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Venture Capital News
Guardian
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Image Credit: Guardian
Move fast, kill things: the tech startups trying to reinvent defence with Silicon Valley values
- Skydio, a tech startup in California, manufactures drones for the military and civilian organizations, emphasizing autonomy and AI technology.
- Multiple tech startups, including unicorns, aim to revolutionize military capabilities with Silicon Valley innovations and secure substantial funding.
- Investors have poured billions into defense tech startups, with a focus on autonomy, AI, and advanced technology to enhance military operations.
- Startups like Skydio and Anduril Industries are at the forefront of developing autonomous systems and advanced weaponry for defense purposes.
- The defense tech sector challenges traditional defense primes and aims to deliver cost-effective yet powerful solutions for modern warfare needs.
- Concerns exist regarding rapid growth, overselling, and potential flaws in products due to pressure from venture capital funding in the defense tech industry.
- Startups defend their approach, stating that thorough testing and operator feedback ensure the quality and effectiveness of their technologies for defense applications.
- While startups push for innovation, there are concerns about the impact of increased military spending on other sectors like climate, biomedicine, and clean energy.
- The future of the defense tech industry hinges on government procurement reforms and the success of funded startups, with potential for market consolidation.
- The evolving defense tech landscape and its intersection with military-industrial complex dynamics raise questions about the future direction of military innovation and investment priorities.
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Saastr
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The Path to Chief Revenue Officer: Lessons from The CROs of Notion, CircleCI, and Lattice
- The article discusses the key takeaways from a SaaStr session on the path to becoming a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).
- It highlights insights from top CROs at Notion, CircleCI, and Lattice, emphasizing the importance of business leadership over individual deal-closing abilities.
- The article outlines the significance of the first deal in sales and the value of cross-functional communication for CROs.
- It features Erica Anderson, Jane Kim, and Laurebeth Harvey as top female CROs, sharing their diverse career journeys to revenue leadership.
- The article discusses five key decisions that shape a CRO's career, such as career pivots, building new initiatives, and scaling versus learning tradeoffs.
- It underscores the importance of mentor networks, intellectual curiosity, management excellence, vision setting, and decision-making for CRO success.
- The article candidly explores the challenges of a CRO role, including people management issues, forecast misalignments, and delivering tough news to the board.
- It also addresses the rewards of being a CRO, such as team celebrations, strategy setting, and aligning people with ambitious goals.
- The article debunks sales stereotypes and offers actionable advice for aspiring CROs, focusing on team development, business acumen, seizing opportunities, and continuous learning.
- It provides insights on CRO compensation structures, team success acceleration, and balancing executive leadership with revenue advocacy.
- In conclusion, the article emphasizes the evolving nature of the CRO role, highlighting the need for revenue leaders who prioritize people development and business growth.
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Medium
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Image Credit: Medium
The VC Secondaries Mirage
- 71% of exit dollars in 2024 came from secondaries, not IPOs or M&A.
- Secondary activity is primarily limited to pre-IPO unicorns, GP-led secondaries, and Tier 1 funds.
- For the majority of venture-backed companies, secondaries are not a viable option.
- The need for more solutions, innovation, and transparency in liquidity design is crucial.
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Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: What Happens to the Founders after Big Tech Acquisitions?
- The acquirer identifies which founders it wants to keep and offers various incentives to make them stay.
- Incentives for founders to stay can include additional shares, conditional shares for employees, milestone payments, and promotions.
- The sticks to encourage founders to stay may involve reverse vesting, group vesting on retention, and escrows.
- Founders are usually required to stay for 2-4 years to receive their full payout.
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Medium
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Legal Aspects of Fundraising for Tech Startups in India: A Comprehensive Guide
- Tech startups in India must understand the legal requirements for fundraising methods.
- For angel investors, legal requirements include Share Subscription Agreements and SEBI Compliance.
- VC firms require Term Sheets, Shareholders' Agreements, and SEBI Oversight for investment.
- Legal aspects of crowdfunding involve SEBI Regulations and RBI Guidelines.
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Saastr
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Join 200+ of the Top CFOs and VP Finance at 2025 SaaStr CFO Summit on May 13!
- Join 200+ of the Top CFOs and VP Finance at 2025 SaaStr CFO Summit on May 13!
- The 2025 SaaStr Annual CFO Summit on May 13 will feature top speakers from Andreessen Horowitz, Emergence Capital, OpenAI, SnapLogic, and more.
