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Elon Musk wants $44 billion for X—same as 2022—even though Fidelity slashed its value. Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI are thriving, so who’s gonna tell him no? 🤔
Mistral’s Le Chat app clawed to 1M downloads, Humane’s AI Pin flopped into HP’s arms for $116M, and Duolingo ran over its mascot with a Cybertruck, boosting downloads 38% 🚀
NEW VIDEO released: The accident(s) that made money an illusion
Enjoy!
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Six bullets of updates
🐕🦺 Elon Musk staffer develops DOGE AI assistant aimed at making government “less dumb,” raising legal concerns.
🐱 Mistral’s Le Chat app hits 1M downloads in 14 days, topping France's iOS free download chart.
🛑 Humane sells its assets to HP for $116M, ending its AI Pin venture after disappointing sales and reviews.
📉 Bumble sunsets Fruitz and Official to focus on core apps, taking a $12M revenue hit as shares fall 27%.
🚚 Duo’s “death by Cybertruck” stunt boosts Duolingo downloads by 38% overall and 25% on Android.
🚀 Mel Morris launches Corpora.ai, an AI-powered research engine processing 2M documents per second.
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Musk’s X: same price, new hype
Kathy Hutchins / www.shutterstock.com
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is reportedly in talks to raise funding at a $44 billion valuation, the same price Musk paid to acquire it in 2022. This would mark X’s first funding round since going private, despite Fidelity slashing its stake’s value by 70% in December due to advertiser struggles.
The potential raise comes as Musk’s other ventures surge—Tesla’s stock is up 40% since Trump’s election, SpaceX hit a $350B valuation, and xAI is seeking $10B at a $75B valuation. Talks for X’s funding are ongoing and could still fall through, according to Bloomberg.
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Startup Events and Deadlines
NYC B2B: Pre-Seed + Seed Founders & Investors Meetup | Feb 24 | NYC
Alchemist Accelerator | Deadline: March 21 | USA
Techstars Columbus | Deadline: April 1 | USA
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator | Deadline: April 28 | USA
Entrepreneur First London - Summer | Deadline: July 1 | UK
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There’s a reason 400,000 professionals read this daily.
Join The AI Report, trusted by 400,000+ professionals at Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Get daily insights, tools, and strategies to master practical AI skills that drive results.
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These companies just raised money
🏭 Augury raises $73M at a $1B valuation to expand its predictive AI platform for factory equipment, which detects failures before they happen.
💰 CashU secures $17.5M credit line backed by Itaú BBA and EP to grow its fintech lending business in Brazil.
🚖 Fetiis draws new backing from Mark Cuban and YC to expand its Gen Z-focused rideshare service.
🛒 Involves acquires DataMind to boost retail data intelligence capabilities across Latin America, enhancing insights for consumer brands.
⚡ ElectronX builds an energy trading platform, aiming to bring stock market-style dynamics to electricity markets.
📈 Fintech fundraising heats up again, bringing flashbacks to the 2021 investment surge.
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Europe’s unicorn crisis: the Dutch are holding the fort
Source: Unsplash
The EU is falling behind the US in producing unicorn startups, contributing just 9% of billion-dollar companies since 2013, compared to the US’s 55%. However, the Netherlands stands out, hosting 11% of the EU’s unicorns, with major players like Adyen and Booking.com, and showing success in attracting startups to relocate.
A PwC report points to higher US venture capital intensity, a unified market, and a larger talent pool as key advantages. To compete, the EU must increase funding, simplify regulations, and build a more integrated startup ecosystem.
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SaaS Growth Calculator
Mistakes were made as we grew Slidebean, but those mistakes shaped the lessons that helped us thrive. The journey wasn’t just about surviving—it was about learning and evolving.
To give you an honest glimpse into what growth really looks like, we’re sharing our actual financial numbers from the formative years of Slidebean. Download them now and see the ups, downs, and everything in between that built the company we are today.
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The accident(s) that made money an illusion
92% of the world’s money doesn’t exist. 💸 We've been led to believe that money is printed, stored in vaults, and moved physically between banks—but that’s an illusion. From the gold standard to the Nixon Shock, and how banks create money out of thin air, this is the real story of how our financial system works. 🕶️ SUBSCRIBE for more!