Today's Entrepreneurship Pulse
LoopFeedback launches to close AI feedback gap with $12M seed round
Former Google and Apple researchers Dr. Maya Patel and Dr. Alex Liu have founded LoopFeedback, a startup building a real‑time human‑in‑the‑loop feedback system for large language models. The company announced a $12 million seed round led by Andrees, aiming to improve model alignment and safety.
Also developing:
By the numbers: abcoffee raises $7.35M in pre‑Series B
Forbes Asia 100 To Watch 2026: Nominations Are Now Open
Forbes Asia will release the sixth annual 100 to Watch list in August 2026, highlighting fast‑growing private firms across the Asia‑Pacific. The list, which previously featured companies like South Korea’s Aimed Bio ($2 billion market cap) and China’s Linkerbot ($3 billion valuation), now opens nominations. To qualify, companies must be headquartered in the region, founded before August 2025, generate under $50 million in revenue, have less than $100 million in equity funding, remain privately owned and for‑profit. Nominations close on July 17, 2026, and the program is sponsored by FedEx.
New Arāya Sie Fund Closes at £7.5m to Back Female-Led Startups
Arāya Ventures and Sie Ventures have launched the Arāya Sie Fund, securing a £7.5 million first close (about $9.5 million) to invest in female‑founder startups across AI, deep‑tech, fintech, healthcare and sustainability. The fund plans to back up to 40 pre‑seed and...
Accuvice Launches AI-Powered Compliance Web Platform to Simplify Data Protection and Regulatory Assessments for African & Global Businesses
Accuvice Solutions Limited has launched an AI‑powered digital compliance web platform aimed at African and global enterprises. The solution centralizes GDPR, NDPA, DPIA, ISO and other regulatory workflows into a single dashboard, adding AI‑driven guidance, real‑time collaboration, and expert auditor...
ONGC Startup Fund Opens Advisory Roles to Strengthen India's Energy VC Push
India’s state‑run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has opened applications for senior advisors to its ONGC Startup Fund, a SEBI‑registered Category‑I venture capital vehicle. The fund, launched in 2016 with a corpus of Rs 100 crore (≈$12 million) and now holding about Rs 101 crore,...
Fashion Retail Veteran Shailesh Chaturvedi Launches Neopolis Brands, Raises ₹90 Crore
Fashion veteran Shailesh Chaturvedi has launched Neopolis Brands, a venture aimed at importing and scaling international women’s fashion and accessories labels in India. The startup secured ₹90 crore (≈$11 million) from investors such as Alchemy Capital’s Ashish Kacholia, Lashit Sanghvi, Brandix Sri...
Day 78 - Why Not Charging Enough Is Keeping You Broke
Leadership consultant Chinweani Precious Ifechukwu warns that many professionals undercharge due to fear, guilt, and imposter syndrome. The post argues that pricing based on time rather than the value delivered leads to longer hours, lower income, and burnout. It advocates...
Kathy’s Beverages Raises Rs 6 Cr in Pre-Series A Round
Mumbai‑based bubble‑tea startup Bobakat, operating under Kathy’s Beverages, secured a pre‑Series A round of ₹6 crore (≈$730,000). The capital will fund product innovation, team growth, marketing and an aggressive offline rollout across India. Founded in 2024 by Dr Rupali Ambegaonkar and Sannjeev Rao,...
Stock Trading App Sahi Founders Dilute over 60% Stake After Series B Round
Indian stock‑trading app Sahi completed a $33 million Series B, bringing total capital raised to about $50 million and pushing its post‑money valuation to roughly $200 million. The round, led by Accel India and Elevation Capital, diluted the founders’ combined holding to 38.5%, while...
The Traitorous Eight and The Birth of Silicon Valley
In 1957 eight engineers left William Shockley’s troubled lab and founded Fairchild Semiconductor with $1.5 million backing, launching the modern semiconductor era. Their collaborative culture produced the planar process and the first integrated circuits, which enabled the microprocessor revolution at Intel....
