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Tech News
American hardtech startups are attracting more attention, with deep tech funds outperforming traditional venture capital. Increased investment is supporting the transition from invention to commercial scale, reflecting a growing recognition of the sector's potential.
Endeavor Catalyst announced the closing of its fifth fund with $320 million in commitments, increasing its total assets under management to over $850 million. The fund aims to support founders in regions outside the Bay Area, with a focus on those who are part of Endeavor's global network of entrepreneurs. The firm plans to make 40 to 50 investments annually, targeting up to 150 companies with checks typically ranging from $1 million to $3 million.
A little-known venture capital firm based in Dallas, known for early investments in AI chip startup Groq, is reportedly seeking to raise a megafund of roughly $10 billion. The fundraising push follows strong returns from its AI-related bets, positioning it among a small group of firms pursuing funds of that scale.
A founder shifted from making decisions alone to engaging team input through targeted questions, revealing risks and gaps previously unnoticed. This change involved asking four key types of questions—foundation, practical, perspective, and alignment—to enhance clarity and decision quality. The new approach led to better outcomes and stronger team collaboration.
Credit rating firm Egan-Jones published a commentary titled 'It's Over,' arguing that AI capabilities have crossed a threshold enabling widespread adoption that will disrupt hourly-billed professional services and senior talent roles. The firm predicts compressed margins in professional services, lower venture capital returns, and short-term pressure on home prices as screen-based jobs are affected. It also forecasts a new business model where highly successful firms operate with very few or no employees.
Breakthrough T1D, a major diabetes nonprofit, dismissed three board members of its affiliated venture-capital arm, the T1D Fund. The nonprofit says the move was meant to safeguard donor interests, while the ousted members contend it undermined the fund's independence.
BAG Ventures, founded by former Google VP Bontia Stewart and ex-CapitalG partner Jackson Georges Jr., has closed an $11.3 million fund after roughly two years of investing. The firm has already backed 10 startups, including SXD, BizTrip, and Nomadic, with checks ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, and plans to deploy the remainder over the next two years.
Atomic, a Boston-based startup founded by former Tesla employees, closed a $12.5 million Series A round led by Klass Capital and Madrona Venture Group, bringing total funding to over $15 million. The company builds AI software that simulates inventory scenarios and recommends or automates supply chain decisions, with customers including DoorDash and HelloFresh. Atomic also named longtime Tesla planning director Jeff Goodrich as CTO and third co-founder.
An Entrepreneur contributor writes that founders earn investment less through pitch polish than through operating discipline: a recurring weekly execution meeting with a fixed agenda, a one-page plan, and a named owner for every key metric. The writer also says monthly investor updates that candidly report wins, misses and asks build credibility over time.
Lightspeed is raising $250 million for its fifth India fund, Lightspeed India Partners V, aimed at early-stage AI startups, according to a letter sent to investors. The fund has already secured 80% of its target and is half the size of the firm's 2022 predecessor, with investments expected to begin within two months.
An Entrepreneur opinion piece cites a 2025 retention study finding that AI-native software companies priced under $50 a month retain far fewer customers than established B2B SaaS firms, while those priced above $250 a month—offering more specialized functionality—retain customers at rates comparable to traditional software. The piece points to Jasper, which raised $125 million at a $1.5 billion valuation as an AI copywriting tool before facing cutbacks, as an example of a horizontal, easily replicated AI product losing pricing power.
Bessemer Venture Partners announced it has closed $5.75 billion across two new funds aimed at investing across the AI stack, splitting the capital into $1.75 billion for seed and early-stage deals and $4 billion for growth-stage startups. The firm says it has already deployed $3 billion into more than 260 AI-native companies since 2022, spanning compute, infrastructure, foundation models, dev tools and agentic technology.