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Venture Capital News
TechCrunch
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IBM’s $6.4B HashiCorp acquisition cleared by UK
- The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK has cleared IBM's planned acquisition of HashiCorp.
- The CMA will publish the full rationale for its decision in the future.
- IBM announced the $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp in 2021 to strengthen its position in the hybrid cloud realm.
- The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also examining the deal.
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Medium
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2W EVs and 5 Forces
- Ola leads the 2W EV market with a 35% market share, with Bajaj Auto showing high YoY growth at 105%.
- Operating margins in the 2W EV industry range from 8-12%, with major players facing intense competition.
- Battery packs constitute a significant cost in EV production, with India importing cells from China and South Korea.
- New-age EV manufacturers are vertically integrated, reducing reliance on outsourcing for components like battery packs.
- The Indian government's subsidies like FAME II aim to boost EV adoption, with a focus now shifting to battery-cell manufacturing.
- An analysis of the 2W EV industry through Porter's Five Forces highlights high barriers to entry and strong competition.
- EVs face threats from ICE vehicles in rural markets due to infrastructure and cost advantages.
- Bargaining power of customers is influenced by pricing and service factors, impacting the sales of 2W EVs.
- Suppliers in the EV industry, particularly battery cell suppliers, hold bargaining power due to concentration and demand premium pricing.
- The industry sees high competition with legacy players and startups vying for market share through price wars and innovation.
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Saastr
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The 2021 GTM Playbook Is Mostly Dead. But What’s The AI Era Replacement?
- The 2021 GTM Playbook, driven by a surge in SaaS apps, is considered obsolete.
- AI has led to increased competition and product-level changes in the tech landscape.
- Strategies like generic outbound emails, low-energy digital events, and mass content creation are ineffective now.
- Highly targeted outbound, AI email tools, IRL field events, and deflationary pricing are noted as still effective.
- Weekly webinars, in-person visits, aggressive brand awareness, and partnership initiatives remain important.
- Creating high-quality industry-related video content and focusing on partnerships are recommended strategies.
- The evolving 2025 GTM playbook emphasizes more personal engagement and effort per prospect.
- AI tools, while valuable, do not address all key challenges in the 2025 sales environment.
- There is a trend of relying on AI solutions alone to solve growth challenges, without sufficient human effort.
- The new GTM playbook requires more work and faces higher competition, especially due to the rise of new AI-fueled competitors.
- Start-ups with exceptional product-market fit may see success with any playbook, showcasing the power of demand-driven sales.
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Medium
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Venture doesn’t scale — it’s time we go back to the real craft of early stage investing: Bek…
- Venture capital has lost its true essence amid bloated funds and diluted conviction.
- Bek Ventures, a high-conviction early-stage investor, believes in a focused and disciplined approach.
- They provide time and attention to their portfolio founders, offering meticulous advice and support.
- Bek Ventures has launched a new fund of $250 million, demonstrating their success and LP network's trust in their approach.
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SiliconCanals
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Austrian VC Fund F closes first fund at €28M to back women-led European startups
- Vienna-based Fund F closes its first fund at €28M, surpassing the original target of €20M.
- The European Investment Fund (EIF) invested €10M in the fund.
- Fund F will provide funding to 25 early-stage startups in Europe with at least one female co-founder.
- Fund F focuses on gender-diverse founding teams in key sectors such as ClimateTech, FemTech & HealthTech, FinTech & InsurTech, and HR Tech.
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Funded
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Venture Capital vs. Bootstrapping: Which is Best for Your Startup?
- Venture capital is funding provided by investors in exchange for equity in a company, while bootstrapping means funding your business using personal savings, revenue, or small loans without outside investment.
- Pros of Venture Capital: 1) Access to Large Capital, 2) Industry Expertise, 3) Networking Opportunities, 4) Increased Credibility
- Cons of Venture Capital: 1) Loss of Equity, 2) Pressure for Fast Growth, 3) Less Control, 4) Difficult to Secure
- Pros of Bootstrapping: 1) Full Ownership, 2) Financial Discipline, 3) Flexibility, 4) More Focus on Customers
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Saastr
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Dear SaaStr: How Do You Know When it’s Time to “Fire Yourself” as a Founder?
- Knowing when to 'fire yourself' as a founder of a company is not easy.
- Instead of stepping down, the answer is to hire experienced VPs and executives.
- Most B2B IPOs have founder CEOs still in charge, having hired great leaders under them.
- Founders possess invaluable knowledge about the product, markets, customers, and ecosystem.
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Medium
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Outstanding outreach: how to optimise your first touchpoint with VCs
- Establishing credibility with VCs through initial outreach is crucial, as warm intros from trusted contacts remain the preferred method.
- Avoid forced intros and ensure mutual contacts truly know the VC before asking for an introduction.
- Control the narrative by providing mutual contacts with a blurb about your company for forwarding to VCs.
- Consider using email or LinkedIn for outreach if warm intros are unavailable, and monitor the VC's activity on these platforms.
