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
20Growth: The $6.6B Growth Engine Behind ElevenLabs | Why ElevenLabs Do Not Have PMs | The 7 Part Launch Playbook...
In this episode, Luke Harries, Head of Growth at ElevenLabs, breaks down the company’s $6.6 billion growth engine, detailing how a horizontal product strategy and sharded growth teams drive massive scale. He shares a 7‑part launch playbook that routinely generates 700K+ views, explains the real economics of CAC, payback, and performance marketing in AI, and reveals why SEO still matters through a mini‑tool approach. Harries also argues for eliminating inbound SDRs in favor of voice AI and makes the case that growth‑led product teams can thrive without traditional product managers.
One‑Time Billionaire Tax Is Just First Step
My take on California’s “One-Time” Billionaire Tax. It’s much worse than it looks. 📉 Will it pass? Yes, likely. It only needs 50%+1 voter approval. SEIU + CTA have done this before—Prop 55 won 63% in 2016. ⚖️ Will it...
Squarespace Design Plugin Generates $340K Revenue, 39% Growth
Plugins + SaaS print money. Live on @acquiredotcom: All-in-one website design plugin for Squarespace freelancers and agencies. Faster builds, no custom code, sticky subscriptions. > $340K TTM revenue > $223K TTM profit > 39% YoY growth Full listing: https://t.co/Y8gnOYsd82 https://t.co/kiUkoUUPCu
Open APIs Are Over
After two decades of thriving on open APIs, major software platforms are erecting barriers. Salesforce limited Slack’s API calls, Datadog disabled a rival observability startup, and Epic faces a lawsuit over restricting patient‑record access. The acceleration of AI‑driven development enables...
Incumbents Shift From Open APIs to Closed Walls
Salesforce, Datadog & Epic are building walls. After two decades of flourishing through open APIs & data portability, the software industry's largest incumbents are locking down. https://t.co/7n6Tio3aJK
Build for Forever, Sell Tomorrow: Leverage Through Systems
Build your startup like you’re going to run it forever but prepare it so you could sell it tomorrow. > Organized books > Standardized operations > Product that works without you That’s how you create real leverage with buyers.
Major Medical Devices Secures Strategic Funding
Major Medical Devices announced a strategic funding partnership with TCA Venture Group to accelerate its abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair device. The company positions the device as highly differentiated and potentially quick to market within a $3 billion AAA market. The...
Zuckerberg Faces $49B Tax Bill Over Voting Power
Everyone’s focused on Brin and Page fleeing California. But there’s a ticking time bomb buried in the billionaire tax: Mark Zuckerberg may be facing a $49 Billion tax bill he literally cannot pay. 🧵 The California billionaire tax has a provision that...
Startups Only Need a Strategist for Few Hours
The one hire I don't need, and none of my portfolio cos need, is a "Strategist" I know at certain stage in many folks' career, that's what they want to do Advise on strategy more than do work themselves No criticism But most startups...
Orca Bio Banks $250M Series F Funding
Orca Bio, a late‑stage biotech focused on high‑precision cell therapies, closed a $250 million Series F round in December 2025, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The financing includes an amendment to its Silicon Valley Bank credit facility that adds up to $100 million of...
Voting Power Triggers 50% Tax on Alphabet Founders
Larry and Sergey can’t stay in California since the wealth tax as written would confiscate 50% of their Alphabet shares. Each own ~3% of Alphabet's stock, worth about $120 billion each at today's ~$4 trillion market cap. But because their...
Bootstrapped SaaS Secures $480K Sale After Advisory Process
65 days ago this founder didn’t know if their SaaS was sellable. > Bootstrapped > 3 serious offers > Structured advisory process Yesterday they closed for $480,000 on @acquiredotcom. https://t.co/IHlzfr48zL
Last Chance to Exhibit: Money Expo Mexico 2026 Nears Full Capacity with Top-Tier Sponsors Onboard
Money Expo Mexico 2026 is now 90% sold out, leaving only a handful of exhibition stands available. The two‑day event on February 18‑19 at Centro Banamex will host global brokers, fintech innovators, liquidity providers, and trading platforms targeting Latin America’s...
Celebrating 12 Years of A16z Support and $12B Fund
Grateful for a16z’s support which started nearly 12 years ago when they led Product Hunt’s Series A. Congrats on the fresh $12B, team. :)
Clarifies Divestments, Denies Media Claims of Profit Motive
It’s true that we divested both Groq and xAI. I wouldn’t have mentioned this except for the fact that the MSM continually lies about this, claiming I took a government role to make money when in fact the opposite is...
BV Investment Partners Closes Fund XII, At $2.465 Billion
BV Investment Partners announced the close of its twelfth private‑equity fund at $2.465 billion, surpassing its prior fund’s hard cap. The capital pool draws from sovereign wealth funds, pensions, financial institutions and family offices across East Asia, Latin America, Europe and...
