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Venture Capital News
VC Cafe
22h
63
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Everything you learn in YC, in 10 minutes
- YC alumnus, Michael Seibel, shares key learnings from Y Combinator on how to start a technical startup
- Start with a strong technical co-founding team, prioritize solving personal or known problems, and conduct brief market research
- Launch a minimum viable product quickly and prioritize growth as the primary metric for fundraising
- Manage operations leanly, focus on increasing average talent with each hire, and handle PR yourself initially
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Medium
22h
347
Last Week in ConTech — 31 May 2024
- China built hundreds of AI data centers to catch the AI boom. Now many stand unused.
- Terra CO2, a Colorado startup, received investment from CEMEX Ventures to develop low carbon building materials.
- Lumber, a Californian startup, raised $15.5m in Series A funding for their workforce management solution for SMB construction contractors.
- Specter Automation, a German startup, raised €5m in Seed funding for their construction management solution based on 3D models.
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Siliconangle
22h
261
Image Credit: Siliconangle
Temporal raises $146M for its application reliability platform
- Startup Temporal Technologies has raised $146 million in funding at a $1.72 billion valuation.
- The funding will be used for product development, including support for Microsoft's Azure cloud platform.
- Temporal's platform offers prepackaged features for recovering from application outages, reducing failure frequency.
- The company's revenue has more than quadrupled in the past 18 months, and developer adoption of its platform has increased by 600%.
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Medium
23h
119
Image Credit: Medium
I love Biotech (& Why I’m learning to model its growth)
- The author chose biomedical engineering due to the immense potential for discoveries in the biotech space.
- Financial modeling and analysis can help identify and support game-changers in the biotech industry.
- The author aims to bridge the worlds of finance and biotech to drive impactful advancements in healthcare.
- Through documentation and analysis, the author seeks to demystify the biotech industry and showcase its value.
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Saastr
23h
157
The First Wave of AI and GTM Speakers is Here for 2025 SaaStr Annual, May 13-15 in SF Bay!
- The upcoming SaaStr Annual event, taking place on May 13-15 in SF Bay, will have a strong focus on B2B and AI topics. Approximately half of the content will cover the intersection of B2B and AI, while the other half will focus on GTM (Go-to-Market) strategies.
- Over 1000 speakers, including top AI experts and leaders in the industry, will share their insights during the event. Some of the core AI speakers include CEOs of Snowflake and Observe, as well as the COO of Google Cloud.
- The event will also feature GTM/B2B speakers, including CEOs of HubSpot, Dropbox, and Calendly. Other notable speakers include CMOs from Asana and Stripe, as well as the CRO of ServiceTitan.
- In addition to the wide range of speakers, the event will offer AI and GTM workshops led by industry experts from companies like IBM, Digital Ocean, Demandbase, and GitHub.
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Insider
23h
63
Image Credit: Insider
MBAs are launching venture capital funds to back their classmates. Now, Harvard Business School has one, too.
- Harvard Business School's class of 2025 has collectively raised close to $1 million for Twenty25 Ventures, a fund investing solely in startups founded by peers.
- The fund, with seven founding members, aims to provide more HBS students with access to venture investing opportunities.
- Twenty25 Ventures has high-profile venture capitalists as advisors and will invest in startups raising $500,000 or more.
- Inspired by Stanford 2020, the fund takes contributions from the class of 2025, starting at $3,000 with a goal to build generational wealth through access.
- Similar student-backed funds have emerged at other business schools like UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and Wharton.
- White-collar hiring challenges for MBA graduates have led to the focus on network value and community through such class funds.
- The fund allows students to invest in their peers' startups with checks ranging from $3,000 to $100,000.
- Harvard MBA graduates have shown success in VC funding, with the school being a hub for many unicorn founders and raising billions in venture capital.
- The fund aims to give more classmates opportunities in venture investing by lowering barriers and fostering an inclusive community.
- Twenty25 Ventures will operate over a five-year period and seek investments from institutional investors and select VC firms.
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Teten
1d
41
SumZero: world’s largest community of investment professionals
- SumZero is the largest community of investment professionals collaborating on a transparent platform.
- Members share valuable insights, build personal brands, and access professional opportunities.
- SumZero provides ancillary services like capital introduction, buy-side career placement, and media placement.
- SumZero Capital owns a hedge fund and hosts an investment competition.
