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Venture Capital News
Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: Should SaaS Startups Really Have CROs or COOs? Is That Too Many Management Layers?
- The rise of hiring COOs and CROs closer to $10m ARR than $50M ARR.
- Faster growth and specialization are key factors driving this trend.
- The presence of experienced veterans in SaaS industry is contributing to the rise of COOs and CROs.
- Title inflation is also influencing the shift towards CRO roles.
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Medium
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Adventure #15 — Failing fast and more takeaways
- Choosing the right co-founders is emphasized by the Vento team, with 36 people in the room making the challenge of team selection crucial.
- The author's first team dissolved quickly, leading to feelings of isolation and doubt, highlighting the importance of team dynamics.
- Advice to not isolate oneself and keep testing different team dynamics is shared, emphasizing the need for real experience working with people.
- The difficulty of balancing the desire for data with the need to work in a team setting is explored, touching on the concept of analysis paralysis.
- Despite conversing with many talented individuals, the author finds himself stuck in overanalyzing and seeking perfection rather than committing to a team.
- After two weeks of exploration and discussions without forming a team, a breakthrough occurs during a conversation with two impressive individuals looking for a technical co-founder.
- The author realizes the importance of recognizing the right team when presented, leading to a shift in mindset and a commitment to the newfound team.
- Gratitude is expressed for the journey, lessons learned, and the evolving nature of startups and teams.
- A reminder about cybersecurity and the importance of locking personal devices is shared, humorously referencing unexpected online profile makeovers.
- The article reflects on the challenges and lessons of team formation in the startup environment, emphasizing the value of collaboration and decisive action.
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Medium
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This day I should devote to a hasty glimpse of the world: past and present.
- Today, the focus is on exploring the present world and the busy life of New York City.
- The narrator is driven by a desire to embrace the beauty of the world and not waste time on longings.
- People often miss out on observing the small details of life, as the narrator has experienced with their seeing friends.
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Medium
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How Figure AI is Shaping the Future of Work with Humanoid Robots
- Figure AI is developing adaptable humanoid robots to address the global labor shortage in industries like logistics, manufacturing, and healthcare.
- Their robots are built to think, learn, and move like humans, thanks to cutting-edge AI and robotics technology.
- The robots can perform tasks, recognize objects, make decisions, and improve over time through machine learning.
- While the demand for AI-driven automation is growing, Figure AI aims to integrate their robots into industries for immediate use and is backed by $70 million in funding.
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Insider
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Mira Murati's new AI startup is set to be valued at $9 billion, sources say
- Thinking Machine Labs, a new AI startup founded by Mira Murati, is aiming to raise $1 billion funding at a valuation of around $9 billion.
- The funding round is still in progress and subject to change.
- Investors have shown interest in backing AI startups founded by former OpenAI employees.
- Thinking Machine Labs focuses on making AI systems more accessible and customizable.
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Medium
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Milena Oliveira (Volpe Capital) on taking concentrated bets in Latin America, dynamics of early…
- Volpe Capital invests in late Series A and Series B rounds in Latin America, focusing on Brazil and Mexico.
- The firm takes an active role in portfolio companies, providing strategic guidance.
- Volpe Capital follows a conservative valuation strategy and aims for realistic exit scenarios.
- Milena Oliveira sees potential in other Latin American markets like Mexico, despite economic volatility.
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Medium
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The Illusion of Venture Capital
- Venture capital returns have consistently underperformed public market indices on a risk-adjusted basis, revealing structural inefficiencies in the industry.
- The '2 and 20' compensation structure in venture capital incentivizes asset gathering over performance, leading to suboptimal investment outcomes.
- Pattern recognition in venture capital decision-making leads to cognitive bias and overlooks potentially superior investment opportunities.
- Approximately five percent of venture investments drive the majority of industry returns, contributing to extreme concentration in performance.
- Institutional dynamics favor established relationships and brands, creating barriers for emerging managers in the venture capital ecosystem.
- Venture capital's impact on innovation is overstated, with many breakthroughs originating from sources outside traditional venture funding.
- Alternative funding models like revenue-based financing offer more sustainable approaches than traditional venture capital.
- Structural advantages of top-performing venture firms highlight the significance of access and reputation in driving exceptional returns.
- Realigning incentives in venture capital towards sustained performance over capital accumulation is crucial for enhancing investor returns.
- Despite challenges, venture capital remains valuable for aggregating capital for high-risk opportunities, but requires more aligned incentive structures.
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Medium
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The Risks and Rewards of Spinning out your Startup from a University
- Commercialization of university research in the U.S. originated during WWI to bridge scientific advancements for military and civilian purposes through universities.
- Today, numerous companies are spun out from universities annually, varying in science-heavy or less science-focused nature.
- Universities have advanced licensing offices that aid in transforming academic research into market-ready products and services.
- Some universities, like Colorado School of Mines, provide funding support to promising spinouts beyond basic commercialization assistance.
- University spinouts tackle intricate technological challenges in climate technology, biotechnology, and advanced materials leveraging specialized research infrastructure.
- Academic institutions are evolving to actively engage in innovation and economic development by promoting technology commercialization.
- Common considerations include negotiating economic rights for intellectual property licenses and aligning equity interests between universities and startups.
- Planning for exit scenarios, permissive licenses, and transfer fees are key aspects for founders when considering university spinouts.
- Universities offer dedicated programs and funding opportunities to support startups emerging from their ecosystem, such as Accelerators and Incubators.
- Access to funding, credibility, and industry connections are benefits for startups associated with universities, enhancing market position and growth potential.
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19 Likes
Medium
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Cloud Innovation: Female Founders Revolutionize AI Security
- Edera has developed cloud workload isolation technology to address security challenges in shared cloud resources.
