Social•Dec 16, 2025
New Entrants Lead Harmonic AI's Hot 25 Rankings
So @harmonic_ai just released their Hot 25 Report on the most in-demand early-stage companies. The top 3: @getserval Is the big new entry at #1 & have now announced a massive Series B at a valuation above $1BN 20VC portfolio company @peec_ai rises 1 spot to #2 on the list @resolveai rounds out the top 3 as another new entry Biggest risers on the list: @traversal_ai Jumps up 15 spots to #5 @dualentry Also climbs up 15 places to #6 Love the @DustHQ team who hold their place on the rankings Keep an eye out for heavy hitters @p0, @thinkymachines & @periodiclabs Find the full report here: https://t.co/7ANFLyzzLC
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Greylock’s 60‑Year Playbook: Durable Venture Principles
Last Uncapped episode of the year, feeling really grateful for what a fun project this has turned out to be. Closing out the year with one of my best friends @saammotamedi. Although I don't like to admit it to him, he's...
By Jack Altman
Social•Dec 16, 2025
How Companies React to Mistakes Reveals Their Priorities
You can learn a lot about a company by watching what happens after a mistake. Do people rush to explain it away, or do they slow down to understand it. One path protects egos. The other protects the future.
By Hiten Shah
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Prioritize Investor Alignment Over Pure Return Pitch
Angel investors can invest for a whole variety of reasons besides maximizing returns. They invest because they like you or your cause. They invest because they think your mission is strong. Finding the right investor fit is more important than...
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Overnight Successes Usually Take Two Years to Start
Most overnight success stories were founded at least 2 years before you’d ever heard of them Often, 2 years before they even had a paying customer
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Avoid These Founder Exit Pitfalls with Goldman Sachs
In our latest episode of Vista Point Advisors ' podcast, The Path to Exit, I sat down with Sarah Letourneau from Goldman Sachs to talk about the most common pitfalls we see founders encounter when preparing for an exit. Listen...
By Michael Lyon
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Seeking Frontier AI Evaluation Expert for London Role
i'm looking for someone who has experience building evals for frontier ai systems for an amazing opportunity at a well-funded @airstreet company with strong traction ideally in london or wanting to move there ping here or dm if you're interested /...
By Nathan Benaich
Social•Dec 16, 2025
DoW Overhauls Acquisitions: Speed and Commercial‑First Focus
TL;DR DoW Directory revision 3 is Online here , Order a print copy here. In November 2025 the Department of War (DoW) unveiled the biggest changes in 60 years of how they will buy weapons and services. This month Congress,...
By Steve Blank
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Venture Capital Crisis: Only AI Startups Matter Now
Venture investors are going through an existential crisis. If you are not in the OpenAI, Anthropic, Cursor, Mercor etc etc you do not fricking matter.
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Angel Investing Mirrors Poker: Survive Losses, Play Winning Hands
In listening to Nate Silver’s audiobook “On The Edge”, I’m reminded by how similar angel investing is with poker playing. A lot of the time, you are losing hands, and you need to be able to survive long enough to...
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 16, 2025
1 Billion Hidden Angels Await Discovery
The world has 1B angel investors. And they may not know they are angels. You just have to find them.
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 16, 2025
Notion’s Revenue Surge Outpaces Valuation, Proving Growth Beats Multiples
Notion: $2M seed → $11B in 12 years. A great case study on growing into your valuation The journey: 2013: $2M seed 2019: $3M ARR → $800M val (267x) 2020: $13M ARR → $2B val (154x) 2021: $31M ARR → $10B val (322x) ←...
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 15, 2025
South Park Commons Shares Fun Thought‑Provoking Prompts
these are really fun thought prompts from South Park Commons nice Dylan Itzikowitz and team https://lnkd.in/gUzU-Eqa
By Hunter Walk
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Small VCs Forced Out, Large VCs Pursue IPOs
INVOLUNTARY exits for the small VCs (50%+) VOLUNTARY exits for the large VCs (~5 will IPO)
By Josh Wolfe
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Valley VC Win Rates Plunge Below 50% Amid Fierce Competition
The amount of venture firms in the valley that have a win rate sub 50% right now is insane. Early stage valley is more competitive, frothy and crowded than ever.
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Most Unicorns Reach Status After Just Three Funding Rounds
I saw this graph by @IlyaStrebulaev on the number of rounds entrepreneurs raise to become a unicorn. I was surprised that the plurality is only 3 rounds. https://t.co/9mxwrrzBdX
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Delay Reality, Lose Learning: Act on Early Feedback
Founders say they want feedback early. They talk to customers. They debate ideas. They refine plans. They align teams. None of that creates information. Reality only enters when something external can contradict you. A user ignores the product. Behavior stays flat. A test fails. Money doesn’t...
