DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Supersized seed rounds: The earliest stage of the startup market is getting out of control
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-31 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThere's been an investor gold rush to find the hottest new startup, causing a new dynamic: larger seed rounds. In some cases, the seed round is getting out of control. Tier one multi-stage firms have decided to allocate more resources to investing at the seed stage, according to several traditional seed investors who Business Insider spoke to. Related storiesMy colleague Sri Muppidi has reported on these supersized seed rounds in AI startups throughout the summer. Other supersized seed rounds this year include a $10.5 million round by Swedish legal AI startup Leya, and Gameplay Galaxy recently announced a $24 million seed round for its Web3 gaming platform.

Persons: —, Greylock, they've, Let's, Sri Muppidi, Ed Sim, whiff, Sim, Sim postured, Shruti Gandhi Organizations: Service, Business, Q2 Venture Monitor, Sequoia, Felicis Ventures, Galaxy, Boldstart Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Canaan Partners, Instacart's, Ventures, Founders Locations: Canaan

☆ Felicis Ventures leads $10 million round in AI startup MemGPT at a $70 million valuation, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

MemGPT helps users "build LLM agents with long term memory and custom tools." Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementMemGPT, a toolkit for developing AI agents, has raised a $10 million round at a $70 million valuation, Business Insider has learned. MemGPT helps users "build LLM agents with long term memory and custom tools," according to its associated GitHub page. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: MemGPT, — Organizations: Service, Felicis Ventures, Business

☆ Exclusive: VCs are circling Midi to give more money to the menopause care startup, just 4 months after its last funding round
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At the White House, Jill Biden is leading a new initiative to boost federal government research into women's health. Most menopause care startups, including Midi, sell into enterprises to offer the service as a benefit to employees. US companies lose about $1.8 billion each year from workdays missed due to menopause symptoms, according to a Mayo Clinic estimate. While venture funding to women's health startups fell in 2023, according to CB Insights, startups tackling menopause symptoms surged ahead of the pack. Data shows these startups raised $230 million last year, making up a third of all funding to women's health startups.

Persons: hasn't, Semper, Joanna Strober, Sharon Meers, Goldman Sachs, It's, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, tailwinds, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, Biden, workdays Organizations: Business, Midi, GV, Google Ventures, Felicis, Houston, Hermann Health, CBS, McKinsey, White, Mayo Clinic Locations: Midi

☆ A formfitting blazer and Chelsea boots, or jeans and high-top sneakers? Here's how the 2023 rising stars of VC put together their 'power outfits.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Many of this year's VC rising stars told Business Insider that their go-to power outfits included apparel like tailored sport coats or Chelsea boots, and more casual pieces like hoodies and well-fitting jeans. Very few investors are wearing collared shirts with their jackets, opting instead to pair it with a t- shirt and jeans. Nmachi Jidemna told Business Insider that for her everyday wear, her go-to was "usually a structured blazer with a relaxed pair of jeans." Lori Harvey (left) and Heidi Klum (right) wearing red outfits. Black flowy trousers, black turtleneck, and chunky black boots."

Persons: that's, Laura Bock, Nmachi Jidemna, Javier Grevely, Ralph Lauren, Tobi Coker, Janelle Teng, Patron's Amber Atherton, Jason Yeh, Ashley Paston, Justin Williams, VCs, Mahati Sridhar, Grady Dick, Michelle Farsi, Pear, Vivien Ho, Lori Harvey, Heidi Klum, Valentina Frugiuele, Bauer, Griffin, Luci Fonseca, RTFKT, Brandon Hoffman, JL, Sarah Wu, Emerson, Fiona Huang, Demi Obayomi, Natalie Borowski, Daisy Wolf, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Business, Wellington Management, Converse, Seae Ventures, Getty, GV, Nike, Sunset Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures Locations: London, Chelsea

☆ From bouldering to silent meditation retreats: Here's how this year's rising stars of VC are keeping their wellness on track while hunting down deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And these rising stars of the VC world are at the forefront of the trend, with many adopting various wellness routines. Business Insider asked this year's rising stars to name their best wellness hack that keeps them at the top of their game. Find ways to get movingMany rising stars in VC have a relationship with exercise that goes beyond an obligatory hour at the gym or a forced jog around the block. "It's amazing how taking just 10 minutes out of my day helps set the pace and structure for the rest of the day so well," she told Business Insider. she told Business Insider.

