AI-Powered Platform &AI Goes Public, Boosting Patent Litigation
&AI (@tryandai) is a collaborative workspace for patent invalidity and infringement work — litigation, portfolio monetization, business development, and more. Over the past year, they've been working closely with the best patent litigators and in-house teams in the world, supporting them from pitch to verdict in cases with billions in combined risk. Today, they've exited closed beta and become generally available. Congrats on the launch @caleb_and_ai @herbie_tur12506!
No U.S. AI Bailout; Competition Will Fill Gaps
There will be no federal bailout for AI. The U.S. has at least 5 major frontier model companies. If one fails, others will take its place.
AI Revolutionizing Finance, Fueling Our VC-Backed Startup
I had a great time with my friends at Corient yesterday keynoting their annual summit. AI is undoubtedly changing all the things that we do in finance (and every industry!) and it's never felt better to be building a tech...
A16z Launches New Media Fellowship for Online Talent
I'm excited to announce the a16z New Media Fellowship. Or as many people are saying, the Thiel Fellowship for the terminally online. Finding highly functional people who are also very online is hard, so we are creating a fellowship to gather and...
New Media Redefined: Insights From Alex Danco and A16z
interesting piece on what new media is from @Alex_Danco and @a16z crew https://t.co/aEXT20msl4
Benchmark’s Portfolio Outshines All Other Funds
Of every fund of this vintage, I would rather have Benchmark’s portfolio than any other: Sierra ($10BN) Mercor ($10BN) Firework ($4BN) Legora ($2BN) Langchain ($1.3BN) Manus (one of most insane teams in AI) HeyGen ($80M ARR) Today it gets...
Emotionally Intelligent AI Support Scales Enterprise Customer Service
Giga (@gigaml) is building the next generation of customer support — real-time AI agents that can understand emotion, resolve issues instantly, and scale across the world’s largest enterprises. The team recently raised $61M to power emotionally intelligent, human-quality conversations at enterprise...
Investors Underestimate AI-Native Insurer Lemonade's Compounding Edge
“Many insurance CEO want to sprinkle AI pixie dust on themselves” - @daschreiber CEO of $LMND on CEO of @AIGinsurance Investors still do not fully understand the power of an AI native company like @Lemonade_Inc and how it compounds advantage. https://t.co/LOPcEf4U1f @CNBC
AI Agents Accelerate Sensor Analysis 100x, Ending Engineer Bottleneck
Engineers became the bottleneck when analyzing sensor data. MOVEdot (@movedot_) built AI agents that fix that, working hand in hand to analyze telemetry, video & documentation 100x faster. Starting with race cars, expanding to manufacturing, robotics, and more. https://t.co/L912mZilya Congrats on the...
OpenAI May Turn on Partners, Threatening Founders
Just a fair warning to founders: like Facebook and microsoft, I predict OpenAI will study their platform partners and compete with many of them in the coming years. This isn't abnormal, mind you… Microsoft built windows, then destroyed their top...
Free AI Calculator Scores 600K Startup Valuations, Predicts Funding Odds
Woo-hoo!! Just crossed 600,000 start-up valuations on new, FREE SaaStr AI valuation calculator here -> https://t.co/jvgsU2zIKA The 2.0 version not only tells you what you’re worth, but now also tells you the odds you’ll get funded! Try it! -> https://t.co/jvgsU2zIKA https://t.co/T2LLQpqSkK
T3D2 Deals Are Attractive but Could Cost
New!! “The Problem(s) With T3D2 Venture Deals. They’re Still Great. But They Might Get You Fired.” https://t.co/lXKYxMt3Lo
YC Community Accelerates Founder From AI Student to Enterprise Platform
A year ago, @thepablohansen was finishing his master's in AI. Today, he's building @withkeystone, a modern bug-triage platform for enterprises. Through YC, he found a community of founders that helped him move faster and think bigger. And you can too. https://t.co/gNl84El3BS https://t.co/ZYZEY5oYle
Free Tools for Startup Valuation and Pitch Deck Grading
FREE startup valuation tool -> https://t.co/jvgsU2zIKA FREE VC pitch deck grader -> https://t.co/S5UFYzoN7a
Neoclouds Skip VCs, Target Public Markets Directly
Good one from @cityofthetown: Neoclouds Race for the Public Markets, Leaving VCs Behind https://t.co/bBRvTaZCmp
Big Funds Skip Follow‑on when Upside Seems Limited
I remember a few years ago, a SaaStr Fund portfolio company was struggling to get a Series A round done They found a lead to put in $8m, but wanted the insiders to put in the other $2m. I wasn't a very...
