Three years ago the assumption was that smarter models would need less data. The opposite happened. Frontier labs now spend an estimated $10-15B each on it.
@umachalik broke down what that money is buying, and how long it lasts.
Anam just launched cara-4, its latest real-time avatar model. Avatars can now adapt expressively throughout live conversation. Independent testing ranked cara-4 no.1 vs Tavus, HeyGen, and LemonSlice. Incredible milestone from the team and a big step forward for the category.
F2 raised $24M in funding. Purpose-built for private credit and commercial banking, 100+ funds and banks are live in 10 months, including Jefferies, Bain Capital, and Live Oak Bank. MAUs up 650%. Deals underwritten are up 10x YTD. Proud to be pre-seed and seed investors. @F2aiHQ
Incredible milestone for @solacehealth_ - $130M Series C at a $1B valuation led by @IVP 💥 Proud to co-led the Seed and back a team building key infrastructure for patient advocacy. Huge validation of the mission, the scale of the problem, and what’s ahead
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Introducing LM Studio 0.4.0 🎉✨
It's the next generation of LM Studio.
🪄 Deploy on servers, in CI, or anywhere
🚄 Parallel requests for high throughput use cases
🔨 New stateful REST API: use local MCPs
🎨 Complete UI revamp
See what's new in this release👇🧵
Proud to have backed @SalvoHealth early and excited to see the team close a strong $8.5M Series A. Real outcomes, real scale, and a clear path forward for GI care. Onward 🚀 salvohealth.com/blog/january…
The ongoing shift from passive Systems of Record to active Systems of Agency will be profound. This analysis outlines the companies building the patient-first stack, and the traits of the inevitable winners within Consumer Health. firstmark.com/story/health-c…
Excited to share that Jake Moross was named to Alpha Partners’ 2025 Rising Star Pre-Partner VC list.
Well deserved recognition. We’re lucky to have him on the team and excited to watch what’s next.
alphapartners.com/blog/risin…
I’ve been chatting with young people trying to break into VC so sharing what I generally advise:
- To make the best impression, don’t ask VCs for coffee, send them *good* deal flow instead
- Bad deal flow is worse than sending nothing. If you don’t know the difference, absorb more content from great founders
- Build your founder network authentically. If you’re in college it’ll prob be with other student founders
- Few firms hire straight from college. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get the job. Go get experience at a fast-growth startup in any role, FAANG, or found a company first. Learn what it feels like to work with the best
- Get fluent with the latest AI tools. Build, ship projects and write about your learnings
- Unsure if VC is for you? I always say the closest feeing role at a startup is the sales rep
- If you’re young and risk-on, it’s a great market environment to be a founder (vs investor). Take the plunge!
🚀 Big milestone for @takearecess closing a $30M Series B led by CAVU Venture Partners.
Recess has pioneered a new category of relaxation + wellness drinks, offering functional beverages and nutraceuticals that help people feel cool, calm, and collected.
finance.yahoo.com/news/reces…
Excited to share that Liftoff, the hiring & networking platform that helps you find incredible people through trusted connections, launched out of stealth. Even in an AI world, the best opportunities still come through people you trust.
👉 Check it out: liftoff.xyz
Excited to share that @LittleOtterCare and @hazelhealthinc have merged! Together, they’re breaking down silos and building an integrated ecosystem that connects schools, families, and payers to deliver better mental health outcomes for kids.
littleotterhealth.com/blog/o…
Big congrats to @qihealthapp and @edwardchiu on an incredible launch, and exciting start to what's ahead. Qi is building the world's first Social Health Network. Check it out here 👉 lnkd.in/gQrU9qaa
Everyone has a health story. The late-night searches. The trial and error. The fear you might never get better.
The hardest part isn’t the symptoms.
It’s feeling like you’re in it alone.
Introducing Qi Health👇
Another massive week of AI and robotics news.
I summarized everything from OpenAI, xAI, Google, Cognition, Figure, AWS, Meta, UBTECH, Pollen Robotics, Agility Robotics, and more.
Here's everything you need to know and how to make sense out of it:
1/ @serenawilliams is our newest ambassador at @Ro. She’s sharing her weight loss story to inspire others. She has more willpower than most people on the planet and is the perfect example that weight is not just a matter of “diet and exercise”.
Torch founder @JKeidan on Bloomberg @technology this week discussing the current state of tech IPOs, M&A, evolving trends, and where we're seeing opportunities in consumer tech.
bloomberg.com/news/videos/20…