By Hiten Shah
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Match Your Startup with the Right Investor Type
After I became a VC, I understood much more clearly that there are all kinds of investors with varying incentives and interests. Angels, Family offices, Corporates, Fund of funds, Endowments, Gov, etc The same is true for startups. You have...
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Mega Funds Can Still Deliver 5
I think David George is one of the great growth investors today. But I also think some of the hardest and most pressing questions have not been asked. - How does a $5BN fund do a 5x? - Why invest $300M into Adam...
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Private Status Shields Firms From Stock Volatility
What is the biggest advantage for companies to stay private today? @DavidGeorge83 " The biggest advantage is the avoidance of volatility in your stock price and employee management. If you can steadily grow or control your stock price in the private...
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 15, 2025
INVEST Act Says Demo Day Pitches Aren't Solicitation
More good news from the "Incentivizing New Ventures and Economic Strength Through Capital Formation (INVEST) Act" Seems like startups presenting at demo days will not trigger "general solicitation" violations: "The INVEST Act also clarifies that company presentations at sponsored events do not...
By Jason Calacanis
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Seeding Four SpaceTech Startups to Unlock Universal Value
Grateful to all the builders who are devoting their lives to helping us unlock all the value in our universe to make life better for humanity. We've seeded 4 spacetech cos so far, more to come: @stoke_space @astroforge @interlunespace @Starcloud_Inc1
By Alexis Ohanian
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Fuse Energy Skyrockets 10x Yearly, Europe's Hidden Powerhouse
Fuse Energy is the most under the radar company in Europe. Every year, the company has 10x revenue. First Year: £2M Second Year: £20M Third Year: £200M @alanchanguk is one of the great founders of our time. 🔥 20VC to come...
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Only 4% Hit $1M ARR—Persistence Pays Off
Only 4% of SaaS startups ever reach $1M in ARR. This game is hard but it’s not impossible. Please keep going.
By Andrew Gazdecki
Social•Dec 15, 2025
AI+B2
📰 Top AI+B2B News - Sun, Dec 14 https://t.co/MWFHfEuzpm Top Stories: 1. Alphabet poised for another paper gain on SpaceX valuation 2. ServiceNow in advanced talks to acquire Armis at around $7 Billion 3. Thoma Bravo Completes Acquisition of PROS Holdings, Inc. for $1.5...
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 15, 2025
Founders Now Can Quit; Burning Boats Still Drives Scale
A big generational change: When I raised venture capital, I viewed it as a do-or-die commitment to making them money, building something great or going down trying. Fast forward to today, founders are happy to just quit having raised $2m,...
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 14, 2025
AI Transforms Restaurants; Owner
AI is completely changing the restaurant industry, at a pace and scale many may not realize. It's a $1T+industry that desperately needs AI to deal with a lack of humans and automation. And @owner is the break-out leader of the...
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 14, 2025
Bigger Firms Should Accept Lower Annual Dilution Rates
Run rate dilution by company size As you get bigger, the benchmark for appropriate dilution each year, after contemplating SBC, M&A, buybacks, and everything else, should grind downward. https://t.co/Dmjoe6M5qo
By CJ Gustafson
Social•Dec 14, 2025
From Mocked Streaming to AI: Skeptics Missed Evolution
It used to be people laughed at streaming. First it was only low quality audio. The. When video came along it was the size of a postage stamp. Then there wasn’t enough bandwidth to scale. To everyone...
By Mark Cuban
Social•Dec 14, 2025
Fear of Competition Kills Deals; Break Rules for Greatness
Three years ago I made one of the biggest investing mistakes of my life. We turned down the chance to invest in ElevenLabs. It was a $250K check at a $100M post. Today that would be 100x and would have...
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 14, 2025
Founders Should Delay VC Meetings Until January.
I think we're at the point in the year where it is probably better for most founders to push their VC meetings to January than it is to try to take them now. (of course, if you've already been running...
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 14, 2025
Focused SaaS Playbook Yields 18 Acquisitions
Stuart Faught turned small focused SaaS ideas into 18 acquisitions by sticking to a simple repeatable approach on @acquiredotcom. The playbook: > Build for one clear niche > Validate traction early > Use partners instead of ads > Document everything upfront > Sell when the business...
By Andrew Gazdecki
Social•Dec 14, 2025
Home Buying Lessons Transform B2B Tech Strategies
"You can leave Salesforce, but you can't leave your mortgage." What can the home buying experience teach us about B2B tech? Turns out, a ton. My interview with Brian Brown CFO at Rocket drops tomorrow morning. It's a look into...