Dealflow.es #512: OpenCosmos Picked up €31M. Kembara's First Deal. Revolut Expands in Barcelona.
Barcelona‑based satellite operator Open Cosmos secured €31 million ($33.5 million) from the Institut Català de Finances, the largest funding round in Spain’s space sector this year. UK‑focused VC Kembara made its inaugural investment, co‑leading a $160 million Series C in quantum‑computing startup Quantum Motion....
Transforming Farming and Nutrition with AI and Robotics? Larry Ellison’s Half-Billion-Dollar Hawaii Greenhouse Dream Goes Bust
Larry Ellison has poured over $500 million into Sensei Ag’s high‑tech greenhouse complex on Lanai, Hawaii, promising AI‑driven crop breeding and robotic harvesting to reshape global food production. The venture, eight years in development, has struggled to deploy its advertised sensors,...
NanoStruct Raises €2.6M Seed to Bring Same-Day Pathogen Detection to the Food Industry
German deep‑tech startup NanoStruct secured €2.6 million (≈$2.8 million) in seed funding, led by High‑Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital and the AUXXO Female Catalyst Fund. The company’s nanostructured sensor chips combine optical measurement, nanotechnology and machine‑learning to identify food‑borne pathogens within hours instead...
Public Stealth Leaves Opportunity on the Table. Working in Secret Is Even Worse.
Founders who operate in full stealth or hide their professional profiles miss critical early‑stage networking signals. The article argues that a simple public breadcrumb—such as a custom‑domain email, a LinkedIn update, or a one‑page site—costs a few dollars but dramatically...
The Progress Loop: The One Email That Helps Founders Work With Advisors
The article introduces the "Progress Loop," a concise bi‑weekly email founders can send to advisors, investors, or mentors. It outlines a six‑section format—Activities, Wins, Learnings, Stuck, Focus for the next two weeks, and Help Us With—that forces founders to document...
The Inspired Unemployed Pull Back the Curtain on Building ARRIVAL in New Documentary Series
Nearly a year after its 2025 launch, Australian travel platform ARRIVAL debuted a four‑part documentary series that chronicles its creation from concept to execution. The episodes, released weekly on The Inspired Unemployed and ARRIVAL’s YouTube channels, showcase the founders’ journey,...
This Startup Believes Replacing Account Numbers with Paytags Can Reduce Fraud in Nigeria’s Banking System
Nigerian fintech Flex has launched “paytags,” pseudonymous identifiers that let users send and receive money without exposing traditional 10‑digit account numbers. The closed‑loop system masks personal data, aiming to make fraud assembly harder in a market plagued by identity‑theft. Within...
Live Below Your Means to Preserve True Freedom
As an entrepreneur one of the best things you can do as you start to find success is under-leverage your growth and live under your means. Don’t instantly fall into the trap of earn more —> Spend more. The biggest gift you...
Spot Real Growth, Avoid Disguised Distractions
#TimTalk - How can a founder distinguish between a “growth opportunity” and a “distraction in disguise”? with Jad Atwe https://t.co/qbSSvZj1IH via @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesLeader #Leadership #Culture #Marketing #Success #Mindset #Entrepreneur #Management
Colossal Biosciences' Dire Wolves Reach Breeding Age, Paving Way for De‑Extinction Market
Colossal Biosciences said its three de‑extinct dire wolves—Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi—have reached breeding age in a 2,000‑acre Texas preserve. The firm plans to add two to four more pups through assisted reproduction before allowing natural breeding, marking the first step...
VC‑Backed Favorite Secures $22B Valuation Raise
This is the company so many people in tech VC defend — and today it raises at a $22B valuation.
Voltavate Launches Victorian R&D Site for Battery Manufacturing Push
Battery‑technology startup Voltavate has opened its Australian headquarters and R&D facility in Port Melbourne, marking a shift from laboratory‑scale work to pilot‑scale manufacturing of its proprietary separator technology. The new site will enable in‑line production of battery separators and independent...
