🎯Today's Venture Capital Pulse
Updated 2h agoWhat's happening: AI fuels record $119.5B venture fundraising despite fewer rounds
Venture capital fundraising jumped 16.9% to $119.5 billion in 2025, the strongest recovery since the 2022 market reset. The total number of rounds fell 41% to 4,859, concentrating capital in larger AI‑focused financings, with AI startups capturing 58% of Series D cash and median valuations rising across all stages.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OpenAI raises $110B in corporate funding
Podcast•Oct 16, 2025•49 min
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. He critiques legacy institutions, predicts OpenAI’s continued dominance, and assesses the strategic positions of Google, Microsoft, fintech startup Ramp, and real‑estate platform Opendoor. Rabois also shares bold political forecasts, including a second Trump term, and highlights how technology is reshaping finance and housing. The conversation blends macro‑economic outlooks with practical insights from his experience as a tech investor and entrepreneur.
By a16z Podcast
Social•Oct 16, 2025
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...
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Oct 16, 2025
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....
By Harry Stebbings
Podcast•Oct 16, 2025•22 min
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...
By Masters of Scale
Social•Oct 16, 2025
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...
By Andrew Gazdecki
Social•Oct 16, 2025
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...
By Ryan Hoover
News•Oct 16, 2025
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...
By All-In Podcast
Social•Oct 16, 2025
Invest in Studio, Scale YouTube: Distribution Wins
Distribution is crucial. Founders-as-Creators trend is only gonna keep growing.
By Alexis Ohanian
Social•Oct 16, 2025
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.
By Paul Graham
Podcast•Oct 16, 2025•1h 19m
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...
By The Twenty Minute VC (20VC)
News•Oct 16, 2025
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...
By The European VC (EUVC)
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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...
By Jason Fried
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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...
By Harry Stebbings
News•Oct 15, 2025
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...
By Running Through Walls
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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 on the...
By Michael Lyon
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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
By Alexis Ohanian
Podcast•Oct 15, 2025•1h 4m
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...
By a16z Podcast
Social•Oct 15, 2025
Acquired.com Launches New Seller Insights and Analytics
New seller insights and analytics coming soon to @acquiredotcom! https://t.co/V2mQKaoOFj
By Andrew Gazdecki
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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%.
By Harry Stebbings
Podcast•Oct 15, 2025•50 min
#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...
By The Pitch
Social•Oct 15, 2025
Boss Talk Returns, New Episodes Now Live
Boss talk is back: https://t.co/RJR1ph1oAS
By Ben Horowitz
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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.
By Niko Bonatsos
News•Oct 15, 2025
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...
By The European VC (EUVC)
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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!
By YCombinator
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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...
By YCombinator
Podcast•Oct 14, 2025•41 min
VC10X - Top Decile Fund in Emerging-Tech - Jatin Desai, Managing Partner, Inflexor Ventures
In this episode, Jatin Desai, Managing Partner at Inflexor Ventures, explains why profitable giants like Meta and Amazon are executing "quiet layoffs" despite record earnings, attributing the trend to the Great AI Re‑allocation, a permanent Year of Efficiency, and lingering...
By VC10X
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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
By YCombinator
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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
By Jack Altman
Blog•Oct 14, 2025
How Founders Should Think About Runway: A Guide From Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital published guidance urging founders to treat runway as a dynamic strategic metric, not just cash divided by burn, recommending use of net cash (cash minus drawn debt) and monthly cash burn (cash in minus cash out) to get...
By Sahil S
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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...
By Hiten Shah
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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 *...
By Jason Lemkin
News•Oct 14, 2025
Save up to $624 on Your TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Pass Before Prices Rise in Less than 4 Days
TechCrunch is offering significant discounts on passes for its annual Disrupt conference, with potential savings of up to $624 available until October 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Scheduled for October 27-29 in San Francisco, the event will host over 10,000...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
Social•Oct 15, 2025
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.
By Andrew Gazdecki
Social•Oct 15, 2025
Founder’s Playlist Curation Reveals Product‑Market Fit Signals
IC follow-up #28: "Please evaluate the founder's Spotify playlist curation process as it relates to finding product market fit."