- The summit will focus on the redefinition of the CFO role, with a particular emphasis on the rise of AI-driven finance organizations and the transformation of finance into a lean, intelligent, and strategic function.
- The event offers an opportunity for forward-thinking CFOs, VPs of Finance, AI-native operators, and industry experts to explore the future of finance, including smaller teams, faster decision-making, and the back office becoming a competitive advantage.
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TechCrunch
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Image Credit: TechCrunch
Startups Weekly: Mercury more than doubled its valuation, and other news
- 11x, a startup backed by a16z and Benchmark, used creative ways to calculate annual recurring revenue.
- Cerebras Systems' IPO, the AI chipmaker, has been delayed due to national security review.
- Terrestrial Energy, a US nuclear startup, went public via SPAC and expects to net $280 million.
- Vertical farming company Plenty filed for bankruptcy after raising nearly $1 billion in funding.
- Fintech startup Block, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, laid off 931 people, according to a leaked email.
- Digital banking startup Mercury raised $300 million in funding and its valuation doubled to $3.5 billion.
- Enterprise browser maker Island raised $250 million in a Series E, valuing the company at $4.85 billion.
- Rivian spun out a micromobility startup called Also, which received $105 million in funding.
- Workflow automation startup n8n raised $60 million, with a valuation close to $270 million.
- Mexico City-based Mendel raised a $35 million Series B funding round.
- Generative AI marketplace Arcade announced a $25 million Series A funding round and expansion to home goods.
- Former Outreach CEO Manny Medina launched Paid, a startup that raised $11 million in pre-seed funding.
- San Mateo-based Emergence Capital closed a $1 billion seventh fund to back B2B companies, with a focus on AI.
- French VC firm Daphni secured $215 million in the first closing of its third fund, Daphni Blue.
- Amazon's Alexa Fund expanded its focus on AI investments beyond voice startups.
- A new report highlighted the world's 20 hottest open source startups, with over half having AI at their core.
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Medium
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Image Credit: Medium
Deep Tech for Dummies (& Smart VCs Who Want an Edge)
- Deep Tech is a sector focused on applying scientific and engineering advances to create new products and technologies.
- It involves longer R&D cycles, significant upfront capital, and aims for transformational impact.
- Deep tech ventures address major global challenges and offer potential for substantial impact and financial returns.
- Investing in deep tech differs from traditional tech as it focuses on creating defensible intellectual property.
- The UK and Germany are key markets for deep tech, attracting significant venture capital investments.
- Deep tech startups face challenges such as extended R&D cycles and regulatory hurdles.
- Government grants and funding play a crucial role in supporting deep tech ventures in Europe.
- Exit strategies for deep tech startups include acquisitions, IPOs, corporate buyouts, and licensing deals.
- VCs evaluating deep tech startups need to consider technical benchmarks and market feasibility in addition to financial metrics.
- Deep tech investing in Europe offers unique opportunities for VCs, requiring a blend of vision, patience, and ecosystem support.
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TheStartupMag
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Image Credit: TheStartupMag
How Former DOJ Prosecutor Katie Haun Emerged as a Leading Voice in Crypto Venture Capital
- Katie Haun transitioned from prosecuting cybercrime and corruption cases to becoming a leading figure in cryptocurrency venture capital.
- Her work in the Department of Justice on cryptocurrency cases provided insights into blockchain technology's potential and limitations.
- Haun's experience in tracking cryptocurrency transactions led to successful prosecutions and demonstrated blockchain's transparency.
- She joined Andreessen Horowitz as a general partner, leveraging her expertise to co-lead crypto investments.
- In 2022, Haun launched Haun Ventures with a $1.5 billion debut fund, focusing on early-stage and acceleration investments in crypto.
- Haun Ventures maintains a small, nimble team to provide tailored support to portfolio companies through its external network.
- The firm evaluates crypto projects based on factors like tokenomics, regulatory considerations, and community alignment.
- Haun emphasizes 'hero moments' where the firm provides critical support to portfolio companies in various challenges.
- Haun's firm focuses on investments in financial services, infrastructure, and distributed computing, seeing crypto's potential beyond finance.
- Haun's perspective on Web3 emphasizes evaluating fundamental technological progress over short-term market trends.
