VC

Sarah Smith launches $16M fund, says AI can ‘unlock’ so much for solo GPs like herself

Venture /

Sarah Smith, founder and managing partner of the eponymous Sarah Smith Fund, announced Thursday the final closing of a $16 million Fund I.  Smith launched her eponymous fund in 2022 and is a solo GP. She said she’s “stunned” by what AI can unlock for firms like hers, solo and next-generation. “I can’t imagine doing […]

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North America takes the bulk of AI VC investments, despite tough political environment

AI /

Despite what some experts have characterized as an environment increasingly hostile to AI R&D, North America continues to receive the bulk of AI venture dollars, according to data from investment tracker PitchBook. Between February and May of this year, VCs poured $69.7 billion into North America-based AI and machine learning startups across 1,528 deals. That’s

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Litehaus raises €1.46M pre-seed to build home-building platform

Startups /

All Thibault Launay and his wife Simi wanted nearly five years ago was to build a dream home in Portugal, where they both now live.  But what they encountered instead was a broken system. “Fourteen months of delays, 20% budget overruns, and endless stress managing over 10 subcontractors,” Thibault recalled. They bought the land in

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Sydney Thomas’s Symphonic Capital raises $13.5M for inaugural fund 

Venture /

Symphonic Capital announced today in a blog post that it raised $13.5 million for its inaugural fund to invest in early-stage companies.  Sydney Thomas launched the firm in 2022 after leaving Charles Hudson’s Percursor Ventures, where she was the first hire.  Thomas said her fund will focus on founders outside of the Bay who are

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Revent rocks the boat with a fresh $100M to invest in people and the planet

Venture /

It would appear the environment and society remain relevant, whatever you might hear in some other quarters. At least, that’s one conclusion to be drawn from the news that European specialist VC Revent has closed a  €100 million ($109 million) Fund II to invest in “planetary and societal health” startups.  Launched out of Berlin in

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A fresh $100M rolls into DIG Ventures as it bids to woo early-stage European startups

Venture /

The number of “operator VCs” — former founders turned VCs — in Europe in recent years. This is common in the U.S., where the majority of VCs are former founders. The reverse is true in Europe, where most come from banking or finance. Recent examples in Europe include Wise founder Taavet Hinrikus, Glovo founder Oscar

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Bradley Tusk says he makes more money with ‘equity-for-services’ than he did as a traditional VC

Venture /

Bradley Tusk, co-founder and managing partner at Tusk Venture Partners, told TechCrunch in today’s episode of Equity that VC as we know it is dead. And it has been for the last four years.  “Maybe there’s some VC that I’ve never heard of that’s awash with liquidity the last couple of years, but we haven’t

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VC investment in European startups passed $52B in 2024, continuing long-term growth trend

Venture /

Venture capital investment in European startups passed $52 billion last year, reflecting the market’s long-term growth trajectory and gradual stabilization after the out-sized peaks of 2021-2022 (driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic), and the comparative slump of 2023, according to a new report. Although 2024 has seen political and regulatory turmoil, Europe’s talent pool of

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