Amazon To Consider Buying Bitcoin & Blue Origin's biggest rocket to launch soon.

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☕ Good Wednesday Morning. Welcome to today's quick rundown in the Venture Daily Digest Newsletter.

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• Tesla Model Q is coming.

• OpenAI releases Sora.

• Blue Origin's biggest rocket to launch soon.

• Tesla's Optimus robot can walk autonomously.

• Amazon should consider buying Bitcoin, shareholders say

Fresh from the analyst desk: Carta just dropped the real talk on Q3 private markets, we've finally got a startup valuation playbook that doesn't suck, and Marc Andreessen's got thoughts on why AI won't steal your job. Bonus: fresh intel on impact investing and why VC timing is always fashionably late. Hot tech and VC roles just landed - grab 'em before they're gone!

Emerging Startup That You Can’t Miss - A Team Overseas

You know how finding reliable overseas talent can be a total nightmare? (Been there, done that, got the horror stories!) Well, A Team Overseas is doing something that made me go "Why didn't anyone think of this before?!"

Most agencies are charging businesses a whopping $3K/month for virtual assistants but only paying them $700-800. Yikes! These folks looked at that system and said "Nope, we're doing better." They're connecting you with Executive Assistants who've crushed it at big agencies but were tired of getting the short end of the stick.

The best part? They're paying their EAs a fair $1,400/month (literally double!) while charging businesses just $2.5K. Math nerds, you're seeing this right - everyone wins!

But wait - it gets better. These aren't your typical "just tell me what to do" VAs. We're talking about pros who've managed complex projects, know how to think three steps ahead, and actually understand your business goals. The kind who'll message you saying "Hey, I noticed XYZ and here's how we can improve it" before you even spot the issue.

Look, I'm usually skeptical about these things (occupational hazard, sorry!), but this is legit changing the game for both businesses AND talent.

If you're drowning in tasks or tired of micromanaging overseas teams, you need to check this out - A Team Overseas.

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Venture Daily Digest Picks

• When Should Startups Prioritize PMF Score over NPS? (Read)

• The Real Risk of AI's Failure. (Read)

• 29 business moats that helped shape the world’s most massive companies. (Read)

• More thoughts on why founder mode is so effective (Read)

• 6 things startup founders should avoid doing (Read)

• How to build an AI side project (Read)

• Mastering TikTok to get millions in ARR (Read)

• How to promote your startup with $0 (Read)

• Why Do You Work - By David Spinks? (Read)

• How Netflix designs products for 250M+ users (growth design framework). (Read)

• Observations on what happening currently in pre-seed and seed rounds (Read)

Startup Funding Updates

Gentrace, a San Francisco, CA-based developer of a platform for testing and monitoring generative AI applications, raised $8M in Series A funding. The round was led by Matrix Partners, with participation from Headline and K9 Ventures. Angel investors and advisors included industry leaders from Linear, Figma, Handshake, Webflow, Gem, Chronosphere, Ironclad, and Asana (NYSE: ASAN).

Stainless, founded by Alex Rattray, has raised a $25 million Series A to expand its AI-powered platform that automatically generates SDKs from APIs, serving major clients like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, while approaching $1 million in annual recurring revenue with hundreds of paying customers using its services across multiple programming languages.

Nexus W2V, a Chicago, IL-based developer of waste-to-value infrastructure projects, received a $140M investment. The round was led by Orion Infrastructure Capital with additional investment from Nexus Holdings, Khasma Capital, Sterling Bank and Ameris Bank.

Wald.ai, a Palo Alto, CA-based context intelligence company, raised $4M in Seed funding. Backers included Inventus Capital, Entrada Ventures and angel investors including executives from cybersecurity companies like Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet and HackerOne.

Aampe, a San Francisco, CA-based agentic infrastructure company, raised $18M in Series A funding. The round was led by Theory Ventures with participation from Z47, bringing the total funding to $27.3M.

Ask Sage, an Arlington, VA-based provider of a generative AI platform for government and commercial sectors, raised $17M in Series A funding. The round was led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from Mucker Capital. Upon completing this fundraising round, Sapphire Ventures’ President Jai Das will join Ask Sage’s Board of Directors.

