☕ Perplexity is in talks to pre-install its browser on mobile, OpenAI launches $50 million fund & Man beats AI model in world coding championship.
iPhone 17 Air rumored to have a smaller battery & More.
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📬 What’s in store:
Today’s Picks: Investor Q&A guide, pitch deck and data room templates, startup idea validation frameworks, hidden AI tech debt, use memos not decks, 150+ VC fellowships, YC’s top AI-era advice, US VC list, legal docs for founders.
Perplexity is in talks to pre-install its browser on mobile.
David Sacks faces ethics questions over dual role in AI policy and venture capital.
Meta refuses to sign EU’s AI code of practice.
iPhone 17 Air rumored to have a smaller battery.
Man beats AI model in world coding championship.
OpenAI launches $50 million fund to support nonprofits, community organizations.
US authors suing Anthropic can band together in copyright class action.
Netflix admits it used generative AI in a big sci-fi hit to cut costs.
Astronomer CEO resigns after viral Coldplay cam scandal.
VC & Startup Jobs: VC & investors backed startup hiring for remote roles.
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🗞️ What else is brewing
What investors ask and how to answer: All-in-one guide for founders.
All-In-One Guide To Pitch Deck Storytelling - Free Template & Curated Resources
Frameworks: Validating startup ideas with the 2-20-200 & 5 PM frameworks.
The data room guide you’ll ever need as a founder: download these templates.
Hidden Technical Debt in AI.
Use memos instead of Pitch Decks: Advice from a founder who raised $42 million.
Breaking into VC? These 150+ fellowships (free & paid) can help you get started..
This is the best advice Y Combinator has shared for anyone in their 20s building in the AI era
Startup legal document pack – essential legal docs for founders.
2700+ US Angel Investors & VC Firms Contact Database (Email + LinkedIn Link)
STARTUPS RAISING MILLIONS
💰 Startup funding updates
BrightAI, a San Francisco, CA-based company bringing AI into the physical world to power smarter, more resilient infrastructure, raised $51m in Series A funding. The round, which brings total funding to $78m, was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Marlinspike, VSC Ventures, Rsquared VC, Cooley LLP and other investors.
Radical AI, a NYC-based company building autonomous labs for materials R&D, raised $55M in Seed funding. Backers included RTX Ventures, Nvidia, noa, Eni Next, Infinite, Alleycorp, etc.
Ostia Sciences Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based microbiome therapeutics company developing next-generation probiotics, closed its seed financing round, raising CAD $1.46m as of December 31, 2024. In addition to private investment, Ostia secured over $393k in non-dilutive grants, including $350k from Natural Products Canada (NPC) through its Proof-of-Concept (POC) program.
Paddle, a London, UK-based company supporting digital product companies to operate and grow, received $25M from CIBC Innovation Banking.
Hadrian, a Torrance, CA-based defense and aerospace manufacturing startup, raised $260m in funding. The round was co-led by Founders Fund and Lux Capital, with participation from Altimeter and 1789 Capital as well as existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Construct Capital, and 137 Ventures.
Streamforge, a Montreal, Canada-based provider of an AI-powered business intelligence platform for the creator economy, raises $1.2M USD in funding. The round was led by AQC Capital with participation of Anges Québec, with reinvestment from existing investors Triptyq Capital and Telegraph Hill Capital, alongside new involvement from the StarForge Fund and angel investors.
Confident Security, a San Francisco, CA-based developer of technology enabling provably private AI interactions, raised $4.2M in funding. Backers included Decibel, South Park Commons, Ex Ante, and Swyx.
Folio, a Durham, NC-based a provider of a financial operations platform for hospitality, raised $14M in Series A funding. The round was led by Thrive Capital and Construct Capital, with participation from Redseed VC and SciFi VC.
BiomEdit, a Greenfield, Indiana-based animal health biotechnology company, raised $18.4M in Series B funding. The round was led by Anterra Capital, with participation from Nutreco and new participation from AgriZeroNZ, Indiana’s Elevate Ventures, and Betagro Ventures, among others.
StrongestLayer, a San Francisco, CA-based cybersecurity company developing AI-native email security and human risk solutions, raised $5.2M in seed funding The round was led by Sorenson Capital with participation from Recall Capital.
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NEW VCs IN THE MARKET
🏦 Venture Capital updates
Modi Ventures, a Houston, TX-based venture capital firm that backs companies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, biology and medical technology, closed its second fund, at $88m. This close brings total committed capital to over $134m. The fund will continue to help build companies at the intersection of AI, biology, and medicine.
