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Before there was pickleball, there was ping-pong... Join us for the 2024 Golden Gate Smackdown, the most competitive tech event of the year with 100+ of the top founders, VCs, and reporters set to smack. Hosted by VSC, Mayfield Fund, Silicon Valley Bank, and Fiduciary Trust International, the tournament has $6,000+ in prizes from Prenuvo, @Aescape, and Cambium. There are 20 spots left to play: https://lu.ma/w49ni1g4 CC: Maggie Philbin, Anne Sophie Hurst, Riley Munks, Kayla Abbassi, Ursheet P.., Josh Constine, Sheel Mohnot, ??Frank M. M., Deepa Seetharaman, Walter Thompson, Reed Albergotti, Andrew Beebe, Sanjeev Mankotia, Andrew Lacy, Eric Litman, Ben Christensen, Sundeep A.., oren zeev, Jack Garza, Archana (Archie) Chattha, Amy Ko, CTFA.

Weight loss drugs may be all the rage, but if you’re looking for cheaper options online, you’re risking financial and physical harm. Our partners at BrandShield are taking action to remove counterfeit drugs like GLP-1s from being sold before they land in the hands of consumers. In a recent CNBC segment, BrandShield’s CEO, Yoav Keren, highlights how their platform identified and removed 250 fraudulent websites and social media pages linked to bogus weight loss products in the last year alone. More from Melissa Lee at CNBC: https://lnkd.in/gm8gDpxQ

?? Congratulations to Xaira Therapeutics co-founder David Baker for being awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with John Jumper and Demis Hassabis. Baker’s creation of entirely new proteins through the use of AI is transforming medicine. From faster vaccine development to new drugs, the possibilities are endless. #NobelPrize2024 #XairaTherapeutics

We make things go vroom ?? https://vsc.co/mobility/ cc: Khaled Hassounah, John de Souza, Armir Harris, Bingrui Yang, Alexander Isaacson, Nikhil S Bharadwaj, Jeff Cavins, Jennifer Young, Kaixiang Lin, Ph.D., Jason Koeller, PhD, Lauren Flanagan, Quin Garcia, Alexei Andreev, Jamieson Christmas, Kaan Gunay

The future of cancer treatment lies in smarter, faster clinical trials. ?? That’s why our partners at Immunai have entered a multi-year partnership with AstraZeneca to advance oncology clinical trials. With Immunai’s AI platforms powering the search for deeper insights into patient data, AstraZeneca is set to optimize dose selection and pinpoint the biomarkers that matter most. More precision, better outcomes, and faster access to life-saving therapies. More from Conor Hale at Fierce Biotech: https://lnkd.in/gdYZimgx

Congratulations to Xaira Therapeutics on being named one of LinkedIn’s Top U.S. Startups of 2024! A Foresite Labs and ARCH Venture Partners incubated company, Xaira is harnessing AI to drive advancements in drug discovery, aiming to create targeted medicines and ease the burden of disease for countless patients. Check out the full list here: https://bit.ly/3TJlUJH

With more than 80% of Americans turning to the internet to self-diagnose, it’s no surprise that generic and unreliable information often leads to delayed or neglected care. Ada Health is changing that by providing personalized, AI-powered symptom assessments that account for each individual’s unique health circumstances—breaking down barriers to timely, accurate care. ???? It’s this commitment that has earned Ada a spot as a Finalist in the Consumer Wellness category at the Digital Health Hub Foundation Awards. Join us in cheering them on at the Grand Finale during HLTH USA on October 21st! CC: Daniel Nathrath, Claire Novorol, Shireen Saxena, Vijay Chattha, Kayla Abbassi, John Vollmer, Alanna (Barry) Hiehle, Statyn Coppage #DigitalHealth #AI #ConsumerWellness #HealthEquity #HLTH #HealthTech

Big time congratulations going out to Itamar Arel, Adam Earle, and the entire Tenyx team, who just closed on their acquisition by Salesforce! This marks the 2nd successful Voice AI company they sold following Apprente's acquisition by McDonald's in 2019. VSC is grateful to have partnered with you on this journey – from the launch of TenyxVoice to the latest unveiling at Dreamforce SF this week (??) and all the momentum in between ?? Curious about how they’re revolutionizing customer service with Conversational AI? Check out the full news here: https://lnkd.in/e249vXR6 #Agentforce #AI #PRstrategy Cc: Vijay Chattha, Eric Gonzalez, Maggie Philbin, John Robb, Anne Sophie Hurst, Caleb Hamilton, Christy Bollinger Bastin

Today’s status quo baby monitors leave parents vulnerable with unstable internet connections and glitchy apps. Harbor is here to change that. Harbor’s smart baby monitor operates with or without the internet, ensuring parents have privacy, security, and peace of mind – even when the connection goes out. ???? Today, the team announced nationwide shipping along with $7M in seed funding from Trust Ventures, Tim Ferriss, Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners, John Isner, Madison McKinley, Thomas Morstead and Lauren Morstead, founder of The Hustle Sam Parr and Sara Sodine Parr, and other family offices. CC: Kevin Lavelle, Lindsey Sullivan, Vijay Chattha, Maggie Philbin, Merrita Villa, Hannah Colson, Raven Raines Brian Heater of TechCrunch shared the story here:? https://lnkd.in/gW7Y9Tc8

In less than five minutes, Zuben Mathews convinced Hamel Kothari that there is a problem in America when it comes to people being able to pay their bills on time without overdrafting their account. The dilemma: Most Americans get paid twice a month, but oftentimes, their bills are due in between paychecks. When this happens millions of Americans have two options either: 1) overdraft their account and pay an overdraft fee or 2) wait to pay their bill until they get paid and pay a late fee. In the latest episode of the Cambrian Fintech episode with Rex Salisbury, Hamel Kothari, co-founder of Brigit, shares his journey to co-founding Brigit, the company’s mission and how they’ve become a go-to resource for helping people achieve financial wellness. Catch the full convo here:? https://lnkd.in/g6p-KCe2 CC: Maggie Philbin, Brook Klingel, Kayla Abbassi, Raven Raines, George Yury Revutsky, Christy Center