Pay‑to‑Play Funding Rarely Survives Beyond One Year
I have never seen a pay to play venture financing ever work out Every single time, the company is dead in less than 12 months
Startups Inflate ARR: Not Annual, Not Recurring, Not Revenue
Startups misreporting ARR is frustrating as an infrequent angel investor who relies on trust (no time to inspect) ~Every startup claiming 0→$[X]M ARR in [Y] months always forget to clarify that it's either a) not really Annual b) not really...
Most Sub‑$400M VC Funds Will Vanish, Megafunds Thrive
When Lux started 20+ years ago the number of VC funds spiked then plunged precipitously Again today, as we predicted, the vast majority but not all “minnows” (subscale funds under 400M) will go extinct while a few “mega” raise AUM and...
AI Funding Surges: $242B in Q1 2026 Beats 2025
AI companies pulled in $242B in venture capital in Q1 2026, which is more than they did all of 2025👀 https://t.co/VekMOvDWYy
AI Boom Fuels Record VC Funding; Skills Drive Adoption
Q1 2026 saw more AI investment by VCs than any quarter before by a large margin. AI is turning into the biggest tech revolution in history. But most orgs have many years of learning how to get what they expect from it....
Venture Funding Soars While One‑Third of SF Offices Remain Empty
The biggest venture boom in history, and a third of San Francisco offices are empty.
How to Spot High‑Potential AI Startups for 2026
That’s a wrap on HumanX. 👏 Our CEO, @jagermcconnell, shared how to spot high-potential AI startups early, while our Research Lead, @geneteare, broke down the 2026 AI VC playbook and where capital is flowing next. Catch Jager’s full conversation. 🔗: https://t.co/yHSLy5M6ez
Fintech Funding Rises While Deal Count Plummets
Venture funding to fintech companies is up year over year so far, but concentrated into significantly fewer companies, Crunchbase data shows. Global venture funding to financial technology startups totaled $12B across 751 deals in 2026 as of April 6, per @Crunchbase...
Nvidia's RISC Push Signals Real Momentum for SiFive
$NVDA leaning further into RISC is what I would call real signal. Also, @GavinSBaker leading the round reflects well. SiFive is cooking. Definitely one to keep an eye on. 🚀
VC Funding to Halve, Concentrate in Top Funds
My prediction: institutional LP $ going to VCs will decline by half in the next 5 yrs. They will reallocate to safer asset classes. The largest VC funds will get 99% of what’s left, and these large funds will do...
Funds Require Systems, Not Messy One‑Off Deals
A fund is not a deal. It’s a business. Deals can be messy and still survive. Funds can’t. If you want to raise more than once, you need systems and repeatable execution. Follow for fund builder systems. fundmanagement #raisingcapital #fundoperations #privateequity #sethbradley
Essential Angel Investing Manual for Building Startups
I got to go through an early copy of this book and it is a solid resource. @somani_utsav has taken patterns he has seen from angel investing and working closely with India's top founders and made a detailed manual out...
Griffin 2.0 Becomes India’s Sun Valley, $20B+ Revenue
Griffin 2.0 (my 2nd!): The Sun Valley of India/Asia. $20B+ in rev across 50+ unicorn/soonicorn founders w/ @therealkapildev,@luckyali & @amitabhk87. Venting in the Rage Room near Bull/Bear/Griffin statues was 10/10. 12 yrs in, Vaibhav, Pooja & Utkarsh still have 'Day...
Demo Day Revenue Targets Jump From $150K to $1M
Later stage investors always grumble about increasing valuations. But there is some basis in reality for it: companies do grow faster now.
AI VC Frenzy Inflates Valuations, Many Will Burn Capital
Truth about venture today We are in peak AI fomo. Growth trajectory drowns out legit durability concerns of most AI companies Family offices playing direct / co invest instead of funds, almost at any cost for top companies. Anthropic is the hottest...
Camp Hustle Turns Travel Into Lasting Business Connections
You know that feeling when you leave a conference and think "...why did I fly across the country for that?" Well, you won't be thinking that at Camp Hustle. Campers leave with deal leads, co-investors, and friends they're texting a week later....