KEY STORIES IN TECH
📜 Latest in tech
Perplexity is in talks to pre-install its browser:
Perplexity is talking with mobile device makers about pre-installing its new Comet browser on smartphones in an attempt to challenge Google Chrome's market dominance.
The Comet browser integrates agentic AI to let people ask questions about personal data like emails and calendars, or perform tasks like scheduling meetings.
This strategy targets browser "stickiness" to encourage habitual use, though convincing OEMs to switch the default away from Chrome remains a difficult challenge.
David Sacks faces ethics questions over dual role in AI policy and venture capital:
David Sacks, co-founder of Craft Ventures and White House AI and crypto czar, holds ethics waivers allowing him to shape policy while investing in the industries he oversees.
Critics say the waivers enable conflicts of interest, especially after Craft backed Vultron, a startup building AI tools for federal contractors.
Despite divesting $200M+ in crypto and VC stakes, Sacks still maintains ties to private ventures, raising broader concerns about blurred lines between public service and private gain.
Meta refuses to sign EU’s AI code of practice:
Meta declined to sign the EU’s voluntary AI code of practice, citing legal uncertainties and claiming it overreaches the scope of the AI Act.
The code requires documentation updates, bans training on pirated content, and mandates respecting opt-out requests from content owners.
With new AI rules taking effect August 2, Meta joins other tech giants pushing back, but the EU says it will not delay implementation.
iPhone 17 Air rumored to have a smaller battery:
The upcoming iPhone 17 Air will reportedly feature a 2,800 mAh battery, a capacity that is smaller than any model expected in the iPhone 16 lineup.
This reduced size is a trade-off for the phone’s rumored ultrathin 5.5 mm frame, a design which severely limits the device's available internal space.
Apple plans to compensate with a new iOS 26 feature called Adaptive Power Mode, but tests show it may not provide all-day life for many users.
Man beats AI model in world coding championship:
Polish programmer Przemysław Dębiak narrowly defeated a custom OpenAI AI model during a 10-hour coding marathon at the AtCoder World Tour Finals 2025 Heuristic contest.
AtCoder hosted what may be the first major onsite world championship featuring an AI model competing directly against top human programmers in a "Humans vs AI" exhibition match.
The victorious programmer, a former OpenAI employee, was “completely exhausted” and acknowledged on X that this human triumph over the machine has prevailed only “for now.”
OpenAI launches $50 million fund to support nonprofits, community organizations:
OpenAI has created a $50 million fund to support nonprofits and community groups, following guidance from its newly formed nonprofit commission.
The initiative focuses on applying AI to areas like education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and grassroots research.
As part of a broader restructuring, OpenAI aims to convert its for-profit entity into a public benefit corporation while reinforcing its public-good mission.
US authors suing Anthropic can band together in copyright class action:
A judge ruled that three authors can lead a nationwide class action against Anthropic for allegedly pirating millions of books from sites like LibGen and PiLiMi to train its AI.
The case could result in billions in damages if the court finds Anthropic illegally downloaded up to 7 million copyrighted works.
Anthropic plans to challenge the ruling, arguing it's impractical to prove copyright for millions of books in a single lawsuit.
Netflix admits it used generative AI in a big sci-fi hit to cut costs:
Netflix revealed it used generative AI to create a building collapse scene in its sci-fi series The Eternaut, marking a first for its original productions.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the AI-generated scene was completed 10 times faster and at significantly lower cost than traditional VFX methods.
Netflix views AI as a tool to enhance creativity and efficiency, and has also begun integrating AI into search and advertising features on its platform.
LAST COFFEE SIP
☕Other news
Astronomer CEO resigns after viral Coldplay cam scandal:
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned after a viral kiss cam video from a Coldplay concert showed him with the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, sparking a massive social media firestorm.
The incident triggered 22,000+ news articles in 24 hours, and both Byron and Cabot were placed on leave; cofounder Pete DeJoy has taken over as interim CEO.
Astronomer emphasized its continued focus on DataOps despite the scandal, following its recent $93M Series D raise.
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)
Director of Fundraising - Crosscut Venture | USA - Apply Here
Fund Accounting Manager - Elevation Capital | India - Apply Here
Chief of Staff - Grey Line Partner | USA - Apply Here
Investment Principal - Cota Capital | USA - Apply Here
Corporate Development & Strategy - Figma Venture | USA - Apply Here
Value Creation - Cadeumen Capital | Spain - Apply Here
Chief of Staff - Penny Jar Capital | USA - Apply Here
Associate - OMERSE Venture | USA - Apply Here
Principal - Al Fund | USA - Apply Here
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