Slow Growth, Faster Spending: Hire Aggressively
I did office hours with a startup yesterday that I ended up advising to (a) decrease their growth rate and (b) spend the money they've raised faster by hiring more people and paying them high salaries. Possibly the first time...
Management Pitches Are Friendly, Not Tense, Focus on Fit
When you're going to sell your business or raise capital, what should you expect from management presentations? Generally, you should expect those meetings to be friendly. Buyers will be asking questions, but they're also trying to sell themselves. The main...
Rain Raises $250M in Series C Funding
Rain, a New York‑based stablecoin payments infrastructure provider, closed a $250 million Series C round that values the company at $1.95 billion. The round was led by ICONIQ and featured a roster of venture firms including Sapphire Ventures, Bessemer and Lightspeed. Rain plans...
Series B Bar Rises: Vertical SaaS Outlook 2025‑26
Are you a company looking to raise their Series B? I spoke to the king of the category, Jason Kong from Base10 Partners . Every day he wakes up and works with founders in this zone, which straddles traditional venture...
Join Josh Kopelman at First Round Capital – Apply Now
📣 Best opportunity out there to work with my dear friend and the OG Josh Kopelman at First Round Capital . Reach out if you fit the bill to the link below not me.
Sirion Receives Majority Investment From Haveli Investments
Sirion, a Salt Lake City‑based contract lifecycle management software vendor, has secured a majority investment from Haveli Investments. Although the financial terms were not disclosed, the transaction is slated to close in the first quarter of 2026 pending customary clearances....
Transformers Hit Ceiling; Hybrid Models Unlock True Multimodal AI
During last month’s NeurIPS 2025 conference, YC’s @agupta sat down with @krandiash, founder and CEO of Cartesia, to explain why today’s AI architectures may be fundamentally limited. They discuss how transformers act more like retrieval systems than learning systems, where new...
Boost Growth by Optimizing Customers, Churn, and Sales Focus
Best things to do when .. you don't know what to do: 1/ More time w/existing customers. Meet 5/mo IRL. 5/week on Zoom. 2/ Hire 1 great VP 3/ Drive down churn. You grow faster even w/o more leads 4/ Join more sales calls....
Encoord Raises $2M in Seed Funding
encoord, a Colorado‑based grid‑planning software firm, announced a $2 million seed round led by KittyHawk Frontier. The investment brings new board observer Paul Burgon from KittyHawk Frontier onto encoord’s governance structure. The capital will fund expansion of operations and accelerate development...
Biller Genie Raises $22M in Series B Funding
Biller Genie, an Orlando‑based cloud AR automation platform, secured $22 million in Series B funding led by Radian Capital. The capital will fund expansion into the United Kingdom and other international markets, as well as growth of its engineering and leadership teams....
Onsetto Raises $2.2M in Seed Funding
Onsetto, a Minneapolis‑based fintech startup, announced a $2.2 million seed round led by EJF Ventures with participation from Idea Fund, The Perch Fund, Daren Cotter and Bobby Astrup. The capital will fuel product development, especially AI‑driven features for account switching, activation,...
BlueNalu Raises $11M in Funding
BlueNalu, a San Diego‑based cell‑cultured bluefin tuna startup, closed an $11 million financing round. The round was co‑led by Agronomics, Siddhi Capital and Lewis & Clark AgriFood, with roughly 40 existing investors participating. Steven Finn of Siddhi Capital joined the board, and the capital...
Canopy Raises $22M in Series B Funding
Canopy, a San Francisco‑based connected safety platform for U.S. health systems, closed a $22 million Series B round co‑led by 111° West Capital and ACME Capital. The funding will accelerate the nationwide rollout of its Canopy Find and Canopy Track solutions, aiming to extend real‑time...
FineHeart Raises €35M in Series C First Closing; Receives €48M in Grants
FineHeart, a French clinical‑stage med‑tech firm, announced €83 million in total financing. The round includes a €35 million Series C first closing led by new investors such as Groupe Pasteur Mutualité and the EIB fund. Additionally, the company secured €48 million in grants from...
Howard Lutnick: How America Can Hit 6% GDP Growth in 2026
In this episode, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick outlines how strategic trade policies, revamped tech initiatives, and targeted reforms could propel U.S. GDP growth to 5‑6% by 2026. He discusses the legacy of Trump’s tariffs, the evolving US‑Japan trade relationship, stalled...
Practical AI Tactics for Scaling Revenue and Reducing Churn
No fluff. No panels about "the future of AI." At SaaStr AI Annual 2026 (May 12-14) you'll learn: 💲How to price AI features 🤖How to reduce churn with AI agents 💰How to build AI GTM agents that work 🧖♀️How to hire (or not...
A16z's Fundraise Could Hand $1M to Every American
With its latest fundraise, a16z could give $1 million to every American and still have $10 billion left over.
