☕ OpenAI rolls out cheapest ChatGPT sub-plan at $4.6 & SoftBank invests $2 billion in Intel.
Meta's Hypernova smart glasses may cost $800 & Google fined $36M in Australia
Technology may have moved on but -
The Rubik’s Cube remains the best-selling toy of all time.
Love or hate this intro? Hit reply and tell us why!
📬 What’s in store:
Today’s Picks: Khosla pitch guide, model template, key slide, legal docs, VC stack, picking VC, SEO cheats, scorecard, Index streak, US Q3, over-optimizing risk, deck guide, AI vs DB.
OpenAI rolls out cheapest ChatGPT sub-plan at $4.6 in India.
Meta's Hypernova smart glasses may cost $800.
New brain chip decodes inner thoughts in real time.
iPhone 18 launch reportedly delayed to early 2027.
Nearly 90% of game developers now use AI.
Intel gets $2 billion lifeline from SoftBank.
Google fined $36M in Australia over Android search monopoly.
X’s declining Android installs hurt subscription revenue.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
FROM OUR PARTNER - MECO
🤝 The best new app for newsletter reading.
Tired of messy inboxes? Meco moves your newsletters to a clean, scrollable app built for distraction-free reading.
Join 30K+ readers decluttering their inbox—connect Gmail/Outlook.
PARTNERSHIP WITH US
💪 Get your startup in front of over 95,000+ audience.
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, founders, investors (VCs / Angel Investors) and managers around the world. Get in touch today.
DAILY PICKS
🗞️ What else is brewing
Khosla Venture's Guide: Pitch the way VCs think.
Financial modelling template to build your startup financial model that every investor wants to see.
The Slide Every Investor Wants to See.
Startup legal document pack – essential legal docs for founders.
The VC tech stack report.
Why taking time to find the right VC is worth it.
SEO cheat codes every founder should know.
The VC scorecard that early-stage investors use.
Index’s billion-dollar streak: why it’s rivalling Sequoia’s best years.
Q3 2025: Quantitative perspectives: US market insights.
Why over-optimizing could kill your startup.
All-In-One guide to pitch deck storytelling - free template & curated resources.
Why AI can't crack your database.
Write your monthly investor update (email template download).
6000+ European VC Firms Contact Database (LinkedIn Links).
STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
Paradigm, a San Francisco, CA-based agentic spreadsheet, raised $5M in seed funding. The round was led by General Catalyst.
Sola, a NYC-based AI developer of a co-pilot for Robotic Process Automation (RPA), raised $17.5M in Series A funding. The round, which brought total funding to $21M, was led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Conviction and Y Combinator.
SpinLaunch, a Long Beach, CA-based space technology company, raised $30M in funding. The round was led by ATW Partners, with participation from Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace.
Medallion, a San Francisco, CA-based company which specializes in AI-powered provider network infrastructure, raised $43M in new funding. Acrew Capital led the round, with participation from Washington Harbour Partners and insiders, including Sequoia Capital, GV, Spark Capital, NFDG, and others.
Tote.ai, a Redwood City, CA-based AI-native point-of-sale system for fuel and convenience stores, raised $22.6M in funding The round was led by Cota Capital, with participation from Storm Ventures and Cervin Ventures.
IVIX, a NYC-based provider of an AI-powered platform designed to help governments around the world combat financial crime at scale using LLMs, raised $60M in Series B funding. The round was led by O.G. Venture Partners (OGVP) with participation from Insight Partners, Citi Ventures, Team8, Disruptive AI, Cardumen Capital, and Cerca.
Riva Money, a London, UK-based global payments startup that leverages blockchain technology to streamline the movement of money, raised $3m in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Project A with participation from angels from Revolut, Ebury, Monzo, and J.P. Morgan.
Waterly, a Crystal Lake, Ill.-based watertech startup, closed a $4m Series A funding round. The round was led by Burnt Island Ventures with participation from Emerald.
Citizen Health, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a patient-powered platform for rare disease care, raised $30M in Series A Funding. The round was led by 8VC, with participation from Transformation Capital and Headline, bringing the company’s total funding to $44M since its December 2023 launch.
Topline Pro, a NYC-based AI-powered engine improving how home service businesses grow and run online, raised $27M in Series B funding. The round was led by Northzone (Molly Alter), with new participation from Tactile Ventures, Industry Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, TMV, Flybridge, and BBG Ventures.
Create, a San Francisco, CA-based AI agentic startup, raised $8.5m in funding. The funding included a $5.5m raise led by Bessemer Venture Partners and participation from Shopify founder Tobi Lütke and other angels. It follows a previous $3m pre-seed round.
TOOL FOR FOUNDERS
📑 Know your valuation before you step into the room
Most valuation guides online are fluff. This Startup Valuation Guide is built with real founders and VCs to give you the exact frameworks investors use—minus the jargon.
Inside, you’ll get:
All the major valuation methods (and which ones matter at early stage)
A 5-step framework to calculate your number
Excel templates + walkthroughs
Real-world investor benchmarks & examples
How to present your valuation in a pitch deck without killing the conversation
If you want to negotiate confidently and protect your equity, this is the guide you need before your next raise.
NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
Norrsken Evolve, Stockholm, Sweden-based firm has completed the first close of its maiden €57M fund. LPs include institutional investors Saminvest, the European Investment Fund, and SmartCap Green Fund, funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU; as well as tech-founders and family offices. Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi’s investment firm Skaala joined the LP base, and Norrsken Evolve will expand programming to Kasvuhoone (the new Nordic hub for tech in Tallinn, Estonia).
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
OpenAI rolls out cheapest ChatGPT sub-plan at $4.6 in India:
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Go in India at ₹399/month ($4.60), a cheaper alternative to the ₹1,999/month Plus plan, with UPI support for payments.
The Go plan offers 10x more usage than the free tier, including expanded chat, image generation, file uploads, and improved memory for personalized responses.
India, OpenAI’s second-largest market with 29M app downloads in 90 days, is the first country to get this plan before global expansion.
Meta's Hypernova smart glasses may cost $800:
Meta is reportedly slashing the price of its upcoming ‘Hypernova’ smart glasses to around $800, a strategic move to boost consumer demand by accepting lower initial profit margins.
The device’s centerpiece is its integrated display, which will allow people to view photos, explore maps, and read social app notifications directly in their line of sight.
This wearable is also expected to have an improved camera and a new control scheme that uses a bundled wristband for gesture-based input, packaged with its own carrying case.
New brain chip decodes inner thoughts in real time:
A new brain-computer interface uses microelectrodes in the motor cortex to decode a person's inner speech, translating silent thoughts into text with up to 74 percent accuracy from a large vocabulary.
Scientists found that inner speech creates neural activity patterns different enough from attempted speech for the BCI to reliably distinguish between the two and only interpret imagined words.
A password-controlled mechanism prevents the BCI from constantly decoding thoughts, requiring the user to think of a chosen keyword like “chitty chitty bang bang” to unlock the feature first.
iPhone 18 launch reportedly delayed to early 2027:
A recent supply chain report claims Apple is delaying the standard iPhone 18 launch from its usual September release, bumping the phone's introduction into the first half of 2027 instead.
This new schedule would split the lineup, with the Pro, Pro Max, Air, and iPhone Fold models still arriving in the fall while the standard version gets pushed to the spring.
This release pattern would reportedly begin with the iPhone 18 generation, since the entire iPhone 17 family is still expected to debut together during the fall of 2025 as usual.
Nearly 90% of game developers now use AI:
A Google and The Harris Poll study found nearly 90 percent of game developers are now using artificial intelligence tools as part of their standard development and creative processes.
The research specifically surveyed 615 developers from the United States, South Korea, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, providing a focused look at several key international markets for game creation.
This data reflects a specific snapshot of the industry, as all of the information was collected from survey participants during a short period in late June and early July.
Intel gets $2 billion lifeline from SoftBank:
SoftBank is investing $2 billion in Intel, making it the sixth largest shareholder with just under a 2% stake, though it won’t seek a board seat or commit to buying Intel chips.
The deal boosts Intel’s turnaround efforts after an $18.8 billion loss in 2024 and years of struggles in AI and chip manufacturing competition with AMD and TSMC.
Intel shares jumped 5.6% after the news, while SoftBank’s stock fell 5%, reflecting contrasting market reactions to the high-stakes bet.
Google fined $36M in Australia over Android search monopoly:
Google admitted to making illegal deals with Telstra and Optus that forced Android phones to pre-install Google Search and banned rival search engines.
The company agreed to pay a $35.8M fine and signed commitments to remove restrictive provisions, giving Australians more search options.
The case is part of global antitrust pressure, with regulators in the US, EU, and Canada also challenging Google’s dominance in search and advertising.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕Other news
X’s declining Android installs hurt subscription revenue:
X app downloads on Google Play fell 44% YoY in July 2025, dragging total mobile installs down 26%, while iOS installs rose 15%.
The buggy Android app is seen as a major issue; new product head Nikita Bier is hiring an “Android Dream Team” to rebuild it.
Subscription revenue dropped to $16.9M in July, down from $18.8M in March, as users shift to Grok’s stand-alone 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)
Analyst / Senior Analyst - Updaya Social Venture | India - Apply Here
Program Manager - generator | USA - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - Zeta Capital | India - Apply Here
Capital Formation Analyst - March Capital | USA - Apply Here
Associate - OMERSE Venture | USA - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - Caanan | USA - Apply Here
Partner 16 - a16z | USA - Apply Here
Associate Telescope Partner | USA - Apply Here
Healthcare Analyst - General Investment Management | UK - Apply Here
Investor (AI) - Samsung next | USA - Apply Here
Investment Analyst - Miras Investment | Dubai - Apply Here
WHEN YOU’RE READY, HERE’S HOW I CAN HELP:
💁 You might need our help!
Reach 95,000+ Founders & Investors: Partner with our newsletter to reach a highly engaged audience.
Build Your Pitch Deck: We write, design and model your pitch deck into a storyteller book within 4-5 days.
Do you have any news to share about your Startup or VC fund? Please email us.
We’ll be back in your inbox on Tomorrow.