The AI Gold Rush & The Investor's Playbook
Alex Leigh ????
Defence & Space VC @ UKI2S - Future Planet Capital | Helping 100M Entrepreneurs @thetippytopblog
Want to get these startup insights & VC strategies, straight to your inbox???? Sign-up here.
Welcome
Dear Reader,
The world of startups and venture capital is evolving at lightning speed. AI, quantum tech, and the shifting macroeconomic landscape are redefining how we build, scale, and invest. The next wave of unicorns will be those who master value creation and smart distribution—but most will fail because they lack one or the other.
This week, we dive into mega-rounds, investor sentiment, and the changing financial tides that will shape 2025. Let’s unpack it all.
Weekly Spotlight
The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS): Structuring Your Startup for Success
What type of leader are you?
You have the Visionary, who sets the grand vision and direction. Then you have the Integrator, who pulls together the important parts of the business: operations, sales & marketing, and finance.
Without the Integrator, the Visionary can’t execute. Without the Visionary, the Integrator executes on the wrong thing.
I definitely like the Visionary narrative but do enjoy a good process and details—perhaps not on repeat, though. How about you? ?? Let us know in the comments
VC Perspective
Mega Rounds Are Back: SoftBank Eyes a $25B Investment into OpenAI
Hopefully, SoftBank calls this one correctly after the epic WeWork debacle.
Obviously, DeepSeek wasn’t enough to spook them.
Good news for the rebound of venture capital and startups globally ?? ?? Share your views on LinkedIn here
Opinion: Europe and UK Facing Stagflation in 2025
The UK and EU will likely experience sustained negative growth in 2025, forcing the ECB and BoE to slash interest rates back down close to 0.1%.
While this is tough for traditional markets, it is great for venture capital.
With rates dropping, investors will seek higher returns, making VC one of the most attractive asset classes again. Capital flows will increase, and dry powder that’s been sitting idle will finally be deployed.
This could mark the start of a new boom cycle for startups and innovation.
What do you think? Is venture about to enter its golden era again?
Entrepreneur Corner
Nonsense Sifted: “Europe is Falling Behind”
No, it’s not.
Quoting big raises in the US is all about ego.
Europe is all about capital efficiency—grad-level engineers don’t cost $200K because of the high cost of living.
Aquark Technologies is a shining example of a company outperforming its US counterparts for pennies on the pound.
Investors—come to Europe (and the UK!), get value for your money, and avoid extreme dilution. ?? Read More on LinkedIn
The Formula for Success
Success = Value × Distribution. One without the other is nothing.
Most people have value but can’t get it out there. That’s why I’m posting more about personal branding—because all of you wanted to use it to promote your businesses. ?? Watch this video for more
Good Legal Advice at the Outset Is Crucial!
Professional service providers do this daily. For many of you, it may be your first time.
领英推荐
Pay for the right advice now and your future self will thank you.
What horror stories have you heard? ?? Share yours and ask for advice here
What’s Your Mission / Vision?
You need to publicly share your mission so people know how to help you and buy into it.
Mine: Help 100M entrepreneurs. And I’m well on the way—thanks to you all.
Write yours in the comments and let’s get there together! ?? Join the Discussion
Fundraising Real Talk
Your cash flow will follow a sawtooth profile. You will need another raise—even though many naive entrepreneurs think they won’t.
Plan for it, and be delighted if you don’t need one.
What’s your experience been? ?? Let us know
Common Ground / Industry Trends
Meta’s AI-Generated Attention Economy
Meta wants to control your mind with AI-generated content and bots with infinite capacity.
The attention economy is reaching new heights in 2025.
Instead of using AI to transform society, social media giants are zombifying the population ??.
Zuckerberg: “This year, we’re gonna have stuff where it's like, okay, you have an AI agent, and you can just start talking to it.”
First it was big tobacco, then big sugar, now big dopamine.
Ask Alex
This Week’s Question: “How to Get Good at Content Creation”
It’s all about reps, reps, reps. Showing up and posting consistently. Building those neural pathways. Being more relaxed on camera.
Practice makes perfect, so practice a lot!
Make 2025 the year you crack video.
After all, the robots are here, so you’ve got to fight to be more human. Agreed? ?? ?? Join the Conversation
Want to see your question featured? Reply to this email or reach out on LinkedIn or TikTok!
Closing Thoughts
The world is changing fast. Some will sit on the sidelines and watch. Others will step in and shape the future.
Which one are you?
Thanks for reading and being part of the journey. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries and creating opportunities together.
Until next time,
Alex
Share this newsletter to help others. Subscribe here if you were forwarded this.