Persons: Base10, Justin Williams, Fiona Huang, Huang, Laura Bock, Amanda Herson, Taylor Brandt, Luci Fonseca, It's, Vivien Ho, VCs, journaling, Ashley Paston, Ahmed Mirza, who's, Amber Atherton, Brandon Hoffman, Tobi Coker, Wellington Management's Javier Grevely, Natalie Borowski, I've Organizations: Business, Seae Ventures, Ventures, Headline, Base10 Investors, Meritech, Sunset Ventures Locations: New York, Eastern, Brooklyn

☆ After closed door OpenAI drama, open source AI backed by Nvidia, Eric Schmidt, could emerge winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Rebecca Fannin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Hugging Face website on a laptop arranged in New York, US, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. "We should encourage all companies to build on disruption-proof AI technology that only open source can offer." To be clear, big bets made on open source AI pre-date last Friday when news first broke of Sam Altman's removal as OpenAI CEO, and those bets include an open source AI model controlled by one dominant tech company, Meta Platforms ' Llama. Open source and AI governanceFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt is behind Mistral AI, another open source rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT. A third open source AI startup, Poolside AI, recently pulled in $126 million co-led by French telecom and internet billionaire Xavier Niel and U.S. VC firm Felicis Ventures.

Persons: Gabby Jones, Eric Schmidt, Sam Altman, Microsoft —, Mike Gualtieri, Forrester, Marc Benioff, Delip Rao, Sam Altman's, Thomas Wolf, We've, Wolf, Linus Torvalds, Paul Drews, OpenAI's, Arthur Mensch, Mistral, Xavier Niel Organizations: Nvidia, Bloomberg, Getty Images Tech, Salesforce, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Meta, IBM, Intel, Sequoia Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Mistral, alums, Lightspeed Venture Partners, French, . VC, Felicis Ventures Locations: New York, France

☆ Patients are lining up for $2,500 full-body MRI scans that can detect cancer early
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Prenuvo MRI machine Courtesy of PrenuvoWhile celebrating the July Fourth holiday last year on a boat in Tyler, Texas, Dr. Julianne Santarosa received the results from her full-body MRI scan. In addition to full-body scans, Prenuvo offers a head and torso scan for $1,800 and a scan of just the torso for $1,000. Some companies have started offering Prenuvo scans as a perk for employees, which has helped increase access to the technology. Medical experts caution that, in addition to the steep price, full-body MRI scans won't catch everything and aren't meant to replace targeted screenings like colonoscopies and mammograms. He found a radiologist who was offering an early version of a full-body MRI scan.

Persons: Julianne Santarosa, hadn't, she'd, Santarosa, Kim Kardashian, Cindy Crawford, Eric Schmidt, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, Tony Fadell, Andrew Lacy, Lacy, it's, Prenuvo, Jasnit, Dr, Kimberly Amrami, Amrami, It's, Prenuvo Lacy, Eduardo Dolhun, Dolhun Organizations: CNBC, Facebook, Google, Nest Labs, Felicis Ventures, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Association of American Medical Colleges, Columbia University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mayo Clinic Locations: Tyler , Texas, Prenuvo, Dallas, U.S, Canada, London, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Irving, New York City , New York, York, San Francisco, Vancouver, British Columbia

☆ Founder Collective has quietly built a seed-investing powerhouse that just raised a $95 million new fund. Its secret sauce: staying small.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The firm has raised $95 million for its fifth and largest fund, Founder Collective tells Insider exclusively. While it's not the splashiest shop, those in the know know Founder Collective has quietly built one of the most successful venture-capital franchises on the East Coast. Founder CollectiveFounded in 2009, Founder Collective started as a bloc of founders and investors pooling their money to invest in startups. Founder Collective has always been ruthlessly focused on the seed stage, where investors take the biggest risk in pursuit of the highest returns. "We have been fastidious and we've screamed it to anyone who will listen: capital efficiency, capital efficiency, capital efficiency," Frankel said.

Persons: Eric Paley, Collective's, it's, Beezer Clarkson, Sapphire, Clarkson, Paley, David Frankel, Frankel, Amanda Herson, Herson, we've Organizations: Sapphire Partners, Cendana, Foundry Group, Forbes, Felicis Ventures Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, East, Coupang, Susa

Adept: a machine learning research labNiki Pezeshki is a general partner at Felicis Ventures. FelicisStartup: AdeptRecommended by: Niki Pezeshki, FelicisRelationship: No financial interestTotal funding: $415 million, according to the companyWhat it does: Adept is a machine-learning research and product lab aiming to build AI technology that can automate human tasks as varied as running software and browsing the web. Why it's on the list: "Fresh off a massive round of funding, Adept is poised to deliver artificial general intelligence that truly benefits working people," Pezeshki said. "So much software is repetitive tasks, and Adept is creating an AI that will enable workers to increase productivity and focus on more creative tasks."

