👓 AI for managers: Maximizing impact

Six bullets of updates

1. 🇾 YC startups are raising smaller rounds, often $1.5M to $2M, targeting only 10% equity, frustrating traditional seed investors.

2. 📈 Stacklet sees demand grow as companies prioritize cloud cost control, with a 3x increase in revenue.

3. 🗂️ Cube is developing a semantic layer for company data to streamline analytics and data access.

4. 👩‍🚀 Vertical Future gets a £1.5M grant to develop an autonomous vertical farm for the first commercial space station, opening in 2026.

5. 🤝 Asana introduces AI "teammates" to its platform, aiming to streamline workflows and boost productivity by up to 50%.

6. 🇮🇳 BlackRock, an investor in Byju's, now considers its stake in the Indian edtech giant, once valued at $22 billion, worthless.

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Embracing AI: Transforming management and maximizing potential

The significant advancement of AI makes it highly likely that most companies and startups will employ AI agents to boost productivity. This necessitates entrepreneurs becoming AI managers, and with that in mind, it’s essential to shift our perspective on managing AI and addressing its errors.

AI tools have faced criticism for their mistakes, but treating AI errors as human errors can lead to substantial improvements. AI agents, like human employees, can grow and evolve with proper training. This means investing time in AI training is crucial to ensure significant returns. As a new paradigm takes hold, AI agents will become as intelligent as we collectively strive to make them.

Treat AI agents with the same understanding as humans, acknowledging that mistakes happen. Great managers coach, train, and remove obstacles to help AI improve. They may have flaws, but they have the potential to improve if given a chance. Read more.

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Startup Events and Deadline

1. GTM Mastery Summit San Francisco | June 10 | Conference

2. Course in Financial Modeling | June 12 | Webinar

3. Financial Modeling Bootcamp | June 17 | Live 1 week Bootcamp

4. How to close a Funding Round (it’s not just the pitch deck) | July 2 | Webinar

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These companies just raised money

1. ✅ Solutions by Text secured $100M. They focus on simplifying bill payments through a compliance-first messaging platform.

2. ☁️ Mavenir raised $75M. The company creates cloud-native software for managing networks without traditional telecom hardware.

3. 🦿Restor3d and its 3D printed orthopedic implants secured $70M despite investors becoming wary of 3D technology startups.

4. 💳 Kleiner Perkins leads a $14.4M seed round into Fizz, a credit-building debit card for Gen Z college students.

5. ⚙️Tektonic AI lands $10M funding to develop GenAI agents for automating business operations. 

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Why is Big Data a game changer for small businesses?

Small businesses can leverage big data to uncover hidden patterns and customer preferences, proving more beneficial than many startups might think. Tools like Google Analytics and Microsoft Power BI can optimize marketing strategies and operations. It is crucial to train teams and update practices to maintain a competitive edge while ensuring data privacy, as noted by Ludwig Makhyan, entrepreneur at Mazeless Enterprise SEO.

In his view, the future of big data is promising, with tools becoming more affordable and user-friendly. Real-time analysis and artificial intelligence will be fundamental in automation and gaining deep insights. Small businesses can thrive in an evolving market by adopting big data and staying abreast of emerging trends. Read more.

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Quiet Quitting and Startups: a Paradox - Millennials Decoded

In the dynamic world of startups, success often hinges on passionate dedication. But what happens when team members silently disengage, effectively "quiet quitting"? Don’t forget to subscribe!