US, Europe Lay Foundations for Future LEO Satnav Networks
US, Europe put down markers for future LEO satnav constellations: @XonaSpace Series C brings total financing to $320M; @esa launch of 2 sats registers L-, S-band spectrum w/ @ITU. @infoGMV @aerospacelab_ @OHB_SE @Thales_Alenia_S @GermanOrbital @RocketLab.https://t.co/pKb7ilALbh https://t.co/2lLg6ALUdc
Close Deals Thursday Afternoon for Smooth Implementation
Founders: The best close timing is Thursday afternoon. Friday deals risk weekend second thoughts. Monday deals compete with weekly firefighting. Thursday gives you time to handle paperwork and kick off implementation before the weekend.
NFX Fuels $1.25B Q1 Growth Across Sectors
It was a very busy Q1 2026 for many companies in the @NFX portfolio 🚀 Across AI infrastructure, space, security, tech bio, fintech, and consumer — we’ve seen a wave of financings + M&A from companies where we led the seed...
AI Fuels Record Funding, Opening Door to OpenAI IPO
The IPO window is back, & 2026 could be unprecedented. 🔥 In an interview with @SchwabNetwork, Crunchbase Research Lead @geneteare explains how AI is driving record venture funding & what an @OpenAI IPO could mean for the market. Watch the conversation. 🎥:...
Early Bet on PrettyLitter Fuels Decade-Long Draper Success
Hollywood came to Draper University in 2015 to film a reality TV show called "Startup U." Fast forward to 2021: PrettyLitter sold—nearly a unicorn. Let’s rewind… One of the contestants was Carly Martinetti. She came with her partner, Daniel Rotman, to pitch PrettyLitter. The...
US VCs Embed in Chinese Labs, Courting Scientists Early
U.S. venture capital firms are no longer waiting for Chinese biotech assets to surface before investing in them — they’re moving upstream, embedding themselves inside labs and courting scientists before they publish their research https://t.co/7kOlGh0sbu
Runway Unveils $10M Fund to Boost Early AI Startups
Exclusive: Runway launches $10M fund, Builders program to support early stage AI startups Part of a growing trend of young, upwardly mobile AI startups investing in early stage to cover areas of the biz they can't do in house. https://t.co/FcIMsDUTtK via...
Kandou AI Raises $225M to Speed Chip Data Transfer
Kandou AI raised $225M to solve one problem: data moving too slow between chips. Not the model. Not the GPU. The wire. The 448G barrier. Your cluster idles while data waits. Most AI teams haven't hit it yet. They will. https://t.co/eet96ho75l
Big Funding Elevates Established InsurTech Startups to Leadership
InsurTech leaders are emerging ! → https://t.co/Mi6qREt2U8 This reflects the largest rounds announced recently, which happened to come from startups on the market for a while. https://t.co/WSCHzLUKG4
Seed Funding Demands New Rules Beyond Pre‑Seed
Founders raise $100k-$200k pre-seed easily But raising a $1-2M seed round is playing the game at another level with different rules I’m doing a webinar on the difference between raising pre-seed and seed tomorrow. Want the replay? DM me “RAISING SEED”
Top 15 YC Startups We’re Excited About
we draft 15 YC startups that we're most excited about in the latter half of the episode https://t.co/EIo61wt3KI
Entrix and GridBeyond Secure €55M for European BESS Expansion
European BESS route-to-market optimisers Entrix, GridBeyond raise €55 million #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/0vPiFdrlwz
5 Q2‑Ready VCs Offering $250k‑
Entrepreneurs: Here are 5 VCs with new money for Q2 that can write your company $250k-$1M check: DECISION MAKERS BELOW👇🏾
Small Funds Gain Edge Through Tech-Driven Agility
Small funds often embrace technology to streamline fund operations and improve decision-making processes. Leveraging data and tools can provide a competitive edge, making a fund more agile and responsive to market changes. 📊📈
European AI Startup Secures $225M to Solve Memory Bottlenecks
https://t.co/3zLSCXB6JV closes $225m Series A round to break memory bottlenecks in AI https://t.co/jJy3BhTitj >> MyPOV - Good to see a European startup - and one to watch. #NextGenapps
Investors Overlook Series B Failures; Founders Need Reality
Too many investors focus on the "successes" of their Series B companies when advising early stage companies. They don't understand how many of their Series B companies will die. Too few investors have spent time with long term...
