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The official channel of V3V Ventures. We share updates on our investments, portfolio companies, and fund activities. Buy Ads: @strategy (this is our only account).
🛜 Creator Ventures raises $45M to bet on consumer AI, social apps, and microdrama
The firm co-founded by YouTube creator Caspar Lee and investor Sasha Kaletsky has closed a $45M Fund II—doubling down on the thesis that consumer internet, powered by AI and culture, is far from dead.
✅ What’s in the fund
• $45M Fund II—more than 2x the size of their $20M debut
• Backed by LPs across Europe and the U.S., including family offices and founders
• Seed and pre-seed focus, with checks from $250K to $2M
• Early wins: Wild (acquired by Unilever), Runna (acquired by Strava)
• Portfolio also includes ElevenLabs, Beehiiv, Praktika, and Status
📱 Why it matters now
• Consumer startups are rebounding—AI, app stores, and social shifts are driving demand
• Creator Ventures focuses on what traditional VCs often miss: user-centric, culturally fluent startups
• Investing early in new behaviors—from AI tutors to TikTok-native media
🧠 A uniquely positioned team
• Caspar Lee brings an insider’s lens as a YouTuber with 6.5M subscribers
• Kaletsky combines operator and investor experience with a consumer-first edge
• Together, they back founders fluent in both tech and attention
Creator Ventures is betting that consumer internet is entering its next golden age—just with a lot more AI and a lot less VC groupthink.
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🌏 Headline Asia revives cross-border venture bets with $145M Fund V
In a tough fundraising climate, Tokyo-based Headline Asia has closed its fifth fund at $145M, becoming the first significant new VC vehicle raised in Asia in months. The fund will target early-stage startups across Japan, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and South Korea—focusing on founders with real traction and region-wide potential.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• $145M fund focused on seed to Series A rounds
• Backed by Japan Investment Corporation, Taiwan’s NDF, Korea Venture Investment Corp, and SME Support Japan
• Early bets include Japan’s Newmo (ride-hailing), Singapore’s Jenfi (revenue-based financing), and Pi-xcels (NFC receipts)
• Sector focus: e-commerce, fintech, logistics, AI, and intellectual property
• Strategy: help founders expand across Asia using Japanese distribution and capital
⚡️ Why it matters
• Asia-Pacific VC funding hit its lowest point since 2014—just $13B in Q1, down 40% YoY
• Cross-border collaboration is core to Headline’s thesis, with Japan as a strategic launchpad
• LPs are still backing funds with local credibility and a clear path to returns
📉 The enterprise bet
• LPs want capital-efficient, cash-flow-conscious startups—not unicorn moonshots
• Headline’s “Japan+Asia” model bets on founders with regional ambition and early product-market fit
• Fund V positions the firm for outsized returns in a compressed valuation environment
In a quiet VC season, Headline Asia is making a bold regional play—betting that cross-border scale still wins in the long run.
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💰 Redpoint Ventures Closes $650M Early-Stage Fund Amid Shifting Market Dynamics
Redpoint Ventures, a San Francisco-based firm that is about a quarter century old, has raised a $650 million 10th early-stage fund, according to a regulatory filing.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• $650 million
• 10th early-stage fund
• Seed through Series B
• $2 million to $15 million
• 15% to 23% at Series A
• Annie Kadavy, Erica Brescia, Alex Bard, Satish Dharmaraj
• Poolside (AI coding), Cockroach Labs, Levelpath
🌎 Why it matters or market context
• Redpoint maintained its $650M fund size from 2021, defying broader fundraising challenges.
• While many peers are retreating, Redpoint is holding course — a signal of disciplined execution.
• Focus on AI and infrastructure matches where innovation and capital are currently concentrating.
• Even in a cautious VC environment, early-stage remains a key area of conviction for top-tier firms.
📉 Risks, strategic shift, or investor view
• Early-stage valuations are more stable than late-stage, but remain sensitive to macro shifts.
• Winning high-quality AI and infra deals requires strong brand and quick conviction.
• Redpoint’s move to target 15–23% ownership at Series A suggests a more concentrated, high-conviction approach.
• Heavy focus on AI means higher upside, but also higher sensitivity to tech hype cycles and adoption risks.
Redpoint’s ability to raise at scale while sticking to its early-stage thesis signals strong investor trust and strategic clarity in a shifting VC landscape.
