Cap Table Template📊, Mastering Developer Hiring👥, Content and Community in the Age of AI 📰
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 🔍
Content and Community: The Evolution of Publishing in the Age of AI 📰
AI is revolutionizing publishing by commoditizing content creation, challenging traditional models. The future is about building sustainable communities, not just producing content, as AI tools help foster deeper connections and engagement. [Stratechery]
Startups That Are Actively Fundraising Right Now: Discover Emerging Leaders in Tech 🚀
This month’s list showcases 61 promising early-stage startups from stealth to Series A/B, solving real-world problems with strong teams. It’s a must-read for investors looking for fresh opportunities and founders raising capital for growth. [Luis Llorens]Cap Table at Series A & B: Mastering Ownership and Maximizing Returns 📊
A well-structured cap table can make or break a fundraising round. Founders must understand dilution and control to maximize returns, negotiate smarter, and avoid costly mistakes during Series A and B raises.
Replacing Sales Teams with AI: Throxy’s $1.5M ARR Playbook 🤖
Throxy is replacing SDR teams with AI-driven solutions, achieving $1.5M in ARR. Their full-stack AI agency model proves AI can enhance human efforts, offering a smarter approach to scaling sales operations. [Ivan Landabaso]
CLTV vs CAC Ratio: The Key Metric to Startup Success 📈
The CLTV to CAC ratio is essential for measuring sustainable growth. By optimizing these metrics, founders ensure profitability, attract investors, and set their business on a scalable path toward success.
Mastering Developer Hiring as a Non-Technical Founder 👥
Non-technical founders need a clear strategy to hire the right developers and build a solid tech team. Focusing on communication and momentum over perfection helps achieve product-market fit and long-term success.
US VC Female Founders Dashboard 👩💼
This dashboard tracks U.S. VC activity with a focus on female founders, offering key insights into deal volume, investor distribution, and regional funding trends. It’s a crucial resource for understanding gender dynamics in venture capital.
Docs for AI Agents: Understanding the Landscape 📚
AI agent documentation is evolving fast. This article explores how these docs compare with traditional engineering documents and offers practical solutions for managing them effectively in a rapidly changing field. [technicalwriting.dev]
Trending News ⚡
Trump Administration Pledges to Stimulate AI Use and Exports 🏛️
In a bold push to accelerate AI adoption, the Trump administration has announced a plan to cut red tape, streamline data center construction, and boost tech exports. The goal? To solidify the U.S.'s leadership in AI by making it easier for companies to scale infrastructure and enhance capabilities. [WSJ]
GitHub Spark: Personalizing Micro Apps with AI 🤖
GitHub Spark is redefining how developers create micro apps by letting users build personalized tools with zero code. Using a natural language editor and a customizable interface, it makes app creation faster and more accessible, removing barriers and simplifying deployment for developers. [Github Next]
Aeneas: AI Model Transforming Ancient Inscription Research 📜
Aeneas is the first AI model designed to contextualize ancient inscriptions, transforming how historians analyze, attribute, and restore texts. By integrating textual and visual inputs, it accelerates historical research, offering deeper insights into the past with unprecedented accuracy. [Google DeepMind]
Neuralink Sees $1 Billion in Revenue by 2031 💰
Neuralink is aiming for $1 billion in revenue by 2031, with plans to implant brain chips in 20,000 people annually. The company is targeting breakthroughs in communication, vision restoration, and disease treatment, and plans to open five major clinics over the next six years. [Bloomberg]
Apple Enables Developers to Offer Retention Deals When Users Try to Cancel Subscriptions 📱
Apple’s new API allows developers to offer retention deals right when users attempt to cancel subscriptions. This creates a fresh opportunity to keep customers by presenting deals like discounts or free months, preventing cancellations before they go through.
How Citizen’s Email Strategy Drove 40M Sends/Month and Resurrected Churned Users 📧
Citizen's email strategy, starting as a manual MVP, now powers 40 million emails per month, driving massive user retention. Julia Knight reveals the tactical steps behind the approach that revived churned users and helped scale the platform’s engagement. [Try Cutie]
The Evolution of Software Pricing: Six Waves of Innovation 💻
CJ Gustafson outlines six pivotal shifts in software pricing, from bundled models to today’s hybrid, usage-based pricing driven by AI. He explains how understanding these trends can optimize relationships between vendors and customers in an evolving market. [CJ Gustafson]
VC Victor Lazarte Leaving Benchmark to Launch His Own Firm 💡
Victor Lazarte, former Benchmark VC and co-founder of Wildlife Studios, is striking out on his own. After backing AI and tech startups like Mercor and HeyGen, Lazarte’s new firm marks a major shift in his career, signaling a new chapter in venture capital. [Tech Crunch]
X to Test Using Community Notes to Find the Posts Everyone Likes ❤️
Elon Musk’s X is testing Community Notes, a crowdsourced fact-checking system, to pinpoint well-liked posts. Contributors will rate content based on positive resonance, helping X highlight posts that appeal broadly across its diverse audience. [Tech Crunch]
Social Media Gems 💎
How Substack Went from 0 to $1 Billion 📈🚀📩💬
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Substack’s journey from a startup to a $1B company is nothing short of remarkable. CEO Chris Best shares insights into their explosive growth, strategic use of social media, and the vision driving the platform’s future as a major player in digital publishing. [
How VCs Decide to Take a First Meeting with Startups 👨💻
Wondering how to land a first meeting with a VC? This guide by NfX breaks down the key factors investors consider when evaluating early-stage startups, helping founders understand what makes a strong first impression and sets the stage for a successful pitch.
Replit CEO Amjad Masad on Coding Agents, Autonomy, and the Future of Work 💼
Amjad Masad, CEO of Replit, shares his vision on AI-powered software creation and the future of work. This insightful conversation explores how programming is evolving and how founders can adapt to the upcoming shift in the tech landscape. [Y Combinator]
Nobel Prize AI Speech in 122 Seconds 🤖
In a powerful moment from his Nobel Prize speech, Robert Lufkin reflects on AI’s staggering advancements in physics, offering a chilling reminder of the rapid pace at which AI is transforming industries and society. A must-watch for anyone thinking about AI's future.Elon Musk’s Bold EV Patent Move 🚗
Musk’s decision to make Tesla’s EV patents free revolutionized the electric vehicle market, spurring massive adoption. Visionary founders build entire markets, not just businesses.
OpenAI Academy’s Free Courses: Learn AI Skills for 2025 🎓
OpenAI is offering free courses to help you stay ahead in the AI-driven future. From business owners to students, Nikolai Golos explains how these courses are designed to boost productivity and equip you with the skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce.
New Funds 💰
Veralto committed €20M to a new fund focusing on innovative technologies in Emerald Technology Ventures.
RA Capital Management launched $120M for planetary health, supporting solutions to environmental challenges.
Yaday raised €100M to fund innovative technology solutions in various industries.
Brandon Capital closed $439M+ for Fund VI to focus on life sciences investments.
NUS Enterprise committed $150M to launch NUS VC program to support innovation and entrepreneurship.
Booz Allen venture capital $300M commitment to accelerate tech-driven innovation.
Auxxo raised €26M for the Female Catalyst Fund II, focused on investing in women-led startups.
Omega Funds closed $647M for Fund VIII, focusing on global health and biotech innovation.
Avalanche and Team1 launched $100K Fund to boost the Web3 ecosystem in India.
TechVision Fund raised €50M+ for TechVision Fund II to invest in cutting-edge technology companies.
That’s a wrap for this week.
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