Tue.Jan 18, 2022

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Revolution Growth Invests in Curbio, the Leading Proptech Platform for Pre-Sale Home Renovation

Revolution

The Maryland-Based Startup Offers a Fix Now, Pay-at-Closing Solution for Optimal Sale Outcomes Say hello to Curbio ?—?the proptech company seizing an untapped opportunity within the $85B pre-sale home improvement market and the latest addition to the Revolution Growth portfolio. What They’re Solving For: Today’s consumers want a move-in-ready home. However, current inventory is in short supply due to an aging housing market and slow renovation timelines.

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Will quantum computing remain the domain of the specialist VC?

TechCrunch

Maria Lepskaya. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Maria Lepskaya is a senior associate at Runa Capital , leading investments in different branches of quantum technologies and advanced materials. Market trends are the best indicators we have to judge the maturity of the quantum industry. While they don’t perfectly reflect technological progress, they showcase investors’ willingness to write checks for the industry.

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Attract Talent by Creating an Empathetic Company Culture

StartupNation

Each new generation brings something different to the table and tries hard to paint the social norms in their colors. Nowadays, it’s millennials’ turn to make the world a better place and they truly managed to bring some extremely sensitive issues under the spotlight. . Let’s take the workplace as an example. What used to be a highly organized, cold, productive-oriented environment is now striving toward flexibility, collaboration, and empathy.

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Score another win for Istanbul gaming startups: Dream Games raises $255M at a $2.75B valuation

TechCrunch

Yet more funding is finding its way to Istanbul’s gaming startups. Today, Dream Games — the casual games developer behind the hit game Royal Match — is announcing a $255 million Series C that values the startup at $2.75 billion. This Series C is being led by Index Ventures, with Makers Fund, IVP, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Kora and Balderton Capital also participating.

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From Curiosity to Competitive Edge: How Mid-Market CEOs Are Using AI to Scale Smarter

Speaker: Lee Andrews, Founder at LJA New Media & Tony Karrer, Founder and CTO at Aggregage

This session will walk you through how one CEO used generative AI, workflow automation, and sales personalization to transform an entire security company—then built the Zero to Strategy framework that other mid-market leaders are now using to unlock 3.5x ROI. As a business executive, you’ll learn how to assess AI opportunities in your business, drive adoption across teams, and overcome internal resource constraints—without hiring a single data scientist.

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7 Tips for Founders to Move From Early Market to Mainstream

StartupNation

If you’re a company’s founder in an early market, you know how hard it can be to cross the chasm between early adopters and mainstream customers. Early markets are by no means easy to tackle, so in this post, I’ll discuss seven tips that will help founders navigate these difficult waters. These tips range from defining the competitive space to defining and executing the right sales strategy and will help you decide the key actions to take, regardless of your product.

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YC @ HBCUs

Y Combinator

We’re excited to announce that on February 9, we will be hosting an event for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). If you’re interested in starting or working at a startup, we hope to meet you there. At this event, you’ll hear from a panel of YC alumni, led by Michael Seibel, Group Partner and Managing Director of YC’s early stage program.

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500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions

TechCrunch

Christine Tsai. Contributor. Share on Twitter. Christine Tsai is the CEO and founding partner of 500 Global. This was another blockbuster year for global venture funding, with 2021 breaking records across the board. Deal activity is at record highs. Last year, a total of $643 billion was invested globally, according to Crunchbase News , compared with $335 billion in 2020 – that’s 92% growth year over year.

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6 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Create a Healthy Mindset

Entrepreneur's Handbook

You don’t have to neglect your health for profits. Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Finclusion raises $20M to build out credit-led neobank offering across Africa

TechCrunch

The digital banking space in Africa is taking shape as neobanks on the continent grow in numbers like their global counterparts. Venture capital bet from institutional investors in this class of fintechs is massive and in the latest development from Africa, it seems individual investors appetite is increasing likewise. Finclusion Group , a fintech that uses AI algorithms to provide financial services to African customers via an array of credit-centric products, has raised $20 million in debt and

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Why I’ve Stopped Searching for a Tech Co-founder

Entrepreneur's Handbook

Don’t have a business partner? Don’t let it stop you from building your startup. Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Philippines ‘buy now pay later’ startup BillEase scores $11M Series B

TechCrunch

Buy now pay later (BNPL) startups are proliferating around the world and the Philippines is no exception. Today, one of the country’s biggest BNPL providers, BillEase , announced it has raised an $11 million Series B. The round was led by BurdaPrincipal Investments, growth capital arm of Hubert Burda Media. Other participants included Centauri, a joint investment vehicle between MDI Ventures and KB Investment, and Tamaz Georgadze, CEO and co-founder of Raisin DS.

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How I Secured a 6-Figure Contract By Signing a 5-Digit Agreement (First)

Entrepreneur's Handbook

Be patient and practical when dealing with clients. Steal my methods for better results. Continue reading on Entrepreneur's Handbook ».

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Wayve raises $200M Series B led by Eclipse for its AI for autonomous delivery vehicles

TechCrunch

British autonomous vehicle startup Wayve has raised a $200 million Series B funding round from investors to scale its technology and expand its partnerships with commercial fleets. Wayve is aiming to be a major player in the arena of Robo-deliveries and logistics. It’s now raised a total of $258 million to date for its technology, which relies largely on commodity video cameras around the vehicle tied to on-vehicle AI-driven software, making it highly responsive to its surroundings as it relies

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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?

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How Will the 52% Correction in the Stock Market Impact the Startup Fundraising Market?

