🕶️ VCs bet big on cyber warriors after CrowdStrike fiasco

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Six bullets of updates

1. ⚕️Startups are using AI to build personalized treatments to extend our lifespan. How are they doing it?

2.  💸 Elon Musk reportedly donates $45M monthly to a pro-Trump Super PAC, leaving Trump confused but grateful.

3. 💻 AI coding boosts developer efficiency, making human engineers more critical for complex projects and innovation. 

4. 🌎 Pesa pursues global growth, addressing costly remittance services and expanding access for emerging economies.

5. 👩‍🍳 Choosing from NYC's 25,000 restaurants just got easier: the new Scene app finds the perfect dining spot.

6. 📋 Six health-tech ideas VCs want you to pitch in 2024, including Octopus Ventures, Speedinvest, Frontline Ventures and some others sharing their thoughts

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European startups raise €27.8B in H1 2024

In the first half of 2024, European startups saw a significant funding boost, totaling €27.8 billion, a 16% increase from 2023. This surge was driven mainly by public institutions, with substantial contributions from entities like the European Innovation Council and Bpifrance, which participated in nearly 17% of all French deals.

Antler topped the list of active investors, making 82 deals across diverse sectors such as B2B, healthtech, and property tech. SFC Capital followed with 78 deals, focusing on early-stage climate tech and robotics investments. Bpifrance secured third place with 63 deals, supporting tech startups in climate and deep tech.

Other vital investors included the European Innovation Council (44 deals) and Y Combinator (36 deals), emphasizing deep tech and AI. High-Tech Gründerfonds (35 deals) targeted seed-stage industrial tech and life sciences. These investors have been instrumental in driving innovation and growth in Europe's startup ecosystem. Read the list of the top 15 most active investors so far in 2024.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. How to close a Funding Round | July 24 | Webinar

2. Crash Course in Financial Modeling |August 7 | Webinar

3. SaaStock: Dublin | August 14 | Conference

4. How to close a Funding Round (it’s not just the pitch deck) | August 14 | Webinar

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High-growth A.I. leaders reveal their secrets

Join top A.I. leaders from HyperFinity, Astronomer, and Sardine A.I. in an on demand panel moderated by Sigma.

Discover winning strategies that drive growth, speed time to market, and keep you ahead in the dynamic world of A.I.

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These companies just raised money

1. 🪴 Cohere raises $500M to compete against OpenAI, Anthropic, and other generative AI startups.

2. 🔒 Linx emerges from stealth with $33M to secure the new identity perimeter, targeting evolving cybersecurity needs.

3. 📄 NetLex snags 24M in Series B to expand across Latin America and integrate AI into its contract management platform.

4. 🏦 Fragment's digital ledger API secures $9M from investors like Stripe to help banks balance books.

5. ⛽ Brazilian fuel solutions startup CTA Smart raised $2.9M to expand its operations in the US and beyond.

6. Startup Meu Pescado secures $420k to expand its aquaculture management services to new markets.

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Preventing the next CrowdStrike-like outage

In the aftermath of CrowdStrike's recent global outage, startups are racing to prevent a repeat performance that caused significant global disruptions. VCs are backing these ventures to build resilient infrastructures, improve incident response, and develop advanced monitoring tools.

Given the rising frequency of such disruptions, these innovations aren't just timely—they could be essential for maintaining business continuity.

The stakes are high: downtime can mean millions in losses, eroded trust, and even potential regulatory scrutiny. Keep an eye on up-and-comers in this space; their tech could be game-changers. For more context on the importance of robust cybersecurity, see Gartner's latest report on IT resilience.

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Master Storytelling for Closing Rounds Webinar

This webinar will teach you how to craft a powerful pitch deck that leverages storytelling to captivate investors and close crucial funding rounds. Don’t forget to subscribe!