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Venture Capital News
Insider
7h
182
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Elon Musk's xAI raises $6 billion in fresh funding: 'We are gonna need a bigger compute!'
- Elon Musk's xAI raised $6 billion in its Series C funding round.
- Participants in the round included Sequoia Capital, Nvidia, and AMD.
- xAI plans to use the funds to ship new products and expand its infrastructure.
- The company has made progress with the launch of Colossus and Grok, and is focused on developing innovative consumer and enterprise products.
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Medium
13h
25
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“Digital nomads : The rise of Global workforce without borders”
- Digital nomads are individuals who can work and live a life using telecommunications technology, with the flexibility to travel.
- They work remotely and have the ability to work from any location, allowing them to experience different cultures and meet new people.
- Being a digital nomad offers the opportunity to work on computer-based jobs from different parts of the world.
- It provides the freedom to travel, explore new destinations, and maintain employment.
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Medium
22h
134
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My Hundred-Million Dollar Ritual
- As a junior member of an investment team at a venture capital fund, the author had an unbounded role.
- The role was a 3-year paid apprenticeship in startups, with the expectation to start or join a company after.
- The author created a system using four simple questions to ensure steady progress and learning.
- This routine resulted in incubating two companies with 9-figure valuations and continues to be used with founders.
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Medium
1d
3
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Joyce Shen’s picks: musings and readings in AI/ML, December 23, 2024
- Musings and Readings: AI/ML news highlights
- 1. Research papers: 'Towards Friendly AI', 'Jet: A Modern Transformer-Based Normalizing Flow', 'Large Language Models and Code Security'
- 2. Discussion on enterprise AI product management and value creation with Nadiem von Heydebrand at Mindfuel
- 3. Deals: Seed financing raised by Triton Anchor, NeuroKaire, Chargezoom, Anatomy Financial, Starboard, Indapta Therapeutics, Slip Robotics, Salt AI, Basis, Hamming.ai, Simulation Theory, Kurrent, Sotelix Endoscopy, Portal Biotechnologies
- 4. Sunairio secures $6.4 million financing round for leveraging high-resolution climate data for energy asset risk simulation
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Saastr
2h
241
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Why The Greatest Sales Teams Just Kill It On Dec 31. When Everyone Else Has Gone Home. (Updated)
- The article discusses why the best sales teams manage to close so many deals on December 31 despite there being no reason for customers to buy then.
- There is often no budget left to burn and procurement departments are off on holidays.
- Leads dry up at the end of the year, and no one is looking to buy anything between Christmas and New Year.
- Yet, the great sales team manages to close a significant amount at the end of the year.
- The reason for this is that it all boils down to a relationship based on trust and value.
- The rep has done an excellent job by helping prospects, adding value, and earning the right to ask for something, which is to exceed their year-end goal.
- The reps that not only understand the product and pitch but the magic of connecting value to a signed contract are the potential future leaders.
- They drive down sales cycles, increase close rates, and drive up revenue per lead.
- The best sales teams still crush it in December despite deals pushing to January, implying that they possess the unique ability to connect and understand customer pain points.
- This post is an update of the classic post on why the best sales teams kill it on Dec 31.
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Saastr
7h
49
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Dear SaaStr: What Were The Top Pieces of Advice You’re Glad You Ignored?
- 1. Ignored advice against VC investments in the first year and successfully invested in unicorns like Pipedrive and Algolia.
- 2. Didn't quit despite the odds, ended up having customers and making progress.
- 3. Started a startup despite conventional wisdom, sold it for $50 million later.
- 4. Joined a startup for less money but for career growth and acceleration.
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Medium
10h
318
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what is a venture capital
- Venture capital is specialized financing available to minority entrepreneurs.
- Venture capital is an important form of capital that helps businesses grow quickly and generate value.
- Venture capital investment leads to job creation and innovation.
- Venture capital firms efficiently exit their investments through public stock exchanges.
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Medium
10h
10
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How they Bilt a renters rewards program into a $2B venture
- Bilt Rewards converts rent payments to a rewarding experience for renters, and increases loyalty and revenue for property managers and merchants.
- The platform enables renters to earn reward points on their monthly rent payments and spending at selected merchants.
- Additionally, Bilt offers credit reporting services to help renters build their credit scores.
- The platform also incentivizes renters to engage locally via the Bilt Neighborhood Rewards program by allowing them to earn extra points for spending at participating local businesses.
- Revenue is generated through transaction fees on rent payments and neighborhood spending, as well as cost-per-action for loyalty campaigns.
