Topic: investor relations
-
How to End Things Gracefully
The author secured startup funding by demonstrating preparedness for failure, which built trust with investors through honesty and realism. When the startup failed, they returned leftover funds to investors and maintained relationships, leading to support for future ventures. The author reflects ...
Read More » -
VCs: Founders Now Hold the Power in a Shifted Market
The venture capital landscape is shifting, giving founders more leverage and forcing investors to actively market themselves as strategic partners to attract top startups. Investors now emphasize that choosing a VC is a long-term partnership, requiring founders to evaluate the individual's trustw...
Read More » -
Ubisoft UK: Gamers Prefer Live Service Over One-Time Purchases
Ubisoft UK is shifting from traditional one-time game purchases to live service models due to projected declines in physical software sales and overall revenue. This change is driven by consumer trends favoring subscription services, games-as-a-service, and free-to-play titles, leading players to...
Read More » -
SandboxAQ Accuses Ex-Exec of Extortion Attempt
SandboxAQ is embroiled in a lawsuit with its former Chief of Staff, Robert Bender, who alleges wrongful termination after raising concerns about CEO misconduct and misleading financial disclosures. The company has forcefully denied all allegations, calling Bender a "serial liar" and asserting its...
Read More » -
How to Accurately Calculate Your True Customer Acquisition Cost
Understanding true customer acquisition cost (CAC) is essential for informed financial decisions and sustainable growth, as oversimplified methods lead to inefficient spending and misguided strategies. Traditional CAC calculations often fail by examining channels in isolation, ignoring interconne...
Read More » -
Wispr Raises $25M as Voice Dictation App Gains Traction
Wispr secured $25 million in new funding, bringing its total to $81 million, with strong investor backing and notable growth, including a 40% month-over-month increase and adoption by 270 Fortune 500 companies. The company is focusing on aggressive international expansion, developing proprietary ...
Read More » -
Sumble Raises $38.5M to Bring AI Context to Sales Intelligence
Sumble addresses a gap in sales intelligence by using AI to provide meaningful context from diverse online sources, revealing companies' internal drivers and operations. The startup, founded by Kaggle creators, has gained rapid traction with major enterprise clients and a 550% revenue increase, l...
Read More » -
Nothing Aims for $5M Community Raise, Eyes IPO in 3 Years
Nothing is launching a $5 million community investment round, allowing its users to buy shares at its $1.3 billion valuation, building on previous successful grassroots funding events. The company is restructuring to compete in the smartphone market, spinning off its CMF brand and focusing on AI ...
Read More » -
Ex-OpenAI, Google Brain Team Raises $300M for AI Startup
Periodic Labs, founded by former OpenAI and Google Brain researchers, has raised $300 million to use AI for automating material science, integrating simulations, robotics, and large language models to propose, create, and analyze new compounds. The company's approach leverages AI to learn from al...
Read More » -
Sesame AI, from Oculus founders, raises $250M and launches beta
Sesame has raised $250 million in Series B funding and is launching a limited beta program for its AI-powered smart glasses, led by former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. The company's AI assistant generates natural, expressive speech directly, as demonstrated in early demos that attracted over a milli...
Read More » -
The Hidden Money Loop in AI's Biggest Deals
SoftBank and OpenAI have launched Crystal Intelligence, a joint venture to sell enterprise AI tools in Japan, raising questions about the partnership's structure. The collaboration is under scrutiny due to SoftBank's dual role as partner and investor, with concerns it may recycle capital rather t...
Read More » -
How Forethought AI Achieved Product-Market Fit With Build Mode
Forethought AI's success stemmed from prioritizing genuine customer problem-solving and feedback from day one, rather than chasing hype or investor validation. The company employed a "7-Failure Rule," embracing iterative development and learning from user feedback to refine their product until it...
Read More » -
Ring CEO: Our Cameras Could 'Zero Out Crime' in 12 Months
Jamie Siminoff, founder and CEO of Ring, predicts that widespread use of AI-enhanced security cameras could nearly eliminate neighborhood crime within one to two years through advanced technology and sufficient coverage. Despite facing legal battles, product malfunctions, and near-collapse, Ring ...
Read More » -
Nikki Parker: How PR Fuels Startup Growth at TC All Stage
Nikki Parker, EVP at Insight Partners, will speak at TechCrunch All Stage on July 15, offering startups actionable PR and marketing strategies for brand growth and investor relations. Effective PR acts as a growth accelerator, helping startups secure funding, engage customers, and build high-impa...
