Anne Augusta Blum

🚀 Scaling New Heights: Cribl's Strategic Growth 🚀 In a remarkable stride within the competitive market of data infrastructure, San Francisco-based startup Cribl has recently clinched a substantial $319 million in its latest Series E funding. This momentous investment spearheaded by GV (Alphabet’s venture arm) pushes Cribl to a towering valuation of $3.5 billion. 🌟 🔍 Here's Why This Matters for Startups and Small Businesses: 🔹 Innovation and Expansion: Cribl's trajectory illuminates the potent impact of innovative solutions in data management amidst an ever-expanding corporate data environment. 🔹 Significant Growth Potential: With the company boasting an impressive portfolio including 25% of the Fortune 500, the journey reflects significant growth potential and scalability that startups can aspire to. 🔹 Strategic Partnerships: The involvement of heavyweight investors like GV and others underscores the importance of strategic partnerships in accelerating business growth. Key Takeaways: - 🌐 Adapting advanced data solutions is crucial in leveraging the voluminous data generated today. - 📈 Embrace growth by seeking impactful investments and forming strategic partnerships. - 🚀 Aim for scalability by continuously innovating and expanding your solution offerings. Stay updated, engage with current trends, and continuously seek to innovate. The path Cribl is carving out highlights the robust possibilities within tech and data management sectors. For a deeper dive into Cribl’s funding news: https://lnkd.in/gQhmrYUK #DataManagement #StartupGrowth #Innovation This post was generated by an AI. Please contact us for more information.

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Linxin Gu great article. thanks for sharing. Pls let us know folks in Boston area can help with your journey

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This timing couldn't be better! Not only am I in NYC to pitch dependbuild to city officials but I will also be there to meet with Investors too. If there are any investors who were unaware of this event and are interested in meeting myself and the other amazing Techstars Columbus Powered by The Ohio State University companies please use the link below (original post). #techstars_ #dependbuild #investment #VC #preseed #saas #startup

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Impactful Biz, Ops & Investment Roles at Early Startups & VCs: • Chief of Staff to Ex. Head of Product at Google • Founding GTM at the most YC product used by other YC companies in the past four years • Chief of Staff to a Partner at a Top-Tier VC Fund • Head of Platform of a NY State Backed Accelerator • Investment Associate at a Seed Stage Fund Investing in Category-Defining Companies • Partner at a Defense-Focused VC Fund • Chief Revenue Officer of a New Space Company in El Segundo • Venture Capital Analyst at a fund investing in overlooked geographies • Investment Associate at a Spirit-Focused Fund • Strategy & Ops Lead at a Company Focused on Helping Improve Autism • Senior Product Manager at a Company Focused on Building Shopify for Content Creators • Program Manager for a Space Security Company • Open-ended Investment Position at a Top-Tier Accelerator • Biz & Ops Lead for One of the Most Loved Digital Consumer Products 💸 All companies are well-funded and backed by top-tier investors. ⬇ You can find links to the roles above, plus many more, in the comments.

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Few things make me happier than seeing our customers flourish and bring powerful AI applications to life.   Last week, Vanta raised $150 million at a $2.45 billion valuation, further solidifying its lead in the security compliance space.   Over the last several months, we've been working closely with Vanta's AI team. We’ve witnessed firsthand how effectively they leveraged a data-driven approach to productionize several high-impact LLM products. The result? Overwhelming positive feedback from Vanta's customers!   To date, Relari has proudly supported Vanta with over 50,000 evaluation runs on various synthetic datasets, ensuring robust performance for each LLM product.   A key recurring trend we've observed: contrary to popular belief, extensive testing accelerates iteration speed rather than slowing it down. Teams that implement data-driven tests from the prototyping phase reach production faster. They achieve this by making quick, confident decisions backed by rapid, targeted experiments on key components such as RAG parameters, prompts and LLM architectural choices.   Congratulations to Vanta on this milestone! We're excited to see the innovative Generative AI products they'll launch next.   Check out more details in this case study on our approach and results!   What trends have you noticed among teams building successful LLM products? What strategies seem to resonate most with customers? Share your insights in the comments! #LLM #RAG #GenerativeAI #LLMEvaluation #DataDrivenDevelopment

