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Austin has emerged as a hub for relocating tech talent during the pandemic. Investors in Austin closed 416 deals in 2022 worth $4.9 billion, according to PitchBook. For this list, we asked VCs from across the country about which Texas investors we need to know. To qualify, an investor needed to be a Texas resident, but their firms and portfolio companies could be anywhere. Check out Insider's list of 46 top investors in Texas.

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the 21-slide pitch deck Gable, a hybrid workforce management startup, used to raise $12 million in Series A funding from Foundation Capital and SemperVirens
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gable helps distributed companies manage flexible office spaces for their workforces. The startup connects employees with coworking spaces to book and helps execs manage office budgets. Gable recently raised $12 million in Series A funding, led by SemperVirens and Foundation Capital. Additionally, the startup will launch new products in the upcoming months, including event management and headquarter management tools, she added. Here's an exclusive look at the 21-slide pitch deck that landed Gable $12 million in Series A funding from SemperVirens, Foundation Capital, and others:

☆ Young VCs thought the good times would never end. They did, and now they're pissed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider's Stephanie Palazzolo and Madeline Renbarger have a fascinating report on how young venture capitalists who came from investment banking and consulting are not having a good time. I encourage you to read Stephanie's and Madeline's story, which has all the juicy details about the current environment for young VCs. I've written a lot about how young investment bankers view their jobs as a means to an end, as opposed to an actual career. Timing has a lot to do with why young VCs are feeling like they've gotten such a raw deal. Click here to read more about why some young investment bankers are regretting their move to venture capital.

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the 12-slide pitch deck three siblings used to raise $17 million in funding from Coatue for their mobile app performance startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The four Liberman siblings have been building companies together for nearly two decades. Their latest venture, Product Science, just raised $17 million in Series A funding. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck that scored the startup millions from Coatue and others. Although app delays aren't noticeable to most users, there's a long tail of consumers on older devices whose experiences can be significantly hindered by poor app performance, Liberman said. Here's an exclusive look at the 12-slide pitch deck Product Science used to raise $17 million of Series A funding from Coatue, K5 Global, and Peter Fenton from Benchmark:

☆ 'I feel like I got catfished': Young VCs who left investment banking and consulting jobs are having career second thoughts in the downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For young investors who pivoted to VC in the middle of the recent market downturn, the reality hasn't been quite as glamorous. From window shopping to bargain huntingMany young investors eagerly filled junior-associate positions at VC firms, expecting the breakneck rate of deals common in 2020 and 2021 to continue. With fewer deals to go around, there's more pressure than ever for new VC associates to bring in hot investments, young VCs told Insider. One investor told Insider that they didn't regret the pivot from tech-investment banking to venture capital in the second half of 2021. Some young investors like Nicole DeTommaso, who left investment banking to intern at Harlem Capital in 2020, started posting regular detailed Twitter threads on how to break into venture capital in the second half of 2021.

☆ CRV partner Anna Khan shares the 5 key elements of a successful startup pitch and the one mistake founders should avoid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But for CRV general partner Anna Khan, pitches boil down to five key elements and one to avoid. Here's Insider's exclusive chat with the investor about what she looks for in a startup pitch. The CRV general partner recently tweeted about a founder who thanked her for being engaged during his startup pitch, saying, "Most people just stare at me for 30 minutes and then pass a week later." The investor shared with Insider what she considers the five elements of a successful startup pitch — and one popular rule of thumb that founders should avoid. Interestingly enough, having a large legacy competitor isn't necessarily a bad thing for vertical-software startups, Khan said.

☆ Investor Brianne Kimmel is doubling down on AI with a new bootcamp and $20 million pledge to back hot, new startups in the space
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Worklife Ventures founder Brianne Kimmel is launching a bootcamp for AI startups. Her firm has pledged $20 million to invest in those AI companies that complete the bootcamp. As part of the AI bootcamp, her firm is committing $20 million to invest into companies that complete the program. "I grew up in northeast Ohio, and a lot of friends from my high school are using this technology," Kimmel said. Formerly a grant program, AI Grant now makes $250,000 investments in AI companies.

☆ These are the startups to bet your career on, based on 3 key factors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and a little more than a year ago, I bet my career on Insider. A few key factors molded my decision: the editor (AKA my boss), my team, the ability to have journalistic impact, and our company's trajectory. Although I made the jump in very different economic circumstances, these are integral factors to consider for anyone's next career steps. They found the 43 startups to bet your career on this year, looking at a variety of factors, including the founding team, the market, and its stature among investors. From left to right: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Nikhil Mathew, Jaleh Rezaei, and Anurupa Ganguly Promise; Mutiny; Prisms; Marianne Ayala/InsiderThese are the startups to bet your career on.

8baseAlbert Santalo, the founder and CEO of 8base. 8baseHQ: MiamiYear founded: 2017Total raised: $15.2 million, according to the companyWhat they do: 8base is a low-code platform for building "serverless" web applications, meaning it takes care of the back-end programming for its users. Why you should bet your career on them: As companies perpetually look for ways to maximize their IT budgets, 8base's platform could help developers save time and money by eliminating the need for "back-end" programming for some apps. Since its launch, 8base has secured strategic customer partnerships as well with a mix of startup clients and big firms like IBM and NATO. The startup is also a Techstars accelerator alum and raised a fresh $10.6 million Series A round in 2022.

