Emily Yuan

Sam Awrabi has raised $10M for Banyan Ventures’ AI Fund I as a first-time solo GP at just 31 years old. This fund focuses exclusively on AI-native startups, from infrastructure and chips to SaaS solutions. What makes this fund stand out is Sam’s strategic approach, which he calls “Escape Velocity Investing”—a structured framework designed to identify and back future AI leaders. Key highlights from the playbook: Focused exclusively on AI-native companies Backed 14 startups pre-fund with $490M+ in combined revenue Clear investment model: $200K–$425K checks, targeting 36+ startups Deep founder edge with extensive AI GTM experience since 2018 I covered the full story, including Sam’s strategy and investment framework, in detail here: https://lnkd.in/eFRZpWkX If you’re interested in AI, venture capital, and early-stage investing, this one is worth reading.

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Arintra, a medical coding platform has raised $21 million in a Series A funding round led by Peak XV Partners. The round also saw participation from Endeavor Health Ventures, Y Combinator, Counterpart Ventures, Spider Capital, TEN13, and other strategic investors. Nitesh Shroff | Preeti Bhargava, PhD | Rishabh Kochar Read full article link in the comment 👇 #Arintra #GenAIStartup #Funding #StartupNews

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Every generation of venture capital has investors who see a category before the rest of the market does. For Indian DeepTech, Sheetal Bahl has been one of them We're excited to welcome Sheetal Bahl Founding Partner at Merak Ventures and growX ventures fund I as a mentor at the VC Fellowship. Long before DeepTech became a defined allocation in Indian venture portfolios, Sheetal was underwriting conviction in founder-led technical breakthroughs. Over the last decade, he has backed companies building at the edge of innovation across AI infrastructure, robotics, wearables, and SpaceTech. His portfolio includes category-defining companies such as Pixxel, Bellatrix Aerospace, CynLr, LightSpeed Photonics and NeoSapien - businesses built on deep technical differentiation rather than short-term market narratives. What makes his perspective particularly valuable is his focus on identifying what he calls "iceberg startups" : companies whose most important value drivers remain invisible to most of the market. The kind of ventures where proprietary technology, research depth, and execution capability create enduring advantages long before they show up in metrics. As venture increasingly moves from funding distribution advantages to funding defensibility, technical moats, and frontier innovation, few people have had a front-row seat to that shift quite like Sheetal. Looking forward to bringing his insights on DeepTech investing, founder-market fit, technical diligence, and building conviction in non-obvious opportunities to the VC Fellowship. What to learn from such Mentors, apply to our next cohort. https://lnkd.in/gsNZQFvH #mentors #community #growth #learnings

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This week, Lux portfolio company Medra, which aims to use AI and robotics to run lab experiments faster and better than humans, launched publicly. In a profile of the company and its founder, Michelle Lee, Endpoints News reports that Lee “saw a ‘huge gap’ between biotech and tech when touring drugmakers’ labs in 2021.” Meanwhile, Until, which is developing reversible cryopreservation for patients in need of donor organs, announced that it has raised more than $100 million. An item on Business Insider predicting a coming boom in IPOs features a note of caution from Lux’s Peter Hébert. “The bankers assume that companies want to go public, and I don’t think there’s the same desire that there used to be,” he told the paper. “For the largest, most advantaged companies right now, I can’t think of much of a reason to go public.” Finally, for those of you who did not get to join our Riskgaming runthrough earlier this month, you can read all about it in Business Insider. Reporter Rebecca Torrence, who played, sums it up nicely: "For Pevsner and Crichton, the point isn’t to crown winners, churn out converts, or impart life lessons. They simply want their games to help participants confront complexity head-on. 'I always say we don’t give answers — we give better questions,' Crichton said." Stay tuned to the Riskgaming newsletter so you don’t miss the next one!

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🚀 Emerging from stealth? Don’t just launch; make an impact. A biotech company’s launch is more than a press release and a logo. It’s your chance to shape perception, build credibility, and attract the right investors, partners, and talent from day one. With experience supporting 1,500+ biotech companies, we’ve helped countless early-stage teams navigate high-stakes brand rollouts with strategy and precision. In this expert guide, Liza Sullivan, Managing Director of Argot Partners (a Danforth Health company), shares a 6-month timeline for a high-impact biotech launch. 🔬 Whether you’re 6 months out or 6 weeks away, this roadmap is a must-read. 📄 Dive in: https://lnkd.in/dtBtHMHq 📞 Preparing for your launch? Contact us today https://lnkd.in/grfkbg4j #biotech #lifesciences #biotechbranding #brandlaunch #brandstrategy

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Ambience Healthcare, co-founded by CEO Michael Ng and Nikhil Buduma in 2020, has announced a $243 million Series C funding round co-led by Oak HC/FT and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from top investors including the OpenAI Startup Fund and Kleiner Perkins. Based in San Francisco, Ambience has rapidly grown into a leading AI platform that streamlines clinical documentation, coding, and workflow across ambulatory, emergency, and inpatient settings. This latest funding will help scale its ambient AI technology, which integrates directly with EHRs to reduce administrative burden, improve compliance, and enhance the care experience for clinicians, administrators, and patients alike. INVESTORS: Oak HC/FT, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), OpenAI Startup Fund, Kleiner Perkins, Optum Ventures, Frist Cressey Ventures, Town Hall Ventures, Smash Capital, Georgian & Founders Circle Capital ROUND: Series C AMOUNT: $243,000,000 HQ: #SanFrancisco #California #VentureCapital #AmbienceHealthcare #MikeNg #NikhilBuduma #OakHCFT #a16z #OpenAIStartupFund #KleinerPerkins #OptumVentures #FristCresseyVentures #TownHallVentures #SmashCapital #GeorgianPartners #FoundersCircleCapital #TradedVC

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Stealth is not a long-term strategy. Aaron Harris built YC's Series A program and has helped founders raise billions. He argues that by Series A, building in secret means you're missing critical information on where investors are actually excited. Great founders decide if they truly need capital, run live-market reads, then jump into their fundraise when the wave is cresting.

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