed to visualize these interactions is called NeuralPLexer. It takes into consideration that biomolecules are highly dynamic, requiring numerous snapshots to fully capture their behaviors. Thus, the tool starts from an initial sketch of the entire molecular complex and progressively refines the finer-grained details of the structures it generates. This process helps researchers “quickly obtain the full picture of molecular interactions with atomistic details,” Qiao said.
Zhuoran Qiao
Qiao and his colleagues used NeuralPLexer to do tasks like predicting the formation of “cryptic pockets,” special binding sites that are absent unless spurred by ligand binding. They showed the tool had strong capabilities for identifying new drug binding pockets, among other tasks.
“If you compare this approach to traditional approaches, we are delivering what high-throughput methods would do in six months in one day,” he said.
Qiao was motivated in this work from early days in the field, based on his recognition that scientists understand the theoretical framework of a lot of systems they study in computational chemistry, but that many of the related problems are not actually computable.
“It is a great honor for me to win the prize,” said Qiao. “It is a huge recognition to the research path I have chosen. It’s also deeply humbling because it reminds me to continue doing impactful work, including mentoring others to be interested in computational chemistry. With new technology, we are seeing how computational studies have real translational potential to develop better drugs and health care.”
Qiao is delighted to be part of how molecular modeling is changing, even as there is still a lot of work to be done. He is eager to address some of the next steps at Chai Discovery.
“We were excited to receive such an impressive range of applications from around the world, spanning many different scientific disciplines,” said Chrissy Luo, Chen Institute cofounder. “At a time when AI is radically accelerating global scientific discovery, we’re delighted to work with AAAS and showcase three incredible young researchers who are using these powerful new technologies to expand the frontiers of human knowledge.”
Finalists
Finalists for the prize include Aditya Nair, incoming Nanyang Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, for his machine learning research that reveals how a nascent neural code orchestrates diverse emotion states. The second finalist for the prize is Alizée Roobaert, a fellow at the Flanders Marine Institute, for her work using machine learning to monitor networks of essential ocean variables, particularly along ocean coasts, with the aim of improving our understanding of the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle.
Decreased milk production, death, and early removal from a single herd of adult dairy cows infected with the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cost an estimated $737,500, even before considering ongoing altered herd dynamics or reproductive losses, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.
Cornell University researchers evaluated the effects of HPAI on a herd of 3,876 dairy cows living on a farm in Ohio that experienced an outbreak in spring 2024 after the transfer of 42 healthy-looking lactating cows from a Texas farm. The team analyzed animal- and herd-level data collected before, during, and after the outbreak (March 8 to June 7).
The ongoing US HPAI outbreak began in 2022, leading to the deaths of nearly 175 million birds. The virus spilled over into mammals and, in March 2024, dairy cattle. So far, 1,074 herds in 17 states have been infected.
Infected cows 6 times more likely to die
When the outbreak began on the Ohio farm, 3,433 of 3,876 cows (88.6%) were lactating. In total, 777 cows (20.0%) were diagnosed as having flu based on severe mastitis (inflammation of breast tissue) leading to a drop in milk production, loss of appetite, apathy, and decreased rumination time. Sick animals were segregated to a hospital pen next to those used for healthy non-lactating cows.
Of the 777 sick cows, 776 were lactating, and 1 was in the dry period, with most affected cows at the mid-to-late stages of lactation and at the second or greater lactation. Acute illness lasted, on average, 7.9 days, and cows stayed in the hospital pen for, on average, 5.1 days.
Notably, 53 of 777 sick cows (6.8%) died or were euthanized within, on average, 13.6 days after diagnosis, while another 245 (31.6%) were culled within 20.6 days after diagnosis. Relative to uninfected cows, sick cows were at a sixfold increased risk for death (relative risk [RR], 6.0) and a more than triple the risk of being removed from the herd (RR, 3.6).
Seroprevalence (presence of avian flu antibodies in blood) was 89.4% in the herd, with 76.1% of seropositive cows infected. Risk factors for infection were having 100 to 200 days into milk production (number of days lactating since calving) and having given birth more than once.
Biosecurity measures, vaccine development
Economic losses from decreased milk production (about 900 kg [1,984 pounds] per cow) for 60 days and cow loss added up to $950 per cow, for a total of $737,500.
Fabian Edwards Meets Dalton Rosta in Middleweight Tournament Final
Light Heavyweights Collide as Sullivan Cauley Faces 2021 PFL Champion Antonio Carlos Jr. for 2025 Tournament Title
Alexandr Romanov and Oleg Popov Battle for Heavyweight Tournament Gold
The 2025 PFL World Tournament Finals Can Be Watched Live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and DAZN
Tickets Available Now at Ticketmaster
NEW YORK (July 17, 2025) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) returns to Hollywood, FL at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Thursday, August 21 in the final stop of the 2025 PFL World Tournament. Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and Middleweight kings will be crowned as the event promises to be a must-see evening of MMA for fans in South Florida and around the world.
