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  • šŸ•¶ļø DeepSeek Is Everywhereā€”But Whoā€™s Actually Using It?

šŸ•¶ļø DeepSeek Is Everywhereā€”But Whoā€™s Actually Using It?

AIā€™s Power Struggle: Googleā€™s Anthropic Deal & Chinaā€™s DeepSeek Wave

Author

Paula Echeverria
March 13, 2025

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AI is infiltrating everything, from robotics to retail, while investors are recalibrating expectations.

DeepSeek fever is sweeping across industries in China, Google is doubling down on Anthropic, and the stock market is looking more like a high-stakes casino. Meanwhile, Mark Cuban wants founders to stop treating AI like magic, and Y Combinator startups are raising less moneyā€”maybe because the hype cycle is cooling, or maybe because they read the fine print on their last term sheet.

Hereā€™s whatā€™s shaping startups, AI, and the money moving through both.

-šŸ•¶ļø 

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Ten bullets of updates

  1. šŸ¤– Googleā€™s Gemini AI now bridges digital and physical worlds, allowing robots to grasp, manipulate, and understand real-world objectsā€”marking a major leap toward truly intelligent robotics.

  2. šŸšØ Elon Musk privately supported a U.S. government shutdown, hoping regulatory gridlock would benefit his tech empire.

  3. āš–ļø The administrator of sanctioned crypto exchange Garantex was arrested in India under extradition laws, tightening the global crackdown on illicit crypto activity.

  4. šŸ› ļø Mark Cuban reminds founders: "AI isnā€™t the answerā€”itā€™s just a tool," cautioning startups against treating tech as a silver bullet.

  5. šŸš” A retired police officer turned entrepreneur builds a Pet Care Business making $3 Million a Year, proving itā€™s never too late to pivot to success.

  6. šŸ„¦ Online organic grocer La Fourche thrives post-quick-commerce boom, proving that subscription-based commerce still wins in e-commerce.

  7. šŸŽØ As AI automates creativity, artisans and developers push back, finding new ways to preserve craft in the digital age.

  8. šŸ’ø Bolt founder Ryan Breslow addresses his controversial $30M personal loan while unveiling a new ā€œsuper appā€ for commerce and finance.

  9. šŸŖ From running stores to running the showā€”how a former retail manager built a $3M business by betting on franchising.

  10. šŸ“‰ Y Combinator startups are raising less money, signaling a shift in the VC landscape as founders focus on sustainability over sky-high valuations.

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šŸ‹ DeepSeek Fever: The AI Model That Every Industry Suddenly Needs (or Says It Does)

Chinaā€™s homegrown AI model DeepSeek is reshaping the country's tech landscape, prompting a rush of businessesā€”from automakers to gaming startups and even state-owned enterprisesā€”to integrate its open-source technology into their products. This widespread enthusiasm echoes the excitement sparked globally by ChatGPT's release in 2022, when companies raced to align themselves with the latest AI breakthrough.

This underscores how quickly an emerging technology can redefine market expectations and investor priorities. Yet founders should remain cautious: adopting trending technology for publicity rather than genuine value risks distracting from core innovation and product-market fit.

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Why Americans are OBSESSED with Stocks (and Gambling)

Over 61% of Americans actively participate in the stock marketā€”but for many, it's less about prudent investing and more about chasing excitement. In fact, the market has increasingly blurred the lines between investing and gambling.

Driven by economic anxiety and a cultural appetite for risk, millions now treat Wall Street like a giant betting platform. How did stocks become America's most popular casino? Turns out, mixing financial uncertainty with the allure of fast returns creates something uniquely Americanā€”a place where Wall Street, sports betting, and the pursuit of the American Dream all collide.

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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. šŸš— Volkswagen quietly backs a new $200M venture fund, Mobility Impact Partners, targeting startups in AI, mobility, and climate tech.

  2. šŸŽ¬ AI-powered video startup Opus raises $60M from SoftBank, reaching unicorn status by automating short-form content creation.

  3. šŸŒ Zolve raises $51M and secures $200M in debt to expand its neobank for global citizens moving to the U.S., simplifying cross-border banking.

  4. šŸ„• Raw food startup Purely Elizabeth secures $50M, aiming to take a bigger bite of the booming $45B health-snack industry.  

  5. šŸ§Ŗ Scimplify lands $40M to simplify how manufacturers source specialty chemicals, streamlining supply chains with its digital marketplace.

  6. šŸ­ Infinite Uptime secures $43M to scale AI-driven predictive maintenance tech, helping factories prevent downtime before it happens.

  7. šŸ’° The sibling founders of Stax Payments return with a new fintech venture, securing $20M to shake up the payments industry again.

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SaaS Growth Calculator

A growth calculator that lets you forecast the impact of your ARPU (average revenue per user) and Churn Rate on the long-term potential of your subscription business.

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šŸ’°ļø Google Boosts Investment in AI Startup Anthropic

Google just made a bold move, significantly increasing its stake in the AI startup Anthropic to nearly 25%, signaling its determination to stay ahead of competitors like Amazon and OpenAI. Anthropic, renowned for its advanced generative AI technology, has rapidly become a major player and Google's latest investment underscores how critical AI dominance has become for big tech firms.

For startup founders, this trend towards consolidation is a clear reminder that the AI space is becoming increasingly dominated by deep-pocketed giants. Aligning your startup strategically could mean the difference between scaling quickly or getting crowded out.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

  1. Gen Z Founder & Creator Mixer | Today: March 13 | NYC

  2. Alchemist Accelerator | Deadline: March 21 | USA

  3. GEN Z Entrepreneur and Networking | March 21 | New Delhi

  4. TechWalk | March 23 | Bangalore

  5. Techstars Columbus | Deadline: April 1 | USA

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

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

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

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

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