Arya Laxmi Gupta’s Post

#Entrepreneurship is no cakewalk yet it doesn't have to be firefighting all the time... It was an ultimate startup pitchfest & learnfest this week at Plug and Play Tech Center that brought together a couple of thousand founders, hundreds of startups, angel investors, corporate VCs, mentors and community builders to #SiliconValley for 3 days filled with learnings, making connections and fuelling hope. 🚀My top 6 key takeaways: 1. There's a Future beyond AI hype: While there was no shortage of #GenAI washing, there are real AI startups working on real use cases in production. Impressed by my friends at Glean Vectara and more who are pushing the boundaries with innovations 2. Technology is everywhere: Convinced after attending several pitches in #ClimateTech #HealthTech #InsureTech #BioTech that there are smart founders all over ....not only in Silicon Valley. 3. Story telling is everything: From pitching for funding to closing your first sales to hiring your first hire, it's the power of stories that can make or break a startup. " If Theranos can become a unicorn and a sensation without a product on the back of master storyteller Elizabeth Holmes, consider what you can do..." With a solid framework of how to construct an elevator pitch that evokes empathy and conveys your mission, Neev Efrat 's storytelling workshop was a Masterclass! 4. Community Building: Startup life is full of daily grind, unexpected ups and downs but a strong community keeps the flame of entrepreneurship & peer learning going. Never forget to take care of self along the way 5. Enjoy the journey: Celebrate small wins, maintain a sense of gratitude & have fun ( I certainly had my share of fun making an Instagram reel shared below ) 6. Plenty of follow ups, ideas and to-dos remain from this event so I'll simply close this post with gratitude to the visionary Saeed Amidi for creating this wonderful platform called P& P! Great meeting friends old and new including Hrishikesh Sathawane Brian💥 Sparkes Joseph Yeh 🖤💛🤎 Naveen S. Bisht Keri Rich Valkyrie Holmes Genevieve E. Peter Garbuz Gloria Chyr Hitesh Sachdev Joanna Kurylo Leela Najafi Henriett Echeverria Paul Cherukuri Amrish Chopra Sankar Sundaresan Nader Fathi Barbara Andrzejewska-Kowalczyk Shilpi Padhy Nazar Shymone-Davyda Farzad Rahbar Isabella María Rojas Garcés Idea to IPO Rob Lau Maria Eckles Soniya Ahuja Aimée DeGolyer Mahbubul Alam Nishant Malhotra, CITF Robert Harary Dexus Almonte Tattu Aidarova Andrea Sahagún Divya Demato Mohan Ram Akella Manveer Sandhu and many more as I ran out of tagging limit! https://lnkd.in/gH2Z-AhH

What it’s like to watch 243 startups give one-minute pitches: Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 Demo Day compressed the state of the startup economy down to its basics. (Yes, AI is big this year.) https://zurl.co/vBpH #ai #genai #startups

Half the recent graduating class from the storied startup incubator Y-Combinator (YC) are #AI companies. The article covers 9 of them.  The article also points out the advantages of being near YC's San Francisco office for AI startups. Key quote: "There is no other place in the world with the same density of great startup founders per square mile as the area around the YC office—and this is fostering innovation and growth."

What it’s like to watch 243 startups give one-minute pitches: Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 Demo Day compressed the state of the startup economy down to its basics. (Yes, AI is big this year.) https://zurl.co/vBpH #ai #genai #startups

🫦 Many are hungry for these AI benefits - our Summer Batch 2024 startups get them! 😋 Spring fever is spreading: dear Summer Batch 24, it's finally April and that means we're getting started with our program! 🚀 Startups, get ready for: 🏋️♀️ WORKSHOPS Whether Ideation or Accelerator, our workshops will give you the knowledge and expertise you need to get up and running. AI Startup Fundamentals, Data Science, Go To Market Strategy and Financing are just some of the topics on the workshop buffet that awaits you. 🤝 CORPORATE MATCHING Personal contacts still have the highest chances for success. That's why we make use of our strong network and put you accelerators in contact with companies that are interested in your products or services. 🎉 COMMUNITY & EVENTS You too can now become a part of Hamburg's AI community! Through various event formats, you will be "introduced to the society" and expand your network through great connections! 🦸♀️ MENTORING PROGRAM At the heart of the AI.STARTUP.HUB are our mentors. As established business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors, they love what they do and let their energy flow through our program. They will support you along your entire startup journey and help you with your individual needs. For example, you can look forward to Petra Vorsteher, Ragnar Kruse, Dr. John Lange, Martin Mahn and Dr. Uve Samuels (Exponential Pioneer). 👉 Find all mentors on our website: https://lnkd.in/ewMApaNQ 🔥 Let's rock your projects together, startups! Your beautiful AI.STARTUP.HUB Team (part of it on the photo) is looking forward to meeting you in person! A.D.L.E.R. Digital & AI Solutions, DENKER, doc. ai, MieterBot, upaib, VeRise, XIVR, BotTalk, Buildlinx, Capcorp GmbH, casoo.care, CHAINSTEP GmbH, Charit Insights, ChatPDF, CheckForPet, ClinicOS by NoscAi, Heisenware, Mintcode Solutions, myndpaar, Pattern Recognition Company GmbH, qurix Technology GmbH, Splitbot, supply.one GmbH, Zelvor #AIStartupHub #SummerBatch24 #StartupHamburg #IdeationProgram #AcceleratorProgram #Accelerator #Hamburg #StartupSuccess #StartupSupport #StartupFunding #AIExcellence #Startups #AI #Gründer #Gründerinnen #Gründen #Founder #Founding #Gründerszene #StartupSzene

