The hottest Funding Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Science Topics

Unbundling the University, Part 2

The Good Science Project • 33 implied HN points • 29 Jun 25
🚌 Education Funding
  1. Universities hold a lot of power over research, making it hard for new technologies to develop outside of these institutions. This limits the ability to change how research works.
  2. Most funding for research goes through universities, which creates barriers for people and organizations trying to do innovative work. It makes it tough to get money unless you're linked to an academic institution.
  3. Academic rules shape how research is done and valued. The focus on novelty can lead to creating interesting ideas that may not always be useful, which isn't helpful for advancements in technology.

What leadership changes mean for launch industry

Europe in Space • 58 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. European launch industry has over 420 vacancies, but the figures are skewed by certain companies.
  2. Funding for European launch startups varies, with some needing more than the assumed €100 million.
  3. Virgin Orbit's downfall may actually benefit the UK's launch industry by redirecting attention and funds to more impactful companies.

The True Efficacy of Carbon Removal Technology

Warming Up to Climate Tech • 58 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Funding
  1. Carbon removal technologies like afforestation and carbon capture play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and achieving net zero emissions.
  2. Innovative startups are developing novel methods for carbon capture, such as direct air capture and biochar production.
  3. Investment in carbon removal technologies is increasing, with significant VC funding going towards startups in this sector.

Addressing the Hathi in the Room

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 39 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. Sarvam.ai recently launched OpenHathi, a new Hindi language model that surprised many in the tech industry.
  2. They raised $41 million in funding to develop language models for various Indian languages.
  3. OpenHathi uses Meta's Llama 2 model and plans to add support for nine to ten more Indic languages soon.

The Slow Cancellation of Innovation: A critical look at modern funding

The Good Science Project • 74 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. Innovation funding is struggling because it often favors older, established ideas over new and creative ones. This means that new and exciting projects may not get the support they need.
  2. Many young scientists and entrepreneurs are finding it harder to get funding. They face longer waits and tougher competition, which can hold back breakthrough ideas that could change the world.
  3. New funding models are trying to support fresh ideas, but they often end up using the same old criteria for judging who gets funded. This makes it tough for unconventional thinkers to get recognized and backed.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The $20k decision that turned into $7m...

Grant & Co • 39 implied HN points • 09 Dec 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. Investors appreciate regular updates from entrepreneurs to stay informed about their investments.
  2. Market research costing $20k before launching a company can save millions by avoiding building the wrong product and lead to significant revenue growth.
  3. Distinguishing between VC and PE funding strategies, along with the importance of having a clear exit plan, is crucial for successful investments in the business world.

Wealthy, Elite Universities Like Harvard Taxed You $45 Billion In Last Five Years

OpenTheBooks Substack • 241 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Funding
  1. Wealthy universities like Harvard received $45 billion in federal payments, tax breaks, and subsidies over the last five years.
  2. Top universities prioritized securing federal contracts and grants over student tuition, with $33 billion flowing to them annually.
  3. Elite universities also benefited from special tax treatment benefits on endowment gains and additional government subsidies.

Building Codiga: Joining an Accelerator

Tech Ramblings • 59 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. Joining an accelerator can help you learn quickly and meet important people, but be ready to give up some ownership of your company. It's like a startup driving school to avoid crashing and get valuable lessons.
  2. While many resources are now available online for free, accelerators can still provide connections and credibility, especially for new entrepreneurs. Just remember, the support usually ends when the program does.
  3. Getting rejected from an accelerator isn’t the end; it doesn’t mean your idea is bad. Keep trying and consider other ways to grow your business—like bootstrapping or finding partners.

Announcing $175m more to Bridge the Digital Divide

Equal Ventures • 19 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
💼 Business Funding
  1. Equal Ventures raised $175 million to Bridge the Digital Divide - $100m for Equal Ventures Fund 2 and $75m for the Opportunity Fund to invest in analog markets like climate, insurance, retail, and supply chain.
  2. The firm aims to support founders in non-traditional technology markets and believes the time is right for innovation in these industries.
  3. Equal Ventures focuses on providing hands-on support, independent conviction, and a 'prepared mind' to startups, aiming for strong founder relationships and long-term success.

What if Congress Doesn't Specifically Reject NIH Indirect Cost Changes?

The Good Science Project • 48 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Funding
  1. NIH can't just set a flat rate for indirect costs on all grants. Each university's costs need to be negotiated individually.
  2. If Congress removes rules preventing NIH from changing how they calculate costs, it doesn't mean they can bypass accounting regulations.
  3. Any exceptions to indirect cost rates must be well-documented and communicated in advance for specific grants, not applied broadly.

