Venture Capital (VC) News, Latest Updates and Recent Venture Capital (VC) Announcements for Startup on Techminis

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Harvard in Tech AI Edition: Russ Wilcox, Partner at Pillar VC

Russ Wilcox is a partner at Pillar VC, where he helps start-ups develop their businesses.
Wilcox has experience in building several start-ups, including E Ink.
He is now leading a new cleantech dehumidifier firm spun-out of Harvard and split's his time between this and being an operating partner at Pillar.
Wilcox cites three key lessons for successful entrepreneurship:
1. Focus on doing the scariest, most intimidating thing on your to-do list every day.
2. Balance technical innovation with the demands of running a business.
3. Focus on completing the research for a major breakthrough before concentrating on revenue.
Wilcox plays a hands-on role in helping eight to 10 companies navigate the complexities of scaling their businesses.
He also teaches a capstone course at Harvard, where he helps graduate students blend entrepreneurship with cutting-edge science.
Wilcox is fascinated by biotech advancements and regenerative medicine.
He advises students to build stronger relationships with professors in order to learn from them.

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Welcoming Sups to the Genesis Portfolio

Sups leverages natural language AI to help students with their college applications.
The platform provides targeted feedback and suggestions to improve the student writing process.
Sups aims to provide an affordable digital counseling solution for middle/low income and international students.
The company plans to expand its services and continue developing innovative technologies.

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How to sell SaaS in 2025–8 tools to scale to 2M+ ARR and beyond

To sell SaaS successfully, early-stage and growth-stage companies need different tools that suit their evolving needs.
Early-stage companies, with up to 2M ARR, use flexible tools, like HubSpot CRM, to achieve product-market fit and refine their value proposition.
As companies approach the milestone of 2M ARR, they begin to lay the groundwork for future growth by validating their product and business model. To achieve predictable, scalable and repeatable results, growth-stage companies need tools like Salesforce CRM and CPQ to streamline complex sales processes.
In the growth stage, acquisition remains a key driver of growth, but retention and expansion become increasingly valuable to sustain momentum. Tools like Gainsight enable proactive account management at scale and ensure that customer success teams monitor and improve customer health, driving upsell potential in an expanding customer base.
Other tools like Apollo.io help teams streamline sales processes by identifying leads and optimizing workflows, while Loom simplifies how teams share ideas and updates through quick video messages.
Dreamdata helps companies understand which marketing and sales activities drive pipeline and revenue by building custom attribution models that fit complex customer journeys, while Coefficient enables real-time data sync between Salesforce and Google Sheets to streamline data analysis, reporting, and dashboarding without relying on a full BI tool.
Overall, companies need to establish the right processes and tools during these critical stages to position themselves for future success in the competitive SaaS landscape.

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THE CLUB DEAL

A Club Deal is a model that brings together multiple investors with a shared vision for supporting transformative businesses.
It leverages collective expertise, resources, and networks, enabling investors to access larger deals, diversify their portfolios, and mitigate individual exposure to risk.
Club Deals require strong coordination among investors and their agreements help in mitigating disputes and aligning investor objectives.
They offer flexibility, shared expertise, and resource pooling but they have their complications.
One of the biggest hurdles for Club Deals is competition with large VC funds. They need to sharpen their pitch by leveraging niche expertise or specific sector knowledge to stand out.
Access to premium opportunities can be a significant challenge for Club Deals and building robust deal flow involves cultivating relationships with networks.
Assessing potential investments is a challenge but can be tackled by ensuring rigorous due diligence.
Carried interest and management fee are some of the common modes of remuneration in Club Deals.
Flexible profit-sharing arrangements that are pre-agreed upon in the shareholders’ agreement are also common.
Corporate investors or strategic partners may prioritize non-monetary benefits such as industry insight or customer acquisition opportunities.
Aligning the incentives of all parties ensures not just financial success but a rewarding collaborative experience in Club Deals.

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Pitchbook: 30 VC Firms Raised 75% of All the VC Capital in 2024

According to Pitchbook, the top 30 VC funds raised 75% of all the VC capital in 2024.
The VC industry operates with a finite pool of capital available for funds to raise from LPs and provide to founders.
At the earlier stages, there are many smaller funds, but as companies grow, the community of VCs becomes relatively small.
It is important for founders to understand the key drivers and metrics of the VC industry.