- SumZero's main competitor is Value Investors Club, but it sets itself apart with application requirements and transparent member profiles.
- SumZero Capital leverages a unique machine learning model trained on a proprietary dataset.
- Founder Divya Narendra's background includes founding ConnectU and working at Harvard Management Company.
- SumZero utilizes its network for capital raising and safeguards data from being scraped by members.
- The company uses NAV for fund administration and Interactive Brokers as a Prime Broker.
- SumZero launched an AI-driven hedge fund utilizing insights from its community and proprietary data.
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Medium
1d
15
Image Credit: Medium
Attracting International Capital in the New Nordics
- The Nordic startup scene has seen significant growth, attracting $18 billion in venture funding over the past decade.
- In 2024, impact startups in the 'New Nordics' raised €650 million, showcasing a 25% increase from the previous year.
- The region excels in sustainability, deep tech, and scalable innovation, outperforming global trends in climate tech funding.
- International capital brings networks, market insights, and scalability to Nordic startups, aiding in global expansion.
- Success hinges on scalable business models, global potential demonstration, and strategic partnerships for Nordic founders seeking international funding.
- Investors value traction indicators like revenue growth, customer wins, and market engagement to gauge scalability and mitigate risk.
- Diverse leadership teams, industry expertise, and compelling storytelling boost startup credibility and attract investors.
- Visibility through pitch events, roadshows, and aligning with global trends enhances startup appeal and investor relationships.
- Government support, regulatory structures, and incentives in the Nordics contribute to the region's attractiveness for foreign capital.
- Adopting a global mindset, building strong teams, crafting compelling narratives, and active investor engagement are crucial for securing international funding.
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Medium
1d
37
Image Credit: Medium
Energy tech through the lens of the World Economic Forum
- The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters brings together key global figures in government, business, and technology to shape the economy through collaboration.
- The theme at the 2025 event, 'Collaboration in the Age of AI,' emphasized the importance of partnerships, with a spotlight on energy tech and AI's impact on the industry.
- Key energy tech topics discussed included AI's role in climate tech, energy efficiency in data centers, fusion energy, and grid-enhancing technologies.
- Youth participation in shaping energy policy was emphasized, highlighting the importance of adopting innovative solutions quickly.
- Evolving challenges in the energy sector, including grid-related issues and renewable energy intermittency, require collaboration between utilities and tech ventures for long-term stability.
- Fusion energy, particularly focused in North America, has gained momentum with startups like Commonwealth Fusion Systems leading the way.
- European energy tech ventures are urged to leverage regulatory opportunities, such as EU policies promoting sustainable solutions and innovations like energy communities and flexibility markets.
- Youth engagement in policy work, such as the Asia-Pacific Energy Youth Engagement Platform Meeting, is vital for scaling climate-focused energy solutions.
- More capital and regulatory support are needed from the EU to accelerate innovation in the energy tech sector.
- Author Daniel Uusitalo, a European venture capitalist, emphasizes the potential for growth in energy tech ventures and the importance of youth participation in shaping the future of the industry.
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Medium
1d
335
Image Credit: Medium
HardTech Reads vol.25: The AI & Robotics Revolution
- UBTech Robotics and Zeekr have introduced Swarm Intelligence, utilizing swarm robots to build cars efficiently through real-time communication and coordination.
- Disney is enhancing its robots with Google DeepMind and Nvidia's Newton physics engine for more expressive behaviors, merging AI, simulation, and storytelling for entertainment.
- Companies like 1X, Tesla, and Boston Dynamics are advancing humanoid robots towards in-home trials and general-purpose capabilities, while China's Unitree offers affordability in humanoid bots.
- U.S. manufacturing saw a significant rise in output, particularly in motor vehicle production, signaling a potential manufacturing resurgence with policy support.
- Apple is investing over $500 billion in the U.S. for innovation, AI, and manufacturing, strengthening its supply chain resilience and emphasizing U.S.-based production and innovation.
- CoreWeave, a prominent AI infrastructure startup, has gone public, reflecting the increasing demand for AI workloads and validating GPU-rich platforms in the public market.
- IoT Analytics analyzed 4,000+ industrial automation projects, revealing Siemens as a leader in global factory digitization, setting the foundation for future innovation.
- Various companies like Axiom Space, Dyna Robotics, and BlueShift are making strides in space infrastructure, AI robotics, and eco-friendly solutions, securing significant investments for their ventures.
