Bob Karr

FUNDED: PowerUp Money raises $12M Series A led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from existing investors Accel, Blume Ventures, Kae Capital, 8i Ventures, and DeVC.

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“Alone and right” is one of the best ways to find success, whether you’re a founder or a VC. Vinod Khosla a is one of the best at doing that. But remember: “alone and wrong,” you’re a fool. If an idea is too obvious, chances are that many people have already tried it. If it’s not obvious, you need a differentiated view and to be right. Khosla was the first VC to back OpenAI, investing alone, with high conviction and a big check. He turned a $50M seed into a multi-billion stake into the hottest AI company. How has he done it? -As Accel Partners defines it, he had a “prepared mind.” He had been thinking deeply about AI and waiting for the right team. -In 2012, he noticed top university talent going into AI. -In 2016, he predicted that AI would replace the top 20 jobs in the world. People laughed. It sounded premature, but just three years later, he made his OpenAI investment. What he saw back then was a relevant tipping point in the technology that others missed (or invested too early). -He also believed the U.S. needed leading AI companies to stay competitive with China, and that capital would follow. In LatAm, the non-obvious deals exist: Nubank, Gympass, Olist, Hotmart, Wildlife Studios. At ONEVC, we’ve also backed some of the founders going after non-obvious markets including Swap, Gringo, Tako, Enter and others. Listen to Vinod Khosla's interview with Jack Altman taking about this investment below:

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From our PearX S25 cohort, meet Pravāh, the AI-native operating system for the electric grid When Mohak Mangal, Dhruv Suri, and Aman Gupta looked at the strain on the U.S. electric grid, they saw a system pushed to its limits. Exploding demand and unpredictable supply have made blackouts increasingly common. This costs the economy more than $150B a year, a number that could 10x in the next five years. Mohak Mangal and team founded Pravāh to help fix it. Their platform helps utilities and grid operators make real-time decisions on load, generation, and congestion, reducing blackout risks, optimizing power procurement, and bringing much-needed stability to the backbone of modern life. We’re proud to support the Pravāh team as they take on one of the toughest and most important infrastructure challenges of our time.

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At Accion Venture Lab we're big believers in vertical plays. Which is why Kalaari Capital's latest article on the Verticalization of Quick Commerce caught my attention. While it is a bit concerning that we "urban Indians" are becoming so impatient that our spending behaviors reflect a clear shift towards 10-min deliveries ("quick commerce platforms have already captured two-thirds of online grocery orders and 10% of all e-retail spending in 2024") , it seems that speed is getting "commoditized". Price competitiveness and smart SKU management are the reason Quick Commerce is winning. In the future AI based personalization, curated assortment and cultural relevance will be critical. What else do you think is needed as brands navigate this rapidly evolving customer behavior? And do you agree that verticalization is the next frontier for Quick Commerce? Sebastian Molina Gasman, CFA Mazen Nadim Devraj Hom Roy Ananth Gudipati Matt Schaar Akhil Gupta https://lnkd.in/dVk5mMdn

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The Medical Travel Company, founded by Ankit Mehrotra, CFA and Sahil Jain, secured $4.5M in seed funding led by Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from Kriscore Capital and athletes like Ben Stokes via 4CAST. Funds will scale operations in India/UK, enhance digital patient management, and strengthen clinical partnerships. Expansion to the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe is planned. The company offers UK medical oversight, accredited hospital care, post-surgery insurance, and end-to-end support, providing affordable, high-quality treatment in India. They combine technology, patient-centric service, and healthcare expertise to transform cross-border healthcare access. #MedicalTravel #HealthcareInnovation #DeccanFounders #NexusVenturePartners #KriscoreCapital

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🚨 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 $𝟓𝐌 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐫 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬. Deeptech startup Morphle Labs Inc. has raised $5M in a Series A round led by Inflexor Ventures to scale globally and expand manufacturing for its cancer-diagnostics platforms, RoboTome and MorphoLens. Founded by Rohit Hiwale in 2017, the Bengaluru-based company is automating histopathology using robotics, optics, and computer vision to ease lab backlogs and improve diagnostic speed. With over 80 patents and rising traction in the US and Europe, Morphle aims to become a global leader in tissue-diagnostics automation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dmmFmuHa By Trisha Medhi #MorphleLabs #Deeptech #Healthtech #CancerDiagnostics #StartupFunding #UKEnglish #Innovation

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