Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Anthropic files confidential IPO as it calls for global AI slowdown
Anthropic, valued at roughly $965 billion, filed a confidential IPO prospectus. The company urged a coordinated global slowdown of advanced AI development, citing societal risks. U.S. regulators ordered Anthropic to block foreign access to its most advanced models.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Sygaldry Technologies raises $139M in seed and Series A round
Raghu Raghuram: AI, Robotics, and the Rebirth of Infrastructure
Raghu Raghuram reflects on his front‑row experience of the early internet wars, the Netscape‑Microsoft browser battles, and the landmark VMware acquisition of Nicira that reshaped networking. He and the a16z hosts discuss how VMware grew from a modest startup to a $13 billion revenue powerhouse and survived the cloud shift, while highlighting AI as the next massive infrastructure reset. Raghuram outlines his vision for the coming decade, emphasizing data‑center robotics, energy‑aware compute, and the transformative impact of AI on both startups and established firms.
AI Winners, Margins, and Defence: Who Thrives?
Our last episode with David Cahn was one of the most downloaded of last year. This episode today is even better. - The Winners & Losers in AI - The $0-$100M Club: Is Triple, triple, double, double dead? - The Future of Defence: Who...
Skip Process‑obsessed VP of Sales Before $10M ARR
Before $10m ARR, Do not hire a VP of Sales that mainly talks about process You are too early for them
ElevenLabs’ Vision for Voice Interfaces | CEO Mati Staniszewski
In this episode, ElevenLabs co‑founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski discusses how the company’s emotion‑driven voice AI is reshaping sectors such as personalized healthcare and film production. He explains the technology’s ability to generate nuanced, expressive speech that can adapt to...
Celebrating Entrepreneurs' Wins Fuels My Purpose
My favorite part of running @acquiredotcom is seeing entrepreneurs win. The founders who bootstrapped through hard months. The ones who landed their 1st customer. The ones who just sold their startup and changed their life. Every win reminds me of why this...
Share LPs Across Non‑competing Funds to Accelerate Fundraising
The secret to LP intros that no one tells you. Make friends in alternate, non competitive categories (growth, secondaries etc etc). Share LPs. Discovery is the hardest thing in fundraising. Non-competitive managers sharing LPs is needle moving.
20VC: Sequoia's David Cahn on The Winners and Losers in AI | The $0-$100M Revenue Club: Is Triple, Triple, Double,...
In this episode, Sequoia partner David Cahn argues we’re in an AI bubble but sees lasting moats in physical data‑center infrastructure, while mapping out which companies will thrive or falter as AI reshapes markets. He discusses the impact of big‑tech...
AI Meetups Expand to Zurich and Munich in 2026
new zurich and munich events added to the @airstreet ai meetup calendar for 2026! stopping in a city near you soon - subscribe at luma(dot)com/airstreet https://t.co/2JYV1TVNOt
AI Support Saves Money, Yet Still Costs Too Much
We all know how much AI has already changed customer support But it's not cheap Across all my investments in the space, the average price to resolve or reflect a ticket is about $1 For complex issues, around $5 in tokens etc That's much...
20VC Newsletter - 26th October 2025
20VC’s latest newsletter synthesizes three interviews with practical takeaways for founders and investors: Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz laid out a repeatable M&A playbook that rebuilds frontends in months and full backends to hit product scale in about nine months (vs....
Software Awakens: Real‑time Learning Revives Innovation
Software is waking up again. Ten years ago, apps were the frontier. Screens were canvases. Curiosity was the culture. Then the App Store froze. The same grids, the same playbooks and the same incentives repeated endlessly. We optimized everything except imagination. For a while,...
No‑Code Platforms Turn Weeks‑Long CRUD Projects Into Minutes
Yes, ‘prosumer’ vibe coding apps like @Replit are best at CRUD and CRUD+AI apps today. But that also means if you have some experience building CRUD apps … that you can just fly when you ‘vibe’ your next one. All the stuff...
20Growth: How to Build a Paid Marketing Machine: ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) 101 | The Rise of User Generated...
In this episode, growth veteran Sandy Diao shares the biggest lessons she learned scaling products at Pinterest, Meta, and Descript, emphasizing how to craft strong growth hypotheses and avoid common strategic pitfalls. She breaks down the fundamentals of Return on...
Silence Signals Trouble—Unless It Hides $50M Profit
It’s usually a bad sign when a founder stops sending investor updates. But occasionally they surface with impressive news. Just received this one: “$50M run rate and profitable” For founders (as a founder and investor): Most investors will assume the negative without updates. They’re...
Lean Execution Drives 24% Revenue Growth and Profitability
2025 has been a big year for us at @acquiredotcom. We have grown revenue, reduced expenses and finally became profitable. > $6.1 million in revenue, up 24%. > $4.5 million in expenses, down 26%. > Operating profit, up 50.2%. > Total profit, $1.6 million. Absolutely...