Tomasz Tunguz

The public software sector is weathering the second deepest multiple contraction in the last decade. Only the 2016 reduction of 57% surpasses it. Public market investors are rotating out of high growth technology companies as the Fed’s policies of quantitative easing, asset purchases, and low rates abate. The question on every software founder’s mind today must be, how will this affect the private financing markets?

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SoftBank leads cash infusion into AI infrastructure company Pyxis One as it starts year with new name

TechCrunch

Pyxis One, now Pixis , closed on $100 million in Series C funding to continue developing what it touts as “the world’s only contextual codeless AI infrastructure for complete marketing optimization.”. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the round and was joined by new investor General Atlantic, and existing investors Celesta Capital, Premji Invest and Chiratae Ventures.

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What Is Drop Servicing – How To Start A Drop Servicing Business?

Feedough

What if I tell you that you don’t always need. Read more.

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Smart calendar tool Clockwise raises $45M to help remote teams avoid burnout using AI

TechCrunch

Clockwise , a time management and smart calendar tool, has raised $45 million in Series C funding led by Coatue, with participation from Atlassian Ventures and existing investors Accel, Greylock Partners and Bain Capital Ventures. This latest round brings the company’s total amount of funding raised to $76 million. Clockwise uses artificial intelligence to help teams free up their workdays and avoid the challenges associated with remote and hybrid workplaces, such as burnout.

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The GTM Intelligence Era: ZoomInfo 2025 Customer Impact Report

ZoomInfo customers aren’t just selling — they’re winning. Revenue teams using our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform grew pipeline by 32%, increased deal sizes by 40%, and booked 55% more meetings. Download this report to see what 11,000+ customers say about our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform and how it impacts their bottom line. The data speaks for itself!

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Startups For Students Guide

Y Combinator

In the past two years, we’ve met over 6,000 students during our virtual outreach tours. We compiled a list of the questions they most frequently asked about startups, and created this Startups for Students Guide. The guide is informed by hundreds of hours of talks, blog posts, and essays we’ve written for students who are interested in starting or working at startups – many of which can be found in the YC Library ).

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Fairplay closes $35M in equity, debt to provide revenue-based financing to entrepreneurs

TechCrunch

Mexican revenue-based investment startup Fairplay secured $35 million in Series A funding to invest in the online marketing campaigns of direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands and marketplace sellers in Latin America. The investment round consists of $15 million in equity, co-led by Dila Capital and Kayyak Ventures, and participation from Speedinvest and Elevar Equity, and $20 million in debt led by Architect Capital.

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Startups For Students Guide

Y Combinator

In the past two years, we’ve met over 6,000 students during our virtual outreach tours. We compiled a list of the questions they most frequently asked about startups, and created this Startups for Students Guide. The guide is informed by hundreds of hours of talks, blog posts, and essays we’ve written for students who are interested in starting or working at startups – many of which can be found in the YC Library ).

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Hero MotoCorp, Engine No. 1 join Gogoro’s PIPE, bringing it up to $285M

TechCrunch

Gogoro, the Taiwanese company best known for its electric Smartscooters and swappable battery infrastructure, has just added current strategic partner Hero MotoCorp, activist and impact investment firm Engine No. 1 and another investor to its PIPE investment, bringing the total funding to $285 million, up from $257 million. The oversubscribed PIPE (private investment in public equity) round, which includes investors like Foxconn (Hon Hai), GoTo, Temasek, Generation Investment Management and othe

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How Top Tech CFOs Solve Annual Planning’s Biggest Challenges

Gearing up for 2025 annual planning? Our latest eBook from the Operators Guild is your ultimate guide. Discover real-world solutions and best practices shared by top CFOs, drawn directly from discussions within OG’s vibrant online community. Learn from senior executives at high-growth tech startups as they outline financial planning strategies, align CEO and board goals, and coordinate budgets across departments.

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Black Engineers in Startups Seminar

Y Combinator

In February, Michael Seibel (Managing Director, Early Stage and Group Partner at YC) and Aston Motes (Investor, Director of /dev/color and first employee at Dropbox) are bringing together a cohort of black engineers who are interested in learning about startups and finding roles at fast-growing YC companies. This month-long series is a way for participants to meet black technical founders and engineers of YC startups, learn about their career path, get mentorship from YC alum, and build a commun

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Pinwheel raises $50M Series B at $500M valuation for its income verification APIs

TechCrunch

Six months after its $20 million Series A , payroll connectivity platform Pinwheel just announced that it has nabbed another $50 million in a round led by new investor GGV Capital. . Pinwheel serves neobanks and fintechs like Block, Varo, and Lendly by providing application programming interfaces (APIs) linked to payroll, income, and employment data.

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How to Create a Brand Awareness Strategy That Will Generate Buzz

StartupNation

Have you ever recommended a restaurant to your friends or traveled to a city solely because your neighbor couldn’t stop talking about it? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you have experienced the buzz —hyping something so much that people start talking about it. . The concept of generating buzz to get consumers, marketers, and media to start discussing your offers is what spreads brand awareness for your new business.

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Walnut snaps up fresh capital after growing 700% in four months

TechCrunch

After securing a $15 million Series A in August, Walnut , a company that creates sales and marketing demo experiences, is back to announce its new round of $35 million in Series B financing. Walnut’s no-code platform enables teams to create customized product demonstrations quickly, be able to integrate them into their sales and marketing processes and then generate insights from the demos.

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5 Ways You Can Win Faster with Gen AI in Sales

Incorporating generative AI (gen AI) into your sales process can speed up your wins through improved efficiency, personalized customer interactions, and better informed decision- making. Gen AI is a game changer for busy salespeople and can reduce time-consuming tasks, such as customer research, note-taking, and writing emails, and provide insightful data analysis and recommendations.