{"id":671211,"date":"2025-05-24T15:40:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T12:40:35","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-05-24T15:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T12:40:35","slug":"startups-weekly-cutting-through-google-i-o-noise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/startups-weekly-cutting-through-google-i-o-noise\/","title":{"rendered":"Startups Weekly: Cutting through Google I\/O noise"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2a42c1027e4\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2a42c1027e4\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/startups-weekly-cutting-through-google-i-o-noise\/#Most_interesting_startup_stories_from_the_week\" >Most interesting startup stories from the week<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/startups-weekly-cutting-through-google-i-o-noise\/#Most_interesting_VC_and_funding_news_this_week\" >Most interesting VC and funding news this week<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/startups-weekly-cutting-through-google-i-o-noise\/#Last_but_not_least\" >Last but not least<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Welcome to Startups Weekly \u2014 your weekly recap of everything you can\u2019t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday?<\/em><em> Sign up here<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite Google I\/O capturing as much attention as anticipated, some startups still took their chances and shared announcements this week, while others simply had to go with the flow when their <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> made headlines.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-most-interesting-startup-stories-from-the-week\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Most_interesting_startup_stories_from_the_week\"><\/span>Most interesting startup stories from the week<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?w=680\" alt=\"Sam Altman and Jony Ive\" class=\"wp-image-3010431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=150,113 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=680,510 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=430,323 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=720,540 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=800,600 800w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=668,501 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=500,375 500w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=823,617 823w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/portrait.jpg?resize=708,531 708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>OpenAI<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week\u2019s most interesting startup stories came from current and former IPO hopefuls, some of which also provided exits to earlier-stage ventures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Billion-dollar hire?<\/strong> Jony Ive and his firm LoveFrom will lead creative and design work at OpenAI after the company acquired io, the AI device startup he co-founded with Sam Altman, in an all-equity deal valuing that startup at $6.5 billion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Million-dollar employees:<\/strong> BNPL giant Klarna is on track to reach $1 million in revenue per employee, up from $575,000 a year earlier, after its AI-driven efficiency push reduced its customer service costs. To further showcase its use of AI, Klarna\u2019s quarterly earnings were presented by an AI avatar of its CEO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Brex for Zip<\/strong>: Brex is partnering with former competitor Zip, a 5-year-old procurement startup, with hopes to grow its enterprise customer base and keep on reducing its cash burn, one of the boxes to tick for a potential IPO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Running out of money:<\/strong> Microsoft-backed AI software company Builder.ai entered insolvency proceedings despite having raised more than $450 million in funding at a unicorn valuation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>New ride<\/strong>: Einride founder Robert Falck transitioned from CEO to executive chairman as the electric and autonomous trucking startup works toward scaling, fundraising, and a potential IPO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Fresh lights:<\/strong> Luminar, a lidar company whose billionaire founder was recently replaced as CEO following an ethics inquiry, could secure up to $200 million through the sale of convertible preferred stock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Open road: <\/strong>The Breakaway, a Y Combinator alum that makes a popular cycling <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>, was the second startup to get acquired by <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> fitness company Strava in the last few weeks.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-most-interesting-vc-and-funding-news-this-week\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Most_interesting_VC_and_funding_news_this_week\"><\/span><strong>Most interesting VC and funding news this week<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?w=680\" alt=\"Affiniti founders Aaron Bai and Sahil Phadnis\" class=\"wp-image-3009059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png 2000w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=680,454 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=1280,854 1280w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=430,287 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=720,480 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=800,534 800w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=668,446 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=562,375 562w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=925,617 925w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Affiniti-2025-Founder-Headshot.png?resize=708,472 708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>Affiniti<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some VC and funding news that cut through the noise this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Seed, not a typo:<\/strong> LM Arena, a benchmarking project known for its AI leaderboards, reportedly raised a $100 million seed round at a $600 million valuation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Grounded:<\/strong> Gravitee, a company whose platform helps companies manage their APIs, landed a $60 million <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a> C led by Sixth Street Growth, bringing its total raised to just over $125 million.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Strong signal:<\/strong> Siro, a startup developing AI-powered tools for sales reps, locked in a $50 million Series B led by SignalFire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Renewed: <\/strong>Subscription management startup RevenueCat raised a $50 million Series C led by existing investor Bain Capital. Now valued at $500 million, the company is seeking to expand beyond app monetization by solving a wider range of problems facing mobile developers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Reinforced: <\/strong>Affiniti, a fintech startup founded by Aaron Bai, 20, and Sahil Phadnis, 22, who raised an $11 million seed round a few months ago, now closed a $17 million Series A led by SignalFire for its expense-management software targeted at traditional small businesses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>More to deploy:<\/strong> Headline Asia raised $145 million for Headline Asia Fund V, dedicated to early-stage startups across Asia-Pacific. It has already funded 17 investments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Scribble network:<\/strong> Scribble Ventures, the venture firm of early Twitter executive Elizabeth Weil, secured $80 million for its third fund.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Creative capital:<\/strong> Creator Ventures, \u200b\u200ba seed and pre-seed venture capital fund focused on consumer internet companies, raised a second fund of $45 million, more than double its previous $20 million fund.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-last-but-not-least\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Last_but_not_least\"><\/span>Last but not least<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"799\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?w=680\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3008422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg 799w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=680,454 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=430,287 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=720,480 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=668,446 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=562,375 562w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/54517451771_d7782ece89_c.jpg?resize=708,472 708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>Paul Clarke<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a TechCrunch StrictlyVC event in London, Accel <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> partner Sonali \u200b\u200bDe Rycker said she was bullish about Europe\u2019s prospects in AI but wary of regulatory overreach. \u201cWe\u2019re in a supercycle,\u201d she said. \u201cThese cycles don\u2019t come often, and we can\u2019t afford to be leashed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/05\/23\/startups-weekly-cutting-through-google-i-o-noise\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Startups Weekly \u2014 your weekly recap of everything you can\u2019t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. Despite Google I\/O capturing as much attention as anticipated, some startups still took their chances and shared announcements this week, while others simply had to go with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-671211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}