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
20VC: The Startup Adding $1M ARR Every Week | Competing Against OpenAI's Codex and Claude Code: Who Wins | Why...
In this episode, host Harry Stebbings talks with Zach Lloyd, founder and CEO of Warp, about the startup’s rapid growth—adding $1M ARR each week—and its battle against AI coding assistants like OpenAI's Codex, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini. Lloyd explains how Warp’s developer terminal leverages AI to boost productivity while emphasizing that margins still matter in an AI‑driven world, and he offers a candid look at the challenges and limitations of current AI coding tools. The conversation also forecasts the competitive landscape, arguing that GPT‑5’s advancements give it an edge over rivals, and highlights Warp’s vision of redefining how engineers build and collaborate.
Contrarian Bets Turn Impossible Ideas Into Success
Nine out of ten people might tell you you're crazy. The tenth might see what you see. This week on the Lightcone, @garrytan, @harjtaggar, @snowmaker, and @sdianahu discuss contrarian bets — the ideas that look impossible until they work. From Uber...
Small SaaS Apps Can Yield Real Exits
Tom Ulman (@TomUlman) acquired two small SaaS tools (Text Run and Waitlist Email) that already had users, traffic, and potential. Then he did what great founders do best: executed. > Focused on paying users > Simplified the product > Improved support > Let SEO and...
E633 | EUCVC Summit 2025: Anne C. Fleischer (Novo Nordisk) & Henrijette Richter (Sofinnova Partners): Innovation in Health
The post previews the EUCVC Summit 2025 episode featuring Anne C. Fleischer (Novo Nordisk) and Henrijette Richter (Sofinnova Partners) on health‑sector innovation, and then recaps three recent EUVC podcast episodes that dive into structured secondaries in venture, a Turkish gaming...
Kushner Brothers Leverage Billionaire Status for Tech Deals
Must be tough being a Kushner kid @JoshuaKushner - "Just raised $25B and invested in OAI, Stripe, Databricks" @jaredkushner - "Hold my beer, am heading to the Middle East"
AI-Designed Enzymes Boost Carbon Capture, Powered by LLMs
Incredible work by one of our 776 fellows, applying AI to engineer better carbon capture enzymes. Wild to see LLM's driving climate innovation already @hla_michael Check it out ⬇ https://t.co/YXyQUseoj3
Keith Rabois: Israel, OpenAI, Opendoor, and DOGE
Keith Rabois argues that the U.S. is on the cusp of a new AI‑driven economic expansion that could boost GDP growth to around 5%, emphasizing the rise of sovereign AI projects and the nation’s ability to grow out of debt....
Top Startups Hoard Cash, Rarely Spend Raised Funds
This is common among the most successful startups. It may seem wasteful, but it's a good idea to have some extra money in the bank as insurance against disasters, and the most successful startups have that luxury.
Zepto Secures $450M Funding, Hits $7B Valuation
Congrats to @zeptonow on the $450M round at $7B valuation! Zepto is dominating India's quick-commerce market with 1.7M daily orders (up from 500k five quarters ago). They're now operating 1,000+ dark stores across 80+ cities, with 10M+ new monthly users. https://t.co/XI4ZhfiTHd
Brené Brown & Reid Hoffman on the Skills Every Leader Needs Now
In this 23‑minute conversation, Brené Brown and Reid Hoffman explore the essential, often overlooked skills leaders need today, emphasizing courageous vulnerability, active listening, and the power of compassion. Brown argues that true leadership thrives on empathy and psychological safety, while...
Veteran VC Roger Ehrenberg Warns on Market Missteps
We’re back with another deep dive into the shifting landscape of venture capital, and this week we’re joined by a legend who’s seen it all—Roger Ehrenberg. Roger founded IA Ventures in 2008, building one of the most respected early-stage portfolios...
Navigating Friend Investments and Staying Top‑of‑Mind
I've certainly had the experience of opening LinkedIn, TechCrunch, Axios, or Term Sheet, only to read that someone I know well has started a new company or raised a round that I wish I had seen. It never feels great,...
1929 vs 2025: Andrew Ross Sorkin on Crashes, Bubbles & Lessons Learned
The post highlights a podcast episode where Andrew Ross Sorkin discusses his new book on the 1929 Wall Street crash and draws parallels to the speculative bubble and AI‑driven disruptions of 2025. Key takeaways include the historical setup and players...
AI‑native Startup Central Raises $8.6M to Automate Back‑office
Congrats to @CentralHQX on their $8.6M seed! Central is the AI-native platform that eliminates back-office work for startups. While HR/payroll platforms give you software to figure it out, Central actually does all the work using agents and human experts across payroll, benefits,...
Your Biggest Customer Is Your Biggest Vulnerability
While many think having a "largest customer" is an asset, it's actually a company's biggest weakness. If you can feel a single customer leave, you're in a delicate spot. If you have a customer you can't afford to lose, you're...