Middleweights headline the card as England’s Fabian Edwards (15-4) looks to secure his first PFL title against South Florida’s own Dalton “Hercules” Rosta (11-1) in what is sure to be fireworks. In the co-main event, a duo of grapplers take the stage as rising star Sullivan Cauley (8-1) will look across the SmartCage at 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Antonio Carlos Jr. (18-6). Both finals are scheduled for five, five-minute rounds, with the winners crowned as PFL Tournament Champions and earning their share of over $20 million in prize money.
A pair of showcase bouts round out the Main Card as undefeated Alexei Pregande (6-0) faces Ethan Goss (12-7) at Featherweight and unbeaten Bryce Meredith (7-0) meets equally unbeaten Lazaro Dayron (8-0-1)at Bantamweight. Closing out the Early Card, the 2025 PFL World Tournament Heavyweight Champion will be decided when Moldova’s Alexandr Romanov (19-3, 1 NC) squares up against Russia’s Oleg Popov (21-2).
Tickets for this exciting event are available now at Ticketmaster. The 2025 PFL World Tournament Hollywood, FL: Finals takes place live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and DAZN. The Early Card begins at 6:00 pm ET, with the Main Card kicking off at 9:00 pm ET.
The full bout lineup is listed below, with five Early Card matchups set to kick off the evening, including several fighters representing South Florida.
2025 PFL World Tournament Hollywood, FL: Finals Main Card:
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (U.K.)
Thursday, August 21 – 9:00 pm ET
Middleweight Tournament Final Main Event: Fabian Edwards (15-4) vs. Dalton Rosta (11-1)
Light Heavyweight Tournament Final Co-Main Event: Sullivan Cauley (8-1) vs. Antonio Carlos Jr. (18-6)
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Alexei Pregande (6-0) vs. Ethan Goss (12-7)
Bantamweight Showcase Bout: Bryce Meredith (7-0) vs. Lazaro Dayron (8-0-1)
2025 PFL World Tournament Hollywood, FL: Finals Early Card:
ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (U.K.)
Thursday, August 21 – 6:00 pm ET
Heavyweight Final Bout: Alexandr Romanov (19-3, 1 NC) vs. Oleg Popov (21-2)
Middleweight Showcase Bout: Impa Kasanganay (18-6) vs. Mike Shipman (17-5)
Light Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Raphael Xavier (14-8) vs. ma (7-0)
Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Sergei Bilostenniy (13-4) vs. Karl Williams (10-3)
Middleweight Showcase Bout: Josh Silveira (14-5) vs. Murad Ramazanov (12-3)
The Last Dinner Party’s next era is underway. On Thursday (July 17), the five-piece announced its second studio album, From the Pyre, and shared its jaunty, country-tinged lead single, “This Is the Killer Speaking.” The new LP will arrive on Oct. 17 via Island Records.
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The band debuted “This Is the Killer Speaking” in June 2024 at Prague’s Metronome Festival, before playing it at Glastonbury later that month. The song has since appeared sporadically in The Last Dinner Party’s setlists over the past 12 months, before the group confirmed its title during a performance at Pinkpop Festival, Netherlands, on June 21.
Per a press release, the baroque-pop band headed into the studio at the start of the year with producer Markus Dravs (Wolf Alice, Florence & The Machine) to start work on From the Pyre. The record will follow 2024’s Prelude to Ecstasy, which topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart upon release and gained the biggest opening week for a debut album by a British band since 2015, according to data from Official Charts Company.
“This record is a collection of stories, and the concept of album-as-mythos binds them. ‘The Pyre’ itself is an allegorical place in which these tales originate, a place of violence and destruction but also regeneration, passion and light,” the band said in a statement.
“The songs are character driven but still deeply personal, a commonplace life event pushed to pathological extreme. Being ghosted becomes a Western dance with a killer, and heartbreak laughs into the face of the apocalypse. Lyrics invoke rifles, scythes, sailors, saints, cowboys, floods, Mother Earth, Joan of Arc and blazing infernos. We found this kind of evocative imagery to be the most honest and truthful way to discuss the way our experiences felt, giving each the emotional weight it deserves.”
They added: “This record feels a little darker, more raw and more earthy; it takes place looking out at a sublime landscape rather than seated at an opulent table. It also feels meta-textual and cheeky in places, like a knowing look reflected back at ourselves.”
In March, the band scooped the best new artist accolade at the BRIT Awards. In September, they are set to appear at All Things Go festival in New York City alongside the likes of Doechii, Lola Young and Noah Kahan.
Check out the tracklist to The Last Dinner Party’s’ upcoming album From the Pyre and stream the first single below:
Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island republic located in the southern Caribbean, with a population of 1.3 million persons. The Ministry of Health (MoH), through five autonomous Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), deliver free public health care services.
