The Growth Cartel’s Post

Don't just take our word for it, trust Mariane Bekker! 😊 🌟 The top reason to attend? To experience the bright smiles of our all-star, female-led panel next Thursday at Plug and Play Tech Center! 🎉! 😄🌟 🚀 AI Founders Connect: You Found, We Connect - A pivotal gathering for AI startups, venture capitalists, and business leaders in Sunnyvale, the beating heart of Silicon Valley. 🎯 Our Audience: - AI Startups: Seeking $5M to $10M for late seed to early Series A ventures. - VCs & Family Offices: Eager to invest $500K to $10M in Silicon Valley's promising AI initiatives. - Business Leaders & Experts: Exploring AI partnerships and integration strategies. 📍 Event Details: - Location: Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale – Silicon Valley’s unicorn haven. - Date & Time: Starts at 5 PM during our Venture Capital Night. 🗓 Event Agenda: - 5:00 PM: Welcome & Introduction - Set the stage for an insightful evening. - 5:30 PM: VC Panel on AI Investing - Delve into AI investment trends with top VCs alongside Mariane Bekker Jill Sherman Rachna Dayal Jeni Chang Nuné Zadoyan, MBA - 6:00 PM: AI Startup Pitch Session - Startups pitch their projects to investment experts. - 6:30 PM: Networking & Winner Selection - Connect and engage as the 'Most Investable' startup is chosen. - 7:00 PM: Winner Announcement & Extended Networking - Celebrate and mingle! ℹ️ FAQs: - What to bring? Business cards, an open mind, and your pitch. - Dress code? Business casual recommended. - Registration? https://lnkd.in/edb4D4-T - Your contact point? our one and only: Abdelouafi N. 📩 Want to receive exclusive access to founders and VC events happening in Silicon Valley straight to your inbox? Subscribe to the best newsletter at https://lnkd.in/eSMunP-M. See you there! #AI #VentureCapital #SFEvents

Don't miss out, hear it from Mariane Bekker herself! 🌟✨ 🌟 Why come? For the dazzling energy of our all-women panel at Plug and Play Tech Center next Thursday! 🎉💫 🚀 AI Founders Connect: You Found, We Connect - The ultimate meetup for AI startups, VCs, and industry leaders at the heart of Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale. 🎯 Who should join: - AI Startups: Targeting $5M to $10M for growth phases from late seed to early Series A. - VCs & Family Offices: Ready to fund $500K to $10M into Silicon Valley's next big AI ventures. - Business Experts: Keen on discovering AI applications and forming strategic partnerships. 📍 Event Insights: - Venue: Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale – Where unicorns are made. - Timing: Kicks off at 5 PM on our Venture Capital Night. 🗓 What's happening: - 5:00 PM: Kickoff with Welcome & Introduction - Gear up for an evening packed with insights. - 5:30 PM: AI Investing Talk with VCs including Mariane Bekker, Jill Sherman, Rachna Dayal, Jen Chang, and Nuné Zadoyan, MBA - Dive into investment strategies and trends. - 6:00 PM: Pitch Time for AI Startups - Watch as startups showcase their innovations. - 6:30 PM: Mingle & Pick the Winner - Network and see who earns the 'Most Investable' title. - 7:00 PM: Celebrate the Winner and More Networking - Stick around for more connections! ℹ️ Helpful Info: - Bring along: Business cards, your pitches, and a readiness to engage. - Dress code: Smart casual. - Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eK_rG2FQ - Your contact point: Our one and only: Abdelouafi N. 📩 Stay updated on the best Silicon Valley events: Join the newsletter at https://lnkd.in/eXBzNFJZ. Can't wait to see you there! 🚀🎉 #AI #VentureCapital #SiliconValleyEvents

Key Takeaways from this evenings' Fundraising as an AI Company in 2024 on the current dynamics of fundraising for AI startups. Facilitated by Dani Grant of Jam.dev, alongside Chelcie Taylor and Dan Cahana from GGV Capital US, provided actionable insights. Special mention to Dani Grant and the Jam.dev team for their recent Series A milestone with GGV US, highlighting the tangible success within our community! Insights for AI Founders: ⭐️ Personalized Outreach Success in fundraising hinges on tailoring your approach to potential investors, emphasizing alignment with their interests and portfolio trends. ⭐️ Leveraging Networks Utilizing your founder network for VC introductions remains a critical strategy. The value of peer referrals cannot be overstated. ⭐️ Articulating Unique Value Clearly defining what sets your AI startup apart is crucial. This differentiation should be evident in your solution's innovation, market need, and potential impact. ⭐️ Transparency with Technology and Challenges Open discussions about your technology’s capabilities and acknowledgment of hurdles enhance credibility and invite constructive dialogue. ⭐️ Strategic Market Entry Demonstrating a well-thought-out plan for market entry and scalability is essential, particularly in the competitive AI landscape. The session underscored the importance of strategic preparation and the value of community within the AI startup ecosystem.

