Mantis VC, an early-stage venture fund in partnership with The Chainsmokers
Highline Beta | Corporate Venture Studios & Venture Building
We build ventures and venture studios with corporate partners and family offices through rigorous process, entrepreneurial grit, and capital.
Founders Hub | Transform Finance
The founder playbook for building a company that lasts and stays true to why you started it. Research, case studies, and practical tools for incorporation, fundraising terms, board structure, ownership, and culture.
Meet the AI OnlyFans: How one startup raised millions to build an ‘erotic companions’ platform | Kai Nicol-Schwarz
Meet the AI OnlyFans: How one startup raised millions to build an ‘erotic companions’ platform --- When AI erotic companion startup Oh raised a $4.5m funding round in January, it had something few in the shadowy new sector could boast. A roster of named investors, publicly backing the company. VCs are often bound by “vice clauses”, which prohibit firms from investing in controversial products like pornography or weapons. As a result, startups working on ethically contentious products often rely on angel investors and family offices to stay afloat. But Oh, which generates NSFW adult content and conversations with both fictional characters as well as bots based on real people, has tapped into a group of seemingly less squeamish investors: crypto VCs. It’s drawn backing from the likes of Tangent, Kosmos Ventures, Big Brain Holdings, Bodhi Ventures and Tagus Capital. “Raising money for a business like this from non-crypto VCs is very difficult,” says Oh founder and CEO Nic Young, who positions the startup as a “decentralised platform” and offers payments via crypto. “A lot of crypto VCs don’t have vice clauses — it’s more liberal and free.” Oh wants to use those fresh funds to build the “AI OnlyFans”, with plans to roll out autonomous scantily clad bots that can market themselves on social media and direct message users with spicy conversation starters. The biggest challenge? Convincing enough users it’s not that weird turning to AI when you’re looking for romance. https://lnkd.in/eRF7a5Dn
Funds that lead pre-seeds — Curated VC Funds
A curated list of investors who write first checks at the earliest stage, backing founders before traction when conviction matters most. View this sheet and more on VC Sheet, where founders find the right investors for their round. Curated by Mat Vogels.
Tagus Capital — DeepTech Venture Capital | Oxford
Tagus Capital is a DeepTech venture capital fund based in Oxford
HOME | A-Force Ventures
A-Force Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in female-led consumer, internet, and mobile startups.
Sidecar funds, corporate vehicles, club deals: how do startup studios get financed?
As explained in The Rise of Startup Studios, a white paper published by The Global Startup Studio Network in 2019, the term “startup…
Joseph Jacks bets on open source startups, a 'paradox of philanthropy and capitalism' | TechCrunch
Joseph Jacks and OSS Capital have sought some of the earliest stage open source startups, and funded them through their formative years.
Manus launches paid subscription plans and a mobile app | TechCrunch
Manus, the viral AI agent platform out of China, has launched paid subscription plans, a mobile app, and other upgrades.
Anthropic Forges $1.5 Billion AI Alliance With Blackstone (BX) and Goldman Sachs (GS) - MoneyCheck
Anthropic partners with Blackstone (BX) and Goldman Sachs (GS) in a $1.5B venture to deploy Claude AI across private equity portfolios worldwide.
America’s Seed Fund – NSF SBIR/STTR | NSF SBIR
America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF SBIR/STTR) supports startups with research and development funding to create technologies.
Vylit Raises $2.7 Million In Funding Led By Windmill Chain Fund With Investors Manifest Financial And Aaron Day
Vylit, a new AI-powered platform for the adult-friendly creator economy, has raised $2.7 million in funding led by Windmill Chain Fund, with participation from angel investors including Manifest Financial and Aaron Day, CEO and founder of Amaze. Founded by former OnlyFans CEO Amrapali (Ami) Gan and Kailey Magder, Vylit aims to make monetization more accessible for emerging creators by combining the discoverability of platforms like Instagram or TikTok with the creator tools of OnlyFans. The web-based platform, set to launch in December 2025, will allow adult-oriented but non-explicit content and use AI image generation to help creators engage with and grow their audiences. INVESTORS: Windmill Chain Fund, Manifest Financial & Aaron Day AMOUNT: $2,700,000 HQ: #NewYork #NY #NewYorkCity #NYC #VentureCapital #Vylit #AmrapaliAmiGan #KaileyMagder #WindmillChainFund #ManifestFinancial #AaronDay#TradedVC
Vice Ventures
Vice Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital fund conquering stigmas and striving towards superior returns by investing in good companies operating in 'bad' industries.
Marque Fund - Open Collective
A fund that sponsors non-profits, open-source projects, and more with a domain of their own.
