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Venture Capital News
Medium
5d
260
Decoding AI Startup Valuations: Investor Expectations and Market Dynamics
- AI startups are securing higher valuations compared to non-AI counterparts.
- In 2023, early-stage AI companies achieved valuations over 20% higher than other startups.
- Investors are drawn to AI's rapid advancements and potential to revolutionize business models.
- The elevated valuations reflect investor confidence in the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.
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Medium
5d
241
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Investment Prospects for Web3 Gaming
- Web3 technology is revolutionising gaming as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), decentralised finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) introduce new elements to gameplay. Web3 is decentralising the industry, shifting power away from central authorities into the hands of players.
- Despite being in its infancy, 'GameFi', as the industry is known, is attracting investors with its potential to enhance user experience and create new economic models. Web3 projects must find a way to become a hotspot for investment to compete with other emerging technologies.
- Web3 economies operate autonomously on blockchains, self-regulating and accruing value from an array of sources. Decentralised gaming networks deploy NFTs to represent in-game items, enabling free-market ownership over virtual assets. Web3 networks enable interoperability of tokenised assets, so players can buy, sell and trade freely between different gaming platforms.
- As a new industry, GameFi is exploratory and waiting for a killer product that could catalyse mass adoption. Total value locked (TVL) is a key metric to gauge the popularity and activity of a decentralised application (dApp). The most popular Web3 games have significantly lower user numbers than centralised games - in June, even the most popular games attracted just 2.5mm and 2.27mm daily users respectively.
- Investor sentiment and market perception play a crucial role in funding for GameFi. Positive sentiment can stimulate prolific private financing while negative sentiment can stifle innovation and lead to a slowdown in application development and user support.
- Web3 gaming, along with other emerging technologies, faces regulatory and ethical challenges. Proactive regulation can boost investor confidence by providing clear legal guidelines and protections. Ethical dilemmas will arise when players invest in NFTs with the expectation of long-term value, only to see a market downturn.
- Investment in Web3 gaming carries risk, but investors can support development teams to focus on technological innovation, asset proliferation and user expansion. Integrating DLT into the gaming ecosystem can be transformative and unlock substantial value for investors and GameFi.
- Aside from private investment funds, top video game companies are actively venturing into the Web3 space by directly investing in GameFi projects, developing their own Web3 games or hiring for blockchain-related positions.
- Web3 has the potential to revolutionise digital ownership and enhance user experience in gaming, but balancing Web3 innovation with ethical responsibility will be key to ensuring long-term viability. The right mix of technological innovation, effective regulatory frameworks, and responsible investment practices can unlock substantial value for both investors and the Web3 gaming ecosystem.
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Medium
5d
151
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How Space Tourism is Changing the Landscape of Science and Discovery
- SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are pioneering companies transforming space tourism from dream to reality.
- SpaceX's reusable rockets have reduced the cost of space launches, and they are developing the Starship spacecraft for travel beyond Earth.
- Blue Origin focuses on suborbital space flights, aiming to bring the space experience to a broader audience.
- Virgin Galactic is developing a suborbital tourism experience, offering microgravity and panoramic views of Earth.
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Medium
5d
282
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*GCGL Token by Ubitex*
- UbitEx has launched GCGL token, an equity token aimed at giving users equity-like benefits within the UbitEx ecosystem.
- GCGL represents a stake in the broader UbitEx network and is part of a strategic move called a Reverse Takeover (RTO).
- Understanding GCGL's tokenomics is essential to recognizing its potential value.
- Total supply of GCGL tokens is set at 300 million, representing 30% of Golden Rock Global plc’s stocks.
- Holding GCGL means owning a share of UbitEx’s value, thanks to its equity-like structure.
- The number of GCGL tokens you are eligible to buy depends on the amount of UB staked and the staking duration.
- Following November 18th, the GCGL staking program officially launches with a 1:10 staking ratio.
- GCGL is projected to rise to $1 per token, and the token is expected to be listed on other major exchanges soon.
- Remember to approach this opportunity with caution, as the crypto market is highly volatile, and investments are inherently risky.
- Now could be a great time to consider GCGL if it aligns with your financial goals.
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Medium
5d
106
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Krypital Group October Review
- DeBridge launch new feature to enable moving assets and controlling account across different blockchains. DBR LFG Vault went live, giving eligible users to participate in liquidity bootstrapping event. ZeroLend integrates Coinbase wrapped Eth into its base market, and plans to introduce advanced looping strategies for enhancing yields.
- Injective has launched a Perpetual market to track BlackRock's BUIDL fund and has become a top blockchain for Tokenized RWAs.
- Pyth Network has launched Crypto Redemption Rate feeds, introducing live, smart contract-based valuations for Liquid staking tokens (LRTs) and yield-bearing stablecoins, addressing reliability issues in DeFi.
