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☆ Some hear echoes of the Web3 frenzy around generative AI. But its future is likely to play out very differently.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Mariam Pettit, partner at Global Founders Capital, said the rush toward AI was in part driven by investor FOMO. While investors and industry insiders don't anticipate the same fate for generative AI startups, many see the parallels between the two industries. Indeed, VCs are paying premiums and pre-empting rounds into hot AI startups in a bid to get a place on the cap table. AI founders are aware that they need to differentiate themselves in order to survive, at the very least. "And with vertical AI startups, it's much clearer that all the data we have is approved by the creator of that data."

Persons: Marc Andreessen, ChatGPT, Mariam Pettit, FOMO, Rainer Haeckl Web3, Sam Bankman Fried, Ash Arora, LocalGlobe, Arora, Sam Altman, Andreessen Horowitz, Ayman Fadil, Fadil, Pettit, Devang Agarwal Organizations: Business, Alpha, Global Founders Capital, Investors, Tech, Talis Locations: German, London, Web3, LocalGlobe, Jasper

☆ Europe is minting red hot AI startups like DeepL and Synthesia. Meet 15 of the most prolific investors backing the region's breakout stars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meanwhile, Andreessen Horowitz has poured cash into the AI-voice-intelligence startup ElevenLabs and the Nordic AI startup Sloyd. Some of Europe's most prolific AI investors are national funds and startup accelerators. London's Phoenix Court, the parent company of the VC firm LocalGlobe, took the top spot for total investment value — with $713 million poured into AI startups since 2020. MMC Ventures, also in London, followed suit with $628 million in investments in AI startups. Insider has profiled 15 investors at these firms who have spearheaded investments into European AI startups, in no particular order.

Persons: ChatGPT, Andreessen Horowitz, LocalGlobe Organizations: Venture, Lightspeed, New, Nordic, Court, MMC Ventures Locations: French, New York, Europe, London

☆ Carbon data and credit rating startup Sylvera just raised $57 million as it heads to the US. Check out the 12-slide pitch deck it used to raise the fresh funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Climate tech startup Sylvera has just raised $57 million for its carbon data platform. Sylvera, a startup helping businesses invest in high quality carbon credits, has just raised a $57 million Series B round led by Europe's Balderton Capital. The London-based startup, founded in 2020, provides carbon data and carbon credit ratings in an effort to bring integrity to a market plagued with quality issues. One carbon credit represents 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide or equivalent that has been removed from or prevented from entering the atmosphere. As well as decarbonization, many companies look to compensate for their hard-to-abate or historic emissions, which is where carbon credits come in.

Persons: Sylvera, Furey, it's, Serge Kruppa, 9yards Organizations: Balderton Capital, Fidelity Strategic Ventures, Bain & Company, Europe's, McKinsey, Paris, Index Ventures, Insight Partners Locations: London, New York

☆ Kinnu helps users improve their long-term memory and their rate of learning. Check out the 14-slide pitch deck it used to raise $6.5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Learning platform startup Kinnu has raised $6.5 million from LocalGlobe and Cavalry Ventures. Kinnu aims to help users improve in areas like long-term memory and the rate at which they learn. A startup using generative AI to build a learning app to help people improve in areas like long-term memory and the rate at which they learn has raised $6.5 million in fresh funds. London-based Kinnu bills itself as a gamified learning platform for those who want to learn generalist knowledge. The platform is currently popular among adult generalist learners, "who love learning for the sake of learning," Kahler told Insider.

Persons: Chris Kahler, chatbots, Kahler, Kinnu, Tom Hulme, Guy Podjarny, Rene Rechtman Organizations: Cavalry Ventures, UK, Spark, Google Ventures, Moonbug Entertainment Locations: LocalGlobe, London

☆ Early-stage investor Black Seed wants to help create the Black Silicon Valley. It just raised $6.25 million to do just that.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

London-based Black Seed has raised $6.25 million to back early-stage Black founders. The fund wants to create a "Black Silicon Valley" in London by investing in seed-stage startups. Black Seed, a VC fund dedicated to backing Black founders in the UK, has raised $6.25 million to invest in early-stage tech. Based out of Brixton, south London, Black Seed is the brainchild of Cyril Lutterodt and Karl Lokko. Black Seed has indicated that intends to raise the full amount.

