Know What's Happening in Entrepreneurship
Know What's Happening in Entrepreneurship
PopSockets turned phone backs into a $169 million business
PopSockets began as a garage prototype in 2011, converting the unused back of smartphones into a grip accessory. By 2017 the company generated $169 million in revenue, driven by word‑of‑mouth growth, celebrity endorsements, and embedding the product into daily phone use.
CynLr is commercialising an "object intelligence" layer that lets industrial robots perceive, understand and manipulate previously unseen parts in real time. After early vision‑only prototypes and a shift to multi‑arm configurations, the startup has raised roughly $15 million and is targeting $75 million to scale deployments. Its technology, built on reinforcement‑learning models and simulation tools, is already being piloted in semiconductor and automotive factories. CynLr aims to ship 300 systems annually by 2028 and eventually offer a modular, plug‑and‑play kit for diverse automation needs.
Oslo‑based Photoncycle raised €15 million in a Series A round led by NordicNinja and Voima Ventures to commercialize its solid‑state hydrogen storage system. The technology stores excess summer solar power as hydrogen for winter use, targeting Dutch and Danish households as net‑metering...
One course can't do three different jobs. Mike's was trying to funnel people into coaching, work as a standalone product, AND serve student athletes. How it started? Funneling people into coaching. How it went? Serving solopreneurs and a standalone and student athletes,...
Dubai‑based Eat App announced the acquisition of ReserveGo, the B2B table‑reservation platform founded by inResto co‑founder Vijayan Parthasarathy, to broaden its Indian footprint. The deal brings ReserveGo’s technology, customer base and team under Eat App’s umbrella, though financial terms were...
Estonian defence startup Frankenburg Technologies secured a €30 million Series A round led by Plural, with participation from SmartCap, to expand missile manufacturing across Europe. The capital will fund modular, containerised production hubs in the UK and Germany, each designed to output...
In this episode, host Omar Khan talks with Zong Xu, co‑founder of Deliverect, about how the company built a centralized platform that connects restaurants to dozens of digital ordering channels and now serves over 80,000 locations, approaching $100 M ARR. Zong...
repurposedMATERIALS operates a nationwide marketplace that diverts surplus industrial assets—including ballistic glass, expired gas pipe and retired military parachutes—into new, functional applications. The company’s model emphasizes repurposing items intact, avoiding energy‑intensive recycling and cutting disposal costs. Recent case studies show...
Everytable, the Los Angeles‑based food platform with 35 locations, announced a national franchise program aimed at single‑ and multi‑unit operators in California, Arizona and other Western markets. The model relies on a centralized commissary kitchen, allowing storefronts of 500‑1,400 sq ft to...
Gaurav Batra, CEO of Infinite Group, founded the company to close the disconnect between students, recruitment partners, and education providers. He launched IUnite.AI, a unified platform that streamlines collaboration across the international education ecosystem. The firm positions itself as purpose‑driven,...
Emversity has repurchased employee stock options worth Rs 6.5 crore from 20 staff members as part of a liquidity programme for employees who joined on or before 31 January 2024. The company now employs more than 700 people across 24 Indian states and over...
The latest Build Mode episode examines the unique dynamics of family‑run startups, featuring AI procurement firm Rivio and event‑planning platform Nowadays. Both shows illustrate how built‑in trust and shared values can speed decisions, but also highlight the danger of concentrating...
R for Rabbit, a D2C baby‑products brand, nearly doubled its top line from Rs 128 crore in FY23 to about Rs 251 crore in FY25, a 47.6% YoY increase. The company’s expenses rose sharply, with material costs up 40% and marketing spend...
Morocco’s startup ecosystem surged in 2024, raising nearly $95 million in venture capital across 40 deals, almost tripling the previous year’s total. Domestic funds such as UM6P Ventures and Al Mada Ventures supplied about 70 % of the capital, while high‑profile rounds like...
The EU‑Startups Podcast featured Kilian Kaminski, co‑founder of Refurbed, a Vienna‑based marketplace that resells professionally refurbished electronics. Since its 2017 launch, Refurbed has become one of Europe’s fastest‑growing platforms for sustainable consumption, operating in multiple markets and securing more than €120 million...