When Did You Last Audit Your Value Proposition?
The article urges leaders to regularly audit their value proposition, noting that AI‑driven buyer expectations are shifting faster than many firms realize. It cites Domino’s 2009 turnaround—publicly confronting poor product perception, overhauling its pizza, and then achieving over 2,000% stock...
EOS Turns Chaos Into $77M, 15‑Company Portfolio
Sid is a strong believer in EOS and was one of the first people to recommend Traction by Gino Wickman to me. He has effectively integrated EOS across his business, helping him scale the firm into a portfolio of 15 companies...
The Nonprofit News Playbook that Starts with Major Donors, Not Memberships
Brookline.News launched as a nonprofit newsroom in the affluent Boston suburb, securing a $100,000 major‑gift pledge before publishing its first story. With a $400,000 annual budget, three full‑time staff and over 1,000 donors, it aims to fill the local news...
Founders Beware: 80% Fired After IPO
"A lot of people liked the Lean Startup, but no one ever said it made them cry." In 16 days, Eric Ries 's new book *Incorruptible* comes out. It's about why you can taste it when your favorite restaurant gets...
This Former Disney Exec's Podcast Company Generates 100 Million Monthly Downloads
Former Disney executive Joshua Weinstein launched Sonoro in 2020 as a media‑company‑as‑a‑service focused on Latino audiences. By building production hubs in Mexico and treating podcasts as low‑cost IP experiments, the firm now generates over 100 million monthly downloads and video views....
Founders Spark Sales, Then Hire Process Experts
Yes, founder-led class at the beginning is crucial. You sell based on expertise and excitement, and you learn about the market. However also founders are notoriously terrible at building repeatable sales processes for muggles to follow, even if they're wonderful at...
Regularly Reassess Team Fit; Past Success Doesn't Guarantee Future Fit
Firing people is never fun, but you have to constantly reevaluate whether all of your team members are the best fit for not only your company but the role that they are in at this point in time. Often, people...
Neil Hershman Expands 16 Handles to 46 Stores with $460K Seed Funding
Neil Hershman, who bought the 16 Handles brand in 2022, has scaled the self‑serve frozen‑yogurt concept to roughly 46 locations across six states. Leveraging $160,000 of his own money and a $300,000 SBA loan, he doubled store profitability and plans...
One Year, 15 Posts, 1K Substack Subscribers
Sharing this openly. Maybe a bit corny, but I am proud that I finally got to 1K subscribers on Substack. And I'll be honest. It was harder than I thought. It took me one year. I wrote 15 posts. About 4-6...
Peer Mastermind Boosted Revenue 50% in One Month
Shawn Lemon was buried in operations. Running everything. Doing everything. Stuck in the weeds of his own business. The AI Business Lab® Mastermind gave him something no course or tool could: a room full of peers who pushed him to make...
Canadian Modders Turn Half‑Life Fan Project Into Official Die Hard Game
Russ Bullock, Bryan Ekman and Jay Holtslander, three young Canadians, negotiated a partnership with 20th Century Fox in early 2000 to convert their Half‑Life mod into the officially licensed Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza. Their meeting at Fox Plaza led to the founding...
VCs Should Fund Proven Small‑scale Entrepreneurs More
The job of an entrepreneur is to turn a small amount of money into a large amount of money. It gets harder to do this the larger the pot of money you are investing. It's a wonder VCs...
Hire Now: Stop Drowning, Start Delegating
The paradox of hiring is that you are drowning in work and need to hire, but you have no time to spend on hiring in order to alleviate some of that work. This is where I see too many entrepreneurs delay...
Rivian‑Backed Spin‑off Also Launches Software‑Driven E‑Bike TM‑B at $3,500
Also, the Rivian‑originated spin‑off, announced the TM‑B, a $3,500 e‑bike that can be reconfigured via software updates. The move aims to capture a slice of the $57 bn global e‑bike market as the sector faces slowing demand and recent bankruptcies.