By Niko Bonatsos
Podcast•Oct 14, 2025•1h 31m
Is AI Slowing Down? Nathan Labenz Says We're Asking the Wrong Question
In this episode, Nathan Labenz and a16z host Erik Torenberg examine whether AI progress is truly slowing or simply becoming less sensational, questioning the hype around a potential GPT‑5. They explore the current state of AI reasoning, automation, and the...
By a16z Podcast
Social•Oct 14, 2025
From SaaS to AI: Keynote Tour & Meetups
Just finished keynoting at Canvas by Miro. My talk was all about transforming your company from SaaS to AI, and what a great crowd both IRL and online. Thanks to Andrey for the invite My next few events (if you want...
By Des Traynor
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Fivetran‑dbt Merger: A Natural Evolution of Data Stack
Why was the Fivetran-dbt merger all but inevitable?
By Tomasz Tunguz
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Battery‑Free Human Cooling Tech Secures $4.35M Seed
Always inspiring to see a founder step out to tackle a new challenge: from lab to commercialization; to realize a personal vision that could have global impact for our warming planet. Very happy that Granite Asia is on this...
By Jenny Lee
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Know Buyers' Past Valuations to Set Realistic Expectations
In terms of valuation, it's important to consider a buyer's historical track record. Understanding how buyers have valued businesses in the past will give you clues to whether they're a value buyer or premium buyer. Also, in the event that a...
By Michael Lyon
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Uncovering Who's Profiting Most From the AI Boom
"Who exactly is making money in AI?" with @HarryStebbings @rodriscoll + me https://t.co/DzkGrW3qMu
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Oct 14, 2025
FleetWorks Secures $15M Series A, Accelerates Trucking Matchmaking
Congrats to @fleetworksai on their $15M Series A! FleetWorks matches truckers with cargo faster, automating the manual coordination that bogs down small carriers. They've onboarded 10k+ carriers & dozens of brokers (incl. Uber Freight) in just 6 months. https://t.co/t2YmM7YPrM
By YCombinator
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Existing Investors Face 90% Dilution After OpenAI’s Shift
10% for all existing investors together for OpenAI feels like brutal dilution Even if the IRR and absolute gains are still epic
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Oct 14, 2025
OURA Secures $900M Funding, Hits $11B Valuation
It's official for OURA: • $11B valuation • New $900M in funding led by Fidelity Hard-earned success for a team that's on track for $1B in revenue this year, 2x'ing for the 2nd year in a row. The vision and execution from @ouraring...
By Kirsten Green
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Excellent Products Resist Easy Variation and Change
Good Products Are Hard to Vary. https://t.co/5EGzOpQ9xr
By Naval Ravikant
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Reducto AI Secures $75M Series B Funding
Congrats to @reductoai on their $75M Series B! Reducto is the leading AI document intelligence platform, and has now processed over a billion pages for leading startups and global enterprises. Startups can get started with 15k in free credits at https://t.co/88zX5ajAId. https://t.co/DE51kgRs6w
By YCombinator
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Ergo Adds AI Layer to Transform Messy CRMs
Ergo (@joinergo) is building the AI layer Salesforce forgot to ship. They turn messy CRMs into reliable revenue engines for companies like @rhobusiness, @getdelve, and @WhopIO - updating data, surfacing at-risk deals, and delivering the insights GTM teams actually need. https://t.co/6sgtv7jZ8d
By YCombinator
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Europe’s Top Founders Champion Browsers for AI Agents
Europe has some of the best young founders in the world. They are hungrier, they are more ambitious and they are more talented than ever. Charles is one of the best of the best. LFG Europe 🚀
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Seeking Early-Stage Investors to Meet 5+ Founders Weekly
New experiment: Looking for early-stage investors that meet with 5+ founders/week. Reply here if you want to try the beta and I’ll DM you. :)
By Ryan Hoover
Social•Oct 14, 2025
AI Assistants Boost Leads and Jobs for Home Services
Bravi (@BraviApp) is building AI voice & chat assistants for home service companies. Their platform helps installers & manufacturers capture every lead, respond instantly, and close more jobs. https://t.co/wwixfsipaX https://t.co/uIbSlD0B4W
By YCombinator
Social•Oct 14, 2025
Protect Your Core: Focus Beats Equal‑Weight Distribution
Every business has one thing that makes everything else possible. Find it, and protect it with your life. The mistake most founders make is trying to give everything equal weight. Focus feels unfair because it is. But nothing compounds until...
By Hiten Shah