Persons: Niki Pezeshki, Pezeshki Organizations: Felicis Ventures, Felicis

☆ A continuous glucose monitor helped me discover I have hypoglycemia. Here's how startup January uses AI to predict blood sugar spikes and crashes and coached me to better food choices.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The healthcare startup January uses CGMs and AI to monitor glucose levels, exercise, and sleep. I have low blood sugar, and January used machine learning to coach me to healthier habits. Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, is less common than high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Samantha Stokes/InsiderAt the end of January's AI training, I unlocked a suite of tools to track my food, exercise, blood sugar, and more. But January encouraged me to take a short walk after eating, which can help moderate glucose levels following a meal.

Persons: Marc Benioff, they're, Noosheen Hashemi, Hashemi, Marissa Mayer, Samantha Stokes, Mike Snyder, Insider's, What's, I've, CGM, didn't, Jesus Weligsander Perez Organizations: Felicis Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Apple Watch, Drug Administration, Stanford Medicine, Pace Locations: That's, SignalFire, Mount Sinai

SAN FRANCISCO, July 8 (Reuters) - Venture capital firm Headline used to be in one of San Francisco's most eye-catching skyscrapers: the pyramidal Transamerica building that has defined the skyline for decades. Venture capital firms are increasingly joining retailers and other businesses in finding homes outside downtown San Francisco. [1/5]People enjoy the afternoon in Presidio, a former military base-turned-national park in San Francisco California, U.S., July 7, 2023. They're actually really excited," said Eurie Kim, whose venture firm Forerunner left downtown for the Presidio in early 2022. "Mayor Breed continues to implement strategic initiatives to help stabilize existing businesses and recruit new ones as part of her Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco's Future plan.

Persons: Mathias Schilling, Schilling, Rex Salisbury, Carlos Barria, They're, Eurie Kim, CBRE, Lisa Petrie, Jon Rehagen, Molly Martell, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Breed, Colin Yasukochi, Krystal Hu, Peter Henderson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: FRANCISCO, Venture, Employees, Presidio, Westfield, San, Felicis Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Letterman, Cambrian Venture, San Francisco Bay Area, REUTERS, Presidio Trust, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Family Museum, Catalyst, Brand, San Francisco Mayor London, Downtown San, CBRE's Tech, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Presidio, San Francisco Bay, San Francisco's, There's, Sand, Silicon Valley, South, downtown San Francisco, San Francisco California, U.S, Marin, San Francisco ., South Park, Downtown

Google invested in generative AI startup Runway as part of a $100 million round, sources say. Google and Runway also signed a $75 million cloud computing project, leaked documents show. Google has invested in generative AI startup Runway as part of a $100 million deal, as the Alphabet-owned company leverages its cloud advantage to cozy up to other artificial intelligence players. In addition, Runway has signed a cloud deal with Google worth $75 million over three years, according to internal documents reviewed by Insider. It previously raised $100 million from Amplify Partners, Lux Capital, Coatue, and Felicis Ventures.

Persons: Oscar, Anthropic Organizations: Google, Runway, Lux, Felicis Ventures, Financial Times, Microsoft's, MIT Technology Locations: New York, OpenAI

☆ Dedrone: 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Dedrone, a Sterling, Virginia.-based airspace security specialist, is on the frontlines of this battle, detecting and countering opposition drones. In the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, military drones are seen as a super weapon, increasingly being used to detect threats in conflict zones. Ramping up, Dedrone and several rivals, including DroneShield, D Fend Solution and 2023 No. In the fast-escalating and consolidating commercial market, Dedrone sealed a partnership with building smart-tech maker Johnson Controls to detect unauthorized drones. Dedrone also partnered with security technology solutions maker Axis Communications to integrate its surveillance cameras.

☆ Exclusive: Generative AI startup Runway just raised $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation from a cloud service provider
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Generative AI startup Runway has raised a funding round of at least $100 million, Insider has learned. The deal tripled the startup's valuation from its last round to a whopping $1.5 billion. Investors recently told Insider that they were big fans of buzzy photo and video generative AI startup Runway. Runway has raised a Series D funding round of at least $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation from a cloud service provider, according to multiple people familiar with the deal. Have a tip on a startup funding round?