- Robotic startups like Anyware Robotics and Tera AI are receiving substantial funding to scale automation solutions using AI and advanced robotics technology.
- Several upcoming events, including tech conferences and summits, provide opportunities for networking and exploring the latest AI, robotics, and hard tech advancements.
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Medium
1d
132
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What Venture Capital Taught Me and Why I Moved On
- Early-career growth in venture capital heavily depends on learning from experienced professionals in top-tier funds.
- Access to top-tier deal flow is more limited at smaller or lesser-known funds, which can hinder building real investing expertise.
- The lack of ownership in evaluating mediocre deals may dull judgment and make it difficult to provide value beyond capital.
- However, the author acknowledges that their time in venture capital provided valuable knowledge, exposure to emerging technologies, and insights on what makes a strong company.
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Medium
1d
68
Image Credit: Medium
The Revolution of Business Efficiency
- AAK Tele-Science utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance business efficiency.
- The platform offers a centralized dashboard providing real-time visibility into operations.
- AAK Tele-Science enables quick decision-making based on up-to-the-minute data.
- The AI-powered platform helps streamline workflows, optimize resources, and make data-driven decisions.
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4 Likes
Medium
1d
365
Image Credit: Medium
Transforming Industries through Sustainable Innovation: Bridgio’s Vision
- The “Rethinking Hardware 2.0” Hackathon held at VILNIUS TECH brought together 100+ participants, 16 teams, and 15 mentors to develop scalable solutions for sustainable agriculture and energy efficiency.
- Key contributors included Arrow Electronics, Infineon, and EPAM Systems, who provided expertise and hardware kits. The hackathon was backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and received support from various other partners.
- Bridgio’s collaborative model created a structured yet flexible environment for students, researchers, and engineers to address real-world challenges aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The Hackathon resulted in the creation of project prototypes with commercial potential, showcasing Bridgio’s commitment to technology and sustainability. It also strengthened the ecosystem and fostered new partnerships in the Baltic region.
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21 Likes
Medium
1d
182
Image Credit: Medium
The Secondary Revolution: Rethinking Liquidity in Venture Capital
- The venture capital industry is facing a liquidity crisis as traditional exit paths have become less viable, prompting a need for innovative solutions.
- Venture capital secondaries offer a potential solution, but several challenges unique to the VC market hinder the entry of established players from the private equity secondary space.
- Structural differences, such as binary outcomes, information asymmetry, mark-to-market resistance, and scale mismatches, complicate the VC secondary market landscape.
- Current VC secondaries transactions occur at steep discounts due to buyer caution and skepticism towards portfolio valuations, leading to a somewhat stagnant market.
- Alternative liquidity options for venture ecosystem participants include continuation funds, NAV-based lending, dividend recapitalizations, and sponsor-to-sponsor transactions.
- Limited partners can pursue portfolio sales, direct secondary sales, or structured solutions to address their liquidity needs effectively and maximize returns.
- Innovations in private company marketplaces, specialized data providers, and standardized documentation could enhance liquidity and efficiency in the VC secondary market.
- To address the liquidity challenge comprehensively, the venture capital model may need built-in liquidity mechanisms, hybrid fund structures, and specialized venture secondaries specialists.
- Participants in the venture ecosystem, including GPs, LPs, secondary buyers, and portfolio companies, must adapt to the new liquidity reality by embracing transparency, developing expertise, and emphasizing capital efficiency.
- By reshaping how early-stage investment functions, the venture capital secondary revolution offers the potential to create a more sustainable ecosystem benefiting all participants.
- The ability to innovate and adapt to the changing landscape will determine which firms and investors lead the venture industry as it evolves towards a more liquidity-driven model.
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Saastr
1d
57
Dear SaaStr: How Long Should a Sales Funnel Take from Start to Close?
- Small Deals (<$5,000 ACV) typically take 14-30 days to close. Quick decision-making process and fewer stakeholders involved.
- Mid-Market Deals ($20,000-$50,000 ACV) generally require 2-3 months to close. More discovery, demos, and internal discussions involved.
- Enterprise Deals ($100,000+ ACV) have a longer 6-12 month (sometimes longer) sales cycle. Multiple stakeholders, RFPs, and alignment with annual budget planning are factors.
- Very Large Deals ($500,000+ ACV) take 12-24 months to close. Tied to annual budget cycles and involve significant relationship-building.
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