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Venture Capital News
Medium
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53
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How to Prevent VCs From Destroying Your Company
- Conduct thorough research on potential venture capitalists, looking into their investment history, portfolio, and reputation.
- Ensure that the values and vision of the VC align with your own to prevent conflicts.
- Retain as much decision-making power as possible and establish clear roles in governance.
- Maintain regular communication with VCs, be open to feedback, and build a strong leadership team.
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Saastr
4w
424
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Is Palo Alto Falling into Urban Decay? I Hope Not
- Downtown Palo Alto holds a special place in the hearts of SaaS veterans as it played a vital role when the web finally came back after the” Dot Com” era.
- Palantir scaled from downtown Palo Alto, eventually taking over every single office there.
- Most of Palantir’s downtown spaces now remain empty after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it failed to come back.
- The area is still where so many tech leaders live, and a subset work as it’s just a walk from Stanford.
- However, a recent tweet suggests that downtown Palo Alto may be quietly crossing into urban decay as the park has been overridden with homeless and marijuana.
- Retail has almost entirely left for the Stanford Mall, leaving almost no retail anymore at all other than the Apple store.
- Furthermore, all of the gyms are gone, and Hana Haus and Blue Bottle recently closed, pushing the vacancies to a “too high” level.
- Rents remain insanely high, making landlords leave their spaces empty, which could be detrimental to downtown itself.
- Downtown Palo Alto saw tough times during the Global Financial Crisis, but it never had an element of urban decay.
- It’s still not too late to make it a tech campus again, as it’s still located in a great spot.
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Medium
4w
49
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Why I Invested in Reslink?
- The founder of Reslink, Shashank, impressed the investor with his passion and vision for revolutionizing the R&D space.
- Shashank's ability to raise funds and negotiate term sheets demonstrated his sales and storytelling skills.
- Reslink aims to bridge the gap between talented researchers and industries in India, and has created an AI-powered SaaS to accelerate the R&D process.
- With a low rate of commercialization of patents in India, the investor recognized the massive potential for Reslink's impact in the market.
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Medium
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424
Reducing Socioeconomic Divides in Today's World
- The 2019 pandemic exposed the biases present in the healthcare system globally and socio-economic disparities that exist in the world.
- In the US, black Americans received poor treatment, which led to a high death rate among them compared to the white population.
- In Africa, the pandemic exposed the problems in the health sector. The private medical sector has grown, leaving the poor to manage the inadequacies of the state-run health facilities.
- The socio-economic divide will eventually lead to crime and other social unrest.
- The lower class is affected the most by inequalities in access to important resources like healthcare and education.
- The rich are also at risk during the pandemic phase, proving that socio-economic status doesn't protect against disease.
- The growing divide creates a risk of sabotage or social disruptions from the less-privileged section of society.
- The rich are heavily dependent on the poor for chores, which creates a risk of infection for the wealthy class.
- Inequalities in access to resources create gaps in communication, leading to misinformation when outbreaks happen.
- Leaders must create policies that work for the poor and bridge the gap between the lower class and the upper class globally.
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Saastr
4w
268
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Dear SaaStr: Why Are Buyers Not Ready to Spend Big on Acquisitions as Readily Today as in the Past?
- Revenues multiples for tech companies have significantly decreased, making deals more expensive.
- Antitrust review processes have become more challenging and time-consuming for larger M&A deals.
- The decrease in revenues multiples and increased antitrust scrutiny are the main reasons for buyers being less willing to spend big on acquisitions.
- Other factors such as excessive VC funding and interest rates also contribute to the reluctance in making large acquisitions.
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Medium
4w
1.3k
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OpenAI is a Multi-Trillion Dollar Opportunity
- OpenAI recently raised $6.5 billion in a venture round, sparking discussions about its $150 billion valuation.
- Analysts have attempted to gauge OpenAI's potential by comparing it to Google, with estimates suggesting it could surpass Google's revenue numbers.
- OpenAI's projected revenue growth indicates it could reach $44 billion by 2027, outpacing Google's growth rate.
