StartX

We had a great time co-teaching at Stanford University Graduate School of Education's Learning Design Challenge class last week! Five StartX founders Stephen D. Torres John Butler Adam Sparks Flor Ronsmans De Vry Michael Niaki joined to help student founders refine their pitches and share their entrepreneurial insights. Students also explored ways to personalize the StartX founder learning experience leveraing AI/tech and their education expertise, from AI bots to micro-cohorts. Big thanks to our GSE partners Keith Bowen, Ph.D & Jodi Anderson Jr. for having us and to our founders for giving back to Stanford! ?? #StartX #Entrepreneurship #EdTech #AI #StanfordGSE

?? StartX Portfolio Company News Roundup! ?? We're bursting with pride at StartX, and it's time to share some exciting updates from our incredible portfolio companies: CTGT (StartX P25 + YC F24) Raises $7.2M Led by Google's Gradient Ventures! From tinkering with AI on an old laptop to securing funding from Google's early-stage AI fund, CTGT's journey is inspiring! They've raised $7.2M, joined by General Catalyst, Liquid 2 Ventures, and Y Combinator, to revolutionize how enterprises scale AI beyond deep learning. Their new AI stack customizes, trains, and deploys models up to 500x faster with state-of-the-art accuracy, all without massive compute. Learn more about their groundbreaking work! https://www.ctgt.ai/ ???? Sonant AI Launches AI Receptionist for Insurance Agencies & Brokers: After months of anticipation, Sonant AI is here! This AI-powered receptionist, built specifically for P&C insurance and backed by the largest independent agency association, frees up staff from routine calls, empowering them to focus on growth. Callers often can't even tell they're speaking with an AI! Check it out: https://sonant.ai/ ?? EcoTrove (StartX F24) Revolutionizes Energy Bills with AI-Powered Subscriptions: Tired of unpredictable power bills? EcoTrove offers a flat monthly subscription to the lowest cost energy, using AI to optimize utility accounts and save businesses and homes up to 10%. They've also announced pre-seed funding from Pear VC and e2vc, and a partnership with The Farmlink Project, to which they'll donate $50 for every new sign-up! https://ecotrove.com/.ea ?? Lightning Rod Labs (StartX P21) Achieves Breakthrough in AI Forecasting with Self-Play: LLMs can now teach themselves to better predict the future without human examples! Lightning Rod Labs' new paper demonstrates a 7-10% accuracy improvement in AI forecasting through self-play and real-world outcomes, bringing smaller models on par with much larger ones. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eaeFZR-d. ?? ServiceMob CEO Anuj Bhalla (StartX S19) Named 2025 Perplexity AI Business Fellow: Anuj has been selected for the inaugural cohort of the prestigious Perplexity AI Business Fellowship! This exclusive program brings together top AI companies and professionals to explore the future of AI. Anuj, a pioneer of Large Ontology Models (LOMs) for customer service, is excited to collaborate with industry leaders like Jensen Huang and Ali Ghodsi to push the boundaries of answer engines and LOMs, unlocking deeper insights and transforming customer experiences. He sees the future of AI not just in search, but in answers embedded everywhere, empowering better decision-making. Congratulations, Anuj! https://lnkd.in/ehGX2drC. ?? #StartX #portfolio #AI #innovation #funding #insurtech #energy #forecasting #machinelearning #entrepreneurship

Last month, StartX was proud to support an incredible gathering of Stanford and GSB students and alumni in healthcare! ?? From founders and investors to industry leaders across different verticals in healthcare, we were thrilled to see such a diverse community come together for meaningful conversations, new connections, and a strong sense of community. A huge thank you to incredible organizers and partners who made this event possible: ?? Stanford Alumni in Healthcare – Kristin Jacobson, Vlasta Pokladnikova, Violet V. ?? GSB Alumni Healthcare Club – Rebecca Lin, Ken Kubota, Pengpeng Wang ?? Stanford Alumni Association – Elaine Khoo, Theanne Thomson ?? GSB Alumni Relations – Ramon Esquivel, Julie Hankes ?? Marketing support from StartX, Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, and Stanford Alumni in AI At StartX, we are committed to empowering Stanford’s healthcare innovators and strengthening collaboration across the ecosystem. Looking forward to keeping the momentum going! ???? #StartX #StanfordHealthcare #GSB #HealthcareInnovation #JPM2025

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Two StartX companies are creating buzz in their respective fields, showcasing the power of innovation and entrepreneurship: QuSecure, Inc. has secured $28M in Series A funding, led by Two Bear Capital with participation from Accenture Ventures. This investment will fuel the development and deployment of QuSecure's post-quantum cryptography (PQC) solutions. With the rise of quantum computing posing a threat to current encryption methods, QuSecure's crypto-agile platform is critical for safeguarding sensitive data. This funding round underscores the urgency and importance of quantum-resilient cybersecurity. Congratulations to Rebecca Krauthamer, QuSecure's new CEO, and the entire team! #Cybersecurity #QuantumComputing #PQC #Funding #StartX QuSecure NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) is set to acquire Kinara, Inc., a leader in high-performance, energy-efficient neural processing units (NPUs) for edge AI applications. This $307 million acquisition will strengthen NXP's AI platform, enabling everything from TinyML to generative AI. Kinara's NPUs are crucial for the rapidly growing edge AI market, enabling faster, more private, and cost-effective AI processing. This is a significant step forward for intelligent systems and demonstrates the increasing importance of AI at the edge. #AI #EdgeComputing #Semiconductors #Acquisition These achievements highlight the incredible talent and groundbreaking work coming out of the StartX ecosystem. I'm incredibly proud to be part of this community! #StartX #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

We're thrilled to share the StartX Founder Lookbook for Spring 2025!? This fresh wave of innovation showcases the brilliant minds and transformative ventures emerging from our community (not including companies in stealth mode). These founders are shaping the future. Dive into their stories and discover the next generation of game-changers. #StartX #Founders #Innovation #Spring2025 #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #Startups

?? Welcome StartX Spring 2025 Founders! ?? We’re thrilled to kick off the Spring 2025 cohort with an incredible group of founders dedicated to driving innovation across AI, healthcare, sustainability, and beyond. At StartX, we believe that innovation thrives in community. Together, we’ll learn, grow, and lift each other along the way. Here’s to the journey ahead! ??????

?? StartX is back on campus for winter quarter! Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting an info session at the Graduate School of Education, generously co-hosted with our partner the Learning Design Challenge Program Keith Bowen, Ph.D Jodi Anderson Jr. from Stanford Accelerator for Learning. The event featured two inspiring EdTech student founders from the StartX community, who shared their entrepreneurial journeys—discussing how they’ve navigated the unique challenges in EdTech and leveraged Stanford’s resources to turn their visions into reality: ?? YourEDU (Henry Hill-Gorman, Colin Grant)- Building a management platform for homeschooling families. ?? AI-Learners (Adele S.)- Empowering students with disabilities to learn math, literacy, and social skills. If you’re a Stanford-affiliated founder looking to join a vibrant, mission-driven community, applications for our Summer 2025 cohort are open until February 9! ?? startx.com/apply #StartX #Stanford #EdTech #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Founders #Startups #Community

?? Last Week to Apply for StartX Summer 2025 Cohort! ?? The application deadline is this Sunday, 2/9—don’t miss your chance to join a lifelong community of Stanford’s top founders! ? Apply here: startx.com/apply Want to learn more about StartX? Watch the recording here: https://bit.ly/3En8ez3 We look forward to seeing your application!

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