The hottest Venture Capital Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Navigating Dilution and Ownership in Startup Fundraising

Venture Curator • 119 implied HN points • 07 May 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Startup fundraising involves dilution and impacts founder equity, but understanding the process and planning can help founders maintain control of their company while securing needed funding.
  2. Dilution in startup funding happens when new shares are added, reducing existing shareholders' equity positions.
  3. Calculating the impact of dilution can help founders determine their ownership percentage after raising funds.

The PMF Paradox: Why Winning in AI Means Never Arriving

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 6 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Product-market fit in AI isn’t a permanent destination but a treadmill that needs constant work to maintain.
  2. Winners can flip to losers very quickly because growth and valuations swing wildly and most AI startups fail fast.
  3. The old PMF playbook no longer works; companies must continuously iterate, monitor metrics, and adapt product and strategy to survive.

All advances are by breaking the rules

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 29 Oct 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Advancements in life and technology often come from breaking existing rules or norms. New ideas can face a lot of pressure and resistance, but they are crucial for progress.
  2. Failure is an important part of trying new things. Just like in evolution, mistakes can lead to better outcomes, so taking risks is necessary for improvement.
  3. Creating an environment where questioning and challenging the status quo is encouraged helps drive innovation. When people feel free to experiment, society as a whole can move forward faster.

Clouded Judgement 12.26.25 - Exuberance Returning

Clouded Judgement • 7 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
💰 Finance Venture Capital
  1. A broad wave of exuberance looks likely in 2026 as improving macro conditions and AI-driven IPOs and M&A restore liquidity, driving faster fundraising and rising valuations across stages.
  2. AI is moving from experiment to scale, with more application companies showing measurable revenue growth and real ROI across verticals rather than just infrastructure wins.
  3. The comeback will feel frothy and sometimes irrational, but those periods also create rare long-term investment opportunities, so investors need to separate short-term momentum from structurally important businesses.
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Announcing the Fastest Pitch Form in Venture Capital

Ubiquitous Thoughts • 78 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Ubiquity Ventures offers the fastest pitch form in venture capital, responding to requests within 72 hours.
  2. The firm's focus on seed-stage startups moving software into the real world allows for specialized attention and quick decision-making.
  3. Ubiquity Ventures acts with agency, with the founder as the sole decision-maker, ensuring direct communication and avoiding delays.

Save The World My Ass

Stove Top • 78 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. AI isn't going to save the world as some claim, with arguments against its impact on jobs and inequality.
  2. Progressivism is more of the default in society, with conservatism being viewed as an obstacle to change.
  3. Being open to being cringy can be a powerful tool for building an online audience by not caring about others' opinions.

Decoding Startup Valuations with the Venture Capital (VC) Valuation Method

Venture Curator • 99 implied HN points • 13 May 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Venture capital firms use various methods to calculate startup valuations, including the VC Valuation method.
  2. The VC Valuation method involves six steps to determine the value of a startup, such as financial forecasting and calculating the ownership stake of the VC firm.
  3. Understanding the VC Valuation method can help founders comprehend how VC firms arrive at startup valuations.

The Levers of Innovation

Investing 101 • 124 implied HN points • 23 Nov 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. There's a shortage of exceptional founders in the startup world, which affects the number and quality of new companies. We need to support more people in becoming great founders.
  2. Access to capital isn't the real issue; it's about how well that capital is distributed to potential founders. Many great ideas and markets exist, but they need the right people to bring them to life.
  3. Creating a culture that accepts struggle and encourages innovation can help develop more exceptional founders. We need to be open to new ideas and support each other in taking risks.

Reflections from Our 2025 AGM - $1T Private Companies, AI Fundraising, and Outbound Sourcing

Venture Reflections • 9 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Large VC funds can still generate strong returns if the ceiling for private-company outcomes expands a lot—imagine private companies reaching $1 trillion, which makes the numbers work.
  2. AI companies are setting the fundraising bar because rapid, AI-driven growth attracts VCs hunting for outliers, so investors prefer to back things already showing steep traction rather than hope slow growers will accelerate.
  3. Outbound sourcing is now a standard tool and founders have learned to send the right signals, so being early isn’t enough—outreach must be thoughtful, specific, and add real value to get attention.