- With Raiinmaker V3, users can now verify tags of others to increase AI Reputation Score and further earn money. Coiin.AI's integration with Solana wallets allows users to connect and enhance their AI Reputation on the platform. Solv Protocol is partnering with Suzaku to allow Bitcoin holders to share economic security with Avalanche Layer 1s, promoting decentralization and resilience.
- Portal and Aark Digital team up to enable non-custodial, cross-chain Bitcoin liquidity to DeFi. Autonomys prepares for Phase-2 mainnet launch and continues making progress on products like Astral, AutoSDK, Auto Drive, and Autonomys Agents.
- Bitcoins mining difficulty hits an all-time high of 95.7 trillion, after the seven-day moving average hash rate hit a new record for the network. The crypto industry is anticipating Donald Trump's return to power in 2024 and how it will affect crypto-friendly regulation.
- Market indicators in October suggest a shift in sentiment for Ethereum, with increased optimism shown by derivatives traders and a strong Q4 performance predicted.
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Medium
5d
4
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Perspectives on the state of the startup market in the US
- The Vertex US team recently presented on the state of the American startup market.
- Late-stage crunch is a challenge for startups outside of generative AI.
- Private equity is seizing opportunities to acquire mature startups due to the sluggish IPO market.
- Opportunities exist for startups helping the USA decouple from the Chinese economy and leveraging AI.
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TechCrunch
5d
106
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Startup land wasn’t as quiet this week as you might’ve expected
- AI startup Aravind Srinivas provided reliable insights and maps through its election information hub.
- Startups have benefited from the Inflation Reduction Act, regardless of Trump's return to the U.S. presidency.
- Agtech startup Bowery Farming is ceasing operations after raising over $700 million.
- Latvian on-demand printing companies Printful and Printify are merging.
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Medium
5d
115
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Please welcome Conflixis, the conflicts of interest management platform for the healthcare industry
- Conflixis is a conflicts of interest management platform for the healthcare industry.
- They have developed an AI software platform that helps healthcare organizations understand and mitigate the risks associated with conflicts of interest.
- The platform uses conflicts of interest data to generate cost savings and lower regulatory and reputational risks.
- Conflixis aims to revolutionize the way healthcare organizations deal with conflicts of interest and achieve better outcomes for patients.
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Medium
6d
82
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The collapsing french fundraising market : Time to invest or time to wait ?
- Despite a liquidity crisis, the venture market is hot and wilder than 2021, with entrepreneurs raising mega rounds at unicorn valuations pre product and pre revenue. VCs still have cash to deploy from funds raised during the 2019–2022 boom. The contraction in fundraising seems to have stabilized, as projections for 2024 show only a slight dip. There are actually two fundraising markets at the moment: the “traditional” fundraising market, which is shrinking, and the GenAI market, which is soaring. The essence of venture capital is to invest in outliers. France is internationally recognized for its AI talent with Yann LeCun being French. AI models require vast resources, pushing funding needs sky-high. Major U.S. funds have returned to France to fund AI startups. The AI surge has disrupted valuations, reducing the gap between early-stage and late-stage valuations. Funds are overall struggling to raise new capital and will eventually have less money to invest, leading to a decrease in early stage valuations and the end of the market dislocation, despite the AI hype.
- Many VCs prefer investing in suboptimal conditions over not investing at all. With fewer high-quality startups, funds are competing aggressively, often driving funding rounds and valuations up.
- Young partners are eager to build their track records quickly, creating pressure on General Partners to continue investing.
- Some investors believe the market will eventually bounce back.
- When valuations are sky-high or if we are in the midst of a speculative bubble, VCs still invest in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to fund the global champions of a new category.
- Creating leading AI models requires vast resources, which pushes funding needs sky-high. As a result, early-stage AI companies are raising larger rounds to cover these costs, allowing VCs to deploy capital quickly.
- Some investors view the rise of GenAI not as just another tech wave like software, cloud, or mobile, but as the ultimate category — the greatest invention in human history and possibly the last one we’ll ever shape.
- The AI surge has disrupted valuations, reducing the gap between early-stage and late-stage valuations. Should early stage investors accept these high valuations to avoid missing out, or wait for the hype to cool?
- Funds are overall struggling to raise new capital and will eventually have less money to invest, leading to a decrease in early-stage valuations and the end of the market dislocation, despite the AI hype.
- As funds are struggling, there will be more losers than winners among VCs. Who will win?
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Medium
6d
378
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Breaking the Taboo: How Death Tech is Defying Society’s Fears and Innovating End-of-Life Care
- Legacy Tech (Death Tech) is a sub-sector of the digital economy, transforming how we approach end-of-life planning, legacy, and memorialisation.
