EverythingStartups Weekly

Welcome to all the new visionaries here who signed up last week! I’ve updated the EverythingStartups website with a new look, take a peek 🙂 

I’ve also created an Instagram account with more great startup & VC content, if you’re on there, no idea how to crack the Insta code yet though!

And finally, I have a special announcement soon about a new launch & partnership, for investors specifically, so stay tuned 😉 

Let’s get into this week’s edition on what’s happening in startup & VC world & the main highlights.

But first, check out these resources:

• 120+ Active Pre-Seed - Series A investors

• 48 pre-seed accelerators

• Latest VC funds announced

• 350+ SaaS investors

• LPs investing in VC funds

• Understanding founder vs VC investment memos

Partnership & collaboration opportunities. 

Cheers,
Ivelina

PS: Liking this? Share this newsletter with your inner circle.

 
Important News 🟣

What people are talking about…

• Delve, an AI compliance startup founded by 21-year-old MIT dropouts, raised $32 million at a $300 million valuation as it expands from HIPAA automation into broader enterprise governance.

• BitGo confidentially filed to go public as the crypto market surpasses $4 trillion, joining a wave of digital asset firms rushing to tap Wall Street's renewed appetite for crypto exposure.

• VC Victor Lazarte is leaving Benchmark to launch his own firm. Another VC to join the wave of investors leaving top-shelf firms to start their own funds.

• Venture funding surges for startups tackling rare earth scarcity, with companies like Cyclic Materials, Cylib, and Phoenix Tailings raising millions for recycling and extraction as geopolitical risks fuel investor interest.

• Jeff Bezos is exploring a potential acquisition of CNBC after its spinoff from Comcast, looking to expand his media empire with a more centrist, business-focused outlet.

• Figma CEO Dylan Field plans to cash out over $60 million in the IPO, as top VCs like Sequoia, Index, Greylock, and Kleiner also sell shares ahead of what could be 2025’s biggest public debut.

• Former Y Combinator and a16z comms experts launch a $600 summit to help early-stage founders master press and social media without pricey PR agencies.

Interesting Links 🟣

These caught my eye this week…

• Is seed VC dying? Rob Go thinks it might be. Here he breaks down four forces reshaping the early-stage game: from YC’s scale and mega-fund muscle to the power law mindset and the AI shift that’s leaving seed funds gasping for air.

• The AI-native enterprise playbook is taking shape. Angular Ventures outlines 10 patterns defining the new B2B landscape, from domain obsession and weird-industry moats to the 80/0 rule that kills good demos.

• Swipe left on danger. Tea is the viral app helping women flag toxic dates, with anonymous reviews, AI catfish checks, and 1.7M+ users turning dating safety into a movement. Bonus: 10% of profits go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

• What’s your What, Why, Who, and How? NEA’s Tiffany Luck breaks down the anatomy of a perfect pitch and why founder obsession, demo clarity, and knowing your numbers could be the difference between a pass and a term sheet.

• Is your VC a Gucci, a Walmart… or a J.C. Penney? Chris Neumann breaks down the global bifurcation of venture capital and why today’s smartest founders are skipping the mid-tier to pick either megafunds or “artisan” investors with razor-sharp theses.

🎙️ 10 Realistic Ways Founders Cash Out

This week, I put together a chart showing all the different ways a startup can exit. Not every startup IPOs. And it's a total myth that if you don't IPO you go bust.

The reality is liquidity comes in many forms.

Whether you're optimizing for upside or minimizing damage, knowing your options can help you make smarter decisions before you burn out.

Here are 10 realistic ways founders cash out (including IPO):

 
New VC Fund Highlight: Betaworks 🟣

And the best part - highlighting my favorite fund of the week!

NYC-based Betaworks closed its $66M Fund III targeting early-stage AI companies, focusing on three key areas: agents, native AI interfaces, and application-layer AI. The fund plans 25+ seed investments plus 50+ Camp program deals (average $500K checks).

Why it's notable: Betaworks has deep AI investing experience since 2016 with successful bets like Hugging Face and Granola. As a longtime NYC tech ecosystem anchor (launched 2008), they've proven their model works - previous exits include Tumblr and Kickstarter. Their dual approach of traditional seed investing plus their intensive Camp accelerator program gives them unique deal flow and hands-on involvement.

Market context: Fund successfully closed despite challenging 2024 fundraising environment, with strong LP support returning from previous funds. Represents significant upsize from their $46M Fund II (2020).

PS: Track new VC funds raised here.

Top Pre-Seed to Series A Funding Rounds This Week 🟣

Watch out for these…

• Scrunch AI, a platform helping brands understand and improve their visibility in AI search, raised a $15 million Series A round. Decibel, Mayfield, Homebrew, and others participated.

• BetterComp, a provider of AI-powered compensation management software, raised a $33 million Series A round from Ten Coves Capital.

• Cooler Heads, a medical device company behind a portable scalp cooling system for chemotherapy patients, raised an $11 million Series A round. Mutual Capital Partners and SHD Partners joined the round.

• Glīd Technologies, a startup developing autonomous road-to-rail solutions for freight transport, raised a $3.1 million pre-seed round. Outlander VC and Draper U Ventures joined.

• LeadStory, an on-demand AI-powered personalized news streaming platform, raised a $2.75 million seed round. Checker Media and CP Ventures were part of the round.