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📈 Goldman and Smith Point back Bestow’s shift to insurance SaaS
Insurtech startup Bestow has closed a $120M Series D round as it doubles down on its B2B SaaS pivot—ditching direct insurance to become the backend engine for modernizing legacy life insurers.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• $75M in primary equity and $45M secondary investment
• $50M credit line from TriplePoint Capital
• Co-led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives and Smith Point Capital
• Bestow’s valuation has doubled since its 2020 Series C
• Annual recurring revenue 3x’d in 2024 and 10x over two years
⚡️Why it matters
• Bestow exited its consumer-facing business in 2024 and is now fully focused on SaaS
• Its no-exam underwriting tech was battle-tested during COVID and now powers platforms for Nationwide, Transamerica, USAA, and Equitable
• Goldman sees the life insurance sector as large, resilient, and under-digitized
📉 The enterprise bet
• Life insurance incumbents lack modern tech—Bestow’s usage-based SaaS offers speed and flexibility
• Pivoting from D2C to infrastructure is risky—but early customer traction is strong
• International expansion could test the model across new regulatory landscapes
Bestow isn’t trying to disrupt insurers anymore—it wants to power them.
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👾Tripledot’s $800M power move to reshape mobile gaming
Tripledot Studios just became a global gaming heavyweight — snapping up AppLovin’s entire game portfolio in an $800M deal that vaults the British company into the industry’s top five.
🎮 The deal
• $400M paid (incl. $150M upfront, $250M note) + 20% stake given to AppLovin
• Valuation: $2B for Tripledot
• Portfolio now spans 12 studios with 25M daily users
📈 Tripledot’s rise
• Profitable since year 2, fastest-growing EU company in 2023 (FT)
• Known for its data-first approach to casual & puzzle games
• Now expands into mid-core, strategy, and simulation genres
🧠 Strategic shifts
• AppLovin exits game ops to focus on booming adtech & AXON AI
• Tripledot eyes cross-platform expansion — PC, not just mobile
• Will integrate studios behind hits like Wordscapes, Mobile Strike, Project Makeover
This isn’t just a game studio buy — it’s Europe’s boldest shot at building a global mobile gaming empire.
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🔥 1win are betting on champions - and they don't miss out
At the recent boxing event, Saul “Canelo” Álvarez secured a confident victory over William Scull, reaffirming his status as the undisputed super middleweight world champion. All four belts — WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF — remain with Canelo, and once again, he’s proven that his place is at the top of the boxing world.
Before the fight, Álvarez became the new ambassador for 1win — a brand that bets on the strongest. And that choice turned out to be more than symbolic.
The victory in Riyadh is not just another fight on the record, but another confirmation: Canelo is not just a champion, he is an era and 1win becomes a part of that legacy!
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🪙 Ara Partners closes $800M fund to decarbonize industrial infrastructure
Ara Partners has raised an $800M climate-focused infrastructure fund aimed at retrofitting legacy industrial assets — targeting one of the hardest and most capital-intensive segments to decarbonize.
✅ What’s in the fund
• Oversubscribed beyond its $500M target, backed by pension funds, endowments, sovereign wealth
• Strategy: Repurpose and retool existing infrastructure for low-carbon use
• First deals include a biofuels terminal developer and an Irish organic waste recycler
🌎Why it matters
• Bridges the capital gap for hardware-heavy climate startups beyond VC stage
• Plays in a segment where cost parity for clean tech is finally here
• Helps scale proven tech — not moonshots, but execution-driven decarbonization
📈 Ara’s thesis
• Industrial decarb isn’t just about new tech — it’s about buying, upgrading, and operating smarter
• Prior bets like Divert show how upcycling food waste into biogas beats landfills in both carbon and cash
• Focuses on climate impact with infrastructure economics, not just ESG optics
For late-stage climate infra, Ara’s latest fund is a signal: the green premium is fading, and industrial decarb is going mainstream — balance sheets first.
