Best of Venture Capital — July 2025

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   Article

   Data Science Central·43w

   How to Launch an AI Startup in 2025

   A comprehensive guide to launching an AI startup based on real founder experience, covering pre-launch preparation, building credibility through open source contributions, assembling a remote team with equity compensation, minimizing costs through automation and overseas hiring, networking strategies, and fundraising approaches. Emphasizes self-funding initially, building trust through content creation, and maintaining low burn rates while focusing on product development over traditional startup expenses.

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   Article

   David Heinemeier Hansson·44w

   American hype

   American culture's embrace of hype and optimism gives the US a significant advantage in technology innovation and startup success compared to Europe's more skeptical approach. While venture capital excesses can lead to spectacular failures like the dot-com crash, they also build foundational infrastructure that enables future successes. The current AI boom exemplifies this pattern, where American optimism and willingness to believe in transformative potential drives more innovation attempts and eventual breakthroughs than Europe's cautious pessimism.

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   Article

   GamesIndustry.biz·42w

   Dead Space creator and Sledgehammer Games co-founder admits "it's tough out there": "Maybe I've directed my last game"

   Glen Schofield, creator of Dead Space and co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, reveals the harsh realities of securing AAA game funding in today's market. After spending eight months developing a horror game proposal with a $17 million budget, publishers pushed for cuts to $2-5 million, forcing him to abandon the project rather than compromise quality. The veteran developer reflects on potentially having directed his last game as the AAA industry remains stagnant, highlighting broader challenges facing experienced developers in the current gaming landscape.

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   Article

   Hacker News·46w

   The Email Startup Graveyard: Why 80%+ of Email Companies Fail

   Email startups have an 80%+ failure rate because they try to solve problems that don't exist. Most build UI layers on top of existing infrastructure rather than actual email servers. Companies like Skiff, Sparrow, and Mailbox were acquired and shut down, while successful email businesses focus on infrastructure (SendGrid, Mailgun) or enhance existing workflows rather than replacing them. The core email protocols (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) work perfectly and have massive network effects that make replacement nearly impossible.

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