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☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has likely scored a 93% gain on Nubank stock this year, making the crypto-friendly bank its best performer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Berkshire Hathaway's best-performing stock this year is likely Nubank-owner Nu Holdings, up 93%. Apple stock is up this year, but other key Berkshire bets like Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz are down. AdvertisementAdvertisementWarren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has notched a 93% gain on Nu Holdings since the start of January, likely making the Nubank owner the best performer in Berkshire's stock portfolio this year. Nubank shares have slid 13% from their IPO price fo $9 to trade at $7.84 as of Wednesday's close. Munger has hailed Sequoia as perhaps the "most remarkable investment firm in America" with "the best investment record of anybody."

Persons: Berkshire Hathaway's, Warren Buffett's, Kraft Heinz, —, Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Berkshire hasn't, Buffett, Charlie Munger, Todd Combs, Ted Weschler, David Vélez, Munger, Sequoia Organizations: Berkshire, Nu Holdings, Apple, Kraft, Service, Bank of America, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Locations: Berkshire, America, Sequoia

☆ A VC shares his predictions for creator startups raising money in 2024 and how first-time founders of color can make inroads
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He started the firm after spending five years at Uncork Capital, where he realized he felt most energized working with first-time founders. Half of the firm's investments are focused on the creator economy because he's loved learning about the innovative ways entrepreneurs were addressing issues for creators. He didn't spotlight specific areas within the creator economy that are at risk of collapse or consolidation. Usually, the founders he's already invested in connect him with other BIPOC entrepreneurs, which is how he's earned his reputation as a go-to VC. Even if they don't know the person that well, Hudson has had founders reach out and introduce him to others.

Persons: Charles Hudson didn't, he's, Natalie Barbu, Hype's Nick Chen, we've, Hudson, that's Organizations: Precursor Ventures, Uncork Locations: Hudson, San Francisco

☆ Check out the pitch deck that helped Kennek, a London fintech startup that helps digitize private credit providers, raise $12.5 million in seed funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Kennek, a London fintech startup that helps digitize private credit providers, has raised $12.5 million. Founded in 2021, the company offers a SaaS platform to the non-bank lending space. Kennek, a London-based fintech startup that helps private credit businesses digitize their offerings, has raised $12.5 million in seed funding, the company said Tuesday. Founded in 2021, Kennek was founded by a team of former operators in the banking and credit spaces to provide better digital tooling to the non-bank lending industry. Banks lend less than they used to, which has led to many smaller, alternative credit providers springing up to provide alternatives.

Persons: Kennek, Banks, Xavier De Pauw Locations: London

☆ Two childhood friends wanted better, cooler earplugs—their startup brought in $44 million last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Maarten Bodewes, left, and Dimitri O are childhood friends and the co-founders of Loop Earplugs. Maarten Bodewes Co-founder, Loop EarplugsEach co-founder spent roughly $40,000 to get Loop off the ground — "as far as I could go on my money," says Bodewes. "[We] 3D printed different prototypes, different shapes, different lengths of canals, sound entries, different filters that we tested," he adds. "The nightlife part is still driving a lot of our sales," Bodewes says. Source: Loop Earplugs

Persons: Maarten Bodewes, Dimitri O, you've, Taylor Swift, They're, ’, ‘, Bodewes, Wired, Loop's earplugs Organizations: CNBC, Microsoft, Saturn, Belgian Locations: Belgian, Brussels, U.S, Europe

☆ Gutsy, a cybersecurity startup from the founders of Twistlock, just raised a $51 million seed round using this 27-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gutsy, a cybersecurity startup, has raised $51 million in seed funding, the company said Tuesday. Founded in 2022 and now emerging from stealth, Gutsy wants to help companies solve their issues in the increasingly complicated and overwhelming world of cybersecurity. Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Gutsy's cofounders previously built container security startup Twistlock, which was acquired for $410 million by Palo Alto Networks in 2019. The company provides cloud security tools for businesses to manage their data across auditing, governance, and migration, connected via an API. The company's massive $51 million seed funding round came from YL Ventures, a backer of Twistlock, and venture firm Mayfield, alongside a number of cybersecurity angel investors. "

