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The official channel of V3V Ventures. We share updates on our investments, portfolio companies, and fund activities. Buy Ads: @JamesCookTg (this is our only account).
📊 Slow recovery of the venture funding in Europe
European venture funding reached $45B in 2024, a slight drop from last year but showing signs of stabilization. Despite growth in AI investments, overall funding remains low, with fewer exits and rising debt.
While Europe’s tech scene is expanding, it’s still trailing behind the U.S. in terms of funding and valuations.
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🔔 India’s HealthKart valued at $500M in new investment
HealthKart, India’s largest consumer nutrition platform, raised $153 million in a secondary investment, boosting its valuation to $500 million. Co-led by ChrysCapital and Motilal Oswal, this round saw exits from previous investors, including Peak XV. The startup, which reported $118.5 million in revenue for FY 2024, plans to expand as India’s sports nutrition market grows.
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👀 Oyo Founder Seeks New Investment at $3.8B Valuation
Ritesh Agarwal, Oyo’s founder, plans to invest $65.1M into the company through Redsprig Innovation Partners, valuing it at $3.8B – 38% higher than its June valuation of $2.3B but far below its 2019 peak of $10B. This comes as Oyo prepares for a third IPO attempt.
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📊 Wonder’s $250M Food Delivery Round Headlines a Diverse Week in Startup Funding
Wonder led the week's funding news with $250M to fuel its Grubhub acquisition, followed by biotech Metsera's $215M Series B. Other major rounds included Writer's $200M AI funding, Firefly Aerospace's $175M for lunar missions, and Chaos Industries' $145M to enhance defense tech. This diverse week highlights continued investor interest in food delivery, biotech, AI, and defense sectors.
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💎 Real Estate Investors Eye Four Key Trends
Despite funding declines, startups in home equity financing, rental management, eco-friendly construction, and construction streamlining tools are attracting investments. These areas address affordability, rising rents, sustainability, and efficiency challenges in today’s market.
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📊 Spotify Posts Record Profits After Strategic Cuts
Spotify achieved its most profitable quarter ever by streamlining operations through layoffs, reduced marketing expenses, and higher subscription prices – moves aimed at countering the post-pandemic subscriber growth slowdown.
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💎 Quantum Computing Funding Surges Amid AI Growth
Quantum computing startups raised a record $1.5 billion in 2024, fueled by AI's demand for faster, more energy-efficient computing. Major investments include Quantinuum’s $300 million and PsiQuantum’s $620 million. Quantum’s potential to improve AI efficiency and energy consumption is driving this surge, with broad applications ranging from AI to life sciences.
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🌐 Tesla’s Energy Business Accelerates with High Profit Margins
Tesla’s energy generation and storage division grew over 50% in Q3 with a 31% gross profit margin, doubling automotive margins and marking it as Tesla's most profitable segment amid rising demand for renewable energy storage solutions.
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✔️ Prosus Eyes 2025 IPO for PayU Following Swiggy Success
Following Swiggy's successful listing, Prosus is targeting an IPO for its fintech firm PayU in 2025, with a valuation range of $5–$7 billion. PayU recently resumed merchant acquisitions after regulatory approval in India's competitive digital payments market, where it rivals Razorpay and PhonePe.
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🗣️ Generative AI Startup Writer Raises $200M at a $1.9B Valuation
Writer has raised $200 million in Series C funding to advance its enterprise-focused generative AI, bringing total funding to $326 million. The funds will support product development and AI solutions tailored to enterprise needs, with clients including Mars, Salesforce, and Intuit.
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💵 Fleek Secures $20M to Transform Wholesale Second-Hand Clothing Market
Fleek, a marketplace connecting second-hand clothing wholesalers with retailers, has raised $20 million to expand its global platform, aiming to simplify sourcing for resellers and bring structure to the fragmented industry.
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👀 Swiggy IPO to Test India's Appetite for Billion-Dollar Tech Listings
Swiggy’s IPO will gauge India's interest in billion-dollar tech listings as it aims to expand its quick-commerce model, already popular in major cities. With backing from major investors like Prosus and SoftBank, the IPO also highlights India’s rapid digital shift, though profitability in smaller cities remains a question for the long term.
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💵 ZAP Surgical Raises $78M Series E to Expand Robotic Brain Surgery Platform
ZAP Surgical Systems has secured $78 million in Series E funding, led by Qingdao Baheal Medical Inc. The financing will support the expansion of ZAP Surgical’s ZAP-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery platform, designed for non-invasive robotic brain surgery.
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📊 Andreessen Horowitz Leads as Most Active US Investor in October
Andreessen Horowitz dominated October with 14 deals, marking its busiest month of the year. The firm was particularly involved in major rounds such as a $100 million Series C for Valon Technologies and a $51.5 million Series C for Infinitus Systems. General Catalyst and Lightspeed Venture Partners were also highly active, each participating in over 10 deals.
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💵 Upwind Raises $100M Amid High Demand for Cloud Security
Israeli cybersecurity startup Upwind is reportedly securing $100M in Series B funding, valuing it at up to $900M. This round aims to expand its cloud security platform and support growth across global offices.
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🌐 ServiceTitan Files for IPO: Here’s What’s Next
ServiceTitan’s gearing up for its IPO with impressive revenue growth but a notable loss due to heavy investment in sales and R&D. With a solid track record and backers like ICONIQ Growth, this could be a big one – definitely worth keeping an eye on as they move forward!
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🔥 5 New Unicorns Join The Board And 5 Exit in October
Five new unicorns joined Crunchbase’s Unicorn Board in October, spanning sectors like AI, energy, fintech, and robotics. Notable companies include AI coding platform Poolside and energy startup Pacific Fusion, with a collective valuation exceeding $7 billion. Meanwhile, five companies exited the board, contributing to the overall growth, driven by major funding rounds, including OpenAI's $6.6 billion raise.
