#venturecapital

What is the deal with Stratos? I haven't seen an update in months, and there is nothing on the 1.5 website.
What about the other ventures? Terralithium? Cemvita? Net Power? Is any of this panning out? No news is bad news?

Martha is playing with Medtronic’s core businesses that have paid the light bill for decades.

I believe he is turning MDT into a venture capital fund, selling off BUs because they don’t meet his +50% groth rate just to use the fresh capital for M&A of long shot small start ups that will require intense capital to get them off the ground.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he dipped into the pension fund.

Another American company with 85% of its ‘team’ in low-cost countries and 3 confused dudes in the US pretending to be the HQ. Not really an American company anymore—just a flag of convenience for venture capital. 🇺🇸 in name only.

Looks like beginning of end for Gainwell. Any predictions on doomsday when Veritas will piecemeal and sell it to two/three other VCs? Mar 1st 2026?

Most likely it will be before FY26 end ~Feb/Mar 2026.

Anyone ever make a startup company? I'm looking for advice,
Leases and drilling are really crazy expensive to carry on my savings alone, how did you find investors?
What do you wish you knew before you started?

Fontaine said it's important to back startups
that align with IBM's broader goals.
And those goals would be???

https://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-head-ai-vc-5-pillars-she-uses-invest-startup-2025-9

By: Alice Tecotzky
Sep 13, 2025, 4:35 AM CT

• Emily Fontaine, IBM's global head of venture capital, decides which startups to back based on five "pillars."
• Her criteria include strategic fit and market opportunity.
• Fontaine wants to connect with 800 startups this year.

Emily Fontaine engages with VC firms, startups, and portfolio companies every day, she told Business Insider, and she knows what she wants from them.

As IBM's global head of venture capital, Fontaine leads IBM Ventures, which partners with companies working on everything from quantum computing to artificial intelligence to cybersecurity. She said she wants to connect with 800 startups worldwide this year.

"We've got a really good formula for that," Fontaine said on how she decides whether to invest. "Our mission is super clear: accelerate enterprise innovation with emerging technologies that are delivering real business value."

Fontaine said she evaluates investments based on "five key pillars."

Strategic fit

As the head of a corporate ventures arm, Fontaine said it's important to back startups that align with IBM's broader goals.

"We want to back companies with a differentiated vision that's aligned to major trends and IBM's long-term strategy," she told Business Insider.

While once known as a hardware giant, IBM has recently started focusing on AI and hybrid cloud. Fontaine oversees the company's $500 million Enterprise AI fund.

Technology and product

Fontaine's next evaluative pillar focuses on the product itself: "Are these breakthrough solutions? Are they exceptional quantum quality? Is this technology fantastic?"
Market and competition

Beyond considering the actual technology, Fontaine said she thinks about a startup's financial viability, like the total addressable market and "strong tailwinds," or whether industry trends are favorable.

"Is there clear white space for leadership?" she asked, referencing a company's ability to fill a gap in the market.

Team

Fontaine described herself as a collaborative leader. She said she goes to the office as much as possible and encourages her team members to do the same. Twice a week, she blocks out her whole team's calendar for dedicated collaborative time.

The same focus on teamwork applies to the startups she backs, which, for one, need "high-quality founders with deep domain expertise."

"But even more so — as we do not lead deals, we co-invest alongside top-tier VCs — you have to think about who's on the cap table?" Fontaine said. "Is that a cap table you believe in?"

A cap table — or capitalization table — is a document that outlines investors' equity stakes in a startup.

Financial discipline

Ambition is great, but Fontaine said she's also focused on making sure a startup has reasonable financial goals.

"Do they have realistic milestones? Do they have scalable models?" she said.

Massachusetts Biotech Sector Faces Slowdown in Venture Funding and Increased Layoffs

A new report from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) has outlined concerning trends within the state's biotech sector.

https://www.geneonline.com/massachusetts-biotech-sector-faces-slowdown-in-venture-funding-and-increased-layoffs/

GeneOnline
Aug/26/2025 09:24 PM
Location: Massachusetts