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Saastr
4d
343
AI is Driving Up Churn Across The Board. Because It Puts Every Renewal Into Play.
- AI is driving up churn across the board.
- Customers are looking at AI solutions to cut costs and drive innovation.
- Customers are now considering what AI can bring to the table.
- Vendors need to have AI parity and continue to innovate to stay competitive.
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Medium
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Image Credit: Medium
How AI is Reshaping Venture Capital Decision-Making
- AI is reshaping venture capital decision-making by offering data-driven insights for more informed decisions.
- AAK Tele-Science is using AI-powered analytics to transform how VCs assess opportunities, allocate capital, and monitor portfolio performance.
- AI-driven models analyze industry trends and financial health to identify high-potential startups before they scale.
- Investors can track portfolio progress in one place and adjust capital allocation based on AI-driven insights.
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Saastr
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101
How to Cross 500,000 SMB Customers with Bill’s Founder CEO Rene Lacerte
- Rene Lacerte, founder and CEO of Bill, shared insights on crossing 500,000 SMB customers at SaaStr Annual.
- Key learnings from Bill.com's journey include the importance of the first 90 days of customer adoption, regulatory compliance as a moat, and suppliers as customers.
- Bill.com's success stems from solving the universal pain point of outdated billing processes and leveraging the power of network effects.
- The company's growth to $1.4 billion revenue, 475,000 customers, and 7.1 million members in the payment network highlights long-term vision and compounding growth.
- Bill.com's competitive moat lies in the network effect, high switching costs, and regulatory compliance, requiring a dedicated team for payment operations.
- The shift from payments to software revenue model has boosted margins, with a focus on sustainable customer acquisition economics for SMBs.
- Rene Lacerte emphasized the rising expectations of SMB customers, expanded TAM considerations, Divvy acquisition benefits, and AI integration strategies.
- Lessons for SaaS founders from Bill.com's journey include constructive dissatisfaction, clear purpose, long-term planning, customer-centricity, and network effects design.
- René's message to SMB-space founders underscores the demanding market and the opportunity to build platforms that address real pain points for significant value creation.
- Bill.com's journey showcases that patient, persistent execution and a clear vision can transform mundane business processes into extraordinary value.
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Medium
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16
Image Credit: Medium
Your Money. Your Rules. No Limits with Lightway Finance
- Lightway Finance offers seamless FX transactions for buying and selling foreign currencies at competitive rates without the usual red tape.
- They provide fast and secure remittances with no hidden fees, allowing users to send and receive money across borders in record time.
- Lightway Finance also offers business-friendly solutions for simplifying cross-border payments and managing FX risk with ease.
- With real-time rates, zero unnecessary fees, and a straightforward process, Lightway Finance aims to make sending, receiving, and converting currency hassle-free.
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VC Cafe
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Image Credit: VC Cafe
Weekly FIRGUN Newsletter – March 28 2025
- The 'Firgun' newsletter from March 28, 2025, highlighted the concept of genuine delight in others' accomplishments and shared updates on the tech ecosystem.
- The newsletter mentioned ongoing efforts to help hostages held in G**a and celebrated Israeli tech achievements, despite challenges like missile launches.
- In the tech world, OpenAI's GPT 4o, Signal Messenger's popularity, and TikTok's bidding process were notable.
- Updates on AI advancements from Google, DeepSeek, Microsoft, Alibaba, and Chinese companies like Qwen were shared.
- Various funding rounds congratulated companies like Island, Navina, Aleph Farms, Sympera AI, Charm Security, and Brevel.
- There were no recorded exits for the week, but links to interesting content on Israeli and global startups were provided.
- Insights on unicorn investments, consumer trends, and AI technology from NVIDIA's Jensen Huang were also highlighted.
- Media snippets focused on venture-backed unicorns, acquisitions, image creation by OpenAI, the seed stage landscape, and Gen Z trends.
- The newsletter concluded with appreciation for the community's achievements and encouraged continuous creativity.
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Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: How Should I Get Our First Partner Program Going?
- Building a partner program is a long-term play, with 40% of HubSpot's and Shopify's revenue coming from partners.
- To get started, begin with a pilot program involving 5-10 partners that complement your product and target customer base.
- Hire a dedicated partnership manager from the beginning to nurture relationships, facilitate co-marketing efforts, and track results.
- Focus on providing value to partners through co-marketing, training, and support, while measuring the impact of the partnership.
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