Rate Cuts😬, 80+ Ways to Fund Without Diluting💸, AI Is Breaking Valuation Models💣

Mar 22, 2026

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 👇

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In-Depth Insights 🔍

Top AI Users Treat It Like a Teammate, Not a Tool 🏆
High performers integrate AI into multi-step workflows across functions, not isolated queries. Performance gap comes from orchestration and iteration, not access to the model itself.

Markets Reprice the Timeline for Rate Cuts 😬
Rising probability of no policy easing signals prolonged tight financial conditions. Extended higher rates reshape assumptions across valuations, debt, and capital allocation. [Polymarket]

Nvidia’s Compounding Curve Resets Scale Expectations⏳
Decades of steady growth compressed into exponential market cap expansion in a short window. Long-duration thinking remains underpriced relative to how large outcomes can realistically get. [Alfred Lin]

Non-Dilutive Capital Is Larger Than Most Founders Assume💸🔓
Grants, credits, and alternative financing can stack into meaningful runway without equity loss. Awareness and execution, not availability, are the main constraints in accessing these funds.

AI Levels the Playing Field in Equity Research 🔍
Public data combined with structured prompting can replicate institutional-grade analysis. Edge shifts from access to information toward how effectively it is synthesized and tested.
AI Could Collapse Long-Term Valuation Models 💣
If future cash flows become unpredictable beyond a short window, traditional equity pricing breaks down. Capital-intensive AI bets depend on long horizons that may no longer be trusted by markets. [Chamath Palihapitiya]

AI Agent Liability Falls on the Employer ⚖️
Organizations are accountable for actions taken by agents operating within their systems. Policy gaps create exposure as autonomous tools gain the ability to execute real decisions.
AI Expands the Opportunity Surface for Startups 🌱
New layers emerge around integrating, shaping, and deploying intelligence into real workflows. Value accrues to those who package capability into usable, trusted systems for specific users. [Sabrina Albert (Wu) & Vivek Ramaswami]

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Interesting Reports 📊

Europe’s Quiet Position in the AI Landscape 🇪🇺💡
Strong research output and regulatory leadership are shaping global standards behind the scenes. Underallocation from global capital suggests a gap between perception and actual capability. [DealRoom]
Founder Equity Dilution Happens Faster Than Expected 📉
Ownership drops sharply by early rounds, with structural dilution accelerating through later stages. AI founders and solo builders are showing different retention patterns than historical norms. [carta]
Claude Cowork Workflows Separate Power Users From Everyone Else ✂️
Specific task-driven prompts enable automation across operational and administrative functions. Outcome quality is directly tied to instruction precision rather than tool capability alone.

The AI Corner

The Most Valuable Skill in AI Right Now Isn’t Using AI

Ask two people to do the same task with the same AI model…

18 hours ago · 74 likes · 1 comment · Ruben Dominguez

Recently Launched Funds 💸

Gradient raised $220M for its fifth fund, continuing its early-stage investment strategy.
Boreal Ventures launched a $60M Fund II targeting capital-efficient B2B startups.
Redbud VC closed a $25M Fund II to back pre-seed “outsider founders”.

The AI Corner

The Only AI Tools Worth Paying For in 2026

The average user actively uses only 42% of their paid AI subscriptions…

21 days ago · 75 likes · Ruben Dominguez

VC Jobs 💼

Entrepreneurs First (Paris, France): VC Associate (apply here)
Vorwerk Ventures (Berlin, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
Left Lane Capital (London, England): VC Analyst (apply here)
Moderne Ventures (Chicago, IL): Head of IR (apply here)
Flashpoint (New York City, NY): VC Associate (apply here)
UMich (Ann Arbor, MI): VC Analyst (apply here)
Atomic (Miami, FL): VC Associate (apply here)
CrossCut Ventures (Salt Lake City, UT): VC Vice President (apply here)
Ecolab (St. Paul, MN): Senior VC Manager (apply here)
Adrasti (San Francisco, CA): VC Partner (apply here)

Hottest Deals 💥

Fervo Energy, raised $421M in non-recourse debt financing to scale its geothermal energy projects and expand clean baseload power infrastructure. (read more)
Verily, raised $300M in funding to advance precision health initiatives and expand its data-driven healthcare solutions. (read more)
Frore Systems, raised $143M in Series D funding, reaching a $1.64B valuation to scale its solid-state cooling technology for electronics. (read more)
Oasis Security, raised $120M in Series B funding to expand its non-human identity security platform. (read more)
Bluesky, raised $100M in Series B funding to grow its decentralized social networking platform and ecosystem. (read more)
Imperative Care, raised $100M in funding to advance stroke care technologies and expand its commercial footprint. (read more)
Video Rebirth, raised $80M in funding to develop AI-powered video content creation and transformation tools. (read more)
R1 Therapeutics, raised $77.5M in Series A funding to develop novel oncology therapies targeting cancer pathways. (read more)
Excalipoint Therapeutics, raised $68.7M in seed funding to build next-generation precision medicines. (read more)
Surf AI, raised $57M in funding to enhance AI-driven customer engagement and automation solutions. (read more)
RoboForce, raised $52M in funding to scale robotics solutions for industrial automation. (read more)
Standard Template Labs, raised $49M in seed funding to streamline software development workflows and tooling. (read more)
GA Drilling, raised $44.1M in funding to advance plasma drilling technology for energy applications. (read more)
Mestag Therapeutics, raised $40M in financing to develop immunology therapies targeting fibroblast biology. (read more)
Paraform, raised $40M in Series B funding to expand its platform for structured data and enterprise workflows. (read more)