PIN (Power in Numbers)

Top 5 funding rounds of the week: ?? 1. OpenTrade - a London-based startup enabling fintech companies to offer stablecoin-based investment products, making financial services more accessible and innovative. ? Founded by: David Sutter ? Raised: $4 million in a seed extension led by Albion VC, with additional backing from Andreessen Horowitz and CMCC Global. ?? 2. Volta - Milan and Paris-based startup providing a platform for businesses to create and manage online stores, streamlining B2B sales. ? Founded by: Paul Guillemin and Mario Parteli ? Raised: $6.3 million in pre-seed funding led by Emblem, with participation from Robin Capital, Founders Future, Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, and the Berlusconi and Agnelli family offices. ?? 3. Roon - a New York startup offering medically vetted videos and support for individuals facing complex health conditions, providing clarity during challenging times. ? Founded by: Vikram Bhaskaran, Rohan Ramakrishna, MD, and Arun Ranganathan ? Raised: $15 million at a $68 million valuation, co-led by Forerunner Ventures and First Mark, with Sequoia Capital and TMV also participating. ?? 4. Wherobots - a San Francisco-based startup developing cloud-based software to analyze spatial data, including satellite imagery and GPS, for actionable insights. ? Founded by: Mo Sarwat ? Raised: $21.5 million in Series A funding led by Felicis, with JetBlue Ventures, P7 Ventures, Clear Ventures, and Wing VC contributing. ?? 5. Capitolis - a New York and Israeli startup providing software to help banks and financial institutions optimize capital efficiency in trading and investment. ? Founded by: Gil Mandelzis ? Raised: $20 million led by Citi, with participation from Morgan Stanley, UBS, State Street, Andreessen Horowitz, and others. Total funding to date: $300 million. Congrats to all these startups on their impressive milestones! ??

Ever wonder how one SaaS company launched 76 startups? In 2008, Kyle James packed his bags in 1 week and moved to Boston where he joined HubSpot employee 35 after a call with co-founder Dharmesh Shah. 4 years later, he left with the skills and insights to start something of his own—just like many other HubSpot alumni. Today, HubSpot’s alumni have founded 76 companies and raised $780M. Some of the standout alumni-led startups include: ?? Vendr (Ryan Neu) - $216M raised ?? Drift (David Cancel & Elias Torres) - $107M raised ?? Hightouch (Tejas Manohar) - $92.2M raised What made HubSpot a “founder factory”? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ??????????????’?? ???????????? ??????????????: →Radical transparency: Employees knew all the numbers—from churn to revenue. →Encouraged experimentation: Nights and weekends were for side projects, many of which became core offerings. →Entrepreneurial support: Co-founders Dharmesh and Halligan wanted a “HubSpot Mafia” from the start. ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ????: ? HubSpot’s role as a pioneer of inbound marketing ? Lessons from scaling during social media’s early days ? How HubSpot’s culture inspired alumni to launch their own ventures Link in the comments. PS: Also check out our newsletter on startups & investing. #hubspot #hubspotmafia #hubspotalumni #entrepreneurs #techmafia

Guess what.... (you'll never guess). PIN's team has partnered up with Sandhill Markets to bring you more bangers. Introducing ???????????? ?????? ???????? — a new podcast hosted by Steph Mui, Daniel Wiegand, and Adam Hardej. ????????'?? ???? ?????? ??????????? →We dive deep with founders and investors to uncover the intricacies of how funding rounds really come together. →Explore the roles, dynamics, and high-stakes decisions that drive these pivotal moments. →Perfect for investors & founders alike. Let's get #insidethedeal ?? Tune in at the links in the comments. #investors #investingpodcast #startuppodcast #venturecapital #fundraising #funding #founders #startups

Imagine being one of the 13 who turned a side project into a $1B acquisition. Yep, we're talking about Instagram's very first team. But while Instagram grew, they moved on—building the tools and companies we use today. Ever wonder where they ended up? Swipe to find out ?? PS: Check out our weekly newsletter at the link in the comments

Angel investor spotlight: Roger Dickey, an investor/advisor in 70+ startups including 11 unicorns and 10 companies worth over $100M. ???? ????????: ? founded Made Renovation and Gigster ? holds mentorship roles with the Disney Accelerator and Thiel Fellowship ? started his first business in 2007, Curiosoft, an Austin-based gaming studio ?????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????? ???? ????????????????????: →Boom Supersonic (valued at $1B+) →OpenGov Inc. (valued at $1B+) →Docker, Inc (valued at $2B) →ClassDojo (valued at $1.5B) →Apollo.io (valued at $1.6B) →Opendoor (valued at $5B) →Toptal (valued at $1B) Invests in: Pre-seed, Seed and Series A Check range: $20K-$50K Some really ?? investments right there! PS: PIN is on a mission to find the best angel investors that top VC-backed founders love to work with. Please vote for your favorite angel at the link in the comments ??

Top 5 funding rounds of the week: ?? 1. juna.ai - a startup that develops AI agents to help factories monitor and optimize energy consumption in real-time, promoting sustainability and efficiency. ? Founded by: Matthias Auf der Mauer and Christian Hardenberg ? Raised: $7.5 million in seed funding from Kleiner Perkins, Norrsken VC, and John Doerr. ?? 2. Kalder - a startup enabling brands to create and manage customer loyalty programs, fostering deeper engagement and retention. ? Founded by: G?k?e Güven ? Raised: $7 million in seed funding led by Javelin Venture Partners, with participation from 8VC, Human Capital, Gingerbread Capital, Emergence Capital, and Formus Capital. ?? 3. Keychain - a startup providing a platform that connects CPG companies and retailers with manufacturing partners to streamline supply chain operations. ? Founded by: Jordan Weitz, Oisin Hanrahan, and Umang Dua ? Raised: $15 million in Series A funding led by BoxGroup, with General Mills, Schreiber Foods, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and SV Angel also contributing. ?? 4. Distyl AI - a startup creating AI-driven workflows tailored to an organization’s specific operational needs to enhance productivity and efficiency. ? Founded by: Arjun Prakash ? Raised: $20 million in Series A funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with Khosla Ventures, Coatue, Dell Technologies Capital, and Nat Friedman also participating. ?? 5. Flipturn - startup that provides companies with real-time monitoring of chargers and vehicles, power management, and charging schedules to optimize electric vehicle operations. ? Founded by: Katie Siegel and Sashko Stubailo ? Raised: $11 million in Series A funding led by CRV, with Accel also contributing. Congrats to everyone on the fresh funding! ??