- Legacy Tech addresses the logistical, emotional, and cultural challenges surrounding death, simplifying the end-of-life process, from estate planning to memorialisation.
- Legacy Compass and Elayne promote estate planning from a different, b2b2c angle, focusing on emotional value and process of information gathering.
- Platforms like PlotBox and Cemetery360 digitize the process of finding, purchasing, and managing burial plots, allowing users to take virtual tours of cemeteries and engage with digital memorials.
- Legacy management is important for both digital and physical aspects of a person’s life, ensuring that they are thoughtfully organised, protected, and passed on according to their wishes.
- Legacy management provides clarity, reduces stress for loved ones, and preserves personal and cultural elements that make up a person’s identity.
- GoodTrust, Farewill, and newcomer Legacy Compass offer a mix of practical and emotional support options to help clients manage their legacy effectively.
- Technology is reshaping how society addresses sensitive aspects of life, from creating virtual memorials and managing digital estates to eco-friendly burial solutions.
- Success of early leaders like Farewill and GoodTrust has raised over $45m and $13m respectively, and rising startups like Legacy Compass and Elayne are breaking the taboo and setting a new standard in legacy management.
- Effective legacy management transforms a fragmented process into a cohesive legacy that reflects a person’s values, protects their loved ones, and keeps memories alive.
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Saastr
6d
288
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83% Percent of You Haven’t Gotten AI SDRs to Work … Yet
- According to a survey presented at SaaStr Annual, only 3% of companies have generated real revenue from AI SDRs.
- 83% of companies have not yet achieved any results from AI SDRs.
- 11% of companies have managed to build some pipeline using AI SDRs.
- The survey suggests caution and advises companies to experiment and tune their AI SDR engine.
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Medium
6d
156
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Should we? Invest in B2B SaaS
- Palantir Technologies is a successful case study for understanding broader B2B SaaS trends.
- The B2B SaaS market has shifted towards sustainable, value-driven investments.
- ERP and CRM have proven to be resilient SaaS segments with elevated deal values.
- Investors are prioritizing firms with clear value propositions and sustainable growth in the B2B SaaS space.
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Medium
6d
164
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Why We Invested in iAsk
- iAsk is an AI-powered search engine aiming to compete with Google and other AI-driven search players.
- Founded by Dominik Mazur and Brad Folkens, iAsk leverages transformer neural networks to deliver precise and tailored results.
- The platform provides AI-summarized answers, cites authoritative sources, and offers traditional organic web search results.
- iAsk's proprietary language model outperformed leading models and achieved high scores on academic benchmarks.
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Saastr
6d
131
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CRO Confidential: Moving Beyond Traditional Sales, Clay CEO & Co-Founder Kareem Amin on the Future of AI-Driven Growth
- Kareem Amin, CEO and co-founder of tech firm Clay, has spoken of the increasing use of AI in go-to-market systems. He said the options available to Chief Revenue Officers are automating outbound completely using AI sales development representatives, or centralising the more monotonous tasks, enabling AI to automate specific pieces. Clay uses data enrichment and AI to provide RevOps teams and the SDRs with the ability to identify buyers, undertake research and draft emails. Amin believes humans will always be essential in creating creative, bespoke campaigns as an AI's ability to pattern break is limited.
- Clay has raised $50m in funding, with a current valuation of $500m, and the firm's success has been attributed to its tools and profiles. A lean 55-strong team has allowed the company to accomplish more than it could have with a larger team.
- Amin predicts that the introduction of AI will alter the structure of the teams involved in go-to-market campaigns. He suggested that teams would be organised with marketing, sales and customer services working together, rather than in siloed units.
- Amin has suggested that, in the next year, we could become more data-driven in go-to-market campaigns, using AI to generate them, and humans to tweak them.
- Clay began attracting customers by targeting agencies that were seeking to help with prospecting. This not only helped improve Clay's product, but also resulted in the company acquiring customers quickly. Clay uses referral and affiliate programmes, and invests in its brand to nurture happy customers.
- Amin believes that it will be more important to hire better people with AI taking care of routine roles.
- One area in which AI excels is its effectiveness in account scoring and building up information about companies. It is less effective in generating one-off campaigns, creating cohesive messages, auto-GPT functions and executing plans without human intervention.
- Amin believes that AI-linked systems will be used for generating full end-to-end go-to-market campaigns will be created in the near future. The product will look at all CRM data, marketing materials and websites to enable experts to identify the best customers, and create campaigns based on the value proposition.
- Artificial intelligence has the potential to compress team sizes in GTM and support the work of sales development teams with data enrichment and AI. This can help identify prospective buyers, run research on them and draft emails, reducing the amount of monotonous tasks.
- Humans will always essential for creative, bespoke campaigns as AI’s ability to pattern break is limited.
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