Startup Weekly Roundup: AI Breakthroughs, Climate Tech Funding & Heartwarming Exits
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Post-Thanksgiving brought a flurry of activity, with heartwarming funding stories, notable founder exits, and climate tech breakthroughs dominating the headlines.
Top Startup Stories of the Week
Google AI Team Launches New Venture
Three key members of Google’s NotebookLM team have departed to launch their own AI startup, continuing a trend of top talent leaving major tech firms to pursue independent ventures. This follows AI pioneer François Chollet’s recent exit from Google.
Startup Salary Insights Revealed
Kruze Consulting’s latest data shows:
- Bay Area premium: Senior engineers at seed-stage startups earn \(180K-\)235K
- Other regions: Comparable roles pay \(160K-\)210K
Fitness App Rivalry Heats Up
Ladder, fresh from a $105M Series B, called out Peloton for alleged similarities between their strength-training apps—turning the situation into a clever marketing opportunity.
Y Combinator Returns to IRL Demo Day
The prestigious accelerator hosted its Fall 2024 Demo Day in person, showcasing the latest cohort of innovative startups.
Notable Funding Rounds
Climate Tech Breakthroughs
- Heirloom Carbon: $150M Series B for scalable carbon capture technology
- FireDome: $3M pre-seed for wildfire-fighting projectile system
Health Tech Innovations
- Cleerly: $106M Series C extension for AI-powered heart disease detection
- Orakl Oncology: €15M total funding for data-driven cancer drug development
Celebrity-Backed Ventures
Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner are reportedly raising $10M for Khloud, rumored to be a protein popcorn brand.
Venture Capital Updates
Athlete-Turned-Investor Scores Big
Former NBA player Omri Casspi launched $60M Swish Ventures, focusing on cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and AI startups.
European Investment Trends
- Prosus: Anticipates 5 Indian portfolio IPOs in 18 months
- Daphni: Launched €100M Time4 fund for diverse French founders
Climate Tech Outlook
Investors express cautious optimism about potential policy changes under a second Trump administration, noting some climate tech sectors might actually benefit from the shifts.
Stay tuned for next week’s update on emerging startup trends and funding developments.
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