Next Sense, an Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based provider of a SaaS smart building platform to make decarbonization achievable for every building, raised €11.5M in Series A funding. The round was led by ABP and ETF Partners, with additional participation from existing shareholders Edge, SHAPE Capital, and Timeless Investments.

Relai, a Swiss provider of an app for buying Bitcoin, raised $12m in Series A funding. The round was led by Ego Death Capital with participation from Plan B Bitcoin Fund, Timechain, and Solit Group.

Mainframe, a San Francisco, CA-based company designing generative productivity software, raised $5.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Peter Boyce II of Stellation Capital and Lachy Groom, with participation from Alana Goyal, Akshay Kothari (co-founder of Notion), Weekend Fund and others.

Raptor Maps, a Boston, MA-based company providing an integrated operating system for the solar industry, raised $35M in Series C Funding. The round was led by Maverix Private Equity with participation from existing investors MKB, Blue Bear Capital, Congruent Ventures, Buoyant Ventures, and Y Combinator.

Astrix Security, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based company offering a solution for securing non-human identities (NHIs), raised $45M in Series B funding. The round was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from Workday Ventures, as well as existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, CRV, and F2 Venture Capital.

Biomemory, a Paris, France-based DNA data storage company, raised $18M in Series A funding. The round was led by Crédit Mutuel Innovation, with participation from investor of the French Tech Seed fund managed on behalf of the French State by Bpifrance within the scope of France 2030 and new investors Blast, the Deep Tech 2030 fund managed on behalf of the state by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, Paris Business Angels, Sorbonne Venture, Adnexus, Prunay, Next Sequence and Accelerem.

MoldCo, a Boston, MA-based company developing evidence-based solutions designed to restore metabolic health, clear harmful microbes, and reduce inflammation, raised $3M in Pre-Seed funding. Backers included Starship Ventures, SALT, Conscience VC, Boost VC, Night Ventures, Bleu Capital, Behind Genius Ventures and Moth Fund.

Qnovia, a Richmond, VA-based pharmaceutical company, raised $16M in Series B funding. The round was led by Blue Ledge Capital, Evolution VC Partners, Vice Ventures and Gaingels.

WeaveGrid, a San Francisco, CA-based software company that enables rapid electric vehicle (EV) adoption on the electric grid, raised $28M in funding. The round was led by Woven Capital. Existing investors Activate Capital, Collab Fund, Emerson Collective, and Salesforce Ventures participated, with debt provided by HSBC Innovation Banking.

LambdaTest, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a cloud-based unified testing platform, raised $38M in funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $108M, was led by Avataar Ventures, with participation from Qualcomm Ventures.

Aqemia, a Paris, France-based techbio company that teaches atomic scale physics to a generative AI to develop new medicines, raised $38M in funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $100M, was led by Cathay Innovation, followed by historical investors Wendel, Bpifrance Large Venture, Eurazeo, and Elaia.

Uplift360, a Luxembourg-based company developing sustainable chemical recycling technologies for advanced materials, raised €1M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Promus Ventures, with participation from Twin Track.

Better, a Dubai, UAE-based men’s wellness startup, raised $550K in Pre-Seed Funding. The round was led by Salica Spring Studios’ fund, backed by Salica Investments and Al Waha Fund of Funds, and Plus VC (+VC).

GovSignals, a NYC-based company leveraging data across the government to generate compliant proposals, raised $5.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by Unusual VC.

Emerging Tool That You Can’t Miss - 1140 Media

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Venture Capital Updates

Iliad Partners, an Abu Dhabi, UAE-based venture capital firm, has announced the launch and first close of its $50m Iliad Partners Tech Ventures Fund I. The fund is backed by prominent regional and global investors including Jada Fund of Funds (a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia), the Olayan Family, Masarrah Investment Company, MLM Investments, the Constantakopoulos Family of Greece, and other major family groups and family offices in the GCC and Europe.

Latest In Tech

Google has introduced Willow, a new quantum computing chip that marks a significant advancement in the field. Willow tackles a 30-year-old challenge by reducing errors as more qubits are added. In testing, it completed a computation in under five minutes that would otherwise take an immense amount of time for a classical supercomputer. However, practical applications like cracking Bitcoin's encryption are still far off due to the need for many more qubits and further development in quantum error correction.

