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Venture Capital News
Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: How Do I Deal With Investors That are Unhappy With The Company?
- To deal with unhappy investors, it is important to be transparent and share information regularly.
- Send monthly investor updates and have regular Zoom meetings to instill confidence.
- Conduct honest root cause analyses and present data-driven plans for improvement.
- Take ownership of the company's financial situation and demonstrate a clear path to better times.
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Medium
4d
390
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Use These ‘Anti-AI’ Camera Apps to Keep Your Photos From Looking Overprocessed
- Zerocam is an app that offers a traditional point-and-shoot camera experience, without AI adjustments or filters.
- The app allows control over zoom options and encourages creativity with challenges.
- Halide is a feature-rich app for serious mobile photographers, offering customization and minimal AI interference.
- Both Zerocam and Halide are available for Android and iOS, with premium services available at different pricing options.
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VC Cafe
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Weekly #FIRGUN Newsletter – Dec 20 2024
- The concept of Firgun, a Hebrew term meaning genuine joy in the accomplishment of others, is explained, as is the relevance of the Hanukkah festival, which celebrates success against the odds.
- In the tech world, Databricks has secured $10bn funding, Nvidia has launched a smaller, cheaper AI supercomputer and SoftBank is investing $100bn in US businesses over the next four years, among other key developments.
- Israeli start-ups are also having a record-breaking time, having managed to attract vital funding despite a challenging year.
- In terms of M&A, Boomi has acquired Israeli start-up Rivery for $100m, while the web3 platform Hexagate was picked up by Chainalysis.
- The issue of AI ethics has been explored in a new report from MMC Ventures, while Coller Capital has also released findings, showing LPs are supportive of new entrants in a changing market.
- A range of other subjects are covered, including European and US venture capital fundraising trends, and a demo of the Genesis Project, an open source generative AI video model based on physics.
- A series of key posts by VC Cafe this year are highlighted, covering everything from generative AI to pre-seed rounds and the media and entertainment tech scene in 2025.
- Finally, various festive wishes are expressed, with positive hopes for 2025 and a range of festivals and celebrations given a mention.
- Most of all, the author takes time to thank readers of his newsletter, who have kept him energised throughout the year.
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Medium
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390
How to Attract the Right Investors at the Seed Stage
- Having a clear understanding of your startup's value proposition and uniqueness is essential when attracting the right investors at the seed stage.
- Identify investors who align with your business goals and values to ensure a proper fit.
- Building relationships and demonstrating strong connections in your industry can increase investor interest.
- Presenting a compelling pitch, showcasing a strong team, and understanding investors' goals are keys to making a lasting impression.
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Medium
4d
4
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The AI Generation
- Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI (Gen AI), has emerged as the defining innovation of our era, and will be remembered as the AI Generation.
- ChatGPT, a generative AI application, was released on November 22 and took only 5 days to reach 1 million users and 100M active users by Jan 2023.
- Following the growth of ChatGPT, the promise of other generative AI applications has ignited a flood of investment into the AI industry.
- In 2023, AI startups have amassed approximately $54B in funding, making it the largest funded sector, surpassing healthcare and biotech.
- Southeast Asia (SEA) has faced a difficult funding year, with AI funding falling by 45% in 2024 Q1 PoP, recovering slightly by 16% PoP in Q2, before a 51% PoP decrease in 2024 Q3.
- The AI landscape in SEA offers exciting yet limited opportunities, where investors are often reluctant to back companies with high capex/opex that could potentially be overtaken by global companies.
- The AI value chain can be classified into 5 verticals, namely Applications, Machine Learning Operations Tools, Model Hubs, Foundational Models, and Hardware Infrastructure.
- SEA has seen significant growth in the development of SLMs (Scaled-down Language Models), which are models trained on smaller amounts of data and more specific datasets, thus making the creation of models more accessible.
- SEA startups are increasingly integrating LLMs (large language models) into various applications, enhancing existing technologies in sectors such as CRM, HR, and financial services.
