Seed Strapping vs. Boot-Scaling🛠️, AI Agents and Game Theory🤖, AI Index Report 2025🔍
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 👇
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In-Depth Insights 🔍
Europe’s Startup Ecosystem: Adapting to Tariffs and Trade Tensions 📉
Tariffs and trade tension are shaking things up. Europe's startups are innovating fast to stay ahead. [Cate Lawrence]
Seed Strapping vs. Boot-Scaling: What’s the Real Difference? 🛠️
Seed strapping or boot-scaling? Key insights on how each impacts early-stage growth strategies. [Henry Shi]
How CFOs Can Hit 10-Year Goals in 3 Years 💪
CFOs are rewriting the playbook - why focusing on the right financial strategies will deliver fast results. [AI CFO Office]
Why Senior Partners Are Fleeing Big VC Firms 💔
A shakeup in VC leadership: senior partners are jumping ship amid shifting industry trends. [Ernestine Siu]
Venture Capital’s ‘Sum of All Fears’ 💥
Venture capital is confronting a new reality - macro risks are shaking investor confidence. [Dan Primack]
SignalFire Raises $1B: The Data-Driven Investment Revolution 💡
SignalFire leads the charge with $1B+ in fresh funding - proving that data is the new currency in VC. [Marina Temkin]
The Ultimate Guide to Portfolio Construction & Management for VC’s 🎯
Build and manage a venture portfolio to maximize returns with data-driven strategies and AngelList Projector.
Zico Kolter on AI Agents and Game Theory: A New Era in Decision-Making 🤖
Zico Kolter on the future of AI agents and game theory in reshaping strategy and decisions. [Will Knight]
📢 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 📊
Carta Fund Performance FY2024 Highlights 📊
Carta’s latest VC report reveals declining IRRs, a slowdown in liquidity for young funds, and the tough realities of the 2024 market.
Google’s “Agents Companion” on AI 🤖
Google’s latest paper reveals how to operationalize AI agents at scale, with a focus on AgentOps and multi-agent systems for reliable, real-world use.
AI Index Report 2025 🔍
Stanford’s latest AI trends report. It’s got everything you need to know about where AI is headed in 2025.
Recently Launched Funds 💸
Simplifyber snags $12M to scale its AI platform, making financial services smarter and more accessible.
Sparrow Quantum raises €21.5M to supercharge the next wave of quantum computing innovation.
Bower secures funding to scale sustainable, eco-friendly products that help clean up our planet.
Remedy Scientific raises $11M to enhance its platform, giving doctors better tools for faster, more accurate diagnoses.
Solix raises $29.5M to expand its cloud-based solutions, helping businesses store and manage data more efficiently.
Base Power locks in $200M to drive its mission of scaling clean, sustainable energy solutions.
Tessell raises $60M to expand its AI-powered data analytics platform and help companies unlock powerful insights.
Eagle Freedom Fund closes $18M to back tech startups combating human trafficking with cutting-edge solutions.
Fundraising?
If you're raising a round,
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 💼
Foundation Capital (San Francisco, CA): VC Internship (apply here)
Blumberg Capital (San Francisco, CA): VC Associate (apply here)
Alumni Ventures (Boston, MA): Senior VC Investor (apply here)
Allstate (Chicago, IL): VC Director (apply here)
Integrity Growth Partners (Los Angeles, CA): Senior VC Associate (apply here)
Matriosh (Remote): VC Internship (apply here)
Outlander VC (Remote): VC Partner (apply here)
Venture Capital Jobs (London): Various Opportunities (apply here)
DGP (Munich, Germany): VC Internship (apply here)
GEAPP (Washington, DC, USA): VC Associate (apply here)
Hottest Deals 💥
Aiper, received $100M strategic investment from Fluidra. (read more)
Illumicell AI, raised $2M in pre-seed funding. (read more)
Bliss Aesthetics, raised $17.5M in seed funding. (read more)
Incident.io, raised $62M in Series B funding. (read more)
Agonalea Games, raised $2M in seed funding. (read more)
Warrant, secured $720K in pre-seed funding to launch AI marketing compliance agent for financial services. (read more)
FXC Funded, launched the world's easiest prop trading challenge with funding from just $29. (read more)
Groundcover, raised $35M in Series B funding. (read more)
Dealstack, raised $5.5M in seed funding. (read more)
Artisan, raised $25M in Series A funding. (read more)
Tailscale, raised $160M in funding at a $1.5B valuation. (read more)
Simplifyber, raised $12M in Series A funding. (read more)
Outtake, raised $16.5M in Series A funding. (read more)
Neye Systems, completed $58M in Series B financing. (read more)
Firefish, raised $1.8M in seed funding. (read more)
RESOURCES 🛠️
✅ 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)
✅ 144 Family Offices That Cut Pre-Seed Checks
✅ The Ultimate Startup & Venture Capital Notion Guide: Knowledge Base & Resources
✅ AI Co-Pilots Every Startup & VC Needs in Their Toolbox