slow ventures
Backed by David Sacks, Garry Tan and Walter Isaacson, Created by Humans helps people license their creative work to AI models
In 2024, it seems like no week goes by without a media organization, author group or artist suing generative AI companies for using their work to train models without permission.…
Rails launches with $6.2M round for its decentralized FTX alternative
Rails, a decentralized crypto exchange, has raised $6.2 million in attempts to fill the void FTX left behind after crashing in 2022, the startup’s co-founder and CEO Satraj Bambra exclusively…
Startup Breakr raises more capital, pays $3.5M to creators
We last wrote about Breakr — a platform that connects record labels, artists and brands with social media influencers to run mass campaigns in a programmatic way — when it closed…
When Slow Ventures announced that it would set aside $20 million to invest in individual creators, GP Sam Lessin responded to onlookers’ confusion with a memorable quip: “it’s def not…
Product Science, which develops mobile app performance monitoring tools, lands $18M
The performance of a mobile app can impact how customers perceive a brand. According to a survey from Dimensional Research sponsored by HP, 53% of app users who responded said…
Jill Gunter is no stranger to crypto — she’s seen the market through its ups and downs, conducting research on blockchain protocols, working at multiple…
Hey everyone, and welcome back to Chain Reaction. In our Chain Reaction podcast this week, Anita and I chatted with Slow Ventures’ Jill Gunter on…
Hello and welcome back to the Chain Reaction podcast, where we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama and trends, breaking it down block by…
OpenPhone raises $40M to replace your work phone and office PBX with an app
Pam answering the phone at Dunder Mifflin became one of the most iconic refrains from “The Office,” and it’s really no wonder that it did: Businesses big and small have…
Stanford cryptography researchers are building Espresso, a privacy-focused blockchain
If blockchain technology is to reach true mass adoption, it will have to become cheaper and more efficient. Low transaction throughput on some of the most popular blockchains, most notably…
Subskribe revamps quote-to-revenue approach for new ‘post-subscription SaaS’ world
Subskribe is bringing flexibility to a siloed subscription-based billing system that doesn’t ebb or flow when customers do.
Taptap Send raises $65M to build cross-border remittances focused on the most underserved markets
Cross-border remittances — when people living and working abroad send money back home to friends and family — continues to be a huge part of how those living in developing…
Featured Article
MrBeast’s ‘Real Life Squid Game’ and the price of viral stunts
First, everyone was talking about “Squid Game,” the Korean psychological thriller that became Netflix’s biggest series launch ever, with 142 million viewers. Now, everyone’s talking about YouTuber MrBeast’s recreation of the show’s titular fight-to-the-death, which racked up 142 million views in eight days. (Don’t worry, no one was killed). Jimmy…
FourFront nabs funding to build an interconnected network of fictional TikTok stars
Every popular social media platform has opened up a new type of storytelling to a new generation of users, but TikTok’s impact has perhaps been the swiftest as the short-form…
Fin’s software captures employee workflow data from across applications and turns it into productivity insights to improve the way enterprise teams work and remain engaged.
TikTok and Snap alums launch mayk.it, a social music creation app, with $4M in seed funding
After living through the global upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers are re-evaluating their career path. Stefan Heinrich Henriquez, a former head of Global Marketing at TikTok and chief…
Forward Kitchens cooks up $2.5M to transform existing kitchens into digital storefronts
Forward Kitchens provides a turnkey tool for restaurants to set up an online presence.
BreachQuest emerges from stealth with $4.4M to modernize incident response
BreachQuest, an early-stage startup with a founding team of cybersecurity experts building a modern incident response platform, has emerged from stealth with $4.4 million in seed funding. The investment was…
Starday raised $4 million in seed funding to take on “big food” incumbents.
SoftBank-backed Embark Veterinary valued at $700M after $75M Series B
Now that you have that COVID dog, Embark Veterinary wants to help him or her be in your life for a long time by offering DNA testing with the goal…
Breakr raises $4.2M to connect influencers with emerging musicians
Music app Breakr this week announced a $4.2 million seed round, led by Slow Ventures. The latest raise follows $700,000 in funding led by Andreessen Horowitz’s TxO fund –a round…
Shopify brings on team from augmented reality home design app Primer
In Friday acquisition news, Shopify shared today that they’ve acquired the team from augmented reality startup Primer, which makes an app that lets users visualize what tile, wallpaper or paint…
Pearpop raises from The Chainsmokers, Alexis Ohanian, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Marshmello, and Snoop Dogg
Pearpop, the marketplace for social collaborations between the teeming hordes of musicians, craftspeople, chefs, clowns, diarists, dancers, artists, actors, acrobats, aspiring celebrities and actual celebrities, has raised $16 million in…
Formation raises $4M led by Andreessen Horowitz to train truly ‘exceptional’ software engineers
Sophie Zhou Novati worked as a senior engineer at Facebook and then Nextdoor, where she struggled to hire great engineers for her team. Frustrated, she decided to try training engineers…
Porter Road’s sustainable, whole animal butchery raises $10 million to expand across the US
In the nearly 10 years since it launched as a whole animal butchery out of a storefront in East Nashville, the founders of Porter Road have wanted to herd America’s…
Identiq, a privacy-friendly fraud prevention startup, secures $47M at Series A
Israeli fraud prevention startup Identiq has raised $47 million at Series A as the company eyes international growth, driven in large part by the spike in online spending during the…
This morning MealMe.ai, a food search engine, announced that it has closed a $900,000 pre-seed round. Palm Drive Capital led the round, with participation from Slow Ventures and CP Ventures.…
Ex-General Catalyst and General Atlantic VC announces $68M debut fund
As of 2019, the majority of venture firms — 65% — still did not have a single female partner or GP at their firm, according to All Raise. So naturally,…
Hands on with Telepath, the social network taking aim at abuse, fake news and, to some extent, ‘free speech’
There’s no doubt that modern social networks have let us down. Filled with hate speech and abuse, moderation and anti-abuse tools were an afterthought they’re now trying to cram in.…
Investors give Baltimore’s Facet Wealth $25 million to sell businesses on financial planning as a benefit
Yesterday, Baltimore-based fintech company Facet Wealth said it raised $25 million in financing as it readies a new business line pitching financial planning as an employment benefit to businesses looking…