Versant Eyes Acquisition of Vox Media's Podcast Unit
Galloway and Swisher on MSNow? Please, no. Versant Pursues a Deal for Vox Media’s Podcast Business https://t.co/ttTyJjAqXk
AI-Native Startups Give Founders Majority, Grant Larger Equity
Old model: Give 20% to VCs at Series A, spread a 10-20% option pool across 30+ heads - each person gets 0.25-1.5%. AI-native model: Skip the round entirely. Founders hold majority. If you need more folks, vest them at 3-5%+ each. Smaller...
Private Funds Beat Market Drops with Timely Energy Bets
Thanks to some well timed energy-transition bets, a number of private capital funds are managing to defy the latest wave of headline-grabbing markdowns. https://t.co/x1WnlEHo5F
AI Raises Stakes, Making Traditional PE Valuations Unsustainable
AI is making the penalty for being mediocre massive. And that is why the profit-focused path (and PE’s traditional playbook) is broken. These company valuations will be crushed over time. Maybe <1.5x ARR…Fine if you are bootstrapped, but completely broken for any...
Accelerate or Die: Only One Viable Path
The illusion of two viable paths will destroy lots of valuations. There is only one path…accelerate or die. The profitability path will seem like a good alternative, but here is what will happen New post 👇 https://t.co/cg40nUY4gq
Google Bought DeepMind for Under AI Pre‑seed Valuation
Still wild that Google acquired DeepMind for less than an AI Pre-Seed valuation in 2026
Family Offices Can't Venture Alone, Need Partnerships
Can Family Offices Do Venture Alone? Friday's newsletter looked at VC and family offices Direct deals, fees, control, all things VC Airing the family laundry in public The seminal book on venture The best private banks in the world Our new...
Funding $20‑50K for Startups Boosting American Dynamism
I'm writing $20-$50k checks into American Dynamism startups. If you're working on something important that helps America and its allies, lmk.
First Angel Investment in Underrated AI Startup Pays Off
My first angel investment. Not too bad. Proud of the small role I played in their launch. @FactoryAI is just getting started. Best team in the category, and somehow still underestimated.
Earendil Labs Secures $787M to Accelerate AI Biologics
Earendil Labs Announces $787 Million in Financing to Scale AI-Driven Biologics Discovery and Development Who is winning AI race again? https://t.co/ZW4S2zUGkS
Don't Overvalue Revenue‑less Startups; VCs Won’t Buy
Entrepreneurs: STOP valuing your company at $10M+ with $0 in revenue. VCs aren’t buying this sh*t 🥱
Midjourney's Profitability Faces Google Rivalry and VC Pressure
Midjourney Is Profitable and Chasing Hardware Dreams. But Can It Survive Google? The competition around founder David Holz has intensified, and his plans greatly exceed his initial creation, an AI image-making tool beloved by artists. He may even have to do...
AngelList Roll-Ups Spotlight Founders' Key Deals and Dormant Angels
One of the many reasons to love AngelList roll-up vehicles is there is an asymmetric amount of attention paid to a) the most important transaction to date in a founder's life and b) an angel who hasn't heard from you...
Predictive Intelligence in Snowflake Accelerates Growth Signal Detection
Missed our webinar? See how Crunchbase’s predictive intelligence in @Snowflake helps teams use high-signal data to spot growth, funding, and acquisition signals earlier — and act faster. Get the recording. 🎥: https://t.co/iYm0Ow88gF https://t.co/pJk1MeZSf9
Startup Evaluation Metrics Shifting Beyond Headcount and Capital
What’s changing is how we evaluate startups. The old metrics around headcount and capital are being rewritten in real time. https://t.co/ZtzGkZRjgM
Self‑taught Coder & Wife Launch $5M AI Tax Startup
A guy in Hampton built a $5M/year tax software company with his wife as co-founder. @ChKashifAli studied accounting and worked as a journalist for 6 years (including at the WSJ). Then he taught himself to code and worked at Adobe for 3...
LA Founders: How Much Funding Really Launches a Startup
Los Angeles founders how much investment do you need to get your startup off the ground?
One Key Reason Drove Lux Capital, Sequoia Investment
It's one big reason we at @Lux_Capital + our awesome partners at @sequoia + @shaunmmaguire funded them.
Reflection AI Seeks $2.5B to Build Sovereign AI Hub
I got to reflect on @reflection_ai 😉 Reflection AI aims to counter Chinese AI systems by promoting freely available, high-performance U.S. AI models. As of March 25, 2026, Reflection AI is in talks to raise $2.5 billion at a $25 billion...