Persons: John Morello, Gutsy, Gutsy's, Morello, Mayfield Organizations: Palo Alto Networks, YL Ventures Locations: cybersecurity, Baton Rouge , Louisiana

☆ SchoolMint cuts 14.5% of staff in a second round of layoffs this year, as the forecast for edtech startups looks uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The edtech startup SchoolMint, which helps public schools and charter schools increase and manage student enrollment, cut 29 full-time staff members last week, or 14.5% of staff, Insider has learned. According to multiple sources familiar with the layoffs, this was not the first time this year SchoolMint has eliminated head count. Before these cuts, there were over 250 employees at SchoolMint, according to sources and LinkedIn data. The layoffs at SchoolMint come at an uncertain time for the edtech market, as the sector's pandemic-induced capital boom has seen an increasing slowdown. SchoolMint itself has not been immune to this uncertainty in the broader edtech market.

Persons: SchoolMint, It's Organizations: NewSchools Venture Fund, Reach, Investment Partners Locations: SchoolMint, Silicon Valley, Lafayette , Louisiana

☆ Our crisis of loneliness, the new bet investors are going after
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Not long after founding the startup, Gaon shared his vision with famed venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. It was notable to Gaon at the time that Andreessen — "one of those investors who's known for seeing where the market is going" — appeared to have pinpointed loneliness as its own market. That moved her parents, Cindy and Anne Jordan, who had sold their first healthtech company years before, to found the Arizona company Pyx Health. "The loneliness crisis is bigger, and more urgent, than anything I've worked on before," Nyborg wrote in a blog post. Inspired debuted a thesis in 2020 that identified loneliness as a key focus for the firm to invest in.

Persons: Benjamin Gaon, Boaz Gaon, Benny, Gaon, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen, Wisdo, —, Anne Wojcicki, Marius Nacht, Andreessen Horowitz, Vivek Murthy, Betsy Hoover, Bumble, Rylie Sarabia, Cindy, Anne Jordan, policyholders, Dawn Owens, it's, Owens, Julie Rice, Elizabeth Cutler, Rice, Peoplehood, Phil Levin, Levin, Culdesac, Renate Nyborg, I've, Nyborg, Hugo Amsellem, He's, Ava, Catalyst, Nate Tepper, Tepper, Adam Besvinick, Frances Haugen, Hoover, Alexa von Tobel, von Tobel, David Spinks Organizations: Pyx, Labs, verve, Investors, Pyx Health, TT Capital Partners, New, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capita, AI Fund, NEA, AIs, Looking Glass, Anonymous, Glass, Facebook, Bloomberg Locations: Arizona, Minneapolis, New York, Ava, France, Peoplehood, Hopscotch

☆ Brite Payments, a fintech startup founded by a former Klarna employee, just raised $60 million using this 10-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fintech startup Brite Payments has raised $60 million in venture capital funding as it looks to scale its European operations. Founded in 2019, the Swedish firm is in the instant bank transfer space, a burgeoning sector of open banking known as account-to-account (A2A) payments. Based in Stockholm, Brite was founded by a former employee at buy-now, pay-later giant Klarna, Lena Hackelöer, and operates in 25 countries leveraging Europe wide open banking regulation, known as PSD2. Its latest capital injection comes from London fund Dawn Capital which led the round alongside Headline and existing investor Incore. You can check out Brite Payment's 10 slide pitch deck below:

Persons: Brite, Lena Hackelöer, Hackelöer Organizations: Dawn Capital Locations: Swedish, Stockholm, Europe, London, Sweden, Malaga, Spain

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck two former VCs used to raise $4.7 million in funding for their startup The Grand, whose coaching service is used by Googlers, founders, and NBA players alike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the midst of a funding crapshoot for young startups, The Grand, a four-year-old startup that provides career coaching as a service, has raised $4.7 million in a round of seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six. You could say founders Anita Hossain Choudhry and Rei Wang had a leg up on creating the pitch deck they used to convince venture capitalists to back their startup. The goliath of coaching startups is BetterUp, a startup that offers individual and group coaching and has raised $600 million in funding so far. The Grand is now walking in lockstep with roughly 1,000 members, including Googlers, founders, and pro athletes. Check out the pitch deck that The Grand used to raise $4.7 million in seed funding.

