VC Daily Digest - 28/08/2023

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Your Monday to Saturday Daily Dose of Venture Insights, Funding Updates and Startup Stories Delivered Straight to Your Inbox. Stay Informed, Stay Inspired and Stay Ahead In the World of Venture Capital !

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📢 Top Venture Capital News

Startup extinction season is going to kick into high gear — and there's likely going to be a bloodbath soon for some of the 50,000 VC-backed startups: There are more than 50,000 US VC-backed startups, and many will be looking for capital soon. Many startups raised money in early 2022, and the average time between fundraising is 1.5 years. Some startups will be looking for funding in Q4 or be forced to look for a sale or shut down. Don't let the sudden reopening of the IPO market distract you – startups are still dying left and right. They're shutting down, looking for buyers, or begging for an investor to write them a check to get to the end of the year, if that. More Here

US SEC overhauls rules for $20 trillion private fund industry: The U.S. securities regulator on Wednesday adopted new rules that will shine a light on private equity and hedge fund expenses and fees, in what executives and lawyers said marks a sweeping overhaul for an industry long criticized for its opacity. But in a partial victory for fund groups which opposed the rules, the Securities and Exchange Commission did not proceed with proposals that would have expanded funds' legal liability and outright banned arrangements that allow some investors special terms. More Here

Ask An Expert: Is Woman-Powered Venture Capital The Next Frontier For Women & Money?: Summer 2023 is shaping up to be a landmark period for women's empowerment, with examples like the woman-led movie 'Barbie' smashing box office records and pop queens Beyonce and Taylor Swift dominating the concert scene. However, the fight for equality continues, as highlighted by Women's Equality Day. Julie Castro-Abrams, founder of How Women Lead, is championing women investing in women to address these inequalities. Her latest initiative, The New Table, encourages women to become venture capitalists and has already secured nearly $100 million in commitments. Abrams believes that women, who now control 52% of household wealth, can leverage this to address persistent inequities and bring about change. More Here

📢 Top Startups News

Better.com’s public market debut was Miserable.com: Last week in fintech saw Better.com's less than stellar public debut, with shares closing at a mere $1.19, a far cry from the company's once anticipated $7.7 billion valuation. In contrast, Affirm's shares saw a boost following a better-than-expected earnings report. Amidst these market fluctuations, the industry continues to innovate, with Starbucks introducing a contactless checkout method and Reliance testing a sound box payment system. As the landscape evolves, the focus remains on leveraging technology to enhance financial services and customer experiences. More Here

Never express your ‘use of funds’ slide as percentages: Investors scrutinize startup slide decks to gauge not just the team, market, and solution, but also whether founders comprehend the journey they've embarked on. Stepping onto the VC treadmill means committing to rapid, explosive growth, a necessity to fit into VC models. It's crucial to remember that funding amounts come with a literal deadline - before funds run out, an exit event, reaching break-even, or raising another round of funding must occur. For early-stage companies, the first two options are typically off the table, making it vital to craft a compelling narrative for another funding round. More Here

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📢 Top AI News

Video games industry wary of AI's 'threat': From generating story lines to coding entire games to turning ideas into animation, artificial intelligence (AI) is front and center at Gamescom, one of the video game industry's biggest fairs. But even the ultra-connected industry is eyeing the innovation warily, with fears growing that jobs could be made redundant and artistic creations usurped. "AI is really a turning point," according to Julien Millet, an AI engineer and founder of United Bits Game studio, who attended the industry fair this week. More Here

Demanding Greater Control: Human Rights and the Regulation of AI: In a world of technological advancement, the demand for greater control over human rights data has become an imperative echoed across global communities. As societies grow increasingly conscious of the potential and actual misuse of data by various socio-political and trade entities, conversations around the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) have gained prominence. Concerns about the ethical implications of emerging technologies drive this discourse. The need for federal legislation in the United States and the European Union’s efforts to anthropomorphize digital life. More Here