Valinor Enterprises Scores $54M Series A
Valinor Enterprises announced a $54 million Series A round, raising its total capital to over $85 million. The financing was led by Friends & Family Capital, with existing backers General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and Red Cell Partners increasing their stakes, alongside new investors...
AI‑Driven GTM Built in 180 Days: Key Wins
1/ Personio's CRO Phil Lecor built an AI-powered GTM in 6 months. From nothing to all-in in 180 days. $8.5B company. 400 salespeople. 15,000 customers. Here's what actually worked (and the mistakes to avoid): 🧵 https://t.co/qhDbuFmAxS
A16z Deploys $15B to Fuel Global Innovation
The gap between what’s possible—and what’s actually built—has never been bigger. Excited to back entrepreneurs around the world building the future with >$15B in new funds - Apps, Infrastructure, Bio + Health, American Dynamism & Growth🚀 @a16z
Presto Lands $10M Funding Round
Presto Phoenix, a Silicon Valley startup specializing in enterprise‑grade Voice AI for quick‑service restaurant drive‑thrus, announced a $10 million funding round. The round was led by Metropolitan Partners Group with participation from Remus Capital, Link Ventures, and strategic angels including the...
Backing a Founder-Led Fund: LP Invitation Inside
Just committed to back a fund led by a founder I admire. If you’re an LP and curious to follow along. 👇🏼 Will share next week.
Business Success Comes From Common Sense, Not Complexity
IF all "board meetings" were re-named "common sense meetings" they would be a lot more useful and I would enjoy attending them The way great investing is about avoiding the traps of fear/greed (not advanced strategies) Business wins come from common sense,...
JetZero Lands $175M Series B Financing Round
JetZero, a Long Beach‑based aerospace startup, announced a $175 million Series B round led by B Capital, with participation from United Airlines Ventures, Northrop Grumman, 3M Ventures and RTX Ventures. The financing brings the company’s total capital commitments to over $1 billion, including...
Only Heed Advice that Could Later Haunt You
In the process of giving advice to a startup whose domain I know very little about, I came up with a useful form of qualification: only listen to this advice if you can imagine scenarios where this email comes back...
AI-Driven Automation Redefines How Startups Become Enterprises
So excited to share the @kindredventures seed investment into @TheCorgiCompany. AI has enabled complex services to be automated at a level never before seen. This changes the model of what kind of company can be built. As @nico_laqua says, "While...
Data-Driven Science and Leadership
In this episode, Dominik Schumacher, CEO and co‑founder of Tubulis GmbH, explains how the company’s antibody‑drug conjugate (ADC) technology uniquely targets cancer cells, minimizing side effects and enhancing patient outcomes. He details the distinctive chemistry that sets Tubulis’s ADCs apart...
Revenue Intelligence Powered by Real Sales Conversations
Ergo (@joinergo) is the next generation of revenue intelligence. Most sales reporting relies on CRM fields and manual updates, which means leaders end up making decisions without real evidence. Ergo instead pulls data directly from sales conversations—calls, emails, and meetings—to show trends...
Leverage Existing $100M ARR to Build AI In‑House
Ok so on LinkedIn this week I saw another founder I know at $100m+ ARR where growth has slowed … just leave the keys on the table. Quit. This founder said he was excited to explore what AI could do...
PureSpectrum Receives Investment From TA Associates
PureSpectrum, a Westlake Village market‑research technology firm, secured a strategic investment from private‑equity firm TA Associates. The capital will accelerate product innovation and scale the platform’s infrastructure. PureSpectrum’s programmatic marketplace connects brands, research agencies, and institutions with a global pool...
High‑Pay Gap Year Programs Place Students in Startup Roles
Common Gap from Deep24 (@effortcompany24) is a single app for college and graduating high school students to apply to take a gap year at fast-growing startups. Participating companies include Corgi Insurance, Zingage and Superbuilders. This is a bet on giving young...
AI Firms Dominate Q4 Secondary Market; SpaceX Returns to Top
The 30 most in-demand startup secondary shares in Q4 '25 (per Setter Capital) Big takeaways: - SpaceX is back at #1. It spent 2.5 years on top before Anthropic briefly surpassed it in Q3. - Little change at very top of the list...
Global Technical Realty Receives $1.9 Billion From KKR and Oak Hill Capital
London‑based Global Technical Realty (GTR) secured $1.9 billion in financing. Private‑equity firm KKR committed $1.5 billion in equity, while Oak Hill Capital added roughly $400 million. The capital will fund expansion of GTR’s build‑to‑suit data‑center platform for hyperscalers. Founded by Franek Sodzawiczny, GTR...
Founder‑Led SaaS Thrives Amid Market Headwinds, 2025 Success
Thank you to all of the founders, partners, and colleagues we worked with in 2025. Despite headwinds in the broader market, founder-led SaaS companies continued to outperform, drawing meaningful buyer interest and achieving strong valuations. Last year, Vista Point Advisors...