Launching into a strong final stretch

Hey everyone!

Fall is here, a season of fresh energy, new launches, and building momentum. Instead of slowing down, Q4 is when things heat up: deals are closing, new opportunities are popping, and ambitious founders are making bold moves.

This week’s newsletter is designed to help you charge into the final stretch of 2025 with confidence, from resources to sharpen your edge, to roles that could define your next move, to a founder spotlight on a woman breaking barriers.

🚀 Resource Drop: Tools to Accelerate

• The Arc Product-Market Fit Framework — A practical framework for mapping your path to product-market fit. Perfect for sharpening positioning and strategy as you head into Q4.

• How to Navigate Coffee Chats in VC — Practical advice on making the most of networking conversations, including what to ask and how to follow up.

• 16 AI Tools to Boost Productivity — A roundup of AI-powered tools that can give you an edge in sourcing, diligence, and operations.

🌟 Job Postings & Opportunities

• All Raise VC Fellow

• First Round- Investor

• Bessemer Venture Partner- Associate or Senior Associate

• 11 Tribes Venture- Investment Sourcing Lead

• Denver Ventures- Associate

• Okta Ventures- Investment Senior Manager 

• Griffin Gaming Partners- Investor Relations Analyst

• Anthos Capital- VC Research Interns

• APEX- New Ventures Manager 

• Outliers House is a 7-day sprint residency where 8 ambitious Gen-Z founders go from idea → MVP, with hands-on mentorship, reality-style storytelling, and a live investor pitch at the end of the week. Apply now to be part of our first cohort in the hamptons this fall:

🔥 This Week’s Hottest VC Deals

• Cognition —$400M Series | $10.2B Valuation
  AI coding startup Cognition raised $400M in a mega-round led by Founders Fund, pushing its valuation past $10B. Other backers include Lux Capital, 8VC, Neo, and Elad Gil.

• ElevenLabs — $100M Tender Offer | $6.6B Valuation
  AI audio powerhouse ElevenLabs is running a $100M tender offer valuing the company at $6.6B. Investors include Sequoia Capital, Iconiq Growth, and a16z.

• Koi — $48M Series
  Cybersecurity startup Koi, born from a white-hat hacking experiment, raised $48M to secure browser extensions and AI-related risks. Backers include NFX, Battery Ventures, and Team8.

• Epigenic Therapeutics — $60M Series B
  Shanghai-based Epigenic Therapeutics secured $60M to advance its gene-editing therapies. The round was led by Lapam Capital, with Qiming Venture Partners and OrbiMed participating.

⭐️ Founder Spotlight: Ritu Narayan, Founder & CEO of Zūm

When Ritu Narayan realized the chaos of school transportation was holding families back, she built a solution. Zūm has since scaled into a national platform, electrified fleets, and raised $140M to transform an overlooked sector.

Why it matters: Ritu proves that vision plus persistence can transform everyday problems into billion-dollar markets. Her story is a call to keep building, even when the path isn’t obvious.

📊 Market Trend: Fall Momentum

• Deal activity is rising. Historically, Q4 is one of the most active quarters for venture deals.

• AI + Sustainability = Hot Vertical. Expect more deals at the intersection of applied AI and climate solutions.

• Operator roles are scaling. Startups are prioritizing hires in growth, product, and platform, creating opportunities to plug in quickly and drive impact.

📌 Quick Wins for This Week

1. Pick one stretch goal to hit by November (a pitch deck, a new hire, a networking target).

2. Reach out to a VC or founder you’ve been waiting to connect with, fall is a great time to open doors.

3. Block one focused work session this week to move your biggest project forward.

💸 Fund Highlight: The Artemis Fund

Founded by Stephanie Campbell, Diana Murakhovskaya, and Leslie Goldman, The Artemis Fund invests in female-founded startups at the seed stage, with a focus on fintech, commerce, and care. Some of their portfolio companies include builders patch and CNote.

Why it’s compelling: Artemis has built a reputation for backing bold women founders scaling impactful solutions, and proves that diversity at the GP level drives results.

As we head into this new season, think of it as a reset button, a chance to double down on what matters most and push forward with fresh momentum. Whether that’s testing new ideas, growing your network, or just carving out space to build with intention, fall is the perfect time to set yourself up for a strong finish. Here’s to making this final stretch of the year not just productive, but defining.

Until next time,
The GIVC Content Team 💗