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Dear SaaStr: What Are The Best and Worst Parts of a Startup?

The best parts of a startup include having a great team, building lifelong relationships, connecting with other CEOs, celebrating victories, always having something important to do, being challenged, fulfilling the desire to build, not working for 'The Man', and staying young at heart and curious.
The toughest parts of a startup include being let down by co-founders or partners, making big mistakes, facing challenges when unable to meet goals, and the perpetual difficulty of recruiting.

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Example of a Consulting healthcare Business Plan Project

LTC consulting company is located in Lake Orion, Michigan and has different franchises in different states of America.
The seniors require dementia and memory care, and there is a high demand for this age group. Healthcare facilities need to enforce operations in compliance with the state and federal rules and regulations.
The company provides customer service support, compliance review, resident survey and more as part of their services, over three 12-week plans.
Pricing is dependent on the number of facilities, projects, and tasks, and the customers can be anyone whose in research or in need of help to start a senior living industry business.
Consultants can help businesses with operations in compliance, hiring, business development and revenue generation.
Expert consultants can help in staffing, facilities management, financial management, marketing and risk assessment, just to mention a few.
The future of the business can be assured by adding more niches and services along with the current list of products and services.
The long-term care industry is booming and the business can be challenging for various entrepreneurs.
The company is targeting revenue of $300,000 per month and $3.6 million revenue every year.
The company will be owned by the owner along with the other three shareholders.

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UntroD Capital Japan closes first crossover impact fund at 4 billion yen

UntroD Capital Japan has closed its first crossover impact fund at 4 billion yen.
The fund aims to provide long-term capital to promising late-stage startups aiming for an impact-oriented IPO and support the improvement of corporate value with an emphasis on sustainable growth after listing.
UntroD Capital Japan collaborated with Nomura Asset Management to combine their expertise and provide support to startups in the deep tech field.
The fund aims to foster a market for crossover investments and impact investments, focusing not only on fund performance but also on social impact.

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Will we have chatGPT moment for Robots?

The Humanoid Summit took place at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, with attendees witnessing groundbreaking advancements in humanoid technology.
Although many questions about the future of humanoid robots were posed at the event, the most central was whether or not they will have their “ChatGPT moment” — a tipping point that transforms how we perceive and integrate robots into everyday life.
Discussions on real-world applications like companionship and space exploration were held, as well as insights on capital allocation and mass production.
Panelists explored the transformative role of humanoid robots, highlighting their potential to assist with repairs, cooperative assembly, and hazardous tasks, reducing risks for human crew members.
Foundational models for robots were discussed, with Sergey Levine delivering an inspiring keynote on the development of Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, which go beyond describing images to performing complex tasks based on visual inputs.
Clone Robotics is redefining human-like dexterity by developing bimanual humanoids equipped with artificial muscles that mimic human skeletal muscles.
The intersection of robotics and art was explored, showcasing collaborative projects that explore motion not just as functional behavior but as a language of communication, challenging traditional perceptions of robots as purely utilitarian.
Experts emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry leaders, researchers, and regulatory bodies to create frameworks that prioritize safety, utility, and ethical considerations in humanoid robotics.
The consensus across the summit suggests that while humanoid robots may one day reach a “ChatGPT moment,” it is more likely to be a gradual evolution rather than a sudden tipping point.
Every incremental step — whether it’s improved dexterity from bimanual artificial muscles, better safety frameworks, or scalable manufacturing — brings us closer to a future where humanoid robots become integral to factories, industrial environments, and homes.

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One Thing Your Team and Investors Always Need to See: A Clear Path

The concept of 'The Clear Path' is a way of summarizing current growth, TAM, and future prospects into where things are going.
Having a clear path is essential for founders, investors, employees, partners, and teams to understand the next big milestone and how to achieve it.
Investors can provide valuable insights and help refine the company's vision, goals, and plan to establish a clear path to success.
Showing a clear path inspires and rallies the team, leading to better results, more sales, product development, and hiring.

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Following the Money: Is Foreign Capital Driving ESG Adoption in Nigeria’s Venture Ecosystem?