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the 20-slide pitch deck generative AI startup Regie.ai used to raise $6 million from OpenAI-backer Khosla Ventures
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Regie.ai is a generative AI startup that automates content creation and management for sales teams. Check out the 20-slide deck that landed Regie $6 million in Series A funding from Khosla Ventures. Together, the two founded Regie.ai, a generative AI startup that automates content creation and management for sales teams. Regie signed its term sheet with Khosla Ventures in October 2022, as excitement around generative AI started to pick up, Sridhar said. Here's an exclusive look at the 20-slide pitch deck Regie.ai used to raise $6 million in Series A funding from Open-AI backer Khosla Ventures:

☆ How Moonhub, an AI recruiting platform, raised $4.4 million from OpenAI-backer Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures without a pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Moonhub is an AI startup aiming to make the recruiting process more automated and less biased. The company scrapes billions of public data points and makes them easily searchable for recruiters. The startup recently raised $4.4 million in seed funding from Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures. OpenAI-backer Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures were equally enthusiastic about Moonhub's mission, recently providing the startup with $4.4 million in seed funding. Luckily, she was able to leverage her network to raise the round in less than two weeks, she said.

☆ A company-wide Zoom meeting versus individual calls: Insiders reveal how multi-billion-dollar startups Clari and Workato slashed jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( April Joyner | Stephanie Palazzolo | Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Unicorns Clari and Workato are among the latest startups to cut jobs. Workato laid off 10 percent of its workforce, and Clari had its second round of cuts in a year. Clari's layoffs caught the startup's staffers off guard, according to one employee Insider spoke to. Though the layoffs were unexpected, the former Workato employee said, they appreciated the way the company delivered the news. The former Clari employee Insider spoke with said that the spate of layoffs had prompted them to reconsider their dedication to the tech industry.

☆ The 13 top VC firms dedicated to investing in artificial intelligence and machine learning that founders should know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Insider rounded up the top 13 AI- and ML-focused VC firms that founders should know. These funds have invested in hot startups like Adept, Hugging Face, Weights & Biases, and Synthesia. In a year marked by turmoil and uncertainty, artificial intelligence has been a bright spot for tech investors and startup founders alike. Despite the hype, a group of VCs have been so bullish on AI and ML that they've created entire firms dedicated exclusively to investing in the space. Here are the top 13 venture-capital firms dedicated to artificial-intelligence and machine-learning investing that founders should know:

☆ The CEO of buzzy healthtech startup Vial, which slashed up to 50 jobs last year, asked remaining employees to write positive Glassdoor reviews
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vial's CEO asked workers to post positive Glassdoor reviews to counter negative ones, Insider found. In a month, 20 positive reviews for Vial flooded the site, raising its rating from one to 3.8 stars. On December 12, Simon Burns, a cofounder and the CEO of the healthtech startup Vial, sent a Slack message in his company's "random-kudos" channel. He included a link to Vial's Glassdoor page and asked other employees to "give her a hand, review us on Glassdoor." In earlier days at the startup, negative employee reviews on Glassdoor cited a toxic culture, a disconnected leadership team, and a lack of industry experience.

☆ VCs have swapped out tennis rackets and golf clubs for pickleball paddles. Here's why the sport has become one of the hottest hobbies in Silicon Valley.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming America's fastest-growing sport. From building relationships to escaping stress, here's why VCs are obsessed with the sport. In the background, pop music floated through the air as the group prepared for a trying battle of wits and athletic prowess — pickleball. Once reserved for the quiet neighborhoods of suburbs and 55-plus retirement communities, pickleball has exploded onto the tech and VC scene in recent years, investors say. A networking toolAnd other aspects of the sport make it an ideal pick for a hobby or networking tool, VCs added.

☆ From PayPal to Facebook, Silicon Valley has long been obsessed with the idea of company "mafias." Take a look at ex-Square staffers who have created more than $40 billion of startup value.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The idea of Silicon Valley "mafias" first emerged with the Oracle, Facebook, and PayPal mafias. Former Square staffers have gone on to launch startups worth nearly $40 billion cumulatively. Silicon Valley insiders have long been obsessed with the idea of startup "mafias." The "PayPal mafia" was perhaps the most infamous company that spawned the founders of tech giants like YouTube, Yelp, Tesla, and LinkedIn. Facebook and Oracle also have their own mafias of former employees that have produced iconic tech companies like Salesforce, Asana, and GoodRx.

To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors. Nearly 4,000 venture-backed startups hoping to be the next household-name company called LA home in 2022, according to Telstra Ventures. VCs closed 1,311 deals in LA worth $23 billion in 2022, trailing only the Bay Area and New York, according to PitchBook. To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors and sought input from its editorial team. Here are 2023's most important VCs in LA, organized alphabetically by the investor's first name.

