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💻 Resources of the Week

In this section, you will find the best resources that we have seen in the last week. All of them help you grow your startup from 0 to 1.

🔥 When everyone can build anything

AI is making software development nearly effortless, but what happens when anyone can create anything?

🔥 Navigating the risks: why startups fail

Startups fail for many reasons—lack of market demand, poor management, or simply running out of cash. Understanding these risks can help investors make smarter decisions and avoid common pitfalls.

🔥 In Silicon Valley, no answer is an answer

Instead of chasing answers, founders should learn to read between the lines and focus on the next opportunity.

🔥 How Discord marketing works (+ 7 strategies to use)

Discord isn’t just for gamers. From events to user-generated content, here are some great ideas to turn your server into a marketing powerhouse.

⚙️ Founder Tool of the Week

In this section, we share one tool that helps you build your startup.

🛠️ FlutterFlow

This low-code platform enables developers and product managers to visually build, customize, and deploy multi-platform applications with seamless database integration, collaboration tools, and full code exportability.

📕 Interesting read

Is wokeness a new phenomenon or just the latest wave of moral puritanism? In this essay, Paul Graham argues that it follows a long tradition of rigid social enforcement, from 1980s political correctness to today’s performative activism. He explores how universities, social media, and institutional power fueled its rise—and why it’s now in retreat.

💼 Get a Startup Job

🟢 Databricks is looking for a Sr. Group Manager of Digital Marketing

🟢 Corelight is looking for a Customer Success Manager (EMEA)

🟢 Rent The Runway is looking for a Social Content Creator

🟢 Intuitive is looking for a Data Scientist

🟢 Reddit is looking for a Systems Engineer

🗒️ Best Startup News of the Week

 🗒️ Musk's X in talks to raise money at $44 billion valuation, Bloomberg News reports

Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is in talks to raise funding at the same $44 billion valuation he paid for it in 2022. Despite past struggles with advertisers, optimism is rising as some return and Musk’s other companies, like SpaceX and xAI, soar in value. If the deal goes through, it would mark X’s first major funding round since going private.

🗒️ Reddit CEO says paywalls are coming soon

Reddit is preparing to introduce paywalls, allowing some subreddits to require payment for access. CEO Steve Huffman confirmed the plan after a disappointing earnings report, calling it a "work in progress" and part of the platform’s broader monetization strategy. While details are still unclear, this move could shift how users interact with Reddit—and possibly challenge platforms like Patreon.

🗒️ Investors are once again rapidly minting early-stage startups as unicorns

Venture capitalists are back to granting early-stage startups unicorn status at a fast pace, with 39 companies hitting $1 billion valuations in 2024—a 70% jump from the previous year. AI is driving much of the surge, with nearly half of these young unicorns in generative AI. While VCs remain more cautious than in 2021, the fear of missing out on the next big thing is clearly back.

🗒️ Saronic raises $600M to mass-produce autonomous warships

Defense startup Saronic has secured $600 million in Series C funding to build "Port Alpha," an autonomous shipyard, boosting its valuation to $4 billion. The company plans to manufacture large unmanned vessels, positioning itself as a key player in the growing defense tech sector. With investors like Elad Gil and Andreessen Horowitz backing the move, Saronic is set to expand U.S. shipbuilding capabilities in response to rising global demand for autonomous naval warfare.

🗒️ Brand-new women’s focused Swizzle Ventures skyrockets past its fundraising target

Swizzle Ventures has closed its first fund at $6.6 million, more than doubling its initial $3 million goal. Focused on women's health and wealth, the firm has already backed 11 startups and plans to invest in 30. With 70% of its investors being women, Swizzle is tapping into a growing push for female-led investment in critical sectors like caregiving and finance.

🗒️ Duolingo ‘killed’ its mascot with a Cybertruck, and it’s going weirdly well

Duolingo pulled off a wild marketing stunt by announcing the "death" of its beloved owl mascot, Duo—allegedly hit by a Cybertruck. The viral campaign, complete with a CEO-led eulogy, sparked a surge in app downloads, web searches, and user engagement. Now, users can “save Duo” by completing lessons, proving once again that Duolingo’s offbeat marketing strategy keeps people hooked.

🗒️ LinkedIn is testing an AI tool that could transform how people search for jobs

LinkedIn is rolling out an AI-powered job search tool designed to highlight opportunities beyond simple keyword matches. The custom large language model analyzes job descriptions, company insights, and user data to suggest roles that might otherwise go unnoticed. While AI-driven recruitment raises concerns about bias, LinkedIn says it has implemented safeguards to ensure fair recommendations.

