TLDR FOUNDERS 2024-02-21

FIRST NEURALINK PATIENT CONTROLS COMPUTER MOUSE THROUGH THINKING

Elon Musk announced that a patient implanted with Neuralink's brain technology can control a computer mouse through thinking. Neuralink has been working on developing a brain implant technology that allows humans to utilize their neural signals to control external devices. This breakthrough marks a significant step towards Neuralink's ultimate goal of restoring lost capabilities such as vision, motor function, and speech.

DISNEY STAR TURNED SPACE TECH CEO

Former Disney Channel star turned MIT PhD graduate Bridgit Mendler secured $6.3 million from major VC investors like Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz for her space satellite startup Northwood Space. Northwood Space aims to build satellite ground stations designed for mass production and customer flexibility, with a vision of creating a data highway between Earth and space.

SORA, GROQ, AND VIRTUAL REALITY

A few years ago, the concept of the metaverse seemed like it was just a fiction from Ernest Cline's book, and Facebook's metaverse push seemed ill-fated. Today, things feel different. Sora generates complex video scenarios and Groq's deterministic chips reduce machine-learning algorithms for faster processing. Together, the convergence of these advancements push closer to achieving real-time video simulation and true virtual reality.

HOW COGNISM GENERATED $441K IN REVENUE WITH MONEY KEYWORDS

Bottom-funnel content converts; awareness is overrated. In this article, Cognism shares how it shifted its focus towards using targeted "money keywords" that appeal to bottom-of-the-funnel buyers instead of top-of-the-funnel visitors. This strategic move, which optimized high-intent terms for the company's product fit, backlinks, and conversion lifts, resulted in a revenue of $441K+ last year.

YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING WITH GPTS AT WORK

You should experiment with customer GPTs at your startup. This article shows how to build a custom GPT and shares 20 examples of how to use them to boost productivity.

TAM IS WHY I HAVE TRUST ISSUES

Market sizing is a crucial task for any founder when evaluating markets they plan to launch into, assessing potential product demand, or presenting figures to investors. However, many get it wrong - do you go bottoms-up or top-down? This article examines the drawbacks of total addressable market analyses and provides insights on how to approach market sizing with a more critical mindset.

NEO ACCELERATOR (ACCELERATOR)

Receive $600K in funding and access world-class mentors. The deadline is March 15th.

LOCOFY

Figma design to code in 1-click.

ADGEN AI

Create 100+ high-performing ad variations with AI.

THE STATE OF SALES IN 2024

An analysis of over 4.2 million opportunities revealed that economic turbulence had a negative impact on B2B sales. This was evident with falling win rates, lengthening sales cycles, and shrinking deals. In 2024, sales teams not only need to be more efficient - they need to be more effective.

COMPRESSING SWITCHING COSTS IN SOFTWARE

The cost of switching software can be prohibitively high in large companies. The process could take years to complete and even more time to see the payback. Often, executives are aware that the effects of this decision will continue even beyond their time in office and therefore avoid making changes. AI will significantly reduce the costs and timeframes associated with switching systems, which could lead to more innovation in large companies.

WHY VENTURE CAPITAL IS THE BEST ASSET CLASS

Despite the bad rap that venture capital often gets, the world benefits from the innovation generated by venture capital, both from successful and failed investments, as it essentially gets all of that innovation for free.

COULD A SEARCH COMPETITOR USE GOOGLE TO GAIN TRACTION?

AI startup Perplexity is leveraging Google's own search traffic against it by flooding results pages with answers to long-tail questions. Could Google's search dominance be under threat?

ERIC SCHMIDT: THE BEST FOUNDERS ARE FRUGAL

If the majority of your budget is being spent on lavish offices and nice chairs, you might want to reconsider your priorities.

NOBODY KNOWS: BLOCKCHAIN & STEEL

Many people are unaware of the underlying technology behind today's apps, just as they might not know the construction materials of their office building. Existing platforms like Instagram and Salesforce will likely transition to web3 infrastructure seamlessly once the benefits of web3 become clear, with users remaining oblivious to the underlying changes.

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