The hottest Venture Capital Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

What's the deal with Delaware?

The Founder Memo • 0 implied HN points • 24 May 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Starting a business means deciding whether you'll bootstrap or pursue venture capital. If you want to raise VC funds, it's often best to start as a Delaware corporation.
  2. Delaware is popular for startups not because of tax benefits, but due to its strong legal system and established corporate laws. This creates more certainty and less risk for businesses.
  3. You can start your company in another state and later convert to a Delaware corporation if needed. However, this can be time-consuming and costly, so it's often easier to start in Delaware if you plan on seeking investors.

Netflix's insane cash generation, and venture capital's new diet

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Netflix is doing really well, growing its profits and revenue significantly, even after struggling last year. They're now expected to break $10 billion in revenue for the next quarter.
  2. Netflix has transformed into a cash-generating powerhouse, surprising critics who thought it was spending too much. It's a great example of how companies can turn their finances around.
  3. The venture capital scene is facing a slowdown with fewer big payouts and companies being sold. Many investors think there might be too much money chasing too few good startup opportunities.

Chinese stocks and American obesity both miss a step

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 08 Oct 24
💰 Finance Venture Capital
  1. Chinese stocks are currently experiencing volatility, with recent gains primarily driven by government stimulus rather than strong economic fundamentals. This raises concerns about the sustainability of such growth.
  2. The Chinese economy faces serious challenges like a declining population and high local debt, which could lead to long-term issues for businesses and the market.
  3. There is an optimistic view that the contradictions in China's economic model may eventually lead to political changes, possibly reducing the current single-party rule.

Play It Cool: Chasing Heat vs. Being Contrarian in Venture Capital

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Venture capital often rewards those who can spot unique opportunities instead of following trends. If most investors are chasing the same hot market, it’s hard to find standout success.
  2. Certain sectors like healthcare, consumer products, and education may be undervalued today but could become hot investment areas in the next few years. Being ahead of the curve can lead to big wins.
  3. There are emerging fields like psychedelics, longevity, and AI-driven digital media that show potential for growth. Investors should keep an eye on these areas as they may heat up sooner than we think.
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A comprehensive list of Venture Capital firms and accelerators

Respectful Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. A list of Venture Capital firms and accelerators is being created for entrepreneurs. This can help startups find potential funding sources.
  2. Investors interested in being listed should contact the author to get added to the compilation. Networking is key for visibility.
  3. Entrepreneurs looking for advice about VCs are encouraged to reach out for guidance. It's important to seek help when navigating fundraising.

10 Charts That Capture How the World Is Changing (Part I)

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Prediction markets are gaining popularity as people can now bet on real-life events. This trend allows individuals to use their knowledge and insights to potentially earn money.
  2. The venture capital landscape is shifting, and experts believe 2025 could see a turnaround with more returns and IPOs. There's hope that a new wave of companies might provide big payouts to investors.
  3. People are increasingly spending on experiences rather than just goods. This trend reflects a cultural shift where memorable experiences are valued more, driven by social media and a desire for unique moments.

10 Charts That Capture How the World Is Changing (Part II)

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Generative music is on the rise, thanks to AI, allowing anyone to create songs by mixing different styles and moods. This could change how we produce and enjoy music in the future.
  2. Shopify is experiencing significant growth, showing a strong recovery after recent challenges. With e-commerce still expanding, there are plenty of opportunities for startups in this space.
  3. Video content is dominating internet usage, with a huge shift from text and images. As new tools emerge, like AI video generators, we can expect even more video creation and consumption.

25 Predictions for 2025

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Taylor Swift is expected to write an open letter about artist rights and AI, which could change how artists and tech companies interact. This might help establish clearer boundaries on using an artist's work and likeness in AI.
  2. TikTok is likely to survive despite previous discussions of a ban, possibly due to intervention from high-profile individuals or legal decisions. This will be significant for many creators who rely on the platform for income.
  3. Digital clones of real people might become more popular, allowing fans to interact with AI versions of their favorite celebrities. However, there may be pushback against completely AI-generated creators, as they can feel unsettling and less authentic.

US AI investment is world crushing

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. The US is leading the world in AI investment, significantly outpacing other countries. This shows strong growth and confidence in the AI sector.
  2. There is a notable focus on venture capital in the AI field, suggesting it’s a hot area for investors right now. More money is flowing into AI than before, indicating its popularity.
  3. Companies like WhatNot are emerging in niche markets, showing that new platforms can thrive even in competitive landscapes. This could lead to more innovation and opportunities for growth.

