hustle fund's batter up wrapped

6 founders pitched
real problems, real traction

thanks to the hosts for running it clean
sponsors for showing up and every founder who stepped up to the plate

this is how early stage should feel

A photo of Andy wearing a white shirt with an embroidered pattern.

Curious about #robots inspired by insects? 🤖

Later this season, I'll be chatting to Prof. Andrew Philippides from @sussex.ac.uk about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation.

Send me your questions for Andy in the comments below!

Science Secures $230M for Vision-Restoring Retinal Implant Millions of people worldwide suffer from severe vision loss due to retinal diseases. Existing treatments often fail to restore sight in late stages. However, a neural engineering startup called Science aims to change this reality. Science recently raised $230 million in a Series C funding round. This capital will accelerate the commercial launch of its retinal implant technology. It will also expand clinical trials for innovative vision restoration solutions.

Science Secures $230M for Vision-Restoring Retinal Implant

Millions of people worldwide suffer from severe vision loss due to retinal diseases. Existing treatments often fail to restore sight in late stages. However, a neural engineering startup called Science aims to change this reality. Science…

Why B2B Buying Signals appear too late Before Intent Appears The Buying Readiness Letter is a weekly note where I share observations from building Sigmerra and exploring how buying intent forms in B2B markets. When people talk about lead g...

I've got a newsletter now on LinkedIn and published the first issue today.

New connections automatically get invited (not subscribed of course, that's up to them).

An important foundational step and part of my flywheel.

#buildinpublic #marketing

www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-b2...

Denki Raises $4.1M to Modernize Financial Audits Denki, an innovative audit technology startup, has secured $4.1 million in funding. This investment aims to transform how financial audits occur. Base10 Partners and Shine Capital led the round. Y Combinator, 20VC, and other investors also participated. Felipe Jin Li, co-founder of Denki, shared with TFN that the company chooses not to disclose its valuation now. Why the Audit Industry Craves Innovation…

Denki Raises $4.1M to Modernize Financial Audits

Denki, an innovative audit technology startup, has secured $4.1 million in funding. This investment aims to transform how financial audits occur. Base10 Partners and Shine Capital led the round. Y Combinator, 20VC, and other investors also…

AI networking equipment startup Eridu emerges from stealth and raised a $200M Series A led by Socratic, John Doerr, and more, taking its total funding to $230M (Julie Bort/TechCrunch)

Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

City Detect Secures $13M to Fight Urban Blight with AI City Detect announced a $13 million Series A funding round on Friday. Prudence Venture Capital led the investment. This startup uses vision AI to monitor building and neighborhood health for local governments. The funding boosts their efforts to tackle urban decay more efficiently. Company Origins and Mission City Detect launched in 2021. Gavin Baum-Blake serves as the remaining co-founder and CEO.

City Detect Secures $13M to Fight Urban Blight with AI

City Detect announced a $13 million Series A funding round on Friday. Prudence Venture Capital led the investment. This startup uses vision AI to monitor building and neighborhood health for local governments. The funding boosts their efforts…

Don't forget to send me your questions for Rich!

What burning questions do you have about robot dexterity?

New Early Release Extended Episode just dropped!

This one is with Peter Yacobellis, Director of Sales & Marketing for Outdoor Odysseys in Friday Harbor, WA and spoiler alert(!): it's not the last time you'll hear from this San Juan Islands kayak tour company.

www.patreon.com/Capitalismfo...

A girl blows into a tube creating flames; a boy touches a human torso model; a father and daughter explore a science exhibit.

Curious about what’s coming up at Glasgow Science Centre?

Be one of the first to know about new events, experiences and announcements by signing up to our Science Messenger newsletter.

👉🏻 https://bit.ly/44KvC47

UK Unveils Pathway to Accelerate Space-Made Medicines The UK Government announces a groundbreaking regulatory pathway. This initiative helps bring drugs manufactured in space closer to patients on Earth. Interest surges in pharmaceutical production under microgravity conditions. Officials design these measures to provide clear guidance for biotechnology and space companies. These firms now understand how medicines from orbital research reach approved treatments in the UK healthcare system. The UK Space Agency leads this effort.

UK Unveils Pathway to Accelerate Space-Made Medicines

The UK Government announces a groundbreaking regulatory pathway. This initiative helps bring drugs manufactured in space closer to patients on Earth. Interest surges in pharmaceutical production under microgravity conditions. Officials design…

Most founders think of storytelling as a marketing activity.