- The article also explores the impact of AI and the Precautionary Principle, as well as other topics including real-time news and the role of big tech in politics.
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Siliconangle
4w
1.3k
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Healthcare AI startup Abridge reportedly raising $250M at $2.5B valuation
- Healthcare AI startup Abridge is reportedly raising $250 million in funding.
- The investment is led by Elad Gil and IVP, with participation from Alphabet CapitalG.
- Abridge offers an AI platform that automates medical note creation for physicians.
- The funding will help Abridge develop new AI models and address competition in the market.
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Medium
4w
138
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VC Math for Startups: Navigating Traditional and Crypto Funding with Confidence
- As a startup or crypto founder, understanding VC math is crucial to navigating the high-stakes world of venture capital.
- VCs have distinct motivations and incentives that drive their actions.
- In traditional VC, Limited Partners invest capital into the fund with the hope that General Partners will turn their investments into substantial returns.
- GPs in crypto VC funds invest in projects and receive tokens in exchange, rather than equity.
- VCs make money in two primary ways: through exits and appreciation.
- In crypto VC deals, tokens are rarely given to VCs all at once.
- Liquidity events, such as token listings on exchanges, allow crypto VCs to sell portions of their tokens for cash.
- VCs need to demonstrate to LPs that they’re generating value. They do this using a few key metrics.
- In both traditional and crypto VCs, a small percentage of investments drive the majority of returns.
- While traditional and crypto VCs look for different things, there’s a lot of overlap in their core criteria.
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TechCrunch
4w
344
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Here’s the full list of 39 US AI startups that have raised $100M or more in 2024
- AI companies in the US raised $18.9 billion in Q3 of 2024, representing 28% of all venture funding.
- OpenAI raised $6.6bn in Q3 of 2024, the largest venture deal of all time.
- The US saw six AI funding rounds over $1bn in 2024.
- Here are the U.S.-based AI companies that raised $100 million or more so far in 2024.
- In October, OpenAI raised a $6.6 billion round, followed by EvenUp's $135m round, KoBold Metals' $491.5m round, and Poolside's $500m round.
- In September, Glean closed on its $260m series E round followed by Safe Superintelligence's $1bn round.
- In August, Magic raised a $320m series C round, and Groq raised a $640m series D round.
- In July, legal tech company Harvey raised a $100m series C round followed by Skild AI's $300m round.
- In June, Scale AI raised $1bn in a series F round, and AlphaSense raised $650m in a series F round.
- In May, xAI raised $6bn in a series B round, and Weka raised $140m in a series E round.
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Medium
4w
237
Strength In Shadows: Canvy’s Vision for Connection & Accelerators
- Canvy evolved into a venture studio, supporting startups in wellness, security, and gaming.
- Strategic partnership with BlackRock led to unforeseen challenges from a nefarious organization.
- Canvy developed security protocols and created revenue streams from CYBEX, BlackLight, and BLACKSCOPE.
- Canvy supports seven accelerator programs in various industries to empower entrepreneurs and startups.
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TechCrunch
4w
31
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New rounds will help startups challenge well-funded rivals
- Startups interact with regulators to retain licenses and stay out of trouble.
- Fisker, the failed EV manufacturer, is under investigation by the SEC.
- LoanSnap loses license in Connecticut after facing multiple lawsuits.
- French unicorn Alan expands into Canada, plans to hire 50 people.
- KoBold Metals raises $491 million for minerals discovery using AI.
- Auger raises $100 million seed round to develop AI-powered supply chain tools.
- Basecamp Research raises $60 million to build a "GPT for biology."
- TensorWave secures $43 million to offer alternative to Nvidia hardware for AI compute.
- Qantev raises €30 million to sell enterprise software for health and life insurers.
- Montreal-based venture studio Diagram launches $58 million fund for climate tech.
- General Catalyst working on raising up to $1 billion continuation fund.
- NFX lays off four employees to "rebalance" resources.