20VC: Why VC Today Is Worse Than 2021 | Why Vertical SaaS Is a Bad Investment Today | Why We...
The episode critiques the current venture‑capital climate, arguing it’s as over‑hyped as the 2021 COVID boom and warning that vertical SaaS and legal‑SaaS investments are now unattractive. Host Harry Stebbings and guests discuss Revolut’s $3 bn raise at a $75 bn valuation...
75% Fit with Top VCs Signals Major Validation
"A 75% fit with @altosvc + @20vcFund? That's huge. It was exactly who we'd hoped for." Sign up for waitlist for SaaStr AI VC -> https://t.co/Eg5TFmnXmm https://t.co/r9Ct5KFhbP
SaaStr AI VC Matchmaking Delivers 116 Intros in Two Weeks
The new SaaStr AI VC Matchmaking tool has already made 116 VC intros in https://t.co/P5GuMbTEG9 https://t.co/RzkMeULyjI
Ship Early, Execution Beats Perfect Pitch Deck
When you ship v1 before the pitch deck is perfect, you are already ahead of 90% of startup founders still polishing their slides. Execution crushes credentials!
Founders Ignore Market Timing; Invest Every Year
Great founders don’t time the market Great founders often don’t even check the markets at all They just start up when they see white space, and are ready to go So … Every year is a good year to invest
776 Proudly Backs Founders Crafting Lasting Legacies
At 776, we strive to be the first backers of founders building a legacy with their work. Can't help but get fired up watching this. https://t.co/k16CvaWzbT
Anduril Hits 6.6× Multiple Since My Tattoo
Anduril's at a 6.6x multiple since my tattoo. Can't wait to share what the second one is. VCBrags, come slay me.
Empowering Debt Relief: Partnering with Ava’s Impactful Team
Really proud to have the opportunity to work with Reza Rahman Omar Sinno Abed L. and the team at Ava. They’ve been pretty quiet about the work they’ve been doing for the past few years but they’re making a really...
Scaling $1M‑$50M: Execution Beats Early Milestones
I do not care how long it takes for a company to get to $1M in revenue. But I do care desperately, how long it takes for a company to get from $1M-$50M in revenue. The road to PMF is...
Execution Beats Credentials: Build Fast, Ship Faster
Founders: please ditch the credential chase. Build fast and ship. Strong execution is the ultimate credential.
Serial Unicorn Experience Fuels Sky‑High Seed Valuation
Talked the other day to a founder raising a seed round at an insane price Here's the thing: the last two start-ups he worked at are worth $10B+ He wasn't the founder at those ones. But he does know how...
Keep Updating Investors to Sustain Belief During Hard Times
Did some of the best start-ups like Figma, Stripe, etc. take years to get to any material revenue? Yes. That happens — and it can work out. But I don’t think they stopped sending investor updates. So far, I’ve seen 0 success from...
First Decacorn Milestone: LongJourneyVC Celebrates Success
Let's fucking go!! Proud of @ChaseLochmiller and his whole team. You've come a long way on your journey from your gas to cash strategy and now you are the backbone of some of the most important infrastructure in the...
Prioritize Strategic Fit Over Valuation in Exits
Selling your business or closing a capital raise transaction isn't just about valuation, it's also about overall fit. When talking with buyers, make sure you understand what their strategic objectives will be moving forward. Verify that they share your values...
From Toys to Lifesaving Drones: Keller’s Unlikely Pivot
When @Keller pivoted his robotic toy company to delivering blood with autonomous drones, he had no experience with aviation or healthcare. ~10 years later, @Zipline has made millions of life-saving deliveries, and is now reinventing global logistics with their Platform 2. Keller...
1500+ Pitch Decks Uploaded, Get Real-Time VC Feedback
Woo-hoo!! Crossed 1,500 VC Pitch Decks uploaded to SaaStr AI VC -> https://t.co/XzJ5d0OYvZ Get real time feedback on your deck, benchmarking against 1000s of rounds, and optional intros to the best VCs https://t.co/BIC0fmziG2
Bootstrapped AI SaaS Duo Generates $200K Profit
What’s better than one B2B SaaS? Two B2B SaaS. Two profitable AI SaaS duo for content creation + SEO automation. > $252K TTM revenue > $200K TTM profit > 20% YoY growth > 5K+ customers Bootstrapped + Lean Listed on @acquiredotcom: https://t.co/hVgmr7nPE3 https://t.co/gTiI2EJmqJ
Results, Not Connections, Secure VC Funding Instantly
You don't have to know the 'right people' anymore to get funded If you've got the results -- we'll tell you And introduce you to top VCs. In minutes. SaaStr AI VC. Sign up here -> https://t.co/Eg5TFmnXmm https://t.co/4KllqrnwZp
Smart Investors Weight Outcomes, Chase Big Wins over Many Misses
The reason (good) investors are more optimistic is that, for them, the outcomes are weighted. If you're just measuring percent correct, you win by predicting startups will fail. But if the outcomes are weighted, you look for big wins even...