- Bilt’s financial model has led to rapid growth, profitability, and a $3.1 billion valuation.
- Future expansion plans for the platform include entering international markets and collaborating with major national chains.
- Bilt Rewards was founded in 2019 by entrepreneur Ankur Jain, who has earned recognition for his impact in the tech and finance sectors.
- Bilt Rewards improves financial outlooks for renters, deepens connection to neighborhoods and creates a win-win ecosystem for all parties involved.
- Bilt Rewards’ scalability, successful model, and financial backing make it a promising investment opportunity.
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Medium
13h
3
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Don’t know? It’s OK.
- NV_Killer has multiple potential outcomes, including becoming a challenger with a high terminal value at IPO, getting acquired by a corporate for NV tax benefits, selling off IP in case of failure, or pivoting into an applications company.
- In situations with uncertain and volatile paths, it is advisable to be myopic and postpone valuation decisions until better data is available.
- However, investor protection measures like Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCD) can be implemented to provide guardrails and facilitate delayed decision making.
- Entrepreneurship requires a multi-disciplinary approach.
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Medium
19h
367
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Gifting Pearls of Wisdom
- Fund managers share invaluable wisdom for engaging with investors and managing funds:
- Do your homework and tailor your approach to prospective investors.
- Focus on building trust, transparency, and communication for long-term alignment.
- Provide regular updates and standardized reporting for fund performance.
- Be adaptable and open to opportunistic deals for high returns.
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Saastr
20h
274
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Carta: 24% of all Seed VC Rounds Were For SaaS in 2024
- 24% of all seed VC rounds in 2024 were for SaaS, according to Carta.
- SaaS companies started to re-accelerate growth from March 2024 to October 2024.
- AI was often the accelerant for SaaS growth, with many deals being AI SaaS.
- SaaS has become more challenging, but it is back and has evolved.
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Medium
21h
70
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Candice Matthews Brackeen: Leading with Grit, Vision, and Purpose
- Candice Matthews Brackeen is a trailblazing venture capitalist, educator, and advocate for diversity in entrepreneurship.
- As the General Partner of Lightship Capital and CEO of the Lightship Foundation, she is reshaping the venture capital landscape, supporting underrepresented founders.
- Candice has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Women Venture Capitalists by The Wall Street Journal.
- Through Lightship Capital, she leads investments in groundbreaking startups and provides strategic guidance for their successful scaling.
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Medium
1d
22
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SAF Part III: Leaders in Sustainable Aviation Fuel
- Leading companies such as Neste and Cemvita are driving the production and adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
- Airlines like United Airlines, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines are investing heavily in SAF to meet decarbonization targets.
- SAF pathways include Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), Fischer-Tropsch (FT), Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ), and Power-to-Liquids (PtL).
- SAF serves as a crucial solution for the aviation sector's transition to a low-carbon future, with significant investments and collaborations driving its production and adoption.
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TechCrunch
1d
195
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Honda and Nissan plan major merger focused on ‘intelligence and electrification’
- Japanese car giants Honda and Nissan are in talks for a major merger focused on 'intelligence and electrification' in order to stay competitive in a changing industry.
- The merger, if completed by 2026, could create the world's third-largest automaker.
- Nissan's partner company Mitsubishi has yet to decide whether it would join the new alliance.
- Renault, Nissan's current partner, will consider all options based on the best interest of the Group and its stakeholders.
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Saastr
1d
3
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10 Simple Steps to Improve The Odds You Get VC Funded
- To increase your odds of getting VC funding, avoid unforced errors, and follow these ten simple steps.
- Send the very best deck you can to portray everything investors would want to know about investing in your start-up.
- Don't dump VC scheduling on virtual assistants as it isn't a priority and won't give a good impression.
- Don't take it personally when a VC passes on a deal, follow up once, and move on if you don't hear anything.
- Be careful of artificial urgency; being honest about a longer-than-expected fundraising process might lead investors to consider an investment
- Generally, early-stage VCs need to see at least three successful growth months in a row to get excited and make an investment.
- Many top VCs are looking for outsiders rather than Stripe alum or Stanford graduates, so don't be intimidated while reaching out to them.
- Investors will usually pass on a deal for being too early but check in with them regularly to keep them updated and in the loop on your progress.
- Send cold emails as they work, just ensure that they're great quality and personalized.
- Reflect upon whether you'd invest in your start-up based on your metrics and communication style, and work on levelling it up.
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