Foreign capital has played a significant role in shaping ESG adoption in Nigeria's vibrant startup ecosystem, with international initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change having influenced African nations to align their development ambitions with sustainable practices.
The Nigerian government has initiated several ESG initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable business practices and enhancing compliance among companies.
Ventures Platform, an early-stage, Africa-focused fund, has impressively integrated core ESG standards into its investment strategy and operations.
Ventures Platform's three-stage approach includes negative screening, ESG assessment and post-investment support. During the due diligence phase, potential investments undergo a structured impact assessment anchored on the five dimensions of impact.
EDFI comprises 16 publicly-backed institutions that provide financing and advisory services to private sector enterprises in emerging and frontier markets.
Two main areas where DFIs have influence on VC funds are through their impact investment activities and their role in setting ESG standards.
Despite the international investors' expectation of ESG compliance, found Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-founder and General Partner of FirstCheck Africa, ESG criteria are not actively incorporated into their investment decisions.
A potential solution lies in fostering more African investors and institutions that can influence, shape, and adapt ESG frameworks to better suit the continent's unique challenges and opportunities.
The future of ESG in Africa is promising, and ESG considerations will one day become a key differentiator for African startups, driving innovation in areas like clean energy, financial inclusion, and sustainable agriculture and will continue to shape the way investors and entrepreneurs collaborate, with an emphasis on long-term, systemic change.
Startups addressing ESG concerns can benefit from mitigation of various risks, establish a stronger governance structure, which is crucial for growth and stability and can help secure funding from investors.

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S(kin)imulation: VC Capitalizing on the VR and AR Beauty Revolution.

The beauty industry saw an 8% decline during COVID lockdowns in 2020 with a shift towards homemade beauty routines, but a surge in online sales led to e-commerce rising 38% in the first half of 2020.
In 2024, consumers continue to prioritize healthy skin with clean makeup, and online shopping remains dominant, with 48% of beauty product sales globally occurring online.
VC activity is trending up in the beauty industry, with over $2.1 billion raised in 2020 over 250 funding rounds.
The global beauty and personal care industry was valued at $374.18 billion in 2023 and is projected to continue to grow to $758.05 billion in 2028.
The industry can be categorized into skincare, haircare, makeup, fragrance, and hygiene, with skincare being the most popular, controlling over 40% of the global market.
The integration of AR & VR technologies in the beauty industry has led to the inception of many innovative startups that have attracted significant venture capital investment.
AR and VR technologies are expected to be the fastest growing technology segment in cosmetics and beauty from 2022 to 2027.
One of the biggest benefits of AR technology in the beauty industry is enhanced customer engagement.
Ultimately, the merge of beauty and tech is an evolution that is perfectly aligned and suited for venture capital’s thirst for innovation and disruption.
The industry is set to evolve, with personalization and virtual experiences at the forefront, and venture capital is positioned rightly to fuel this transformation.

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Medium

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Beyond the Hype in AI Medical Diagnostics

AI has the potential to transform medical diagnostics and enable precision medicine, but it is important to understand its limitations and risks.
There are several critical dimensions that shape the AI diagnostics field, including model types, dataset quality, reliability, and bias.
AI model types include machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, large language models, computer vision, and expert systems.
Niche AI models are specialized systems designed to perform a single task very well, whereas broader application models are designed to handle a wide range of medical tasks across various specialties.
Most AI medical diagnostic companies focus on highly specialized applications rather than developing broader, multi-purpose AI models.
The exit landscape for AI medical diagnostic companies reflects a strong preference for mergers and acquisitions, especially among niche-focused firms.
There is no clear link between patents, clinical trials, and company valuation in the AI diagnostics field. Investors seem to be looking for a broader story.
AI is being integrated into diagnostics intentionally to combat health disparities and bias in medicine.
Understanding the strengths and limitations of AI models will be crucial for innovators and investors to make meaningful contributions to patient care and healthcare system efficiency.
Both niche and broader application AI models are essential to advancing the future of healthcare.

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Medium

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From Idea to IPO: A Playbook for Building a Fintech Startup in India

Identify the user or business persona you want to build for.
Pick a problem from the market x user persona matrix that you want to solve for.
Partner with traditional financial institutions to fulfill licensing requirements.
Use an ‘ecosystem enabler’ to build a low fidelity MVP and fast-track your GTM.

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