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🧩 Fivetran acquires Census to complete the data stack loop
After 13 years of ETL dominance, Fivetran is becoming a full-stack data movement platform — acquiring reverse-ETL startup Census to offer true end-to-end sync.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• Fivetran acquires Census (last valued at $630M in 2022) for undisclosed terms
• Census raised $80M+ from Sequoia, a16z, and Tiger Global
• Entire Census team, including CEO Boris Jabes, joins Fivetran
• Census brand to be phased into the Fivetran platform
⭕️ Why it matters
• Fivetran has long been the go-to for ETL (into warehouses) — now adds reverse-ETL (out to tools)
• Customers wanted end-to-end sync; Fivetran had a prototype but went the M&A route instead
• Deep product and cultural alignment: “People who like Fivetran also like Census”
🧠 Backstory and synergy
• Founders have known each other since YC Winter ‘13 — Census was still just a whiteboard idea
• Shared vision, shared customers, shared philosophy
• Fraser: “In some ways, this has been fated”
Fivetran just closed the loop — pulling data in, pushing insights out, and keeping itself right in the middle.
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💼 Volution and Japan’s SBI launch $100M fund to scale UK tech beyond Series A
Volution VC has partnered with Japan’s SBI Investment to create a $100M co-GP fund aimed at solving the UK’s chronic Series A–B funding gap — a stage where many startups stall or exit too early.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• $100M co-GP fund backed by SBI, targeting FinTech, AI, and SaaS
• Focused on UK startups with £5M+ ARR, post-Series A and ready to scale
• Leverages SBI’s corporate network and Japan’s $3.6T pension ecosystem
• Builds on Volution’s first fund, which saw 300% average revenue growth across 11 portfolio companies
🌎 Why it matters
• UK Series A funding dropped 44% in 2024; A→B conversion rates down over 50% in five years
• The fund provides long-term capital and operational support to fill this structural gap
• UK startups gain access to Japan’s $5T economy amid deepening UK-Japan tech ties
• ESG-aligned with carbon carry scheme and net-zero reinvestment from AI-heavy portfolios
A timely bet on UK productivity, cross-border VC alignment, and AI-driven scale-ups — just when the Series B void is at its peak.
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💧 Flow raises $100M+ at $2.5B valuation as Neumann returns to the spotlight
Former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann’s new venture, Flow, has raised over $100M, doubling its valuation to $2.5B. Flow is reimagining residential real estate with a vertically integrated platform combining AI, property management, and community building.
✅What’s inside the deal
• $100M+ raised with Andreessen Horowitz increasing its stake from 20% to 25%
• $2.5B current valuation, up from $1B in 2022
• Active expansion in Miami with major property acquisitions
• International footprint with teams in New York, Palo Alto, and Riyadh
• Focus on AI-driven residential management without third-party operators
📈 Why it matters
• Investors are betting on Neumann’s "second act," seeing potential beyond his WeWork legacy
• Flow’s model targets the $3.5T residential real estate market, far larger than WeWork’s office niche
• Heavy integration of AI signals a shift toward fully automated community management
• A patient, cashflow-positive approach could avoid WeWork’s hypergrowth mistakes
Neumann is making a comeback — but will investors’ patience outlast the ghosts of WeWork?
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🔥 Ready to take your startup to the next level?
Sber500 is an international accelerator helping startups grow faster, learn from global experts and connect with investors and corporations.
The 3-month online program selects 150 tech teams from around the world and offers:
✅ Mentors from top global companies like Google, Amazon, and Oracle
✅Personal growth tracks for each team
✅ Access to VC
✅ Piloting opportunities with large corporations
✅ Insights into the Russian market and connections with local corporations
✅ Media visibility in a new market
The top 25 startups pitch live at Demo Day in Moscow — in front of investors, corporate innovation leads, and top Sber executives.
All program activities are fully online, so you can join from anywhere for free. BRICS teams are especially welcome.
🗓️ Applications are open until May 12
Apply now 👉 Link 👈
💰 Tapcheck raises $225M to rewrite how payroll works
Texas-based Tapcheck, founded by husband-and-wife duo Ron and Kayling Gaver, just secured $225 million in equity and credit to expand its earned wage access (EWA) platform—redefining how American workers get paid.
🧠 Built from lived experience:
• Founded in 2019 after years of dealing with payroll issues in their previous businesses
• Ron brings GTM and finance background; Kayling is a 20-year veteran in payroll tech
• Tapcheck is their third successful venture together
⚙️ How it works:
• Lets employees access earned wages before payday—at no cost to employers
• Integrates with 300+ payroll systems, providing accurate real-time wage data
• Reduces financial stress and boosts retention—used by Hilton, Taco Bell, and McDonald’s
🚀 Why it stands out:
• Combines real-time wage access with seamless integrations and white-glove support
• Backed by empathy-driven UX and high-touch customer service
• Enabled $1B+ in early wage funding, serving 12,000+ locations and hundreds of thousands of workers
With new capital from PeakSpan Capital and Victory Park, Tapcheck is building out AI features, expanding Mastercard access, and positioning itself as the most trusted EWA solution in the U.S.—a platform built for both impact and scale.