AI’s Meteoric Rise Is a Trillion-Dollar Opportunity in the Making: We are currently experiencing the 'iPhone moment' for AI, marked by the unprecedented success of OpenAI's ChatGPT. With the fastest user adoption rate in consumer tech history, ChatGPT has not only proven the potential of AI but also signaled a tipping point for the AI revolution. This surge in AI development and integration, akin to the digital economy boom post-iPhone, presents a trillion-dollar opportunity for investors. As AI becomes more accessible, we are set to witness a wealth creation potential on an entirely new level. More Here

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📢 Top Startup’s Fundraising News

HOLY raises €10.5 million led by Left Lane Capital to become Europe's leading healthier soft drink brand: HOLY, a direct-to-consumer brand offering healthier, low-sugar soft drinks, has secured €10.5 million ($11.5 million) in a Series A funding round led by Left Lane Capital. The funds will be used to expand into new European territories, launch new products, and move into retail channels. Since its inception in 2020, HOLY has amassed over 200,000 customers across four European countries and sold more than 10 million drinks entirely online. The brand's mission is to become the leading healthier soft drink in Europe, offering a sustainable alternative that saves 90% of packaging waste. More Here

Instylla Announces $30M Funding: Instylla, Inc., a privately held company developing next-generation liquid embolics for peripheral vascular embolotherapy, announced the closing of a $30 million financing round. This financing round was led by new investor, Delos Capital, with continued participation from the investor syndicate of Excelestar Ventures, Ascension Ventures, Catalyst Health Ventures, Amed Ventures, Sparta Group, and Incept, LLC.

Ikigai lands $25M investment to bring generative AI to tabular data: Despite the vast amount of data organizations possess, a mere 13% are effectively implementing their analytics and data strategies, according to an MIT Technology Review Insights and Databricks survey. Devavrat Shah, founder of Celect and director of MIT’s statistics and data science center, believes AI is the solution to this issue. Shah's latest venture, Ikigai Labs, offers a no-code platform that leverages AI to help enterprises harness their data for forecasting and scenario planning. Recently, Ikigai raised $25 million in Series A funding, bringing its total raised to $38.2 million. More Here

Verse Raises $5.75M To Boost Clean Energy With AI: Chris Bibey Sat, August 26, 2023 at 8:30 PM GMT+5:30·2 min read Generative artificial intelligence (AI) startups are garnering a lot of attention. The same holds true of clean energy companies. So, when you combine the two, there's potential for good things to happen. And that's where Verse comes into play. San Francisco-based Verse Inc. uses generative AI to help companies unlock the benefits of clean power. The company recently secured $5.75 million in seed funding in a round led by Coatue with participation from Collaborative Fund, Firstminute Capital, Future Positive and Twine Ventures. More Here

🦄 Weekly Updates: Inside The Founders & Investors Community

• 😃 Weekly Discussion on : How To Convince Investors That Your Startup Can Give Maximum Return To Them?

• 🥳 Startup Demo Day: AI Startup founders: Devit & Sully backed by Y-Combinator pitched in front of 20 investors.

• 🤝 Leading Investors Joined The Community: Cici Bellis. Former Tennis Player launched a sports and health focused VC firm.

• 💼 Shared Job Opportunity: Shared this weeks top 10 remote VC jobs at various funds.

👉 Want to join the community of Verified 1500+ Investors & Founders Backed By Y-Combinators / a16z and others ? Join Here

Weekday’s Reading On: Startups, Technology & VC 🗞️

• 📜 Do Things That Don’t Scale Read More

• 🪧How To Convince Investors That Your Startup Can Give Maximum Return To Them? Read Here

• 📍 Don’t Waste Time Chasing Investors. Do This Instead Read Here

• 🚀 Making a financial model for your early-stage startup?
   Read Here

• 🗈 Why Brand Building Is So Important For Startups? Read Here

• 🪧Hidden Trap Of Convertible Note and Liquidation Preference Multiples Read Here

• 🚀 How to Start A Startup By Paul Graham? Read Here

• 📪The Secrets Behind Market Sizing! Read Here

• 📃 How a Convertible Note Converts During Priced Round (e.g- Series A, B) ? Read Here

• 🚀 YC Startup Index Gives 176% Return Read Here

What did you think of today's newsletter?

• ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Amazing piece

• ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This was really good

• ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ It was okay

• ⭐️ ⭐️ Not your best

• ⭐️ Waste of time

✍️Written By The Venture Crew Team

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