Reuben Piryatinsky

A friend of mine starting their finance brokerage asked for advice on how to have a loan calculator built for their website. I don't do much hands on development anymore, but I thought to put AI to the test. I used Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Cursor IDE to build and design this calculator from scratch in all but 19 minutes and 57 seconds. This used to take developers and designers hours, even days ( in corporate ). It cost me about $1 in API calls and about 20 minutes of my time. Modern UX / UI, Functional calculations, Interactive tool tips, Mobile responsive, it's got it all. - I believe AI helps professionals get to their finish lines faster. Not only in R&D, but across the board, such as in management, operations, finance, etc. More on this later. - If you want to a step by step video, comment "How" and I'll send you the behind the scenes video. Until next time ✌️

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In 2024, 38 startups have reached unicorn status, showcasing resilience and growth despite a tight venture capital market. This year's list compiled using data from Crunchbase, CB Insights, and PitchBook, highlights a diverse range of industries, from AI to cybersecurity and fintech. xAI: Founded by Elon Musk, this AI company has achieved a remarkable valuation of $24 billion following a $6 billion Series B funding round. Chainguard: Specializing in cybersecurity, Chainguard has reached a valuation of $1.12 billion after securing $140 million in Series C funding. Harvey: This legal AI platform has been valued at $1.5 billion following a $100 million funding round. WekaIO Matrix: A prominent player in SaaS data storage solutions, Weka.io is now valued at $1.6 billion after a $140 million Series E round. Quantinuum: Leading the quantum computing sector, Quantinuum achieved a valuation of $5.3 billion following a $300 million round led by Honeywell. Find the entire list here: https://lnkd.in/egpAa-3e Ben HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz #Unicorn #Financce #AI #Technology Garry Tan Anna Kendrick Branded Hospitality Ventures Hospitality Headline Newsletter

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Block, the parent company of Square and Cash App, aims to leverage its dual ownership to create synergy between its point-of-sale software and peer-to-peer payments app. Jack Dorsey, Block's founder, highlighted the advantage of having relationships with both merchants and consumers, stating it's a rare position in commerce and payments. Ryan Budd, Cash App's head of financial products, hinted at plans to integrate a small business experience into Square and incentivize Cash App users to engage with Square merchants. Block is focused on connecting Cash App's consumer base with Square's merchant network, aiming to transform Cash App into a consumer app for interacting with Square merchants. This move aligns with Block's strategy to dominate various aspects of the consumer ecosystem and potentially monetize consumer spending data for advertising purposes. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/eh-8KS9V Eugene Tsay Wade Robison John O'Beirne Emily C. Chiu Eileen Wiens Jim McKelvey Branded Hospitality Ventures #innovation #venturecapital #hospitality #technology Owen Jennings (OBJ) Brooke Ellis Jamie (Russo) HicksMing-Tai Huh

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Two years ago Cameron and I spun out Spearhead Corp Dev from Firepower. With a new identity came a new set of values to live by. We picked 6. We picked well: they have stood the test of growth and the test of time. They are one of the few things that haven’t changed over the past 2 years. Except for one: “Act like an owner”. By that, we meant: “Be accountable to the commitments you make; the responsibilities you take on; and the relationships you build. Deliver against the odds, against the obstacles or challenges that may get in your way.” And it’s been incredible to help our entire team adopt this mindset and approach, and help them see what is possible. That said. All the buzz around #foundermode over this past weekend led me to challenge our use of the word “owner”. Reading the piece by Paul Graham, the co-founder of Y Combinator, that set off socials on fire, it’s clear that “Act like a founder” is what we truly meant. Graham cited Brian Chesky of Airbnb, who said: “The less hands-on I was at Airbnb, the more I got sucked into problems. And by the time I got sucked into a problem, it was like 10 times as much work.” Instead, he decided: “I’m going to be involved in every single detail. And Airbnb is not going to do anything more than I can personally focus on.” Founder mode is exactly, precisely, absolutely on point. This restated value means to guide our team to approach their day to day with the same oompf as the legendary hands-on founders whose names are tied to founder mode (Steve Jobs, Mark Zukerberg, Tobias Lütke, Elon Musk, Patrick Collison, Jeff Bezos, to list a few). By contrast, a lot of owners are passive; often, they are just capital. Nothing wrong with that, to be clear—we simply want to align our corporate values to where they have the most impact, which is with Moritz, Daniel, Hunter, Kimberly, Bobby, Feargal, Thomas, Abdus-Samad, Aianna, and their teams. I’m absolutely jumping on that bandwagon. Get me the merch.

