The year is coming to an end and startups are not resting

With only just a few days left within the year, there was loads of startup news since last Friday, despite the short work week within the U.S. due to Thanksgiving. Oh, by the best way, thanks for reading.

The most interesting startup stories of the week

If you are on the lookout for some weekend reading, here are some recent insights value trying out.

On the clock: The timing of ServiceTitan’s IPO may not be entirely depending on market conditions. The details show that the software company was in no hurry to go public, and there could also be more such corporations, VCs told TechCrunch.

Salary indicators: The US government procurement database USASpending.gov reveals the whole compensation that Anduril, a defense technology startup, pays its top employees. While there are some technical details about breaking it down by year, the underside line is that it pays really, rather well.

New faces: Scaling startups is a giant priority for the European Union’s recent top team, which incorporates three lawmakers accountable for key areas of technology policy. Among them is Ekaterina Zaharieva, who shall be the EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.

Attack of the Clones: It’s not just AI code editors: Y Combinator often supports startups that construct similar products, data analytics startup Deckmatch has discovered. The study also reveals other interesting insights into the sorts of startups YC tends to accept.

The most interesting collections this week

Fundraising season is not over yet, and offers of various sizes have been announced again this week.

DTC glasses: Eyewa, an organization that sells a big selection of eyewear products through its e-commerce and direct-to-consumer retail platform in five Middle Eastern markets, has secured a $100 million Series C round led by General Atlantic.

The cradle of affection: Cradle, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to design proteins, has raised $73 million to expand its labs and team. Launched in 2022, it previously raised a $24 million Series A round in 2023.

Shopify for gaming: Israeli startup Appcharge, which sees itself as a form of “Shopify” for games and provides game developers with more monetization opportunities, has raised $26 million. The round was led by Nordic VC Creandum at a valuation of $100 million.

Voice clones: Y Combinator alumnus PlayAI, which clones voices on command, has closed a $21 million seed round co-led by 500 Startups and Kindred Ventures to spend money on its AI generative voice models and voice agent platform.

Hello Dr. Google: Roon raised $15 million, co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Firstmark, with participation from former investors Sequoia Capital and TMV. A health technology startup currently valued at $68 million intends to replace “Doctor Google” with video questions and answers from doctors.

The most interesting VC and funding news this week

Build your legacy: Basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo founded a VC firm. According to reports, the corporate called Build Your Legacy Ventures will concentrate on sports and entertainment investments.

Cyber ​​Accelerator: Early-stage fund Cleo Capital announced the launch of a cybersecurity accelerator that may support up to 10 pre-seed and seed startups. They will each receive $250,000 in exchange for 7% equity and participation on this distant 12-week program.

No less vital

Fintech in Latin America shall be value watching in 2025, and data for 2024 shows that the market is starting to turn around. “I believe the region is underfunded after the (post) 2021 adjustment.” – QED Investors partner Mike Packer told TechCrunch.