☕ OpenAI reveals how people really use ChatGPT, Jack Altman raises $275M fund within a week, Oracle & Andreessen Horowitz to take 80% ownership in US TikTok.
AI robotics comapny Figure raises over $1 billion & Google launches new protocol for agent-driven purchases.
Ever noticed the Amazon logo has an arrow that points from A to Z?
It’s to represent that the online giant sells exactly that – everything from A to Z.
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📬 What’s in store:
Today’s Picks: Marc Andreessen on funding, counterintuitive growth, why some raise easier, legal docs, SaaS model, hiring guide, cap table, EU VC db, CRM template, VC outlook, 40 pitch decks.
OpenAI reveals how people really use ChatGPT.
AI robotics comapny Figure raises over $1 billion.
Jack Altman, has raised a new $275 million early-stage solo fund in just one week.
OpenAI will apply new restrictions to ChatGPT users under 18.
Google launches new protocol for agent-driven purchases.
US version of TikTok might still use the Chinese algorithm.
YouTube paid creators $100 billion in four years.
Oracle, Silver Lake consortium to control 80% stake in TikTok in US.
OpenAI to share 8% of its revenue with Microsoft, partners.
Meta Connect 2025: What to expect and how to watch.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
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DAILY PICKS
🗞️ What else is brewing
How much funding should a startup raise? - Marc Andreessen’s framework.
The counterintuitive model: The growth model that outperforms freemium and free trials.
Why do some founders raise easily while others struggle, even with great ideas?
Startup legal document pack – essential legal docs for founders.
How to study a new market and build expertise — tactics from a Twitter PM turned healthcare founder.
SaaS startup financial model: All-in-One excel template.
a16z guide: How to hire a strong founding team?
Building Cap Table as a founder: template to download.
6000+ European VC Firms Contact Database (LinkedIn Links).
Investor CRM Template – The ultimate fundraising tracker.
US Venture Capital Outlook: Midyear Update.
40 real startup pitch decks that raised $350M+ (Including leading startups decks)
STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
Figure, the San Jose, CA-based AI robotics company, exceeded more than $1 Billion in committed capital through its Series C financing round, at a post-money valuation of $39 Billion. The round was led by Parkway Venture Capital with participation from Brookfield Asset Management, NVIDIA, Macquarie Capital, Intel Capital, Align Ventures, Tamarack Global, LG Technology Ventures, Salesforce, T-Mobile Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures.
Vega, a NYC-based provider of a AI-native security analytics and investigation platform, raised $65m in funding across seed and Series A rounds. The rounds were led by Accel with participation from Cyberstarts, Redpoint, and CRV.
CreatorDB, a Los Angeles, CA-based company building the vertical AI infrastructure for the influencer marketing ecosystem, closed a $4.67m Series A funding round. The round was led by Acorn Pacific Ventures with participation from global manufacturing leader Pegatron, Meimaii Technology, AVA Ventures, and the National Development Fund.
Modern Animal, a Los Angeles, CA-based veterinary company dedicated to improving pet care, raised $46M in funding. The round was led by Addition, True Ventures, and Upfront Ventures, with participation from Founders Fund.
Ordinal, a Bentonville, AR-based provider of an AI-powered research assistant service for local governments, raised $1M in Seed funding. The round was led by Plains Ventures with participation from Winrock International and The Venture Center Arkansas Fund.
Eve Security, an Austin, TX-based provider of an agentic AI observability and policy enforcement platform, raised $3M in Seed funding. The round was led by LiveOak Ventures with participation from Tau Ventures.
WorkFusion, a NYC-based AI agents company for financial crime compliance (FCC), raised $45M in funding. The round was led by Georgian with participation from Serengeti Asset Management, Nokia Growth Partners III, L.P., Teralys Capital, Hawk Equity, Chubb INA Holdings, Declaration Partners, CEO Adam Famularo and other members of leadership team, SVB Innovation Credit Fund VIII, L.P., Konrad Investments LLC, and George John.
Nutrium, a Lisbon, Portugal-based provider of a corporate nutrition solution, raised $12M in Series A funding. The round was led by Vesalius Biocapital with participation from Lince Capital, Indico Capital Partners, and Beta Capital.
PayNearMe, a Santa Clara, CA-based fintech improving the payment experience for non-commerce businesses and their customers, raised $50M in Series E funding. The round was led by Atlantic Vantage Point through its Growth Fund I.
Nofence, a Molde, Norway-based company which specializes in virtual fencing technology, raised over $35M in Series B funding. Backers included European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, along with Capagro, Nysnø Climate Investments, Climate Innovation Capital, Speedinvest and existing investors Sandwater, Momentum, and Ferd.
MetalBear, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based creator of the open source Kubernetes development solution mirrord, raised $12.5M in Seed funding. The round was led by TLV Partners with participation from TQ Ventures, MTF, and Netz Capital. Angel investors included David Cramer, co-founder of Sentry, and Ben Sigelman, co-creator of OpenTelemetry.
AllRock Bio, a Natick, MA-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, raised $50M in Series funding. The round was led by Versant Ventures and Westlake BioPartners.
Ray Security, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based predictive data security platform, exited from stealth with an $11m seed funding round. The round was co-led by Venture Guides and Ibex Investors.
Tabs, a NYC-based provider of an AI-native revenue platform for modern finance teams, raised $55M in Series B funding. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from General Catalyst, Primary Venture Partners, and WiL (World Innovation Lab).
Fourth Power, a Boston, MA-based flexible-duration energy storage provider, raised $20M in Series A Plus funding. The round was led by Munich Re Ventures, with participation from DCVC and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Shop Circle, a London, UK-based provider of AI-driven software for enterprises, extended its Series B funding round to a total of $100M, combining $60M in equity with strategic financing. The round was led by Nextalia Ventures with participation from Primo Capital and CDP Venture Capital, alongside new strategic investors such as 645 Select Fund.