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In the second quarter of 2024, global startup funding saw a significant increase to $79 billion, marking a 16% rise from the previous quarter and a 12% increase compared to Q2 2023. AI sector funding notably doubled to $24 billion, comprising 30% of total investments, the highest quarterly amount in recent years. The quarter also witnessed heightened M&A activity, particularly in large deals, which injected liquidity into the venture capital market. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/e-JYcy2g Crunchbase News Today Gené Teare #venturecapital #investments #AI Branded Hospitality Ventures Hospitality Headline Newsletter #MandA ChatGPT OpenAI Kunal Gandhi Jason Kwon Jonathan Lachman Varun Shetty Tadao Nagasaki Sterling Douglass Brizo FoodMetrics

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Important fact about most startup (and VC) success stories. It is convenient to overlook this, but the best companies and products are not built on any specific timeline. The best people win, and that is the only thing that has consistently and repeatably truly won over the test of time.

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Carta’s new QSBS offering for investors is one of the most exciting launches of the year. How it works 1. Investors can refer their portfolio companies. 2. Carta will prompt companies to get a QSBS Attestation to determine qualification. 3. If a company qualifies and receives QSBS Attestation, investors will receive an Attestation letter highlighting which securities held are QSBS-eligible. It’s that easy. With QSBS, investors can save millions and have peace of mind knowing they can provide an attestation letter in the event of an audit. More here: https://lnkd.in/eyX4BU-7 #investors #portcos #investment #captable #QSBS #carta

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3 ways to get venture capital's attention... To successfully attract venture capital funding, focus on three key elements: clearly identifying a significant problem that resonates broadly, offering a simple yet effective solution to that problem, and defining a large market opportunity with credible research. This approach increases your chances of capturing VC interest and securing the necessary funding to grow your startup. To get more in depth on these solutions click this link -> https://lnkd.in/efUfd4Jd Branded Hospitality Ventures #innovation #technology #AI #venturecapital Matthew Lerner Noah Stern Ryan T. Melohn Coleman Clyde Stuart O'Keeffe

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What are the top healthcare policy issues for startups and venture capital? Here's what I shared in today's WSJ Venture Capital Daily. What do you think? Startups in the digital health space have pushed forward the accessibility and availability of so many types of care—from mental health, to fertility, to prenatal care and home health. They’ll be closely watching any changes to reimbursement and policies for Medicaid and Medicare, as well as any changes to insurance mandates or compliance expectations. These issues will directly impact startup business models and operational considerations.

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✨ Breaking: Pender Ventures' Technology Inflection Fund II LP Announces New Fund.- Pender Ventures' Technology Inflection Fund II LP Pender Ventures focuses on Canadian B2B and health tech startups poised for scale-up, with over $100 million in available funds. https://lnkd.in/eJSYQQ4d Please share to let other #Founders know For the ❤️ of Startups #Fusion42 #Startups#Venturecapital

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Join me as I share the secrets to gaining Angel Investment (being ESIC is one) and help you land your pitch and get your message across. I'm joined by experienced founders who can share their experiences and help you develop your own (survive the) Chasm Plan.

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Whatever happened to VC-backed IPOs? Looks like the volumes are at all time low, according to Eric Newcomer, and the M&A activity isn't enough to cover the delta. Back in the "olden days" going public was the highest badge of honour! If we are in a trend where the C-suite is comfortable with being liquid but wants none of the accountability of being public, I sense our industry is ripe for some regulatory improvements. How about SaaS leadership ISO ? 😂 Anyway, what am I missing? #saas #vc

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🎙️ In this Lenny's newsletter episode, we dive deep into the essentials of building a successful marketplace business. 🏗️ 🔑 Key Takeaway: Start by achieving product-market fit for the hardest (aka most valuable) side of your marketplace. #ProTip: Identify which side is most challenging and grow it first! 💡 Next Step: Focus on liquidity—the efficiency in matching supply and demand. High liquidity = better user experience and higher retention. 🚀 A simple metric to track this is your fill rate—the percentage of demand that turns into transactions. The higher, the better! #MarketplaceGrowth 💥 Is a marketplace the right model for your idea? Look for: High fragmentation on both sides Uniform set of needs Significant barriers in matchmaking or transaction creation ⚠️ Why Marketplaces Fail: Not maintaining quality control Failing to achieve liquidity 🛑 Neglecting one side of the marketplace for too long 🙌 Pro Tip: Leverage your most engaged users to onboard new ones! 🏅 Example: Lyft’s mentor program paid top drivers to train new drivers, resulting in better retention and lower turnover. #RetentionHack #CommunityBuilding 🇪🇺 vs. 🇺🇸 Product Management Insights: In Europe, job security often trumps autonomy, leading to more control from management. In contrast, U.S. companies emphasize equity and ownership, giving teams more freedom. If you're operating in Europe and want to adopt the U.S. approach, focus on education around equity and creating a culture of ownership and accountability. #GlobalPerspective #ProductManagement Tune in for more actionable insights on building and scaling your marketplace! 🎧 #PodcastHighlights #GrowthHacks https://lnkd.in/ddweqdTA