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🎵 Aria: The First AI-Powered Artist Economy
Tired of streaming music without knowing where your money goes?
Aria changes that—instantly.
Aria is the first AI-powered music platform where fans drive the economy. With one simple subscription, you choose which artists get paid.
No middlemen.
No guesswork.
Just real support for the artists you love.
Why Aria❓
🔹Fan-Funded, Artist-First – Every dollar counts. Fans decide where their money goes, giving power back to the creators.
🔹 One Tap, Instant Impact – Subscribe once. Pick your favorite artist. Aria does the rest—sending revenue, unlocking perks, and building a real connection.
🔹 AI Discovery That Gets You – Our cutting-edge AI matches you with emerging and underrated talent before they blow up.
🔹 The Artist Marketplace – Buy exclusive drops, book experiences, and invest in your favorite artists’ success.
🔹 No More Mindless Streaming – Every stream, every click, every subscription fuels real careers. Be more than a listener—be a backer.
🚀 Smart. Easy. Revolutionary.
Aria isn’t just another music app—it’s a movement. Join the new era where fans fuel the future of music, and artists finally get what they deserve.
Join the fastest growing underground movement ‼️
Your support will go a long way—for the culture, the creators, and the community.
👉 AppStore Link 👈
🔑Invite Code: ariaco
💰We’re currently raising $3M to scale the platform—$440K has already been subscribed.
Let’s build the future of music together.
👉 Pitch Deck 👈
💵Revent doubles down on purpose-driven startups with new $100M fund
Berlin-based VC Revent has closed a €100M Fund II to back early-stage startups focused on “planetary and societal health” — from climate and healthcare to reskilling and industrial decarbonization.
✅ What’s inside the deal:
– Fund II backed by Otto Group, Oetker, Beiersdorf, EIF, and several European tech founders
– Targets sectors like energy transition, climate, healthcare, and economic empowerment
– Team now spans Berlin, London, Paris — with a new venture partner in SF
💡 Why it matters:
Revent isn’t chasing hype.
It's betting on long-term value in sectors others call “impact.”
The firm is positioning itself as a performance-first investor aligned with Europe's push for sovereignty and strategic innovation.
As U.S. narratives shift, Revent is doubling down on European values — and putting capital behind them.
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🔥Andreessen Horowitz Prepares $20B AI Megafund
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is raising a $20 billion fund fully dedicated to artificial intelligence — the largest in the firm’s history and one of the biggest AI-focused venture funds ever.
The fund targets growth-stage AI companies and is already attracting interest from global LPs looking to back US tech without regulatory friction. It also positions a16z as a central infrastructure layer for AI startups, offering access to thousands of Nvidia GPUs for portfolio companies.
💡 Why it matters:
🔥 Marks a16z’s full commitment to the AI cycle.
🔥 Structured as a single AI-focused vehicle, signaling outsized conviction.
🔥 Could function as a private AI platform, tightly integrated with infra and capital.
With portfolio bets like xAI, Mistral, and shares in OpenAI, a16z is going all-in on the next wave of transformative tech. If successful, this megafund could reshape how late-stage AI is financed.
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☀️ South Loop Ventures backs Houston’s rise with $21M fund for diverse founders
A new $21M seed fund is betting on Houston’s industrial backbone and diverse talent pool—anchored by Rice and Chevron, and led by a Navy veteran-turned-VC with a mission.
✅ What’s inside the fund
• $21M Fund I targeting pre-seed and seed rounds
• Average check size: $400K, with room for follow-on
• 13 investments already made—targeting 30 startups
• LPs include Rice Management Co., Chevron Tech Ventures, Texas Capital Bank
• Strategic focus on healthcare, energy, climate, and space
⚡️ Why it matters
• Houston is the most diverse big city in the U.S.—but its tech scene is still undercapitalized
• South Loop is one of the few local firms intentionally backing founders of color
• Built around sectors where Houston already has global strengths—this isn’t a tourist fund
🧠 The GP’s playbook
• Founder Zach Ellis is a Navy veteran and ex-PepsiCo venture investor
• Brings institutional capital experience from Ohio State University’s endowment
• Believes diversity is both a moral and economic imperative: “Diverse teams outperform”
South Loop Ventures is betting that the next wave of breakout founders won’t come from the coasts—they’ll come from Houston.
