šŸ•¶ļø A Cybersecurity "Iron Man"?

AI is stepping up in the fight against cyber threats

Author

Paula Echeverria
March 08, 2025

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Between AI-powered cybersecurity, non-existent money, and an IPO frenzy, todayā€™s news feels like a crossover between Iron Man, The Big Short, and Shark Tank.

Meanwhile, SpaceXā€™s Starship faces another setback, and Deloitte consultants brace for job uncertainty as federal contract cuts loom.

-šŸ•¶ļø 

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Ten bullets of updates

  1. šŸŽ¤ SXSW 2025 kicks off, with AI, creator economy, and immersive tech taking center stage.

  2. šŸ” Deloitte & Accenture employees fear job cuts as Trumpā€™s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) scrutinizes federal consulting contracts.

  3. šŸ“ˆ Figma and StubHub gear up for IPOs amidst a cautious market, signaling potential shifts in design software and ticketing sectors.

  4.  šŸš€ SpaceX Starship spirals out of control in second consecutive test flight failure, raising concerns over its reliability for deep-space missions.

  5. āš”ļø "Don't work at Anduril" campaign goes viral, as critics target the defense tech startupā€™s role in military AI and surveillance projects.

  6. šŸ’° Investors eye waste management as a hidden goldmine, with startups innovating in recycling and sustainability to drive big returns.

  7. šŸš— VWā€™s cheapest EV to feature Rivian tech, while struggling startup Canoo attracts bidders for its assets amid financial woes.

  8. šŸ“¢ Discord files for IPO, aiming to capitalize on its gaming roots while expanding into broader community and business communication.

  9. šŸ§  Mistral AI gains traction as a serious OpenAI competitor, with open-weight models and a European approach to AI development.

  10. šŸ¤– X rolls out Grok mentions, letting users query Elon Muskā€™s AI chatbot by tagging it in replies for instant responses.

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šŸ›”ļø AI-Powered "Iron Man" for Cybersecurity? Meet CROGL

Photo by Igor Bumba on Unsplash

Cybersecurity teams are drowning in alerts, and Crogl thinks AI is the answer. The startup just raised $30 million to launch its AI-driven security operations analyst, designed to automate investigations, hunt threats, and improve response timesā€”essentially giving security teams a virtual, tireless assistant.

While itā€™s been dubbed an "Iron Man suit" for analysts, thereā€™s no exosuit involvedā€”instead, itā€™s an AI system that integrates with existing security infrastructure to enhance human decision-making.

With cyberattacks increasing and talent shortages persisting, could AI-powered security analysts become the future of cybersecurity?

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Your Bank Balance Is a Lie (and here's how they do it)

šŸ’ø 92% of the worldā€™s money isnā€™t real. Most of us imagine money as physical bills printed by governments, stored securely in vaults, and transported between banks. But thatā€™s far from reality.

In truth, the majority of money exists only as digital entries in bank systems, created through lending rather than printing. From the gold standardā€™s collapse to the Nixon Shock, and the way modern banks generate money out of thin air, this is the real story behind how our financial system truly operates.

šŸ•¶ļø Subscribe for more videos šŸ•¶ļø 

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Start learning AI in 2025

Everyone talks about AI, but no one has the time to learn it. So, we found the easiest way to learn AI in as little time as possible: The Rundown AI.

It's a free AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest AI news, and teaches you how to apply it in just 5 minutes a day.

Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and theyā€™ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses ā€“ tailored to your needs.

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These companies just raised money

  1. āœˆļø Shield AI secures $240M at a $5.3B valuation, pushing forward its AI-powered drone tech for military and commercial applications.

  2. šŸ’» Turing raises $111M at a $2.2B valuation, solidifying its role as a key coding provider for OpenAI and other LLM developers.

  3. šŸ§¬ Ataraxis AI raises $20M to personalize cancer treatment, aiming to reduce unnecessary chemo by predicting patient-specific responses.

  4. šŸ’³ Malga raises $5.5M Series A led by Idexo and Costanoa, boosting its payment infrastructure solutions across Latin America.

  5. šŸ’° LoftyInc Capital launches third fund to back African startups at Seed and Series A stages, fueling early-stage innovation.

  6. šŸ›”ļø Alpine Eagle secures EU funding to advance counter-drone tech, addressing rising threats in defense and critical infrastructure.

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Hire an AI BDR & Get Qualified Meetings On Autopilot

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Investor Data Room Checklist

An investor data room is a storage space, digital or physical, where companies store information relevant to due diligence. We've compiled a FREE Template/Checklist of all the items your data room should include and resources and tools for obtaining them.

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šŸ’¬ ChatGPTā€™s Meteoric Growth: 2x Users in Just 6 Months

OpenAIā€™s ChatGPT has doubled its weekly active users in less than six months, thanks to a string of strategic updates.

šŸ•¶ļø Whatā€™s driving the surge? Features like custom GPTs, memory improvements, and an upgraded free-tier experience have expanded accessibility.
šŸ•¶ļø Enterprise adoption is booming. Businesses are increasingly integrating ChatGPT into workflows, boosting efficiency.
šŸ•¶ļø Competition heats up. With Gemini, Claude, and Mistral stepping up, OpenAI is racing to maintain its lead.

Is this just a hype cycle, or has ChatGPT cemented itself as an indispensable tool in our daily lives?

(BTW, we made a video about AIā€™s FATAL flaw, check it out here šŸ“ŗļø )

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Startup Events and Deadlines

  1. Alchemist Accelerator | Deadline: March 21 | USA

  2. Techstars Columbus | Deadline: April 1 | USA

  3. Startup Grind Conference 2025 | April 19-30 | USA

  4. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator | Deadline: April 28 | USA

  5. Startup Battlefield 200 | Deadline: June 9 | Global

  6. Entrepreneur First London - Summer | Deadline: July 1 | UK

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