everything you need to read this week by @stephthefounder (December 22nd)
The goal is to be the best weekly newsletter to be the most succinct + fun way to learn about all the best things you need to know across tech, startups, VC, etc, sent out every Monday. (and at the minimum, it will include the links I post about every week on instagram!). Feedback (and a better/more creative newsletter name than the boring one I have now) always welcome!
we’re in the final stretch!
every year around this time i’m reminded by the saying ‘the days are long but the years are short.’ this morning i was looking for a video i did earlier this year about whether it’s better to be well rounded or to be an expert in one thing (which I could’ve sworn was just a couple months ago) and was shocked to learn it was actually from April 🫠
or how over the weekend i saw some sassy tiktok comment sections giving a creator a hard time for referring to the coldplay cheating scandal as being “a year ago” when it was only a few months ago (but it really does feel like ancient history, doesn’t it??)
it reminds me of some essays i love on (or tangentially related to) this topic
paul graham’s life is short essay
david brooks’ ‘the moral bucket list’
this (depressing but important) essay that i’ve linked before by tim urban re how little time we have (especially with our parents)
side note: forgive for a little bit of a shorter post this week (and likely next week). my goal for the next 2 weeks is to spend more time offline (so a little less reading (of long form articles) and consuming content and creating content). i wish for less screen time and relaxation for you over the holidays too 😘
💰 Companies that will make you a millionaire
Every week I highlight a few of my favorite startups that I personally think are really promising. They’ve typically received funding that week + are hiring, and occasionally I’ll include some special bonus ones.
And now you can easily earn some cold hard cash 💰: you can now use PINpoint (a fun product my company has been building) to earn $$ (anywhere from $5K to $30K) for successfully referring people to top startups. The brilliant part about this is:
you don’t even need to know the person who’s ultimately hired - if you post a link on LinkedIn and the algorithm shows it to someone who ultimately clicks the link and is hired, you get the $$$ 😏
all of these companies are great and highly respected, so your friend (or random person who saw your post) will also thank you 😉 win win
(PS are you a founder or do you work at a cool startup that’s hiring? reply back with the name so we can give you guys a shout!)
This week’s featured companies:
Oboe: An AI-powered platform that helps educators and training teams quickly generate full courses, including lesson plans, materials, and assessments. The company recently raised a $16M round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) to scale the product and expand adoption.
Job openings can be found here
Serval: Builds an AI-native platform that automates IT support tasks like troubleshooting, access requests, and onboarding, with expansion into HR and finance workflows. The San Francisco startup recently raised $75M in a Sequoia-led Series B, valuing the company at $1B.
Job openings can be found here
Chai Discovery: A biotech startup applying large AI models to drug discovery, aiming to shorten timelines from early research through molecule design. The OpenAI-backed company raised a $130M Series B to scale its platform and pipeline
Job openings can be found here
Some bonus companies that were also funded last week:
Databricks (data + analytics platform for AI) 📊 → $4B Series L (Job openings here)
Mythic (analog AI processors for compute) ⚙️ → $125M round (Job openings here)
Adaptive Security (AI tools to stop phishing) 🛡️ → $81M Series B (Job openings here)
Mirelo (AI platform for sound and music) 🎵 → $41M seed (Job openings here)
Vital Lyfe (portable clean water systems) 💧 → $24M seed (Job openings here)
Ankar (AI software for patent lifecycle) 📄 → $20M Series A (Job openings here)
Leona Health (AI assistant for doctor–patient in WhatsApp) 💬 → $14M seed (Job openings here)
🤓 Best things to read instead of doomscrolling
some things i’ve read and liked this week (sorry for no official post this week!)
is there an association between daytime napping and cognitive function/brain volume? (as a(n wannabe) avid napper i hope so)
A Reddit post helped find the MIT / Brown shooting suspect (I love Reddit 🥲) It reminds me of this idea from literally 10 years ago where someone tried to create a platform for everyday people to pool efforts to solve real life crime and considering how mocked it was this must be a hot take, but I kinda think it’s a cool idea. If you’ve ever seen Don't F**k With Cats on Netflix (highly rec if you like true crime/crime documentaries) you also know how powerful it can be!!