But that's actually the smallest part of what it does.

Yes, storytelling helps with videos, content, pitch decks, and more.

🧵

Estonia’s AI Ambitions: Building Secure, Sovereign Tech Estonia races forward in the global AI competition. The nation refuses to yield ground. Instead, Estonia focuses on competence across key areas. An augmented workforce emerges as commonplace. Yet, major service sectors struggle with data processing. Conventional commercial large language models (LLMs) fall short. Sensitive domains like healthcare, defense, and citizen data demand better solutions. Thus, Estonia benefits greatly from developing its own precise and effective LLM.

Estonia’s AI Ambitions: Building Secure, Sovereign Tech

Estonia races forward in the global AI competition. The nation refuses to yield ground. Instead, Estonia focuses on competence across key areas. An augmented workforce emerges as commonplace. Yet, major service sectors struggle with data…

KIT’s Fusion Programme: Innovating Materials for Clean Energy Future The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) leads the charge in fusion energy research. Its Fusion Programme develops cutting-edge breeding blanket designs and advanced materials. These innovations tackle material selection and performance in extreme environments. KIT paves the way for safe, efficient fusion power. KIT's Fusion Programme builds technological foundations for future fusion plants. Researchers combine excellence in plant engineering, fuel cycle development, advanced materials, and plasma operation.

KIT’s Fusion Programme: Innovating Materials for Clean Energy Future

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) leads the charge in fusion energy research. Its Fusion Programme develops cutting-edge breeding blanket designs and advanced materials. These innovations tackle material selection and…

Six-panel collage: planets, microbes, two engineers by power lines, live sessions Mar 9–10, arctic fox and telescope.

The wait is almost over! Our #CuriousAbout: Live Sessions kick off tomorrow at 09:15! 
 
https://curiousabout.glasgowsciencecentre.org  

All Curious About live talks & content are completely free to access

Photoncycle Secures €15M for Revolutionary Energy Storage Photoncycle, a Norwegian energy storage innovator, has raised €15 million in Series A funding. This investment accelerates the commercialization of its solid-state hydrogen-based seasonal storage system. NordicNinja and Voima Ventures led the round. Existing investors Lifeline Ventures, Eviny Ventures, Luminar Ventures, and Momentum also participated. The company has now secured €15 million total, though it did not disclose the valuation.

Photoncycle Secures €15M for Revolutionary Energy Storage

Photoncycle, a Norwegian energy storage innovator, has raised €15 million in Series A funding. This investment accelerates the commercialization of its solid-state hydrogen-based seasonal storage system. NordicNinja and Voima Ventures led…

Oxa Secures $103M to Revolutionize Industrial Mobility Industrial sectors struggle with labor shortages, rising costs, and safety risks. Repetitive driving tasks plague ports, airports, factories, and solar farms. Oxa addresses these pain points through its Industrial Mobility Automation (IMA). This technology deploys autonomous vehicles on existing OEM hardware. Workers tow loads, move goods, and monitor perimeters more efficiently. Importantly, Oxa avoids the need to replace entire fleets. As a result, companies save money and boost productivity right away.

Oxa Secures $103M to Revolutionize Industrial Mobility

Industrial sectors struggle with labor shortages, rising costs, and safety risks. Repetitive driving tasks plague ports, airports, factories, and solar farms. Oxa addresses these pain points through its Industrial Mobility Automation (IMA).…

Diligent AI Raises $2.5M to Revolutionize Financial Crime Detection Diligent AI, a London-based startup backed by Y Combinator, secures $2.5 million in seed funding. This investment expands its platform for autonomous analysts in financial crime investigations. Speedinvest leads the round, with support from Shapers, a fintech-focused investor. Additionally, prominent fintech leaders join the backers. These include founders and CEOs from N26, Allica Bank, IDnow, Billie, and Cybersource. Diligent AI reveals to TFN that total funding reaches $3 million.

Diligent AI Raises $2.5M to Revolutionize Financial Crime Detection

Diligent AI, a London-based startup backed by Y Combinator, secures $2.5 million in seed funding. This investment expands its platform for autonomous analysts in financial crime investigations. Speedinvest leads the round, with…

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www.youtube.com/@RobotTalk

Switzerland is warming twice as fast as the global average Switzerland is warming faster than the planet, and new climate scenarios warn of more heat waves, droughts, and less snow in the future.