Bootstrapped Mobile Games Hit $500K Profit, 400M+ Downloads
400M+ downloads and $500K profit. Bootstrapped mobile gaming portfolio live on @acquiredotcom. > $501K TTM revenue > $501K TTM profit > 100% YoY growth > 5000+ customers Full listing: https://t.co/JSw4HtA7wT https://t.co/6oHcBIy8Fg
Deedy Das and Jay Eum Join VC Roundtable
Deedy Das and Jay Eum Join the VC Roundtable! https://t.co/QQlqMmKtCr
Unlock Angel Investor Tax Savings with Expert Session
Super psyched! We're doing a quick session with @ankurnagpal tomorrow who knows a TON about tax-savings strategies for angel investors. He is going to knowledge-dump a ton of tactical info - will be great! Hope to see you tmrw - sign...
Domestic Battery Supply Chain Essential for National Security
Why are batteries a national security issue? It is THE energy source for critical applications today and, even more importantly, tomorrow: Cars Data Center Batteries (ESS) Military and defense drones Robots If we are to be a resilient nation that is in control of our...
AI Scientist Achieves Verifiable End-to-End Discoveries
in the latest @stateofaireport, I predicted that an ai scientist would make verifiably new discoveries end-to-end looks like we’re pretty much there!
Automating Insurance Submissions Frees Brokers for Clients
Casey is building the infrastructure layer for insurance distribution - automating complex submissions so brokers spend less time on admin and more time with clients. https://t.co/lxZsmXMwXd Congrats on the launch, @MaxThoelen, @pascalkueng, and @nicohaenggi! https://t.co/r1Eer98FEm
Startup Fundraising Used to Be Far Tougher
When I founded my first start-up, * I had to sign a full recourse note to my VCs for $750,000 to get a tiny bridge * We had to sell 60% of the company in the first round * I had to agree...
Palantir's Sky‑high Valuation Defies Low Sales
Palantir: the highest valuation on the least sales of any public company ever I’m still very bullish Just a reminder things in AI are well valued https://t.co/0CNJSRuhax
SF Tensor Cuts Foundation Model Training Costs by 70%
SF Tensor (@sftensor) is building infrastructure for training foundation models, letting researchers focus on research and forget that the infrastructure layer even exists while saving 70% in training costs. https://t.co/Kcy4TeCjm3 Congrats on the launch, @benkoska, @tom_koska, and @lukkoska!
Sequoia Partners Split on Prop 50: $2.
Super interesting overall - and this with all the Sequoia news yesterday: Mike Moritz gave $2.5M FOR Prop 50 and Doug Leone gave $250K AGAINST https://t.co/nFC4cbAzg8
New Signature Block Issue Tackles Hotly Debated Topic
We've been on an hiatus with our investor newsletter, Signature Block. Publishing a new piece on a hotly debated topic later today. Subscribe: https://t.co/HVZVBIUn4e
Roelof Reviews Track Record Before Passing the Keys
Roelof looking at his track record as he hands over the keys https://t.co/qIh43tCXE3
Roelof Botha’s Bold Bets Built Tech Giants
Don’t forget square, instagram, Nu bank, YouTube, Airbnb, MongoDB, unity and WhatsApp — @roelofbotha was responsible for those crazy bets as well!
Sanabil Launches Founder University in Riyadh, US Partnership
Sanabil Founder University in Riyadh 🇸🇦 🇺🇸 🤝 https://t.co/lLAXJ4kpHB
All Raise Summit Launches with Top Tech Storytellers
The All Raise summit kicks off tomorrow with 3 of the smartest, most insightful, connected, respected & kickass storytellers in tech: (and also some of my favorite people on the planet 🌏 - Nairi Tashjian Hourdajian ( Figma , ex...
Showcase Your Weekend Hack Projects at Floodgate Event
We’re hosting our Floodgate Friends & Family event soon — and we want to spotlight builders doing something cool on the side. If you’re hacking on a project nights & weekends (no matter how rough!), drop a link or DM me. We’ll...
