Legal’s $900B AI Repricing⚖️, Team sizes are shrinking📊, a16z's AI x Commerce Thesis 🛍️
Another week, another pulse check on venture.
From top insights and reports to new funds, VC jobs, resources, and the hottest deals, here’s everything you need to stay ahead.
Let’s dive in 👇
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In-Depth Insights 🔍
IRR vs Return Multiple: The Math Every Founder Must Master 📊
A practical guide to understanding how IRR and MOIC impact venture returns. This framework helps founders and VCs make smarter decisions and align expectations with investors.
AI x Commerce: Andreessen Horowitz’s New Thesis 🛍️
AI will reshape product discovery and purchasing in ways we’ve never seen. This shift creates massive opportunities for startups and retailers to innovate and lead the future of shopping.
DeepSeek’s Disruption: Rethinking the AI Playbook 💥
DeepSeek’s R1 model is challenging global AI giants by offering similar performance at a fraction of the cost. Its open-source approach is pushing competitors to rethink how reasoning models should be built. [MIT Technology Review]Trending AI Tools of 2025: Mid-Year Rundown 🛠️
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A deep dive into the most impactful AI tools of 2025, from chatbots to creative apps. This guide highlights the products making the biggest difference across industries this year. [
Personal Autonomous Vehicles: From Hype to Reality 🚗
GM shifts its focus to consumer-owned autonomous vehicles while startup Tensor introduces a luxury self-driving car. The push toward personal AVs is gaining momentum and could soon redefine transportation. [Daniel Abreu Marques]
India’s AI Startup Funding Surges to $665M in 2025 💰
AI funding in India has grown 50% this year, driven by deeptech and generative AI. Investors are doubling down on high-potential, specialized applications that will lead the next wave of growth. [Moneycontrol]Death of the Billable Hour: Legal’s $900B AI Repricing ⚖️
AI is replacing the traditional billable-hour model in BigLaw, offering faster, outcome-based services at scale. This shift is opening up a $70B+ market for more efficient, cost-effective legal services. [Ethan Batraski]
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Interesting Reports 📊
The Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2025: Key Insights & Trends 🌍
The GSER 2025 shows major shifts in global startup ecosystems. London drops to #3, Boston returns to the Top 5, and cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Bengaluru rise, signaling the growth of emerging ecosystems worldwide.
Foundational Equity: Startup Data Insights for Founders 📊
Peter Walker shares key startup data from over 45,000 companies, covering co-founder equity, seed funding, employee option pools, and AI vs non-AI valuations. These 50 slides offer invaluable insights for founders navigating the early stages of growth.
European VC Valuations Show Growth Despite Market Uncertainty 📈
European VC valuations grew in Q2 2025, even amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty. The rise, especially in AI sectors, shows a focus on quality investments as fewer down rounds occur compared to last year.
Recently Launched Funds 💸
BDC Capital, unveils $200M Industrial Innovation Venture Fund II, aiming to scale Canada’s industrial and cleantech sectors.
Veteran Ventures Capital, closes Fund II at $60M, focused on veteran-led ventures and national security.
Delphinus Venture Capital, launches its new firm, setting its sights on high-impact investments.
Norrsken Evolve Fund’s, growth-stage impact strategy is explored in an interview with General Partner Johan Attby.
True Global Ventures, secures a Capital Markets Services Licence from MAS, broadening its scope beyond venture capital fund management.
Monex Group, just dropped a $20.4M fund aimed at backing African tech startups, with a focus on everything from mobile payments to agri-tech.
Veteran Ventures Capital, just closed its $60M Fund II, doubling down on dual-use national security tech, with space as a major focus.
1834 Ventures, launches a $20M fund to back startups from Tulane alumni and its extended community, fueling innovation and reversing brain drain in Louisiana.
Fundraising?
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Kopa Ventures (London, England): VC Internship (apply here)
DZ Ventures (Heilbronn, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
Hottest Deals 💥
General Fusion, pulled in $22M to make fusion power less sci-fi, more grid-ready. (read more)
AgendaPro, booked $35M to keep Latin America’s appointment economy running on time. (read more)
Ontic, locked down $230M Series C to supercharge threat-intel before threats even happen. (read more)
Nuro, snagged $203M Series E so its delivery bots don’t just roll… they scale. (read more)
Rule scored £800K pre-seed to gamify saving for ADHD brains (and impatient ones too). (read more)
Overhaul hauled in $105M Series C (plus debt) to make supply chains less… fragile. (read more)
Zed bagged $32M Series B to prove coding together > coding alone. (read more)
Iantrek banked $42M Series C to keep phones connected straight to satellites. (read more)
EliseAI raised a monster $250M Series E to bring automation to housing and healthcare. (read more)
Upstage grabbed $45M bridge to keep building its enterprise-ready GenAI stack. (read more)
Functionize secured $41M Series B so QA testing finally stops being painful. (read more)
Keychain, locked down $30M Series B to secure AI’s supply chain from the ground up. (read more)
ChatBlu, landed $500K pre-seed to chat its way into AI messaging. (read more)
SpinLaunch, got $30M to literally fling satellites into orbit. (read more)
Paradigm, banked $5M seed to make spreadsheets that think like agents. (read more)
RESOURCES 🛠️
✅ IRR vs Return Multiple Explained + Template
✅ The Headcount Planning Module
✅ CLTV vs CAC Ratio Excel Model
✅ 100+ Pitch Decks That Raised Over $2B
✅ VCs Due Diligence Excel Template
✅ SaaS Financial Model
✅10k Investors List
✅ Cap Table at Series A & B
✅ The Startup MIS Template: A Excel Dashboard to Track Your Key Metrics
✅ The Go-To Pricing Guide for Early-Stage Founders + Toolkit
✅ DCF Valuation Method Template: A Practical Guide for Founders
✅ How Much Are Your Startup Stock Options Really Worth?
✅ How VCs Value Startups: The VC Method + Excel Template
✅ 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI & SaaS Startups
✅ Cap Table Mastery: How to Manage Startup Equity from Seed to Series C
✅ 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
✅ 89 Best Startup Essays by Top VCs and Founders (Paul Graham, Naval, Altman…)
✅ The Ultimate Startup Data Room Template (VC-Ready & Founder-Proven)
✅ The Startup Founder’s Guide to Financial Modeling (7 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
✅ AI Co-Pilots Every Startup & VC Needs in Their Toolbox
One correction - "Iantrek, Inc., a White Plans, NY-based bio-interventional ophthalmic surgery (BIOS) company closed a $42m Series C financing." vs "Iantrek banked $42M Series C to keep phones connected straight to satellites"... No phones or satellites there :-)