As Slush 2024 comes to a close, one reality stands out: founders across sectors face major challenges in fundraising and customer acquisition. Slush's latest survey reveals that 63% of founders name fundraising as their biggest hurdle, while 49.6% struggle with customer acquisition. For deep tech founders, these obstacles are particularly daunting. 💡 75% of deep tech startups in Europe struggle to efficiently access the right investors and clients for paid proof-of-concepts (POCs). Unlike many other startups, deep tech companies are pushing the frontiers of innovation in areas like AI, climate tech, space tech, etc. These founders require patient capital and strategic partnerships that understand the extended development cycles and technical complexities. Without access to these key resources, Europe's leadership in transformative technologies is at risk. That’s why Deep Tech Momentum exists. We’re building a leading marketplace to connect deep tech startups with the right investors and corporate partners for funding and paid POCs. Through our tech platform and annual flagship event in #Berlin, we unlock the networks and capital deep tech founders need to thrive. Our startups have collectively raised over €120 million+ in funding post participation. 👋 If you’re among the 75% of deep tech founders struggling to connect with the right investors and clients, #DTM25 is where you need to be. Apply today for access to Super Earlybird Tickets—available until Nov 30 (link in comments). #DeepTech #DeepTechMomentum

Curious about the future of AI and climate tech in Europe? In an interview with Sifted, my colleague Avid Larizadeh Duggan, Senior Managing Director of Teachers' Venture Growth (TVG), shares her expert perspective on the state of Europe's startup sector in 2024. https://ow.ly/hToM30sBXEE

Highlighting SF startups that are actively fundraising in December + IRL meetup info: 1. 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: Suhail Parry 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼: Lunabill is building an AI agent system for medical billing companies, dramatically reducing claims processing time (15x faster) and staffing needs (down by 90%). 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁: They’ve completed two pilots serving over 400 doctors, secured nine signed LOIs representing $15M in potential revenue, and expect to reach $5K MRR within three months.  𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 & 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: Pre-seed, currently raising to unlock $2M 2. 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: Rajesh Karmani 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼: First Intelligence builds multimodal AI “copilots” that see, hear, and understand the world from a first-person perspective. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁: Developed a 4K wearable camera and end-to-end proof-of-concept. Early pilots include a major global real estate firm and a Canadian resort operator.  𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 & 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: Pre-seed, with $1M raised. 3. 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: Conor Brennan-Burke 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼: Hyperspell offers a fully managed RAG-as-a-Service platform, enabling developers to build AI applications on user data in minutes. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁: Although pre-product launch, Hyperspell has secured $225K ARR in pending and closed LOIs.  𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 & 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: Pre-seed, with $500K raised from Afore Capital and founder angels. D͟e͟c͟e͟m͟b͟e͟r͟ ͟M͟e͟e͟t͟u͟p͟:͟ https://lu.ma/quktxdvc F͟u͟n͟d͟r͟a͟i͟s͟i͟n͟g͟ ͟R͟e͟s͟o͟u͟r͟c͟e͟: If you are founder looking for your perfect VC, try Seedhusle: our VC smart search tool free: https://app.seedhustle.ai/ If you want to be highlighted in our monthly dealflow, fill out this form: https://lnkd.in/eb2iTddQ V͟C͟ ͟R͟e͟s͟o͟u͟r͟c͟e͟: If you want to check out 200+ active deals and get alerted for new activities, check out here: https://shorturl.at/yUvnS 

🚀 Startup founders: What if you could find perfect-fit investors AND get media coverage in one place? We built IylaVista because 90% of startups struggle to connect with the right people at the right time. Our AI-powered platform: Matches you with investors who fund startups like yours Shows you where investors will be networking before you reach out Finds journalists interested in your space Crafts personalized outreach that gets 5x more responses The best part? It costs a fraction of traditional solutions, saving startups $60K+ annually while cutting time to funding in half. Join the startups already accelerating their growth with AI.

🌟 I had an amazing time moderating a fireside chat yesterday at the Google for Startups x Google Cloud Women in AI session. I was joined by the inspiring Tonia Samsonova, Founder & CEO of Exactly.ai , uses generative AI to help artists retain legal ownership of their art and gives them the ability to reproduce their designs much faster and at scale. With $4.3M in funding, Tonia shared invaluable insights into her journey as a founder, the lessons she’s learned from fundraising, and more. 💡 My Top Tips for Early-Stage Fundraising: 1. Tell a compelling story – Investors fund people as much as ideas. Share your vision and the problem you're solving passionately. 2. Know your numbers – Be clear on your metrics, traction, and how you’ll use the funds to achieve key milestones. 3. Build relationships early – Start networking with potential investors before you need capital. Fundraising is about trust, and trust takes time. 4. Stay resilient – Fundraising can be challenging. Learn from the "no's" and adapt your approach to strengthen your pitch. A special shoutout to the amazing MC Onajite Emerhor – you truly brought the energy and made the event unforgettable! #WomenInTech #AIInnovation #Startups

...adding to this: Large companies tend not to foster new ideas. The status quo is what it is, let's leverage to the max, thereby missing great new opportunities. For me, the real reason why so many large companies are struggling is: The mindset of Middle Management and the cluelessness of Top Management (just looking at numbers and KPIs - but not understanding the market and customers anymore)!

Faith-Driven Founders — AI is incredible → But SI takes it to a whole new level → SI? It stands for Spiritual Intelligence → It’s the wisdom of God at work If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, your spirit is already equipped to achieve what your mind hasn’t even conceived. With SI, you gain the wisdom and discernment needed to accomplish the impossible. SI isn’t artificial—it’s supernatural. And when you operate with SI, you’re navigating life in 4D. Need help, 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 and reach out. Follow me, Gerald Duran for daily startup and VC mentorship, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘁 from CanaGlobal's faith-driven venture studio and startup incubator.