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📈 Curious about the startup scene in Massachusetts? Explore our detailed funding list featuring startup names, HQ locations, and investor info. Perfect for investors and entrepreneurs alike! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dAp3xj-Q #startup #startups #venturecapital #funding #vc #managementconsulting

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Super helpful article and accompanying doc with a #Startup #Equity Calculator to determine the equity for early hires, thanks to Pear VC head of talent Matt Birnbaum! Thanks for sharing Pejman Nozad! 🙏🏼 You can read more here How to structure startup equity for early hires: https://lnkd.in/ggmpT5-Y Google Doc: https://lnkd.in/gjsvths6

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Cool start to the fall! This is truly exciting! If you're curious about how Ozeki is revolutionizing digital contract negotiation, let's connect! Our platform streamlines the entire negotiation process—saving time, reducing risk, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Feel free to reach out if you want to learn more about how we solve the most pressing contract challenges! #contractnegotiation #negotiationAI #playbookcreation #regulatorycompliance #contractnegotiation #negotiationai #playbookcreation #regulatorycompliance

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Are you looking to break into VC / PE / being a CEO? Are you frustrated at job applying process? Do you want to surround yourself with the best and brightest and build a network that includes investors, 10x founders, and other hellbent on changing the world? Do you run a start up that needs some hypergrowth? The job market has changed, applying for jobs is dead, its all about creating jobs via entrepreneurship or possessing executive skills to create a job at a company. Come join us at IOTA Labs MBA bootcamp; a donation based month long part time, program that puts infront of VC/PE deal flow with the intention that if you can follow the program, you will be contributing to large deals and getting paid for the work. The point of this program is to rapidly convert highly motivated individuals to high performing executives by surrounding them with the training, network, and skills they need to be successful @ IOTA or beyond. With training from tenured product manager @ Google, VC Fund managers, investors, 10x founders, CxOs (15+ at GM, Salesforce, Accenture), legal experts, and other subject matter experts https://lnkd.in/eSgHkB9u Seats will fill up fast just as an FYI , do please repost this so we can help as many people as possible.

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Do more with less...sound familiar? For public companies and IR teams, new tech is making it happen. Traditional tools carry high costs and outdated interfaces (black screens with orange fonts... really, in 2024?). Today’s AI-driven reporting and visual data solutions offer sharper insights, faster, and at a fraction of the cost. Modern reporting tools are helping capital markets professionals move beyond outdated processes to make quicker, more strategic decisions. #InvestorRelations #IR #CIRI #AI #CapitalMarkets #Innovation #Reporting #Efficiency

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Today is a big day for us at Monto. I am excited to finally announce our $9M round led by the amazing Alexander Niehenke from Scale Venture Partners and Ariel Maislos🚀 A few years ago, Nitsan Yerushalmi, Yoav Shotland, Gabriel Wertheimer, and I realized how hard it was for B2B companies to get paid. We only had a $15 budget to put together the first version of our product and weren’t sure how far we would get. Along the way, the team made solving one of the biggest problems in B2B payments a dream come true. A few years later, we're changing the getting paid world in B2B: 🏦 We've built an amazing product, which already businesses get paid close to $1B. 🤩 We landed large public and large enterprise customers who trust Monto to future-proof them and truly solve their getting paid process through smart connections to more than 300 customer portals. 🗽We’re opening our first US office in New York. 💰We were fortunate to partner with phenomenal investors! Alexander Niehenke, Ariel Maislos, Alex Oppenheimer and Verissimo Ventures, F2 Venture Capital, Firsthand Alliance, ICON - Israel Collaboration Network, The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University, and Room40. 🤼‍♀️🤼 We built a dream team. I couldn’t end this post without giving the biggest shoutout to our amazing team—so dedicated, sharp, and motivated to create innovation in the B2B payments world. What excites us the most is what’s yet to come. We're just getting started. -- Our announcement→ https://lnkd.in/d4ricyw4 Our new website: montopay.com Featured at: 💡CTech by Calcalist - https://lnkd.in/d5JGv64G 💡Geektime גיקטיים - https://lnkd.in/dp2KFMQP 💡FINSMES - https://lnkd.in/gF9jvCks Top Angel investors and supporters! Ofer Herman, Yasmin Lukatz, Nitzan Shapira, Ran Ribenzaft, Ron Lerner, Yoav Zurel, Maor Fridman, Bruno Werneck de Almeida, Liat Aaronson, Simon Chan, Ariel Avitan, Tal Lev-Ami, David Oppenheimer, Sanjeev Kriplani, Tal Zackon, Ori Barzilay, Einav Kiderman Zach B., Elie Sprung, Mazi Levkovich, Mari Orence, Amir Hershkovitz, CPA, JoAnn Malz, CCE, ICCE.