Switzerland is warming twice as fast as the global average #EarthDotCom #EarthSnap #Earth

Mammoth bone mystery takes a very unexpected turn, sparking scientific debate Genetic analysis revealed that bones classified as mammoths for decades actually belong to surprising ancient whales.

Mammoth bone mystery takes a very unexpected turn, sparking scientific debate #EarthDotCom #EarthSnap #Earth

Africa’s growing rift could form mountains taller than the Himalayas Scientists warn that a crack in Africa could create giant mountains in the future that could surpass the Himalayas.

Africa’s growing rift could form mountains taller than the Himalayas #EarthDotCom #EarthSnap #Earth

Calgon Carbon’s $100M Expansion Targets PFAS Water Crisis Calgon Carbon announces a significant expansion at its Columbus, Ohio, plant. This move boosts drinking water carbon reactivation capacity. The investment totals nearly $100 million. It adds about 27 million pounds of annual capacity. Operations start in 2028. This expansion meets rising customer demand. The US EPA's PFAS regulations drive this need. Municipalities increasingly adopt granular activated carbon for treatment. It serves as the national standard for clean water systems.

Calgon Carbon’s $100M Expansion Targets PFAS Water Crisis

Calgon Carbon announces a significant expansion at its Columbus, Ohio, plant. This move boosts drinking water carbon reactivation capacity. The investment totals nearly $100 million. It adds about 27 million pounds of annual capacity.…

Artemis II: Igniting Lunar Return and Global Space Collaboration NASA gears up for the Artemis II mission, a landmark crewed flight to the Moon. Christophe Bosquillon and Giuseppe Reibaldi from the Moon Village Association highlight its profound impacts. A successful return to the Moon promises to transform lunar exploration. Moreover, it will influence deep-space ventures worldwide. Delays have challenged preparations. A North American winter storm in January 2026 disrupted a key fueling test.

Artemis II: Igniting Lunar Return and Global Space Collaboration

NASA gears up for the Artemis II mission, a landmark crewed flight to the Moon. Christophe Bosquillon and Giuseppe Reibaldi from the Moon Village Association highlight its profound impacts. A successful return to the Moon promises to…

Boundary Waters - Patagonia Action Works Congress is about to force a vote that will pave the way for copper mining in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a 1.1-million-acre public area with federally protected forests and fre...

Take action on Boundary Waters at pat.ag/B/TheHill/Bo...

“Activists and recreationists must continue filling inboxes, flooding the streets and making calls demanding our representatives actually represent us. When people and businesses emphatically remind Congress our public lands are not for sale, lawmakers listen.”

Why is Congress using an obscure law to overturn science-based land-use policy and invite a foreign company to mine the Boundary Waters?

Read Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert in @thehill.com on why
pat.ag/B/TheHill/Co...

March 2026 funding and opportunities for social enterprises - SEWF March 2026 is packed with opportunities for social enterprises, non-profits and impact-driven organisations worldwide. Whether you’re seeking equity-free funding, accelerator support, fellowships or leadership programmes, this month’s roundup spans everything from AI innovation grants and youth mental health start-ups to humanitarian tech challenges and women-led social enterprises. With deadlines falling throughout the month – and […]

If you're a social entrepreneur looking for non-dilutive funding, accelerator support, or fellowship opportunities, SEWF just published its March 2026 roundup.
https://sewfonline.com/march-2026-funding-and-opportunities-for-social-enterprises/
#SocEnt #ImpactStartups

What La Veuve Clicquot Taught Me as a Woman in Finance: Part II La Veuve Clicquot, The Great Wealth Transfer, and my dream of becoming a vintner of Nigerian palm wine.

Read “What La Veuve Clicquot Taught Me as a Woman in Finance: Part II," live now on The Impact Olympics! #femalefounders #GLI #InternationalWomensDay #investment #IWD #VC #VentureCapital

venturecatalystllc.substack.com/p/la-veuve-c...

What La Veuve Clicquot Taught Me as a Woman in Finance: Part I How a young, female founder rescued a doomed enterprise and defied the odds to become a runaway success in Napoleonic France.

The latest post from the Impact Olympics is out, celebrating the start of #WomensHistoryMonth. Read about one of the world’s first female entrepreneurs and the driving force behind one of France’s most famous luxury brands. #investment #VC #venturecapital #IWD open.substack.com/pub/venturec...