Launch Festival Returns: Free 3‑Minute Pitch for Early‑Stage Founders
LAUNCH FESTIVAL is back… March 16 & 17 in San Francisco This is the demo-or-die format I created for TechCrunch50 back in the day. 3 minutes to pitch your vision to a panel of investors and founders Always free for early-stage founders.. unlike other competitions — and you can’t buy your way on stage like other events We’re going to focus on OpenClaw & agent startups (mostly) for these two days — please apply at the website (link in reply tweet) We have 400 seats…
Alfred Lin Joins Rowspace CEO After Sequoia‑Led $50M Funding
Alfred Lin is coming on the show today with Rowspace CEO Michael Manapat. Sequoia led Rowspace's $50M debut round. https://t.co/SkBI6J8BJB @Alfred_Lin @mlmanapat
Pivot to AI Secures Enterprise Deals, Fuels Growth
In this episode of Founder Firesides, @sdianahu talks with Ali Akhtar and Armen Forget of @LetterAICo, who just announced their $40M Series B. After pivoting during YC, they landed enterprise customers like Lenovo in the batch and expanded rapidly. They discuss...
Wayve Raises $1.5B, Pivots to Universal AI Licensing
Another major milestone in @wayve_ai's history. Proud to say we’ve secured $1.5 billion Series D investment at $8.6 billion valuation. We started a decade ago with a contrarian technical thesis: that self-driving is an AI problem, and Embodied AI will enable...
Now's the Perfect Time to Launch a Contrarian Fund
Perfect. Never been a better time for me to start a fund. Contrarian, just how I like it! 🤣
Biotech Embraces Data‑Driven Mornings, Gains Afternoons
I love that biotech has returned to the "data in the morning, raise in the afternoon" way of living its best life. $VIR $PVLA
It Takes About Two Years to Raise Capital
The average GP spends 2 years raising capital. Rough time to be an emerging fund manager.
VC Carry Is a Lottery; Startup Equity Beats It
I’ve never seen more Junior VC talent leave VC for tech startups than right now. And it makes sense. 65% of VC investments never return 1x capital. The carry math is tough: GPs don’t see a dollar of carry until LPs get their...
Funding the Rebellion: Backing Bold, Humanity‑scale Innovators
If you're solving massive problems for humanity and making people feel uncomfortable along the way... We should probably talk. I want to fund the wild, weird, and unconventional. As my son puts it, “We want to fund the rebellion.” Today, it looks like investing...
AdSense for AI: Koala Labs Unlocks New Monetization Channels
There is no consumer AI wave without new monetization channels for consumer AI businesses. @koahlabs is AdSense for AI. In 13 months, they've processed 170M queries and 35M native ad impressions. @nicoleahjohnson led the seed last year and we've now invested again...
AI Cuts Development Costs, Distribution Remains Challenging
AI is makes software cheaper to build, but not easier to distribute This is the core conflict for years to come
Pylon Secures $51M Series B for AI‑Native B2B Support
In this episode of Founder Firesides, @harjtaggar talks to the founders of @usepylon - @marty_kausas, @advith_c, and @rengrenghello - who recently raised a $51M Series B. Pylon is an AI-native customer support platform built for B2B companies. It helps support, success,...
SPAC IPO of $
I hadn't realized that $OWL came public via SPAC. It's now right back to its original price. Turns out it was all priced in. EMH undefeated https://t.co/Q6eyG9hYLM
AI Startups Accelerate Growth, Redefine VC Strategies
I just published How AI-Enabled Startups Are Moving Faster — and Rewriting the VC Playbook https://t.co/q79JMDzaab
Budapest’s Turbine Secures $25M to Simulate Lab Experiments
The latest AI biotech raise comes not from the Bay Area or Boston, but out of Budapest Turbine has closed a $25M Series B, planning to build AI models that can simulate more and more lab experiments: https://t.co/Q31DVENA9G
Slate Secures $130M, Launches Chinese Headache Drug
Slate starts up with $130M and a headache drug from China https://t.co/6DEltQAI8s by @gwendolynawu #biotech #startups $HLUBF
Mega‑fund Focus Forces Niche Managers to Specialize
LPs wrote $50 billion in checks to 6 firms. Andreessen Horowitz → $15B Thrive Capital → $10B Lightspeed → $9B General Catalyst → $8B Founders Fund → $4.6B Dragoneer Investment Group → $4.3B Meanwhile, new fund closings dropped nearly 50% in one year from 2,100 to 1,117. LPs...