Can't say I knew there was a 'Duke Mafia,' but honored to be listed with such incredible founders. No question other folks I looked up to at Duke:? Zachary Perret (Plaid), and Howie Liu (Airtable), and Andrew Brown (Check) would have filled out top slots as well. So... From K-Ville ? to Founder-life ... #letsgoduke Fred Ehrsam ?Brandon Millman , Francesco Agosti , Yun Fu , Sonny Caberwal , Anand Nathan , Chris Ellis , Souvik Sen , Justin Carrao , PIN (Power in Numbers) , ?Andrea Coravos

Did you know the Duke Mafia has founded 41 companies and raised a staggering $6 billion collectively? Duke University has flourished as a hub for innovation, equity, and community engagement. Duke’s impact goes beyond academics—it builds changemakers. This week, we’re highlighting some incredible companies founded by Duke alumni. Here are 10 standout companies from the Duke Mafia: ?? 1. Coinbase Founder: Fred Ehrsam Capital Raised: $1.9B ?? 2. Phantom Founders: Brandon Millman, Francesco Agosti Capital Raised: $118M ?? 3. Otter.ai Founder: Yun Fu Capital Raised: $63M ?? 4. HumanFirst Founder: Andrea Coravos Capital Raised: $14.9M ?? 5. Legends Founder: Sonny Caberwal Capital Raised: $6M ?? 6. AmplifyMD Founder: Anand Nathan Capital Raised: $23M ?? 7. Thatch Founder: Chris Ellis Capital Raised: $44M ?? 8. Ema Founder: Souvik Sen Capital Raised: $61M ?? 9. Repool Founder: Justin Carrao Capital Raised: $3.7M ?? 10. Scheduler AI Founders: Maddie Bell ?????, Mike Bell ????? Capital Raised: $3.8M If we missed any other amazing Duke alumni-founded companies, tag them below! ? Quick plug: Are you a Duke Mafia member looking to bring your community together to invest in cutting-edge startups (and enjoy potential profits and perks)? Or are you part of another vibrant group that could be a powerhouse for startup investing? Sign up for our waitlist & newsletter here: https://www.getpin.xyz/ #startups #techmafia #dukeuniversity Link to the full article in the comments.

41 companies founded. $6 billion raised. Duke University's elite alumni network is a founder powerhouse. Stay tuned for the main highlights and full breakdown. PS: If you're a Duke Mafia member and interested in building community-driven investment opportunities, let’s talk.

The next generation of NYC investors are already making their mark. Under 30, bold, and already making moves, they’re coming from top firms like Female Founders Fund and Lerer Hippeau, diving into growth, consumer, and health. Oh, and they still find time for pickleball. ?? Meet the young investors defining the Big Apple’s next chapter in venture: →1. Layla Alexander VC firm: Female Founders Fund She is focused on the care economy, enterprise climate tech, and healthcare, with her portfolio including Co-Star and Cay Skin. →2. Lori Berenberg VC Firm: Bloomberg Beta One of the features she led at MongoDB as a product manager is now awaiting a patent. →3. Alex Chung VC Firm: Chai Ventures She focuses on women’s health, a sector she sees as having untapped potential for innovation. →4. Besart ?opa VC Firm: Antler As a founder-turned-principal investor, his own entrepreneurial experience has shaped his approach to supporting founders. →5. Ethan Daly VC Firm: Shine Capital He was recently promoted to partner at Shine. →6. Marina Girgis VC Firm: Precursor Ventures She’s known for quickly picking pre-seed companies and streamlining the investment process, with a notable pick being AI security startup Edera. →7. Laura Hamilton VC Firm: Notable Capital At Notable, she focuses on data, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity, with a particular interest in agent infrastructure. →8. Emily Herrera VC Firm: Slow Ventures She took a forward-thinking approach to creator economy investing before it became widely popular. →9. Bryce Johnson VC Firm: Primary Venture Partners He’s a strong advocate for diversity in venture capital. →10. Will McKelvey VC Firm: Lerer Hippeau He launched a student venture fund at Berkeley, which continues to make investments. →11. Mason Murray VC Firm: New Enterprise Associates (NEA) He’s made six investments, including beehiiv and Twelve Labs. →12. Zehra Naqvi VC Firm: Headline Ventures She runs the popular venture capital newsletter No GPs Allowed, which helps connect investors in New York. →13. David Ongchoco VC Firm: Comma Capital He co-founded Comma Capital, investing at the pre-seed and seed stages. →14. Alexandra Sukin VC Firm: Bessemer Venture Partners She’s a vice president at Bessemer, with investments in fintech Truebill and enterprise companies like Unito and Rewind. →15. Mark Xu VC Firm: Lightspeed He became one of the youngest partners ever at Lightspeed Ventures. →16. Vincent Zhu VC Firm: General Catalyst He’s made a name for himself by hosting events and helping founders make valuable introductions. Thanks to TechCrunch for the info. PS: Check out our weekly newsletter for startups investors at the link in the comments ??