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EIGENLAYER OVERVIEW

This thread from Coinbase provides a good primer on EigenLayer, which announced a $100 million raise from a16z last week, and how it works

OVERVIEW OF THE TAO SUBNET ECOSYSTEM

This thread provides a great overview of TAO and how TAO subnets work, including background on TAO, TAOs architecture, TAO mining, its tokenomics, and more.

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UNSPLASH+: NEW LOOK, NEW CONTENT

Unsplash+ celebrated its first birthday with a dynamic rebranding initiative with award-winning brand agency Collins. In addition to its revamped identity, the company added new collections and brought more curators to improve its premium content. The new visuals follow the most searched themes.

WINDOWS IS GETTING ITS OWN MAGIC ERASER TO AI-MODIFY YOUR PHOTOS

Microsoft has added AI selection photo erasers to its Photos app with Generative erase. It will backport all of the AI editing capabilities in Photos to Windows 10.

BRINGING NEW EMOJI TO WINDOWS 11

Windows new emojis are the next iteration of the flat emoji introduced in 2021. Adding shadows, light, and more color to make them look 3D and implementing them as a hybrid color font meant that the team behind this emoji update had to alter their approach to designing color fonts.

WHAT IF MISSING A CONNECTING FLIGHT WASN’T AWFUL?

It can be frustrating and stressful to miss a connecting flight. Reconceiving the same situation through a design lens could result in a much better user experience and potentially better business for airlines.

CREATORS VS. ARTISTS

Legendary Japanese animation film director Hayao Miyazaki's work was recently reinterpreted by AI, leading to an exciting discussion of the blurring lines between creators and artists. The threshold for calling oneself a creator is shallow today. The real artists are the ones who come up with original ideas and do something unique, whether they're using AI or not.

EMPATHY FOR COLLEAGUES: WHY UX DESIGN IS A LEADERSHIP SKILL

Designers can build new ways of working by turning user-centered design methods inwards — if we can give up our Superman myth. Designers aren’t the only ones who think they are being misunderstood; they’re not the only ones being empathetic towards users.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN PLATFORM

Modify allows designers to generate, animate, and more without switching between apps.

VISUAL CONTENT CREATION TOOL

Artboard Studio is a graphic and motion design tool with automation features and an extensive content library.

FONTONIC

Fontonic enables designers to change a website's fonts with the ones installed locally on their devices. Changes are reflected on every website page and saved even after the browser tab is closed.

THE ELEVATOR TEST

Even though prototypes are essential in design work, they should never be treated as permanent. In the elevator test, prototypes are smashed using elevator doors. The lesson is that prototypes are tools to improve your final product. Stay attached to them and focus on the learning process they enable.

DESIGNING WITH INTEGRITY: THE ETHICAL DESIGNER’S HANDBOOK ON DARK PATTERNS

Pursuing innovation and engagement at all costs can easily lead to dark patterns - deceptive design tactics that manipulate users into doing stuff they don't want to do. This kind of manipulation leaves a trail of frustration, distrust, and negativity. This post explores the prevalence of dark patterns and how to avoid them using ethical design principles as a guide.

HOW TO PUT YOUR UX ROADMAP TO WORK

A planning master doc can be an effective hub for anyone. Designers can take the lead in preparing the UX roadmap. They should keep their roadmap accessible and up-to-date, review and revise it as needed, coordinate with the team when planning, and use it to anticipate resourcing spikes.

EVERYONE'S OBSESSED WITH THIS UNUSED FORD LOGO DESIGN

During the 1960s, Henry Ford II enlisted Paul Rand, the famed graphic designer who had created logos for IBM, ABC, and UPS, to modernize the logo and its script. Users on Reddit and X are now praising the sleek and fantastic design, which retained the original's essential features but used a more modern, even-stroked lettering.

WORLD’S OLDEST UNCHANGED BRAND CHANGES LOGO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 140 YEARS

For over 140 years, Lyle’s Golden Syrup has featured an interesting logo on its tin: a lion’s carcass surrounded by bees. The product was recognized by Guinness World Records for having the world’s oldest branding and packaging. For the first time since the 1880s, Lyle's Golden Syrup is undergoing a major redesign to appeal to a 21st-century audience.