- SEA startups face challenges such as talent shortage, time-to-market pressure, and limited Total Addressable Market.
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TechCrunch
4d
264
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European Solo GP Robin Capital closes first fund with €15M to play with
- Germany-based Solo GP-led VC fund Robin Capital has closed its first fund, 'Robin Fund One', at €13 million.
- The fund, along with an additional growth-focused investment vehicle, now has a total of €15 million to invest.
- Robin Capital focuses on European B2B mid-market enterprise SaaS startups in the DACH region at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages.
- The fund has already deployed half of its capital into companies such as Kombo Dev and Phacet Labs.
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TechCrunch
5d
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Sequoia’s Matt Miller is exiting the firm after making headlines earlier this year
- Sequoia Capital partner Matt Miller is leaving the firm after a 12-year career to build his own new firm focused on European founders.
- Miller will remain a venture partner with Sequoia and maintain his board seats while planning his next steps.
- His move comes after a conflict with former colleague Michael Moritz earlier this year over the board of fintech Klarna.
- Sequoia later apologized for supporting Miller's move and replaced him with another investor.
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StartupDaily
5d
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The world’s first Drought Venture Studio is on the hunt for agtech ideas to future proof farmers
- Beanstalk Ventures has launched the world's first Drought Venture Studio, an accelerator program aimed at supporting agtech ideas to enhance climate resilience for farmers.
- Eight startups were selected for the program and had the opportunity to pitch their agtech solutions to industry experts and investors.
- Four innovators were chosen for further support and development of their solutions, preparing them for commercialization.
- Drought Venture Studio has launched their second cohort and is accepting applications for the third cohort in the future.
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Siliconangle
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155
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AI-powered 3D modeling startup Backflip closes $30M round
- AI-powered 3D modeling startup Backflip has closed a $30 million early-stage funding round.
- The funding round was led by NEA and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from notable angel investors.
- Backflip aims to speed up the 3D modeling process by using AI technology to automatically generate models.
- The company's platform reduces the time required to create 3D models from days to minutes.
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Saastr
5d
40
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Salesforce: Actually We’re Going to Hire 2,000 Sales Execs Now To … Sell AI
- Salesforce plans to hire 2,000 sales executives to sell AI.
- The company had previously announced hiring 1,000 sales and marketing professionals to sell AgentForce and AI products.
- Salesforce's CEO, Marc Benioff, is pushing for AI and Agentforce to be included in every deal.
- Despite the growth slowdown in the past 2 years, Salesforce's stock is up 33% this year.
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Medium
5d
290
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Peter Mirenda: Revolutionizing Private Equity Markets with Expertise and Vision
- Peter Mirenda has over 20 years of experience in capital markets, investment banking, and private wealth management.
- Peter Mirenda is based in North Miami Beach, Florida, though he is originally from New York.
- Peter provides tailored wealth management solutions, focusing on private equity opportunities for high-net-worth individuals.
- By leveraging an expansive syndicate platform, Peter connects retail investors with exclusive opportunities typically reserved for institutional clients.
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Medium
5d
253
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How China’s Digital Ecosystem is Shaping the Future of Global E-Commerce
- China's e-commerce scene is massive, nearly double the size of the U.S. market last year.
- China has rewritten the rules of digital commerce, moving faster than the West.
- China has the largest digital population in the world, with over 1 billion mobile subscriptions and more than 900 million internet users.
- China's mobile-first culture created the perfect storm for e-commerce innovation, leading to a heightened willingness to embrace new technologies.
- Innovations in telecommunications and the rapid rollout of 4G and 5G networks have further accelerated digital adoption in China.
- China's biggest platforms, often referred to as BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent), have rapidly expanded from their initial focuses into broader tech ecosystems.
- Mini apps are mini-programs that exist inside larger super apps like WeChat or Alipay and allow users to access services without ever leaving the platform.