New Investor Council to Review Next‑Gen Entrepreneurs' Applications
Welcome @stevewoz, @JoeMontana, and @thefriley to the Investor Council of @America250 ! I am so excited for them to join @RosieRios @andytangvc and me to review submissions from the next generation of American entrepreneurs. apply here. ...
New AI Platform Uncovers Hidden Cancer Targets, Raises $10M
Most cancer drugs go after the same targets: EGFR. PD-L1. HER2. Not because they’re the best targets. Because they’re the only ones we’ve been able to see. RyboDyn Inc. is going after what’s been invisible. The San Diego team, led by Imad Ajjawi, PhD,...
Budderfly Secures $550M to Expand Energy-as-a-Service
Budderfly raises $550 million to scale its Energy-as-a-Service platform #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: https://t.co/mVu3KQ8ZPN
AI‑Driven Benefits Platform Raises $30M to Transform HR
Origin Secures $30 Million Series A+ to Scale AI‑Powered Global Benefits Platform Origin’s financing highlights a growing consensus that AI can unlock efficiency in traditionally manual HR functions. By centralising disparate benefits data, the platform not only cuts costs but also...
12 Defense Startups Poised for IPO After Swarmer Surge
Defense tech is surging. 🚀 After Swarmer’s 500%+ IPO pop, who’s next? Using Crunchbase predictive intelligence, @crunchbasenews identified 12 defense startups most likely to go public based on funding, hiring, and growth signals. See the list.👇 https://t.co/Pt0IqLUH5c
From Football Field to Chip Founder: PLX’s Legacy
I got to know Jim Guzy on the football field. My school, Hillview Elementary, was playing against Fremont Elementary in flag football. They had this kid who was crazy fast on the field. That was Jim Guzy. Later, he became an electrical engineer...
AI Fuels Document Churn, Founders Must Work Harder
Founders are running their decks, docs, and narratives through AI to drive investor cycles. But investors are doing the same: they’re making (more) comments on investor agreements, advisor docs, warrants, etc. Founders: expect to work harder to close.
Nvidia-Backed Startup Valued at $25B to Counter Chinese AI
Nvidia-Backed Startup Seeking to Counter Chinese AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation Yes, it's all about "countering Chinese AI"... https://t.co/7VwOnVxaeb
OpenAI Funds Isara, a Youth‑led AI Startup
OpenAI Backs New AI Startup Seeking Bot Army Breakthroughs The San Francisco company, called Isara, was founded last June by two 23-year-old AI researchers, Eddie Zhang and Henry Gasztowtt. They have hired researchers from Google, Meta , and OpenAI. https://t.co/TmyAydRBDk
AI Keeps Investing Basics Same, Execution Completely Transformed
When it comes to investing in the age AI, “nothing has changed, but everything has changed.” As Hustle VC co-founder Elizabeth Yin explains to me, understanding a founder’s potential and a company’s basic health and outlook is the same as...
Airstreet's $232M Third Epoch Unveils AI Future
always fun to chat with @johncoogan on @tbpn - this time about @airstreet's $232,323,232 third epoch launch and what's next in ai! https://t.co/qNb8OId6sl https://t.co/wrQZuvrmLD
Low Retention, High Burn = No $50M Valuation
I talk to delusional Series A founders every day. So now, I just tell them this. If your company does under $10M ARR, burns over $200k/mo, and has low Gross Retention…you are not worth $50-100M to anyone. Doesn't matter what your...
VCs Fund Performance, Not Just Thesis Alignment
The thing that will make a VC want to fund you is not how well you match their (claimed) investment thesis. It's the same thing that will make every other VC want to fund you: how well you're doing.
Tech‑Heavy Startups Dominate Harmonic Q2 List with Minimal Overlap
Harmonic just dropped its Q2 '26 Hot 25 list, featuring the early stage companies seeing the most investor interest on @Harmonic_AI's platform. My biggest takeaways: Almost zero competition between these products. Every quarter, this list has multiple clusters of startups all sort...
Trayd Raises $10M, Slashes Payroll Time 28x
Congrats to Trayd on their $10M Series A! Specialty trade contractors deal with union rules, multistate labor laws, and a ton of manual back-office work. Trayd automates payroll, HR, and compliance for them, cutting a 14-hour weekly process down to under...
