ET Capital has initiated a new program to boost venture capital investment in Cambridge startups. The program focuses on science and technology-driven startups within the Cambridge cluster, aiming to provide a diverse portfolio across multiple sectors and technologies. The first fund, Cambridge Venture Index SEIS/EIS Fund 1, will invest in ten to fifteen startups from April 2025 to March 2026. This fund targets individual investors and is designed to democratize investment in Cambridge's future success. The strategy aims to reduce risk by diversifying investments, leveraging the performance of the best businesses in the Cambridge cluster. The fund also plans to collaborate with incubators and commercialization offices to provide predictable seed capital to startups.

➀ ATLANT 3D announced a $15M Series A+ funding round led by West Hill Capital;

➁ The company's atomic-scale manufacturing technology enables precise development of advanced materials and devices for optics, photonics, microelectronics, quantum computing, sensors, and space applications;

➂ ATLANT 3D has successfully launched NANOFABRICATORTM LITE and has established partnerships with over 50 industrial and research organizations.

➀ Magdrive, a UK space tech startup, has raised $10.5 million in seed funding led by Redalpine.

➁ The funds will be used for R&D, building a manufacturing facility in the UK, and establishing a US office.

➂ Magdrive is developing a satellite propulsion system using metal propellant, aiming to improve maneuverability and longevity of spacecraft.

➀ Chongqing-based AI chip company Xiangdiexian has emerged from a financial crisis after securing a new round of funding from Anfu Technology and several venture capital firms.

➁ The company, founded by Tang Zhimin, a strategic scientist in the field of computer system and processor chip design, had previously raised over 2.5 billion yuan in five funding rounds.

➂ However, the company faced difficulties due to a failed bet agreement and layoffs affecting over 400 employees. Now, with the new funding, the company is looking to rebuild and strengthen its position in the AI chip industry.

➀ Lumotive, a specialist in programmable optical semiconductors, has raised $45 million in a Series B funding round.

➁ The funding will be used to accelerate growth in global market expansion, data center AI infrastructure, and aerospace and defense applications.

➂ Lumotive's LCM technology enables ultra-reliable optical circuit switches for high-performance optical switching solutions.

➀ PositronAI, a two-year-old startup based in Reno, has raised $23.5 million to develop FPGA-based AI inference chips.

➁ The company, which specializes in transformer model inference, has backing from Valor Equity Partners, Atreides Management, Flume Ventures, and Resilience Reserve.

➂ Positron's Atlas V1 device utilizes eight Agilix 7M series FPGAs and boasts performance improvements over Nvidia chips.

➀ The UK's £1.137 billion Future Fund has suffered a loss of £263 million, reducing its value to £799m;

➁ The Future Fund has provided loans to 1,192 companies, but many have failed to repay, blaming strict loan terms;

➂ Investments include companies like Killing Kittens and Bolton Wanderers Football Club, with 202 firms becoming insolvent and 107 going bankrupt.

➀ Anhui Kexun Artificial Intelligence Venture Capital Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership) was established with a capital of 500 million yuan.

➁ The fund is engaged in private equity investment, investment management, and asset management.

➂ Kedacom, Hefei City Venture Capital Guidance Fund Co., Ltd., and other parties jointly invested in the fund.

➃ This is the eighth subsidiary fund established by Hua'an Jiye, which manages the Anhui Artificial Intelligence Theme Mother Fund, with a subscribed capital of nearly 13.7 billion yuan.

➄ The subsidiary fund focuses on the exploration and commercial application of cutting-edge AI technologies, investing in areas such as smart chips, natural language processing, computer vision, and data analysis.

➀ The Silicon Valley tech scene is buzzing with events, with A16z being a prominent name in the Tech Week.

➁ A16z organizes a variety of events, including discussions, workshops, and investor meetings, to connect tech professionals and investors.

➂ A16z's approach to media and content creation has helped it become a key player in the tech venture capital community.

➃ A16z's partners, including Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, have become influential figures in the tech industry.

➄ A16z actively participates in promoting its investment portfolio and supporting emerging technologies.

➀ Redemption terms in venture capital investments, their intention, boundaries, and misunderstandings are discussed.

➁ Performance ratchet clauses, their purpose, and the misuse in the industry are analyzed.

➂ The importance of not forcing enterprises or founders to the brink of ruin with redemption terms is emphasized.