- The startup recently secured a $15 million Series A investment led by Microsoft's venture capital fund, M12.
- Edera's all-female founding team is making strides in a male-dominated industry and inspiring new generations of women in technology.
- Their technologies offer seamless security solutions for startups and aid in validating startup ideas.
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12 Likes
Medium
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365
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Five Emerging VC Swimlanes
- Many VC firms are in different swimlanes today than they were a few years ago.
- Market conditions have changed, requiring more capital for tech-heavy companies to reach Series A.
- The size of a VC fund determines its strategy and ability to support founders during different funding rounds.
- Angular remains focused on the inception swimlane, with the ability to lead appropriate inception rounds while deeply caring about each investment made.
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Saastr
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The Top 10 Reasons to Attend 2025 SaaStr Annual, May 13-15 in SF Bay!!
- The 2025 SaaStr Annual event from May 13-15 in SF Bay offers unparalleled networking opportunities, including dedicated 1-on-1 meetings, workshops, and exclusive summits for executives in the SaaS, Cloud, and AI industries.
- Attendees can gain insights from top industry speakers such as CEOs from Snowflake, HubSpot, Dropbox, and others, sharing practical strategies for scaling companies and navigating SaaS growth challenges.
- The event provides excellent opportunities for founders to connect with B2B-focused investors, participate in the VC Pitch Stage, and secure funding, with Mayfield sponsoring an AI VC Pitch Stage offering investments from $500k to $5m.
- SaaStr Annual is a prime recruitment ground, allowing companies to meet potential hires from diverse SaaS functions, such as engineering, marketing, and customer success. Dedicated CEO meetings facilitate networking and recruitment opportunities.
- Attendees can gather competitive intelligence, market insights, and explore the latest AI trends for B2B on the AI Demo Stage, facilitating informed decisions and strategic positioning within the industry.
- Bringing leadership teams to SaaStr Annual enables accelerated learning experiences, benchmark data sharing, access to top AI, Cloud, and SaaS tools, and opportunities for renewed inspiration and actionable strategies for business growth.
- The event emphasizes practical, actionable strategies to drive immediate ROI, with sessions focusing on playbooks, templates, and frameworks that can be implemented swiftly post-event.
- Overall, the 2025 SaaStr Annual event offers a comprehensive platform for industry networking, knowledge sharing, funding opportunities, talent recruitment, and strategic insights to propel growth within the B2B space.
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Pymnts
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AI Startups: 3 Companies Collectively Raise $2.3 Billion
- Startups in robotics and cloud artificial intelligence (AI) have collectively raised $2.3 billion.
- Figure, backed by OpenAI, Nvidia, and Microsoft, is in talks to raise $1.5 billion in a Series C funding round.
- Lambda has raised $480 million to build a hyperscaler cloud for AI developers and end users.
- Together.ai raised $305 million in a Series B round to build an AI cloud for AI applications.
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25 Likes
Medium
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A Proposal for a Modularized, Co-Located Methane Pyrolysis-Based SAF Plant
- Methane pyrolysis presents a cost-competitive approach for generating hydrogen compared to electrolysis, offering round-the-clock hydrogen generation with lower energy demand.
- Co-locating sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) generation with natural gas plants can reduce costs and enhance operational efficiency by leveraging existing infrastructure.
- This strategy prioritizes cost parity before decarbonization, aiming to drive innovation into cleaner energy and carbon dioxide sourcing methods.
- Advantages of co-locating SAF generation include reduced storage and transportation costs, aligning with the goal of bending momentum in a beneficial direction.
- Methane pyrolysis offers a lower OpEx cost for hydrogen production compared to electrolysis, with a simplified cost estimate of around $0.70 per kilogram of hydrogen.
- Direct emissions from methane pyrolysis are negligible, with potential emissions mitigated by using renewable energy sources and leveraging waste heat.
- Utilizing waste heat from natural gas plants and renewable energy sources can reduce reliance on the grid for energy generation in the methane pyrolysis process.
- Displacing emissions from natural plants to the aviation industry through carbon capture helps ensure cost competitiveness, with future plans to transition to DAC for sourcing CO2.
- The proposed co-location strategy in Texas aligns with the abundance of renewable wind energy and cheap natural gas prices, with a focus on cost-effective modularized reactors.
- Leveraging existing technologies through partnerships and a proof of concept approach can forecast economies of scale advantages for methane pyrolysis-based SAF production.
- Experts in methane pyrolysis, FT reactor, RWGS reactor, natural gas construction, and aviation partnerships are essential for successful implementation of the proposed SAF generation strategy.
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Intelalley
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Bitwise AM Completes $70m Equity Raise
- Bitwise Asset Management, a crypto-specialist asset manager, has completed a $70 million equity raise.
- The investment round was led by Electric Capital and included prominent investors such as MassMutual and Khosla Ventures.
- Bitwise experienced significant growth in 2024, with client assets increasing over 10x to exceed $12 billion.
- The funds raised will be utilized to strengthen the firm's balance sheet and expand investment capabilities and investor solutions.
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VC Cafe
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Israel’s Pre-seed 2024 Report and 2025 Sentiment
- Pre-seed funds in Israel were active in 2024, with an average of 4.4 deals per fund and an average check size of $840,000.
- Over 77% of pre-seed investments were closed within 2-3 weeks to a month, highlighting the importance of speed in the process.
- SAFE agreements were used in 94% of pre-seed deals, while 80% of seed rounds were equity-based.
- AI significantly influenced investment strategies, with 87% of pre-seed investments and 74% of seed investments in AI-driven startups.
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