Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Clip raises $500M to expand fintech platform
Mexican fintech Clip secured a $500 million funding round, lifting its valuation above $2.5 billion. The capital will fund the rollout of a consumer‑focused wallet and broaden its suite of financial‑services tools.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OpenAI raises $122B in private financing
Breaking Down the Boom in the Nordic’s Startup Ecosystem
The Nordic startup ecosystem is experiencing a rapid expansion, highlighted at Helsinki’s Slush conference. Valuations now exceed half a trillion dollars, and venture capital poured over $8 billion into regional firms in 2024. Founders cite strong social safety nets and proactive government funding as key enablers, while AI and deep‑tech ventures dominate new activity. Industry veterans, like Dennis Green‑Lieber, note the pace outstripping previous growth cycles, even as some investors question whether a bubble is forming.
Adapt or Risk Obsolescence in AI-Driven Sales
AI may not take your job in sales like it has take so many jobs in support already. But if you’re not at least a little worried it will, I think your career is at serious risk. We will still...
Secure Reliable Term Sheets by Leveraging Early Negotiation
Many first-time founders consider the signing of a term sheet as the signal that the deal is nearing its close and the majority of the terms are set in stone. These founders are then surprised when, during exclusivity, the buyer...
Season 14 Finale: The Mad Scientist, The Foxhole, and a $48M Power Move
The finale revisits four of the seven Napa pitches, providing deep‑dive updates on each founder’s progress and highlighting a dramatic $48 million acquisition that reshapes the competitive landscape. Listeners learn how one startup’s “mad scientist” approach to AI drove rapid product...
NYC AI Founders Gather; Eli Badgio Shares Key Insights
great NYC event for AI founders/engineers. Eli Badgio from extend knows what's up
Curated Daily Insights Cut Through Founder Noise
I’ve been thinking seriously about starting a daily newsletter for founders. I’ve written weekly newsletters for more than a decade. I’ve recorded hundreds of podcast episodes. I’ve done videos, interviews, and everything in between. None of that momentum prepared me...
EcoG Raises €16M in Funding
EcoG, a Munich‑based B2B electric‑vehicle charging provider, announced a €16 million funding round. The round was led by GET Fund, Extantia Capital, and Bayern Kapital. The capital will be used to scale its charging platform and accelerate international deployment of commercial...
Profitable 10‑Year DTC Swimwear Brand Hits Market
You don't see DTC startups like this up for sale often! Shopify DTC swimwear brand built over 10 years on @acquiredotcom. > $1.21M TTM revenue > $179K TTM profit > 120K+ social following > 46K+ customers Full listing: https://t.co/O02iOV89uE https://t.co/fUU6KzOgcv
Tech's a Commodity; Win with Distribution, Brand, Experience
Unless you are absolutely on the bleeding edge, technology for many startups is largely a commodity now. It is so important to differentiate on distribution, brand, and customer experience.
Social Links Raises $3M in Funding
Social Links, a Dutch tech firm specializing in AI‑risk mitigation, announced a $3 million funding round led by Yellow Rocks!. The capital will accelerate the rollout of new defensive tools and expand its AI Defender Autopilot platform. The company positions itself...
Build the Right Team DNA Early for Success
The team you build is the company you build, so getting the DNA right early on is critical. I wrote a three part series on how to get it right. Here’s Part 1. Parts 2 & 3 are exclusive for KV...
Skip the Fluff—Just Build a Prototype and Relocate
You don’t need a notable cofounder. You don’t need a warm intro. You don’t need a perfect pitch deck. You need a prototype that works and a one-way ticket to SF. Everything else is noise :). Happy Thanksgiving!
ExploMar Closes Over USD 10M in Funding
ExploMar, a Shanghai‑based maker of high‑performance electric outboard motors, secured over USD 10 million in a funding round led by DCM Ventures. The capital will fund global distribution and service network expansion, supply‑chain optimization, and further product development. Founded in 2021, the...