VCs Prioritize Destination Over Execution, Even Without License
Funding a startup founder before they have a driver's license is proof that some VCs care more about where you are going than how you will get there :).
Early Financial Discipline Predicts Billion‑dollar Stewardship
The startup founders who treasure your $25K like $25M today will steward $2B the same way tomorrow; financial discipline is muscle memory.
AI Sales Agents Do the Work Humans Won’t
$495 is a tough price point to hire a human sales rep for But an AI agent? 🤖They don't mind. They don't mind -- at all. If nothing else, put AI agents + AI SDRs and AEs on the deals...
Get Real Fundability Scores by Uploading Your Deck
How fundable are you -- really? How well are you doing -- really? Just upload your deck here to SaaStr AI VC -> https://t.co/S5UFYzofhC And don't guess anymore https://t.co/80nrRXLnXb
Fireside Chat with Ro CEO Z Reitano Inspires
Dropped by Ro HQ today to fireside with my friend & Ro CEO @ZReitano — I could chop it up with this guy for hours. https://t.co/6UwXiEVXum
Investing From Spero Fund II, Seeking Founders Building Sustainable Future
Excited to share that we are investing out of Spero Fund II. If you're a founder creating a healthy, sustainable, and fulfilling future for everyone, we'd love to hear from you.
Profitable D2C Fitness Brand Shows 92% Margins
VC backed D2C fitness sportswear drop on @acquiredotcom. > $50K TTM revenue > $46K TTM profit > 49% YoY growth > 92% margins Love seeing clean, profitable brands like this one. Listing: https://t.co/bObD9JzryK https://t.co/GzdQgFAduh
Clarity, Not Headcount, Drives True Founder Leverage
Most founders think leverage comes from headcount. It comes from clarity.
Few Dared, Now AI‑bio Partnerships Finally Thrive
Many biologists called hubris on entrepreneurs looking to reinvent bio with AI. Many in AI deemed bio too messy, refusing to touch wet labs. A small few saw the potential and built. Grateful to be partners to many now hitting their stride.
Remix Any Song Instantly—No DJ Skills Required
Mixy lets anyone remix music without knowing how to DJ. Choose your songs, instantly blend beats and vocals, and play and share your mashup anywhere. https://t.co/uB98UyblMy Congrats on the launch, @joekndy & @jonahsiegle! https://t.co/HV39qUuEn7
Thursday's VC Deep Dive: IPOs, Valuations, Ownership Shifts
Coming Thursday with @HarryStebbings @rodriscoll + me: - The Navan IPO, and What It Really Takes Now - Why You Have to Have Reaccelerated by Thanksgiving - Why Harvey at $8B could be cheap - AgentForce is really good. What That Means. - Single...
Founders Must Master Sales, Branding, Marketing, Distribution
Your job as a startup founder is to learn sales, branding, marketing, and distribution because it isn’t just about the product.
Fintech Winners Atlas and Basis Theory Gain Recognition
Very cool to see Atlas , probably my favorite consumer product right now, and Basis Theory , which I see as *inevitable* infrastructure for the future of commerce, recognized by The Information here. Fintech markets are endless and essential, and...
Treat Attention Like Capital: Manage It Rigorously
Attention is the real balance sheet. Most companies know where the money went. Few can say where the attention went. Yet that’s what decides everything. Every company budgets for headcount and spend. Almost none budget for attention. It feels infinite, so...
Fast Capital Reallocation Fuels National Success in Tech Shifts
This is a MUST READ from @tylercowen on why robust capital markets and fast re-allocation of capital creates winning countries when technology shifts. https://t.co/Lx7EE8vK4y
Chat with AI to Build Mobile Apps Instantly
Fastshot (@fastshot_ai) lets you build and ship beautiful mobile apps in minutes, just by chatting with AI. No code required. https://t.co/286QpARLak Congrats on the launch, @elvirafortune and @dmitryfatkhi! https://t.co/7r3uEFxGBe
China Keeps Subsidizing AI, Robotics, and Auto Sectors
China continues to subsidize its major industries (AI, robotics, cars) https://t.co/DtS4d3MvGH
Accelerator Overload Floods Me with Spam Offers
There are now so many "accelerators" that I get spam from people making products for them. Very weird. I wrote all YC's original software, so every spam is either offering something I wrote, or something I didn't think was worth...