💎 Perplexity Aims for $8B Valuation in New Fundraise

Perplexity, an AI search engine, is reportedly in talks to raise $500 million at an $8 billion valuation, more than doubling its previous $3 billion valuation from a summer raise by SoftBank. The company handles about 15 million queries daily and generates around $50 million in annual revenue, despite facing legal challenges over web scraping.

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🌐 Nine New Unicorns in September, Including a $5B Valuation in Three Months

Nine companies joined the Crunchbase Unicorn Board in September, including Safe Superintelligence, which reached a $5B valuation just three months after its founding. The board now includes nearly 1,550 companies valued at $5.2 trillion.

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📌 Interface.ai Raises $30M to Expand AI-Powered Banking Solutions

Customer automation platform Interface.ai raised $30M in a round led by Avataar Venture Partners to expand its AI-based solutions for banks. The platform helps financial institutions automate customer service tasks with voice and text-based AI agents, aiming to democratize AI access for regional and community banks.

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🌐 AI Seed Rounds Decline 43% in Q3, But Valuations Hit New Highs

AI startups raised fewer seed rounds in Q3 2024, with deal volume dropping 43% compared to the previous year. However, total capital raised remained steady, signaling that seed round valuations have reached unprecedented levels.

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💵 Andreessen Horowitz Provides Nvidia GPUs to AI Startups via Oxygen Cluster

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has launched its Oxygen program, offering portfolio companies access to Nvidia H100 GPUs, enabling them to train AI models without the burden of high market prices. This initiative helps AI startups compete with larger tech firms by offering flexible, low-cost access to high-performance compute resources.

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🌐 Megadeals Surge in 2024 Despite Venture Funding Slowdown

While overall venture funding remains slow, 2024 has already seen nearly 240 megadeals of $100 million or more, surpassing last year's total of 210. Key sectors like biotech, healthcare, and AI have driven this growth, with significant rounds from companies such as OpenAI and Xaira Therapeutics.

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👀 General Catalyst Raises $8B for Global Startup Investments

U.S.-based venture capital firm General Catalyst has secured $8 billion in new funds to back early-stage startups across the U.S., Europe, and India. The funds will support sectors such as AI, healthcare, defense, and climate tech, with $4.5 billion allocated for core VC activities, $1.5 billion for building new companies with proven founders, and $2 billion for specialized accounts.

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📣 Post-Election Years Often Boost U.S. Startup Funding

Crunchbase data shows that U.S. startup funding frequently rises after presidential elections, as seen in 2021 under Biden with a record $345 billion, and in 2017 under Trump, with a 26% funding increase. While economic downturns in 2001 and 2009 caused declines, most post-election years see boosts driven by new policies and shifting market sentiment.

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💵 Waymo Secures $5.6 Billion in Series C Funding from Alphabet, a16z, and More

Waymo has completed a $5.6 billion Series C funding round, with Alphabet leading the way alongside prominent investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Silver Lake, and Fidelity. With this new funding, Waymo plans to expand its robotaxi services, now serving over 100,000 customers weekly in cities like San Francisco and Phoenix.

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Yes, we all deny that we enjoy this pain 🤗

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🔍 Joseph Jacks and OSS Capital: Betting on Open Source Startups

Joseph Jacks, founder of OSS Capital, is making waves in the investment world by focusing on early-stage open source startups like Formbricks, AppFlowy, and Cal.com. He believes that the interplay of philanthropy and capitalism within the open source realm can lead to sustainable business models, despite the inherent challenges of monetizing open source software.

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🌐 Biotech Leads 2024 VC Megadeals, Surpassing AI

Biotech is outpacing AI in 2024’s VC megadeals, with 87 $100M+ rounds compared to AI’s 26. Major deals include Xaira Therapeutics’ $1 billion round and Superluminal Medicines’ $120 million, signaling strong investor confidence in health tech.

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💵 South Korean Cybersecurity Startup Thero6 Raises $6 Million in Seed Round to Boost Blockchain Security

Thero6, a South Korean cybersecurity startup developing AI-powered blockchain firewalls and algorithms, has secured $6 million in a seed round, including $1.07 million from crowdfunding. The company aims to expand its team and make its product demo available to Asian firms by 2025.

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💎 Read AI Secures $50M to Expand Its AI Summary Bot Capabilities

Read AI has raised $50 million in a Series B funding round, led by Smash Capital, to enhance its AI bot's integration with popular tools like email and Slack. This comes on the heels of strong customer growth, with over 100,000 new accounts created since its last funding round, showcasing the demand for its innovative solutions.

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👀 Venture Capital's Political Power Play: Millions at Stake in the 2024 Election

Venture capitalists are predominantly donating to Democratic candidates, with Reid Hoffman leading as the top individual donor at nearly $30 million, while Vinod Khosla contributed over $3 million to Democratic causes. In contrast, Republican donations are significantly lower, with Doug Leone from Sequoia Capital contributing about $3.8 million, and Andreessen Horowitz investing $47 million in blockchain-friendly initiatives that support both parties.

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🌐 AI Grabs a Record 33% of U.S. VC Funding in 2024

AI startups are attracting a growing share of U.S. venture capital, with investments jumping from 14% in 2020 to 33% in the first nine months of 2024. Q3 alone saw $38 billion in VC funding, 37% of which went to AI-focused deals, setting the stage for even more funding as the sector matures.

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⚠️ U.S. Tightens Grip on AI Investments in China Amid Security Concerns

The U.S. is finalizing rules that will ban American investments in China's AI, quantum tech, and semiconductor sectors starting January 2, targeting technologies with military and surveillance uses. Investors will be restricted from providing funds or expertise that could enhance China's military and intelligence capabilities, with limited exceptions for publicly traded securities.

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🔍 Swing States Lag Top Venture Hubs but Boast Diverse Startup Growth

While swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina may not match the venture capital intensity of major hubs like California, Massachusetts, and New York, they each host prominent, sector-specific startups. Ranging from Michigan's electric vehicle tech to North Carolina's biotech, these regions reveal unique entrepreneurial strengths.

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💵 Hummingbirds Raises $5.4M to Boost Hyperlocal Creator-Brand Connections

Hummingbirds, a platform connecting local content creators with community-based brands, secured a $5.4 million seed round to expand across 20 U.S. cities by 2025. This startup, founded by Charise Flynn and Emily Steele, taps into nano-creators with under 10,000 followers, delivering high engagement rates for brands seeking authentic, word-of-mouth marketing.

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📊 European Defense-Tech Sector Sees Record Funding Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions

Amid escalating conflicts, Europe’s defense-tech sector has reached a record $531.6M in 2024, with new venture firms capitalizing on dual-use technologies to support the region's security needs.

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💎 Janngo Capital Closes $78M Fund to Boost African Startups and Gender-Equal Investments

African VC Janngo Capital has closed its second fund at $78 million, surpassing its target, and will continue investing in African startups with a strong focus on supporting female founders and gender-equal opportunities.

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