Derek Weber’s Post

This is another reason why it’s very important to consider investing in data centre for portfolio diversification.

Here’s what I learnt from a recent panel by Union Square Ventures and South Park Commons, on USV’s investment thesis and the biggest opportunities in tech today. 👉🏻 Why are AI agents a perfect fit for Web3? 👉🏻 How would Web3 take on funding Climate Tech, where traditional finance has mostly failed? 👉🏻 We all know economical green energy is a must-have for the future of AI. But how would AI itself help make this happen? 👉🏻 Is SaaS gonna die? Hear the take from the VC fund that placed early bets on Twitter, Zynga, Coinbase, Etsy, Tumblr, etc. Thank you Rebecca Kaden, Nick Grossman, Andy Weissman and Arian Agrawal for the insights-packed discussion! #AI #ClimateTech #Crypto #Web3 #VC #Startups

🚀 Blockmate Investee Hivello Joins Forces with AIxBlock for Decentralized AI Power! Blockmate Ventures Inc (TSX.V: MATE) (OTCQB: MATEF) (FSE: 8MH1) announces a groundbreaking partnership between its investee, Hivello Holdings Ltd, and AIxBlock, a cutting-edge AI development platform. This collaboration integrates decentralised computing power into AI applications, revolutionising how developers build, train, and deploy AI models. The Partnership Advantage AIxBlock, operating at the intersection of AI and Web3, offers a fully decentralised development platform with compute and dataset marketplaces designed for businesses transitioning to decentralised technologies. Through Hivello’s platform, users can generate passive income by contributing unused computing power, extending these capabilities to AIxBlock’s ecosystem. This strategic collaboration aligns with the growing demand for scalable, decentralised alternatives to traditional data centres, unlocking new possibilities in AI and Web3. Key Highlights AIxBlock: A comprehensive AI platform built on Solana, bridging Web2 enterprises to Web3 with decentralised compute solutions. Hivello: Simplifying decentralised node management for non-technical users, aiming to attract 100,000 users within the following year. Justin Rosenberg, CEO of Blockmate Ventures, emphasised the transformative potential of this partnership, stating: “Hivello and AIxBlock are unlocking new possibilities in decentralised computing, offering developers scalable solutions while empowering users to monetise their unused computing power.” Investor Outlook Blockmate Ventures (TSX.V: MATE) is showcasing its strategic vision by enabling Hivello to partner with AIxBlock, positioning itself as a key player in transformative technologies. As of Jan 24, 2025, Blockmate’s stock is trading at $0.305, reflecting a positive change of 1.667%. Key metrics include: Last Trade Time: 10:34 AM ET Volume: 529.11K VWAP: $0.313 With growing momentum in decentralised technologies and AI, Blockmate is poised for long-term growth, making it a compelling opportunity for forward-looking investors. 🔗 Read More: https://www.blockmate.com/ ⚠ Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. Conduct your research before making financial decisions. #Blockmate #Hivello #AIxBlock #DecentralizedComputing #AI #Web3 #Blockchain #TechInnovation #StockMarketNews #Investing #PassiveIncome #DigitalTransformation #AIDevelopment #FutureOfAI #TechPartnership #FinancialNews #InvestorUpdates #Web3Economy #ResourceStocks #TSX

AI-Powered Startup Consensus Secures $11.5M to Democratize Scientific Knowledge The investment was led by Union Square Ventures (USV), a prominent venture capital firm known for its early investments in successful companies such as Twitter, Coinbase, and MongoDB. CEO Eric Olson explained the motivation behind Consensus, stating, “We deeply value research and evidence, but we’ve never had the skills nor attention span to comb through the research ourselves. We wanted to apply our backgrounds in consumer tech to scientific research, and try to make this amazing content more accessible and consumable, no matter your background." Co-founder and CPO Christian Salem added, "I had been following the advancements of AI and became convinced of its power and utility after playing with GPT-3 in 2020. Couple this with the backdrop of the pandemic and the world clamoring for better access to scientific information - I felt the 'why now' for Consensus was too strong to overlook." Read more: https://lnkd.in/guFyP9Ec