Persons: Alexis Ohanian's Seven, Anita Hossain Choudhry, Rei Wang, Hossain Choudhry, Wang, Oscar, it's Organizations: Google, Intuit, Angel City Football Club, NBA, Carta Locations: Ohanian, lockstep

☆ Novo Nordisk owner readies for big Wegovy windfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

COPENHAGEN, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The CEO of Novo Holdings said on Tuesday the controlling shareholder of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) is ready for a huge windfall from the runaway success of weight-loss drug Wegovy. Novo Holdings invests and manages the wealth and assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, whose newly bulging coffers could make it a major philanthropist and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor. He was speaking to a group of journalists in Copenhagen, where the investment company, its owner Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the drugmaker Novo Nordisk are all headquartered. [1/4]Novo Holdings A/S CEO Kasim Kutay speaks at Novo Nordisk Foundation in Hellerup, Denmark, October 3, 2023. Novo Holdings' early-stage investments team now has $200 million to deploy each year, Soren Moller, who heads the seed division, told Reuters.

Persons: Kasim Kutay, Wegovy, Kutay, I've, Morgan Stanley, Ali Withers, Peter Lawaetz Andersen, Andersen, Soren Moller, Maggie Fick, Josephine Mason, Louise Heavens, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Foundation, Holdings, Moelis, REUTERS, Foundation, Norway's Coalition, Reuters, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Danish, Copenhagen, Novo, United States, Hellerup, Denmark, Shanghai, China, Singapore, Boston, San Francisco

☆ French verification startup Ondorse just raised $4 million in a seed round led by Deezer investor Eurazeo with this 12-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

French verification startup Ondorse has raised $4 million in seed funding from Deezer and Onfido investor Eurazeo. The Paris-based company, founded in 2022, has built an array of tools to help businesses manage their know-your-customer (KYC) workflows. Ondorse effectively leverages the proficiencies of businesses in the compliance space to provide a clearer and quicker view of its processes. Ondorse has raised $4 million in seed funding just nine months after its $2.5 million pre-seed round which was also led by French fund Eurazeo with participation from tech fund ISAI. "We feel we have the right expertise to build this product given the changing regulatory landscape," Boelle said.

Persons: Eurazeo, Ondorse, Alan, I've, Aymeric Boelle, Boelle Locations: Deezer, Paris, Europe, France

☆ Omada wants to become a healthy alternative to sports betting sites. It just raised $7.5 million with this 9-slide pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Social gaming startup Omada has just secured $7.5 million in seed funding from Felix Capital. The French startup, which launched less than two years ago, bills itself as a healthy alternative to traditional sports betting apps. "It's not just a game, it's a social game," said cofounder and CEO Adrien Miniatti. Beyond its core game-prediction and social features, Omada has also worked on a range of campaigns to raise awareness about betting addictions. With the fresh funding, Omada will ramp up its product team, and focus on its expansion in the US.

Persons: Felix Capital, It's, Adrien Miniatti, Zs —, Omada, Miniatti, Julien Codorniou Organizations: Felix, influencers, French football club Red Star FC, Omada, Play Ventures, Motier Ventures, Felix Capital Locations: London

☆ Series, a fintech helping enterprises automate back-office functions, just raised $25 million in fresh funds with this Notion memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Series, a fintech startup that aims to simplify finance and operations management for enterprises, has raised $25 million in fresh funds. The San Francisco-based company, founded in 2021, enables enterprises to handle a vast array of business departments from a single platform. Series' platform allows companies to manage areas including payments operations, business-to-business payments, payroll, HR, and treasury management. Series has raised $25 million across pre-seed and seed funding which it did using a pitch memo in Notion, an increasingly common form of attracting investor attention. Series most recent funding round closed earlier this year and the fresh capital has gone towards hiring as it looks to grow out its 30-strong team.