- Shield AI co-founder opposes fully autonomous weapons in defense tech.
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Medium
4w
152
Closing the Book on Zencape Health, But Not the Story
- Zencape Health, a platform that offered specialized and personalized care for pelvic conditions will be shut down due to lack of unit economics. The company aspired to elevate the standard of care for women, trans and non-binary individuals, people of color, and communities which healthcare has historically overlooked. Zencape Health integrated pelvic floor physical therapists, pain psychologists, nutrition experts, and gynecological surgeons through app-driven treatment plans to offer curated care.
- The founder, who faced numerous insults and comments that questioned her credibility said that time was arguably the most valuable asset for a founder and building a company is like hitting the bullseye at the top of Everest, and biased expectations felt like a daily avalanche — relentlessly counterproductive. Despite being one of the 1.9% of female entrepreneurs who raised venture funds, building as a woman in this space had its unique challenges.
- Zencape Health made a difference in the lives of its users and made them feel heard, seen, and supported. The users expressed their delight in finally feeling like they weren't left to figure things out alone. Despite the founder's uncertainty of what's next, the platform's impact and the stand they made for equitable care are both wins in her book.
- Building a more equitable healthcare system is imperative, and Zencape Health played a role in that journey. The founder’s resilience in the face of challenges inspires other founders grinding it out, and she reminds them that the obstacles are relentless, but their resilience should be too.
- The founder expressed her gratitude to the kind, hardworking and extraordinary individuals who invested in Zencape, built it, and trusted the platform with their healthcare needs.
- The founder acknowledged that building a successful company is complicated, and there’s never one single reason why a company comes to an end. Although the founder had setbacks, she remains optimistic and continues to look forward to other possibilities.
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Saastr
4w
295
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Ramp: Actually, We’re Mostly Buying the Same Standard Stuff — HubSpot, Zoom, Slack, Zoominfo and Carta
- Ramp's latest report reveals that its top SaaS vendors for October 2024 are HubSpot, Carta, ZoomInfo, Zoom, and Slack.
- These are the same top apps that have been leading for a while.
- Ramp also highlights breakout vendors with notable percentage changes, including Cursor, Flow.ai, Replit, Mailchimp, and Parallels.
- While new players are emerging, the giants of SaaS like HubSpot, Zoom, Slack, ZoomInfo, and Carta still dominate the market.
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17 Likes
Medium
4w
331
Image Credit: Medium
Brand Strategy & Identity: Wayfinder Ventures (Process Breakdown)
- Wayfinder Ventures approached branding with a relatively blank slate for its second fund, wanting a brand that would be cool and partner-oriented.
- This report outlines three concepts that were initially explored in creating the Wayfinder Ventures brand.
- The first idea was inspired by geometry, pattern and loops; the second was a blend of typography and landscape; the third took inspiration from maps, mazes and nature with the goal to show the various challenges faced by companies.
- Ultimately, the brand selected took elements from all three concepts to develop its final presentation.
- The brand used a minimal Saans for typography, but incorporated landscape references through Gauche paintings and geometric shapes, line art and barcodes to make an expressive visual system.
- The live site at wayfinder.com exemplifies the brand's use of contrasting vintage academic binder shades with vibrant accent colours perfect for technology.
- The article ends by mentioning further branding projects available with HEX.
- The goal of this document is to share the brand development process and its journey rather than showcase the final product.
- The early versions of the brand thesis aimed to highlight the founder, particularly the fact that Yuri himself was a founder.
- It was decided that a combination of elements from all three initial themes would be incorporated into the final brand development process.
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Medium
4w
272
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The Complex Dance of Money and Life: A Personal Reflection on Wealth, Loss, and the Pace of…
- The author reflects on their fortunate upbringing in a balanced family with no major struggles with money or substances.
- At a young age, the author ventured into business and experienced the thrill of making substantial income.
- However, this financial journey also came with volatility and the realization that wealth does not guarantee control over one's destiny.
- The author contemplates the complex relationship between money, life, and the pace at which things change.
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