AI Eats the World🤖, Trouble for New VCs💀, The IPO Market Is Stirring📉
Another week, another pulse check on venture.
From top insights and reports to new funds, VC jobs, and the hottest deals—here’s everything you need to stay ahead.
Let’s dive in 👇
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In-Depth Insights 🔍
AI Funding Surge Leaves Other Startups Stranded 🧟♂️
AI sucked up 40% of all U.S. startup cash last year - great for OpenAI and friends, bad for everyone else. With exits stalled and IPOs rare, the Valley’s now crawling with “zombiecorns” that can’t scale, can’t die, and definitely can’t IPO. [CNBC]
The IPO Market Is Stirring, but at ‘Down-Round’ Valuations 📉
Hinge Health’s $6.2B peak is now a $2.9B maybe. The era of inflated private rounds is over; discipline is the new norm. [WSJ]It’s Never Been Harder to Make It in Venture Capital 💀
New VCs are getting crushed - funding for emerging managers has plummeted 75% since 2021. Survival now demands a killer edge, perfect timing, or a powerful story. {Bloomberg]
How Gen AI Could Disrupt SaaS - and Change the Companies That Use It 🧬
AI-first systems are ditching rigid workflows for dynamic, goal-based execution - freeing teams from dropdown hell and unlocking 30%+ efficiency gains. [HBR Executive]The Seed 100: The Best Early-Stage Investors of 2025 🌱
Business Insider ranks the top 100 early-stage investors backing breakout startups. Names like Sam Altman, Naval Ravikant, and Keith Rabois lead a list full of bold bets and billion-dollar outcomes. [Business Insider]
Ownership Is the Strategy 🎯
A $10B outcome sounds great - until you realize your slice is 1%. This piece cuts through the hype and shows why cap table math, not company logos, is what actually drives fund returns. Spoiler: bragging rights don’t pay LPs. [James Sedgwick-Heath]The Great ERP Unbundling 🧱
The all-in-one ERP giant is dying. In its place? A $40B+ gold rush as startups carve up the back office into modular, AI-ready apps. One stack, dozens of winners. [Lightspeed]
How VCs Value Startups: The VC Method + Excel Template 📊
VCs price your startup based on returns - not vibes. This breakdown shows how they do it, plus an Excel model to run the math yourself.
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Interesting Reports 📊
AI Eats the World - 2025 Strategic Tech Trends 🤖
Benedict Evans drops a deck that slices through the hype: AI isn’t just a layer - it’s the platform shift. If you build product or run strategy, don’t skip this. [Benedict Evans]
Best Breakdown of Private Equity Fund Types 🧠
Finally, a breakdown that doesn’t suck: fund structures, GP vs LP power plays, and the lingo every founder should tattoo on their pitch deck.
Rise of Cambridge Tech 🧬
Step aside, Silicon Roundabout - Cambridge is beating London and Oxford in unicorn velocity and early-stage growth. Bay Area, watch your back.
Understanding the Model Context Protocol (MCP) 🌐
BCG X’s Daniel Sack explains the Model Context Protocol - how AI agents are about to get 10x smarter. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft are already building on it.
The Stablecoin Market Map: $12.3B Surge Signals Explosive Growth 🔐
$12.3B+ in 2025 alone. CB Insights just mapped 172 breakout stablecoin players transforming everything from global payments to enterprise finance. [CNB Insights]
Recently Launched Funds 💸
Emil Capital Partners rebranded as ECP Growth and closed Fund IV at $100M targeting consumer innovation.
South Loop Ventures raised $21M for its debut fund, focused on early-stage Midwest tech startups.
Mitsui Chemicals launched its second $60M corporate VC fund to drive sustainability and innovation.
Cathay Innovation completed a $1B global fund to back next-gen startups across health, finance, and climate.
FundersClub planning to raise $176M for its fourth fund, continuing its digital-first investment model.
Metalayer Ventures closed Metalayer Fund I at $25M to invest in AI infrastructure and tooling.
TMR Ventures raising $40M for its inaugural fund to focus on deep tech and frontier markets.
HJF MDC Venture Fund looking to raise $20M to support dual-use technologies with military and civilian applications.
Fundraising?
If you're raising a round,
and I can help. We gather startup fundraising data and share it with our audience of 300k+ investors and startup enthusiasts. Fill out this form and we’ll will do our best to connect you with the right investors! 🚀VC Jobs 💼
Multiple Capital (Berlin, Germany): VC Analyst (apply here)
Various Firms (London, United Kingdom): Multiple VC Roles (apply here)
500 Global (Remote): VC Partner (apply here)
Autark Ventures (Remote): VC Associate (apply here)
Necessary Ventures (Remote): VC Internship (apply here)
B Capital (Los Angeles, CA): Capital Formation Associate (apply here)
Various Firms (Washington, DC): Multiple VC Roles (apply here)
Hitachi Ventures (Boston, MA): VC Analyst (apply here)
Samsung Next (San Francisco, CA): VC Investor (apply here)
GSR (New York City, NY): VC Associate (apply here)
Hottest Deals 💥
Uplinq, raised $10M in Series A funding to revolutionize business credit access for SMBs. (read more)
R1, received a strategic investment from Khosla Ventures to advance its robotic kitchen automation tech. (read more)
Vima Therapeutics, secured $60M in Series A funding to accelerate longevity-focused biotech development. (read more)
Unbound, raised $4M to grow its community platform empowering women and nonbinary creators. (read more)
Roxfit, landed $800K in funding to expand its AI-driven personal fitness platform. (read more)
Snorkel AI, scored $100M in Series D at a $1.3B valuation to scale its data-centric AI development suite. (read more)
Volteras, raised $11.1M in Series A to drive smarter energy management for EV fleets. (read more)
CurifyLabs, secured €6.7M to scale its personalized medicine compounding solutions. (read more)
Rime, raised $5.5M in seed funding to enhance AI-native collaboration and productivity tools. (read more)
Outcomes4Me, closed $21M in funding to expand its AI-powered cancer navigation platform. (read more)
Tengr.ai, raised $1.2M in equity funding to build its neural network optimization engine. (read more)
Naoris Protocol, secured $3M in strategic funding to decentralize cybersecurity infrastructure. (read more)
David, closed $75M in Series A to disrupt B2B payments for modern businesses. (read more)
Empathy, raised $72M in Series C to scale its end-of-life planning and grief support tech. (read more)
Dreampark, raised $1.1M in seed funding to reimagine community living for digital nomads. (read more)
RESOURCES 🛠️
✅ 300+ VCs That Accept Cold Pitches — No Warm Intro Needed
✅ 50 Game-Changing AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025
✅ 144 Family Offices That Cut Pre-Seed Checks
✅ 70+ Startup Pitch Decks That Raised Over $1B in 2024
✅ 89 Best Startup Essays by Top VCs and Founders (Paul Graham, Naval, Altman…)
✅ The Ultimate Startup Data Room Template (VC-Ready & Founder-Proven)
✅ The 100+ Pitch Decks That Raised Over $2B
✅ Ultimate Investor List of Lists (+5k VCs)
✅ 40 Pitch Decks That Raised Over $460M
✅ The Startup Founder’s Guide to Financial Modeling (7 free templates included)
✅ SAFE Note Dilution: How to Calculate & Protect Your Equity (+ Cap Table Template)
✅ 400+ Seed VCs Backing Startups in the US & Europe
✅ The Best 23 Accelerators Worldwide for Rapid Growth (and How to Get Into Them)
✅ The Ultimate Startup & Venture Capital Notion Guide: Knowledge Base & Resources
✅ AI Co-Pilots Every Startup & VC Needs in Their Toolbox