Follow Insider @Markjeffrey for Top BitTorrent Subnets
To know which BitTorrent subnets are worth tracking, I follow @markjeffrey -- since he has skin in the game and announces which ones @stillcorecap is investing in. $tao
Thiel's Contrarian Truth Model Drives Billion‑Dollar Wins
Peter Thiel's ability to predict the future made him over $22 Billion. He invested in Facebook, Palantir, & SpaceX before anyone. His secret? He uses the "Contrarian Truth" model of decision-making. Here's how it works:
Accountant Launches AI Tax Startup, Secures $12M Seed
In 2023, Dave Haase was a CPA who had been running his own firm in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years when he saw a live demo of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Upon seeing the AI agent successfully file a...
Hidden Semantic Debt Drives $162M AI Infrastructure Bet
$162M raised for AI infrastructure last week. No headlines. Here's why: 'customer' means something different in every AI tool you're using. Each new tool compounds the problem. The semantic inconsistency is the hidden debt. And someone just bet $162M on it.
Deep‑tech Startups Raise Similar Capital, Graduate Faster, IPO More
Some eye-opening stats that undergird rising defense innovation enthusiasm from my new report on the subject (https://t.co/rRtYxEUlOB: "Deep tech startup investment was long held back by the misconception of far greater capital intensity relative to software startups. In reality, looking...
Next‑Gen Family Office Members Join Elite VC Co‑Investment Club
Do you know a next-gen member of a family office that's curious about VC and wants to learn by doing, not just reading? @AlumniVentures is forming a new class of NextGen VC Club members This is a chance for...
AMP Secures $1.3B; AI Infrastructure Future Discussed Friday
Congrats @AnjneyMidha on the $1.3B AMP fund. We’re talking this Friday. Should be a great conversation about AMP and where AI infrastructure is going next. Will share on X.
Thoughtful VCs Back Real Businesses, Not Just Inflated Valuations
Many heat-seeking VCs are investing in startups that they expect to become merely more highly valued startups. Thoughtful/craft VCs invest in startups that become businesses. Businesses have products that real customers buy, giving you real revenues, and real margins.
Aria Networks Secures $125M, Proving Network Equals Profit
The Network Is the Profit Margin: Aria Networks Raises $125M on a Single Bet https://t.co/3b0ZMPLTTe
Middle-Class Investors Embrace SAFEs and Un
Is anyone else starting to see a lot more SAFE and other uncommon equity investments? By uncommon, I'm talking about general middle-class clients who typically only have vanilla straight-forward investments.
Wealth Comes From Profit, Not Vanity‑funded Growth
Most Fonuders never get rich because they chase vanity metrics. A big fundraise (because their competitors did), a fancy office and a bunch of employees and perks, growth achieved through burning money. The way to get rich is easy. Take...
Crunchbase Predicts 84% of Private Funding Events
What makes private market data especially powerful? Accuracy, completeness, & freshness. Crunchbase has correctly predicted 14K+ private market events to date, & accurately anticipated 84% of real-world funding events before they happened. ✨ Predict what’s next. 🔮 https://t.co/NW0OcCgkfb
VC Defense Funding Soars, yet Can Collapse Overnight
Venture capital's embrace of defense tech was fast and furious. From just $520m into U.S. defense-tech startups in 2020 to nearly $7b last year. Something that flips that quick can flip back just as quickly if the vibes shift. Killing tens...
Two Cancer Startups Secure $237M for Antibody Innovations
A couple cool cancer drug startups profiled this week in TR. Sidewinder Therapeutics with $137M for bispecific ADCs https://t.co/tJcQwI7C4U and Stipple Bio with $100M for novel targets for antibody drugs. https://t.co/rbXkuaRpoe
Inside the Realities of Running a Pre‑Seed Startup
📚Blog Post: What It’s Really Like to Run a Pre-Seed Stage Firm https://t.co/mMnEaI8qOF @2048vc // #startuphacks // #VC
VCs Pour $121M Into Male Fertility Startups
Venture capitalists poured $121 million in funding into startups focused on male fertility last year, according to data from PitchBook. One of the companies that raised money was Sperm Racing, a company that held a “sperm race” sporting event at...
Future Startups Will Raise $15M Seed for $1M Token Magic
soon we’re going to have a handful of startups that can raise $15m+ seed rounds and who can deliver a magical experience with $1m/month token budgets, then there’ll be everyone else.
Mexico's Banco Plata: $550M Revenue, 200% YoY Growth
Banco Plata (@bancoplatamx) is Mexico's answer to Nubank. They are crushing it and no one is talking about them. - $550+ million annualized revenue growing >200% YoY - 4 year old company - core product is a credit card (same place Nubank...