Persons: Brexton Pham, Kleiner Perkins, Rob Lowe Organizations: Hustle, One Ventures, Caffeinated, Wischoff Ventures Locations: San Francisco, HOF Capital

☆ 20-year-old Quddus Pativada built one of the hottest AI study tools while he was still in high school. He's now launching it for schools.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At 17 years old, Quddus Pativada was determined to do something about inequality in education. Now, three years later, the 20-year-old Pativada has turned his high school vision into a full-fledged startup, with 8 employees globally working on his AI educational assistant ASI, formerly known as Digest.ai. Pativada set out to create a new AI-powered studying assistant nearly a year before ChatGPT debuted on the world stage. After more interactions, the AI tutoring bot can pick up on what a student is good at and where they may need more help, to further personalize the experience for that learner's needs. Pativada's grand vision for ASI is still to offer personalized tutoring for individual students, but to also market the learning tool to governments and businesses for quick, personalized employee upskilling.

Persons: Quddus Pativada, Pativada, Mark Cuban, Deborah Quazzo, ChatGPT, Khan Organizations: TechCrunch, ASI Locations: Dubai, Ghana

☆ Climate tech startups Treefera, ReSeed, Vaulted Deep, and Skyqraft raised a combined $18.6 million this month. Check out the pitch decks they used to raise the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Early-stage climate tech startups Treefera, ReSeed, Vaulted Deep, and Skyqraft have raised a collective $18.6 million in fresh funds this month. It can monitor tree health, carbon sequestration, and the likelihood of a forest fire or drought, which may put the project at risk, in "near-time." Check out the 21-slide redacted pitch deck they used to raise the funds below:ReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedReSeedCarbon sequestration company Vaulted Deep raised $8 millionVaulted Deep, a Texas-based carbon removal and sequestration company, raised an $8 million seed round from Chris Sacca's Lowercarbon Capital. Vaulted Deep already has two injection sites, where waste is injected deep into the Earth. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck below:Vaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepVaulted DeepSkyqraft raised $3.8 million to monitor energy infrastructureSkyqraft, a Stockholm-based startup hoping to improve the resilience of energy infrastructure, also secured $3.8 million earlier this month.

Persons: Morgan, Jonathan Horn, Caroline Grey, Greg Lavender, ReSeed, Baratunde Thurston, Chris Sacca's, Advantek, Louise Gauffin, Gauffin Organizations: Global, Concept Ventures, Twin Path Ventures, Ventures, Thorn Partners, Earthshot Ventures, E.ON, Subvenio, Neptunia Invest Locations: London, New York, The Pennsylvania, Texas, Stockholm

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the 17-slide presentation that startup Jude used to raise $4.24 million to help boomers who need bladder help
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Move over, millennials: one startup founder is betting big that baby boomers are a largely untapped goldmine for discreet undergarments and supplements. With the seed funding, Jude plans to expand into the U.S., selling at the intersection of bladder care, senior healthcare, and women's health. The combination of healthcare, eldercare, and women's health proved to be crucial when Jude tried to line up investors. Take a look at the 17-slide presentation Jude used to raise $4.24 million in seed funding. Jude - healthcare brand for a new age JudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJudeJude

Persons: Jude, Eka, Fiono Pathiraja, Christa Galli, Peony Li, Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Organizations: Christa Galli Ventures Locations: Samos, London, U.S

☆ Read the 16-page pitch deck that 'Million Dollar Listing' star Josh Flagg and his cofounders used to raise $1.7 million for their real estate media startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Celebrity real estate agent Josh Flagg, media exec Griff O'Brien, and investor Andrew Shanfeld have teamed up to launch Estate Media, a personality-driven media company. Real estate has become a huge pop culture topic, aided by reality TV series like "Selling Sunset" and the "Million Dollar Listing" franchise. The company will offer content created with a network of real estate personalities who, Estate Media said, reach a collective 25 million followers. While the real estate industry has come down from its pandemic frenzy, O'Brien believes Estate Media can ride ups and downs in the market. Scroll down to see the deck Estate Media used to raise its seed round.

