Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Clip secures $500M to accelerate consumer wallet rollout
Mexican fintech Clip raised $500 million, pushing its valuation above $2.5 billion. The new capital will fund the rollout of a consumer‑focused wallet and broaden its financial‑services platform. Investors were not disclosed and the round remains under review.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Francisco Partners raises $18B for new tech funds
Y-Combinator’s New Batch Doubles Down on Production-Ready AI, Unconventional Tactics for Validating Your Startup Ideas & Measuring True Efficiency in...
Paid AI adoption in the United States slipped 0.7% in September, but enterprise contract values surged from $143 K in 2024 to $530 K in 2025, showing a move from experimentation to deep integration. Y Combinator’s Summer 2025 batch of 165+ startups mirrors this trend, with roughly half building AI agents, targeting regulated verticals with voice AI, and emphasizing efficiency‑focused models that cut latency, cost and energy. PitchBook data indicates early‑stage VC returns are compressing as seed rounds grow, ownership in $500 M exits falls to 55% and the median time to IPO stretches to 11.5 years, creating liquidity pressure. Founders are advised to cap early‑hire equity at 10% for the first ten employees and tie compensation to milestones to preserve runway amid tighter capital markets.
Japanese Founders Seek Global Vision in San Francisco
Inspiring to see Japanese founders come to SF to think globally!
AI Hype May Be a Bubble, yet Results Prove Usefulness
It’s quite possible there is a bubble in AI… But looking at the last week’s results you’d have to be just completely delusional to claim that none of this works, none of it is useful and no-one is using it.
Beyond Chatbots: Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz on AI's Future
In the closing keynote of a16z’s Runtime conference, host Erik Torenberg chats with co‑founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz about the event’s highlights, the current capabilities of large language models, and why massive AI capital expenditures don’t signal a bubble....
Arlington Capital Partners Closes Fund VII, at $6 Billion
Arlington Capital Partners announced the closing of its seventh fund at $6 billion, targeting government‑regulated sectors such as onshoring manufacturing and supply‑chain assets, mission‑critical software for government efficiency, defense technology, cybersecurity, commercial aviation, advanced medical devices, life‑sciences development, and healthcare technology....
20VC: Tim Ferriss: Why I Walked Away From Angel Investing After Uber | How I Accidentally Lost $150 Million |...
In this episode, Tim Ferriss reflects on why he stepped away from angel investing after his early involvement with Uber, recounting a costly $150 million mistake and how money both solved and later complicated his personal challenges. He shares insights on...
Consumers Redefine Products, Embracing Raw AI Power
The “pure consumer” debate shows how outdated our categories have become in today's market. We’re measuring success by yesterday’s playbook while the future is being built with new rules. ChatGPT reached 100M users faster than any product in history —...
Founders Plead: Send an Email, Not 30‑minute Invites
Founders in 2025: “I am literally begging you to just send an email instead of a 30 minute calendar invite” https://t.co/3iEEBRXuTv
It only Took 20 Years, but the Strategic Management Society Now Believes the Lean Startup Is a Strategy
After two decades, the Strategic Management Society has formally recognized the Lean Startup approach as a legitimate strategy, marking a symbolic shift in how iterative, customer-driven methods are viewed by mainstream strategy scholars. The movement originated from the author’s post-retirement...
I’m Unable to View the Linked Tweet, so I Can’t Generate a Headline.
https://t.co/AiXIkG4BHK
IPO Valuations Dwarf Typical ARR Multiples
Times are good But Navan IPO’ing at ~$5B at ~$800M ARR run rate And JAMF selling for ~$2B at 3x ARR Well, they do make me wonder about some VC rounds these days
VC10X Micro - Intel's Epic Turnaround: Up 100% in 6 Months📈🤯
The episode dissects Intel’s dramatic reversal from an $18.8 billion loss to a $4.1 billion profit in six months under new CEO Lip‑Bu Tan, highlighting his outsider‑driven turnaround playbook that emphasized strategic capital, ruthless focus, and rapid execution, even attracting a $5 billion investment...
China Leverages State Power to Forge Global Monopolies
China is a conglomerate willing to use its GDP and power to cross-subsidize any internal business that benefits from scale economies and network effects, until that business achieves a global supply monopoly.
Stability for Early Hires Boosts Retention, Not Motivation
I will respectfully disagree here. This allows for early employees to achieve stability - housing, bills, etc. I don't think it removes motivation. It removes anxiety however and creates longevity for your top talent.
Four Thoughts From Bill Gates on Climate Tech
Bill Gates, the largest private funder of climate‑tech through Breakthrough Energy, warned that global efforts are overly fixated on short‑term emissions targets and national reporting, urging a broader focus on cheap, scalable solutions for energy, steel, cement and fertilizer. He...
20VC and SaaStr Return with Top Investors
We’re back!! 20VC x SaaStr with Harry Stebbings , Rory O'Driscoll and Jason! Bottom Line Up Front: Three seismic shifts hit venture this week. OpenAI completed the most significant corporate restructuring in tech history, clearing the path for a potential...