The Bipolar Market

Life on the Trail • 39 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. There are two sides in the early stage market: AI-hype and non-AI companies.
  2. Startups should focus on solving hard problems and gaining customers' validation before raising capital.
  3. Opportunities for angels and smaller funds lie in supporting startups raising between $500k and $1.5M.

Forced to Thrive or Perish with Technology Bets

Exponential Industry • 39 implied HN points • 02 Jul 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. Focused technology development bets lead to world-leading products and enduring companies.
  2. Advancements in automation technologies are reshaping industries and changing the balance between automation and human labor.
  3. Investments in high-tech solutions like robotics, AI, and additive manufacturing are driving innovation and efficiency across various sectors.

Summer robotics fun and funding!

Robots & Startups • 39 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. Summer robotics event features job fair component with companies hiring and interested individuals reaching out.
  2. The event is hosted by The Hardware Collective at Circuit Launch and includes discussions on Women in Robotics and Founder & Funders topics.
  3. Readers can access full post archives with a 7-day free trial subscription to Robots & Startups.

Series A Activity: June 2023

Magid and Co • 39 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
💰 Finance Funding
  1. There was a significant decrease in Series A deal activity from June 2022 to June 2023, with 290 deals in 2022 compared to 146 in 2023.
  2. It's crucial for founders to closely monitor individual firm actions rather than just market-level statistics, especially when major players from previous years are less active.
  3. Founders seeking funding should focus on understanding which investors are actively writing checks and building relationships with these firms, even if they are less known or harder to reach.

Series A activity: Week of July 17, 2023

Magid and Co • 39 implied HN points • 24 Jul 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. The post shares data on Series A deals done in the last week of July 2023.
  2. The summary stats provide information on Series A deals worldwide, excluding China, where the amount raised is over $5M, and the company is not focused on therapeutics.
  3. The post encourages readers to subscribe for free to receive new posts and support the author's work.

Series B Activity: August 2023

Magid and Co • 39 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
💰 Finance Funding
  1. Series B deals over $100M declined over the years - from 15 deals in 2021 to none in 2023.
  2. Series B deal volumes decreased significantly in two years, indicating a shift in deal trends.
  3. Data on Series B deals worldwide (ex-China) shows deals with a raised amount above $5M and non-therapeutics companies.

Can My Open Source Company Raise Series A?

Open Source Startup Podcast • 39 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. Investors now require open source companies to have at least $100k ARR by Series A.
  2. Investors focus on metrics like users running the project in production and engagement in Slack or Discord.
  3. Other important metrics for open source companies include GitHub issues, stars, usage & retention, and unique contributors.

List of 4,000+ Funders in Africa

Grant & Co • 19 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
💼 Business Funding
  1. Grant & Co offers a database of 4,000+ funders in Africa for $1,000 starting March 1, 2024, but currently has a free sneak peek available.
  2. For $100, users can access additional data like funding amounts, previous investees, and notes on funders' preferences in the Premium version for a limited time.
  3. Grant & Co is a reader-supported publication, and readers can choose to become free or paid subscribers to support the work.

Move over SVB, time for some good news in robotics

Robots & Startups • 59 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. Startups in robotics face challenges raising funds, often dealing with slow progress and avoiding predatory lending terms.
  2. Despite the funding challenges, there is good news in the robotics industry, with new startups emerging and innovative projects like designing giant robots.
  3. The robotics landscape is slowly evolving, but there are positive developments that showcase growth and potential for the future.

The Paradox of Progress: Trying to Predict Impact Often Prevents the Highest Impact

The Good Science Project • 55 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🔬 Science Funding
  1. Predicting the impact of scientific research often stifles creativity and innovation. Instead of following strict guidelines, we should be open to unexpected paths that can lead to breakthroughs.
  2. Today's funding systems are overly cautious and focus on safe, predictable outcomes. This conservatism can prevent transformative ideas from getting the support they need.
  3. To encourage real progress, we need to embrace uncertainty and risk. Funding should support talented researchers and bold ideas, even when the results are uncertain.

Sunday Strip: DOGEing the Dems

Who is Robert Malone • 43 implied HN points • 09 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Funding
  1. The judiciary plays a crucial role in supporting the government and its actions, as highlighted by thinkers like Murray Rothbard.
  2. There are ongoing challenges in balancing governmental power and the role it plays in society, often causing tensions.
  3. The idea of saving the government contrasts with the obstacles posed by its own system and regulations.