NENDO DESIGNED THE PERFECT OBSESSIVELY ERGONOMIC FORK FOR EATING CUP NOODLES

It's not easy to scoop noodles with the standard fork that comes with cup noodles. The fork's angle does not sit right, making it un-ergonomic and difficult to scoop. Nissin and Nendo created a piece of cutlery that is obsessively ergonomic, designed after hours of user observation to ensure a seamless noodle-eating experience.

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Get all the key learnings in the full report

WHAT WENT WRONG AT TECHSTARS

Techstars was once one of the world’s leading accelerator programs, but it has steadily been eclipsed by Y Combinator. Recent executive departures and program closures, such as the termination of its flagship Seattle program, signal major challenges within the company. Chris DeVore, the former MD of Techstars Seattle, provides an insider's perspective on the strategic choices that contributed to Techstars' downfall.

A SHARP DIVIDE IN VALUATIONS

In Q4 2023, the venture capital landscape displayed a significant divergence in valuation trends. Early-stage startups, especially those at the Series A level, witnessed a substantial increase in their median pre-money valuations, highlighting growth in earlier phases. On the contrary, more mature startups, particularly those in Series C, experienced a significant decline in step-up multiples, reaching a five-year low of 1.16x. This indicates a challenging market environment for later-stage companies moving forward.

WHY FOUNDER VESTING NEEDS REINVENTING

It’s frustrating when founders, who have slogged through nearly a decade of company building, end up with a small slice of the pie because early co-founders or employees vested large equity stakes and departed before things started working. To avoid this, extend the vesting schedule to six years or more. This ensures co-founders or early employees who don’t work out in the long term don’t leave you with too little.

TARGETING AN ICP BRINGS 10X MORE CUSTOMERS

Speaking to everyone in your messaging means speaking to no one. As counterintuitive as it seems, positioning around ultra-specific personas doesn't push away other customers. Instead, this clear targeting communicates natural purchasing trade-offs.

HOW FOUNDERS CAN REACH $100M ARR

The term "unicorn" was coined in 2013 by Cowboy Ventures to describe a startup worth more than $1 billion. At that time, there were only 39 unicorns – today there are 523. In the future, the herd will thin out, and the most valuable startups will be those that build for enterprises. A $100 million annual recurring revenue is now the new signal of value. This article outlines steps to achieve that goal.

BUILD A WINNING SALES STRATEGY

Carlos Delatorre, CRO of Harness, shares six rules of a winning sales strategy that transcend industries: assess the new organizational culture before taking action, be an internal champion for strategic initiatives, implement quality control at scale through metrics, assess for talent and grit in sales hires, invest in enablement programs, and emphasize the irreplaceable value of product-led growth (PLG) in sales efforts.

COMMON PAPER (TEMPLATES)

Create standard, open-source contracts for commercial transactions, including NDAs, DPAs, and sales agreements.

Z FELLOWS (COMMUNITY)

1 week. $10,000. Your fast-track into Silicon Valley.

PERSUVA

Craft ads that click and convert.

HOW STARTUPS BEAT INCUMBENTS

A startup can beat a large successful incumbent if it does things the incumbent can not or will not do. This article examines the vulnerabilities of incumbents and identifies opportunities startups can exploit to win despite the incumbent's advantages.

DON’T ASK, DON’T GET

Many of us often hesitate to express our thoughts due to the fear of upsetting someone, be it an investor, employee, or co-founder. However, in reality, once we speak our minds, the outcome may not be as negative as we initially anticipated. More importantly, how you convey your thoughts matters. This article explores a few tactics to use if you need to speak your mind.

DEEP-DIVE INTO HADRIAN (27 MINUTE VIDEO)

Last week, Hadrian, a prominent industrial automation startup that is the poster child for American Dynamism, announced a $117M Series B funding round. The Founder/CEO, Chris Power, recently sat down with Founders Fund to discuss the details of the funding, the challenges of competing with China, the benefits of combining manufacturing and software talent, and the importance of America's success in the second space race.

