The Founders Fund Story🔥, YC Investing Patterns📊, AI in the Enterprise🔍

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 👇

---

Brought to you by Harmonic — the complete startup database

The updated Harmonic Chrome Extension automatically appears on any LinkedIn profile allowing you to pull emails with a single click.

Using the Extension, one-click enables you to:

✅ Instantly view traction + funding

✅ See your team’s network mapped to any company

✅ Update pipeline and team notes

✅ Prepare for founder conversations on the go with deep AI research

---

In-Depth Insights 🔍

• 16 Changes to AI in the Enterprise: 2025 Edition 🔍
  Enterprise AI spending is moving from experimental to essential. Companies are opting to buy off-the-shelf AI solutions, shifting away from custom builds. [Andreessen Horowitz]

• GenAI for Hedge Funds Startups 🤖
  A list of AI startups focused on improving hedge fund strategies. Highlights emerging players leveraging large language models for investment insights. [Alex Izydorczyk]

  

• Patterns Across 5 Years of YC Investing 📊
  YC’s focus has shifted to cybersecurity, industrial/manufacturing, and B2B solutions. AI companies raise slightly more, the broader trend is a move toward solving real-world problems, not speculative tech. [Tomasz Tunguz]

  

• What’s Going on with Early-Stage Investing? 🤔
  AI and deep tech are seeing strong backing, while more traditional businesses face challenges in securing capital. VCs are focused on long-term relevance and high return potential. [Chris Neumann]

  

• No Rivals: The Founders Fund Story 🔥
  Founders Fund made bold, contrarian bets on companies like PayPal, SpaceX and Palantir. Thiel’s influence reshaped Silicon Valley, proving that unconventional strategies can pay off. [Mario Gabriele]

  

• Venture’s Journey Into Private Equity 📊
  With exits slowing, venture firms are pivoting to private equity, focusing on acquisitions and AI-driven growth. This shift is reshaping their strategies and the future of exits. [Forbes]

  

• 25 European Startups to Watch 🌍
  These European startups are breaking new ground in tech, from generative AI to space. With impressive growth and innovative approaches, they’re set to lead the next wave of industry disruption. [Bloomberg]

• YC's AI Agents Focus Intensifies 🤖
  Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 batch sees nearly half of startups focusing on AI agents. This shift mirrors the broader venture trend as AI startups continue to dominate. [PitchBook]

---

📢 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 📊

• Visualizing the Evolution of Risk & Insurance 📊

  Amir Kabir shares a series of visuals that break down complex trends in risk and insurance. From insurtech disruptions to AI’s real role, this report highlights the industry's evolution and future opportunities.

• Enterprise SaaS M&A Review: Q1 2025 💼
  M&A activity in the enterprise SaaS sector stayed strong in Q1 2025 with 210 deals. However, overall deal value dropped 25% due to economic pressures and regulatory concerns.

  

• Opportunities in APAC IPO Markets 📈
  APAC’s IPO market is becoming more selective, with a focus on fundamentals. The report highlights which regions, like India and Southeast Asia, are still ripe for successful public listings.

  

---

---

Recently Launched Funds 💸

• Felicis Ventures closed its 10th fund with a total of $900M to support early-stage startups across sectors.

• Seven Stars Ventures launched its first AI-focused fund, raising $40M to invest in emerging AI startups.

• Genesys Capital closed Fund IV to further its investments in growth-stage tech companies with strategic exits.

• Collab Capital has raised $75M for Fund II, aimed at backing Black-led tech startups.

• Sofinnova Partners, in collaboration with NVIDIA, aims to accelerate European life sciences startups with a specialized fund.

• Pride Capital Partners held the first close of Fund III, aiming to provide early-stage capital to underrepresented founders.

• DataTribe raised $41M to continue backing deep tech and cybersecurity startups with strong market potential.

• Geodesic Capital held the first close of its $250M Geodesic Alliance Fund, focusing on late-stage growth opportunities in high-tech sectors.

---

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 💼

• United Nations (New York City, NY): VC Internship (apply here)

• TCV (San Francisco, CA): VC Associate (apply here)

• Moderne Ventures (Chicago, IL): VC Internship (apply here)

• Construct Capital (Washington, DC): VC Investor (apply here)

• Clocktower Ventures (Los Angeles, CA): VC Analyst (apply here)

• Avivar Capital (Remote): VC Consultant (apply here)

• Stella Capital (Remote): VC Internship (apply here)

• Hummingbird Ventures (Remote): Community Lead (apply here)

• TempoCap (London, England): VC Internship (apply here)

• Reimann Investors (Munich, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)

---

Hottest Deals 💥

• Autonomize AI, secured $28M in Series A funding to advance its AI-driven automation platform. (read more)

• KnowUnity, raised €27M in Series B funding to scale its educational platform. (read more)

• Outset, secured $17M in Series A funding to expand its sustainable energy solutions. (read more)

• Mesomat, raised seed funding to advance its innovative materials technology. (read more)

• Bolo AI, secured $8.1M in seed funding to enhance its AI-powered customer engagement tools. (read more)

• Proxima Fusion, raised €130M in Series A funding to accelerate its nuclear fusion energy research. (read more)

• Antares Therapeutics, secured $177M in Series A funding to develop its next-generation gene therapies. (read more)

• WealthBox, received a $200M investment from Sixth Street Growth to scale its wealth management platform. (read more)

• XRobotics, secured $2.5M in seed funding to innovate in automation. (read more)

• Volantis, raised $9M to accelerate its UAV logistics solutions. (read more)

• Tombot, raised $6.1M in Series A funding to expand its robotic pet therapy offerings. (read more)

• Multiverse Computing, secured $215M to push the frontier of quantum computing. (read more)

• Meter, raised $170M to expand its sustainable energy solutions. (read more)

• HighGround, secured seed funding to improve customer engagement technology. (read more)

• Maze, raised $25M in Series A to enhance its user research platform. (read more)

---

RESOURCES 🛠️

✅ 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

✅ 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