An Oral History Interview with ARIA CEO Ilan Gur

The Good Science Project • 22 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
🔬 Science Funding
  1. ARIA aims to fund bold projects that create entirely new technologies and industries, not just improve existing ones. They want to be catalysts for major shifts in science and technology.
  2. The role of program directors at ARIA is crucial. They are chosen for their unique visions and are encouraged to pursue high-risk, innovative ideas, even if those ideas face skepticism from others.
  3. Funding is focused on exploring 'opportunity spaces' rather than specific projects. ARIA believes in investing in diverse approaches to find breakthrough solutions, allowing them to adapt and pivot based on what they learn.

State of AI: December 2025 newsletter

Guide to AI • 4 implied HN points • 30 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. AI compute has entered a full-scale arms race: hyperscalers, labs and chip vendors are locking in multi-year capacity, driving massive hardware investments and prompting governments to tie AI planning to energy and national security, which is fragmenting global hardware markets.
  2. Frontier models are becoming more agentic and multimodal, with longer contexts and built-in tool use that let them plan and act across apps, while new open and high-quality image models are making real-world visual generation and editing practical for enterprises.
  3. Research is turning into powerful, practical tools—efficient local models, retrieval-augmented biology models and AI scientist systems—but audits and papers also expose limits and risks like planning failures, transparency lapses and reward-hacking that make safety and verification urgent.

The Unomr Serial Nanopore

ASeq Newsletter • 21 implied HN points • 16 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. Unomr is a new company from ETH Zurich looking to raise between 2 to 3 million dollars. They have over 1 million dollars in grant funding so far.
  2. The company is developing a platform called 'serial nanopore' which seems to be focused on protein sequencing.
  3. Details on their technology are scarce, but it appears they are working on something innovative in the field of biotechnology.

Help us promote black viewpoint diversity!

Journal of Free Black Thought • 12 implied HN points • 16 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Funding
  1. This initiative aims to support diverse black viewpoints by making important ideas accessible to everyone.
  2. The FBT Voices Microsites will use AI to offer summaries and insights from the works of black thinkers, even those behind paywalls.
  3. They are seeking funding to build these resources, allowing more people to engage with the ideas of influential authors like Thomas Sowell and Glenn Loury.

Biases Against Risky Research

New Things Under the Sun • 224 implied HN points • 31 Mar 23
🔬 Science Funding
  1. Scientific institutions may be risk-averse and favor safe and incremental projects over transformative ones.
  2. Individual reviewers and averaging peer review scores may bias against high-risk, high-reward research proposals.
  3. In grant review processes, negative feedback tends to be more influential than positive feedback, leading to potential bias against novel research.

Series A activity: Week of January 1, 2024

Magid and Co • 19 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
💼 Business Funding
  1. Only 3 Series A deals were announced in the first 7 days of 2024, 93% less than last year
  2. Investors seem to be holding back, with a significant drop in deal activity despite the usual trend after Thanksgiving
  3. Uncertainty looms on whether there will be more unannounced deals or if the market is frozen in the upcoming weeks

A Sign of the Times

The Good Science Project • 85 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🔬 Science Funding
  1. Billionaires are investing in organizations to attract scientists from universities.
  2. The new trend focuses on speeding up research innovation and breakthroughs.
  3. Both universities and philanthropists need to reevaluate how research funding is utilized.

The dbt meta tag

Data Thoughts • 59 implied HN points • 25 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Funding
  1. The dbt meta tag helps document important info about data models. It's a simple way to keep track of data governance like ownership and sensitivity.
  2. Many companies have used the dbt meta tag to enhance their products. Some of these companies have received significant venture capital funding because of these improvements.
  3. Documenting tools and their funding related to the dbt meta tag can inspire others. It shows how small features can lead to big opportunities.

Ways to start a startup

Joshua's Notes • 19 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. Bootstrapping gives you full control but limited access to capital.
  2. Venture capital offers rapid scaling but comes with loss of control and pressure.
  3. Crowdfunding provides exposure and validation, but can be time-consuming and risky.

VGS: Security and branding

The Product Person • 19 implied HN points • 01 May 23
💼 Business Funding
  1. VGS ensures data security by providing aliases for sensitive information, protecting companies from hacks.
  2. VGS simplifies the process of achieving PCI compliance, a requirement for handling card data.
  3. VGS's strong branding and focus on data security have led to significant growth and partnerships with big players like Visa and Amazon.