Hey Founder, here are the latest tech news and insights:
- The Top startup PM awards 2024
- Anthropic hits $60B
- Google's personalized podcasts
- Sam Altman on OpenAI’s vision
- Getty & Shutterstock merger talks
- 9 VCs took half of US Venture Funds
- The EU's 20 most valuable startups
- AI valuations stay hot in 2024
- Skype Co-Founder: Europe Can Win AI despite US
THE TOP STARTUP PM AWARDS 2024
We'd love to invite you to join The Top Startup PM Awards 2024, organised by The Top Voices.
The awards are free and designed to recognize Product Managers who’ve made a real impact in startups, not just the big corporations.
ANTHROPIC RAISING FUNDS VALUING IT AT $60 BILLION
AI startup Anthropic is currently in advanced discussions to raise up to $2 billion in funding, which would elevate its valuation to approximately $60 billion. This represents a significant increase from its previous valuation of around $18 billion just a year ago1310. The funding round is being led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, and if successful, it would bring Anthropic's total funding raised to nearly $15.7 billion since its inception in 2021.
GOOGLE OFFERS A PERSONALIZED PODCAST
Google continues to capitalize on the idea of creating podcasts with AI, a concept that went viral with NotebookLM. The company is launching a new feature called Daily Listen in Search Labs, which will generate personalized 5-minute audio summaries of news and topics of interest to the user, based on their search activity and preferences in Google Discover.
The feature will appear in the "Space" carousel beneath the search bar in the Google app for Android and iOS. Instead of a cover image, the player will display a text transcription. Users will be able to rate the content and explore related materials.
For now, this is an experiment for users in the US, and after connecting via Search Labs, users will have to wait a day for the first episode to appear.
SAM ALTMAN REFLECTS ON OPENAI'S VISION
Sam Altman shared insights on two transformative years of ChatGPT, from a quiet lab to 300 million weekly users, and expressed gratitude for overcoming challenges, including his November dismissal.
Looking ahead, OpenAI plans to introduce AI agents by 2025, revolutionizing productivity, with the ultimate goal of developing superintelligence to accelerate innovation. Altman acknowledged the ambitious, almost sci-fi nature of these goals but stressed that OpenAI's mission demands extraordinary efforts. Personal and reflective, his post also expressed confidence that "in a few years, everyone will see what we see."
GETTY IMAGES EXPLORES MERGER WITH SHUTTERSTOCK
Getty Images is exploring a potential merger with rival Shutterstock, signaling a significant consolidation in the U.S. licensed visual-content market. News of the discussions sent Getty Images’ shares surging by 32%, marking its biggest one-day gain since 2023, while Shutterstock’s shares rose nearly 8%. The talks come as demand for visual content continues to grow, fueled by the rise of online media consumption and advancements in artificial intelligence reshaping the content-creation landscape.
However, the rapid evolution of AI technology has disrupted the stock photography market, challenging traditional revenue streams and intensifying competition. This disruption has made it a particularly challenging time for both companies to operate independently, strengthening the case for consolidation.
NINE VCS RAISED HALF OF ALL FUNDS RAISED BY US VENTURE FUNDS
In 2024, 30 companies attracted 75% of all capital raised by venture funds in the US — a powerful signal of how the reduction in investments in the tech sector is concentrating the main influence in the hands of major industry players.
In total, nine of them raised $35 billion, which accounts for half of the total amount, according to PitchBook.
And just one, Andreessen Horowitz, secured more than 11% of all the capital raised.
The days when smaller VCs raised enough capital and competed for the best deals are a thing of the past. Now, the rules and valuations are dictated by an elite group of GPs (general partners).
EUROPE’S 20 MOST VALUABLE STARTUPS
Sifted has just published a list of the 20 most valuable startups in Europe. Almost half of the companies in the ranking are fintechs, with the British neobank Revolut taking the top spot, having seen its valuation rise to €43 billion this year.
Despite the hype, only one company in the AI sector made it onto the list — French Mistral AI, with a valuation of €5.8 billion.
THE AI VALUATION PREMIUM STAYED HOT IN 2024
According to Carta, median valuations for AI startups were between 24% and 200% (!) higher than their non-AI counterparts, depending on the stage. Carta also points that it would take that Series D figure with a little grain of salt, just because there weren't that many non-AI stories in late-stage this year.
Now this is across both hardware and software companies. AI is increasingly involved in both startup types, but shows up a little more frequently in software so far.
𝗔𝗜 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲
𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱
• $12.8M median pre-money valuation for Non-AI
• $17.8M for AI
• 39% boost
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔
• $40M non-AI vs $49.5M AI
• 23.8% boost
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗕
• $97.6M vs $137.1M
• 40.5% higher
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖
• $233.7M non-AI vs $315M AI
• 34.8% higher
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗗
• $229M non-AI vs $689.9M AI
• 201% premium
STARTUP ACCELERATOR
Apply until Mar 28
The StarTUp Accelerator at Towson University is an intensive eight-week, cohort-based program for founders introducing innovative, market-disruptive products or services. Open to TU-affiliated and non-affiliated founders, the program runs June–July 2025. Participants receive a $10,000 equity-free stipend, mentorship, and founder-focused programming. The accelerator takes place at TU’s state-of-the-art StarTUp at the Armory, fostering collaboration and growth.
PEGASUS ANGEL ACCELERATOR
Apply Anytime
The Pegasus Angel Accelerator is a three-month program starting in March 2025 in Santa Monica, CA, designed for early-stage startups across all industries. The program offers $100,000 in funding (with a valuation cap of $3.5M), tailored growth plans and KPIs, and access to top investors for follow-on funding. Participants benefit from expert mentorship through a network of 500+ advisors and a $1M perks package to reduce costs and enhance efficiency.
EUROPE CAN STILL WIN IN AI DESPITE US DOMINANCE, SAYS SKYPE CO-FOUNDER
Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype, was interviewed by Financial Times, where he shared his belief that European startups can succeed in the AI sector, despite a significant funding gap with American competitors.
He believes that European companies can thrive by developing applications on the AI platforms of American giants like OpenAI or Google — similar to how cloud technologies evolved, where a few major providers support the operations of thousands of businesses.
Statistics highlight the scale of the issue — investments in generative AI in the US reached nearly $48 billion in 2023-2024, which is five times more than in Europe and Israel combined ($9 billion). Most US investments are directed toward developing foundational models — expensive and complex AI systems.
In Europe, several startups are working on foundational models (Mistral, Black Forest Labs), but they lag significantly behind OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI in funding. Zennström acknowledges that creating competitive foundational models requires large amounts of money, data, and distribution channels — resources that American tech giants possess.
However, he believes that pessimism regarding the future of the European tech sector is exaggerated — even though 40% of startup founders feel "less optimistic" about the future of European technologies compared to a year ago.
Written by Anna Lebedeva, the co-founder at The Top Voices and a startup ecosystem enthusiast.
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