India’s GenAI Funding Summer Begins

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 39 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. India has seen a rise in AI funding, with the first AI unicorn called Krutrim AI raising $50 million. This shows that there is a growing interest in AI startups in India.
  2. Investors in India are sitting on a large amount of money, about $20 billion, and they are eager to invest in more AI-related projects. This means there could be a lot of new AI companies emerging.
  3. Many companies are shifting their focus to become more involved in AI. It's not just tech firms; different industries are looking to integrate AI into their operations.

If you don't have a satellite megacluster are you even a nation-state?

Alex's Personal Blog • 98 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Countries need to be self-sufficient in key areas like energy and tech for national security. Relying on imports can create vulnerabilities, especially during conflicts.
  2. A strong satellite Internet system is crucial for communication and defense. The EU is investing heavily in its own satellite Internet project to stay competitive.
  3. Many companies, like Databricks, prefer to stay private and keep raising money rather than going public. This trend shows that the venture capital market is still willing to support private growth.

The Future of Investing 101

Investing 101 • 87 implied HN points • 04 Jan 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Writing helps clarify thoughts and ideas. It's surprising how much understanding comes from putting words on the page.
  2. Conversations with others can spark valuable insights. Talking about ideas can lead to new perspectives that writing alone might miss.
  3. Improving writing involves more than just writing. It includes reading, watching content, and engaging in dialogue to enhance learning and thinking.

Erebor, Erewhon, Stablecoins, Zizians and The Dark Enlightenment

Dr. Pippa's Pen & Podcast • 34 implied HN points • 07 Jul 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Erebor is a new financial venture that allows companies to raise money directly from investors using stablecoins, bypassing traditional banks. This could change how businesses get funding and might disrupt the current financial system.
  2. Erewhon warns about the dangers of AI, showcasing a fictional land where machines are banned due to past harm. It represents a cautionary tale about the rapid growth of AI and its impact on society.
  3. The debate between Erebor and Erewhon highlights a stark choice: one embraces technological riches while the other values beauty and nature. This reflects a bigger question about the direction of our society as technology evolves.

Join New Wave

Venture Prose • 519 implied HN points • 11 Jan 21
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Seed investments are taking on the role of traditional Series A funding, leading to a shift in investment strategies.
  2. Collaboration and partnerships with angel investors and operators are crucial for the success of seed funds like New Wave, focusing on founder-centric approaches.
  3. Teamwork and partnerships are emphasized in the journey of launching and growing an initiative like New Wave, highlighting the importance of collective effort for long-term success.

All the AI circus you can fit in a single tent

Alex's Personal Blog • 32 implied HN points • 14 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Big companies are increasingly hiring talent from smaller AI firms instead of fully buying them out, which is leaving those startups in tough positions. This trend means more competition but can also hurt innovation.
  2. Many kids are using AI chatbots and turning to them for companionship, showing a growing acceptance of AI in everyday life. This could change how younger generations interact with technology and each other.
  3. Some new AI models from Chinese companies are impressing the tech world and could challenge established players in the market. The race for AI development is global and is not just dominated by American companies.

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

The Good Science Project • 74 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  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.

Do you want to pay startup prices for public companies?

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
💰 Finance Venture Capital
  1. Palantir's stock has skyrocketed, making it the most expensive on the S&P 500. This raises questions about whether its high valuation is justified based on its earnings.
  2. The stock market is behaving irrationally, sometimes valuing companies like startups even when they are publicly traded and have slower growth forecasts.
  3. Investors should be careful with risky trades like shorting stocks because the market can stay irrational longer than you can handle.

How much capital can startups profitably eat?