Avoid 50/50 Cap Table Deadlocks: They're Dangerous
From a lot of experience with lots of founding teams: 50/50 deadlock cap tables are considered harmful
Robots & Vertical Farms Bring Staples Back Home
Our food system is broken. We deserve better. And yes, robots can help. That’s why I’m excited about @area2farms ( @sevensevensix co). They’re rethinking vertical farming to bring staple crops back into the places people actually live. Drop your top veggie in...
Codenotary Nabs $16.5M
Codenotary, a Houston‑based AI cybersecurity firm specializing in software supply‑chain trust, announced a $16.5 million financing round on November 25, 2025. The capital comes from a mix of new and existing investors and will be used to speed up product development...
YC Becomes Crypto’s Premier Startup Accelerator
YC is the YC for crypto
Only a Few VC Funds Beat the Odds
New!! "How Hard It Is to Be a Great VC? Vencap’s Real Hard Numbers from 1,900+ Funds" https://t.co/3tte0v474Q
He Launched a Tiny Ice Cream Factory, Now It’s a National Brand Ft. Alec Jaffe
In this episode, Mike Gelb talks with Alec Jaffe, founder of Alec’s Ice Cream, about creating a premium, gut‑friendly ice cream brand using A2 dairy and regenerative sourcing. Alec explains how he built a farm‑to‑factory supply chain, differentiated real ice...
Bet on Weird Outliers, Not Consensus Seed Rounds
@HarryStebbings Invest in things that are weirder and you won’t be so circumspect about these rounds. The outliers are rarely consensus at seed
Gemini AI Solves Complex Business Problem Effortlessly
i just used geminiii on what i felt was a complicated business problem and it blew me away with its answer
Life After a Game‑Changing Exit: Founders Speak
Founders after a life changing exit on @acquiredotcom: https://t.co/xbmuxEeJqh
Complex Model, Powerful Results When Properly Applied
tough model but if you know how to do it, works really well great writeup from Marina Temkin, CFA https://lnkd.in/gbNsa-GK
Rethink GTM Pricing, Hiring, Compensation for AI Scale
Office Hours: GTM Leadership in the AI Era: Pricing, Hiring, and Compensation Thursday, December 11 5:30–7:30 PM PDT As AI-native companies scale, GTM leaders are being forced to rethink long-standing assumptions about pricing, hiring, incentives, and how revenue organizations should operate in a...
Rethinking GTM Pricing, Hiring, Compensation for AI Scale
Office Hours: GTM Leadership in the AI Era: Pricing, Hiring, and Compensation Thursday, December 11 5:30–7:30 PM PDT As AI-native companies scale, GTM leaders are being forced to rethink long-standing assumptions about pricing, hiring, incentives, and how revenue organizations should...
Launching Investor‑Focused Product Hunt, Seeking SF Early‑Stage Backers
Building a Product Hunt for investors. A few weeks ago we onboarded 100 beta users and sent the first digest. Opening space for a few more. If interested, DM if you're an: • Early-stage investor • Based in SF • Trust me ;) (will delete this tweet...
Deep Search Instantly Surfaces Hidden Ticket Insights
Deep Search from @yuma_dot_ai is a new way to access Customer Voice. Brands struggle to find patterns in thousands of support tickets, so critical issues go unnoticed for days. Deep Search uses a ChatGPT-like interface to scan the entire ticket cloud in...
Mel Williams on AI Cycle and VC Competitive Edge
Had an awesome time chatting with Mel Williams , cofounder of TrueBridge, an $8B AUM fund that invests in VC firms. We discussed how he thinks about the current AI cycle, what he looks for in venture managers, and what...
Build a Dream Team Before Hiring an Investment Bank
What key things should founders look for when hiring an investment bank to help sell their business or raise capital? Most software founders don't know exactly who needs to be involved in order to pull off a successful sale or...
Megas Dominate Series A Deals over $20M
Series A: Most priced A rounds cluster around $20M. Below this, dedicated A funds lead the majority of rounds. ~40% of priced A rounds land in the $20M+ bucket & this is where the megas come flooding, leading or co-leading more...
Mega-Funds Dominate Rare $20M+ Seed Rounds
New data on Seed & Series A: how many deals are getting done & at what check size👇 Seed: ~90% of priced Seed rounds are $20M: Though just a tiny fraction of the mkt, 70% of priced Seed rounds include mega-fund lead...