Mamedica, a London, UK-based provider for cannabis-based prescription medicines, raised £4.5M in funding. The round was led by Casa Verde with participation from Premier League stars Bobby Zamora and Mark Noble; members of the executive team at XTX Ma.
uiAgent, a NYC-based AI agent platform for accounting firms, raised $4.6M in Seed funding. The round was led by Marathon Management Partners, with participation from Rerail.
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
Alt Capital, a solo-run venture firm founded by Jack Altman, has raised a new $275 million early-stage fund in just one week. This marks a significant jump from its first $150 million fund raised in early 2024. Altman, who co-founded HR startup Lattice, has backed companies like David AI and Owner.com through his firm. The new fund highlights Jack’s growing role in early-stage investing alongside his brothers Sam and Max Altman.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
OpenAI study on ChatGPT usage trends: 24% messages seek info, majority personal:
A new OpenAI working paper with Harvard economist David Deming shows that 24% of ChatGPT conversations now focus on information-seeking — up 10% from last year — while 77% of all chats involve guidance, information, or writing tasks.
Only 30% of usage is work-related, with younger, higher-paid professionals more likely to use ChatGPT for work; personal use is growing faster, now 70% of all chats.
Other findings: coding queries fell from 12% to 5% as APIs and Codex agents grew; AI image use spiked with viral trends; lowest-income countries are adopting ChatGPT fastest; and the gender gap narrowed, with 52% of users now having feminine names.
OpenAI will apply new restrictions to ChatGPT users under 18
OpenAI announced new policies restricting ChatGPT use for minors, blocking flirtatious talk and adding stricter guardrails on suicide-related conversations.
The service may alert parents or even local police if an underage user expresses suicidal thoughts, while parents can now set “blackout hours” when ChatGPT is unavailable.
The move comes amid lawsuits over chatbot-related harm and a Senate hearing on AI chatbot dangers, with OpenAI pledging stricter safeguards while balancing privacy and freedom for adults.
Google launches new protocol for agent-driven purchases
Google unveiled the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open system for AI agents to make traceable purchases, backed by 60+ merchants and financial institutions including Mastercard, AmEx, and PayPal.
AP2 introduces a two-step approval process — an “intent mandate” for searching and negotiating, and a “cart mandate” for final purchases — with options for fully automated transactions under strict rules.
The protocol also integrates crypto via Coinbase, MetaMask, and Ethereum, positioning Google ahead of rivals like Perplexity and Stripe in shaping AI-driven commerce.
US version of TikTok might still use the Chinese algorithm:
An agreement for a US TikTok spin-off, now supported by officials from both countries, reportedly includes a plan to license the crucial Chinese algorithm for the new American-owned company.
This deal is structured this way because the application's value is its recommendation algorithm, which learns individual tastes to show an infinite scrolling feed of videos it thinks you will like.
Although controlled by American investors, the spun-off application would preserve some “Chinese characteristics” and ensure its content is available to users on the “rest of the world” app.
YouTube paid creators $100 billion in four years:
YouTube confirmed it has paid out over $100 billion to its creators, artists, and media companies since 2021, revealing the figure at its annual Made on YouTube event.
The company noted that growth was partly fueled by viewership on connected TVs, where the number of channels making over $100,000 jumped by 45 percent year over year.
This financial milestone was shared as the Google-owned service marks its 20th year and pushes to establish itself as one of the world’s most lucrative media businesses.
Oracle, Silver Lake consortium to control 80% stake in TikTok in US:
TikTok’s U.S. operations will be placed under a new company controlled by an investor group including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, holding about 80% ownership, with the rest retained by Chinese shareholders.
The new firm will have a U.S.-dominated board, including one government-designated member, while Oracle will manage user data in Texas facilities.
Current TikTok users in the U.S. will be asked to migrate to a separate app built for the American market, operating with its own algorithm and data systems.
OpenAI to share 8% of its revenue with Microsoft, partners:
OpenAI projects its revenue-sharing commitments to Microsoft and other partners will decline from the current 20% to about 8% by 2030, The Information reports.
The shift could mean over $50 billion in additional revenue retained by OpenAI, though it’s unclear if the figure is annual or cumulative.
The companies are also negotiating server rental costs as OpenAI restructures into a for-profit entity, with its nonprofit arm expected to receive more than $100 billion under current terms.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕ Other news
Meta Connect 2025: What to expect and how to watch:
Meta Connect 2025 kicks off Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT with a keynote by Mark Zuckerberg, streamed from Meta HQ and accessible via Meta’s site, Facebook, or Horizon in Quest headsets.
Leaks suggest the unveiling of “Hypernova” Ray-Ban smart glasses with a right-lens display, wristband gesture control, and Meta AI, alongside new Oakley Sphaera AI glasses with a single nose-bridge camera.
While new Quest headsets may not debut, expect updates on the Metaverse, AI efforts from Meta Superintelligence Labs, and potential improvements to Meta’s standalone AI app.
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)
Investor Relations Manager - Beco Capital | UK - Apply Here
Senior Associate - Strike Capital | USA - Apply Here
Investment Associate - Beco Capital | UAE - Apply Here
Head of Platform - Pledge Venture | UK - Apply Here
General Partner Gaikka Capital | Singapore - Apply Here
Partner 22 - a16z | USA - Apply Here
ESG Intern - ESG Enterprise | UK - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - Capital Oven | India - Apply Here
Capital Formation Associate - B Capital Group | USA - Apply Here
VP of Fundraising - Scale Asia Venture | Japan - Apply Here
Research Analyst - Positive Sum | USA - Apply Here
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