Read More » -
VCs Need Storytelling: Day One Ventures' Masha Bucher Explains Why
Masha Bucher founded Day One Ventures to invest in startups while providing integrated PR support, believing this hybrid model creates more impact and better returns than traditional PR alone. She critiques the standard PR retainer model as too slow and costly for startups, instead embedding PR i...
Read More » -
Egypt's TradeHub Closes, Returns Investor Funds After Missing Market Fit
TradeHub, an Egyptian B2B startup, has shut down after failing to achieve product-market fit and returned all remaining investor capital, just 18 months after raising $1.4 million in pre-seed funding. The company initially operated as a cross-border marketplace for exports but pivoted to a B2B sa...
Read More » -
Agentio Raises $40M From Forerunner to Expand Creator Marketplace Beyond YouTube
The creator economy is booming, with sponsored YouTube video views and content volume increasing significantly, driving investor confidence in platforms like Agentio that facilitate brand-creator partnerships. Agentio secured $40 million in Series B funding, raising its total to $56 million and v...
Read More » -
Norway's $1.5T Fund Deals Blow to Musk's $56B Pay Package
Norway's $1.5 trillion sovereign wealth fund has voted against Tesla's proposed $56 billion compensation package for Elon Musk, citing concerns over its scale and shareholder dilution. The fund, which holds a 1.14% stake in Tesla, acknowledged Musk's contributions but opposed the plan due to gove...
Read More » -
Beta Technologies Soars on NYSE Debut, Raises $1 Billion
Beta Technologies successfully completed its IPO, raising $1 billion and achieving a $7.4 billion valuation, with shares closing at $36 after an initial dip. Founder Kyle Clark pursued an unconventional strategy, securing funding from major institutions like Fidelity and Amazon while avoiding Sil...
Read More » -
Definely Secures $30M Series B to Streamline Contract Review
Definely, an AI-powered legal tech startup, raised $30 million in Series B funding led by Revaia to enhance contract review processes globally. Co-founded by Nnamdi Emelifeonwu and Feargus MacDaeid, Definely's tools like Draft, Vault, and Proof simplify legal document review, with a focus on acce...
Read More » -
Mistral AI: The OpenAI Competitor You Need to Know
Mistral AI is a rapidly growing French startup challenging global AI leaders with its innovative models like Le Chat and strategic partnerships, backed by significant investment and high-profile endorsements. The company offers both open-source and premium AI products, including consumer and ente...
Read More » -
Faraday Future Partners with RAK Motors for UAE EV Sales and Services
Faraday Future has partnered with RAK Motors to launch the FX Super One electric vehicle in the UAE, with RAK handling all sales, delivery, and after-sales support starting October 27, 2025. The collaboration establishes a complete operational framework in the UAE, utilizing a 108,000-square-foot...
Read More » -
OpenAI Seeks $40B in New Funding From Investors
OpenAI is seeking an additional $40 billion in funding, potentially one of the largest private tech fundraisings, with SoftBank contributing 75% of the initial $10 billion tranche. The company has raised nearly $64 billion since 2015, with key partnerships like Microsoft and SoftBank, though rece...
Read More » -
Tesla Veteran Joins Pickle Robot as First CFO
Pickle Robot has appointed former Tesla executive Jeff Evanson as its first CFO, bringing significant financial expertise from his role in investor relations and capital raising at the electric vehicle company. The company is reportedly expanding through a major new partnership with UPS, which is...
Read More » -
Ubisoft Addresses 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' Backlash
Ubisoft addressed backlash against *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* directly at Paris Games Week, marking a departure from its usual avoidance of controversy by framing the game's delay as a confident decision. The company emphasized its focus on entertainment over messaging, countering accusations of ...
Read More » -
Ex-Battlefield Devs Raise €2M to Tackle Europe's New Accessibility Law
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is introducing new digital accessibility standards for businesses in Europe, with significant fines for non-compliance and a 2030 deadline for existing products. DevAlly, an Irish startup, uses AI and automation to help companies identify and fix accessibility...
Read More » -
OpenAI Launches AI Hiring Platform to Challenge LinkedIn
OpenAI is launching an AI-powered hiring platform by mid-2026 to connect businesses and job seekers, potentially competing with established networks like LinkedIn. The company is also developing an AI certification program through its OpenAI Academy, aiming to certify 10 million Americans by 2030...
Read More » -
Accel Invests in Uber Rival Rapido as Prosus Increases Stake
Venture capital firm Accel has made a strategic investment in Indian ride-hailing service Rapido, with Prosus increasing its stake, facilitated by TVS Motor's full divestment of its shares for approximately $32 million. TVS Motor achieved a return on investment exceeding 152% over three years, ha...
Read More »