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Venture Capital News
Insider
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Meet the Palantir Mafia, who have collectively raised more than $6 billion for their own startups
- Former Palantir employees have left the company to start their own startups, constituting the Palantir Mafia, who collectively raised over $6 billion in VC funding for their ventures.
- The Palantir Mafia includes founders in various sectors such as AI, legaltech, consumer, and healthcare, with notable names like Partiful, Ironclad, Joe Lonsdale, Anduril, and Garry Tan among others.
- The Palantir Mafia is likened to other tech mafias like PayPal, Facebook, Oracle, and more recent companies, producing successful alumni entrepreneurs.
- While Palantir's original focus was on federal agencies and defense tech, its former employees are now building companies in diverse sectors like healthcare, consumer, AI, and enterprise.
- Venture capital firms like a16z, Sequoia, Redpoint, and Accel have backed Palantir Mafia startups, with Anduril alone raising $3.8 billion in funding.
- Key members of the Palantir Mafia include Garry Tan, Anduril's Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, Brian Schimpf, Joe Lonsdale, Cai Wangwilt of Ironclad, and others leading successful startups in their respective fields.
- Startup founders from the Palantir Mafia like Garry Tan and Brian Schimpf have leveraged their experiences to establish innovative companies, securing significant funding support.
- Palantir alumni have transitioned from roles like forward deployed engineers, software engineers, and deployment strategists to create disruptive startups in areas like mental healthcare, AI, contract management, and fintech.
- Former Palantir employees like Cobi Blumenfeld-Gantz, Tarek Mansour, and Eliot Hodges have successfully founded healthcare, fintech, and AI startups post their tenure at the company.
- The Palantir Mafia's wide-reaching impact is evident with entities like Anduril, Addepar, Ironclad, Sourcegraph, and Branch Energy making significant strides with substantial funding and innovative offerings.
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Medium
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How Venture Capital Funds Work and Why They Matter for Startups
- A venture capital fund is a pool of money raised from investors, called limited partners (LPs), to invest in high-growth startups.
- VCs look for startups with scalability, strong teams, and disruptive ideas. They typically invest in early-stage companies (Seed, Series A) or later-stage ones (Series B, C, etc.).
- Beyond just money, VCs provide mentorship, networking, and strategic guidance. Some funds specialize in specific industries, such as AI, fintech, or healthcare.
- Venture capital is a high-risk, high-reward game that helps turn innovative ideas into billion-dollar businesses.
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Medium
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HOW TO GET UK RESIDENCY THROUGH PROPERTY INVESTMENT
- This visa is designed for entrepreneurs aiming to establish innovative businesses in the UK.
- There is no minimum investment requirement, but applicants must demonstrate sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents.
- Traditional property development may not qualify, but integrating property technology solutions or innovative housing concepts could meet the criteria.
- Properly structuring the investment under a UK-registered company is essential.
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Medium
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India DevInfra Report 2025 — “AI eats Software”
- Grayscale Ventures analyzes US-listed Public DevInfra companies and their growth strategies.
- The Grayscale Infrastructure Index (GII) outperforms EMCLOUD by around 70% in 2025.
- GII companies show high stickiness within tech stacks and have a Median Net Revenue Retention of 112%.
- Indian DevInfra startups are seeing significant revenue growth and VC investments, presenting opportunities for global growth investors.
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Medium
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The AI Disruption in Venture Capital: 10 Transformative Shifts You Need to Investigate
- AI-driven VC firms leverage AI models to predict startup success based on founder backgrounds, market trends, and financial performance.
- AI accelerates due diligence by scanning legal documents, compliance records, and financials, helping investors avoid costly mistakes.
- AI-driven models offer more precise valuations for startups by assessing market data, customer traction, and competitive positioning.
- AI-powered tools monitor portfolio companies, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and provide real-time intelligence on industry trends.
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Saastr
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Top SaaStr Posts & Pods of the Week: Codeium’s VP Sales; Monday’s CEO on AI; Founder Collective on How to Sell Your Startup
- The Per-Seat Model Isn’t Dead. But Also, Surprisingly, It Was Never Dominant.
- Salesforce: We Are Hiring 0 Engineers This Year. But We’re Growing The Sales Team +20%. Because AI.
- Egnyte Sells to Private Equity for $1.5 Billion after 18 Years. Slightly Slower and Steady Wins, Too.
- Your Team Should Be AI Obsessed Right Now. If They Aren’t, It’s a Flag
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Medium
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WHAT IS THE DUE DILIGENCE RAN BY A VENTURE CAPITAL BEFORE FUNDING A STARTUP
- Before funding a startup, venture capitalists conduct a thorough due diligence process to assess the viability, risks, and potential returns of the investment.
- Due diligence covers legal, financial, operational, market, and team-related aspects to validate a startup's claims and growth potential.
- Key components include legal compliance, financial health, market size assessment, product innovation evaluation, and team strength.
- Founders must prepare legal documents, financial statements, market analysis, product demos, and team bios for scrutiny.
- Investors verify financial accuracy, market scalability, IP protection, and team expertise during due diligence.
- The process involves screening, financial analysis, legal verification, market validation, and term sheet negotiation.
- Founders should be transparent, showcase solid financials, market positioning, and a competent team to attract investment.
