Barriers to Entry in VC🚧, Rise of the AI Wrappers🤖, Google's AI Future Report 🔮
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 🔍
Barriers to Entry in Venture Capital 🚧
Breaking into venture capital is tough. New investors face stiff competition and limited deal flow. [Christian Hernandez]
Engineering Lessons: Apple, Palantir, Slack 💻
Key engineering takeaways for startup founders from Apple, Palantir, and Slack.
Venture Capital’s Sum of All Fears 💥
Venture capital is at a crossroads. The risks in 2025 are rising. [Dan Primack]
Venture Capital Decade Of Disruption 📊
How Megarounds, Global Expansion And AI Doubled VC Investment In 10 Years. [Gené Teare]
Foreign-Born Entrepreneurs Drive America’s Unicorn Boom 🌍
44% of US unicorn founders are immigrants, with India leading. Foreign-born founders are fueling the U.S. unicorn boom. [Ilya Strebulaev]
The unseen dynamics shaping the startup ecosystem. Staying awake while playing a game you can't win. [Akshay Mehra]
AI wrappers are simplifying complex tech and transforming industries. [Alex Duffy]
Most Active U.S. Investors: April 2025 📊
A look at the top U.S. investors and the fastest-growing sectors. [Chris Metinko]
📢 Want to get in front of +300k founders and investors?
For sponsorship opportunities across this newsletter and my other media assets, email: rdominguezibar@gmail.com
Interesting Reports 📊
CVC deal volume down 13%, but median deal size up to $10M. AI dominates with 7 of the top 10 deals. U.S. startups capture 70% of funding.
State of VC-backed SaaS Startups in 2025 💡
Solo founders rise, but VCs stay hesitant. AI SaaS startups raise 41% more at seed. Founders raise smaller rounds and hire later. [Peter Walker]
State of Venture Capital Today 📊
Key report on deal counts, valuations, exits, and industry trends. Crucial for founders and VCs. [Nicole DeTommaso]
Google's 75-Page AI Future Report 🔮
Top AI leaders share bold predictions and strategies for founders in Google’s extensive AI guide. [Matteo Giardini]
Recently Launched Funds 💸
Wave Ventures launches €7M Fund III focused on Nordic pre-seed bets.
Nexa Equity closes $390M Fund II to double down on lower mid-market software.
Dynamo Ventures secures $54M for Fund III, backing supply chain and mobility founders.
Immad Akhund launches $26M solo GP fund targeting early-stage fintech and AI.
Work-Bench raises $160M Fund IV to keep fueling NYC enterprise software.
Vivo Capital wraps $740M+ for its Public Fund, investing across healthcare and life sciences.
Matchpoint Ventures targets $30M for debut fund focused on the intersection of sports and tech.
Marathon Venture Capital closes €75M Fund III to support Greek and European tech startups.
Fundraising?
If you're raising a round, Luis Llorens 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 💼
D11Z Ventures (Heilbronn, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
Smart Infrastructure Ventures (Leipzig, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
Speedinvest (London, England): VC Associate (apply here)
SkiesFifty (Remote): VC Associate (apply here)
Global Millennial Capital (Remote): VC Partner (apply here)
LeapIn (Remote): VC Associate (apply here)
B Capital (Los Angeles, CA): Capital Formation Associate (apply here)
Austrade (Washington, DC): VC Director (apply here)
Suffolk Ventures (Boston, MA): VC Associate (apply here)
Voy Ventures (San Francisco, CA): Senior VC Associate (apply here)
Hottest Deals 💥
Therini Bio, raised an additional $39M in Series A to advance its Alzheimer’s therapeutic platform. (read more)
Entrata, secured a $200M investment from Blackstone to fuel growth in property management tech. (read more)
Prosperos, raised $250K from Mendoza Impact to empower young social entrepreneurs. (read more)
Pronto, scored $2M to simplify business travel expense management. (read more)
Alpheus Medical, landed $52M in Series B to push forward ultrasound-based brain cancer therapy. (read more)
Algoma, secured $2.3M in seed funding to build generative AI models for manufacturing. (read more)
Metafoodx, raised $9.4M to reinvent food supply chains using AI. (read more)
Imprint Labs, landed $15M in philanthropic capital to back founders solving systemic inequities. (read more)
Solestial, closed $17M in Series A to power solar for satellites with next-gen tech. (read more)
Kincell Bio, raised $22M to launch its cell therapy manufacturing platform. (read more)
Wi-Charge, grabbed $20M in Series C to scale wireless power tech. (read more)
Verdi, raised CA$6.5M in seed funding to boost precision irrigation for farming. (read more)
Row Zero, raised $10M in seed funding to transform how live entertainment is distributed. (read more)
Voltra, secured $1.8M in pre-seed to electrify construction equipment. (read more)
CarbonSix, raised $4M seed to slash aviation emissions with carbon-capture fuel. (read more)
RESOURCES 🛠️
✅ 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
Interesting how some AI wrappers are actually making more money than the AI model providers.