Persons: Josh Flagg, Griff O'Brien, Andrew Shanfeld, O'Brien, Flagg, Shanfeld, Jack Davis, Chip, Joanna Gaines —, There's, Margot Ettedgui, TikToker Aaron Grushow, Robert Rivani, Glennda Baker, Ricky Carruth, Adam Weitsman, Chris Heller, Rich Antoniello, Austin Rief, Devin Emery, Brian Goldsmith, Ricky Van Veen, Justin Killion, Spence Markel Organizations: Estate Media, Entertainment, Crypt, HGTV, Los Angeles, Estate, Ojo Labs, Complex Networks, Austin, Morning, Growth Partners, Powerhouse Capital, CollegeHumor

☆ See the 10-slide presentation a startup used to land $8 million from General Catalyst to speed up rare-disease research with AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Medeloop just raised $8 million in seed funding led by General Catalyst. The startup uses AI to help speed up research tasks such as grant applications and data collection. It's working with researchers at universities in California and Canada. Caissie, who was born in Canada and previously worked as an oral and facial surgeon, wanted to build tech to solve problems he'd faced as a doctor and researcher. In 2021, he left Montreal to attend Stanford University's business school to get his MBA and build a tech platform, now known as Medeloop, that would help him conduct research quicker.

Persons: Medeloop, General Catalyst, Rene Caissie, Caissie, he'd Organizations: General, Stanford Locations: California, Canada, Montreal

☆ Web3 music platforms are combining new tech with Web2 features to give artists better compensation and 'create dope consumer experiences'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Diana Umana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Web3 music platforms are changing the industry, giving artists better payouts and ways to reach fans. Orin FleurimontThe importance of direct-to-consumer offerings for music artists has never been more evident. It also uses familiar terminology throughout its platform and in marketing, similar to what one would find on traditional music platforms. The benefit of this hybrid approach is clear: In April, when much of the Web3 music space faced uncertainty, Even closed its $2.2 million seed round. Safeguarding security and enhancing educationWhile integrating Web3 and Web2 experiences on music platforms offers promising benefits, there are drawbacks and areas for improvement.

Persons: Tanerélle, Orin Fleurimont, Web3, Mag Rodriguez, Weston Rich, Rodriguez, Eric Bellinger, Shaun, Snoop Dogg, Tayla Parx, Bobby Shmurda, Andreessen Horowitz, Sound.XYZ, David Greenstein, Pablo Sáez David Greenstein, Brett Shear, Christopher Lee, Erin Leydon, Lee, merch, Vérité, IYK, Jamie Kim, Audius Organizations: Service, Spotify, Apple, PTC, Investments, IYK, IRL, Atlantic Records, NFC Locations: Wall, Silicon, Web3, Sound.XYZ

Goodwin is the CEO and formulator of Olipop, a "healthier" prebiotic soda on track to surpass $200 million in sales by the end of the year. Here's how Goodwin and Lester turned a $100,000 investment into a multimillion-dollar business capable of selling $20 million worth of soda a month. They agreed to meet at a coffee shop in Palo Alto in early 2013 to discuss a potential partnership in Ben's probiotic soda company – Obi. However, Obi didn't see the success and traction they'd hoped for, and in 2016, Goodwin and Lester sold Obi. Ben Goodwin and David Lester became partners in Goodwin's probiotic soda company, Obi, in 2013.

Persons: Ben Goodwin, Goodwin, David Lester, Olipop, Lester, Gen Z, gravitate, I'd, Gary Erickson, Jes Gallegos, Jim Ilehder, São Paulo, Ben, – Obi, David, Van Leeuwen, Obi, Obi didn't, hadn't, would've, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mindy Kaling, Jonas, Joe, Nick, Kevin, they've Organizations: CNBC, University of California, Clif, Hardware, Diageo, U.S . Midwest, Target, Walmart Locations: Northern California, Santa Cruz, TikTok, University of California Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Ben's, Santa, probiotics, Jerusalem, U.S, Washington

☆ Read the 12-page pitch deck 2 brothers used to raise $2 million for Strada, an AI startup to streamline content creation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Brothers Michael and Peter Cioni, former Adobe and Netflix execs, have raised $1.9 million for their startup, Strada. Strada is a platform that promises to make production work more efficient. Check out the pitch deck they used to raise funds from big Hollywood filmmakers and others. A pair of brother entrepreneurs is betting that they can help video creators bring their projects to life faster by harnessing AI to streamline the production process. Michael and Peter Cioni — former execs at Adobe and Netflix, respectively — left those roles to build their new startup, Strada.