THE YEAR OF SUB-$500M M&A

2024 might be a pivotal year for sub-$500M mergers and acquisitions. Here are four strategic tips for founders aiming to navigate this landscape and optimally position their companies for potential M&A opportunities.

IS IT NORMAL FOR A STARTUP CEO TO END UP WITH JUST 10% EQUITY?

Yes, this is the general outcome after 3 rounds of traditional VC funding. If the company sells 15–20% in each round, and 15–20% is reserved for employees, that typically will leave 15–25% for the founders in total - but that could be still worth a lot.

DON’T DELEGATE YOUR WORD

It can be tempting to outsource email responses, social posts, or blog writing as you grow your business. Don’t do it - your voice needs to be exactly that: yours.

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U-HAUL TELLS 67K CUSTOMERS CROOKS DROVE AWAY WITH THEIR PERSONAL DATA

U-Haul has reported a cyberattack where 67,000 customers in the United States and Canada had their personal data compromised, including names, dates of birth, and driver's license numbers. No financial information was taken. The attack targeted the U-Haul Dealer and Team Members system used for reservations and customer records.

APPLE SHORTCUTS VULNERABILITY EXPOSES SENSITIVE INFORMATION

A serious vulnerability (CVE-2024-23204) in Apple Shortcuts allows attackers to access sensitive data without user permission. Attackers exploiting the vulnerability can access and transmit sensitive data, posing a risk to user privacy and security. Apple has addressed the issue with updates to iOS and macOS. It is urging users to install the patches promptly to safeguard their information.

PRESCRIPTION ORDERS DELAYED AS US PHARMACIES GRAPPLE WITH “NATION-STATE” CYBER ATTACK

Prescription orders in the US are being delayed as pharmacies are experiencing a "nation-state" cyber attack. The attack is believed to coming from a foreign government. It is targeting major pharmacy chains, including Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS Health. The attack has disrupted the pharmacies' prescription-filling systems, causing delays across the country.

GARTNER IDENTIFIES THE TOP CYBERSECURITY TRENDS FOR 2024

This list covers the top cybersecurity trends that Gartner sees coming in 2024. 2024 will be the year that gen AI-driven security products finally emerge. 2025 will see those tools delivering real risk-management outcomes.

A FEW NOTES ON NITRO ENCLAVES: IMAGES AND ATTESTATION

AWS Nitro Enclaves are a Trusted Execution Environment that is offered for running sensitive workloads by AWS. It is somewhat lacking in documentation. This post offers a look at what Nitro Enclaves are and how images and attestation work. The post also includes a TL;DR checklist at the top.

TRUFFLEHOG NOW DETECTS AWS CANARIES WITHOUT SETTING THEM OFF

Truffle Security performed a scraping project to generate a list of Amazon Account IDs that are used by Thinkst to generate AWS canaries. The Truffle Security team identified about a half dozen Account IDs which can be used to identify if an AWS Key ID is a canary token. The capability has been added to the open-source TruffleHog tool.

Information Security at MYOB, for a lively discussion on SPOGs

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on 2/28

PERSONAL SECURITY CHECKLIST

A compiled checklist of 300+ tips for protecting digital security and privacy in 2024.

VAMPI

VAmPI is a vulnerable API made with Flask. It includes vulnerabilities from the OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities for APIs. VAmPI was created to evaluate the efficiency of tools used to detect security issues in APIs.

LIVING OFF THE PIPELINE

The Living Off the Pipeline project is an inventory of how development tools commonly run in CI/CD pipelines can be leveraged to achieve code execution by running on untrusted code changes or via workflow injection.

VENDING MACHINE ERROR REVEALS SECRET FACE IMAGE DATABASE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

An M&M vending machine at a university was secretly using facial recognition-enabled collecting data without consent. The machines could estimate age/gender. The university has confirmed that it will disable the tech and that it plans to remove the machines, though the timeline is unclear.