ManiacVC Built as Fully AI‑Native Investment Firm
this is why i chose to build @maniacvc to be AI native from the ground up. all of maniac is AI native from outbound sourcing, analyst work, inbound handling, investment memos, and everything in between.
Most AI Startups Should Bootstrap, Keep Full Ownership
The vast majority of ai startups I meet (outside of capital intensive areas like foundational models, semis, defense) would be better off bootstrapping in the long run. Best time ever to own 100 pct.
North America VC Record: 87% AI Funding in Q1
A $252.6B quarter. 💥 North America funding shattered records in Q1, with 87% going to AI. $221B was poured into companies like @OpenAI and @Anthropic. Fewer deals. More capital into winners. Big implications for what comes next. 👀 https://t.co/X325jhmfm2 https://t.co/PTXFUrjfKJ
Amazon's $8B Bet Yields 7x Return in Two Years
AMZN invested $8 billion in Anthropic late 2023. That stake is now valued at $60.6 billion, roughly 3x their quarterly net income and a 7x return in just two years.
Ghodsi Warns 2024 Is Terrible Year for IPOs
Ali Ghodsi says this is a terrible year to go public … bad news for SpaceX and maybe OpenAI/Anthropic
Join Zoom Office Hours for A16z Speedrun Applications
hosting zoom office hours this week for a16z speedrun you'll be able to apply to a16z speedrun in just a few weeks, so so come AMA. first come, first served drop a comment + like and I'll DM you a calendly link...
Anthropic Hits $10B Revenue Faster Than Rivals
Anthropic added $10b in revenue in the last month alone, twice Databricks’ annual run rate. Crossing $10b is a milestone few software companies ever reach: ServiceNow took 20 years, Shopify took 18, Palo Alto Networks took 19, & Anthropic crossed that...
Zappos Beat Amazon with Kiva Robots Before Acquisition
Zappos was beating Amazon on cost per order. Amazon couldn't figure out how. Turns out @Alfred_Lin's team was running Kiva robots before Amazon even believed they'd work. Amazon later bought Kiva for $775M. Alfred went from operating automation at Zappos to funding...
True Founders Experience Investor Ghosting After Signed Docs
You’re not a real founder until an investor ghosts you after signing docs and tells you they’re ready to wire.
PLD Space Secures €30M Debt, Aims First Orbital Flight
Spanish launcher startup @PLD_Space secures EUR 30M ($34.6M) venture debt facility from @EIB, bringing total funding to $438M. PLD is targeting 1st orbital flight this year from Europe's @EuropeSpacePort. @esa @defis_eu @aee_gob. https://t.co/gp12v7W6YI https://t.co/vKQAUHfGZS
Secondary Markets Fix Past Investment Mistakes, Buy Winners
Am an investor in 3 of the top 7. Bought secondaries in 2 of the others. The other two: one I don’t know very well, one I think will have to reinvent themselves in a post-AI world. If returns are...
Voice AI Secures Over $1B Funding in January
Voice AI had a stellar first quarter, with startups getting more than $1.88 million in funding in voice and voice-related startups. January was the biggest month with over $1 billion in funding My story in the newsletter: https://t.co/xanR263SOd
Australian Thermal Storage Firm Raises $40M to Replace Boilers
Australian thermal storage company secures $40 million to help replace fossil fuel boilers #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/u0Z9iictxs https://t.co/hetKK3O4ew
Sarvam AI Nears $350M Fundraise to Challenge US, China
ICYMI -0India’s homegrown AI startup, Sarvam AI, is close to raising $300 million to $350 million as it seeks to build a domestic player that can compete with leaders from the US and China. https://t.co/7h7U8WoDWI
RA Capital Boosts Wave Stake Amid Clinical Setback
🚨Here is an interesting report from this week’s @barronsonline regarding a major investment made in $WVE by RA Capital - despite Wave’s recent disappointing clinical readout of its obesity candidate $WVE-007 🧵👇. According to the report RA Capital has raised...
AI Funding Soars While Regulations Lag Behind
$300 billion in AI venture funding. One quarter. Record. Compliance monitoring: 60+ references per day. GDPR. CCPA. HIPAA. The money races ahead. The rules are still being written. Which side of that gap are you on? https://t.co/QGkxI4A6nk