- For venture capitalists, due diligence mitigates risks and ensures investments in high-potential startups.
- Transparency, preparation, and diligence are crucial for startups and investors to establish trust and secure funding.
- Ultimately, mastering due diligence strengthens the foundation of startups and fosters long-term success.
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Saastr
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A Founder’s Guide to Building and Scaling Marketing Channels: Lessons from Datadog’s CMO and First Marketing Hire
- Alex Rosenblatt, the Chief Marketing Officer at Datadog, shared insights on scaling marketing channels at SaaStr Annual.
- Datadog found that press relations and analyst activities may not contribute significantly to customer acquisition or revenue.
- Negotiating marketing pilot terms towards the end of a quarter can lead to more flexibility from vendors.
- The 10th marketing hire is crucial for scaling teams as it requires a restructuring of operations.
- The key lesson is to focus on mastering one marketing channel at a time to avoid mediocrity.
- Marketing channels should be treated like products, requiring iteration and feedback for optimization.
- Choosing one channel, setting clear goals, and instrumenting data are recommended steps for success.
- Following a hypothesis-driven approach and the Pilot-Repeat-Enlarge methodology can lead to scalable success.
- Datadog's success story with AWS Re:Invent exemplifies the effectiveness of a focused marketing approach.
- Knowing when to expand beyond the first channel involves recognizing specific indicators of success and readiness.
- Team scaling milestones include documenting processes, creating training programs, and planning for rapid growth.
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Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: How Should I Approach Hiring My First Executives?
- Spend 20% of Your Time Recruiting and be actively involved in the process.
- Hire for the stage your company is at, considering the skills needed now and in the future.
- Commit to interviewing 30 candidates for VP roles to ensure the best hire.
- Use screening filters to weed out unqualified candidates early on and save time.
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Insider
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344
Image Credit: Insider
At HumanX, a new conference focused on AI, people wanted human connections (and to pet dogs)
- HumanX, a new conference focused on AI, concluded with a performance by Wyclef Jean.
- The attendees at HumanX paid a significant amount for tickets and desired human connections.
- The conference featured unique elements such as a speakeasy, massage booth, and a dog park.
- HumanX has plans to host an even larger event in San Francisco next year.
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Medium
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344
Why entrepreneurs need to focus on AI now, or risk being left behind.
- AI represents a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs to automate tasks and improve efficiency.
- Entrepreneurs are using AI in various sectors such as e-commerce, healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services.
- AI can help entrepreneurs increase productivity, improve customer service, make better decisions, and gain a competitive advantage.
- Entrepreneurs can get started with AI by using cloud-based AI services or hiring an AI developer.
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Medium
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282
The Samwer Brothers' Formula for Startup Success: Simplicity and AI
- The Samwer brothers, known for their focus on simplicity, have embraced AI to automate tasks, improve customer service, and make better decisions.
- AI is transforming the startup world by helping in developing new products, automating tasks, improving customer service, and making better decisions.
- To grow a startup using AI, founders should identify areas where AI can be used, research available AI tools, start small and experiment, and invest in team education.
- The Samwer brothers' story serves as an inspiration by showcasing the possibility of achieving success by focusing on simplicity and utilizing the latest technology.
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Medium
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189
Image Credit: Medium
The Golden Facade: Unmasking the Financial Reality Behind CSK’s Success
- Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has experienced significant financial growth, with a 131% increase in revenue.
- Operational expenses have doubled, raising concerns about the sustainability of CSK's business model.
- The franchise's financial restructuring, including a large loan, raises questions about its financial stability.
- CSK's ownership structure has changed, potentially indicating a strategic move for financial security.
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11 Likes
Medium
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96
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A Letter from 2030 to My Present Self: The Reckoning of Expertise Begins
- It is the year 2030 and the writer discusses the climate crisis and the confusion between executives about doing digital with being digital.
- AI continues to be misunderstood and misused, including the brain-computer interfaces developed by Neuralink.
- The writer warns about the reckoning that will come with the slow decline of outdated pricing models in the professional services industry.
- There is a call to direct expertise towards profit and planet consciousness before the AI hype takes over.
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3 Likes
Medium
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167
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Mapping the UK Fintech Landscape in 2025: Challenges, Opportunities and the Road Ahead
- The UK fintech sector's resilience in the face of global economic uncertainty and its role as Europe's leading hub are key themes.
- Despite a decrease in total VC funding in 2024, the UK maintained its position in VC ranking, with a focus on larger deal sizes.
- Job vacancies in the fintech sector surged by 44% in 2024, driven by AI investments, which doubled compared to 2023.
- However, the UK faces a shortage of tech professionals with digital skills, potentially leading to economic losses by 2030.
- London remains central to fintech, but regional hubs like Manchester and Edinburgh are gaining traction in diverse fintech sectors.
- Factors like reduced interest rates and political stability contribute to a cautiously optimistic outlook for fintech in 2025.
- AI plays a significant role in reshaping the UK fintech landscape, driving job growth and investment increases.
- Despite talent attraction due to AI adoption, there is a notable gap in tech skills, potentially hindering sector growth.
- Top skills in demand include AI and big data, with areas like WealthTech and RegTech showing strong growth potential.
- Payments, investment management, digital banking, blockchain, and regtech are key areas of fintech growth and innovation in the UK.
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