Game Over? (Summer 2022)

The Valley of Dunning-Kruger • 0 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. The tech market has experienced a crash that affected many investment firms, especially Tiger Global, which focused on rapid investments without preparing for downturns. This shows the importance of balancing speed with caution in investing.
  2. Emerging 'Venture Platforms' will likely dominate the market by leveraging their scale and resources, creating stronger advantages over smaller firms. It’s about using size to deliver better services to startups.
  3. Venture capital is moving into an 'asset accumulation' phase, where larger firms will capture more market share, which can lower overall returns for investors. This shift poses challenges and opportunities for smaller funds and their strategies.

Why tokenize stocks?

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
💰 Finance Venture Capital
  1. Tokenizing stocks allows more people to invest in the stock market, no matter where they are or what local rules they face. It could make investing more accessible to a global audience.
  2. This new method of investing aims to increase liquidity in the market, which means it could be easier to buy and sell stocks. More options can help in maximizing returns.
  3. The concept of tokenization stems from successful examples like stablecoins and shows a potential to enhance financial inclusion. It's about bringing more people into the investing world.

Techno-Optimism and Horizon Expansion

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. People are growing more skeptical of AI, especially in creative fields like film. This backlash shows a general distrust in new technology is becoming more common.
  2. Despite concerns, technology can improve access and affordability in areas like education, healthcare, and finance. AI is expected to help make expensive services more available to everyone.
  3. History shows that new technology often causes fears and backlash, but it usually leads to positive changes. It's important to focus on shaping and regulating these advances for better outcomes.

Small startups, doing too much to stop too little, and Chinese tech waking up

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Small startups are seeing big growth with less staff, thanks to new technology like AI. This lets them reach more people without spending a lot of money.
  2. The Chinese tech industry is getting a boost from new investments, which is surprising given their current challenges. Investors are becoming more optimistic about tech opportunities in China.
  3. The defense industry in Europe is growing as the U.S. scales back its military presence there. This could bring more funding into European defense startups.

The Opportunities in Consumer AI

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Consumer AI is a big opportunity right now, especially since many successful tech companies started in the consumer space. Betting on consumer ventures might yield high returns as they often see bigger IPOs compared to enterprise companies.
  2. AI is set to change shopping and travel experiences significantly. New companies are emerging to streamline how we shop and book travel, looking to make these processes more efficient and personalized.
  3. The way products are designed and monetized is evolving. There is a shift from ad-based models to subscription and paywall strategies in consumer apps, reflecting a growing willingness to pay for quality and innovative services.

The Taxi Cab Theory of Venture Capital

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 16 Jul 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Venture capital today often relies on consensus rather than bold decisions. This means investors might jump into trends instead of backing unique, original ideas.
  2. Timing plays a big role in investment decisions, much like how people choose partners based on when they're ready, not who they truly connect with. Investors sometimes feel pressured to act, leading to hasty decisions.
  3. For the venture capital world to thrive, it needs to reward original thinking and long-term potential, not just quick profits. Encouraging patience and deep conviction can lead to better outcomes.

Fund Math for Dummies

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 30 Jul 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Understanding fund math is crucial for both VCs and founders. It helps in making better investment decisions and knowing what drives success.
  2. Success in venture capital often relies on two key things: having good ownership in companies and finding outliers that can provide high returns. A few strong investments can outweigh many that fail.
  3. Smaller funds tend to perform better than larger ones. They have better chances of generating high returns because they can focus on innovative, high-potential early-stage companies.

Grading Our 2025 Predictions 💯

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. AI was the defining theme of 2025: companies leaned into augmentation over full automation, while IP and a growing backlash against fully AI-generated creators became major conversations.
  2. Big market moves reshaped tech — TikTok survived, a record VC-backed acquisition was set, prediction markets and space/defense heated up, and robotics began to help re-shore manufacturing.
  3. Applied AI showed tangible wins in healthcare and mental health, but consumer AI hardware and mainstream digital clones remain early and haven’t broken through yet.