AI Agent Clones Recruiters, Boosts Hiring Speed Tenfold
AI didn’t replace recruiters, it cloned them. Serra is an AI recruiting agent that learns how you hire - your tone, your judgment, your style - and works 24/7 to find and engage the right candidates, both across the web...
"Is There an AI Bubble?” Gavin Baker and David George
In this a16z Runtime conversation, Managing Partner Gavin Baker and GP David George examine the macro forces driving the AI surge, including the trillion‑dollar data‑center expansion and shifting economics of GPU pricing. They assess whether the rapid growth signals a...
Tech Weekly: Fund Raises, OpenAI Shakeup, VC Insights
The only podcast you have to listen to every week. No politics. Just tech. - a16z Raises $10BN in New Funds - Mercor Raises $350M at $10BN - OpenAI Restructuring: Who Wins & Who Loses - Why IRR is a BS Metric - 3 Ways to...
Legora Secures $150M Series C, Hits $1.8B Valuation
Congrats to @MaxJunestrand, @siggelabor, and @WeAreLegora on their $150M Series C at a $1.8B valuation! Legora is the collaborative AI platform helping lawyers review and research faster, draft smarter, and advise with precision. In just six months, they've grown from 250 to...
E643 | Sebastian Peck, KOMPAS VC: Europe’s Industrial Tech Moment: Decarbonisation, AI & the Risk Appetite Gap
In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm talks with Sebastian Peck, a partner at KOMPAS VC, about why industrial tech—focused on decarbonisation, productivity and resilience—is finally gaining traction in European venture capital. Peck highlights the divergent energy strategies across regions, the...
Enterprise AI Fails because Big Firms Can’t Build It
MIT's new State of AI in Business report went viral for claiming that 95% of enterprise AI projects fail. But the real story isn't that AI doesn't work — it's just big companies can't build it. On the @LightconePod, @garrytan, @harjtaggar,...
From Amazon Carts to Startup Funds: Impulse Investing
Some people have a problem impulse buying on Amazon. Others impulse invest in startups (now in 15 secs).
20VC: A16z Raises $10BN in New Funds | Mercor Raises $350M at a $10BN Valuation | OpenAI Restructuring: Who Wins...
The episode breaks down four major topics: OpenAI's restructuring and its impact on stakeholders; Andreessen Horowitz's $10 billion fundraise; Mercor's $350 million raise at a $10 billion valuation; and a critique of IRR as a VC metric, followed by three actionable strategies to...
Top CEOs and Tech Leaders Headline Cerebral Valley AI Summit
Box & Vanta CEOs Join Cerebral Valley AI Summit Lineup + Kirsten Green, Parag Agrawal & Many More To Lead Discussion Groups https://t.co/87vOV5dqLa
Unified API Lets You Trade Across Prediction Markets
Dome (@GetDomeAPI) is a unified API for prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi. Trade and analyze data across multiple platforms with one simple API. https://t.co/YsZk6Elw2Y Congrats on the launch, @kurushdubash & @princeofbothell! https://t.co/MxUm8aAQEE
Building the Real-World Infrastructure for AI, with Google, Cisco & A16z
In this episode, a16z’s Raghu Raghuram talks with Google’s Amin Vahdat and Cisco’s Jeetu Patel about the massive physical build‑out required for AI, covering everything from custom chips and power grids to global data‑center networks. They frame this as an...
Steady SaaS: $1.9M Revenue, 30% Growth, 1% Churn
This one’s as steady as SaaS gets. Live on @acquiredotcom: Salesforce native SaaS powering human services agencies with automated case tracking and compliance infra. > $1.9M TTM revenue > $467K TTM profit > 30% YoY growth > 1% churn Full listing: https://t.co/qcO6uCJvdC https://t.co/PvFgsCdfGH
Top Angels Fund Before You Perfect Your Deck
The best angel checks get written before the pitch deck is polished.
#172 My Town AI: ChatGPT Meets SimCity
In this episode, founder and mayor‑pro‑tem Nichole Sterling pitches My Town AI, an AI‑driven civic‑intelligence platform that gives small towns access to data, workflow automation and low‑cost digital twins to solve grant‑writing bottlenecks and operational blind spots. She illustrates how...
Fundraising Split: Easy for Some, Tough for Others
Fundraising today is like a Tale of 2 Cities: easy for some and hard for others. Especially at the Pre-A and Series A. More >>
Founders Must Navigate AI IPO, $10B A16z, Series B Risks
We're back!! @HarryStebbings @rodriscoll + me! 1/ Three seismic shifts hit venture this week that every founder needs to understand: 1⃣OpenAI's $500B restructuring clears path to $2T IPO 2⃣A16z raises $10B (but it's more matchable than you think) 3⃣66% of Series B investments...