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🌐 Turning Corporate Venture Building into Growth
Corporate venture building is reshaping how CEOs tackle innovation. Companies are adopting venture-building strategies to create new revenue streams, future-proof their businesses, and respond to disruptive market shifts. McKinsey highlights how successful leaders embed this approach into their strategies to unlock growth and capitalize on emerging opportunities.
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🔍 Hannah Bronfman Sets Sights on Launching Her Own Fund
Angel investor and wellness entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman, known for backing over 70 companies, plans to launch a fund targeting overlooked founders. Speaking at AfroTech, she emphasized the importance of community, mentorship, and increasing Black investor representation. Bronfman envisions writing $1M–$3M checks and eventually creating a Black-owned conglomerate akin to LVMH.
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🔥 44 U.S. AI Startups with $100M+ Raises in 2024
AI funding surged in Q3 2024, with $18.9 billion raised – 28% of all venture capital funding, according to Crunchbase data. Highlighting the trend, OpenAI secured $6.6 billion, marking the largest venture deal ever. It was among six AI funding rounds exceeding $1 billion this year.
🙂OpenAI: $6.6B round, valuing at $157B.
🙂xAI: $6B Series B, valued at $24B.
🙂CoreWeave: $1.1B Series C, $19B valuation.
🙂Scale AI: $1B Series F, $14B valuation.
🙂Safe Superintelligence: $1B round, $4B valuation.
🙂Figure: $675M Series B, $2.7B valuation.
🙂AlphaSense: $650M Series F, $4B valuation.
🙂Groq: $640M Series D, $3B valuation.
🙂Poolside: $500M Series B, $3B valuation.
🙂KoBold Metals: $491.5M round, investors undisclosed.
The full list is available at the source via the link below.
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🗣️ Bitsight Buys Cybersixgill for $115M
Bitsight, valued at $2.4B, has acquired dark web threat intelligence firm Cybersixgill for $115M. The Israeli startup specializes in analyzing dark web activity to detect potential breaches, complementing Bitsight's cyber risk management tools. Bitsight plans to invest in Cybersixgill’s AI-driven technology and team to expand its offerings.
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🟢 Reliance and Disney Complete $8.5B Media Merger in India
Reliance and Disney have finalized an $8.5 billion merger, creating India’s largest media venture by combining Star India and Viacom18. Reliance will control the venture, which now holds the majority of India’s streaming and TV market share, along with valuable sports rights. Chaired by Nita Ambani, the new entity aims to deliver extensive content and affordable options for Indian viewers.
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🔝 5 Key Factors to Evaluate When Assessing AI Startups
As the generative AI market grows, investors should focus on five critical factors when evaluating startups:
*️⃣LLM customization;
*️⃣Access to vertical-specific training data;
*️⃣Speech-to-text/text-to-speech capabilities;
*️⃣API integrations;
*️⃣User-friendly business interfaces.
These factors ensure AI products are accurate, versatile, and accessible for enterprise adoption, with the potential for greater business transformation.
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💭 Metaverse and VR Funding Declines Despite Apple’s Vision Pro Launch
Metaverse and VR startup funding has hit a multi-year low, with only $758 million raised this year as consumer interest wanes. Even Apple’s Vision Pro struggled with slow sales, possibly halting production due to its high price tag and limited consumer integration. As companies like Meta and Apple explore cheaper alternatives, the future of immersive wearable devices hinges on accessibility and practical use.
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💵 Robotics Funding Soars as Startups Aim to Expand Robots' Skills
Robotics startups have raised $6.4 billion in 2024, with increased funding for versatile robots that leverage AI to perform multiple tasks. Key players, including Physical Intelligence and Figure, received large investments, driven partly by Jeff Bezos, who has backed companies advancing adaptable robotic technology for various industries.
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Cogna Raises $15M to Revolutionize Enterprise Software with AI
Cogna, a U.K. startup founded by Ben Peters, has raised $15 million to develop AI-driven software that automates enterprise software creation, focusing on ERP systems. Using generative AI and a "natural language compiler," Cogna aims to simplify custom solutions and challenge traditional IT consultancies.
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❓ a16z's Martin Casado Criticizes AI Regulations as Misguided and Premature
Martin Casado, a general partner at a16z, argues that current AI regulations focus on hypothetical future risks rather than present realities, stifling innovation. At TechCrunch Disrupt, he pointed out that these laws often rely on vague definitions and can deter AI development, as seen with California’s AI “kill switch” bill. Casado suggests building on existing tech regulatory frameworks rather than rushing into speculative rules targeting AI.
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🖥 This Week's Biggest Funding Rounds: Smaller Deals Amid Election Week
Due to election-related news overshadowing funding announcements, only a few sizable U.S. rounds occurred this week, led by Physical Intelligence’s impressive $400M round for AI-driven robotics. Other notable deals included Precision Neuroscience’s $93M Series C and AmplifyBio’s $50M biotech investment.
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🔴 Private Equity Bets on Nuclear Energy Amid AI Surge
Private equity firms, including Carlyle Group and Brookfield Asset Management, are increasingly investing in nuclear energy, drawn by the sector’s revival and tech companies’ rising electricity demands, particularly for AI operations. Apollo Global Management is also looking to finance nuclear projects in the UK.
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🗣️ AI-Powered Parenting: Andreessen Horowitz Backs New Wave of AI Co-Pilots
Andreessen Horowitz partner Justine Moore introduces a new investment focus on AI-powered parenting tools, supporting companies like Cradlewise and Nanit that use AI to enhance baby care. Moore envisions a future where AI companions assist parents 24/7, helping with everything from sleep tracking to emotional support.
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