40%+ Growth Is Rare; SaaS Growth Slows Significantly
I don't know who needs to hear this today... But if you're growing more than 40%... you're CRUSHING IT! I know we only hear about companies obliterating land and speed records, but the reality is most SaaS companies are lucky...
AI Video Agents Halve Downtime, Boost Resolution Speed
Congrats to Cerrion on their $18M Series A! Factory downtime costs manufacturers $1.4T annually (up 319% since 2019). Cerrion's AI video agents monitor production lines in real time, detecting quality issues, safety risks, and process deviations—then intervene automatically. Manufacturers like Unilever and...
Serial Founders Aren't Significantly More Successful than First‑timers
@GChen99729 100% - There is research on it. It's why second-time founders who are starting a brand new company again actually don't have that much more success than a first-time founder.
Skipping 0‑to‑1 Isn't Laziness, It's Informed Decision‑Making
@RobertoCroci Sure, to be clear, avoiding the 0 to 1 phase does not imply laziness. It just means having that experience and knowledge to shape decision-making.
Investing Early: Lessons From Pre‑Seed, Pre‑Revenue Founders
@TheUtilizeApp We do invest pre-seed and pre-revenue. I'm talking about from the perspective of running a business and my learnings as a founder.
SaaS Offers Predictable Revenue Even when Bootstrapped
@excapite The multiples are higher on SaaS for sure. But even if you were bootstrapping the business, SaaS still gives you that predictability.
Focus on Function Over Form Signals Strong Startup
If a tech startup founder apologizes for their prototype looking ugly, yet their demo works perfectly then seriously consider it. They spent their time on the physics, not the paint.
YC Persisted Funding Startups Throughout 2023 Despite VC Slowdown
YC kept funding people through 2023 when many VCs scaled back
SaaStr AI VC Secures 682+ Startup‑VC Matches This Month
Then ready to get funded? SaaStr AI VC will help connect you with top B2B + AI VCs We’ve already made 682+ matches this month! Check that our here -> https://t.co/ZgZ3zuf6hP https://t.co/0zbn4irJYL
Find the Perfect B2B AI VC with One Prompt
And not sure which VCs are right for your start-up? Ask SaaStr AI. In one prompt, we’ll tell you which of 372+ top B2B+AI VCs are best for your startup -> https://t.co/3JyImX3jMX https://t.co/bUh3OE9DWf
Considering Raising Over $1 Billion: A Serious Question
@lpolovets Serious question: what if you raised at $1B+?
Investors Don't Outnumber Founders in London, Claim Refuted
@BennettSiegel @endowment_eddie @maxaltman Except it’s not true that investors outnumber founders in London! Just wrong
Early First and Second Close Signals a Bad Deal
The minute I hear first and second close for an early stage funding round; I am out. Never a good sign.
Venture Opportunities Are Bigger Than Ever, Despite Competition
Check out the full early-stage analysis in my LinkedIn article here + convo w @kirstenagreen (@ForerunnerVC) on how despite the competition, the opportunity in venture has never been greater. https://t.co/X5nmVC8dQU
AI Time-Platform Report Exposes Broken Modern Work
Wild to think I first seeded @getlaurel almost a decade ago 🤯 Their new AI time-platform report shows just how broken modern work is. No wonder companies are lining up for Laurel. Love seeing this momentum… and we’re just getting started....
Stay Resilient—Download the Latest Private Company Benchmarks
Keep on keeping on (and download the new private company benchmarks): https://t.co/TzlGYFvqPm
Growth Slows: Even $50M+ Firms Hit 17%
We’re seeing a structural reset: growth is simply harder now. Even $50M+ companies are growing at 17%, and public SaaS is stuck at 13%.
Pre‑Christmas Podcast with Harry Stebbings and Rodricoll
Pre-Xmas pod with @HarryStebbings and @rodriscoll https://t.co/tEZBz0srjx
Why SaaS Revenue Matters to VCs, Even If Overrated
As a founder, I used to think that SaaS revenue was overrated. Why did VCs care so much about that? Especially when it didn't make sense per the business More >>