Funded

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **How AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48 hours** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/how-ai-accounting-startup-rillet-raised-100m-and-became-a-unicorn-in-48-hours/) - **Why Lightspeed is going all-in on creator-led venture capital ** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrun...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **AI makes weather prediction better. Can WindBorne make it lucrative?** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/05/ai-makes-weather-prediction-better-can-windborne-make-it-lucrative/) - **GLM-5.3 hits the API at $1.4/$4.4 per million tokens** (VentureBeat) - [Read more](https://venturebeat.com/technology/glm-5-3-hits-the-ap...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **From Humanities To AI: How Ali Hussain Built Fintech Tabs Into A $400M Startup** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/ai-fintech-startup-tabs-founder-hussain/) - **A year after filing to IPO, still-private Cerebras Systems raises $1.1B** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/30/a-year-a...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Why Paradigm built a spreadsheet with an AI agent in every cell** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/18/why-paradigm-built-a-spreadsheet-with-an-ai-agent-in-every-cell/) - **Smallest.ai raises $13M to build ultra-fast voice AI that sounds genuinely human** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Reach Capital raises $265M Fund V to back AI founders building to ‘expand human potential’** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/18/reach-capital-raises-265m-fund-v-to-back-ai-founders-building-to-expand-human-potential/) - **Fresh off its Wiz payout, Index Ventures raises $2B across three funds** (TechCrunch Venture)...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **More than 100 new tech unicorns were minted in 2025 — here they are** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/12/at-least-36-new-tech-unicorns-were-minted-in-2025-so-far/) - **Semiconductor Giants Are Busy Backing Startups This Year** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/semiconductor-gia...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **DeepSeek's top-ranked V4 Flash stumbles on real agent tasks as its prices surge** (VentureBeat) - [Read more](https://venturebeat.com/orchestration/deepseeks-top-ranked-v4-flash-stumbles-on-real-agent-tasks-as-its-prices-surge) --- *Sponsored by Ada, Ago Consulting, and Zen Semiconductor*

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Thrive’s Joshua Kushner chides Silicon Valley VCs over AI euphoria** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/thrives-joshua-kushner-chides-silicon-valley-vcs-over-ai-euphoria/) - **The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Data, Neolab, AI Infrastructure, Defense And AI Coding Lead** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **What’s Scaleup Europe, the $5.7B fund that just backed satellite company ICEYE?** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/whats-scaleup-europe-the-5-7b-fund-that-just-backed-satellite-company-iceye/) - **Accel closes oversubscribed $550M India fund within weeks, 19 months after its last** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read mo...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Exclusive: ClearJet raises $25M to build the ‘Uber of Cargo’** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/transportation/clearjet-raises-25m-logistics-ai-seriesb/) - **How A Teenage Carpenter Became The Founder Of AI Construction Startup Trunk Tools** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/carpenter-fou...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **No cloud, no GPUs, no problem: Liquid AI's new model LFM2.5-2.6B brings powerful AI agents to devices as small as a Raspberry Pi** (VentureBeat) - [Read more](https://venturebeat.com/technology/no-cloud-no-gpus-no-problem-liquid-ais-new-model-lfm2-5-2-6b-brings-powerful-ai-agents-to-devices-as-small-as-a-raspberry-pi) - **The Biggest Consequence Of...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **VC-backed startups commit more fraud, and researchers think they know why  ** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/31/vc-backed-startups-commit-more-fraud-and-researchers-think-they-know-why/) - **No Summer Doldrums For Active Startup Investors In July** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/ventur...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Lightspeed is building its edge on followers, not just funds** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/video/why-lightspeed-is-going-all-in-on-creator-led-venture-capital/) - **Robinhood to list a fund that lets anyone back Y Combinator startups** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/05/robinhood-to-li...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Three things veteran planetary health investors look for in a startup** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/22/three-things-veteran-planetary-health-investors-look-for-in-a-startup/) - **Meta enters the AI coding wars with Muse Spark 1.2 and Muse Code with persistent async background agents** (VentureBeat) - [Read...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Amazon backs programmable optics startup Lumotive** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/22/amazon-backs-programmable-optics-startup-lumotive/) - **Why SecurityPal is choosing ‘nuanced capital’ over more VC rounds** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/why-securitypal-is-choosing-nua...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **A year after filing to IPO, still-private Cerebras Systems raises $1.1B** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/30/a-year-after-filing-to-ipo-still-private-cerebras-systems-raises-1-1b/) - **‘Nobody Wanted to Give A Former Principal Money’: How An Educator Built An Edtech AI Startup With $63M From VCs** (Crunchbase N...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Catalio Capital closes over $400M Fund IV** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/catalio-capital-closes-over-400m-fund-iv/) - **Whoop’s valuation just tripled to $10 billion** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/31/whoop-valuation-10b-series-g-fundraise/) - **AI voice company Hyp...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Fresh off its Wiz payout, Index Ventures raises $2B across three funds** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/31/fresh-off-its-wiz-payout-index-ventures-raises-2b-across-three-funds/) - **Why Paradigm built a spreadsheet with an AI agent in every cell** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2025/...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Smallest.ai raises $13M to build ultra-fast voice AI that sounds genuinely human** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/31/smallest-ai-raises-13m-to-build-ultra-fast-voice-ai-that-sounds-genuinely-human/) - **NeoLogic wants to build more energy-efficient CPUs for AI data centers** (TechCrunch Fundraising) - [Read more](...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Hush Security says the AI security problem has shifted from protecting models to governing identities as autonomous agents spread** (VentureBeat) - [Read more](https://venturebeat.com/security/hush-security-says-the-ai-security-problem-has-shifted-from-protecting-models-to-governing-identities-as-autonomous-agents-spread) - **How is your enterprise...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Battery Storage Startup Antora Closes $550M Series C In One Of Year’s Largest Cleantech Rounds** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/clean-tech-and-energy/battery-storage-startup-antora-550m-series-c/) - **The Sweet Science: Why The AI Era Belongs To Middleweights ** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.co...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Elon Musk’s Boring Company reportedly raising funding at a $20B valuation** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/25/elon-musks-boring-company-reportedly-raising-funding-at-a-20-billion-valuation/) - **Enterprise AI agents can't talk to each other, can't be trusted with permissions, and can't be audited — 5 startups are...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Inference startup Infinity raises $15M from Touring Capital, OpenAI and Anthropic researchers** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/20/inference-startup-infinity-raises-15m-from-touring-capital-openai-and-athropic-researchers/) - **Freehand Raises $75M Series B To Automate Fortune 500 Supply Chain Spend** (Crunchbase N...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Why Greylock capped its new fund at $1.5B when it says it could have raised more** (TechCrunch Venture) - [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/15/why-greylock-capped-its-new-fund-at-1-5b-when-it-says-it-could-have-raised-more/) - **OpenAI researcher Miles Wang in talks to launch AI drug discovery startup valued at $2B** (TechCrunch Venture) -...

## Episode Summary In this episode, we cover: - **Schneider Electric’s VC Arm: The AI Buildout Is Creating A New Industrial Investment Cycle** (Crunchbase News) - [Read more](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/schneider-ai-robotics-energy-qa-chaturvedy-se-ventures/) --- *Sponsored by Ada, Ago Consulting, and Zen Semiconductor*