Puneet Mehta

🚀 YC-backed startup Central has raised $8.6 million in a seed round led by First Round Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and others, bringing its total funding to $9.1 million. Founded by Josh Wymer, Pranav Kashyap, and Nilay Modi, Central serves hundreds of startups and has processed over $75 million in payroll. Unlike traditional providers like Gusto or Rippling, Central operates as a conversational “teammate” in Slack, allowing users to message payroll and HR tasks that the platform then handles autonomously. With this funding, Central plans to expand its engineering and support teams, develop new features, and enhance integration with the startup ecosystem. 📖 Read the full story → https://lnkd.in/dZnvDSb4 #startup #funding #AI #HRtech #backoffice #payroll #Central #Slack

1

Another AI company from the Maki.vc portfolio finally out of stealth! 🔥 Impressive “heads down building” so far: Ever – the first AI‑native platform for auto retail – exits stealth with a $31M Series A, bringing total funding to $100M across equity and debt. After leading the seed in summer 2024, we’re excited to continue our support in this round led by Eclipse, Ibex Investors, JIMCO (Jameel Investment Management Co.), Illusian, Joint Effects, Alumni Ventures, Lifeline Ventures, Failup Ventures & APL Ventures. Vertical AI will create multiple kinds of category winners – not just pure software companies, but real-world companies where AI and embedded intelligence form the foundational infrastructure and the core of their execution. Ever is taking on the massive $1.2T U.S. auto retail market and rebuilding the auto retail model from the ground up with its AI-native, full‑stack approach. Ever’s AI operating system automates and orchestrates many of the workflows and hundreds of steps required across sourcing, pricing, merchandising, sales, vehicle operations, and more. This helps Ever solve for the complexity and fragmented operations in auto retail, enabling significant performance gains. Customers might not “see the AI,” but they experience a superior customer journey – faster, more flexible, transparent, and affordable. The team is executing this vision in the real world, with live operations in San Francisco and customers across 40 states, seamlessly spanning online and physical experiences. It’s been a privilege to partner early and work alongside the brilliant founders Lasse-Mathias, TJ Casner, Maximilian and team for the past 1.5 years. As Ever scales rapidly, we are actively recruiting more exceptional talent – particularly in engineering – to join the mission of building the next‑generation auto retail platform. Let’s go! 🔥

189

6 Comments

AI is reshaping every industry — and VC is no exception. great catching up with Nathaniel Barling, operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz, who leads a 10-person engineering team building internal AI tools to supercharge their VC workflows. 🚀 at Creandum, we’re right there on the same journey. Over the past year, we’ve rolled out multiple AI-enabled apps (some built with Lovable ofc 😎) that now power everything from sourcing + dealflow analysis to portfolio management. the productivity impact is real — and we’re only just getting started. in VC (like everywhere else): adapt and embrace…or get run over. ⚡️

204

11 Comments

The best AI apps today are being built like infrastructure companies. Great breakdown from the awesome 💡 Yazan "Yaz" El-Baba on why technical depth, rapid iteration, and margin-aware architectures are becoming table stakes for AI startups. Definitely worth a read: https://lnkd.in/gMVFFXgH 

54

2 Comments

YellowDog.ai just set a 10x benchmark uplift in scale computing, delivering 40,000 tasks per second (TPS) and managing 100,000 compute nodes in the cloud. What's even more interesting, that's 2x IBM Symphony and opens an intriguing pathway for these until-know closed/captive systems.

11

Yann LeCun’s AMI Labs raised $1.03B at $3.5B pre-money valuation to build world models, AI that learns from reality, not just language. LeCun left Meta to co-found the venture with Alexandre LeBrun (Nabla CEO); the team includes Meta’s VP Europe as COO and top researchers from Meta AI. CEO LeBrun predicts “world models will be the next buzzword, in six months, every company will call itself a world model to raise funding.” https://lnkd.in/eQYCSNZR