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💰Sharing a List of 80 Black-led VC funds (US based): About this list: I realized that I couldn’t find a current list of Black-led funds as of 2024 when a lot of new funds have launched over the last couple of years including GPs Sydney Paige Thomas, Terri Burns and more. I have been gathering a list of these funds in my network, and that I could find publicly over time so wanted to share with the ecosystem. Only 2% of VC funds are Black-led: I found 80 funds (maybe there’s more!). There are 3,417 VC firms in the US (according to NVCA). Founders - These funds invest from pre-seed through growth, some with a focus on diverse founders, others more broadly. ⅔ of them have OPEN funding applications that I’ve linked in the sheet. LPs - As mentioned, a number of these funds might not be in the databases used for tracking, so hope to get some more Black-led funds on your radar! VCs - maybe there are some funds you should get to know for deal sharing, etc 👉🏾Link to full list here: https://lnkd.in/gktBhY-W

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Here are the Top 10 SaaS funding rounds of the past week (Seed to A) Starting at number 1... 🥇 Emergence, $97.2mm Seed 🤯 Emergence is developing an AI "agent-based" system that automates tasks typically performed by knowledge workers. Founded by Satya Nitta. 💸 Investors: Learn 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XSitTA 🟠🟠🟠 🥈 Formic, $27.4mm Series A Formic enables manufacturers to scale faster by making it easy to deploy robotic automations, like packing and palletizing. Founded by Misa Ilkhechi and Saman Farid. 💸 Investors: Blackhorn Ventures, FJ Labs, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XGzEYr 🟠🟠🟠 🥉 normai, $27mm Series A Norm Ai is automating compliance processes, making them more efficient, cost-effective, and accurate via (you guessed it) AI. Founded by John Nay. 💸 Investors: Coatue, Bain Capital Ventures, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/4ckpNft 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 4. ORA, $20mm Series A Ora is a blockchain project incorporating AI into dapps. Founded by Kartin Wong. 💸 Investors: Polychain Labs, HF0, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/3zpW7Ph 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 5. Payabli, $20mm Series A Payabli builds the infrastructure that allows companies, specifically software companies, to embed and facilitate payments through APIs. Founded by Joseph Elias Phillips and William Corbera. 💸 Investors: QED Investors, Bling Capital, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/4bwkGHE 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 6. Sift, $17.5mm Series A Sift develops tools to accelerate the development and ensure the reliability of complex machines (think Spacecrafts). Founded by Austin Spiegel and Karthik Gollapudi. 💸 Investors: GV (Google Ventures) 🔗 https://bit.ly/3L7zlyk 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 7. Ario, $16mm Seed Ario is an AI-powered assistant for parents that helps with daily tasks, from meal planning to scheduling playdates. Founded by Sumit Agarwal. 💸 Investors: Wing Venture Capital, Floodgate, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/4eEjeG9 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 8. MagicSchool AI, $15mm Series A MagicSchool provides lesson-planning solutions for teachers to fight burnout. Founded by Adeel Khan. 💸 Investors: Bain Capital Ventures, Adobe Ventures and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/3RQt5Pn 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 9. AuthZed, $12mm Series A Authzed makes it easier for developers to build permissions in their applications. Founded by Jacob Moshenko and Jimmy Zelinskie. 💸 Investors: General Catalyst, Work-Bench, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/4bqkh9B 🟠🟠🟠 🎖️ 10. SLUSHY.com, $10.2mm Seed SLUSHY is a creator monetization platform. Founded by David Gross and Fred Sprivock. 💸 Investors: Mantis Venture Capital, Jon Oringer, and more 🔗 https://bit.ly/4eN9Boi ⚫⚫⚫ I'm Gyan, Head of Community at Venture House. I create tools, guides, and other free resources for Junior VCs and founders. If you found this helpful, check out the Venture House website for more 👇 https://venturehouse.xyz/ #startups #venturecapital #funding #saas