20VC: $3.5BN - The Price Zuck Paid for Thinking Machines Co-Founder | Goldman Sachs Acquires Industry Ventures for $665M |...
The episode dissects three headline‑making deals: Goldman Sachs’ $665 million acquisition of Industry Ventures, the former Thinking Machines co‑founder’s $2 billion raise and subsequent move to Meta, and SoftBank’s $5 billion ARM‑backed loan to double‑down on OpenAI. Harry and guests analyze what these...
Unlock Existing ChatGPT Auth, Not New Sign‑In Layer
Huge if true. Wrote a bunch about the Sign in with ChatGPT opportunity back in April. “Today, there’s no secure way to link a ChatGPT account to another tool. No OAuth. No scoped tokens. No way to persist context responsibly. What’s needed...
Tech Deals Surge: Meta, Goldman, SoftBank Drive 2025 Venture Landscape
The only podcast you have to listen to every week. No politics. Just tech. - Thinking Machines Co-Founder Joins Meta for $3.5BN - Goldman Sachs Acquires Industry Ventures for $665M - Softbank Borrows $5BN Against ARM Holding to Invest More Into OpenAI. Spotify 👉 https://t.co/FMWC2UfrVG Youtube...
E632 | EUCVC Summit 2025: Charlie Hayward, Global Corporate Venturing: The Data Behind the $100B CVC Wave
The EUVC podcast roundup highlights four recent episodes that dissect current trends in European venture capital, from the $100 billion corporate‑venture‑capital surge and data‑driven deal sourcing (Charlie Hayward) to the rise of structured secondaries as a liquidity tool (Kristaps Ronis), the...
Y Combinator and A16z Dominate VC Under Stellar Leadership
Two brands in VC that are crushing right now more than any other: 1. @ycombinator: Under @garrytan leadership. Another level achieved. 👏 @t_blom is one of the greatest early stage investors right now. 2. @a16z: @martin_casado is a true OG....
Outrageous Optimism Is Essential for Founders' Success
Huge honor being featured by @bigthink this week. We talked about why “outrageous optimism” is a required skillset for founders. Startups are built by people who believe just enough to keep going when everything says stop. When the odds are 1000...
Marrying the Business with the Science
In this episode of the Venrock podcast "Running Through Walls," Sam Kulkarni, PhD, CEO of CRISPR Therapeutics, explains how gene‑editing technology is being pursued as a near‑science‑fiction cure and the business strategies behind it. He offers practical advice on raising...
Semble AI Cuts Fire‑System Design to Five Minutes
Semble AI automates fire-system design for construction companies. It used to take billions of dollars and thousands of hours of manual drafting, building code lookups, and back-and-forth with permitting authorities. With Semble AI, it takes 5 minutes. https://t.co/fJLjwfMRYN https://t.co/qDiY9vmn4d
AI Support Engineers Boost IT Provider Speed and Margins
Everest (@_everestai) builds AI support engineers for outsourced IT providers, who service IT for 90% of SMBs. Everest helps them resolve tickets faster and increase margins. Congrats on the launch @yolandaaacao and @spenmcke! https://t.co/bnClbudy5Z https://t.co/wtB2VTMMaM
Ben Horowitz and Ali Ghodsi: How to Run a Billion-Dollar Business
In this "Boss Talk" episode, Ben Horowitz and Databricks co‑founder Ali Ghodsi recount their founder war stories, from building Loudcloud during the dot‑com bust to steering Databricks through a crisis and scaling it to a $100 billion valuation. They discuss practical...
AI Automation Startup Achieves 326% YoY Growth
Solid AI automation startup listed on @acquiredotcom. Mind blowing 326% YoY growth! 🤯 > $2.9M TTM revenue > $961K TTM profit > 5000+ customers > Inc. 5000 ranked > $10M prior valuation Check it out here: https://t.co/YNOfwS36HJ https://t.co/6mEIjy6Wf5
Automation Cuts Millions of Hours From Insurance Tasks
Healthcare staff spend millions of hours each year calling insurance companies and navigating portals. @SplendorHealth automates insurance workflows (benefits verification, prior auth monitoring, credentialing) for healthcare companies, eliminating the headaches of portal access, EDI, and AI phone calls. https://t.co/YsY0INT8ZT Congrats on the launch,...
#170 Original Sunshine: The Best Bagel You've Never Heard Of
Original Sunshine’s founders Brad and David used a covert blind‑taste test of their gluten‑free‑but‑tasting‑like‑wheat bagels to win over the investors on The Pitch, highlighting a novel flour technology that replicates gluten’s texture. They traced rapid traction from early adopters like...
Deel Secures $300M Funding, Valued Over $17B
Today @Bouazizalex announced that @deel have raised $300M at a $17BN+ valuation. He only did one podcast to announce the round and discuss the last 12 months. 20VC… coming on Monday 👇 https://t.co/n4ezdUmA5A
AI-Powered SaaStr Instantly Confirms Fund Fit
With the next version of SaaStr AI VC, you won't wonder if you are a fit for any given fund anymore We'll just tell you. Right there, right now. https://t.co/ONomUsL4kw
E631 | EUCVC Summit 2025: Marcus Behrendt, BMW iVentures & Nicole LeBlanc, Woven Capital: What Is Next in the European...