Y Combinator is a famed name among startups across the globe, and with just two cohorts a year, places on the accelerator are in high demand. 14 out of the 257 companies taking part in the latest batch are based in Europe, making up just over 5% of the total cohort. So far, 13 European startups have publicly announced their participation, according to the YC website, including: 👉 Onedoc (YC W24) 👉 malibou (YC W24) 👉 Pretzel AI (YC W24) AI 👉 Konstructly 👉 CoCrafter Find out what they’re working on below. #startuplife #startups

🚀 Middle Eastern Startups Backed by Techstars The Middle Eastern startup ecosystem is booming, with innovative ventures addressing critical challenges across industries such as healthcare, logistics, and proptech. Backed by Techstars, a global accelerator that fuels the success of entrepreneurs, these startups are leading the charge with groundbreaking solutions that are transforming traditional business operations and making a lasting impact. From AI-powered platforms to legal tech and urban sustainability, these companies are taking industries to the next level. - amplifAI health - Aumet - autobia - Blindspot - Buglance - Clara Technologies - dawafast | دوافاست - Derq - .dodocs ai - Flawless - FortyGuard - GAGA - Glamera - Groovy Antoid - HUNTR (Techstars NYC '22) - ithnain (Techstars '23) - jalebi.io | جليبى - KLAIM.AI - Nestrom Inc. - Onex - Permitech (Techstars 2023) - SECRET SKIN - STHRIVE - Torod | طرود - TRADO - Viewit (Techstars ‘23) - Zoftware These ventures are not only driving growth within the Middle East but are also making waves globally. With Techstars' invaluable support, these startups continue to push boundaries, scale rapidly, and shape the future of their respective industries. 🌍 📧 For more details on each startup, check out our article in Startup Researcher Middle East, and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter. #MiddleEast #Startups #techstars

The median time taken by Series A startups to raise the subsequent Series B round widened to 28 months in 2024, the longest span since 2012, per Crunchbase. The average time also peaked at 31 months, matching 2023’s record. While some startups in hot sectors like AI can quickly raise follow-on funding despite the macroeconomic challenges, most startups now take two to three years between these funding stages. Investors now expect startups to fully utilize available capital and achieve growth milestones before seeking additional funds. However, not all startups that secure a Series A go on to raise a Series B. Of over 4,400 U.S. companies that raised Series A funding in 2020 or 2021, only about 1,600 have secured a Series B round. As the window for raising subsequent rounds widens, many boom-era startups from the 2021 peak may struggle to secure further funding.

🚀 Startup Headlines - The Spark Behind Startup Success ⚡ 💡 These startups are shaping the future with groundbreaking innovations. Here’s a glimpse of their success stories: 🔹 Connecty AI: Connecty AI empowers enterprises with AI solutions and secured $1.8 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Market One Capital. 🔹 Pikndel: Revolutionizing same-day deliveries, Pikndel raises $1 million in seed funding, backed by VC Grid. 🔹 Zeplyn: Transforming wealth management workflows, Zeplyn raises $3 million in seed funding, co-led by Leo Capital. 🔹 BiteSpeed: AI-powered customer OS for e-commerce brands, secures a whopping $3.5 million in pre-series A funding, co-led by Peak XV’s Surge and others. 🔹 DesignX: Driving shopfloor hyper-automation, DesignX raises $1 million in pre-series A funding, co-led by Piper Serica Angel Fund. 🚀 The startup ecosystem is buzzing with innovation and growth. Stay tuned for more updates from the world of startups! 💡 #INQXN #Inqxnlive #ConnectyAI #Pikndel #Zeplyn #BiteSpeed #DesignX #StartupHeadlines #InnovationUnleashed #FundingNews #StartupGrowth #TechEcosystem #StartupFunding #AIStartups #EcommerceGrowth #WealthTech #HyperAutomation #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem 

The global startup economy faced challenges in 2023, with a decline in exits and funding. However, there are signs of improvement, particularly in early-stage startups and specific sub-sectors like Cleantech and Generative AI (GenAI). https://hubs.li/Q02RZ_bY0 As startup ecosystems expand, this shows how critical innovation is to economic growth. Is your city leveraging its startup potential? #StartupEcosystem #Innovation #GlobalStartups