☕ Altman and Nadella face an AI power crunch, China cuts power costs to support domestic AI chip push & OpenAI signs $38B cloud deal with Amazon.
Studio Ghibli and other Japanese publishers call out OpenAI for copyright violations.
Important stat: Squirrels forget where they hide 74% of their nuts.
The upside to their forgetfulness? They accidentally plant thousands of trees a year. Chaos, but make it reforestation.
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📬 What’s in store:
Today’s Picks: Sam Altman’s fundraising guide, 2700+ US VCs, AI UX shift, $1M dorm-room product, 6000+ Euro VCs, IPO watchlist, agent economy, AI hallucinations.
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has paused its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) Fund, launch to back underserved founders.
Studio Ghibli and other Japanese publishers call out OpenAI for copyright violations.
Altman and Nadella face an AI power crunch.
Apple to use Google Gemini for new Siri. Google pulls AI over false claim about senator.
Sutskever reveals year-long plan to fire Sam Altman.
China cuts power costs to support domestic AI chip push.
Tesla’s sales slump again across Europe in October.
OpenAI signs $38B cloud deal with Amazon.
Tesla to buy $2B worth of batteries from Samsung SDI.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY WORTH EXPLORING
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DAILY PICKS
🗞️ What else is brewing
Sam Altman’s Guide to Startup Fundraising: What Really Works.
2700+ US Angel Investors & VC Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link).
The only startup valuation guide you need as a founder.
Making a Million-Dollar Product From a Dorm Room.
6000+ European VC Firms Contact Database (LinkedIn Links).
Excel Template: Early Stage Startup Financial Model For Fundraising.
AI Hallucinations Are Getting Worse.
Building the agent economy: How cloud leaders are shaping AI’s next frontier.
8 venture-backed IPO candidates to watch in 2025.
Do Early-Stage startups need a financial model for fundraising?
All-In-One Guide To Venture Capital Interview Questions (And How to Answer Them)
Investor data room guide & templates for founders.
STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
AUI, a NYC-based company behind Apollo-1, a neuro-symbolic foundation model for conversational AI, raised $20M in funding, at $750M valuation. The round was led by eGateway Ventures, existing shareholders, an investor group from New Era Capital Partners and strategic partners.
Popai Health, a San Francisco, CA-based patient conversation intelligence company that turns patient conversations into action, raised $11M in funding. The round was led by Team8, NEA and additional strategic investors.
Cob, a NYC-based snacking brand, raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding. The round was led by co-founder and tennis legend Novak Djokovic with participation from Bullish, Daxos, Furthermore, Venrex, and other investors.
Finstack, an Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based finance automation platform, raised €1.2M in funding. Backers included Quantum Leap Capital’s Mike de Boer, Maarten Wolleswinkel, René Feiner, and angel investors.
Teleskope, a NYC-based company improving data security, raised $25M in Series A funding. The round was led by M13, with participation from Primary Venture Partners and Lerer Hippeau.
octonomy, a Cologne, Germany-based AI company building agentic systems for complex enterprise support and service workflows, raised $20M in Seed funding. The round was led by Macquarie Capital Venture Capital, with participation from Capnamic, NRW.Bank, and TechVision Fund.
Zeeg, a Berlin, Germany-based provider of a booking CRM platform, raised €1.1M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Backbone Ventures.
Scavenger AI, a Frankfurt, Germany-based software company developing AI-powered business intelligence for Europe’s mid-market, raised €2.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by BMH Beteiligungs-Managementgesellschaft Hessen mbH (BMH), with participation from xdeck, a public innovation fund, and existing investors High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Calm/Storm Ventures.
Indomo, a Boston, MA-based therapeutics company developing at-home prescription dermatology treatments, raised $25M in total funding. Backers included Atomic, Foresite Capital, Polaris Partners and others.
The Icon League, a Berlin, Germany-based company operating a five‑a‑side football competition, raised €15m in Series A financing. The round was led by HV Capital, with participation from existing investors Jürgen Klopp (via his family office), Thomas Hagedorn and Luigi Berlusconi’s H14.
Infravision, an Austin, TX-based company that focuses on how grids are built and maintained with aerial robotics, raised $91M in Series B funding. The round was led by GIC, with participation from Activate Capital and Hitachi Ventures, as well as existing investor Energy Impact Partners.
EnduroSat, a Sofia, Bulgaria-based satellite operator, raised $104M in funding. Backers included Riot Ventures, Google Ventures, Lux Capital, European Innovation Council Fund, and Shrug Capital.
Lettuce Financial, a San Francisco, CA-based fintech startup focused on solutions for solopreneurs, raised $28m in funding. The round was led by Zeev Ventures.
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has paused its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) Fund, a program launched in 2020 to back underserved founders, particularly women and minorities. The fund, initially seeded with $2.2 million and matched by up to $5 million from co-founder Ben Horowitz and his wife, supported over 60 companies and nearly 100 founders with capital, mentorship, and access to networks. As of October 2025, the program is on hold, staff have been let go, and a16z says it will integrate learnings into its broader early-stage investing strategy.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
Studio Ghibli and other Japanese publishers call out OpenAI for copyright violations
Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), representing major studios like Studio Ghibli, has urged OpenAI to stop training its AI models on copyrighted works without permission.