How Anastasia Soare Built a Beauty Brand Worth Billions
In this episode, Anastasia Soare recounts her journey from a Romanian immigrant running a one‑room Beverly Hills salon to creating a global beauty empire valued at roughly $3 billion, highlighting the power of relentless focus on a niche—eyebrows. She shares key...
AI‑Driven Prosumer Firms Outperform, Command Triple Prices
• Prosumer companies match Consumer Tech performance at IPO • New AI-powered prosumer cos already show 3x higher willingness to pay ($78 vs $25 median price point) • 50%+ of consumers use prosumer tools in their personal lives Our latest research! https://t.co/gc69lrVMC6
VC Backs Breakthrough Computational Chemistry Platform Launch
If this isn’t what venture capital is for, then nothing is. Congrats to @GillVerd and @trevormccrt1 for working on a hard, interesting, and important problem. Computing revolution loading… I thought I had left Gibbs behind in college chemistry. Everything in...
People‑first Software Finally Eases DMV Appointment Headaches
When was the last time booking a DMV appointment didn’t make you want to scream? Exactly. We need modern, people-first software for the public services we rely on – that's where @thekaizenlabs, our newest @sevensevensix co, comes in 💪 https://t.co/rnJQwEuJ1a
European Investment Council Ranks #4 in Sifted’s Top 50
In another magnificent piece of work by Sifted 🤣 I would like to congratulate… The European Investment Council On being a top 50 performing investor. They are #4 according to Sifted. You can’t make this s*** up. 🤣 Too good Sifted....
Build Workflow Moat, Expand TAM with Viable Vertical AI
My favorite vertical AI startups: • Create a 10x workflow that feeds into a marketplace moat • Increase TAM by making something financially viable for new markets
SaaStr AI VC: Massive Startup Data & VC Connections
SaaStr AI VC. Try it free -> https://t.co/XzJ5d0OqGr 🧮548,709 start-up valuations 🖥️1,657+ VC pitch decks graded 🧖♀️1,200+ active founders now 🫂503 VC connections made It's pretty darn cool https://t.co/nXGlRNz6mC
Founders Can Keep Seed Money, Leaving SAFE Investors Empty
So far I've watched 3 VC seed deals this year where the founders just decided to keep the money for themselves and not build the product. All were on SAFEs, and they took the position they owed investors nothing and that...
Hire AI Generalists: Young Talent Beats Experience
" Companies underestimate 23 and 24 year-olds. The new playbook for these AI startups is actually gonna be much more about hire the AI generalist, this 23, 24, 25-year-old who's really native in AI." @DavidCahn6 Do you agree and how do...
Leverage Competitors' AGMs to Meet LPs Fast
The single best way to meet a lot of high quality LPs fast. Find out when your competitors AGMs are. Reach out to their LPs knowing they will be in town on those dates. They always want to fill their...
Software Will Define Medicine's Next Decade, Says Commure CEO
Tanay Tandon (@tanay_tandon) is the co-founder and CEO of Athelas/Commure, the AI operating system for healthcare. Commure powers 20M+ appointments annually and processes $25B+ in claims volume, helping clinicians and health systems work faster, smarter, and spend more time on...
First‑time Founders Ship the Impossible; Veterans Over‑analyze
First time founders ship the impossible while experienced ones often are still explaining why it won't ever work!
AI Turns Photo Into Instant Marketplace Listings
SellRaze (@SellRaze) uses AI to sell your stuff from just a pic. It identifies it, prices it, and lists it across marketplaces automatically. What used to take 30+ minutes now takes seconds. https://t.co/WQVEySzxV9 Congrats on the launch, @JeffMao_ & @TylerMa_! https://t.co/Kc21QX1mCu
Fixpoint Streamlines Hiring Vetted Experts for AI Training
Fixpoint (@gofixpoint) automates hiring vetted experts—doctors, lawyers, PhDs, coders, etc—for AI training data and evals. They handle sourcing and vetting so customers can focus on creating quality data and benchmarking AI. https://t.co/Wg6Ilo4W8V Congrats on the launch, @dbmikus and @jakubonchain!
Lockheed Invests $50M in SAILDRONE Autonomous Missile Platform
Next-gen autonomous maritime defense leader SAILDRONE accepts $50M investment from legacy prime Lockheed partner for weaponized missile launchers 🤖+⛵️+🚀 = 🇺🇸 https://t.co/E9NrWbePNv
Partnering to Build Globally Competitive LFP Production
Excited to work with @ChEMcShane Evan and the team @ElectroflowTech on building globally competitive LFP production as part of our overall storage gap thesis
Deep Dive Into AI Valuations and Infrastructure Costs
Trying to address all the questions on AI valuations, margins to AI vendors and infrastructure, huge investments in data centers, chips, circular economics, robotics, energy and more with @akshay of @theinformation: https://t.co/0qKruLwEvv
Nvidia Hits $5 Trillion, Ushering Airstreet’s New Era
a day to remember: a new @airstreet epoch begins as @nvidia becomes the first 5t company fortuitous timing? i think not!