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What I appreciate most about how we designed the SMArtX Advisory Solutions platform is that we provide software to Turnkey Asset Management Programs as a FinTech, but we prove out every piece of our technology platform by using it to run a TAMP and servicing advisors ourselves. In tech this is called "Eating your own dogfood" or simply "dogfooding". Wikipedia says: "Eating your own dog food or "dogfooding" is the practice of using one's own products or services. Hence dogfooding can act as quality control, and eventually a kind of testimonial advertising. Once in the market, dogfooding can demonstrate developers' confidence in their own products." No matter how you cut it, whether we are servicing them directly or through our enterprise clients; the end consumer is the advisor. And servicing them through an "out-of-the-box" TAMP gives us the unique opportunity to hear the clients needs directly and hone our product and make it a better experience for everyone using it. So let's be both a TAMP and a FinTech while we sing along with Dierks Bentley and agree that SMArtX is "little bit of holy water, but still a little bit burning man"

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Today is an inflection point for Breakout with the announcement of our $4.5m venture growth round led by the experienced team at RockawayX with participation from Mechanism, Round13, CSquared, IOBC, and Mentat Group. Operationally, we’ve accomplished one of the hardest feats — going zero to one. We currently have over 5,000 traders that have collectively traded over $12B in notional volume and we’re growing exponentially. It’s now time to take things to the next level with a stacked treasury that we can leverage to improve our product even further and get Breakout into the hands of tens of thousands of new traders across the globe. I often get asked what it’s like to run a startup and many times I don’t even know where to begin. Startups are HARD. I won’t get into the minutiae but after 4 startups and 16 years, the biggest takeaway for me has been that in order to succeed, you have to mentally overcome the fact that successful startups need to fall forward and constantly navigate unique obstacles without allowing any one of those obstacles to paralyze the company. This is a constant battle that is unachievable without a resilient team that all share the same mindset and entrepreneurial drive. Our team at Breakout is the best I’ve ever been a part of and our growth in such a short period of time could not have been achieved so far without each and every person involved. You know who you are, thank you. We’re going to continue to push the envelope and will have some really exciting news to share in the coming weeks on the product front. Stay tuned. https://lnkd.in/ezPs8pdE

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Nic Poulos and I wrote an essay for Euclid Ventures, "An Era for Vertical Software." The TL;DR is that vertical SaaS is a distinct, enduring discipline that we believe is poised to dominate the software landscape over the next decade.   "2024 will represent a turning point, perhaps even a new era for venture capital. While the fog feels like it’s lifting, the path forward isn’t yet clear. One includes a soft landing for the US economy and the continuing recovery of software multiples, with ZIRP-era behaviors continuing around hot themes. Another sees a recessionary period in which VC capital inflows remain stagnant and startup funding the year dips below $100B. Either way, a more measured VC market in 2024 is a certainty. For many investors, that will come with a rude awakening as their strategy becomes more difficult to execute or their thesis of choice is negatively impacted by tightening markets.    We see this reversion of the venture ecosystem to its mean as a strong tailwind for Euclid and vertical software. As a category, Vertical SaaS is uniquely well suited to thrive in volatile market conditions and produce fund-returning outcomes. The sections below aim to answer the question: why is vertical software different? Our answer discusses the factors driving the natural market resilience we see in vertical software as a category–resilience that will help them thrive in 2024 and beyond."

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We are excited to lead the $12.3m Seed round for StackGen, a leader in the infrastructure-from-code space. When I speak with practitioners, the pain point instantly resonates and it is being solved by a uniquely gifted team of entrepreneurs Sachin Aggarwal, Asif Awan and Arshad Sayyad. If you're dealing with outdated Terraform scripts or cloud deployment challenges, I highly recommend exploring StackGen. Umesh and I are excited to partner with StackGen on their journey to simplify and modernize cloud infrastructure management. #cloud #genAI #infrastructure

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Since early 2021, VC quarterly exit values have plummeted to $50B or below, a stark contrast to the six consecutive quarters of $100B+ exits before then. With IPOs dwindling and M&A activity slow, the future of venture industry exits appears uncertain. Will we see a surge in private venture-backed company acquisitions? This could be a crucial and innovative strategy to boost VC exits. Increased private acquisitions might offer a much-needed lifeline, providing a creative solution to the current exit drought in the venture capital market. #venturecapital #inspireglobalventures

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