SEO Traffic Is Shrinking📉, The Startup Pricing Dilemma💰, Rippling accuses Deel of trade secret theft 🕵️♂️
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—no fluff, 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 🔍
25% of YC Startups Run on AI-Generated Code ⚡
AI isn’t just assisting coders, it’s replacing them. A quarter of YC’s latest batch rely almost entirely on AI-written software. Is this the new standard for engineering? [Ivan Mehta]
Freemium vs. Paid: The Startup Pricing Dilemma 💰
Go freemium or charge upfront? A deep dive into when—and why—each model works (and when they don’t).
How Startups Should Actually Use Social Media 📢
Posting isn’t a strategy. This guide breaks down how startups can turn social media into a real growth engine. [Rifah Nawar]
10 Bold Predictions for the Future of Finance Tech Stack 🔮
From AI-powered CEOs to the next wave of unicorns, here’s what’s about to shake up the startup world. [CJ Gustafson]
How to Justify Your Product Pricing (With Math) 🧮
Pricing isn’t a gut decision. This framework helps you prove why customers should gladly pay what you charge. [Leah Tharin]
Why HubSpot’s SEO Traffic Is Shrinking 📉
Even giants take hits. Here’s why HubSpot’s search traffic is slipping—and what it means for content marketing. [Andreas Just]
Trending News
Google to acquire Wiz for ~$32B 💰
Google’s biggest cloud security play ever. A $32B bet that enterprise infra is just getting started.Rippling accuses Deel of trade secret theft 🕵️♂️
A lawsuit claims Deel ran a corporate spy op to steal Rippling’s tech. HR just got hostile.Web Summit founder charged with deception 📉
Paddy Cosgrave faces 4 counts for misleading investors. The fall of a tech conference empire.Munich Re buys Next Insurance for $2.6B 💸
Insurtech consolidation heats up. Munich Re goes all-in on SME coverage.Gmail gets AI brain transplant 🤖
Google upgrades Gmail to sort by relevance, not just time. Your inbox just leveled up.
Factorial raises $120M to scale HR SaaS 📊
Fresh cash from General Catalyst to take on Europe and LatAm. Factorial wants to be the Workday of the mid-market.Klarna targets $20B+ IPO 🛍️
The Swedish BNPL giant preps for a US listing. One of 2025’s biggest fintech exits? [Tom Matsuda & Mimi Billing]
Social Media Gems 💎
Unicorns Are Reaching $1B Faster Than Ever 🦄
AI, investor FOMO, and massive early bets are accelerating unicorn growth. Game-changing or a bubble waiting to pop? [Jason Saltzman]The Revolut Mafia: Fintech’s Next Power Players 🥷🏻
Ex-Revolut founders are shaping the future of fintech. Who’s leading the charge? [John Kim]The Decline of Human Intelligence 🧐
As AI gets smarter, humans are slipping. Cognitive decline is real—making critical thinking a superpower. [Rika Christanto]Wiz’s Mega Exit: Who Won Big? 🚪
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Wiz investors just hit the jackpot—some scoring up to 222x returns. [Biggest VC-Backed Acquisitions of All Time 🤝
Wiz’s $32B exit tops the charts, followed by WhatsApp, Medivation, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and Stemcentrx. [Yoram Wijngaarde]Inside the Mind of the World’s Top Angel Investor 🧑🏻💼
Ed Lando breaks down his winning formula for angel investing, startup incubation, and building Pareto Holdings. [The Peel with Turner Novak]
New Funds 💰
Long Journey Ventures locked in $181.8M to back bold bets in consumer, commerce, and culture across the U.S.
Incore Invest launched Fund II to fuel early-stage software across Europe—with laser focus on founder-market fit.
SemperVirens Venture Capital closed $177M across two funds to shape the future of work, health, and financial wellness.
Motion Ventures launched a $100M fund to transform maritime, supply chain, and logistics through tech.
Bread & Butter Ventures baked up $40M for Fund IV, doubling down on foodtech, digital health, and enterprise SaaS in the Midwest.
Soulmates Ventures dropped a €50M climate tech fund for startups driving sustainability and green innovation.
Sofinnova Partners closed a €165M Biotech Acceleration Fund—targeting early-stage European biotech breakthroughs.
Pillar VC raised $175M for Fund IV to keep backing deep-tech and life sciences from zero to one.
That’s a wrap for this week.
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Typo on Wiz acq price being inverted, should be $32bn
Great edition, as always!