15

1 Comment

AI is changing what “scale” actually means. In CTech by Calcalist’s 2026 VC Survey, Haim Bachar and Lee Ben-Gal share how we’re seeing the scaling metric shift - from headcount growth to output per person. This isn’t about doing more with less. It’s about building companies differently from day one - and rethinking how success is measured. See the full article below 👇

13

Today Stripe is announcing the acquisition of our portfolio company Privy. We originally partnered with 🏕️ Henri Stern and Asta L. in the Seed Round (co-lead with Sequoia Capital in 2021, and have invested in every round since then (joining Paradigm and Ribbit Capital as they led later rounds). Henri’s reputation as a crisp intellectual and rigorous executor from his days at Protocol Labs made us pay attention when we heard he was going to build a new company, and meeting his co-founder Asta gave us the conviction that this was going to be an n of 1 team for the mission. Supporting 75 million accounts, over 1,000 developer teams and billions of transactions - Privy is a key enabling fabric for a plethora of crypto rails-based applications. We are ecstatic for the team, and have been in awe of their execution quality, drive and tenacity that powered them through the inevitable dark hours that arise on any entrepreneurial journey. While discussing the merits of partnering with Stripe together, Henri said something to us that stuck: “it’s not a finishing line–it’s a starting line” - because Privy has also built a core pillar for the future adoption of stablecoins and the enablement of new financial applications. Teaming up with Stripe and working with the Bridge team, will allow Privy to tap into one of the internet's largest ecosystems to further execute on their vision. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gsKppP-y It has been an honour to be on this journey together with Max Segall, Shaun Maguire, Meyer "Micky" Malka, Matt Huang, Caitlin Pintavorn, Electric Capital Avichal Garg, Archetype Ash Egan, Protocol Labs, Box Group, Coinbase Ventures, Joe Lallouz, Juan Benet, Molly Mackinlay, Brad Burnham, Jutta Steiner, Diogo Mónica, Sina Habibian, P Gelenbe, Alexander Lange, Garry Tan, Nicholas Chirls, Charlie Songhurst and many others!

151

12 Comments

Elevate Your Startup Journey with YC’s Seed Fundraising Guide Are you a founder gearing up to raise your first round of funding? Dive into YC’s Guide to Seed Fundraising! Penned by Geoff Ralston, President of Y Combinator, this guide is a must-read for any ambitious entrepreneur looking to navigate the intricate waters of seed funding. What Makes It Stand Out? This all-encompassing playbook distills wisdom from icons of early-stage investing: - Paul Graham: Co-founder of Y Combinator, the brain behind many successful startups. - Fred Wilson: A veteran from Union Square Ventures with unmatched insights. - Babak Nivi: Co-founder of AngelList and Venture Hacks, a powerhouse in startup funding strategies. - Sal Khan: Visionary Founder of Khan Academy, reshaping education. - Carolynn Levy: The innovator behind SAFE notes, revolutionizing startup capital raising. Each contributor infuses their expertise into this guide, making it an indispensable resource. What’s Inside the Guide? If you’re on the verge of raising your seed round, this guide will empower you to: - Determine the Right Timing: Understand the perfect moment in your startup journey to start raising. - Quantify Your Needs: Learn how to decide exactly how much capital you should aim to raise. - Screen the Right Investors: Identify investors who are the right fit for your vision and strategy. - Sidestep Common Pitfalls: Avoid typical traps related to valuation that could cost you. - Negotiate with Confidence: Equip yourself with the tactics to negotiate deals like a pro. - Document Prep: Master the essential documentation needed to secure your round efficiently. It’s a mini-MBA in early-stage financing, but without the unnecessary theories or hefty tuition fees. Think of it as a concise, actionable toolkit tailored for founders like you who are ready to take the plunge into the funding world. Why You Should Read It Now: Seizing the right funding opportunity can be pivotal for your startup’s success. With direct insights from the industry’s best, this guide promises not just to demystify the process but to empower you at every step. It’s not just information; it’s a roadmap to your startup’s success story! Ready to transform your fundraising journey? Discover the full guide and let your startup soar to new heights! Credit : Rubén Domínguez Ibar Repost by : Salem Bagami #Startup #Fundraising #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #YCombinator**

26