Persons: Michael, Peter Cioni, Peter Cioni —, —, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, Jason Fotter, Kim Snyder Organizations: Adobe, Netflix, Strada, Hollywood, Ataboy Studios, Donut Media, Panavision

☆ Some startup founders say VC influence is 'debilitating.' Here's why they are turning down outside funding and bootstrapping instead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But when it comes to his current startup, an AI platform for businesses called Iterate, Nordmark is staunchly against relying on outside funding. Nordmark is part of a growing league of founders who are opting for bootstrapping, which means growing startups without relying on outside funding from investors. Six startup founders interviewed by Insider also say that in some cases, they're actively turning down opportunities for funding to keep maximum control of their business plans. Founders who have eschewed VC funding say that bootstrapping allows them to go — and grow — at their own pace. To be sure, some startup founders are still taking big checks from VCs when the timing is right.

Persons: Jon Nordmark, Samsonite, Nordmark, they're, it's, MailChimp, Brooke LeBlanc, VCs, Dr, Bobbi Wegner, SVB, Evan Jager, we're, Dori Yona, Jason Burke, – Burke Organizations: Insider, VCs, Apple, Oracle, Intuit, Founders Locations: VCs, Boston

☆ Treasury management startup Fipto just raised $16 million in a round led by Serena Williams-backed Serena Ventures with this 13-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

French treasury management startup Fipto has raised $16 million in a seed round led by Serena Williams' venture capital fund. Paris-based Fipto uses blockchain technology to help speed up payments in both fiat and digital currencies for businesses. Treasury management is about managing and planning for an organization's financial needs, often by putting available cash to work elsewhere but international payments can often take time to settle - adding complexity to the role. Founded in 2022, Fipto's seed funding round was led by Serena Ventures and Motier Ventures. The company started raising funding late year and closed the round in April with Fipto benefitting from increased investor interest in the treasury management sector, Mollard added.

Persons: Serena Williams, Patrick Mollard, Mollard, Fipto Organizations: Treasury, Serena Ventures, Motier Ventures Locations: Paris, Europe

☆ Curipod helps teachers make interactive lessons using generative AI. Check out the pitch deck it used to raise $4.6 million in seed funding.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Instead, I wanted this interactive lesson tool where students can express themselves and have agency — the opposite of this lecture model." With Curipod, teachers can create lessons on any school subject using generative AI, first by inputting the subject of the lesson, the grade level, and any additional learning objectives. Curipod is free for teachers and students to use at the moment, with paid tiers for school districts, said Seip. The team only launched its AI product at the beginning of this year, and had not previously sought venture capital funding. Check out the nine-slide pitch deck that Curipod used to raise $4.6 million in seed funding.

Persons: Jens Aarre Seip, Seip, Eirik Hernes Berre, Frikk Fossan, Curipod, GPT3 Organizations: Norwegian School of Economics, Reach, aha, Emerson, Sondo, Edovate Locations: Norway

☆ Young startups are feeling the pinch as seed funding succumbs to the VC winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There were 441 seed rounds recorded on Carta in the second quarter of this year, the slowest quarter for deal activity since early 2019. Funding for early-stage startups leveled off in the second quarter of this year. That has to do in part with a greater number of seed startups trying to raise extension rounds, multiple investors said. Carta data shows the median seed valuation hit $13.7 million in the second quarter, which is significantly higher than any quarter prior to 2021. "The founders that are raising seed rounds are raising them for decent cash and at decent valuations — healthy on both fronts," said Peter Walker at Carta.

Persons: That's, Jenny Fielding, Fielding, Carta, Andreessen Horowitz, they're, Marlon Nichols, Lily Lyman, —, it's, Brian Sugar, Sugar, Peter Walker Organizations: Carta, Ventures, New, Sequoia, Greylock Partners, MaC Venture Capital, Fund, Sugar Capital Locations: New York, Boston, Carta

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