AI being used in medicine - something on my list this holiday to read more about:
… and AI in law - “AI will kill all the lawyers”
“ He says maybe 1 per cent of his peers have any idea what is about to happen.
He has another argument, even more pressing. ‘Lawyers are arrogant. Lawyers run the country. Keir Starmer is a quintessential lawyer. So these are people used to being respected, and they commonly have, let’s say, very high self-esteem. For them to admit they aren’t so special, at all, and that they can be replaced by a free robot, is going to be torture.’”
📱 Everything you may have missed in tech/startup news
(an abbreviated version of) All the most important things that happened last week, from intellectual to guilty pleasure and optimistic to cringe:
SIGNAL x CRINGE:
U.S. jobless rate rises to 4.6% amid slow hiring and shutdown delays.
SIGNAL x BASED:
Google teases upgraded Gemini 2.5 audio models for smoother real‑time voice agents
New OpenAI hires no longer wait six months for equity vesting (!! huge)
OpenAI may seek $100B at a ~$750B valuation in early talks (see above)
Coursera and Udemy plan a $2.5B merger to dominate online courses
Hark, a new AI lab from Figure’s CEO Brett Adcock, goes live with $100M funding
NOISE x CRINGE:
LimeWire buys Fyre Festival brand to revive infamous meme event (iconic, and a perfect brand merge IMO)
Yikes — startup founder allegedly used VC funds for personal expenses, including a house and a wedding and Super Bowl tickets
NOISE x BASED:
NYC phone ban makes classes calmer and more social (yay for less screen time)
Oscars go YouTube‑first, leaving broadcast TV in 2029 (this + the IG Reels on TV news - underrated)
🤝 Cool things from this community
[new experiment!] every week I want to highlight cool projects, opportunities, fundings, etc from this community! these are free and are curated for things that are the most helpful/inspiring/interesting for other members of this group. for more context and to submit any cool projects etc, please see here! (they’ll be reviewed on a rolling basis every Sunday(ish))
(Please note a feature here is not an explicit endorsement unless specifically stated — I do light diligence but given time/resource constraints, am not doing rigorous diligence (so please do your own research before spending lots of time and money, etc.)
if you’ve thought about working with a career coach or would benefit from some kind of productive but relaxing retreat to work through some big career/leadership questions, check out two retreats run by Emma (a friend/classmate and talented ex-operator/consultant turned coach!)
there are 2 (one in Sun Valley in January (founders only) and the other in Costa Rica in February) — i attended the one in sun valley last year and it was so impactful (and if you like the frameworks i’ve been featuring for new years reflection, you’ll really enjoy it)
🤪 Just because / for fun
aka random things that I found interesting enough to screenshot or take a picture of last week
if you saw the “companies are desperately seeking storytellers” article and realized you want to get better at storytelling (or you just enjoy good stories), i love love love events held by the moth (i’ve written about them before but they deserve another shoutout!)
i first discovered them from listening to their book (how to tell a story - also recommend, especially the audiobook) + remembered they had a prominent feature in Girls
i’ve been to 4 events this year in NYC (but they’re all over). i’m always impressed with the level of talent, vulnerability, variety, etc. it’s one of the few events i’ve been to that really attracts all different types of people across every demo you could think of. highly recommend
do yourself a favor and go to wah fung this week if you happen to be in NYC while everyone else is out of town (they also low key have amazing congee - something I only realized because my ~more authentically Chinese parents~ were offered it the last time they visited with me)
and more shiba content (aka my weekend x)
<3 until next week!
I like how you’re mixing signal, guilty pleasure and community wins. That’s how people actually read. One thought- if you keep 2–3 recurring sections locked, readers build a habit fast 😮💨
If anyone enjoys Oboe, Periplus.app is a recent discovery that is similar!!