Blue Origin plans to launch its New Glenn rocket by the end of 2024, pending regulatory approval and a successful "hot fire" test of the rocket's first stage engines. The towering 320-foot New Glenn can carry 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit, making it more powerful than competitors like United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur and SpaceX's Falcon Heavy. The maiden flight will test the Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle demonstrator, fulfilling part of certification needed for carrying national security payloads for the Space Force.

Tesla's Optimus robot can now walk autonomously on uneven ground, using neural networks to control limb movements instead of being remotely operated. The robot navigated rough mulch-covered hills without video assistance, indicating its ability to maintain balance and adapt to challenging surfaces. Tesla plans to enhance Optimus by adding vision systems and improving its natural gait and responsiveness to commands like speed and direction changes.

Other News

Joby Aviation, an eVTOL startup, has announced a new $300 million public stock offering, separate from its October $222 million raise, aiming to fund certification and manufacturing efforts as it prepares for commercial launches in 2025 across New York City, Los Angeles, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.

The anticipated Tesla Model Q is expected to debut in the first half of 2025, with a price under $30,000 thanks to subsidies, according to Deutsche Bank's report. This potential new addition aims to be smaller and lighter than the Model 3, supporting Tesla's strategy to expand its affordable vehicle lineup and accelerate market growth. While Elon Musk has not confirmed a non-robotaxi, $25,000 model, the reported Model Q reflects the ambitious plans to introduce cost-effective options amidst competition from brands like BYD and Volkswagen.

Amazon shareholders have proposed adding Bitcoin to the company's balance sheet, inspired by MicroStrategy's successful Bitcoin investment, which led to a significant increase in its stock price. The proposal suggests that Amazon should explore the advantages of holding at least 5% of its assets in Bitcoin, as more companies and entities, like Tesla and the U.S. government, show growing interest in cryptocurrency investments. The think tank argues that despite Bitcoin's volatility, it offers better potential returns than traditional bonds, with Bitcoin’s price having increased by 131% over the past year.

In-Depth Insights

• Time Dislocations in Venture Capital Exploring how venture capital deals often operate in “time dislocation,” where funding cycles and business growth timelines rarely align.

• State of Private Markets Q3 2024 Carta’s Q3 report highlights shifts in private markets, focusing on trends in fundraising, valuations, and liquidity.

• How to Value a Startup Traditional methods like DCF fall short for startups. Innovative approaches such as Real Options and the VC Method better capture growth potential and strategic flexibility.

• The State of Impact Startups and VC 2023 A look at impact-focused startups and VC trends, showing growth in sustainability, social impact, and innovation investments.

• Why AI Won’t Cause Unemployment - Marc Andreessen argues that AI will enhance productivity rather than displace jobs, transforming industries while creating new types of work.

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Today’s VC & Startup Job Opportunities

• Portfolio Management Lead - Atlassian Venture | USA - Apply Here

• MBA Associate - Founder Collective | USA - Apply Here

• Internship/Stage - VC Analyst & Program Manager - Sopra Venture | France - Apply Here

• Chief of Staff - Mangusta Capital | USA - Apply Here

• Venture Capital Winter Internship - Alpha trio capital - Apply Here

• Founder's Office Associate -Forest Hill Venture | India - Apply Here

• Associate - Redalpine | Germany - Apply Here

• Associate - Redalpine | UK - Apply Here

• Associate - Corporate Innovation - ivycap Venture |India - Apply Here

RESOURCES

• Early Stage Startup Financial Model Template For Fundraising (Access Here)

• All-In-One Guide To Pitch Deck Storytelling - Free Template & Curated Resources (Access Here)

• All-in-one VC interview preparation guide—check it out. For a limited time, we are offering a 30% discount. Don’t miss this. (Access Here)

• Building Cap Table As A Founder: Template to Download (Access Here)

• 2700+ US Angel Investors & VC Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link) (Access Here)

• 1000+ Euro Tech Angel Investors & VC Firms Database (Access Here)

• 400+ French Angel Investors & Venture Capital Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link) (Access Here)

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