Persons: Cyril Lutterodt, Karl Lokko, Lutterodt, We've, Lokko, hasn't, Black, haven't Organizations: Molten Ventures, Ventures, University of Texas, WestRiver Locations: London, Brixton, Manchester, Europe, Atomico, Black, Soho, Mayfair

☆ This startup uses generative AI to speed up the property-buying process. Check out the 14-slide pitch deck Orbital Witness used to raise $9 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Orbital Witness uses generative AI to speed up the due diligence process when buying properties. The London-based startup has raised $9 million in a round led by US property tech investor Parker89. A startup that uses generative AI to streamline the lengthy due diligence associated with buying property has raised $9 million in a round led by US investor Parker89. Amid a tougher funding environment, Pearce said that the team was still very specific about who they took money from and skewed towards property tech investors. The round was led by property tech investors Parker89, which has backed Properly, Flyhomes, and Orchard.

☆ Yonder, a fintech startup that helps expats get credit cards and offers rewards for spend, raised $78 million in debt and equity using this 11-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

London-based fintech startup Yonder has raised $78 million in debt and equity. Yonder, a London-based credit card startup, has raised $78 million in debt and equity in a new funding round. Yonder previously brought in $26 million in debt and equity as part of a seed funding round. This latest raise comes in the form of £12.5 million, about $15.7 million, in equity and £50 million, roughly $62.6 million, in debt. Yonder also plans to launch in two further unspecified cities and offer more events to users with its new capital, Chong said.

☆ This Sequoia-backed startup bringing a form of buy now, pay later to B2B payments just raised $19.3 million. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Two used to land the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sequoia-backed payments startup Two just raised $19.3 million in a Series A round. The Oslo-based company plans to bring a version of buy now, pay later to B2B transactions. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Two used to land the fresh cash below. A Sequoia-backed startup that wants to bring a version of the buy now, pay later model to B2B transactions just raised $19.3 million in fresh funds. Two's solution is to effectively offer a form of buy now, pay later for B2B payments to both small and medium-sized businesses and multinational corporations.

The sale means UK startups and investors will be able to access their money. Like its US parent, SVB UK mostly served tech startups and their investors. Insider understands from a person close to SVB UK that there is some internal frustration at the bank run. The feeling is that SVB UK was sold off simply because of groupthink. That evening, it looked feasible that the government would allow SVB UK to collapse.

☆ 4 major trends in health startups in 2022, after an unexpected post-pandemic dropoff in funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

VCs poured $13.5 billion into healthtech startups in 2022 — down nearly 50% from 2021. But a global slump and the tech downturn changed all of that, and funding into health startups fell by nearly 50% to $13.5 billion this year. AI-driven drug development and mental health startups also boomed during COVID-19 but have seen a funding dropoff in 2022. Tech that served underrepresented groups was spotlightedFrom menopause to mental health, health conditions that were billed as 'taboo' pre-pandemic have come to the forefront this year. Startups offering personalized treatments for niche issues or demographics, such as menopause app Vira Health, mental health platform MyMynd, and men's health platform Numan, all raised capital this year.

☆ Pixaera is vying to be the Roblox for the corporate world. It used this 11-slide pitch deck to raise $5.7 million for its VR platform used by BP and General Electric.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A startup aiming to be the Roblox for the corporate world has raised $5.7 million. Pixaera develops games that companies can use to offer employees more engaging training. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck the London-based startup used to raise the funds below. A British gaming startup that wants to become the "Roblox for professional learning" has raised $5.7 million in fresh funding. "What I saw is from 2014, 2015, when I started trying VR, the companies that were looking at this space were either learning companies or technical companies that aren't gaming-first," he said.

☆ Patagonia's charitable change will inspire founders. We spoke to 8 VCs about how startups can create their own climate change legacy.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard said he was giving away his $3 billion company to fight climate change. Insider spoke to 8 VCs about how hard it is for founders to follow suit and what they can do instead. "Instead of 'going public', you could say we're 'going purpose'," Chouinard wrote. Insider spoke to eight investors to find out why venture capital-backed startups would struggle to replicate Patagonia's model and what they could do instead. This means founders need to be active at an early stage in deciding what to do with their business.

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