ARR is dead. Long live VRR

Experiments with NLP and GPT-3 • 0 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. ARR can overstate the value of AI products because it counts one-off or novelty-driven payments; VRR measures sustainable revenue by applying a Utility Decay Coefficient based on workflow integration, model independence, and churn.
  2. Investors should run cohort utility audits and calculate a VRR gap using metrics like boring-day ratio, month-5 retention, integration depth, and model independence to separate ‘vibe’ revenue from durable revenue.
  3. VRR changes valuation logic by penalizing short-lived, novelty revenue to avoid inflated paper valuations and focus on products that create real habits and deep integrations.

Tippets #201

Tippets by Taps • 0 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Reading widely across subjects is the best way to build useful mental models, so prioritize and protect time for books.
  2. China’s industrial and AI progress may be underestimated and has major strategic implications, while tech wealth often favors startups over civic institutions, weakening cultural infrastructure.
  3. Young people are turning to high-variance bets (crypto, prediction markets, sports betting) because AI shortens career timelines and social media raises comparisons, and without strong capital taxation AI-driven capital gains could concentrate wealth across generations.

Ah, so that's why we need an AI lab IPO this year

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Global politics are fraying as the United States strains alliances and Europe moves toward more tech and economic self-reliance, which could shrink American influence and market access.
  2. AI adoption is skyrocketing worldwide, with multiple big players gaining massive user and enterprise traction, even as regulation lags and political favoritism complicates oversight.
  3. Venture capital is heavily concentrated in AI, creating pressure for big AI IPOs to return liquidity to investors while overall VC fundraising is down and non-AI startups—especially female-founded teams—are being left behind.

Look ma, I'm a builder

Alex's Personal Blog • 0 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Venture capital fundraising has fallen a lot, but the U.S. — especially AI startups — grabbed a much bigger share of global funding, making American AI the easiest path to raise capital and non-American, non-AI startups the hardest.
  2. Anthropic’s sky-high $350B valuation can be justified by its rapid revenue growth and familiar revenue multiples, so the raise looks defensible even on conservative growth assumptions.
  3. New dev tools like Claude Code let individuals build powerful apps quickly (for example a GTO poker trainer), and there’s clear demand for cheap, simple hosting so creators can publish and run personal AI apps on the go.

Silicon Valley's 99% Blindspot

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Tech companies often build products for themselves and the wealthy, missing the needs of everyday people and large underserved markets.
  2. Big opportunities exist in building practical, vertical tech for non-technical users—like automating hospital discharges or early disease detection for farmers—which can be both impactful and profitable.
  3. Founders and early adopters should spend time with users outside the Valley and act as translators, turning powerful but complex technology into simple, trustworthy products people will actually use.

Oxygen Monopolies

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
💼 Business Venture Capital
  1. Make your company synonymous with a clear category early so you become the go-to name in that space. Great product is the foundation, but strong marketing and positioning amplify how far you can go.
  2. Tell your own narrative and be proactive — if you don’t define your story someone else will take the spotlight. As categories get crowded, your message must get more specific.
  3. Hire a growth or brand marketer earlier than you think so distribution, messaging, and creative execution aren’t an afterthought. Put growth and brand skills on your early team to stay top-of-mind both online and offline.

AGI is probably here

davidj.substack • 0 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. Practical guidance on the must-have AI tools and skills to grow your career and business in 2026 will be a core focus.
  2. Expect a VC-focused perspective on whether AI is a bubble and which kinds of AI startups are likely to get funded next year.
  3. The message stresses that AI is accelerating fast and may make AGI imminent, and it looks at what's dying and what's next—AI agents, automations, prompting—using examples like AI-driven viral LinkedIn growth.

10 Charts That Capture How the World Is Changing

Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Venture Capital
  1. AI is still in the very early innings worldwide, but user engagement and time spent on AI apps are rising fast and could steal attention from other media. Usage is concentrated now (mostly free users and developers), yet agent calls and broader adoption promise bigger workplace and consumer shifts over time.
  2. Healthcare is the largest driver of job growth and will keep creating many new roles as the population ages, telehealth expands, and AI tackles administrative work. Peptides — especially new drugs like retatrutide — are a booming consumer and therapeutic market with huge commercial potential.
  3. Market structures and behaviors are changing: secondaries are becoming a major exit path that speeds liquidity for founders and employees, while prediction markets and viral essays fuel speculation and volatility. That makes exits and returns more flexible but also turns markets more meme-driven and sensitive to narrative shocks.