We just changed Refindie’s pricing (affiliate management system) to support early stage businesses. I know how heavy monthly costs feel when you’re just starting. So we removed the barrier and introduced a one-time payment. Small businesses deserve to get affiliates too 🙏
Fervo Energy is commercialising enhanced geothermal systems that use horizontal drilling and rock fracturing to access heat reservoirs up to 12,000 feet deep. The startup has cut per‑foot drilling costs by more than 70 percent, reaching $400 per foot, and projects electricity...
The U.S. battery sector, once a hotbed of startups and lofty valuations, is now facing a wave of closures, highlighted by 24M Technologies’ liquidation after a peak valuation above $1 billion. 24M’s cost‑saving electrode‑on‑metal process and high‑energy‑density cells promised a 1,000‑mile...
Barcelona‑based Delfos Energy closed a €3 million seed extension, bringing its total funding to €10 million. The round, led by new investor Vox Capital/COPEL alongside existing backers, supports the company’s AI “virtual engineer” platform that now monitors over 1,000 renewable‑energy sites across...
Pratham Mittal, a former university student, founded experiential institutions Master’s Union and TETR College, emphasizing learning by doing. Master’s Union in Delhi reports 25% of graduates become entrepreneurs and the highest entry salaries among Indian business schools. TETR College’s flagship...
Mosaic Wellness secured Rs 200 crore ($21 million) in primary capital from 360 ONE Asset, while early backer Spring Marketing Capital sold a portion of its stake. The funding brings the company’s total capital raised to $84 million and will fuel expansion across its digital‑first...
Corporate venture capital (CVC) firms are championing patience over the industry‑wide sprint mentality, arguing that long‑term strategic value outweighs short‑term hype. By investing in peripheral, nascent technologies and leveraging internal corporate resources, CVCs can hold positions longer than traditional VCs....
The Maria 01 Impact Report reveals Finnish startup funding surged to €337 million in 2025, more than tripling the €102 million recorded the year before. This growth came as overall European venture capital contracted, highlighting Finland’s out‑performance in a weak market. The surge...
Foodtech conglomerate Eternal has infused Rs 450 crore (≈$50 million) into its quick‑commerce arm Blinkit via a rights issue, marking the first 2026 capital injection after a Rs 2,600 crore investment in 2025. Blinkit reported Q3 FY26 revenue of Rs 12,256 crore and a...
Controversial opinion. Most coding bootcamps are preparing people for jobs that AI will automate in 3 years. The skill that matters now is not writing code. It's knowing what to build and for whom. Learn to talk to users. The rest is...
Lal Bikes announced it will cancel the Katana frame production after encountering financial constraints, promising full refunds to pre‑order customers. The company will continue manufacturing its Supre Drive drivetrain and shift its business model toward partnerships with established bike brands. It...
Oro Labs announced a $100 million Series C round, led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity and Brighton Park Capital, bringing its total funding to $160 million. The Silicon Valley AI startup, which overlays existing ERP and procurement systems with an orchestration platform, reported...
AIRMO announced a €5 million seed round led by Ananda ImpactVentures, with participation from several venture firms and strategic investors. The funding will finance its first satellite mission slated for 2027 and broaden its airborne monitoring footprint across Europe, MENA and...
He maxed out $50K in credit cards to start a data company while in law school. He worked 7am to 3pm on the business, then sat in class until 10pm. For 3 years, he paid himself $24K and used each new customer...
Conversational AI platform Gupshup announced the appointment of Ravi Dugar as its new Chief Financial Officer, positioning the firm for its next growth phase. Dugar brings nearly two decades of finance leadership from Bharti Airtel, Livguard Energy, and most recently...
Emergent’s CEO Mukund Jha warned that vibe coding faces two major threats: sub‑par software quality and the possibility that autonomous AI agents could render traditional apps obsolete. He highlighted that many AI‑generated apps remain buggy and hard to scale, and...
Seekho, the Bengaluru‑based short‑learning video platform, posted FY25 revenue of Rs 141.5 crore, a 12.3‑fold increase from the prior year. The surge was driven by subscription fees, but the company spent Rs 134 crore on marketing—75% of total expenses—pushing its loss to Rs 38.8 crore and...