Success Comes From Ignoring Excuses, Not Circumstances
Circumstances don't build businesses. People who stopped blaming them do. Bad timing. Wrong market. Didn't have the connections. Not enough capital. Too much competition. Every failed business has a list of reasons. Every successful one has a person who ignored the same...
Fintech’s Ramp Card Silently Reshapes Corporate Finance
In 2020, Ramp launched a corporate credit card. Banks didn't take it seriously. Another fintech trying to take on Amex. Five years later, 50,000 companies run their entire finances through Ramp. Nobody saw it coming:
10 New Project and Startup Ideas
Next Play’s free newsletter outlines ten under‑the‑radar startup ideas, from a dating‑profile coaching marketplace and an AI‑driven expert‑network platform to a real‑time AI talent tracker and niche consumer apps like a male fertility tracker. Each concept includes a brief business...
Consistency Wins: Small Daily Tasks Fuel Long-Term Progress
Sunday night. Tomorrow is week 59 of building this thing in public. Tomorrow: Ship 1 thing. Reply to 5 comments. Write 5 posts. Don't try to make it bigger than that. The streak is the strategy. Talk soon.
Great Companies Grow by Training, Not Perfect Hires
One of the most common excuses in business: “We can’t grow because we can’t find good employees.” Most companies don’t have a hiring problem. They have a training problem. There’s no shortage of talented people. There’s a shortage of leaders...
Saltbox Raises Series C Led by Packard Capital to Fund National Expansion and Entry Into Chicago Market
Saltbox, a startup that combines flexible warehouse space, logistics infrastructure, co‑working amenities, and on‑site operational support, closed a Series C round led by Packard Capital. The capital will finance the company’s national expansion, including a third Atlanta‑area hub in Chamblee that...
LA Rewards Energy over Pedigree, Fostering Fresh Opportunities
Yes... and this is a good thing. When I got to Los Angeles (from Upstate NY, by way of London), I had effectively no network among people with capital. But I had energy and (eventually) good ideas, and, bc people here don't...
Send Deck First, Talk Naturally, Make Investors Excited
My favorite: 5. Don't pitch. Send the deck before. Have a real conversation. Your only goal: can this investor repeat what you do in a way that's exciting at drinks afterwards?
Why MistralAI Grows Faster Than OpenAI/Anthropic
Mistral AI, a three‑year‑old French lab, surged its annualized recurring revenue from roughly $20 million to $400 million in a single year and now targets $1.1‑$1.2 billion in 2026. The company’s growth rests on a three‑pillar positioning: European AI sovereignty, open‑weight models, and...
Today's Biggest Hurdles: Taste, Strategy, and Customer Empathy
modern bottlenecks: taste + discernment, alignment/strategy, empathy with customer no longer bottlenecks: code, and cycles for building and testing
Scale Prices with Usage, Keep Early Pricing Simple
Founders: Value alignment in pricing is key. If customers get more value as they use more (storage, contacts, etc.), price should scale with usage. But keep it simple early. One clear metric that grows with customer success.
High Talent Density Prevents AI-Driven Missteps
another case for more talent density in teams and FAR MORE alignment than usual in companies: AI’s ability to let you go super duper fast in the total wrong direction. seen this with a few startups - still hard to make...
Shopify + MapKit Reveal API Limits for Local Brand Discovery
expecting a lot of creativity from consumer app founders building new discovery and personalized AI experiences on top of amazing APIs and global data collections like Shopify catalog API
Two Weeks Left, SpliceCraft 1.0 Near Completion
Exactly 14 days until I need to finish version 1.0 of SpliceCraft. Racing against my SnapGene annual bill; making gooood progress. 🤖🛠
Early‑stage Angels Win by Backing Frontier Founders
to be a good angel investor you need to spot great founders building on the frontier as early as possible and take the risk to back them before anyone else. high risk, high reward. by series A (esp these days)...