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 Startups Weekly Recap: Highlights and Key Announcements

Welcome to Startups Weekly, your go-to roundup of the latest developments in the startup ecosystem. Want updates delivered every Friday? Subscribe now!

Highlights from the Week

The post-Thanksgiving period is always bustling with announcements, and this year was no exception. Several funding rounds and developments offered heartwarming news, especially during the holiday season.

Notable Startup Stories

New Beginnings: Three members of Google’s NotebookLM team have left to start their own venture, following the path of AI expert François Chollet.

Salary Insights: Kruze Consulting revealed that senior engineers in the Bay Area earn $180,000–$235,000 at seed-stage startups, compared to $160,000–$210,000 in other regions.

Competitive Edge: Fitness startup Ladder raised $105 million in Series B funding and cleverly turned similarities with Peloton's Strength+ app into a marketing advantage.

YC Demo Day: Y Combinator’s Fall 2024 Demo Day returned to an in-person format, showcasing its latest batch of startups.

Funding Announcements

Clean Tech: Heirloom Carbon raised $150 million in Series B funding to advance carbon-capture technology.

Heart Health: Cleerly, an AI-driven cardiovascular imaging startup, secured $106 million in a Series C extension round to combat coronary artery disease.

Cancer Research: French startup Orakl Oncology raised nearly €15 million to develop new cancer treatments, combining biology and data insights.

Wildfire Mitigation: FireDome raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to scale its wildfire suppression technology using fire-retardant projectiles.

Popcorn Speculation: Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner aim to raise $10 million for Khloud, a rumored protein popcorn brand.

Venture Capital and Fund Updates

Athlete-Turned-Investor: Former NBA player Omri Casspi raised $60 million for Swish Ventures, targeting AI, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure startups.

Indian IPO Boom: Dutch investment group Prosus anticipates five IPOs from its Indian portfolio within 18 months, part of a broader wave of 20 planned Indian IPOs by 2025.

Diverse Investments: French VC firm Daphni partnered to launch Time4, a €100 million fund supporting diverse entrepreneurs and impactful projects.

Climate Tech and Policy

Voyager Ventures’ Leonardo Banchik and other climate tech investors remain cautiously optimistic about potential U.S. policy changes under a second Trump administration, noting that some shifts could benefit the sector.