Top 10 Early‑Stage VC Funds for $250K+
If you're EARLY, 10 pre-seed VC funds to target for $250K+ for your company: - Precursor Ventures - Hustle Fund - Outlander - Y Combinator - Initialized Capital - Pear VC - Zeal Partners - Notation Capital - Liquid 2 Ventures - First Round Capital Connect with the partners of the...
Open Cosmos Seeks $200M for European Ka‑band Broadband
.@Open_Cosmos seeks ~$200M in financing ahead of June & Sept deployment deadlines for its Liechtenstein-licensed Ka-band broadband constellation. Co says Europe should rally around it. @defis_eu @aee_gob. https://t.co/0cbcoHxGVq https://t.co/OZBFODhK9v
AI Forces Preseed Focus on Demos, Not Ideas
AI moves the goalposts for raising preseed capital: less “tell me your product idea” more “show me what you built and how customers react” In the 1990s people raised $5m+ just to build the v1 of their website. In 2000s that...
Duetti Secures $200M to Target Undervalued Music Rights
Duetti just raised $200 million. It built the infrastructure to invest in the music rights that other companies may overlook. My latest episode on Trapital sits down with Duetti CEO @ltibon to discuss. Check out our latest episode: "Follow The Money:...
Early Belief Fuels Tiny Startups Into Big Success
there will be MANY minnows that become VERY successful firms we at Lux once had a few $ M 1st fund from 1 amazing person who believed in us (a pledge fund) + then a $100M second fund that we couldnt...
Clarity of Vision Beats Labels in Startup Investing
I had the privilege of moderating a panel with a Midas List VC a few months back. One insight she shared has changed my view on investing. She said the number one thing she looks for is clarity of vision. That sounds...
Foresite Capital’s Key Criteria for Investing in Biotech Startups
22February: What does @ForesiteCapital look for in the therapeutics and instrument startups in which it invests? Read founder & CEO @JTananbaum MD's response + more insights from him and the firm's Michael Rome PhD in my latest Q&A interview for...
Unusual Retention Curve Mirrors the Hype Cycle
Does a hype cycle have a retention curve that looks like this? Literally never seen a retention cohort graph like this https://t.co/BwMCDv7eIY
Show $50K MRR, VCs Will Chase You
Entrepreneurs: NEVER beg a VC for a check, it tickles their ego and rewards disrespect. Grow to $50K MRR, watch them come begging.
California's Wealth Tax Threatens Innovation, Yet I Stay
The California wealth tax as currently written would be really bad for the state and its innovation economy. That said, even if it passes I'm not going anywhere. California has helped me create more wealth than I could imagine growing up on...
Nvidia's $30B OpenAI Stake Turns Hardware Into Equity
Nvidia reportedly invested $30B in OpenAI, its own major customer. The chip maker powering AI now has equity in the models running on it. When hardware becomes equity, your AI vendor list has a silent shareholder at the table. Source: https://t.co/KNtNLIRTOQ
Master VC Technicals in One Weekend with 7 Guides
7 VC guides to teach you the technicals in one weekend👇 ♻️ Repost to help someone VC recruiting right now.
From College Tweets to 55+ Backed Companies
today i have been writing a piece on how we sourced the 55+ companies we've backed over the last 5 years and pulling the thread has been so beautiful. feeling so much gratitude for this journey that started as me...
Europe’s 2025 VC Funding Rebounds to 22% of US
2025 saw a modest recovery of venture capital investment in Europe after three years of decline, with a total of €66.2 billion deployed. Even so, this was only 22% of the amount invested in the US, despite the two economies...
Envisioning the Next Generation of Frontier AI Labs
Thinking a bunch about frontier AI labs and what a new kind of lab might look like.
Beyond VCs: Early Startups Can Secure $250K+ Checks
VCs aren’t the only INVESTORS that can write you a $250K+ check. If you’re EARLY, start targeting these people: - Family offices - Angel investors (owners, doctors, lawyers, etc.) - Corporate balance sheet investors
Thrive Secures $10B, Benchmark Lands Altman Deal
Big Wins for Two of Venture's Most Envied Firms: $10 Billion for Thrive & an Altman for Benchmark https://lnkd.in/eeuCamvv
Transparency with Investors Fuels Trust and Ongoing Support
Keep your existing investors updated with your progress. Transparency builds trust and can lead to further support and referrals. Regular updates show your commitment and keep investors engaged in your journey. 🤝
2026: First SAFE to Convert at 20% Premium
Calling it now: 2026 will bring the first SAFE that converts at a 20% PREMIUM to the next round. We’ve officially reached that part of the cycle.
