The unicorns among us

Ten years ago, Cowboy Ventures founder Aileen Lee coined the term “unicorn” to describe startups that reached $1 billion valuation. At the time, there were only 39 startups on the list, but cut to today, where more than 500 companies now live on the list.

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Not only did the number of unicorns boom, but also what they’re focused on shifted: The pendulum swung hard in the direction of B2B startups over the last decade — but the thing with pendulums is that eventually they swing back.

Thanks for reading!

Karyne

Number of monthly active crypto devs fell 25% in 2023

Longtime developers are important to the crypto ecosystem, according to a new report from Electric Capital. Newbies tend to follow the hype and prices, but don’t always stick around when things go bad, which is why there is a need for a core of committed devs.

Northvolt’s $5B debt deal should be a wake-up call for the US battery industry

The fact that battery maker Northvolt has managed to raise $5 billion in debt with the support of state-sponsored lenders should be a stark reminder to the U.S. that it’s beyond time to help build a homegrown battery manufacturer, writes climate reporter Tim De Chant.

Ask Sophie: What visas could work to come to Silicon Valley for customer discovery?

Dear Sophie,

I’m a founder of a startup in Estonia. I listened to your podcast about the importance of international founders coming to the U.S. to meet collaborators and do customer discovery before expanding in the market. Should I come on a visitor visa? Any other visa options I should consider?

— Eager in Estonia

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A startup pitch is not a presentation and founders must understand the differences

Startups have limited time to engage their audience, which is why it’s critical for founders to make their pitch persuasive from the start, according to Bill Reichert, a partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures.

Why most GTM slides suck — and how to fix them

Now that you know how to grab investors’ attention with your pitch, here’s a crash course on making the most of your go-to-market slides.