The post previews EUCVC Summit 2025 episode E631, where Marcus Behrendt of BMW iVentures and Nicole LeBlanc of Woven Capital discuss the next wave of innovation in the European automotive sector, from electrification and autonomous tech to new financing models. They argue that Europe’s...
Funding General Intuition to Advance AI Spatial-Temporal Reasoning
Super excited about funding @PimDeWitte on this exciting journey towards AI understanding the physical world !
Early Product Versions Mislead; Deel’s Massive Evolution Proves It
Deel added $300M in funding at a $17.3B valuation. When investing in early stage, it's a trap to judge v1 of a product. The co has evolved a ton since we invested. Here's @Bouazizalex's intro to Deel on Product Hunt, six years...
Invest in Studio, Scale YouTube: Distribution Wins
Distribution is crucial. Founders-as-Creators trend is only gonna keep growing.
Good Cofounder Beats Solo, Bad Cofounder Hurts
Good cofounder > no cofounder > bad cofounder. This may seem obvious but a lot of people don't seem to grasp it.
Trust Intuition, Even when It Defies Explanation
This part in this piece on @JoshuaKushner really rings true to me. I'm a gut-driven, intuition-first person, so I know exactly what he's saying here: --- “My deepest insecurity is that I have these intuitions about things that I cannot explain to...
AI Takes 20 of Top 30 Secondary Spots
Just seen @SetterVC's latest report on the most in-demand secondaries for private companies in Q3: Top 3 Risers in the Top 30: 1. @canva up 8 places to #12 2. @CrusoeAI up 7 places to #11 3. @AnthropicAI up 2 places to #1 and...
Minority Funding Still Means Investor Decision Power
Founders are often interested in minority transactions for one reason: Control. In a founder's mind, if they retain majority ownership in the company, then they'll fully control the strategic direction of the company, even if they give up a seat...
New Riverside Session Delivers Startup Advice and War Stories
Just wrapped a Riverside session with the Intro folks. Cannot wait for you to hear this. Dropping all kinds of startup advice and war stories. https://t.co/9l04HG9cYC
Acquired.com Launches New Seller Insights and Analytics
New seller insights and analytics coming soon to @acquiredotcom! https://t.co/V2mQKaoOFj
Product Fit and Partnership: Keys to Seed Success
Two reasons why 99% of seed stage companies don’t make it to Series A: 1. They don’t build something people want. 2. Co-Founder breakup. Avoid these two and you are the 1%.
Boss Talk Returns, New Episodes Now Live
Boss talk is back: https://t.co/RJR1ph1oAS
Unsexy Plumbing Profits While Others Chase Shiny Trends
"Boring" businesses print money while everyone is distracted chasing the next shiny thing. The unsexy plumbing always delivers.
AI Workforce Cuts Pre‑Construction Design Time by 30%
Structured AI (@getstructuredai) is an AI workforce for pre-construction design engineering. They save engineers 30% of their time by automating documentation and validating designs directly inside the software teams already use. Congrats on the launch, @stingrayzz22, @Green181024 and @brandonstarxel!
Woz Secures $6M to Build Trustworthy AI App Factory
Woz (@WithWoz1) has raised $6M to launch the first AI Product Factory. AI prototyping is easy. Building apps that real businesses can trust? Not so much. Woz changes that. Start building your mobile app today: https://t.co/MurBc2oV2a Congrats @BenjaminT007 & @ChefEckert on...
AI-Driven Broker Automates Insurance Paperwork and Support
Fernstone is an AI-powered insurance brokerage for businesses. Their platform handles the back and forth with carriers, autonomously files paperwork, and instantly responds to customer requests. Congrats on the launch, @lukebbutton, @James_R_Chen, and @BryantLe18! https://t.co/iuDWVaTy8N
Sequoia’s Roelof Botha on Leadership, Decision-Making, Tech Outlook
This week's Uncapped guest was @roelofbotha, who runs Sequoia. We talked about his psychology leading the firm, how Sequoia makes decisions, and his views on the state of technology markets today. Unsurprisingly, I learned a ton. Hope you enjoy listening. https://t.co/07mb26KEBC
Founders Must Preserve Their Core Story Amid Metrics
Every company starts with a story that’s truer than the product. Over time, the product gets attention, the story gets diluted, and the truth that built it gets buried under metrics. The founder’s real job is to keep digging it...
10‑Year Founder Vesting Cuts Co‑Founder Conflicts in Half
If all founders started off with 10-year vesting, I suspect this would reduce and minimize like 50% of co-founder issues * It forces you to have the tough conversation up front * It protects the ones that stay from the ones that quit *...
Unreasonable Optimism: Why Top Founders Always Win
The best founders are optimistic to the point of being completely unreasonable and that’s exactly why they win.