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In 2024, family offices played a significant role in startup investments, with the top 10 family offices collectively making over 150 investments, focusing on sectors like biotech, energy, crypto, and artificial intelligence. CNBC, in partnership with FINTRX, analyzed these offices, revealing Maelstrom (Arthur Hayes' family office) as the most active, with 22 investments primarily in blockchain. Other top players include Motier Ventures, led by Guillaume Houzé, and Thiel Capital, led by Peter Thiel. AI emerged as a dominant investment theme, with 78% of family offices planning to invest in AI within the next 2-3 years. Read More: https://lnkd.in/eKSaYP88 Branded Hospitality Ventures #AI #Biotech #Crypto #Investing Hospitality Headline Newsletter Guillaume Houzé Peter Thiel Laurene Powell Jobs Trust Bernard Arnault Robert Frank Nico Mizrahi

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In a bold move to dominate the digital payments space, Stripe has snapped up Lemon Squeezy, a rising star in the merchant of record arena. Stripe has acquired Lemon Squeezy, a four-year-old competitor specializing in global sales tax and legal processing for digital products, particularly for SaaS and software businesses. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Stripe’s CEO and Chief Product Officer expressed enthusiasm about scaling the merchant of record services. Since launching in 2021, Lemon Squeezy achieved significant milestones, including surpassing $1 million in annual recurring revenue and processing payments on Stripe’s platform. This acquisition follows Stripe's earlier purchases of Supaglue (we've joined Stripe!) and Okay (acquired by Stripe). Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/e7jSKVSf TechCrunch Mary Ann Azevedo Branded Hospitality Ventures Hospitality Hangout Podcast #Hospitality #POS #technology #payment Peter Skeadas Michelle Hova Kimiko Fujioka Guillermo Sarah Clansky Lindsay Eichler Eileen O'Mara Robert Clarkson J.R. Farr

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Clinton Anderson emphasizes that AI-based forecasting is the ideal starting point for optimizing operations. By integrating this with solutions, businesses can enhance labor productivity, improve communication, and boost employee satisfaction. Feedback on Fourth IQ has been overwhelmingly positive, with the key realization that AI is not a future concept but a current, actionable tool. It can be deployed across every sector to deliver immediate value, directly impacting the bottom line. #AI #Technology #Solutions #Hospitality Branded Hospitality Ventures Hospitality Hangout Podcast Mary Hamill Thomas French Annie Smith Andreas Mettler Chris Carrigan Lisa Scroggins Jordan Bradley

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The 2024 TSX Venture 50 rankings reveal impressive growth in the #tech sector, with an avg. share price increase of 178% and a market cap surge of 224% in the past year. The standout performers were companies involved in cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin miners and blockchain developers seeing an average share price growth of 412% and a market cap increase of 428%. This growth underscores the ever-evolving tech industry, particularly in emerging fields like cryptocurrency, where transparency and regulatory compliance are increasingly essential. The TSX Venture Exchange remains a vital platform for companies undergoing rigorous application and due diligence processes, helping investors find credible opportunities in innovative sectors. For investors and industry observers, these trends signal the ongoing shifts towards more integrated and regulated investment environments. This year's Venture 50 is a compelling indicator of where technology and investment are heading, particularly in high-growth areas like blockchain and artificial intelligence. #capitalmarkets #innovation #technology

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For founders, there’s nothing worse than a tapped-out VC.  Check out these firms that have fresh capital to invest! 👇🏻 🔴 Los Angeles based Slauson & Co closed its second $100M fund to support diverse founders. 🔴 Montréal based Luge Capital closed its second $96 CAD fintech fund. 🔴 Brooklyn based Asylum Ventures raised its debut $55M fund to back early stage founders. 🔴 New York based Alpha Partners raised its third $153M “pro rata” fund. Check out more here. 🔴 London based Atomico raised a $754M growth stage fund and a $485M early stage fund to support European founders. 🔴 New York based Halo Capital raised its first $25M fund to invest in early stage crypto projects. 🔴 New York based Wischoff Ventures raised its third $50M fund to back fintech, logistics, and manufacturing startups. 🔴 Amsterdam based SET Ventures closed its fourth €200M fund to support European startups that accelerate the integration of existing renewable energy technologies into mass markets.

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