AGI Within 1–3 Years⚡, How to Sell to AI Agents🤖, VC DD Explained🔍
If you're building, investing, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, you're in the right place. Every week, we break down the latest insights, funding news, and founder-friendly gems. Just what matters. Plus, we track the freshest VC funds deploying capital so you know where the money’s moving.
Let’s get into it 👇
In-Depth Insights 🔍
Dario Amodei Predicts AGI Within 1–3 Years ⚡
Anthropic’s CEO warns AGI for coding and knowledge work could arrive in 1–3 years as compute scales exponentially. He forecasts trillions in AI revenue by 2030 and urges founders and investors to prepare for rapid automation.26 Pitch Decks That Raised $400M in 2026 💰
Real decks from Pre-Seed to Series B that raised $400M in three months including $2.7M–$75M rounds. Founders get a blueprint of investor-approved decks from companies like Scribe and Valerie Health.
You Think You Are Aligned You Are Not⚠️
Chris Tottman introduces a PMF Alignment Assessment to uncover hidden leadership misalignment on customer pain, ICP, and differentiation. The tool measures cohesion in Product-Market Fit belief, replacing assumptions with clarity before growth stalls. [Chris Tottman]
200 Most Active Angel Investors Ranked and Revealed 💸
200 angels with 15,000+ combined investments including Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Ron Conway. Direct emails, investment counts, and templates help founders reach investors faster.
The VC Due Diligence Playbook Explained 🔍
Chris Tottman breaks down how VCs evaluate founders, cap tables, product durability, and market size before investing. Clean execution, structured data rooms, and aligned metrics dramatically boost conviction and deal speed. [Chris Tottman]
You Have Been Kicked Out of the Arena Without Knowing ⚔️
Many established companies mistake cosmetic AI adoption for real transformation while startups outbuild and outcompete them. Same-day execution with tools like Claude is the new edge or firms risk becoming walking dead before noticing. [claire vo]
How to Sell to AI Agents 🤖
AI agents automate service discovery, evaluation, and purchasing at high speed and low cost. Success depends on fast, reliable, programmatically discoverable services priced per request traditional marketing will not work. [brian flynn]
Trending News ⚡
Mark Cuban Says Young People Will Lead the AI Revolution 💡
Cuban predicts a massive opportunity for young, tech-savvy workers as every company will need employees who can implement and teach AI tools. AI skills will open doors across industries, not just for engineers, as leadership seeks practical adoption inside companies. [Business Insider]
Anthropic CEO Confesses Safety vs. Profit Is a Daily Struggle ⚖️
Dario Amodei admits commercial pressure challenges Anthropic’s safety-first mission while chasing $14B revenue and a $380B valuation. Resignations and internal tension show the difficulty of maintaining principles while scaling rapidly in the competitive AI market. [Business Insider]
Bank of America CEO Sees AI as Augmentation, Not Job Killer 🏦
Brian Moynihan points out the U.S. workforce doubled despite prior tech disruption, urging calm over AI fears. He views AI as enhancing human capability across banking roles rather than replacing employees, echoing cautious optimism from industry peers. [Fortune]
OpenAI Hires OpenClaw Creator as Agent Wars Intensify 🤖
Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI after turning down offers from Zuckerberg and Altman, signaling the rise of multi-agent AI systems. Rival firms and Anthropic face backlash for mishandling OpenClaw, highlighting how talent moves can reshape competitive landscapes. [Business Insider]
Thrive Capital Closes $10B Fund Targeting AI Winners 💰
Thrive’s new fund allocates only $1B to early-stage startups, focusing on scaling proven platforms like OpenAI, Stripe, and SpaceX. The strategy reflects how capital is concentrating around a few dominant players in the AI era, betting on outsized outcomes rather than experimentation. [TechCrunch]
OpenClaw Creator Cites Europe’s Red Tape Driving Move to US 🚫
Peter Steinberger left Europe for OpenAI, blaming restrictive labor laws, regulatory hurdles, and stalled continental reforms. He warns the innovation gap will widen as European policy fails to nurture high-intensity, scalable tech talent. [Business Insider]
Fans Rally with 21,000 Signatures to Bring Back GPT-4o 😢
Though only 0.1% of users employed GPT-4o, a massive petition called for its return, praising its warmth and conversational style. OpenAI acknowledges the feedback shaped newer models but remains firm on retiring GPT-4o, testing the limits of AI fandom influence. [Business Insider]
Perplexity Ditches Ads to Focus on Subscription Revenue 🔍
Revenue grew 4.7x to $200M ARR as the startup prioritized enterprise clients over ad experiments. Targeting CEOs, doctors, and finance pros, Perplexity bets on trust and retention rather than flashy monetization metrics. [Business Insider]
Etsy Sells Depop to eBay for $1.2B After Paying $1.62B 📦
Etsy offloads the secondhand fashion app at a $420M loss, refocusing on its core marketplace amid competition. eBay gains access to Depop’s 7M mostly young users, aiming to capture the booming pre-loved fashion segment. [TechCrunch]
Figma Stock Surges 15% as AI Tools Boost Growth 🎨
Q4 revenue grew 40% and AI-powered Make usage jumped 70%, driving strong guidance of $1.37B for 2026. Figma’s AI monetization strategy proves that design software can thrive alongside AI, reversing investor pessimism.
Fundraising?
If you’re raising a round, Luis Llorens and The Founders Corner can help. We gather startup fundraising data and share it with our audience of 300k+ investors and startup operators. Fill out this form and we’ll will do our best to connect you with the right investors! 🚀
Social Media Gems 💎
Grit The Key to High Achievement 💪
Success comes from grit, the mix of passion and perseverance that keeps you going. Grit can be learned by committing to work you love long enough to see it through. [Mel Robbins]OpenClaw 43 Failures Before Success 🔥
The founder of OpenClaw failed 43 times before creating a viral AI agent. Iteration, learning from mistakes, and timing visibility right led to GitHub stardom and a deal with OpenAI.
AI Showdown at India Summit ✋😂
Sam Altman and Dario Amodei went viral for a fist-bump moment at the India AI Impact Summit. The clip highlights the rising global stakes in AI, blending technology, strategy, and personality.Revenue Per Employee X and OnlyFans Lead 😳
X and OnlyFans top the revenue-per-employee charts, showing asset-light platforms scale efficiently. Logistics-heavy giants like Amazon highlight that leverage matters more than sheer size.
New Funds 💰
Thrive Capital raised $10B+ for its tenth fund to double down on AI, fintech, consumer, and enterprise tech.
Battery Ventures closed a $3.25B global fund targeting high-growth software, AI, and industrial tech companies.
Mundi Ventures reached a €750M first close for Fund V to invest across fintech, climate, and deep tech.
Dragonfly Capital secured $650M for its fourth fund focused on crypto and blockchain infrastructure
Frist Cressey Ventures closed a $425M Fund IV to back tech-enabled healthcare and value-based care platforms.
That’s a wrap for this week.
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This newsletter delivers timely AI predictions, investor insights, and practical playbooks to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving startup and AI ecosystem