Black founders raise highest amount of quarterly funding since 2022, but there’s a catch

Speaking to TechCrunch, Crunchbase’s head of research Gené Teare, said the factors holding back Black founders include “access to networks, relationships, and early introductions.”

SoftBank says it will invest up to €75 billion to build French data centers

The goal, the firm said, is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity.

Snap alums unveil Ghost Angels fund

A group of 20 Snap alumni has come together to launch a fund called Ghost Angels to back the next generation of social media.

The groupthink boom: what three top VCs really think about the AI frenzy

“If you’re 22 years old in San Francisco and building something in AI, there may be a seed term sheet in your inbox — but if you’re 19, oh my God, this means you’re really good; you might already have a Series A [offer],” said one, half-kiddingly.

After Nvidia’s $20B not-aqui-hire, AI chip startup Groq reportedly raising $650M

Chipmaker Groq is looking to raise $650 million in internal funding as it pivots from hardware to focus more on AI inference, the process of refining the way AI models respond to prompted requests, per Axios. 

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Why Paris may be the most important AI city outside Silicon Valley

Europe’s startup ecosystem has matured significantly; its founders are increasingly willing to scale companies domestically instead of immediately looking to relocate to the U.S.

In just 3 weeks, StrictlyVC is coming to Los Angeles

StrictlyVC Los Angeles is on June 18. Join for meaningful networking and fireside chats with leaders from Mach Industries, Shinkei Systems, and more. Register here.

Corgi announces $106M raise at $2.6B valuation — double what it was worth three weeks ago

Insurance tech Corgi announced today an $106 million Series B1 raise, valuing the company at $2.6 billion, just three weeks after announcing a $160 million Series B.