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💦 Wave Ventures triples fund to €7M to back Gen Z founders across Europe
Europe’s largest Gen Z-led VC, Wave Ventures, has raised a €7M third fund tripling its previous fund size as it scales its mission to back pre-seed startups founded by the next generation.
✅ What’s inside the fund
• €7M Fund III, up 3x from Fund II
• Backers include founders of Slack, Supercell, Skype, Wolt, Bolt, and Smartly .io
• First-check investments up to €100K
• Targeting 3–10 startups per country, per year
• Focused on the Nordics and Baltics
⚡️ Why it matters
• Wave is entirely student-run, with rotating teams from top Nordic universities
• Gen Z-led firms are still rare but increasingly visible in deep tech and consumer
• LPs include successful operators with deep local and global ties
📉 The next-gen thesis
• Wave sees Gen Z founders as underserved by traditional VC
• Its model gives the firm early access to university-born companies
• Proving institutional discipline and long-term impact will be the next test
Wave isn’t just betting on Gen Z startups, it’s a Gen Z startup itself.
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📊 Chime files for IPO, reveals $33M Mavericks deal as it eyes $1B raise
Fintech giant Chime has officially filed to go public, aiming for one of the biggest digital banking IPOs to date—despite some red flags in its financials and governance history.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• Filed S-1 on Tuesday after confidential filing in December
• Targeting a $1B raise, per Renaissance Capital
• 2024 revenue hit $1.67B, with losses narrowed to $25M (down from $203M in 2023)
• Q1 2025 revenue: $519M, on pace for $2B annual run rate
• Major backers include DST Global, Crosslink, Access Industries, Menlo Ventures, General Atlantic, and Iconiq
🌎 Why it matters
• Chime’s IPO could mark a long-awaited liquidity event for dozens of top VC funds
• Company touts 8.6M active users and offers checking, savings, debit, and credit services
• Enlisted top-tier banks: Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan
⏬Governance and profitability flags
• Spent $33M sponsoring the Dallas Mavericks while board member Cynthia Marshall was team CEO
• Without the sponsorship spend, Chime notes it might have been profitable in 2024
• IPO filing still lacks key details: share price range, number of shares, insider selling plans
Chime is scaling fast and bleeding less—but its path to public markets could test how much investors value growth over governance.
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⚡️ Bosch Ventures’ $270M deeptech fund targets US — but what does it mean for Germany?
Bosch’s venture arm just launched a new $270M fund focused on early-stage deeptech in North America — and the implications go beyond startup checks.
• Bosch’s 6th fund targets AI, climatetech, automation, and quantum
• Offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, and China
• Portfolio includes Aleph Alpha, Li Industries, Quantum Motion, TrunkTech
🌎 Global ambition, local tension
• Bosch doubles down on US innovation while expanding chip factories in Dresden and Reutlingen
• Open Bosch co-innovation model connects startups to Bosch’s global R&D engine
⚠️ Why it matters
• Germany’s late-stage VC gap still stalls deeptech scale-ups
• Bosch’s US bet may relieve pressure — or signal local inertia
• Chairman Stefan Hartung urges bold reforms and cuts to red tape
This isn’t just a new fund — it’s a blueprint for how German giants are rethinking global innovation bets.
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🐋 Anysphere locks in $900M as investor frenzy builds around AI coding tools
AI dev tooling is the new gold rush — and Anysphere, the maker of Cursor, just became one of its biggest winners. According to FT, the company has raised a staggering $900 million round at a $9 billion valuation, led by Thrive Capital.
✅ Deal details
• Round size: $900M
• Valuation: $9B
• Lead investor: Thrive Capital
• Backers: a16z, Accel, and reportedly intense interest from Index, Benchmark, and others
🚀 Why it matters
• Just five months ago, Cursor raised at $2.6B valuation — this is 3.5x markup
• Signal of overwhelming demand for AI-native coding tools
• Comes as rival Windsurf (ex-Codeium) is exploring a $3B raise — also targeted by OpenAI
Anysphere’s surge confirms what VCs already suspect: AI dev tools aren’t just hot — they’re becoming foundational.