- Livestream shopping combines entertainment with instant purchasing on social platforms like Taobao and Douyin.
- China's social commerce accounts for 30% of its online retail market, compared to the U.S.'s mere 3%.
- Massive volume of consumer data generated by these super apps and platforms is helping businesses predict trends, personalize experiences, and fine-tune their offerings in ways that weren’t possible before.
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Medium
5d
36
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Revolutionizing Travel: AI Applications Across Our Portfolio
- AI is driving transformative change in the aviation and travel industry.
- UrbanFox leverages GANs to combat fraud in frequent flyer programs.
- Wherobots is a geospatial intelligence platform that helps airlines optimize last-mile delivery.
- Tomorrow.io offers hyperlocal weather forecasting using an innovative approach which combines satellite data with computational techniques.
- NLX offers automated chat and voice solutions to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.
- Assaia leverages computer vision and AI technologies to transform aircraft turnaround operations, enhancing operational efficiency, reducing turnaround times, and improving on-time performance.
- Volantio provides airlines with intelligent solutions to manage flights more effectively, optimizing seat allocation, boosting airline revenue, and improving the overall passenger experience.
- Lumo uses machine learning to provide airlines and passengers with detailed insights on potential flight delays, improving operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and mitigating disruptions.
- 70% of Americans are already using, planning to use, or are open to using AI to plan their trips, reflecting a broader consumer shift towards AI-powered tools in travel.
- AI has tremendous potential for the travel industry, with many more innovative solutions yet to come.
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Underscore
5d
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The Authentication Layer for Agentic AI
- As we venture into the age of autonomous agents and AI-driven systems, a critical question arises: How do we do that securely?
- The security infrastructure to support this evolution, particularly in authentication, is still in its infancy, making it a ripe area for founders to build a key infrastructure for the emerging era.
- Autonomous agents, powered by AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), increasingly assume roles that involve making decisions, executing tasks, and interacting with other systems without human intervention.
- The level of autonomy introduces new challenges in ensuring that these agents act securely and reliably.
- Traditional authentication systems are designed for human users or well-defined services, making it challenging to authenticate autonomous agents consistently and securely.
- Given these challenges, there is a clear need for a startup that focuses on developing authentication solutions tailored explicitly to autonomous agents.
- This startup would develop systems for dynamically managing agent identities, allowing for flexibility as agents evolve, and develop context-aware authentication methods that consider not just the agent’s identity but also its behavior, environment, and interactions.
- Despite the clear need, a specialized authentication startup for autonomous agents has yet to emerge for several reasons, including the nascent market, technical complexity, lack of standards, and focus on traditional AI security.
- As autonomous agents become more prevalent and take on increasingly complex roles, the need for specialized authentication solutions will become critical.
- A startup dedicated to authentication field would not only fill a growing gap in the market but also play a crucial role in ensuring the secure and ethical deployment of autonomous agents.
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Saastr
5d
373
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Your SaaS New Year’s Resolutions for 2025
- Your Top 10 New Year’s SaaS Resolutions for 2025.
- #1.Go Hire That Missing VP! The best way to get out of a hole is to hire a great VP. A great VP of Sales. Of Marketing. Of Product. Of Eng.
- #2. Make Absolutely Sure Your Burn Rate is Under Control. You have to not only make the capital last, but make sure it lasts as long as planned.
- #3. Find a segment of your customer base that is still doing really well. And sell hard there.
- #4. Don’t settle for less growth than Your NRR + 20%. E.g., if your NRR is 120%, even if times are tougher, don’t settle for growing at least +40% next year.
- #5. Launch a truly great second product.
- #6. Launch a truly more valuable, new higher-end edition. Raising prices may or may not work for you.
- #7. Just move on from any underperformers.
- #8. Promote your best, and give extra grants to the best.
- #9. Do a better job communicating with your investors.
- #10. At least grow faster than the competition. At least take market share.
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