By CJ Gustafson
Social•Dec 14, 2025
Cities Thrive When They Cluster Around Existing Industries
China has many cities that specialize in specific products. Like Detroit for cars, they have Cixi for hair dryers, Wenzhou for lighters, and Ningbo for home appliances. We’re familiar with this idea for cultural sectors, like NYC/Shanghai for finance, Silicon Valley/Shenzhen...
By Balaji Srinivasan
Social•Dec 14, 2025
OpenAI Drops Vesting Cliff, Pours $6B on Equity
Per @WSJ, OpenAI has gone from just a 6 month cliff for equity vesting now to … no cliff at all And will “spend” $6 Billion this year on employee equity Even at OpenAI, the war for talent never ends https://t.co/uOw6ReBXCF
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 14, 2025
How Lies Shape Cascades, Markets, and Conscious Memory
1/ One of the coolest papers i read this week implications for -information cascades based on lies/misinformation (or accidental misinterpretations) -markets and investor reactors -understanding memory/prediction framework of our consciousness https://t.co/GOyDAbuwlA
By Josh Wolfe
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Founders Prefer Fear of Losing Over Winning Thrill
The best question to ask: What drives you more, the thrill of winning or the fear of losing? I have asked 100 of the best founders in the world this. 82 said the same thing.
By Harry Stebbings
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Tech Adoption Accelerates: From 50‑Year to Under‑7‑Year Cycles
Good question... The gasoline-powered tractor debuted in the 1890s, and by 1930, about 15% of farmers used one. It wasn't until the labor shortages of the 1940s (due to the war) that it surged. It took 50 years. PCs debuted in the early...
By Jason Calacanis
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Hyper‑niche HR SaaS Delivers $158K Revenue, 700K
I love B2B SaaS startups like these. Hyperniche. Hyperfocussed. A HR/talent contact data platform on @acquiredotcom. > $158K TTM revenue > $72K TTM profit > 700K+ HR leader database Listing here: https://t.co/Gw1nCjb4CK https://t.co/HsiMTD2o8o
By Andrew Gazdecki
Social•Dec 13, 2025
White House Pushes Unified National AI Regulation, Blocks States
What I read this week... 1) On 12/11, The White House issued a new Executive Order declaring that the United States must adopt a single national AI regulatory standard rather than a mosaic of state-level rules. The EO does not define...
By Chamath Palihapitiya
Social•Dec 13, 2025
2027 Poised for Record‑breaking IPO Wave
2025 in the end was better for IPOs than 2022-2024, but still pretty Meh per @WSJ But 2027 (plus or minus)? Databricks, Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceX, Canva, Stripe, etc? Probably will be the great stretch for IPOs of all time. ...
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Startup Liquidity Can Vanish Overnight, Even After Success
Liquidity is thin in startups It's entirely possible for you to have had a $100m acquisition offer last year and 0 offers today Or to close an oversubscribed rounds just a few months ago and have 0 VC interest today
By Jason Lemkin
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Corp Dev Reads Desperation, Not Talent or Tech
Founders in trouble are often dismayed by how fast corp dev people can sense their desperation. You'll be less surprised if you remember this is all they *can* sense. They can't judge technology or talent. All they can judge is...
By Paul Graham
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Relying on a Better Filter Improves My Decisions
I'm not a great judge of character, but fortunately my mistakes are nearly all in the same direction (accepting the bad rather than rejecting the good). So all I need is a second pass by someone with a tighter filter,...
By Paul Graham
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Testing, Not Wealth, Now Defines Accredited Investors
This aspect a big deal: 1Allowing individuals to take a test to verify accredited investor status, rather than relying solely on wealth.
By Chris Fralic
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Investment Bank Boosts Sale Price 40% with Broader Marketing
What's the value an investment bank can provide? As an example, we had one founder who was on the verge of signing an LOI with a buyer, but then decided to engage us first. In a 3-week turnaround, we marketed...
By Michael Lyon
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Elizabeth Yin & Hustle Fund Share Super Fun Insights
Super fun from Elizabeth Yin and Hustle Fund
By Hunter Walk
Social•Dec 13, 2025
Profitable Customer Acquisition ≠ True Product‑Market Fit
"Unclear" product market fit is when you do customer acquisition, and your unit economics work such that you can repeatedly get more customers. But you don't have a line at your door without manufacturing that.
By Elizabeth Yin
Social•Dec 12, 2025
AI Isn't in a Bubble, Data Shows Real Demand
So ARE we in an AI bubble?! Here’s why David Clark says… NO. David Clark of Ven Cap has looked at the actual metrics and came up with a hot take on this week’s TWiST VC Roundtable. When you actually...
By Jason Calacanis
Social•Dec 12, 2025
Only 50 Immediate‑Backable Founders And
We’ll cap the community at 50 people who are “immediately backable”, i.e. repeat founders and early employees & execs at top companies.
By Erik Torenberg