☆ Nearly $40 billion of startup value later, here's what the members of the Square mafia have been up to since leaving the fintech giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Square staffers have gone on to launch startups worth nearly $40 billion cumulatively. Insider tracked 15 members of the "Square mafia" to see what they're up to these days. The "PayPal mafia" was perhaps the most infamous company that spawned the founders of tech giants like YouTube, Yelp, Tesla, and LinkedIn. Facebook and Oracle also have their own mafias of former employees that have produced iconic tech companies like Salesforce, Asana, and GoodRx. Insider tracked 15 ex-Square employees in their current ventures, ranging from launching multibillion-dollar public companies to running high-profile VC firms.

☆ From writing malicious code to creating deepfakes, generative-AI tools like ChatGPT are being used for harmful purposes. Here's how founders and VCs are thinking about policing them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the past few months, some have raved about the capabilities of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Startups policing themselvesSome startups have taken it upon themselves to ensure their products aren't being used for the wrong purposes. In 2020, Resemble AI, a company that can generate voices using AI, released Resemblyzer, an open-source package that can verify speakers and detect fake speech. Despite their bad rap, the majority of deepfakes are used for marketing or entertainment, rather than malicious purposes, Riparbelli told Insider. But already, US government officials are collaborating with AI startups to form partnerships and fund research around these concerns, Ahmed told Insider.

☆ This a16z-backed startup wants to make it easier for designers to create interactive, animated graphics. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck Rive used to raise $10 million from Two Sigma Ventur
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rive offers designers and developers a tool to create animated, interactive graphics. Brothers Guido and Luigi Rosso cofounded the graphic design startup in 2016. Currently, design processes are inefficient, with engineers forced to rebuild mockups that designers create in tools like Figma, Guido Rosso told Insider. To that point, Rive also offers open-source libraries to load and run Rive graphics across a variety of destinations, including apps, games, and websites. Here's an exclusive look at the 10-slide pitch deck Rive used to raise $10 million in Series A funding from Two Sigma Ventures:

☆ Check out the exclusive pitch deck food waste startup Mill used to raise $100 million from Google Ventures and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup has already raised about $100 million from investors like Google Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon, and Prelude. "There's a lot of parallels to the story of Nest," Rogers said. However, because Mill handles the entire process from homes to farms, it faces many challenges not found in other food waste startups, Rogers said. And although the company's coffers are well-stocked in a tough market environment, Rogers told Insider that he's always open to conversations with investors. Here's an exclusive look at the 7-slide pitch deck Mill used to raise $100 million from Google Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon, and Prelude:

☆ Buzzy healthtech startup Vial slashed an entire division weeks before a $67 million raise from General Catalyst. Insiders say they had no idea the layoffs were coming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vial let go of its entire site network division, 40 to 50 people, last October, Insider has learned. Just a month after the October cuts, the healthtech startup announced a $67 million funding round. Ahead of the deluge of tech layoffs that have plagued the beginning of 2023, one healthtech startup quietly slashed dozens of jobs late last year, Insider has learned. In October, Vial, which helps biotech companies run faster and more efficient trials, laid off an entire division. As of December 2022, Vial had 125 employees, according to Pitchbook.

☆ Hot AI startup Scale AI, valued at $7 billion, has laid off 20% of its staff. Insiders say employees found out when they were locked out of their computers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scale AI laid off 20% of its workforce this morning, Insider has learned. Scale AI has raised more than $600 million from investors like Tiger and Y Combinator and was valued at $7 billion. Buzzy artificial intelligence data-management startup Scale AI, which was last valued at $7 billion in 2021, laid off 20% of its workforce Monday morning, Insider has learned. Founded in 2016 by Alexandr Wang and Lucy Guo, Scale AI was a member of the prestigious accelerator program Y Combinator's summer 2016 cohort. However, the job cuts at Scale AI – once a Silicon Valley darling – seem to suggest otherwise.

☆ After a very quiet 2022, these are the five tech startups that could go public in 2023, according to bankers and tech market experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In a bleak market, some startups are turning to sellsides or letting go of IPO lawyers. Many companies that were looking to go public are now pausing IPO efforts due to falling public and private valuations, according to five investors, bankers, and tech market experts Insider spoke with. This year hasn't been a total wash for the tech IPO market. Some expected Mobileye's IPO to open the public market floodgates. Here are five companies that could end the 2022 IPO winter, according to people close to the tech markets who spoke with Insider.

☆ In recent years, investors have poured billions into the burgeoning region of central and eastern Europe. Here's why they're so excited about this startup hotbed.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VCs have flocked to central and eastern European startups for their efficiency and technical talent. Central and eastern Europe includes countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine, according to the World Atlas. The promise of central and eastern Europe starts with a surplus of strong engineering talent, Vaswani said. "Eastern Europe is the former Communist Bloc, and during communism, one of the dangerous things for the communist regimes were humanistic subjects," Bartos said. Additionally, central and eastern European startups are often more capital-efficient due to lower personnel and living costs, an advantage that founders like Jendruszak have leveraged firsthand.

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