- Maintain brevity and clarity in your outreach message, ensuring it's concise and to-the-point within a limited word count.
- Include essential details like market size, trends, revenue, growth numbers, and a clear description of your company.
- Avoid pitfalls such as poor grammar, vague descriptions, and exaggerated growth claims in your outreach communication.
- Adopt a straightforward and polite tone in your message, avoiding industry jargon and demonstrating confidence.
- Test different variations of your outreach message and remember that most VCs will want to see a pitch deck before a call.
- Ensure your outreach message is compelling, concise, and conveys your company's unique value proposition effectively.
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Medium
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Your Product Tells Us The Story of Your Company: How To Demo Software to VCs
- When demoing software to potential investors, it's important to approach it differently than demoing to customers.
- For investors, the demo should serve as a vehicle for telling a story about the company.
- Focus on key aspects of the product that illustrate its power and uniqueness.
- Craft a script, practice it, and make sure to emphasize team strength, domain expertise, understanding of the user, opportunity size, competition, and data.
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Medium
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A Comparative Analysis Of Bryan Johnson’s Biohacking Expense Between the US, India, and Thailand
- This analysis compares Bryan Johnson's biohacking expenses in the US, India, and Thailand.
- While supplement costs remain consistent across all three countries, hiring staff and medical services offer significant savings in India and Thailand.
- Relocating to India could result in a 76% reduction in costs, while Thailand offers a 57% reduction.
- Factors such as the availability of cutting-edge medical services and expertise need to be considered before making a move.
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Siliconangle
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RAD Security raises $14M to expand AI-driven cloud security platform
- RAD Security has raised $14 million in a funding round to expand its cloud security platform.
- The startup specializes in cloud-native threat detection and response solutions with a focus on securing runtime environments and software supply chains.
- RAD Security's platform utilizes behavioral workload fingerprinting to detect anomalies and takes on zero-day vulnerabilities in the software supply chain.
- The funding will be used to adapt and expand the platform to address new risks from AI adoption and to scale up marketing, sales, and strategic partnerships.
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Medium
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Last Week in ConTech — 24 February 2025
- Speculation arose regarding Microsoft's potential cancellation of data center leases and power purchase agreements in the US, signaling hesitancy in the midst of an AI infrastructure surge.
- DeepSeek, a Chinese AI model, emerged with claims of enhanced efficiency at reduced training costs, impacting data center power demand projections.
- Energy firms and construction companies are closely monitoring the critical US market for data centers, with a focus on electricity consumption related to AI model training.
- Efficiency breakthroughs in AI model training challenge the necessity of current levels of infrastructure spending globally.
- Recent funding developments include investments in Reality CapturePlanitar, Handly, MyPass, Reneo, and Deutsche Sanierungsberatung, among others.
- Innovative startups like Unusuals, Proba, and Hepta Airborne are contributing to sectors such as Inspections & Maintenance and Supply Chain Decarbonization.
- New AI solutions introduced by startups like PlanningHub, 7Analytics, and Faura are reshaping industries by providing planning insights and climate risk mitigation strategies.
- US-related notes cover a range of topics from grid infrastructure advancements to climate risk mitigation strategies and regulatory developments.
- International updates include developments in China, Korea, France, India, Singapore, and Vietnam, showcasing advancements in AI, energy laws, and infrastructure investments.
- Global trends reflect a growing emphasis on sustainability, AI integration, and strategic investments in critical infrastructure across various industries and regions.
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Saastr
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Sapphire Ventures: VC Deals in B2B Start 2025 … Down Another -8%
- Overall B2B Venture Capital (VC) deals decreased by 8% in January compared to December.
- Compared to the start of 2025, B2B VC deals have dropped by a significant 64%.
- Despite the decline in deals, investments in big AI growth rounds are at a record high.
- There is increased focus on funding SaaS and B2B companies at the growth stage and AI-focused early stage startups.
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Medium
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Understanding the Venture Capital -First Principles of Fintech
- Venture capitalists (VCs) are individuals or firms who invest in startups, taking on the risk of uncertain success in the hopes of high returns.
- VCs utilize a first principles thinking (FPT) approach to the investment process, breaking down complex issues into fundamental truths to find innovative solutions.
- Startups go through different phases, from PreSeed to Public Offering, and investors may specialize in each phase based on their expertise.
- Investors consider multiple factors such as market disruption potential, personal trust, startup capability, and gut feeling when deciding to invest in a startup.
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Medium
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How 3D-Printed Homes Are Shaping the Future of Affordable Housing
- 3D printing is revolutionizing the construction industry by creating affordable homes using advanced robotics and eco-friendly materials.
- Key benefits of 3D-printed homes include cost savings, faster construction timelines, sustainability, and customization.
- The market for 3D-printed housing is expected to grow significantly, challenging traditional real estate and construction.
- Challenges such as building codes, public skepticism, and technology limitations need to be overcome for widespread adoption.
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