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Medium
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Virat Kohli: From Cricket Legend to Financial Powerhouse — The Man Who Redefined Athlete Branding
- Virat Kohli has transitioned from a cricket legend to a financial powerhouse, setting a new standard for athlete branding.
- Kohli's off-field income surpasses his on-pitch earnings, showcasing a successful shift from sports to business ventures.
- His ventures like co-owned fashion label Wrogn and luxury resto-bars have been well-received in India, appealing to urban millennials.
- Apart from his ventures, Kohli's involvement in diverse investments ranging from plant-based meat companies to tech startups demonstrates his focus on shaping the future.
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Why Deep Tech Fails: What Most CVCs, VCs, and Ecosystem Leaders Overlook and How to Rethink…
- Record capital is flowing into deep tech globally, with investments in AI, biotech, and energy revolutionizing industries.
- Advancements like AGI, biotech treatments, and commercial fusion hold the potential to reshape economies and societies.
- Deep tech faces challenges like outdated funding models, regulatory uncertainties, and fragmented talent pools.
- Despite increased deep tech investment worldwide, many ventures struggle to move from prototype to market adoption.
- The disconnect between scientific progress and real-world commercialization is a global structural challenge.
- Deep tech ventures require patient capital, regulatory clarity, skilled talent, and robust infrastructure for scaling.
- The misalignment between scientific potential and market delivery poses risks to addressing critical global challenges like climate change and public health.
- To bridge the gap, efforts are needed to blend capital sources, embed commercialization expertise early, redefine traction metrics, and engage multi-stakeholder coalitions.
- Enabling infrastructure and investing in foundational elements like standardized interfaces are vital to driving scalable innovation in deep tech.
- Building cross-border ecosystems and connecting science with global strengths will be key to shaping the future of deep tech.
- Success in deep tech depends on navigating the transition from concept to commercialization, aligning technical possibilities with business scalability.
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I hate seeing writers not making money. So here are eight ways to make more as a writer:
- Using awareness and marketing strategies can help writers make more money.
- Starting with writing novels may not immediately bring financial success, so creating a foundation of income is important.
- Writing for various platforms such as blogs, magazines, and companies can help increase earnings.
- Writing articles for brands can be a lucrative way for writers to earn money and gain exposure.
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Medium
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10 Real-Life Disturbing Messages Broadcast Right Before Disaster
- Prior to the Soviet government's admission of the Chernobyl disaster, local TV in Pripyat broadcasted reassuring emergency messages despite Reactor 4 already exploding.
- Hawaiians faced panic for 38 minutes after receiving a false missile alert in 2018, causing chaos and distress among the population.
- The haunting final Morse transmissions of the Titanic, including distress calls of sinking rapidly, were picked up by amateur radio operators in 1912.
- The fatal shooting of reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward in 2015 aired live, capturing their deaths on camera during an interview.
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India’s Footwear Market: A Giant in Motion
- India is the second-largest footwear producer globally, with over 9% of annual global production, exceeding 2.5 billion pairs yearly.
- The Indian footwear market is valued at $15.5 billion and is expected to grow at a rate of 10-12% due to rising disposable incomes and fashion consciousness.
- The sneaker segment in India, valued at $1.8 billion, is growing rapidly at 20-25% CAGR, led by brands in the ₹1,500-₹3,000 range.
- Indian youth tend to prefer lower-priced sneakers from foreign brands due to the value proposition, creating challenges for domestic brands in establishing emotional loyalty.
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What Google I/O 2025 Really Means for AI Founders
- Google's latest flagship AI model, Gemini 2.5 Pro, introduces Deep Think mode, enhancing reasoning capabilities for tackling complex problems.
- This advancement enables founders to delegate more complex tasks to AI, boosting confidence in AI-driven product development.
- Gemini Code Assist, graduating to General Availability, offers AI assistance for coding tasks, enhancing productivity and efficiency.
- Code Assist's integration into the development workflow accelerates coding tasks, allowing for faster feature deployment.
- Jules, an autonomous coding agent in beta, streamlines coding tasks by handling busywork asynchronously, increasing productivity.
- Firebase Studio, a cloud-based AI development environment, automates app development processes, enabling rapid prototyping.
- Firebase Studio integrates generative AI to scaffold backend components, expediting the MVP creation process for AI startups.
- Project Mariner introduces infrastructure for building agentic AI agents, allowing AI to perform multi-step tasks autonomously.
- Teachability and reliability are key focuses of Project Mariner, enabling AI to learn new skills and execute tasks effectively for users.
- Overall, Google I/O 2025 signifies acceleration in AI development, automation of mundane tasks, and the emergence of action-oriented AI agents.
- AI founders are encouraged to explore the evolving AI toolkit and leverage the new capabilities to drive innovation and solve real-world problems.
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Saastr
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The Latest SaaStr + 20VC: The Brutal Math of Venture Capital — What Every B2B Founder Needs to Know
- The article discusses the brutal math of venture capital and what every SaaS founder needs to know in 2025.
- Top-tier funds like Insight Partners can absorb massive losses, such as $500 million on Builder.ai, reflecting the power law investing dynamics.
- The acquisition of Jony Ive's design studio by OpenAI for $6.5 billion highlights the shifting talent economics in the tech industry.
- Data shows that 80% of 'zombie unicorns' are inflated by valuations, emphasizing the importance of revenue fundamentals for valuation.
- For IPOs, $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) is now the new minimum requirement, with growth and profitability expectations.
- Seed funding is depicted as easy, but Series A funding is described as challenging, requiring sustainable growth and positive unit economics.
- Dilution is identified as a silent killer for SaaS founders, emphasizing the need for strategic equity allocation.
- The Y Combinator phenomenon showcases the significance of platform businesses in attracting venture capital.