🗒️ Mercor, an AI recruiting startup founded by 21-year-olds, raises $100M at $2B valuation

Mercor, the AI recruiting startup founded by three 21-year-old Thiel Fellows, has raised $100 million in a Series B round. Menlo Park-based Felicis led the round, valuing Mercor at $2 billion, eight times its previous valuation, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

🦄 Mega Funding Rounds of the Week

 ➡️  Chestnut Carbon, a startup that purchases underused farmland in the United States and transforms it into forests to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Raised: $160 million Series B round. Investors included previous investor Canada Pension Plan Investment Board as well as Cloverlay and DBL Partners.

➡️  Klook, a company whose platform allows travelers to discover and book a variety of activities, attractions, and services in over 2,700 destinations worldwide.

Raised: $100 million round led by Vitruvian Partners.

➡️  Tabby, a startup that allows customers to split their purchases into four interest-free payments, both online and in-store.

Raised: $160 million Series E round at a $3.3 billion valuation. The deal was co-led by Blue Pool Capital and Hassana Investment Co., with additional participation from STV and Wellington Management.

➡️  Abcuro, a company that is developing therapies for autoimmune diseases and certain cancers by targeting specific immune cells.

Raised: $200 million Series C round led by NEA, with Foresite Capital and previous investors RA Capital Management, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Redmile Group, Samsara BioCapital, Sanofi Ventures, Pontifax, Mass General Brigham Ventures, New Leaf Ventures, abrdn, BlackRock, Eurofarma Ventures, and Soleus Capital also participating.

➡️  Apptronik, a startup that develops humanoid robots designed to work alongside humans in warehouses and manufacturing plants.

Raised: $350 million Series A round co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with additional participation from Google.

➡️  EnCharge AI, a startup that specializes in analog in-memory computing AI chips to reduce energy consumption and enable AI processing on local devices.

Raised: $100+ million Series B round led by Tiger Global, with Maverick Silicon, Capital TEN, SIP Global Partners, Zero Infinity Partners, CTBC VC, Vanderbilt University, and previous investors RTX Ventures, Anzu Partners, Scout Ventures, AlleyCorp, ACVC, and S5V also joining.

➡️  Newleos Therapeutics, a startup developing oral medications for mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, substance use disorders, and cognitive impairment.

Raised: $93.5 million Series A round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with Novo Holdings, Longwood Fund, DCVC Bio, and Arkin Bio Capital also participating.

➡️  K2 Space, a startup that designs and builds large, high-powered satellites that are more affordable and faster to produce than traditional models.

Raised: $110 million Series B round co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Altimeter Capital, with previous investors Alpine Space Ventures and First Round Capital also participating.

➡️  Prenuvo, a startup that offers what it claims to be comprehensive, radiation-free MRI scans that screen for over 500 conditions, including early-stage cancers and diseases.

Raised: $120 million Series B round. Forerunner Ventures and Left Lane Capital were the co-leads, with additional participation from previous investor Felicis.

➡️ Abridge, a startup that leverages AI to automate the creation of clinical notes and medical documentation for clinicians.

Raised: $250 million Series D round. Elad Gil and IVP co-led the deal, with Lightspeed Venture Partners, CVS Health Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, and NVentures also participating.

➡️  Dream, a startup that uses AI to provide comprehensive cybersecurity protection for governments and national organizations.

Raised: $100 million Series B funding at a $1.1 billion valuation. Bain Capital Ventures led the round, with additional participation from Group 11, Tru Arrow, Tau Capital, and Aleph.

➡️  Hightouch, a platform that lets sales, marketing, and customer service teams synchronize data warehouses, along with AI agents that build experiences for them.

Raised: $80 million in Series C round funding, catapulting Hightouch to a $1.2 billion post-money valuation. Sapphire Ventures led the round, with NVC, Amplify Ventures, ICONIQ Growth, Bain Capital Ventures, and Y Combinator also participating.

🤝 About this newsletter

We are writing this newsletter to inspire you and share the lessons we and other founders learned along the way so that you can build your startup easier, faster and more successful.

If you have any feedback, ideas, or topics we should cover, don't hesitate to reach out to us via Email or LinkedIn. 

The BT Crew

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