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Startups seem to have a limit on how much money they can handle, known as being 'founder constrained'. This means that there are not enough strong ideas or founders to support the cash available.
  2. There has been a drop in the success rate of startups getting further funding after their initial rounds. This is particularly true for those that started during the funding boom in 2021.
  3. Venture capital returns from funds initiated in 2021 are underperforming, likely due to an excess of companies funded without sufficient quality ideas or founders backing them.

The Deals That Change Your Life

Equal Ventures • 99 implied HN points • 19 Sep 22
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Focus on seeking out deals that can genuinely change your life, rather than getting caught up in every potential investment opportunity.
  2. Identify life-changing opportunities through exceptional founders, significant market potential, and passionately pursued theses.
  3. Invest time and effort in deeply understanding and cultivating potential life-changing deals, even if it means less deal flow and a more time-intensive process.

Weekly Top Picks #63: OpenAI Edition

The Algorithmic Bridge • 180 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Sam Altman owns OpenAI's VC fund and the company is working on creating superintelligence before running out of cash.
  2. OpenAI is developing a web search product to challenge Google, and they are also improving YOLO runs and adding new controls to ChatGPT.
  3. There is controversy with Sarah Silverman's lawsuit against OpenAI, Andrej Karpathy has left the company, and there are debates around Sora being a 'world simulator' or an overhyped video-maker.

🎢 LinkedIn doesn't want you to go viral

Cosmos • 19 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. LinkedIn is updating its content distribution algorithm to prioritize relevant knowledge over viral content.
  2. Tools like Karat Insights are helping content creators understand their earnings and industry benchmarks.
  3. The use of AI in marketing and content production can lead to misleading experiences and scams, highlighting the importance of consumer awareness.

Breaking orthodoxies in venture capital

SarHaribhakti's Newsletter • 355 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Root Ventures breaks traditional VC norms by focusing on hard tech, staying close to seed roots, and having all engineer partners.
  2. It's important for investors to avoid overfitting their models and to keep building new projects to stay relevant.
  3. Technical founders should focus on hiring employees who fit the startup environment and prioritize results over corporate measures.

Why Tech and Crypto Stocks are so extreme [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 119 implied HN points • 22 Jul 22
💰 Finance Venture Capital
  1. Blitzscaling in tech leads to high valuations and rapid growth without immediate profitability, creating potential for massive crashes when unsustainable models are exposed.
  2. Tech companies often lack clear paths to profitability, growing on funding alone. When market conditions shift, these companies can implode quickly, impacting investors.
  3. Investing in tech involves a game of passing the hot potato, where VCs aim for profitable exits even if the invested companies are unsustainable. This dynamic can lead to losses for unsuspecting retail investors.

It's power laws all the way down

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 02 Jan 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Venture capital in the U.S. is becoming more concentrated, with a few big firms controlling most of the funds. This trend means fewer opportunities for new investors and startups.
  2. The amount of money raised by new venture capital firms has dropped significantly, reaching lows not seen since 2015. This indicates a tough environment for emerging investors.
  3. The influence of large venture firms like a16z is growing, shaping what types of startups receive funding and driving the conversation in the tech industry.

The Ultimate Investors List of Lists 🚀

The VC Corner • 1 HN point • 27 Aug 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Finding the right investors is crucial for startup success. It helps to connect with the right people whether you're just starting out or already growing.
  2. Using curated lists of investors saves time and effort in your search. This way, you can focus more on running and building your business.
  3. Access to a variety of potential investors increases your chances of finding the right match for your startup's needs. More options mean better opportunities!

Niche is the Next Big Thing

Equal Ventures • 59 implied HN points • 29 Dec 22
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Competition in the tech industry has intensified, making it essential for companies to find a sustainable advantage to generate long-term profitability.
  2. Focusing on niche markets can lead to less competition, higher profits, and sustainable growth compared to chasing large markets with intense competition.
  3. Dominating a niche market allows for the development of early competitive advantages, market dominance, and long-term profitability, providing a foundation for future expansion and success.