Kenya’s central bank and Rwanda’s national bank have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a licence‑passporting framework for payment service providers. The arrangement would let fintech firms licensed in one country operate in the other without obtaining a new...
Paris‑based venture capital firm Elaia has closed its third DeepTech Seed fund (DTS3) at €134 million, twice the size of its prior funds. The fund, backed by a mix of long‑standing and new investors such as PSL Université, INRIA, Bpifrance and...
Dream Sports, the owner of fantasy platform Dream11, has restructured its operations after the Indian government's ban on real‑money gaming, resulting in the departure of more than 100 senior staff. The company split its workforce of roughly 950 employees among...
Australian accelerator Startmate is reviving its pre‑pandemic tradition by taking its May 2026 cohort to Silicon Valley. The trip follows a Sydney Demo Day and will culminate in a first‑ever San Francisco Demo Day, giving founders direct access to US venture...
One of the biggest things B2B startups miss is underselling the "personal ROI" to the buyer or user of your technology. I spent time with a leadership team of a B2B startup yesterday and the topic of demonstrating ROI came up. We...
One of the quickest things that becomes obvious when I start working with someone new is that they're almost always doing better than they thought. They come to me convinced they can't afford to pay themselves or that things just aren't...
In September 2024 Hurricane Helene flooded Baxter International’s Marion, NC plant, halting 60% of U.S. IV‑fluid output and triggering nationwide shortages. The same month, 85 million U.S. packages arrived damaged—a 30% jump that cost roughly $4 billion. To address the chronic fragmentation...
#ThisDayInTechHistory. March 9, 2023. @ElonMusk founds xAI and officially announced the artificial intelligence company on July 12, 2023. (ABC 7 Chicago) #AI https://t.co/0JnnnqO4yT
Founder Friends is coming to San Francisco on March 23, 2026! This will be a great one. We'll hear from @alexmodon and @willsclips_ for a fireside chat. Learn more >> https://t.co/LIsjwWgOJW
Henry Schuck launched DiscoverOrg in law school by maxing out $50,000 in credit cards and working double shifts. The bootstrapped firm grew to $30 million in revenue before taking its first venture capital in 2014. A 2019 merger with ZoomInfo combined...
The difference between successful business owners and shitty business owners: They know how to get rid of incompetent people. If you are too afraid to fire people, you will never be a good entrepreneur. 50% of humans are incompetent.
65% of founders report feeling overwhelmed regularly. You’re not bad at time management. You’re overcommitted. Here’s a 5-step fix: https://t.co/NSN09jpDaQ
Calgary‑based NanoTess has signed a distribution agreement with diabetes‑care company Embecta to place its NanoSALV Catalytic gel in more than 14,000 Canadian pharmacies. NanoSALV, authorized by Health Canada in 2022, uses micron‑scale catalytic particles to speed cellular reactions, reduce inflammation...
Viktor is one of my favorite Replit entrepreneurs. They’re on track to build a multimillion dollar business — he shares his journey here:
Day 1 of Made to Scale in Nashville 🤠 @louisecarmenparis journals on the table, wisdom from @roryvaden in the room, powerful conversations with female founders building businesses that matter… and some of the best Made to Scale babies in the room....
On March 3, 2026 the Senate passed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (S. 3971), reauthorizing the SBIR/STTR programs through September 2031. The legislation adds a new Strategic Breakthrough Award that can fund up to $30 million over 48 months for...
The most taxing life chapters yield the most long-term nostalgia. The harder something is, the more you'll appreciate it later. So reframe whatever you "hate" right now as something you will love & cherish later. For me: Building my $180K/month ghostwriting agency...
🇯🇵📍🇺🇸 Update: PayPay’s US IPO • Priced at $16/share • Below the $17–$20 target range • Raised $880M • Valuation: $10.7B The softer pricing highlights continued caution in the IPO market. via Reuters https://t.co/N76UYrg8Dt
"We kept a single capital structure and I will encourage new startups to go in that direction. You can choose equity or token but you can't have both. You end up with conflicting priorities" @syrupsid https://t.co/Cc4ufu0Lcr