Congratulations to MME Legal | Tax | Compliance on the advising for the successful $7.7 million Series A funding round for their client WeatherXM AG! This significant investment led by Lightspeed Faction, with participation from prominent investors like Protocol Labs, Borderless Capital, and Placeholder VC, is a testament to the firm's expertise in guiding innovative companies in the web3 and decentralized infrastructure space. WeatherXM's groundbreaking approach to building the world's largest community-driven weather station network has already seen remarkable progress, with over 5,000 stations deployed across 80 countries in just two years. This funding will enable them to accelerate their growth plans and cement their position as a leader in crypto-enabled weather hardware and decentralized infrastructure. MME Legal's strategic guidance has undoubtedly played a crucial role in this achievement. Their deep understanding of the legal and regulatory landscape in the blockchain and web3 domains has been invaluable for WeatherXM's success. MME team was led by Peter Kuhn (Legal Partner, Corporate / M&A), Michael Peter Kunz (Legal Partner, Fintech) and Thomas Linder (Tax Partner) and further included Eric Sutter (Senior Tax Advisor), Christoph Zellweger (Senior Legal Associate) und Sebastian Hepp (Legal Associate). 📢 To the press release: https://lnkd.in/dmY4xk3G 🔗 To the English MME article: https://lnkd.in/dZ6MAhPu 🔗 To the German MME article: https://lnkd.in/dDX2k6aQ #startups InvestinSwitzerland Switzerland Global Enterprise Sirpa Tsimal Alexander E. Brunner Paola Valencia

Ever heard people say decentralizing AI infrastructure is far-fetched? Let's challenge that notion! In a landmark move, OpenGradient has raised $8.5 million to revolutionize AI infrastructure. This financing round was led by a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator and saw participation from SV Angel, Coinbase Ventures, SALT Fund, among others. Trying to secure custom AI models without a robust decentralized platform feels similar – you're just hitting roadblocks. However, OpenGradient is transforming the way we deploy AI. We’re seeing amazing results – from near-instantaneous model deployment to secure inference that takes mere seconds. It takes a lot of work. You need a proper strategy, the right tools, testing, and time. But what are the options? Give up on decentralized AI infrastructure. Or Innovate, optimize, and push for better results. Seems like an easy choice to us. As we continue to build the decentralized infrastructure, the future looks promising for AI and Web3 developers. The testnet will be available by Q4 2024, signaling a new era of secure, open-source AI. Let's embrace innovation and redefine the landscape #DecentralizedAI #OpenGradient #AIInfrastructure #Innovation #Web3 #CryptoInvesting #MachineLearning #TechStartups #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfAI #ModelDeployment #

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. Kubilay S.'s Insider., a customer engagement AI platform, raises $500 million in its Series E round from General Atlantic. The company plans to invest €112 million in Benelux by 2027, create 80 jobs, and support its AI strategy, product development, and M&A activities. https://lnkd.in/eK_mGPJZ 2. Blockstream, a leading player in crypto infrastructure, has raised $210 million in October, with Animoca Brands participating in the round. The funding highlights the growing confidence in crypto, as the month saw $2 billion in VC funding towards infrastructure and developer tools for blockchain. https://lnkd.in/eVcTBCZQ 3. Yevgeny Dibrov's Armis, a cybersecurity company, has raised $200 million in its Series D round from Alkeon Capital and General Catalyst, with Brookfield and Georgian also participating. Existing backers include Insight Partners, CapitalG, and One Equity Partners, positioning Armis for a potential IPO in 2026. https://lnkd.in/evNW_ijK 4. Airwallex, a fintech provider, seeks $200 million in its latest funding round to support global expansion and further its AI investments. The company is targeting a $6 billion valuation. https://lnkd.in/ex-8a5hx 5. Samuel Hassine's Filigran, a French cybersecurity startup, has raised $35 million in its Series B round led by Insight Partners. Accel and Moonfire also participated, as the company looks to scale AI-powered threat intelligence solutions globally. https://lnkd.in/etV-ugV7 6. Niv Braun's Noma Security, which addresses vulnerabilities in the AI lifecycle, has raised $25 million in its Series A round from Ballistic Ventures, bringing its total raise to $32 million. Glilot Capital Partners and Cyber Club London also participated in the round. https://lnkd.in/eVUFqgNh 7. David Vorick 's Glow, a blockchain-based solar company, closes $30 million to scale its decentralized solar energy network in the U.S. and India. The funding round was led by Framework Ventures and Union Square Ventures. https://lnkd.in/evHKZp8y 8. Dean Leitersdorf's Decart, an AI infrastructure platform, has raised $21 million in Seed funding from Sequoia Capital, with participation from Oren Zeev. The Tel Aviv-based startup creates cost-efficient, real-time interactive experiences with GenAI models. https://lnkd.in/e-rcmcam