Velvet Offers Adobe‑Premiere‑Level AI Video Creation in Seconds
Velvet (@Velvet_Videos) is building the Adobe Premiere of AI video, allowing creative teams to generate and edit dozens of cinematic AI videos in seconds. https://t.co/lYvqpwSEXb Congrats on the launch, @lrmantovani_ & @luke_tux! (They made this launch video using Velvet by spending ~$50 in...
Contrarian Founders Succeed by Staying True to Vision
Some of the biggest breakthroughs, like OpenAI and SpaceX, started as ideas most people thought were impossible. But the best founders stay contrarian long enough to be right, learning from criticism but staying true to their convictions and users who believe...
Kids' Drawings Become Personalized Animated Edutainment on Pixley
Pixley (@PixleyAI) turns kids’ drawings into personalized animated cartoons that teach and entertain. Hundreds of families have brought their stories to life on Pixley, making it the go-to platform for edutainment. Congrats on the launch, @PranitAgrawal4 & @Krish5Iyengar! https://t.co/V5PEvD4UnH
Stay Close to Customers: Let Market Feedback Guide
Always be close to your customers. Don't build a product nobody wants. Too many startups fail from this. The market has the feedback you need to hear.
Scaling Brings Setbacks—Own Them, No Excuses
As you scale, you likely will experience: - co-founders that let you down - investors that throw you under a bus - partners that let you down - much better funded competitors - key team members that need to move on Hard not to use an...
Strategic Operator Wanted as Growth & Biz Ops Lead
📣 KEY ROLE at 776CO: JUMP is looking for a strategic and execution-focused operator to be growth & biz ops lead (tell 'em I sent you!) https://t.co/Zp4yXl6Pks
Investing Early in Reusable Rockets Fuels Humanity's Future
Thanks @ABCSharkTank for having me in the tank last night 🦈 Had to shoutout @stoke_space, a 776co building reusable rockets that go toe-to-toe w/ SpaceX. We were their 1st investor b/c we saw a vision for humanity’s future Entrepreneurship at its best...
Product‑Market Fit Is Ongoing, Not a One‑Time Milestone
There’s this notion that product market fit is this binary condition that once you pass the gate, you’re done. And that’s no longer the case. Product market fit is like United Miles. You continue to fly to maintain 1K. And...
Back at Yale for 8th VC Class with Jorge
8th time back at Yale with Jorge M. for his VC class!
Space Lamp Brand Achieves $250K Revenue, 100% Growth
High performing ecommerce drop on @acquiredotcom. Space lamps brand with a super loyal customer base. > $250K TTM revenue > $52K TTM profit > 100% YoY growth > 5,000+ customers Lean & turnkey ops. Full listing: https://t.co/xUs5QdzRaI https://t.co/9eBGbszAn1
Self‑Improving Support System Boosts CSAT and Revenue
Redapto (https://t.co/oB9ElDblBa) builds self-improving systems for Customer Support teams. It audits 100% of customer conversations, identifies quality gaps, and auto-updates knowledge bases, boosting CSAT and unlocking millions in retained revenue. Congrats on the launch, @CherilShah2 & @AnirudhPupneja!
AI-Powered Pitch Analysis Reveals Funding Odds and VC Connections
Don't go into that next VC pitch blind SaaStr AI VC will tell you -> https://t.co/XzJ5d0OYvZ 1⃣ How strong your pitch is 2⃣ Odds you get funded 3⃣ Exactly where to improve And ... introduce you to up to 800 VCs! https://t.co/O5f4MNuPgB
Newton's $3.8M Seed Fuels 10x ROI for Dentists
Congrats to Newton on their $3.8M seed! Newton is a digital front-desk assistant for dental practices—handling calls, texts, insurance verification, and filling cancellations. Dental groups using Newton are already seeing a 7% lift in collections and 10x ROI from higher utilization and...
AI Clones Your Voice to Drive Multimillion B2B Deals
Imagine AI (@imagineagi) builds your B2B content pipeline. They clone you → your expertise, your voice, your insights → into high-fidelity personas. 10M driven across clients. $5M deal landed from a single optimized post. Congrats on the launch, @skygodkingdom & @neo_lky! https://t.co/f0bGPPd9SC
Top $3M Rounds Prove Builders Act without Permission
The best $3m rounds aren't "pre-seed" or "seed"—they are proof a serious builder already started without permission.
I’m Unable to View the Linked Content, so I Can’t Generate a Headline.
https://t.co/y3WWGY5pkP