The move follows viral trends where users generated “Ghibli-style” images through ChatGPT’s image tools and the Sora video generator, raising concerns about unlicensed use of creative content.
CODA warned that such replication could violate Japan’s copyright laws, contrasting with U.S. legal ambiguity, and emphasized that prior permission is required before using protected works for AI training.
Altman and Nadella face an AI power crunch
OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella admitted they’re unsure how much power their growing AI operations will need, as energy shortages now outpace chip supply.
Nadella said Microsoft has more GPUs than it can power, with data center projects struggling to secure enough electricity and infrastructure to keep up with AI demand.
Altman warned that sudden drops in energy costs or faster AI efficiency gains could leave companies stuck with unused power contracts, though he expects overall demand to keep accelerating.
Apple to use Google Gemini for new Siri
A report indicates Apple will quietly rely on Google Gemini models for much of the new Siri experience, moving away from trying to compete directly with existing AI chatbots.
This approach is considered more sensible because the company no longer has to catch up with a rapidly moving target, which was a main reason for previous skepticism.
A huge integration task is still required to make third-party models work seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem, which is why some doubts about the project’s success currently remain.
Google pulls AI over false claim about senator
Google removed its Gemma AI model from AI Studio after Senator Marsha Blackburn accused it of fabricating false criminal allegations about her.
Blackburn’s letter claimed Gemma invented a fake 1987 scandal and cited it as proof of defamation and political bias by Google’s AI systems.
Google said Gemma was intended only for developers, not consumers, and remains available via API while it works to reduce AI hallucinations.
Sutskever reveals year-long plan to fire Sam Altman
A deposition reveals co-founder Ilya Sutskever plotted Sam Altman’s ouster for over a year, authoring a secret memo accusing the CEO of a consistent “pattern of lying.”
The 52-page document included evidence like screenshots from CTO Mira Murati and was sent as a disappearing email because Sutskever feared direct retaliation before the board could act.
Immediately following the removal, the board considered merging with rival firm Anthropic to take over leadership, a proposal that former board member Helen Toner strongly supported.
China cuts power costs to support domestic AI chip push
China is offering major tech firms like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent subsidies that slash energy bills by up to 50% for large data centers, according to the Financial Times.
The move aims to offset rising electricity costs and support local AI development after Beijing’s ban on U.S.-made Nvidia chips.
Local governments are expanding incentives to boost domestic AI chip production and reduce reliance on foreign semiconductor technology.
Tesla’s sales slump again across Europe in October
Tesla’s car registrations plunged across key European markets in October, falling 89% in Sweden, 86% in Denmark, 50% in Norway, and 48% in the Netherlands, while Spain saw a 31% drop.
The declines highlight Tesla’s ongoing struggle against an expanding lineup of EVs from European and Chinese rivals, with sales down 28.5% year-to-date versus 2024.
Despite modest growth in France, Tesla was outsold by Chinese brands like BYD, Xpeng, and MG in several markets, signaling growing competition and waning dominance in Europe.
OpenAI signs $38B cloud deal with Amazon
OpenAI announced a $38 billion agreement with Amazon to purchase cloud computing services over seven years, marking a major expansion of its AI infrastructure.
The company will begin using AWS immediately, aiming to deploy all capacity by the end of 2026, with options to extend into 2027 and beyond.
The deal follows OpenAI’s restructuring that loosened Microsoft’s exclusivity, allowing partnerships with firms like Oracle, SoftBank, and Nvidia as it plans over $1 trillion in computing investments this decade.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other news
Tesla to buy $2B worth of batteries from Samsung SDI
Tesla has reportedly signed a deal with South Korea’s Samsung SDI to purchase over $2.1 billion in energy storage system (ESS) batteries across three years.
The Korea Economic Daily cited industry sources confirming the agreement, though Samsung SDI said final decisions are still pending.
The deal would strengthen Tesla’s battery supply chain as it scales its energy storage business alongside electric vehicle production.
HIRING ALERT: STARTUPS & VC ROLES
💼 Today’s VC & startup job opportunities
All-In-One VC Interview Preparation Guide: With a leading investors group, we have created an all-in-one VC interview preparation guide for aspiring VCs. Don’t miss this. (Access Here)
VP of Fundraising - Scale Asia Venture | Japan - Apply Here
Research Analyst - Positive Sum | USA - Apply Here
Associate - Venture Capital - Artha Venture Fund | India - Apply Here
Executive Assistant - AN Venture Partner | USA - Apply Here
Analyst - Urban Partners | London - Apply Here
Operations / Program Analyst - Entrepreneur First | India - Apply Here
Venture Fellow - Commonweal Venture | NYC - Apply Here
Investor Relations - Samved VC | India - Apply Here
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