PIN

A newsletter for communities, investors, angels, and founders

Author

Power in Numbers
July 11, 2025

Welcome to PIN’d - our weekly newsletter where we pin (lol, bear with us) the most important tech/startup news of the week for aspiring angels, vc’s, startup investors, founders, etc. Expect a new weekly roundup from us every Friday morning!

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📰 This week’s best news

Nvidia stock rose on Wednesday lifting the company’s market cap briefly past $4 trillion for the first time as investors scooped up shares of the tech giant that’s building the bulk of the hardware for the generative artificial intelligence boom.

Perplexity launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup’s latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. At launch, Comet will be available first to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan, as well as a small group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist.

Andreessen Horowitz announced Wednesday it will move its primary business — AH Capital Management — to Nevada. Although Delaware has historically been a business-friendly state, a series of court rulings have led some executives to question whether that's still true. "In particular, Delaware courts can at times appear biased against technology startup founders and their boards," the firm said in a blog posted to its website.

France’s leading AI startup Mistral is in talks to raise up to $1 billion in equity, with Abu Dhabi’s MGX among the potential backers. The company is also negotiating hundreds of millions in debt to fund a major new infrastructure project in France, supporting Europe’s push for AI sovereignty.

With AI changing the way people are searching online, new startups like Athena, Profound, and Scrunch are racing to build tools that help brands show up in chatbot answers. Backed by millions in venture capital, these companies see themselves as the future of SEO.

Private investment platform Linqto files for bankruptcy amid SEC scrutiny

Linqto, a platform offering shares in private companies, has filed for bankruptcy while under SEC investigation. The company cited serious flaws in its structure, raising doubts about what investors actually owned.

OpenAI is boosting stock-based compensation to more than $4.4 billion to stop top talent from jumping ship to Meta, which has already hired at least eight of its key researchers. The escalating talent war in AI is pushing companies to offer record-breaking pay packages.

💰 Funding announcement highlights

CarOnSale, an online marketplace where car dealerships can buy and sell used vehicles, handling inspection, transport, and payment logistics, raised an $81.9 million Series C. Northzone led the deal with HV Capital, Insight Partners, Stripes, and Creandum also investing.

Huspy, a Dubai-based startup whose online platform enables UAE homebuyers to search for properties, secure mortgage financing, and complete real estate transactions, raised a $59 million Series B. Balderton Capital led the round, with Founders Fund, Peak XV Partners, ExBorder Partners, Turmeric Capital, COTU Ventures, BY Ventures, Dara Management, and KE Partners also joining.

Ekho, a three-year-old startup building an end-to-end online platform for OEMs and auto dealers that lets consumers browse, finance, register, and purchase cars and other vehicles online, raised a $15 million Series A round. Activant Capital led the deal with J.P. Morgan and Winnebago Industries as well as previous investors Y Combinator, RiverPark, and Westcott Investment Group also participating,

Gradient Labs, a London startup developing AI agents that help banks and fintech companies detect fraud, manage risk, and automate compliance processes, raised a $13 million Series A round. Redpoint Ventures was the main investor, with Localglobe, Puzzle Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures, and Exceptional Capital also contributing.

OneText, a two-year-old New York startup that lets shoppers buy products directly via text message, raised a $4.5 million seed round. Khosla Ventures led the deal, with Coatue, Citi Ventures, Y Combinator, and Good Friends also investing.

📚 Interesting reads of the week

As AI takes over routine tasks, some human skills like leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to use AI to solve real-world problems, are becoming more valuable than ever. This piece breaks down which skills are most likely to rise in value and how to start learning them now.

At least 36 new tech unicorns were minted in 2025 so far

More than 36 startups have joined the Unicorn Club in 2025, many of them riding the wave of investor excitement around AI. But it’s not all chatbots and copilots. Companies in healthtech, robotics, and even satellite internet are also reaching billion-dollar valuations.

AngelList CEO Avlok Kohli says Q2 marked a turning point for venture capital, with liquidity events and returns bringing LPs back to the table. Investment in funds under $100M jumped nearly 50% as LPs regain confidence in the next generation of fund managers.

A new wave of young founders is making millions with AI apps in just weeks, forcing others to ask: should we chase quick wins or keep building for the long haul? This essay argues that speed and vision don’t have to be at odds and that the best path might be blending both.

Maor Shlomo built Base44, an AI-powered app builder, to $1M in ARR and 400,000 users in just weeks, without raising a single dollar. Six months later, he sold the company to Wix for $80 million, proving that solo founders can win big in the AI era.

The final chapter of No Rivals explores how Founders Fund has expanded its influence from Silicon Valley to Washington, incubating defense giants like Anduril and reshaping the future of tech-powered militarism. With deep dives into strategy, personalities, and performance, the series reveals how Peter Thiel's firm is rewriting the playbook for power in venture capital.

NFDG: The $1.1B VC fund that 4x’d in two years—then got acquired by Meta

NFDG, the AI-focused fund launched by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, quadrupled in value in just two years. Now, its founders are joining Meta after an unusual tender offer that let investors cash out at full value, hinting at a potential new model for venture capital in the AI era.

💪Tech mafia of the week

Highlights:

💰 Most money raised: Nexa Equity

🤑 Total money raised by the Insight Partners Mafia: $1.5 million

Weekly Tech Mafia Leaderboard

The Insight Partners alumni has built some amazing companies. This tech mafia group takes the 58th spot on our leaderboard, with 52 companies founded and $1.5 billion raised.

PS: Are you an Insight Partners alum interested in getting your community together to invest in the community (and earn carry/other benefits along the way)? Or are you a member of another community that you think would make for an amazing startup investment community?

Learn more about us and sign up for the waitlist here.

📌 PIN tweet of the week

💼 Who’s hiring in VC?

Looking to get into VC? Below are this week’s curated VC job openings.

B Capital is looking for a Head of IR.

MicroVentures is looking for an IR Manager.

SWIB is looking for a VC Manager.

New Catalyst is looking for a VC Investor.

Temasek is looking for a VC Vice President.

📌 Introducing PinPoint - Get paid to refer your friends to great jobs

Want to earn thousands of dollars for referring candidates to top companies? Sign up to PinPoint.

📠 Fun fact of the week

The printing press, invented by Gutenberg around 1400, democratized education by enabling mass reproduction of texts.