To address STI transmission, several interventions were developed and implemented. These include the delivery of targeted STI education sessions in all schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago, free HIV/AIDS and STI screening at the Queen’s Park Counseling Centre and Clinic (QPCC&C), health centres and district health facilities, community outreach initiatives (i.e. mobile clinics and health education sessions) and condom distribution at primary healthcare facilities. Notably, the QPCC&C, established in 1944, is a public specialist clinic for the testing, treatment, and management of STIs. It is a walk-in clinic operating from two locations in Trinidad: Port-of-Spain (North) and San Fernando (South).
Study design and population
Between May and June 2024, a cross-sectional study was conducted among adults aged 18 years or older attending both QPCC&C-STI clinic sites.
Sampling technique and sample size
Due to the logistical constraints, operational nature of the clinic and the lack of a sampling frame, convenience sampling was employed. A sample size of 260 individuals was calculated using an estimated 16.2% prevalence for STI based on Ray et al. 2006 [27], significance level (α) of 0.05, margin of error of 5% and a 20% non-response rate.
While no subgroup analyses, between sex and STI, were originally planned, a post-hoc power analysis, using G*Power version 3.1.9.7 [33], showed that the final sample size of 250 provided moderate power (77%) to detect meaningful differences, such as an odds ratio of 2.
Data collection instrument and procedure
The clinic nurses were briefed on the study’s purpose and invited patients to participate. A total of 310 patients were approached, of whom 250 expressed an interest. The researchers enrolled these individuals after completing the informed consent process. All interviews were conducted in a private room to maintain confidentiality.
Data were collected on participant’s gender, date of birth, ethnicity, marital status, education, employment status, and household income. Participants reported their gender identity as male, female, non-binary or transgender. Ethnic groups were reported as Afro- or Indo-Trinidadian, mixed or other ethnicities. For this study, marital status was categorized as single, married, common law relationship, separated, divorced, or widowed. Socioeconomic status indicators such as highest level of educational attainment, employment status, and household income were collected. Education was categorized as: none, primary, secondary, vocational training and tertiary. Participants’ employment status was measured as employed, self-employed, unemployed and student. While monthly household income was categorized as follows: 588 United States Dollar (USD), 589–882 USD, 883–1176 USD and ≥ 1177 USD.
Sexual behaviours
Participants were asked about their sexual activity (Yes/No) within the past 12 months and their sexual orientation. Those who were sexually active were asked about: information on condom use (condom use during last sexual encounter and frequency of condom use), number of sexual partners (within the previous 12 months) and awareness of partner’s HIV status. Sexual orientation examined the sexual preferences of the participants: queer, hetero-, homo-, demi-, pan-, bi- or asexual. We also examined how often participants used condoms during sex (Never/Sometimes/Always) and if they used a condom during their last sexual encounter (Yes/No). Data on the number of sexual partners within the past 12 months and awareness of their sexual partners’ HIV status (Yes/No) were recorded.
Substance use (Drug Use and Alcohol Consumption)
Data on illicit or decriminalized drugs were collected as Yes/No responses to use of marijuana/weed, cocaine – crack/powder, ecstasy, heroin and methamphetamine. For alcohol consumption, the categories of use were: I do not drink alcohol, social drinker, 1–2 times/week, 3–4 times/week, and ≥ 5 times/week.
Dependent variable
Self-reported STI (gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, HIV/AIDS, trichomoniasis, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis C) status within the last 12 months was also recorded. Case definitions for each STI were included in the data collection instrument [34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41].
Manipulated variables
The following variables were manipulated for data analysis:
Age was calculated using participants’ date of birth and the following age-group categories were generated: 18–24 years, 25–31 years, 32–38 years, 39–45 years and ≥ 46 years.
Education was dichotomized to represent participants with secondary or lower and vocational or higher qualifications.
Marital status categories were recoded to single, married/in a common law relationship or separated/widowed/divorced.
Sexual orientation was dichotomized to represent heterosexual and non-heterosexual persons.
The number of sexual partners reported within the last 12 months was dichotomized: 1 and ≥ 2 sexual partners.
Alcohol consumption categories were recoded to I do not drink alcohol, social drinkers, ≤ 2 times per week, and ≥ 3 times per week.
Statistical analysis
Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were generated for participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, sexual orientation, practices and activity, condom use, substance use and self-reported STI prevalence within the last 12 months. Overall self-reported STI prevalence was generated using participants’ STI status (gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, HIV/AIDS, trichomoniasis, HPV, and hepatitis C). Pearson’s Chi-Squared test was used to examine associations between gender and demographic variables, sexual orientation, sexual behaviours (lifetime and last condom use, number of sexual partners, and partner’s HIV status), substance use (alcohol and drugs) and self-reported STI prevalence reported within the past year. Bivariate logistic regression was conducted to examine potential associations between self-reported STI prevalence and selected study variables, using crude odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals and p-values (variables with p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant). Pairwise deletion was used to handle missing data. All statistical analyses were conducted using STATA (version 15).