- The AI disruption is highlighted by software companies delving into hardware, impacting user experience and revenue potential.
- To win the talent war, SaaS companies need to focus on mission, growth trajectory, and equity upside to compete effectively.
- Overall, the article emphasizes the shift in the venture landscape and provides a playbook for SaaS founders navigating the new rules.
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Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: How Much Equity Do You Give to Employees at Different Stages of Growth?
- Equity allocation varies based on the stage of the company and the role of the employee.
- During Pre-Seed / Seed Stage, co-founders usually split 20%-50% of the company, while the first 10 employees may receive 10%-15% in total.
- In the Early Growth Stage ($1M-$10M ARR), VPs/executives might get 0.5%-1.5% equity, senior engineers/managers 0.2%-0.5%, and mid-level employees 0.1%-0.2%.
- At the Scaling Stage ($10M-$50M ARR), equity grants become less of a motivator, with executives receiving 0.3%-1% equity and mid-level employees 0.05%-0.1%.
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Medium
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Bridging Borders: InnoForge Ventures Signs MOU with SSCIP and ITTC to Advance Cross-Border…
- InnoForge Ventures has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SSCIP and ITTC to advance cross-border innovation programs.
- The partnership aims to foster mutual trust and co-develop high-impact innovation programs, with InnoForge supporting SSCIP's vision of becoming a global innovation hub.
- SSCIP, located in Chengdu’s High-Tech Zone, is a collaboration between Singapore and Sichuan governments, housing over 180 high-tech enterprises and supporting a thriving ecosystem with various amenities.
- The International Technology Transfer Center (ITTC) plays a crucial role in transforming research into real-world impact by connecting China’s innovation hubs with global partners.
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Siliconangle
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Cloud cost optimization startup CloudZero closes $56M investment
- CloudZero Inc. has secured $56 million in funding to enhance its software platform aimed at helping enterprises reduce cloud expenses.
- The Series C round was led by BlueCrest Capital Management and Innovius Capital, with participation from other investors, bringing CloudZero's total funding to over $85 million.
- CloudZero's platform automates the normalization of spending data and provides detailed breakdowns to help companies analyze and optimize their cloud costs efficiently.
- The company plans to use the funding to expand partnerships, develop new platform features, including integrations with developer tools, and improve capabilities for forecasting cloud spending.
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Medium
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The Startup Olympics: Where Raising Money Matters More Than Making It
- The startup ecosystem has transformed into a 'Startup Olympics' where raising capital quickly has taken precedence over building sustainable businesses.
- Founders are often more focused on securing funding and attention rather than creating products that solve real problems or generate profits.
- Raising capital has become a shield that delays facing the reality of whether the product actually works, creating a culture of bloated teams and unnecessary spending.
- The appeal of venture capital has shifted the focus from solving pain points to maintaining appearances, resulting in a performative atmosphere rather than a genuine commitment to innovation.
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Medium
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The Brains Behind the Bricks: AI-Driven Real Estate Analytics Platforms Secure Funding
- AI-Driven Real Estate Analytics Platforms utilize AI, machine learning, and big data to analyze various real estate data beyond property listings.
- Venture capitalists are heavily investing in these platforms due to their ability to address traditional challenges in the real estate sector by providing actionable insights.
- Key applications attracting funding include market trend analysis, demographic shifts, transaction history analysis, consumer behavior, and alternative data sources integration.
- The growing funding in AI-driven real estate analytics platforms indicates a future trend towards data-driven real estate investment strategies, offering investors a competitive edge and better outcomes in the global real estate market.
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Siliconangle
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Prepared raises $80M to expand AI-powered emergency response platform
- Prepared, a startup specializing in AI-powered emergency response solutions, has secured $80 million in new funding to enhance its assistive AI platform.
- The funding will be utilized to expand the platform's features such as real-time translation, automated call triage, and quality assurance tools, and to extend its services to more public safety agencies.
- Prepared's AI technology aims to modernize emergency response systems in the U.S. by collaborating with over 1,000 public safety agencies to serve nearly 100 million people.
- The Series C funding round was led by General Catalyst Group Management, with existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and First Round Capital LP, along with new investor Radical Ventures LP, participating.
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Saastr
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15 Questions VPs of Sales Should Ask CEOs. Before They Take That Job.
- When interviewing for a VP Sales role, asking the right questions is crucial to ensure it's the right fit.
- Key questions include inquiring about current ARR, sales team structure, lead flow, CAC payback period, and churn rate.
- Understanding sales-marketing alignment, deal size, sales cycle, and current challenges also provides valuable insight.
- Asking about success benchmarks, funding situation, CEO-VP Sales relationship, and future vision is essential.
- It's important to assess the sales tech stack, competitive positioning, and reasons for the previous VP of Sales leaving.
- These questions not only help evaluate the opportunity but also demonstrate strategic thinking and understanding of building successful sales organizations.
- Joining sales calls before accepting a role is recommended to gain firsthand insight into the team and sales process.
- Ultimately, the goal is to ensure a good fit between the VP of Sales and the company to avoid potential mis-matches.
- Ensuring alignment with the CEO, understanding company goals, and potential challenges are crucial aspects to consider.
- Strategic thinking and thorough evaluation during the interview process can lead to a successful and fulfilling VP Sales role.
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Medium
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Agentic AI is worth the Hype
- Launch of a new Agentic AI platform with a fellow entrepreneur aimed at disrupting an economic sector.
- The urgency for industry leaders to deeply immerse themselves in the evolving technology quickly.
- Impressive progress made in building a UI, operational data room, website, and a startup over a single weekend.
- Anticipation of disruptive technology's broader implications and the need for exploration of Lovable and global talent engagement in the evolution.
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