☆ Exclusive: $38 billion data and AI darling Databricks acquires security startup Okera
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Data and AI company Databricks is acquiring data security startup Okera. Recently, customers have increasingly asked about data security when creating custom AI models. In 2015 and 2016, software engineer Nong Li spent a number of months at data and AI startup Databricks. Databricks plans to integrate Okera deeply in the company, specifically as part of its data and AI governance offering, Unity Catalog, Ghodsi said. Today, Unity Catalog is Databricks' number one priority as it looks to build the end-to-end platform for data, analytics, and AI, Ghodsi said.

☆ How Runway's idea for AI-driven video and photo editing and generation went from a "crazy" concept to a Silicon Valley darling worth half a billion dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When Runway's founders first came up with the idea for an AI art startup, they were called crazy. Now, the generative AI startup has become a fan favorite of VCs and the public alike. When Cristóbal Valenzuela began building his generative AI company Runway in 2018, investors, filmmakers, and advertisers told the cofounder that he was crazy. "They were saying, 'why would you want to build AI tools for video and filmmaking?'" Many of these features were developed hand-in-hand with customers, who often described to Runway the problems and obstacles they ran into while creating videos, Valenzuela said.

☆ Developer tool startups in Y Combinator's latest class are grabbing the attention of investors like Elad Gil and Google's Gradient Ventures. Here are 4 that have already landed funding.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Developer tool startups that were part of Y Combinator's latest class are drawing strong interest from several high-profile venture capitalists. Sequoia partner Lauren Reeder personally participated in the code review startup's recent funding round, according to a Sequoia spokesperson. That fundraising was at a $30 million post-money valuation, one person familiar with the deal said. Developer tool startups accounted for 26% of the companies in YC's winter 2023 batch, up from 16% of the summer 2022 class, according to the accelerator's startup directory. Have a tip on a startup funding round?

☆ We got an exclusive look at the 18-slide pitch deck Living Carbon, a startup developing 'supertrees' for CO2 removal, used to raise $21 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Climate startup Living Carbon has developed trees that grow faster to ultimately store more CO2. Carbon removal typically sits in two buckets: engineered – or technological – removal and nature-based removal. Living Carbon, founded in 2019, reported its engineered trees grow 50% faster and soak up 27% more carbon than traditional trees. Living Carbon is also running its own carbon removal projects and is currently partnering with landowners in Pennsylvania and Georgia, who get a percentage of the carbon credits generated from the projects. Check out the redacted 18-slide pitch deck Living Carbon used to secure the funds below.

☆ Shopify's startup investments this year include millions into companies that focus on NFTs, Web3 apps, customer-engagement, and financial services
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

In its press release announcing the new funding, Wati said the investment was Shopify's first in a startup operating in Southeast Asia. The goal is to make Thirdweb's tools available to Shopify merchants who want to bring Web3 products and experiences to their online stores. Shopify recently participated in Gorgias' $30 million Series C round, which valued the startup at $710 million. According to the company, merchants using its technology report a 96% increase in sales on average. Flexport announced it had received a strategic investment from Shopify as part of its $935 million Series E on February 7.

☆ Startup founders are panicked amid a market meltdown, but most VCs don't want to hear it. 'It's like don't ask, don't tell.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"It's like don't ask, don't tell," Josh Felser, a successful founder and outspoken investor, said. The following report on how startup founders are coping with the funding crunch was originally published on August 4. Seven Seven Six partner Katelin Holloway. Her investor, Seven Seven Six, pays for its founders to participate. Caleb Frankel, whose Seven Seven Six-backed startup, EarlyBird, helps families invest in their kid's financial future, wants desperately to have kids, but he and his wife have struggled with pregnancy loss.

☆ See the exclusive 11-slide pitch deck a former Israeli spy used to secure $34 million in a month for his security startup
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Dig Security says its proprietary technology can detect and shut down data breaches in real time. Its CEO says he uses his experience in Israel's Unit 8200 to get inside the mind of an attacker. Dig recently raised $34 million led by SignalFire using this pitch deck. Despite spending four years in the Israeli military, Dan Benjamin, the CEO and cofounder of the cloud security startup Dig Security, never saw combat. Benjamin spent his years of compulsory military service in an elite digital spy agency known as Unit 8200.

Search resuls for: "Felicis"

21 mentions found