CryptoWeekly is proud to announce the latest fundraising deals in #Web3! RD Technologies raised $7.80M in Pre-Series A funding with help by Solana Foundation. RD Technologies is a fintech company focused on facilitating payments and commerce with trust, stability, and efficiency. Nodepay obtained an undisclosed amount with assistance by Animoca Brands. Nodepay is the network infrastructure that provides decentralized bandwidth for AI training. By connecting to the Nodepay Network, users can sell their unused internet to AI companies, enabling the efficient transfer of public training data, labelling, model sharing and remote distributed training. MeshMap acquired secured $4M in Undisclosed funding with support by Andreessen Horowitz. MeshMap is a decentralized platform for creating and sharing 3D maps collaboratively. It leverages decentralized infrastructure to enable users to contribute, validate, and access highly detailed 3D maps without relying on centralized mapping services. AminoChain secured $5M in Seed funding with help by Andreessen Horowitz. AminoChain is developing a Layer 2 blockchain protocol that connects enterprise medical institutions, enabling the creation of user-owned decentralized healthcare applications. Mawari raised $10.80M in Strategic funding with assistance by 1kx. Mawari is a Solana-based DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) project focused on scaling spatial computing. EarthFast obtained $1.40M in Seed funding with support by Nascent. EarthFast is an infrastructure protocol that began as a community project in 2022 called Armada Network. It enables projects to build and host decentralized apps easily, providing a scalable, secure, and efficient alternative to traditional cloud platforms. Infinex raised a whopping $65.29M in Undisclosed funding with help by Framework Ventures. Infinex is a decentralized perpetuals exchange created by the founder of Synthetix, Kain Warwick, aimed at providing a user experience similar to centralized exchanges. Berkeley Compute Inc secured $5M in Pre-Seed funding with assistance by Chia Network. Berkeley Compute is developing a pooling protocol to scale GPU capacity for AI workloads through decentralized data center operators. Helix Labs obtained $2M in Pre-Seed funding with support by Tribe Capital. Helix Labs is a protocol that enhances yield opportunities for non-ETH Layer 1 asset holders through restaking. It also supports an OmniVM rollup future via liquidity abstraction. Zulu Network raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding with help by Draper Dragon. Zulu Network is the first Bitcoin Layer 2 to achieve Bitcoin-level security using BitVM2, enabling developers to seamlessly deploy dApps on both EVM & UTXO layers. Zulu is also a recognized key contributor to BitVM, poised to launch the first trust-minimized Bitcoin bridge. Congratulations to everyone! Looking forward to the next round. #cryptocurrency #startup #investment #fundraising

OpenLayer is a crypto-AI startup co-founded in 2023 by Yuchen Jiang, Kevin Yin, and Chen Chen. The three founders previously worked at Robinhood, a financial technology company recognized for its commission-free trading platform. Each co-founder also brings valuable experience from notable tech companies—Chen served as a software engineer at Google, Yuchen as a software engineer at Facebook, and Kevin as a product manager at Dropbox. The platform functions as a modular AI data layer designed to modernize data flows across digital ecosystems. OpenLayer aims to help users contribute and validate data through a Chrome extension, with developers accessing this data upon user consent. In November 2024, OpenLayer raised $5 million in seed funding from investors including a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX), Geometry Ventures, and others. Discover more: #cryptoai #web3 #datasecurity https://lnkd.in/gBURin8k

Blockmate Ventures Inc. (MATEF: OTCQB) | Blockmate investee Hivello enters strategic partnership with AIxBlock for AI apps to access decentralised computing power