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🔘 OpenAI restructures again — but can it still go public?
OpenAI has unveiled a new plan to reshape its corporate structure amid mounting pressure from regulators, investors, and Elon Musk’s lawsuit. The new structure keeps OpenAI’s nonprofit firmly in control, even as it moves its for-profit operations into a public benefit corporation (PBC) — a move that may complicate any future IPO.
• OpenAI’s nonprofit board will retain control while the for-profit entity becomes a PBC
• Aims to appease Delaware and California AGs, who’ve raised concerns over its nonprofit conversion
• The new setup allows OpenAI to operate more like a conventional business, easing investor pressure
• But key IP may remain under the nonprofit — which could hinder an IPO or limit shareholder influence
• Microsoft, a major backer, hasn’t approved the plan yet and is reportedly evaluating its implications
• Elon Musk’s lawsuit remains in play — his legal team says the restructuring “changes nothing”
• OpenAI denies the legal challenge shaped its strategy — but insiders say regulatory and investor tension forced the pivot
This hybrid model might buy OpenAI more time — but if it ever wants to go public, it’s still navigating a legal, financial, and structural minefield.
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🧠 Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire Hathaway CEO
After decades at the helm, the 94-year-old investing icon passes leadership to Greg Abel — but plans to stay involved.
💬 What’s happening
• Buffett will step down as CEO at the end of 2025
• Greg Abel, vice chairman for non-insurance ops, will take over as CEO
• Buffett plans to remain with the company in a yet-to-be-defined advisory role
• The board will finalize his future responsibilities this weekend
📊 What it means for Berkshire
• Ends long-running speculation around succession at the $900B conglomerate
• Abel inherits control of major businesses across energy, railroads, insurance, and tech
• Despite trimming its Apple position, AAPL still makes up over 20% of the company’s equity portfolio
• Investors will be watching Abel’s capital allocation decisions — and how closely he mirrors Buffett’s playbook
The handoff is quiet, calculated, and classic Buffett — now all eyes are on what comes next.
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🔥 Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez Becomes the New Ambassador of 1win
1win keeps signing major names in global sports — joining the team is Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, one of the most decorated boxers of our time.
📌Canelo’s record: 60 wins, 2 losses, 2 draws
📌 He holds the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF titles in the super middleweight division
📌 On May 3rd in Riyadh, Canelo will fight William Scull for the undisputed championship
💻Lightrun grabs $70M to tackle AI-driven code chaos
Israeli startup Lightrun has raised a $70M Series B round to scale its AI-powered debugging and observability platform, helping enterprises catch and fix software issues before they reach production.
✅ Inside the deal
• $70M Series B led by Accel and Insight Partners
• Strategic participation from Citi, Glilot Capital, GTM Capital, and Sorenson Capital
• Total funding raised now $110M
• Serving major clients like Microsoft, Salesforce, ADP, and ICE/NYSE
🔍 What makes Lightrun stand out
• AI-based "Runtime Autonomous Debugger" integrated directly into IDEs
• Observes code in development and predicts production failures
• Enables fixes before code goes live, minimizing downtime and risk
🚀 Why it matters
• AI-driven code boom is flooding production with new bugs
• Demand for proactive observability and remediation tools is surging
• Lightrun addresses critical gaps that existing players like Datadog haven't solved
Is Lightrun building the future of zero-downtime software — or will the complexity of AI coding outpace even today's smartest tools?
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🔥 Electra lands top-tier backing to decarbonise ironmaking
Electra, a Colorado-based climate tech startup, has closed a $186M Series B to scale its clean iron production platform — pulling in major names across climate, industry, and capital.
✅ What’s inside the deal
• $186M Series B co-led by Capricorn Investment Group and Temasek
• Backed by Breakthrough Energy, Lowercarbon Capital, BHP Ventures, Rio Tinto, Toyota Tsusho, Nucor, and others
• Total funding to date: $214M
🧠 Why it’s interesting
• Electra makes 99% pure iron using low-grade ores and renewable electricity, no blast furnace
• Its modular electrochemical process slashes emissions and enables local, distributed production
• Already securing downstream integration across mining, steel, and EV supply chains
🚀 Why it matters
• Iron and steel = ~10% of global CO₂ emissions
• Automotive and construction giants are hunting for clean feedstock
• Investors are betting this is the climate tech wedge into one of the dirtiest industrial sectors
Steel’s getting a software-style reset. Electra wants to be the Stripe of green iron.