EU Deep‑Tech Startups Secure €467M, Boosting Women Leaders
61 EU start-ups secured €467M from the European Innovation Council. Out of 121 finalists, 61 won grants and equity, and 85% received blended finance. The EIC Fund often attracts 3x more private capital, and 28% of selected companies have women in top...
APAC Fintechs Turn to Expansion and Banks Amid Funding Slowdown
🌏How can Asia-Pacific fintechs survive this year’s funding slowdown? APAC #fintech firms are heading into 2026 facing a cautious funding environment, with overseas expansion and bank partnerships emerging as key survival strategies. @AsianBanking. https://t.co/N1S2RZYpaH
VC Valuations Driven by Fund Size, Not Market Reality
Most VC's price startups based primarily on their fund size, which drive their comfortable check size and target ownership. They then try to convince founders that a certain round size and valuation is "market" for their type of company and...
Fintech Team @Fintechaaron Gains On‑Chain Momentum
This is a team to watch. I have to say, after some initial skepticism, the drive and vision of @fintechaaron and the @rhythmic_io team won me over. Financial services are coming onchain. Excited for @thefintechfund to invest alongside @dragonfly_xyz and @deptvc. 🚀 https://t.co/YWI00yxELS
Founders Mistake Product Flaws for Growth Issues
lesson from 20+ years working in startups: most founders don’t have a growth problem. they have a product problem disguised as a growth problem
AI Agents Personalize Customers, Flag Churn and Upsell
.@pollen_cx is building AI agents that make every customer feel like they’re your first. They surface churn risk and upsell signals, then prepare what to do next — no more scaling headcount just to keep relationships alive. Congrats on the launch...
Altesa Secures $75M for Lung Drug, Led by Ex‑Trump Official
Altesa, run by former Trump official, raises $75M for well-traveled lung drug https://t.co/bUx5dcvNJy by @gwendolynawu #biotech #startups
Technical Founder‑Led Pre‑AI Software Firms Are Grossly Undervalued
Scaled pre-AI software companies led by technical founders that are still very engaged in the business are probably some of the most undervalued companies in the world right now
YC Backs 20% of $5B+ Startups Since 2012
New @ThePeelPod with @GarryTan YC has invested in 20% of all startups worth $5B+ started since 2012. We talked for 83 minutes on the past, present, and future of YC. Thanks @numeral and @FlexSuperApp for sponsoring this one Timestamps: 0:05 Moving from Winnipeg to...
Master SPV Terms: Build Trust & Clear Fee Communication
Chatting all things SPVs today with @JuliaGKrieger and the @sydecario team. Join us in a few hours as we discuss: - How LPs evaluate SPV terms - What builds trust (vs raises red flags) - How managers communicate fees clearly and credibly. -...
Momentum.io Showcases Enterprise AI's True Work System
Congratulations to Santiago Suarez Ordoñez , Ashley Wilson , Moiz Virani , and the entire Momentum.io team. It’s been a privilege to support you on this journey. Momentum embodied several themes we consistently look for in native AI companies: -->...
Entrepreneurial Mindset Now Essential for Venture Capital Success
Thrive just announced a new $10B fund. “[early on] a very prominent endowment passed on Thrive because they thought I was too much of an entrepreneur.” — @JoshuaKushner via @patrick_oshag’s pod I’m biased but believe an entrepreneurial mindset is increasingly important in...
Finalizing Top 100 Biotech VCs, Join 2026 Webinar
We're wrapping up the fact checking process for our annual Top 100 biotech VCs list and prepping for our companion webinar on VC investing in 2026. If this is a topic near and dear to your heart, be sure to...
Ebay Sale Sparked Creation of Twitch and Cruise
From tomorrow's @ThePeelPod with @garrytan: A startup in the very first YC batch sold itself on Ebay. This got the attention of Kyle Vogt, who ended up joining them to start their next company, Twitch. Kyle then went on to then...