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🌎 Fluent Ventures bets on startup clones—with a twist
San Francisco–based Fluent Ventures is out to prove that the best startup ideas aren’t born—they’re adapted. The firm backs founders in emerging markets who localize proven models from the West, a strategy it proudly calls “geographic alpha.”
❓ What they’re doing differently
• Backing founders in Latin America, Africa, MENA, Southeast Asia, and select U.S. markets
• Investing $250K to $2M in early rounds via a $40M fund + co-investment vehicle
• Focusing on fintech, healthtech, and commerce, but with local product-market fit
• Portfolio includes Sabi (Nigeria), Prima (Brazil), BRKZ (Saudi Arabia), and Minu (Mexico)
🎤Not just copy-paste, says founder Alexandre Lazarow
Fluent avoids simple cloning and looks for deep local adaptation—like how Go-Jek built a motorbike-based super app in Indonesia rather than replicating Uber directly.
🧠 Why this matters now
• Unicorns are now emerging from 150+ cities globally
• IPOs like Nubank, UiPath, Swiggy show global outcomes are real
• Fluent’s backers include Nubank’s David Vélez, Sea Group’s Nick Nash, and LPs across multiple continents
📣Takeaway:
In a world oversaturated with U.S.-centric VC bets, Fluent is placing smart capital where localized innovation is just getting started. Are clone+local wins the future of global venture?
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‼️ The $195M Startup That Burned Out Over Coffee
A powerful founder story shared by Groove and Helply’s Alex Turnbull is making waves — and for good reason. It’s a wake-up call for the VC world, revealing how a startup that hit a $195M valuation collapsed under its own expectations.
✅ What’s inside the story
• Founder raised $33M, scaled to 100+ employees, reached $195M valuation
• But by 2025: $750K/month burn, flat growth, 3 months of runway
• Confesses: “Your 5-person company makes more profit than mine ever has.”
💡Why it matters
• Most founders won’t get the fairy-tale exit
• High-burn, valuation-first models are cracking under macro pressure
• “The math doesn’t work” — but the treadmill keeps going
⚖️ Venture vs. control
This isn’t an anti-VC narrative — it’s a realignment moment. Some founders are trading boardrooms and headlines for quiet profitability, lean teams, and full control.
🧠 Final thought
Not every startup needs a rocketship. In a market where exits are rare and burn is brutal, sustainable might be the new smart.
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📍 Ex-Sequoia Partner Matt Miller sets sights on Europe with new $300M fund
Matt Miller, who led Sequoia Capital’s expansion into Europe, is now launching his own $300M fund focused on scaling European AI and B2B startups from Series B onwards.
✅ What’s inside the fund
🔹Target: Growth rounds (Series B & C), with room for early-stage co-investments
🔹Base: London
🔹LPs: Institutional investors + 100+ founders/operators from Silicon Valley and Europe
🔹Team: Spencer Hemphill (ex-Sequoia) joins as CFO
📈 Why it matters
🔺Europe’s AI and enterprise SaaS scenes are maturing, but Series B/C capital remains scarce
🔺Miller’s fund fills a key gap in the scaleup pipeline with Sequoia-style rigor and independent flexibility
🔺Part of a broader trend of high-profile VCs spinning out to launch focused funds
🕖 What’s next?
The first cohort of portfolio bets will signal how Miller’s playbook evolves outside the Sequoia brand — and whether this marks a broader shift in how European late-stage capital is deployed.
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⚖️ Fraud Charges Hit Nate Founder Over Fake AI Claims
Albert Saniger, founder of AI shopping app Nate, has been charged with defrauding investors after it was revealed that the platform’s so-called AI was actually powered by a call center in the Philippines.
💰Nate raised over $50M from top VCs including Coatue, Forerunner, and Renegade Partners.
🛍 The app claimed it enabled “universal checkout” using AI — but DOJ alleges automation was “effectively 0%.”
💻 Hundreds of human contractors were completing purchases manually, contradicting investor claims.
📉 Nate ran out of cash and was forced to sell assets in 2023, leaving investors with near-total losses.
The case underscores growing scrutiny around AI “wrapper” startups and the due diligence gaps in hype-fueled venture deals.
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